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Browsing Artykuły by Subject "agroecology"

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    Exploring the impact of innovation on organic farms: a comparative life cycle assessment of seven case studies
    (2025) Żyłowski, Tomasz ; Westaway, Sally; Lauteri, Marco ; Ciolfi, Marco; Holzner, Valerie; Riekötter, Nicklas; Gliga, Adrian; Orfanidou, Timokleia; Borek, Robert; den Herder, Michael; Noble, Nicola; Wustenberghs, Hilde; Adame, Alba Alonso; Smith, Laurence G.
    There is widespread recognition of an urgent need for a transition to sustainable food systems; with organic farming methods proposed as a part of the solution. However few studies have compared highly diverse innovative organic farms with more mainstream specialised organic production systems. Based on a diverse selection of case study farms in seven European countries, this research examines the environmental impacts of food production from innovative organic systems compared to mainstream organic production through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The study examines different innovation characteristics within product, processing, marketing and organisational categories across a range of case study farms in Europe. All four categories of innovation were represented, however the marketing category of innovation was the most prevalent, with all seven case study farms participating in direct local sales with reduced transport distances to market. The results show that innovative organic farms often have lower environmental impacts than their mainstream counterparts, particularly in the categories of climate change, freshwater eutrophication and fossil fuel depletion for products such as vegetables, eggs and shiitake mushrooms. Process innovations such as agroforestry practices and direct marketing could play an important role in reducing environmental impacts. In addition, organisational innovations such as community-supported agriculture and local direct sales may contribute to reduced fossil fuel use and lower impacts "beyond the farm gate”. This study sheds light on the potential of innovative organic farming systems to drive sustainability transitions, and the importance of specific innovations within food systems for achieving more sustainable production and consumption in Europe.
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    Soil Quality Indicators in Agroecological Practices: Lessons From a Systematic Review of Long-Term Experiments
    (Wiley, 2025) Maienza, Anita; Buttafuoco, Gabriele; Biancofiore, Gherardo; Ün, Akin; Renovell, Javier; Pisarčik, Martin; Fuksa, Pavel; Grabiński, Jerzy; Lumini, Erica; Di Lonardo, Sara; Kushnir, Michelle; Hakl, Josef; Vilkiene, Monika; Mockeviciene, Ieva; Dirnena, Baiba; Asins-Velis, Sabina
    In recent decades, there has been increasing recognition of soil as a vital and non-renewable natural resource that provides essential environmental, economic, and social benefits. Agronomic and soil management practices—such as tillage systems, crop rotation, and nutrient applications—significantly influence near-surface soil properties and related ecosystem services. There is growing interest in defining soil quality and establishing specific indicators regarding conservation practices. This systematic review was focused on Long-Term Field Experiments (LTEs) conducted in seven countries: Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. The review examined the most frequently studied soil quality properties related to agroecological practices. Our goal was also to standardize the results based on the advanced works in recent years on soil ecosystem services. The findings underscore the strong interest in sustainable production with a particularly high presence of agroecological soil practices in Long-Term Field Experiments (LTEs), especially in Italy and the Czech Republic. Cereals are among the most extensively studied crops under organic amendments and tillage intensity trials in the reviewed papers. Soil properties related to climate and environmental services (such as organic carbon) are the main indicators studied. Additionally, the review highlights a significant gap in soil biodiversity indicators in the agroecological long-term studies analysed. As a future direction, it is crucial to develop new, holistic soil quality indicators that encompass chemical–physical and biological aspects for soil monitoring and conservation.