Sustainable nutrient management is critical for maintaining soil fertility, improving agricultural productivity and mitigating environmental impacts. This study evaluated the impact of Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) on soil pH, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) dynamics over a 12‐year period across four meso‐scale agricultural catchments. Using a spatially defined field‐scale sampling approach, trends in studied chemical soil parameters were assessed in response to changing agricultural practices and policy interventions. Results indicate a notable increase in optimal soil pH levels (21%), likely as a result of recent targeted advisory efforts. While overall median soil test P (STP) levels decreased by 0.5 mg/L, variability among catchments was evident, with one catchment showing a significant increase due to intensive poultry manure applications. Additionally, the proportion of P Index 1 soils increased by 9%, suggesting uneven P distribution and highlighting challenges in on‐farm nutrient management. Median soil test K (STK) increased by 17.6 mg/L, with notable gains in tillage and dairy enterprises, indicating shifts in nutrient application strategies. The study also identifies critical source areas (CSAs) of P losses, which decreased by 2%, aligning with NAP objectives. However, nearly 80% of soils remain of suboptimal fertility, particularly for P and pH, underscoring the need for targeted advisory efforts, improved nutrient planning and region‐specific management strategies. Findings provide key insights into how regulatory measures influence soil nutrient trends, informing future policies for sustainable nutrient management and environmental protection in Irish agriculture.

Meeting sustainable food production challenges requires efficient ways to manage nutrients and mitigate the losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to water. Future nutrient management therefore requires a clearer understanding of the relative influence of soils, geology, farm practice, landscape and weather on the propensity for nutrients to be lost to water. Within the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP), environmental, agronomic and socioeconomic data have been gathered since 2009, using the same experimental methodology in five meso-scale river catchments, and one karst spring zone, covering a range of soils, landscapes and farming systems. The ACP has contributed to a better understanding of nutrient mobilisation and transfer pathways and highlighted the influence of the physical and chemical environment as well as agricultural and meteorological drivers on diffuse nutrient loss to ground and surface waters. The environmental quality standards were breached for N and/or P in some of the catchments, but for different reasons and not always clearly linked to the source pressures within the catchment. There are clearly no one-size-fits-all solutions for mitigation of nutrient losses to water. A better understanding of the underlying processes is required to identify critical source areas, to select mitigation strategies, when to implement them and to build realistic expectations of their impact. Sustainability in an agricultural setting is not confined to environmental issues, but also includes social, economic and innovative aspects. To maximise farmers’ uptake of environmental measures, the actions should encompass all these aspects of sustainability. Integrated knowledge transfer is key.

This study analyzes farm households’ adaptation in a broad livelihood context, showing how both household internal dynamics and broader external factors, such as agro-ecological, climatic, and institutional economic and political frame conditions, influence both the perception of and adaptation to climate variations and change. Nearly a third of the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) are engaged in agriculture as one livelihood strategy to cope with the multiple shocks experienced over the past three decades, resulting in economic decline and loss of income opportunities. Based on a household survey, we analyzed the livelihoods of households in three agricultural regions in BH: how they are affected by climate change, their perceptions of climatic change, as well as various household adaptation strategies. The results were discussed in the context of the sustainable livelihoods approach. Our results indicate that rural households are relatively asset poor and highly dependent on agriculture, irrespective of geographical location or wealth. Their access to assets is further constrained by the ongoing changes in economic and political structures and processes. Negative effects of climate change were reported in terms of yield decline and reduced quality of products. On a positive note, the level of adoption of different agricultural practices and technologies indicates signs of an overall intensification strategy of agricultural production in BH, as well as adaptation to the perceived changes in climate and climate variability using the available asset base.