Shortcomings of political instruments for agricultural soil conservation

Soil degradation results in long-term damage of soil structures which causes income loss for farmers and has negative ecological and social impacts. The article is based on a case study carried out in the Uckermark region (Brandenburg) that has been conducted as part of the EU research project "Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation" (SoCo). SoCo is aimed at analysing the design and implementation of current political instruments in different EU Member States. In the case study area Uckermark, empirical data have been collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews exploring the design, implementation and monitoring of policies for agricultural soil conservation. Both document analysis and interviews indicate that there are deficits in practical soil conservation despite the fact that a range of policies for soil conservation exist. Due to the complex nature of soil degradation it is not possible to link soil conservation effects to individual policies. We therefore base our arguments on the analysis of the requirements of existing instruments and their assessment by local and regional actors. The study shows that the current soil conservation policies only partially address soil degradation issues. This is mainly due to a lack of capacities in the responsible administrations, insufficient design and implementation of the legal requirements, and - in the Uckermark - a lack of regionally adapted incentive schemes. At the same time, the paper provides options for a more effective implementation of soil conservation measures.