Nature restoration in agricultural areas: what do semi-productive measures have to offer?
The Flemish Land Agency (VLM) commissioned INBO to evaluate the ecological benefits of semi-productive measures on the basis of a literature review and expert assessment. Semi-productive measures are nature-oriented measures in agricultural areas that also offer economic benefits. They may be more attractive to farmers, reduce costs for the government and can therefore be rolled out more widely. Economic and ecological objectives do not necessarily have to be at odds with one another: the challenge is to find measures that combine both as effectively as possible.
Semi-productive measures are encouraged through management agreements, eco-schemes, agri-environment-climate measures, cross-compliance, non-productive investment support and other schemes. These include:
- crops that have a lower environmental impact, such as protein crops
- crops adapted to the needs of specific species, such as alfalfa hay meadows
- grasslands, ranging from botanical grasslands to grass-herb mixtures
- buffer strips and field margins, such as herb-rich field margins
- sustainable techniques, such as mechanical weed control
- sustainable farming systems, such as organic farming
- soil management, such as non-inversion tillage
- water management, such as water-level-controlled drainage
The research shows that semi-productive measures can combine nature restoration with agricultural production. Their ecological added value is linked to targeted design, high-quality implementation, integration into the landscape and support from farmers. This requires a bespoke approach and flexibility, tailored to both local nature conservation objectives and farm management.
Kurt Sannen, Myriam Dumortier
Picture above: a semi-productive measure in the agricultural landscape in Lennik (photo: Rollin Verlinde – Vildaphoto)