Measurement & Assessment Tools for Sustainable Agriculture in the UK Kathy Lewis & John Tzilivakis International Forum on Assessing Sustainability in Agriculture March 2006 Bern, Switzerland

Sustainable Agriculture Food Fibres Biomass Livestock Oils Landscape & Leisure Habitats Buffers & Filters Rural Development

Environmental Impacts of Agriculture Impacts are as diverse as the crops, processes & activities undertaken: Energy & GWP Water Waste Chemicals Biodiversity Soils Odours & Air quality Natural resources Landscape quality

Sustainability Assessments Regional/Catchment evaluations Farm/Field assessments National/Europe policy level

Farmscale Tools Measuring & monitoring Auditing techniques - environmental, financial & general management Indicators Decision support tools Mathematical simulation & modelling systems

Farmscale Assessment Focus Effect assessment Single field Rotation Crop specific Single activity Season Whole site Downstream & off-farm

Measuring and Monitoring Soil analysis - N, P, K, OM, pH Record keeping - pesticides, nitrates, energy, water Waste disposal records Ecological monitoring - species counts Farm economics - net margins & balance sheets National surveys for benchmarking - pesticides & nitrates, water quality

Auditing Systems Voluntary self-assessment approach - paper based or electronic e.g. EMA, LEAF, ‘Crop Protection Management Plans (CPMPs)’ Farm Assurance schemes e.g. Assured Produce, Assured British Meat. Regulatory Audits e.g. Whole Farm Appraisal (Defra), Environmental Management System for Farms (EMSF), HSE health and safety assessment.

Self Assessment Auditing - EMA Computer-based whole farm environmental management system for farms, funded by government and industry. Based on standard environmental management systems such as EMAS and ISO Three operational modes 4 auditing system based on mathematical models & scoring systems to assess environmental performance 4 decision support system for remediation 4 extensive integrated library - ADLib (

Step 1: Enter farm details & undertake a full audit to identify environmental strengths and weaknesses Step 3: Use the decision support system to identify solutions to problems Step 2: Use the library to identify best practice, regulations and data Self Assessment Auditing - EMA

Self Assessment Auditing - EMA

Regulatory Auditing Defra’s Whole Farm Appraisal A long-term programme to develop an integrated access point to Defra and related agencies It is a CD & web-based self-assessment questionnaire with advice and guidance supplied from ADLib To provide an easy and efficient way for farmers to supply data and to ensure they are compliant with regulations Future releases will include single payment scheme applications, farm maps, tailored news and information, registration for regulations, help and guidance on catchment sensitive farming

Farm Level Indicators In 2000 UK Defra published a suite of National Indicators for Sustainable Agriculture. Policy tools - not appropriate at farm level Parallel suite of indicators developed applicable at farm level. Data was presented by farm type, region, crops etc. Message behind the indicators was the focus rather than the data itself. Software was developed to allow farmers & growers to explore indicators & their values. E.g. Fruit farm, Sussex

Fruit Farm in East Sussex Farm produces top fruit, hops & some soft fruit. It is owner- occupied. The orchards are irrigated with groundwater extracted from a borehole. The soil is predominately clay. There is a small woodland. Several high priority indicators including: Organic matter content of topsoils

Decision Support and Simulation Techniques Vary in sophistication from simple flowcharts to complex mathematical models Usually focus on a specific activity or impact e.g. pesticide risk, nitrate fate, energy use Often DSS and Models are combined offering decision support & interpretation on simulation results More sophisticated systems may require user to have sound computer skills and may need the provision of training When used independently they do not provide an integrated approach nor consider environmental trade-offs

Sustainability of the UK Strawberry Crop June-bearers and Everbearers 20 typical production systems - protected/unprotected, with/without fumigation, soil/media grown, organic/traditional 3 areas (Kent, E of England & W Midlands) 3 habitat scenarios Total of 180 different descriptions assessed for:- Energy use & GWP N loss via leaching & denitrification N & P balance & nutrient recycling Water & waste efficiency Fate & ecotoxicity of pesticides Soil management & erosion Net margin Social impact - employment, visual aspects Comparison with Spanish production

Sustainability Profile of June-bearer Crops (pre-pick) per ha Year 1Year 2 Year 3

Profile of June-bearer per tonne Class 1 Fruits (to retail outlets) Year 1Year 2 Year 3

Conclusions A wide variety of approaches to encourage a more sustainable agriculture are being used in the UK. Improvements must be seen at farm level before they can be seen at national level. Sustainability is site specific. Sustainability is multi-issue - an integrated approach is necessary. Farmers need support and encouragement to interpret and use the more sophisticated systems. Streamlined access to information and advice in a cost effective manner is imperative.

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