The commercial production of herbicide tolerant (HT) canola began in Western Canada in 1997. With more than a decade of use, the actual farm-level environmental impact of HT canola can be evaluated. This article reports on a spring 2007 survey of nearly 600 canola farmers in the three prairie provinces of Western Canada. Producers were asked about their crop production experiences for 2005 and 2006 and expected crop planting for 2007.

Safe and sustainable management of waste presents a major challenge in cities in the Global South. For decades farmers in the peri-urban interface (PUI) have used biodegradable components of urban waste as inputs into their farming practices. Evidence from Kano, Nigeria; Kumasi, Ghana; Hubli-Dharwad and Kolkata, India reveals in rare detail how urban waste reuse plays an important role in the livelihood strategies of lower-income families nd while waste farming also contributes significantly to urban food security.

The present study describes an innovative methodology to rank suitable sites for irrigation with TWW using fuzzy-AHP based on GIS where the Nabeul-Hammamet aquifer catchment (Tunisia) is selected as the target area. The model is relatively simple and is extendable worldwide. Several influential parameters are identified considering simultaneously technical, social, economical and environmental aspects. They are grouped in five main criteria, namely land suitability for irrigation, resources conflicts, cost effectiveness, social acceptance and environmental impact.

The purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of a combined approach to evaluate irrigated areas based on: (1) irrigation performance analysis intended to assess the productive impacts of irrigation practices and infrastructures, and (2) water accounting focused on the hydrological impacts of water use. Ador-Simulation, a combined model that simulates irrigation, water delivery, and crop growth and production was applied in a surface irrigated area (1213ha) located in the Bear River Irrigation Project, Utah, U.S.A..

Land use/cover change (LUCC) is often the cumulative result of individual farmer's decisions. To understand and simulate LUCC as the result of local decisions, multi-agent systems models (MAS) have become a popular technique. However, the definition of agents is not often based on real data, ignoring the inherent diversity of farmers and farm characteristics in rural landscapes. The aim of this paper is to describe an empirical method that defines an agent typology and allocates agents into the different agent types for an entire region.

Assessing factors influencing phosphorus (P) availability in soils is important in preventing its overexploitation and excessive application in agricultural systems. Despite high historical P applications in the federal state of Brandenburg (Germany), county data on soil test P (STP) reveal considerable disparities in soil available P. In addition, negative soil balances as a result of small mineral P and manure inputs have been observed, raising questions about the factors leading to this situation.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) are employed as compulsory instruments to meet standards on EU water quality. Farmers operating in NVZs face a number of restrictions on agricultural activity and a greater requirement for record keeping in relation to timing and quantities of nitrogen inputs used. This paper presents results of a survey into the attitudes and values of farmers within the designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) in Scotland. A typology based on perceptions towards water quality management was developed using factor and cluster analysis techniques.

South Asia is one of the most densely populated regions of the world, where despite a slow growth, agriculture remains the backbone of rural economy as it employs one half to over 90 percent of the labor force. Both extensive and intensive policy measures for agriculture development to feed the massive population of the region have resulted in land degradation and desertification, water scarcity, pollution from agrochemicals, and loss of agricultural biodiversity.

We describe the results of a survey of farmers’ perceptions of and satisfaction with the performance of watershed development activities on socioeconomic, agriculture and livestock, and environmental attributes. We administered a questionnaire to 120 farmers randomly interviewed in the Morni Hill area of the Siwalik Himalayas in India. Our results show that the farmers have considerable knowledge about the implementation of watershed development activities and their impact on the economy, agriculture and the environment.

A major development concern of the 1970s and 1980s was 'the other energy' or 'woodfuel crisis'. Woodfuel use in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America was believed to be a key factor in tropical deforestation, and the loss of forests was projected to result in widespread woodfuel shortages. In recent years, however, it has become apparent that woodfuel production is seldom a direct cause of deforestation (although it may be a by-product), and that most woodfuel demand is met by trees and shrubs growing outside of forest areas.

The prevention of soil erosion is one of the most essential requirements for sustainable agriculture in developing countries. In recent years it is widely recognized that more site-specific approaches are needed to assess variations in erosion susceptibility in order to select the most suitable land management methods for individual hillslope sections. This study quantifies the influence of different land management methods on soil erosion by modelling soil loss for individual soil-landscape units on a hillslope in Southern Uganda.

This paper addresses the hydrological and meteorological extremes that may be deduced from the taxation records of the estates of Brtnice, Třebíč and Velké Meziříčí, all in the Moravian-Bohemian Highlands of the Czech Republic, for the years 1706–1849. At that time, damage to agricultural crops constituted grounds for tax remission for individual farmers and landowners.