Conservation Agriculture in Organic Farming Motivations of European Farmers and Diversity of Practices

Transcription

1 Conservation Agriculture in Organic Farming Motivations of European Farmers and Diversity of Practices Marion Casagrande Joséphine Peigné ISARA-Lyon 1

2 Outline of the presentation Context Material and methods Results Farmers motivations and problems Diversity of practices in Europe Conclusion 2

3 Context of TILMAN-Org Project Conservation agriculture and organic farming Minimum soil disturbance Permanent soil cover Diversified crop rotation Constraints of application TILMAN-ORG project 3

4 Context of TILMAN Survey Survey : Current farmers practices in Europe? Green manure (GM) Reduced tillage (RT) No tillage (NT) Objectives of the survey Motivations and problems Diversity of practices Farmers profiles 4

5 Material and methods Farmers questionnaires - List of 12 possible motivations and problems for each technique - Lickert scale ranging from 1 to 5 Not at all Winter crop important Spring crop Example : motivation for applying GM «improving general biodiversity» Of minor importance Moderately Important Very important Extremely important

6 Material and methods Farmers questionnaires - Crop management - statistical analysis Farmers profiles of crop management Winter crop Spring crop 6

7 10 countries 159 farmers Results Interviewed farmers UK 10% Austria 10% Belgium 6% Switzerland 12% Estonia 11% Spain 21% Italy 4% France 19% Ireland 1% Germany 6% 7

8 Results Conservation practices 8

9 Results Main motivations and problems No Tillage, Reduced Tillage and Green Manure MOTIVATIONS Socio-economics Soil conservation Environment Agronomic conditions & crop management Improving soil structure Improving biological soil quality Limiting soil erosion Increasing soil OM Limiting N leaching Improving biodiversity Limiting weeds, pest and diseases PROBLEMS Socio-economics Soil conservation Technical limits Agronomic conditions & crop management Increasing labor requirements Yield stability Machinery Weed infestation and management Destroying preceding crop and/or green manure 9

10 Results Main motivations and problems 2 main types of farmers: Soil conservationists Agro-technically challenged 10

11 117 farmers Results Winter crops: management options Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Green manure Tillage sowing destroying Stubble tillage, ploughing, non-inversion, weeding Main crop sowing weeding harvest Intercrop Cover crop Sowing with main crop undersown destroying Left as cover crop Intercrop as cover crop Sowing of new cover crop 11

12 125 farmers Results Spring crops: management options Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov dec Green manure Tillage sowing destroying Stubble tillage, ploughing, non-inversion, weeding Main crop sowing weeding harvest Intercrop Sowing with main crop undersown destroying Left as cover crop Cover crop Intercrop as cover crop/sowing of new cover crop 12

13 Results Farmers profiles for crop management 2 main types of farmers: Low soil cover farmers Soil conservationists Spring Crops Winter Crops (n=14) No green manure before main crop Intercrop (n=55) and cover crop Green manure before main crop No intercrop or cover crop Group 1 (n=27) Intercrop and/or cover crop Low soil Soil cover No Other intercrop countries or cover crop conservationists farmers No or reduced tillage Group 1 (n=55) Estonia, Northern farms France, Austria, others High tillage frequency, shallow No ploughing management High tillage with shallow management Group 2 (n=24) Low weeding Germany, frequency UK, others before and during Stubble crop cycle tillage an deep tillage mainly France, Spain Austria, + south western Switzerland farms Higher High altitudes, soil cover low rainfall Switzerland, France, others Group 2 (n=14) High Estonia, tillage Spain application and high weeding Combined frequency seeder before Leguminous sowing intercropping Deep non-inversion tillage Group 3 (n=21) Other countries Undersowing of intercrop 13

14 Conclusion and perspectives First overview of European practices Results are dependant on farm location Problems => challenges for further research Diversity of practices is inspiring for designing new cropping systems that combine CA and OF 14