Do organic farmers produce good nature quality

By Knud Tybirk, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, NERI.

Organic farmers may have more spiders, skylarks and more diverse hedges than conventional neighbours. But is that what is expected from organic farming in the eyes of the farmers and the surrounding society?

The project Nature Quality in Organic Farming has analysed nature from different perspectives. There is not a single or a simple answer to the posed question; it all depends…

Yet, one major conclusion of the work is that 'nature' is perceived and interpreted very differently by different actors, such as the researchers from different disciplines and the farmers themselves.

In the following, I will outline the different perceptions of nature and discuss future perspectives for organic farming.

How nature quality has been analysed

At a recent workshop the researchers of the project analysed the identified correlations between farming practice and nature quality from different research traditions and disciplines. Ten farms from Herning and Randers case areas were used as the 'playground' to exemplify, compare and discuss the results in relation to real practical life in organic farming. These ten farms have been the objects of all included types of scientific analyses selected from 347 farms included in the project. Figure 1 shows the approach of the work on these case farms.

The results presented here are my impressions of the workshop, but are based on the work of – and the discussions with - a number of colleagues in the project. Most of their results are published elsewhere and a few references are given at the end.

This paper will try to reflect some of the challenges the project has faced by interdisciplinary research on nature quality. The work is basically the product of an interactive workshop, but the most important results are perhaps what the participant carry along for future research. Here I try to forward my impressions and conclusions of the stimulating discussions.

Nature quality depends on time scale

Most organic farmers in the study have only influenced their landscape as organic farmers during a few years (3-20 years). The use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers has influenced most farming systems for some five decades. Dramatic changes cannot be expected in landscapes that have been used and formed by man during centuries by a relatively modest change from conventional to organic farming. It is likely that changes in field size, mechanisation, drainage, change in livestock production, new crops etc. has had more influence on nature in the farmed landscape than a relatively recent shift to organic farming.

Time perspective is indeed a key point for judging the impact of organic farming on nature quality. The history of the landscape is a key component of nature quality. Therefore, major changes in nature quality in slowly changing ecosystems such as permanent grasslands due to organic farming may not be expected. However, within a relatively short time scale, the farmers exert quite strong influence on the fields and field margins.

In the fields, the amount and diversity of soil living arthropods change rapidly. Within and between years, the relatively robust systems of soil living animals may change and grasslands in organic farming crop rotation increase the numbers dramatically. Here, specific farming actions directly influence nature quality from year to year.

The project has been able to show changes within a decade on field edges and hedge bottom vegetation. Organic farmers 'produce' better hedges as compared to conventional farmers.

Nature quality depends on size

Nature may be interpreted as genes, species, populations, species associations, ecosystems and landscapes and even biologists may argue about what is nature and nature quality in farming systems. Here are some examples of the approaches used in the project.

If the focal point is soil living animals, caught in hundreds in small soil samples, the effect of their living on soil processes is the important issue. Here organic farming gives a difference as compared to conventional – nutrient cycling is of concern for the farmer as it relates directly to soil productivity.

If the botanist has found a patch of old nutrient-poor grassland with rare and characteristic species of former landscapes, the conservation in relation to national and international legislation may be a key issue. This is rarely of interest to the organic farmer. The ‘forgotten nature of the farmer’ is often the nature with high interest of conservation authorities, and a constructive dialogue on the issue may open for new combinations of interests.
If focus is on the landscape in relation to the intensity of the farming systems, the number of hedges, crop rotation systems, field size, milk production, fertiliser use etc. are important issues for nature quality assessments. This is an academic reflection of the farmers do's and don'ts.
If – in addition to these perspectives of natural scientists – social scientists ask the farmers what nature quality is, we receive other answers. Nature quality may be the view, the history, the birds, the trees, the hunting game etc.

The combination of these very diverse answers may give rise to important reflections: Nature quality is very dependent on the respondent’s personal normative views of nature in combination with strategic considerations of various stakeholders.

The strategic considerations are often reflected in the 'opposing' views of farmers associations, public nature conservation authorities, tourism and leisure NGO's etc. However, the integration of considerations for nature, food production and socio-economic welfare of the farmers and other rural inhabitants is a great opportunity for the future of rural development.

Nature quality depends on scientific approach

In classic agricultural research, the aims and methods may be rather straightforward. Combining the interests and traditions of various disciplines challenge the outcome. The meaning of rather simple terms can be interpreted differently and give rise to methodological problems.

Grassland is such an example. Interviewed farmers have a certain perception of their permanent grasslands in relation to their production logic and to the associated incentives for, e.g., nature friendly grassland management. A meadow receiving the same incentives or the same farming 'treatment' – being grazing, silage cutting, hey cutting etc. – is one unit in the farmers view. The botanist in the field, however, in the same ‘unit of meadow’ may distinguish several different plant communities and may therefore interpret the nature quality differently for each patch of 'nature'. Thus, the different interpretation of permanent grasslands need detailed planning and extensive communication within a research group to focus on the same problem.

Such mis-understandings may be detrimental to a multidisciplinary research group and require a detailed pilot-phase, but may indeed also be an Achilles Heel to the communication between farmers and researchers. Participatory research requires patience, time and more patience to understand and to acknowledge the different perspectives and different knowledge of the involved parties. Disrespect of other types of knowledge may lead to conflicting interpretations.

Nature quality from theory to practice

The distance from theory to practice became obvious in the multidisciplinary research on nature quality. This indeed account for research in itself – the dependence of various research traditions upon other traditions may in practical research end up blocking progress and the planned knowledge transfer in workshops.

In addition, the visits to the ten case farms of both botanists, soil ecologists, agronomists, geographers and social scientist for interviews may change the farmers perception of his own nature. Interdisciplinary research on farms may in itself influence the mere object of the study.

Another aspect is what the interviewed farmers said and what they did in practice. As an example one of the case-farmers did appreciate the beauty of hedgerows as a landscape element in the interviews, but his strategy for production is one of rationalisation, resulting in large fields and only few hedgerows.

Finally, the good intentions of the farmers towards nature quality in their perception may counteract 'good nature quality' in some researchers eyes. For example, the replacement of an old hedgerow due to an irrational location by a new hedgerow or a wildlife plantation is in the farmer’s eyes good nature management. However, from a natural and cultural history point of view, this may severely erode landscape continuity and thereby habitat and landscape quality.

Lessons to learn

In conclusion, altered farm management (e.g., organic farming through a decade) is of less importance for the actual nature quality than landscape history. Probably all research traditions and the farmers can agree on that. Continuity in time and space (age, size and connectivity) of semi-natural and other uncultivated habitats are important for biological and landscape quality – and in most cases also for farmers perception.

Another conclusion is that nature quality on farms embrace aspects of biological quality and of quantity. Both are important aspects to evaluate and discuss with the farmers. Nature quality could be improved by increasing the quantity of uncultivated areas, but also by improving/conserving quality – both axes are relevant.

It is obvious from the studied cases that nature in a broad sense is a very important aspect and motivation for farmers to become farmers, and it is a stimulating characteristic of the daily life. Farmers focus on the visible, the beauty of the robust nature close to the farm, trees and landscapes - landscape and nature are often synonyms for farmers. Some organic farmers care for good soil quality, interactions between farming and nature, for bird life or game hunting. Only rarely the farmers care about the threatened and vulnerable plant species, which are the detailed interest of the botanists.

Mutual respect of the various approaches and knowledge of the stakeholders is crucial for the future interaction between farming of organic food and good nature quality. Nature may be used to promote and market organic products when understanding and communication between farmers, researchers and consumers is improved.

Acknowledgements

The paper was deeply inspired by discussions with Vibeke Langer, Pia Frederiksen, Jørgen Axelsen, Egon Noe, Katrine Højring, Lene Hansen and Jesper Fredshavn – their contribution is greatly acknowledged. DARCOF II financed the workshop.

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