Organic Farming Practices Research Articles

Experimenting with a green ‘Green Revolution’. Evidence from a randomised controlled trial in Indonesia

Decades of intensively applying Green Revolution technologies came at environmental costs, i.e. degraded water and soil quality as well as a loss of biodiversity. This has led to an increased interest in organic farming, yet it remains a marginal activity in many countries. Previous studies highlighted information as an important driver of technology adoption, but little is known about the effect of removing information constraints in the context of organic farming. This study focuses on the role of information provision and training for the adoption of organic farming practices in Indonesia. We use a randomised controlled trial (RCT) complemented by qualitative research methods to identify the impact of a three-day hands-on training in organic farming for smallholder farmers. We find that the training encouraged farmers to experiment with organic inputs and positively affected farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of organic farming. Overall, our findings suggest that intensive training is a promising policy tool to enhance the use of organic farming practices. Interestingly, we find that farmers were motivated not only by the price premium, i.e. the price difference between organic and conventional products, that is associated with organic products but also by the prospect of improved soil quality.

Organic maize farming practices in Nigeria: Drivers and barriers

Organic farming is gaining global recognition in terms of the role it plays in providing safe and healthy food, income, and maintaining a sustainable environment. Despite these aspects , it faces constraints that, if identified, will play a vital role in its development and formulating policy for its sustainability. Creating an effective policy to improve organic farming necessitates identifying the influencing factors in organic farming method selection as well as barriers encountered. This study, therefore, examined the common types of organic maize farming, their determinants, and their challenges in Nigeria. Primary data collected from 480 respondents were analysed with descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. The result revealed that organic manure, compost manure, biocontrol, and cover cropping were used by the farmers to enrich the soil. Farming experience, membership in a farm-based organization, farm distance, education, income, extension contacts, farm size, and cultural compatibility were the influencing factors of different organic farming systems used in maize production. Inadequate organic food accrediting agencies, inability to meet export demand, high cost and scarcity of organic seeds, lack of financial support, poor marketing system, inadequate supporting infrastructure, poor technical know-how, and pest infestation were the most common problems encountered in organic farming. To enhance participation in organic maize farming practices, there is a need to support organic farmers with financial support, accessible organic accreditation centres, training, educational support, and inputs.

The Strategy of Organic Farming Development for Environment, Social, and Economic Improvement from Farmers Perspective

The increase in the sustainability of environmental and health awareness is a huge driving factor for the increasing demand of organic products in various countries. Thus, many countries are competing to expand organic agricultural land to accommodate market needs. However, in Indonesia, the practice of organic farming is relatively low, as indicated by the land conversion for organic production is relatively small compared to several countries in Southeast Asia. The key factors and challenges for organic farming development are explored, and an effective strategy is formulated as the main objective of this study. This study deals with a case study in Bandung Regency as one of the main agricultural producer areas in Java. A qualitative approach is employed to ensure in-depth information and analysis. This study utilized SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat) to formulate the strategy for the development of organic farming to improve the environment, economic and social aspects. The interview and survey were conducted with a random sampling with a total of 30 respondents from a total of 87 population organic farmers. The result of the SWOT analysis shows that the S-W value is -0.29 and the O-P value is 0.04. The analysis result shown in the cartesian coordinate confirms that the most relevant strategy for Organic Agriculture Development is to enhance guidance and assistance from the government and private parties related to funding and certification, as well as the establishment of a reliable quality assurance system with the enforcement of regulations or policies related to organic farming.

Selected physical and chemical properties of soil under different agroecological zone in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Soil fertility is the ability of the soil to provide favorable chemical, physical and biological characteristics to sustain plant growth. Its physicochemical properties are greatly influenced by altitude and farmer wealth status. This study aimed to examine the differences in selected soil physicochemical properties under three agroecological zone based on altitude gradient (upper, middle, and lower) and wealth class (rich, medium, and poor) in the organic agriculture dominant area of the Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from the field under organic agriculture. A total of 216 composite soil samples 3(altitude) 12 (wealth class) 3(replication) and 2 soil depth (0–30 and 30–60 cm) were collected and analyzed for some selected soil physical and chemical properties using standard soil analytical procedures. Data were subjected to a two-way analysis of variance to determine the effects of agroecological zones and wealth status of households on the soil properties. The result showed that soil physical properties such as sand (p < 0.01), clay (p < 0.05) and bulk density (BD) (p < 0.01) were significantly affected by altitudinal gradients. Soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (P) were in the suitable range for agricultural soil, suggesting that the organic agricultural practices employed in the study area might be contributed to improved soil fertility. Soil pH (H2O, (p < 0.01), CEC (p < 0.05), SOC % (p < 0.001), TN % (p < 0.05), P(p < 0.001) and K (p < 0.05) were significantly varied due to difference in agroecological zone. Similarly, wealth class of farmer had significant influence on soil pH (H2O) (p < 0.001), SOC (p < 0.001) and P (p < 0.001). The results highlight the importance of the agroecological zone and wealth status of farmer households on soil fertility improvements in the study area. Hence, during the implementation of the soil fertility policy, considering the altitude and wealth status of the farmer is recommended to improve soil fertility.

Soil Labile Organic Carbon Fractions and Carbon Management Index in Response to Different Fertilization under Organic Maize Farming System

Organic farming has been known to improve soil quality by enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) contents. The labile organic carbon (LOC) pools and carbon management index (CMI) are commonly used as very sensitive indicators of changes in SOC and assessment of soil quality. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of organic farming practices on soil quality by LOC fractions and CMI analysis in a 6-year field experiment. Four treatments were included: compost (COM), green manure (GM), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), and no fertilization (NF). This study was designed to explore changes in SOC concentrations, soil labile organic C fractions (microbial biomass C (MBC), water and hot water-extractable C (WEC, HWEC), particulate organic C (POC), light fraction organic C (LFOC) and permanganate oxidizable C (POXC)) and CMI within the bulk soil under organic corn cultivation condition. Organic fertilization significantly increased SOC concentrations and stocks by 10 - 55% compared to NPK and NF, especially, compost treatment. All labile carbon fractions were higher in COM and GM compared to NPK and NP, except MBC content. Among the LOC fractions, POC showed the highest proportion (32 - 87%) on total SOC. The CMI varied from 0.87 to 2.77, organic fertilized treatments increased by 1.7 - 3.2 times over NPK. These results showed that POC and POXC could be used as a rapid and informative indicator to assess soil quality and SOC changes. Hence, organic farming management could therefore contribute to improved nutrient cycling services and higher soil quality.Effect of different fertilization on labile organic C fractions; water extractable C (WEC), hot-water extractable C (HWEC), microbial biomass C (MBC), permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), particulate organic C (POC) and light fraction organic C (LFOC) in soil.

ASSESSING KNOWLEDGE LEVEL AND ANALYSING CONSTRAINTS OF ORGANIC FARMERS IN JAMNAGAR DISTRICT OF GUJARAT

Organic agriculture is a unique production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity, and this is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic, biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs. Study was conducted on 120 organic growers of Jamnagar districts to evaluate for knowledge of farmers about knowledge of eco-friendly organic farming practices followed in their cultivation practices. The study most of the groups covered in major age group, educate higher secondary level, medium to big farmers having nuclear family, main occupation was agriculture and animal husbandry. Krishi Vigyan Kendra or University level information for organic farming were rank first with weightage mean (42.29), followed by second printed literature (37.08), third television (22.71). They received guideline from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (48.06%) followed by Agricultural University (31.39%) and seed/pesticide dealer (31.39%). The area of information was on the management, marketing, cultivation practices on organic farming. Recycling of weed bio-mass, P-solubilizing microbes, minimum tillage for nutrient conservation and Beauveria bassiana for management of soil and above ground pests ranked in prime knowledge by (60.83%). Only few farmers (5 %) having knowledge on fish wastes; Vermin-culture; Strip cropping &amp; vegetative /live bunds and Use of Sea weed liquid for better crop growth and high yielding. Thus, 71.67 per cent of the respondents having very low level of knowledge. Govt. subsidies (72.5%); premium price (72.5%); special incentive or awards (67.5%); lack of market facility (67.5%) and administrative setup (62.5%) were the major constraints faced by the organic farmers. The suggested same problem solve by the government for better development of organic farming.

Phytochemical Composition of the Fruits and Leaves of Raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.)—Conventional vs. Organic and Those Wild Grown

Nutrition is an influential determinant of the risk of present-day metabolic diseases. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) are extraordinary berries with a high nutritional and bioactive component complex. They have a number of major essential minerals and trace elements as well as dietary fibre and other important constituents. This study aimed to analyse and compare raspberry fruits and leaves originated from organic versus conventional agricultural practices and wild grown for the contents of basic composition (water, crude fat, total protein, ash, digestible carbohydrates and dietary fibre) and selected minerals (calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sulphur, selenium, barium, lithium, and beryl) as well as selected antioxidant properties (total polyphenols, total carotenoids, anthocyanin content, and antioxidant activity by methods of ABTS and FRAP). This study was carried out regardless of climatic and agro-technical factors and was of a more consumer-oriented nature, in order to recognize the diversity of raspberry fruits and leaves from more or less monitored crops. The basic composition, mineral content and selected antioxidative properties of raspberry fruits and leaves are fundamentally different. Raspberry fruits have a lower content of protein and ash, and higher levels of dietary fibre and carbohydrates in comparison to fruits. The biggest difference is the amount of protein, whose content in leaves is two to three times higher versus fruits. Raspberry leaves have been found to have a higher mineral content than raspberry fruits and were characterized by up to five times the amount of total polyphenols, with respect to raspberry fruit, regardless of source. The content of total carotenoids was found in some cases to be 100 times higher in raspberry leaves, in comparison to fruit, regardless of origin. It has not been definitely identified, both for raspberry fruits and leaves, which method of growing is the most advantageous in terms of levels of basic nutrients, selected minerals and antioxidant properties.

Why do Farmers in Nyaruguru District Adopt Organic Coffee Production Methods?

Purpose: Nyaruguru is the most southerly district in Rwanda, lying between the cities of Butare and Cyangugu and along the Burundian border. It is mountainous, containing part of the montane forest of Nyungwe, one of Rwanda's most popular tourist destinations. Innovation and adoption of new technologies in agriculture is one of the keys that should reduce poverty in that area. The aim of this study is to analyse the factors influencing farmer’s adoption of organic coffee production practices in Rwanda. Methodology: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design and a multi-stage sampling technique to select a sample for this study. However, a total sample size of 150 respondents was used. The functional form of the stochastic frontier production (or cost) model employed for this study is the Cobb-Douglas (C-D) functional form. In the analysis, descriptive statistics and a Tobit model were used with the help of STATA. Findings: The study found out that appropriate seeds and planting material is one of the most important factors in production. The findings of logit regression analysis also indicated that four factors such as education level, land size, farming experience, gender and enhanced soil fertility had positive and significant influence on adoption of organic coffee production practices. The demand for organic products creates new export opportunities. The market returns from organic agriculture can potentially contribute to local food security by increasing family incomes. Conclusion: The study conclude that the most common constraints to adoption of organic coffee production practices were lack stable and reliable market, high cost of inputs, lack of extension services, and inadequate capital. Recommendations: The study recommended that efforts aiming at promoting organic coffee production practices among smallholder’s farmers should focus on enhancement of farmer-awareness, provision of training and technical advice on organic farming practices. This can be achieved through agricultural extension services and developing information networks among farmers. Also, the government should strive to improve extension services through field visit and strive to stabilize coffee markets.

Effect of long-term organic practices on yield and nutrients uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L) in an acid Inceptisol

An investigation was carried out to the study the impact of long-term organic farming practices on yield and uptake of nutrients by rice in an acid soil of Assam. The seven treatments were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of T1; Absolute control, T2; Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 , T3; Compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 , T4; Compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 + Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 ), T5; Enriched compost @ 2.5 t ha-1 , T6: Enriched compost @ 5 t ha-1 , T7: Azolla @ 0.5 t ha-1 + Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 . Result revealed that significantly higher grain and straw yields were recorded as 34.5 and 57.1 q ha-1 with use of enriched compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 treatments. The grain yield of rice was increased by 14.6 and 43.1% over compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 and control, respectively and statistical similar grain yield was obtained with compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 +biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 treatment. Application of enriched compost @ 5 t ha-1 significantly improve total nitrogen phosphorus and potassium uptake by rice and found similar to compost @ 5.0 tha-1 + biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 (except total K uptake) as compared to other treatments. Total uptake of micronutrient (Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu) by rice significantly enhanced with the use of organic farming practices over control. Thus, the dose of compost could be reduced by using enriched compost to obtain higher crop production with its quality.

Effect of long-term organic practices on yield and nutrients uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L) in an acid Inceptisol

An investigation was carried out to the study the impact of long-term organic farming practices on yield and uptake of nutrients by rice in an acid soil of Assam. The seven treatments were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of T1; Absolute control, T2; Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1, T3; Compost @ 5.0 t ha-1, T4; Compost @ 5.0 t ha-1+ Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1), T5; Enriched compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T6: Enriched compost @ 5 t ha-1, T7: Azolla @ 0.5 t ha-1 + Biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1. Result revealed that significantly higher grain and straw yields were recorded as 34.5 and 57.1 q ha-1 with use of enriched compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 treatments. The grain yield of rice was increased by 14.6 and 43.1% over compost @ 5.0 t ha-1 and control, respectively and statistical similar grain yield was obtained with compost @ 5.0 t ha-1+biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 treatment. Application of enriched compost @ 5 t ha-1 significantly improve total nitrogen phosphorus and potassium uptake by rice and found similar to compost @ 5.0 tha-1 + biofertilizer consortia @ 3.5 kg ha-1 (except total K uptake) as compared to other treatments. Total uptake of micronutrient (Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu) by rice significantly enhanced with the use of organic farming practices over control. Thus, the dose of compost could be reduced by using enriched compost to obtain higher crop production with its quality.

Suspect screening strategy for pesticide application history based on characteristics of trace metabolites

Pesticides are widely used to protect crops but can also threaten public health as they can remain in the environment for a long time. Additionally, some transformation products (TPs) of unknown toxicity, stability, or bioaccumulation properties can further be formed from the hydrolysis, photolysis and biodegradation of pesticides. The identification and quantification of those TPs can be challenging for environmental regulation and risk assessment due to a limited understanding about them. In this study, a suspect screening strategy for pesticide application history was developed and then used to organic products (tea). Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was used to screen and identify the TPs in crops and their toxicity was subsequently predicted with the open-source software (ECOSAR and admetSAR). Finally, the SIRIUS software was applied and 142 TPs from 20 pesticides were identified in tea plants based on the fragmentation-degradation relationship. Of these, standards (level 1) and 53 were considered as tentatively identified (levels 2a and 2b). Some TPs were also found to be present in tea plants and soil after 65 days, thus indicating higher persistency or stability than parent pesticides. While others from diafenthiuron and neonicotinoids had higher predicted toxicity of daphnid, and demonstrated positive for honeybee toxicity. Suspect screening is a powerful tool to screen pesticide TPs on the complex matrix of crops. Such screening can provide potential evidence of pesticide application, especially in cases of illegal practices in organic farming.

Productivity, quality and profitability enhancement of French bean, okra and tomato with seaweed extract application under North-Eastern Himalayan condition

In the North-Eastern Himalayan region (NEHR) of India, use of chemical fertilizer is minimal due to the unavailability of synthetic inputs, remoteness and inaccessibility. Vegetables are very much favored to grow under organic farming practices in these areas due to high market prices and demand. Seaweed extract is organic and is utilized in various vegetable crops across the globe for multifarious benefits. Therefore, there is a huge potential for the application of seaweed extract by virtue of organic areas. Fresh Kappaphycus alvarezii (K sap), Gracilaria edulis (G sap) and GA3 free Ksap were extracted using a pre-standardized methodology and applied on French bean, okra, and tomato for two consecutive years. Except for 10% GA3 free sap treatment [T8, applied with 75% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN)], other sea weed sap treatments supplied with 100% RDN. The growth (plant height in French bean, chlorophyll index in French bean and tomato and primary branch/plant in tomato) and yield attributes (pod length, pod weight/plant and stover yield in French bean; fruits/plant and fruit length in okra; fruits/plant, weight/fruit and average diameter of fruit in tomato) of French bean, okra, and tomato were enhanced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with the application of seaweed extract along with 100% RDN in general and T3: K sap @ 10%, T5: G sap @ 10% and T7: GA3 free Ksap @10% in particular. However, T8: GA3 free sap @10% + 75% RDN did not gave promising results as compared to other sea weed sap traetments supplied with 100% RDN. Floral and fruit set attributes of all the vegetables were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced by foliar application of different sea weed saps. Ascorbic acid and lycopene in tomato fruits were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved with the application of seaweed extract. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assay values of French bean okra and tomato were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced by different concentration of seaweed saps. Among the major nutrients analysed in the fruits of three crops, N was found to be having significant variation (p ≤ 0.05) in all the three crops, while variation in K was significant (p ≤ 0.05) only in tomato. The available N, P, K content and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations in soil after two years of experiment of seaweed saps on French bean okra and tomato significantly (p ≤ 0.05) varied across treatments. Higher concentration of G, K and GA3 free sap recorded increased net return and more net benefit per unit investment compared to the control. Overall, it was concluded that application of 10% K sap, G sap and GA3 free Ksap along with 100% RDN can be recommended for increasing growth, yield and quality in French bean, okra, and tomato in NEHR.

An Empirical Study on Demand and Consumers Perception of Organic Food Products

The term "organic" comes from the Greek word "Organics." Organic foods are created using natural methods. In ancient times, farmers relied on conventional agriculture and natural manure methods. Later on, to boost output, the green revolution was born. Pesticides and insecticides were introduced during the green revolution. However, the usage of insecticides and pesticides has increased over time, resulting in damaged crops and posing several health risks. Then conventional farming was reintroduced under the banner of "organic." Customers are more and more worried about their health than ever before and environmental sustainability nowadays. Consumers of modern times are prepared to pay a premium for organic food since it is unprocessed, healthy, and fresh. There are two categories of buyers: organic and conventional. The barriers to demand organic food for non-organic buyers include increased prices, a lack of information, and unavailability. Governments and marketers must take the lead in promoting organic farming. A consumer education campaign should be created to educate consumers about the advantages of organic food. Farmers must also be recognized for their organic agricultural practices. For example, Mr. Reddy of Hyderabad was just awarded the Padma Shri. He patented his invention for vitamin D-enhanced cereal grains that are more nutritious. He employed a variety of nutrient-enhancing compositions, including carrot extract, maize flour, and sweet potato extract, which, when applied during irrigation, increase the vitamin D content of plants. Positive attitudes towards organic food may increase demand for organic food.

Assessing the Real Productivity of Organic Farming Systems in Contemporary

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the productivity of organic farming systems in comparison to conventional agricultural practices. Amidst the growing emphasis on sustainable agriculture, organic farming has gained prominence for its environmentally friendly methods. However, the efficiency and productivity of organic farming remain subjects of debate. This analysis focuses on key aspects such as land usage, crop yield gaps, and the challenges faced by organic farming in maintaining productivity. Studies indicate that organic farming typically requires 2-3 times more land than conventional farming to produce the same amount of food, highlighting a significant efficiency challenge. Additionally, the yield gap between organic and conventional farming, estimated at 29 to 44% depending on crop types, further underscores the productivity challenges in organic systems. Despite these challenges, the environmental benefits of organic farming, such as reduced pollution, enhanced biodiversity, and improved soil health, are notable. The article concludes that while organic farming faces hurdles in achieving the productivity levels of conventional methods, its environmental sustainability and potential contributions to climate change mitigation are significant. Future advancements in organic farming practices, focusing on innovative pest control, soil fertility management, and crop variety development, are crucial for enhancing its productivity and overall sustainability.

Organic Farming in the Tropical, Disaster-Prone Coasts: Interventions, Major Challenges and a Success Story from Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India

Organic agricultural practices are sustainable alternatives to chemical methods. This article highlights the major challenges faced by environmentalists, social workers in popularizing organic agriculture as well as its positive field application. The primary soil parameters (pH, alkalinity, electrical conductivity, soil, organic carbon, soil texture, and available N, P and K) are compared between global coastal agricultural soils. Organic farming practices adopted in different regions were also focused in this article. Sundarbans is the world’s largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem, largest delta, abode of mangrove dwelling tigers and Indian part is the home of 4.6 million natural disaster vulnerable populations. This work showcases success story of organic farming by 84 families of Indian Sundarbans since 2012, with use of vermicompost, biopesticides (neem oil) and natural microbe augmentations (Trichoderma sp), as a part of a socio-environmental intervention project. This intervention resulted in increased yield in both kharif season (10-12%) and rabi season (5-10%) by 2017.

A Decision-Support System for Economic Feasibility of Subsurfaced Poultry Litter

Cattle (Bos spp.) producers routinely spread fertilizer or broadcast poultry (Gallus gallus L.) litter to improve forage production. With poultry litter widely available across the southeastern United States and being a cheaper source of plant nutrition than commercial fertilizer when proximal to application sites, the novel application of litter below the soil surface, while costly, allows for greater nutrient retention than broadcasting. Since quantifying costs and benefits of subsurfaced litter is complex, we develop and present a decision support spreadsheet for automated farm-scale model comparisons across modes of nutrient management. We compare subsurfaced litter to commercial fertilizer and broadcast litter in user-specific scenarios involving equipment choices (new, used, custom), desired nutrient needs for crops grown, litter nutrient concentration, and interval between litter application given the slow-release nature of litter compared to commercial fertilizer. Using Visual Basic for Applications programming available with Microsoft Excel®, we develop a decision aid that collects relevant user-specific farm parameters that allow customization of output. Performance data of the innovative subsurface application equipment as observed during field operation and published engineering equipment performance standards, combined with cost information, allow estimation of relative performance metrics. Break-even and sensitivity analyses are performed to identify key equipment modifications or subsidies needed to speed adoption of subsurfacing poultry litter to minimize odor and nutrient runoff externalities experienced with broadcast litter. Results showed that subsurfaced litter can compete with commercial fertilizer on a cost/return basis and especially so in situations where organic farming practices may be targeted. With a longer interval between litter application, enhanced annual capacity utilization of the applicator, and a good match between nutrient needs of crops fertilized and litter nutrient content, the decision aid demonstrated cost savings with subsurfaced litter over commercial fertilizer while being more or less cost-neutral in comparison to broadcast litter. The decision aid lends itself to estimating operation-specific subsidies needed to encourage adoption of subsurface application of litter with the intent to reduce nutrient runoff and odor externalities. Alternatively, the sensitivity analyses pinpointed the need to enhance the performance rate of subsurface application that may be achievable by increasing the implement’s width.

Comparison between organic and conventional farming systems using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A case study with an ancient wheat variety

Assessing the environmental impact of agriculture is a key factor towards reducing human impacts on the food production chain. Because of the growing consumer interest in healthy foods cultivated with low-impact approach, a study assessing the impacts of ancient wheat variety in organic and conventional farming appears to be of great importance. Thus, this study was aimed at assessing and comparing the environmental impacts and resources consumptions of organic and conventional farming practices on an ancient soft wheat variety (var. Verna) in Tuscany, Italy. The fact that Verna wheat falls within the PDO bread specification, one of the few at the European level, increases the importance of this work. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) from raw material extraction, through to industrial processing, field utilization, grain harvesting and finally transportation to storage centres was carried out. This study analysed data sampled over a five-year period (2014/2015 to 2018/2019) derived from five organic and conventional farms, respectively. The impact categories considered included: global warming, freshwater ecotoxicity, seawater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, acidification, eutrophication, photo-oxidant formation, non-renewable energy resource consumption, renewable energy resource consumption, water consumption and land use. In almost all the impact categories, organic farming was shown to have lower environmental impacts, while conventional farming had a lower impact on land use. Results relating to acidification, photo-oxidant formation, ozone layer depletion and non-renewable energy resource consumption were considered similar for the two cultivation systems. Normalization of the results showed that seawater ecotoxicity had the greatest impact among all impact categories (> 99%) for both cultivation systems. Moreover, major environmental problems in conventional farming and organic farming were the use of synthetic N fertilizers and low yields, respectively. Results showed that 192 ×106 hectares of organic farming would be needed to maintain current wheat production in the EU, compared to just 99 ×106 hectares cultivated with the conventional farming. Accordingly, yield increase in organic farming, and reduction of nutrient losses/emissions from conventional farming, are the two most promising strategies towards maintaining a high agricultural production with concomitant reductions in the related environmental impact.

A strategic model for empowering farmers by improving livelihood security through organic farming practices in Tamil Nadu, India

The Journal of Agricultural Sciences is a peer reviewed journal aiming to publish high quality articles on topical issues in Agriculture. The journal provides a forum for Sri Lankan and international scholars especially in Asia and Africa to publish authoritative and well referenced articles in agriculture related areas. The journal publishes original research works, book reviews, short communications and comparative articles. JAS is published by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.The journal adheres to the publication ethics as portrayed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is a member of this Organisation,The Journal is also available on the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka website http://www.sab.ac.lk/agri-journalIt is indexed in Web of Science (WoS) as an ESCI journal , Scopus, DOAJ and EBSCO.According to Google Scholar ,Citation years: 3 (2018-2020)Citations/paper: 1.23Hirsch h-index: 4 Egghe g-index: 5

Thermotolerance of Greenshell™ mussel spat (Perna canaliculus) improved by prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) treatments

Cultured Greenshell™ mussels (Perna canaliculus) are exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses, all of which can negatively impact growth, fecundity, and survival. These impacts are especially pronounced in sensitive larval and spat stages and may result in substantial losses when spat are transferred from hatchery to grow-out farms. Immersion in solutions of plant extracts have been shown to improve stress tolerance in certain aquatic species and may offer new husbandry and market access opportunities, e.g., more amenable to organic farming practices. Here the efficacy of immersing P. canaliculus spat in ‘high’ or ‘low’ concentrations of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) solutions was examined. Solutions were made from either dry cactus leaf powder i.e., 4.5 (low) or 45 (high) g L−1 or cactus fruit extract (4 μl or 40 μl L−1) and mussels immersed for 1 h to stimulate potential defence mechanisms within mussels prior to acute thermal challenge.Following a subsequent 1 h thermal shock, the predicted 50% survival temperature (LT50) was raised following pre-treatment with O. ficus indica solutions. However, higher resilience to thermal stress was evident in P. canaliculus spat immersed in low concentration solutions of O. ficus indica powder (LT50 = 32.3 °C) and extracts (LT50 = 32.4 °C) compared to spat in immersed in higher concentrations (i.e., LT50 = 31.8 °C ‘Powder’ and 31.4 °C ‘Extract’ respectively) and to naïve controls (LT50 = 30.7 °C). The results provide evidence for the potential for bioactive plant extracts to augment physiological resilience in a shellfish species. While internal biochemical validation is required, the straightforward exposure protocols applied here would be readily transferrable into commercial hatchery culture methods for P. canaliculus.

Pengembangan Kacang Hijau Organik Sebagai Komoditas Pangan Indonesia

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is an important legume crops in Indonesia, because it can support food diversity, eventhough the production is lower than the demand. Mungbean can be used for different purposes such as vegetables and meals, therefore good agricultural practices in this case organic farming must be introduced, Organic farming practice by the application of organic mulch can improve the mungbean growth. The use of organic fertilizer which is one of important input in organic farming can increase the mungbean productivity. National mungbean production can be increased by the application of organic fertilizer and the introduction of organic farming in mungbean cultivation can produce more healthy nutritious food materials.