8. Olive canopy arthropods under organic, integrated, and conventional management. The effect of farming practices, climate and landscape
Vassilios D. Gkisakisa,b,c, Paolo Bàrberi b, and Emmanouil M. Kabourakis a
aEcological Production Systems, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Plants and Viticulture, National Agricultural Research Foundation (N.AG.RE.F) - Hellenic Agricultural Organisation (ELGO ‘Demeter)’, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; bInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA), Pisa, PI, Italy; cDepartment of Sustainable Agriculture, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh), Chania, Greece
ABSTRACT
Several beneficial components of biodiversity are hosted in the olive tree canopy, providing significant agroecosystem services.
Olive canopy arthropods were studied under different management systems and in regard to variables related to farming practices, climate, and landscape. Arthropods were monitored weekly in 24 olive orchards for 2 years using transparent sticky traps. Farm management parameters, as well as climate conditions and landscape complexity, were recorded. Canopy arthropods and main olive pests were classified and aggregated upon functionality. Comparison between management systems was performed. Multivariate analysis was conducted with farming practices, climate conditions and landscape complexity as explanatory variables. Significant differences were not found between management systems,due tohighvariabilityoffarmingpractices applied within the same management system. Factors linked to farm management, climate, and landscape explained arthropod variability better than management systems. The functional group approach appeared to be a meaningful, complementary biodiversity measure. Findings suggest that specific farm management, environmental, and landscape factors should be taken into account in agroecological research.
KEYWORDS
Olive; canopy arthropods; functional biodiversity; organic farming; farm management; agroecosystem services
Quantifying the r ole of traditional r ice terr aces in r egulating water resources : implications for management and conservation efforts
Mario A. Soriano a,b and Srikantha Herath a,c
aInstitute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan; bSchool of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; cIntegrated Research System for Sustainability Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
ABSTRACT
Agricultural terraces are the most evident landscape imprints of traditional knowledge on soil conservation and water management globally. This article focuses on the Ifugao Rice Terraces (IRT) of the Philippines, a sustainable agroecosystem built on the harmonious relationship between indigenous people and their local environment. We elucidate how the rice terraces influence the hydrologic response at a small catchment scale through detailed field monitoring and physically based mathematical
modeling. We also explore the consequences of socioeconomic pressures manifested through land-use change. Our results
quantitatively reaffirm the effectiveness of well-maintained agricultural terraces in regulating water resources by enhancing
groundwater recharge. Meanwhile land-cover change induced by terrace abandonment was shown to lead to an overall
decrease in water resource availability.
KEYWORDS
Ifugao rice terraces; sustainable agriculture; landuse change; water resources; hydrologic modeling; ecosystem services; Southeast Asia
Assessing environmental sustainability of ornamental plant production: a nursery level approach in Pistoia District, Italy
Giulio Lazzerinia, Paolo Merantea,b, Stefano Lucchettia, and Francesco Paolo Nicese a
aDepartment of Agri-Food Production and Environmental Sciences, Universita degli Studi di Firenze Polo Scientifico e Tecnologico, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; bNational Research Council, Institute of Biometeorology, CNR-IBIMET, Florence, Italy
ABSTRACT
Ornamental plant production exerts considerable impacts on the surrounding environment. To assess the environmental sustainability within this sector, a set of impact indicators, which refer to specific management issues in environmental terms, was
selected. By comparing the indicators with sustainable thresholds, we assessed the environmental sustainability of a pool of nurseries growing plants in container production (CP) and in open field production (FP) located in the Pistoia Nursery District
of the Tuscany Region. Because of their peculiar production structure, the CP nurseries impacted the environment more
than the FP nurseries, and hence need more improvements to reach the minimum level of environmental sustainability.
KEYWORDS
Environmental indicator; container nursery; in-field nursery
“ We see a real opportunity around food waste” : exploring the relationship between on-farm food waste and farm characteristics
Arlene Janousek, Sean Markey, and Mark Roseland
Faculty of Environment, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
ABSTRACT
The objectives of this research are to provide a better understanding regarding whether organic food producers produce more or less waste than nonorganic food producers, if food waste management practices differ between organic and conventional food producers, and what role producer food waste practices play in agricultural sustainability. This qualitative study found no conclusive differences between organic and nonorganic food producers regarding volume and management of on-farm food waste; however, different farm characteristics were found to intersect in numerous ways, resulting in a variety of impacts associated with on-farm food waste. Additionally, all research participants indicated that the factor most likely to encourage them to address on-farm food waste is cost savings. To fully address food waste, actions oriented toward minimizing and sustainably managing food waste must be undertaken in a collaborative manner across all stages of the food supply chain.
KEYWORDS
Organic agriculture; sustainable agriculture; food waste; sustainability transitions; farm characteristics
