APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE FARMLAND MANAGEMENT.

ESRC TRANSDISCIPLINARY SEMINAR SERIES

Talking soil ethics.

The conventional, the organic and the biodynamic point of view.

Ethical Production and Protection for Sustainable Farmland Management

Kostas Baginetas

Supervisors:

Prof. Charles Watkins

Dr. Richard Field

Summary of the presentation• Brief introduction• Description of the presentation

– Rationale– Methodology

• Questions & answers– Farmers’ views

• Similarities & differences

• Discussion– Emerging themes

• Conclusions– Farmers’ ethical stands

• Summary • Acknowledgements

Introduction• World’s population > 6 billion (2025, > 8 billion) (New Scientist,

2002)

• Agriculture is the prime source of food– Feed a growing population using sustainable farming methods

• Growing awareness of the need for sustainability in agriculture– “Our Common Future” (Brundtland report, 1987)

– 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit)

• Soils are crucial for life on earth:– Medium for plant growth

– Influence water cycle

– Nature’s recycling system

– Habitat for organisms

– Engineering medium

– Cultural heritage, part of the landscape

Introduction• Soil is a major resource of most agricultural ecosystems

– Farming is inextricably linked with the existence of soils

• Maintaining the quality & health of soils should be a major goal of a society trying to achieve agricultural sustainability

• Little attention paid to the views of the most important agricultural stakeholders/actors involved directly with the soil– The farmers

– What are the values they ascribe to soil• Stewards or Abusers of the soil?

• Production ethic or Stewardship ethic

• Important to understand it in order to achieve a more sustainable way of agricultural production

• Farmer’s ethics– The moral principles by which a person is guided, the rules of conduct

(Oxford English Dictionary)

Becker, 1997

Multi-dimensional nature of sustainability

Description of the presentation• Case study

– Three farming systems represented by three farmers• Conventional • Organic • Biodynamic

– Compare their views/attitudes regarding soil• Reach conclusions regarding soil ethics

• Methodology– Same education– Same farm land use– Same age & years involved in farming– Same geographical area– Different farming practices

• In a way using quantitative methods to do qualitative research!

Tress & Tress, 2001

Interactions of farmers & agricultural landscapes

Description of the presentation• Rationale

– Three farming systems – Three production ethics– Three soil ethics

Production ethicsPerceptions, views

Farming practice

Soil ethics Soil management

• Interviews– Analyse answers – Gaine insight in their perceptions & views– Understand their soil ethics and subsequent soil management

Marten, 2001

Co-adaptation of farmers & agro-ecosystems

Characteristics of the farmers• Same education

– Wye College graduates (BSc Agronomy)• Organic farmer (NFU representative, his wife Wye graduate)

• Similar age/experience– Involved in farming for 25-30 years

• Similar land use & farm management– Mixed farming

• Arable crops, dairy, beef

• Same geographical area/Spatial proximity– Their farms are in the same area

• Different way of farming– Different views, perceptions & understandings– Different attitudes to farming– Different soil management & ethics

Area of research

Area of research

N

1:50 000Biodymanic farmer

Organic farmer

Conventional farmer

The three farming systems• Conventional farming

– Mechanisation– Use of external inputs (pesticides and fertilisers) – Intensive management/increased yields

• Organic farming– No use of synthetic external inputs (pesticides and

fertilisers)– Use of cultural, biological or natural methods of pest

control and fertility

• Biodynamic farming (Rudolph Steiner, 1924)– A type of organic farming– Differs in the use of fermented preparations in compost

and as field sprays

Preparation Main ingredient Use

500 Cow manure (Bos taurus) Field spray

501 Ground silica from quartz or feldspar

Field spray

503 Chamomile blossoms

(Matricaria recucitata L.)

Compost additive

504 Stinging nettle

(Urtica dioeta L.)

Compost additive

505 Oak bark

(Quercus robur L.)

Compost additive

Preparations used in biodynamic agriculture (Steiner, 1974)

Reason for becoming a farmer• How come you decided to become a farmer?• Conventional farmer:

– “My dad was a farmer and I grew up in a farm”

• Organic farmer:– “It’s a good question. I don’t know, something I’ve

always wanted to do I suppose and neither of my parents are farming so … it just happened”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “I don’t know really, I wanted to work outside and

we lived in the country and so farming just seemed to be a natural way to do that really”

Reason for becoming a farmer

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Father’s influence

2. Growing environment influence

3. Predetermined

1. Search

2. Luck

1. Romantic motives

2. Luck

Importance of soil in farming• Focusing on soil, how important do you consider it to

be? Why?• Conventional farmer:

– “If the soil is not any good we aren’t farmers, we need the soil, yes the most important”

• Organic farmer:– “It’s the most important thing. Because without it, especially

when farming organically, without your soil being in good condition and full of humus and workable basically you might as well not bother”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Crucial, it’s absolutely, it’s the basis of, the soil and the

heavens are the, that’s, that’s what drives the whole thing in farming”

Importance of soil in farming

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Soil makes a farmer

1. Soil is farming 1. Soil is the basis of farming

Importance of soil in comparison• Compared to other resources used in farming, how

important do you think soil is? Why?• Conventional farmer:

– “The most important. If you haven’t got the soil you can’t farm, can you? I can farm without pesticides but I can’t farm without soil, so I would say the most important”

• Organic farmer:– “Probably the most important, we don’t use any fertiliser, I can’t,

you know if it’s knackered I can’t suddenly go and buy a bag of fertiliser and stick it on to make the crops grow, so it’s vitally important when you are farming”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “It’s much more important than everything else. I mean the farmer

is also important and the farmer’s wife but looking after the soil is, is really and the animals you know, those are the two most important things on the farm”

Importance of soil in comparison

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. The most important resource

1. The most important resource

1. The most important resource

The term “soil quality”• Scientists use the term “soil quality”. What does it

mean to you?• Conventional farmer:

– “The ability of the soil to grow crops, the size of the crops it can grow, the better quality the better yields”

• Organic farmer:– “Probably the nitrogen content, clay content of the soil, loam basis,

it’s micro flora, micro fauna content, how easily workable it is, sort of humus content and that’s about it”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Primarily I would say a good quality soil is a very lively soil, it got

plenty of humus in it, plenty of organic matter and everything is, lots of worms, everything is moving, it’s a dynamic, it’s not, it’s not fixed, it’s always changing and it’s never going to be, it;’s always going up or down, it’s not, it’s not stationary”

The term “soil quality”

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Production & big yields (big monetary returns)

1. Mostly physical properties (leading to good crops)

1. Mostly biological properties (more than production, ecological understanding, dynamic equilibrium theory!)

The term “soil health”• Scientists use the term “soil health”. What does it

mean to you?• Conventional farmer:

– “Well, that’s not the soil’s potential but the soil’s, quality is down to it’s potential, soil health is down to the way we treat it, if it’s looked after properly it will be healthy, I think, yeah”

• Organic farmer:– “Soil health would mean sort of how many living things are in it, I

suppose, yeah, how many earthworms etc., what sort of bigger flora and fauna is in it”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Well I think you can only probably measure it from looking at the

plants growing there, the plants are the indicator of whether the soil is healthy or not and they will soon tell you. You don’t need any fancy laboratory to tell you whether the soil is healthy, you just need the plants growing there”

The term “soil health”

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Confusion (seen during interview)

1. Identified with biological properties

1. Healthy plants reflect the health of the soil

Use of term• If you wanted to describe a soil what term would you

use?• Conventional farmer:

– “Fertility is one I use, soil fertility yeah, … but health or quality is all the same thing”

• Organic farmer:– “I’d probably use the soil quality one just cause that’s the one

that’s sort of more easily used around. But thinking about it soil health is more important to me and it would be better”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Soil health probably, yeah, because it’s a bit more, it, it probably

tells you more at the end of the day by looking at the plants you can get a broader picture of the soil”

Use of term

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Fertility (leading to production)

1. Soil quality(Confusion, affected by what the other farmers use, isolation)

1. Soil health (plants matter a lot but as plants or as production factory?)

The good soil• In your opinion, what makes a good soil?• Conventional farmer:

– “Free draining, a good loamy soil … a good cross section of all different types mixed together I would think”

• Organic farmer:– “One that breaks down easily to start with … one with plenty of

humus in it and with good structure … not too clayey and one that grows good crops”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Drainage, it’s very important … a whole list of things really,

livestock, very important, I don’t think you can have a good soil without animals, rotation, a balanced rotation that doesn’t always take, take, take, you need some legumes … and then it’s water holding capacity, humus content, organic matter, earthworms, bacteria and fungi”

The good soil

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Physical properties (so they can cultivate it)

1. Physical and chemical properties

1. Physical, chemical and biological properties (more holistic)

The bad soil

• In your opinion, what makes a bad soil?• Conventional farmer:

– “Wet, cold, poorly drained”

• Organic farmer:– “A very heavy clay … that sits and looks at you … a

difficult soil, … also perhaps a very sandy one, … one that is sort of structureless, no microbacteria, yeah dead”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “No livestock, no worms, artificial fertilisers,

compaction, poor rotation”

The bad soil

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Physical properties (difficult to cultivate it)

1. Physical and biological properties (difficult to cultivate it)

1. Physical, chemical and biological properties (referring mostly to the state of the soil not to the cultivation of it)

Assessing a soil

• How can you understand if a soil is good or bad?

• Conventional farmer:– “I kick it, pick it up, I mean you can see the potential, roll

it in your hands”

• Organic farmer:– “By what the soil grows and how, what happens when you

plough and cultivate it … so yeah it’s sort of practical”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “By looking at the plants, I think the plants tells you pretty

much ”

Assessing a soil

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Physical properties/signs (hands on, trust what they see)

1. Physical/visible signs and by the quality of the plants grown

1. The state of the plants

Comparing farming practices• Focusing on soil, do you think that conventional

farming improves it or deteriorates it?• Conventional farmer:

– “Improves it, it’s got to do it, you feed it for what the crop doesn’t get and … of course it does, of course it does”

• Organic farmer:– “Generally deteriorates it … simply because they use poor rotations,

mostly is cereal based … there is no grass there, nothing to improve the soil structure … so when it rains all the soil runs down the drains”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Well, if it’s an all arable situation then I would say it’s going to

deteriorate … it cannot go on”

Comparing farming practices

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. Improves it (use of fertilisers)

1. Deteriorates it (interested in yields not soil management)

1. Depends on the management used

Comparing farming practices• Do you think that the soil in organic farms is better

than the soil in conventional farms?• Conventional farmer:

– “No, often not, no reason to think that it is at all, if it was better you would grow bigger corps wouldn't you, you don’t get half the crop, it’s like if you feed an animal well it grows well, healthy animal, give it half the food and it’s stunted, what’s the difference?”

• Organic farmer:– “Undoubtedly. Simply because we use rotations … there’s hardly

any part of this farm that it’s bare, it all has green manure growing on it … we are trying to return as much back to the soil to meet actually what we take out”

• Biodynamic farmer:– “Yeah. But it depends on the farmer … I‘m sure you can find

conventional farms where the soil is better than on some organic farms, if they are really concerned about the soil … it’s not black and white ”

Comparing farming practices

Conventional Organic Biodynamic

1. It’s worse (no use of fertilisers so reduced yields)

1. Undoubtedly (use of rotations for fertilisation)

1. It depends on the farmer

Conclusions• Possible influence of family and growing up environment

– Conventional• Narrow-minded• Predetermined future, somebody else decides

– Stressed during interview

– Organic• Open-minded

– Searching for something» More relaxed during interview

– Biodynamic• Open-minded

– Being close to nature» Very relaxed during interview

• The importance of soil– All agree

• Soil is farming• Without soil they wouldn’t be farmers

Conclusions• Importance of soil in comparison

– All agree– Soil is the most important resource in a farm

• You can’t farm without soil but you can farm without fertilisers

• Soil quality– Conventional

• Unexpected question, confusion• Equals yields (production oriented)

– Organic• Slightly confused• Physical, chemical and biological properties• Broader view

– Biodynamic• All properties but a sense of deeper understanding (more in depth)• It’s more than just producing (had thought about it!)

Conclusions• Soil health

– Conventional• Unexpected question, more confused

– OrganicRelated with the organisms in the soil (more consideration of biodiversity)

– Biodynamic• Related with the health of the plants

• Use of term– Conventional

• Fertility-Production oriented

– Organic• Externally influenced, against his views, feeling of belonging

– Biodynamic• Biologically influenced

Conclusions• Good soil

– Conventional• Physical conditions, easy to cultivate

– Organic• Physical & chemical conditions, help grow good crops

– Biodynamic• Chemical & biological conditions

• Bad soil– Conventional

• Physical properties, related to production

– Organic• Physical & biological properties

– Biodynamic• Chemical & biological properties

Conclusions• Assessing a soil

– Conventional• Physical, tangible signs, hands on, in the field

– Organic• During cultivation, in the field, plant growth, yields

– Biodynamic• State of the plants

• Comparing farming practices– Conventional

• Improves it, use of fertilisers (what a stupid question?!)

– Organic• Deteriorates it, poor rotations (feeling of threat)

– Biodynamic• It depends (not a polemic view, more thoughtful)

Conclusions

• Comparing farming practices– Conventional

• Worse, no use of fertilisers (everybody knows this!)

– Organic• Undoubtedly better, use of rotations (fight back)

– Biodynamic• It depends on the farmer

Summary• Three soil management ethics

– Similarities & differences– Acknowledgment of the importance of soil

• But for production (abusers)

• Or for farmer’s existence (stewards)

– Based on the physical, tangible that can be seen signs in order to “understand” soil

• Limited insights

– A polemic stance towards the other farming practices – Influences on their perceptions

• Father, education, fellow farmers

Acknowledgements

• The University of Nottingham Research Scholarships, School of Geography

• Supervisors

• Farmers