ABSTRACT
Largest areas of farmed organic soils in Europe are found in Russia (70,400 km2), Germany (12,000 km2), Belarus (9631 km2), Poland (7620 km2), and the Ukraine (5000 km2). In comparison, cultivated organic soils in United States and Canada cover 3080 km2 altogether. In Europe, the agricultural use of organic soils takes 14% of total peatland area. Climatic factors limiting agricultural production on organic soils, a food production surplus and a serious environmental crisis led to European Union Directive No. 2078/92 intended to exclude large areas of peatlands 188from agricultural production. In most European countries, arable land use is advised only for shallow (< 1.0 m) or very shallow (< 0.5 m) peat deposits, or sand cover peat cultivation. Organic soil subsidence, a key factor in soil conservation, is primarily related to groundwater level. Depending on climatic conditions, intensity of drainage, peat type and land management, the annual loss of elevation is in the range of 0.3–1.0 cm yr−1 for grassland, and 1.0–5.0 cm yr−1 for arable land. Grassland is given priority in Europe due to shallower drainage, protection against frost, as well as reduced peat mineralization, CO2 and NOx emissions, and nitrate leaching.
