Prevent pesticide pollution

Best practises to reduce agricultural related pesticide pollution of ground water and surface water resources.

Decision support tools for nutrient management

Decision support tools help farmers and their advisers apply the right amount of nutrients at times when crops can use them most effectively.

A successful decision support tool

Successful decision support tools designed to help reduce pollution of water resources should fulfil a number of criteria relating to their access, use, functionality and output.

Environmental Yardstick

Environmental Yardstick is a decision support tool that shows the environmental impact of pesticides permitted on the Dutch market. For each crop there is an accompanying environmental impact sheet with all pesticides that can be applied. It enables the user to compart and choose the least harmful crop protection strategy.

Danish nutrient management on German farms

Denmark has achieved great sucess in water protection in the past decades. Land size and farm structure of Denmark and Lower Saxony are quite comparable. Application of Danish fertilization legislation on farms in Lower Saxony by using a Danish Decison Support Tool. Do farms in Lower Saxony meet Danish requirements?

Drinking water protection: coherence in EU law and policy

Agricultural pollution by nitrates and pesticides from agriculture is one of the main obstacles to meeting drinking water quality targets in the EU. To successfully prevent and manage diffuse pollution, legal and policy frameworks need to be coherent and consistent.

Effectiveness of EU legislation in the context of local realities

An extensive EU framework on agriculture and protection of drinking water resources exists. We analyzed the effectiveness of these regulationstowards attaining water quality objectives at local level.

Agriculture and water quality

Barriers and solutions in science and policy interaction.

Potential synergies for practices reducing nitrate and pesticide pollution

Potential synergies for evidence-based practices for reducing nitrate and pesticide pollution of drinking water resources.

Water safety plans

Contexts, best practices and lessons learned on water safety planning for small and large water supplies.

How protection zones and land management restored nitrate contaminated groundwater on the Island of Tunø

Tunø is an example of successful groundwater protection on a small island with one small waterworks where the aquifer is vulnerable to nitrate pollution and salt-water intrusion. The case provides valuable lessons learned.

How protection zones and different mitigation measures restore contaminated groundwater in the Kongshøj area in Aalborg

Since 2004 mitigation measures have included general regulations, set-aside or reduced use of N fertilization, afforestation, campaign on correct use of herbicides.

Working hypotheses for the Danish case studies

Five working hypotheses have been developed to assist the various groups of stakeholders achieve a common goal.

Danish farmers' recommendations

Based on practical experience, three Danish farmers from the FAIRWAY case study of Aalborg make recommendations which they believe can ease groundwater protection processes when nitrate and /or pesticide restrictions are discussed for agricultural land.

Using different methods of farmer engagement to reduce the use of pesticides.

In the predominantly arable Anglian Region (England) the drinking water company has funded a number of Catchment Officers responsible for reducing the amount of pesticides, particularly metaldehyde, reaching water treatment works. This case study focuses on: the social science lessons behind two approaches to reducing on-farm pesticide use; collecting comparable data in a third control area with metaldehyde challenges; testing a third ‘new network engagement’ approach.

The Anglian Region MAP

Multi-actor platforms (MAPs) offer a platform where stakeholders can learn together in an active way, where people can speak and be heard, and where everybody's ideas can be harnessed to drive innovation and find ways forward that are more likely to be in the interest of all.

Closing nutrient cycles by manure transport: analysis of potential and reported experience

In Lower Saxony the public advisory authority for agriculture has initiated a program that aims at closing nutrient cycles on supra-regional scale. "Farm Manure Management" examines the (potential) export of farm manure from regions with intensive pig and poultry farming to arable farming regions.

Collective actions to improve water quality

In Noord-Brabant the use of pesticides is a threat to ground water in some of the drinking water abstraction areas. A simple contract has been made between farmers and the province including an agreement on reduced use of pesticides. The farmers take measures and (try to) implement innovations and new techniques, they choose pesticides with low environmental impact and register their pesticide use. The municipalities have reduced their pesticide use to zero on hard surfaces and they aim for zero use in parks, sport pitches and golf areas.

Cleaning out the pesticide store

As part of the Clean Water project, farmers are supported to get rid of outdated and leftover pesticides without obligation. It prevents unnecessary use or discharge of these chemicals. This approach is very successful and is now used in projects throughout the Netherlands.

Multi-actor processes and collective action for improving water quality

Vansjø is a complex lake-river system with varying long-term nutrient loads. The aim is to elucidate for the various stakeholders the possible effects on drinking water quality of modelled scenarios in which climate change, agricultural land use and the water regulation scheme are changed.

How a nutrient management tool can help improve water quality

In Baixo Mondego the soils are being used as a medium to dispose of organic waste within a circular economy strategy that aims to close energy and matter loops at the local scale. However, this is not done without risk, and the addition of residues to the soil has to be controlled in order to keep under the legal pollutant concentration limits for both ground and surface water, all year round and particularly during the summer dry period.

When best agricultural practices are applied there is less nitrogen pollution in water bodies

The area of Arges-Vedea (Romania) is affected by high nitrate concentration in the groundwater. About 75% of drinking water is taken from private wells located on household sites. Most of the households have animals and very rudimentary manure storage facilities so the main pollution sources for nitrates is animal waste. A World Bank project related to “Integrated Control of Fertilizer Use” is being implemented with the objectives of developing measures to mitigate the nitrate flow to surface and groundwater.

Optimized nitrogen management plans for human health and welfare using a fertilization plan

The fertilization plan is accomplished for a period of 4-5 years for crops within acertain rotation at farm level and contains economic optimum doses (for amaximum economic benefit) and technical doses (for maintaining soil fertility).The fertilization plan is carried out going through three stages: the field stage,laboratory stage and desk stage.

Possibilities for effective cooperation between stakeholders to improve drinking water

FAIRWAY opens new areas of research into the organisation of multi-actor platforms and contributing to the formalisation of current occasional meetings between farmers and government.