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 0 Data provider Guillaume Michel, ACTeon Source(s) Das Ackerrandstreifenprogramm 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 1 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 22 Area (ha) 72 Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha) 70 Size 200 Size unit km Basis of design Field margins (size, localization...) have been designed taking into account the ways of water runoff, soils types, slopes, etc. Contractural arrangements 1 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 Key issues 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 Responsibility 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 0 Success factor(s) Success factor type Success factor role Comments Communication activities main factor Attitude of decision makers main factor Attitude of the public main factor Attitude of relevant stakeholders main factor Financing possibilities main factor 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). 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 1 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 94 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 1 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 1 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 20 Runoff reduction unit % Percent Full Context Pathway(aka Context) Default view Area(aka Level or Site) ALL