From environmental audit to farm management
2004
Grosse Beilage, J.(Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV), Grossenkneten (Germany). Biohof Bakenhus) | Spindler, E.A.
The purpose of management systems in agriculture is not to produce documents, but to im-prove agricultural practices. This applies both to quality management systems and to environ-mental management systems. Separate manuals on quality assurance, environmental protection and safety at work are of little use to the farmer. A combined and/or integrated management system actively used in the business is much more effective. In agriculture, it is particularly important to consider interactions between environmental effects and quality assurance. In the present study, the EMAS environmental management system introduced throughout Europe has been adapted to agri-cultural purposes. This adapted version (called the _agro-ecological audit_) can serve as a highly suitable integrated management system for agriculture. A practical example of the documentation and data-flow concept shows the structures and processes to be incorporated into integrated operating management. Furthermore, the example shows that manual data acquisition creates little paperwork in proportion to the printed docu-ments already necessary for bookkeeping. Paper data flow and electronic data processing are more a question of data organization than a problem of data quantity. A standardized management system like EMAS with its regulatory cycle is able to safeguard and optimize informational requirements both in the office and in the practical running of the farm.
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Este registro bibliográfico ha sido proporcionado por Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station