How does research address the design of innovative agricultural production systems at the farm level? A review

In trying to respond to societal demands for sustainable development, farming systems worldwide face a range of environmental, technical and economic challenges. These challenges call for renewed methodologies that can be used to support farmers in designing innovative agricultural production systems at the farm level. This paper aims to analyze the various methods described in scientific literature. The review is based on the analysis of 80 reference papers published in international scientific journals between 1999 and 2010. We focused in particular on the purpose of the research, which fell into two broad categories: “design” and “design support”. We also examined the use of models to represent production systems and to evaluate ex-ante the impact of innovations on these systems’ functioning and performance. In so doing, we developed a classification system to organize the studies into five sub-categories according to the type of methodology followed, namely: prototyping and design modelling for design orientated studies; participation, support modelling and advisory for design-support orientated studies. We found that very few studies attempt to address the three main components of an innovation process in agricultural production systems (biotechnical processes, farm management, and advisory services) within a single research framework. We therefore developed such a framework by connecting the design and design support orientations together with biotechnical research and conducting integrated research both at farm and advisory service levels.     

An LP-model to analyse economic and ecological sustainability on Dutch dairy farms: model presentation and application for experimental farm “de Marke”

Farm level modelling can be used to determine how farm management adjustments and environmental policy affect different sustainability indicators. In this paper indicators were included in a dairy farm LP (linear programming)-model to analyse the effects of environmental policy and management measures on economic and ecological sustainability on Dutch dairy farms. For analysing ecological sustainability, seven indicators were included in the model: eutrophication potential, nitrate concentration in groundwater, water use, acidification potential, global warming potential, terrestrial ecotoxicity, and aquatic ecotoxicity. Net farm income was included for measuring economic sustainability. The farm structure of “De Marke” formed the basis for three optimisations: (1) basis situation without environmental policy, (2) situation with Dutch environmental policy for 2004, and (3) situation with farm management measures applied at “De Marke”. The Dutch environmental policy was included to comply with the EC nitrate directive. It resulted in lower fertiliser use and consequently in a decrease in sales of maize. This led to a decrease in net farm income of ca. €2500. Including this policy improved most used ecological indicators (except for ecotoxicity) and showed to be an effective tool to reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming. Adapting the model with farm management measures applied at experimental farm “De Marke” resulted in even better ecological performance compared to the situation with environmental policy. Nonetheless this increase in ecological performance led to a considerably lower net farm income (€14,500).