Organic/biodynamic agriculture has been reported worldwide as a suitable system to conserve or even regenerate natural resources. Due to the lack of long-term studies regarding the profitability of tropical organic vs conventional farming, the economic performance of biodynamic vs conventional soybean was studied using data from a consecutive 7-yr case study in a farm with 48.4 ha of biodynamic soybeans in Paraná State, Brazil. Analyses of production costs and financial indicators were adjusted at updated values according to inflation in the period. Effective operational costs were 4.4% higher in biodynamic than in conventional farming. The biodynamic yields were lower (3.6%) than those of conventional. Prices were 57% higher in biodynamic than in conventional, making biodynamic farming more profitable than conventional farming, as shown by financial indicators (gross revenue, gross margin, net margin, net income and capital income were 50.7, 99.9, 122.9, 150.4 and 166.9%, respectively, higher in biodynamic than in conventional). The price equilibrium point (PEP) was 3.4% higher for biodynamic farming; the leveling point was 36.9% higher for conventional farming. Manual weeding and plowing increased organic costs. Higher biodynamic trading prices than those of conventional triggered a PEP suitable for covering higher costs and thus boosting profitability. Further investigations and policies are suggested to further improve biodynamic farming efficiency and sustainability.

Cropping energetic plants could provide soil protection, additional incomes to farmers and suppress weed development without loss of food production. It also contributes to the development of no-tillage cultivation in agroecological farming system. Energetic plants such as: sunflower, crambe, canola and safflower were evaluated in no-tillage agroecological farming in autumnal planting, after soybean crop. Higher plant heights were observed in sunflower, flowering [46 days after emergency (dae)] and harvest (108 dae) was first observed in crambe plants. Intermediate earliness was observed in the sunflower (61 and 136 dae, respectively). Biomass was found greater in the sunflower compared to safflower or canola. Intermediate values were obtained for crambe plants. Greater grain and oil yields were found in descending order in sunflower, crambe, canola and cartamo. Despite the drought period occurred during crop development, sunflower and crambe yields were similar or even higher to means, than yields of these same crops in conventional fields in Brazil. Sunflower and crambe were the best options to take part in succession/rotation system after soybean spring/summer crop.