Compatibility of Agricultural Management Practices and Types of Farming in the EU to enhance Climate Change Mitigation and Soil Health. (CATCH-C)
The Catch-C project assesses the farm-compatibility of ‘Best Management Practices' (BMPs) that aim to promote productivity, climate change mitigation, and soil quality. Information collected on current management will be spatially organised with the help of a typology of the main farm types and agro-ecological zones across Europe. Biophysical impacts of management practices will be assessed from a large set of current field experiments by the partners. BMPs will be formulated, along with their trade-offs and synergies between productivity, climate change mitigation, and soil quality. The project will identify barriers against adoption and formulate ways to remove these. In interaction with policy makers, Catch-C will develop guidelines for policies that will support the adoption of BMPs and that are consistent with regional, agro-ecological and farming contexts.
Catch-C will firstly (WP2) set up a typology of the main farm types and agro-ecological zones across Europe. This frame, coupled to a pan-European database of socio-economic and biophysical data, will be used for spatially organising the information collected on current management and on the impacts expected from changes in management.
Secondly, biophysical impacts of management practices will be assessed (WP3) primarily from a large set of current field experiments, executed by the participants. BMPs will be formulated, along with their trade-offs and synergies between productivity, climate change mitigation, and soil quality. Farmers, however, often do not adopt BMPs.
Thirdly, the project will identify the barriers against adoption, and will formulate ways to remove these (WP4). Catch-C will survey farmer views on BMPs in all participant countries, assess costs and benefits of implementation, identify technical and ecological bottlenecks preventing adoption, develop a decision support tool, and prioritize innovation requirements to address bottlenecks.
Policy measures can promote adoption of BMPs in various ways, such as voluntary measures, regulation, and economic incentives. In interaction with policy makers, Catch-C will develop (WP5) guidelines for policies that will support the adoption of BMPs; and that are consistent with regional agro-environmental and farming contexts.
Dissemination (WP6) includes dissemination to the farmers and policy communities, and scientific publication. The project results on BMPs, their adoption and feasibility in different farm types and environments will raise awareness about the pros and cons of respective management and policy options. Farmers and policy communities will be reached via workshops, brochures, farmers press and web-based tools.
