Strategies for pesticide use reduction have suffered from limited adoption. The impact of such strategies will be greater if they appeal to farmers with typical demographics and attitudes. A participatory, on-farm study was conducted to assess the potential of Pesticide Free ProductionTM (PFP) [Pesticide Free ProductionTM and PFPTM are registered trademarks of the University of Manitoba.] to be widely implemented on mainstream farms in Manitoba, Canada. PFP is a flexible, simple framework intended to appeal broadly to farmers who may not have adopted other pesticide use reduction initiatives. It may also provide a marketable food product label. This novel crop production system prohibits the use of in-crop pesticides and seed treatments during one crop year, as well as prior use of residual pesticides. Applications of nonresidual pesticides (such as glyphosate) are permitted prior to crop emergence. Synthetic fertilizer use is permitted at any time. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine if the demographic and attitudinal characteristics of farms and farmers participating in a PFP pilot project varied depending on the level of PFP implementation; and (2) to compare the characteristics of farms and farmers participating in the pilot project with standards representing average farms and farmers in Manitoba. A total of 71 farmers, representing 120 fields and 11 crops, participated in the study. Fields and farmers were categorized into three groups, based on whether or not fields: (1) achieved PFP certification status and (2) were in transition to organic production. There were few demographic differences among groups. Demographic characteristics of participating farmers were typical for Manitoba, with the exception that participating farmers who were not in transition to organic production had higher levels of education than a random sample of Manitoba farmers. Attitudinal orientation (adherence to a conventional versus an alternative agricultural paradigm) of participants who were not in transition to organic production was similar to that of a random sample of Manitoba farmers. Fields and farms on which PFP was implemented were relatively large in the context of Manitoba averages. Participants indicated high satisfaction with certifiable PFP crops and high levels of interest in implementing future PFP. Pesticide free production demonstrates significant potential for broad adoption in this region.

Changing from a conventional livestock production system, based on fertilized grass swards, to an organic management system requires the establishment of legume-based swards to replace the purchased fertilizer nitrogen. This paper reviews experimental-based research on both the comparative economics of legume-based systems and grass swards and also the economic advantage that forage legumes confer on organic systems. A methodology to determine the production costs and economic values of a variety of forage legume systems is outlined. The resultant methodology is then applied to experimental results from trials, conducted at a wide range of sites in northern Europe, to determine the comparative profitability of different legume-based systems of silage production under conventional management. The results indicate that potentially red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), and to a lesser extent white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and lucerne (alfalfa) (Medicago sativa L.), can produce higher profits per hectare than grass-based systems using high levels of nitrogen fertilizer. Galega (Galega orientalis Lam) and lotus (Lotus corniculatus L.) can, in certain circumstances, be economically competitive with fertilized grass swards, but would generally not be the forage legumes of first choice. From an economic standpoint, forage legumes are probably best grown in a mixture with grass. As some of the experimental sites involved organic treatments, the analysis has been extended to include an assessment of the comparative economics of organic systems of production based on forage legumes, relative to conventional grass-based systems. Thus, the third part of the paper is concerned with quantifying the economic advantage to organic systems conferred by forage legumes. The results indicate that, under careful management, their use for silage can produce higher profits per hectare for organic dairy systems than those obtained from conventional grass-based systems. While the relative performance of organic systems is strongly influenced by the price premium paid for organic milk, which has declined in recent years, not all the projected economic advantage of legume-based organic dairy systems is eroded by this trend. However, economic advantage is not enough to secure the widespread adoption of forage legumes. This will depend on technological developments and management practices which reduce the risks associated with both more difficult crop establishment and higher nitrate leaching of forage legumes as compared to grass swards.

Crop production in the Northern Great Plains is rapidly changing because of no-till practices; producers now grow a diversity of crops with winter wheat to increase production as well as to manage weeds. With the multitude of crops available, producers are asking for guidelines to sequence crops in rotations that help weed management. We developed a planning tool that lists various choices with crops when designing a rotation; the choices are arranged by impact on weed dynamics as quantified by research in the region. The tool includes choices among crops, such as varying crops with different life cycles, planting dates, or row spacing, and choices within an individual crop, such as varying cultivar or planting date. Choices among crops impact weeds the most, whereas choices within an individual crop are less effective and usually lead to lower crop yield. For example, rotations comprised of two cool-season crops followed by two warm-season crops can reduce weed populations six- to 12-fold. In contrast, replacing a standard-height cultivar with a taller cultivar that is more competitive with weeds, is often inconsistent for weed management, whereas crop yield may be less. Producers associated with the Northern Plains Sustainable Agricultural Society felt that the planning tool would encourage long-range planning as well as help integrate weed management with the design of cropping systems. The purpose of the tool is to encourage ecologically based weed management, which can reduce herbicide inputs by 50% for Northern Great Plains producers.

Sustainability has recently become an ingrained concept in crop production systems worldwide, and is the cornerstone of research programs of the global network of research centers operated by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which functions in collaboration with the various national agricultural research systems. One of the major CGIAR centers, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), focuses mainly on dryland agriculture, but increasingly on irrigation, in its mandate area of West and Central Asia and North Africa. ICARDA has collaboration programs with its host country, Syria, the cradle of civilization and of settled agriculture, and the center of origin of many of the world‘s major crops, notably cereals and pulses. Wheat is, and has been, the most important commodity food in Syria. The Center‘s goal is to enhance wheat productivity in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the country‘s resource-poor farmers and society as a whole. Wheat is grown on about 1.5 million ha or 27% of the total cultivated land in Syria, mainly under rainfed conditions (300–500 mm annual rainfall), which are increasingly experiencing supplemental irrigation, while drier (<200 mm) areas are fully irrigated. Improved cultivars generally combine high yield potential and stress tolerance and tend to have high yield stability, being input-efficient under limited resources in stress environments and input responsive under favorable environments. Such varieties are tested under farmers‘ conditions through multi-year multi-locations. Other aspects of the ICARDA–Syrian collaboration wheat program include improved tillage, with an emphasis on conservation systems, adequate fertilization, and improved agronomic practices, e.g., early sowing in relation to rainfall conditions, optimum row spacing and plant population, and adequate weed control. This vigorous collaborative research–technology transfer program has produced a major shift in wheat production in Syria, from traditional low-input practices with landrace or improved cultivars to widespread adoption (two-thirds of wheat area) of modern cultivars along with improved production technology. As a result of such efforts, national income has substantially increased, and Syria has become a net exporter of wheat. Thus, the collaborative efforts of an international research center and its host country have shown clearly that there is an alternative to a traditional, low-output agriculture and its associated ills.

In spite of concerns, Minnesota‘s dominant cropping system is the corn–soybean rotation using synthetic pesticides and chemically processed fertilizers. Using experimental data from 1990–99, this study compared the profitability of organic versus conventional strategies. Net return (NR) was calculated from actual yields, operations, inputs, prices and organic premiums. Yields and costs were lower for the 4-year organic strategy. With premiums, the 4-year organic strategy had NRs significantly higher than conventional strategies; without premiums, the NRs were statistically equal (P = 0.05). Thus, the 4-year organic strategy was not less profitable nor its NR more variable than the conventional strategies in this study.

A sustainable agricultural and food system is characterized by two qualities: availability of high-quality, healthy food along with the best possible preservation of natural resources. Organic farming is discussed as a solution model for the complementary achievement of both aims. Taking the region Mostviertel-Eisenwurzen (A) as a case study, the present investigation examines the regional self-reliance in food production by means of three scenarios. In the basic scenario, the current land use of the region is set against the present-day food demand of the local population. The organic scenario assumes that the farming method of the region adheres 100% to the guidelines of organic farming. The food produced is set against the current food demand, as in the basic scenario. In the third scenario–-the organic-alternative scenario–-the 100% organically produced food is set against a food demand of the local population that follows the recommendations of nutritional science, comprising more plant-based diets. The results show that in the case of the hypothetical conversion to organic farming, food production decreases in absolute numbers. Despite this reduction, the local population can be sufficiently supplied with food energy, both in the case of the average Austrian diet as well as in a diet according to the recommendations of nutritional science. The number of people that can be supplied outside the region is higher in the nutritional science diet than in the average Austrian diet, despite the lower total net export quantity. While egg, meat and milk production are up to six times the local demand, the degree of self-supply of plant products (especially fruit and vegetables) covers only two-thirds of the demand after conversion. Moreover, our calculations show how a change of consumption patterns affects the demand for imported feedstuff. The region changes from being a net importer of concentrate (76,190 t fresh mass) at the starting point to a gross exporter (39,784 t fresh mass) in the organic and the organic-alternative scenario. In summary, agricultural production according to the guidelines of organic farming and a diet following the recommendations of nutritional science seems a promising strategy for achieving a sustainable agricultural and food system.

The indigenous system of crop production in Nigeria, the bush fallow farming system, which is known for its stability and biological efficiency, can no longer be operated effectively, due to a shortage of land. In order to increase farm productivity, researchers have devised alley farming, a low-input farming system which sustains crop and livestock production, can reduce competition from weeds, and conserves soil by reducing soil physico-chemical degradation and the decline of soil organic matter. The mobilization of women to adopt agricultural innovations is an important topic in development studies. Due to the important role of Nigerian women farmers in crop and livestock production, they are encouraged to adopt alley farming. Contrary to some of the literature, which claims that women are slow innovation adopters, this study argues that women farmers easily adopt innovations that can enhance their economic status. The paper argues that the characteristics of alley farming influence women farmers‘ adoption or rejection of the farming system. It was observed that the land tenure system is not an inflexible constraint on alley farming adoption. It is argued that low participation of women in agricultural innovation adoption is caused by lack of information about the advantages of the innovations, because meetings are fixed at times when women are not able to attend. This paper points out that the adoption of alley farming has increased the agricultural production and the quality of life of women farmer adopters.