Resource use efficiency in agriculture

Wit, C.T. de

doi:10.1016/0308-521x(92)90018-j

Cited by 328 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

127

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…All production factors have to be in balance to assure high resource-use efficiency, and hence, high economic return on investments and low losses to the environment (de Wit 1992). This emphasises the importance of 'management', i.e.…”

Section: Discussion and Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the intensification of animal production along the trajectories discussed in Fig. 3, an increasing number of inputs gradually lose their variable character (de Wit 1992).…”

Section: Driving Forces and Biophysical Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidently, the decrease in marginal returns with an increase in resource input, as predicted by the law of diminishing returns, is compensated by the benefits of other technological changes when the system is changed (de Wit 1992). Resources are used more efficiently with increasing yield level, due to further optimisation of production conditions according to 'the law of the optimum ' (de Wit 1992). This is a strong internal driving force for intensification.…”

Section: Driving Forces and Biophysical Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Oenema

Klein

Alfaro³

2014

Crop Pasture Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The increasing demand for safe and nutritional dairy and beef products in a globalising world, together with the needs to increase resource use efficiency and to protect biodiversity, provide strong incentives for intensification of grassland and forage use. This paper addresses the question: 'Does intensification of grassland and forage use lead to efficient, profitable and sustainable ecosystems?' We present some notions about intensification of agricultural production, and then discuss the intensification of grassland-based dairy production in The Netherlands, Chile and New Zealand. Finally, we arrive at some conclusions.External driving forces and the need to economise (the law of the optimum) provide strong incentives for intensification, that is, for increasing the output per unit surface area and labour. The three country cases illustrate that intensification of grassland use is a global phenomenon, with winners and losers. Winners are farmers who are able to achieve a high return on investments. Losers are small farmers who drop out of the business unless they broaden their income base. The relationship between intensification and environmental impact is complex. Within certain ranges, intensification leads to increased emissions of nutrients and greenhouse gases to air and use of water per unit surface area, but to decreased emissions when expressed per unit of product. The sustainability of a grassland-based ecosystem is ultimately defined by the societal appreciation of that system and by biophysical and socioeconomic constraints.In conclusion, intensification may lead to more efficient and profitable and, thereby, more sustainable grassland ecosystems. This holds especially for those systems that are currently not sustainable because they are either underutilised and of low productivity or over-exploited and unregulated, and as long as the adapted systems meet societal and ecological constraints.

show abstract

Section: Discussion and Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the intensification of animal production along the trajectories discussed in Fig. 3, an increasing number of inputs gradually lose their variable character (de Wit 1992).…”

Section: Driving Forces and Biophysical Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Driving Forces and Biophysical Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Oenema

Klein

Alfaro³

2014

Crop Pasture Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Yields and above-ground biomass of maize did not show any signs of flattening off with increasing nutrient uptake, and regression analysis showed that a quadratic component was never significant for the relation between uptake and biomass production. This suggests that resource use was still in the lower, linear part of the response curve, thus well below attainable yield (de Wit 1992). Roselle biomass varied between 0.01 and 5.55 Mg ha -1 , with calyx yields varying between 2 and 467 kg ha -1 .…”

Section: Nutrient Uptake and Crop Yieldmentioning

confidence: 98%

Diagnosis for ecological intensification of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Costa Chica, Mexico

Flores-Sánchez

Koerkamp-Rabelista

Garza

et al. 2011

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Enhanced utilization of ecological processes for food and feed production as part of the notion of ecological intensification starts from location-specific knowledge of production constraints. A diagnostic systems approach which combined socialeconomic and production ecological methods at farm and field level was developed and applied to diagnose extent and causes of the perceived low productivity of maize-based smallholder systems in two communities of the Costa Chica in South West Mexico. Socialeconomic and production ecological surveys were applied and complemented with model-based calculations. The results demonstrated that current nutrient management of crops has promoted nutrition imbalances, resulting in K-and, less surprisingly N-limited production conditions, reflected in low yields of the major crops maize and roselle and low resource use efficiencies. Production on moderate to steep slopes was estimated to result in considerable losses of soil and organic matter. Poor crop production, lack of specific animal fodder production systems and strong dependence on animal grazing within communal areas limited recycling of nutrients through manure. In combination with low prices for the roselle cash crop, farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of cash shortage and resource decline. The production ecological findings complemented farmers opinions by providing more insight in background and extent of livelihood constraints. Changing fertilizer subsidies and rethinking animal fodder production as well as use of communal lands requires targeting both formal and informal governance structures. The methodology has broader applicability in smallholder systems in view of its low demand on capital intensive resources.

show abstract

“…The challenge is to achieve both efficient and low-polluting cropping systems, because intensive practices involving irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide use may be more damaging locally, even if large-scale resource-use efficiency is enhanced (de Wit 1992). Reconciling these concerns remains an open issue in developing performance standards for sustainable production, and is an essential objective for adaptive agricultural research.…”

Section: Evaluating Agricultural Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Can feedstock production for biofuels be sustainable in California?

Kaffka¹

2008

Cal Ag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resource use efficiency in agriculture

Cited by 328 publications

References 8 publications

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints

Diagnosis for ecological intensification of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Costa Chica, Mexico

Can feedstock production for biofuels be sustainable in California?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About