Wild bee toxicity data for pesticide risk assessments

Pollination services are vital for agriculture, food security and biodiversity. Although many insect species provide pollination services, honeybees are thought to be the major provider of this service to agriculture. However, the importance of wild bees in this respect should not be overlooked. Whilst regulatory risk assessment processes have, for a long time, included that for pollinators, using honeybees (Apis mellifera) as a protective surrogate, there are concerns that this approach may not be suffciently adequate particularly because of global declines in pollinating insects. Consequently, risk assessments are now being expanded to include wild bee species such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and solitary bees (Osmia spp.). However, toxicity data for these species is scarce and are absent from the main pesticide reference resources. The aim of the study described here was to collate data relating to the acute toxicity of pesticides to wild bee species (both topical and dietary exposure) from published regulatory documents and peer reviewed literature, and to incorporate this into one of the main online resources for pesticide risk assessment data: The Pesticide Properties Database, thus ensuring that the data is maintained and continuously kept up to date. The outcome of this study is a dataset collated from 316 regulatory and peer reviewed articles that contains 178 records covering 120 different pesticides and their variants which includes 142 records for bumblebees and a further 115 records for other wild bee species.Peer reviewe

Environmental Management for Agriculture (EMA) and Sustainable Agriculture

John Tzilivakis and Kathleen Lewis, ‘Environmental Management for Agriculture (EMA) and Sustainable Agriculture’, paper presented at the 2nd European Conference of the European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment, 27 – 30 September 1999, Bonn, Germany.Submitted Versio

Sustainable waste management

Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Identifying integrated options for agricultural climate change mitigation

Purpose: In order to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions it is essential that all industry sectors have the appropriate knowledge and tools to contribute. This includes agriculture, which is considered to contribute about a third of emissions globally. This paper reports on one such tool: IMPACCT: Integrated Management oPtions for Agricultural Climate Change miTigation. Design/methodology/approach: IMPACCT focuses on greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration and associated mitigation options. However, it also attempts to include information on economic and other environmental impacts in order to provide a more holistic perspective. The model identifies mitigation options, likely economic impacts and any synergies and trade-offs with other environmental objectives. The model has been applied on 22 case study farms in seven member states. Findings: The tool presents some useful concepts for developing carbon calculators in the future. It has highlighted that calculators need to evolve from simply calculating emissions to identifying cost effective and integrated emissions reduction options. Practical implications: IMPACCT has potential to become an effective means of provided targeted guidance, as part of a broader knowledge transfer programme based on an integrated suite of guidance, tools and advice delivered via different media. Originality/value: IMPACCT is a new model that demonstrates how to take a more integrated approach to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions on farms across Europe. It is a holistic carbon calculator that presents mitigation options in the context other environmental and economic objectives in the search for more sustainable methods of food production.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Adapting to climate change : Assessing the vulnerability of ecosystem services in Europe in the context of rural development

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-013-9507-6.Over the past decade, efforts to move towards a low carbon economy have been increasingly coupled with the acknowledgement that we also need to develop climate resilient economies, capable of adapting and responding to changes in climate. To shift society in these directions we need to quantify impacts in relation to these objectives and develop cost-effective interventions. Techniques for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions are relatively well established and enable identification of hotspots where there is emissions reduction potential. However, there are no established techniques to assess and quantify adaptation vulnerability issues and identify hotspots for intervention. This paper presents work undertaken at a European level with the objective of identifying potential hotspots where ecosystem services may be vulnerable to climate change and thus where intervention may be required under the European Rural Development Programme. A pragmatic and relatively simple approach is presented, based on data that is readily available across Europe. The vulnerability assessments cover: Water (quality: dilution and filtration, regulation: flooding and provision); soils (erosion and organic matter); and biodiversity (forest fires, migration and pollination). The framework and assessments presented are considered fit for purpose (at a basic level) and they are potentially valuable tools for targeting limited resources to achieve desirable outcomes. They also contribute towards providing a better understanding of the climate change challenges we face and support the formulation of solutions to optimally address those challenges. There is scope to further improvement and a number of options are discussed and explored within this paperPeer reviewe

Spatial analysis of the benefits and burdens of ecological focus areas for water-related ecosystem services vulnerable to climate change in Europe

There are many concerns regarding the effects of climate change including threats to ecosystem services. Rural land use can influence these services and there is scope for associated policies to steer decisions towards maximising benefits and minimising burdens. In Europe, for example, ecological focus areas (EFAs), introduced in the last reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, can have impacts on ecosystem services which vary with location, including potential trade-offs between benefits and burdens in some regions. This study combines the outputs from two continental-scale projects to provide a new perspective on the potential impact of EFAs for water-related ecosystem services under threat from climate change. An ecosystem service impact indicator framework was applied in conjunction with a climate change vulnerability assessment. This resulted in vulnerability and area weighted performance scores for dilution, filtration, water provision, and flood regulation services for 10 EFAs in 1256 regions. Best, average and worst case scenario maps were created that highlight the relative benefits and burdens of EFAs. Six EFAs have been identified which have not been activated in nine European Member States but which have potential to provide benefits. Eleven Member States have been identified which have regions where 3 EFAs should be avoided due to potential burdens. This analysis facilitates broad spatial targeting on a continental-scale of specific EFAs which may help maintain (and ideally increase) ecosystem service capacity and resilience in vulnerable regions.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The development of software to support planning conversion to organic agriculture

Planning is essential to the successful conversion of conventional to organic farming. Currently, advisors base planning on personal experience and expertise, historical and market data. The process can be time consuming and expensive. A new software package designed to support this process has been developed. The software enables the user to construct conversion scenarios for a farm over a period of up to fifteen years. The software calculates profit and loss and cash flow reports and nutrient and forage budgets for each year, thus helping to identify any potential economic, nutrient or forage problems in the plan. A beta version of the software will become available during 2001 as part of the EMA 2001 software system.Non peer reviewe

The Agricultural Document Library (ADLib) and its applications

In April 2004 the Agricultural Document Library (ADLib) was launched (www.adlib.ac.uk). It has been developed jointly by the Agriculture and Environment Research Unit (AERU) at the University of Hertfordshire and TLR Everysite Ltd, as a primary electronic resource for the industry. This online system is not just a library of documents, it is a knowledge base that is being used to support numerous applications and web sites. The content of ADLib covers England, Scotland and Wales and works across the industry for farmers, advisors, retailers, educators, policy and planning organisations. Examples of how ADLib is being utilised are described within this paper. These include libraries for Environmental Management for Agriculture (EMA), the Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme (FACTS), the Horticultural Development Council (HDC) and the British Potato Council (BPC). Additionally, ADLib is being used by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to support its Whole Farm Approach (WFA), via the Appraisal, and Assured Produce utilise ADLib to support its online self-assessment audit. The principal objective is to make the vast quantity of agricultural information that is available more easily accessible to farmers and growers and to ensure that information is consistent, up to date, timely, relevant and targeted. In an information age with rapidly changing societal demands, agricultural businesses need the tools and information to be able to respond. ADLib aims to provide the agricultural and horticultural industries with the information they need to push forward the sustainability of the industry, in line with evolving public desires and legal demands.Non peer reviewe

Development of software to plan conversion to organic production (OrgPlan)

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. OrgPlan is a computer programme aimed at farmers and advisors assisting with the planning of an organic conversion. The programme is divided into technical modules, supported by a standard enterprise database, a report builder and an advisory section. Through the farm profile builder, rotation, cropping and livestock planner, conversion scenarios over several years can be developed and are evaluated for technical and financial feasibility by calculating farm gate budgets for key resources (forage energy and key nutrients) and financial reports (cash flow budget and profit and loss account). The poster illustrates the basic functioning of the software as well as the underlying rationale for the scenario evaluation

The EFA calculator : A software tool to support farmers decisions on Ecological Focus Areas

Farming has a central role to play in the delivery of a number of desirable ecosystem services and the enhancement of biodiversity. However, despite the fact that that there has been significant emphasis placed on environment and biodiversity in policy over the years, it is generally accepted that there is still some way to go if the industry is to deliver what is expected of it in this regard. It is hoped that the introduction of Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) on the farm will aid in delivering tangible environmental improvements, but this is to some extent dependent on the EFA elements a farmer selects, and their appropriateness to the local environment. Consequently, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) funded and coordinated a project to develop a tool which will help farmers select EFA elements that can deliver the optimal environmental benefit. The aim of this project was to develop a software application for European farmers and advisory services. The software firstly helps farmers calculate the contribution of different EFA elements to their 5% target. Secondly, it takes into account the farms site specific characteristics and assesses the contribution of EFA elements to biodiversity and a range of ecosystem services. This will help ensure that the EFA elements selected by a farmer offer optimal benefits in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity and are pragmatic in terms of farm management.Non peer reviewe