GAEC cross-compliance standard Vegetation buffer on water courses: possible methods of detection by Remote Sensing products and existing data

The Agency for Agricultural Payments National Payment Agency (AGEA) in Italy, in order to manage and control EU farmer subsidies in Agriculture, is supported by SIN, an owned public/private company, aiming at facing technical solutions and innovation developments. Since 2005 SIN-AGEA have been testing and performing innovation tools and methods, especially in CAP cross compliance application. A vegetation buffer strip is requested, flanking pre-defined water streams, by Reg. EC 73/2009, CAP cross compliance policies, with pertinence from 2012. Due to the existing collaboration agreement JRC-AGEA-SIN, and the Rete Rurale Nazionale, tests and feasibility have been started to: - improve the knowledge of cross compliance; - identify feasible farmer obligations and clear rules of behaviour; - develop updated controls methods; - integrate available territorial information, creating awareness and user connection The paper faces criteria definition for water streams identification, application areas, different risk zones, buffer width, efficiency indicators, through: existing data, new Remote Sensing (RS) products and GIS tools for watersheds characterization. A shared decision, both for methodology and homogeneous farmer commitments at national/EU level, using validated layers/data set, at contained costs, is the main target.