AbstractParadoxically, the number of crop–livestock farms is declining across Europe, despite the fact that crop-livestock farms are theoretically optimal to improve the sustainability of agriculture. To solve this issue, crop–livestock integration may be organized beyond the farm level. For instance, local groups of farmers can negotiate land-use allocation patterns and exchange materials such as manure, grain, and straw. Development of such a collective agricultural system raises questions, rarely documented in the literature, about how to integrate crops and livestock among farms, and the consequences, impacts, and conditions of integrating them. Here, we review the different forms of crop–livestock integration beyond the farm level, their potential benefits, and the features of decision support systems (DSS) needed for the integration process. We identify three forms of crop–livestock integration beyond the farm level: local coexistence, complementarity, and synergy, each with increasingly stronger temporal, spatial, and organizational coordination among farms. We claim that the forms of integration implemented define the nature, area, and spatial configuration of crops, grasslands, and animals in farms and landscapes. In turn, these configurations influence the provision of ecosystem services. For instance, we show that the synergy form of integration promotes soil fertility, erosion control, and field-level biological regulation services through organizational coordination among farmers and spatiotemporal integration between crops, grasslands, and animals. We found that social benefits of the synergy form of integration include collective empowerment of farmers. We claim that design of the complementarity and synergy forms of crop–livestock integration can best be supported by collective participatory workshops involving farmers, agricultural consultants, and researchers. In these workshops, spatialized simulation modeling of crop–livestock integration among farms is the basis for achieving the upscaling process involved in integrating beyond the farm level. Facilitators of these workshops have to pay attention to the consequences on governance and equity issues within farmers groups.
A social-ecological framework for analyzing and designing integrated crop–livestock systems from farm to territory levels
Integrated crop–livestock systems are often considered a promising way to address agricultural sustainability issues. Many authors claim that complementarities and synergies between crops and livestock can improve nutrient cycling and delivery of ecosystem services (ES) in agricultural systems. They have analyzed effects of interactions at the farm level and affirmed the potential advantage of developing crop–livestock interactions at the territory level. However, potential benefits of developing synergies beyond the farm level have not been clearly identified. Thus, we developed a conceptual framework that can be used to analyze, design and perform integrated assessment of crop–livestock systems at the territory level. To address crop–livestock interaction issues, we define it as a social-ecological system called the territorial crop–livestock system (TCLS). The ecological system is represented as three interacting components, crops, grasslands and animals, allowing description of various land uses and their potential effects on nutrient cycling and ES. The social system, represented as farmers interacting with natural-resource managers and agro-food chain actors, determines land use and the nature and intensity of ES delivered. We highlight the importance of coordination and learning among actors to support implementation of complex adaptive systems such as TCLSs. We illustrate the expressive power of our conceptual framework through development of a generic typology of crop–livestock systems. Then we show how our conceptual framework can be used as an intermediary object with stakeholders in participatory design approaches. We illustrate this process by representing four archetypal TCLSs. We provide an example of the design approach implemented in Southwestern France to address severe recurrent water shortages, which includes analysis of land use in the current crop–livestock system and the associated key metabolic and ES issues, identification of options for change and multi-criteria analysis of these options. We conclude that this framework shows great potential to support development of sustainable farming systems at the territory level.
Diversification and ecosystem services for conservation agriculture: Outcomes from pastures and integrated crop–livestock systems | Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems | Cambridge Core
Diversification and ecosystem services for conservation agriculture: Outcomes from pastures and integrated crop–livestock systems - Volume 28 Issue 2
Sweat Equity — FARMore
The Sweat Equity Program is a volunteer-driven initiative providing hands-on assistance to farmers who need it most. More than just lending a hand, it shows how vital, soulful, and impactful farming is for all of us. This program bridges the gap between urban and rural communities through meaningful service and education. Together, we are building relationships based on reciprocity and inspiring:
The SAGE Community Coordinator: A Demonstration
Sustainable polyculture gardens thrive more effectively when they are designed with an awareness of other gardens in the community, as opposed to as individual gardens. However, the complex characteristics of plants, and their relations to other plant species in terms of needs and capacities, require a complex knowledge base not easily acquired by novice gardeners. We contribute a demonstration of our project, called the Software for Agricultural Ecosystems (SAGE) Community Coordinator, that helps manage the complexities of plant relationships and provides planting suggestions based on existing plants in adjacent garden sites. The research team collected the requirements and developed a preliminary demonstration of this system. This demonstration shows the feasibility of the idea and lays the foundation for a more comprehensive implementation of the SAGE Community Coordinator. By doing so, this paper explores the use of technology to foster the establishment of complex plant assemblages in urban and suburban areas to address the current and future limits of material resources derived from plants.
National Young Farmers Coalition
The National Young Farmers Coalition is a farmer-led, grassroots network shifting power and changing policy to equitably resource the new generation of working farmers. We are the largest unified voice calling for farm policy that will deliver a bright future for young farmers and ranchers in the U.S.
Some recent developments in controlled-environment agriculture: on plant physiology, sustainability, and autonomous control
In this review, we highlight some recent developments in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), discuss its sustainability and provide a future outlook, mainly based on recently published work f...
Open Agroecology Laboratory – REGOSH
We build open tools and participatory processes to support agroecological transitions.
Agriculture research summaries
Read short summaries of agricultural studies tailored to B.C. farmers and producers.
Ecosystem Plugins - Wesley's notes
Bridging the interop gap and addressing the long-tail of user needs
Crop is Stardew Valley except you arrive at your farm naked and in the boot of a car
If Stardew Valley is a cosy farming game the Crop is a what you get if you make it a horror farming game.
Commoning as Relational Provisioning & Governance | David Bollier
This is the second section of an essay, "Relationalized Finance for Generative Living Systems and Bioregions," by David Bollier and Natasha Hulst. The remaining three sections of the essay will be published in the remaining days of this week. The full essay can be downloaded as a PDF here.
Faire bloc : la contre-mobilisation agricole face à la critique environnementale dans l’espace public numérique
Au cours des dernières années, l’agriculture est devenue un point de plus en plus « chaud » dans les controverses environnementales. Avec une visibilité nouvelle dans les médias traditionnels comme sur les réseaux sociaux, nombre de militants et organisations dénoncent les effets destructeurs de l’intensification des modes de production agricole sur la santé humaine, les conditions de vie des animaux d’élevage, la biodiversité et le climat. Dans cet article, nous étudions le déploiement, dans l’espace public numérique, d’une forme de contre-mobilisation en réponse à ces dénonciations. Cette contre-mobilisation repose sur l’activation de solidarités entre agriculteurs et professionnels para-agricoles, mus par une expérience partagée de la critique et le projet commun d’y répliquer. L’analyse de la transformation des mécanismes de représentation des mondes agricoles permet ainsi de relativiser l’opposition classique entre l’action stratégique et discrète de lobbying, coordonnée et orchestrée par les acteurs économiques dominants, et l’action décentralisée et spontanée des mouvements sociaux en ligne, qui évoluent de façon fluide, sans structure ni dirigeant.
We started a farming club. Why you should start one too
We are long overdue for a return to growing our own food, and the farming club offers a promising way to reconnect with that tradition.
A Guide to BIPOC-Owned Farms and Ranches in Texas | Support Local Businesses
Discover the unique and delicious food offerings from Texas' Black, Indigenous, and People of Color owned farms & ranches. Show your support by learning more about these businesses today!
Driving Finance for Sustainable Food Systems: A Roadmap to Implementation for Financial Institutions and Policy Makers
Food systems play a central role in all societies and are fundamental to sustainable development. The environmental and social impacts of the global food system are interconnected and affect diverse...
