Restricting the eligible maintenance practices of permanent grassland – a realistic way towards more active farming?

Viira, Ants‐Hannes; Ariva, Jelena; Kall, Katri; Oper, Liis; Jürgenson, Evelin; Maasikamäe, S.; Põldaru, Reet

doi:10.15159/ar.20.018

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…In the EU, regulations are in place to protect designated sections of permanent grassland, which cannot be transformed or cultivated by farmers [88,89]. However, certain farmers, such as those enrolled in the small farmer's program, are exempt from the green-ing regulations, and organic farmers are rewarded for their environmentally friendly practices [8,90].…”

Section: From Policy Reform To Environmental Stewardship: Examining T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the European Agricultural Policy Sustainable Development Trajectory

Doukas,

Salvati,

Vardopoulos

2023

Land

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Amidst growing concerns about the impact of agriculture on the environment, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been overhauled to prioritize sustainable rural development in European agriculture. Based on this line of thought, the present contribution delves into the details of the CAP’s shift, focusing on the main environmental concerns faced in the policy-making framework. Grounded in a political science perspective, the current study looks at how environmental and climate change concerns were gradually elevated inside the CAP’s policy-making framework and how they helped create the “green architecture” for European agriculture. Examining the process of policy change under the lens of historical institutionalism and neo-institutionalism within the multilevel governance framework of the European Union (EU), the key role played by the gradual introduction of measures aimed at promoting measurable environmental criteria and climatic targets is highlighted. For instance, measures aimed at preserving carbon-rich soils and enhancing water resources can have positive impacts on the environment. However, these measures were also recognized to increase the cost of production for the European farmers, who faced serious difficulties in adjusting to the new framework. Within this context, this research delves into the roles played by two additional fundamental entities: the consumer and environmental activism. Additionally, the study underscores the EU’s commitment to addressing climate change and sustainable development challenges and how conditionality is being used to link funding to results. Upon analyzing the CAP’s shift, the reflection of a more flexible and rational approach is argued to be embodied by the new policy architecture. By incorporating both CAP pillars, encouraging collaboration with compatible policies, and allowing for greater adaptability in response to the unique circumstances and objectives of each member state, the CAP is taking significant steps towards sustainability and climate action. These insights into the significance and implications of the CAP’s shift towards sustainability offer valuable recommendations for future policy developments, emphasizing the need to balance environmental concerns with the needs of farmers and other stakeholders.

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Section: From Policy Reform To Environmental Stewardship: Examining T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the European Agricultural Policy Sustainable Development Trajectory

Doukas,

Salvati,

Vardopoulos

2023

Land

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“…The conservation of permanent grassland is one of the objectives of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which contributes to the overall climate and biodiversity objectives of the EU [34]. Each EU member state has its own nomenclature for classifying grassland polygons, recorded in Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) to implement the CAP of the EU.…”

Section: Mapping Units Of Grassland Areas 251 Permanent Grassland Pol...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grassland Use Intensity Classification Using Intra-Annual Sentinel-1 and -2 Time Series and Environmental Variables

et al. 2022

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Detailed spatial data on grassland use intensity is needed in several European policy areas for various applications, e.g., agricultural management, supporting nature conservation programs, improving biodiversity strategies, etc. Multisensory remote sensing is an efficient tool to collect information on grassland parameters. However, there is still a lack of studies on how to process, combine, and implement large radar and optical image datasets in a joint observation framework to map grassland types on large heterogeneous study areas. In our study, we assessed the usefulness of 2521 Sentinel-1 and 586 Sentinel-2 satellite images and topographic data for mapping grassland use intensity. We focused on the distinction between intensively and extensively managed permanent grassland in a large heterogeneous study area in Slovenia. We provided dense Satellite Image Time Series (SITS) for 2017, 2018 and 2019 to identify important differences, e.g., management practices, between the two grassland types analysed. We also investigated the effectiveness of combining two different remote-sensing products, the optical Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and radar coherence. Grassland types were distinguished using an object-based approach and the Random Forest classification. With the use of SITS only, the models achieved poor performance in the case of cloudy years (2018). However, the performance improved with additional features (environmental variables). The feature selection method based on Mean Decrease Accuracy (MDA) provided a deeper insight into the high-dimensional multisensory SITS. It helped select the most relevant features (acquisition dates, environmental variables) that distinguish between intensive and extensive grassland types. The addition of environmental variables improved the overall classification accuracy by 7–15%, while the feature selection additionally improved the final overall classification accuracy (using all available features) by 2–3%. Although the reference dataset was limited (1259 training samples), the final overall classification accuracy was above 88% in all years analysed. The results show that the proposed Random Forest classification using combined multisensor data and environmental variables can provide better and more stable information on grasslands than single optical or radar data SITS on large heterogeneous areas. Therefore, a combined approach is recommended to distinguish different grassland types.

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“…Grassland maintenance practices aiming at conserving floristic biodiversity and enhancing the sustainability of land ecosystems are therefore required. European agricultural policy and researchers recommend low pressure on grasslands with seasonal pastures, and the use of specific animal species or breeds presenting specific grazing behavior or low feeding requirements [16,18,19]. Hence, the Dahomey breed should be promoted, stimulating scientific investigations and political support in this regard.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why and How European Farmers Are Dedicated to Breeding the Dwarf Dahomey Cattle

Vanvanhossou

Houessou

Halli

et al. 2022

Animals

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This study investigates the motivations and breeding practices of farmers keeping Dahomey cattle in European countries. Data were collected using a web-based open-closed questionnaire survey targeting 55 farmers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Descriptive analyses revealed that the earliest European Dahomey herds were established in 2005. Moreover, interest in the breed recently increased as 63.7% of the investigated farmers established their herds between 2016 and 2020. The average herd size comprises seven Dahomey cattle, kept for managing grassland (59.3%), for production of meat or as breeding stock (32.1%) and for a hobby (8.6%). The animals are mostly kept in grazing systems throughout the year, partly fattened with supplement feeds. The low disease incidence and no need for extra health care in the herds indicate the robustness of the breed. Furthermore, meat quality, calving ease, small size, calm character and low feed requirements of Dahomey cattle were valued by the farmers. For the preservation of these features, farmers confirmed their enthusiasm to support any breeding and conservation program of this smallholder breed in Europe and Benin. This study highlights the importance of small-sized cattle for sustainable breeding systems and with regard to ecosystem management practices.

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Restricting the eligible maintenance practices of permanent grassland – a realistic way towards more active farming?

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Unraveling the European Agricultural Policy Sustainable Development Trajectory

Unraveling the European Agricultural Policy Sustainable Development Trajectory

Grassland Use Intensity Classification Using Intra-Annual Sentinel-1 and -2 Time Series and Environmental Variables

Why and How European Farmers Are Dedicated to Breeding the Dwarf Dahomey Cattle

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