Agriculture

In its 5-point programme of sustainable plant protection the German Environment Agency (UBA) urges rethinking plant protection in agricultural practice.

The International Year of Soils has come to an end, but soil protection is far from reaching its aim.

The Baltic Sea, a valuable and central part of our natural heritage, is under threat from nutrient inputs from agriculture. A study funded by the German Environment Agency has examined the current state of play in the introduction of nutrient accounting as a prerequisite to good agricultural practice.

In September 2015 the United Nations agreed upon the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They contain targets dealing with soil quality, restoration of degraded soil and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. Yet, what options actually exist to estimate soil and land degradation on global level? This has now been examined by a new report.

The pace of environmental protection in the agriculture sector over the past 30 years has clearly been too slow. Many known problems such as high nitrogen inputs to soil and air remain unsolved despite improvements.

The aim of the research project “Resource-efficient land use – Towards a Global Sustainable Land Use Standard” was to spark a debate on the development of a standard for global sustainable land use, launch the requisite scientific process and explore and identify options for implementing a global sustainable land use.

Life in all its multifarious forms would be unthinkable without the earth’s various soils, which can only assure a plentiful and healthy supply of food and drinking water if their ecology remains intact. But how can we best ensure that our soils are used judiciously and responsibly as habitats and resources? The UBA contributes to soil stewardship among other things by disseminating information.

Soil carries out myriad functions that are free of charge and extremely powerful, and that are what make soil so valuable not only to us but also to natural flora and fauna. Clean water and healthy food are only obtainable if our soils are healthy too. And while the soil supports myriad functions, it also needs stewardship.

Organic products are not only tasty and healthy, but their cultivation also helps the environment. Organic farming is particularly resource-efficient and based on the principle of sustainability.

Germany’s farming sector uses the largest amount of land, but is at the same a lynchpin of our economy – one that provides a reliable food supply and produces sustainable raw materials. The farming sector also plays a key role when it comes to preservation and development of the man-made environment. But increasingly intensive farming brings with it a host of eco-unfriendly effects.

The purpose of tradable land planning permits is to control the use of new land for settlement and transport. Municipalities would be restricted in developing greenfield land outside of existing built-up areas for new settlement and transport projects. The UBA is currently conducting a countrywide pilot project with selected municipalities.

According to the Federal Soil Protection Act ( BBodSchG), contaminated sites are abandoned industrial sites or abandoned waste disposal sites that have caused harmful changes to the soil or other hazards to individuals or the general public. This can be caused by
improper treatment, storage or disposal of waste and/or the improper handling of environmentally hazardous substances.