Quantifying the impacts of farm practices on soil health
A recent study developed a methodology to compare the effects of farm practices on six soil health indicators. The method was applied to 13 CAP Strategic Plans.
The study ‘Rough estimate of the soil protection potential of the CAP Strategic Plans over the 2023 - 2027 period’ develops a method for quantifying the potential impacts of CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs) on soil health through six indicators: soil organic carbon content, soil nitrogen, soil water retention capacity, soil packing density, nitrogen leaching, and runoff and soil erosion by water.
The analysis covered 13 CSPs, selected for their ambition in soil protection and representing the diversity of the EU pedo-climatic conditions. The study indicates that the CSPs' interventions have significant potential to improve soil health. For instance, the analysis showed an estimated potential increase in agricultural soil organic carbon content in the 30 cm topsoil of 0.92% per year, from 0.21% in Luxembourg to 1.59% in Romania.
The method relies mainly on public databases from the Commission. It identifies the agro-environmental farm practices supported by the CSPs and their expected areas of implementation. It also contributes to assessing the potential effects of these farm practices on the six soil health indicators analysed, as well as allowing the identification of the most effective farm practices for soil protection.
The approach developed aims to be easy to use, update, and replicate by policymakers and evaluators. It shows how quantified rough estimates can support the evaluation of the current CAP’s estimated contribution to environmental and soil health objectives and assist in the design of future CAP green architecture.
This quantification exercise can also be seen as a first step toward a standardised method to monitor the effects of the CAP on soil health, in the context of the new soil monitoring law.
Results remain rough estimates. The study shows that further work is needed on both the approach and the existing databases to achieve more refined and comprehensive assessments in the future.
Overall, the study contributes to more refined and comprehensive assessments. It underscores the importance of maintaining and further developing robust scientific databases, such as the JRC's Farming Practices Evidence Library and the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO), to underpin policy design and evaluation with sound scientific evidence.
The EU CAP Network, supported by the European Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP, will organise an online capacity building event to detail the methodology of this study in early Spring. The event is intended for evaluators and Managing authorities responsible for the evaluations of CSPs. More information will be available on the EU CAP Network website.
