Experimental Assessment of Ecosystem Services in Agriculture (original) (raw)
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Ecosystem services (ES) in agriculture are vital for the supply of food and fibre. However, the provision of some of the ES by these ecosystems has traditionally been considered to be at a low level. Earlier studies attributed very low value of ES to farmland worldwide per annum but the authors recognize that this was a severe underestimate because of the paucity of data available at the time. These assessments were based on published studies that used ‘value transfer’ techniques, supported by a few original calculations. In contrast to these studies, the current work proposes a framework and a ‘bottom-up’ approach to asses ES experimentally at field level. It elaborates on the conceptual framework of ES in agro-ecosystems providing field scale assessments citing examples from Denmark and New Zealand. This work demonstrates that there is a very wide range of ES provision, with organic arable cropping delivering many times the ES value of that provided by conventional farming. This s...
Ecological Economics, 2008
In the current work, a novel, experimental 'bottom-up' approach is used to quantify the economic value of ecosystem services (ES) associated with highly modified arable landscapes in Canterbury, New Zealand. First, the role of land management practices in the maintenance and enhancement of ES in agricultural land was investigated by quantifying the economic value of ES at the field level under organic and conventional arable systems. This quantification was based on an experimental approach in contrast with earlier value transfer methods. 1240 ha − 1 yr − 1 . There were significant differences between organic and conventional fields for the economic values of some ES. Next, this economic information was used to extrapolate and to calculate the total and non-market value of ES in Canterbury arable land.
Ecosystem services in conventional farming systems. A review
Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 2022
Ecosystems worldwide are being disrupted under increased pressure from human activities. Nevertheless, most conservation studies and restoration efforts have so far focused on ecosystems of high heritage value related to their species diversity and/or the rarity of their habitats and/or species. However, "ordinary nature" (all the everyday, non-spectacular and non-protected landscapes, species and ecosystems) is also threatened by ecosystem disruption, which could affect major ecological functions and thus the supply of ecosystem services (ES). Conventional farming systems, which are mostly composed of agroecosystems characterised by ordinary nature, are already known to deliver some ES (e.g. pollination, carbon sequestration). Nevertheless, no systematic search has been done yet to determine which ES are identified and how there are studied in these conventional farming systems. We thus performed a first systematic evidence map (review of key articles to show, at a glance, the points that have been most studied, and highlight key gaps in the evidence base) to identify characterisation and measurement of ES provided by conventional agroecosystems from the review of 189 key international scientific articles. We excluded production for economic benefit, as this topic is already well documented in conventional agriculture systems. We found that most studies identified nutrient cycling (49.7%), carbon sequestration (46.6%), pest reduction (48.1%) or pollination (36.5%) as ES supplied by conventional agroecosystems. Correlations were also found between spatial scale and ES studied: for example, carbon storage was determined more at agricultural plot scale, while cultural services were determined more at landscape level. Our map also yielded 74 frequently used ES indicators, 50 of which are easily measurable and operational indicators of significant ES. Afterwards, one challenge that could be addressed in further studies is to determine for each indicator the range of measurement values that should be considered positive for ES provision, which is likely ecosystem-dependent.
Ecosystem Services on New Zealand Arable Farms
2004
Researchers have estimated the total economic value of global ecosystem goods and services showing that a significant portion of humanity"s economic well being is unaccounted for in conventional GNP accounting (Constanza et al., 1997). To demonstrate this point, authors have conventionally used highly aggregated landscape units for analysis (e.g., biomes), and average, not marginal values, of each ecosystem good or service are estimated for each unit using value transfer methodologies . For example, Patterson and Cole (1999a, b) replicated the Constanza et al., (1997) approach by estimating economic values for Waikato and New Zealand ecosystem goods and services associated with standard land cover classes including horticulture, agriculture and cropping. As a result, argue that only five ecosystem services associated with cropping have non-zero value.
Significance and value of non-traded ecosystem services on farmland
PeerJ, 2015
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 biological control of pests and from US$ 110-425 ha −1 yr −1 for N mineralisation in the organic systems versus US$ 0 ha −1 yr −1 for biological control of pests and from US$ 60-244 ha −1 yr −1 for N mineralisation in the conventional systems. The total economic value (including market and non-market components) was significantly greater in organic systems, ranging from US$ 1750-4536 ha −1 yr −1 , with US$ 1585-2560 ha −1 yr −1 in the conventional systems. The non-market component of the economic value in organic fields was also significantly higher than those in conventional fields. Discussion. To illustrate the potential magnitude of these two ES to temperate farming systems and agricultural landscapes elsewhere, we then extrapolate these experimentally derived figures to the global temperate cropping area of the same arable crops. We found that the extrapolated net value of the these two services provided by non-traded species could exceed the combined current global costs of pesticide and How to cite this article Sandhu et al. (2015), Significance and value of non-traded ecosystem services on farmland. PeerJ 3:e762; DOI 10.7717/peerj.762
Measures of the effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem services
Ecological Economics, 2007
Agriculture produces more than just crops. Agricultural practices have environmental impacts that affect a wide range of ecosystem services, including water quality, pollination, nutrient cycling, soil retention, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. In turn, ecosystem services affect agricultural productivity. Understanding the contribution of various agricultural practices to the range of ecosystem services would help inform choices about the most beneficial agricultural practices. To accomplish this, however, we must overcome a big challenge in measuring the impact of alternative agricultural practices on ecosystem services and of ecosystem services on agricultural production. A framework is presented in which such indicators can be interpreted as well as the criteria for selection of indicators. The relationship between agricultural practices and land-use change and erosion impact on chemical use is also discussed. Together these ideas form the basis for identifying useful indicators for quantifying the costs and benefits of agricultural systems for the range of ecosystem services interrelated to agriculture.
Ecosystem Services from Agriculture: Looking Beyond the Usual Suspects
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2006
Ecosystem services (ES) are defined as "the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life" (Daily, 1997). By focusing on what ecosystems do for humans, the ES concept invites analysis of how and why humans manage ecosystems.