Effective flood-risk communications should include specific information on how householders can protect themselves and their property against flooding, a recent Dutch study concludes. The researchers’ evaluation of communication strategies also highlights an important role for social media in spreading messages about flood risk and protection.

Effective flood-risk management requires accurate risk-analysis models. Conventional analysis approaches, however, are based on the evaluation of spatially homogenous scenarios, which do not account for variation in flooding across a river reach/ region. Since flood events are often spatially heterogeneous (i.e. unevenly distributed), this paves the way for error. Now, scientists have developed a novel framework for risk analysis that accounts for their heterogeneity, and successfully demonstrated the accuracy of the approach by applying it in a proof-of-concept exercise in Vorarlberg, Austria. By facilitating improved prediction and quantification of flood events, this model is likely to inform future flood-risk management and related decision-making.

Excess nutrients in sea water can cause eutrophication, a major environmental concern. Shellfish species such as mussels can ‘soak up’ some of these nutrients. A recent Swedish study examines the cost-effectiveness of mussel farming in the Baltic Sea as a method of reducing nutrient concentration and compares its potential with other methods of combating eutrophication.

A recent study compares the effects of organic, ‘natural’ fertilisers, such as compost, with mineral, synthetic fertilisers, such as urea, on N2O emissions from Mediterranean soil. It suggests that there is little difference between the fertilisers, but that pig slurry offers the best overall balance in terms of emissions and crop yield.

Whilst there is interest in bioenergy as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, there is also concern about its environmental impact. A recent study demonstrates that potential bioenergy crops in Hawaii are 2 to 4 times more likely to be invasive than other plants.

Underground water aquifers are a significant source of drinking water. In a recent study, French researchers found that pesticides applied to crops can take many years to sink down through the ground and reach groundwater. This means that they may still be entering aquifers, even after agricultural application has stopped.

The use of herbicides on crops causes environmental concerns. A new French study assesses the performance of cropping systems to manage weeds and finds that these techniques could control arable weeds in the long-term and reduce reliance on herbicides.

The Large Scale Grazing Systems (LSGS) of the EU are governed by legislation at regional, national and European levels. New research investigates an LSGS in Spain and suggests that the area’s traditional mix of sheep and cereal farming needs improved, better co-ordinated regulatory support to survive.

Despite the current economic situation, organic farming is a growth sector in the EU. A recent EU-funded study suggests support payments from the amended 2003 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for organic farming will continue to play an important role in Western European countries and will become increasingly significant in new Member States.

Where agricultural policies are in conflict with environmental and social issues, a 'roadmap' can provide a way forward as part of a sustainable rural development planning process. New research describes an approach used in the Netherlands, which brings together stakeholders to create a mutually desirable vision of the future.

A Dutch study has assessed the water requirements of 13 bioenergy crops across the world. The findings could help select the best crops and locations to produce bioenergy.

Reducing meat and dairy consumption would help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farming. A recent study describes the "ecological leftovers" approach to reducing livestock-related GHGs, which assumes that a sustainable number of livestock can be calculated on the basis of available marginal land, unsuitable for other purposes, and available agricultural by-products, which could be used as feed.

A new study has investigated the effects of interbreeding a genetically modified squash crop with its wild relative. The findings demonstrate that it could cause wild or weedy relatives to become more resistant to disease.

A recent EU-supported study has analysed the development of volunteer or ‘rogue’ GM (genetically modified) maize plants in a conventional crop field. It finds that their numbers are low and do not exceed the EU’s threshold of 0.9 per cent for incidental GM content.

The ability of the Earth’s living systems to store carbon could play a vital role in the mitigation of climate change. A new report suggests that, in coming decades, safeguarding and restoring carbon in ecosystems has the potential to prevent well over 50 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon entering the atmosphere.

Agriculture plays a large role in the management of water in the EU. However, there is little consistent information on water use in irrigation. New EU supported research has estimated how much water is used for irrigation in European countries, providing a framework to analyse agricultural pressures on water quantity.

Climate change poses a large threat to African agriculture, but there is little research on how to respond. A recent study indicates that traditional adaptation methods are not enough and international collaboration is needed in ‘planned adaptation’ by collecting and conserving certain crops for the future.

A recent study investigates the factors that affect a farmer’s decision to convert to organic farming in Latvia and Estonia. A combination of social factors, such as peer pressure, and economic influences, such as subsidies, were found to be more important than either factor individually.

A fungus could offer an alternative to chemical pesticides for the control of biting midges that spread livestock diseases, including Bluetongue and African horse sickness, according to new research.

Phosphorus is a major pollutant of surface waters, contributing to poor water quality. A recent study investigated best management practices to reduce the over-application of phosphorus and minimise phosphorus losses from agriculture in four regions across Europe and North America.

Adverse effects of climate change on agriculture will counteract any improvements in reducing levels of child malnutrition in the developing world, according to a new report, which calculates that twenty-five million more children will face malnutrition by 2050.

Estonian research has identified land use practices and agrochemical use as the main pressures that are causing a decline in pollinating insects in Europe, such as bees and butterflies. It calls for increased funds for agri-environment measures from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to help tackle pollinator loss.

Scientists have identified several wild insects that could undertake the crop pollination function of honeybees. By comparing a range of pollinating insects they found three wild species that appear to be as efficient as the honeybee in pollination but may need management to increase their numbers.

A new global study is the first to quantify the potential of water management strategies to increase crop production. It indicates that a combination of harvesting run-off water and reducing evaporation from soil could increase global crop production by 20 per cent.

Removing wheat and sorghum crop residue after harvest, such as stalks, stubble and leaves, may cause more harm than good according to new research. Results indicate that removing residue can increase nutrient and sediment levels in water runoff, and decrease organic carbon stored in the soil.

New research has indicated that the design of a high proportion of agri-environmental policy measures in seven EU countries was based on common sense judgments about their possible impact. Only a sixth of the measures studied were based on well-tested quantitative models of their relationship to the environment.

A number of standards and initiatives exist to minimise the negative environmental impacts of growing crops for biofuels. New research has reviewed these standards and recommended minimally acceptable criteria in the areas of biodiversity, agricultural practices, and mitigation of indirect land-use change.

Researchers have calculated how much phosphorus is taken from the land by major crops around the world and how much is applied as fertiliser, to help estimate agriculture's phosphorus footprint. Among their conclusions, they argue that phosphorus fertiliser needs to be used more sustainably to address global imbalances in its use.

Indonesia’s plans to double palm oil production by 2020 have obvious financial benefits, but implications for food, biodiversity and carbon stocks are not so clear. A new model predicts the impacts of five possible palm oil production strategies and indicates the best approach is to target degraded and agricultural land that is most productive for palm oil.

Organic pesticides may not always be the most environmentally-friendly choice of pest control, according to recent research. Two new synthetic pesticides for controlling aphids were found to be less harmful to other species and more efficient than the two new organic pesticides tested in the study.

New research in southern Spain has studied what influences participation in agri-environmental schemes (AES). It indicated that the uptake of schemes that involve a major change in farm practices depends on the farm structure, whereas for schemes with minor changes, individual farmer characteristics play a greater role.

A recent study has compared the chemical environmental impacts of using the weed controller glyphosate on glyphosate-tolerant (GT) crops, with the use of other herbicides on non-GT crops. Glyphosate used on GT crops had lower environmental impacts than herbicides used on non-GT crops, but the persistence of AMPA (a break-down product of glyphosate) in soils could be a problem in the future.

Little difference was found between organically grown tomatoes and tomatoes grown conventionally in greenhouses over a three year period, in terms of taste and nutritional value, according to a recent study in the Netherlands. Taste and nutrition were more dependent on the breed of tomato.

A new combination of three models has explored the future dynamics of European livestock distribution. The results indicate that, without environmental policy, livestock density will increase both inside and outside current livestock hotspots. This will also occur to a certain degree with regulation, but the risk of negative impacts will be less likely.

Global population growth since 1850 has been largely enabled by commercial phosphorus and nitrogen fertilisers. The availability of these nutrients for food production relies upon steadily diminishing resources of natural gas and phosphorus rock. A recent study suggests that to secure a long-term affordable food supply, policy intervention is needed to conserve these essential resources.

Recent research in Italy has suggested that soil quality deteriorates over time when intensively farmed under plastic tunnels. The tunnels are an obstacle to natural rainfall and artificial irrigation increases soil salinity and, as a consequence, agricultural yields can be significantly reduced.

Biochar is increasingly mixed into farm soils to improve crop productivity and maintain carbon stocks. However, it can change the way that pesticides applied to the same soil behave, according to a new study. The researchers suggest that farmers may also need to follow new guidelines on pesticide application if they add biochar to their soil.

A new study has described how agricultural management of the British potato crop has changed over time to reduce several serious threats to food security. It is crucial that an EU plant health policy framework continues to build on these successes to protect against new diseases emerging from expanding global trade and a changing climate.

Improving the efficiency of milk production could produce significant annual savings and potentially cut the environmental impacts of the industry by up to a third, according to new research from Northwest Spain.

Sustainable food production in developing countries can be achieved through ‘agroecology’ – where farming practices mimic nature rather than relying on external products, such as fertilisers and pesticides. This is according to a recent report, which claims that conventional farming does little to alleviate rural poverty and ecosystem degradation.

Reindeer herding has a long history in the Arctic, but climate change and industrial activity are bringing this important economic and cultural tradition to breaking point. In a unique initiative, reindeer herders across the Arctic are leading an international team of scientists in using modern technology to adapt to global change and empower indigenous communities.

Natural predators of agricultural pests are influenced by the type and range of habitats within a farming landscape. A new study has developed an approach which predicts the risk of pest infestation and natural predation according to landscape features, to help land managers structure landscapes that encourage natural pest control.

The long-lasting and negative effects of intensive farming on soils persist even where complex animal communities have been reintroduced to the soil in attempt to restore the natural balance, according to a recent study. The findings highlight the possible effects of historical land use on soils' ability to deliver ecosystem services.

There is a need to broaden the debate on sustainable food security from a straight comparison between organic and conventional farming to a consideration of a variety of farming techniques. This is the conclusion of a new review of research that indicates, for some crop types, organic yields can nearly match conventional yields under good management practices and growing conditions.

Converting grassland to arable land can reduce the diversity of nematodes, predatory mites, earthworms and enchytraeid worms in the soil, according to a study by Dutch researchers. However, they found that restoring arable land to grassland did not fully restore the diversity of these four groups during the course of the four-year study.

Crane fly larvae cause considerable damage to agricultural crops and young trees throughout Europe. New research has demonstrated that certain strains of fungi have significant potential to control crane fly infestations, thus reducing the use of chemical insecticides and enabling more environmentally-friendly strategies for pest control.

New research has investigated the long-term effects of applying sewage sludge to Spanish soils. The results indicate that sludge enhances soil properties, but recommends a maximum dose of 40 tons per hectare, applied biannually. Above this level, it appears the soil properties will not improve and may even worsen.

Large-scale cultivation of bioenergy crops on marginal land is unfeasible, according to a recent study. While limiting bioenergy crops to less productive land could cut the sector’s impact on food prices, the financial incentive to grow crops on more productive land may be too strong for landowners to ignore, the researchers suggest.

The presence of wild bees alongside honeybees was found to increase almond orchard production in a recent study. The findings demonstrate how increased biodiversity enhances ecosystem services, such as pollination, and provide an opportunity to increase agricultural yields whilst also benefitting wildlife.