The MARS STAT Action is part of the Agriculture and fisheries Unit of the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizens of the Directorate General Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
The mission of the Agriculture and Fisheries Unit is to provide scientific and technical support to other Directorate Generals of the EC and to Member States: in the management and control of direct aids to farmers, in the timely forecasts of the major European crops production (MARS STAT mission), in issuing food security adequate warnings for world-wide regions at risk, in the control and management of the fisheries policy.

This CDROM focuses on one of the elements of the EC Agro-meteorological system, the crop knowledge base of the MARS CROP YIELD FORECASTING SYSTEM (level 2).
Specifically dedicated to PASTURES systems in Europe, it is based on the final report of the PASK project (Pasture Knowledge Base), a study-contract carried out in 2003 by Progress Consulting S.r.l. (It) on technical specifications of JRC.

The CDROM contains a monograph on pasture systems in use in Europe, descriptions at national level and of the main varieties in use, mainly basing on a collection of existing information.
It is divided into three main parts:

• Overview of pasture resources and forage production systems at European level;
• Main species description;
• Review of main agro-meteorological models for grassland biomass estimation.

All the gathered data are structured in a database which is available in JRC (contact [email protected]).