Permaculture farmers consistently cultivate perennials, crop diversity, landscape heterogeneity and nature conservation

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hirschfeld ◽  
Rene Van Acker
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Design System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Crop Species

AbstractPermaculture is an international sustainability movement and agroecological design system. Using ecological management practices and locally-adapted solutions, permaculture claims to benefit several ecosystem services including provisioning of diverse crop yields, regulating hydrological cycles and soil quality, supporting wildlife conservation, and biocontrol of pests, weeds and diseases. Despite limited attention by the academic community, grassroots permaculture adoption has been reported in at least 45 countries worldwide thus creating a unique opportunity for in-situ research. This study characterized plant communities on ten applied permaculture farms and found that independent adopters consistently implemented predominately perennial species (73% of species richness), polycultures (mean 42 crop species per site), and zone design. These practices resulted in commercial farms characterized by perennialization, crop diversification, landscape heterogeneity and nature conservation. Grassroots adopters were remarkably consistent in their interpretation and application of an unregulated agricultural model suggesting that such movements may exert considerable influence over local agroecological transitions. While this characterization does not provide an exhaustive depiction of applied permaculture, it is recommended that future research acknowledge these traits as a minimum for study designs investigating the effects of permaculture management on ecosystem function.

scholarly journals High probability of yield gain through conservation agriculture in dry regions for major staple crops

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Su ◽  
Benoit Gabrielle ◽  
Damien Beillouin ◽  
David Makowski
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Yield Gain

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted to mitigate climate change, reduce soil erosion, and provide a variety of ecosystem services. Yet, its impacts on crop yields remains controversial. To gain further insight, we mapped the probability of yield gain when switching from conventional tillage systems (CT) to CA worldwide. Relative yield changes were estimated with machine learning algorithms trained by 4403 paired yield observations on 8 crop species extracted from 413 publications. CA has better productive performance than no-till system (NT), and it stands a more than 50% chance to outperform CT in dryer regions of the world, especially with proper agricultural management practices. Residue retention has the largest positive impact on CA productivity comparing to other management practices. The variations in the productivity of CA and NT across geographical and climatical regions were illustrated on global maps. CA appears as a sustainable agricultural practice if targeted at specific climatic regions and crop species.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Organically Grown Compared to Conventionally Grown Potato and the Processed Products: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6289
Author(s):  
Koffi Djaman ◽  
Soum Sanogo ◽  
Komlan Koudahe ◽  
Samuel Allen ◽  
Aminou Saibou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Livestock Health ◽  
Processed Products

Interest in organic foods is increasing at a moment when humanity is facing a range of health challenges including the concern that some conventionally produced foods may pose possible adverse effects on human and livestock health. With the increasing human population, intensive production is increasingly trending towards high-input systems that aim to close yield gaps, increase crop yields, and develop new crop varieties with higher yield potential and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, all within the context of incorporating specific traits to satisfy consumer demand. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most consumed foods under different cultural diets; however, its production faces some challenges related to soilborne diseases, marketable yield and quality, sugars and dry matter content of the produced tubers, tuber content in terms of nitrate, minerals, vitamins, bioactive compounds, and antioxidants, and consumer appreciation regarding the sensory characteristics of tubers and processed products. Different studies have been investigating some of these challenges, with sometimes straightforward and sometimes conflicting results. This variability in research results indicates the general non-transferability of the results from one location to another under the same management practices in addition to differences in plant material. This review compares some characteristics of raw or boiled potato and processed products from potato tubers grown organically and conventionally. Ideally, such information may be of benefit in decision making by consumers in their dietary choices, by potato growers in their selection of crop management practices, and by scientists looking at potential areas for future research on potatoes.

Restoring the productivity of marginal soils with organic amendments

1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon B. Hornick ◽  
James F. Parr
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Marginal Soils ◽  
Considerable Benefit ◽  
High Level

AbstractThe mining of sand and gravel deposits and excavation oftopsoil in urban areas have left extensive tracts of exposed subsoils that do not support plant growth because of adverse soil chemical and physical properties. Such degraded and marginal soils, or spoils, are infertile, low in organic matter, often acidic, and subject to severe erosion and surface runoff Many of these lands are owned by small and part-time farmers who wish to restore their aesthetic value and agricultural productivity. Research has shown that with liming and the proper use of organic amendments such as animal manures and sewage sludge compost, these lands can be restored to a high level of productivity in as little as three years. The methods and techniques for improving the productivity of marginal soils described in this paper can be of considerable benefit to some farmers in developed and developing countries where there is no other choice but to farm marginal soils because of the lack of highly productive agricultural lands. With increased efforts to restore the productivity of degraded and marginal soils through the use of organic amendments, conservation tillage, and crop rotations, future research should address the effect of best management practices on crop yields, the nutritional quality of crops, and the bioavailability of plant nutrients to both animals and humans.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Organically Grown Compared to Conventionally Grown Potato and the Processed Products: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koffi Djaman ◽  
Soum Sanogo ◽  
Komlan Koudahe ◽  
Samuel Allen ◽  
Aminou Saibou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Livestock Health ◽  
Processed Products

Interest in organic foods is increasing at a moment when humanity is facing a range of health challenges including the concern that some conventionally produced foods may pose possible adverse effects on human and livestock health. With the increasing human population, intensive production is increasingly trending towards high-input systems that aim to close yield gaps, increase crop yields, and develop new crop varieties with higher yield potential and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, all within the context of incorporating specific traits to satisfy consumer demand. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most consumed foods under different cultural diets, however its production faces some challenges related to soilborne diseases, marketable yield and quality, sugars and dry matter content of the produced tubers, tuber content in terms of nitrate, minerals, vitamins, bioactive compounds and antioxidants, and consumer appreciation regarding the sensory characteristics of tubers and processed products. Different studies have been investigating some of these challenges, with sometimes straightforward and sometimes connflicting results. This variability in research results indicates the general non-transferability of the results from one location to another under the same management practices in addition to differences in plant material. This review compares some characteristics of raw or boiled potato and processed products from potato tubers grown organically and conventionally. Ideally, such information may be of benefit in decision making by consumers in their dietary choices, by potato growers in their selection of crop management practices, and by scientists looking at potential areas for future research on potatoes.

High probability of yield gain through conservation agriculture in dry and cool regions for major staple crops

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Su ◽  
Benoit Gabrielle ◽  
Damien Beillouin ◽  
David Makowski
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Yield Gain

<p><strong>Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted to reduce land degradation, improve the soil fertility, the soil structure and increase the level of soil organic carbon over time. It is expected to mitigate climate change and enhance the resistance of crops to the changing climate. Yet, its impacts on crop yields remains controversial. To gain further insight on the sustainability of CA, we mapped the probability of yield gain when switching from conventional tillage systems (CT) to CA worldwide. The range of yield changes were estimated with machine learning algorithms trained by 2828 paired yield observations on 8 crop species extracted from 323 publications. CA stands a more than 50% chance to outperform CT in dry and cool regions of the world, while it can lead to yield losses of up to 59% in warmer and wetter regions. Residue retention has the largest positive impact on CA productivity compared to other management practices. The promising and the risky regions for CA global implementation were identified. The productive performance of CA for different crops in future climate were also estimated and mapped globally, the results of different scenarios were compared and analyzed. Overall, with proper managements, CA appears as a sustainable agricultural practice for specific climatic regions and crop species</strong><strong>. </strong></p>

scholarly journals Highly disparate bird assemblages in sugarcane and pastures: implications for bird conservation in agricultural landscapes

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo R. Alexandrino ◽  
Evan R. Buechley ◽  
Yuri A. Forte ◽  
Carla C. Cassiano ◽  
Katia M. P. M. B. Ferraz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Matrix Permeability

Sugarcane and cattle pastures are two of the most widespread and economically important agricultural landscapes. However, in Brazil, they have not been properly investigated for their importance to native birds and wildlife conservation. Thus, we aim to characterize and compare bird assemblages of sugarcane and cattle pastures; and understand how landscape features within both habitats influence bird assemblages. We surveyed birds in both agricultural habitats over one year, and then investigated the relationship between species richness and composition with landscape diversity, matrix permeability, and the size and distribution of natural forests close to both habitats. We observed 132 species in cattle pastures and only 72 in sugarcane (48% bird community similarity). We further evaluated the richness and relative abundance of avian ecological groups, including habitat specialists and habitat generalists, insectivores, omnivores, granivores and frugivores. All avian groups were higher in pastures, the habitat where landscape heterogeneity and number of scattered trees was higher. Our results show that overall increasing landscape heterogeneity favors an assemblage with higher richness and composed by species with more diverse ecological functions. Therefore, we argue in favor of management practices that incorporate heterogeneity in agricultural landscapes, mainly in sugarcane fields where a homogeneous scheme has been used. Otherwise, the potential of agricultural landscapes for bird conservation will be highly hindered, particularly if the sugarcane sector expands to other agricultural lands.

Improved Plant Diversity as a Strategy to Increase Available Soil Phosphorus

2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Crusciol ◽  
João Rigon ◽  
Juliano Calonego ◽  
Rogério Soratto
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
P Availability ◽  
P Fractions ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Available Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition

Some crop species could be used inside a cropping system as part of a strategy to increase soil P availability due to their capacity to recycle P and shift the equilibrium between soil P fractions to benefit the main crop. The release of P by crop residue decomposition, and mobilization and uptake of otherwise recalcitrant P are important mechanisms capable of increasing P availability and crop yields.

Political Consumerism for Sustainable Tourism

2018 ◽  
pp. 348-366
Author(s):  
Machiel Lamers ◽  
Jeroen Nawijn ◽  
Eke Eijgelaar
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Political Consumerism ◽  
Global Environmental

Over the last decades a substantial and growing societal and academic interest has emerged for the development of sustainable tourism. Scholars have highlighted the contribution of tourism to global environmental change and to local, detrimental social and environmental effects as well as to ways in which tourism contributes to nature conservation. Nevertheless the role of tourist consumers in driving sustainable tourism has remained unconvincing and inconsistent. This chapter reviews the constraints and opportunities of political consumerism for sustainable tourism. The discussion covers stronger pockets and a key weak pocket of political consumerism for sustainable tourism and also highlights inconsistencies in sustainable tourism consumption by drawing on a range of social theory arguments and possible solutions. The chapter concludes with an agenda for future research on this topic.

scholarly journals Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Maintenance Systems ◽  
Industry Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

Corrigendum to: Conservation agriculture effects on soil properties and crop productivity in a semiarid region of India

Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Somasundaram ◽  
M. Salikram ◽  
N. K. Sinha ◽  
M. Mohanty ◽  
R. S. Chaudhary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Residue Retention

Conservation agriculture (CA) including reduced or no-tillage and crop residue retention, is known to be a self–sustainable system as well as an alternative to residue burning. The present study evaluated the effect of reduced tillage coupled with residue retention under different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields in a Vertisol of a semiarid region of central India. Two tillage systems – conventional tillage (CT) with residue removed, and reduced tillage (RT) with residue retained – and six major cropping systems of this region were examined after 3 years of experimentation. Results demonstrated that soil moisture content, mean weight diameter, percent water stable aggregates (>0.25mm) for the 0–15cm soil layer were significantly (Pmoderately labile>less labile. At the 0–15cm depth, the contributions of moderately labile, less labile and non-labile C fractions to total organic C were 39.3%, 10.3% and 50.4% respectively in RT and corresponding values for CT were 38.9%, 11.7% and 49.4%. Significant differences in different C fractions were observed between RT and CT. Soil microbial biomass C concentration was significantly higher in RT than CT at 0–15cm depth. The maize–chickpea cropping system had significantly (P–1 followed by soybean+pigeon pea (2:1) intercropping (3.50 t ha–1) and soybean–wheat cropping systems (2.97 t ha–1). Thus, CA practices could be sustainable management practices for improving soil health and crop yields of rainfed Vertisols in these semiarid regions.

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