Land reclamation by farmers – Grant application

When an application is approved, cooperation between the landowner and Land and Forest Iceland begins. The fertiliser quantity is determined and the grant amount allocated accordingly. When the operations of the year are completed and all information has been received by Land and Forest Iceland, the grant is paid out.

Regional representatives provide guidance on methods and audits of the progress of projects, either through telephone calls or through visits, but the goal is to visit participants and inspect settlement areas every two years. By participating in the project, the parties concerned agree to take time to receive regional representatives and provide them with the information requested.

Grant recipients are required to submit Geographic data (GPS) to Land and Forest Iceland detailing the year's operations upon completion, or alternatively, provide detailed operational drawings via the BGL web viewer. Furthermore, meticulous records must be maintained and reported regarding fertiliser application, including type, quantity distributed, and distributor width. This requirement extends to all organic fertilisers, encompassing type and quantity.

The amount of the grant is based on the plan of fertiliser quantity each year for the participant. The price of the refund changes each year based on the market price of fertiliser and the LOGS rates.

The Farmer Land Reclamation program provides the following support:

• Subsidized synthetic fertiliser purchases (percentage of price per ton).

• Organic matter distribution (per hectare) including livestock manure, compost, and bone meal.

• Pre-approved subsidies for other organic materials (contact your district representative).

• The program also offers hayroll distribution (by quantity), birch seedlings, and lyme grass/festuca seeds (as needed).

Guidelines for fertiliser distribution

It is recommended to apply the product as soon as possible in the spring to ensure better efficiency of the fertilisers during the growing season and therefore better results in the replanting process.

The criteria for the distribution of fertilisers is 200/kg per hectare of dual-value fertilisers (nitrogen and phosphorus).

Maintain uniform hay distribution from hayrolls, targeting a depth of five to ten centimeters.

The criteria for the distribution of organic fertilisers are as follows:

• Project participation is annually renewed, automatically terminating after two consecutive years of inactivity.

• Regional representatives are to conduct on-site visits at least triennially; otherwise, a telephone audit will ascertain annual activity. Each audit will determine the participant's fertiliser request for the subsequent year.

• The refund price, adjusted annually based on market and LOGS price list values, will consequently vary yearly depending on the Land Reclamation by Farmers project budget and demand.

• Grant disbursement is performance-based, capped at the spring allocation amount.

• Since 2020, GPS-recorded geographic coordinates are mandatory for all participant actions. Land and Forest Iceland manages data submission for Iceland's climate accounts, requiring map-based coordination for all carbon sequestration activities.

• Participating farmers qualify for birch seedling procurement, contingent upon specific criteria. These include a minimum land area of 0.5 hectares, grazing protection measures (maintaining protection until the birch reaches a height exceeding grazing animal reach—two meters for sheep and three meters for horses), and provision of geographic coordinates for all plantings, consistent with other land reclamation projects.

• Grant recipients who do not plan to participate in the project must promptly notify Land and Forest Iceland upon reaching that decision.

• Ordering and paying for fertilisers.

• Arranging fertiliser transport.

• Distributing fertilisers to designated project areas.

• Recording fertiliser distribution quantities (including organic fertilisers)

• Geographically mapping (via GPS) completed operations or alternatively documenting locations on a designated webpage.

• Submitting post-operation confirmation to Land and Forest Iceland, including geographical coordinates, fertiliser application rates and types, and lateral distribution pattern dimensions.

• Accommodating visits or calls from regional advisors and providing any necessary additional information.

• Grant allocation.

• Participant consultation.

• Seed provision as needed (lyme grass and festuca seeds available)

• Grant disbursement is contingent upon participant confirmation of project implementation via geographical location data (GPS/KML tracking/map viewer) and submission of annual activity reports.

• Project progress monitoring.