Adoption Of BMPs Research Articles

Submergence-tolerant rice varieties and mechanical transplanting for intensification of rice-rice cropping systems in Assam

Variable climate resulting in floods, and labor-intensive manual rice transplanting are the major challenges in rice cultivation in Assam, India. Our study aimed to improve rice-rice systems productivity through submergence-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) and mechanical puddled transplanted rice (MTR). On-farm experiments were conducted in four rice seasons over two years (2018-19 and 2019-20) in 15 districts where rice-rice is the dominant cropping system. We evaluated best management practices (BMPs- a combination of STRVs and MTR) against farmers practice (FP-local popular varieties and manual puddled transplanted rice (PTR)). The study also carried out mixed model to assess the unequal distributions of treatments, 127 sites under BMPs and 392 sites under FP. Our results showed that BMPs increased rice grain yield by 25% (1.11–1.14 ​t ​ha−1) and net margin by 68–90% (290–320 USD ha−1) over FP across the seasons. The BMPs also had less variable cost by 59–67 USD ha−1 compared to FP. The adoption of BMPs in rice-rice system increased the system productivity by 2.25 ​t ​ha−1 and net margin by 610 USD ha−1. We conclude that rice-rice system productivity can be increased by adoption of BMPs in Assam. However, scaling of BMPs requires awareness and access to seeds of submergence-tolerant rice varieties and mechanical transplanters.

Status of Freshwater Aquaculture in Gujarat: A Trend Analysis and Potential

This study was undertaken during 2022 in the Regional Research Center of ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Anand, Gujarat, India to study the present status and potential in the development of freshwater aquaculture in the state of Gujarat. The present seed production (2608.37 million fry) and Inland fish production (0.158 MT) in Gujarat is forecasted to reach 3100 million fry and 0.22 MT in 2030; 4600 million fry and 3.14 MT in 2050, respectively. The Regional Research station of ICAR-CIFA had contributed significantly in promoting aquaculture by imparting skill training and providing technical backup to fish farmers. Authors argue that in order to further develop freshwater aquaculture value chain, concerted efforts are required to disseminate technology packages for fish breeding and seed rearing, semi-intensive culture practices, diversified fish farming, scientific management (fish feed and nutrition, water quality and fish health), ornamental fish farming, pearl production and cluster-based fish farming. However, successful implementation of suggested points will be depending on the sustainable adaptive capacity of the freshwater aquaculture producers, entrepreneurs, strategies and planning of policy makers and line departments of various state departments, input dealers and buyers in the state of Gujarat. Hence, they need to be supported in terms of skill, policy and market towards establishing a vibrant fish value chain. Therefore, adoption of BMPs, nurturing entrepreneurs, aggregating farmers and strengthening extension services are recommended.

The adoption of wildlife practices through a payments-for-environmental-services (PES) agri-environment scheme

ABSTRACT We examined an agri-environment scheme employing payments for environmental services (PES) to promote conservation practices on working agricultural lands. Our goal was to identify key factors supporting (and impeding) participation and the adoption of ‘best management practices’ (BMPs), with a focus on wildlife practices. We used scheme-contract records and grower surveys to develop regression models analyzing each decision. Model predictors represented growers’ ability and their willingness to participate and adopt BMPs. Results showed that external rewards alone promoted participation as well as the adoption of production-oriented BMPs, but both external incentives and internal, non-economic motivations were critical for wildlife practices. These results affirm the view that PES-based incentives are necessary, but insufficient for wildlife-practice adoption. In addition, we add two wildlife-specific motivations to the conservation-adoption literature’s typology: a sense of responsibility among hunters to steward wildlife, and a desire to foster a positive societal perception of farming through wildlife stewardship.

Soil C Sequestration as a Biological Negative Emission Strategy

Soil carbon (C) sequestration in one of three main approaches to carbon dioxide removal and storage through management of terrestrial ecosystems. Soil C sequestration relies of the adoption of improved management practices that increase the amount of carbon stored as soil organic matter, primarily in cropland and grazing lands. These C sequestering practices act by increasing the rate of input of plant-derived residues to soils and/or by reducing the rates of turnover of organic C stocks already in the soil. In addition to carbon dioxide removal potential, increases in soil organic matter/soil C content are highly beneficial from the standpoint of soil health and soil fertility Practices to increase soil C stocks include well-known, proven techniques or “best management practices” (BMP) for building soil carbon. A second category includes what we refer to as frontier technologies for which significant technological and/or economic barriers exist today, but for which further R&D and/or economic incentives might offer the potential for greater sequestration over the longer term. We reviewed published estimates of global soil carbon sequestration potential, representing the biophysical potential for managed cropland and/or grassland systems to store additional carbon assuming widespread (near complete) adoption of BMPs. The majority of studies suggests that 4 to 5 GtCO2/y as an upper limit for global biophysical potential with near complete adoption of BMPs. In the longer-term, if frontier technologies are successfully deployed, the global estimate might grow to 8 GtCO2/y. There is a strong scientific basis for managing agricultural soils to act as a significant carbon (C) sink over the next several decades. A two-stage strategy, to first incentivize adoption of well developed, conventional soil C sequestering practices, while investing in R&D on new frontier technologies that could come on-line in the next 2-3 decades, could maximize benefits. Implementation of such policies will require robust, scientifically-sound measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to track that policy goals are being met and that claimed increases in soil C stocks are real.

Impact of the adoption of BMPs on social welfare: A case study of commercial floating feeds for pond culture of tilapia in Ghana

AbstractBest management practices (BMPs) are the most cost-effective means of mitigating negative impacts of pond aquaculture on the environment. The impacts of BMPs and other innovations on fish farm profits have been studied widely. This study estimates impacts of BMP adoption on social welfare. We employed the economic surplus model to determine net present value (NPV) of adopting the more expensive but less polluting commercial floating fish feed in the pond culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Ghana. We also conducted a sensitivity analysis to determine which variables had the greatest influence on mean NPV. Our results indicate an NPV of US$ 11 million from the adoption of commercial floating feed in pond farming alone in Ghana. The variables with the biggest impacts on NPV were level of change in tilapia yield, and level of change in production costs, with the adoption of the new feed type. We conclude that adoption of yield-enhancing BMPs and innovations in Ghana will result in signi...

Changes in soil quality indicators under oil palm plantations following application of ‘best management practices’ in a four-year field trial

Increasing the yield of existing oil palm plantations is one means of accommodating some of the growing demand for palm oil. The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has developed and tested a process to deploy a series of ‘best management practices’ (BMPs) that cover a range of agronomic practices intended to intensify oil palm production and improve yield at a given site using cost-effective, practical methods. Many of these BMPs include techniques that should also improve soil quality, such as the addition of organic matter to the soil surface, and improved timing and tailored application of mineral and organic fertilisers. Six plantations in Kalimantan and Sumatra applied BMPs prescribed by IPNI (BMP treatment), and standard management practices (REF treatment) in paired blocks of oil palm over four years; 30 pairs of blocks were included in the research. Soils were sampled in both treatments before and after the field trial, from beneath weeded circles surrounding individual palms and beneath frond piles in between rows of palms, at 0–20cm depth and 20–40cm depth. Soils were tested for a range of properties, including soil pH, % soil organic carbon (% SOC), total N, available P, and exchangeable cations. No clear, consistent differences were found in the degree of change in soil properties between BMP and REF treatments over four years. However, improvements in some soil properties were noted for both treatments, particularly for soil pH and % SOC. There was no significant deterioration in the measured soil properties over the four years. The results suggest that appropriate management practices for oil palm can improve several aspects of soil quality. Further research on the mechanisms by which BMPs can improve soil quality, and monitoring over longer periods of time is recommended to give plantation managers a clearer picture of the potential ‘co-benefits’ that can be obtained with adoption of BMPs designed to increase oil palm yield.

Collaborative watershed partnerships in urban and rural areas: Different pathways to success?

This study addresses the impact of biophysical characteristics, institutional rules-in-use, and community attributes on the actors and actions of 2 collaborative watershed partnerships with different land use patterns: one in an urban environment, and the other rural. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework is employed to investigate the institutional performance of each partnership by evaluating the transaction costs and environmental, social, and policy outputs of the two different groups. Results suggest that the nature of environmental problems in the two watersheds, combined with unique cultural attributes, and varying institutional frameworks, lead to different partnership goals, processes, and outputs. In the urban setting, watershed practitioners have taken advantage of the “thick” institutional framework to establish stormwater institutions, remediate impairments, and strengthen local policies. In the rural watershed, partnership members have sought to combat threats associated with land conversion and incompatible development with comprehensive planning and by building relationships with landowners in an attempt to encourage the adoption of conservation easements and BMPs. Thus, different sets of variables are critical for success across the two types of settings.

Motivations, risk perceptions and adoption of conservation practices by farmers

Society’s expectations of farmers in relation to their environmental performance are ever increasing, in general terms and in response to regional challenges. One tool for achieving environmental improvements in agriculture is the design and promotion of region-specific ‘best management practices’ (BMPs). BMPs are conservation practices aimed at reducing diffuse source pollution from agricultural lands and thus improving end-of-catchment water quality. A suite of grazing BMPs was developed for the Burdekin River catchment in Australia, which drains into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. BMPs were developed in a consultative fashion but without explicit consideration of key factors that influence adoption, in particular farmers’ goals and risk perceptions. This paper utilises the data from a survey of 94 graziers in the Burdekin River catchment to explore whether and to what extent motivations and risk perceptions influence the adoption of BMPs. The results demonstrate clear correlations between both motivations, and risk attitudes, and the adoption of BMPs. In particular, strong conservation and lifestyle motivation translates into intrinsic motivation for adoption of conservation practices, while option values prevent strongly economically/financially motivated farmers from adopting in the absence of external incentives. We conclude that a sound understanding of farmers’ motivations and risk attitudes is required—in a regional, industry and environmental context—to tailor public investments aimed at providing relevant improvements in the environmental performance of agriculture.

The role of stakeholders' perceptions in addressing water quality disputes in an embattled watershed

Summary and Conclusion A preliminary review of the collected data suggests that, opinions vary widely between the two stakeholder groups regarding the quality of the water and the sources of water pollution within the watershed. Non-agricultural stakeholders were not very satisfied with the quality of the water bodies in the watershed and most often pointed to agriculture as a large contributor to water quality issues in the watershed. Very few agricultural producers felt that way. In general agricultural stakeholders felt the quality of the water in the watershed was good and acceptable for many uses; if problems do exist in the watershed, new construction, industry and others were to blame. While these results are expected, survey data also provide insights regarding best management practice adoption and stakeholders perceptions of their effectiveness that were heretofore unsubstantiated. Collecting information regarding water quality perceptions from different watershed stakeholders and BMP use is also critical for modeling and predicting water quality more accurately. Involving all types of watershed stakeholders from the planning stage to the implementation stage is important to promote cooperation among stakeholders, policy makers and regulators. In addition, it helps researchers to understand the adoption of certain BMPs as well as to understand the challenges and limitations faced by different groups. It is hoped that these results help identify the research educational needs within the watershed that will help guide the development of a water quality management plan that is acceptable to different types of stakeholders within the Lincoln Lake Watershed and that the methods and tools developed here can be applied across the nation where effective water quality management is a challenge in embattled watersheds impacted by excess application of animal manure.

Managing nitrogen on the farm: the devil is in the detail

AbstractAgricultural activity is a major source of nitrate in surface and ground waters. There has been a large research effort over the last 20 years to understand nitrate leaching processes and to develop ‘best management practices’ (BMPs) that can be adopted in farming systems to reduce losses to the wider environment. This paper reviews some of the issues relating to the development, use and adoption of these BMPs in farming systems. There is significant evidence from farming systems experiments and modelling studies that combinations of BMPs can decrease nitrate losses from agricultural land, though nothing is foolproof (the weather plays a key role in determining success). The challenges are greater in some regions (dry climate, ‘leaky’ soils) and in some enterprises (intensive animal farming systems). The adoption of BMPs on farms requires attention to detail and a high level of management skill, so providing advisory support to farmers is essential. Even with the progress that has been made in recent years, there is still work to do. This includes encouraging uptake on farms and dealing with potential conflicts between BMPs when they create ‘pollution swapping’ or where there is potential for a large economic penalty for the farmer. We also suggest that there is a need for more innovation in developing BMPs and a need to recognise that, in some situations, radical changes to farming systems may be the only solution. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry

Testing the Empirical Relationship between Best Management Practice Adoption and Farm Profitability

Several “best management practices” (BMPs) aimed at reducing movement of nutrients, pesticides, and sediment into surface water resources have been developed and promoted by Extension and other agencies over the past several years. This study utilizes actual farm-level economic and BMP adoption data to rigorously analyze the relationship between BMP use and farm profitability. Results indicate that adoption of nutrient BMPs has a significant positive effect on net farm income (NFI) for wheat and corn, while herbicide BMP adoption, particularly use of BMPs related to the application of atrazine on corn, has a small (but statistically significant) negative impact on income. Adoption of soil conservation BMPs is not shown to have a statistically significant impact on farm income.

The economics of the adoption of BMPs: the case of mariculture water management

How shrimp mariculture interacts with the natural environment is a topic receiving growing attention from industry members and environmental organizations. The farms’ use of water, and subsequent discharge problems, represent important inter- and intra-industry externalities. The non-point source nature of the pollution problem suggests direct effluent regulation is unfeasible, and voluntary adoption of best management practices is the current approach favored by the industry and international organizations. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of one such management practice, reduced water exchange. Significant reductions in pond pumping diesel costs, alongside possible reductions in pond productivity and shrimp size, are expected from this technique. Social benefits could follow from the reduction of nitrogen and other effluent loadings. But adoption problems are expected due to the current inability to value longer-term private and social benefits of the practice and the risk-creating nature of the technique. Voluntary compliance with sustainable practices could be enhanced by complementary policy tools and a role of governments in coastal zone management.

Complementary instruments to EEC nitrogen policy in non-sensitive areas: A case study in Southern Spain

Current EC nitrogen legislation stipulates for the non-sensitive areas a preventive approach via the development of ‘best management practices’ (BMPs) within a context of voluntary implementation. Under existing technologies, the adoption of BMPs leads to economic losses. A crop simulation model (NTRM) and a mathematical mixed multi-objective programming model (NISE) are used to assess the effects of nitrogen price increase and drainage water reduction in inducing adoption of BMPs. The model shows that increasing nitrogen price cannot be used to stimulate farmers to adopt BMPs. On the other hand, imposing a tax on drainage water could lead to a reduction of up to 37% on the quantity of nitrogen leached with a decreased of only 1·5% in gross margin. However, above this level, drainage water is no longer a useful instrument to reduce and control nitrogen losses, and could lead to inefficient solutions in terms of gross margin and nitrates pollution.