G-tech supports a Common Agriculture Policy in Europe

Since its creation in the late 1950’s, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has shaped the European agriculture. In tandem, the CAP has evolved through a series of reforms in order to adapt to the changing needs of both agriculture and society as a whole. Today, rural areas still cover 90% of the EU territory, of which more than half is farmed. Also, the CAP is one of the most significant policy instruments in financial terms. In order to ensure that these funds are spent appropriately, Member State Authorities and the Commission services have to establish and apply appropriate management and control mechanisms. During the past decade, CAP legislative requirements have evolved towards geo-referenced, on-line, information that is supported by up-to-date nationwide image datasets, and consolidated in the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). This evolution has been facilitated and pushed by technical innovations in geospatial and geomatics domains. To date, the control with remote sensing (CwRS), Digital Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), and parcel area measurement using GNSS devices are the keystones of the efficient administration and control of CAP subsidies. Tomorrow, new information and tools will continuously be required for the increasing range of CAP concerned areas (cross compliance, ‘greening’ …), including non-food crops for bio-chemistry and bio-energy. So, the presentation will show the essential role of Geospatial information and technology for the CAP implementation and some challenges for tomorrow.JRC.H.4-Monitoring Agricultural Resource