Towards sustainable soy : an assessment of opportunities and risks for soybean production based on a case study Brazil

This study investigates opportunities for and implications of expanding soybean production in developing countries. Increasing soybean production is expected to take place mainly in Latin America. However the international community is increasingly concerned about managing the natural resources in this region. Within the Round Table of Responsible Soy (RTRS) an international dialogue has started to secure that current soybean production and its future expansion is carried out within a sustainable framework. Within the context of this RTRS the study evaluates the compliance of current soybean production in Latin American countries to the sustainability aspects based on the Brazilian case. The research shows that soybean cultivation is embedded in a complex land use system that hampers quick fixes to evolve towards more sustainable production, but also inherit interesting opportunities for the development of integrated soybased production system

Ecologische hulpbronnen moeten leidend zijn bij duurzame ontwikkeling – eet rood vlees

Ecologische randvoorwaarden moeten sterker sturen in onze zoektocht naar een duurzame invulling van ons welvarende bestaan dan sociale en economische voorwaarden. Belangen, gevoelens en verschillen in inzicht en standpunten kunnen leiden tot irreële verwachtingen, contraproductieve oplossingen en doorgeschoten pleidooien. Zo ook de roep om vegetarisme als oplossing voor schaarser wordende natuurlijke hulpbronnen voor de mondiale voedselvoorziening. De behoefte aan zoetwater voor voedselproductie zal zo enorm toenemen, dat het benutten van graaslanden, vooral in ontwikkelingslanden, als ‘opvangbak’ noodzakelijk wordt. Het benutten van die graaslanden voor de productie van (rood) vlees zal daarbij de voedingstoestand van voedselonzekere mensen (met onvoldoende voedsel of eenzijdig dieet) sterk verbeteren. Het biedt ook een mogelijkheid om emissies te beperken door vastlegging van bodemorganisch materiaal. De ontwikkeling van graaslanden moet dus gestimuleerd worden en niet ontmoedigd door de roep om vegetarism

Wageningen views on food security

Report that integrates the proceedings of a number of multidisciplinay expert workshops on food security at Wageningen U

Duurzaamheid en grondstoffen voor diervoeding = Sustainability and feed commodity production

This study creates a preliminary framework to judge the sustainability of production of agricultural commodities for the purpose of animal nutrition. Criteria are selected according to the economic, societal and ecological dimensions of sustainability

Water-wise Rice Production

Rice is a profligate user of water. It takes 3,000–5,000 liters to produce 1 kilogram of rice, which is about 2 to 3 times more than to produce 1 kilogram of other cereals such as wheat or maize. Until recently, this amount of water has been taken for granted. Now, however, the water crisis threatens the sustainability of the irrigated rice ecosystem. In Asia, 17 million ha of irrigated rice areas may experience ‘physical water scarcity’ and 22 million ha ‘economic water scarcity’ by 2025. To safeguard food security and preserve precious water resources, ways must be explored to grow rice using less water. IRRI, together with Plant Research International of Wageningen University and Research Centre, organized a thematic workshop on Water-Wise Rice Production held 8-11 April 2002 at IRRI, Los Baños, Philippines. The objectives were to present and discuss the state-of-the-art in the development, dissemination, and adoption of water-saving technologies at spatial scales ranging from the field to irrigation system. This book contains the papers presented at the workshop

Quantifying N response and N use efficiency in Rice-Wheat (RW) cropping systems under different water management

About 0·10 of the food supply in China is produced in rice¿wheat (RW) cropping systems. In recent decades, nitrogen (N) input associated with intensification has increased much more rapidly than N use in these systems. The resulting nitrogen surplus increases the risk of environmental pollution as well as production costs. Limited information on N dynamics in RW systems in relation to water management hampers development of management practices leading to more efficient use of nitrogen and water. The present work studied the effects of N and water management on yields of rice and wheat, and nitrogen use efficiencies (NUEs) in RW systems. A RW field experiment with nitrogen rates from 0 to 300 kg N/ha with continuously flooded and intermittently irrigated rice crops was carried out at the Jiangpu experimental station of Nanjing Agricultural University of China from 2002 to 2004 to identify improved nitrogen management practices in terms of land productivity and NUE. Nitrogen uptake by rice and wheat increased with increasing N rates, while agronomic NUE (kg grain/kg N applied) declined at rates exceeding 150 kg N/ha. The highest combined grain yields of rice and wheat were obtained at 150 and 300 kg N/ha per season in rice and wheat, respectively. Carry-over of residual N from rice to the subsequent wheat crop was limited, consistent with low soil nitrate after rice harvest. Total soil N hardly changed during the experiment, while soil nitrate was much lower after wheat than after rice harvest. Water management did not affect yield and N uptake by rice, but apparent N recovery was higher under intermittent irrigation (II). In one season, II management in rice resulted in higher yield and N uptake in the subsequent wheat season. Uptake of indigenous soil N was much higher in rice than in wheat, while in rice it was much higher than values reported in the literature, which may have consequences for nitrogen fertilizer recommendations based on indigenous N suppl