Drawing up Farm Management Plans for Agri-Environmental Schemes

The role of and the approach to the countryside and the environment has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades as relations between sustainable, multi-functional agriculture and the need for preserving natural resources were realised. On the other hand, to be successful in a commercial environment farmers need financial planning and control. However, at this stage of privatisation process and development of rationalised farm businesses within Hungary, there exists a large number of small family-managed holdings where business and production skills are at an elementary level. Moreover, application for agricultural state support and planned subsidy priorities of agro-environmental programs will be linked to the condition of having clear business and management plan. These facts represent a growing demand for establishing of rural extension services and an increased need for sound farm business planning. The objective of the research is to elaborate a computerised planning methodology that help farmers not only to exercise effective management controls over the financial aspects of their business through proper planning and record keeping based on calculations of up-to-date information but to encourage the introduction and use of farming practices compatible with the increasing demands of protection of the environment and natural resources (multifunctional agriculture) as well. The methodology is suitable for producing sustainability indices in order to characterise the environment. Well-known and widely applied methods, such as calculation of gross margin, internal rate of return and net present value liked to issues which were previously little focused on, such as manure production and use, or studying the N cycle within the farm. The methodology is tested in selected case study areas and it is investigated what sort of changes are required on farm level to achieve environmental and economic sustainability and how should farm-level based systems be designed to prevent increased negative externalities of agricultural production with respect to Hungarian circumstances.Farm Management, Agri-environmental Programme, Planning., Financial Economics,

Hydrodynamic theory of freezing: Nucleation and polycrystalline growth

Structural aspects of crystal nucleation in undercooled liquids are explored using a nonlinear hydrodynamic theory of crystallization proposed recently [G. I. Toth et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 26, 055001 (2014)], which is based on combining fluctuating hydrodynamics with the phase-field crystal theory. We show that in this hydrodynamic approach not only homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation processes are accessible, but also growth front nucleation, which leads to the formation of new (differently oriented) grains at the solid-liquid front in highly undercooled systems. Formation of dislocations at the solid-liquid interface and interference of density waves ahead of the crystallization front are responsible for the appearance of the new orientations at the growth front that lead to spherulite-like nanostructures

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT LAND USE TYPES IN THE MODEL AREA OF BODROGKÖZ

This study deals with five settlements (Karos, Karcsa, Pácin, Nagyrozvágy, Cigánd) of Bodrogköz. The main goal of the case-study is to provide a method for the assessment of the economic impacts of land-use planning. The paper shows the connection between economic and land-use models of specific areas. Although the input conditions of the evaluations (e.g. agri-environmental payments) have changed, the framework of the methodology is independent from the input variables, so it can be a useful example for similar assessments. The first part of the study focuses on potential alternative land use options for the region. We suggested changes in land use on the basis of the so-called ’ecotype’ model. In the second part we present the economic evaluation method of the land use changes. We analyzed the consequences of the suggested conversions based on an economic model. Data collection was done by using questionnaires. The results indicated that in the studied area a range of significant modifications should be carried out, including especially the reduction of arable land area in favour of forests and grasslands. The economic assessments indicated that adjusting land use to suit the potential of the land offers economic advantages; that is, when the suggested changes are implemented with the help of agro-environmental subsidies. Our study however, disregarded all other types of costs (investing into new machinery and special equipment), as well as the social (psychological) aspects of conversion. This latter issue should be taken seriously because significant changes often require farmers to engage in entirely new activities. As transition to a new, drainage-based management system influences a larger area, it also demands cooperation from the farmers and the inhabitants. Researchers and experts consider our evaluation a suitable background for further studies. Our study provides farmers with local information so they can efficiently co-operate in regional land use activities. Similar studies and the continuation of this particular study are suggested in smaller regions within the floodland of River Tisza, where many attempts have already been made to introduce measures of flood¬land landscape management. As the case-study area is an important site of floodplain landscape management, our findings may contribute significantly to the wealth of information on the new perspectives of this special farming method. Therefore another aim of the research was to develop a framework for complex assessments of the floodland landscape management methods. ----------------------------------------------------- A bemutatásra kerülÅ‘ öt bodrogközi településre (Karos, Karcsa, Pácin, Nagyrozvágy, Cigánd) kiterjedÅ‘ kutatásunk két részbÅ‘l állt. Az elemzések elsÅ‘ része a termÅ‘föld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatokat alapozta meg, a második rész pedig a javasolt változások gazdasági következményeit kísérelte meg modellezni. A termÅ‘föld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatok megalapozásához az úgynevezett „ökotípusos†modellt használtuk, míg az elemzés második részében a gazdasági hatásokat kérdőíves felmérésen alapuló ökonómiai modell segítségével értékeltük. Az elemzések eredményei egyértelműen igazolták, hogy a termÅ‘helyi adottságok (beleértve a rendszeres vízkivezetés, így az ártéri gazdálkodás lehetÅ‘ségét is) alapján a térségben jelentÅ‘s változásokra lenne szükség. Ez elsÅ‘sorban a jelenleg szántóként használt területek csökkenését, az erdÅ‘- és gyepterületek növekedését jelentené. A termÅ‘föld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatok gazdasági értékelése azt mutatta, hogy a termÅ‘helyi adottságokhoz történÅ‘ igazodás – az agrár-környezetgazdálkodási támogatásokat is figyelembe véve – gazdasági szempontból is kedvezÅ‘ lehet. A vizsgálat ugyanakkor nem terjedt ki arra, hogy egy ilyen új típusú környezethasználat megvalósítása milyen egyéb költségekkel jár (új gépek, berendezések), és nem foglalkozik a szociológiai (pszichológiai) kapcsolódásokkal sem. Ez utóbbi azért lehet fontos, mert a gazdáknak a korábbi tevékenységükhöz képest gyakran egy teljesen más típusú tevékenységre kell átállniuk. Továbbá a javasolt termÅ‘föld-használatok csak gazdálkodói összefogással valósíthatók meg, hiszen a rendszeres vízkivezetésen alapuló gazdálkodás nagyobb összefüggÅ‘ térséget érint. A kutatók és a tervezÅ‘k véleménye alapján az elvégzett elemzések jó kiindulópontot adhatnak a további kutatások elvégzésére, köztük a felsorolt hiányosságok pótlására. A vizsgálat elÅ‘segítheti a gazdálkodók hatékonyabb tájékoztatását és ezáltal azok térségi együttműködésének magvalósulását. Hasonló típusú kutatások elvégzését, illetve a jelenlegi munka kiterjesztését elsÅ‘sorban a Tisza menti ártéri területek esetében javasoljuk, ahol már több helyi próbálkozás is történt az ártéri tájgazdálkodás megvalósítására.land use evaluation, floodlands, change of land use, economic model, földhasználat-elemzés, ártéri szintek, tájhasználat-váltás, gazdasági modell., Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Investigating nucleation using the phase-field method

The first order phase transitions, like freezing of liquids, melting of solids, phase separation in alloys, vapor condensation, etc., start with nucleation, a process in which internal fluctuations of the parent phase lead to formation of small seeds of the new phase. Owing to different size dependence of (negative) volumetric and (positive) interfacial contributions to work of formation of such seeds, there is a critical size, at which the work of formation shows a maximum. Seeds that are smaller than the critical one decay with a high probability, while the larger ones have a good chance to grow further and reach a macroscopic size. Putting it in another way, to form the bulk new phase, the system needs to pass a thermodynamic barrier via thermal fluctuations. When the fluctuations of the parent phase alone lead to transition, the process is called homogeneous nucleation. Such a homogeneous process is, however, scarcely seen and requires very specific conditions in nature or in the laboratory. Usually, the parent phase resides in a container and/or it incorporates floating heterogeneities (solid particles, droplets, etc.). The respective foreign surfaces lead to ordering of the adjacent liquid layers, which in turn may assist the formation of the seeds, a process termed heterogeneous nucleation. Herein, we review how the phase-field techniques contributed to the understanding of various aspects of crystal nucleation in undercooled melts, and its role in microstructure evolution. We recall results achieved using both conventional phase-field techniques that rely on spatially averaged (coarse grained) order parameters in capturing the phase transition, as well as molecular scale phase-field approaches that employ time averaged fields, as happens in the classical density functional theories, including the recently developed phase-field crystal models

Assessing agro-ecological practices using a combination of three sustainability assessment tools

This paper is based on results from the research project UNISECO, which is funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 773901.We would like to thank all the farmers, farm organisations and stakeholders of the multi-actor platforms of the UNISECO project who contributed to the data collection. We also like to thank Andreas Basler whose corrections improved the comprehensibility of the paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Drawing up Farm Management Plans for Agri-Environmental Schemes

The role of and the approach to the countryside and the environment has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades as relations between sustainable, multi-functional agriculture and the need for preserving natural resources were realised. On the other hand, to be successful in a commercial environment farmers need financial planning and control. However, at this stage of privatisation process and development of rationalised farm businesses within Hungary, there exists a large number of small family-managed holdings where business and production skills are at an elementary level. Moreover, application for agricultural state support and planned subsidy priorities of agro-environmental programs will be linked to the condition of having clear business and management plan. These facts represent a growing demand for establishing of rural extension services and an increased need for sound farm business planning. The objective of the research is to elaborate a computerised planning methodology that help farmers not only to exercise effective management controls over the financial aspects of their business through proper planning and record keeping based on calculations of up-to-date information but to encourage the introduction and use of farming practices compatible with the increasing demands of protection of the environment and natural resources (multifunctional agriculture) as well. The methodology is suitable for producing sustainability indices in order to characterise the environment. Well-known and widely applied methods, such as calculation of gross margin, internal rate of return and net present value liked to issues which were previously little focused on, such as manure production and use, or studying the N cycle within the farm. The methodology is tested in selected case study areas and it is investigated what sort of changes are required on farm level to achieve environmental and economic sustainability and how should farm-level based systems be designed to prevent increased negative externalities of agricultural production with respect to Hungarian circumstances

A Land Suitability Assessment Method for Developing a European Land Information System for Agriculture and Environment (ELISA)

In response to the increasing need for information on the environmental and landscape impact of agricultural policies, the Soil and Waste unit of JRC-IES is developing a European Land Information System for Agriculture and Environment (ELISA). The system is built to allow for the ex-post analysis of the environmental impact of policy measures and for the ex-ante evaluation of the environmental effects of different policy scenarios in order to enable informed decisions on the implementation of policy options. A major task within ELISA is the development of a methodology for the analysis of the environmental sensitivity and land suitability of reference units. A possible option for this analysis is the use of cross-evaluation methods that have been developed to measure complex systems. These methods are based on the mathematical analysis of experts’ personal opinions. The paper first presents the concept of the ELISA system and the underlying databases (agriculture related and environmental related). Then the theoretical background of the methodology for land suitability and environmental sensitivity assessment and the development of a cross-evaluation weighted method based on expert`s opinions are discussed.JRC.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT LAND USE TYPES IN THE MODEL AREA OF BODROGKÖZ

This study deals with five settlements (Karos, Karcsa, Pácin, Nagyrozvágy, Cigánd) of Bodrogköz. The main goal of the case-study is to provide a method for the assessment of the economic impacts of land-use planning. The paper shows the connection between economic and land-use models of specific areas. Although the input conditions of the evaluations (e.g. agri-environmental payments) have changed, the framework of the methodology is independent from the input variables, so it can be a useful example for similar assessments. The first part of the study focuses on potential alternative land use options for the region. We suggested changes in land use on the basis of the so-called ’ecotype’ model. In the second part we present the economic evaluation method of the land use changes. We analyzed the consequences of the suggested conversions based on an economic model. Data collection was done by using questionnaires. The results indicated that in the studied area a range of significant modifications should be carried out, including especially the reduction of arable land area in favour of forests and grasslands. The economic assessments indicated that adjusting land use to suit the potential of the land offers economic advantages; that is, when the suggested changes are implemented with the help of agro-environmental subsidies. Our study however, disregarded all other types of costs (investing into new machinery and special equipment), as well as the social (psychological) aspects of conversion. This latter issue should be taken seriously because significant changes often require farmers to engage in entirely new activities. As transition to a new, drainage-based management system influences a larger area, it also demands cooperation from the farmers and the inhabitants. Researchers and experts consider our evaluation a suitable background for further studies. Our study provides farmers with local information so they can efficiently co-operate in regional land use activities. Similar studies and the continuation of this particular study are suggested in smaller regions within the floodland of River Tisza, where many attempts have already been made to introduce measures of flood¬land landscape management. As the case-study area is an important site of floodplain landscape management, our findings may contribute significantly to the wealth of information on the new perspectives of this special farming method. Therefore another aim of the research was to develop a framework for complex assessments of the floodland landscape management methods. ----------------------------------------------------- A bemutatásra kerülő öt bodrogközi településre (Karos, Karcsa, Pácin, Nagyrozvágy, Cigánd) kiterjedő kutatásunk két részből állt. Az elemzések első része a termőföld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatokat alapozta meg, a második rész pedig a javasolt változások gazdasági következményeit kísérelte meg modellezni. A termőföld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatok megalapozásához az úgynevezett „ökotípusos” modellt használtuk, míg az elemzés második részében a gazdasági hatásokat kérdőíves felmérésen alapuló ökonómiai modell segítségével értékeltük. Az elemzések eredményei egyértelműen igazolták, hogy a termőhelyi adottságok (beleértve a rendszeres vízkivezetés, így az ártéri gazdálkodás lehetőségét is) alapján a térségben jelentős változásokra lenne szükség. Ez elsősorban a jelenleg szántóként használt területek csökkenését, az erdő- és gyepterületek növekedését jelentené. A termőföld hasznosítására vonatkozó javaslatok gazdasági értékelése azt mutatta, hogy a termőhelyi adottságokhoz történő igazodás – az agrár-környezetgazdálkodási támogatásokat is figyelembe véve – gazdasági szempontból is kedvező lehet. A vizsgálat ugyanakkor nem terjedt ki arra, hogy egy ilyen új típusú környezethasználat megvalósítása milyen egyéb költségekkel jár (új gépek, berendezések), és nem foglalkozik a szociológiai (pszichológiai) kapcsolódásokkal sem. Ez utóbbi azért lehet fontos, mert a gazdáknak a korábbi tevékenységükhöz képest gyakran egy teljesen más típusú tevékenységre kell átállniuk. Továbbá a javasolt termőföld-használatok csak gazdálkodói összefogással valósíthatók meg, hiszen a rendszeres vízkivezetésen alapuló gazdálkodás nagyobb összefüggő térséget érint. A kutatók és a tervezők véleménye alapján az elvégzett elemzések jó kiindulópontot adhatnak a további kutatások elvégzésére, köztük a felsorolt hiányosságok pótlására. A vizsgálat elősegítheti a gazdálkodók hatékonyabb tájékoztatását és ezáltal azok térségi együttműködésének magvalósulását. Hasonló típusú kutatások elvégzését, illetve a jelenlegi munka kiterjesztését elsősorban a Tisza menti ártéri területek esetében javasoljuk, ahol már több helyi próbálkozás is történt az ártéri tájgazdálkodás megvalósítására

Recent developments in modeling heteroepitaxy/heterogeneous nucleation by dynamical density functional theory

Crystallization of supersaturated liquids usually starts by epitaxial growth or by heterogeneous nucleation on foreign surfaces. Herein, we review recent advances made in modeling heteroepitaxy and heterogeneous nucleation on flat/modulated surfaces and nanoparticles within the framework of a simple dynamical density functional theory, known as the phase-field crystal model. It will be shown that the contact angle and the nucleation barrier are nonmonotonous functions of the lattice mismatch between the substrate and the crystalline phase. In continuous cooling studies for substrates with lattice mismatch, we recover qualitatively the Matthews–Blakeslee mechanism of stress release via the misfit dislocations. The simulations performed for particle-induced freezing will be confronted with recent analytical results, exploring thus the validity range of the latter. It will be demonstrated that time-dependent studies are essential, as investigations based on equilibrium properties often cannot identify the preferred nucleation pathways. Modeling of these phenomena is essential for designing materials on the basis of controlled nucleation and/or nano-patterning

Heterogeneous nucleation of/on nanoparticles: a density functional study using the phase-field crystal model

Crystallization of supersaturated liquids usually starts by heterogeneous nucleation. Mounting evidence shows that even homogeneous nucleation in simple liquids takes place in two steps; first a dense amorphous precursor forms, and the crystalline phase appears via heterogeneous nucleation in/on the precursor cluster. Herein, we review recent results by a simple dynamical density functional theory, the phase-field crystal model, for (precursor-mediated) homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation of nanocrystals. It will be shown that the mismatch between the lattice constants of the nucleating crystal and the substrate plays a decisive role in determining the contact angle and nucleation barrier, which were found to be non-monotonic functions of the lattice mismatch. Time dependent studies are essential as investigations based on equilibrium properties often cannot identify the preferred nucleation pathways. Modeling of these phenomena is essential for designing materials on the basis of controlled nucleation and/or nano-patterning