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Closing Nutrient Cycles in Dutch Organic Farming: An Explorative Scenario Study of Agronomic Consequences
Gerrie van de Ven1 and Jules Bos2
Abstract
Given the principles of organic agriculture, nutrient cycling in Dutch
organic farming can be characterised as imperfect, mainly because of large
imports of nutrients from conventional agriculture and from abroad.
Recently, research has been initiated into the perspectives for better closing nutrient cycles by intensifying the exchange of (by-)products between organic farming sectors. The linear programming model was developed to quantify under different scenarios the agronomic consequences of further closing nutrient cycles in terms of changes in land use and exchange of (by-)products.
Better closing of nutrient cycles requires an increase in the proportion of Dutch feed ingredients in animal diets, an increase in the proportion of feed and leguminous crops in rotations, an increase in the export of manure from the organic dairy sector and an increase of the import of ‘acceptable’ nutrients from society.
Depending on the sector and the degree in which ‘undesirable’
nutrient imports are banned, current sizes of the main farming sectors
will have to change to be in equilibrium, i.e. a situation in which total
organic manure production determines organic crop areas and crop productivity
per ha and vice versa. Closing nutrient cycles will result in an extensification
of Dutch organic farming and an increase in cost prices.
Source
Köpke et al (Eds) (2005): Researching Sustainable Systems. Proceedings
of the First Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic
Agriculture Research (ISOFAR). ISOFAR / IOL / FiBL, Bonn and Frick; ISBN
3-906081-76-1
Author Locations and Affiliations
(1) Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University,
P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands, +31 317 482140, E-Mail:
Gerrie.vandeVen@wur.nl, Website:
www.dpw.wau.nl/pp/
(2) Plant Research International, Business Unit Agrosystems
Research, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands, +31 317 475938,
E-Mail: Jules.Bos@wur.nl, Website:
www.pri.wur.nl/uk/
en français
Paper copy and PDF version may be ordered from FiBL (see FiBL shop at https://www.fibl.org/shop/index.php);
FiBL order number 1394. A PDF version is available free of charge for
ISOFAR members via the member area of www.isofar.org