Abstract
The effects on income and ecology of an Organic Farming System and an Integrated Crop Cultivation System at the experimental station of the Munich Research Association for Agricultural Ecosystems (FAM), are analysed by a computer based calculation system in the farming years 1992/93-95/96. In this case the necessary energy-input and the greenhouse gases being emitted (CO2, N2O, CH4) by the different systems were calculated parallel to the variable costs of the different farming measures. Fundamentally this examination shows improvements in both systems to realize a more sustainable agriculture in comparison to the previous state. Nevertheless there are some differences between the systems: On one side the yields in the Integrated Crop Cultivation System were much higher than in the Ecological Farming System in this period. On the other side the Ecological Farming System reached a higher income connected with a lower energy-input and a lower emission of greenhouse gases. The Integrated Crop Cultivation System seems to be preferable, if the discussion is focussed primarily on a high agricultural output in order to save a high level on food supply. But on the average the Ecological Farming System is superior in regard with environmenta circumstances. Further studies of the FAM including supplementary ecological indicators will supply more information to these preliminary results. Then it should be possible to implement some of the ecologically compatible and sustainable strategies in the landuse management of the region.
| Translated title of the contribution | Economic and ecological evaluation of management measures and/or varying management systems |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 184-200 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Berichte uber Landwirtschaft |
| Volume | 77 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - Jun 1999 |