In addition to industry, transport, and waste management, the agricultural sector is also a major emitter of CO₂ emissions. This article focuses on CO₂ equivalent emissions from soil in the context of mineral nitrogen fertiliser management. The methodology itself consists of several successive phases, the first of which is to determine basic statistical characteristics for all EU countries, primarily in terms of mineral nitrogen fertiliser consumption, but also in terms of the area of crops grown. EU countries with similar cropping patterns were selected for comparison so that the results could be compared. The results show that there are quite significant differences in CO₂ equivalent emissions between countries under similar conditions. At the same time, the values of the marginal increment of CO₂ emissions as a function of mineral nitrogen fertiliser consumption were calculated. On the basis of the results of the selected countries, an upper limit in terms of CO₂ emissions per hectare of arable land was also determined, and recommendations were made from a national perspective. The emissions themselves can be seen as a negative production externality that is not accounted for in the market mechanism and can thus also distort the price of agricultural production. The methodology used in this paper can be used to set an upper limit on CO₂ emissions from soil due to the use of mineral nitrogen fertilisers and can then be used as an indicator for regulating and defining future agricultural policy instruments within the EU, where the objective is to reduce the level of CO₂ emissions.

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, the scientific journal of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic

This article compares the rate of self-sufficiency of selected types of meat (beef, pork, and poultry) in the Visegrad countries. The data are obtained from Eur...

This article uses a derived econometric model to estimate the impact of the physical properties of soil on its retention capacity and, subsequently, the impact of retention capacity on production potential. This is an important aspect considering climate change impacts, which are affecting food production across the world. An investigation of academic publications shows that very few studies address opportunities to price rainwater in relation to agricultural production. As such, the objective of the submitted article is to use soil physical property spatial data to create an econometric model. The econometric model itself determines the intensity and direction of action of the soil’s physical properties on the ability of the soil to hold rainwater. The results demonstrate the positive effect of physical properties such as porosity and humus content. Important information for farming practice is the relatively pronounced influence of soil acidity (pH) on its retention capacity, which is mainly the result of its effect on soil biogeochemical processes. The most significant variable in terms of the extent of action is the depth of the soil profile, which is in line with general assumptions. The actual evaluation of soil retention capacity was undertaken using an option with the use of a sensitivity analysis. In order to include the non-production function of the soil (retention capacity), we conclude for individual enhanced quality soil ecological units an increased price of 1–12%. These conclusions are particularly valuable because some soils may have a low production potential while also being highly valuable for their particular location in terms of their non-production potential (typically desirable floodwater retention, etc.). Considering climate change, this is a particularly topical issue. The use of enhanced-quality soil ecological units is reflected in a wide range of fields through legislative processes—determining rural land protection class and, especially in the tax obligations of agricultural entities, farming agricultural land.

This paper examines the development of CO₂ emissions in individual countries of the European Union (EU28) for the period between 2000 and 2017. Carbon footprint is monitored in four basic economic sectors of the EU28 countries—energy, other industries, agriculture, and waste management. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structural analysis of the percentage contribution of individual sectors while determining the average conversion of emissions in tonnes per capita for individual countries, subsequently identifying the tendencies in the development of the detected rates. A cluster analysis for the EU28 that demonstrate similar carbon footprint values in the examined economic areas is conducted for the findings. The partial aim of the paper is to perform a comparison of the monitored countries and detect whether the differences between those striving for decarbonisation are diminishing. The energy industry is the most significant contributor to emission levels. The index analysis indicates that the level of emissions throughout the EU28 in all the monitored sectors has decreased, predominantly in waste management (by 40%,) which is followed by industry (17%), energy (by 16.2%), and agriculture (by 5%). The cluster analysis conducted for 2000 and 2017 has confirmed the convergence of the identified groups of the EU28. Individual clusters of the countries thus display minor differences and converge in general.