scholarly journals Farmers’ perceptions of farm management practices and development plans on organic farms in Finland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Väre ◽  
Tiina E. A. Mattila ◽  
Pasi Rikkonen ◽  
Maria Hirvonen ◽  
Risto H. Rautiainen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
New Entrants

AbstractOrganic farming is increasing in Finland, and organic farms have become larger than conventional farms, on average. As the structural change has been rapid, farmers need a broad range of new competencies to manage their farms, ranging from agronomic skills to advanced technology, labor management, and marketing skills. In this study, the characteristics of organic and conventional farms and farmers were assessed, with special focus on management practices and future development plans on organic farms. The study was based on telephone interviews of a sample of active farmers who applied for agricultural subsidies in 2014. The data consisted of 3045 farmers; 312 of them practiced organic farming and 2733 conventional farming. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Having beef production as the main production line, having plans to develop farm production in the next 5 years, considering farm management as very important, and frequently experiencing mental strain because of farm management were significant predictors for being an organic farmer. Dairy production was less frequently organic compared to crop production. Nearly half (42%) of organic farmers planned to make changes in their farming, most commonly expanding their production. Thus, competence for managing the farm operation becomes more crucial, which increases the need for training and management consulting services. Organic farming may increase with both farm successions and new entrants joining the farming sector. Special attention should be paid to supporting these new entrants without farm-family background.

scholarly journals A holistic sustainability assessment of organic (certified and non-certified) and non-organic smallholder farms in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Wanjiku Kamau ◽  
Christian Schader ◽  
Lisa Biber-Freudenberger ◽  
Till Stellmacher ◽  
David M. Amudavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Resilience ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Smallholder Farms ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Environmental Integrity ◽  
Farm Types

AbstractThe introduction of organic farm management practices in sub-Saharan Africa could act as a lever for supporting regional sustainable development. In this study, we sought to assess the sustainability performance of organic (certified and non-certified) and non-organic farms in the dry Kajiado County and the wet Murang’a County in Kenya, based on four sustainability dimensions: Good Governance, Environmental Integrity, Economic Resilience and Social Well-Being. We collected household survey data from 400 smallholder farms, which were formally characterized into five types (mixed organic and conventional, certified organic, organic, conventional, and subsistence farms). We used multivariate analysis of variance, linear fixed-effects and general linear models to examine differences in sustainability performance. Model results indicate that all farms lack reliable farm management information and that only limited knowledge, skills and social security exist for farmers and farm workers. Comparison of the five farm types indicates no significant differences in their sustainability performance. Nonetheless, certified organic farms had better sustainability performance than non-certified farms due to higher economic resilience, environmental integrity, better support and training for workers. However, except for avoiding the use of agrochemicals in certified farms, there is relatively little difference in the farm management practices across farm types. Our results also indicate that farms in Murang’a were more sustainable than those in Kajiado due to better regional land-tenure security and conflict resolution mechanisms, soil and water conservation measures, and farm commercial viability. Nonetheless, unlike Kajiado, farms in Murang’a showed a tendency toward poor animal husbandry practices which affects overall animal welfare, limited credit uptake and market involvement. The results of this study can support decision making to identify appropriate interventions for improving sustainability in smallholder farms.

scholarly journals Economic efficiency of legume-cereal intercrops in conditions of organic farming

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 189-198
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Jánský ◽  
Jiří Pospíšil
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Direct Costs ◽  
Conventional Farming ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Fodder Production ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Green Fodder ◽  
Final Yield

The paper presents economic analysis of growing of legume-cereal intercropping in conditions of organic farming. Results of the analysis are based on data monitoring in chosen organic farms that grow LCI. In the paper there is also compared economic efficiency of LCI grown in organic and conventional farming system. Methodological solution results from costingness and earnings monitoring of LCI production in five chosen organic farms in the period 2007–2008.When evaluating costs existing in individual variants of LCI growing it is necessary to say that the selection of individual machines and machine aggregations represents the most important factor of influencing direct costs, namely with regard to the size of organic farms and to the area of individual field blocks. Under conditions of organic farms, the LCI production is also significantly influenced also by agrotechnical (tillage) operations. As compared with conventional farms, the final yield of both green fodder and grain is lower by 14–38%. Total direct costs per hectare of harvested LCI acreage ranged in case of fodder production from 9.249 CZK to 11.620 CZK per hectare. In case of grain production, the corresponding costs ranged from 8.848 to 9.970 CZK per hectare. In case of LCI, the direct costs of organic farms per unit of production of both fodder and grain consist mainly of material costs, which represent 63–76% and 61–68% of total expenses associated with production of fodder and grain, respectively. These direct costs are influenced also by higher prices of inputs.

scholarly journals Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monther M. Tahat ◽  
Kholoud M. Alananbeh ◽  
Yahia A. Othman ◽  
Daniel I. Leskovar
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
The Impact

A healthy soil acts as a dynamic living system that delivers multiple ecosystem services, such as sustaining water quality and plant productivity, controlling soil nutrient recycling decomposition, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Soil health is closely associated with sustainable agriculture, because soil microorganism diversity and activity are the main components of soil health. Agricultural sustainability is defined as the ability of a crop production system to continuously produce food without environmental degradation. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), cyanobacteria, and beneficial nematodes enhance water use efficiency and nutrient availability to plants, phytohormones production, soil nutrient cycling, and plant resistance to environmental stresses. Farming practices have shown that organic farming and tillage improve soil health by increasing the abundance, diversity, and activity of microorganisms. Conservation tillage can potentially increase grower’s profitability by reducing inputs and labor costs as compared to conventional tillage while organic farming might add extra management costs due to high labor demands for weeding and pest control, and for fertilizer inputs (particularly N-based), which typically have less consistent uniformity and stability than synthetic fertilizers. This review will discuss the external factors controlling the abundance of rhizosphere microbiota and the impact of crop management practices on soil health and their role in sustainable crop production.

scholarly journals Economic performance and efficiency determinants of crop-producing farms in Norway

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1418-1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habtamu Alem ◽  
Gudbrand Lien ◽  
J. Brian Hardaker
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Farm Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the economic performance of Norwegian crop farms using a stochastic frontier analysis. Design/methodology/approach The analysis was based on a translog cost function and unbalanced farm-level panel data for 1991–2013 from 455 Norwegian farms specialized in crop production in eastern and central regions of Norway. Findings The results of the analysis show that the mean efficiency was about 78–81 percent. Farm management practices and socioeconomic factors were shown to significantly affect the economic performance of Norwegian crop farms. Research limitations/implications Farmers are getting different types of support from the government and the study does not account for the different effects of different kinds of subsidy on cost efficiency. Different subsidies might have different effects on farm performance. To get more informative and useful results, it would be necessary to repeat the analysis with less aggregated data on subsidy payments. Practical implications One implication for farmers (and their advisers) is that many of them are less efficient than the estimated benchmark (best performing farms). Thus, those lagging behind the best performing farms need to look at the way they are operating and to seek out ways to save costs or increase crop production. Perhaps there are things for lagging farmers to learn from their more productive farming neighbors. For instance, those farmers not practicing crop rotation might be well advised to try that practice. Social implications For both taxpayers and consumers, one implication is that the contributions they pay that go to subsidize farmers appear to bring some benefits in terms of more efficient production that, in turn, increase the supply of some foods so possibly making food prices more affordable. Originality/value Unlike previous performance studies in the literature, the authors estimated farm-level economic performance accounting for the contribution of both an important farm management practice and selected socioeconomic factors. Good farm management practices, captured through crop rotation, land tenure, government support and off-farm activities were found to have made a positive and statistically significant contribution to reducing the cost of production on crop-producing farms in the Central and Eastern regions of Norway.

scholarly journals Current Conditions and Opportunities of Biofarming in Hungary

2004 ◽  
pp. 150-156
Author(s):  
Petra Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
External Resources ◽  
State Subsidies ◽  
Agricultural Yields ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of organic farming is not to maximize income, but to achieve optimal product quality. It is completed by the tightest possible material, and energy flow within the farm. Organic agriculture significantly reduces external inputs by avoiding the use of chemo-synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Instead it works with nature to increase both agricultural yields and disease resistance. Total independence of external resources can not be achieved in Hungary due to the small-scale of organic animal husbandry. Some materials in limited quantities can be purchased from external resources, though the group of these materials is strictly regulated. Organic farming harmonizes with the concept of European multifunctional agriculture, because besides farming, it includes social considerations, as it helps to maintain natural resources and the relationship between people and their environment, and provides a living for those living in the region.As regards organic farming the fertility of the soil and the health of vegetation can be influenced in various ways. Farmers have to be highly skilled and able to manage a farm with great expertise. Generally it can be stated that as the use of non-organically produced products is limited, the opportunities to correct failures made by the farmer are minimal, contrary to conventional farming. Farmers must be intent on developing the tightest material- and energy flow. This means that organic farms ideally have both animal husbandry and crop production. This energy and skill demanding system of farming is compensated by state subsidies, growing market share and relatively high prices for organic products.

scholarly journals Abundance of invertebrate prey for birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. KRAGTEN ◽  
W. L. M. TAMIS ◽  
E. GERTENAAR ◽  
S. M. MIDCAP RAMIRO ◽  
R. J. VAN DER POLL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Farm Management ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Farmland Birds ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Invertebrate Abundance ◽  
Cereal Fields ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

SummaryAs a result of agricultural intensification, populations of farmland birds have been in steep decline for several decades. Reduction in food abundance has been mentioned as one factor behind these declines. Extensive farm management, such as use of organic methods, is expected to provide more food for birds. In this study we compared invertebrate prey abundance for birds during the breeding season between organic and conventional arable farms. We made comparisons for three different groups of birds: (1) birds feeding on soil-living invertebrates (earthworms), (2) birds feeding on ground-dwelling invertebrates and (3) birds feeding on aerial invertebrates. Invertebrate abundance was compared between organic and conventional farms, crop and non-crop habitats, and between crop and non-crop habitats under the same farm management. On organic sites, earthworm abundance was 2–4 times higher than on conventional sites, but no differences were found between crop types. Total abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates did not differ between organic and conventional sites, but positive effects were found for several individual taxonomic groups, such as carabid beetles and spiders. On organic farms, invertebrate abundance was higher in carrots, cereals and onions compared to other crops; on conventional farms this was true for onions. When compared with most crops, ground-dwelling invertebrate abundance was low in uncropped field margins and on ditch banks. On organic farms, aerial invertebrate abundance was approximately 70% higher than on conventional farms. On cereal fields, aerial invertebrates were especially abundant.

Differences in sheep and goats milk microbiological profile between conventional and organic farming systems in Greece

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Malissiova ◽  
Theofilos Papadopoulos ◽  
Aikaterini Kyriazi ◽  
Maria Mparda ◽  
Christina Sakorafa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Maldi Tof Ms ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Microbiological Profile ◽  
Maldi Tof ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Tof Ms

The aim of this study was to examine differences in the microbiological profile and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from milk from organic and conventional sheep and goat farms. Twenty-five organic and 25 conventional sheep and goat farms in the region of Thessaly, Greece participated in this study. A standardised detailed questionnaire was used to describe farming practices. A total of 50 samples were collected and analysed for total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC) and somatic cell count (SCC), whileStaphylococcus aureusandEscherichia coliwere isolated using standard methods. Isolates were identified at species level by Api-test and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Susceptibility to a panel of 20 forE. coliand 16 forS. aureusantimicrobials was determined by the agar dilution method. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed forS. aureusandE. coliisolates to determine predominant clones. Lower counts of TVC, TCC and SCC were identified in milk from the organic farms, possibly due to differences in the hygienic farming practices found on those farms. API-tests and MALDI-TOF MS showed no significant differences in theS. aureusandE. coliisolates. Overall, antimicrobial resistance rates were low, while a statistically higher percentage was estimated among strains originating from conventional farms in comparison with organic farms, possibly due to the restriction of antibiotic use in organic farming. PFGE revealed diversity amongS. aureusandE. colipopulations in both organic and conventional farms indicating circulation of 2–3 main clones changing slightly during their evolution. Consequently, there is evidence that milk from the organic farms presents a better microbiological profile when compared with milk from conventional farms.

scholarly journals Social Values in Stimulating Organic Production Involvement in Farming—The Case of Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 5945
Author(s):  
Karol Kociszewski ◽  
Andrzej Graczyk ◽  
Krystyna Mazurek-Łopacinska ◽  
Magdalena Sobocińska
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Demand Growth ◽  
Conventional Farms

The main research problem discussed in this paper involves evaluation of the motives of agricultural producers for pursuing and developing organic production. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the role of social values in stimulating decisions of involvement in organic production. Analytical observations were conducted on the basis of responses to surveys on a nation-representative sample in Poland (350 conventional farms and 70 organic farms in 2011; 260 conventional farms and 65 organic farms in 2019). Analyses were conducted in relation to the potential and perspectives for development of organic farming. They were focused on identifying the original motives for such decisions (incentives and disincentives). This allowed for effective evaluation of both the trend and the pace of the studied processes. The development potential of organic farming in Poland was estimated at 5–15% of the total number of farms. The most important factors encouraging farmers to take up production are associated with social values (care for the natural environment and family health). A significant chance for the development of organic production is the expected demand growth, which is also related to social values: the increasing environmental awareness and environmental change of consumption patterns.

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