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This report describes the conceptual approach of the CO2FIX V 3.1 model, as well as its implementation and numerous examples. This stand level simulation model is a tool which quantifies the C stocks and fluxes in the forest biomass, the soil organic matter and the wood products chain. Included are also a bioenergy module, a financial module and a carbon accounting module. The model is applicable to many different situations: afforestation projects, agroforestry systems, and selective logging systems. The model is freely available from the web, together with numerous examples. The model has many users. The two earlier versions of the model have been downloaded already almost 2000 times

Alterra was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) to estimate the additional costs made by nature reserve managers to mitigate the effects of atmospheric deposition. The costs of increasing deposition levels - or the benefits of reducing deposition levels - were calculated from the costs for nature management per Nature Target Type (NTT) for both the current and reduced deposition levels, which result in a similar ecological quality. For the NTTs within the clusters grassland, reed and roughland, and heathland model simulations were run using the models of the `Nature Planner`. For forests and moorland pools a different approach was used. The total amount of money that may be saved because of the reduction of deposition rates is estimated on 42 million euro per year for the period from 2000 till 2020 for the assessed NTTs. The highest savings can be made in grassland; 28 million euro. On average, over a nitrogen deposition reduction from 2312 to 1304 mol per hectare per year, a reduction of one mol per hectare per year can lead to a reduction of costs for nature management of 42 thousand euro per year for the involved NTTs nation-wide.

This report describes the conceptual approach of the CO2FIX V 3.1 model, as well as its implementation and numerous examples. This stand level simulation model is a tool which quantifies the C stocks and fluxes in the forest biomass, the soil organic matter and the wood products chain. Included are also a bioenergy module, a financial module and a carbon accounting module. The model is applicable to many different situations: afforestation projects, agroforestry systems, and selective logging systems. The model is freely available from the web, together with numerous examples. The model has many users. The two earlier versions of the model have been downloaded already almost 2000 times

Keywords: environmental accounting, environmental indicators, farming systems, sustainability, organic farming, ecological-economic modelling, spatial analysis, multi-objective policy-making, opportunity cost.There is a growing awareness in present-day society of the potential of sustainable farming systems to enhance wildlife and the landscape and to decrease environmental harm caused by farming practices. EU commitment to integrate environmental considerations into agricultural political agenda has resulted in the adoption of environmental cross-compliance and agri-environment support schemes. Sustainability can only be achieved through multi-objective policy tools. Furthermore, more insight is needed into the environmental-economic tradeoffs of farming systems to direct policy interventions towards sustainable development of rural areas. The main objective of the present research is to provide an environmental-economic framework for the design and evaluation of agricultural policy schemes aimed at the operationalisation of sustainability in agricultural areas. The research involved designing and applying (1) an environmental accounting information system (EAIS), and (2) an integrated ecological-economic model to evaluate sustainability of farming systems. First, the EAIS together with a set of economic indicators was applied to three case study farms representing organic, integrated and conventional farming systems. Results showed that organic farming systems have the potential to improve the efficiency of many environmental indicators in addition to being remunerative. Environmental performances of all farming systems analysed were consistently affected by pedo-climatic factors on a regional as well as on a site scale. Subsequently, the EAIS indicators were integrated with farm records from one of the case studies and were used as a data source for the construction of an integrated ecological-economic model. The model was first used to evaluate the impact of current (Agenda 2000) and previous (MacSharry reform) agro-environment regimes on sustainability of organic farming systems. Then, the model was used to analyse the impact of Agenda 2000 common market organisation and agri-environment schemes on conventional and organic farming systems. Results indicated that the level of sustainability achieved with organic farming was satisfactory under both the MacSharry reform and the Agenda 2000 regulations. Optimising the model under different policy scenarios confirmed that organic farming systems are environmentally more beneficial than conventional farming systems. Combining the model with sensitivity and scenario analyses enabled an evaluation of the opportunity costs incurred by farmers to supply environmental amenities. Finally, the use of such information to back policy decisions is discussed.

Keywords: environmental accounting, environmental indicators, farming systems, sustainability, organic farming, ecological-economic modelling, spatial analysis, multi-objective policy-making, opportunity cost.There is a growing awareness in present-day society of the potential of sustainable farming systems to enhance wildlife and the landscape and to decrease environmental harm caused by farming practices. EU commitment to integrate environmental considerations into agricultural political agenda has resulted in the adoption of environmental cross-compliance and agri-environment support schemes. Sustainability can only be achieved through multi-objective policy tools. Furthermore, more insight is needed into the environmental-economic tradeoffs of farming systems to direct policy interventions towards sustainable development of rural areas. The main objective of the present research is to provide an environmental-economic framework for the design and evaluation of agricultural policy schemes aimed at the operationalisation of sustainability in agricultural areas. The research involved designing and applying (1) an environmental accounting information system (EAIS), and (2) an integrated ecological-economic model to evaluate sustainability of farming systems. First, the EAIS together with a set of economic indicators was applied to three case study farms representing organic, integrated and conventional farming systems. Results showed that organic farming systems have the potential to improve the efficiency of many environmental indicators in addition to being remunerative. Environmental performances of all farming systems analysed were consistently affected by pedo-climatic factors on a regional as well as on a site scale. Subsequently, the EAIS indicators were integrated with farm records from one of the case studies and were used as a data source for the construction of an integrated ecological-economic model. The model was first used to evaluate the impact of current (Agenda 2000) and previous (MacSharry reform) agro-environment regimes on sustainability of organic farming systems. Then, the model was used to analyse the impact of Agenda 2000 common market organisation and agri-environment schemes on conventional and organic farming systems. Results indicated that the level of sustainability achieved with organic farming was satisfactory under both the MacSharry reform and the Agenda 2000 regulations. Optimising the model under different policy scenarios confirmed that organic farming systems are environmentally more beneficial than conventional farming systems. Combining the model with sensitivity and scenario analyses enabled an evaluation of the opportunity costs incurred by farmers to supply environmental amenities. Finally, the use of such information to back policy decisions is discussed.

The stocks and flows of carbon and nutrients in the terrestrial and marine agroecosystems within the environment are discussed, and the latest concepts on the causes of nutrient imbalances are considered. Case studies are presented.

The stocks and flows of carbon and nutrients in the terrestrial and marine agroecosystems within the environment are discussed, and the latest concepts on the causes of nutrient imbalances are considered. Case studies are presented.

Economic instruments, such as levies are considered by the Dutch government for reducing the harmful effects of the production and application of manure. To analyse these levies a framework which makes it possible to combine and to choose among different types of research is developed. The results are integrated along the line of the marginal abatement cost curve. The problems related to integrating different types of research are taken into account. The method developed allows every farmer to react to a levy differently. A levy turns out to be more effective to reduce the nitrogen surplus on farm level in the pig fattening sector when compared to the pig breeding sector. But even a levy of 2 guilders/kg of nitrogen does not remove the total manure surplus in the pig sector and results in large profit losses. Further research is needed to underpin the empirical input required by the model.

From 1990 to 1993 nutrient fluxes were monitored on 38 private arable farms that had adopted farming strategies aiming at reduced nutrient inputs and substitution of mineral fertilizers by organic fertilizers. The nutrient surplus was defined as the difference between inputs (including inputs through deposition, seeds and biological fixation) and outputs in crop products, and amounted to 117 kg nitrogen (N), 14 kg phosphorus (P) and 21 kg potash (K) ha-1 year-1 on average. Potato and sugar beet had relatively high nutrient surpluses resulting both from crop characteristics and the use of organic manure. The surplus varied markedly among farms due to differences in cropping frequency, fertilizer inputs and crop outputs. Averaged over the years, ca. 70% of the participants achieved surpluses below 150 kg N, 20 kg P and 50 kg K ha-1 year-1. The amounts of residual soil mineral N (RSMN) exceeded those normally found in field experiments except for data collected after the wet summer of 1993. Distinct differences between crops were observed. Only in the case of potato a significant relationship was observed between the effective N input and RSMN. On a whole-farm level, RSMN amounted to more than 70 kg ha-1 N on 77, 74, 87 and 18% of the farms in the consecutive years.

When growing oil palms, quantities of crop residues are high, which means that recycling is laborious and options to absorb these byproducts are easily saturated. Burning or composting may have harmful environmental effects

When growing oil palms, quantities of crop residues are high, which means that recycling is laborious and options to absorb these byproducts are easily saturated. Burning or composting may have harmful environmental effects

When growing oil palms, quantities of crop residues are high, which means that recycling is laborious and options to absorb these byproducts are easily saturated. Burning or composting may have harmful environmental effects