Balticsea 2020

Eutrophication: Increased possibilities of fundings for structure liming

Eutrophication is a major problem in the Baltic Sea. Leakage of nutrients from agricultures is one of the major contributing factors to the problem. In order to reduce eutrophication the government endorses more farmers to structure liming their fields.

Clay soils tend to become compact and impermeable allowing clay particles to run off and take phosphorus with them to nearby lakes and the sea, which contributes to eutrophication. With the help of structure liming, a method where lime is mixed into arable land, the clay becomes porous. The porous soil allows roots to grow more easily and the water is able to penetrate and remain in the ground. The result is a lower phosphorous leakage from the soil and the crops can absorb more phosphorous and thus grow better.

From 2015, individual farmers in Sweden can seek funding for structure liming from The Rural Development Programme. This is a decision at national level, but local variations may apply.
Read the entire article here (only in Swedish).

Within BalticSea2020’s project Living Coast, structure liming has been conducted in the fields at Säby farm on Ingarö in order to reduce phosphorus leakage. Structure liming is also combined with other measures to further lower the leakage of nutrients from the fields. Read more about the structure liming at Säby farm and other nutrient reduction measures here.