Field margins in Heilbronn, Germany | Natural Water Retention Measures

General

National Id

Germany_01

Site name

Heilbronn

Summary

In 1992, a field margin programme has been started by the city of Heilbronn, Germany. Farmers involvement plays an important role within the programme, which includes a compensation scheme for production losses. The establishment of the field margins aim mainly at controling erosion and run-off as well as at promoting biodiversity. Infiltration of rainwater into the soil is about 20% higher in the field margins than in the fields.

Light or indepth?

Light

NUTS Code

Stuttgart

RBD code

DE2000

Transboundary

Data provider

Guillaume Michel, ACTeon

Source(s)

Das Ackerrandstreifenprogramm

Agrarumweltprogramm der Stadt HeilbronnAktualisierte Richtlinie für das AckerrandstreifenprogrammStaatliche Beihilfe Nummer N539/2009, 2010-2013

NWRM(s) implemented in the case study

Buffer strips and hedges

Longitude

9.21

Latitude

49.14

Site information

Climate zone

cool temperate moist

Mean rainfall

758

Mean rainfall unit

mm/year

Average temperature

9,9

Type

Case Study Info

Monitoring maintenance

Monitoring impacts effects

Administrative annual cost information

One third of a full time worker at the administration for green areas.

Design & implementations

Application scale

City

Installation date

1992

Age

Area (ha)

Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha)

Size

200

Size unit

Basis of design

Field margins (size, localization...) have been designed taking into account the ways of water runoff, soils types, slopes, etc.

Contractural arrangements

Design contractual arrangement

Arrangement type	Responsibility	Role	Comments	Name
Contractual agreement			Agreement between the municipality and the farmer about management rules of field margins	"Pflegeconzept"
Institutional arrangement			Subsidies to farmers have to bi notified to the European Commission	Notification of the program at the European Commission

Design consultation activity

Activity stage	Name	Comments
Design phase	Cooperation with farmers and land owners	Cooperation with farmers and land owners took place during the planning and design phase through meetings and field meetings as well as discussion with groups or individual farmers.
Other	Exhibition about the field margin programme
	Numerous articles in the press, radio interviews...

Design land use change

Land use change type

Design authority

Authority type	Role	Name	Comments
Other	Initiation of the measure	Heilbronn Municipality	The Heilbronn Municipality initiated the programme. It is involved in all other phases of the programme (through its administration for Green Areas) design, implementation, financing, monitoring... The Municipality establishes directives which define the rules of the Field Margins Programmes
Farmers	Implementation	Farmers	94 farmers and land owners. Interested farmers are involved in the design of field margins with representatives of the municipality
Private property owners	Implementation	Landowners	94 farmers and land owners.
Other		Administration for Green areas of the Heilbronn Municipality	This administration of the municipality is in charge of all green areas of Heilbronn (parks, children playgrounds, cemetery, etc.), as well as the field margins programme. It is responsible for the coordination of the program
Farmers		Kreisbauernverband Heilbronn e.V.	Farmers association around Heilbronn. It has been involved in the project. It is a farmer lobbying wanting more subsidies for field margins.
Other		Ludwigsburg and Bietigheim-Bissingen	Two neighbouring municipalities. For the notification to the European Commision, a common request (containing programs of the three cities) was sent.
Farmers		Ortsverein Landwirtschaft	Local associations of farmers
Other		Department for nature protection of Heilbronn	Involved in the definition of rules for implementing and managing field margins ("Pflegekonzept")
Other		Administration for agriculture in Heilbronn	Involved in the definition of rules for implementing and managing field margins ("Pflegekonzept")
Other		Minister for rural areal of Baden-Wí¼rttemberg	Provides support to the municipality for the notification of the program to the European Commission

Lessons, risks, implications...

Key lessons

Since the start of the field margins programme of the Heilbronn municipality in 1992, about 200 km of field margins have been managed. In this program, a large place is reserved for the involvement of farmers in all stages including the design phase. A compensation scheme targeting farmers and land owners has been designed by the municipality and its partners in accordance with the European legislation on agricultural subsidies.

Financing mechanism information

Compensation scheme for the lost harvest and for the needed tools.

Financing difficulties

Success factor(s)

Success factor type	Success factor role	Comments
Communication activities	main factor	Close relationship of trust between farmers and the municipality (particularly the administration for green areas which coordinates the program). This is helped by the areas on which the program is implemented (Heilbronn = a small territory, farmers in Heilbronn work only in Heilbronn, etc.).
Attitude of decision makers	main factor	Elected representatives in Heilbronn agree on this program. There is therefore a very limited risk of no financing.
Attitude of the public	main factor	Field margins helped decreasing conflicts between inhabitants and farmers. The public supports hence the program.
Attitude of relevant stakeholders	main factor	Field margins helped decreasing conflicts between inhabitants and farmers. Farmers support therefore the program.
Financing possibilities	main factor	Farmers are paid in order to compensate the decrease of crops.

Financing

Financing type	Comments
Local funds	The "Ackerrandstreifprogramm" (Programme for field margins) is a programme of subsidies for farmers concerned by a loss of their revenues due to the implementation of field margins. Subsidies are based on the amount of the variable cost margin. The amount of subsidies is defined in directives (from the municipality). 140 000 €/year from the municipality. The municipality is the only financer (no funds from the Land, the Federal state or the EU).

Financing type

Comments

Local funds

The "Ackerrandstreifprogramm" (Programme for field margins) is a programme of subsidies for farmers concerned by a loss of their revenues due to the implementation of field margins. Subsidies are based on the amount of the variable cost margin. The amount of subsidies is defined in directives (from the municipality).
140 000 €/year from the municipality. The municipality is the only financer (no funds from the Land, the Federal state or the EU).

Barrier

Barrier type	Barrier role	Comments
Legal obligations / restrictions	main barrier	Administrative procedures are difficult to carry out for a municipality (for example the notification to the EU).

Driver

Driver type	Driver role	Comments
Availability of subsidies	secondary driver	According to the directive of the municipality concerning the Field Margins Programme : Funding will be provided as long as the municipal budget allows it.

Financing share

Financing share type	Share	Comments

Policy, general governance and design targets

Part of wider plan

Policy target

Target purpose
Erosion Control
Runoff control
Oher Societal Benefits

Policy pressure

Pressure directive	Relevant pressure

Policy area

Policy area type	Policy area focus	Name	Comments

Policy impact

Impact directive	Relevant impact

Policy wider plan

Wider plan type	Wider plan focus	Name	Comments
Local	Agriculture	Agro-environmental programme of Heilbronn	The Agro-environmental programme of Heilbronn has been approved by the European Commission in 2010 until 2013. For the next period 2014-2020, a new notification to the European Commission has been made under the same conditions than before. The EU has approved the program after prolonged procedures. However, the EU does not grant co-financing. The cities of Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg and Bietigheim-Bissingen finance their agri-environment schemes to 100%.

Policy requirement directive

Requirement directive	Specification

Socio-economic

Costs total

140000

Costs total information

In the budget of the Heilbronn Municipality, 140 000 €/year are dedicated to the Field Margins Programme.

Compensations basis information

601 €/ha + a variable part depending on type of field margin

Compensations nr beneficiaries

Compensations nr beneficiaries information

94 farmers or land owners are concerned by the programme

Compensations scheme information

One part of the payments aims at compensating the reduced gross margin (601 €/ha). The second part depends on the type of field margin. It is designed in order to cover costs linked to the care of field margins. From 2011 onwards, total costs are:
- Field margins: 1250 €/ha + seeds
- Field margins (fallow land): 1170 €/ha
- Field margin with a row of trees: 1740 €/ha + trees
- Field margins with an hedge: 2900 €/ha + plants

Ecosystem improved biodiversity

Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity

Field margins are designed in order to promote biodiversity.
The density of earthworms in field margins has been improved (about twice more earthworms in field margins than in the neighbouring field).

Ecosystem provisioning services

Information on Ecosystem provisioning services

Some rows of fruit trees and wood trees have been planted in the field margins. They provide wood and fruits.

Biophysical impacts

Runoff reduction

Runoff reduction unit

% Percent