Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
where Maize = 1 for continuous maize cropping and 0 otherwise; Old = 1 for old
grassland and 0 otherwise; and GWC describes groundwater levels with value 1 for
class V and 0 otherwise.
Thus, organic matter contents of a given genoform are predicted as a function
of past management based on field data. Additionally, the phenoform approach
provided farmers with a more holistic view on soil functioning as compared with
standard chemical soil analyses. Up until 2000, soil samples for acquiring fertilizer
guidelines were taken from the upper 0-5 cm of the soil, which increased to 0-10 cm
from 2000 onward, although topsoil depth for Gleyic Podzols is always 30 cm at
a minimum. More important, the Gleyic prefix of the genoform indicates shallow
groundwater, which has a major effect on plant growth by upward capillary flow of
water that is, of course, not expressed by the chemical analyses of surface soil. Six of
the seven ecosystem services, with the exception of providing raw materials, there-
fore had a positive value, thus contributing to soil security. But how about the future?
A group of farmers was not yet satisfied, and they proceeded to refine management
to a form of cradle-to-cradle dairy farming, further reducing the amount of chemi-
cal fertilizers, increasing organic manuring, and restricting input from outside feed
sources and contractors. They were generally more extensive and smaller in size, as
compared with other conventional dairy farms in the region. The proportion of arable
crops on the farm (silage maize) was significantly lower and farmers were reluctant to
apply grassland renovation since this has a negative impact on soil organic matter con-
tents. Application of a life cycle analysis showed that they significantly increased the
organic matter content of the soil as compared with comparable farms on sandy soils,
thereby increasing the biomass production potential, the filtering capacity of the soil,
and its biodiversity (ecosystem services 1, 2, and 3). Energy use was reduced, while
the specific character of the landscape was maintained, supporting services 4 and 7
(Dolman et al. 2013). Looking at the future, soil security was not only maintained
here, but it is being improved significantly. Note that farmers were the driving force
in pursuing these developments, in close cooperation with soil scientists, illustrating
a favorable modern tendency for participatory approaches and joint learning.
2.4 MESSAGE FROM DUTCH FARMERS TO
SMALLHOLDERS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Farmers in both National Landscapes in the Netherlands, discussed here, do not
qualify as smallholders as distinguished in developing countries, as their farms have
an average size of approximately 50 ha. Only one hundred years ago, farm sizes
in the Netherlands were as small as they are now in many developing countries.
Industrial development and growth of cities providing employment to former agri-
cultural workers has allowed farms to increase in size, making them commercially
viable. The same development is likely in developing countries; however, sufficient
time should be allowed to transform existing socioeconomic and institutional con-
ditions. The farmers in the two Dutch case studies perform important services to
society that go way beyond producing food and fiber (ecosystem service 1). They
also have a message for farmers in developing countries by showing that modern
agricultural development does not necessarily imply the exclusive need to establish
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