Economic and social impacts of organic production systems

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 1037-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. MacRae ◽  
B. Frick ◽  
R. C. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Social Impacts ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Weather Extremes ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

Given relatively low adoption levels to date, the potential benefits of organic farming systems are not yet very visible. However, there is growing evidence in the literature that adoption of such systems produces multiple environmental, social, and financial benefits that can solve pressing agricultural problems in Canada. Compared with their duration as conventional operations, most organic farms in North America perform better under organic management. This outcome is usually a product of lower input costs, more diversified production and marketing channels, resilience in the face of variable market conditions, higher premiums, and a better capacity to adapt to weather extremes. However, the performance of farming systems including some horticultural and animal production systems, for which our ecological understanding is limited, is still frequently inferior. The data on social impacts are less conclusive, but there is some evidence that when a community has many sustainable (including organic) producers , there are positive shifts in community economic development and social interaction. The reasons appear to be related to the need to hire more labour, the increased demand for local goods and services, and a greater commitment to participation in civic in stitutions. Key words: Organic agriculture, economic performance, social benefits

Burning Nettle, Common Purslane, and Rye Response to a Clove Oil Herbicide

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan S. Boyd ◽  
Eric B. Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Clove Oil ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Common Purslane

Weed management is often difficult and expensive in organic production systems. Clove oil is an essential oil that functions as a contact herbicide and may provide an additional weed management tool for use on organic farms. Burning nettle, purslane, and rye responses to 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80% v/v clove oil mixture applied in spray volumes of 281 and 468 L/ha were examined. Log-logistic curves were fitted to the nettle and purslane data to determine the herbicide dose required to reduce plant dry weight 50% (GR50) and 90% (GR90). A three-parameter Gaussian curve was fitted to the rye data. The GR50 and GR90 were largely unaffected by spray volume. Nettle dry weight was reduced by 90% with 12 to 61 L clove oil/ha, whereas 21 to 38 L clove oil/ha were required to reduce purslane biomass to the same level. Rye was not effectively controlled by clove oil. Clove oil controls broadleaf weeds at high concentrations, but its cost makes broadcast applications prohibitive, even in high-value vegetable production systems.

Integrating feeding programmes into organic production systems.

2021 ◽  
pp. 177-217
Author(s):  
Robert Blair
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Feed Additives ◽  
Feed Quality ◽  
Feed Supplements ◽  
Cattle Farming

Abstract This chapter describes the effects of feeding programmes (including feed quality, feed supplements and feed additives) on the reproductive performance, beef and milk production and quality and environmental impact in organic cattle farming systems.

scholarly journals (419) The Relation of Cooperative Extension Programs, Materials, and Publications for Organic Farming Systems as Relates to Production

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072C-1072
Author(s):  
Kristen Harper ◽  
Curt R. Rom
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Cooperative Extension ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Organic Farming Systems ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Organic Produce

Since the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, certified organic produce has begun to make a large impact on national markets. However, USDA statistics indicate that many states in the southern region have considerably reduced certified organic acreage when compared to other regions in the United States. The absence of organic acreage may perhaps originate with a lack of training and educational materials provided to producers due to unanticipated growth of organic markets. A thorough review of all Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (ACES) materials, such as bulletins, publications, and workshops over the past 10 years, would reveal what information has been provided to producers on certified organic production. This review of ACES materials defines the existing groundwork on which ACES could construct future organic publications and outreach programs in order to sustain and stimulate organic farming within the state.

scholarly journals ASSESSING THE NEED FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION COURSES IN HORTICULTURE CURRICULA

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 877d-877
Author(s):  
C.R. Rom ◽  
H. Friedrich ◽  
K. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Organic Produce ◽  
National Organic Program

Higher education curricula should be alert to trends in production and science, and responsive to needs of producers and consumers in our society. A recent trend has emerged nationally and internationally for the production and consumption of certified organic produce which is increasing at a significant rate. Following the creation of the National Organic Program and formal federal regulations for certification which govern production, it has been questioned whether horticulture programs in land grant institutions have adjusted curricula appropriately to train producers, consultants, extension specialists, teachers and research scientists to be engaged in organic production systems. According to USDA statistics, several states in the southern region have significantly fewer certified organic farms and certifying agencies than the northeast, Midwest or western regions. A review horticulture and crops programs at 36 land grant universities (1862 and 1890) in 14 southern region states indicated although several institutions had research and outreach programs for sustainable and organic production, there were only three classes on organic gardening, two classes on organic crops production, and one field-based organic production course that could be identified in existing curricula. It appears that with the growth of the organic industry worldwide that students in programs in the southern region may be under-served in this educational area. Further, it may be questioned whether the lack of production and certifying agencies in the southern region is associated with the lack of science-based education provided by the land grant universities. A recent survey of faculty indicated a perceived need for stand-alone coursework on organic, sustainable, and ecologically-based production systems.

scholarly journals Living Mulches For Organic Farming Systems

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Leary ◽  
Joe DeFrank
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Living Mulch ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Nutrient Runoff ◽  
Organic Farmers

An important aspect of organic farming is to minimize the detrimental impact of human intervention to the surrounding environment by adopting a natural protocol in system management. Traditionally, organic farming has focused on the elimination of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and a reliance on biological cycles that contribute to improving soil health in terms of fertility and pest management. Organic production systems are ecologically and economically sustainable when practices designed to build soil organic matter, fertility, and structure also mitigate soil erosion and nutrient runoff. We found no research conducted under traditional organic farming conditions, comparing bareground monoculture systems to systems incorporating the use of living mulches. We will be focusing on living mulch studies conducted under conventional methodology that can be extrapolated to beneficial uses in an organic system. This article discusses how organic farmers can use living mulches to reduce erosion, runoff, and leaching and also demonstrate the potential of living mulch systems as comprehensive integrated pest management plans that allow for an overall reduction in pesticide applications. The pesticide reducing potential of the living mulch system is examined to gain insight on application within organic agriculture.

scholarly journals Welfare assessment of three chicken breeds (Gallus Gallus Domesticus) under different production systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1705-1713 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Bozakova ◽  
V. Gerzilov ◽  
S. Popova-Ralcheva ◽  
V. Sredkova
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Chicken Breeds ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions

The objective assessment of welfare in poultry under different rearing systems has gained an increasing importance. In particular, organic rearing systems are examined in relation to improving poultry welfare and the quality of poultry production at a worldwide scale. The aim of the present study was to assess the welfare of parent flocks - White Plymouth Rock, Barred Plymouth Rock (Line F) and New Hampshire, reared under two production systems - indoor on a litter and organic (sleep houses and walk yards). The rearing and microclimatic conditions, the poultry behaviour and blood plasma corticosterone concentrations under both farming systems were examined. The welfare assessment score of White Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire and Barred Plymouth Rock, reared indoor on a litter was 60%, whereas in an organic production system - 90%. The higher welfare of birds reared organically was determined by the greater number of birds spending their time in dust bathing (P<0.01) and feather cleaning (P<0.05) as well as by fewer episodes of aggression (P<0.01) and plasma corticosterone levels (P<0.01), as compared to chickens reared indoor on a litter.

Effect of organic production system on productive and reproductive performance of cattle

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Shandilya ◽  
A. P. Singh ◽  
B. K. Ojha ◽  
Alok Mishra ◽  
Manu Jaiswal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Management System ◽  
Production Management ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Organic Management ◽  
Green Fodder ◽  
Concentrate Mixture ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

The present investigation was carried out with the objective to study the productive and reproductive performances of dairy cattle under organic farming systems. Total 24 medium to high yielding cattle has been selected for the study, out of which 12 were reared under organic management system and 12 under conventional management system. For cows maintained under organic management system, the animals were fed ad lib quality green fodder grown organically and limited quantity (1.5 to 2.0 kg/cows/day) of concentrate mixture. Production and reproduction performance of animals of both the groups were compared. The results revealed that the reproductive performance was better in cows maintained under organic production management system than their conventional counterparts. The study on milk quality in terms of composition revealed significantly (P less than 0.05) higher fat % of milk, while lower (P less than 0.05) protein % of milk for the cows maintained under organic system as compared to those under conventional system. It can be concluded that the organic management system of dairy cows can be beneficial as depicted by better reproductive efficiency of cows with higher fat % of the milk.

scholarly journals Technical Efficiencies and Yield Variability Are Comparable Across Organic and Conventional Farms

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4271
Author(s):  
Amritbir Riar ◽  
Lokendra S. Mandloi ◽  
Ramadas Sendhil ◽  
Randhir S. Poswal ◽  
Monika M. Messmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Central India ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Management Factors

Cotton is essentially a smallholder crop across tropical countries. Being a major cash crop, it plays a decisive role in the livelihoods of cotton-producing farmers. Both conventional and organic production systems offer alternative yet interesting propositions to cotton farmers. This study was conducted in Nimar valley, a prominent cotton-producing region of central India, with the aim of categorically evaluating the contribution of management and fixed factors to productivity on conventional and organic cotton farms. A study framework was developed considering the fixed factors, which cannot be altered within reasonable limits of time, capacity and resources, e.g., landholding or years of age and/or practice; and management factors, which can be altered/influenced within a reasonable time by training, practice and implementation. Using this framework, a structured survey of conventional and organic farms operating under comparable circumstances was conducted. Landholding and soil types were significant contributors/predictors of yield on organic farms. In contrast, landholding was not the main factor related to yields on conventional farms, which produced the highest yields when led by farmers with more than five years of formal education and living in a joint family. Nitrogen application, the source of irrigation (related to timely and adequate supply), crop rotation and variables related to adequate plant population (seed source, germination rate and plant thinning) were the main management factors limiting cotton yields among conventional and organic farms. Both organic and conventional farms in the Nimar valley exhibited a similar pattern of variation in cotton yields and technical efficiency. This study highlights the enormous scope for improving cotton productivity in the region by improving technical efficiency, strengthening extension services and making appropriate policy interventions.

scholarly journals A multi-criteria qualitative tool for the sustainability assessment of organic durum wheat-based farming systems designed through a participative process

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana Iocola ◽  
Luca Colombo ◽  
Giovanni Dara Guccione ◽  
Pasquale De Vita ◽  
Massimo Palumbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Hierarchic Structure ◽  
Ex Ante

The agriculture sustainability assessment is a difficult issue for the coexistence of conflicting objectives and the multidimensionality of the performances. The environmental, economic and social pillars need to be simultaneously considered in an assessment to evaluate potential synergies and trade-offs of the agricultural processes within and among the attributes of the dimensions in both implemented systems (ex-post analysis) and potential options (ex-ante analysis). Among several sustainability assessment methods, tools based on multi-criteria analysis (MCA) are increasingly adopted in evaluating sustainability in agriculture. The aim of this work was to present the MCA tool developed in the framework of the BioDurum project for the sustainability assessment of organic farms located in southern Italy and characterised by durum wheat-based crop rotations. The tool was entirely designed through a participatory process and it was realised using the open-source DEXi software that have demonstrated to be particularly suitable for creating qualitative multi-criterial hierarchic models with the engage of stakeholders. The hierarchic structure of BioDurum_MCA tool was resulted composed by 64 indicators and 45 aggregated attributes articulated in three branches representing the agro-environment, economic, and social sustainability pillars. The articulated structure of the tool reflected the complexity and the sustainability issues and priorities expressed by the involved stakeholders. The tool was tested in four Italian organic farms presenting different agro-environmental and socio-economic patterns for their ex-post evaluations and in three different ex-ante production systems identified in compliance with the Italian regulation concerning the requirements of the rotations to be implemented in organic farming. The results highlighted the well discriminatory power of the tool. The best overall sustainability scores were reached in both ex-post and ex-ante analysis by the well diversified cereal farming systems with processed products sold through short supply chain mechanisms. BioDurum_MCA has proved to be a feasible tool to identify strengths and weaknesses of organic durum wheat-based production systems. Its adoption can support the definition of specific interventions for the sector in the Italian Strategic National Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy. Further improvements in the threshold classes of some indicators by using the tool in a wider number of Italian durum wheat based organic farms will increase model sensitivity and reliability of the results. Highlights - BioDurum_MCA is an effective tool for sustainability assessment of durum wheat organic Italian production systems. - Hierarchic structure of the tool reflects the sustainability issues and priorities expressed by involved stakeholders. - MCA tools can support a holistic evaluation of farm sustainability performances in the frame of post-2020 CAP.

scholarly journals     Cocktails of pesticide residues in conventional and organic farming systems in Europe – legacy of the past and turning point for the future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Silva ◽  
Violette Geissen ◽  
Esperanza Huerta Lwanga ◽  
Nicolas Beriot ◽  
Klaas Oostindie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Pesticide Residues ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Organic Soils ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Organic Farming Systems ◽  
Study Sites

&lt;p&gt;Considering that pesticides have been used in Europe for over 70 years, a system for monitoring pesticide residues in EU soils and their effects on soil health is long overdue. In an attempt to address this problem, we tested 340 EU agricultural topsoil samples for multiple pesticide residues. These samples originated from 4 representative EU case study sites (CSS), which covered 3 countries and four of the main EU crops: vegetable and orange production in Spain (S-V and S-O, respectively), grape production in Portugal (P-G), and potato production in the Netherlands (N-P). Soil samples were collected between 2015 and 2018 after harvest or before the start of the growing season, depending on the CSS. Conventional and organic farming results were compared in S-V, S-O and N-P. Soils from conventional farms presented mostly mixtures of pesticide residues, with a maximum of 16 residues/sample. Soils from organic farms had significantly fewer residues, with a maximum of 5 residues/sample. The residues with the highest frequency of detection and the highest content in soil were herbicides: glyphosate and its main metabolite AMPA (P-G, N-P, S-O), and pendimethalin (S-V). Total residue content in soil reached values of 0.8 mg kg-1 for S-V, 2 mg kg-1 for S-O and N-P, and 12 mg kg-1 for P-G. Organic soils presented 70-90% lower residue concentrations than the corresponding conventional soils. There is a severe knowledge gap concerning the effects of the accumulated and complex mixtures of pesticide residues found in soil on soil biota and soil health. Safety benchmarks should be defined and introduced into (soil) legislation as soon as possible. Soil remediation techniques should be developed to keep the levels of pesticide residues below such benchmarks. Furthermore, the process of transitioning to organic farming should take into consideration the residue mixtures and their residence time in soil. &amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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