Land and biodiversity policies/Agricultural production system

Relevant overviews

Policy interventions overview

Improving livestock systems

Interventions that improve livestock systems include the use of other breeds that have higher feed conversion rates, which may require another ratio of feed composites, or produce less manure. Changes in the feed conversion or composition of feed, for example, the ratio between grazing and feed crop feeding, influence the demand for grazing areas and crop areas, and therefore changing these systems will result in other environmental impacts and other patterns of agricultural land use. The amounts and quality of manure affect nitrogen emission levels and thus also both nutrient balances and climate-change impacts. In addition, biodiversity will be affected via nitrogen emissions. As a positive side effect, different production systems can have positive impacts on animal welfare, too. However, in most cases, higher animal welfare standards involve more input per unit of production (PBL, 2011). The way manure is stored and applied to the land also differs across livestock systems, and influences crop yields and emission levels. A secondary impact of increasing feed efficiencies could be that of cost reductions, leading to a similar feedback effect as described for changes in demand.

For the purpose of this section, we distinguish two interventions within the cropping system: ‘improved cropping systems or varieties’ and ‘crop and grass yields, cropping intensity’. Those two interventions are closely linked. Management in agriculture is a subtle interplay between the cultivar chosen, soil management, fertilizer and other input, and the timing and choice for each cultivation step. Here, the first interventions particularly focus on the reduction in – often negative – external effects other than the use of land. The second intervention targets concern the use of as few hectares as possible (address the amount of product per hectare).

Table: Policy interventions Improving livestock systems

Policy intervention	Description	Implemented in/affected component
Crop and livestock production systems
Animal waste storage
Excretion
Extensification
Feed conversion (policy intervention)
Feed ration
Grazing intensity
Integrated manure management	Better integration of manure in crop production systems. This consists of recycling of manure that under the baseline scenario ends up outside the agricultural system (e.g. manure used as fuel), in crop systems to substitute fertiliser. In addition, there is improved integration of animal manure in crop systems, particularly in industrialised countries.	Nutrients(*)
Intensification
Productivity

(*) Implementing component.

Improving cropping systems or varieties

Improved cropping systems or varieties could increase the efficiency of the use of inputs, including water and nutrients. Combined with an application of those inputs that are well tuned to the requirements of the crops, this would lead to fewer nitrogen emissions or less water use per tonne of crop and, ultimately, would reduce the impacts on biodiversity and climate. Such improved management could also lead to higher yields (see below). Improved systems could imply a shift in the ratio between the factors used, such as labour, capital, land, fertilizer, water and other inputs. Therefore, the cost price of agricultural products may change, resulting in other market prices and a changed consumption.

Table: Policy interventions Improving cropping systems or varieties

Policy intervention	Description	Implemented in/affected component
Crop and livestock production systems

(*) Implementing component.

Crop and grass yields

Yield increase can be induced by other crop varieties; for example, by increasing the potential yield or better management (thus, closing the yield gap). One should keep in mind that other – more suitable – crop varieties often also need other types of management in order to give higher yields.

Table: Policy interventions Crop and grass yields

Policy intervention	Description	Implemented in/affected component
Crop and livestock production systems
Improved irrigation efficiency	Improved irrigation efficiency assumes an increase in the irrigation project efficiency and irrigation conveyance efficiency.	Water(*)
Improved rainwater management	Improved rainwater management assumes a decrease in the evaporative losses from rainfed agriculture and the creation of small scale reservoirs to harvest rainwater during the wet period and use it during a dryer period. Both measures lead to more efficient use of water and increased yields on rainfed fields.	Water(*)
Integrated manure management	Better integration of manure in crop production systems. This consists of recycling of manure that under the baseline scenario ends up outside the agricultural system (e.g. manure used as fuel), in crop systems to substitute fertiliser. In addition, there is improved integration of animal manure in crop systems, particularly in industrialised countries.	Nutrients(*)

(*) Implementing component.

Cropping intensity

Cropping intensity can be increased by multiple cropping (more harvests per year), which depends on climatic circumstances, or by decreasing the area that is left fallow. Both interventions would decrease the required production area for all crops, but it could also, locally, increase the environmental impacts per hectare of crops. Where lower area requirements decrease biodiversity and climate impacts, the environmental impacts per hectare could increase them again. Thus, to decrease biodiversity loss, yield increases should go hand in hand with system changes, which may result in fewer negative external impacts, as described for the intervention above. Increased cropping intensity increases the risk of soil degradation if cropping rotations or soil management are not adapted, as well.

Table: Policy interventions Cropping intensity

Policy intervention	Description	Implemented in/affected component
Crop and livestock production systems

(*) Implementing component.