Opinions Of Farmers Research Articles

A comparison of the views of extension agents and farmers regarding extension education courses in Dezful, Iran

Background and purpose : This study examines the views of farmers and extension agents participating in extension education courses in Dezful, Iran, with regard to problems with these courses. It relies upon a descriptive methodology, using a survey as its instrument. Sample : The statistical population consisted of 5060 farmers and 50 extension agents; all extension agents were studied owing to their small population and a sample of 466 farmers was selected based on the stratified ratio sampling method. For the data analysis, statistical procedures including the t-test and factor analysis were used. Results : The results of factor analysis on the views of farmers indicated that these courses have problems such as inadequate use of instructional materials by extension agents, insufficient employment of knowledgeable and experienced extension agents, bad and inconvenient timing of courses for farmers, lack of logical connection between one curriculum and prior ones, negligence in considering the opinions of farmers in arranging the courses, and lack of information about the time of courses. The findings of factor analysis on the views of extension agents indicated that these courses suffer from problems such as use of consistent methods of instruction for teaching curricula, and lack of continuity between courses and their levels and content. Conclusions : Recommendations include: listening to the views of farmers when planning extension courses; providing audiovisual aids, pamphlets and CDs; arranging courses based on convenient timing for farmers; using incentives to encourage participation; and employing extension agents with knowledge of the latest agricultural issues.

Avian influenza transmission risks: Analysis of biosecurity measures and contact structure in Dutch poultry farming

In the 2003 epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Dutch poultry, between-farm virus transmission continued for considerable time despite control measures. Gaining more insight into the mechanisms of this spread is necessary for the possible development of better control strategies. We carried out an in-depth interview study aiming to systematically explore all the poultry production activities to identify the activities that could potentially be related to virus introduction and transmission. One of the between-farm contact risks that were identified is the movement of birds between farms during thinning with violations of on-farm biosecurity protocols. In addition, several other risky management practices, risky visitor behaviours and biosecurity breaches were identified. They include human and fomite contacts that occurred without observing biosecurity protocols, poor waste management practices, presence of other animal species on poultry farms, and poor biosecurity against risks from farm neighbourhood activities. Among the detailed practices identified, taking cell phones and jewellery into poultry houses, not observing shower-in protocols and the exchange of unclean farm equipment were common. Also, sometimes certain protocols or biosecurity facilities were lacking. We also asked the interviewed farmers about their perception of transmission risks and found that they had divergent opinions about the visitor- and neighbourhood-associated risks. We performed a qualitative assessment of contact risks (as transmission pathways) based on contact type, corresponding biosecurity practices, and contact frequency. This assessment suggests that the most risky contact types are bird movements during thinning and restocking, most human movements accessing poultry houses and proximity to other poultry farms. The overall risk posed by persons and equipment accessing storage rooms and the premises-only contacts was considered to be medium. Most of the exposure risks are considered to be similar for layer and broiler farms. Our results, including those on farmer opinions, are relevant for the communication with farmers and poultry-related businesses about practices and risks. We conclude by providing recommendations for improvement of control strategies.

Implementation of the EU Nitrates Directive in the Republic of Ireland — A view from the farm

This paper employs Q methodology to investigate farmer opinions on the operation of the EU Nitrates Directive regulations after the first 4years of National Action Programme phase and explores the level of acceptance and refutation of measures from the view of farmers' own knowledge and experience of land stewardship. Results indicate 4 main opinion groups. A “Constrained Productionists” group remains unconvinced about the appropriateness of certain measures from a farm management, environmental and water quality perspective. A second group, “Concerned Practitioners”, shares some of these concerns but are generally more positive regarding other farm management and environmental benefits accruing from the regulations. A third group, “Benefit Accepters”, indicates quite an environmentalist position and is generally very positive towards regulation implementation and associated environmental and farm management benefits. The final group, “Regulation Unaffected”, has some concerns but are mostly unaffected by the regulations. Results suggest that there is a growing acceptance among some farmers of environmental benefits accruing from the regulation but scepticism remains around the validity of certain measures, especially, in the area of temporal farm practices.

Diagnosis for ecological intensification of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Costa Chica, Mexico

Enhanced utilization of ecological processes for food and feed production as part of the notion of ecological intensification starts from location-specific knowledge of production constraints. A diagnostic systems approach which combined social-economic and production ecological methods at farm and field level was developed and applied to diagnose extent and causes of the perceived low productivity of maize-based smallholder systems in two communities of the Costa Chica in South West Mexico. Social-economic and production ecological surveys were applied and complemented with model-based calculations. The results demonstrated that current nutrient management of crops has promoted nutrition imbalances, resulting in K- and, less surprisingly N-limited production conditions, reflected in low yields of the major crops maize and roselle and low resource use efficiencies. Production on moderate to steep slopes was estimated to result in considerable losses of soil and organic matter. Poor crop production, lack of specific animal fodder production systems and strong dependence on animal grazing within communal areas limited recycling of nutrients through manure. In combination with low prices for the roselle cash crop, farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of cash shortage and resource decline. The production ecological findings complemented farmers opinions by providing more insight in background and extent of livelihood constraints. Changing fertilizer subsidies and rethinking animal fodder production as well as use of communal lands requires targeting both formal and informal governance structures. The methodology has broader applicability in smallholder systems in view of its low demand on capital intensive resources.

Benchmark study on glyphosate‐resistant crop systems in the United States. Part 2: Perspectives

A six-state, 5 year field project was initiated in 2006 to study weed management methods that foster the sustainability of genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop systems. The benchmark study field-scale experiments were initiated following a survey, conducted in the winter of 2005-2006, of farmer opinions on weed management practices and their views on GR weeds and management tactics. The main survey findings supported the premise that growers were generally less aware of the significance of evolved herbicide resistance and did not have a high recognition of the strong selection pressure from herbicides on the evolution of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds. The results of the benchmark study survey indicated that there are educational challenges to implement sustainable GR-based crop systems and helped guide the development of the field-scale benchmark study. Paramount is the need to develop consistent and clearly articulated science-based management recommendations that enable farmers to reduce the potential for HR weeds. This paper provides background perspectives about the use of GR crops, the impact of these crops and an overview of different opinions about the use of GR crops on agriculture and society, as well as defining how the benchmark study will address these issues.

Goat systems of Villuercas-Ibores area in SW Spain: Problems and perspectives of traditional farming systems

A study of dairy goat systems was carried out in the “Villuercas-Ibores” region, a mountainous area located in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula (Cáceres, Spain). This territory is characterized by difficult orography and a fairly harsh climate, and has low indices of income and population density. Goat production in the area has contributed notably to its economic and social development historically, but there has been a marked recession in goat-based activities in recent decades, leading to changes in the type and intensity of land use. The purpose of the study is to analyze the main characteristics of the current goat farming systems in a zone in which goat milk production is possible under a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) brand “Ibores Cheese”, and to establish a farm classification that will allow groups of holdings with common characteristics to be identified, so that they can be compared and their performance evaluated. The data were obtained through direct interviews to goat farmers ( n = 61) within the geographical area of the PDO “Ibores Cheese”. Specific information on management was collected, together with data on family characteristics, labour, livestock numbers, land use, installations, continuity, recent changes in farming, and the farmer's opinions. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the relationships among the quantitative variables, then a two-step cluster analysis was applied using the factors obtained in the PCA and categorical variables. This resulted in a farm typology of three groups distinguished by their land use, goat breed, and PDO membership. The best management practices and productivity results were obtained by the farms furthest removed from the traditional systems. The first group of farms is characterized by small size flocks. Many of these farms do not belong to the PDO and therefore they have chosen breeds that are not allowed by the PDO regulations. Most of them are semi-intensive or intensive farms. The second group consist of extensive farms with large size flocks of goats complemented with sheep farming and, occasionally, with beef cattle or Iberian pig. They have got technically suitable milking rooms, although the availability of other infrastructure is poor. Finally, the third group identified includes extensive farms whose goat flock size is very similar to that of group 1, but in 70% of the cases they are mixed farms, mainly combining goat with sheep flocks. Most of them are producing milk that is sold to firms producing PDO cheese. It is the group closest to the traditional farming system and the farms have small flocks of low productivity per goat, raising autochthonous breeds and their crossbreeds.

Primary health care and alcohol

Primary health care and alcoholIn his famous novel ‘Anna Karenina’ Konstantin Levin, a farmer who is commonly considered to represent the author Leo Tolstoy himself, listens to another farmer's opinions on the land reform. He highly respects these opinions which, as he says, ‘had been brought not by a desire of finding some exercise for an idle brain, but a thought which had grown up out of the conditions of his life’.Researchers and policy makers, far from the realities of primary health care, seem to be more interested in brief alcohol interventions for hazardous drinkers than do general practitioners or other professionals working in this setting. Should brief intervention be removed to some other setting, buried forever as not being suitable for real life, or would it just now be perfect time for general practitioners and nurses in primary health care to take command of brief interventions and make it suitable for their own setting?

KNOWLEDGE OF POTATO GROWERS TO NEW CRITERIA OF EXPORT TO EUROPEAN UNION AND SOCIAL EFFECTS

The study aimed to identify the knowledge level of potato farmerregarding to the export conditions of potatoes to the European Union (EU), todetermine the differences between the knowledge degrees of the farmers in thetwo villages to the study, to identify farmer opinions regarding the socialeffects of the agricultural part of the Egyptian-European convention on then, and to identify the problems facing farmers since implementation of theEgyptian - European convention.The study was conducted in the village of Sayedna Solomon in Nobariyaarea as one of the largest areas Pest Free Area (PFA), and village of Talia,Menofia Governorate as one of the largest areas outside the Pest Free Area(PFA). a random sample was chosen of 50 farmers from Sayedna Solomonvillage and 100 farmers from Talia village.Data were collected through personal interviews with respondents by usingpre-tested questionnaires prepared specifically to achieve the study objectives.Frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, in addition to t testwere used to present and analysis data study.The most important results of the study were:1- There were a significant differences at 0.05 level between farmers' level ofknowledge in the two studied villages regarding the export condition ofpotatoes to (EU).2- There was increase in the negative social effects on small farmersresulting from applying the Egyptian-European convention as theinvestigated farmers expressed, and the differences between the twostudied villages were significant at 0.01 level.3- There were main problems facing small farmers in the Sayedna Solomonvillage concerning the market of the crop locally, the lowلexport prices,and the shortage of water for irrigation in summer, while the mainproblems in Talia village were concerning the lack and the high prices ofthe inputs, the irrigation problem, and the problem of marketing the crop locally.

Determining grazing capacity in Namibia with the aid of remote sensing

The Namibian rangelands consist of a mixture of herbaceous and woody components. The main source of income is from farming systems with grass production the predominant source of forage. For rangeland managers to utilise this source sustainably, the accurate determination of grazing capacity is vital since it allows for adapting the animal load, and therefore the grazing pressure, to the actual capacity of the land. Various practical approaches and methodologies were investigated to update the existing Namibian grazing capacity map that was compiled more than three decades ago from the expert, but nonetheless subjective, opinion of farmers, extension officers and pasture scientists. The methodologies studied in this paper include the estimation of seasonal herbaceous biomass production using satellite imagery, land cover mapping and the quantitative yield method of determining available forage. It is expected that combining all these methods (information from remote sensing, adjusted with scientifically established coefficients for woody cover, accessibility and palatability and the incorporation of the clipping technique [quantitative yield method] as a ground truthing mechanism) will provide a tool to objectively establish rangeland productivity and thus grazing capacity in Namibia.

A STUDY OF FARMERS RESPONSE LIMITATIONS USING AGENTS TO EXTENSION METHODS IN THE GREEN MOUNTAIN AREA OF LIBYA

The main objective of this study was determining the factors which areaffecting the response of farmers to agricultural extension methods. The studywas aimed-also-to: (a) determine farmers opinion in extension methods, andtheir confidence in these methods, and (b) determine the relationship betweensome personal characteristics of respondents and there response to extensionmethods.A random sample of 140 respondents was chosien from four destercts in theGreen Mountain. Percentages, means, varience, and simple correlationcoefficient were used to analyses the data.The results showed that:(a) The majority of respondents are less than 56 years old, illetrate, working infarming ,holding not more than 3 hektars, members in social organizations,and have not agricultural projects.(b) The response to extension methods was between 2.14% (personal letters),and 28.57% (extension meetings(c) The majority of respondents meintioned that:

The capital structure and determinants which influence on agricultural farms performance

The aim of the research was to qualify the theory of capital structure in aspect of financing small enterprises. The elaboration also deals with assessment of conditions which influence on capital structure of agriculture holdings in farmers opinion. The research were conducted with the questionnaire interview usage and it was became passed in 2008 on the group of 100 farmers leading individual agricultural farms in the FADN system in the Mazowsze province. The managers of farms as a main obstacle of engagement the foreign capital acknowledged too complicated and time-consuming bank procedures. Framers also pointed out problem which concerns the synchronization of financial flows which should provide a punctual repayment of debts. Farmers among preferred financing structures indicated this which contained 25% participation of debts in total assets.

PERI-URBAN OYSTER FARMING IN THE UPPER GULF OF THAILAND

Oyster farming is an important source of income in many coastal communities throughout Asia. Little is known, however, about the productivity of the farming systems used and the challenges faced by growers. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken in the small peri-urban coastal community of Ang Sila on Thailand's eastern seaboard. The community is located in one of Thailand's most important oyster production areas, and is dominated by small farms that use simple semi-traditional culture techniques. Farm attributes together with the personal characteristics and opinions of farmers were obtained from a survey of 30 oyster farm owners. A typical farm of 100,000 strings was found to produce a net profit of approximately 90,000 baht ($2250 USD). A high level of female participation in farm ownership was also identified that benefits women with relatively low levels of education and limited economic opportunities. Peri-urban coastal areas in Thailand cannot currently produce export quality shellfish owing to water quality concerns. Improved growing water management techniques and the introduction of seafood safety protocols could, however, improve the quality of oysters sold to domestic consumers and provide a basis for developing export opportunities in the future.

Intrinsic factors of acorns that influence the efficiency of their consumption by Iberian pigs

This paper deals with the efficiency of Iberian pigs when shelling acorns ( Quercus ilex fruits) during the free ranging fattening period in the dehesa. The amount of kernel wasted per acorn (18.9 ± 1.2%) presents a high degree of variation influenced by differences in the morphology and size of the acorns. A positive correlation is observed between the weight of the waste kernel and the weight of the whole acorn, and the diameter. However, the percentage of waste correlates negatively with the weight of the kernel and its DM percentage, with the ratio kernel weight/shell weight, and with the percentage of kernel. On the other hand, the percentage of kernel wasted, correlates positively with the percentage of kernel. Oppositely to the traditional knowledge and opinion of farmers, it has been found that the bitterness of the kernel, assessed sensorially by humans, does not influence the amount of kernel wasted. The results indicate that it is possible to make predictions about wastage based on two simple linear regression models: dry kernel wasted = 0.404 × fresh shell weight ( R 2 = 0.898; P = 0.000) and percentage of fresh kernel wasted = 0.893 × percentage of fresh shell ( R 2 = 0.875; P = 0.000). It would be necessary to consider the kernel wastage in acorn conversion rate calculations. Also in the processes of acorn selection for tree repopulation in dehesas for pig finishing it would be convenient to consider the correlations between the characteristics of the acorns and the amount of kernel waste, using the regression models defined.

Understanding the Scope of Farmer Perceptions of Risk: Considering Farmer Opinions on the Use of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops as a Stakeholder Voice in Policy

In the beginning, policy debates between critics and advocates of genetically modified (GM) crops focused on scientifically determined risks. Ten years later, the argument between environmentalists or consumers and regulators or industry has changed into a discussion about the implementation of more democratic policymaking about GM farming. A notable omission from the political debate about food biotechnology in the United States, however, is the opinion of farmers who cultivate the GM crops. Policymakers should value practical knowledge based on experiences from farmers, not only scientific industry reports or consumer product opinions. This project uses in-depth interviews to create an original mail survey that uses the practical discourse of farmers in order to explore the relationship of farmer attitudes and GM agriculture. Although national research indicates that larger yields are the most common reason for GM adoption, qualitative information suggest that the potential of GM crops to increase revenue per acre does not truly reflect all the concerns of modern farmers. For example, farmers who use GM seeds indicate that they constantly question the social impacts of their agricultural practices. As such, GM policies should be restructured as a political rationalization of both economic modeling and political theory because this research suggests that farmers’ business decisions are utility calucations that consider economics without ignoring environmental and political contexts. Farmers’ concerns about non-economic risks suggest that they need more information about GM crops and that governmental policies should respond to their interests, as they are more democratic or pluralistic than industry or consumer arguments.

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor.

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human and the New War on the Poor. Farmer, P. Berkeley and Los Angeles, Calif, University of California Press, 2005, hardcover, 402 pp, $27.50. Pathologies of Power, is a text that examines medicine in the age of globalized poverty. Farmer writes from the point of view of a physician and anthropologist who has much experience dealing with poverty in his own medical practice in rural Haiti. He challenges us to look beyond the obvions symptoms of the nameless, faceless poor, in order to critically examine societal structures, which are the real causes of poverty and oppression in the world today. The term structural violence is used to describe the unequal distribution of power within the world and the resulting offenses against human dignity. The book begins with a foreword written by economist and former Nobel Peace Prize winner, Amartya Sen. It appears that Farmer is using his mentor, Sen, to extend appeal of his central thesis to a larger audience. This strategy opens the door for Farmer to take many professions to task for their role in the development and maintenance of structural violence. Will we choose to participate in an authentic multidisciplinary dialogue and explore a badly needed paradigm shift of power in order to make the world a better place? In the foreword, Sen states, Paul Farmer teaches us how to stop whistling and start thinking. We have reason to be grateful. Pathologies of Power is then divided into 2 parts. The first part entitled Bearing Witness sets the stage to open our eyes, hearts, and consciousness as Farmer presents case studies of victims of structural violence. He shares stories of his patients and describes how structural violence has impacted not only their lives, but also the choices they and their families have had to make for survival. Farmer brilliantly allows his audience to connect on an emotional and personal level with these characters as a way to engage his readers with the nameless and faceless poor of the world. He then deconstructs, with almost angry chastisement, the policies and structures in place that promote inequality and perpetuate the oppression of the poor. Farmer effectively channels that moral outrage into praxis, which allows his readers to examine the possibilities of change. He is quick to point out that because many of the societal structures that oppress others have been created by humans, they can also be changed by humans if we are willing to accept a paradigm shift of power. According to Farmer, with the possibility of a paradigm shift, one can find hope in making the world a more just place for all. The second part of the book, titled One Physician's Perspective on Human Rights, expands the discussion of the role of structural violence to issues of health care. Farmer's chapters open with dramatic quotations and poems written from the voice of the nameless, faceless poor. This strategy is an example of critical pedagogy used to further engage the reader in the serious topic of human rights. Farmer takes his readers through exhausting moralizing rhetoric, and yet, in this process, he is able to create a sense of hopefulness. Aid, rather than trade, initiatives continue to perpetuate the cycle of oppression. He also implicates international lending organizations, the World Trade Organization, and development projects. The fact that we all play a role in structural violence either by our actions or our complacency can be disconcerting. Farmer, however, challenges us to look beyond the present situation, to engage in creating a better vision of the future, and to work for change within the system. After exposing the problems associated with structural violence, Farmer makes a case for his solution to the global problem of structural violence. He examines the various social justice models of charity, development, and liberation. In Farmer's opinion, charity models are deeply flawed as a system of oppressors helping the oppressed perpetuate the theme of structural violence. …

New methodical way for sustainable farming systems using treated sewage water in irrigation in Jordan

Most scientific approaches in research are done under objectified, controlled conditions. Such experiments do not reflect the everyday reality of farmers. Moreover, experimental research in agriculture does not always reflect the interests of Jordanian farmers. Another type of research is therefore needed. We need research that integrates Gamma and Beta sciences, farmers and scientists and the environment and agricultural production. Prototyping, a mix of experimental farm research and agronomic designing is an answer to those needs. Sustainable farming in practice has nothing to do with improved commodities or farming systems, only with skilled decision making. A sustainable development of a farm needs the farmer's opinions and experiences. This paper presents a method for concerted conversions by groups of farmers, facilitated by scientists and extension officers. The method happens in four steps: setting the general and specific objectives of the farmer, determination of quantified objectives, identification of optimised farming practices and creating theoretical prototype.

Management of gastrointestinal nematode parasites on sheep farms in New Zealand

AIM: To report current farmer opinions and farming practices relating to control of gastrointestinal nematodes and anthelmintic resistance on sheep farms in New Zealand. METHODS: An interview-based cross-sectional study of grazing management and anthelmintic useage was conducted by veterinarians on 80 randomly selected sheep farms in New Zealand. RESULTS: Useable data were returned by 74/80 (92%) farmers who participated in the study. However, despite contacting 400 farmers the target sample size of 100 farms was not reached. The results indicated that only 31% of farms had previously tested for drench resistance, that effective quarantine-drenching of imported stock was not always carried out, and that farmers were more likely to integrate cattle than ewes into their grazing management of lambs. Furthermore, the number of drenches given to lambs had changed little in 25 years. The use of faecal egg counting by farmers has increased. CONCLUSIONS: Dependence on anthelmintics continues to be high on sheep farms in New Zealand. Whilst the number of drench treatments has changed little, there is more widespread use of persistent or long-acting treatments. Farmers need to be encouraged to monitor the resistance status of nematode populations on their farms and use this information to develop strategies aimed at maintaining susceptible alleles within the parasite populations and conserving the efficacy of existing drug families.

Biosecurity measures on swine farms in Spain: Perceptions by farmers and their relationship to current on-farm measures

A survey was conducted on 172 farms belonging to the same company in order to ascertain the biosecurity measures applied and the importance that farmers attributed to each measure. A questionnaire about general data, the opinions of farmers about biosecurity measures, and a detailed checklist of the biosecurity measures actually applied on the farm was completed for each one of the participating farms. Opinion data were initially analysed by means of a cluster analysis (multidimensional scaling method); then, a logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between the perceptions of the farmer and the measures applied on the farm. In general, farmers implemented measures to reduce risks of contamination from people and animals other than pigs. In contrast, biosecurity measures related to replacement stock were not applied as often. On average, the farmers scored the biosecurity on their own farms as 6.7 on a scale of 0–10. The most important measures, according to the farmers’ perceptions, were the availability of a sanitary ford, a fence around the farm, the restriction of visits and vehicles, using bird-proof nets in windows, having changing facilities, applying quarantines, and the use of other measures related to replacement stock. The perception of a given measure was strongly influenced by the measures actually applied on the farm. Thus, for example, those who did not have a sanitary ford highlighted the importance of disinfecting vehicles while those who had one neglected this type of disinfection. In conclusion, knowledge of the relationships between perceptions and measures taken is important in developing effective biosecurity strategies on pig farms.

Sheep farming intensification and utilization of natural resources in a Mediterranean pastoral agro-ecosystem

The research was carried out in the “Sierra y Cañones de Guara” Natural Park, a protected mountain area located in the Central Pyrenees (Huesca, Spain). In this territory, a notorious recession of agricultural activities has been observed in recent decades, which has originated changes in the type and intensity of land utilization and, simultaneously, led to environmental and landscape degradation. The main goal of this research was to analyse what characteristics of the current sheep farming systems could explain different patterns of utilization of the grazing resources. Information was obtained through direct interviews with all sheep farmers that used the grazing resources of the Park in 2000 ( n = 53). Specific information on grazing management (grazing areas, grazing periods, number and type of grazing animals) was collected together with data on family characteristics, labour, flock management, land use, continuity, recent changes in farming and farmers opinions. Principal Components Analysis was used to examine relationships among original variables. Farming systems were then characterized in four homogeneous groups using Cluster Analysis. Finally, a Logistic Regression allowed determining relationships between the level of intensification of management and several social and technical features. Intensification of farm management was linked to the type and intensity of land utilization: the higher the intensification of the reproduction system the shorter the grazing period and the lower number of grazing animals. Besides, chances of continuity were critical in some groups of farms, especially in some of the most extensive ones, while many farms with good chances of permanence showed more intensive management strategies but lower utilization of grazing resources. In this type of agro-ecosystems, rural development policies with conservation purposes should focus on farming systems with more environmentally desirable management strategies, and consequently enhance their chances of continuity.

From poachers to gamekeepers: perceptions of farmers towards ecosystem services on arable farmland

Management of ecosystem services (ES) is vital to maintain and improve the productivity of agricultural systems in order to meet the food demands of a growing human population. However, some land management practices can severely reduce the ecological and financial contribution of some of these services to agriculture, which in the longer term can offset the ability of farming to produce large amounts of food and fibre. Therefore, to improve the understanding and enhancement of these services, it is crucial to know the opinions of farmers who manage ES on their land. Being in close contact with the land provides them with an opportunity to understand its natural processes and functions as well as to act as its stewards. This paper describes ES associated with arable farming in Canterbury, New Zealand and analyses the results of a survey of farmers' perceptions of these services. There was no difference between the measured perceptions of these services by organic and conventional farmers except in the case of biological control. However, organic farmers gave a higher score to 16 individual services compared with conventional farmers. Also, for organic farmers, the importance of some of these services increased significantly with the number of years the farmers had been operating under an organic regime.