A Review of Research into the Environmental and

Arable cropping systems have developed and continue to change in response to economic and social pressures. Concern for the state of wildlife and the quality of soil and water has led to further pressures on the way that crops are farmed. There is therefore an ongoing debate about the future of arable farming. This review summarizes current information about the impacts of arable cropping systems, including contemporary agriculture, which is compared with alternative cropping systems in the UK and elsewhere. Studies are reviewed to identify differences between contemporary and five alternative arable cropping systems in relation to their environmental and socioeconomic impacts. They are also assessed in terms of their profitability and levels of input usage. General insights from the literature on farming systems are presented to ensure that this review builds on existing knowledge. For three of the alternative arable cropping systems (low-input systems, integrated arable farming systems and organic farming), a significant body of UK and European research is available for review. For these areas, the information available is not comprehensive, but an indicative picture emerges about them. A number of key information gaps are also identified. For two of the alternative systems (reduced tillage systems and precision farming systems), much less UK and European research has been carried out. Research from countries outside Europe is cited to complement the local results, but for both these systems, the potential for confident conclusions for the UK is lower. Evidence is presented to show the direct and indirect effects of agricultural practices (chemical and physical) on organisms for a range of taxonomic groups. For example: birds, arthropods and earthworms are all detrimentally affected by pesticides; plant and earthworm abundance are affected by nitrogen input; and reduced tillage causes increases in weeds and invertebrates, and reduces earthworm mortality. Therefore, in most cases a reduction of chemical inputs and a reduction in severe soil disturbance will have ecological benefits. Different arable cropping systems affect the landscape in different ways. This is especially important for birds, mammals and insects that move around in the countryside. Ecological benefits are shown to accrue from mitigation measures such as arable margins, beetle banks, conservation headlands and wild bird cover. These mitigation measures are normally carried out with the assistance of agri-environment scheme payments. Large scale uptake of planned agri-environment schemes is likely to have widespread positive effects on fauna and flora but these effects might not …