Underutilized Crops and Intercrops in Crop Rotation as Factors for Increasing Biodiversity on Fields

Abstract

Protection of biodiversity in intensive agricultural areas was one of the priorities of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Agri-environmental payment (AEP 2007-2013) [1]. In general, AEP measures include crop rotation, the greening of fields, organic agriculture, soil coverage in water protected areas, etc., which depend on detailed national measures. In the new EU perspective of the Greening CAP reform 2014-2020 [2], three basic measures are foreseen in the first pillar: (i) maintaining permanent grassland; and (ii) crop diversification (a farmer must cultivate at least 2 crops when his arable land exceeds 10 hectares and at least 3 crops when his arable land exceeds 30 hectares. The main crop may cover at most 75% of arable land, and the two main crops at most 95% of the arable area); (iii) maintaining an “ecological focus area” of at least 5% of the arable area of the holding for farms with an area larger than 15 hectares (excluding permanent grassland) – i.e. field margins, hedges, trees, fallow land, landscape features, biotopes, buffer strips, afforested area. This figure will rise to 7% in 2017 according to the Commission report and the legislative proposal (CAP reform [2], MEMO 13/621, 26.6.2013). In the 2nd pillar documents (Regulation EU 1305/2013, 17.12.2013),'biodiversity' is mentioned 12 times and is mainly focused on conversion into organic farming, the protection of biodiversity in Nature 2000 areas and forest biodiversity conservation statuses of species and habitats, as well as enhancing the public amenity value of Nature 2000 areas or other high value nature areas. In these documents, we were mainly faced with general terms of biodi‐ versity, however the detailed measures in the second pillar should be defined on a national level. There is also the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, which is trying to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020. It is also trying to feasibly restore biodiversity, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. In case of pollinators and their vs. pollinators’ plants, they are mentioned