Damage to fragile environments: sustainable management of farming in East Anglia

Sustainable Management

Sustainable Methods	Costs	Benefits
Set-aside	Farmers paid not to farm the land Least favourable set-aside, with other land farmed more intensively Land used for noisy activities such as motor sports, causing conflict with neighbours	Increase in biodiversity Reduction in food surpluses Protects and improves the soil quality No chemical pollution Grants available
Hedgerow Incentive and Woodland Management (Grants) Scheme	Less efficent use of machinery Land taken out of production	Increase in biodiversity Reduction in food surpluses Restores the traditional farming scenery Less use of pesticides Less soil erosion Grants available
Organic Farming Uses crop rotation Does not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides Does not use intensive animal rearing methods	Crop yields intiially fall More hand labour needed	Shop prices for produce are higher Grants available to switch to organic farming Does not damage the environment Sustainable
Quotas Limits on the amount of animals reared or particular crops grown	Reduced income for farmers Fines for exceeding quota Increase in farm diversification and associated problems	Reduction in food surpluses Reduction in monocultures and their associated problems
Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) and Nitrate Sensitive Areas (NSAs) Farm using traditional methods No chemical fertilisers Maintenance of walls, hedges and traditional farm buildings	Reduction in farm output	Increase in biodiversity Reduction in food surpluses Grants available Less use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides Less pollution Less soil erosion Restores the traditional farming scenery
Farm diversification Rural tourism Golf courses Farm zoos Arts and crafts	Growing other crops means the purchase and less efficient use of a wider range of machinery Farms accessible to urban areas benefit the most Farmers may not have the business skills required Increases traffic congestion on rural roads Golf courses involve developments that destroy the countryside (e.g. carparks) and their use of fertiliser causes eutrophication	More employment opportunities since the new uses are more labour intensive than farming More leisure opportunities