Presentatie gehouden voor de IAC cursus Agriculture in Transition met als titel "Towards sustainability: Nutrient cycles, farmer initiatives, and local markets"

1. Working on sustainable agriculure
with “common sence”
initiatives to reduce nutrient losses, global warming
and food miles
Frank Verhoeven, Msc.

2. Personal Introduction
Studied Animal production (specialized in animal nutrition)

Worked for the Social Sciences Department of Wageningen

University for 7 years
Coordinated projects on: rural development, environmental

problems, farmers innovations and experimental knowledge
All projects in close cooperation with farmers, government

officials, extension services, industry, etc.
Coordinated parts of the Wageningen 5th of may festival from

1998 - 2003
2004: expert mission to Nicaragua (improving quality of milk by

knowledge exchange)
2005: start “Boerenverstand Consultancy” (farmers knowledge)

2008: joined ETC  sustainable dairy farming projects NL

2008: start new business: box with local products

 www.boerenverstand.org

3. Maximizing agricultural production and
profits

4. Negative Results
animal welfare
loss of biodiversity
Climate change
environmental problems
diseases
1940 1960 1980 2000
Increase of food miles
decrease no. farms
increase of scale, intensification and specialisation

5. Environmental Problems:
• Due to extreme intensive farming: too much animal
manure and artificial fertilizer was applied.
• High levels of ammonia votalisation
• 100- 300 kg N too much per ha on grasslands.
• Nitrate leaching to ground and surface water.
• Government made strict regulations: reduction of N
input and obligatory use of “slit injection”
• Majority of the farmers thought it was impossible.

6. Klara 34

7. Klara 34 Methane (CH4)
Artificial fertilizer
225 kg N/ha
N2
manure: concentrate:
123,6 kg soy, grain,etc.
N/year 1 acre here +
1 acre some-
11.503 kg milk/year where else
3,80 % fat 3,40 % protein
22 urea
The optimal cow, the optimal fertilization, the optimal grassland.

8. but we forget….Klara 34 is grazing here
Conflicts with nature- and landscape

9. or here…
Conflicts with water quality

10. or here…
Bolivia

12. MOVIE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxWmOmrdD8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eduurzaamboerb
lijven%2Enl%2F&feature=player_embedded

13. Case study: Northern Frisian Woodlands

14. Regulation: less artificial fertilizer and the use
of slit injection

15. Reducing ammonia volatilization

16. Reducing ammonia volatilization
Theory
Farming
practice

17. Small percels, slit injection needed
bigger machines and application was not
done anymore by farmer themself!

18. Group of farmers started an environmental co-operative
42 15
27
17
38 7
44
50 33
45 13
53
28 12 9
59
23
56
8
2
46 49
20 51
34
55 57 39 18
16
60
22 29
41 54 30
47 43
40 19
3
21
6 24 5
4 10
58 25
26 1 31
14 52
11 36
37
35 48
32

19. “I apply less artificial fertilizer than the
extension services tell me to do. My soil
is more fertile because for all these
years I’ve used improved animal
manure. My cows produce the optimum
amount of milk and not the maximum.
Overall it costs me less and my crops
and animals are more resistant against
diseases”

20. Different Approach
• Within this group some (older) farmers had
ideas about reducing N inputs:
– Working on better manure quality
– Aplying manure “above soil”
– Aplying less artificial fertilizer and only when needed
– Stimulating soil life, working on soil Organic Matter
– Different soil application (less ploughing)
• Researchers and policy makers got involved.
• Ideas (or reccomendations) of the farmers
differed from the (models of the) researchers.
• Technical solutions (machines, sheds) vs natural

21. Promising Farming Systems
1997
20%
1997
% los productores
18%
% farms
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
<120 120- 140- 160- 180- 200- 220- 240- 260- 280- 300- 320- >340
140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340
--> kg N/ha from artificial fertilizer

22. Promising Farming Systems: Hoeksma’s farm
Importance of the soil, soilmanagement: ploughing, seeding, fertilization, etc.

23. Promising Farming Systems: Hoeksma’s farm
DRY MATTER YIELD
FERTILIZER

24. Project results
25%
1997
2002
% los productores
20%
% farms
15%
10%
5%
0%
<120 120- 140- 160- 180- 200- 220- 240- 260- 280- 300- 320- >340
140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340
--> kg N/ha from artificial fertilizer

25. Results dissemination of (new) knowledge
 Very quick
A practical advice was made for the application of

fertilizer, specific for the region and type of soil
Research (re)discovered the role of soil biology, the

importance of organic matter and the quality of
animal manure.
Feeding for good manure was made possible/

stimulated by new regulation

26. pauze

27. Analysing: What went wrong?
reductionistic approach
optimum: 300 kg
nitrogen (N) per
hectare on sandy
grassland soils
other factors determine the
optimal amount of kg N/ha
on the level of the farm:
optimum 150 kg N

28. Relation with artificial fertilizer
Netto kVEM intake by cows/ha
14000
12000
10000
R2 = 0!
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Artificial fertilizer kg N/ha

29. Why this happened?
• Models were made within the “regime” of
maximization of production (in each situation
there has to be enough fertilizer).
• Extension and agri-business (supported by the
government) followed the recommendations.
• The model was only adjusted, but context
totally changed.
• Farmers knowledge was not taken into
account.

31. The issue of Global warming
methane CH4= 21 x CO2
The cycle on the farm:
switch between the
local and the global !

33. Calculating N and P efficiency
CONCENTRATE
MILK + MEAT
47- 273 ANIMAL EFF.
50 - 95
10-24%
80 %
15-50%
FARM EFF.
MANURE
ROUGHAGE kg N/ha 252 - 468
196 - 398
35-70%
LOSSES SOIL EFF.
168 - 439
kg N/ha
114 - 369
ARTIFICIAL
MANURE

34. N, P and C Balance
MINERAL BALANS
IMPORT EXPORT
CONCENTRATE MILK
ROUGHAGE MEAT
FERTILIZER
SURPLUSS

35. NH3 emission ↑
IMPORTED FEED
NN P
PC
CH4 emission ↑
NPC NP
NPC
MILK AND MEET EXPORTED
efficiency
ANIMAL
MANURE
NP
NPC
efficiency
FARM
HOMEGROWN FEED
N emission ↑
NPC
NP
N2 emission ↑
efficiency
SOIL
NO3 losses ↓ P fixation – IMPORTED (ARTIFICIAL) MANURE
C balans/Organic Matter
NN P
PC

36. Calculating ammount of “homngrown feed”
manure
imported feed
homngrown feed
Calculated as:
Energy need livestock
milk and meet
- Energy imported feed
= Energy homngrown feed

37. Who are the farmers/farming systems with the
highest production of their own land?
???
Difference: 5000 kg Dry Matter/ha!

38. Promising Farming Systems: Hoeksma’s farm
DRY MATTER YIELD
FERTILIZER

39. Characteristics of Innovating Farmers
• Stubborn
• Curious
• Extensive social network
• Open for new knowledge
• Travel a lot
• Are inspired by other sectors
• Experiment on their own farm
They reach excellent results and their innovations are
promising for the sector as a whole!

40. Change of the agriculture?!
(transition)
Change of thinking, rules, “new knowledge”, etc.
(system innovation)
Exchange of knowledge
Farmer innovations

41. Creating (and facilitating)
learning networks
extension
dienstverleners
farmers
industry organisation
sectororganisaties
agro-bedrijfsleven
farmers
boeren
??
??
onderzoekers
researchers
policy makers
beleidsmakers
maatschappelijke
local authorities
organisaties

42. Lessons
Innovating farmers have integrated knowledge

which can be very helpful for
dissemination, research and policy.
There is not a unique optimal model of

farming, there are often many ways to reach a goal.
Collect (basic) data and make (simple) analysis to:

find innovating farmers; show differences and
extract patterns.
Combine farmers knowledge with scientific

knowledge.
Create “learning networks”


43. Lessons
Do not use 1 example farm (each has is own

example)
Make (simple) analysis to:

- find innovating farmers;
- show differences between farmers in a region;
- for learning purposes;
- to extract patterns.

44. Questions?
What can you do in your work
to involve/make use of
innovating farmers?

45. Farmers Box

46. Farmers Box