Constraints on the expansion of organic farming in highly productive regions
CONTEXT Uptake of organic farming falls short of stated sustainability targets, particularly in highly productive regions where adoption could mitigate environmental impacts of intensive farming. Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain the constraints on adoption, but these have not been assessed within an integrative, interdisciplinary framework. OBJECTIVE The objective was to develop a conceptual […]
Organic management, reduced tillage, and increased vegetation cover promote ant abundance and diversity in Mediterranean Vineyards
Vineyards are regarded as one of the most intensively managed crops worldwide. Organic management is increasingly promoted as an ecologically friendly alternative to conventional farming and organic vineyards are expected to promote the abundance and diversity of arthropods and the associated ecosystem services. However, the effects of organic vineyards on arthropods show great variability depending […]
Soil Organic Matter Dynamics in Organic Farming Systems: Assessment Mechanisms and Implications for Sustainable Management
Soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, encompassing the processes of accumulation, decomposition and transformation of organic materials in the soil, play a crucial role in soil health, nutrient cycling and overall ecosystem sustainability. The depletion of SOM, often resulting from intensive agricultural practices and land degradation, poses significant challenges to soil fertility, productivity and the environment. […]
Pratiche rispettose del clima nella tua azienda agricola: un manuale pratico – Climate friendly practices on your farm: a practical manual
Il progetto SOLMACC (Strategie per l’agricoltura biologica e a basso input per mitigare e adattarsi ai cambiamenti climatici), coordinato da FIBL, ha stampato un interessante manuale (in varie lingue, tra cui l’italiano) su come implementare diverse pratiche agricole resilienti e rispettose del clima per ridurre le emissioni di gas serra. Le temperature estreme e gli […]
Flowering plants in open tomato greenhouses enhance pest suppression in conventional systems and reveal resource saturation for natural enemies in organic systems
Vegetable production in open greenhouses is often associated with high inputs of synthetic pesticides. Introducing flowering plants into such greenhouses may promote the top-down pest suppression by natural enemies and reduce the reliance on pesticide use. However, it is not known how effective this practice is in organically and conventionally managed greenhouse crops. We assessed the influence of […]
The Role of Trees and Pastures in Organic Agriculture
Environmental concerns associated with annual row crop grain production – including soil erosion, soil carbon loss, intensive use of chemicals and petroleum, limited arable land, among others – could be addressed by converting conventional livestock production to an organic pasture based system. The inclusion of tree crops would further enhance the opportunity for feeding pasture- […]
Torna "Millésime BIO", la fiera per eccellenza per i professionisti dei settori dei vini, sidri, birre e liquori biologici
L’edizione 2025 si svolgerà dal 27 al 29 gennaio 2025 presso il Centro Esposizioni di Montpellier.
The Management of Fungal Diseases in Organic Production Systems Through a Mixture of Durum Wheat Varieties
Fungal diseases are a yield-limiting factor for wheat. Their management in organic production systems is one of the prevailing challenges because it must be based mainly on indirect measures through agricultural practices. Variety mixtures are one of these practices, a concept that has been demonstrated to improve several factors affecting yield. Recently, it has become […]
Healthy and safe organic food in the function of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation with a focus on global trends and innovations
Healthy and safe organic food plays a crucial role in environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. Organic agriculture is an approach to cultivating healthy and safe food and other agricultural products that rely on natural methods and processes, avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other synthetic substances. The primary goal […]
Cost-effective biodiversity conservation with organic farming – spatial allocation is key
To make the best use of the limited funding for biodiversity conservation, resources should be used cost-effectively. Support to organic farming is a widely implemented strategy to enhance farmland biodiversity, yet its cost-effectiveness for biodiversity conservation remains largely unexplored. Using an ecological-economic model calibrated with data from southern Sweden, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of organic farming […]
