DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR THE MITIGATION OF NITROGEN POLLUTION AT FARM AND REGIONAL SCALE

Intensive agriculture and concentration of livestock activities represent critical factors in the environment, particularly in Lombardia region where nitrate vulnerable zones constitute 62% of Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA). In addition, the aquifer Po valley aquifer is one of the largest in Europe, for which it is estimated that over two-thirds of the nitrogen that reaches the surface and the subsoil is of agricultural origin. The problem of reduction of nitrogen losses into the environment, as leaching of nitrates into groundwater and ammonia emissions into atmosphere, can be only addressed through a critical and scientific analysis of manure entire production chain. As a consequence, the opportunity to develop software tools to analyze the current situation and the effects of possible scenarios arising from different regional policies relating to the release of nitrogen from agricultural sources. A decision support system (DSS) has been developed, to run simulation both at farm and territorial scale. The farm simulator is aimed at farmers and allows to analyze the management and technological alternatives available for the entire supply chain from animal feed to the distribution in the field for maximum utilization of the livestock waste. It is a free software downloaded from the website of the Lombardia Region, which collects the data of the structure and management of farm in the regional database; the speed of execution and the interface easily understandable make it "user friendly". The territorial simulator, available to regional authorities, works on a regional scale it is completely resident on the web and allows the evaluation of the impact of any regulatory measures and incentives simulated from the agronomic, environmental and economic point of view. Below, has been analyzed the regional database and have been drawn up reference tables, were also collected, reviewed and made consistent models already existing and validated for the various phases of manure production. Were then assessed and defined the agronomic, plant and economic alternatives. The basic unit of simulation is made by the single cadastral parcel; in case of a territorial scale simulation model is applied to all the parcels of the sample selected. The DSS provides data both in detail and in the form of synthetic indicators. In the first months of activity the DSS at farm scale, introduced in November 2011, has been used by 200 users of which around 65% are professional agronomists and farmers of large companies; therefore it represents an important opportunity for the Lombardia agriculture to combine environmental protection with economic and technical sustainability.