Research aimed at advancing conservation farming practices is typically performed using traditional scientific approaches, which have been highly successful in increasing agricultural output and efficiency. With the current emphasis on environmental and economic sustainability of agriculture, there is a need for a more integrated approach to applied agricultural research. Participatory research helps to bring scientific methods and the integrated production needs of farmers together to develop practical, effective, and carefully tested farming methods. The strength of participatory research is in the synergism of scientists and farmers working together to design, implement, and evaluate research. The development of new technologies for farming systems large or small, conventional or organic, can be greatly enhanced through more extensive use of participatory research.

For four years (1991–1994), gestating gilts rotationally grazing alfalfa were compared to gilts in a dry lot fed 1,800 g/d of a corn-soy diet (control). The dietary supplementation treatments for the grazing gilts were 1,260 g, 720 g, and 180 g of ground corn (70, 40, and 10% of the gilts' energy needs) plus 45 g of monosodium phosphate and 9 g of salt (sodium chloride) per day. All gilts were fed individually. In 1991 and 1992, the gilts were fed daily. In 1993 and 1994, the gilts were fed their weekly feed ration in three equal feedings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Alfalfa paddocks were grazed for one week with a stocking rate of 62 gilts/ha/wk. All gilts had rings in their noses to minimize rooting. For the 42-d mid-gestation trial, the weight gain of the control gilts did not differ from the gain of the grazing gilts daily fed 720 g corn (40%) (P<.05). The interval feeding reduced gains compared to the daily feeding. Gilts daily fed 1,260 g corn/d (70%) gained more than the other grazing treatments (P<.05). The gilts daily fed 180 g corn/d (10%) gained less than all other treatments (P<.05) and had the greatest backfat loss (P<.05) for the 42-d trial. No major trends were noted in number of pigs born per litter or pig birth weight. After one week of grazing, alfalfa height decreased 14.7 cm and DM content of the remaining alfalfa increased 9%. Each grazing season, the alfalfa stand decreased 3.8 plants/m2. Daily alfalfa intakes per gilt were calculated at 11.5 kg (3.2 kg DM) for 1991 and 1992, and increased to 16.3 kg (4.2 kg DM) for 1993 and 1994. These are composite intakes because all grazing gilts were commingled. Mid-gestation gilts rotationally grazing alfalfa need 720 g of corn per day plus phosphorus and salt to match weight gains of gestating gilts in a drylot fed 1,800 g/d of a corn-soy diet. Daily feeding, rather than interval feeding, resulted in greater weight gains and lower alfalfa intakes. The practice of grazing gestating sows has the advantages of no manure to haul, reduced purchased feed inputs, and inclusion of a soil-building crop like alfalfa in the crop rotation.

We compared the crop yields and economic performance of organic, lowinput, and conventional farming systems over an eight-year period based on research from the Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems (SAFS) Project in California's Sacramento Valley. The SAFS Project consisted of four farming-system treatments that differed in material input use and crop rotation sequence. The treatments included four-year rotations under conventional (conv-4), low-input, and organic management, and a conventionally-managed, two-year rotation (conv-2). The four-year rotations included processing tomato, safflower, corn, and bean and a winter grain and/or legume doublecropped with bean. The conv-2 treatment was a tomato and wheat rotation. In the lowinput and organic systems, inorganic fertilizer and synthetic pesticide inputs were reduced or eliminated largely through crop rotation, legume cover crops, composted manure applications, and mechanical cultivation.

All crops, except safflower, demonstrated significant yield differences across farming systems in at least some years of the experiment. Yields of tomato and corn, the most nitrogen (N)-demanding crops in the rotations, responded most years to the farming-system years treatments, while bean and the winter grain/legume displayed treatment differences less often and instead tended to vary more with yearly growing conditions. Nitrogen availability and/or weed competition appeared to account for lower crop yields in the organic and low-input systems in some years. The economics of all farming systems depended mainly on the costs and profits associated with tomato production. The most profitable system was the conv-2 system due to the greater frequency of tomato in that system. Among the four-year rotations, the organic system was the most profitable. However, this system's dependence on price premiums leads to some concern over its long-term economic viability. Among the low-input cropping systems, corn demonstrated clear agronomic and economic advantages over conventional production methods. Based upon these findings, we suggest that future research on organic and low-input farming systems focus on developing cost-effective fertility and weed management options based upon improved understanding of N dynamics and weed ecology.

The scale of operation and economic performance of organic and conventional dairy farms were compared in Ontario in 1992. Eight certified organic (ORG) farms, comprising 40% of all organic dairy farms, were contrasted with a sample of 120 conventional farms (1.5% of the provincial total) identified under the auspices of the Ontario Dairy Farm Accounting Project (ODFAP). The ODFAP sample was stratified by geographic region in Ontario, then randomly selected within each region. Neither ORG nor ODFAP farm samples contained any hobby or part-time farmers. Scale of operation was comparable on the two types of dairies, with the ratio of ORG to ODFAP being 122% for tillable landbase (ns) and 107% for herd size (ns). Similarly, milk production was comparable from ORG and ODFAP dairies (5,882 and 5,865 liters/cow, respectively; ns). Data on farmer personal characteristics such as age, education level, and management skills were not collected. It was presumed that managerial capabilities were equal between ORG and ODFAP farm samples.

It was hypothesized that total revenue and total cost of production would be greater on ODFAP farms, while net farm income would be higher on ORG than on ODFAP farms. Although the ratio for ORG to ODFAP performance was 93% for total revenue and 77% for total cost of production, neither of these differences was statistically significant. However, ORG dairies yielded 60% more net farm income than ODFAP dairies ($59,718 vs. $37,557; significant at the 5% level). Within the constraints of the supply management marketing system operating in a northern temperate region, ORG approaches to dairy production were shown to be as productive and at least as profitable as those on ODFAP farms, despite reliance on lesser yielding crops and more holistic (less resource-intensive) production methods.

Anticipated advances in biotechnology and sustainable land management, in combination with the availability of high-quality lands, suggest a level of food production that will sustain twice the current global population. However, lack of political will, insufficient investments in modern agriculture, and a general apathy to the tenets of sustainable land management threaten food security in Third World countries, and in some, contribute to poverty and famine. From a global land-productivity point of view, the specter of Malthusian scenarios seems unwarranted. Sadly, however, local and regional food shortages are likely to continue to occur unless mechanisms for equitable food distribution, effective technical assistance, and infusions of capital for infrastructure development are implemented in some developing countries.

During the present decade, Austria has experienced a dramatic increase in organic farming among those countries that comprise the European Union (EU). For example, in 1992, approximately 2,000 farms were practicing organic, ecological, or biodynamic farming methods. By 1997 the number of certified organic farms plus those in transition from conventional farming had increased 10-fold to some 20,000 farms. This represents almost 9% of the total farms in Austria and an area of 345,375 ha, or 10% of the total cultivated farmland. The largest concentration of organic farms is in regions with a high proportion of alpine grassland or pastures. Approximately 50% of the organic farms range in size from 5 to 15 ha. The strong organic movement in Austria can be attributed to a) government subsidies which provide incentives to organic farmers and b) widespread acceptance of organic products and their brand names by large food chains and supermarkets. More than 60% of organic farmers are affiliated with associations and organizations that provide advisory and support services in marketing activities. Certification of organic farms and food processors is conducted by seven monitoring bodies according to EU regulation No. 2092/91, which guarantees legallybinding standards of food safety and quality to EU consumers, and according to the Austrian Alimentari Codex. Since January 1998, all monitoring/certifying bodies in Austria must verify accreditation according to regulation European Norm 45011. The major supermarket chain offers a variety of organic dairy and meat products, as well as organic ice cream, pizza, vegetables, fruits, baby foods, and bread. The current domestic wholesale value of organic products marketed from Austrian farms is approximately 170 million US$ annually. Unfortunately, funding for support of scientific research and extension to enhance organic farming and marketing has not kept pace with the increasing number of organic farms and farmers. Additional funding is essential to ensure the sustainable development of the organic movement and the organic market.