scholarly journals ‘Greening’ Green Infrastructure. Good Italian Practices for Enhancing Green Infrastructure through the Common Agricultural Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Magaudda ◽  
Romina D’Ascanio ◽  
Serena Muccitelli ◽  
Anna Laura Palazzo
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Programming Period

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was established by the European Community in the 1950s to provide financial support to farmers in member states, increase agricultural productivity by promoting technical progress, and ensure a fair standard of living for farmers. Over time; awareness about the externalities of intensive farming would prompt environmentally friendly practices. These include, in the current programming period 2014–2020, the so-called “greening”, which consists of: (i) crop diversification; (ii) the maintenance of permanent grassland surfaces; and (iii) the availability of 5% of arable land for ecological focus areas devoted to agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment. These provisions, spurred by a decades-long debate that also stresses the importance of creating/restoring ecological connectivity on different scales to counter land fragmentation, are in tune with spatial planning initiatives throughout Europe. Here the point is how to combine these directions with either “ecological networks” (EN), designed as physical corridors to be preserved and enhanced for plants and animals’ mobility needs; or “green infrastructure” (GI), defined on the European level as a “strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services” (European Commission; 2013). While in several European countries environmental measures targeting farmers and ecological networks directed at specific areas have been merged in a place-based approach, Italy is lagging behind. In general, no guidelines have been provided on the national level to support regional paths, while regions and municipalities lack the resources to implement GI. Conversely, while greening policies in the framework of the CAP are properly funded, they lack directions to be efficiently allocated. Against the backdrop of such concerns, this paper frames and reflects upon ongoing practices in three pilot areas in different Italian regions, selected based on desk analysis, in-depth interviews, and direct knowledge. Here, despite or thanks to the legislative framework, experimental approaches have been adopted to harness performance issues in targeted areas through broad participation by public and private stakeholders and multilevel governance schemes, opening possible pathways in view of the forthcoming programming period.

scholarly journals AGRIBUSINESS IN BULGARIA - STATE AND PROBLEMS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Plamen Petrov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
Conceptual Scheme ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Legislation ◽  
The Common ◽  
Programming Period

With the end of the second programming period of Bulgaria's membership in the European Union and the harmonization of the national legislation with the directives establishing the common agricultural policy, the debate about changes and forthcoming strategic moves to put the business in the agricultural segment on the basis of dynamic, economically justified and technologically guaranteed progress is becoming more and more insistent. In the context of the conceptual scheme and in view of the new economic realities, the aim of the present study is to trace the place of the agrarian business in the Bulgarian economy, outlining its state and problems.

scholarly journals Implementation of Common Agricultural Policy provisions on direct payments

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 92-103
Author(s):  
Andrea Fehér ◽  
Miroslav Raicov
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Payment Scheme ◽  
Payment Schemes ◽  
The Common ◽  
Direct Payments ◽  
Programming Period

The concept of "common policy" faithfully reflects one of the defining features of the Common Agricultural Policy. Currently, CAP is built around two pillars: Pillar I- Agriculture and Pillar II- Rural Development. The main way to support agriculture is represented by direct payments. The Regulation (EU) 1307/2013 establishing rules for direct payments to farmers during the programming period 2014-2020 provides uniform payment schemes applicable in all Member States. Some of these schemes are compulsory (such as basic payment scheme or single payment area; payment scheme for farmers using agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and environment), others are optional, leaving it to countries if they want to apply these schemes or not. The proposals for payment schemes applicable in Romania during the period 2015-2020 are: Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS); Payments for Agricultural Practices Beneficial for the Climate and the Environment; Redistributive Payment; Payments for Young Farmers; Transitional National Aids and Simplified Scheme for Small Farmers.

scholarly journals The EU Policy Regulates and Controls the Farming Practices

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucien CARLIER ◽  
Ioan ROTAR ◽  
Roxana VIDICAN
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Council Regulation ◽  
The Eu

Across the world, agricultural land management has created a rich landscape diversity. Today’s countryside is a result of farming activities over the centuries. Agriculture is the main land user and the resulting high visibility leads to a widespread perception that "rural" matches with "farming". Around 775 million ha land of the European Union (50%) is farmed. This fact alone highlights the importance of farming for the EU's natural environment. Farming and nature exercise a profound influence over each other. In the older EU member states, less than 2 % of the active people is active in agriculture, while in the youngest ones more than 15% is involved. There is a wide range of farming practices on very large and small farms, with or without animals, very intensive or extensive, on flat areas or in hilly and mountain regions, very specialized or mixed farms…Therefore the links between the richness of the natural environment and farming practices are complex. While many valuable habitats in Europe are maintained by extensive farming, and a wide range of wild species rely on this for their survival, agricultural practices can also have an adverse impact on natural resources. Pollution of soil, water and air, fragmentation of habitats and loss of wildlife can be the result of inappropriate agricultural practices and land use. Environmental concerns play a vital role in the Common Agricultural Policy-CAP of the European Union, which deals both with the integration of environmental considerations into CAP rules and with the development of agricultural practices preserving the environment and safeguarding the countryside. At the end of 2008 the EU agriculture ministers reached a political agreement on the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy, published in Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003. This Health Check will modernize, simplify and streamline the CAP and remove restrictions on farmers, thus helping them to respond better to signals from the market and to face new challenges. Climate change, renewable energy, water management, biodiversity and dairy restructuring are crucial challenges for Europe's rural areas, agriculture and forestry. Since its foundation by 6 countries in 1957, the EU changed in many aspects and especially in regulating and controlling agricultural matters. This contribution will give an overview of the EU CAP by referring to the relevant Commission Regulations, Directives and Recommendations and to documents prepared by the authors on the occasion of the 9 international symposia of the UASVM Cluj-Napoca.

scholarly journals Budget of the EU and Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020 in the light of the polish interests

Management ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 473-487
Author(s):  
Andrzej Czyżewski ◽  
Sebastian Stępień
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
European Council ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Common ◽  
Polish Economy ◽  
The Eu

Summary The objective of the paper is to present the results of negotiations on the EU budget for 2014-2020, with particular emphasis on the Common Agricultural Policy. Authors indicate the steps for establishing the budget, from the proposal of the European Commission presented in 2011, ending with the draft of UE budget agreed at the meeting of the European Council on February 2013 and the meeting of the AGRIFISH on March 2013 and then approved by the political agreement of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council on June 2013. In this context, there will be an assessment of the new budget from the point of view of Polish economy and agriculture.

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