Arable Production Research Articles

An assessment of the predictors of the dynamics in arable production per capita index, arable production and permanent cropland and forest area based on structural equation models.

This study sets out to verify the key predictors of the dynamics of the arable production per capita index, the arable production and permanent crop land and forest area at a national scale in Cameroon. To achieve this objective, data for twelve time series data variables spanning the period 1961–2000 were collected from Oxford University, the United Nations Development program, the World Bank, FAOSTAT and the World Resource Institute. The data were analysed using structural equation models (SEM) based on the two stage least square approach (2SLS). To optimize the results, variables that showed high correlations were dropped because they will not add any new information into the models. The results show that the arable production per capita index is impacted more by population while the influence of rainfall on the arable production per capita index is weak. Arable production and permanent cropland on its part has as the main predictor arable production per capita index. Forest area is seen to be more vulnerable to trade in forest products and logging than any other variable. The models presented in this study are quite reliable because the p and t values are consistent and overall, these results are consistent with previous studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-597) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Benefits and costs of ecological restoration: Rapid assessment of changing ecosystem service values at a U.K. wetland.

Restoration of degraded land is recognized by the international community as an important way of enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services, but more information is needed about its costs and benefits. In Cambridgeshire, U.K., a long-term initiative to convert drained, intensively farmed arable land to a wetland habitat mosaic is driven by a desire both to prevent biodiversity loss from the nationally important Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (Wicken Fen NNR) and to increase the provision of ecosystem services. We evaluated the changes in ecosystem service delivery resulting from this land conversion, using a new Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA) to estimate biophysical and monetary values of ecosystem services provided by the restored wetland mosaic compared with the former arable land. Overall results suggest that restoration is associated with a net gain to society as a whole of $199 ha−1y−1, for a one-off investment in restoration of $2320 ha−1. Restoration has led to an estimated loss of arable production of $2040 ha−1y−1, but estimated gains of $671 ha−1y−1 in nature-based recreation, $120 ha−1y−1 from grazing, $48 ha−1y−1 from flood protection, and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worth an estimated $72 ha−1y−1. Management costs have also declined by an estimated $1325 ha−1y−1. Despite uncertainties associated with all measured values and the conservative assumptions used, we conclude that there was a substantial gain to society as a whole from this land-use conversion. The beneficiaries also changed from local arable farmers under arable production to graziers, countryside users from towns and villages, and the global community, under restoration. We emphasize that the values reported here are not necessarily transferable to other sites.

Managing soil natural capital: An effective strategy for mitigating future agricultural risks?

Uncontrollable events such as adverse weather and volatile prices present considerable risks for arable farmers. Soil natural capital, which views the capacity of soil biodiversity to generate ecosystem services as a component of farm capital, could be important for the stability and resilience of arable production systems. We investigate therefore whether managing soil natural capital could be an effective strategy for mitigating future agricultural risks. We do this by constructing a dynamic stochastic portfolio model to optimize the stock of soil organic carbon (SOC)—our indicator of soil natural capital—when considering both the risks and returns from farming. SOC is controlled via the spatial and temporal allocation of cash crops and an illustrative replenishing land use. We find that higher soil natural capital buffers yield variance against adverse weather and reduces reliance on external inputs. Managing soil natural capital has therefore the potential to mitigate two serious agricultural risks: energy price shocks and adverse weather events, both of which are likely to be exacerbated in the future due to, e.g., globalization and climate change.

Irish farms under climate change – is there a regional variation on farm responses?

SUMMARYThe current paper aims to determine regional impacts of climate change on Irish farms examining the variation in farm responses. A set of crop growth models were used to determine crop and grass yields under a baseline scenario and a future climate scenario. These crop and grass yields were used along with farm-level data taken from the Irish National Farm Survey in an optimizing farm-level (farm-level linear programming) model, which maximizes farm profits under limiting resources. A change in farm net margins under the climate change scenario compared to the baseline scenario was taken as a measure to determine the effect of climate change on farms. The growth models suggested a decrease in cereal crop yields (up to 9%) but substantial increase in yields of forage maize (up to 97%) and grass (up to 56%) in all regions. Farms in the border, midlands and south-east regions suffered, whereas farms in all other regions generally fared better under the climate change scenario used in the current study. The results suggest that there is a regional variability between farms in their responses to the climate change scenario. Although substituting concentrate feed with grass feeds is the main adaptation on all livestock farms, the extent of such substitution differs between farms in different regions. For example, large dairy farms in the south-east region adopted total substitution of concentrate feed while similar dairy farms in the south-west region opted to replace only 0·30 of concentrate feed. Farms in most of the regions benefitted from increasing stocking rate, except for sheep farms in the border and dairy farms in the south-east regions. The tillage farms in the mid-east region responded to the climate change scenario by shifting arable production to beef production on farms.

Stakeholders' Perception and Challenges of Commercial Agricultural Programme in Rivers State , Southern Nigeria

The study examined extension agents’ and farmers’ perception of government’s commercial agricultural programme and identified challenges limiting effective implementation of the programme in Rivers State using Obio/.Akpor Local Government Area as case study. Structured questionnaire and interview schedule were utilized to elicit information from 15 extension agents and 80 farmers, respectively, making a total of 95 respondents. The data collected were analysed using percentage and means scores. Results of the study revealed that the commercial agricultural programme focused more on arable crops, fisheries and livestock production, but both group of respondents were dissatisfied with the agro-processing and storage components of the programme. Farmers’ major constraints in undertaking the commercial farming include: lack of storage (m = 3.00) and processing (m = 2.93) facilities, poor credit facility (m = 2.81), climate change (m = 2.72), pests and diseases (m = 2.52) and poor extension services (m = 2.52). The extension agents highlighted late release of funds, irregular payment of salaries (m = 2.73), lack of allowances and poor teaching aids (m = 2.33) as major impediments of the commercial agricultural programme. It was suggested that more attention should be made on agroprocessing, storage facilities and techniques to aid food security. Government should provide production inputs promptly and give adequate work incentives to enhance effectiveness of the commercial agricultural programme in the state.

FORMAL INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT IN BOTETI, BOTSWANA

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to discuss the role of existing policies, programmes and legislation in promoting sustainable land management and livelihoods in mid‐central Botswana. The paper is based on data from the survey of relevant literature, analysis of policy and legal documents, field observations and a series of stakeholder workshops held in the villages of Mopipi, Mokobaxane and Rakops in Boteti Sub‐District between 2008 and 2009. The study's findings indicate that formal land use and rangeland management institutions have influenced the process of environmental change in the study area, mostly in a negative way. Institutional failure and support to the expansion of the livestock sector have promoted overstocking; arable production support has encouraged land clearance in a drought‐prone and windy area; whereas protectionist wildlife management has been in conflict with, rather than complementary to, traditional uses of the communal rangelands. The environmental outcomes of all this have been the shrinkage of the Boteti commons, overgrazing, deforestation and wind erosion. The study recommends adoption of a community‐based natural resource management strategy, which could simultaneously secure livelihoods and conserve the commons. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020: an impact assessment of the new system of direct payments in Hungary

In Hungary, the rates of direct payments to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy for the period 2014-2020, the distribution of these payments, and ultimately their impacts on farming decisions, will depend on the combination of mandatory and optional Pillar I support schemes to be introduced in 2015. This paper presents estimations of the structural impact of six new support policy option mixes (scenarios) compared to 2013 (baseline), and discusses the policy implications in terms of the degressivity of direct payments versus the possible introduction of the Redistributive Payment in particular. The calculations of direct payment rates and the distribution of these payments were based on the database of the Hungarian Agricultural and Rural Development Agency for 2011, and the moving averages of the descriptive parameters of farms were obtained from the Farm Accountancy Data Network. To assess the structural impacts an agent-based simulation model was developed. Decisions were modelled at the micro-level and macro-outcomes were modelled as the consequences of these micro-level decisions. From an economic point of view, the Redistributive Payment would have no real advantage over the reduction of direct payments in Hungary as the Redistributive Payment would benefi t only farms of relatively small size and would shift funding away from even mid-sized family farms. Furthermore a top-up on the fi rst 30 hectares would neither cause any signifi cant structural changes in arable production, nor in livestock farming. In terms of employment and rural livelihoods, however, the picture might be more nuanced.

Crop Discrimination in Shandong Province Based on Phenology Analysis of Multi-year Time Series

Crop type identification plays an important role in extracting crop acreage, assessing crop growth and arable land productivity. In this study, the main crops (winter wheat, summer maize and cotton) of Shandong Province as research objects, and the SPOT_VGT normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) remote sensing datasets from 1999 to 2011 covering Shandong Province were acquired. The NDVI characteristic curves of typical features were extracted by combining the SPOT_VGT NDVI time series datasets, the HJ-1B image and the phenological information. Moreover, the reasonable dynamic thresholds were settled, the non-cultivated land areas were removed and the crop patterns and the crop types were identified based on the annual NDVI variation and the phenological information of the typical features. The accuracy assessment was performed through the spatial contrast and quantitative description. The overall accuracy is 77.10% in the spatial accuracy assessment compared with standard land cover classification ...

Policy options towards deforestation reduction in Cameroon: An analysis based on a systematic approach

This study advances measures that can combat deforestation in Cameroon. It also looks at possible carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions and the effects on gross domestic product (GDP) and employment based on selected baseline scenarios based on reductions in deforestation. A systematic approach of analyzing the drivers, agents, socio-economic context, political context, spatial context of deforestation and specific and general deforestation reduction policies is used. The final step of the approach is to verify the repercussions of deforestation reduction on CO2 emissions, employment and GDP. Monitoring population growth and arable production through intensification of production is promising. The general policies that this study postulates are enforcement, legal adherence, specification of tasks and quotas, collaboration, forest licensing and monitoring. More specific policies could be within the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation mechanism (REDD+) as well as diversification of livelihoods, mechanization, use of fertilizers and intensive cattle farming inter alia. Reductions in deforestation will reduce atmospheric CO2, employment in the forestry sector and the share of forestry's contribution to GDP.

Development of soil organic matter stocks under different farm types and tillage systems in the Organic Arable Farming Experiment Gladbacherhof

In 1998, the Organic Arable Farming Experiment Gladbacherhof (OAFEG) was started in order to explore the impact of different organic arable production systems (mixed farming, stockless farming with rotational ley, stockless cash crop farming) and of different tillage intensities (conventional plough as a full inversion tillage, two-layer plough, inversion tillage at reduced depth, non-inversion tillage) on sustainability parameters. In this article, we present results on the development of soil organic matter (SOM) levels. Starting with organic mixed farming with approximately 0.7 livestock units (LU) per ha cattle before set-up of the experiment, only the mixed farming system in the experiment was able to maintain SOM levels. The stockless system with ley maintained soil organic carbon (SOC), but lost soil total nitrogen (STN), and the stockless cash crop system had a significant SOM loss in the magnitude of 7.7 t SOM ha−1, or roughly 8.4% of the initial SOM mass. Reducing tillage intensity had no impact on SOM masses, but only on organic matter stratification in soils. We conclude that specialization of organic farms towards stockless arable crop production requires special attention on SOM reproduction to avoid detrimental effects. Further, reduced tillage intensity does not necessarily have a positive effect on SOM.

Population growth and migration in Northern and Western Africa

This paper investigates the effect of population growth on international migration in northern and western Africa over the last 35 years. Population growth is a cause of emigration with a lag of about twenty years but its effect may vary according to local environmental conditions. Emigration is it transpires only the final response to population pressure which kicks in when specific environmental constraints are met. With a sufficient increase in for instance arable land land productivity or urbanization emigration may be kept down even after periods of rapid demographic increase.

Application of a novel method for soil aggregate stability measurement by laser granulometry with sonication

Aggregate stability is an important physical indicator of soil quality, and so methods are required to measure it rapidly and cost‐effectively so that sufficient data can be collected to detect change with adequate statistical power. The standard methods to measure water‐stable aggregates (WSA) in soil involve sieving, but these have limitations that could be overcome if the aggregates were measured with a laser granulometer (LG) instrument. We present a novel method in which a LG is used to make two measurements of the continuous size distribution (<2000 µm) of a sample of aggregates. The first measurement is made on the WSA after these have been added to circulating water (initial air‐dried aggregate size range 1000–2000 µm). The second measurement is made on the disaggregated material (DM) after the circulating aggregates have been disrupted with ultrasound (sonication). We then compute the difference between the mean weight diameters (MWD) of these two size distributions; we refer to this value as the disaggregation reduction (DR; µm). Soils with more stable aggregates, which are resistant to both slaking and mechanical breakdown by the hydrodynamic forces during circulation, have larger values of DR. We applied this method to six and ten sub‐samples, respectively, of soil aggregates (each ca. 0.3 g) from bulk soil material from two contrasting soil types from England, both under conventional tillage (CT). The mean DR values were, respectively, 178 and 30 µm, with coefficients of variation of 12.1 and 19% suggesting the DR value is reproducible for the small mass of soil used. We attribute the larger DR values to the greater abundance of micaceous clay minerals in one of the soils. The DR values computed for each Blackwater Drain (BD) sample after removal of organic matter (with hydrogen peroxide) were comparable to those subject to sonication suggesting that most of the aggregate structure is removed by sonication. We used aggregates (1000–2000 µm) from soil samples collected at 30 locations under CT (median soil organic carbon (SOC) = 1.4%) across two types of parent material in the Blackwater drain sub‐catchments of the Wensum catchment (Norfolk, UK). These soils had no coarse WSA, so we rescaled the size distributions to estimate DR for particle diameters <500 µm. Dithionite‐extractable iron concentration, plus a minor contribution from parent material class, accounted for 64% of the variation in rescaled DR highlighting the importance of crystalline iron oxyhydroxides for aggregate stability in this region where long‐term arable production has reduced top‐soil SOC concentrations. We discuss how this technique could be developed to monitor aggregate stability as a soil physical indicator.

The implications of the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy reforms for land-use and landscape quality in England

The assessment of the potential landscape impacts of the latest Common Agricultural Policy reforms constitutes a challenge for policy makers and it requires the development of models that can reliably project the likely spatial distribution of land uses. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of 2003 CAP reforms to land uses and rural landscapes across England. For this purpose we modified an existing economic model of agriculture, the Land-Use Allocation Model (LUAM) to provide outputs at a scale appropriate for informing a semi-quantitative landscape assessment at the level of ‘Joint Character Areas’ (JCAs). Overall a decline in the cereal and oilseed production area is projected but intensive arable production will persist in specific locations (East of England, East Midlands and South East), having ongoing negative effects on the character of many JCAs. The impacts of de-coupling will be far more profound on the livestock sector; extensification of production will occur in traditional mixed farming regions (e.g. the South West), a partial displacement of cattle by sheep in the upland regions and an increase in the sheep numbers is expected in the lowlands (South East, Eastern and East Midlands). This extensification process will affect positively those JCAs of mixed farming conditions, but it will have negative impacts on the JCAs of historically low intensity farming (e.g. the uplands of north-west) because they will suffer from under-management and land idling. Our analysis shows that the territorialisation between intensively and extensively agricultural landscapes will continue.

The Environmental Quadrupole: Forest Area, Rainfall, CO2 Emissions and Arable Production Interactions in Cameroon

Aims: This paper evaluates the interactions between forest area, CO 2 emissions, rainfall and arable production at a national scale in Cameroon. Methodology: The data used for this analysis was essentially time series data for all the variables spanning the period 1961-2000. It uses regression analysis to determine the most important of these variables that affects CO 2 emissions and uses correlation analysis and coefficient of determination to verify the nature of the interactions between the variables. Results: The results show that as forest area reduces there is an increase in CO2 emissions concentration in the air in Cameroon. On the other hand, as forest area and rainfall reduce arable production also reduces but forest area is seen to be more responsible for changes in arable production than rainfall. Conclusion: The study concludes that the interactions between CO 2 and forest area, arable production and forest area seem to be the most significant while rainfall is denoted as very variable from year to year.

Forest Loss Triggers in Cameroon: A Quantitative Assessment Using Multiple Linear Regression Approach

The triggers of forest area loss in Cameroon have not been properly understood. The measures used to curb forest area loss have been simplistic, generalized with no clear cut knowledge of the specific role of different potential factors. This study aims at investigating the hypothesis that population growth is the main cause of loss in forest area. This study will be able to identify what factors are of more significance in the causal equation. The open R programming software has been used to produce multiple linear regression models. The correlation between the dependent variable and the independent variables was established by a correlation matrix and the strength of the models tested by power analysis. The results supports the hypothesis that population growth is the most dominant cause of deforestation in Cameroon while arable production and permanent crop land and arable production per capita index are second and third respectively.

John Rennie and the drainage of the Witham Fens, Lincolnshire, UK

The major British fen and lowland drainage schemes implemented by John Rennie and his contemporaries in the latter half of the eighteenth century and the early years of the nineteenth century were, of course, major engineering works in their own right. It should not, however, be overlooked that these schemes, in bringing into arable production large areas of hitherto unproductive but potentially prime agricultural land, played a vital and timely role in feeding a burgeoning urban population in the manufacturing areas of northern England and were, in their own way, as important as coal in fuelling the industrial revolution.

Arable Land Productivity and Its Elastic Loss on the Basis of Farm Household Land Use Behavior

Research on grain production capacity in China mostly put emphasis on rigid loss, and neglects elastic loss of grain productivity, especially that from the perspective of farm household land use behavior. At first, the paper elaborates, at different regional scales and temporal levels, the hierarchy of farm household land use and grain production capacity, and the impacts of farm household land use on the elastic loss of grain production capacity. Then, the research progresses in farm household land use, cultivated land intensive use and farmland productivity. We put forward a research framework of grain productivity on the basis of farm household land use and discuss the related study contents and methods. The study on the process, state, and mechanism of farm household land use behavior is the important basis for grain production capacity elastic loss evaluation. We need to explore the spatial and temporal changes of cultivated land intensive use of farm households and the impacts of the difference in intensity on farmland productivity, to analyze the intensity and the difference of elastic loss of grain production capacity at different spatial and temporal scales, and to set up the model of farm household land use-crop growth-the effects on grain production capacity. The researches include the following five aspects: (1) to analyze the mechanism of household land use, (2) to establish a farm household land use decision-making model, (3) to discuss the difference in household land use, (4) to probe into the impacts of farm household land use on grain productivity, (5) to study the change of arable land intensive use and its effects on grain production capacity. Moreover, we need to apply multidisciplinary methods to study on the elastic loss of grain production capacity, such as traditional study method in combination with remote sense information identification, GIS and spatial orientation, and we also need to make some advances in data collection.

Quantifying the effect of interactions between disease control, nitrogen supply and land use change on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with wheat production

A method for calculating the effect of disease control on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with wheat production, reported previously, was developed further to account for effects of disease control on the amount of fertilizer nitrogen (N) which should be applied and on changes in land use. Data from nine randomized and replicated field experiments from the UK and Denmark showed that the economic optimum N input to winter wheat was greater if diseases were controlled by fungicides, than for untreated wheat. The GHGs associated with this additional N largely negated the benefit to emissions per tonne of grain resulting from disease control. However, the mean grain yield obtained without fungicide treatment was 6·71 t ha−1, compared to 8·88 t ha−1 with fungicide treatment, if N input was optimal for each situation. In the absence of disease control by fungicides, and assuming that the optimum N rate was used, an additional 481 kha of wheat would be required to maintain UK wheat production at the current level. If the additional land area came from converting temperate grassland to arable production, the GHG emissions caused by ploughing grassland would cause emissions to rise from 503 to 713 kg CO2e per tonne of grain produced. This would result in an additional 3·15 Mt CO2e per year to produce the typical UK annual production of 15 Mt. This analysis reinforces the importance of winning the ‘arms race’ against pathogen evolution towards fungicide insensitivity and virulence.

Space for people, plants, and livestock? Quantifying interactions among multiple landscape functions in a Dutch rural region

Rural landscapes are often multifunctional, meaning that at one single location different goods and services are being provided. Multifunctionality is spatially heterogeneous as not all areas are equally suitable to supply multiple goods and services. This suitability depends on favourable biophysical and socio-economic conditions and interactions among landscape functions. The objective of this paper is to identify and quantify interactions among landscape functions in a diverse and dynamic rural region, the Gelderse Vallei in the Netherlands. To be able to study these interactions first seven landscape functions (residential, intensive livestock, cultural heritage, tourism, plant habitat, arable production, and leisure cycling) are quantified and mapped using landscape indicators. These landscape function maps are subsequently aggregated to identify and quantify multifunctionality. The results of these analyses are used to study three aspects of landscape function interactions (a) influence of landscape characteristics on function interactions, (b) interrelations among landscape functions and (c) effect of multifunctionality on the different landscape functions. Landscape functions do not equally interact with one another, some landscape functions are affected negatively by the presence of other functions while other landscape functions benefit from multifunctionality. At multifunctionality hot spots different landscape functions are present that are enhancing one another. Additionally, in our study area it appears that mainly locations with landscape functions that sub-optimally provide goods and services are strongly multifunctional. Quantification and an improved understanding of landscape interactions will help to design and evaluate spatial policies related to the provision of multiple goods and services by the landscape.

Stream-bed phosphorus in paired catchments with different agricultural land use intensity

Stream-bed sediments from three paired catchments, each draining a lower agricultural intensity system and a higher agricultural intensity system, were analysed for (a) total P (TP), (b) bioavailable-P (Resin-P), (c) equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC 0), and (d) degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS). The influence of agriculture on sediment P was explored within the context of other key variables that may control the sediment P concentrations such as particle size, Fe, Ca and organic matter content, and in terms of potential implications of sediment P to in-stream biota. TP concentrations, EPC 0, and the proportion of fine sediment were highest at the sites with the greater agricultural impact. Higher concentrations of bioavailable-P were also found in higher intensity agricultural systems. However, the highest concentrations of bioavailable-P were found at sites with point source inputs. Sites with high Fe concentrations had higher TP concentrations relative to agricultural intensity, but also had lower DPS values, illustrating that the sediment still had the capacity to take up P in a strongly bound form. The results from this study show that higher risk agricultural practices (intensive arable production and dairy and beef production) can lead either directly, or indirectly through increased inputs of fine sediment, to increased sediment TP concentrations. The importance of geochemical and physical controls on the bed sediments’ capacity to mitigate high P inputs in headwater lowland streams, especially under low flows and times of eutrophication risk in spring and summer is illustrated.