Field-breeding birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

Kragten, Steven; Snoo, G.R. de

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2008.02.006

Cited by 36 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…found an effect of organic farming that to a large extent was explained by differences in hedgerow quality. Other studies have failed to find overall differences in abundance or species richness between organic and conventional farms (Piha et al 2007;Kragten and de Snoo 2008;Filippi-Codaccioni et al 2009). Our study shows that, when matching for structural components related to differential uptake of organic farming in relation to landscape structure, at least in some landscapes farming practice per se, affects the species richness of birds.…”

Section: Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Consequences of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity for species richness and abundance of farmland birds

et al. 2010

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It has been suggested that organic farming may benefit farmland biodiversity more in landscapes that have lost a significant part of its former landscape heterogeneity. We tested this hypothesis by comparing bird species richness and abundance during the breeding season in organic and conventional farms, matched to eliminate all differences not directly linked to the farming practice, situated in either homogeneous plains with only a little semi-natural habitat or in heterogeneous farmland landscapes with abundant field borders and semi-natural grasslands. The effect of farm management on species richness interacted with landscape structure, such that there was a positive relationship between organic farming and diversity only in homogeneous landscapes. This pattern was mainly dependent on the species richness of passerine birds, in particular those that were invertebrate feeders. Species richness of non-passerines was positively related to organic farming independent of the landscape context. Bird abundance was positively related to landscape heterogeneity but not to farm management. This was mainly because the abundance of passerines, particularly invertebrate feeders, was positively related to landscape heterogeneity. We suggest that invertebrate feeders particularly benefit from organic farming because of improved foraging conditions through increased invertebrate abundances in otherwise depauperate homogeneous landscapes. Although many seed-eaters also benefit from increased insect abundance, they may also utilize crop seed resources in homogeneous landscapes and conventional farms. The occurrence of an interactive effect of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity on bird diversity will have consequences for the optimal allocation of resources to restore the diversity of farmland birds.

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Section: Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The limited number of existing evaluation of the effect of organic farming on birds has produced variable results (e.g., Beecher et al 2002;Belfrage et al 2005;Piha et al 2007; Kragten and de Snoo 2008;Filippi-Codaccioni et al 2009). This may partly be the result of varying designs of the studies; i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Consequences of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity for species richness and abundance of farmland birds

et al. 2010

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“…Organic farms grew more spring cereals than conventional farms and also grew a large variety of crop types. Relatively more potatoes, sugar beet and winter cereals were grown on conventional farms (see also Kragten and de Snoo 2008). Organic farms had somewhat more non-crop habitat compared to conventional farms (4.4 vs. 3.6%, respectively, of farm area), but this difference was not significant (Wilcoxon Z = 1.717, NS).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Breeding Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

2009

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“…The higher biodiversity applies to different taxonomic groups, including micro-organisms, earthworms, weeds and wild flowers, insects, mammals and birds (13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) . In regions where the number of organic farms increased, the diversity and abundance of bees grew considerably, which contributed to the pollination of crops and wild plants over larger areas (23) .…”

Section: The Concept Of Organic Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of organic food production: challenges and innovations

Niggli

2014

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

100

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The greatest challenge for agriculture is to reduce the trade-offs between productivity and long-term sustainability. Therefore, it is interesting to analyse organic agriculture which is a given set of farm practices that emphasise ecological sustainability. Organic agriculture can be characterised as being less driven by off-farm inputs and being better embedded in ecosystem functions. The literature on public goods and non-commodity outputs of organic farms is overwhelming. Most publications address the positive effects of organic farming on soil fertility, biodiversity maintenance and protection of the natural resources of soil, water and air. As a consequence of focusing on public goods, organic agriculture is less productive. Meta-analyses show that organic agriculture yields range between 0·75 and 0·8 of conventional agriculture. Best practice examples from disadvantaged sites and climate conditions show equal or, in the case of subsistence farming in Sub-Saharan Africa, higher productivity of organic agriculture. Hence, organic agriculture is likely to be a good model for productive and sustainable food production. Underfunding in R&D addressing specific bottlenecks of organic agriculture are the main cause for both crop and livestock yield gaps. Therefore, the potential for improving the performance of organic agriculture through agricultural research is huge. Although organic farming is a niche in most countries, it is at the verge of becoming mainstream in leading European countries. Consumer demand has grown over the past two decades and does not seem to be a limiting factor for the future development of organic agriculture.

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Field-breeding birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

Cited by 36 publications

References 17 publications

Consequences of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity for species richness and abundance of farmland birds

Consequences of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity for species richness and abundance of farmland birds

Breeding Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

Sustainability of organic food production: challenges and innovations

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