Comment:
Agriculture in the EU is facing a number of constraints, for various reasons.
Markets for agricultural products are saturated, consequently traditional
land-use systems need to receive increased attention. The Czech Republic,
as with other accession countries in Central and Eastern Europe, are especially
confronted with the problems associated with traditional agricultural
production. As competition on the European markets increaes, there is
a risk that this situation will result in decreased farm income and employment
opportunities in rural and remote areas. The ongoing Common Agricultural
Policy reform process and changing patterns of world trade will force
farmers to focus more on their multifunctional role as both custodians
of the countryside and market oriented producers, in particular in some
of the disadvantaged areas and remote regions. It is widely recognized
that the development of rural areas can no longer be based on agriculture
alone and that diversification both within and beyond the agricultural
sector is indispensable in order to promote, through diversified incomes,
viable and sustainable rural communities. In addition, agriculture in
the Czech Republic is, after 50 years of collective organization, in a
transition phase. The land is being returned to its original owners or
to new owners. This process is very demanding because it involves completely
different economic and organizational conditions. A consequence of this
change is that some agricultural enterprises are very small and economically
not viable. This situation, particularly in marginal areas, may lead to
the abandonment or neglect of the land, with the local population migrating
to other regions. The resulting land-use system may no longer be sustainable.
To avoid such negative effects many measures at the policy and technical
level are needed. The Second European Conference on Rural Development
in Salzburg (12-14 November 2003) concluded that sustainable economic
growth of the agricultural sector must come increasingly through diversification,
innovation and value added products that consumers demand. Marginal areas
have fewer possibilities for alternative land uses. Often they are limited
by natural constraints for a higher productivity. However, they often
have a combination of natural resources which favour biodiversity and
are a basis for an attractive landscape. These factors are potential assets
for eco-tourism. The use of the agricultural land by an extensive grassland
system could contribute to such objectives and help to improve the livelihood
of the rural population. The Czech Republic entered the EU in 2004; this
integration will mean that farmers will be faced with an increasingly
competitive market situation and probably reduced export possibilities.
There is a risk that marginal land (due to low soil fertility, great distance
to the markets etc.) will be abandoned and as a consequence invasive plant
species (mostly weed species) could become dominant and vegetation start
to degenerate. Such a situation would have negative effects on biodiversity
and diminish the attractiveness of the landscape. In addition, there are
also potential ecological risks, when farmers have to apply herbicides
to control the heavy weed infestation. This situation could also occur
because the area cropped with cereals, rape and other crops is reduced
in regions which do not offer optimal growing conditions for arable crops.
Abandoned arable land is especially prone to weed infestation and the
becomes a seed bank for a larger area. It was probably the awareness of
this potential ecological development as well as the socio-economic consequences
that determined the Czech Government to promote the development of alternative
land-use systems. In particular, in the border areas of the country (North
Bohemia, North Moravia and other regions) a critical need for supportive
measures was identified. The main objective is to develop land-use systems
which are beneficial to the environment and promote diversification of
agricultural income. Such situations are also very common in Western Europe,
and agricultural policy is increasingly stressing the need to help farmers
adopt a multifunctional role as custodians of the countryside as well
as being market oriented producers. |