News » Ecological Recycling Agriculture
09.06.2013
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Agriculture is the single most important contributor to the euthrophicationof the Baltic Sea . It's responsible for 59% of the anthropogenicnitrogen and 56% of the phosphorous emissions (HELCOM 2005). Thespecialized agriculture with its separation of crop and animal productionresults in a high load of nitrogen and phosphorus to the BalticSea. This agricultural specialization has resulted in farms witha high density of animals and great surpluses of plant nutrientsconcentrated to certain regions.
Thistrend of increasing products per animal and per hectare on fewerfarms and a higher surplus of nutrients of each of them is continuingin Nordic countries and is likely to spread to new to new EU membercountries within the Baltic drainage area with the probable consequenceof increasing nutrient loads.
Oneof the solutions of this serious threaten of the Baltic Sea is EcologicalRecycling Agriculture (ERA). ERA is defined as an agriculture systembased on local and renewable resources, that integrate animal andcrop production on each farm, or farms in close proximity. As aresult a large part of nutrient uptake in the fodder is effectivelyrecycled. This in effect means that each farm strives to be self-sufficientin fodder production , which in turn a limits animal density andensures a more even distribution of animals geographically.
Thekey elements in BERAS Implementation project are the BERAS InformationCenters which are introduced ERA ideas into the practice and createlink between farmers and society. They are also the base of sustainablefood system. This system has capacity to increase consumption oforganic products, strengthen local economies and raise awarenessof agriculture and environmental impacts of food.