Pulighe Giuseppe, Belocchi Andreina, Tani Alice Carlotta, Lupia Flavio
CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, Rome, Italy.
CREA Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Rome, Italy.
Sci Total Environ. 2025 Sep 15;995:180111. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180111. Epub 2025 Jul 22.
Sustainable land management in Mediterranean agroecosystems is crucial for preserving soil health, optimizing water use efficiency, and ensuring crop productivity under increasing climate extremes and prolonged drought periods. This study evaluates the effectiveness of agricultural management practices (AMPs) in mitigating soil erosion and improving water dynamics in the Cervaro river basin, a key grain-producing region in southern Italy. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) was applied to assess the impacts of four AMPs - including no-till farming, filter strips, crop rotation, and grassed waterways - on soil conservation and hydrological processes. This study utilizes high-resolution Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) to align AMPs with key objectives of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) instruments, particularly in promoting sustainable farming practices and soil conservation measures. Model validation was conducted using streamflow, remote sensing-based actual evapotranspiration, and field-scale winter durum wheat yield data. Results indicate that integrating no-till farming with filter strips and crop rotation can reduce soil loss by 81 %, enhance topsoil water retention, and increase deep aquifer recharge due to improved percolation. While AMPs led to a slight increase in surface runoff, crop yields remained stable, demonstrating their potential to support agricultural productivity while improving environmental sustainability. These findings highlight the role of targeted AMPs in mitigating soil loss, improving water management, and enhancing agroecosystem resilience in Mediterranean and other semi-arid agricultural regions worldwide. The results also offer science-based guidance for agri-environmental policies, particularly within the framework of CAP greening interventions and broader global sustainability initiatives.
在地中海农业生态系统中，可持续土地管理对于维护土壤健康、优化水资源利用效率以及在极端气候增加和长期干旱时期确保作物产量至关重要。本研究评估了农业管理措施（AMPs）在减轻意大利南部关键粮食产区塞尔瓦罗河流域土壤侵蚀和改善水分动态方面的有效性。应用土壤水评估工具（SWAT+）来评估免耕种植、过滤带、作物轮作和草皮水道这四种AMPs对土壤保持和水文过程的影响。本研究利用高分辨率综合行政管理和控制系统（IACS），使AMPs与欧盟共同农业政策（CAP）工具的关键目标保持一致，特别是在促进可持续农业实践和土壤保持措施方面。使用径流、基于遥感的实际蒸散量和田间尺度的冬小麦产量数据进行模型验证。结果表明，将免耕种植与过滤带和作物轮作相结合可减少81%的土壤流失，增强表层土壤保水能力，并因改善渗透作用而增加深层含水层补给。虽然AMPs导致地表径流略有增加，但作物产量保持稳定，表明它们在提高环境可持续性的同时支持农业生产力的潜力。这些发现凸显了有针对性的AMPs在减轻地中海及全球其他半干旱农业地区土壤流失、改善水资源管理和增强农业生态系统恢复力方面的作用。研究结果还为农业环境政策提供了基于科学的指导，特别是在CAP绿化干预措施和更广泛的全球可持续发展倡议框架内。
