Farmers sow and Baltic reaps algae

by Piotr Matczak

In the summer of 2002, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission once again raised the alarm about the risk of toxic blue-green algae blooms in some areas of the Baltic Sea. The warnings were the most serious since 1997, when massive blooms of algae forced the closing of recreational beaches in Finland and reportedly caused several cases of toxicosis. It did not take long to identify the problem: eutrophication.

The countries around the Baltic Sea have been trying for almost 30 years to prevent the kind of agricultural pollution that causes eutrophication, but it is a stubborn problem that must be solved one farm at a time.

Eutrophication
Moderate volumes of nitrogen and phosphorus are necessary for plant growth, even in the sea, but if the water becomes too rich in these nutrients excessive plant biomass in the form of algae results. Too much algae leads to the formation of hydrogen sulphide and to the remineralisation of the biomass. This process is called eutrophication. When fully developed, eutrophication leads to the end of freshwater ecosystems and transforms lakes into wetlands.

Because the Baltic Sea is shallow and semi-closed, it is especially susceptible to eutrophication. The process causes the decline of certain fish stocks and increases in others, as well as shifts in the composition of marine vegetation. This can clearly be seen in the Gulf of Gdansk, where few plants will grow in water deeper than 8 metres. Before World War II plants grew in water that was 20-meters deep.

Eutrophication-related algae blooms are not only a danger to sea life, but large quantities of algae can be toxic for humans, causing illness and, in extreme cases, death. Therefore, when the threat of algae blooms looms, beaches are closed, and the tourism industry suffers.

Causes of eutrophication
Most of the nitrogen and phosphorous entering the Baltic Sea comes from improper storage of animal waste and excessive use of fertilisers by farmers in the region. Most of this pollution enters the sea from "non-point sources," where rainwater polluted by waste or fertilisers washes into the sea — instead of being dumped out of "point sources," like a factory drainpipe.

Halting eutrophication thus becomes a matter of addressing bad practices on individual farms in the region. But changing farming practices is difficult, especially in the transition countries around the Baltic — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia — where farms provide vitally needed rural employment, but do not generate enough money to support major investment in preventative measures.

Hurdles to overcome
Preventing pollution from farms is difficult because it mostly comes from non-point sources, and agriculture is a sector in which change is usually achieved gradually. Even if governments give incentives, it is difficult to encourage farmers to make investments in pollution control. The benefits of keeping the Baltic Sea clean are long-term and farmers often have a hard time understanding what is in it for them.

Furthermore, in transition countries, farmers' incomes are often too low for them to make major environmental investments. Even small changes toward sustainable farming practices can reduce the farmer's income — at least in the short term. The transition countries are already experiencing reductions in employment in their rural areas. Any measures that make farming more costly or less profitable therefore involve complex economic and social issues.

Solutions for the Baltic
Realising the urgency of the situation, the countries around the Baltic Sea began working together. In 1974 the first Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area was signed in Helsinki. It was followed by a new "Helsinki Convention" in 1992, which was signed by the European Union and all the countries bordering on the Baltic Sea — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

The 1974 convention set a target of reducing the nutrient flow into the Baltic Sea by 50 percent before the end of 1995. Although this goal was not met, a 20-30 percent reduction was achieved. Some of that reduction may, however, have been due to a general reduction in economic activity among the transition countries in the 1990s.

One of the first attempts to deal with non-point agriculture pollution in the accession countries was the Baltic Agriculture Run-off Action Program (BAAP), initiated by Sweden. Several demonstration facilities were set up in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Russia. The programme also involved education, institution strengthening and legislation.

Another such effort, the Rural Environment Protection Project, began in Poland in 1998 to support small farmers. The project, prepared by the Polish National Fund for Environment Protection, the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility, the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation and the EU, encouraged anti-eutrophication measures by farmers. It focused on encouraging proper nutrient management and the construction of storage facilities for liquid animal waste and manure pads.

Wlodzimierz Romanowski, a farmer from the Torun region, said he benefited from a consultation provided by the Rural Environment Protection Project. "The soil on my farm was examined as part of the project," Romanowski said. "It turned out that there was a lack of magnesium." Romanowski was encouraged to prepare a nutrient management plan, which allows him to apply the proper fertilisers. "The crops are very green now, even though I've added less nitrogen fertilisers than ever," he said.

Such projects are dedicated to problem areas where economic effectiveness is not easy to achieve. As with many environmental protection projects in rural areas, normal loans, even with reduced interest rates, provide insufficient incentive, because an individual farmer receives limited benefits.