Organic farming

About: Organic farming is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7254 publications have been published within this topic receiving 138030 citations. The topic is also known as: pertanian organik & organic farming.

The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2006

Abstract: From the IFOAM press release of February 14, 2006: According to the survey, currently more than 31 million hectares of farmland are under organic management worldwide, a gain of around five million hectares in a single year. A major increase of organic land has taken place in China, where nearly three million hectares of pastoral land were recently certified. In terms of organic land, excluding wild collection, Australia leads pack with 12.1 million hectares, followed by China (3.5 million hectares) and Argentina (2.8 million hectares). Most of the world’s organic land is in Australia / Oceania (39%), followed by Europe (21 %), Latin America (20%), Asia (13%), North America (4 %) and Africa (3 %). Regarding the share of organic farmland in comparison with the total agricultural area, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries lead the way. In Switzerland, for example, more than ten percent of the agricultural land is managed organically. The editors of the study Minou Yussefi (SOEL) and Helga Willer (FiBL) note that “the continued increase in the organic land area over the last years is not just due to the ever greater interest in organic farming, but also a result of improved access to information and data collection each time the study is updated.” In 2004, the market value of organic products worldwide reached 27.8 billion US$, (23.5 billion EUR), the largest share of organic products being marketed in Europe and North America. Ongoing growth of the market and organic land area is expected for the foreseeable future, in part due to an increased support of governments and development organizations. Angela B. Caudle, IFOAM Executive Director, emphasizes “as markets for organic products continue to develop throughout the world, including in key markets outside of Europe and North America, such as Brazil and the Middle East, the benefits of organic agricultural systems on a large scale will become increasingly evident.” This global study about organic farming will be presented for the 8th time at BioFach. For the first time “The World of Organic Agriculture” includes not only information on total organic area but also on land use and on major crops, and features an updated chapter on the market situation and emerging trends for all continents, provided by renowned experts in the organic sector.

Comparison of the Efficiency and Use of Energy in Organic and Conventional Farming in Spanish Agricultural Systems

Abstract: The use of non-renewable energy in farming, a factor which considerably reduces its energy efficiency, continues to increase. Moreover, there is growing worldwide concern regarding the emission of greenhouse gases and their effect on our climate, which is directly related to the use of fossil energy. All this creates a need for energy studies on changing tendencies in the management of agricultural systems, among which we find that of organic farming. This article uses energy balances to evaluate the contribution of organic farming to the increase of energy efficiency in Spanish agriculture. To achieve this objective, comparative studies were carried out on 78 organic crops and their conventional counterparts. Primary data were obtained via direct surveys carried out at farms distributed across the whole of Spain. The results indicate that non-renewable energy efficiency is higher in organic farming, whilst the consumption of this type of energy is lower. For this reason, although certain qualifications a...

Weed–crop competition relationships differ between organic and conventional cropping systems

Abstract: Summary Experiments comparing conventional and organic systems often report similar yields despite substantially higher weed abundance in the organic systems. A potential explanation for this observation is that weed–crop competition relationships differ between the two types of systems. We analysed weed and crop yield data from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial (FST), which provides a unique 27-year dataset of a conventional (CNV) and two organic [manure (MNR) and legume (LEG)] soyabean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems. Average soyabean yields were similar between the MNR and CNV systems and only slightly reduced in the LEG system, whereas average maize yields did not differ among systems despite the two organic systems having more than four and six times greater weed biomass in soyabean and maize respectively. Plot-level weed biomass–crop yield relationships indicated that weed–crop competition differed between the two organic and CNV systems in maize, and was strongest in the CNV system, intermediate in the LEG system and weakest in the MNR system. These results suggest that organic cropping systems may be able to tolerate a greater abundance of weeds compared to conventional systems and that fertility management within organic systems may influence weed–crop competition.

A review on the potential of improved fallows and green manure in Rwanda

Abstract: Agricultural production in the densely populated highlands of Rwanda is subject to serious soil fertility constraints. As the use of imported mineral fertilizers is beyond the economic means of resource-poor farmers, research and extension efforts of several projects, institutes and organizations concentrated during the last 15 years on the development and promotion of improved fallows with woody and herbaceous legumes, like Tephrosia sp., Cajanus sp., Crotalaria sp., Sesbania sp., Mucuna sp., and Mimosa sp., planted over one or more seasons as pure green manure, in hedgerows (alley cropping), or on fields as seasonal inter- or relay-crop. Green manuring proved to be a risky enterprise, due to highly variable biomass production and residual effects. Yield increments on-farm of up to 74% in the first season and 46% in the second season did not compensate loss of yields and labour investments during green manuring. Even where biomass production was sufficient, residual effects were in most cases unsatisfactory, due to rapid nutrient leaching (N, K) or inappropriate foliage incorporation on-farm. In researcher-managed trials, residual effects were in general somewhat higher, but more than a mere compensation of lost yields was not possible and farmers' adoption of these labour-intensive technologies was rather low. Due to acute land shortage, farmers were reluctant in allocating land to fallows or hedgerows also, with the exception of fields already out of production. Consequently, the concept of improving soil fertility and crop yields with the help of planted fallows or green manure in rotation failed. Woody legumes might have a future on abandoned fields and in wide spaced contour hedges, mainly for the production of firewood and bean stakes. For soil fertility management, the production and availability of farmyard manure and country-own mineral fertilizers, such as travertin and volcanic ashes should be supported. The question is raised as to whether sustainable agricultural development is possible without a credit system for small farmers, reallocating land and creating off-farm employment.