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A comparative study of farm nutrient budgets and nutrients flows of certified organic and non-organic farms in China, Brazil and Egypt

Oelofse, Myles; Høgh-Jensen, Henning; de Abreu, L.S.; de Almeira, G.F.; Hui, Q.Y. and de Neergaard, Andreas (2010) A comparative study of farm nutrient budgets and nutrients flows of certified organic and non-organic farms in China, Brazil and Egypt. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 87, pp. 455-470.

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Summary

Increased demand for certified organic products has led to an increase in the number of certified organic farms in developing countries. Knowledge of farmer nutrient management practices on certified organic farms in developing countries is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the adoption of certified organic agriculture on farm nutrient flows and nutrient budgets, and evaluate to which degree organic farms comply with organic principles relating to nutrient
management. The study is based on five case studies of different types of certified organic farming systems in Brazil, Egypt and China. Farm nutrient flows and nutrient budgets for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium were created for each farm. Four of the five organic systems studied had nutrient surpluses on the farm budget. The surpluses were of varying magnitude. The main difference between organic and nonorganic farm nutrient flows was the replacement of mineral fertilizers with organic inputs. However, the magnitude of nutrient flows were generally similar for organic and non-organic farms. Certified organic farms with positive nutrient budgets had a heavy reliance on external inputs. Continued high dependence on an external supply of nutrients, which typically originate from mineral sources, poses a significant challenge to organic farmers’ fulfilment of the principles of organic agriculture.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:nutrient management, nutrient budget, farming systems analysis
Subjects: Farming Systems > Farm nutrient management
Research affiliation: Denmark > DARCOF III (2005-2010) > GLOBALORG - Sustainability of organic farming in a global food chains perspective
Brazil > Embrapa - Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
China
Denmark > AU - Aarhus University > AU, NERI - National Environmental Research Institute
Egypt
Deposited By: Jensen, Dr Henning Høgh
ID Code:18298
Deposited On:11 Feb 2011 13:08
Last Modified:29 Mar 2011 09:12
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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