GIS-based modeling of land use systems - Common Agricultural Policy reform and its impact on agricultural land use and plant species richness

An assessment of agricultural policy measures and their sustainability needs to consider economic, social, and ecological aspects. The current paradigm shift of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from coupled to decoupled transfer payments calls for such an evaluation. Land users have to reevaluate their production program and its spatial allocation. Consequently, agricultural policy influences regional land use patterns and shares of land use systems, which in turn influence regional plant species richness. Connecting land use and ecological models allows to assess socioeconomic and ecologic effects of policy measures by identifying interactions and estimating potential trade-offs. The paper presents the land use model ProLand and the fuzzy expert system UPAL. ProLand models the regional distribution of land use systems while UPAL predicts plant species richness. The models are connected through a GIS and applied to a study area in Hesse, Germany, in order to simulate the effects of changing conditions on land use, economic and social key indicators, and plant species richness. ProLand is a spatially explicit comparative static model that simulates a region’s land use pattern based on natural, socioeconomic, political, and technological parameters. The model assumes land rent maximizing behavior of land users. It calculates and assigns the land rent maximizing land use system for every investigated decision unit, generally a field. A land use system is characterized through crop rotation, corresponding outdoor operations, animal husbandry if applicable, and the relevant political and socioeconomic attributes. The fuzzy expert system derives the values of ecologically relevant parameters from several site specific attributes and land use operations. Land use dependent site characteristics that influence plant species richness are derived from predictions generated by ProLand. Detailed information on crop rotation, fertilization and pesticide strategy, and outdoor operations are considered. The expert system then classifies natural and land use dependent site characteristics into aggregate factors. Based on a set of rules it assigns the number of species to the classes and thus to the decision units. Simulation results for the study area show that the CAP reform causes a rise in grassland area. These land use changes mainly occur in areas currently used for arable farming but with natural conditions favoring grassland. Plant species richness is positively influenced by the increase in extensive grassland area.

Simulating the effects of decoupled transfer payments using the land use model ProLand

This paper describes the bio-economic land use model ProLand and presents selected results for scenarios of coupled and fully decoupled Pillar One transfer payments under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The basic assumption for the model is that land users select the land use alternative from a set of agricultural and silvicultural land use systems which is expected to generate the highest possible land rent. The model is used to estimate effects of fully decoupled transfer payments on land use in a less favoured region in Hesse, Germany. The results confirm that the CAP Reform removes the distorting effects of coupled transfer payments. The extent and direction of land use changes are spatially variant. Overall, the CAP Reform will lead to increases of permanent grassland area at the cost of arable land. The total agricultural land rent generated in the region will grow substantially, mainly due to higher amounts of transfer payments.CAP Reform, land use modelling, decision support, spatial model, ProLand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Standortorientierung des ökologischen Landbaus zwischen Kostenführerschaft und Nischenproduktion

Site specific factors of different landscapes influence the farmers’ economic decision whether to produce organic bulk commodities or niche products for a small market. The verification of this hypothesis is based on standardized production processes of beef and goat cheese in two different model regions

Modelling the CAP Reform at the Regional Level with ProLand

The reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will fundamentally affect the decision behaviour of land users. So far transfer payments were coupled to specific forms of land use. The reform encourages land users to make decisions concerning production based solely on market aspects. The effects of the CAP reform on the Lahn Dill region in Germany are simulated with the spatially explicit land use model ProLand. The results show that land use decisions will be based stronger on site specific natural conditions than was the case in the Agenda 2000 scenario. The transfer payment volume directed into the region increases considerably.modelling, decision support, land use, spatially explicit, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q01,

GIS-based modeling of land use systems - Common Agricultural Policy reform and its impact on agricultural land use and plant species richness

An assessment of agricultural policy measures and their sustainability needs to consider economic, social, and ecological aspects. The current paradigm shift of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from coupled to decoupled transfer payments calls for such an evaluation. Land users have to reevaluate their production program and its spatial allocation. Consequently, agricultural policy influences regional land use patterns and shares of land use systems, which in turn influence regional plant species richness. Connecting land use and ecological models allows to assess socioeconomic and ecologic effects of policy measures by identifying interactions and estimating potential trade-offs. The paper presents the land use model ProLand and the fuzzy expert system UPAL. ProLand models the regional distribution of land use systems while UPAL predicts plant species richness. The models are connected through a GIS and applied to a study area in Hesse, Germany, in order to simulate the effects of changing conditions on land use, economic and social key indicators, and plant species richness. ProLand is a spatially explicit comparative static model that simulates a region's land use pattern based on natural, socioeconomic, political, and technological parameters. The model assumes land rent maximizing behavior of land users. It calculates and assigns the land rent maximizing land use system for every investigated decision unit, generally a field. A land use system is characterized through crop rotation, corresponding outdoor operations, animal husbandry if applicable, and the relevant political and socioeconomic attributes. The fuzzy expert system derives the values of ecologically relevant parameters from several site specific attributes and land use operations. Land use dependent site characteristics that influence plant species richness are derived from predictions generated by ProLand. Detailed information on crop rotation, fertilization and pesticide strategy, and outdoor operations are considered. The expert system then classifies natural and land use dependent site characteristics into aggregate factors. Based on a set of rules it assigns the number of species to the classes and thus to the decision units. Simulation results for the study area show that the CAP reform causes a rise in grassland area. These land use changes mainly occur in areas currently used for arable farming but with natural conditions favoring grassland. Plant species richness is positively influenced by the increase in extensive grassland area

Betriebliches Datenmanagement und FMIS: Machbarkeitsstudie für „Betriebliches Datenmanagement und Farm-Management-Information-System (FMIS)“ in sächsischen Landwirtschaftsbetrieben

Die Studie gibt Auskunft über den Umgang mit Medienbrüchen und die Darstellung von Kennzahlen zur Unternehmenssteuerung in der Landwirtschaft. Datenvernetzung und Visualisierung sind die Voraussetzung zur Etablierung von „smart farming“ in der Praxis. In der Landwirtschaft kann ein hybrides Datenmanagement zu der Vernetzung betrieblicher Software beitragen. Dies besteht aus Datenhubs, Datenroutern und bilateralen Schnittstellen. Die Ergebnisse sind richtungsweisend für landwirtschaftliche Unternehmen, Softwareanbieter, Behörden und alle weiteren Teilnehmer im digitalen Ökosystem der Agrardomäne. Redaktionsschluss: 10.10.202

Simulating the effects of decoupled transfer payments using the land use model ProLand

This paper describes the bio-economic land use model ProLand and presents selected results for scenarios of coupled and fully decoupled Pillar One transfer payments under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The basic assumption for the model is that land users select the land use alternative from a set of agricultural and silvicultural land use systems which is expected to generate the highest possible land rent. The model is used to estimate effects of fully decoupled transfer payments on land use in a less favoured region in Hesse, Germany. The results confirm that the CAP Reform removes the distorting effects of coupled transfer payments. The extent and direction of land use changes are spatially variant. Overall, the CAP Reform will lead to increases of permanent grassland area at the cost of arable land. The total agricultural land rent generated in the region will grow substantially, mainly due to higher amounts of transfer payments

Modelling the CAP Reform at the Regional Level with ProLand

The reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will fundamentally affect the decision behaviour of land users. So far transfer payments were coupled to specific forms of land use. The reform encourages land users to make decisions concerning production based solely on market aspects. The effects of the CAP reform on the Lahn Dill region in Germany are simulated with the spatially explicit land use model ProLand. The results show that land use decisions will be based stronger on site specific natural conditions than was the case in the Agenda 2000 scenario. The transfer payment volume directed into the region increases considerably