Catch Crops in Lower Saxony—More Than 30 Years of Action against Water Pollution with Nitrates: All in Vain?

Susanne Klages, Christina Aue, Karin Reiter, Claudia Heidecke and Bernhard Osterburg
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Susanne Klages: Coordination Unit Climate, Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
Christina Aue: Abteilung Hydrochemie, Landwirtschaft und Boden, OOWV, 26919 Brake, Germany
Karin Reiter: Institute of Rural Studies, Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
Claudia Heidecke: Coordination Unit Climate, Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
Bernhard Osterburg: Head of Coordination Units Climate and Soil, Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-27

Abstract: Intensive animal production, vast amounts of biogas plants, and the spreading of manure and digestates, exerts strong pressure on water quality in the German federal state of Lower Saxony. Catch and cover crop (c&c) cultivation is seen as one measure to inhibit nitrate leaching into soils, and to prevent water pollution with nitrates. A document analysis was carried out, covering the time span of 1992 to 2020, and the findings were combined with available quantitative data of the same period, and with GIS analysis. From 1994 to the year 2020, the acreage of subsidized c&cs increased from ca. 10,000 ha to ca. 380,000 ha. In addition, there was an acreage of unsubsidized c&cs of about 100,000 ha declining to 50,000 ha. In comparison, the acreage of arable land remained at approximately 1,880,000 ha. We found that c&cs did not contribute substantially to water protection for the following reasons: the design of the measure, control of farmer’s actions, and the antagonistic trend due to the increase in animal numbers and biogas plants. The development of c&cs over time and space reveals that frame conditions and management requirements of cultivating c&cs need to be well designed to be effective and efficient (with regard to N reduction and reduction of costs). It is vital to coordinate all programs and schemes in one region. From our evaluation, we conclude that a measure such as c&c cultivation, which is simple to introduce and easy to control, should be implemented over winter as a mandatory measure in order to achieve a greater uptake. Additionally, result-based measures could complement this scheme, as there is a strong link between subsidy level and the success of the measure.

Keywords: catch crops; cover crops; nitrate; groundwater pollution; fertilization; agri-environmental and climate measures; ecological focus areas; Lower Saxony cooperation model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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