scholarly journals Analyzing Opinions on Sustainable Agriculture: Toward Increasing Farmer Knowledge of Organic Practices in Taiwan-Yuanli Township

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy R. Petway ◽  
Yu-Pin Lin ◽  
Rainer F. Wunderlich
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Farmer Knowledge ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Economic Production ◽  
Satoyama Landscape

Local farmer knowledge is key to sustainable agriculture when organic farming promotes biodiversity conservation. Yet, farmers may not recognize ecosystem service (ES) benefits within their agricultural landscape. Surveys were administered to 113 farmers, and the opinions of 58 respondents toward organic farming were analyzed to identify influential variables when deciding to farm organically. We classified responses by geographic category within a socio-economic production landscape (SEPL), and by social influence categories. With principal component analysis (PCA), a two-scale, four-phased analysis was conducted. Coastal farmers (n = 22) were the most positive towards organic farming trends due to consumer demand. Plains farmers (n = 18) were highly interested in future opportunities for achieving consumer health and food safety objectives. Mountain farmers (n = 18) perceived the most organic transitioning barriers overall, namely irrigation. In all three geographic categories, farming decisions were not primarily related to biodiversity conservation or ES management, but rather to farming community patterns, consumer feedback, and a lack of barriers. Further, farmer opinions toward organic practices were more influenced by their life experiences than by school-taught concepts. Since no previous studies have assessed the knowledge, values, and opinions on organic farming of Taiwan’s west coast farmers from an ES perspective, the proposed approach both identifies farmers’ knowledge and opinions, and verifies a satoyama landscape with PCA results for informed decision making.

Organic farming-concept, principles, goals & as a sustainable agriculture: A review

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-32
Author(s):  
Rupesh Kumar Meena ◽  
RS Meena ◽  
B Sri Sai Siddartha Naik ◽  
Babu Lal Meena ◽  
Suresh Chand Meena
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Organic Farming

scholarly journals Woodland Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Conservation in an Agricultural Landscape in South Eastern Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Adams-Schimminger ◽  
Graham Fifield ◽  
Bruce Doran ◽  
David Freudenberger
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Government Funding ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Environmental Organisation

Southern Australia has a tree crisis. The iconic and ecologically essential eucalypt trees are dying out across vast swathes of farmland that were once grassy woodlands. A century of clearing and agricultural intensification, plus the failure of these trees to self-regenerate, has led to a massive loss of wildlife habitat, particularly tree hollows that only form in large and old Eucalyptus trees. Just as importantly, this decline in trees has exposed farmers to losses of agricultural productivity. There is now a lack of shelter for livestock. Rising salty ground water is degrading pastures as this ground water is no longer being controlled by the deep roots and respiration of eucalypts. We describe the research that shows how an innovative partnership between farmers, a non-government environmental organisation, and government funding is rehabilitating entire fields to a productive and wildlife-rich woodland full of thriving eucalypts.

scholarly journals Environmental factors influencing the distribution of agricultural terraces: Case study of Horný Tisovník, Slovakia

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Slámová ◽  
Jana Krčmářová ◽  
Pavel Hronček ◽  
Mariana Kaštierová
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Agricultural Terraces ◽  
Factors Influencing

Abstract The cadastral district of Horný Tisovník represents a traditionally managed Carpathian mountain agricultural landscape with extensive terraces. It was historically governed by two counties with different feudal economic systems - agricultural and industrial. This paper aims to enrich traditional methods in environmental history. We applied geospatial statistics and multivariate data analysis for the assessment of environmental factors influencing the distribution of agricultural terraces. Using linear models, the hypothesis was tested that the terrace distribution is functionally related to selected factors (affiliation to the historic counties; average altitude and slope; distance from water, buildings and settlements; units of natural potential vegetation; and current land use). Significantly greater amounts of terraces were located in the agricultural county compared to the industrial county. A principal component analysis showed the coincidence between the current agricultural land use and higher concentrations of terraces occurring in lower altitudes, closer to settlements and buildings, and within the unit of Carpathian oak-hornbeam forests. These findings regarding the most significant factors influencing the distribution of terraces are used in proposals for incentives to improve the management of the traditional agricultural landscape.

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