Geographical Analysis of Agro-Environmental Measures for Reduction of Chemical Inputs in Tuscany

Geographical Analysis of Agro-Environmental Measures for Reduction of Chemical Inputs in Tuscany

The agro-environmental policies included in rural development plans are getting increasing importance in European Community strategies. These policies represent the meeting point between demand and supply of positive externalities. The difficulty of assessing real environmental efficiency is one of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Natural resources research (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 28; no. Suppl 1; pp. 93 - 110
Main Authors: Riccioli, F., Gabbrielli, E., Casini, L., Marone, E., El Asmar, J. P., Fratini, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2019
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Classification
Computer Science
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Environmental assessment
Environmental policy
Farms
Fossil Fuels (incl. Carbon Capture)
Geographical locations
Geography
Herbicides
Mathematical Modeling and Industrial Mathematics
Mineral Resources
Multiple criterion
Nitrates
Organic farming
Original Paper
Parameter identification
Pesticides
Physics
Policies
Pollution control
Reduction
Rural development
Rural environments
Soil chemistry
Soil classification
Soil pollution
Spatial analysis
Statistics for Engineering
Sustainable Development
GIS
Chemical inputs
Multicriteria analysis
Rural development plan
Environmental policies
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Summary:The agro-environmental policies included in rural development plans are getting increasing importance in European Community strategies. These policies represent the meeting point between demand and supply of positive externalities. The difficulty of assessing real environmental efficiency is one of the elements characterizing agro-environmental measures. This difficulty is related to the identification of suitable parameters for evaluating farms according to their impact on the territory. This impact is mainly related both to chemical inputs and to the territorial characteristics of the farm. Different types of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are currently used in production processes; however, the analysis has focused only on nitrates, as they represent the most critical types of chemicals related to soil pollution. A case study is provided by analysis of agro-environmental measures in Tuscany for the reduction of nitrates in organic and integrated farms. Using spatial multicriteria analysis, integrated and organic farms were classified according to their geographical locations and their release of nitrates into the soil. This classification permits the highlighting of farms that make the greatest economic efforts to reduce pollution and therefore it could determine environmental benefits. Considering that the trend of policy strategies is toward a reduction of monetary resources, the classification could help decision makers choose the right allocation of future resources.
ISSN:1520-7439
1573-8981
DOI:10.1007/s11053-018-9398-z