Livestock farming systems and nitrate pollution risk. Construction of a risk indicator and application on the Vosges plain

Abstract

A method for evaluating and localizing areas where there are risks of diffusing nitrates into the groundwater has been established and linked to the livestock farming system diversity and to their characteristic cropping plans. It has been applied to the 2211 farms present in 1993 in the Vosges plain. This method associates real nitrate leaching measures under farm fields, a livestock farm typology which contains information on the cropping plans, and a geographic information system to locate the information within water resource management units. Currently, the farm types combining big areas in cash crops and a maize forage system present the highest potential risks of nitrate pollution, while the farm types specialised in grassland dairy and/or meat production seem to be the least polluing. The farm type location makes it possible to identify geographic areas exposed to a high agricultural nitrate pollution risk, which are characterized by a combination of the most modernised and intensive farm types of the region.