Water

Manure management is a continuum from generation by livestock to storage and treatment and finally to land spreading. Tanks for storage of manure are built primarily to prevent pollution of underground and surface water and to preserve the nutrient value of manure. Tanks must be impermeable, prevent spilling, washing or runoff of manure into the environment.

Erosion prevention strips (Contour buffer strips) are strips of grass or a mixture of grasses and legumes that run along the contour of a farmed field. They alternate down the slope of a field with wider cropped strips.

Irrigation is used to supplement water during dry periods, increase productivity of coarse soils (sandy), improve the crop quality of water-sensitive crops and reduce risk of crop loss (e.g. drip irrigation). Improving irrigation efficiency is a way of making sure that less water is wasted when watering plants and crops. This can be achieved through better water management techniques and technology, such as the use of sprinklers, drip tubing, and other water-saving devices. This can help conserve water resources, reduce water bills, and improve crop yields.

Nutrient management plans (NMPs) are used to help farmers efficiently meet their production objectives and protect the environment. Plans provide balanced recommendations for farmers on which nutrient sources to apply and what rates they should be applied at. Use of innovative approaches to minimise nutrient release, optimal pH for nutrient uptake, circular agriculture.

Extensive livestock farming makes use of areas of permanent grassland, and is at the origin of many environmental services, based on the functioning of agro-ecosystems and the functional management of semi-natural vegetation. If insects are to be considered as a key indicator of overall biological richness, their presence in an open landscape can be explained fundamentally by two key factors: the absence of pesticide use, which destroys them directly, and a floristic richness spread over time.

Permanent grassland is land used permanently (for several consecutive years, normally 5 years or more) to grow herbaceous fodder, forage or energy-purpose crops, through cultivation (sown) or naturally (self-seeded), and which is not included in the crop rotation on the holding. The grassland can be used for grazing, mown for silage and hay or used for renewable energy production. Grassland must have fodder interest, i.e., they include vegetal species of fodder interest.

Appropriate management of farming residues involves making use of the crops and animal products left over after harvest or slaughter. Strategies for managing these residues may include composting, burning, mulching or using them as animal feed. Proper management of these residues is important to ensure that the land is properly managed, soil fertility is maintained, and the environment is protected from pollution. e.g., seeding on residues.

Paludiculture is the productive land use of wet and rewetted peatlands that preserves the peat soil and thereby minimizes CO2 emissions and subsidence. Rewetting wetlands/peatlands, also known as paludiculture, is the practice of restoring and managing wetlands and peatlands in order to provide economic and ecological benefits. This involves rewetting peatlands that have been drained for agriculture, forestry, or other uses.

Nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous are essential for crop production. This is an agricultural practice in which farmers reduce or eliminate the use of synthetic fertilisers on their arable crops. This practice helps to conserve natural resources and reduce pollution, as it reduces the amount of artificial chemicals and pollutants that are released into the environment. It also has the potential to increase the sustainability of agriculture, as it reduces the cost of inputs and increases the profitability of farming.

Semi-natural habitats are integral to most agricultural areas and have the potential to support ecosystem services, especially biological control and pollination by supplying resources for the invertebrates providing these services and for soil conservation by preventing erosion and run-off.