(Full Write-Up on WaterWiki)     

Agriculture is a major source of pollution in the Danube River. Farms inadvertently release hundreds of toxic chemicals into its basin daily, posing serious threats to the environment. And few are aware that nutrient pollution from agriculture- for example, from nitrogen - can also be a major problem. Nitrogen is the most important mineral nutrient for plants, playing a crucial role in plant growth and photosynthesis. But in soluble form nitrogen becomes ‘nitrate' which easily travels from soil to water. In excessive amounts it becomes a major source of pollution.

One goal of the Danube Regional Project, financed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNDP, is to cut the amount of farm pollution that ends up in the Danube. A sub-project dealing with agriculture commenced in October 2002. First it analyzed agricultural policies in the following Danube countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. A listing of pesticides and fertilizers used in these countries, and an assessment of their uses, was prepared. The implementation of 15 ‘Best Agricultural Practices' (BAPs) ­- which are recognized procedures for reducing farm pollution - began in early 2006 on eight pilot farms in the Vojvodina region of northern Serbia.

Fishing

Best practices include constructing facilities to store manure to prevent it from seeping into the soil and infiltrating water bodies. That is expensive, particularly for small farmers. But other measures are cheaper, such as learning how to wash livestock without creating excessive amounts of runoff, feeding livestock rations with the correct nutrient balances, and reducing the frequency that farmers clean out animal stables with water.

The project has already achieved results. The amount of nitrogen applied to land around the pilot farms was reduced by 14 tons, and the quantity of phosphorous by 2 tons. Now trainings in how to employ the techniques are being organized 

Cows cooling themselves and drinking

in the Danube countries, with the participation of farmers, local authorities, teachers and students of agricultural schools, journalists, and non-governmental organizations. The project was featured on Serbian television and radio, and articles in several agricultural magazines have been published.

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