BACKGROUND Grassland degradation caused by overgrazing poses a threat to both animal husbandry and environmental sustainability in most semi-arid areas especially north China. Although the Chinese Government has made huge efforts to restore degraded grasslands, a considerable attempt has unfortunately failed due to an inadequate consideration of economic benefits to local communities. METHODO...

Simulation modelling is a methodology that appears highly suitable for use in farming systems innovation. However, if the aim is to improve farming systems by supporting farmer behaviour change, model-based approaches seem to have delivered surprisingly little observable benefit to date. This paper identifies the problems underlying this apparent lack of impact, and proposes better approaches t...

Farming imposes unenthusiastic externalities upon society. It effects by differ‐ ent sources such as loss of biodiversity, land erosion, nutrient overflow, more water usage and pesticides. Optimistic externalities include respect of nature, independence, free enterprise, and the quality of air. Natural methods decrease some of these costs. It has been proposed that organic farming can reduce th...

The objective of this review was to present an update of the currently managed studies on the characterization physical, chemical, and sensory analysis of several tomato cultivars. This review has indicated the importance of farming system and genotype on sensory and biochemical characteristics. It is necessary to use selected genotypes responding positively to organic farming in terms of senso...

Farming households with close kinship ties in northeast Thailand have long been practising joint utilization of farmland. They used this multihousehold farming method even more actively to cope with the macroeconomic development beginning in the 1960s. A 1989 survey of a village by the author found more than one-third of farmland under such communal use. However, the share decreased drastically...

Aquaculture, the farming of fish and aquatic crops such as kelp and algae, is classically done in natural bodies of water. In land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), however, tanks or raceways contain the farmed species and the water is circulated through a treatment system. Benefits compared to traditional farming in open cages include reduced emissions of nutrients, less risk of i...

the undesirable negative consequences of conventional farming have lead to the need and emphasis for new sustainable agricultural production techniques. organic farming has arisen to be considered as one of the sustainable agricultural systems. agricultural experts play an important role in extension and spread of the system. the research goal is to investigate the effective factors on expert&a...

Forest farming in North America is becoming popular as a way for landowners to diversify income opportunities, improve management of forest resources, and increase biological diversity. People have been informally " farming the forests " for generations. However, in recent years, attention has been directed at formalizing forest farming and improving it through research and development activiti...