German agri-environmental schemes — II. The MEKA programme in baden-württemberg

The MEKA programme in Baden-Württemberg is one of Germanyʹs most recent agri-environmental schemes. Prescriptions of the MEKA programme are briefly described and compared with other agri-environmental schemes in the EU. Participation of farmers in Baden-Württemberg is analysed, and a more detailed case study of the MEKA programme from the district of Heidenheim, eastern Baden-Württemberg, is presented. Overall, participation rates have been high and farmers have welcomed the scheme. The district of Heidenheim appears to be particularly suited to the scheme, as it already lies within a water protection zone enforcing stringent environmental regulations. Consequently, landholders joining MEKA do not have to change farm management practices to a large extent. Many financially marginal farms are currently only surviving because of regular payments provided through programmes such as MEKA. However, the voluntary nature of MEKA means that success still depends on the goodwill of farmers. A more important weakness of MEKA is that it only aims at maintaining the status quo with regard to conserving the countryside, and that it does not offer enough practical incentives for the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. It can, however, be argued that MEKA could provide a blueprint for future agri-environmental schemes in the EU, particularly because of its specific targeting policy which allows almost every landholder to participate.