Decision making process in agriculture is fundamentally concerned with achieving integrated, productive and sustainable use of financial, biological and social capital at different levels. As our understanding and knowledge of the environmental and production resource base has improved, the need for integrated approaches to management has been more widely appreciated. The intensification of agr...

A model developed to analyze the environmental impacts of aquaculture and the productivity and ecological function of integrated aquaculture/agriculture systems was evaluated using sensitivity analysis and model validation methods. The validated model was used to identify priority areas for future research in integrated aquaculture/agriculture systems and to study the flow of nitrogen in these ...

the main purpose of this study was to investigate experts’ perceptions of barriers to organic farming in ministry of agriculture. the population of this survey consisted of the experts in department of horticultural products, ministry of agriculture in 2008-2009 (n= 160). using of kerejcie and morgan table, 113 experts were selected through stratified random sampling method. validity of the ins...

www.frontiersinecology.org © The Ecological Society of America P organic farming enterprises are emerging around the world in response to burgeoning consumer demand and concerns about human and environmental health (Maeder et al. 2002; Kristiansen 2006). Previously restricted to health food stores and farmers’ markets, organic food is now a mainstream commodity. In 2000, US consumers purchased ...

extended abstract 1. introduction more than one decade has passed since the significant and extensive emergence of organic agricultural concepts on international level. rapid and serious loss of vital agricultural resources due to erosion, salinization of land, desertification, extinction of species and environmental pollution is among the world's major concerns. the main cause of such a concer...

Soil carbon changes were modelled over 30 years with the focus on cereal crops, since leys are often managed similarly in organic and conventional agriculture. Other crops were not considered due to difficulties in large-scale cropping of oilseed rape and potatoes organically because of pest problems. Four scenarios were used: 0%, 8% (current), 20% and 100% organic cereal production. Conversion...

PLEASE NOTE: The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent an IFOAM approved position. Acknowledgements This paper reflects the experience and wealth of expertise of many people in the organic and environmental movements. I would like to thank all those who have commented on the paper and the many authors whose work this paper draws from. In particular I would like to ...

The procedure of conversion of a farm commonly consists of three steps. In a first step, it is recommended to collect information on appropriate organic farming practices. In a second step, the most promising organic practices should be tried out on selected plots or fields to get familiar with. In a third step, only organic procedures should be implemented in the entire farm. Support from an e...

Recent discussions of the way ahead for agriculture have tended to centre around the frequently incompatible claims of the proponents of technological agriculture, now further developed through inputs from biotechnology , and ecological agriculture, of which organic farming is the best known example.There is a need for the claims made for these two versions to be put into a broader scientific a...