Development of land use system applying environmentally beneficial farming methods in the periphery of Bonyhád

Abstract

With regard to agri-environmental issues and production development, three types of land use are proposed to be established considering our environmental and natural characteristics (Ángyán 1998):
- Protective land use (protecting water quality, soil, nature and landscape),
- Extensive farming (in areas unfavourable for agricultural production), and
- Intensive farming (observing the aspects of favourable agri-ecological potential and landscape management).
The objective of this land use strategy is to integrate land use and nature protection, determine the intensity of protection and use and their relation in accordance with the features of the landscape. The national three-category land use zone system based on these land use principles and policies represents an important startpoint for the target programmes of the National Agri-environmental Programme, which encourages participating farmers to establish a land use structure and environmentally beneficial cultivation forms most conforming to the landscape features. At a local level, the frames of sustainable land use and farming can be best explored by the survey of the features, potentials, values and traditions of the area. On the basis of this, objectives of our research were as follows:
1. To explore the landscape traditions, features, developmental stages of the area examined (István grange periphery, Bonyhád) by field information analyses of historical maps.
2.To explore the agricultural eligibility and environmental sensitivity of the area examined considering as many up-to-date information on the features of the area as possible. On this basis, the agricultural eligibility – environmental sensitivity scale could be prepared, scenarios could be created and zones could be specified, resulting in the creation of the local three-category zone system.
Military maps and field information tools were used to prepare a graph on the changes of field use and a field use stability map applying to István grange periphery. The fields used constantly as a certain cultivation branch (constant areas) were located. The extensive-intensive conversions in landscape use were revealed on a timely basis.
On the basis of these analyses, the landscape features, traditions and values needed to be observed during the development of sustainable farming were defined.
As a first step of on-site zone analyses, the agricultural eligibility and environmental sensitivity parameters including up-to-date field information were specified. These parameters were weighted in accordance with their role in the agricultural eligibility and environmental sensitivity of the area. The value of environmental sensitivity was deducted from the value of agricultural eligibility using field information tools, then the result of this operation was increased by 100, creating the agricultural eligibility - environmental sensitivity scale. The two extremities of the scale refer to the areas that are most applicable for agricultural production, and the areas that are most sensible from environmental point of view, respectively. The mid-values of the scale refer to fields with dual purposes requiring extensive land use. On the basis of this information, three scenarios were prepared to define the borders of possible zones (protection, extensive and intensive zones). Using the most realizable second scenario, proposals were made on changing the existing land use systems. These changes would lead to a field structure which can provide a proper basis at a local level for the development of sustainable land use and farming methods conforming to landscape characteristics while preserving value.