JRC-Farming-Practices data collection – An evidence library of the effects of Farming Practices on the environment and the climate

The JRC-FP data collection is a comprehensive library on the effects of a large range of farming practices (such as agronomic practices, cropping and livestock systems, land management options and mitigation techniques) on several sustainability outcomes including climate mitigation, soil health, environmental pollution, water use, nutrients cycling, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. The data collection includes different datasets, reporting assessments on the effect of specific farming practices versus comparative benchmark practices, on specific outcome metrics. The JRC-FP data collection is based on the scientific evidence available in published meta-analyses. As each meta-analysis synthesize a number of individual primary studies, the assessment of impacts relies on a large number of results. The type of evidence is most often empirical (obtained from farm-, field-, plot-scale experiments, and sometimes from lab experiments), or in some cases the result of model simulations (e.g. Life-cycle analyses, etc.).

Through systematic screening, around 600 MAs published since 2000 were selected and categorized according to the type of FP. We assessed their impacts, the geographic regions covered, and their quality. The data collection includes >5,600 effects and their statistical significance associated with alternative farming practices (intervention) compared to a control (typically more conventional agricultural practices) across over 300 different intervention-control pairs. Sustainability outcomes are quantified through impacts related, among others, to climate, air, water and soil quality, anti-microbial resistance, energy use, biodiversity, and crop productivity, measured using over 150 unique metrics.