Economic efficiency of legume-cereal intercrops in conditions of organic farming

Abstract

JÁNSKÝ, J., POSPÍŠIL, J.: Economic effi ciency of legume-cereal intercrops in conditions of organic farming. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2010, LVIII, No. 6, pp. 189-198 The paper presents economic analysis of growing of legume-cereal intercropping in conditions of organic farming. Results of the analysis are based on data monitoring in chosen organic farms that grow LCI. In the paper there is also compared economic effi ciency of LCI grown in organic and conventional farming system. Methodological solution results from costingness and earnings monitoring of LCI production in fi ve chosen organic farms in the period [2007][2008]. When evaluating costs existing in individual variants of LCI growing it is necessary to say that the selection of individual machines and machine aggregations represents the most important factor of infl uencing direct costs, namely with regard to the size of organic farms and to the area of individual fi eld blocks. Under conditions of organic farms, the LCI production is also signifi cantly infl uenced also by agrotechnical (tillage) operations. As compared with conventional farms, the fi nal yield of both green fodder and grain is lower by 14-38%. Total direct costs per hectare of harvested LCI acreage ranged in case of fodder production from 9.249 CZK to 11.620 CZK per hectare. In case of grain production, the corresponding costs ranged from 8.848 to 9.970 CZK per hectare. In case of LCI, the direct costs of organic farms per unit of production of both fodder and grain consist mainly of material costs, which represent 63-76% and 61-68% of total expenses associated with production of fodder and grain, respectively. These direct costs are infl uenced also by higher prices of inputs. economic effi ciency of LCI-growing, LCI costs, LCI revenuesThe system of organic agriculture, in proportional scope and in chosen conditions, with keeping the principles of environment undamaging and the equilibrium state in organic agricultural systems, it is one of the ways that could play important part for permanent defensibility of agriculture, but with lower revenues. From the defi nition of the organic farming there especially follows that organic farming is not only simple conventional agriculture where we stop to use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. It is concerned using of the whole system of measures, such as reduction of period, when land is not covered by vegetation, by using of intercrops, by structure of crops with choice of suitable variety and their right turning in the rotation of crops; suffi cient organic fertilizers; prevention in protection against injurious agents and other grower and breeder processes, but especially responsibility of farmer and keeping of directives that organic farming abide by. It explains favourable impacts of this way of farming upon environment.Growing of legume-cereal intercropping (LCI) in organic farming represents solution of current problems in legume growing in this system of farming (Houba, 2009). It represents production...