The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one of the European Union’s most important tools for steering the agricultural sector toward objectives of economic, social and environmental sustainability. The CAP can be defined as a set of policies and measures adopted by the European Union to support agriculture and rural areas: its main purpose is to ensure that farmers can produce food in a sustainable way, providing economic support to improve the quality of life in the countryside, protect the environment and promote development.
In practice, the CAP provides practical help to farmers through subsidies (financial aid) and incentives so that they can deal with challenges related to agricultural production, such as international competition, climate change and price competitiveness.
The CAP is required to improve the quality of agricultural production and encourage sustainable practices: in this context, crop rotation and the role of legume crops are key elements, explicitly promoted through regulatory mechanisms and economic incentives provided in EU regulations.
The CAP: regulatory framework and eco-schemes.
With the reform of the CAP for the period 2023-2027, the European Union introduced major regulatory innovations, including a requirement for member states to include measures that promote environmental sustainability in their National Strategic Plans. Eco-schemes, provided for in Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 on CAP strategic plans, are key tools for encouraging sustainable farming practices. They are a series of measures that farmers can choose to adopt in exchange for financial support from the European Union and can cover a variety of actions. Among them, crop rotation is identified as one of the practices necessary for maintaining soil fertility and reducing the environmental impact of agricultural activities.
Member states, according to Article 31 of the regulation, are required to implement measures that promote environmentally friendly farming systems, such as the adoption of legume crops, which offer a dual benefit: they improve soil health and reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers.
Crop rotation in European legislation
Crop rotation is regulated within the CAP regulatory framework as an agronomic practice required to comply with environmental cross-compliance. Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 stipulates that farmers must comply with a number of mandatory practices in order to access direct payments, including diversification and crop rotation, as set out in the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards. Specifically, GAEC standard 7 stipulates :
- Crop diversification: Farmers must grow at least three different species on plots larger than 10 hectares.
- Mandatory Rotation: Annual crop rotation is required to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce erosion and curb the use of chemical inputs.
Legumes and CAP: regulatory incentives and benefits
Legume crops are explicitly promoted in CAP regulations as environmentally and climate beneficial crops. These plants serve a crucial function through their ability to fixatmospheric nitrogen, thus reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. This is recognized in European regulations, which, through eco-schemes, offer economic incentives for the introduction of legumes in crop rotations.
According to Article 31 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, eco-scheme payments can be made for practices such as:
- The increase in area under leguminous crops.
- The cultivation of intercropping or cover legumes, which contribute to soil protection.
- The adoption of integrated agroecological systems that include a significant share of legumes.
These incentives vary according to the area under cultivation and available resources and aim to ensure an ecological transition of agriculture, reducing the use of chemical inputs and increasing the resilience of agricultural systems.
Integration of legumes into agricultural systems: legal opportunities
Legume crops, such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas, are eligible for additional support under the CAP. In addition to eco-schemes, leguminous crops are covered by agro-climatic-environmental measures under Rural Development Programs (RDPs ), as stipulated in Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. These measures include:
- Compensatory payments: For farmers who adopt sustainable practices, such as rotation with legumes.
- Biodiversity contributions: Legumes support increased biodiversity, a key objective of the EUFarm to Fork strategy.
- Support for protein crops: Through specific incentives for the production of pulses for food and feed, reducing dependence on soybean imports.
Future prospects and obligations of member states
In the context of global environmental challenges, such as climate change and food security, the CAP requires member states to pursue sustainability goals through concrete regulatory instruments. The adoption of legumes and mandatory crop rotation are central elements in National Strategic Plans, which must be in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy to 2030.
Member states are required to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures taken, with particular attention to the environmental and socioeconomic impact of the agricultural practices being financed. The European Commission is also responsible for verifying that the measures in the Strategic Plans meet regulatory requirements and contribute to the Union’s climate and ecological objectives
Conclusions
The CAP, through a strong regulatory framework and targeted incentives, promotes the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices such as crop rotation and the use of legumes. These practices not only meet legislative obligations but also provide farmers with concrete tools to improve soil fertility, reduce production costs and contribute to the ecological transition.
Going forward, the success of the CAP will depend on the ability of member states to effectively integrate these measures into their Strategic Plans, ensuring that European agriculture becomes increasingly resilient and sustainable. In this sense, legumes represent not only an opportunity, but a central element in combining innovation, compliance and environmental protection.
