Environmental Management for Agriculture
Environmental Management for Agriculture was the
first topic that was researched when AERU was first established in the
mid-90’s. There was the main Environmental Management for Agriculture
(EMA) software project that operated for over 10 years, but also
numerous related projects which are all outlined below.
1994-2017: Environmental
Management for Agriculture (EMA) software and EMA online
Environmental Management for Agriculture (EMA) was
an award-winning computer software package that provided a
comprehensive suite of tools, information and assessment routines
designed to help the farming industry improve its environmental
performance. The software was for the 'public good' and included an
advisory library, an environmental auditing system that provides
immediate feedback on performance, more than 20 decision support tools
and several management planning tools. The core of the software was
developed between 1994 and 1997, and the first commercial version was
released in 1998. EMA 2004 was the last version that was produced on
CD. After 10 years of service (and over 4000 copies sold) it was
retired in 2008 and is no longer for sale, but some copies are
available for demonstration or educational purposes upon request. Some
parts of the EMA system have gone on to form the foundation of other
current tools and services. For example, the advisory library was used
to build the foundation of the ADLib resource and the pesticide
database, that was used in some of the decision support tools, has
evolved in the Pesticide Properties DataBase (PPDB).
EMA Online was the Advisory library that was
developed for the EMA software. It was available online using the
internet hosting, security and distribution controls of the
Agricultural Document Library (ADLib) to manage and distribute the
library to users.
EMA was developed with the aid of funding from the
Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Scottish Executive
Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), the Milk Development Council (MDC)
(now DairyCo) and the Horticultural Development Company (HDC). It won a
number of awards including runner up in Government's Science into
Practice Awards in 1998; Millennium Product Status in 1999; and in 2001
it was the Overall winner Fruiterers' Company Environmental Awards.
2003-2004: Computerised
version of the 4-Point Plan
The 4 Point Plan was originally developed in paper
form by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Scottish Agricultural
College (SAC), the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department
(SEERAD), NFU Scotland, WWF (Scotland), Farming and Wildlife Advisory
Group (FWAG) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). It
was intended to provide straightforward information for livestock
farmers on how to minimise pollution from farming activities whilst
benefiting the farm business and the surrounding environment. It
included information on minimising dirty water, better nutrient use,
drawing up a simple risk assessment for spreading manure and slurry and
guidance on better water margin management. AERU produced an
interactive version of the 4 Point Plan, which has been integrated into
the EMA software package. This project was supported by SEERAD and SNH.
2003-2004: Nutrient budgeting
in the Ythan NVZ
The Ythan Project involved local people in
protecting and enhancing the river Ythan. As part of this, AERU
developed a whole farm and field level Nutrient Budgeting package for
use on-farm. The objective was to produce a computer software package,
for use by farmers and their advisers, that would determine the annual
farm nutrient budget and provide key information on crop nutrient
requirements. The specific aims were to: To calculate the whole farm
nutrient (N, P, K) surplus or deficit via the determination of the
nutrient value of farm inputs minus the nutrient value of farm outputs
in order to demonstrate nutrient recovery efficiency.; To provide a
readily accessible means of assessing nutrient requirements for crops
grown in the area on a field by field basis and the appropriate period
for their application. The system will show the nutrient value of
fertilisers and manures; To show the nutrient surplus or deficit after
application and post-harvest in order to provide a baseline for the
following year; To demonstrate to farmers the nutrient and financial
value of manure and to provide information on the most appropriate
application timing within the cropping cycle; and to provide a means
for farmers to provide evidence that the nutrient policy of the farm is
within the guidelines (set by SEERAD) for NVZs, and that closed periods
have been observed. The Ythan nutrient budgeting project was supported
by the organisation behind the Ythan Project and the European Union.
2002-2002: Environmental
auditing of the hardy nursery stock sector
Although quite fragmented, comprising of a few
large growers and many smaller enterprises, the hardy nursery stock
industry supplies garden centre retailers with an astonishing range of
plants and makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. Issues
concerning environmental protection and sustainability are usually a
concern but can sometimes be given low priority especially when there
are other businesses pressures. Managing high product volumes and still
maintaining high a quality in terms of product appearance can mean that
significant levels of chemical inputs, water and energy are used. It
can also mean significant quantities of waste are generated. However,
environmental management techniques such as auditing, trend analysis
utilising environmental indicators and methods such as risk assessment
are not used as often as they should be.
AERU have carried out many projects related to
environmental management and auditing within the agricultural and
horticultural sectors and have worked with these industries to make
auditing and assessment techniques more useable and accessible. One
such initiative was to develop an environmental audit and a simple
mechanism of support and advice for the hardy nursery stock sector. A
simple paper-based checklist and self-assessment type system was
developed that was compatible with the EUREP GAP protocols used by the
retail sector. This was based around the concepts of Integrated Crop
Management but modified such that it would be of particular interest to
the hardy nursery stock industry.
2000-2002: Development of
an organic conversion planning tool (OrgPlan) (Ref. OF 0159)
AERU and the Institute of Rural Studies at the
University of Wales Aberystwyth developed this software, known as
OrgPlan, in collaboration with Rothamsted, SAC (The Scottish
Agricultural College) and Elm Farm Research Centre. It works on the
basis of building conversion scenarios from a number of resources that
can be customised by the user. These include a farms database, an
enterprise database and a rotation designer. The farms database
contains farm details including current cropping, livestock and a farm
inventory. The enterprise database contains information on inputs and
outputs (economic and nutrient) for agricultural enterprises in
conventional, conversion and organic situations. The rotation designer
allows the user to develop rotations using the crop enterprises. These
rotations are analysed against a set of rules based on the avoidance of
nutrient and pest problems. This facilitates the construction rotations
that satisfy these rules and are thus are more stable in terms of
fertility and pest pressure. The rules include interval between crop
types, cropping sequence and the proportion of crop types in the
rotation.
Conversion scenarios are created by selecting a
farm and an enterprise database and then construct cropping and
livestock plans over the scenario duration (up to 15 years), utilising
any rotations created in the rotation designer. Additionally, fixed and
variable costs are set over the scenario and a farm inventory can also
be set over the same period. This inventory can account for any
additional investments that are required for conversion. As the
scenario is constructed, statistics are graphically displayed for each
year of the scenario, for example areas of crops or gross margins. The
software also calculates profit & loss and cash flow reports and
nutrient and forage budgets for each year. Thus, any potential
economic, nutrient or forage problems can be easily identified, and the
conversion plan amended to avoid them. Once a viable conversion plan
has been created the software provides facilities to print reports or
export data to a database or spreadsheet. There is also advisory
support in the form of HTML versions of the organic standards and the
Organic Farm Management Handbook (produced annually by University of
Wales Aberystwyth and Elm Farm Research Centre).
1999-2001: Development of
an on-farm risk assessment system for pesticide use
A hazard-based approach was originally taken to
the assessment of pesticide use in the EMA software. However, it was
recognised that although correct information was being given to the
farmer, a risk-based approach would be beneficial and more site
specific. The new module directly replaced the old one; but in
addition, a new package (p-EMA) was developed, isolating the extensive
pesticide information within EMA to produce a stand-alone system
specifically for agricultural pesticide use. The key elements of the
project being: That the system needed to consider comparability with
best practice, regulatory compliance and an eco-toxicology risk
assessment for a range of organisms. These included honeybees,
earthworms, birds, mammals, and aquatic organisms. An indicator for
leachability was also identified for use. For this particular project,
operator exposure risk was omitted, and as a result assessing the risk
of pesticide residue levels was also be omitted; The methodology
developed was based on regulatory risk assessment methods and these
were adapted to make them responsive to the local site and farming
practices as far as current scientific understanding allows; The
previous format, style and user-friendliness of the EMA software was
retained; The approach embraced the philosophy of Integrated Pest
Management; and The system was based on only easily available farm data
- any other data can be accessed from a database provided with EMA.
This project was carried out in collaboration with SSLRC and the
Central Science Laboratory; and supported by Defra.
1999-2000: Countryside
access
It is estimated that there is approximately 1.2
million hectares of rural land in effective recreational use in England
and Wales. Until 2000 this included a large amount of land over which
the public had access but not by right of way. This generated
considerable debate regarding access to the open countryside and the
rights of the public to walk freely over open country. In 2000 the
Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW) was introduced and this gave
the public free access to mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath,
downland and registered common land without having to stick to paths.
The new rights, for which people have been campaigning for over 100
years, came into effect across all of England on 31 October 2005. Prior
to the introduction of CROW, AERU and the University of Hertfordshire
worked with many parties to move the debate on. This included working
with the Country Landowners & Business Association (CLA). In 1999
the CLA produced a paper-based guide to access assessments that aimed
to help identify opportunities for access improvement which satisfied
the needs and concerns of the landowner, the public and, wherever
possible the local area. This paper-based questionnaire was enhanced
and computerised by AERU in collaboration with the Farming and Wildlife
Advisory Group (FWAG) and with funding provided by the CLA.
1998-2001: Action for Growth
in the Rural Economy (AGRE)
The AGRE project was funded by the European Social
Fund and aimed to boost the rural economy of East Hertfordshire by
providing a programme of training for businesses in the area. Training
included Information Technology (IT) Skills and Business Planning and
Development Skills. The partners on the project included East
Hertfordshire District Council, Dow Stoker, Hertford Regional College,
Hertfordshire Business Link and the University of Hertfordshire. AERU
extended the Award Winning EMA software to include a greater degree of
economic assessment and also to include components that are specific to
the East Hertfordshire District. The software covered many
environmental issues including fertiliser and pesticide assessment,
energy & water efficiency, waste management and wildlife
conservation. Where appropriate the economic benefits of improving
environmental performance were highlighted.
1997-1998:
Computerisation of the LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) audit
& performance monitoring system
This project involved the development of computer
software development in two areas: (1) The LEAF Audit - software used
by the farmers to complete the audit; and (2) the management and
analysis package - software used by LEAF to manage and analyse the
returned audits. A prototype of the LEAF audit software was developed
by January 1998 and was piloted amongst 20 farmers. It was essentially
a digital version of the paper audit with the addition of several
computerised documents, similar to those in EMA, to provide a library
of advice. So rather than ticking pieces of paper you check boxes on
screen, and rather than juggling with several books you simply click
through a document or from one document to another. The feedback
obtained from pilot was used to improve the software and new version
was launched at the end of March 1998. The management and analysis
package were developed alongside the LEAF audit software. This package
managed the distribution of the LEAF audit software and processes the
returned audits that are now in a digital format. The returned audits
were analysed individually and collectively. The package automatically
collated statistics on the responses to the questions in the audit from
the all the returned audits each year. It also generates a performance
profile and text report for individual farms, which was been given the
name the LEAF Performance Monitor. The performance profile is a
graphical representation of the farm's performance in each of the seven
audit areas. The scoring system used to produce this profile was
developed over a number of months and involved several meetings of a
panel of experts to examine each audit and award scores for responses
to audit questions. This panel had representatives from LEAF, UH, FRCA,
ITE and RAC. This profile allowed performance to be monitored from year
to year, thus tracking progress. The text report provided a number of
suggestions on how to improve farming practices based on how you
responded to the questions in the audit. It was generated from a base
of knowledge drawn from various documents including Codes of Good
Agricultural Practice, LEAF Documents, and research papers. The
statistics collated from the audit returns for each year were presented
alongside each suggestion providing a benchmark of the level of
adoption of the suggested practice by LEAF farms. The computerisation
of the LEAF audit and the development of the management package
provided farmers with a valuable management tool. The development of
performance assessment process and generation of text report provided
feedback that helped identify key areas where improvements can be made.
The digitising of the whole process also reduced the amount of
paperwork involved and increased the speed at which audits were
processed and feedback provided. Much of the work undertaken above
formed the foundation of LEAF's current online version of the LEAF
audit.
Publications
- Lewis, K.A. & Green. A. (2004). Managing
on-farm environmental impact using EMA. Proceedings of Crop
Protection in Northern Britain. 24-25 February 2004,
University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. Scottish Crop Research Institute,
Invergowrie, Scotland, UK.
- Lewis, K.A. & Tzilivakis, J. (2004). New
initiatives for maintaining on-farm environmental protection. In
Aspects of Applied Biology 72, Advances in Applied Biology:
providing new opportunities for consumers and producers in the 21st
century. pp 209-216 AAB centenary 2004. Oxford.
- Tzilivakis, J., Turley, D.B., Ogilvy, S.E.,
Lewis, K.A. & Lawson, K. (2004). Assessing the environmental impact
of crop protection strategies for integrated farming systems. Agronomie 24,
67-76.
- Brown, C.D., Hart, A., Lewis, K.A. & Dubus,
I.G. (2003). p-EMA (I): simulating the environmental fate of pesticides
for a farm-level risk assessment system. Agronomie 23,
67-74.
- Hart, A., Brown, C.D., Lewis, K.A. &
Tzilivakis, J. (2003). p-EMA (II): evaluating ecological risks of
pesticides for a farm-level risk assessment system. Agronomie 23,
75-84.
- Lewis, K.A., Brown, C.D., Hart, A. &
Tzilivakis, J. (2003). p-EMA (III): overview and application of a
software system designed to assess the environmental risk of
agricultural pesticides. Agronomie 23, 85-96.
- Padel, S., Tzilivakis, J., Measures, M.,
Stockdale, E. & Watson, C. (2002). Development of software to plan
conversion to organic production (OrgPlan). Proceedings of COR
Colloquium of Organic Researchers, Aberystwyth, 26-28 March 2002.
- Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Brown, C.D. &
Hart, A. (2001). On-farm risk assessment of agricultural
pesticides. Proceedings of the Third European Conference of the
European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and
the Environment (vol. 1). June 18-20, 2001, Montpellier,
France: 37-41.
- Tzilivakis, J. & Lewis, K.A. (2001). The
development of software to support planning conversion to organic
agriculture. Proceedings of the Third European Conference of
the European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food
and the Environment (vol. 1). June 18-20, 2001, Montpellier,
France: 119-123.
- Lewis, K.A. & Tzilivakis, J. (2000). The
role of the EMA software in integrated crop management and its
commercial uptake. Pest Management Science 56,
969-973.
- Lewis, K.A. (1999). Pesticide
environmental performance indicators - pesticide assessment with the
EMA II package (Environmental Management for Agriculture) presented
at the CAPER conference 18-20 March 1999, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
and published in the CAPER Final report by CLM March 1999.
- Lewis, K.A., Newbold, M.J. & Tzilivakis, J.
(1999). Developing an emissions inventory from farm data. Journal
of Environmental Management 55, 183-197.
- Tzilivakis, J. & Lewis, K.A. (1999).
Environmental Management for Agriculture (EMA) and Sustainable
Agriculture. In Schiefer, G. et al. (Eds.) Perspectives
of Modern Information and Communication Systems in Agriculture, Food
Production and Environmental Control (Volume A) Proceedings of
the Second European Conference of the European Federation for
Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment.
September 27-30, 1999, Bonn, Germany: 175-185.
- Lewis, K.A. & Bardon, K.S. (1998). A
computer based informal environmental management system for
agriculture. Journal of Environmental Modelling and Software 13,
123-127.
- Lewis, K.A. & Tzilivakis, J. (1998).
Evaluating a technique used to measure environmental performance within
agriculture - Case studies. Eco-management and Auditing 5(3),
126-135.
- Lewis, K.A. Newbold, M.J. & Broom, C.E.
(1997). An eco-rating system for optimising pesticide use at farm
level: Part 2 evaluation, examples and piloting. Journal of
Agricultural Engineering 68, 281-289.
- Lewis, K.A., Newbold, M.J., Hall, A.M. &
Broom, C.E. (1997). An eco-rating system for optimising pesticide use
at farm level: Part 1 theory and development. Journal of
Agricultural Engineering 68, 275-280.
- Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Skinner, J.A.
& Bardon, K.S. (1997). Environmental best practice advisory system
for agriculture. EFITA Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark,
June 1997.
- Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Skinner, J.A.,
Finch, J., Kaho, T., Newbold, M.J. & Bardon, K.S. (1997). Scoring
and ranking farmland conservation activities to evaluate environmental
performance and encourage sustainable farming. Sustainable
Development 5(2), 71-78.
- Newbold, M.J., Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J.,
Finch, J., Kaho, T., Skinner, J.A. & Bardon, K.S. (1997). The
options for informal environmental management: The agricultural
industry highlighted. Eco-Management and Auditing, 4(1),
22-27.
- Skinner, J.A., Lewis, K.A., Bardon K.S.,
Tucker, P., Catt, J.A. & Chambers, B.J. (1997). An overview of the
environmental impacts of agriculture in the UK. Journal of
Environmental Management 50, 111-128.
- Lewis, K.A., Newbold, M.J. & Bardon, K.S.
(1996). A decision support system for environmental management of
agriculture: An eco-rating system for pesticide use. Poster Session on
Food Sustainability. Conference Proceedings Eco-Informa '96,
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 1996.
- Tucker, P., Lewis, K.A. & Skinner, J.A.
(1995). Environmental Management in Agriculture: An Expert System
Approach. Eco-Management and Auditing Journal 3(1),
9-13.
Contact
Dr John Tzilivakis
Links
 
    
 
 
 
 
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