لخّصلي

The empirical studies were drawn from the pilot project which was conducted by Stockholm Universi- ty, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Vatema AB and Instute of Technology and Life Sci- ences (Pol.The farmers were introduced to the farm-gate nu- trient balance concept, a method for assessing how the risk for nitrogen leaching from individual fields is dependent on farming practices, and farm walks to- gether with agricultural advisors (from the public ad- visory offices), and they were provided with soil sur- veys and subsidized lime and catch-crop seeds.Complementary to a fertilization plan is the cal- culation model developed to assess how the risk of nitrogen leaching from individual fields is related to farming practices, including crop rotation, ploughing timescales, previous year yields and fertilization ac- tivities.The plan specifies the optimal dosages of mineral fertilizer and manure for each crop, taking into account its nutritional requirements and soil fertility, i.e. content of available macro- nutrients [GOULDING et al. 2008].Achieving a balanced and sustainable management of organic and mineral fertilizers on farms poses a sig- nificant challenge, and affects production results as well as the state of the environment [BEEGLE et al. 2000].The subjects were selected initially as represent- ing farmers of all type of farms (ranging from 13 ha to 150 ha of arable land), and representing crop, hus- bandry and mixed farms.The farmers were drawn from different age groups and educational backgrounds.1).1).1).

The empirical studies were drawn from the pilot
project which was conducted by Stockholm Universi-
ty, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
Vatema AB and Instute of Technology and Life Sci-
ences (Pol. Instytut Technologiczno-Przyrodniczy) in
Falenty, focussing on two Polish provinces: Ma-
zovieckie and Pomorskie, in the 2013–2016 period.
The farmers were introduced to the farm-gate nu-
trient balance concept, a method for assessing how the
risk for nitrogen leaching from individual fields is
dependent on farming practices, and farm walks to-
gether with agricultural advisors (from the public ad-
visory offices), and they were provided with soil sur-
veys and subsidized lime and catch-crop seeds. Twen-
ty-eight farmers were selected for interview before
(2013) and after (2015) in order to identify changes in
farm activities and farmers’ perceptions of the impact
of their land use activities.
The subjects were selected initially as represent-
ing farmers of all type of farms (ranging from 13 ha to
150 ha of arable land), and representing crop, hus-
bandry and mixed farms. All the subjects cooperated
with agricultural advisors, either public (via public
agricultural advisory centres) or private (private con-
sultancies). The farmers were drawn from different
age groups and educational backgrounds. They were
grouped into two classes depending on the criteria:
owners (or renters) of 13–45 ha or 45–150 ha areas;
20–45 or 45–67 age groups, and those with no or
basic agricultural education or those with some agri-
cultural (above basic level) (Tab. 1).
According to the most recently published Agricul-
tural Census, most farmers in Poland have a basic vo-
cational education, while 40% of farm managers have
a secondary or higher education. Although the overall
level of farmers’ educational exposure is improving,
56% of farmers still lack an agricultural education
[ŁĄCZYŃSKI (ed.) 2014]. In our study group, 68% of
farmers run large farms, which exceed 45 hectares of
agricultural land (Tab. 1). Most of the farmers (60%)
had not attended agricultural college or university. The
rest had gained vocational or formal academic agricul-
tural education, or had completed agricultural training
of at least one year. The study group was dominated by
farmers with lengthy experience in farm management,
the average age of the farmer being 45 years.
© PAN in Warsaw, 2018; © ITP in Falenty, 2018; Journal of Water and Land Development. No. 36 (I–III)
Sustainable agriculture: The study on farmers’ perception and practices regarding nutrient management... 69
Table 1. Characteristics of selected farmers taking into ac-
count age, education and farm size (in 2015)
Province Farmer`s age Education Farm size, ha
24 basic 35
64 basic 20
28 basic plus 32
29 basic 40
46 basic 34
39 basic plus 70
Mazovia
43 basic 45
47 basic plus 18
66 basic 20
47 basic plus 100
63 basic 51
52 basic 20
31 basic plus 22
52 basic 112
24 basic plus 69
43 basic 30
47 basic plus 13
63 basic 38
51 basic plus 80
27 basic plus 16
Pomerania
64 basic 40
63 basic 55
50 basic 153
58 basic 15
49 basic 42
23 basic plus 41
36 basic plus 52
38 basic 20
Source: own study.
Most of the interviewees had extended their farms
since Poland had joined EU and they had also intro-
duced mechanised to a large extent. They had invest-
ed in new buildings and manure handling equipment
to facilitate work. They may have alternated crops and
the types of animals, but only a few had ventured into
complementary activities such as machinery repair
workshop services or producing bird feed for sale.
TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE NUTRIENT
MANAGEMENT ON FARMS
At a farm level, the global resource challenges
and environmental hazards are less pronounced. Here,
INPUT
nutrient management is an essential part of sustaina-
ble agriculture as it affects not only farm results but
also soil and water conditions [PIETRZAK 2013].
Achieving a balanced and sustainable management of
organic and mineral fertilizers on farms poses a sig-
nificant challenge, and affects production results as
well as the state of the environment [BEEGLE et al.
2000].
A number of tools have been developed to sup-
port farm managers to improve their nutrient man-
agement, as well as to prevent nutrient losses. These
are often based on an analysis of nutrient flow on
a farm. Nutrient flow analyses on farms indicate if
there is a need to focus on achieving improved effi-
ciency of some nutrients. The balance is typically cal-
culated for N, P and K, and includes the most com-
mon input routes, stores of nutrients (in animals, ma-
nure or goods) on the farm, and amounts of output
leaving farms (Fig. 1).
The practical value of an FGB depends on the ac-
curacy of the data entered. Nutrient surpluses or defi-
cits may be used as qualitative indicators of the envi-
ronmental impact generated by a farm [HENDRIX et al.
2008; ULÉN et al. 2012]. On the basis of a nutrient
flow analysis, the farm-gate balance may be devel-
oped, as one tool towards sustainable agriculture.
Another important tool for sustainable nutrient
management is a fertilization plan without which it is
difficult to achieve sustainable nutrient management
[ULÉN et al. 2013]. The plan specifies the optimal
dosages of mineral fertilizer and manure for each
crop, taking into account its nutritional requirements
and soil fertility, i.e. content of available macro-
nutrients [GOULDING et al. 2008].
Complementary to a fertilization plan is the cal-
culation model developed to assess how the risk of
nitrogen leaching from individual fields is related to
farming practices, including crop rotation, ploughing
timescales, previous year yields and fertilization ac-
tivities. A particular challenge regarding fertilization
is the need for updated knowledge about the nutrient
content of manure; data that is largely absent in Po-
land [OENEMA, PIETRZAK 2002]. As practical results
indicate, and many research studies show, detailed
knowledge about this aspect of farm management is re-
OUTPUT
FARM
Feed
Livestock
Animal