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A combined approach to assess the impacts of EcologicalFocus Areas on regional structural developmentand agricultural land use

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda Sahrbacher

    (Department of Structural Development of Farms and Rural Areas, Leibniz Institute of AgriculturalDevelopment in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle (Saale),Germany)

  • Jordan Hristov

    (Department of Structural Development of Farms and Rural Areas, Leibniz Institute of AgriculturalDevelopment in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle (Saale),Germany)

  • Mark V. Brady

    (Department of Economics, SLU and Centre for Environmental and Climate Research (CEC),Scheelevägen 15 D, 220 07 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

The 2013 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) introducedcompulsory‘greening’measures with the goal to mitigate environmental degradationcaused by intensive agriculture. This paper aims to investigate how the implementationof the Ecological Focus Areas (EFA) obligation will affect regional agricultural devel-opment, the economic performance of farms and land use (including choices of EFAmeasures) in two representative EU regions. The research approach combines agent-based modelling (ABM) with stakeholder interactions to evaluate how farmers arelikely to adapt to the new policy framework and the implications for their behaviour ofthe different components of the EFA obligation. Our results show that structuralimpacts of EFA measures are minor in both regions. The most preferred alternatives(fallow land in Sweden and catch crops in Germany) are income preserving for farmersrather than being effective for improving the environment. However, general concernsby farmers for biodiversity and the potential benefits for developing sustainable agriculture were revealed during the stakeholder workshops. We conclude that the largeflexibility in choice of measures, watering down of the EFA regulations, implementa-tion at the farm scale and lack of spatial targeting will all but eliminate any potentialenvironmental benefits of the greening measures and subsequently, undermine farmers’and citizens’confidence in the CAP and its makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda Sahrbacher & Jordan Hristov & Mark V. Brady, 2017. "A combined approach to assess the impacts of EcologicalFocus Areas on regional structural developmentand agricultural land use," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 98(3), pages 111-144.
    • Handle: RePEc:rae:jouraf:v:98:y:2017:i:3:p:111-144
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jordan Hristov & Yann Clough & Ullrika Sahlin & Henrik G. Smith & Martin Stjernman & Ola Olsson & Amanda Sahrbacher & Mark V. Brady, 2020. "Impacts of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy “Greening” Reform on Agricultural Development, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(4), pages 716-738, December.
    2. Stéphanie Barral & Cecile Detang-Dessendre, 2023. "Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (2023–2027): multidisciplinary views," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 104(1), pages 47-50, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).EFA measures.Biodiversity.Ecosystem services.Stakeholder interactions.Agent-based modelling (ABM);

    JEL classification:

    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics
    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques

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