Evaluating farm performance using agri-environmental indicators: Recent experiences for nitrogen management in The Netherlands

Langeveld, J.W.A.; Verhagen, A.; Neeteson, J.J.; Keulen, H. van; Conijn, J.G.; Schils, R.L.M.; Oenema, J.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.11.021

Cited by 66 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…Note that Langeveld et al (2007) stress the importance that to evaluate farm performance N-surplus should be supported by other indicators or model calculations. Agri-environmental indicators should be applied in an integrated evaluation (such as the sustainable value approach), at a scale that reflects the firm's spatial variability (Langeveld et al, 2007). In this context, farm typologies (e.g.…”

Section: The Sustainable Value Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable value assessment of farms using frontier efficiency benchmarks

Passel

Huylenbroeck

Lauwers³

et al. 2009

Journal of Environmental Management

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a b s t r a c tAppropriate assessment of firm sustainability facilitates actor-driven processes towards sustainable development. The methodology in this paper builds further on two proven methodologies for the assessment of sustainability performance: it combines the sustainable value approach with frontier efficiency benchmarks. The sustainable value methodology tries to relate firm performance to the use of different resources. This approach assesses contributions to corporate sustainability by comparing firm resource productivity with the resource productivity of a benchmark, and this for all resources considered. The efficiency is calculated by estimating the production frontier indicating the maximum feasible production possibilities. In this research, the sustainable value approach is combined with efficiency analysis methods to benchmark sustainability assessment. In this way, the production theoretical underpinnings of efficiency analysis enrich the sustainable value approach. The methodology is presented using two different functional forms: the Cobb-Douglas and the translog functional forms. The simplicity of the Cobb-Douglas functional form as benchmark is very attractive but it lacks flexibility. The translog functional form is more flexible but has the disadvantage that it requires a lot of data to avoid estimation problems. Using frontier methods for deriving firm specific benchmarks has the advantage that the particular situation of each company is taken into account when assessing sustainability. Finally, we showed that the methodology can be used as an integrative sustainability assessment tool for policy measures.

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Section: The Sustainable Value Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable value assessment of farms using frontier efficiency benchmarks

Passel

Huylenbroeck

Lauwers³

et al. 2009

Journal of Environmental Management

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“…Spatial and temporal correlations of surface and groundwater were described using t-test analysis to show that surface and groundwater management should be integrated (Kannel et al, 2008). Agri-environmental indicators (AEIs) provide information on environmental as well as agronomic performance, which allows them to serve as analytical instruments in research and provide thresholds for legislation purposes Langeveld et al (2007) investigated AEIs used in various studies: nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen surplus, groundwater nitrate concentration and residual nitrogen soil concentration, to explain nitrogen management. Results indicated an integrated approach at an appropriate scale should be tested, not forgetting that indicators are simplifications if complex and variable processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting nitrate distribution in shallow groundwater under a beef farm in South Eastern Ireland

Fenton

Richards

Kirwan

et al. 2009

Journal of Environmental Management

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a b s t r a c tGroundwater contamination was characterised using a methodology which combines shallow groundwater geochemistry data from 17 piezometers over a 2 yr period in a statistical framework and hydrogeological techniques. Nitrate-N (NO 3 -N) contaminant mass flux was calculated across three control planes (rows of piezometers) in six isolated plots. Results showed natural attenuation occurs on site although the method does not directly differentiate between dilution and denitrification. It was further investigated whether NO 3 -N concentration in shallow groundwater (<5 m below ground level) generated from an agricultural point source on a 4.2 ha site on a beef farm in SE Ireland could be predicted from saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat ) measurements, ground elevation (m Above Ordnance Datum), elevation of groundwater sampling (screen opening interval) (m AOD) and distance from a dirty water point pollution source. Tobit regression, using a background concentration threshold of 2.6 mg NO 3 -N L À1 showed, when assessed individually in a step wise procedure, K sat was significantly related to groundwater NO 3 -N concentration. Distance of the point dirty water pollution source becomes significant when included with K sat in the model. The model relationships show areas with higher K sat values have less time for denitrification to occur, whereas lower K sat values allow denitrification to occur. Areas with higher permeability transport greater NO 3 -N fluxes to ground and surface waters. When the distribution of Cl À was examined by the model, K sat and ground elevation had the most explanatory power but K sat was not significant pointing to dilution having an effect. Areas with low NO 3 concentration and unaffected Cl À concentration points to denitrification, low NO 3 concentration and low Cl À chloride concentration points to dilution and combining these findings allows areas of denitrification and dilution to be inferred. The effect of denitrification is further supported as mean groundwater NO 3 -N was significantly (P < 0.05) related to groundwater N 2 /Ar ratio, redox potential (Eh), dissolved O 2 and N 2 and was close to being significant with N 2 O (P ¼ 0.08). Calculating contaminant mass flux across more than one control plane is a useful tool to monitor natural attenuation. This tool allows the identification of hot spot areas where intervention other than natural attenuation may be needed to protect receptors.

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“…organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD, 2003)) and reviews in Van der Werf and Petit (2002), Halberg et al (2005), Bockstaller et al (2008) Globally, the scientific community agrees that AEIs should share some common properties, whatever their purpose is. Examining properties considered as important by several authors, Langeveld et al (2007) conclude that effective AEIs should be quantifiable, scientifically sound, refer to relevant issues, acceptable to the target groups involved, easy to interpret and cost effective. To date, very few studies have simultaneously addressed properties of several AEIs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their results indicate that the different sets of indicators differ in terms of relevance, sensitivity over space, reliability and data availability. For nitrogen management, Langeveld et al (2007) showed that nitrogen surplus can be cheaper, more practical in discussion with farmers and more easily translated in day-to-day farmer decision making than ground water nitrate concentration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A methodological approach to identify cheap and accurate indicators for biodiversity assessment: application to grazing management and two grassland bird species

Tichit

Barbottin

Makowski

2010

Animal

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In response to environmental threats, numerous indicators have been developed to assess the impact of livestock farming systems on the environment. Some of them, notably those based on management practices have been reported to have low accuracy. This paper reports the results of a study aimed at assessing whether accuracy can be increased at a reasonable cost by mixing individual indicators into models. We focused on proxy indicators representing an alternative to the direct impact measurement on two grassland bird species, the lapwing Vanellus vanellus and the redshank Tringa totanus. Models were developed using stepwise selection procedures or Bayesian model averaging (BMA). Sensitivity, specificity, and probability of correctly ranking fields (area under the curve, AUC) were estimated for each individual indicator or model from observational data measured on 252 grazed plots during 2 years. The cost of implementation of each model was computed as a function of the number and types of input variables. Among all management indicators, 50% had an AUC lower than or equal to 0.50 and thus were not better than a random decision. Independently of the statistical procedure, models combining management indicators were always more accurate than individual indicators for lapwings only. In redshanks, models based either on BMA or some selection procedures were non-informative. Higher accuracy could be reached, for both species, with model mixing management and habitat indicators. However, this increase in accuracy was also associated with an increase in model cost. Models derived by BMA were more expensive and slightly less accurate than those derived with selection procedures. Analysing trade-offs between accuracy and cost of indicators opens promising application perspectives as time consuming and expensive indicators are likely to be of low practical utility.Keywords: livestock farming system, Bayesian model averaging, model selection, sensitivity, specificity ImplicationIndicator accuracy is of particular concern when indicators are developed for decision-making purpose. One way to improve the accuracy of individual indicators is to combine several ones using logistic regression. Our results show that special attention should be paid to model selection procedure. Models derived without selection were more expensive and slightly less accurate than those derived using a selection procedure. Analysing trade-offs between accuracy and cost of indicators opens promising perspectives as time consuming and expensive indicators are likely to be of low practical utility.

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Evaluating farm performance using agri-environmental indicators: Recent experiences for nitrogen management in The Netherlands

Cited by 66 publications

References 38 publications

Sustainable value assessment of farms using frontier efficiency benchmarks

Sustainable value assessment of farms using frontier efficiency benchmarks

Factors affecting nitrate distribution in shallow groundwater under a beef farm in South Eastern Ireland

A methodological approach to identify cheap and accurate indicators for biodiversity assessment: application to grazing management and two grassland bird species

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