Crop-livestock Farming Research Articles

Determination of feed balance for smallholder mixed crop–livestock farming system in Adwa district of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Determination of feed balance for smallholder mixed crop–livestock farming system in Adwa district of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Accounting for and Comparison of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions between Crop and Livestock Sectors in China

The synergistic greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of the crop production (CP) and livestock farming (LF) sectors is of great significance for food security and low-carbon development, especially for China, the world leader in agricultural production. In this paper, the GHG emissions from the CP and LF sectors are accounted for and compared, and the spatial econometric model is adopted for comparative study based on the panel data from 1997 to 2021. The results show that: (1) The total amount and intensity of GHG emissions from both sectors showed obvious spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence, and the spatial distribution pattern was relatively stable. (2) The influence of each factor on the GHG intensity and spatial characteristics of CP and LF varies widely. For the CP sector, economic development (local effect −0.29, adjacent effect +1.13), increased urbanization rate (−0.24, +0.16), agricultural structure (−0.29, +0.05), and urban-rural disparity (−0.03, +0.17) all reduce the GHG intensity of local region, while increasing the GHG intensity of its adjacent areas, signifying leakage. The economic structure (+0.06, +0.16), agricultural finance support (+0.02, +0.26), mechanization level (+0.05, +0.03), and land occupancy rate (+0.54, +0.44) all play a role in increasing the GHG intensity of CP in the local region and its adjacent areas. The disaster degree (−0.03, −0.03) also reduced the GHG intensity of CP. For the LF sector, economic structure (+0.08, +0.11), urban-rural disparity (+0.11, +0.21), agricultural development level (+0.03, +0.50), and increased land occupancy rate (+0.05, +0.01) can improve the GHG intensity of the one region and adjacent areas. Economic development (+0.03, −0.15), urbanization rate (+0.04, −0.30), agricultural structure (+0.09, −0.03), and disaster degree (+0.02, −0.06) can increase the GHG intensity of the local region while reducing the GHG intensity of adjacent areas. Based on the results, under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization(dual-carbon) goals, this study first puts forward collaborative emission reduction measures for CP and LF, respectively, then further rises to sector synergy and regional synergy, and constructs the countermeasure system framework of collaborative emission reduction from three levels, to provide guidance and reference for the realization of dual goals of agricultural GHG reduction and food security.

Applying circular economy principles to intensification of livestock production in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the context of sustainable agricultural development, much has been made of the need to apply agroecology or regenerative principles to improve rural livelihoods and to align the sector with critical planetary health boundaries. This movement is a reaction to the perceived private and social costs arising from both production and consumption associated with industrialised agriculture, mostly in upper-income countries, with several default assumptions being apparent about applicability elsewhere. The notion of circularity, or the circular economy, is frequently conflated with agro ecological rhetoric, often overlooking a longer tradition of circular resource use efficiency in traditional mixed crop–livestock farming in low-income settings. This paper examines the concept and origins of circularity and reviews some examples of historic circular economy research within the international agricultural research system as applied to smallholder agriculture. These include (i) studies focusing on the impact of crop residue retention, (ii) work on residue incorporation and/or mulching and their effects on crop yields and soil fertility, (iii) research on the effects of manure use on crop yields and soil fertility and (iv) work on the feeding of crop residues to livestock. We consider some promising innovations or practices adhering to circular economy principles. Candidate innovations focus on the improvement of livestock feeding practices including the breeding of dual-purpose crops to enhance livestock nutrition, conversion of cereal straw residues to high-quality feed, use of cassava waste as livestock feed and use of insects as livestock feed. We conclude by considering how circular bio-economy principles might be maintained in the future evolution of food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN INTEGRATED CROP-LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEM IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

The study was conducted to determine the best efficient integrated crop-livestock farming system in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaire and interview schedule. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 7 LGAs (Ikara, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Soba, Sabon-Gari and Zaria) purposively in stage I for prevalence of integrated crop-livestock farming, 28 villages were selected purposively also for the same reason in stage II while at last stage 400 crop-livestock farmers were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression model were used to achieve the objective of this study. Results of the socio-economic characteristics revealed that about 92% of the integrated crop-livestock farmers were found to be male with mean age of 44 years and household size of 7 persons per farmer. Results from the DEA showed that the mean total efficiency, pure efficiency and scale efficiency were found to be 0.74, 0.89 and 0.83, respectively. The DEA results further revealed that farmers can reduce the quantity of farm size, labour, seed, fertilizer, manure and agrochemical inputs by 0.18%, 10.97%, 14.43%, 5.28%, 26.93% and 18.48%, respectively. Furthermore, the findings revealed that 19.9, 30.19 and 65.11% of farmers operated at optimal, sub-optimal and super-optimal scale, respectively. Tobit regression model used to determine factors influencing technical efficiency established that coefficients of age (0.201), household size (0.0204), education level (0.206), farming experience (0.321), extension contact 0.311) and cooperative membership (0.1801) were statistically significant variables at different level of probability. There should be synergy between crop and animal scientists; extension agents and agricultural economists to bring into bearing the needs for farmers to imbibe integrated crop-livestock farming to achieve optimum level of efficiency.

Farmers’ perceived pathways for further intensification of push-pull systems in Western Kenya

Push-pull technology provides farmers in East Africa with an eco-friendly strategy that increases crop yield and household income in smallholder cereal systems by controlling pests and improving soil health. Though promising for a sustainably intensified production, push-pull has been used at limited scale, primarily in maize-and sorghum-based production systems. Expanding the scope, applicability and acceptance of the practice in smallholder farming systems, will leverage the full potential of push-pull as a widely applicable sustainable farming practice. Using key informant interviews and focus group discussions, we explored farmers’ needs and perceived pathways for integrating push-pull and other sustainable intensification practices in synergy with existing cropping systems in Kisumu, Vihiga and Siaya Counties in Western Kenya. We found that farmers in the region typically grow and intercrop a variety of crops, with maize being the most common crop. Farmers commonly practice crop-livestock farming, intercropping, crop rotation, manure and fertilizer use, and use improved varieties to increase maize production. Across the counties, integration of food legumes, agroforestry and crop-livestock farming, were identified as fundamental pathways for stretching the benefits of push-pull. Limitations to farmers’ aspirations and key enablers for facilitating spontaneous adoption of identified sustainable intensification practices for push-pull farming systems are discussed.

Abandoning grassland management negatively influences plant but not bird or insect biodiversity in Europe

AbstractGrasslands are globally distributed and naturally occurring; however, in Europe, most grasslands are anthropogenically created or altered by livestock grazing or mowing. Low‐intensity use and management have led to species‐rich communities in European grasslands. The intensification of crop production and livestock farming with stabling throughout the year has led to an abandonment of grasslands that are no longer economically profitable. In this study, we looked at the influence of grassland abandonment on biodiversity. We hypothesized that abandonment of grasslands decreases the overall biodiversity, but has different effects depending on the focal taxonomic group (i.e., vascular plants, insects, or birds). We also hypothesized that the type of management before abandonment, the type of grassland, and the time after abandonment would influence grassland biodiversity. We conducted a Web of Science search, with pre‐defined terms, to find articles that compared biodiversity of managed and abandoned grasslands in Europe. We screened the articles and included 39 studies in a subsequent meta‐analysis. We found that overall biodiversity was reduced after abandonment; however, the biodiversity reduction in the grasslands differed among taxonomic groups. Plant species diversity was significantly lower after abandonment (plant summary effect size: −0.25 [−0.34; −0.16]), whereas the diversity of insects and birds showed no significant trend, but a visual trend toward an increase. None of the other environmental variables (type of management, type of grassland, or the time after abandonment) had a significant influence on the biodiversity of the grasslands. We conclude that maintaining grassland management is crucial to support biodiversity conservation in European grasslands.

Trajectories of crop–livestock integration in the context of specialization in Northwest Vietnam

AbstractMixed crop–livestock systems, the world's most widespread farming systems, promote farm resilience through diversification and allow for crop–livestock integration (CLI). Intensification and specialization challenge these systems. In Northwest Vietnam, the standard farm model is based on mixed crop–livestock family farms but is shifting towards more specialized farming systems. The aim of the current study was to identify the new balance between livestock and crops on farms in Northwest Vietnam and to examine the effects of specialization on CLI practices and production system intensification by identifying current CLI practices and performing a retrospective analysis of changes in these practices. One hundred farms were surveyed and 24 interviews on farm trajectories were conducted in Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) between January and April 2022. Based on the level of CLI and farm diversification, seven types of farms were identified and classified into three categories: (B) mixed farms, (A) farms specializing in livestock and (C) farms specializing in crops. The study of farm trajectories revealed three main changes: the conversion of mixed crop–livestock farms into more specialized crop systems, a change from mixed crop–livestock to more specialized family livestock farms and a change in the management of large ruminant herds and their feed system from free grazing to forage-fed systems. Understanding these changes will help identify drivers and potential constraints to the development of new practices for the integration of crop and livestock farming.

Looking for the local ‘grant-grabbers’: Cattle farmers' criticisms and emerging environmental subjectivities in southwestern France

Meeting the challenge of “turning farmers into conservationists” is fundamental to tackling the climate/biodiversity crisis in the European Union. This is especially true in marginal areas, where environmental stewardship is (one of) the main justification(s) for the large amount of subsidies directed to largely unprofitable forms of agriculture, notably through agri-environmental and climatic measures (AECM) targeting cattle farmers. This article intends to analyse the confusing and sometimes reciprocal accusations of misuse of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which are made between cattle farmers. This study combines observations and interviews with suckler cattle farmers in a small region in southwestern France which is dominated by mixed crop-livestock farming and targeted by an AECM. It provides insights into local discourses that constitute environmental incentives as a moral issue. The results show that accusations are strongly context-dependent and extend beyond farming culture, thus reflecting the manifold identities of the cattle farmers. The AECM scheme, despite its low specifications, plays a role in the identity tensions that characterize contemporary cattle farming. The exploration of emerging environmental subjectivities allows us to take both the material and subjective dimensions of farmers’ identities into account.

An Ecological Reading of Crop–Livestock Interactions—Gers, Southwestern France, 1950 to the Present

Mixed crop–livestock farming is usually considered to be beneficial for the environment, but the comprehensive characterisation of functional interactions between crops and livestock, and thus the assessment of their ecological relevance, remain problematic. In this article, we design a systemic reading grid focusing on the agricultural practices of crop–livestock interactions, which we organised in four groups according to the agronomic functions they fulfil and the ecological processes involved: (i) animals are used as a source of mechanical energy; (ii) rangelands and permanent grasslands, serving as a source of biomass to manage fertility, are spatially interwoven into the cultivated fields; (iii) on those cultivated fields, non-fodder crops are rotated/associated with fodder crops; (iv) the livestock consume locally produced fodder, grain and straw, and their excreta are spread on cultivated plots. Based on 86 interviews with retired and active farmers, we applied this grid to study the dynamics of crop–livestock integration in a small French agricultural region since 1950. We show that even though the number of mixed crop–livestock farms remains quite high, there has been a massive impoverishment of crop–livestock interactions within these farms. We discuss this trend and the contributions made by the reading grid.

Integrated analysis of opportunities and trade-offs for mixed crop-livestock farm types in Amhara, Ethiopia

CONTEXTIn Ethiopia, many agricultural interventions have been introduced for mixed farm types in different biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. The contribution of such interventions to multi-objectives at farm level and beyond remains unclear. OBJECTIVETo derive insights into interaction of multi-objectives on economic profit-, nutrition security-, and environmental performance that are relevant for improvement of farm household living income in Amhara, Ethiopia. METHODSFarmDESIGN model evaluated performance of four stylized medium- and small-scale farm types in a low (Lay Gayint)- and high (South Achefer)- potential district: LG-M, LG-S, SA-M and SA-S. Pareto-based multi-objective optimization was performed to maximize farm profit, livestock density, dietary energy and vitamin A yield, and minimize GHG and soil N losses. Further analysis resulted in 3–4 clusters per farm type with varied farm configurations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSHigher dietary energy- and vitamin A- yield that meets household and Ethiopian society requirements increased synergistically with profit in three of the four farm type clusters, while LG-S clusters could only increase vitamin A yield substantially with profit. Only LG-M clusters intensified livestock by addition of 4–8 crossbred cows and 1–10 chickens, supported by imported feed and off-farm grazing but face strong environmental trade-offs of increased GHG and soil N losses. Chicken production (eggs and chicken meat) is an option to reduce environmental impact, increase profit and contribute to both human nutrition requirements. In LG-S, SA-M and SA-S farm type clusters, profit was generated mainly from sale of eucalyptus, maize, potato, carrot, finger millet, garlic, beetroot and banana, with eucalyptus accounting at least 35% of the crop profit. Livestock diversification in these clusters also contributed to farm revenue, but always to a smaller extent, due to relatively high management costs. A living income from farming activities was only achieved on SA-M3 as 3.96 USD/capita/day (+0.36 above the threshold). This cluster had a 2.90 ha land area, farm income almost equally generated from crop and livestock production, and successfully met all set objectives except maximizing livestock density. SIGNIFICANCEOur study infers the need to increase land area, expand poultry and rear crossbred cows, and cultivate high value crops to realize a living income solely from agricultural activities. For implementation, current land-use policies should support farm area expansion. The suggested agricultural options, which already align with current Ethiopian development plans, must utilize sustainable measures that will not lead to short- or long-term challenges as higher GHG and soil nutrient mining.

Influence of farmers’ socio-economic characteristics on nutrient flow and implications for system sustainability in smallholdings: a review

The rise in global human population, coupled with the effects of climate change, has increased the demand for arable land. Soil fertility has been the most affected, among other things. Many approaches to soil fertility management have been proposed by studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); however, the question of sustainability remains. Nutrient monitoring (NUTMON), which combines biophysical and socio-economic features for soil fertility management, gives an in-situ soil fertility status of a given land use system, which ultimately provides guidance in proposing appropriate soil management techniques in a given land use system. In this review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach was deployed for a systematic search of the literature materials. The review evaluated various studies on nutrient monitoring in SSA soils in order to understand the socioeconomic attributes and their influence on farming systems, as well as nutrient flow and balances. The review identified two dominant smallholder farming systems in SSA: mixed crop-livestock and mixed crop farming systems. Also, this review revealed that most nutrient balance studies in SSA have been done in mixed crop and livestock farming systems. However, regardless of the farming systems, the overall mean nutrient balances in all studies, particularly those of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), were negative, indicating significant nutrient mining. The review further revealed a vast range of biophysical soil fertility management technologies; however, their adoption has been limited by socio-economic aspects including land ownership, gender, financial position, literacy level, and access to inputs. Therefore, in view of this situation, integrating biophysical and socioeconomic disciplines could address the problem of soil nutrient depletion holistically, thus decreasing the existing negative nutrient balances in the SSA region.

Cooperation between specialized cropping and livestock farms at local level reduces carbon footprint of agricultural system: A case study of recoupling maize-cow system in South China

Decoupling of crop and livestock production has become increasingly common in the world during to past decades. The cooperation between specialized crop and livestock farms have been paid more attention for the development of sustainable agriculture. This study assumed that rebuilding the linkage between specialized crop and livestock farms through cooperation at the local level would decrease agricultural GHG emissions. Therefore, we designed a cooperative crop-livestock farming model (CCLS) in South China by recoupling the cow farm with the sweet maize cultivation farms around it to demonstrate the hypothesis based on carbon footprint (CF) method. The CFs under two cooperative scenarios (CCLS20 and CCLS50) were compared with the corresponding decoupling models (DCLS20 and DCLS50). Results showed that CCLS significantly reduced GHG emissions from cropping systems in comparison to DCLS primarily by increasing the soil organic carbon storage while decreasing accumulative N2O emissions. In specific, the CFs of CCLS20 and CCLS50 were 48.78% and 623.34% lower than DCLS20 and DCLS50, respectively. The yield-based CFs of CCLS20 and CCLS50 were 66.30% and 165.99% lower than DCLS20 and DCLS50, respectively. Meanwhile, the CF of the cow farm in CCLS20 and CCLS50 were 8.80% and 8.22% lower than that in DCLS20/50 by lowering relative GHG emissions of straw supply in roughage forage and shortening manure storage time in the manure management process. Finally, the yield-based CF in CCLS20 and CCLS50 were 67.68% and 168.51% lower than the DCLS20 and DCLS50, respectively, demonstrating that the cooperation between specialized planting and livestock farms at local level reduced the CF of the agricultural production chain by the synergistic reduction effects of GHG emissions in cropland, livestock rearing and transportation processes. The results would provide a quantitative understanding of the net GHG emission of cooperative crop-livestock system at the local level in China and valuable information for the development of sustainable farming system in the world.

Performance of food–feed maize and cowpea cultivars under monoculture and intercropping systems: Grain yield, fodder biomass, and nutritive value

Livestock feeding in Burkina Faso is characterized by a recurrent deficit in both the quality and the quantity of fodder during the dry season, which affects animal performance. To overcome this, quality fodder/forage production is an alternative. Therefore, this study evaluated food- and feed-improved cultivars of maize and cowpea in intercropping trials using the “mother and baby trials” approach with crop–livestock farmers. The mother trial comprised a randomized block design with eight treatments and four replicates: two cowpea (KVx745-11P and Tiligré) and two maize cultivars (Barka and Espoir), and grown under two cropping systems (monoculture and intercropping). Baby trials were established on-farm and involved 30 farmers during two seasons (2019 and 2020) in four villages in the South Sudan zone of Burkina Faso. Data were collected on (1) weed density and biomass, (2) grain yield and fodder biomass, (3) intercropping efficiency, and (4) fodder nutritive value. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and the least significant difference (LSD) means separation at a 5% threshold. The results revealed that maize and cowpea intercropping significantly reduced weed biomass (p ≤ 0.05). In monoculture, the maize cultivar Barka produced a greater grain yield (4980 kg/ha) and fodder biomass [6259 kg dry matter (DM)/ha] than the cultivar Espoir, which produced a grain yield of 2581 kg/ha and fodder biomass of 4952 kg DM/ha. The cowpea cultivars, KVx745-11P and Tiligré, were similar (p ≥ 0.05) in terms of fodder biomass (2435–2820 kg DM/ha) and grain yield (1152–1163 kg/ha). For the intercropping system, land equivalent ratios for fodder biomass (1.18:1.41) and grain yield (1.02:1.44) were greater than 1; intercropping also had better productivity system indexes than the monoculture cropping system. The crude protein concentration of fodder was greater for Barka maize (9.5%–9.8%) than for Espoir maize (8.5%–8.7%). The crude protein concentration was greater for cowpea KVx745-11P (19%–21.8%) than for cowpea Tiligré (15%–17%). Intercropping both Barka maize and cowpea KVx745-11P was the most productive cropping system for maximizing grain and fodder production for crop–livestock farmers in the South Sudan zone of Burkina Faso.

Small Ruminant Production and Marketing Practices in Harawa, Somali Region, Ethiopia

Small ruminant production is an essential component of agricultural activity for smallholder farmers. The aim of this study was to assess small ruminant production and marketing practices in the Harawa district of Somali Region, Ethiopia. For the study 90 households owning small ruminant were selected from three different towns of Harawa district. Information on sheep and goat ownership patterns, production objectives, and management and production constraints were collected from 90 households using semi structured questionnaires. The available feed resources are grass species, crop aftermath and legumes species are the common ones. The average family size was 5.78 ± 0.235 persons per household. Crop-livestock farming was the commonly used farming system with (62.75%) extensive and (27.25%) semi-intensive production system. The mean total land holding was 6.08 ± 0.24 ha per HH and was significantly (P is important.

Estimation of short- and long-term floor and ceiling prices for manure in a crop and livestock farms exchange

Abstract Organic matter is a key element of soil fertility. However, in-soil stocks of organic matter are in decline in specialized crop farms. Reintroducing organic fertilizers could be a way to increase or at least maintain organic matter stocks in these soils. Straw/manure exchanges between crop farms and livestock farms could improve overall land fertility and thus the long-term income of farmers. Here we used a bioeconomic model to estimate the agronomic and economic benefits of straw/manure exchanges as part of a strategy to improve soil fertility. Iterative simulations were run with prices of farmyard manure varying from €0 to €20 ton−1 to identify the price at which a crop farm can buy manure and sell straw without degrading its net income (manure ceiling price) compared to purchasing mineral fertilizer only and ploughing back straw. Parallel simulations were run to identify the price at which a livestock farmer can sell manure and buy straw without degrading its net income (manure floor price) compared to keeping all manure on the farm and buying straw on the market. The key new contributions of this study are that it (i) considers the characteristics of manure beyond its short-term fertilizing value, i.e., better mineralization of humus and a 10% increase in crop yields, (ii) estimates both the economic and agronomic benefits of manure and (iii) assesses the impacts of uncertainties on manure effects and prices. The results show that it is profitable for a French farmer in a conventional field crop system to buy manure at a price between €10 ton−1 in the short term and €18 ton−1 in the long term. The results also show that it is still economically advantageous for a livestock farmer to sell part of their manure, even at a very low price. This study shows that it is possible to better distribute manure resources over a territory in a way that enriches the soils of crop farms without degrading the soils of livestock farms.

Sustainable farming strategies for mixed crop-livestock farms in Luxembourg simulated with a hybrid agent-based and life-cycle assessment model

Agent-based models (ABMs) are particularly suitable to simulate human-natural systems since they allow modelers to consider the behavioral aspects of individuals. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has also been widely used in research, industry, and policy to assess systems' environmental sustainability. In this paper, we introduce a coupled ABM-LCA model to simulate mixed crop-livestock farming activities in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The simulator considers a wide range of aspects related to typical farming business activities and allows the calculation of the environmental and economic impacts of the decisions taken by agents as well. The paper simulates different scenarios. Scenario A is the baseline scenario. Scenario B considers reducing the stocking rate from 1.6 to 1.3 livestock units per ha (LSU/ha). Scenario C aims to reduce the soybean ratio in animals’ feed rations to the minimum possible level that is feasible for each farm. Scenario D simulates an increase in soybean autonomy: the farmer chooses to adopt local soybean (instead of imported one) into the crop rotation if its green consciousness exceeds a pre-fixed threshold. As expected, in scenario B, all impact categories show improvement with respect to the baseline scenario, the highest ones being an almost 25% reduction in freshwater eutrophication, 21% in climate change - human health, and 19% in freshwater ecotoxicity. For natural land transformation, the most significant improvements are obtained in scenarios C (11% reduction) and D (13% reduction). On the other hand, in scenario C, the change in feed composition, combined with an expected decrease in stocking rates, also has a positive effect (about 16% reduction compared to the baseline) on agricultural land occupation, due to the utilization of pasture and locally produced crops. An analysis of the systemic uncertainty calculated at the endpoint indicators level showed low coefficients of variation (CV) for all the scenarios, with scenario A always having the lowest values of CV in every impact category, scenario C having the highest CV in the ecosystem quality and the human health categories and scenario B having the highest CV in the resources category. The consideration of subsidy schemes in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg allows the modelers to better interpret the resulting revenue and cost structures of different scenarios. The results show that the farm profitability stays on the same level when the stocking rate is reduced, and the subsidy granted for reducing nitrogen emissions is in place at the same time. Moreover, the soybean autarky in Luxembourg can be increased to 17% if the farmers are willing to incorporate soybean into their rotation scheme, thus reducing the impacts due to the transportation and production of soybean in South American countries.

Animal welfare knowledge, attitudes, and practices among livestock holders in Ethiopia.

Improving animal welfare is a human responsibility and influenced by a person's values and experiences. Thus, it is critical to have an in-depth understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of animal welfare among animal owners. For livestock in Ethiopia, the greatest proportion of livestock are reared by pastoral and mixed crop-livestock communities. A cross-sectional survey covering a range of species and animal welfare aspects was carried out on a total of 197 household (117 pastoral and 80 crop-livestock owners) and recorded information on 34 animal welfare KAP items. Item response theory models (IRT) were fitted to the data from KAP items to estimate the probability of correctly answering an item. This was used as a function of the respondents' KAP level. Overall, the highest percentage of desirable scores was recorded for the knowledge scale (35.7%) and the lowest was for the practice scale (24.6%). A significant correlation (P < 0.01) was found between knowledge of the farmers and their attitude toward animal welfare and self-reported practices. Generally, households practicing mixed crop-livestock farming system had better animal welfare knowledge, attitude, and practice than pastoralist. Mixed crop-livestock farmers had better knowledge on items related to observing the nutrition condition of the animal, animal-human relationship, the importance of water, and health inspection compared to pastoralists. In contrast, pastoralists had better knowledge of items related to natural behavior expression, animal care, and animal suffering than mixed crop-livestock farmers. Pastoralists had 3.3-times higher odds than mixed crop-livestock farmers to have a positive attitude to train their animals without beating. KAP scores demonstrate the need for targeted training to improve animal well-being (i.e., housing, management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling) across livestock holding communities in Ethiopia.

Improved legume pastures increase economic value, resilience and sustainability of crop-livestock systems

CONTEXTWell-managed legume pastures play a crucial role in agricultural systems, contributing to strategies for the increasingly complex challenges of supplying meat and wool, improving soil fertility, increasing land use efficiency while minimising environmental impacts, and building system resilience. OBJECTIVEThis paper examines the potential for a range of improved annual legume pasture species to deliver multiple benefits such as extending the length of the growing the season and closing feed gaps, boosting crop yields and farm profits, and contributing to natural resource management. METHODSUsing MIDAS, a bioeconomic model of a crop-livestock farming system, we quantified the relative profitability and sustainability of five self-regenerating legume pasture scenarios − burr medic (Medicago polymorpha L.), bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum L.), French serradella (Ornithopus sativus L.), biserrula (Biserrula pelecinus L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) − against the baseline scenario of (mainly) subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) for the medium-rainfall region of Western Australia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe modelling indicated that profit gains of more than 25% were possible by using an improved self-regenerating legume option when compared to a subterranean clover-based pasture system. This could be achieved through greater utilisation of land under pastures and higher stocking rates while still maintaining a major cropping program. The whole-farm economic benefits of improved legume pastures resulted from land use adjustments to sustain more profitable cropping and livestock enterprises, and benefits were small at low stocking rates. The combination of additional feed at the start of the season and slower loss of energy values at the end of the season in the improved pasture scenarios was an important profit driver for the livestock enterprise. Other benefits included projected savings in nitrogen fertiliser for crops in rotation with the pasture, greater sheep carrying capacity, improved efficiencies in supplementary feed and labour costs per animal, lower groundwater recharge, and improved farm business resilience overall. Pastures with higher nutritional value could lead to reduced net emissions per DSE if they allow ruminants to reach finishing weight faster or improve reproductive efficiency. SIGNIFICANCEThis whole-farm study expands previous work by comparing a broad range of annual legume pasture species developed for the soils and climatic conditions of Western Australia. The general principles behind changes in land use revealed by the MIDAS modelling have wide application beyond this Australian region, confirming the potential role of well-managed legume pastures for achieving sustainable intensification of agricultural systems, while offering sufficient flexibility for grazing systems to cope with climate variability.

Modeling the effects of alternative crop–livestock management scenarios on important ecosystem services for smallholder farming from a landscape perspective

Abstract. Smallholder farming systems in southern Africa are characterized by low-input management and integrated livestock and crop production. Low yields and dry-season feed shortages are common. To meet growing food demands, sustainable intensification (SI) of these systems is an important policy goal. While mixed crop–livestock farming may offer greater productivity, it implies trade-offs between feed supply, soil nutrient replenishment, soil carbon accumulation, and other ecosystem functions (ESFs) and ecosystem services (ESSs). Such settings require a detailed system understanding to assess the performance of prevalent management practices and identify potential SI strategies. Models can evaluate different management scenarios on extensive spatiotemporal scales and help identify suitable management strategies. Here, we linked the process-based models APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator) for cropland and aDGVM2 (Adaptive Dynamic Global Vegetation Model) for rangeland to investigate the effects of (i) current management practices (minimum input crop–livestock agriculture), (ii) an SI scenario for crop production (with dry-season cropland grazing), and (iii) a scenario with separated rangeland and cropland management (livestock exclusion from cropland) in two representative villages of the Limpopo Province, South Africa, for the period from 2000 to 2010. We focused on the following ESFs and ESSs provided by cropland and rangeland: yield and feed provision, soil carbon storage, cropland leaf area index (LAI), and soil water. Village surveys informed the models of farming practices, livelihood conditions, and environmental circumstances. We found that modest SI measures (small fertilizer quantities, weeding, and crop rotation) led to moderate yield increases of between a factor of 1.2 and 1.6 and reduced soil carbon loss, but they sometimes caused increased growing-season water limitation effects. Thus, SI effects strongly varied between years. Dry-season crop residue grazing reduced feed deficits by approximately a factor of 2 compared with the rangeland-only scenario, but it could not fully compensate for the deficits during the dry-to-wet season transition. We expect that targeted deficit irrigation or measures to improve water retention and the soil water holding capacity may enhance SI efforts. Off-field residue feeding during the dry-to-wet season transition could further reduce feed deficits and decrease rangeland grazing pressure during the early growing season. We argue that integrative modeling frameworks are needed to evaluate landscape-level interactions between ecosystem components, evaluate the climate resilience of landscape-level ecosystem services, and identify effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Estimating the economics and adoption potential of agrivoltaics in Germany using a farm-level bottom-up approach

This article presents the first bottom-up assessment of the economics and adoption potential of agrivoltaics (AV) using national farm accountancy data in Germany. A recently developed framework for the economic assessment of dual land-use systems is applied to estimate a national AV electricity supply curve. The estimation accounts for economies-of-scale, regional variation in solar radiation, and farm-specific agronomic effects. The results demonstrate that solar radiation and investment costs are key determinants. Agronomic costs from crop shading and land losses have a small impact, but differences between farm-type and regions can be observed. Accounting for economies-of-scale favors farms endowed with large arable land area, which are predominantly specialist field crop and other livestock farm types found in Eastern Germany. In absence of economies-of-scale, early adopters are largely specialist milk or other livestock farm types located in Southern Germany. In presence of economies-of-scale and at an electricity price of 8.3 EUR-cents kWh−1, the 10% most cost-efficient farms could meet 8.8% of Germany's total electricity demand on about 1% of arable land. The results show that substantial policy-support is required to make AV competitive with ground-mounted photovoltaics, particularly if economies-of-scale cannot be realized. Adequate policy designs are needed to safeguard AV's land-efficiency advantage, as most farmers would be incentivized to abandon farming beneath the AV system.