Soil Conservation Action Plan.

The Hungarian soil conservation authority has prepared a Soil Conservation Action Plan focusing on the protection of soil under agricultural cultivation (the Ministry of Agriculture has adopted the Soil Conservation Action Plan, which outlines the implementation of strategic goals to help farmers). The document proposes a division of labour and responsibilities between the farmers and the state for the long-term conservation of soils and the maintenance of fertility along food chain safety principles. The Action Plan also changes the approach of the soil conservation authority, emphasizing the partnership between the authority and farmers. In addition to the official tools, it strengthens the partnership by transferring knowledge and identifying the most effective soil conservation measures and practices that can be applied in arable land. In the toolbox of soil conservation, prevention and planning are the most effective solutions, therefore it already involves the authority in the preparation of decisions of the farmer that pose a risk to the quality of soils through the Farmer's Soil Conservation Plan. With the adoption and implementation of the Soil Conservation Action Plan, a new era in soil conservation can begin in the heart of Europe. The Soil Conservation Action Plan supports the sustainable consumption and production by making food production more environmentally friendly, convincing farmers to apply soil conservation land management practices to mitigate soil degradation in order to keep food production and consumption safe and sustainable for generations. It is advisable to implement the development in two phases in order to ensure that the support policy functions serving goals can already serve the new 2021-2027 cycle.
The Soil Conservation Action Plan set out to achieve three strategic goals: "effective soil protection", "soil protection knowledge management" and "modern basic infrastructure". Also specific sub-goals are here defined, such as: reduction of bureaucracy; expanding soil protection activities; effective soil protection information system; implementation of more efficient risk management principles and actions; effective control over relevant factors; extensive information activity. Elements of sustainable land use (following FAO recommendation) are also lined out in this text: increasing support for sustainable tillage; operation of soil information system; effective, practice-oriented education and training; a well-functioning specialist advisory system; comprehensive and effective state supervision; land use planning; soil condition monitoring; prevention of soil degradation; encouraging the use of crop rotation/reduction of monoculture cultivation; application of structure-saving cultivation methods; increasing soil organic matter content; ground cover, maintaining the plant cover of the soil surface; reasonable, selective nutrient supply; erosion reduction; rehabilitation of damaged soils.
This text includes a situation analysis and an assessment report; defines areas of measures of the programme and tasks related to its implementation, among effective soil protection provisions and indicated issues; provides for specific farmers' soil protection programme; a Chapter on credible and strong authority; soil protection knowledge management Chapter; a Chapter that indicates technologies and methods that protect the environment, prevent and improve the quality of agricultural land and related land development; issues on communication and information materials, including a prepared specialist consultant system; a Chapter defining terms for qualified farmers; terms regarding the modern basic infrastructure; and basis for the creation of a central thematic database. This Plan identifies the most important elements of soil protection, as follows: reasonable land use, preservation of high-quality lands, lands that are already deteriorating and that are targeted as those for improvement of related conditions; termination of soil degradation processes; maintenance and improvement of soil water balance and moisture circulation; control over substances introduced into the soil, nutrient-containing and municipal and industrial by-products.