Functional Land Management

Prof Rogier Schulte, Lilian O’Sullivan & Dr David Wall

Research centre

Advisory office

Agri college

Head office

Johnstown Castle

Johnstown Castle Laboratories 

Teagasc – the Agriculture & Food Development Authority of Ireland

Knowledge Transfer

Are we running out of land?

Or: how can we make the most of our land?

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/09/17/science.1257469

Or: how can we manage the increasing demands on our land?

I want to grow my milk output by 50%

DEMANDS ON OUR LAND

We will provide clean drinking water

DEMANDS ON OUR LAND

We need to sequester carbon

DEMANDS ON OUR LAND

Protect the home of biodiversity

DEMANDS ON OUR LAND

We need to find a home for our waste…

DEMANDS ON OUR LAND

SOIL FUNCTIONS: THE IDEA

Functions in EU Thematic Strategy:- Primary productivity: food, fibre, fuel

- Water regulation & purification

- Carbon regulation & sequestration

- Habitat for functional & intrinsic biodiversity

- Nutrient Cycling

- (Archeological archive)

- (Building platform)

WHAT CAN OUR LAND SUPPLY?

All soils / land perform all

functions……but different parts of

the land(scape) are

better at delivering

different functions

WHAT CAN OUR LAND SUPPLY?

WHAT CAN OUR LAND SUPPLY?

Relative importance depends on land use

Tillage (crops)

Grassland (improved)

Forestry (coniferous)

Forestry (deciduous)

Peat(upland)

NATURA 2000

Grassland (unimproved)

Biomass / biofuel

land use

SOIL FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO LAND USE

Relative importance depends on land use x soil type:

Tillage (crops)

Grassland (improved)

Forestry (coniferous)

Forestry (deciduous)

Peat(upland)

NATURA 2000

Grassland (unimproved)

Biomass / biofuel

land use

Well

drained

Moderately

drained

Poorly

drained

SOIL FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO LAND USE

Relative importance depends on land use x soil type:

Tillage (crops)

Grassland (improved)

Forestry (coniferous)

Forestry (deciduous)

Peat(upland)

NATURA 2000

Grassland (unimproved)

Biomass / biofuel

land use

Well

drained

Moderately

drained

Poorly

drained

SOIL FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO LAND USE

SOIL FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO LAND USE

MAPPING SOIL FUNCTIONS

land use

drai

nage

MAPPING SOIL FUNCTIONS

Environmental policies

• Greening Measures (Pillar 1)

• Nitrates Directive

• Water Framework Directive (DG Env)

• Habitat & Birds Directive (DG Env)

• Agri-Environmental Schemes (Pillar 2)

• EU 2030 Climate and Energy Package (European Council)

• Sewage Sludge Directive

Agricultural policy framework

• Common Agricultural Policy (Pillar 1)

• Areas of Natural Constraints (Pillar 2)

DEMANDS FOR SOIL FUNCTIONS

MAPPING SUPPLY & DEMAND

MAPPING SUPPLY & DEMAND

MANAGING SOIL FUNCTIONS:SOIL MANAGEMENT AND LAND MANAGEMENT

Drinking water standard = ubiquitous

Cannot be ‘offset’ between regions

Carbon sequestration ambition = national

Can (and should) be optimised by region

THE ISSUE OF SCALE

THAT IS THE THEORY;

HOW WOULD IT WORK IN PRACTICE?

Pathway Existing Policy Instruments

Market Mandatory Voluntary

Land Use Management (National / EU)

Farm Management (local)

Val

ue-c

hain

Val

ue-c

hain

Designation ofNATURA 2000 &

High Status Waterbodies

Designation ofNATURA 2000 &

High Status Waterbodies

Manure tradingManure trading

Agri-environment schemes

Agri-environment schemesNitratesNitrates

MarketingMarketing

Quality assurance schemes

Quality assurance schemes

Areas of Natural Constraint

Areas of Natural Constraint

Afforestation Schemes

Afforestation Schemes

River Basin District Management PlansRiver Basin District Management Plans

Environmental Impact

Assessment

Environmental Impact

AssessmentSingle Farm

PaymentSingle Farm

Payment

Greening measuresGreening measures

GAECGAEC

POLICY FRAMEWORK

HOW?

“think” “do”

BRIDGING THE THINK – DO GAP