Activities

(see additional information field)

Additional information

There is no single solution to address the problem of N losses to water from agriculture. By adopting different strategies when farming, N cycling can be improved, optimizing its retention in the soils and minimizing water pollution. To help farmers in this task, the N-Toolbox online catalogue was developed, providing support in decision making about N management.

By answering very simple questions (e.g. do you have livestock?, fertilize your land? ), the catalogue leads you through different measures to improve N management. These tips are grouped into 8 topics related to manure storage and management, livestock diet, grazing, N balance, irrigation or runoff and drainage aspects.

For each topic, the list of possible practical solutions is displayed. For example, establishing buffer strips near water courses and wetlands or building shallow ponds to collect runoff from the field during high rainfall events. In order to compare all options and decide which is the most suitable, a brief description of the measure is available with information about how it works, regions where it’s applicable, cost and effectiveness, among other considerations.

This online catalogue is also available in other formats and languages (See “Additional references”)

http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/89350_en.html

http://research.ncl.ac.uk/nefg/ntoolbox/page-tree.php?page=13