Agricultural environmental management; case studies from theory to practice

Frost, A.J.; Stewart, Steven J.; Kerr, D. M.; MacDonald, Jannette; D’Arcy, Brian

doi:10.2166/wst.2004.0166

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Of particular interest is pesticide handling practice off‐field. Studies across Europe suggest activities at the farmyard level to be one of the major sources of pesticide contamination to surface water 11–13, 20. This is an aspect where changed farmer behaviour could have a major, positive impact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study in Scotland13 compared farm businesses across a range of agricultural sectors, and identified and assessed best management practices. Environmental audits were conducted on six farms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The report also suggested that pesticide handling be conducted under cover in a designated building on the farm. Providing that there is a suitable water supply and that any spills do not enter drains but are contained and absorbed using a suitable material that is then disposed of safely, this approach could be used in place of a biobed 13…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of models to assess the reduction in contamination of water bodies by agricultural pesticides through the implementation of policy instruments: a case study of the Voluntary Initiative in the UK

Garratt

Kennedy

2006

Pest Management Science

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Through normal agricultural use, pesticides may reach environmental water bodies via several routes of entry. Various policies and initiatives exist to reduce the effects of pesticides in the environment. One such initiative in place in the UK is the Voluntary Initiative (VI). The VI is a voluntary scheme put forward by the Crop Protection Association with other crop protection and farming organisations to reduce the environmental impacts of pesticides. Mathematical models of pesticide fate can usefully be applied to examine the impact of factors influencing the contamination of water bodies by pesticides. The work reported here used water quality models to examine how changes in farmer behaviour could potentially impact pesticide contamination of environmental water bodies. As far as possible, uncalibrated, standard regulatory models were used. Where suitable models were not available, simple models were defined for the purposes of the study and calibrated using literature data. Scenarios were developed to represent different standards of practice with respect to pesticide user behaviour. The development of these scenarios was guided by the Crop Protection Management Plan (CPMP) aspect of the VI. A framework for the use of modelling in the evaluation of the VI is proposed. The results of the modelling study suggest that, in several areas, widespread adoption of the measures proposed in the VI could lead to reductions in pesticide contamination of environmental water bodies. These areas include pesticide contamination from farmyards, spray drift and field runoff. In other areas (including pesticide leaching to groundwater and contamination of surface water from field drains) the benefits that may potentially be gained from the VI are less clear. A framework to evaluate the VI should take into consideration the following aspects: (1) groundwater is more at risk when there is a combination of leachable compounds, vulnerable soils, shallow groundwater and high product usage; (2) surface water contamination from drains is most likely when heavy rain falls soon after application, the soils are vulnerable and product usage is high; (3) surface water contamination from drift is most likely when the distance between the spray boom and water body is small and product usage is high; (4) surface water contamination from farmyards is dependent on the nature of the farmyard surface, the competence of the spray operator and the level of product usage. Any policy or initiative to reduce pesticide contamination should be measured against farmer behaviour in these areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of models to assess the reduction in contamination of water bodies by agricultural pesticides through the implementation of policy instruments: a case study of the Voluntary Initiative in the UK

Garratt

Kennedy

2006

Pest Management Science

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“…Increasingly, stakeholder engagement and (technical and financial) support are seen as critical to bringing about change. 37,38 To bring about change, the agricultural industry must accept that there is a link between farm management practices and environmental damage and must believe that solutions will work. Recent surveys suggest that this is not always the case.…”

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confidence: 99%

Managing nitrogen on the farm: the devil is in the detail

Shepherd

Chambers

2007

J Sci Food Agric

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Agricultural activity is a major source of nitrate in surface and ground waters. There has been a large research effort over the last 20 years to understand nitrate leaching processes and to develop 'best management practices' (BMPs) that can be adopted in farming systems to reduce losses to the wider environment. This paper reviews some of the issues relating to the development, use and adoption of these BMPs in farming systems. There is significant evidence from farming systems experiments and modelling studies that combinations of BMPs can decrease nitrate losses from agricultural land, though nothing is foolproof (the weather plays a key role in determining success). The challenges are greater in some regions (dry climate, 'leaky' soils) and in some enterprises (intensive animal farming systems). The adoption of BMPs on farms requires attention to detail and a high level of management skill, so providing advisory support to farmers is essential. Even with the progress that has been made in recent years, there is still work to do. This includes encouraging uptake on farms and dealing with potential conflicts between BMPs when they create 'pollution swapping' or where there is potential for a large economic penalty for the farmer. We also suggest that there is a need for more innovation in developing BMPs and a need to recognise that, in some situations, radical changes to farming systems may be the only solution.

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