Improving water productivity, reducing poverty and enhancing equity in mixed crop-livestock systems in the Indo-Gangetic Basin: CPWF project report 68

Farming systems / Mixed farming / Water productivity / Feed production / Livestock / Energy consumption / Gender / Poverty / River basins / Case studies / India / Indo-Gangetic Basin / West Bengal / Haryana / Uttar Pradesh

The World's First and Newest Organic Magazines are Australian

Australia was an early adopter and advocate for organic farming. The world's first farming organisation to adopt "organic" into its title was the Australian Organic Farming and Gardening Society (1944-1955). The Society published the Organic Farming DIgest, starting in April 1946. The Organic Farming Digest was the first "organic" agriculture journal in the world to be published by an association. The Australian Organic Farming and Gardening Society and the Organic Farming Digest both predate the founding of the UK Soil Association. The Australian Society developed and published a set of 10 principles of organic farming, the first institution to do so. The principles enunciated by the Australian Organic Farming and Gardening Society condemned the use of toxic sprays in agriculture, expressed concern for soil micro-organisms, worms, bees and birds, decried the pollution of rivers, urged water conservation, condemned deforestation, urged large-scale tree planting, and advocated mixed farming rather than monocultural farming practices. This account of Australia's organic pioneering society is published in the first edition of Australia's new organic business magazine, The Organic Way

Resilience of Organic versus Conventional Farming Systems in Tropical Africa: The Kenyan Experience

In Kenya, agriculture is largely carried out by smallholder farmers, in a mixed farming noncommercialised setting where application of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides is minimal. Agricultural production is low and constrained by declining soil fertility, pest and diseases and increasingly unpredictable weather due to global warming. This calls for more resilient farming systems

Perbandingan Pendapatan USAhatani Campuran Berdasarkan Pengelompokan Jenis Tanaman

The objective of research is to compare how much the average income per hectare of farms mixture by grouping types of plants in the Airmadidi Bawah Village. This research was conducted in the Airmadidi Bawah urban village for 3 months, from September to November 2015 with the method of data collection by using primary data. Samples taken were 15 for each farming mix using cluster random sampling technique. To determine the ratio mix used farm income analysis tool SPSS by using t-test. The results showed that there were significant differences between 1st mixed farming with 2nd mixed farming; the average income per hectare of 1st mixed farming Rp. 35.921.389,- was higher than the average income per hectare of 2nd mixed farming Rp. 30.430.699,- Results of testing the hypothesis 1st mixed farming and 2nd mixed farming shows the t-test (4.910) > t-table (1,761). From the test results, Ho is rejected and H1 is accepted, it means that there are differences in the average income per hectare of the 1st mixed farming and 2nd mixed farming.jnk

Agronomical and environmental performances of organic farming in the Seine watershed, France

This work suggests that Soil Surface Balance is a robust indicator to compare the performances of organic agriculture with those of conventional agriculture, even strictly following the rules of rational and optimised application of fertilisers. The results of long term nitrogen budget calculation brought us to seriously reconsider the relevance of the need to increase crop yields, and more broadly to reconsider cropping patterns and production systems. In terms of policy levers for mitigating nitrogen contamination of water resources, only the shift to organic farming provides a possible way to reconcile agricultural production and water quality. Further, this view points out the need for specific measures to encourage more mixed farming approach to organic farming on a territorial basis, thus reversing a 50 years trend to regional specialization into either crop or livestock farming

Measurement of nutrient leakage from organic crop rotation in Finland

Water discharge and nutrient leakage studies were conducted in an experimental field on organic farming practices for 20 years. Water discharge was measured and flow-weighted water samples were taken from mixed crop rotation

Mixed farming or polyculture

In Kerala, nearly 75-80% of the population consume fish and their annual per capita consumption rate is about 13 kg. The rate of fish consumption is likely to go up due to increased awareness about fish as a source of cheap and highly nutritious but harmless food item. Hence there is every need to augment fish production not only to meet our food requirements but also to increase foreign exchange earnings. The current level of fish production is inadequate to fulfil all these needs. An analysis of the trend of fish production during the past few years indicates that there may not be any significant improvement in it in the coming years. In this context, measures to increase fish production are to be thought of Aquaculture is the only way to achieve this. In Kerala at present aquaculture is restricted to backwaters and inland waterbodies. In order to enhance fish production, farming of fish and other species of aquatic organisms is to be extended to inshore coastal waters for which suitable farming methods are to be adopted

Estimated N leaching losses for organic and conventional farming in Denmark

The impact of organic compared to conventional farming practices on N leaching loss was studied for Danish mixed dairy and arable farms using an N balance approach based on representative data. On mixed dairy farms a simple N balance method was used to estimate N surplus and N leaching loss. On arable farms the simple N balance method was unreliable due to changes in the soil N pool. Consequently, the FASSET simulation model was used to estimate N surplus, N leaching loss and the changes in the soil N pool. The study found a lower N leaching loss from organic than conventional mixed dairy farms, primarily due to lower N inputs. On organic arable farms the soil N pool was increasing over years but the N leaching loss was comparable to conventional arable farms. The soil N pool was primarily increased by organic farming practices and incorporation of straw. The highest increase in the soil N pool was seen on soils with a low level of soil organic matter. The level of N leaching loss was dependent on soil type, the use of catch crops and the level of soil organic matter, whereas incorporation of straw had a minor effect. N leaching was highest on sandy soils with a high level of soil organic matter and no catch crops. The study stresses the importance of using representative data of organic and conventional farming practices in comparative studies of N leaching loss

A proposed integrated livestock-rice-poultry-cum-fish culture in enclosure system

Integrated agriculture-cum-fish farming has been practised profitably for ages in the Chinese small-scale farming system. There is a great potential for this system by utilizing the vast Nigerian flood plains (approx. 515,000 ha). Dogongari Bay in Lake Kainji Basin was identified as a suitable site for this system after some extensive fish culture trials. Polyculture of Clarias spp., Heterotis niloticus and Tilapia was proposed for integration with layers in the poultry house, 2-ha upland rain-fed rice farming and indirect cattle rearing in the 5-ha enclosure site. Cost benefit analysis showed that the system will consistently record profit as from the second year of operation. Various complex factors were identified to affect profitability of this mixed farming system. Concerted research approach is needed to fully understand the interrelationships of the various components of this integrated system. Generous funding of research activities is very crucial in this situatio

Organic farm incomes in England and Wales 2007/08 (OF 0373)

This report presents result of research on the financial performance of organic farms in 2006/07 and 2007/08, carried out for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This research builds on previous work on the economics of organic farming carried out at Aberystwyth University (Projects OF0190, covering 1995/96 to 1998/99 and OF0189, covering 1999/00 to 2004/05)1. Overall, identicla samples examined over a two year period 2006/07 to 2007/08 show that most organic sectors achieved higher net farm incomes in 2007/08 LFA cattle and sheep farm Net Farm Income (NFI) had the greatest increase,gaining by 46%, with strong gains in cropping and dairying. Organic mixed farming was the only sector to see reduced profitability, the identical sample falling back by 10%, while lowland cattle and sheep farming NFI increased by only 10%. When compared with comparable conventional farms, all organic farming sectors except poultry were above conventional profitability levels in 2007/08