Suchergebnisse

"Croatian farming systems have become more intensive in recent years. There is some evidence of rising NO3-N-levels in ground water. The aim of the paper is to find possible ways of preventing NO3-levels to rise in Croatian farming systems and their implications from the viewpoint of the manager. More specifically the purpose is to 1. Determine whether Croatian farmers exceed profit maximising levels of N-fertiliser use in maize cultivation and possible influence on NO3-N-levels. 2. To estimate the marginal abatement cost (MAC) at farm level of reducing NO3-N leaching through following economic instruments: a tax on optimal N-doses, a product tax and a N-fertiliser quota, all instruments corresponding to the same abatement level. Based on N-response experiments from field trials for maize N-response curves were derived. A sample of 20 family farms was used to calculate intensity, nutrient content in manure and the prices paid for N and obtained for maize. Profit maximising doses from the field trials were compared with nutrient use on farms. An effluent production function was estimated based on experiments with NO3-N contents in lysimeter water for the same treatments as in the N-response experiments. The results indicate that farmers use higher than optimal levels of N-fertilisers, if the technology and conditions of experimental fields could be applied on the farms and if manure is accounted for. Neglecting the N-content of the manure shows close to optimal nutrient levels. At profit maximising levels the NO3-N level is approximately 14 mg NO3-N/l (62 mg NO3/l) or clearly higher that the critical level stipulated by the nitrate directive (11.3 mg NO3- N/l or 50 mg NO3/l). If the N-content in the manure is taken into account the estimated NO3-N/l level in groundwater is about twice higher than the critical level stipulated by the Nitrate Directive. Through any of the three instruments a 76% NO3-leaching reduction could be obtained. However, it was concluded the quota has the lowest MAC (4.08 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 0.92 Euro/mg NO3/l), followed by the N-fertiliser tax (16.16 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 3.65 Euro/mg NO3/l) and the product tax in third place (41.25 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 9.32 Euro/mg NO3/l). Management practices that may increase yield level and correspondingly NO3-leaching in the short and long run were identified. One way to achieve a quick improvement would be a system of cross compliance stipulating a code of good agricultural practices." (author's abstract)

"The aim of this paper is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for the analysis of institutions, policies and farming systems for agri-environmental sustainability in Central and Eastern European countries in transition. The basic unit of analysis is the 'agri-environmental action scenario'. The action scenario consists of a set of components which together shape the outcomes of an agri-environmental action situation. The framework consists of 1) the environmental effects of transition, 2) policies, 3) institutions, and 4) farming systems. We aim at characterising these key elements of the framework, their relationship and interactions, and their role in achieving sustainability at the interface between agriculture and the environment. Environmental areas of concern are: water, soil and biodiversity. The paper intends to create a common understanding of basic concepts and a shared conceptual model among the members of the Central and Eastern European Sustainable Agriculture (CEESA) Network. The framework will be adapted according to new insights and findings during the course of research activities of the CEESA research project." (author's abstract)

Ex-ante impact assessment of agricultural, environmental, and rural policies has become an integral part of political decision making processes in the EU. While there is a large variety of agri-environmental modelling tools available to analyse likely social, economic, and environmental impacts of these policies, scientifically well-founded ex-ante policy assessment tools capturing institutional dimensions are still missing. In this paper, we introduce a formalised procedure for modelling - ex-ante - institutional aspects for policy implementation: the 'Procedure for Institutional Compatibility Assessment' (PICA). It has recently been developed within the SEAMLESS project as a component of an integrative modelling framework for ex-ante assessment of policy impacts on sustainable development. PICA is based on the assumption that the effectiveness of a policy and the cost-effectiveness of its implementation largely depend on the degree of compatibility between this policy and the institutional context in the respective countries and regions. It has been designed as an explorative and flexible, yet formalised methodology that enables policy makers to identify at an early stage potential institutional incompatibilities. After providing a brief overview of relevant approaches for policy assessment we elaborate on the four distinct steps of PICA and use a core element of the EU Nitrate Directive to illustrate its function.

"The future institutional environment for the co-existence of genetically modified (GM) crops, conventional crops and organic crops in Europe combines measures of ex-ante regulation and ex-post liability rules. Against this background we ask the following two questions: How does ex-ante regulation and ex-post liability under irreversibility and uncertainty affect the adoption of GM crops? What are the implications for regional agglomeration of GM and non-GM crops? Ex-ante regulations and ex-post liabilities for using GM crops will induce additional costs. These costs are modelled in a classical way. The model is advanced by including irreversibility and uncertainty and taking into account transaction costs of negotiating possible solutions with neighbouring farmers which are assumed to be partially irreversible. The results show that the design of ex-ante regulation and ex-post liability increases the value of waiting and results in less immediate adoption of the GM technology. Additionally, the rules and regulations in the EU do provide incentives for the regional agglomeration of GM and non-GM crops that are mainly driven by the irreversibility effect of the ex-ante regulatory and ex-post liability costs." (author's abstract)

Der erste Abschnitt des Forschungsberichtes untersucht die slowenische Landwirtschafts- und Umweltpolitik hinsichtlich des Naturschutzes und der nachhaltigen ländlichen Entwicklung während der Übergangsphase des Landes. Diese Periode ist sowohl durch die Schaffung eines unabhängigen Staates, die Einführung eines demokratischen Mehrparteiensystems, den Übergang von der Plan- zur Marktwirtschaft als auch durch die EU-Mitgliedschaftskandidatur geprägt. Die Analyse der bestehenden Gesetze macht deutlich, dass die Gesetzgebung im Bereich des Umwelt- und Naturschutzes weiter fortgeschritten und in der Praxis effektiver ist als die Gesetzgebung in der Land- und Forstwirtschaft. Beide Bereiche lassen jedoch eine Annäherung zwischen oben und unten erkennen. In dem zweiten Abschnitt werden eine Reihe von empirischen Untersuchungen in den Bereichen der Land- und Forstwirtschaft sowie der Umweltschutzmaßnahmen unter dem Einfluss verschiedener Gesetze dokumentiert, insbesondere die vorgeschlagene Gründung des Trnovski Gozd Regionalparks als Naturschutzgebiet. Die empirischen Studien basieren auf Interviews mit 20 Vertretern der lokalen und sieben Mitgliedern der staatlichen Elite. Die befragte lokale und staatliche Elite glaubt, dass trotz einiger Einschränkungen der Park gute Gelegenheiten für die lokale Entwicklung (Werbung für den Park, neue Arbeitsplätze, Öko-Tourismus) bieten wird und zudem Natur-/Biodiversität und Umweltschutz garantiert. Des Weiteren plädiert die lokale Elite dafür, dass lokale Autoritäten und Anwohner (NGOs) bei der Gründung des Regionalparks mit eingebunden werden sollten. (ICGÜbers)