Multi-scale system approaches in agronomic research at the landscape level

Veldkamp, A.; Kok, Kasper; Koning, G.H.J. de; Schoorl, J.M.; Sonneveld, M.P.W.; Verburg, Peter H.

doi:10.1016/s0167-1987(00)00163-x

Cited by 77 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…One is related to the process through which farmers decide to sow one crop or another in a specific location. This is a complex process that is not only governed by the factors determining the biophysical land suitability, but it could depend on multiple drivers that should be considered under a spatial multi-scale analysis approach (Veldkamp et al, 2001;Verdoodt and van Ranst, 2006). In addition to biophysical constrains (soil salinity and sodicity, limitations of irrigation water in some years or rotational requirements in particular), farmers' decisions in the study area are influenced by CAP subsidies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, although it is widely accepted that farmers are the best experts at understanding local environments, their decisions are strongly influenced by a range of factors such as market demands, prices or subsidies in addition to the biophysical suitability of the land for specific uses (Veldkamp et al, 2001;Bontkes and Keulen, 2003;Ambrosio Flores et al, 2008). This means that land uses are often not in agreement with land suitability (fitness of a given type of land for a specified kind of crop or land use; FAO, 1976).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison between land suitability and actual crop distribution in an irrigation district of the Ebro valley (Spain)

Martínez‐Casasnovas¹,

Klaasse²,

Nogues³

et al. 2008

Span. j. agric. res.

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The present research aims to obtain a better insight into the agreement between land evaluation results and actual crop spatial distribution by comparing biophysical land suitability with different crop frequency parameters and with crop rotations derived from multi-year crop maps. The research was carried out in the Flumen district (33,000 ha), which is located in the Ebro Valley (northeast Spain). Land evaluation was based on a 1:100,000 soil survey according to the FAO framework for the main crops in the study area (alfalfa, winter cereals, maize, rice and sunflower). Three crop frequency maps and a crop rotation map, derived from a time-series of Landsat TM and ETM+ images of the period 1993-2000 were used for comparison with land suitability maps. The relationships between the two types of variables were analyzed by means of statistical tests (Pearson chi-square (χ 2 ), Cramer´s V, Gamma and Somers´ D). The results show the existence of a significant (P=0.001) relationship between crops' location and land suitability, except for opportunist crops as sunflower, which is very much influenced by subsidies in the study period. The alfalfa-based rotations show the highest distribution percentages (52%) on the land most suitable for agriculture in the area. The present multitemporal analysis approach offers a more realistic insight than the comparison between a land evaluation map and static year crop map in assessing the degree of agreement of land evaluation recommendations with crops actually cultivated by farmers.Additional key words: biophysical land suitability, crop rotation, land evaluation. ResumenComparación entre la aptitud de las tierras y distribución real de los cultivos en un distrito de riego del valle del Ebro (España)El objetivo de la presente investigación fue analizar la correspondencia entre los resultados de una evaluación de tierras con la distribución real de los cultivos. Para ello la aptitud biofísica de las tierras se comparó con diferentes tipologías de frecuencia de ocurrencia de los cultivos y rotaciones derivadas de mapas de cultivos multitemporales. La investigación fue llevada a cabo en el distrito de riego de Flumen (33.000 ha), localizado en el valle del Ebro (NE España). La evaluación de tierras se basó en una cartografía de suelos 1:100.000, según el esquema FAO, para los principales cultivos presentes en el área de estudio (alfalfa, cereales de invierno, maíz, arroz y girasol). Se utilizaron tres mapas de frecuencia de cultivos y un mapa de rotaciones, derivado de una serie temporal de imágenes Landsat TM y ETM+ del periodo 1993-2000, y se compararon con los mapas de aptitud de tierras para los diferentes cultivos. Se analizó estadísticamente (Pearson χ 2 , Cramer V, Gamma y Somers D) la relación entre los dos tipos de variables. Los resultados muestran la existencia de una relación significativa (P=0,001) entre la localización de los cultivos y la idoneidad de las tierras, excepto de cultivos oportunistas como el girasol, muy influenciado por las subvenciones en el p...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison between land suitability and actual crop distribution in an irrigation district of the Ebro valley (Spain)

Martínez‐Casasnovas¹,

Klaasse²,

Nogues³

et al. 2008

Span. j. agric. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Zones of Use is a concentric model of land use planning intended to maximize farm labor productivity, by siting land uses that require frequent management or use closer to the home or other centers of activity (Mollison and Holmgren 1978;Mollison 1988 These principles of agroecosystem configuration, while lacking an explicit parallel discussion in the scientific literature, appear reasonably well supported by existing science. This lack of consideration of spatial relationships in agronomy has been noted by many authors (Cavazza 1996;Veldkamp et al 2001;Hatfield 2007;Osty 2008;cited in Benoit et al 2012). Configuration is a nevertheless an implicit issue for land use functions that depend on spatial and topographic relationships, including windbreaks, runoff filtration, habitat provision, nitrogen fixation in polycropping (Ajayi 1987;Fujita et al 1992), contour cultivation (Tacio 1993;Bunch 2002), and soil and water conservation.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 96%

Permaculture for agroecology: design, movement, practice, and worldview. A review

Ferguson

Lovell

2013

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

183

144

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Agroecology is a promising alternative to industrial agriculture, with the potential to avoid the negative social and ecological consequences of input-intensive production. Transitioning to agroecological production is, however, a complex project that requires diverse contributions from the outside of scientific institutions. Agroecologists therefore collaborate with traditional producers and agroecological movements. Permaculture is one such agroecological movement, with a broad international distribution and a unique approach to system design. Despite a high public profile, permaculture has remained relatively isolated from scientific research. Though the potential contribution of permaculture to agroecological transition is great, it is limited by this isolation from science, as well as from oversimplifying claims, and the lack of a clear definition. Here, we review scientific and popular permaculture literature. A systematic review discusses quantitative bibliometric data, including keyword analysis. A qualitative review identifies and assesses major themes, proposals, and claims. The manuscript follows a stratified definition of permaculture as design system, best practice framework, worldview, and movement. The major points of our analysis are as follows: (1) Principles and topics largely complement and even extend principles and topics found in the agroecological literature. (2) Distinctive approaches to perennial polyculture, water management, and the importance of agroecosystem configuration exceed what is documented in the scientific literature and thus suggest promising avenues of inquiry. (3) Discussions of practice consistently underplay the complexity, challenges, and risks that producers face in developing diversified and integrated production systems. (4) The movement is mobilizing diverse forms of social support for sustainability, in geographically diverse locations. (5) And scholarship in permaculture has always been a diverse marginal sector, but is growing.

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“…The present study, as part of this project, addresses the characterization and mapping of the spatial variability of these metals. The characterization of the spatial variability of soil attributes is essential to achieve a better understanding of the complex relations between soil properties, environmental factors and land use (Veldkamp et al, 2001;Yemefack et al, 2005). The problems associated with the characterization of heavy metals in the majority of sites are often due to multiple sources of pollution (Serrano et al, 1984;Boluda et al, 1988;Hanesch et al, 2001;Zarcinas et al, 2004) which can act on different scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale analysis of heavy metal contents in Spanish agricultural topsoils

Rodríguez¹,

Nanos

Grau³

et al. 2008

Chemosphere

202

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This study characterized and mapped the spatial variability patterns of seven topsoil heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu, Zn, Hg and Cd) within the Ebro river basin (9.3 million ha) by Multivariate Factorial Kriging. The variograms and cross-variograms of heavy metal concentrations showed the presence of multiscale variation that was modeled using three variogram models with ranges of 20 km (short-range), 100 km (medium-range) and 225 km (long-range). Our results indicate that the heavy metal concentration is influenced by bedrock composition and dynamics at all the spatial scales, while human activities have a notorious effect only at the short-and medium-range scale of variation. Sources of Cu, Pb and Zn (and secondary Cd) are associated with agricultural practices (at the short-range scale of variation), whereas Hg variation at the short-and medium-range scale of variation is related to atmospheric deposition.

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Multi-scale system approaches in agronomic research at the landscape level

Cited by 77 publications

References 28 publications

Comparison between land suitability and actual crop distribution in an irrigation district of the Ebro valley (Spain)

Comparison between land suitability and actual crop distribution in an irrigation district of the Ebro valley (Spain)

Permaculture for agroecology: design, movement, practice, and worldview. A review

Multiscale analysis of heavy metal contents in Spanish agricultural topsoils

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