A mathematical approach to comparing environmental and economic goals in dairy farming on sandy soils in the Netherlands

A Dairy Farming Model was developed to screen the potentials for development of dairy farming on sandy soils in the Netherlands with respect to environmental, agro-technical and economic demands. The Dairy Farming Model consists of technical coefficient generators (TGC models) and an interactive multiple goal linear programming model (IMGLP model). The TCG models have been used to quantify input-output coefficients for a wide range of production techniques for grass, maize, fodder beet and milk. The results of the TCG models have been used in the IMGLP model, that optimizes the set of production techniques with respect to the goals defined.The model has been applied to a fictitious region with sandy soils. The analysis shows that dairy farming can meet both economic and environmental goals, as set by the government for the year 2000. However, this requires a reduction in labour income. Many different dairy farming systems are possible. A few general characteristics are: low N application on grazed grassland, a large proportion of the animals housed in low-emission stables and a substantial part of the concentrates produced in the region itself,Application of the Dairy Farming Model to the situation at the experimental dairy farm 'De Marke' has shown that the model is suited for exploring the opportunities for the development of dairy farming at a specific location, provided it can be initialized for that situation. Initial farm lay-out and measures taken at 'De Marke' have been evaluated

Integrating legumes while increasing maize yields – five seasons of co-learning in western Kenya

Sustainable intensification of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a key pathway to provide food for the growing population (e.g. SDSN 2013; Vanlauwe et al. 2014). Grain legumes are seen as a central option for sustainable intensification as they fix nitrogen (N) from the air (reducing the need for mineral N fertiliser), are nutritious food and can be more profitable than staple crops such as maize (Giller et al. 2013). Yet adoption of options for sustainable intensification is often limited by knowledge and resource constraints, due to the poverty trap within which smallholder farmers operate (Tittonell and Giller 2013). The objective of this study was to assess the outcomes of a trajectory of five seasons of co-learning, when resource constraints are partly alleviated. This paper focuses on the adoption process oflegumes as part of the intensified maize-legume cropping system, which together comprise the main crop component of the farming systems