Controlled Traffic Farming - from research to adoption in northern Europe and its future prospects

Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is based on a machinery management system that confines all field vehicles to the least possible area of permanent traffic lanes. It has developed in response to research evidence of widespread soil damage from compaction due to field traffic. The history of research on soil compaction is explored and found to be a relatively new phenomenon; even in the 1960s research concentrated on civil engineering projects aimed at maximising compaction while that related to agriculture did not start to increase until the late 1970s and has yet to plateau. Controlled traffic farming as a topic for research did not appear until the 1980s although its principles and benefits were well established before then. These benefits were reinforced during the 1980s when some of the key studies were done. Research expanded over the next decades but changed subtly to more reviews on the topic as well as emphasis on environmental deliverables and some economics studies. Few if any researchers attempted to develop on-farm systems using existing machinery until the mid 1990s when a small and dedicated team in Australia encouraged farmers to experiment. After a slow start, this led to rapid expansion across the continent to its present day approximate 13% of the cropped area. Despite changes to extension services in northern Europe at around the turn of the century and a move to subsidiarity, this did not alter the model of CTF adoption which mirrored the Australian experience. This followed a similar pattern to that in Australia involving individuals rather than organisations. Although CTF is well established in some countries in northern Europe, its future is far from assured with little over 50,000 ha known to be in this method of production. Legislation or incentives on environmental grounds could change this situation dramatically. A plea is made for more farmer and researcher partnerships that improve the quality and effectiveness of research and assist with its more efficient uptake. The future of CTF is explored and uncovers major potential in wide span machinery systems. These could move food production efficiency to a new level as well as delivering unprecedented benefits to the environment.

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