In:
Land Degradation & Development, Wiley, Vol. 22, No. 1 ( 2011-01), p. 84-96
Abstract:
Soil erosion causes major on‐site problems, including the loss of productive topsoil, poor seedling emergence and soil crusting, all of which represent an important economic loss for farmers. Moreover, off‐site problems are also very serious. These include sedimentation of river basins and small streams and flooding of roads, all with significant costs to society. This article describes the situation in West Flanders, a province of Belgium. We discuss the severity of erosion, perceptions as to the erosion problem, the agricultural practices that can potentially counteract or avoid erosion and the types of policy that have been developed to control erosion. Using the Institutions of Sustainability (IoS) framework, we emphasise the importance of awareness and awareness raising with regard to the erosion problem in order to trigger policy and farming action. We describe the specific elements that have led to the design of different types of policy that try to limit soil erosion and increase the uptake of soil erosion control strategies by farmers. We conclude that a policy approach based on mixed instruments that are integrated at a local level can be successful in mitigating the erosion problem. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1085-3278
,
1099-145X
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2011
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2021787-0
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1319202-4
SSG:
14
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