Integrated farming
Integrated farming combines modern tools and technologies with traditional practices according to a given site and situation, often employing many different cultivation techniques in a small growing area.
Preserving and enhancing soil fertility, maintaining and improving biodiversity, and adhering to ethical and social criteria are indispensable basic elements.
These include: Organization & Planning, Human & Social Capital, Energy Efficiency, Water Use & Protection, Climate Change & Air Quality, Soil Management, Crop Nutrition, Crop Health & Protection, Animal Husbandry, Health & Welfare, Landscape & Nature Conservation, and Waste Management Pollution Control.
In France, the Forum des Agriculteurs Responsables Respectueux de l'Environnement (FARRE)[7] defines a set of common principles and practices to help farmers achieve these goals.
Rather, it must be understood as a production system with targeted, dynamic, and continuous use and development of methods based on knowledge obtained from experiences in so-called conventional farming.
)[8] in Germany, FARRE (Forum des Agriculteurs Responsables Respectueux de l'Environnement)[7] in France, FILL (Fördergemeinschaft Integrierte Landbewirtschaftung Luxemburg) in Luxembourg, and OiB (Odling i Balans)[9] in Sweden.
Uncoupling animal husbandry from arable production (too high stocking rates) is therefore not considered in accordance with the principles and objectives of integrated farming (Lütke Entrup et al., 1998 1).
Against this background, documentation as well certification schemes and farm audits such as LEAF Marque[14] in the UK and 33 other countries throughout the world become more and more important tools to evaluate—and further improve—agricultural practices.
Farmers become aware of accomplishments as well as inadequacies by evaluating their performance on a regular basis, and by paying attention to detail, they may continuously work on improving the entire farming operation as well as their economic performance: According to research in the United Kingdom, lowering fertilizer and chemical inputs to proportions proportionate to crop demand allowed for cost reductions ranging from £2,500 to £10,000 per year and per farm .
[19][20][21][22][23] As the implementation of integrated farming should be handled according to the given site and situation instead of following strict rules and recipes, the concept is applicable all over the world.
