Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems最新文献

Smallholder farming systems need climate-proofing and sustainable intensification practices such as conservation agriculture (CA), are promising options. However, there is a general perception that the adoption of CA systems in southern Africa is low. Sentinel sites, where CA has been promoted for a long time, offer forward-looking new insights. This paper, thus, takes a deep dive at Nkhotakota district of Malawi to understand what could have led to the success of CA promotion and subsequent perceived high adoption. We use survey data from 620 farmers, with 298 farmers sampled from treatment areas – known to have had contact with host farmers and 320 from a control group. Overall, 31% of the farmers in both groups adopted full CA over at least a 2-year period. We also find that about 57% of farmers in the treatment area adopted full CA and only 7% of farmers in the control areas. This highlights that longer-term CA promotion with dedicated extension support can enhance the uptake of CA practices. In essence, this paper offers a different perspective to the current narrative that CA systems are too complex and knowledge intensive to be adopted despite its long-term promotion and significant investments. However, there are some nuances: sustained adoption even in sentinel sites is neither 100% nor persistent over the long term. We find an appreciable adoption decay, showing large declines from highs of 57 and 7% in adoption for at least 2 years for treatment and control, respectively, to 12% in the treatment group and practically zero in the control when we condition full CA adoption to at least 7 years. This means that fewer farmers adopted CA for a longer period and suggests some dis-adoption over time even in sentinel sites. The key adoption enablers in the sentinel sites include the availability of training, dedicated longer-term extension support coupled with farmer experiential learning through demonstration plots managed by host farmers. Based on our findings, there is need to consistently promote CA using farmer-centric approaches that include peer-to-peer learning over long periods. This allows farmers time to experiment with different CA options, enable behavioral and lasting change. At policy level, there is need to build and strengthen farmer groups to facilitate easier access to inputs like leguminous crop seeds for farmers practicing CA and to offer market-smart incentives to induce initial adoption in the short term to facilitate sustained adoption.

Integrating animals into a farm supports a closed or semi-closed production system where nutrients are recycled and off-farm inputs are reduced. In comparison to other livestock, chickens can be a low-investment option for animal-crop integration of small-scale, diversified, vegetable farms. Although crop-animal integration poses many potential benefits to farms, soils, and the environment, there are significant food safety risks when considering the production of vegetables in close proximity to raw manure. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of poultry integration with meat chickens (broilers) in two different seasons on soil health, food safety, vegetable yield, and poultry feed efficiency in organic vegetable cropping systems. We explored these effects in an open field study with three rotation treatments (two that integrated chickens and a no-chicken control): vegetables-cover crop (V-CC; control treatment), vegetables-cover crop-poultry (V-CC-P), and vegetables-poultry-cover crop (V-P-CC). In response to crop rotation, over three years, we monitored soil nutrient status, soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), and microbial catabolic potential and diversity using Biolog® microplates. The presence or absence of foodborne pathogens in soil and vegetables was also measured. Nitrate–nitrogen (NO3–N) was higher in V-P-CC in year 2 as compared to both V-CC and V-CC-P (P = 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). After poultry removal in the summer of year 2 and year 3 V-P-CC was on average two times higher in NO3–N as compared to V-CC and V-CC-P, respectively. After chicken removal in the autumn of year 3 V-CC-P was 2.1 and 1.8 times higher in NO3–N as compared to V-CC and V-P-CC, respectively. On average phosphorus (P) increased by 45% in year 2 and by 13.2% in year 3. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) increased from after harvest (summer) in year 1 to the end of the season (autumn) of year 2 from 219.75 to 303.23 mg carbon (C) kg−1. Integrating poultry increased MBC by 25%, on average between both treatments across all sampling dates, compared to the V-CC (P = 0.042). The vegetable-cover crop control (V-CC) preferentially used carbohydrates, compared to V-P-CC which corresponded to greater amino acid usage. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was detected in all plots in the spring of year 3 and select replications of plots in the autumn of year 3. Salmonella spp. was found in one plot in year 2. No pathogens were detected on the spinach crop when leaf surfaces were tested. Integrating chickens into organic vegetable crop rotations increases NO3–N and has the potential for off-farm fertilizer reductions if time and stocking density are further examined. However, poultry feed is often an off-farm input and should be considered when determining the true N input of this system. Soil health ma

The viability of organic dairy operations in the United States (US) relies on forage production. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess producer and farm information regarding current forage production practices and producer knowledge gaps and (2) identify forage research and educational needs of organic dairy producers across the US. A survey was distributed to 643 organic dairy producers across the US, with 165 respondents (26% response rate). A focus group consisting of extension professionals, university researchers and staff, consultants, dairy industry representatives and organic dairy producers was also consulted for forage research needs. Results showed that approximately half (51%) of surveyed producers were somewhat satisfied with their forage production systems and sometimes experienced negative weather-related impacts on forage yield and quality. A majority (64%) of producers felt their knowledge to meet farm goals was adequate but they reported a lack of resources to implement this knowledge especially for balancing high-forage diets and selecting soil amendments. This study revealed that 54% of producers rely on peer experiences as information resources to make decisions on forage programs. Producer knowledge gaps included pasture renovation with reduced or no-tillage, forage mixtures that match their needs, and forage management practices aiming for high-quality forage. Based on the survey and focus group findings, forage research and educational activities should foster climate change resilience regarding forage diversity adapted to local and regional climatic conditions, improve forage quality, enhance economic returns from soil fertility amendments and pasture renovation, and introduce new forages and forage mixtures that suit economical, agronomical, and environmental needs.