Assessment of the Greek RDP on the improvement of soil management

The evaluation concerns the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP) and is an interim deliverable, constituting a study that assesses the impacts of implementing relevant RDP measures on soil protection through a case study of three different regions. The study also includes a report on the implementation of the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) Convention on performance review and assessment of the implementation system - seventh process report.

The assessment focuses on Focus Area 4C (preventing soil erosion and improving soil management) by answering Common Evaluation Question (CEQ) 10: To what extent RDP interventions have supported the prevention of erosion and the improvement of soil management. The answer is given through the assessment of the contribution of RDP measures to the values ​​of the Impact Indicators I.12. (soil organic carbon in agricultural land), I.13. (soil erosion by water by water) and R.10 (percentage of agricultural land under management contracts to improve soil management and/or prevent soil erosion).

The study selected three representative areas of the country (three geographical regions with different soil and climatic conditions: Macedonia, Thessaly, Crete) and examined the impact of the measures (M) M.13 (payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints), M.11 (organic farming), M.10 (payment for agri-environment-climate commitments), M.10.0.4 (Long-term cessation of agricultural land), M.10.1.4 (reducing water pollution from agricultural activity) and M.8.1(support for afforestation/creation of woodland).

The study applies different methodological approaches.

The first methodology concerns the qualitative assessment of the potential risk of soil erosion using comparative database analysis of the soil map of Greece (2014) and soil sampling at selected RDP measure locations after five years.

The second methodology quantifies the potential risk of soil erosion through the Pesera (Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment, Kirkby 1999) algorithms (Kirkby et al., 2000) in selected pilot areas.

The data used include soil map of Greece, vegetation, land use and land management data, climate data, soil data, topography data, CORINE data and data on contracted areas under RDP measures in the three case studies.

The study uses only the results and impact of CMEF indicators in order to answer the CEQ10: To what extent have RDP interventions supported the prevention of soil erosion and improvement of soil management?

No data gaps are reported; the difference in rainfall intensity between years is a methodological challenge, while the composition of the soil and the difference in vegetation between the regions make it difficult to draw general conclusions. The study, being an intermediate deliverable, provides some answers.

Clear findings on the impacts of implementing RDP interventions are reported per study area.

In Thessaly, soil erosion by water (I.13), it appears that the implementation of RDP measures had a positive impact on soil protection in 2015 and 2018, with soil protection being more effective in 2018 due to an extension of the area covered by RDP measures. Soil erosion rate index (Rsoil), which is the rate at risk of soil erosion, decreased from 15.9% in 2015 to 12.1% in 2018. This change is small in 2018; if climate conditions had been favorable to soil erosion, the implementation of RDP measures would have contributed significantly to soil protection against erosion. Soil organic carbon in agricultural land (I.12) was planned to be estimated in 2023.

Concerning Makedonia and soil erosion by water (I.13), RDP measures ensuring better plant cover and structure conditions (avoiding soil crust creation) have had and will have a positive effect on soil protection against erosion. Τhe erosion risk rate (Rsoil index) requires particular attention to the conditions used in the comparative analysis. 2018 was wetter with stronger and higher rainfall compared to the year 2015, and as a result, areas at risk of erosion at a higher rate were expected, although the percentages are very small in the total area of Kampos Thessaloniki-Imathia-Pella. Considering that climate conditions were more favourable to soil erosion in 2018, the implementation of RDP measures contributed to soil protection against erosion.

Finally, concerning Crete and soil erosion risk (I.13), the implementation of RDP measures will further contribute to the pre-existing state of soil cultivation techniques to soil protection against erosion. Therefore, raising farmers’ awareness of the protection of natural resources through the implemented RDP measures will greatly contribute to the protection of the environment and the well-being of the inhabitants of the region. Concerning the soil erosion rate index (Rsoil), the implementation of RDP measures contributed significantly to the protection of soils against erosion in 2018, but also in 2015, the implementation of the measures was crucial in protecting soil resources from degradation.