Agricultural pollution in Ukraine (Azov-Black Sea Region )

The World Bank

Land Stock

Distribution of Land Resources of Ukraine (as of J anuary 1, 2002)

71%

17%

2%4% 4%

2%

agricultural lands

forest stock lands

developed lands

water stock lands

open wetlands

other lands

Agricultural Lands in Ukraine, % (1)

Structure of Agricultural Lands in Ukraine, % (as of 01.11.1990)

80%3%

5%

12%

Arable landsPerenial PlantsHay LandsPastures

Structure of Agricultural Lands in Ukraine, % (as of 01.01.2002)

78%1%

2%

6%

13%

Arable landsLong FallowPerenial PlantsHay LandsPastures

Agricultural Lands in Ukraine, % (2)

Distribution of Agricultural Lands According to Forms Of Ownership, %

29%69%

2% State ownership(12011.0 ha)Private ownership(29493.6 ha)J oint ownership of legalentities (312.4 thous.ha)

Main sources of agricultural pollution

• Tillage of slopes;

• Obsolete technology of application of chemicals and organic fertilizers;

• Manure management.

Soil loss and associated water pollution (1)

• annual humus loss amounts from 0.6 to 1 t/ha*

• 80 ml. tones of soil with the content of 120 th. tons of nitrogen and 80 th. tons of phosphorous is being washed out annually. On the slopes 20 % of nitrogen, 2-5 % of phosphorous and 10-70 % potassium are dashed out of fertilizers.

•Data of Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences

Degradation of soil

Pesticides

• 13,5 th. tons of pesticides were applied on 12,9 mln. ha in 2000*

• Application was 8 times less in terms of volume and 2.2 times less in terms of the area where fertillizers were applied in comparison with 1990 level.

• Share of pesticides per 1 ha of agricultural lands equaled 0,4 kg (2000) what is 2.8 less than was applied in the 1990

*according to Ministry of Agrarian Policy

Application of mineral fertilizers (1)

4241.6

278.7401.0 399.2

0.0

500.0

1000.0

1500.0

2000.0

2500.0

3000.0

3500.0

4000.0

4500.0

1990 2000 2001 2002

Application of fertilizers by agricultural farms (thousand tons)

Application of mineral fertilizers (2)

25090.1

4632.1 6388.1 6226.4

0.0

5000.0

10000.0

15000.0

20000.0

25000.0

30000.0

1990 2000 2001 2002

Area (thousand hectares)

Application of organic fertilizers

257130.8

28410.1 26534.8 22685.1

0.0

50000.0

100000.0

150000.0

200000.0

250000.0

300000.0

1990 2000 2001 2002

Application of organic fertilizers by agricultural farms (th. tons)

Application of mineral fertilizers in Azov-Black Sea Region (th. tons)

941.4

61.2 92.0113.6

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1990 2000 2001 2002

Application of organic fertilizers in Azov-Black Sea Region (thousand tons)

59201.2

2711.5 2903.9 2612

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

1990 2000 2001 2002

Recommendations in nutrient management

• Ban on tillage of river banks, slopes; • Afforestation and meadow creation in order to prevent water and wind

erosion;• Meeting necessary requirements in application of fertilizers in terms of

volumes, technology and timing of application :

• Sowing and crop rotation practices to reduce water erosion and NPK migration upon soil;

• Sound management of discharge waters from cattle breeding farms;

• Careful manure management in the neighborhood of water bodies;

• Awareness raising among farmers regarding environmental issues and environmentally sound agricultural technologies

Azov Black Sea Corridor Biodiversity Conservation Project – Agricultural Component (1)

Improvements in crop and soil management through:

•conservation tillage and contour tillage practices;

•Improvement of manure management;

•maximizing duration of soil coverage by crops, through increased use of winter crops, leaving stubble fields unplowed until spring and establishing perennial pastures and hay meadows;

•Implementation of nutrient management plans ;

•promoting natural species diversification and higher levels of agricultural biodiversity; and

•selection of pasture species to improve soil coverage and drought resistance.

Azov Black Sea Corridor Biodiversity Conservation Project – Agricultural Component (2)

Improvement in landscape and habitat management by:

• restoring biodiversity in degraded and unproductive agricultural areas through natural recovery (e.g., by reducing or eliminating grazing pressure on unplowed steppe);

• improving the management of tree shelter belts to reduce wind erosion and maintain landscape and species diversity;

• creating no-till buffer strips along watercourses to reduce water erosion and water pollution;

• creating artificial wetlands/reedbeds for wildlife and where eutrophying solutes can degrade before discharge to stream courses and the Black Sea.

• reducing tillage on slopes in excess of 5 degrees;