Self-evaluation of the risk of enhanced nutrient leaching by Polish farmers
Nutrient emissions from Poland are the most important sources of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to the Baltic Sea. For this reason it is important to reduce nutrient leaching from Polish agriculture and make farmers aware of how they can act to reduce the risk for nutrient leaching. One way...
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| Formato: | Second cycle, A2E |
| Lenguaje: | sueco Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2015
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/8476/ |
| Sumario: | Nutrient emissions from Poland are the most important sources of both nitrogen
(N) and phosphorus (P) to the Baltic Sea. For this reason it is important to reduce
nutrient leaching from Polish agriculture and make farmers aware of how they can
act to reduce the risk for nutrient leaching. One way to create awareness of nutrient
flow on farm scale among the farmers is to make quantifications of nutrient flows
(for example farm gate balances). This can help the farmers to re-evaluate the management
of nutrient on their farm and may help to reduce nutrient losses. Nutrient
balances are a useful tool to compare farms and farm systems, but also to identify
hotspots for nutrient emissions.
In this report data from the BalticSea 2020- financed project ‘Self- evaluation concerning
nutrients by farmers in Poland’ is assessed. Data in form of farm gate balances,
calculations of the risk for N-leaching, soil maps and farm walking protocols
are gathered from 50 farms. The project focus is to increase the knowledge and
awareness of environmental issues in agriculture among the involved farmers
which lives in the Pomeranian and Mazovian provinces. The overall aim with this
thesis was to evaluate if the farm balances, estimates of nitrogen leaching and other
activities seemed to have been successful or not and if they can be expected to have
any effect on the farm management.
From the farm gate balances it can be concluded that the most nutrient surpluses
are found on animal farms. Most farms involved have a surplus of nitrogen, but at
the same time it is common with deficits of phosphorus and potassium at farm level.
The soil analysis indicates a great need for additional phosphorus and potassium
fertilization, but since deficits are common the soil can be expected to be depleted.
Also the need for liming is large in both Mazovia and Pomerania and due to urgent
need for liming it can be assumed that liming of the soils would improve farm conditions.
The advisors involved in this project estimated appropriate farm gate balances but
they had greater problems estimating nitrogen leaching from single fields. The
errors commonly made indicated that the advisors did not completely understand
how these rough estimates should have been done and how the results could be
interpreted. However, the measures performed in this project can be assumed to
give a positive effect on nutrient management on the farms involved. This since the
knowledge on environmental questions in the agriculture is presently low and a
project like this can be assumed to increase the knowledge among farmers. To
achieve improved results further education of advisors should be prioritized to
make them more confident in how to use these tools to help farmers improve their nutrient management. |
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