Significance and value of non-traded ecosystem services on farmland

PeerJ
Harpinder S SandhuJohn Reganold

Abstract

Background. Ecosystem services (ES) generated within agricultural landscapes, including field boundaries, are vital for the sustainable supply of food and fibre. However, the value of ES in agriculture has not been quantified experimentally and then extrapolated globally. Methods. We quantified the economic value of two key but contrasting ES (biological control of pests and nitrogen mineralisation) provided by non-traded non-crop species in ten organic and ten conventional arable fields in New Zealand using field experiments. The arable crops grown, same for each organic and conventional pair, were peas (Pisum sativum), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and wheat (Triticum aestivum). Organic systems were chosen as comparators not because they are the only forms of sustainable agriculture, but because they are subject to easily understood standards. Results. We found that organic farming systems depended on fewer external inputs and produced outputs of energy and crop dry matter generally less than but sometimes similar to those of their conventional counterparts. The economic values of the two selected ES were greater for the organic systems in all four crops, ranging from US$ 68-200 ha(-1) yr(-1) for biolo...Continue Reading

References

May 23, 2000·Nature·F S ChapinS Díaz
Apr 17, 2001·Science·D TilmanD Swackhamer
Apr 20, 2001·Nature·J P ReganoldH R Hinman
Feb 8, 2005·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Carsten ThiesTeja Tscharntke
Apr 1, 2006·Environmental Science & Technology·J N PrettyJ I L Morison
Sep 16, 2006·Ecology Letters·Patricia BalvaneraBernhard Schmid
Jul 28, 2007·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Peter Hazell, Stanley Wood
Nov 14, 2008·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·W Kratz
Jun 23, 2009·Science·P M VitousekF S Zhang
Jan 30, 2010·Science·H Charles J GodfrayCamilla Toulmin
Jul 9, 2010·Nature·Ricardo Bayon, Michael Jenkins
Jul 25, 1997·Science·P A MatsonM J Swift
Nov 23, 2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·David TilmanBelinda L Befort
Apr 27, 2012·Nature·Verena SeufertJonathan A Foley
May 25, 2013·Science·Jason M Tylianakis
Oct 30, 2014·Annals of Botany·Jules Pretty, Zareen Pervez Bharucha

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

SPSS

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.