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Highlighted Papers

To mix or not to mix : evidences for the unexpected high productivity of new complex agrivoltaic and agroforestry systems

Dupraz C et al. from INRA, UMR System, 2, Place Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 2, France.

Concerns over the long-term sustainability of intensive monoculture systems have resulted in a raising interest in complex systems that mix crops with other productive components. In this paper the authors question the best strategies to convert solar radiation into both food wood and energy within a limited land area. Should we use the current dominant land use scheme where crops, forests and photo-voltaic plants are separated in different land units? Or could we imagine new systems that will mix the components intimately at the plot scale?

Here the authors tested the hypothesis that such complex systems may be more efficient in resource use. New agrivoltaic (AV) systems involve mixing crops with photo-voltaic panels (Dupraz et al., 2010) to produce both food and energy (see picture).

Preliminary results indicate that such systems may be more resilient to climate change than monocultures (Talbot et al., 2009). These complex systems may have a higher productivity than separated monocultures as they maximise the use of land resources by several mechanisms, including complementarity and facilitation in resource use. This would also mitigate the burning issue on competition for land between energy and food production.

A decision support tool for optimizing integration of specialty crop enterprises in grain production systems

Hoagland L et al., Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, 625 Agriculture Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA

Agricultural production is the Midwestern US is highly concentrated with 85% of crop and acreage planted to only corn and soybeans (NASS, 2006). Crop specialization has improved the productivity and market efficiency of grain based commodity crops, but maintaining profitability has become increasingly difficult as input prices continue to rise while grain prices fluctuate substantially (Dimitri et al., 2005). In addition, limited diversity has resulted in a number of negative environmental and social consequences. Diversification is one alternative to help farming operations become more sustainable and survive in today’s unpredictable climate. Crop diversification and livestock integration can result in a series of synergisms and complementarities among farming system components, leading to more balanced nutrient and pest management cycles(Altieri and Rosset, 1996), greater farm income (Barbieri and Mahoney, 2009), and reduced income variability and risk (Helmers et al., 2001). Dramatic shifts away from the production of corn andsoybeans are unlikely as farmers possess the skills and equipment to produce these crops. However, the integration of livestock or specialty crops as supplementary enterprises could help grain producers obtain the benefits of diversification. This research studied the feasibility of integrating various supplemental enterprises into a traditional Midwestern corn-soybean rotation system. The objective was to identify supplemental cropping alternatives that have agronomic and market feasibility, would contribute to the environmental and economic sustainability of the operation, fit in during times of low labor requirements for corn and soy bean operations, and would not require substantial additional specialized machinery or knowledge by the farmer. Findings indicate that the diversification of Midwestern grain farms through integration of supplemental specialty crop enterprises can increase profitability, as well as reduce reliance on agricultural subsidies and contribute to social and ecological sustainability.

Developing and using Indicators for Ecologically Intensive and Sustainable Cropping Systems

Developing and managing more eco-efficient cropping systems (Keating et al., 2010), that produce more output (food, feed, fiber and environmental services) with less input (energy, fertilisers, pesticides) is a common challenge for the research community around the globe. In this work the authors hypothesize that better trade-offs could be achieved with a more intensive use of ecological processes (biological nitrogen fixation, biomass recycling, biological control of insects and pests…) in cultivated soils and canopies, especially with plant associations and successions at field and landscape levels. These ecologically intensive cropping systems will likely ensure the environmental pillar of sustainability, but they also need to match the objectives of the social and economic pillars, especially by being cost and labour effective and operational in each farm context (Blazy et al., 2009).The framework of system’s indicators proposed by the authors allows designing and assessing a number of eco-efficiency indicators on the basis of their targeted use and its scientific relevance with regards to state and flow variables of the cropping system at various spatial and temporal scales.

Sustainable intensification of maize-bean production among small holder farmers in western Kenya

Achieng J et al., Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. PO Box 169 Kakamega (50100) Kenya

Maize and beans are important food crops in western Kenya, mostly grown by resource-poor farmers in complex and risky farming systems. Trends in population growth in Kenya indicate that the demand for maize and beans is projected to increase ca. 3–4% annually, supporting a case of the sustainable intensification of maize and bean production in the region. In this work the authors present initial results from a combined empirical and simulation study aiming to identify likely pathways for the sustainable intensification of smallholder maize-bean farming systems using conservation agriculture principles. Simulated results indicated that if a maize/bean intercrop is followed by a relay maize crop, total food production could be more than doubled. The authors concluded that there are interesting opportunities for intensifying maize-legume farming systems in western Kenya that make better use of the long rains. These opportunities include relay cropping maize or legume crops after the harvest of the legume in traditional intercropping farming systems.

Ensure you are part of the program submit a
condensed paper by 15 June or sooner

Submit a paper

See the conference website www.wcca2011.org/condensed to register and submit your paper.

Notification to Authors

Due to an overwhelming number of condensed paper submission notification to authors has been slightly delayed. Notifications for early bird submissions has been extended until 15 April, 2011.

Registration

Registrations are now open for the 5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture incorporating 3rd Farming Systems Design Conference.

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Financial Assistance

Limited funds are available to assist with travel and attendance costs for this meeting, and these will normally be provided only to applicants who have submitted a paper. Program Committee assessment of the quality of that paper will be an important criterion in deciding which applicants will be funded, and the extent of funding.

Field day - included in your registration

UQ Gatton campus is internationally recognised as Australia's leading education and research provider in the field of Animals, Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Food and the Environment.

The 1068-hectare campus, an hour’s drive west of Brisbane, transport provided to and from the conference venue has been arranged. The campus is also the venue for the conference dinner, where delegates will be able to reunite with colleagues and friends and discuss the activities during the day.

Foundation Sponsors

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Account Manager Sponsorship & Exhibition

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ICMS Australasia
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Sydney NSW 2001

Ph: +61 2 9254 5000
Fax: +61 2 9251 3552
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