The active implementation of digitization processes in all areas of life is a logical continuation of automation and increased comfort as a natural consequence of scientific and technological progress. Such processes are due to the need to optimize the use of material and technical resources and natural resource potential, which is inextricably linked to the postulates of sustainable development and the green economy principles. This also applies to the commodity crop sector which importance for the Ukrainian economy is enhanced by the structural shifts accumulation due to the war. The relevance of these issues is enhanced by the need to create conditions for preserving land resources on the basis of the green economy and restoring the agricultural resource potential of lands affected by military actions.
The importance of soil health has been recognized globally. The institutional basis of soil conservation has been strengthened by the recently adopted EU Law on soil monitoring – the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council2 (hereinafter – the Directive). According to the provisions of the Directive in the context of the three Conventions of Rio de Janeiro, the EU undertook to regulate the management of lands affected by desertification (the UN Convention to Combat Desertification), to contribute to the mitigation of the consequences of climate change (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change climate) and protect the habitat of biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity). This initiative is a key element of the European Green Deal and a tool for achieving the EU’s policy goals of climate neutrality, sustainable nature management and biodiversity, zero pollution, sustainable food systems, human health and well-being. The proposal supports the agricultural sector’s efforts under the CAP3 with its new rules to improve environmental performance and strategic plans for 2023-2027. About 2,500 measures aimed at the implementation of European ambitious environmental goals are defined in the strategic plans of the CAP submitted by the EU member states to the European Commission. In turn, the Commission introduces a system of organizational and economic levers to speed up their implementation. In particular, more than 10% of direct EU payments (4 billion Euros per year) will be directed to the benefit of small and medium-sized producers with priority given to novice farmers. Such accents will contribute to the development of remote rural areas and slow down their depopulation. But the condition for receiving SAP payments is the implementation of increased environmental standards.
The Directive envisages the creation of a coordinated soil monitoring system that will provide data on the state of agricultural resource potential in all EU member states as a basis for creating conditions for guaranteeing the achievement of a healthy state of EU soils by 2050. Implementation of the Directive will help prevent and mitigate the effects of climate change, boost biodiversity, increase resilience to natural disasters, and ensure food security. For this purpose, all EU member states shall, within two years, form a system of measures necessary for the transposition of the Directive and inform the Commission about it, which will check their sufficiency.
This law introduces an agreed monitoring framework for providing data on soil conditions and a register of contaminated and potentially contaminated areas will be created. These data will be made public in accordance with the current legislation, which will allow the Commission, citizens, non-governmental organizations and others fulfillment monitor of obligations regarding the damaged soils treatment. In order to optimize the countries efforts regarding the organization of monitoring, the Directive defines:
The provision on reporting is also defined, according to which the member states shall report to the Commission every 5 years and provides for the assessment of the implementation of the Directive as a basis for its revision, taking into account the achievements of scientific and technical progress. In cooperation with the European Environment Agency (EEA), a digital portal of soil health data in a georeferenced spatial format will be created. The Commission under its management will form a new Committee to verify the completeness and compliance of transposition measures and strengthen soil monitoring actions. The EEA will introduce new infrastructure to analyze reporting, support soil protection policy and the work needed to integrate soil data into other policy areas.
In view of Ukraine’s European integration progress, there is a need to intensify national soil monitoring of agricultural land taking into account the requirements of the considered Directive with the maximum implementation of digitization and automation. This opens the way to restoration and preservation of fertility with an increase in the resistance of agricultural landscapes to anthropogenic load which is confirmed by preliminary estimates of the carbon absorption potential by mineral soil pool at the level of 14 – 14.5 million tons of CO2-e. This approach will ensure the accelerated restoration of agricultural land on the green economy basis for the territories affected by military operations.
Research agronomist, GHG assessment analyst of I.P.Cert
Doctor of Economics Oksana Butrym
