Agriculture & Land Management

Latest in Policy Evaluation

• Are Ecological Focus Areas delivering for biodiversity?

  Ecological Focus Areas are intended to safeguard and improve biodiversity on arable farms in the EU. What evidence is there that they are actually delivering biodiversity on farmland?

• Ecological Focus Areas – what are their impacts on biodiversity?

  Ecological Focus Areas are intended to safeguard and improve biodiversity on arable farms in the EU. This IEEP study for EEB and BirdLife examined the evidence for potential biodiversity impacts on farmland, taking into account how the areas are being managed.

• Biofrontiers – sustainability critical to the development of advanced biofuels

  Adherence to effective and workable sustainability criteria is an essential requirement when using public support to incentivise advanced alternative fuels.

• Understanding the consequences of changing biomass demand for energy

  Understanding the consequences of increased biomass demand for energy on the environment is central to the development of future policy on renewable energy in Europe. This study seeks to help answer this need by modelling different levels of biomass demand for energy and the consequences for land use and forest based industries.

• CAP greening: what are its environmental prospects?

  A significant injection of money was agreed for ‘green’ farming practices under the recent CAP reform. This report examines the environmental impact these measures are likely to have on the ground and concludes that Member States’ implementation choices appear to have much diminished the chances of the greening measures delivering significant additional environmental benefits.

• How to stimulate a bio-economy based on waste? – A study for the UK Government

  Waste resources have the potential to provide a core component of developing bio-economies across the globe. A new IEEP report reviews how waste has been incorporated into existing bio-economy strategies, and the conditions that have enabled this.

• High Nature Value farming throughout EU-27 and its financial support under the CAP

  This study reviews Member States’ estimates of the extent of HNV farmland and use of RDP measures and the CMEF indicators, then identifies future priorities for CAP support for HNV farming and discusses the support opportunities under the reformed CAP. It offers detailed new evidence about the combined effect of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 CAP payments on the economic and environmental viability of a typical HNV farming system in three Member States.

• New report: High Nature Value Farming in the EU

  Member States need to make the most of the opportunities under the new Common Agricultural Policy if the declines in HNV farming, critical for meeting our 2020 biodiversity targets, are to be halted.

• Assessing Scotland’s progress on the environmental agenda

  How much progress is Scotland making on the environmental agenda? Can Scotland fulfill its growing aspirations to become an environmental front runner in Europe? This new report explores these questions in relation to the farmed environment, Marine Protection Areas and climate mitigation.

• Sustainable management of natural resources with a focus on water and agriculture

  Can sustainable management of natural resources in Europe’s agricultural sector contribute to sustainable water use? What other sectors have a role to play in significantly improving water use across Europe and what are the good practices and tools that are available? A new report for the European Parliament explores these questions.

• A greener CAP: still within reach?

  The greening of the CAP hangs in the balance in the final negotiations; a synthesis of key issues and requirements.

• Biodiversity proofing of the EU budget

  This study shows how more can be done to firstly avoid and minimize detrimental impacts of EU funding on biodiversity, and secondly to increase biodiversity benefits.

• Principles of Double Funding

  This briefing explores the issue of double funding in relation to the CAP reform debate and considers the implications for delivering added value for the environment.

• Systemic approach to adaptation to climate change and renewable energy harnessing (Biomass and Mini-hydro)

  Biochar has the potential to both mitigate greenhouse gases, and to act as an adaptation measure in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. Based on its compatibility with the appropriate soil properties, it could increase the resilience of soil to erosion.

• European Parliament report on sustainable competitiveness and innovation

  The CAP could, and should, be primarily to assist EU agriculture to become more internationally competitive and sustainable and to achieve this by innovation. It already has many instruments to do this, and the reforms could further assist. However the resources deployed could be far better used.

• Addressing the EU’s biodiversity goals through the CAP

  What is the relationship between the management of agricultural land and biodiversity? To what extent are the EU’s biodiversity goals addressed through the CAP?

• Delivering environmental benefits through entry-level agri-environment schemes in the EU

  A new study of the 2007-13 agri-environment schemes across the whole of EU-27 provides the first typology of ‘entry-level’ agri-environment management and environmental objectives, plus a detailed insight into the design of entry-level agri-environment schemes and calculation of payment rates in seven Member States.

• Delivering Environmental Benefits through Ecological Focus Areas

  IEEP workshop on 6 March brought together a range of stakeholders to discuss possible environmental benefits through Ecological Focus Areas.

• Evaluation of Cross Compliance in the EU 25

  IEEP's two-part evaluation of Member State approaches to cross compliance implementation in the EU 25 is now available.Under Regulation 1782/2003 Cross Compliance was introduced as a compulsory measure ...