36 research outputs found
Modelling the Adoption of Crop Rotation Practices in Organic Mixed Farms
Taylor et al. (2001) noted that well designed rotations are fundamental to organic farming systems. Rotations help organic systems achieve a balance between crops which deplete fertility, in particular nitrogen, and soil organic matter, and crops which restore fertility. The paper discusses the choice of crop rotation in the context of organic mixed farm systems that include cereals and livestock. The analysis is performed by combining economics and biology with the intention of capturing a broader approach to measuring the resilience of farming systems. Thus, it considers that the farmerâs choice of a specific rotation is based on the expected economic return derived from the rotation, and also the biological benefits provided by the selected rotation. The analysis is based on organic crop rotation trials ran from 1991 to 2006 at a site in the north-east of Scotland (Tulloch, Aberdeen) (Taylor et al., 2006).Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,
Nutrient budgets for organic farming
This review identifies the research done on nutrient budgeting and presents the latest input and output data for use in nutrient budgeting on farm to support rotation and soil management decision making.
Based on the research and practice of Nutrient Budgeting (NB) the review provides a draft guide for farmers, advisors and others on the theory and use of NB, including a guide to nutrient budgeting on organic farms. The review identifies all the relevant organic and where appropriate, the non organic research undertaken on nutrient budgeting and related subjects. The review identifies sources of nutrient input/output data for nutrient budgeting, based on available information makes recommendations on updating exisiting data for populating a NB tool, noting any missing or unreliable data.
The review identifies the currently available Nutrient Budgeting tools that have potential for application to organic farming, asseses their methodology and makes recommendations on what modifications are required in the light of the information identified in this Review
The availability of carbon sequestration data in Europe
With growing interest in the carbon sequestration potential of soils, experimental research and mapping projects have produced a wealth of datasets in this subject area. However, the coverage, quality and scope of available data vary widely across Europe, and the extent to which these data are accessible to experimental researchers and modellers is also highly variable. This report describes the availability of soil carbon data at the global and European levels, and reviews the on-line resources for accessing these data and meta-data. The extent to which researchers in the field share findings, based on institutional links in projects and on-line resources, is investigated. Future priorities for research and data accessibility relating to carbon sequestration are discussed. Many soil data resources are available online. Global and European soil data portals draw together much information from across Europe, and include the outcomes of major soil carbon mapping exercises. However, much project and national research is not accessible through these portals, and information on datasets derived from many research initiatives is difficult or impossible to locate online. Data on carbon sequestration (carbon fluxes in soils) specifically is more limited, although some such datasets are available through the general soil data resources described. Improved clarity in the presentation of research, and work to link more national and sub-national data to European and global online resources is required, with initiatives such as GSIF (Global Soil Information Facility) active in encouraging direct reporting of soil-related data at the global level. Priorities for research on SOC stocks include measuring carbon storage below the topsoil (>30cm), improving records of SOC in peatlands, improving the number and distribution of samples available for Europe-wide soil carbon mapping, and developing recognised methodological standards to allow easier comparisons of datasets. In the field of carbon sequestration research specifically, priorities include linking long-term SOC data to historical land use, developing understanding of the movement of SOC between top-soil and sub-soil and increasing dialogue between modellers and empirical researchers to improve dynamic modelling of SOC
Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions: a trial application in the West Highlands of Scotland
Supporting better decisions across the nexus of water, energy and food through earth observation data:Case of the Zambezi basin
The waterâenergyâfood (WEF) nexus has been promoted in recent
years as an intersectional concept
designed to improve planning and regulatory decision-making across the three
sectors. The production and consumption of water, energy and food resources
are inextricably linked across multiple spatial scales (from the global to
the local), but a common feature is competition for land which through
different land management practices mediates provisioning ecosystem
services. The nexus perspective seeks to understand the interlinkages and
use systems-based thinking to frame management options for the present and
the future. It aims to highlight advantage and minimise damaging and
unsustainable outcomes through informed decisions regarding trade-offs
inclusive of economic, ecological and equity considerations.
Operationalizing the WEF approach is difficult because of the lack of
complete data, knowledge and observability â and the nature of the
challenge also depends on the scale of the investigation. Transboundary
river basins are particularly challenging because whilst the basin unit
defines the hydrological system this is not necessarily coincident with
flows of food and energy. There are multiple national jurisdictions and
geopolitical relations to consider. Land use changes have a profound
influence on hydrological, agricultural, energy provisioning and regulating
ecosystem services. Future policy decisions in the water, energy and food
sectors could have profound effects, with different demands for land and
water resources, intensifying competition for these resources in the future.
In this study, we used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to analyse the land cover
changes in the Zambezi river basin (1.4âŻmillionâŻkm<sup>2</sup>) from 1992 to 2015
using the European Space Agency annual global land cover dataset. Early
results indicate transformative processes are underway with significant
shifts from tree cover to cropland, with a 4.6âŻ% loss in tree cover and a
16âŻ% gain in cropland during the study period. The changes were found to
be occurring mainly in the eastern (Malawi and Mozambique) and southern
(Zimbabwe and southern Zambia) parts of the basin. The area under urban land
uses was found to have more than doubled during the study period gearing
urban centres increasingly as the foci for resource consumption. These
preliminary findings are the first step in understanding the spatial and
temporal interlinkages of water, energy and food by providing reliable and
consistent evidence spanning the local, regional, national and whole
transboundary basin scale
Marginal abatement cost curve for Scottish agriculture
Scotland is committed to meeting a net-zero target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2045 (Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019)). Agriculture and the land use sector can help in two ways: by changing practices to reduce GHG emissions and by storing carbon in the soil and plants. In 2018 agriculture and related land use was responsible for 23% of total Scottish emissions. The Climate Change Plan (CCP) is a key policy tool which is now being revised to help Scotland meet the new net-zero target. Policy development is informed by the Scottish âTIMES modelâ. This model pulls together emission, mitigation and mitigation cost data from all sectors to help understand the strategic choices required to decarbonise an economy.
To ensure the model uses the most recent data for agriculture, our research updated estimates of the mitigation potential and the cost-effectiveness of a selection of agricultural mitigation options. It took into account the significant recent improvements in UK agricultural GHG inventory reporting (Smart Inventory). The aim was to estimate the average mitigation potential of different measures, along with costs per unit (e.g. hectare or animal), and total maximum applicability on-farm
A scenario-based approach to emissions reduction targets in Scottish agriculture
The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 sets the ambitious net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets by 2045. This report provides an updated assessment of the emission reduction potential of the most effective mitigation measures in Scotland. The research team assessed 25 distinct farm technologies (in total 39, when considered for different livestock types) and practices which can reduce GHG emissions in Scotland by 2050. The measures were derived via a systematic process taking forward the most suitable options for Scotland for quantitative modelling
Evidence review of the potential wider impacts of climate change mitigation options: agriculture, forestry, land use and waste sectors
A report prepared for Scottish Government. Greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation is a central policy objective in Scotland. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets an interim 42% reduction target for 2020 and an 80% target for 2050 across all sectors of society (1990 baseline). As
a priority policy area, it has become vital to better understand the co-benefits and adverse impacts arising from mitigation actions on our environment, economy
and society. Integrated assessment is key in prioritising environmental actions, reducing adverse impacts and enhancing positive co-effects. This report aims to summarise evidence on the wider impacts (WI) of GHG mitigation options (MO) in
the Agriculture, land use, land use change and forestry sectors (ALULUCF) and those related waste management. The key findings of the review, are a summary of the wider impacts and an overview of the challenges in quantifying
and monetising these impacts