Alternative Agricultural Practices Research Articles

Family nutrition program assistants' perception of farmers' markets, alternative agricultural practices, and diet quality.

To explore Family Nutrition Program assistants' perception of farmers' markets and alternative agricultural practices for themselves and their clients. Cross-section design, survey of Virginia Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (NEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education Family Nutrition Program assistants (n = 52) working with limited-resource populations. Twenty-one percent to 55% of FNP assistants valued alternative agricultural practices, and only 5% to 8% of FNP assistants perceived that their clients did so. Benefits to shopping at farmers' markets included supporting local economies, and food price, quality, and safety. Barriers included lack of transportation, location/convenience, hours, and food prices. Assistants rated the benefits to shopping at farmers' markets similarly for themselves and their clients, but rated many of the barriers to shopping at farmers' markets as significantly lower (P < .05) for themselves than for their clients. Future assistant trainings should address the connection between agriculture and health, and how to overcome barriers to shopping at farmers' markets for their clients.

Endogeic earthworms modify soil phosphorus, plant growth and interactions in a legume–cereal intercrop

Background and aims Intercropping of legumes and cereals appears as an alternative agricultural practice to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers while maintaining high yields. A better understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors determining interactions between plants in such associations is required. Our study aimed to analyse the effect of earthworms on the legume–cereal interactions with a focus on the modifications induced by earthworms on the forms of soil phosphorus (P).

Effects of cropping systems, maize residues application and N fertilization on promiscuous soybean yields and diversity of native rhizobia in Central Kenya

Abstract Agriculture intensification has resulted in severe soil nutrient depletion in Africa. Alternative agricultural practices have been promoted to reduce the use of expensive mineral fertilizers and to restore and sustain soil fertility. The use of mineral fertilizer combined with organic inputs (such as crop residues) and different cropping systems (cereal–legume association or rotation) have been particularly promising. Impacts of these agricultural practices on soil communities have been widely studied, yet little is known on the effect on more specific groups such as rhizobia. A field trial was set up in Chuka (Kenya) to assess the impact of different cropping systems (maize and soybean in intercropping, rotation or monocropping) combined with N fertilization and residues application on the genetic diversity of promiscuous soybean rhizobia during two seasons. Soybean yields were severely reduced by moisture stress and the association with maize compared to mono-legume and rotation systems. Nodulation was generally low but was positively affected by residues application. Diversity of native rhizobia was very low (Shannon indices H′

Gandhi’s Agrarian Legacy

M.K. Gandhi’s social and environmental thought continues to shape the contemporary practices of Brahma Vidya Mandir, an intentional community in Paunar, Maharashtra. Since its founding in 1959, members have wrestled with the practical implications of translating Gandhian values such as self-sufficiency, non-violence, voluntary simplicity, and public service into specific practices of food production and consumption. Members of Brahma Vidya Mandir and associated farmers imagine and enact their responses to contemporary agrarian failures in religiously inflected language drawn from the Bhagavad-Gita, a central Hindu text, and they use this text as a guide to develop agricultural practices that they deem non-violent. Brahma Vidya Mandir’s existence and the counternarrative prompt our imaginings of what it means to enact alternative agricultural and social practices and help us envision new possibilities of adapting and applying these ideas to other social and geographic contexts.

Scale Effects of STATSGO and SSURGO on Flow and Water Quality Predictions

Soil information is one of the crucial inputs needed to assess the impacts of existing and alternative agricultural management practices on water quality. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of spatial scale at which soil databases are developed on water quality evaluations. In the United States, STATSGO (State Soils Geographic) and SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic) are the most commonly available soil databases. The purpose of this paper was to quantify the effect of scale by employing STATSGO (1:250,000) and SSURGO (1:24,000) soil databases in predicting and comparing flow, sediment, nitrate and phosphorus losses for High Island Creek. This watershed is predominately agricultural and located in south-central Minnesota. The ADAPT (Agricultural Drainage and Pesticide Transport), model was calibrated for flow, sediment, nitrate and phosphorus losses over two years (2001-2002) using STATSGO and SSURGO soil databases. Then the calibrated model was used to evaluate alternative tillage and fertilizer management practices such as adoption of conservation tillage, and rate, timing and method of N- and P-fertilizer applications. Statistical comparison of calibration results with observed data indicated excellent agreement for both soil databases (STATSGO with r2 of 0.95, 0.97, 0.77 and 0.92 and SSURGO with r2 of 0.90, 0.97, 0.82 and 0.99 for flow, sediment, nitrate and phosphorus losses, respectively). However, STATSGO based predictions of annual nitrate-N losses were consistently greater than those with SSURGO database and vice-versa for predicted annual phosphorus losses for the alternative management practice that were evaluated.

LCA of a tomato crop in a multi-tunnel greenhouse in Almeria

Purpose Protected crops have expanded significantly in the Mediterranean area over the last few decades as a successful means to provide abundant and high-quality produce. Although resources are generally used efficiently, greenhouse areas cause major environmental impacts. The aim of this work was to study, from an environmental point of view, the improvement capacity of greenhouse areas in the Mediterranean region and to assess several alternative agricultural practices to decrease their contribution to the environmental impacts in this system.

The grass is greener: Farmers' experiences with pastured poultry

AbstractRearing poultry outdoors on pasture for egg and meat production is a growing industry in the USA. However, little has been written on farmers' experiences with this practice. This paper presents the results of in-depth interviews and surveys with 18 California pastured poultry producers (62% response rate). Although the sample size of growers is small in absolute numbers, it represents 62% of nearly all pastured poultry growers in California, a state known for the pioneering work of growers who specialize in alternative agricultural practices. Such alternative systems merit critical analysis in order to refine their implementation and contribution to sustainable food production. This research aims to provide such critical analysis of pastured poultry production, a highly innovative and emergent practice. Growers were queried concerning the values that brought them to participate in alternative animal production, the benefits and challenges of integrating pastured poultry into farming operations, the use of heritage and industrial breeds, and management practices. Results showed that the influence of Joel Salatin, farmer and author of Pastured Poultry Profits, tied with farmer desire to sustainably produce meat and/or eggs as the main drivers respondents gave for raising pastured poultry (39% each). Farmers reported the primary benefit of pastured poultry was soil fertility (61%), followed by marketing appeal (44%). The most commonly cited challenge to pastured poultry growers was predation of birds (44%) followed by cost of feed (22%). Pastured poultry were directly profitable to 50% of farmers, although 78% of respondents cited indirect profits through savings on items such as fertilizer and pest management. This paper places these results in the context of value-laden farmer decision-making.

Prairie ecosystems and the carbon problem

There has been great interest in carbon (C) storage in terrestrial landscapes and the potential for trading C released during fossil‐fuel combustion for C stored in agricultural landscapes. This is particularly important in the Great Plains of North America, where increased C storage under conservation tillage represents millions of dollars in C credits. However, we contend that the logic behind such trading is imperfect on multiple levels. We suggest that increased C storage in Great Plains soils with conservation tillage can, at best, only partially replenish what was previously emitted by tillage of native prairies. Furthermore, there is disagreement on whether reduced tillage actually does increase C storage in prairie soils. Use of alternative agricultural practices that emulate natural prairie diversity, processes, and function, as well as the establishment of permanent prairie reserves, will aid in recovery of previously lost C and provide for increased biodiversity and resilience in the face of changing climate conditions.

Is There a Need for a More Sustainable Agriculture?

In this paper the environmental impact of current agriculture practices is reviewed. Soil loss (along with soil fertility), increasing water demand from agricultural practices and environmental pollution caused by the intensive use of agrochemicals, are among the most pressing issues concerning agriculture sustainability. Biodiversity loss due to land use change and emission of greenhouse gasses from agricultural activities are also causes for concern. A number of alternative agricultural practices are also presented that can help to make agriculture less environmentally damaging by reducing the use of natural resources, limiting inputs and preserving soil fertility and biodiversity. We think that there is room for a different and more ecological agriculture and that research should be implemented in order to better assess the potential and constraints of the different options. However, notwithstanding the great achievements of the “Green Revolution,” the world will need 70 to 100% more food by 2050. So a new challenge lies ahead: how to feed nine billion with less land, water and energy, while at the same time preserving natural resources and soil fertility? Technical advances are important in order to meet the future needs, but addressing key socioeconomic issues, such as the inequality in the access to resources, population growth, and access to education are also a priority if we want to properly deal with sustainability. It may require our society to change some of its paradigms and “values” if we wish to preserve our support system, the soil and its health, for the future generations.

Effect of Furrow Irrigation on the Severity of False Smut in Susceptible Rice Varieties.

False smut (Ustilaginoidea virens) is an important emerging disease of rice (Oryza sativa) in the southern United States, where all major rice cultivars and hybrids are susceptible to the disease. False smut susceptibility was evaluated in traditional paddy-rice fields and under furrow-irrigated conditions to determine the effects of alternative agricultural practices on the severity of this disease. Highly effective false smut suppression was observed in furrow-irrigated rice, where the disease was nearly eliminated in susceptible rice entries. False smut suppression was observed for two hybrids and one conventional rice cultivar, demonstrating that suppression was not limited to specific germplasm sources. Kernel smut severity was also monitored, but no effect on this disease was observed from the irrigation treatments. Therefore, suppression of disease severity in nonflooded rice appears to be a phenomenon unique to the rice-false smut pathosystem, which can be exploited to achieve effective field resistance to this disease.

Food security and biodiversity: can we have both? An agroecological analysis

We present an extensive literature review exploring the relationships between food insecurity and rapid biodiversity loss, and the competing methods proposed to address each of these serious problems. Given a large and growing human population, the persistence of widespread malnutrition, and the direct and significant threats the expanding agricultural system poses to biodiversity, the goals of providing universal food security and protecting biodiversity seem incompatible. Examining the literature shows that the current agricultural system already provides sufficient food on a worldwide basis, but in doing so methodically undermines the capacity of agroecosystems to preserve biodiversity. However, the available evidence emphasizes the interdependence of biodiversity and agriculture, and the important role each plays in the maintenance of the other. Thus, our review supports the claim that the solutions to the problems of widespread food insecurity and biodiversity loss need not be mutually exclusive, and that it may be possible to address both using appropriate alternative agricultural practices.

Simulated long-term nitrogen losses for a midwestern agricultural watershed in the United States

Adequate knowledge on the movement of nutrients under various agricultural practices is essential for developing remedial measures to reduce nonpoint source pollution. Mathematical models, after extensive calibration and validation, are useful to derive such knowledge and to identify site-specific alternative agricultural management practices. A spatial-process model that uses GIS and ADAPT, a field scale daily time-step continuous water table management model, was calibrated and validated for flow and nitrate-N discharges from a 365 ha agricultural watershed in central Iowa, in the Midwestern United States. This watershed was monitored for nitrate-N losses from 1991 to 1997. Spatial patterns in crops, topography, fertilizer applications and climate were used as input to drive the model. The first half of the monitored data was used for calibration and the other half was used in validation of the model. For the calibration period, the observed and predicted flow and nitrate-N discharges were in excellent agreement with r 2 values of 0.88 and 0.74, respectively. During the validation period, the observed and predicted flow and nitrate-N discharges were in good agreement with r 2 values of 0.71 and 0.50, respectively. For all 6 years of data, the observed annual nitrate-N losses of 26 kg ha −1 for the entire simulation were in excellent agreement with predicted nitrate-N losses of 24.2 kg ha −1. The calibrated model was used to investigate the long-term impacts of nitrate-N losses to changes in the rate and timing of fertilizer application. Results indicate that nitrate-N losses were sensitive to rate and timing of fertilizer application. Modeled annual nitrate-N losses showed a 17% reduction in nitrate-N losses by reducing the fertilizer application rate by 20% and switching the application timing from fall to spring. Further reductions in nitrate-N losses require conversion of row cropland to pasture and/or replacement of continuous corn or corn–soybean rotation systems with alternative crops.

Measures of the effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem services

Agriculture produces more than just crops. Agricultural practices have environmental impacts that affect a wide range of ecosystem services, including water quality, pollination, nutrient cycling, soil retention, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. In turn, ecosystem services affect agricultural productivity. Understanding the contribution of various agricultural practices to the range of ecosystem services would help inform choices about the most beneficial agricultural practices. To accomplish this, however, we must overcome a big challenge in measuring the impact of alternative agricultural practices on ecosystem services and of ecosystem services on agricultural production. A framework is presented in which such indicators can be interpreted as well as the criteria for selection of indicators. The relationship between agricultural practices and land-use change and erosion impact on chemical use is also discussed. Together these ideas form the basis for identifying useful indicators for quantifying the costs and benefits of agricultural systems for the range of ecosystem services interrelated to agriculture.

Farmers' Attitudes Regarding Agrolandscape Ecology: A Regional Comparison

ABSTRACT A farmer survey was conducted in three different agroecosystem types in the midwestern and southeastern United States. We selected Saline County, Kansas; Knox County, Indiana; and Coffee County, Georgia, representative of former prairie grassland, Midwestern deciduous forest, and Southeastern deciduous forest biome types. A twenty-question, multiple-choice survey was mailed to 300 farmers in each county during summer months of 2002 and 2003. Data were collected in four categories: demographic information, problems related to conventional agriculture, sustainable agriculture approaches, and attitudes toward sustainable agriculture. Survey responses were examined and discussed within the context of the social and ecological consequences of industrial agriculture, the alternatives presented by agroecologists, and the communication network between agroecologists and farmers. One suggestion for achieving sustainability is building stronger connections between university agroecologists and farmers. For example, 58 percent of respondents from Kansas, 57 percent from Indiana, and 70 percent from Georgia view an ecologist as a friend/advisor to the farmer. These data should be useful to agroecologists interested in strengthening their relationship with stakeholders and in disseminating research findings concerning alternative agricultural practices.

Influence of Alternative and Conventional Management Practices on Soil Physical and Hydraulic Properties

This study examined the effects of alternative and conventional farming practices on soil physical properties, including texture, organic C content, bulk density, moisture retention, and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). There were no significant differences in soil organic C contents between the alternative and conventional management systems. Bulk density in the A horizon was 3% lower under alternative management practices (1.39 Mg m−3) than under conventional practices (1.43 Mg m−3). Saturated hydraulic conductivity was significantly higher in the A horizon under alternative management practices (45.5 cm d−1) than under conventional management (18.1 cm d−1). Differences in conductivity were greater for soils located at bottom‐slope positions than soils at mid‐ or upper‐slope positions. The b value of Campbell's moisture retention equation was significantly smaller for alternative practices than conventional management practices in the A, B, and C horizons. In the B and C horizons, the smaller b values could have been due to smaller clay contents in soils of the alternatively managed system. The Campbell equation air entry value was significantly larger for alternative practices (1.1 kPa) than conventional practices (0.79 kPa) in the A horizon. Differences in bulk density, air entry, and Ks between the alternative and conventional management systems were attributed to differences in crop rotations and nutrient or tillage management between the two systems. These results provide a useful database of soil physical and hydraulic properties that can be used by modelers to estimate the impacts of alternative agricultural practices on water movement and water quality.

Assessing effects of alternative agricultural practices on wildlife habitat in Iowa, USA

A habitat-change model was used to compare past, present, and future land cover and management practices to assess potential impacts of alternative agricultural practices on wildlife in two agricultural watersheds, Walnut Creek and Buck Creek, in central Iowa, USA. This approach required a habitat map for each scenario based on soil type and land cover, a list of resident species, and an estimate of the suitability of each of 26 habitat classes for every species. Impact on wildlife was calculated from median percent change in habitat area relative to the present. Habitat classes with the highest species richness for native vertebrates were ungrazed riparian forest, upland forest and wet prairie. Differences in habitat composition and configuration were evident among maps of the watersheds for the past, present, and three alternative future scenarios (Production, Water Quality, and Biodiversity). The Production scenario ranked lowest in providing habitat for all native taxa. Formost taxa, changes in wildlife habitat due to land use changes in the Biodiversity, Water Quality, and Past scenarios were similar, resulting in greaterhabitat than eitherthe present landscape orthe Productionscenario. Fornativebirds,amphibians, mammals, and rare species inboth watersheds, the Biodiversity scenario ranked highest in providing habitat, and the Water Quality scenario was similar to or slightly below the Biodiversity scenario. The Water Quality scenario was similar to or slightly better than the Biodiversity scenario for reptiles and butterflies in both watersheds, and both ranked higher than the Production scenario for these taxa. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Expanding Our Understanding of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): An Examination of Member Satisfaction

ABSTRACT Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an alternative approach to food production that seeks to bring together producers and consumers of organically grown produce. Using data collected from surveys that were completed by 204 members of 5 mid-Atlantic CSAs during the 2000 growing season, eleven hypotheses relating to member satisfaction are tested. Results show that membership satisfaction is positively correlated with the support of alternative agricultural practices, the number of times members visit their respective CSA, the number of years a member has belonged to that CSA, and the likelihood of a person's share meeting his/her produce needs. According to these data, being vegetarian, female, older, and/or a working member are additional predictors of CSA member satisfaction.

Dung beetle community (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in a tropical landscape at the Lachua Region, Guatemala

Biological diversity conservation within natural reserves has been prioritized, but conservation efforts outside protected areas (where most human activities take place) have been very little considered. In this scenario, an alternative agricultural practice that may reduce the impacts of fragmentation in outer landscapes is a perforation process, which involves conservation in agricultural fields surrounded by continuous forests. Such practices enhance the positive impact of ecological services on fields. In this study we analyzed the biological diversity state in perforation fields and their surrounding forests. The analysis was done using dung beetles as biological indicators. A nested pattern in dung beetles distribution was found, which ordered the surrounding continuous forest sites as the ones with the highest species richness, followed by the perforation fields, and placed the fragmentation practice fields (continuous agricultural fields surrounding forest patches) with the lowest one. Indicator species for perforation fields and surrounding continuous forests were chosen. In general, perforation practice fields differed in composition, based upon functional groups richness and identity; it also contained a higher species richness than the fragmentation practice. Agricultural practices that enhance biological diversity conservation such as perforation, should be recommended and considered in natural resource management by local communities in order to take advantage of ecological services that otherwise may be gradually lost.

Developing effective policies for the sustainable development of ecological agriculture in China: the case study of Jinshan County with a systems dynamics model

This paper focuses on a search for concrete policy measures to facilitate the overall sustainability of ecological agricultural development at a county level. For this purpose, a system dynamics model (AISEEM) has been developed to explore the potential long-term ecological, economic, institutional and social interactions of ecological agricultural development through a case study of Jinshan County in China. The model provides an experimental platform for the simulation and analysis of alternative policy scenarios. The results indicate that the diversification of land-use patterns, government low interest loans and government support for training are important policy measures for promoting the sustainable development of ecological agriculture, at least in the case study context. In addition, the study reveals that environmentally sound technology (e.g., biogas project) alone cannot sufficiently induce farmers to adopt ecological agricultural practices. Limited availability of information, risk aversion and high transaction costs are major barriers to the adoption of alternative agricultural practices. In this regard, the importance of capacity building and institutional arrangements are emphasised through the development of an improved policy-making process on agricultural sustainability. This case study highlights the importance of combining the ecological economics analytical framework with the system dynamics modelling approach as a feasible integrated tool to provide insight into the policy analysis of ecological agriculture, and thus set a solid basis for effective policy making to facilitate its sustainable development on a regional scale.

Simulating nitrogen budgets in complex farming systems using INCA: calibration and scenario analyses for the Kervidy catchment (W. France)

Abstract. The integrated nitrogen model INCA (Integrated Nitrogen in Catchments) was used to analyse the nitrogen dynamics in a small rural catchment in Western France. The agrosystem studied is very complex, with: extensive use of different organic fertilisers, a variety of crop rotations, a structural excess of nitrogen (i.e. more animal N produced by the intensive farming than the N requirements of the crops and pastures), and nitrate retention in both hydrological stores and riparian zones. The original model features were adapted here to describe this complexity. The calibration results are satisfactory, although the daily variations in stream nitrate are not simulated in detail. Different climate scenarios, based on observed climate records, were tested; all produced a worsening of the pollution in the short term. Scenarios of alternative agricultural practices (reduced fertilisation and catch crops) were also analysed, suggesting that a reduction by 40% of the fertilisation combined with the introduction of catch crops would be necessary to stop the degradation of water quality. Keywords: diffuse pollution, nitrate, climate change, model