Trichomycete prevalence in Thomas Brook, Nova Scotia, exposed to different levels of human activity

The Thomas Brook in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, was the focus of an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada wastershed evaluation of beneficial management practices (WEBs) project from 2004–2008. The stream is impacted by human activities along its course, with residential influences and farming operations. The water quality in Thomas Brook was assessed in 2006, and the current study done in 2011–2012 used the same standard invertebrate metrics to measure water quality. This project also examined the prevalence of gut endosymbionts (trichomycetes) in aquatic invertebrates to determine whether water quality affects this community of obligate microorganisms in their hosts. The water quality was improved in Thomas Brook in 2011/2012 compared with that measured in the earlier study. There were 34 taxa of trichomycetes recorded in benthic insects in the stream, including two new species. The trichomycete community was rich in dipteran hosts (midges and black fly larvae), but the prevalence of gut fungi in ephemeropteran (mayfly) nymphs in the system was low, perhaps due to the impact of human activities on water quality.

Measuring the effectiveness of educational instruments in facilitating environmentally responsible behaviour in agriculture : the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Program

This research evaluates the effectiveness of Ontario's voluntary Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program's educational instruments by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour and measuring environmental awareness. Despite being billed as an educational and environmental awareness program, the educational elements of the EFP program have not previously been evaluated in relation to their ability to foster environmental behaviours. A survey was conducted before and after the EFP workshops to measure any change in farmers' environmental awareness or intentions to implement beneficial management practices. Findings suggest an overall increase in participants' behavioural intentions and awareness, though there are opportunities to strengthen the underlying constructs of these measures to help ensure these positive outcomes are sustained beyond workshop participation. This research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the EFP program's educational instruments and provides insight into the psychological constructs influencing farmers' participation in the program and their intentions to implement conservation measures.

Measuring the effectiveness of educational instruments in facilitating environmentally responsible behaviour in agriculture : the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Program

This research evaluates the effectiveness of Ontario's voluntary Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program's educational instruments by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour and measuring environmental awareness. Despite being billed as an educational and environmental awareness program, the educational elements of the EFP program have not previously been evaluated in relation to their ability to foster environmental behaviours. A survey was conducted before and after the EFP workshops to measure any change in farmers' environmental awareness or intentions to implement beneficial management practices. Findings suggest an overall increase in participants' behavioural intentions and awareness, though there are opportunities to strengthen the underlying constructs of these measures to help ensure these positive outcomes are sustained beyond workshop participation. This research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the EFP program's educational instruments and provides insight into the psychological constructs influencing farmers' participation in the program and their intentions to implement conservation measures.

Agricultural Beneficial Management Practices: A Synthesis of Co-benefits, Tradeoffs, and Co-costs between Crop Yield and Non-provisioning Ecosystem Services

Although agricultural “best (or beneficial) management practices” (BMPs) first emerged to mitigate agro-environmental resource challenges, they may also enhance ‘non-provisioning’ ecosystem services. The enthusiasm for adopting BMPs partially depends on evidence that doing so will lead to agro-environmental benefits while not substantially reducing crop productivity or farmer income. We survey and synthesize evidence in the existing literature to document the joint effects on agricultural crop yield and 12 ecosystem service (ES) associated with implementation of 5 agricultural BMPs (crop rotations, cover crops, nutrient management, perennial vegetated buffers, reduced or no tillage). We also analyze the prevalence of co-benefits (‘win-win’), tradeoffs, and co-costs (‘lose-lose’) outcomes. On the basis of a set of contextual variables we then develop empirical models that predict the likelihood of co-benefits relative to tradeoffs, and co-costs. We found thirty-six studies investigating 141 combinations of crop yields and non-provisioning ES outcomes (YESs) in the relevant literatures covering the period 1983-2016. The scope of the review is global, but included studies are geographically concentrated in the U.S. Corn Belt (Midwestern United States). In the literature sample, reporting of co-benefits (26%) was much more prevalent than reporting of co-costs (4%) between yields and ES. Tradeoffs most often resulted in a reduction in crop yields and an increase in ES (28%); this was marginally greater than studies reporting a neutral influence on crop yields and an increase in ES (26%). Other Y/ES combinations were uncommon. Mixed-effects models indicated reduced tillage and crop rotations had generally positive associations with YESs. Temporal scale was an informative predictor suggesting studies with longer time scales resulted in greater positive outcomes on YESs, on average. Our results are a step towards identifying those contexts where co-benefits or partial improvement outcomes of BMPs are more likely to be realized, as well as the impact of particular practices on specific ES.

The environmental and economic efficacy of on-farm beneficial management practices for mitigating soil-related greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, Canada

Agriculture is a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but changing management practices to those more beneficial to the environment could help mitigate climate change as long as they are economically and environmentally viable. This study examines the environmental (public) and economic (private) effects of adopting ten different beneficial management practices on a representative corn farm in Ontario, Canada. The study integrates changes in GHG emissions in carbon equivalents (CO2e) and changes in profit from changes in costs and revenues in two dimensions to reveal the scope and scale of different kinds of practices. 4R nitrogen management practices are smaller in scale compared to cropping practices and, therefore, have smaller potential costs and benefits. Land use changes, from practices including biomass, afforestation, crop rotation and cover cropping, have larger impacts on soil sequestration and carbon-equivalent GHG reduction, but with significantly greater costs. Seven practices were found to, at least partially, be economically and environmentally beneficial. The adoption of no-till and N-rate reduction is firmly positive, whereas the production of biomass has the largest potential economic and environmental gains. Crop rotation and diversification and cover cropping can be mutually beneficial, as can changing N-application practices. The use of inhibitors may be economically beneficial if yield gains outweigh purchase costs.