1 Review of Agricultural Water Pollution Control Policy and ... - ICPDR

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UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project
Comments from national experts on the adequacy of advisory/informative instruments and measures,
including reasons for poor implementation, in the four EU acceding countries were as follows:
• independent agricultural advisors are more focused upon providing agronomic and economic
advice to farmers for improving productivity and profitability – there is little interest in providing
advice on environmental protection
• many advisers remain sceptical about the agronomic potential of organic and integrated farming
systems, plus they have no knowledge of the environmental benefits
• much advice is provided to farmers by pesticide retailers – they have no interest in reducing the
risk of pollution or promoting more environmentally-friendly farming systems. Open days etc.
organised by them are more focussed upon production than environment
• there are not enough advisers to provide full and effective advice to all farmers
• most small-scale farmers cannot afford to pay for advice or information
• the qualifications and experience of advisers should be broadened and extended
• there are very few new or updated advisory materials/publications on environmental protection
being produced for farmers. When new materials are produced they are not printed in sufficient
quantities and are quickly unavailable to the majority of farmers
• the availability of relevant advisers (e.g. for organic farming) varies from region-to-region so that
information and technical assistance on more environmentally-friendly farming methods is not
evenly distributed
• extension services and advisers have poor co-operation with the Ministry of Environment and
limited access to relevant information on environmental protection
• there are no advisory or information instruments specifically focused on protecting water from
agriculture. Advisory institutions provide only general information on environmentally friendly
agriculture that sometimes touch water pollution issue
• due to lack of finances, as well as poor management, the code of Good Farming Practices and
other relevant publications are inefficiently advertised and produced only in limited copies
• training activities which are provided tend to be irregular and limited in geographical coverage
• the limited training which is available on the environmental aspects of agriculture tends to be too
general for practical farmers and focussed more upon the “expert” public then on farmers. There
are also concerns about the quality of training offered
• there is great potential for involvement of farmers organisations etc. in the promotion of more
environmentally-friendly farming methods, but relatively little activity at present
Project-Based Instruments and Measures
Project
CZECH REPUBLIC
No projects aimed in changes of
farming practices in Danube river
basin
HUNGARY
No projects aimed in changes of
farming practices in Danube river
basin
Project
Budget
Pollution
Issue
Farming Practices
Encouraged/Discouraged by the Project
Activities