Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Safe: A Framework For Assessing Sustainability Levels In Agricultural Systems, X. Sauvenier, C. Bielders, V. Brouckaert, V. Garcia, M. Hermy, E. Mathijs, B. Muys, J. Valckx, N. Van Cauwenbergh, M. Vanclooster, E. Wauters, A. Peeters

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Evaluating the sustainability of agricultural systems is a major challenge for scientists, policy makers and farmers. Numerous sets of indicators have recently been designed, both at national and international levels. However, most of these initiatives focus only on environmental aspects of sustainability, indicators are often selected arbitrarily and usually do not fit in a consistent, comprehensive and universally applicable framework. This paper presents an original framework for integrating the information contained by indicators into a single quantitative measure of agricultural sustainability in order to facilitate comparison and diagnosis.

Australian Pasture Systems: The Perennial Compromise, L. W. Bell, M. A. Ewing

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Dryland salinity, soil acidification and weed herbicide resistance challenge traditional agricultural production systems in south Australia. The pasture component of such systems rely on annuals like Trifolium subterraneum and Medicago spp. Replacing annual with perennial pastures allows some redress of the sustainability challenges, but few well-adapted species are available (Ewing & Dolling 2003). A range of perennial species are under evaluation to supplement current options. Some of these new perennial pastures may need modified production systems that allow full expression of their productive potential, especially when integrated with annual crops including cereals, pulses and oil seeds. Integrated systems rely on …

Inner Mongolian Herders Move Toward Sustainability And Elevate Their Incomes From Cashmere Goat Production By Reducing Grazing Pressure On Fragile Grasslands, B. P. Fritz, M. Zhao

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Overgrazing, mainly caused by Cashmere goats, is contributing to the desertification of West Erdos fragile grasslands resulting in the threat of extinction of several endangered wild plant species. This transition area between desert and grassland includes some 400,000 ha and some 72 unique, relic and endangered plant species. The area is home to 5,000 inhabitants, mainly subsistent goat farming families and coal mining activity. Industrial land use in the reserve adds additional economic pressure to herders operating on a shrinking land base. This phenomenon has elicited the entrenched, traditional response of producing more livestock thus jeopardizing current levels of production …

A Decision Support System For Rangeland Management In Degrading Environments, R. G. Bennett, F. J. Mitchell

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The continued viability and productivity of commercial and emerging agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, depends on the accurate assessment and sustainable utilization of available natural resources. Sustainability implies that growth and development must take place, and be maintained over time, within the limits set by natural ecosystems. Utilizing an extensive GIS database, field surveys and remote sensing technology, a land assessment decision support system (LADSS) has been developed in an attempt to define these limits for the Province. This system has been developed to assess the appropriate use of existing resources as well as the suitability of current land …

Australian Pasture Systems: The Perennial Compromise, L. W. Bell, M. A. Ewing

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Dryland salinity, soil acidification and weed herbicide resistance challenge traditional agricultural production systems in south Australia. The pasture component of such systems rely on annuals like Trifolium subterraneum and Medicago spp. Replacing annual with perennial pastures allows some redress of the sustainability challenges, but few well-adapted species are available (Ewing & Dolling 2003). A range of perennial species are under evaluation to supplement current options. Some of these new perennial pastures may need modified production systems that allow full expression of their productive potential, especially when integrated with annual crops including cereals, pulses and oil seeds. Integrated systems rely on …

What Research Is Required For Economically And Environmentally Sustainable Farming?, W. Taylor

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

This Congress is being held on an island that is a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. No other land area in the western world has achieved such a status!

With this designation come completely new parameters for agriculture in general and grassland production in particular. Alongside this change in emphasis for the grass based industry is the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy reform. For farming within the European Union it is not completely about maximising production, about “growing two blades of grass where one grew before”. It’s also about creating a diverse landscape, about less pollution about greater recreational opportunities, about …

Grassland Research: Goals For The Future, J. R. Roche

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Our goal as scientists must be to provide sufficient food for the world’s population, while returning sufficient income for effort to the food producer. It has been established elsewhere in the conference that pasture-based systems can return high milk production per hectare at low input cost, but are limited to highly fertile, temperate regions with evenly dispersed rainfall patterns and moderate maximum and minimum temperatures. There should be two goals of grazing research in the future; to sustain or improve the profitability of current grazing production systems, and to develop plant and animal varieties that allow grazing in currently less …