Simulating policy mixes to reduce soil erosion and land abandonment in marginal areas: A case study from the Liguria Region (Italy)

Abstract

Despite ambitious EU initiatives like the European Green Deal and the new EU soil strategy aiming to enhance soil health and protection, the effectiveness of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in addressing soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate impacts remains limited, especially in mountainous and vulnerable regions like Liguria, Italy. This study evaluates CAP's measures—Enhanced Conditionality (EC), Eco-schemes (ES), and Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES)—through a bioeconomic model, assessing the potential for policy mixes in preventing land abandonment and mitigating soil erosion exacerbated by climate change. Our analysis reveals that integrating action-based and results-based payments within AES, alongside EC and novel ES, can significantly enhance soil conservation efforts and prevent land abandonment in environmentally sensitive areas. The study introduces a nuanced approach to policy design and evaluation by examining the differential impacts of policy mixes that include innovative policy instruments and target hobbyist and small-scale farmers—a segment often overlooked in policy design. This inclusion is shown to be crucial for landscape preservation and enhancing the environmental performance of agricultural lands. The results demonstrate the potential synergies between various CAP instruments and the critical role of results-based payments in fostering innovative and flexible approaches to environmental stewardship among farmers. The advanced mixes, which includes a different blend of mandatory and voluntary instruments with results-based payments show a potential reduction in soil erosion, showcasing the importance of flexible and innovative approaches to environmental stewardship. At the opposite, in scenarios without CAP interventions, the simulations suggest a marked increase in soil erosion and land abandonment, emphasizing the crucial role of CAP measures in sustaining agricultural land use. The analysis contributes valuable insights for policy refinement, suggesting that a more integrated policy framework is necessary to meet immediate soil conservation challenges and align with the EU's overarching sustainability ambitions. The research highlights the importance of adaptive policy mechanisms that can respond to the complex interplay of climate change, agricultural practices, and environmental conservation efforts, thereby contributing to the resilience of European agriculture and the sustainability of its landscapes.