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September 2008 Case study Bulgaria SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND SOIL CONSERVATION (SoCo Project) Case Study Report (WP2 findings) – Bulgaria WP2 – Case studies on soil/land management and policy measures 2008 September 2008 Case study Bulgaria Agricultural University­ Plovdiv, Bulgaria Prepared by: Ivan Penov, Aleksi Aleksiev, Ivan Manolov Agricultural University­Plovdiv Yanko Kavardjiev (emerita) Institute of Soil Science ”Nikola Pushkarov” Salinisation Research Station, Belozem 1 September 2008 Case study Bulgaria Table of content 1 Introduction to the case study area..................................................................................5 1.1 Spatial and natural characteristics...........................................................................6 1.2 Land use and Farming ............................................................................................9 1.3 Main soil degradation problems ............................................................................10 1.4 Land tenure system...............................................................................................11 2 Methodology..................................................................................................................12 3 Perception of soil degradation in the case study area....................................................12 3.1 Soil degradation problems.....................................................................................12 3.2 Trends in soil degradation and consequences ......................................................16 4 Farming practices and soil conservation measures .......................................................17 4.1 Farming practices and their effects on soil ............................................................17 4.2 Suitable soil conservation measures.....................................................................25 5 Evaluation of soil conservation measures......................................................................27 5.1 Improvement of crop rotation and cultivation practices..........................................27 5.2 Development and maintaining of the drainage­irrigation system............................28 5.3 Chemical melioration of Solonetz soils..................................................................28 5.4 Planting and maintaining tree strips ......................................................................29 5.5 Conclusion............................................................................................................29 6 Soil related actors..........................................................................................................30 6.1 Actors in the farming practices arena ....................................................................30 6.1.1 Description of characteristics and attitudes .......................................................30 6.1.2 Factors influencing adoption of soil conservation measures..............................32 6.2 Actors in the policy design and implementation arena...........................................34 6.2.1 Governmental organisations..............................................................................34 6.2.2 Civil society and non­governmental organisations.............................................36 6.2.3 Resources, capacities and networks .................................................................37 6.3 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................39 7 Policies for soil conservation .........................................................................................40 7.1 Existing policies and their classification.................................................................41 7.2 Analysis and evaluation of policy measures ..........................................................44 7.2.1 Fiche 1: Direct payments...................................................................................44 7.2.2 Fiche 2: Modernisation (investments) of agricultural enterprises .......................47 7.2.3 Fiche 3: Establishment of water user associations ............................................51 7.2.4 Fiche 4: Soil and water monitoring ....................................................................54 7.3 Summary of policy use and effectiveness .............................................................57 8 Conclusions...................................................................................................................58 2 September 2008 Case study Bulgaria 9 References....................................................................................................................60 Annexes ...............................................................................................................................62 List of tables Table 1: Average monthly and yearly air temperature tº C......................................................7 Table 2: Average monthly and yearly precipitation (mm) ........................................................7 Table 3: Symptoms of soil degradation problems (number of responses).............................13 Table 4: Perception of farmers regarding soil degradation problems (Q2) ............................13 Table 5: Perception of actors for soil degradation problems (Q1, Q3 and Q4) ......................15 Table 6: Experts’ assessment of soil degradation causes and impacts................................16 Table 7: Typical cropping systems, their characteristics and estimation of impacts of soil degradation problems in the case study Belozem.................................................................18 Table 8: Crop structure and cultivated area of interviewed farmers in hectares (Q2) ............19 Table 9: Relative salt tolerance of crops...............................................................................19 Table 10: Yields from non saline and saline soils (t/ha) ........................................................20 Table 11: Properties of water from Maritza River and Piasachnik Water Reservoir (beginning of irrigation season)..............................................................................................................22 Table 12: Effects of farming practices on soil degradation in Bulgarian case study ..............24 Table 13: Effects of cropping/tillage soil conservation measures on soil degradation problems .............................................................................................................................................26 Table 14: Effects of long term soil conservation measures on soil degradation problems.....26 Table 15: Farmers included in the sample............................................................................30 Table 16: Overview of national legislative framework relating to soil conservation................40 Table 17: Classification of policy measures in Belozem village, Bulgaria..............................43 List of figures Figure 1: Location of the village of Belozem ...........................................................................6 Figure 2: Soil types in the village of Belozem .........................................................................8 Figure 3: Saline soils in the village of Belozem.....................................................................10 Figure 4: Sources of information regarding the policy measures ..........................................32 Figure 5: Institutions and information for policy measures ....................................................33 Figure 6: Farmers’ motivation to implement technical soil conservation practices.................33 Figure 7: Effort to apply for the state programme..................................................................34 Figure 8: Actors related to the issue of soil salinisation.........................................................38 3 September 2008 Case study Bulgaria Acronyms MAF Ministry of Agriculture and Food MEW Ministry of Environment and Water WUA Water User Association 4 September 2008 Case study Bulgaria 1 Introduction to the case study area Soil salinisation is one of the major soil degradation problems for Southern European coun­ tries and the rise in average temperature increases the threat of secondary salinisation. There are more than 35,000 hectares of salt­affected soils in Bulgaria, but this number does not include the areas with a high risk of salinisation. Unlike most of the other soil degradation problems, preventing soils from salinisation processes, in most cases, requires not only technical measures but also active cooperation and voluntary participation of the local actors. The salt affected areas in the Plovdiv region are estimated at more than 6,000 hectares (Pet­ kov et al., 1985). Among the main reasons for salinisation in the country and the Plovdiv re­ gion are: (1) insufficient soil draining, shallow ground water table with high mineral content; (2) destruction and poor maintenance of the existing irrigation and drainage systems after the agrarian reform (1990­2000); (3) fragmentation in land ownership and land use after the land restitution. The village of Belozem, is located in South Bulgaria, the eastern part of the Thracian plain, 30 kilometres east of the town of Plovdiv. This village was selected as a case study area because it provides a good example how the positive effects of technical measures (drain­ age­irrigation system and chemical melioration)

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