Institutional support for practicing sustainable agriculture

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Korsching ◽  
James E. Malia
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Sustainable Systems ◽  
Chemical Inputs ◽  
Nonchemical Weed Control ◽  
On Farm

AbstractA mail survey of Iowa farmers with membership in the Practical Farmers of Iowa, a sustainable agriculture organization, was used to examine perceptions of institutional support for information on reducing chemical inputs, needed research for farming with sustainable practices, and policy needs for encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable practices. We first developed a chemical input index to measure commitment to sustainable practices and to analyze information sources and research and policy needs. Results indicate that sustainable farmers rely primarily on each other and on their personal experience for information about sustainable practices; they use conventional farm practice information sources considerably less. The primary research need identified by the respondents was for better nonchemical weed control. Other important research needs identified were: nonchemical insect control, new seed varieties, cover crops, alternative tillage methods, and the economics of sustainable systems. The primary policy needs identified were more information and educational programs about sustainable agriculture and increased taxes on farm chemical use. We discuss the implications of the relationship between institutional support and the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.

Pasture renewal in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions: An overview of farmer practice, experience and attitudes

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
Kelly Smith ◽  
R. Brazendale
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Rate Information ◽  
And Performance ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Over Time

Pasture persistence and performance, and associated issues such as black beetle, are of central concern to dairy farmers. The Pasture Renewal Survey 2010 aimed to better understand farmers' confidence in their ability to make informed decisions on their pasture renewal practices, their satisfaction with the success of this decision-making and the performance of their renewed pastures over time. In addition, the survey investigated their attitudes to information sources and what barriers they saw to improving pasture performance on farm. A postal and online survey elicited responses from 776 dairy farmers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. The four main findings of the work were: 1. Farmers are more confident of their ability to make appropriate on-farm management decisions for renewed pasture than they are of their ability to choose appropriate cultivars and endophyte. 2. Farmers, while generally satisfied with their own success in renewing pasture, reported decreasing levels of satisfaction with renewed pastures over the 3 successive years following renewal. 3. Farmers do not rate information sources very highly in terms of their usefulness in relation to pasture renewal. 4. Weather-related issues and pest-related issues (particularly black beetle) were the most commonly identified barriers to improving pasture performance. Keywords: farmer confidence, farmer satisfaction, information sources, pasture renewal.

Creating a farmer sustainability index: A Malaysian case study

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 175-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald C. Taylor ◽  
Zainal Abidin Mohamed ◽  
Mad Nasir Shamsudin ◽  
Mohd Ghazali Mohayidin ◽  
Eddie F.C. Chiew
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Composite Index ◽  
Composite Measure ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Relative Measure ◽  
Synthetic Chemicals ◽  
Production Practice ◽  
Production Practices ◽  
On Farm

AbstractIn on-farm studies of sustainable agriculture, farmers often have been classified as sustainable according to their organizational affiliation; self identification; or use or non-use of a particular production practice or input, usually synthetic chemicals. Because this is a great oversimplification, researchers recently have been incorporating several dimensions of sustainability into a composite measure. Typically this is a relative measure of sustainability, with scores assigned by comparing individual farmers' practices to those used by all farmers. In contrast, in the farmer sustainability index (FSI) presented here, practices are scored according to their inherent sustainability. We report on the development of an FSI in a case study involving 33 production practices used by 85 cabbage farmers in Malaysia. We describe its underlying principles, the procedure and rationale for scoring each sustainability item, and the result of combining the constituent items into a composite index.

scholarly journals Farmer Awareness and Implementation of Sustainable Agriculture Practices in Different Types of Farms in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8022
Author(s):  
Monika Gebska ◽  
Anna Grontkowska ◽  
Wiesław Swiderek ◽  
Barbara Golebiewska
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Common

Sustainability has been an emerging issue for years in the economy and agriculture. Making agriculture sustainable has become so essential that it has become part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). However, producers ultimately decide individually the practices they implement. This is why farmers play a central role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural system, which results from farmers’ knowledge and expectations. Although numerous studies address sustainability issues, little is known about farmers’ knowledge and implementation of sustainable practices at different types of farms, especially in central and eastern Europe. This study aimed to determine Polish farmers’ awareness of sustainability with regards to animal and crop production. This paper also shows how farmers value the advantages arising from sustainable production. The study was carried out among 300 farms classified by type (dairy, beef cattle, pork, and crop production). The research instrument used was a questionnaire, with the Likert scale. The results show that dairy farmers and pork farmers declared higher knowledge and better implement sustainable practices than other farmers. The producers’ views on the benefits coming from sustainable agriculture varied. However, the two most significant advantages were recognized—the protection of water against pollution and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

scholarly journals Factors in organic farmers' decisionmaking: Diversity, challenge, and obstacles

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie A. Duram
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Agricultural Education ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Reduction Techniques ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Operational Change ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
On Farm

AbstractThis research promotes our understanding of organic farmers' decisionmaking through individual farmers' experiences. A twofold survey was conducted to investigate characteristics of certified organic farmers in Colorado. Data from a mail survey (26 responses to 49 surveys sent) reveal patterns of farm operations and attitudes among this group of farmers. These questionnaires focused on land use, land tenure, operational change, and personal characteristics. In-depth interviews of five case study farmers provide additional insight into farmers' agricultural decisionmaking. These interviews were conversations that the farmers guided toward topics of relevance to them. Taken together, the mail and interview surveys provided information about on-farm operational factors and personal characteristics. Quantitative analysis and qualitative data reduction techniques were used to identify factors in organic farmer decisionmaking. The following eight factors help us understand organic agriculture in this region: diversity, challenge, change, businesslike approach, no formal agricultural education, love of the land, anti-”radical environmentalist,” and obstacles.

Do spring cover crops rob water and so reduce wheat yields in the northern grain zone of eastern Australia?

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 517 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. M. Whish ◽  
L. Price ◽  
P. A. Castor
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
On Farm

During the 14-month-long fallow that arises when moving from summer to winter crops, stubble breakdown can denude the soil surface and leave it vulnerable to erosion. Cover crops of millet have been proposed as a solution, but this then raises the question, how often is there sufficient water in the system to grow a cover crop without reducing the soil water reserves to the point of prejudicing the following wheat crop? An on-farm research approach was used to compare the traditional long fallow (TF) with a millet fallow (MF) in a total of 31 commercial paddocks over 3 years. Each treatment was simulated using the simulation-modelling framework (APSIM) to investigate the outcomes over a longer timeframe and to determine how often a millet fallow could be successfully included within the farming system. The on-farm trials showed that early-sown millet cover crops removed before December had no effect on wheat yield, but this was not true of millet cover crops that were allowed to grow through to maturity. Long-term simulations estimated that a spring cover crop of millet would adversely affect wheat yields in only 2% of years if planted early and removed after 50% cover had been achieved.

scholarly journals AN OVERVIEW OF THE NORTHEAST REGION SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM

HortScience ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 260D-260
Author(s):  
Beth Holtzman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Northeast Region ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Grant Program ◽  
Small Fruit ◽  
Research And Education

The challenges facing horticultural production in the Northeast are many: Pests that are increasingly resistant to conventional controls; eroding profitability; increasing consumer concern about residues in food and water supplies. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is working to find solutions to these problems. SARE-supported research is developing practices that will help reduce producers reliance on pesticides and other purchased inputs while maintaining farm profitability. In the Northeast, SARE has provided about $5 million in grants since 1983 to about 50 projects. Many focus on horticultural crops, such as apples, small fruit, sod and ornamental plants. Some strategies developed through SARE projects are already being adopted at the farm level. Last year, the program allocated $1.461 million to 16 projects. This year, the Northeast Region expects to distribute a similar or slightly lower amount of grant funding. In addition, the region established a new $100,000 farmer mini-grant program to promote adoption of sustainable practices and in novations on the farm.

Evaluation of Summer Cover Crops for Vegetable Production in South Florida

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 524e-524
Author(s):  
Herbert Bryan ◽  
Yuncong Li
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Large Field ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Tropical Fruits ◽  
Sunn Hemp ◽  
Production Practices ◽  
Chemical Inputs

Cover crops are used for weed control and to retain nutrients during the heavy summer rains and have become an integral part of vegetable production practices in south Florida. Moreover the use of cover crops will continue to increase as farmers seek to improve soil quality and reduce chemical inputs. A wide variety of plants are used as cover crops in south Florida. Obviously legumes contribute more nitrogen by fixing N compared to nonlegumes such as sorghum–Sudan grass, which is a common cover crop in this area. We have evaluated 10 cover crops, and five of them are legumes. The sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea L, stands out from other tested cover crops. Sunn hemp produced 8960 kg dry weight per ha and fixed up to 336 kg N/ha. We have strongly recommended sunn hemp as a cover crop for vegetables and tropical fruits in south Florida. A large field demonstration will be conducted in a grower's field in the summer rainy season of 1998.

On-farm experimentation for scaling-out conservation agriculture using an innovation systems approach in the north west province, South Africa.

2022 ◽  
pp. 416-430
Author(s):  
Hendrik J. Smith ◽  
Gerhardus Trytsman ◽  
Andre A. Nel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil P ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Fallow Systems ◽  
North West Province ◽  
Fallow System ◽  
On Farm

Abstract A project under the Farmer Innovation Programme (FIP) that aimed to adapt Conservation Agriculture (CA) among grain farmers in South Africa was implemented in a commercial farming area of the North West Province. The following on-farm, collaborative-managed trials produced key findings concerning: (i) plant population densities (high versus low) under CA; (ii) conventional crop systems versus CA crop systems; (iii) the testing and screening of cover crops; (iv) green fallow systems for soil restoration; and (v) livestock integration. Key results from these trials were that the yield of maize was significantly higher under high-density no-till (NT) systems compared to the normal NT systems. The yield of maize in local conventional systems was lower than the yield in NT systems tested on three farmer-managed trials. The screening trial assisted in testing and learning the suitability and the different attributes of a range of cover crops in that area. Cover crop mixtures used as a green fallow system with livestock showed that CA can facilitate the successful restoration of degraded soil.

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