cultivar_22_Final_EN

50 ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDIES CULTIVAR Issue 22 APRIL 2021 the environment. Over-intensification is understood here as the use of chemical inputs (mineral fertil- isers, synthetic pesticides, etc.) above the absorption capacity of crops and ecosystems. It also includes the specialisation of farm holdings and agricultural territories, and the simplification of production sys- tems. All these developments have adverse effects on the environment that are now well established and are difficult to dispute. In addi- tion, they are increasingly compounded by health and overnutrition considerations. Under the CAP, environmen- tal protection is currently ensured by two broad types of measures. The first fall under the first pillar and are mandatory. They aim to ensure a minimum level of protection through compliance with environmental standards and directives, the maintenance of land in Good Agri- cultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) and, since the last reform in 2015, the three greening measures, which make the granting of around one third of first-pillar support conditional on compliance with three criteria to guaran- tee: (i) a minimum diversity of crops, (ii) the maintenance of permanent pasture and (iii) the maintenance of Ecologi- cal Focus Areas (EFA) on each farm holding. The other type of measures fall under the second pillar and are optional. They are subscribed by farmers in the form of multi-annual contracts including further environmental objectives with monetary compensation for additional costs and/or income losses. There are also specific aids for farms 1 European Commission, 2017, The Future of Food and Farming. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Euro- pean Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. European Commission, COM(2017) 713 final, Brussels, 29.11.2017, 27 pages: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52017DC0713&from=EN in areas with natural handicaps, and therefore with lower yields and profitability. An unfinished CAP reform process The CAP reform process is far from complete. Although the 2014-2020 CAP only came into force in January 2015, just over three years ago, a new reform is already under construction, and environmental protec- tion is once again at the heart of the debate. 1 It must be recognised that despite the increasing importance of environmental objectives and instruments in the CAP, and the efforts of all stake- holders, the adverse effects of agriculture on the environ- ment remain too great, in terms not only of diffuse pollution in the soil, water and air, due to the use of chemical inputs above the absorption capacity of the ecosystems, but also of the degradation of bio- diversity and net agricultural greenhouse gas emis- sions. This demand for European agriculture to be even more economical in the use of nat- ural resources and ever more environment-friendly trans- lates into a need for changes in agricultural practices and systems that make it possible to improve the environmen- tal performance of farms, production chains and the areas of activity in which these farms are included. Obviously, performance cannot be limited to the environmental dimension alone, and must also include production, economic, health and social aspects. This multi-performance objective is set in … environmental protection is currently ensured by two broad types of measures. The first fall under the first pillar and are mandatory. The other type of measures fall under the second pillar and are optional. There are also specific aids for farms in areas with natural handicaps… … it must be recognised that despite the increasing importance of environmental objectives and instruments in the CAP, and the efforts of all stakeholders, the adverse effects of agriculture on the environment remain too great …