Soil management practices on outdoor land

Soil is an essential, non-renewable resource for agriculture, providing the basis for the production of food, fibre, and other resources for a circular bio-economy. Soil also supports biodiversity, plays a central role in carbon sequestration and storage, and provides a number of other ecosystem services, such as water regulation and nutrient cycling. To protect these vital functions and ecosystem services, the common agricultural policy (CAP) supports sustainable soil and land management. Many of the issues threatening soil health are related to agriculture and the pressure to meet rising food demands, such as:

• degradation and decline caused by intensive practices;
• compaction under heavy machinery and inappropriate agronomic land cultivation practices;
• damage to biodiversity caused by monocultures and other land use and management practices;
• pollution from chemicals (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, etc.);
• land abandonment and neglect.

In order to address these challenges, the CAP ensures that agriculture is in line with the EU's soil protection policies, as set out in the current soil thematic strategy. Sustainable soil management is also essential for many strategies and priorities of the European Green Deal, including:

• the farm to fork strategy;
• the zero pollution action plan;
• the ambitions for climate change mitigation and adaptation;
• the biodiversity strategy, which also announced a new EU soil strategy for 2021;
• and the new organic action plan.

Drainage on the agricultural holding

Drainage on the agricultural holding (DRNG)

Hectares of the agricultural holding utilised agricultural area which are subject to drainage , the artificial removal of excess surface water or ground-water to prevent inundation, by means of surface or sub-surface conduits. It does not include the natural drainage of excess water into lakes, swamps and rivers. While it is hard to establish a scale of drainage (ditch dug or drainage channel) and/or provide a specific threshold, one could argue that drainage can be measured by the effort in terms of labour, investments, machinery input or any human physical activity to drain the land. As such activities involve considerable amount of costs, farmers will only consider this practice when it is really necessary to artificially drain the land to improve agricultural production. It might be very hard to judge the quality of drainage. Furthermore, the drainage could also decompose during the reference year due to specific weather conditions. Therefore, we recommend collecting information only about the existence of drainage. 

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Figure 42 - Adjustable drainage in the Netherlands

Source: https://www.wur.nl/en/article/Adjustable-drainage-can-retain-water-on-plots.htm 

Figure 43 - Agricultural drainage

Source: https://chambres-agriculture.fr/actualites/toutes-les-actualites/detail-de-lactualite/actualites/le-drainage-agricole-des-techniques-a-remettre-a-lagenda-pour-les-agriculteurs-et-pour-les-territ/ 

Figure 44 - Methods of drainage

Source: https://agriculturistmusa.com/methods-of-drainage/ 

Figure 45 - Construction of drainage in Germany

Source: https://www.landundforst.de/landwirtschaft/landtechnik/drainage-ueberschuessige-wasser-weg-566897 

Tillage methods

The item refers to the tillage operations carried out between the harvest of a crop and the subsequent sowing/preparation operations for the next crop. If more than one crop is grown in a field during the harvest year, the area should only be indicated once: for the main crop. Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking. Examples of draft-animal-powered or mechanized work include ploughing (overturning with moldboards or chiseling with chisel shanks), rototilling, rolling with cultipackers or other rollers, harrowing, and cultivating with cultivator shanks (teeth).

The sum of the area under tillage does not necessary equal the total outdoor arable land, because some land might simply not tilled.  

ARAT = ARAXTIL + TIL_CV + TIL_CSERV + TIL_ZERO

where ARAXTIL is a calculated variable from ARAT - (TIL_CV + TIL_CSERV + TIL_ZERO) implying (TIL_CV + TIL_CSERV + TIL_ZERO)≤ ARAT. 

The area treated by the respective tillage methods includes the arable land sown/cultivated during the reference year.

Excludes

• Kitchen gardens
• Arable land which was not sown/cultivated during the reference year
• Permanent grassland
• Permanent crops
• Areas under glass or other (accessible) protective cover

Primary tillage

Tillage that is deeper and more thorough is classified as primary. Primary tillage such as ploughing tends to produce a rough surface finish.

Secondary tillage

Tillage that is shallower and sometimes more selective of location is secondary. Secondary tillage tends to produce a smoother surface finish than primary tillage, such as that required to make a good seedbed for many crops. Harrowing and rototilling often combine primary and secondary tillage into one operation. For more information, see for example FAO handbook on integrated soil management and conservation practices.

Conventional tillage (TIL_CV)

Hectares of arable land treated by conventional tillage, which involves inversion of the soil, with burying of crop residues. Arable land treated by conventional tillage involves inversion of the soil and burying of crop residues, often with a mouldboard or a disc plough as the primary tillage operation, followed by secondary tillage with a disc harrow.

Conservational tillage (TIL_CSERV)

Hectares of arable land treated by conservational (low) tillage, where no inversion of soil occurs. Normally a part of plant residues is not buried. Arable land treated by conservation (low) tillage, which is a tillage practice or system of practices that leaves plant residues (at least 30% of the total residues) on the soil surface for erosion control and moisture conservation, normally by not inverting the soil. Conservation tillage refers to different systems:

Strip tillage or zonal tillage

A system where strips 5 to 20 cm in width are prepared to receive the seed whilst the soil along the intervening bands is not disturbed and remains covered with residues. The system causes more soil disturbance and provides less cover along the rows than zero tillage.

Tined tillage or vertical tillage

A system where the arable land is prepared with equipment which does not invert the soil and which cause little compaction. For this reason, the surface normally remains with a good cover of residues on the surface. For instance, knife tillers with medium deep loosening (loosening to a depth of 30-50 cm) and deep loosening (loosening to a depth of over 50 cm).

Ridge tillage

A system of ridges and furrows. The ridges may be narrow or wide and the furrows can be parallel to the contour lines or constructed with a slight slope, depending on whether the objective is to conserve moisture or to drain excess moisture. The ridges can be semi-permanent or be constructed each year which will govern the amount of residue material that remains on the surface.

Zero tillage (TIL_ZERO)

Hectares of arable land on which no tillage is applied between harvests and sowing. Zero tillage is a minimum tillage practice in which the crop is sown directly into soil not tilled since the harvest of the previous crop. Note that weed control can be achieved by the use of herbicides. If appropriate, mulching and stubble is retained for erosion control.

Soil cover on arable land

Maintaining the cover of the soil during winter helps reduce soil degradation, soil erosion and the loss of particulate pollutants (i.e. those attached to soil) including nutrients, plant protection products and faecal microbes. The practice also increases soil organic matter. Agricultural land with no plant cover or where there are just plant residues on the top is especially vulnerable to soil erosion and nutrient and pesticide loss. In efforts to reduce losses which are harmful both to the environment and to the economy one of the most efficient tools is keeping the land covered with plants at all times. In some Member States requirements to either have normal winter crops, like winter wheat, or cover crops as defined here on a certain percentage of the arable land are included in legislation or are part of the agri-environmental schemes farmers can adhere to.

The sum of the area covered by plants does not necessary equal the total outdoor arable land, because some land might simply not covered.  

ARAT = ARAXSC + SC_WNTR + SC_COV_INTCR + SC_PLRES+ SC_BARE

where ARAXSC is a calculated variable from ARAT - (SC_WNTR + SC_COV_INTCR + SC_PLRES+ SC_BARE) implying (SC_WNTR + SC_COV_INTCR + SC_PLRES+ SC_BARE)≤ ARAT. 

The area treated by the respective soil coverage practice includes the arable land sown/cultivated during the reference year. For instance, multi-annual crops that have been sown/cultivated in the reference period should be recorded within the relevant soil coverage practice. 

Soil cover: normal winter crop (SC_WNTCR)

Hectares of arable land on which crops are sown in the autumn and growing during the winter. Arable land on which crops are sown in the autumn and growing during the winter (winter crops, such as winter wheat), normally harvested or used for grazing.

Soil cover: catch crop, intermediate crop or cover crop in arable land (SC_COV_INTCR)

Hectares of arable land on which plants are sown specifically to manage erosion, fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife, between harvest and sowing, during the winter or other periods when the land would otherwise be bare. The economic interest of these crops is low, and the main goal is soil and nutrient protection. Normally they are ploughed in during spring before sowing another crop, and are not harvested or used for grazing. However, specific cover crops, such as alfalfa, can also be used for forage.  

Soil cover: plant residues and/or mulching (SC_PLRES)

Hectares of arable land covered with the plant residues, and stubble of the previous crop season during winter andor land covered with mulch (loose covering with material which is either natural such as litter, cut grass, straw, foliage, pruning residues, bark or sawdust, or artificial such as paper or synthetic fibres). Plant residues can be straw, stubble or other plants parts leaving good mulch (for example sugar beet leaves) regardless if they remain from the previous harvest or have been added by the farmer. The tillage operations are in this case normally carried out in the spring. Certain tillage operations can be carried out in autumn, if they leave enough plant residues on the surface. Such tillage methods could be chisel or disk ploughing or similar. The straw can be removed for energy or other purposes if remaining residue is minimum 10% (indicative).

Soil cover: bare soil after main crop (SC_BARE)

Hectares of arable land that is ploughed or otherwise tilled after the harvest and is not sown or covered during winter with any plant residues, remaining bare until the pre-seeding or seeding operations.

CROP ROTATION on arable land

Share of arable land with crop rotation (SHR_ARA_ROT)

Percentage of arable land with crop rotation over total outdoor arable land. In a rotation, the crops are normally changed annually, but it is possible to have a crop rotation with multi-annual crops. Although there is no limit to the number of crops that are used in a rotation, nor in the amount of time that a rotation takes to complete, it is commonly accepted to use a threshold of 5 years to separate arable land from permanent crops or permanent grassland. This means that if a plot is used for the same crop for 5 years or more, without in the meantime removing the preceding crop and establishing a new one, then this plot is not considered to be in crop rotation and therefore is not to be taken as part of arable land. This implies if the same crop is grown continuously (i.e over five years), the term monoculture can be used to describe the phenomenon. Therefore, it is advised to refer to 5 years due to the possibility of rotation with annual or perennial crops.

 

ECOLOGICAL FOCUS AREAS

These refer to the ecological focus areas under the provisions of Article 46 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 or, where applicable, the most recent legislation. The data shall be collected from administrative data sources, namely the Land Parcel Identification System. This explains why also the linear element shall be given in area units instead of lengths. It is mentioned in the regulation 2021/2116 paragraph (60) that data sharing of integrated administrative control system and other administrative sources should be used for statistical purposes. Therefore, we strongly encourage countries to collect the EFA area from the administrative source (IACS) to ensure high quality of the data. It has been proven in the past that this source is very useful and it avoids self-reporting bias (especially between length and area). We do accept the data collected from questionnaire if no linkage has been put in place between IFS holders and IACS beneficiary-holdings.

Furthermore, we recommend that the applicable EFA measures for IFS2023 data collection should refer to 1307/2013 regulation. While paragraph (45) and (46) state that EFA should be established in an efficient and coherent way allowing a comparison at EU level, it might no longer be the case for new CAP where MS can establish national rules. This new approach would jeopardize the harmonization of the data collection and shed doubts on the need to collect EFA, especially if they differ from country to country. 

Terraces (TER)

Hectares of terraces. In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore called terracing. Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease both erosion and surface runoff, and may be used to support growing crops that require irrigation, such as rice.

Field margins or buffer strips (LE_FM_BS)

Hectares of field margins or buffer strips. Arable field margin management is an important tool used in agri-environment schemes throughout the EU. Field margins are primarily used to promote biodiversity and prevent the transfer of pollutants to off-crop areas. Their potential function in reducing transfer of pesticides is recognised in the use of field margin features such as vegetated buffer strips as mitigation measures in EU risk assessment of pesticides, primarily relating to aquatic risk assessment. Further information on field margins can be found in the BASF report on the multifunctional role of field margins.

Linear elements: hedges and tree lines (LE_HG_TL)

Hectares of hedges and tree lines. Areas of continuous lines of woody vegetation, usually forming field boundaries within agricultural land or alongside roads or water courses. These can be rows of shrubs or bushes forming a hedge, sometimes with a central row of trees. A hedge is normally formed by a continuous (usually without free space between the bushes) line of woody plants (shrubs or bushes, sometimes with a central row of trees) that is less than around 2 m in height. A tree line is consisting of individual trees (usually more than 2 m high) with gaps between them that are normally less than around 20 m (depending on the local customs and species).

Linear elements: stone walls (LE_SW)

Hectares of stone walls. Refers to man-made structures of brick or stone e.g. dry stone and mortared walls. They are usually made of local materials varying from limestone and flint to granite and sandstone. Beyond the heritage value, dry stone walls have also the biological value: they have great biodiversity of flora (mosses, lichens, crassulaceae (plants with thick succulent leaves)) and fauna (lizards, slow worms, insects such as butterflies and spiders). They prevent soil erosion as during heavy rains, the soil doesn't run off to the bottom of the slopes as it does in plots that have been joined together. Dry stone walls further create a microclimate through the heat that the stones absorb during the day and then give out during the evening.

Agro-forestry (AGRFOR)

Hectares of agro-forestry. Agro-forestry refers to land use systems where woody perennials (such as trees, shrubs, palms or bamboos) are used simultaneously with agricultural crops andor animal rearing, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has multiple benefits, such as greatly enhanced yields from staple food crops, enhanced farmer livelihoods from income generation, increased biodiversity, improved soil structure and health, reduced erosion, and carbon sequestration.