Showing papers on "Organic farming published in 2011"

Environmental Impact of Different Agricultural Management Practices: Conventional vs. Organic Agriculture

Abstract: Organic agriculture refers to a farming system that enhance soil fertility through maximizing the efficient use of local resources, while foregoing the use of agrochemicals, the use of Genetic Modified Organisms (GMO), as well as that of many synthetic compounds used as food additives. Organic agriculture relies on a number of farming practices based on ecological cycles, and aims at minimizing the environmental impact of the food industry, preserving the long term sustainability of soil and reducing to a minimum the use of non renewable resources. This paper carries out a comparative review of the environmental performances of organic agriculture versus conventional farming, and also discusses the difficulties inherent in this comparison process. The paper first provides an historical background on organic agriculture and briefly reports on some key socioeconomic issues concerning organic farming. It then focuses on how agricultural practices affect soil characteristics: under organic management soil los...

The need to breed crop varieties suitable for organic farming, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples: A review

Abstract: It is estimated that more than 95% of organic production is based on crop varieties that were bred for the conventional high-input sector. Recent studies have shown that such varieties lack important traits required under organic and low-input production conditions. This is primarily due to selection in conventional breeding programmes being carried out in the background of high inorganic fertilizer and crop protection inputs. Also, some of the traits (e.g., semi-dwarf genes) that were introduced to address problems like lodging in cereals in high-input systems were shown to have negative side-effects (reduced resistance to diseases such as Septoria, lower protein content and poorer nutrient-use efficiency) on the performance of varieties under organic and low-input agronomic conditions. This review paper, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples, describes (1) the main traits required under low-input conditions, (2) current breeding programmes for organic, low-input agriculture, (3) currently available breeding and/or selection approaches, and (4) the benefits and potential negative side-effects of different breeding methodologies and their relative acceptability under organic farming principles.

Mixed effects of organic farming and landscape complexity on farmland biodiversity and biological control potential across Europe

Abstract: 1. Organic farming in Europe has been shown to enhance biodiversity locally, but potential interactions with the surrounding landscape and the potential effects on ecosystem services are less well known. 2. In cereal fields on 153 farms in five European regions, we examined how the species richness and abundance of wild plants, ground beetles and breeding birds, and the biological control potential of the area, were affected by organic and conventional farming, and how these effects were modified by landscape complexity (percentage of arable crops within 1000 m of the study plots). Information on biodiversity was gathered from vegetation plots, pitfall traps and by bird territory mapping. The biological control potential was measured as the percentage of glued, live aphids removed from plastic labels exposed in cereal fields for 24 h. 3. Predation on aphids was highest in organic fields in complex landscapes, and declined with increasing landscape homogeneity. The biological control potential in conventional fields was not affected by landscape complexity, and in homogenous landscapes it was higher in conventional fields than in organic fields, as indicated by an interaction between farming practice and landscape complexity. 4. A simplification of the landscape, from 20% to 100% arable land, reduced plant species richness by about 16% and cover by 14% in organic fields, and 33% and 5·5% in conventional fields. For birds, landscape simplification reduced species richness and abundance by 34% and 32% in organic fields and by 45·5% and 39% in conventional fields. Ground beetles were more abundant in simple landscapes, but were unaffected by farming practice. 5. Synthesis and applications. This Europe-wide study shows that organic farming enhanced the biodiversity of plants and birds in all landscapes, but only improved the potential for biological control in heterogeneous landscapes. These mixed results stress the importance of taking both local management and regional landscape complexity into consideration when developing future agri-environment schemes, and suggest that local-regional interactions may affect other ecosystem services and functions. This study also shows that it is not enough to design and monitor agri-environment schemes on the basis of biodiversity, but that ecosystem services should be considered too.

Desert farming benefits from microbial potential in arid soils and promotes diversity and plant health

Abstract: Background To convert deserts into arable, green landscapes is a global vision, and desert farming is a strong growing area of agriculture world-wide. However, its effect on diversity of soil microbial communities, which are responsible for important ecosystem services like plant health, is still not known. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied the impact of long-term agriculture on desert soil in one of the most prominent examples for organic desert farming in Sekem (Egypt). Using a polyphasic methodological approach to analyse microbial communities in soil as well as associated with cultivated plants, drastic effects caused by 30 years of agriculture were detected. Analysing bacterial fingerprints, we found statistically significant differences between agricultural and native desert soil of about 60%. A pyrosequencing-based analysis of the 16S rRNA gene regions showed higher diversity in agricultural than in desert soil (Shannon diversity indices: 11.21/7.90), and displayed structural differences. The proportion of Firmicutes in field soil was significantly higher (37%) than in the desert (11%). Bacillus and Paenibacillus play the key role: they represented 96% of the antagonists towards phytopathogens, and identical 16S rRNA sequences in the amplicon library and for isolates were detected. The proportion of antagonistic strains was doubled in field in comparison to desert soil (21.6%/12.4%); disease-suppressive bacteria were especially enriched in plant roots. On the opposite, several extremophilic bacterial groups, e.g., Acidimicrobium, Rubellimicrobium and Deinococcus-Thermus, disappeared from soil after agricultural use. The N-fixing Herbaspirillum group only occurred in desert soil. Soil bacterial communities were strongly driven by the a-biotic factors water supply and pH. Conclusions/Significance After long-term farming, a drastic shift in the bacterial communities in desert soil was observed. Bacterial communities in agricultural soil showed a higher diversity and a better ecosystem function for plant health but a loss of extremophilic bacteria. Interestingly, we detected that indigenous desert microorganisms promoted plant health in desert agro-ecosystems.

Human urine as a source of alternative natural fertilizer in agriculture: A flight of fancy or an achievable reality

Abstract: Organically agricultural products are gaining popularities through out the world as it gives the consumer satisfaction with a basket of safer and better trusted foods. It is also well established that intensive conventional agricultural practices can introduce contaminants into the food chain with adverse affect on environment. However, organic agricultural practices give an alternative environmental friendly sustainable agriculture among the farmers. Beside this fact, organic crops contain fewer nitrates, nitrites, pesticide residues and trace elements than conventional crops. Even though, in organic systems generally have 20% lower yields than conventionally produced crops. One of the major constrains of organic farming is decrease of raw organic matters to prepare compost. Therefore, scientists are looking forward for different organic sources which are plenty in nature and available at little-to-no cost. Human urine is one of them, and has been gaining popularities as a raw material for organic cultivation. However, several important merits and demerits of application of human urine are needed to be addressed in agriculture.

Nutritional Quality and Safety of Organic Food

Abstract: Food security, nutritional quality and safety vary widely around the world. Reaching these three goals is one of the major challenges for the near future. Up to now, industrialized production methods have clearly shown severe limitations such as a worldwide contamination of the food chain and water by persistent pesticide residues, and reduced nutrient and flavor contents through low-cost intensive food production and/or processing. In line with several published literature reviews, the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) performed under my coordination an up-to-date exhaustive and critical evaluation of the nutritional and sanitary quality of organic food. This review is based on the AFSSA report issued and recently published studies. The major points are: 1/ organic plant products contain more dry matter and minerals (Fe, Mg); and contain more anti-oxidant micronutrients such as phenols and salicylic acid, 2/ organic animal products contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids, 3/ data on carbohydrate, protein and vitamin levels are insufficiently documented, 4/ 94–100% of organic food does not contain any pesticide residues, 5/ organic vegetables contain far less nitrates, about 50% less; and 6/ organic cereals contain overall similar levels of mycotoxins as conventional ones. Thus, organic agricultural systems have already proved able to produce food with high quality standards. I propose also improvements of organic production to achieve sustainable food production for humans in the near future.

Decreased Functional Diversity and Biological Pest Control in Conventional Compared to Organic Crop Fields

Abstract: Organic farming is one of the most successful agri-environmental schemes, as humans benefit from high quality food, farmers from higher prices for their products and it often successfully protects biodiversity. However there is little knowledge if organic farming also increases ecosystem services like pest control. We assessed 30 triticale fields (15 organic vs. 15 conventional) and recorded vascular plants, pollinators, aphids and their predators. Further, five conventional fields which were treated with insecticides were compared with 10 non-treated conventional fields. Organic fields had five times higher plant species richness and about twenty times higher pollinator species richness compared to conventional fields. Abundance of pollinators was even more than one-hundred times higher on organic fields. In contrast, the abundance of cereal aphids was five times lower in organic fields, while predator abundances were three times higher and predator-prey ratios twenty times higher in organic fields, indicating a significantly higher potential for biological pest control in organic fields. Insecticide treatment in conventional fields had only a short-term effect on aphid densities while later in the season aphid abundances were even higher and predator abundances lower in treated compared to untreated conventional fields. Our data indicate that insecticide treatment kept aphid predators at low abundances throughout the season, thereby significantly reducing top-down control of aphid populations. Plant and pollinator species richness as well as predator abundances and predator-prey ratios were higher at field edges compared to field centres, highlighting the importance of field edges for ecosystem services. In conclusion organic farming increases biodiversity, including important functional groups like plants, pollinators and predators which enhance natural pest control. Preventative insecticide application in conventional fields has only short-term effects on aphid densities but long-term negative effects on biological pest control. Therefore conventional farmers should restrict insecticide applications to situations where thresholds for pest densities are reached.

Overview of organic amendments for management of plant-parasitic nematodes, with case studies from Florida.

Abstract: Organic amendments have been widely used for management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Relatively rapid declines in nematode population levels may occur when decomposing materials release toxic compounds, while longer-term effects might include increases in nematode antagonists. Improved crop nutrition and plant growth following amendment use may lead to tolerance of plant-parasitic nematodes. Results depend on a great variety of factors such as material used, processing/composting of material, application rate, test arena, crop rotation and agronomic practices, soil type, climate, and other environmental factors. Reasons for variable performance and interpretation of results from amendment studies are discussed. Case studies of amendments for nematode management are reviewed from Florida, where composts and crop residues are the most frequently used amendments. Plant growth was often improved by amendment application, free-living nematodes (especially bacterivores) were often stimulated, but suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes was inconsistent. Amendments were generally not as effective as soil fumigation with methyl bromide for managing root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and often population levels or galling of root-knot nematodes in amended plots did not differ from those in non-amended control plots. While amendments may improve plant growth and stimulate soil food webs, additional study and testing are needed before they could be used reliably for management of plant-parasitic nematodes under Florida conditions.

Mineralizable soil nitrogen and labile soil organic matter in diverse long-term cropping systems

Abstract: Sustainable soil fertility management depends on long-term integrated strategies that build and maintain soil organic matter and mineralizable soil N levels. These strategies increase the portion of crop N needs met by soil N and reduce dependence on external N inputs required for crop production. To better understand the impact of management on soil N dynamics, we conducted field and laboratory research on five diverse management systems at a long-term study in Maryland, the USDA- Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Farming Systems Project (FSP). The FSP is comprised of a conventional no-till corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/double-crop soybean rotation (NT), a conventional chisel-till corn–soybean–wheat/soybean rotation (CT), a 2 year organic corn–soybean rotation (Org2), a 3 year organic corn–soybean–wheat rotation (Org3), and a 6 year organic corn–soybean–wheat–alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) (3 years) rotation (Org6). We found that total potentially mineralizable N in organic systems (average 315 kg N ha−1) was significantly greater than the conventional systems (average 235 kg N ha−1). Particulate organic matter (POM)–C and –N also tended to be greater in organic than conventional cropping systems. Average corn yield and N uptake from unamended (minus N) field microplots were 40 and 48%, respectively, greater in organic than conventional grain cropping systems. Among the three organic systems, all measures of N availability tended to increase with increasing frequency of manure application and crop rotation length (Org2 < Org3 ≤ Org6) while most measures were similar between NT and CT. Our results demonstrate that organic soil fertility management increases soil N availability by increasing labile soil organic matter. Relatively high levels of mineralizable soil N must be considered when developing soil fertility management plans for organic systems.

The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?

Abstract: About 130 studies were analyzed to compare farm-level energy use and global warming potential (GWP) of organic and conventional production sectors. Cross cutting issues such as tillage, compost, soil carbon sequestration and energy offsets were also reviewed. Finally, we contrasted E and GWP data from the wider food system. We concluded that the evidence strongly favours organic farming with respect to whole-farm energy use and energy efficiency both on a per hectare and per farm product basis, with the possible exception of poultry and fruit sectors. For GWP, evidence is insufficient except in a few sectors, with results per ha more consistently favouring organic farming than GWP per unit product. Tillage was consistently a negligible contributor to farm E use and additional tillage on organic farms does not appear to significantly deplete soil C. Energy offsets, biogas, energy crops and residues have a more limited role on organic farms compared to conventional ones, because of the nutrient and soil building uses of soil organic matter, and the high demand for organic foods in human markets. If farm E use represents 35% of total food chain E use, improvements shown of 20% or more in E efficiency through organic farm management would reduce food-chain E use by 7% or more. Among other food supply chain stages, wholesale/retail (including cooling and

The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2011

Abstract: Organic agricultural land and farms as well as the global market continued to grow during 2009 as documented in the 2011 edition of "The World of Organic Agriculture". Organic land and producers According to the latest FiBL/IFOAM survey on certified organic agriculture worldwide (data as of end of 2009, statistical information on organic agriculture is now available from 160 countries, an increase of six countries since the 2010 survey (data 2008). There are 37.2 million hectares of organic agricultural land (including in-conversion areas). The regions with the largest areas of organic agricultural land are Oceania (12.2 million hectares), Europe (9.3 million hectares), and Latin America (8.6 million hectares). The countries with the most organic agricultural land are Australia, Argentina, and the United States. Currently 0.9 percent of the world’s agricultural land is organic. However, some countries reach far higher shares: Falkland Islands (35.7 percent), Liechtenstein (26.9 percent), and Austria (18.5 percent). Seven countries have more than ten percent organic land. Compared with the previous survey, organic land increased by two million hectares or six percent. Growth was strongest in Europe, where the area increased by almost one million hectares. The countries with the largest increases were Argentina, Turkey, and Spain. Apart from agricultural land, there are further organic areas, most of these being areas for wild collection. These areas constitute 41.9 million hectares and have increased by 10 million hectares since 2008. There were 1.8 million producers in 2009, an increase of 31 percent since 2008, mainly due to a large increase in India. Forty percent of the world’s organic producers are in Asia, followed by Africa (28 percent), and Latin America (16 percent). The countries with the most producers are India (677’257), Uganda (187’893), and Mexico (128’862). Almost two-thirds of the organic agricultural land of 37.2 million hectares in 2009 was grassland/grazing areas (23 million hectares). With a total of at least 5.5 million hectares, arable land constitutes 15 percent of the organic agricultural land. An increase of 13.2 percent compared with 2008 was reported. Most of this category of land is used for cereals including rice (2.5 million hectares), followed by green fodder from arable land (1.8 million hectares), and vegetables (0.22 million hectares). Permanent crops account for approximately six percent of the organic agricultural land, amounting to 2.4 million hectares. Compared with the previous survey, almost half a million hectares more were reported. The most important crops are coffee (with 0.54 million hectares reported, constituting one-fifth of the organic permanent cropland), followed by olives (0.49 million hectares), cocoa (0.26 million hectares), nuts (0.2 million hectares), and grapes (0.19 million hectares). Global market According to Organic Monitor, the global market for organic food and drink is recovering from the repercussions of the economic crisis. Single-digit market growth was observed for the first time in 2009 because of the economic slowdown reducing industry investment and consumer spending power. Organic food and drink sales expanded by roughly five percent to 54.9 billion US dollars in 2009. Global revenues have increased over three-fold from 18 billion US dollars in 2000 and double-digit growth rates were observed each year, except in 2009. Healthy growth rates are envisaged to restart as consumer spending power rises and as more countries come out of economic recession. The countries with the largest markets are the US, Germany, and France; the highest per capita consumption is Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria. ----------------------------------------- Book info The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2011 documents recent developments in global organic agriculture. The World of Organic Agriculture 2011 includes contributions from representatives of the organic sector from throughout the world and provides comprehensive organic farming statistics that cover surface area under organic management, numbers of farms and specific information about land use in organic systems. The book also contains information on the global market for organic food, the latest developments in organic certification, standards and regulations and insights into current status and emerging trends for organic agriculture by geographical region (table of contents). The World of Organic Agriculture is edited by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). The project is financially supported by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Nurnberg Messe, the organisers of the BioFach World Organic Trade Fair.

Organic dairy farming: impacts on insect–flower interaction networks and pollination

Abstract: 1. Pollination interactions comprise a network of connections between flowers and insect visitors. They are crucial for reproductive success in many angiosperms but are threatened by intensive agricultural practices. Although less intensive approaches, including organic farming, could improve farmland biodiversity, it is not clear whether or not these approaches enhance wild plant pollination and the stability of insect–flower interaction networks. 2. We investigated the effects of organic vs. conventional farming on insect–flower interaction network size and structure, bee and hoverfly diversity, and pollination in 10 pairs of organic and conventional dairy farms in the Republic of Ireland. 3. We found that insect–flower interaction networks on organic farms were larger and more asymmetrically structured than networks on conventional farms. Overall, however, networks contained fewer taxa and niche overlap and plant/animal ratios were relatively low compared with previously documented insect–flower interaction networks. Organic farms did attract higher numbers of bees partly because of higher floral abundances (mainly Trifolium sp.). Hoverfly evenness was greater in organic farms but neither abundance, richness nor evenness was related to floral abundance, suggesting organic farms provide additional resources for hoverflies. Pollination of Crataegus monogyna hawthorn was higher on organic farms, although pollen deposition was limited. 4. Synthesis and applications. Organic dairy farming can increase the size and alter the structure of insect–flower interaction networks. However, network stability was not improved and all networks (organic and conventional) were vulnerable because of their small size, low niche overlap and low plant/animal ratios. Nonetheless, organic farming provided more flowers that attracted more flower visitors and improved pollination of C. monogyna. We suggest that strategic management of important flowers for pollinators in hedgerows and pastures should be endorsed in agri-environmental schemes. Sowing Trifolium spp., and allowing these plants to flower, could benefit bees, but more research into hoverfly ecology is necessary before realistic conservation recommendations can be made for this group. We conclude that organic farming, although not the solution in its present form, can benefit insect biodiversity, insect–flower interaction networks and insect-mediated pollination.

A comparison of the economic and environmental performances of conventional and organic farming: evidence from financial statements

Abstract: While conventional farming systems face serious problems of sustainability, organic agriculture is seen as a more environmentally friendly system as it favours renewable resources, recycles nutrients, uses the environment's own systems for controlling pests and diseases, sustains ecosystems, protects soils, and reduces pollution. At the same time organic farming promotes animal welfare, the use of natural foodstuffs, product diversity and the avoidance of waste, among other practices. However, the future of organic agriculture will depend on its economic viability and on the determination shown by governments to protect these practices. This paper performs panel regressions with a sample of Catalan farms (Spain) to test the influence of organic farming on farm output, costs and incomes. It analyses the cost structures of both types of farming and comments on their social and environmental performance.

Assessing the effect of the time since transition to organic farming on plants and butterflies.

Abstract: 1.Environmental changes may not always result in rapid changes in species distributions, abundances or diversity. In order to estimate the effects of, for example, land-use changes caused by agri-environment schemes (AES) on biodiversity and ecosystem services, information on the time-lag between the application of the scheme and the responses of organisms is essential. 2.We examined the effects of time since transition (TST) to organic farming on plant species richness and butterfly species richness and abundance. Surveys were conducted in cereal fields and adjacent field margins on 60 farms, 20 conventional and 40 organic, in two regions in Sweden. The organic farms were transferred from conventional management between 1 and 25 years before the survey took place. The farms were selected along a gradient of landscape complexity, indicated by the proportion of arable land, so that farms with similar TST were represented in all landscape types. Organism responses were assessed using model averaging. 3.Plant and butterfly species richness was c.20% higher on organic farms and butterfly abundance was about 60% higher, compared with conventional farms. Time since transition affected butterfly abundance gradually over the 25-year period, resulting in a 100% increase. In contrast, no TST effect on plant or butterfly species richness was found, indicating that the main effect took place immediately after the transition to organic farming. 4.Increasing landscape complexity had a positive effect on butterfly species richness, but not on butterfly abundance or plant species richness. There was no indication that the speed of response to organic farming was affected by landscape complexity. 5.Synthesis and applications. The effect of organic farming on diversity was rapid for plant and butterfly species richness, whereas butterfly abundance increased gradually with time since transition. If time-lags in responses to AESs turn out to be common, long-term effects would need to be included in management recommendations and policy to capture the full potential of such schemes.

The Role of Organic Matter in Modern Agriculture

Abstract: The use of organic residues as a means of maintaining and increasing soil fertility is of long-standing. This tradition has been somewhat neglected since the introduc tion of mineral fertilizers at low cost. More and more farmers and scientists are now showing renewed interest in the proper and effective use of org tnic residues, composts and other recycled organic additives. The role and function of organic amendments in modern agricultural systems have become topics of major interest in the scientific and agricultural communities. Research work on residue disposal has provided new concepts on the interaction between organic components and soils as well as new handling technologies (e. g. pelletizing of organic residues). The trend to conserve energy has led scientists to study the minimal tillage system, to find ways of replacing conventional inorganic fertilizers with natural organic prod ucts or microbial preparations, and to develop new composting methods. The drive to achieve higher yields in commercial greenhouse farming has led to a search for optimum substrates as growth media and for improved management techniques. This has led to the introduction of organic substitutes for peat, nota bly those originating from agricultural wastes. Another important aspect is the current interest in organic farming, where use of synthetic chemicals is avoided or prohibited. An increasing percentage of the population in highly developed countries is willing to pay premium prices for food produced on soils where inorganic fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals have not been used."

Composting fish waste and seaweed to produce a fertilizer for use in organic agriculture

Abstract: The fishing sector produces large amounts of waste in fish markets and processing industries. These by-products are mainly used in the manufacture of fish meal. However, there are other potentially valuable uses. One low-investment possibility is the elaboration of agricultural products by composting the fish remains with other marine materials such as seaweed. The main purpose of this work was to obtain a fertilizer suitable for use in organic agriculture, by composting a mix of seaweed and fish waste.

Different farming and water regimes in Italian rice fields affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal soil communities

Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) comprise one of the main components of soil microbiota in most agroecosystems. These obligate mutualistic symbionts colonize the roots of most plants, including crop plants. Many papers have indicated that different crop management practices could affect AMF communities and their root colonization. However, there is little knowledge available on the influence of conventional and low-input agriculture on root colonization and AMF molecular diversity in rice fields. Two different agroecosystems (continuous conventional high-input rice monocropping and organic farming with a five-year crop rotation) and two different water management regimes have been considered in this study. Both morphological and molecular analyses were performed. The soil mycorrhizal potential, estimated using clover trap cultures, was high and similar in the two agroecosystems. The diversity of the AMF community in the soil, calculated by means of PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) and 18S rDNA sequencing on clover trap cultures roots, was higher for the organic cultivation. The rice roots cultivated in the conventional agrosystem or under permanent flooding showed no AMF colonization, while the rice plants grown under the organic agriculture system showed typical mycorrhization patterns. Considered together, our data suggest that a high-input cropping system and conventional flooding depress AMF colonization in rice roots and that organic managements could help maintain a higher diversity of AMF communities in soil.

Nutritional quality and safety of organic food. a review

Abstract: Food security, nutritional quality and safety vary widely around the world. Reaching these three goals is one of the major challenges for the near future. Up to now, industrialized production methods have clearly shown severe limitations such as a worldwide contamination of the food chain and water by persistent pesticide residues, and reduced nutrient and flavor contents through low-cost intensive food production and/or processing. In line with several published literature reviews, the French Agency for Food Safety (Afssa) performed under my coordination an up-to-date exhaustive and critical evaluation of the nutritional and sanitary quality of organic food. This review is based on the Afssa report issued and recently published studies. The major points are: 1/ organic plant products contain more dry matter and minerals (Fe, Mg); and contain more anti-oxidant micronutrients such as phenols and salicylic acid, 2/ organic animal products contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids, 3/ data on carbohydrate, protein and vitamin levels are insufficiently documented, 4/ 94–100% of organic food does not contain any pesticide residues, 5/ organic vegetables contain far less nitrates, about 50% less; and 6/ organic cereals contain overall similar levels of mycotoxins as conventional ones. Thus, organic agricultural systems have already proved able to produce food with high quality standards. I propose also improvements of organic production to achieve sustainable food production for humans in the near future.

Agriculture in Climate Change

Abstract: The Alps are facing a continuous warming. Magnitudes vary between Alpine regions, with the south-west most affected and the north-east least affected. For the agricultural sector climate change implies growing concerns for soil erosion and waterrelated effects such as excess water due to intense or prolonged precipitation or lack of water due to drought. These impacts may cause substantial damage to soils by increasing soil erosion, reducing soil moisture content and water retention capacity. This may cause negative impacts for agricultural and livestock productivity and subsequent production losses. Adaptation strategies like sustainable soil, land and water management and an adaptive selection of crops represent viable hedging strategies against growing climatic risks and production loss. One key response measure suitable for the Alpine region serving both adaptation and mitigation is organic agriculture.

Factors influencing a conversion to organic farming in Nepalese tea farms

Abstract: Organic agriculture in developing countries has increased in past decades especially due to the high demand of organic products in developed countries. The rate of conversion to organic production in Nepal, however, is observed much slower than expected. This study investigates factors that determine the conversion to organic production using Nepalese tea producers as a case study. A survey of 181 farmers was conducted in the Ilam and Panchthar district of Nepal, among which 86 were organic farmers and 95 were conventional farmers. A discriminant analysis was used to identify socio-economic characteristics that distinguish conventional and organic farmers. Results from the estimated discriminant function suggest that farmers located in a distance from regional markets, older in age, better trained, affiliated with institutions and having larger farms are more likely to adopt organic production. Similarly, a factor analysis shows that environmental awareness, bright market prospects, observable economic benefit and health consciousness are the major factors influencing farmers’ decisions on the conversion to organic production. While planning programs for the development of the organic tea sector in Nepal, policy makers should consider the support of farmers’ institutions, provision of training to farmers and raise farmers’ awareness about the environmental, economic and health benefits of organic farming.