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Agri-environmental policies from 1960 to 2022.
David Wuepper1,2, Ilsabe Wiebecke3, Lara Meier3
1Land Economics Group, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. wuepper@uni-bonn.de.
Nature Food
|March 23, 2024
Summary
A new database tracks 6,124 agri-environmental policies globally since 1960. Economic development correlates with policy implementation, and policy differences explain 43% of cross-border soil erosion.
Area of Science:
- Environmental policy
- Agricultural science
- Conservation science
Background:
- Understanding the implementation of agri-environmental policies is crucial for research and practice.
- A comprehensive overview of global policy trends is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a global database of agri-environmental policies.
- To analyze the relationship between economic development and policy adoption.
- To investigate the link between soil-related policies and cross-border erosion.
Main Methods:
- Compiled a database of 6,124 agri-environmental policies from 1960-2022 across ~200 countries.
- Included diverse policy types (regulations, payment schemes) and goals (biodiversity, pesticide safety, nutrient reduction).
- Analyzed associations between economic development and policies, and between policies and cropland erosion at borders.
Main Results:
- A strong positive correlation was found between economic development and the implementation of agri-environmental policies.
- Differences in national soil-related agri-environmental policies explain 43% of global cropland erosion discontinuities at country borders.
Conclusions:
- The database provides a valuable resource for studying global agri-environmental policy.
- Economic development is a significant driver of agri-environmental policy adoption.
- Policy harmonization is essential for effectively managing transboundary environmental issues like soil erosion.
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