Indicators of Cropping System Diversity in Organic and Conventional Farms in Central Italy

In modern agriculture, organic farming has a part to play in conserving biodiversity. The aim of our study was to compare organic and conventional farms using appropriate agro-biodiversity indicators. Our survey in central Italy, where 33 farms were involved (18 organic and 15 conventional), shows t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of agricultural sustainability 2003-01, Vol.1 (1), p.67-72
Main Authors: Caporali, Fabio, Mancinelli, R., Campiglia, E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agrobiodiversity indicators
organic farming
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Summary:In modern agriculture, organic farming has a part to play in conserving biodiversity. The aim of our study was to compare organic and conventional farms using appropriate agro-biodiversity indicators. Our survey in central Italy, where 33 farms were involved (18 organic and 15 conventional), shows that integration of biodiversity at the farm level is more likely to be achieved in organic farms than in conventional ones. We have used a wide range of indicators of cropping system biodiversity in order to be able to document elements of both structural and functional diversity with a value for agroecosystem sustainability. From our survey emerges a picture of a typical organic farm, where the average farm size is around 54 ha with diversified land use shared between agricultural (81.3%) and wood area (18.7%) and with integration between crop and animal husbandry.
ISSN:1473-5903
1747-762X
DOI:10.3763/ijas.2003.0107