E. Nyakatawa, D. Mays, T. Way, D. Watts, H. Torbert, D. Smith
{"title":"Soil Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in Conventional and Conservation Tillage Corn Production Systems Receiving Poultry Litter and Inorganic Fertilizer","authors":"E. Nyakatawa, D. Mays, T. Way, D. Watts, H. Torbert, D. Smith","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.695330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.695330","url":null,"abstract":"Soil management practices can alter the natural balance at the soil-plant-atmosphere ecosystem interface, which can significantly affect the environment. This study compared CO2 fluxes in conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) corn (Zea mays L.) production systems receiving poultry litter (PL) and ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizers on a Decatur silt loam soil in the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama from Spring 2008 to Fall 2009. Soil CO2 flux in CT plots (9.5 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1) was significantly greater than that in NT plots (4.9 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1 in summer. Soil CO2 fluxes were lowest in fall where CT plots had a mean soil CO2 emission of 0.8 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1, while plots under NT and grass fallow system were sinks of CO2 with fluxes −0.6 and −1.0 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1, respectively. Mean soil CO2 flux averaged over seasons in NT plots was 36% lower than that in CT plots. Grass fallow plots were net sinks of CO2 with a mean CO2 flux of −0.4 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1. Our study showed that application of PL or AN fertilizer in NT systems can significantly reduce soil CO2 emissions compared to CT systems in corn production.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"873 - 892"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.695330","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W. D. de Boef, M. Thijssen, P. Shrestha, A. Subedi, R. Feyissa, G. Gezu, A. Canci, Maria Aldete Justiniano Da Fonseca Ferreira, T. Dias, S. Swain, B. Sthapit
{"title":"Moving Beyond the Dilemma: Practices that Contribute to the On-Farm Management of Agrobiodiversity","authors":"W. D. de Boef, M. Thijssen, P. Shrestha, A. Subedi, R. Feyissa, G. Gezu, A. Canci, Maria Aldete Justiniano Da Fonseca Ferreira, T. Dias, S. Swain, B. Sthapit","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.695329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.695329","url":null,"abstract":"The definition provided by the Convention on Biological Diversity for in situ conservation has caused a dilemma for those involved in agrobiodiversity conservation, as to how to implement this strategy in practical terms. A diversity of organizations has been engaged in efforts referred to as “on-farm management of agrobiodiversity.” Their efforts are assessed according to their impact on socioeconomic, cultural, genetic, and ecological dynamics. This assessment enables them to move beyond the dilemma and contributes to the social construction of the methodology for “community biodiversity management,” which is increasingly recognized as a process for achieving in situ conservation.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"788 - 809"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.695329","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can Birds Be Used as Tools To Inform Resilient Farming and Environmental Care in the Development of Biodiversity-Friendly Market Accreditation Systems? Perspectives of New Zealand Sheep and Beef Farmers","authors":"Sarah Meadows","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.672375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.672375","url":null,"abstract":"Birds were used as a proxy for wider agroecosystem biodiversity and to examine attitudes and actions of New Zealand sheep and beef farmers toward biodiversity. Farmer interviews were complemented by analysis of a national farmer survey. Analysis of survey and interview responses indicate that farmers regard birds as components of a larger, complex system and bird presence as evidence of a healthy, robust farm environment. Willingness to shoulder responsibility for encouraging birds was linked to the financial constraints of doing so. Market accreditation systems were suggested as the most likely mechanism through which biodiversity conservation measures could be introduced.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"759 - 787"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.672375","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francisco das Chagas Oliveira, Ángel Calle Collado, Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite
{"title":"Peasant Innovations and the Search for Sustainability: The Case of Carnaubais Territory in Piauí State, Brazil","authors":"Francisco das Chagas Oliveira, Ángel Calle Collado, Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.656342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.656342","url":null,"abstract":"This article pursues two aims. The first is to assess the degree of sustainability in peasant agroecosystems through the application of the systemic approach, allowing an integrated understanding of technical, environmental, economic, and social impacts to support the agroecological transition process; the second is to comprehend the basis farmers have and the strategies they use in locally favoring the emergence of the innovations that constitute the object of analysis. The conceptual framework used ia that of the MESMIS method, which is based on a set of system attributes for agroecosystem assessment. Results indicate that innovations made by family farmers favored improvements in essential elements of system sustainability, making possible sustainable land use, assuring an increase in income, and maintenance of family employment and farm structuring. These factors cast light on the relevance of local knowledge as a key factor in policies that promote the sustainability of family systems, and as a basis for an agroecological transition process.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"523 - 544"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.656342","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Managing the Pathosystem with Agroecology","authors":"S. Gliessman","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.684201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.684201","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"591 - 593"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.684201","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Preliminary Assessment of the Local Diversity of Family Farms Change Trajectories Since 1950 in a Pyrenees Mountains Area","authors":"C. Rueff, J. Choisis, G. Balent, A. Gibon","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.672547","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.672547","url":null,"abstract":"In agriculture and environmental sustainability research, assessment of local diversity of individual farm dynamics and farmers' behaviors appears of special interest for enlightening changes in ecological, social, and economical functions related to farming in rural communities and landscapes. It also includes challenges due to current methodology limitations. In this study, we developed a method for assessing the variety in individual change trajectories since 1950 of farms in a case study area in the Pyrenees (France). Changes in individual farms and households over the period were described at a five-year step using a set of indicators selected in reference to a social-ecological model of family farm dynamics. They were respectively categorized using a spatial-temporal multivariate analysis method. Results gained on a 24-farm sample showed four contrasted farm-development trajectories that could be related to lifecycle patterns of individual households. This opens new prospects for integrated assessment of individual farms' dynamics within a local agricultural system.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"55 1","pages":"564 - 590"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.672547","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Explaining Farmers' Decisions to Abandon Traditional Varieties of Crops: Empirical Results from Ethiopia and Implications for On-Farm Conservation","authors":"E. Wale","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.672379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.672379","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this article is to examine the factors that trigger farmers to abandon certain traditional varieties of crops. The article uses survey data collected from 395 farmers in Northern Ethiopia. The results suggest that traditional varieties can be abandoned due to “push” and “pull” factors. Decision makers, therefore, have to act on both of these factors to address agro-biodiversity loss and improve farmers' livelihoods.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"545 - 563"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.672379","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pulse Crops Improve Energy Intensity and Productivity of Cereal Production in Montana, USA","authors":"Macdonald H. Burgess, P. Miller, Clain Jones","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.672380","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.672380","url":null,"abstract":"Energy consumption, intensity, and productivity are indicators of agricultural sustainability in the face of fossil energy scarcity and price volatility. In this study, budgets of energy embodied in crop production inputs were compiled for 14 paired pulse (annual grain legume)-wheat and wheat-wheat crop sequences using data collected from Montana farmers. We report two energy performance metrics: net energy yield (NEY), the energy content of harvested crop minus energy required to produce it, and energy intensity (EI), the ratio of input energy to mass of crop harvested. Nitrogen fertilizer accounted for 58% of the energy used in wheat production, and its absence largely accounted for the 53% reduction in energy inputs to pulses relative to wheat. EI of pulses was lower than for wheat, and pulse crops also resulted in reduced EI and increased NEY for the subsequent wheat crop compared to wheat grown following wheat. The largest component of the improved energy performance of wheat following pulses was increased yield rather than decreased inputs.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"699 - 718"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.672380","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cover Crop Root Composition and Density in a Long-Term Vegetable Cropping System Trial","authors":"M. Gardner, M. Sarrantonio","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2012.672548","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2012.672548","url":null,"abstract":"The contribution of cover crop roots to soil dynamics is poorly understood, in part because little information is available on the distribution, depth, chemical compositional changes over time, and nutrient mineralization rates of typical cover crop roots. A study was conducted to investigate the role of cover crop roots in a long-term trial on the effects of cover crop species and seasonal placement on soil properties in a vegetable rotation. Root length density (RLD), chemical composition, and nitrogen mineralization during incubation were measured in roots of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and winter rye (Secale cereale L.) of varying ages. Nearly 50% of the fine root RLD was measured in the top 5 cm for all roots, with no significant differences between species and ages. Lignin concentration in red clover roots increased nearly four-fold as they aged from 4 to 24 months, while N concentration were 22% lower in the older roots. N concentration decreased by 50% in rye roots from 0 to 9 months, leading to doubling of C:N. During incubation, net N mineralization was greater from 24 month-old red clover roots than 12-month roots, while winter rye roots showed net N immobilization over the incubation period.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"719 - 737"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2012.672548","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}