Research
The Agricultural Catchments Programme – ACP, with a remit to evaluate the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) under the EU Nitrates Directive (ND), commenced in 2008.
The ACP has amassed a unique environmental, agronomic and socio-economic data set unrivalled around the world. The same experiment has been run over the course of the programme in six catchments covering a range of landscape/soil and farming combinations. Thus, the combination of data sets – soils, groundwater, surface water, weather, ecology, gaseous emissions, farm practice, farmer attitudes, topography and economic returns – over 17 successive years and for six widely divergent but agriculturally productive sites renders the ACP archives invaluable in the context of meeting the sustainable food production challenges.
Current phase – Phase 5
The experimental design developed and applied in the first four phases of the programme has been continued in Phase 5. The ACP framework is based on a nutrient transfer continuum conceptual model from sources to impact. There is an emphasis on high-resolution monitoring, wherever this is possible. This has been applied according to established knowledge on diffuse pollution issues that are related to soil hydrology and weather patterns. It has also been expanded to include greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. In Phase 5 the programme is conducting a scientific evaluation of existing measures and evaluation of emerging measures on a sub catchment and localised scale.
These will be quantified at the farm and catchment scale using a range of monitoring and modelling approaches.
- Key findings of the Agriculture Catchments Programme
- Research papers
- Phase 5 objectives
- Work packages
More information
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