Alternative Farming Research Articles

Economic viability of newly introduced chicken strains at village level in Tanzania: FARMSIM model simulation approach

AbstractA local chicken farming is an integral part of Tanzania's rural economy. However, despite its contributions to household economy and food security, local chicken productivity remains low because of low genetic potential, diseases and poor feeding. One of the options to increase local chicken productivity is the adoption of the chicken strains with high genetic potential. With that respect, Africa Genetic Gain project introduced Sasso and Kuroiler chicken strains for on-farm test purposes. Developmental design involved provision of 25 six weeks old chicks to 20 farmers in 12 sites making a total of 240 farmers in three regions. The study was carried out in Dodoma, Morogoro and Njombe regions to assess the effects of agro-ecological differences in the performance of these strains. The chicks were vaccinated against Mareks and Newcastle diseases at the hatchery; then against Infectious Bronchitis (IB) at 0, 7 10, 16 and 21 days. The Newcastle Disease vaccine was repeated after 10 and 21 days using LaSota vaccine. After 6 weeks, the chicks were again vaccinated against fowl pox ready for supply to farmers. A farm Simulation Model (FARMSIM) and Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to Function (SERF) were applied to access economic viability of these strains relative to local chickens. FARMSIM is a Monte Carlo Simulation Model that simultaneously evaluates a baseline and an alternative farming technology. To simulate using FARMSIM, Simulation and Econometrics to Analyse Risk (Simetar©), an excel add-in is needed as a simulating engine. Data were obtained through survey, farmers' records and simulation exercises. The results indicate that keeping Sasso strain was the most economically viable with the highest Net Present Value, Net Cash Farm Income and the highest probability of attaining economic return. Kuroiler was the second, followed by keeping local chickens without supplement and local chicken with supplement was the least economically viable enterprise. However, inclusion of risk behaviour revealed that extremely risk-averse farmers preferred mostly keeping local chickens without supplement whereas extremely risk loving farmers preferred the most Sasso strain. It is recommended that the introduced chicken strains should be promoted to increase household income and improve people's livelihoods. However, scaling up of the introduced chicken strains must be integrated with education on technical know-how for good farming practices, feed formulations, medication and shelter for improved productivity and reduced variability.

Mathematical modelling for sustainable aphid control in agriculture via intercropping.

Agricultural losses to pests represent an important challenge in a global warming scenario. Intercropping is an alternative farming practice that promotes pest control without the use of chemical pesticides. Here, we develop a mathematical model to study epidemic spreading and control in intercropped agricultural fields as a sustainable pest management tool for agriculture. The model combines the movement of aphids transmitting a virus in an agricultural field, the spatial distribution of plants in the intercropped field and the presence of 'trap crops' in an epidemiological susceptible-infected-removed model. Using this model, we study several intercropping arrangements without and with trap crops and find a new intercropping arrangement that may improve significantly pest management in agricultural fields with respect to the commonly used intercrop systems.

Wildlife and Hunting As Alternative Farm Enterprises

Wildlife enhances our quality of life and is an integral part of the landscape. In addition, wildlife can be managed to provide revenue as part of alternative farm enterprises. The key to maintaining healthy wildlife populations necessary in such alternative enterprises is providing quality habitat through proper management (Figure 1). This document is WEC 197 and one of a series of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida. First published: July 2005.

A Review of Libyan Soil Databases for Use within an Ecosystem Services Framework

Ecosystem services (ESs) are increasingly being used by many countries around the world as a framework for addressing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review article of the usability of Libyan soil databases for ESs and SDGs is the first of its kind for North Africa. The objectives of the article are to: describe the available soil resources of Libya in relation to an ES framework; provide examples of the usability of Libyan soil databases for ES applications (e.g., provisioning, Healthy Eating Plate), and describe some of the typical disservices in the country. Desertification, salinization, and limited freshwater resources are the largest challenges (disservices) for agriculture and future development in Libya. Seawater intrusion in coastal areas due to rising sea levels has resulted in high concentrations of salts in irrigation waters, which can lead to low soil productivity. These challenges can be addressed by integrating Libyan soil resources into a market that transforms resources into goods and services to meet human demand in a sustainable manner, with non-market institutions mediating the interactions between humans and the environment. If Libyan soil resources are taken into account by both market and non-market institutions, it will lead to more efficient use of soil resources and also should enable the implementation of innovative strategies, such as integrated farming systems, non-soil-based agricultural production (e.g., hydroponics), and alternative farming practices.

Farm entry and persistence: Three pathways into alternative agriculture in southern Ohio

This paper investigates the role the food movement has played in catalyzing the entrance of new farmers into alternative agriculture. I analyze 30 interviews with farmers who participate in Alternative Food Networks in southern Ohio to understand what kinds of strategies and support were important for facilitating their entrance into alternative agriculture. I develop a typology of three distinct pathways into alternative agriculture, based on the values and goals that motivated famers' decision to participate in alternative agriculture, their farming experience and skills, professional networks and socialization, land access, and persistence strategies. I show how farmers' pathways shape the kinds of enterprises they establish and their strategies for getting started and persisting in alternative agriculture. The farmers’ strategies include a reliance on non-farm income and wealth and non-production revenue strategies for some types of farmers, while other types of farmers are able to make it by farming full-time. The study identifies a new pathway into alternative agriculture: Returning farmers come from farm families, but left agriculture to pursue higher education or a non-farm career and then re-entered agriculture later in life through Alternative Food Networks.

Lavoro migrante, mercati nidificati e sviluppo rurale nelle aree ad agricoltura intensiva del Sud Italia: due esperienze in Calabria e Sicilia

Nella letteratura sulla costruzione dei nested market (NM), i temi del lavoro e del ruolo dei lavoratori salariati appare poco studiato. Questo articolo vuole contribuire al dibat- tito focalizzandosi sulle aree di agricoltura intensiva del Sud Italia nelle quali la questione dello sfruttamento del lavoro migrante è particolarmente importante. Attraverso la lente teo- rica dei NM sono analizzate due esperienze di agricoltura alternativa che coinvolgono contadini, lavoratori migranti e autoctoni e attivisti e per le quali la costruzione del NM è centrale per la sperimentazione di nuove forme di organizzazione del lavoro agricolo che possano of- frire una alternativa allo sfruttamento del lavoro migrante. L'articolo si occupa di due que- stioni principali. In primo luogo, si evidenzia come i lavoratori salariati migranti e nativi siano tra i costruttori di questi NM. In secondo luogo, si descrive in quale misura queste esperienze abbiano stimolato processi di sviluppo rurale endogeno. Il materiale empirico che è alla base dell'analisi è stato raccolto dai tre autori durante la loro attiva partecipazione nei progetti qui considerati.

PRODUCTIVE VIABILITY AND PROFITABILITY OF CARROT-COWPEA INTERCROPPING USING DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF Calotropis procera

ABSTRACT Intercropping system and the use of green manure with spontaneous species has been an alternative farming method applied to the productive sector of vegetables in the northeastern semi-arid region. The objective of this work was to determine which amount of Calotropis procera must be incorporated into the soil to provide the highest productive performance of the component crops and increase the profitability of the carrot and cowpea intercropping. The experimental design used was randomized complete blocks with five replicates. The treatments consisted of four amounts of C. procera incorporated into the soil: 10, 25, 40 and 55 t ha-1 on a dry basis. The characteristics evaluated in this intercropping system were: commercial productivity of carrot roots, yield of cowpea green grains, land equivalent ratios for component crops and for the intercropped system, score of the canonical variable of the association, and the economic indicators of gross income, net income, rate of return, and net profit margin. The maximum agronomic efficiency of the carrot x cowpea intercropping was reached at the land equivalent ratio of 1.12, using 43.39 t ha-1 of C. procera biomass incorporated in the soil, while the maximum economic efficiency of the carrot and cowpea crops association was obtained at the net income of R$ 17,856.43 ha-1, in the amount of 40.60 t ha-1 of C. procera biomass added to the soil.

Alternative ground cover in lettuce production under tropical climate conditions

Alternative farming techniques to increase lettuce quality and productivity, rising environmental and social development has been the subject of several studies. The objective of this study was to select economic and readily available cover materials to enhance the production of curly lettuce, in the south of Piauí. It was used a Randomized Block Design with four replications, with the following ground cover treatments: rice husk (Oryza sativa L.), chopped andropogon straw grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth), sawmill dust and a control without ground cover. The andropogon straw grass can be recommended in lettuce production under the prevailing edaphoclimatic conditions at Uruçuí in southwest Piauí.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) farming for food security: Gross output, net farm income, and B/C ratio

Pearl millet (pennisetum glaucum) is non-rice food commodity which is not only as a source of carbohydrate but also antioxidants, bioactive compounds, and fiber. Calculating gross output, net farm income and B/C ratio were important for the sustainability of pearl millet farming in which pearl millet is better to be alternative of primary food than rice because it contains any benefit for healthy life availability. This study was conducted in West Sulawesi which was selected by purposive sampling in considering that the area was one of the centers of pearl millet farming in Indonesia. Data were collected by using the structured interview to the farmers as samples who cultivated pearl millet as alternative farming. The result found that both of gross output and net farm income of pearl millet (pennisetum glaucum) in one production period after calculated in IDR was dramatically lower than the regional minimum income of West Sulawesi in a month even though B/C ratio value showed that pearl millet farming was feasible to be cultivated. Pearl millet farming was produced twice or two periods in a year. In justification, pearl millet was not the primary but only alternative farm income when the weather was extremely to produce maize or other plants. This condition showed that pearl millet in West Sulawesi was not the priority of food production to support farmers’ income, it was just alternative farming after maize, cocoa, and local onion.

Pengenalan Teknik Vertikultur dengan Media Batang Pisang sebagai Alternatif Teknik Budidaya Tanaman

Problems faced by farmers is the lack of or reduced income their farm at the time of wetland swampy submerged in water for over 6 months due to climatic factors, lack of knowledge of farmers about alternative farming can be done in the yard to increase revenue during the waiting paddy can be cultivated, and lack of knowledge about the use of banana stems in the cultivation of plants. The purpose of this activity is to increase the skills farmers who are members of the Ingin Maju II Farmers Group Desa Pasar Senin dan Sukamaju IV Farmers Group Desa Kandang Halang, Amuntai Tengah District of North Hulu Sungai Utara Regency. This public service using direct extension methods that combine lecture and demonstration plots. While the result is the knowledge and skills of farmers to grow with the establishment of 10 demplot verticulture each farmer group.Keywords: Vertikultur, banana stalks, yard, farmer groups.

The impact of conservation farming practices on Mediterranean agro-ecosystem services provisioning—a meta-analysis

In the Mediterranean region, the long-term provision of agro-ecosystem services is threatened by accelerating climate change, unsustainable farming practices, and other pressures. Alternative management practices such as conservation agriculture could be expected to ensure sustainability of ecosystem services from Mediterranean agro-ecosystems. Conservation agriculture is characterized by minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and diversification of crop species. We analyzed the impacts of several forms of alternative agricultural management practices (conservation tillage, cover cropping, mulching, manual weed management, organic fertilizer use, no-irrigation system) on multiple ecosystem services based on 155 published case studies (1994–2015). The effect size of various management options on four provisioning and four regulating ecosystem services were quantified. Impacts of conservation management options are not uniform. All regulating services were positively affected by the conservation management options except for the system without irrigation. In contrast, the provisioning services were inconsistently influenced by the conservation management options. For crop yield, environmentally sustainable soil management was beneficial, but organic fertilization (effect size = − 0.17), manual weed management (effect size = − 0.35), and no-irrigation system (effect size = − 0.5) led to lower crop yields. The impact on crop biomass was mainly negative but not significant. Water availability was especially important to enhance both provisioning and regulating services. Overall, alternative agriculture management practices led to more positive than negative effects on ecosystem services in the study region. Stimulating the application of conservation management practices is therefore an important policy option for decision-makers given the vulnerability of ecosystem services in the Mediterranean basin.

Influence of Bentonite and MB4 on the Chemical Characteristics of an Oxisol

The growing concern with the quality of life and the environment, due to the degradation of natural resources and their contamination, mainly with agrochemicals, led to the emergence of a sustainable or alternative agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of increasing doses of bentonite and MB4 on the availability of nutrients to the soil. The experiment consisted of a 4 × 4 factorial, bentonite doses (0, 30, 60 and 90 t⋅ha−1) and MB4 doses (0, 3, 6 and 9 t⋅ha−1) with three replications. The soil mixtures with the treatments were conditioned in the plastic pots, incubated for 90 days in a greenhouse, and chemically analyzed. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and comparison of means by the Tukey test. Increasing doses of bentonite and MB4 promoted an increase in the calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) in the soil sample either alone or the mixture of two factors, except for the mixture of the Ca Mg doses. Increasing doses of bentonite increased the cation exchange capacity of the soil, favoring the availability of nutrients in the soil. The increasing doses of MB4 favored the increase of the pH values and, consequently, decreased the soil potential acidity values for the applied bentonite doses. On the other hand, these treatments decreased the cation exchange capacity of the soil.

Growing fruit crops organically: Challenges and opportunities

Present days ’farming is not sustainable in consonance with economics, ecology, equity, energy and sociocultural dimensions. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, weedicides and pesticides, especially in fruit production has resulted in various environmental and health hazards along with socio-economic problems. Grower community is trying to find out an alternative sustainable farming system, which is ecologically sound and economically and socially acceptable. Sustainable production is unifying concept, which considers ecological, environmental, philosophical, ethical and social impacts, balanced with cost-effectiveness. Traditional organic production practices, which are based on natural and organic methods of farming offer several effective, feasible and cost-effective solutions to most of the basic problems being faced in conventional production of fruit crops. Organic fruit cultivation helps in climate mitigation, carbon fixation, soil fertility improvement and water conservation. In present scenario, shifting from conventional to organic, maintenance of soil health and insect pest management will be major challenges which can be taken care of with adaptation of complete organic package of practice in fruit production.

BIODYNAMIC AGRICULTURE – OLD TRADITIONS AND MODERN PRACTICES

The concerns regarding food security and safety, environmental challenges and resource scarcity remodel the prospects of agriculture. Therefore biodynamic farming as an alternative method for sustainable production becomes an object of growing scientific interest in the past 20 years. Biodynamic farming is one of the oldest organic systems and its roots could be found in the beginning of 20th century. Although the skepticism, biodynamic agriculture evolved over the years and nowadays is considered as an opportunity to address various environmental, social and economic issues. The aim of the paper is to introduce the concept and features of biodynamic agriculture and observe different case studies and surveys on the effect of this farming system upon yields, profitability and sustainability. The analysis is based on different research methods. The paper applies monographic, historical and comparative methods. The results indicate that biodynamic farms have higher soil quality, lower crop yields, and equal or greater net returns than conventional agricultural holdings. The long-term effect of biodynamic farming on the economic performance, however, needs further research and investigation. The studies prove that biodynamic agriculture is important alternative farming system that could provide answers to number of alarming questions associated with viability and sustainable development.

Створення карт землекористування органічнічних господарств за використання геоінформаційних систем

Створення карт землекористування органічнічних господарств за використання геоінформаційних систем

Agricultural technology assessment for smallholder farms: An analysis using a farm simulation model (FARMSIM)

Previous models used to evaluate the adoption of agricultural technologies have focused mainly on assessing the ex-post impact of technology without necessarily quantifying the profit and risk associated with the adoption of technology. This study introduces a farm simulation model (FARMSIM) that evaluates the potential economic and nutritional impacts of new agricultural technologies before and after they are adopted (ex-ante and ex-post). FARMSIM is a Monte Carlo simulation model that simultaneously evaluates a baseline and an alternative farming technology for a representative farm. The farming technologies under study comprise water lifting technologies (pulley and tank, rope and washer pump, gasoline/diesel motor pump and a solar pump) and fertilizers. The study finds that the use of fertilizers combined with optimal irrigation to grow vegetables and fodder using a motor pump had the highest net present value and profit compared to other scenarios. However, the findings also indicate the scenario under the pulley system, a low cost technology, to be the most feasible with the highest benefit cost ratio. Solar pump system had a lower benefit cost ratio compared to the pulley and motor pump scenarios due to high initial investment cost. Based on simulation results, all four water lifting technologies are profitable and suitable for use in Robit kebele. Moreover, due to improved technologies in alternative scenarios, the nutrition simulation results show in general an increase in food quantities available to the family for calories, proteins, iron, fat, calcium and vitamin A. The daily minimum requirements per adult equivalent were met for all nutrients under study except for fat and calcium. Supplemental nutrition through production and purchase, to fill the gap in fat and calcium is recommended for households in Robit kebele.

An Emerging Geography of the Agrarian Question: Spatial Analysis as a Tool for Identifying the New American Agrarianism

AbstractKarl Kautsky’s Agrarian Question remains a useful lens for analyzing the relationship between small and large agricultural producers under the conditions of industrial capitalism. The U.S. agricultural census provides an opportunity to identify socioeconomic, demographic, and agricultural factors associated with new and alternative farming at the county level, and then analyze these for spatial patterns within a geographic information system. By associating these county‐level indicators with a crowd‐sourced USDA directory of farmers’ markets as a proxy for local demand, we identified four hot spots of new American agriculture: The West Coast, central Texas and Oklahoma, central Florida, and the Great Lakes region. Furthermore, we show that these areas have been growing since 1997. An additional farmer hot spot in central Appalachia diminished after 1997 and finally disappeared in 2012. We argue that spatial analysis is a tool for defining new agrarian landscapes, observing geographic and social shifts in small, alternative farming, and conducting more focused ethnographic research.

New challenges in soil management

Soil management represents two important tasks that are harmonization of the soil protection with demands of the crop to be grown on the given land under prevailing farming condition. Further goals are to preserve and/or develop the soil physical, biological and chemical condition and to avoid the unfavourable changes of the soil biological activity and the soil structure. Classical authors emphasised the importance of creating proper seedbed for plants. In the physical approach, tillage was believed to play an important role in controlling soil processes. Consequently, the period of several centuries dominated by this approach is referred to as the era of crop-oriented tillage (Birkás et al., 2017). The overestimation of the importance of crop requirements resulted in damaging the soils, which inevitably led to turn to the soil-focused tillage. Since the first years of climate change, as the new trends have raised concern, tillage must be turned into a climate-focused effort with the aim of reducing climate-induced stresses through improving soil quality.
 The development of soil management has always been determined by the economical background. At the same time, deteriorating site conditions have contributed to the conception of new tillage trends by forcing producers to find new solutions (e.g. dry farming theory in the past or adaptable tillage theory nowadays). Győrffy (2009) recited the most important keywords were listed in 2001 and that seemed to be important in the future of crop production. These keywords (endeavours) were as follows:
 − Biofarming, organic farming, alternative farming, biodynamic farming, low input sustainable agriculture;
 − Mid-tech farming, sustainable agriculture, soil conservation farming, no till farming, environmentally sound, environmentally friendly, diversity farming;
 − Crop production system, integrated pest management, integrated farming, high-tech farming;
 − Site specific production, site-specific technology, spatial variable technology, satellite farming;
 − Precision farming.
 Győrffy’s prognosis proved to be realistic and the efforts mentioned above have mostly been implemented. New challenges have also appeared in soil management in relation to the last decades. The most important endeavours for the future are:
 1) Preserving climate-induced stresses endangering soils.
 2) Turn to use climate mitigation soil tillage and crop production systems.
 3) Applying soil management methods are adaptable to the different soil moisture content (over dried or wet may be quite common).
 4) Use effectual water conservation tillage.
 5) Use soil condition specific tillage depth and method.
 6) Adapting the water and soil conservation methods in irrigation.
 7) Preserving and improving soil organic matter content by tillage and crop production systems.
 8) Considering that stubble residues are matter for soil protection, humus source and earthworm’ feed.
 9) Site-specific adoption of green manure and cover crops.
 10) Applying site-adopted (precision) fertilization and crop protection. Considering the development in agriculture, new endeavours will occur before long.

Influence of alternative plant nutrition methods on soil microbial characteristics in long-term experiments

The size of the arable land is constantly decreasing all over the world due to severe anthropogenic disorders. Plant production therefore has to be adapted to changing environmental conditions along with the proper selection of crop varieties and the application of sustainable environmental technologies which also consider economic aspects. The investigations were carried out in the Westsik long-term fertilization experiment near Nyíregyháza, East Hungary, which was set up in 1929 (89 years ago). Alternative forms of nutrient supplies (A) (green manure, straw with and without fermentation, organic fertilizer with and without inorganic fertilizer supplements) were used in different crop rotations. The test plant was potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and the soil type sand with a low humus content (Arenosols). A further long-term experiment is located on calcareous chernozem soil (Chernozems) in Debrecen (set up in 1983, 35 years ago). In one part of this experiment, organic farming (OF) has been carried out with a pea, winter wheat and maize crop rotation for over 15 years with no inorganic fertilization. In another block in this experiment, changes in soil properties as a result of the medium and high doses of fertilizers applied in intensive farming (I) were evaluated with a maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture as the test plant. The results obtained with alternative nutrient supplies (green manure, fermented and unfermented straw, farmyard manure, fertilization) proved that the soil organic carbon content increased to varying degrees in humus-poor, acidic sand soil. The organic matter content of the soils increased in response to the treatments, contributing to a significant enhancement in soil microbial parameters (MBC, saccharase, dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzyme activities). The carbon dioxide production and saccharase enzyme activity in organic plots (OF) were significantly lower than in intensively farmed (I) soils. At the same time, in the case of organic farming (OF) the microbial biomass carbon, phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity were significantly higher in OF plots than in I plots. Compared to the control soil, MBC was 7-8 times higher in organic plots and 1.3-3.8 times higher in intensive plots. Organic farming on chernozem soil generally resulted in higher microbial activity (MBC, phosphatase, saccharase and dehydrogenase enzyme activity) than in either intensively farmed chernozem or in the case of alternative farming (A) on sandy soil.

Stakeholders’ assessment of dike-protected and flood-based alternatives from a sustainable livelihood perspective in An Giang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Construction of extensive high dike compartments has spurred land use intensification on the upper floodplains of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Increasingly intense rice-based farming within these compartments has changed the water dynamics of the delta, making it impossible to exploit the erstwhile benefits of floodwaters. Progressive contraction of the natural floodplains has led to reduced deposition of fertile sediments and environmental degradation, endangering the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods. The Mekong Delta Plan recommends discontinuance of high dike construction in the upper delta and restoration of the floodplains. However, this requires a radical shift in the agricultural economy, halting intensification of rice-based farming systems and developing alternative farming systems that can flourish on restored floodplains using “living with floods” livelihood strategies. This paper explores stakeholders’ perceptions and appreciation of these contrasting farming and livelihood systems for the upper delta. It also examines the extent that alternatives to flood-based agricultural systems are viewed as feasible and attractive. We applied multi-criteria analysis (MCA) with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to explore the views of double and triple rice farmers and experts on alternatives based on a set of economic, water management and environmental aspects. MCA results indicate a clear preference among both farmers and experts for flood-based farming systems with low dikes. Floodwater retention capacity, infrastructure for flood protection, environmental sustainability, and market stability were ranked as the most important factors contributing to livelihood sustainability on the delta.