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Table D.1: Current and recent Organic
Research projects in
UK |
Lead Contractor | Project title | Customer Code | Start date | End date | Collaborating contractors | Funder | Key words | Project summary | Project Specific Website |
ADAS (Boxworth) | Improving N use & performance of arable
crops on organic farms using an expert group
approach | OF0178 | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Dec-01 | University of Nottingham,
EFRC. | Defra | crops, nitrogen | The overall aim of this study was to improve the
performance of arable organic cropping systems by
identifying acceptable changes in farming practice
which increase availability of N for crop uptake
and decrease N losses to the environment. Arable
organic farms were selected for studies on
estimated N availability and N losses for
representative rotations in use. Estimates were
then be made for the most representative organic
rotation on each farm of N availability through
each cropping season, together with N lost as
nitrate and ammonia from each rotation. Aspects of
rotations for which N use and crop performance
could be improved were identified in order to
quantitatively estimate the degree of improvement
in gross margins and N losses and to develop these
changes into a form which was acceptable to the
farmers concerned. | |
ADAS (Boxworth) | Development of disease control strategies for
organically grown field vegetables (
DOVE) | OF0168 | 01-Jan-99 | 30-Jun-02 | HDRA | Defra | vegetables, disease | There were three main objectives. 1. Review of
the significance of disease in organically grown
field vegetables and the potential effectiveness of
current control strategies under conditions of
increased production. A search of
UK and world literature was
conducted and information collated to produce a
review and a list of major disease problems
threatening organic producers. 2. Evaluation of
novel techniques and strategies for control of
diseases in organically grown field vegetables.
Laboratory and field studies were conducted to
develop improved disease control strategies. 3.
Monitoring of disease development in organic crops
in relation to rotation and size of enterprise.
Observations on disease progress and economic
significance were made on a range of vegetable
crops grown in a standard rotational sequence; each
phase represented each year of the study to allow
observations on brassicas, alliums, legumes and
potatoes. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Workshop and desk study to appraise technical
difficulties associated with organic breeder flocks
and organic hatching | OF0336 | 10-Feb-03 | 09-Nov-03 | | Defra | poultry | The aims of the project will be achieved through
a combination of workshops and a review of the
scientific literature on conventional breeder
flocks and hatching. In the latter part of the
work, the information will be assessed to see if
the findings are transferable to an organic
situation. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Organic farming - technology transfer | OF0405 | 28-Feb-03 | 31-Aug-03 | IGER,
EFRC,
HDRA | Defra | environment, soil fertility | This project addresses two separate issues: (a)
production of a booklet for farmers/advisers on
managing soil fertility in organic farming and (b)
production of a report summarising the
environmental impacts of organic farming. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Modelling manure
NPK flows in organic farming
systems | OF0197 | 01-Sep-00 | 31-Mar-02 | EFRC | Defra | manure | The main objective of this project was to
produce a tool for quantifying for, and
demonstrating to, (organic) farmers the main N (and
P and K) loss pathways from manure, the size of the
losses and the influence of management practices on
these losses. The final product was a computer
model that quantifies
NPK flows around the farm from
excretion by the animal though housing and manure
storage, and after land application. The model
could be used either in workshops (as an aid to
discussing the issues of
NPK management) or used by
advisors and/or farmers, or policy makers. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Understanding soil fertility in organically
farmed soils | OF0164 | 01-Apr-99 | 31-Jul-02 | IGER, University of Wales
Bangor,
HDRA | Defra | soil | The main objective of the project was to provide
a better understanding of the nutrient cycling
aspects of soil fertility in organically managed
soils, targeting the processes involved and their
controlling factors (including the role of
biological diversity). This should enable
development of advice for the better utilisation of
organically (and conventionally) managed soils, in
terms of best strategies to encourage efficient
nutrient cycling and determining the value (or
otherwise) of soil tests for assessing soil
nutrient supply. | http://www.adas.co.uk/soilfertility |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | The development of improved guidance on the use
of fertility building crops in organic farming | OF0316 | 01-May-02 | 30-Apr-05 | IGER, Duchy College, Abacus
Organic Associates | Defra | nitrogen, fertility building crops | The overall objective of this project is to
provide guidelines to enable organic farmers to
better estimate the nitrogen supply to a rotation
following fertility building crops. This will be
done by a mix of literature review, empirical
measurements, model development and farmer
participation. The results will be of value to the
organic producer, providing a better understanding
of nitrogen accumulation under fertility building
crops and its subsequent release. Implications for
pest and disease in the rotation will also be
included. Advisory guidelines will be produced as a
part of the project. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | A study tour of organic poultry production in
France - current & future implementation of
standards &
EU legislation | OF0303 | 04-Dec-00 | 28-Feb-01 | | Defra | poultry | The objectives were 1) to gather information on
current organic poultry Standards in France, any
national derogations to Regulation (
EC) 1804/1999 and the timescale
by which French organic poultry producers will be
expected to fully comply with Regulation (
EC) 1804/1999; 2) to gather
information on production techniques commonly used
by organic poultry producers in France and to
compare production techniques with those used in
the
UK; 3) to gather information on
economic 'drivers' affecting the direction and
speed of development of Standards (a full economic
analysis will not be given but major differences in
the prices of inputs and outputs will be
quantified), and; 4) to gather information on the
attitudes and concerns of representatives of breed
companies, producers and certification bodies to
future
EU requirements to rear pullets
in an organic system. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Validation of the
HEN model for organic laying
hens and assessment of nutrition in organic poultry
(
CTE0202) | OF0327 | 01-Aug-02 | 31-Jul-05 | | Defra | poultry, eggs | The main objective of this project is to provide
information to
Defra in support of the
Department's policy to enhance the sustainability
of, and remove technical constraints upon, organic
farming in the
UK. The project, which is
concerned with organic egg production, will do this
through a number of key aims, each of which is
designed to apply knowledge developed for
conventional egg production, to the organic
sector. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Optimising the synergism between organic poultry
production and whole farm rotations, including home
grown protein | OF0163 | 08-Feb-99 | 31-Mar-02 | | Defra | poultry, feeding | The objectives of the research were 1) to review
the scientific literature on home grown protein
sources so as to identify their maximum inclusion
rate in organic rations for laying hens and meat
birds. This was done both for the home mixing of
rations (i.e., limited treatment options for the
removal of anti-nutritive factors from the raw
ingredients) and as produced by specialist
compounders. 2) To identify the optimum position
for poultry in a whole farm rotation (including the
best strategies for use of poultry manures in
sustaining soil fertility and minimising nitrogen
loss, provision of pasture and the production of
plant protein sources). 3) To promote management
techniques to producers who have little or no
experience of poultry as they apply to an organic
system of poultrymeat or egg production. | |
ADAS (Gleadthorpe) | Effect of breeding suitability, system design
& management on welfare & performance in
traditional & organic poultry meat | OF0153 | 01-Oct-98 | 31-Mar-02 | | Defra | poultry, breeding | This study will aim to systematically identify
breeds, first crosses and/or hybrids suited for use
in extensive poultrymeat production, in terms of
bird welfare, growth profile, energy and protein
utilisation efficiency, carcass conformation and
meat quality. The study will also aim to establish
aspects of system design and management that are
important in optimising bird welfare, range usage
and economic performance. Research will consider
the differing requirements for barn, free range,
traditional free range and organic poultrymeat
production. | |
ADAS (High Mowthorpe) | Stonechair Organic Unit | | 01-Jan-00 | 31-Dec-02 | | Marks & Spencer plc | crops, vegetables, beef cattle | A collaborative project between Marks &
Spencer and
ADAS to promote organic
production, through the conversion of a 95 ha mixed
farming unit. The project has produced leaflets and
run a series of open events plus small plot trials
to evaluate organic field vegetable production. The
project was aimed at farmers thinking of switching
to organic production as well as consumers
interested in food production. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | To improve knowledge of pest and weed control in
organic crop production in Wales. | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | fruit, vegetables | The aim of this project is to compile
information that will be valuable for the
development of organic horticulture in Wales. The
project will bring together growers, advisors and
researchers in a series of workshops to share
information relating to organic crop production.
Through group discussion, the workshop will
identify the main technical problems and current
knowledge of control methods. Following the
workshop a literature review will be undertaken in
order to provide the basis for the production of
fact sheets, and to identify areas where further
investigation is a priority. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Environmental and socio-economic effects of
organic farming | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-Dec-05 | | National Assembly of Wales Government | environment, economics | This project, commissioned by the Welsh assembly
Government, is to assess the effects of the Organic
Farming Scheme in Wales through two environmental
surveys (baseline and 2 years later) and a
socio-economic survey | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Market Intelligence Newsletter | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | knowledge transfer | To produce 6 monthly editions of a market
intelligence newsletter for organic farmers in
Wales. Each edition will be bilingual except for
the classified advertisements. To load the
newsletter onto the
OCW website and to send it to
recipients' email addresses. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Conversion of Organic Database to internet
access. | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | knowledge transfer | To convert the Organic Database currently held
by
ADAS Wales at Pwllpeiran to
internet access. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Farming Connect Demonstrations Pwllpeiran (
ADAS) and Middleton Hall (
NBGW) | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | knowledge transfer | Monitoring of the
ADAS Pwllpeiran organic unit,
physical and financial performance. Open Days for
Tech transfer | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | The control of ecto-parasites and foot rot in
organic livestock systems. | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | cattle, sheep, parasites | The objective of this project is to review
current, permitted practices to treat
ecto-parasites in terms of animal health and
environmental impact. To investigate the potential
of Integrated Pest Management. A telephone survey
will be conducted to assess current practices
within the organic livestock sector in Wales with
regards to permitted chemicals. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Livestock breeds and organic farming systems | | 09-Jan-02 | 31-May-03 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | sheep, cattle, breeding | To determine the important production objectives
for organic sheep, beef & dairy production
e.g., milk production, parasite resistance. To
review current literature in the performance of
different breed, with particular reference to
sustainable farming systems. To review current
situation and market potential for organic niche
products e.g. wool, meat, milk. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Developments in Pest Control for Organic Crop
Production in Wales - Controlling Soil Borne Pests
and | | 01-Jan-04 | 31-Mar-04 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | crops, pests | This project will produce a series of guides on
control of soil borne pests for organic farmers and
growers. It will also identify priority areas for
of new methods of pest control on organic sites. 3
meetings will be held to discuss the content of the
guides and the direction of future work with groups
of organic growers in North, Mid and South
Wales. | |
ADAS (Pwllpeiran) | Developing the use of composted woodchip as a
substrate for growing edible mushrooms | | 01-Jan-04 | 31-Mar-04 | | Organic Centre Wales, Farming Connect | mushrooms, compost | In 2003,
ADAS Pwllpeiran completed a
study for the
WDA on the use of wood chip for
livestock bedding, which included the composting of
the resultant manures. This project will take
forward results from this work by evaluating
woodchip compost as a substrate to produce edible
mushrooms. It will also assess the commercial
viability of this production as a method of farm
diversification. | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | A review of current European research on organic
farming | OF0171 | 01-Oct-98 | 30-Jun-99 | EFRC,
HDRA | Defra | policy | To compile a searchable database of current
organic farming research projects across
Europe. | http://organic.adas.co.uk/ |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Sustainable organic hill and upland farming - a
collaborative case study approach | OF0326 | 01-Oct-02 | 30-Sep-05 | | Defra | beef, sheep | Working with a reference group of 6 progressive
organic farmers, the objective of the project is to
analyse the physical , financial, structural and
management factors which contribute to economically
sustainable systems in the hills and uplands | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Organic production in the hills and uplands | OF0319 | 01-Apr-02 | 31-Mar-05 | | Defra | beef, sheep, economics | The project covers the continuation and further
development of core assessments within the organic
unit at
ADAS Redesdale. The objective is
to assess the environmental and production
implications of organic management, including the
integration of Countryside Stewardship with organic
production. | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Organic beef and sheep production | OF0147 | 01-Apr-98 | 31-Mar-01 | | Defra | beef, sheep, economics | Conversion of 400 ha, 600 breeding ewes (in 3
flocks) and 35 suckler cows was completed in 1993.
The unit is now recognised as a valuable source of
research and information on upland organic
production. The continuing objective was to assess
the effects of converting a hill/upland farming
system to organic management. This took account of
longer term trends in grassland and livestock
performance, the continuing evolution of markets
for organic produce and the development of
production standards for organic livestock.
Detailed measurements were made of physical and
financial performance, animal health and welfare,
and botanical change. Specific investigations were
undertaken into parasite control and trace element
nutrition. Data from 10 commercial organic farms
linked to the main project was used to broaden the
information base, particularly for financial
performance. | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Efficient use of animal manures within an upland
organic system | OF0187 | 01-Apr-99 | 31-Mar-02 | | Defra | manure | The research compared the effects of manure
(slurry and
FYM) treatment (aeration and
composting) on agronomic performance and soil
fertility when applied to an upland ryegrass/white
clover sward | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Optimising the production and utilisation of
forage for organic livestock | OF0328 | 01-Aug-02 | 31-Aug-04 | IGER, Abacus Organic
Associates | Defra | beef, sheep, forage | The overall objective is to review existing
information on forage production and utilisation in
order to deliver more efficient, sustainable and
environmentally friendly output from organically
managed livestock. A database model will be
developed to predict the net gains and losses from
different systems and management strategies. | |
ADAS (Redesdale) | Control of internal parasites in organic
livestock without the use of pharmaceutical
anthelminthics. | OF0185 | 01-Jan-00 | 31-Dec-03 | | Defra | beef, sheep, parasites | The research will establish the extent to which
internal parasites can be controlled solely through
management alone, and the constraints which apply
in commercial practice, with a view to developing
integrated, preventative control strategies.
Detailed epidemiological data will be collected on
selected `focus ` farms representing a range of
organic farm types. Replicated experiments will be
undertaken, to quantify the effect of dietary
manipulation, novel crops, and drenching with
tannins, on the development of parasitic
gastro-enteritis (
PGE). The collaborating research
team has a strong reputation across scientific,
extension, producer and educational communities,
and brings together a range of specialisms, in a
multidisciplinary approach. The use of commercial
organic focus farms will provide an excellent
platform for technology transfer. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Review of obstacles to achieving the
Defra action plan targets for
organic cereals | OF0334 | 01-Feb-03 | 31-May-03 | EFRC | Defra | cereals, crops | Quantify the current supply and trading position
by cereal species, collect evidence of constraints
to a higher
UK output, consider what could
be done to overcome the constraints and test the
effects of interventions in key farm types. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Testing the sustainability of stockless arable
organic farming on a fertile soil | OF0145 | 01-Apr-98 | 31-Mar-01 | | Defra | crops, vegetables, stockless, economics | The main objective of this proposal was to test
the sustainability of a stockless arable rotation
on a fertile soil. The core experiment was
supported by data collection and analysis from ten
commercial organic farms on a wider range of soil
types and with a variety of rotations. There were
also be a number of specific experiments examining
particular constraints to sustainability, for
example the establishment of legumes and the
control of perennial weeds. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Extension to
OF0145: testing the
sustainability of stockless arable organic farming
on a fertile soil | OF0301 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-02 | | Defra | crops, vegetables, stockless, economics | A continuation for one year of
Defra project
OF0145 | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Assessing the sustainability of a stockless
arable rotation | OF0318 | 01-Apr-02 | 31-Mar-05 | | Defra | crops, vegetables, stockless, economics | The overall objective is to identify and
overcome factors limiting the sustainability of a
stockless arable rotation. Specific objectives are
to: 1. Quantify crop yield and quality.2. Quantify
the financial performance of the rotation and
contrast with Farm Business Survey data from
comparable conventional arable farms. 3. Monitor
and evaluate indicators of sustainability;
particularly for nutrients, weeds, pests and
diseases.4. Communicate results, and their
implications, to
DEFRA, other research
contractors, farmers, advisers and organic
certification bodies. This project is linked to
OF0322. | http://www.stocklessorganic.co.uk/ |
ADAS (Terrington) | Sustainable organic arable farming - a case
study approach | OF0322 | 01-Oct-02 | 30-Sep-05 | | Defra | crops, economics | Working with a reference group of 6 progressive
organic farmers, the objective of the project is to
analyse the physical , financial, structural and
management factors which contribute to economically
sustainable arable organic production. Linked to
project
OF0318. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Agronomic strategies and the economics of
organic sugar beet | BBRO 00/04 | 04-Jan-00 | 28-Feb-04 | British Sugar plc | British Beet Research Organisation (
BBRO) | sugar beet, crops | The objectives of the work are to a) consult
growers currently producing sugar beet on
organically registered land and to use their
experience to guide the way the project develops,
b) identify challenges for organic beet production
on different soil types in the
UK and develop initial agronomic
strategies to meet these challenges, and c) assess
the economics of production. Attention is being
given to crop establishment, particularly fungal
seedling infections, weed control, virus yellows
severity and beet quality. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Companion cropping for organic field
vegetables | OF0181 | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Dec-01 | EFRC | Defra | fertility building crops, companion crops | This study aimed to determine the effects of
fertility-building companion crops, grown in
permanent strips on a bed system, on the nutrient
accumulation and incidence of damage from pests and
diseases in 3 major field-scale vegetable
crops. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Optimising production systems for organic pig
production | OF0169 | 01-Apr-99 | 30-Sep-02 | Newcastle University, Eco-Stopes, Eastbrooke
Farm | Defra | pigs | This study will aim to generate the scientific
and financial information required to facilitate
increased organic pig production in a biological
and economically efficient manner. | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Energy use in organic farming systems | OF0182 | 01-Sep-99 | 31-Mar-00 | | Defra | energy | Objectives were: 1) To check the agronomic
assumptions in an existing energy use model,
particularly for inputs, cultivations, and to
incorporate any updates into the model. 2) Produce
new models for conventional and organic upland
livestock and field vegetables. The conventional
field vegetables to be for individual crops to
reflect specialisation in the industry, the organic
to be based on the
OF0126 crop rotation with the
longest fertility building period. 3) Apply the
model predictions to the data from the
Defra funded organic conversion
projects
OF0145 (stockless arable),
OF0147 (upland beef and sheep),
OF0146 (dairy) and
OF0126 (field vegetables,
rotation with the longest fertility building period
only). To show the energy requirements of organic
and conventional production systems | |
ADAS (Terrington) | Review of Organic Farming Research priorities
for Scotland | ADA/841/03 | 01-Aug-03 | 31-Mar-04 | SQW Ltd | SEERAD | policy | The Scottish Executive commissioned this study
to evaluate organic farming research needs for
Scotland. The study is a combination of desk-based
review combined with visits to relevant
UK organisations and interviews
with key personnel. The study will has due regard
to ongoing research activities elsewhere in the
UK and elsewhere, where these
may have an impact on Scottish organic farming
production. | |
Arable Research Centres (Now part of "The Arable
Group") | Agronomic guidelines for the production of
organic wheat | 2237 | 01-Sep-99 | 31-Dec-02 | | HGCA | wheat, grain quality, crops | This project examined many aspects of growing
organic wheat to improve its yield and quality for
both breadmaking and feed markets. It addressed the
agronomic problems that are unique to the organic
sector and also explores methods of improving
fertility (by green manuring principals) in the
cropping sequences. Whilst initially the work will
concentrate on wheat it is hoped that in the near
future parallel studies will commence on other
cereals and pulse crops | |
British Trust for Ornithology (
BTO) | Factors influencing biodiversity within organic
and conventional systems of arable farming. | OF0165 | 01-Jan-99 | 30-Sep-04 | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Merlewood),
University of Oxford, Royal Agricultural College,
EFRC, Soil Association | Defra | environment, biodiversity, birds | The objectives are: (1) Quantify the abundance
and diversity of target species groups (plants,
invertebrates, birds and bats) on a representative
sample of organic and conventional arable farms.
(2) Quantify the relative abundance and potential
quality for biodiversity of non-crop habitats on a
representative sample of organic and conventional
farms. (3) Determine the extent to which
differences in biodiversity between organic and
conventional arable systems are associated with
differences in extent and management of non-crop
habitats rather than with management of the cropped
land and, as far as possible, ascertain whether any
differences are a consequence of rotational
differences or other factors such as inputs. (4)
Determine how conversion, expressed as duration of
organic management, influences abundance of target
species groups on organic farms. (5) Identify
features of organic systems that are associated
with biodiversity benefits and predict the
ecological and agro-economic implications of
incorporating these within conventional farming
systems and, where appropriate, of enhancing and
maintaining them within organic systems. | |
CABI Bioscience | Organic Farming research database | OF0160 | 01-Sep-99 | 28-Feb-02 | | Defra | knowledge transfer | To create a comprehensive bibliographic database
on all aspects of organic farming research relevant
to the
UK (and temperate regions)
covering literature published in the last 25 years.
The database will be created from a subset of the
general agriculture database,
CAB ABSTRACTS, and supplied on
CD-
ROM in industry standard format.
All necessary software will be included. | |
Centre for Rural Research, University of
Exeter | Impacts of Organic Farming on the Rural Economy
(
CTE0216) | RE0117 | 17-Dec-02 | 16-Dec-04 | University of Plymouth,
HDRA & Elm Farm | Defra | economics, socio-economics | The research will explore the extent to which
organic farming gives rise to greater economic and
socio-economic linkages with rural economies (and
the local economy), as a result contributing to
rural development. It will also examine claims that
organic farming is associated with qualitative as
well as quantitative differences in employment
patterns and social networks in rural
communities. | |
Central Science Laboratory (
CSL) | Review on the possible interactions of pests,
diseases & weeds in cereals grown in organic
& conventional agriculture | OF0194 | 01-Feb-01 | 31-Mar-01 | ADAS,
EFRC,
NIAB | Defra | cereals, pests, diseases, weeds, crops | Objectives were: 1. To review the current state
of knowledge on the status and distribution of
pests, diseases and weeds in organic and
conventionally grown cereals. 2. To assess the
likely rate of expansion of organic cereal
production and the areas where this is most likely
to occur, together with any likely or consequent
change in the distribution of conventionally grown
cereals. 3. To assess the distribution of specific
cereal cultivars and species in organic and
non-organic production in relation to their impact
on disease, pest and weed distribution. A specific
sub-objective will be to assess the likely impact
of the increased use of organically produced seed
on seed-borne diseases. 4. To try to forecast
whether or not the changes in cereal production
will affect the current status and distribution of
pests, diseases and weeds, and, if so, in which
major directions. 5. To make recommendations for
future research, both to ensure that the forecast
under paragraph 3 is correct and that any negative
trends are highlighted and, if possible, dealt
with. | |
Central Science Laboratory (
CSL) | Integrated grain storage - technology transfer
for organic farming | OF0176 | 01-Apr-99 | 31-Mar-01 | HDRA | Defra | cereals, grain, storage, pests, crops | This study aimed to highlight major post-harvest
problems experienced by organic grain growers in
the
UK, as well as summarising the
information currently available to organic growers.
Objectives were 1. Highlighting of the main
post-harvest problems experienced by
UK organic grain growers. 2.
Collation of available published information into a
more convenient form that will enable growers to
tackle storage problems more effectively and
identification of areas requiring a minimum of
modification to ensure smooth technology transfer
from the conventional to the organic sector. The
review will take into account conclusions of a desk
study on the storage of organically produced crops
completed previously by
HDRA and findings of
MAFF-funded research into
storage of conventionally grown grain. 3.
Identification of areas where organic methods
cannot adequately replace conventional pest control
measures and suggestions for areas requiring
further research and development. | |
Central Science Laboratory (
CSL) | Verifying the authenticity of "organically
grown" crops using stable nitrogen isotope
analysis | Q01076 | 01-Apr-02 | 31-Mar-05 | | FSA | authenticity, food | This project builds on work in Q02009 (Isotopic
methods to verify the authenticity of agricultural
products) and concentrates on further refining the
methodology and investigating effects of growing
conditions and geography. The first objective of
this project is to develop a method that can verify
whether artificial fertilisers (produced by
chemical synthesis) have been used during
production of 'organic' vegetables (carrots,
lettuce, tomatoes & mushrooms). This project
addresses whether the reported differences between
the stable nitrogen isotope ratios (15N/14N), and
potential differences between the oxygen isotope
ratios, of synthetic and organic nitrogenous
fertilisers and can be translocated into plants and
exploited to detect this type of fraud. Geographic
location, soil type, type of manure used and time
of harvest all covered in sampling from across
UK and from replicated
trials. | |
Devon County Council | Devon Organic Initiative | | 01-Oct-02 | 01-Jul-03 | Higher Hacknell Farm Ltd. | Devon County Council,
Soil Association | economics, socio-economics | This research and development project is two
part: i. To consult the organic business sector in
Devon to understand current views of needs, issues,
opportunism barriers and priorities for the future
ii. To develop a business plan and funding
applications for the development of the organic
farming and food sector in Devon, to provide a
range of support services and initiatives to meet
the needs of the sector as identified by phase i of
the project | |
Duchy College, Cornwall | Survey of Cornish Organic Farmers | | 01-Aug-02 | 01-May-03 | | EU Objective 1,
Defra | economics, socio-economics | A survey of all registered organic producers was
carried out by one to one interviews. The survey
included collection of farm data and personal
opinions on many aspects of production. The project
aim was to provide detailed information about the
extent of organic farming in Cornwall, to inform
the industry and form the basis of trials and
development of the Centre. Preliminary findings are
that the majority of producers are relatively new
to organic production. Farm sizes ranged from very
small to large where many enterprises were
represented. Many farmers felt the lack of long
term markets and absence of marketing structure was
a significant constraint to production. There were
a number of success stories of farmers adding value
to produce through innovative marketing, group
ventures, processing and local sales. Technical
issues focused on weeds and weed control, soil
fertility building strategies, home produced
protein sources for livestock feed and lack of
availability of organic seed. | |
Duchy College, Cornwall | Green Waste Composting | | 01-May-01 | 01-May-02 | | County Environmental Trust Ltd, Kerrier District
Council | composting | A one year pilot project was established to
investigate opportunities and challenges of on farm
composting. The main objectives were to highlight
where planning and licensing regulations impinged
on the development of on farm composting; raise
awareness of composting and educate a wide range of
interest groups; demonstrate how garden waste can
be transformed into a useful product for
application to organic farmland. The project
provided a valuable opportunity to disseminate
information about on farm composting amongst
farmers and other interest groups. | |
Duchy College, Cornwall | Provision of a health and welfare benchmarking
service and analysis of the influence of health
plans and medicine use on organic dairy farms | | 01-May-02 | 01-Sep-03 | University of Bristol | EU Objective 1,
Defra, Mole Valley Farmers Ltd,
OMSCO | dairy, cattle, health, welfare | An existing welfare assessment protocol
requiring observations of cattle behaviour, and
physical condition, medicine use and farmer
estimates of disease incidence was used to assess
health and welfare of dairy cattle on 15 organic
dairy farms. The results will be used to provide a
benchmarking service to participating farms and
enable farmers and their advisors to identify
strengths and weaknesses in health and welfare
performance. The effectiveness of the benchmarking
as a tool to develop herd health plans for organic
systems will be assessed. | |
Duchy College, Cornwall | Ecological survey on agricultural land during
conversion and into full organic production. | | 01-Sep-99 | 01-Apr-03 | | Cornwall College Research Committee | environment, biodiversity | Small mammal and breeding bird surveys were
carried out on agricultural land during 1999 to
2003. Mammals were surveyed biannually using
Londworth traps set in pairs along a hedgerow.
Trapped mammals were identified weighed and marked
before release. The woodmouse was most prevalent.
Other species included bank vole, field vole and
common shrew. No change in population size or
species diversity was demonstrated during the
period of the study. Breeding birds were monitored
using
BTO common bird census
methodology. The perimeter of the farm and all
field boundaries were walked and all bird species ,
numbers, location and behaviour were recorded and
mapped. The results will be used for comparisons
with future surveys in order to identify any
changes occurring over time. | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Organic farming in Bedfordshire: Constraints and
Solutions | | 01-Mar-02 | 01-Jun-02 | | Bedfordshire County Council | economics | The project/research set out to assess the
extent of organic farming in the county along with
identifying the constraints farmers felt towards
converting to organic farming & ways in which
these constraints could be overcome. | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | GMOs and organic farming | | 01-Jan-00 | 31-Mar-03 | | EFRC | GMOs | Various pieces of work looking at the threats
and impacts that
GMOs are likely to have on
organic farms and food production systems. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | To draw together information on organic farming
research through all
UK public sector, private and
charitable sources. | OF0338 | 14-Jan-03 | 31-Mar-03 | Eco-Stopes | Defra | policy | This project was commissioned to address action
point 13 of the organic action plan and the
consortium has been asked to undertake this work on
behalf of
Defra and the Action Plan Group.
The objective of the project is to o draw together
information on current levels of funding for
organic research throughout all
UK public sector, private and
charitable sources. The results will be used by
Defra and the proposed research
sub-committee to facilitate discussion on the scope
for better targeting and co-ordination of the
research effort and for a greater input from
non-Government sources of funding. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Development of a farm audit | | | 01-Aug-01 | 01-Jul-03 | | | EFRC, 9 Farmers, Mark Measures
Associates | audit | The Farm Audit is being developed in order to
provide a process by which a farm may be assessed
for its delivery of all the objectives of organic
farming. It will be used as an advisory tool &
as a mechanism to quantify the efficacy of organic
farming. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Organic Agroforestry systems | | | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Mar-03 | | | EFRC | agroforestry, crops | The ongoing development of an organic
agroforestry system on Wakelyns Agr
OF0restry in Suffolk. The system
is investigating a number of systems and concepts
including companion and bicropping of nutrient
building crops and arable/vegetable crops as well
as the use of trees in both timber and food as an
integral part of the system. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | EFRC stockless | | | 10-Jan-97 | 31-Dec-98 | EFRC | EFRC | crops, stockless | The development of a stockless organic
system. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | A review of knowledge: inter-row hoeing &
its associated agronomy in organic cereal &
pulse crops | OF0312 | 01-Jan-02 | 31-May-02 | SRI | Defra | crops, vegetables, weeds, hoeing | To review and disseminate the state of knowledge
of inter-row hoeing and its associated agronomy in
organic cereal and pulse crops and identify areas
where further research is required. The review will
take account of published information resulting
from work conducted in both the organic and
non-organic sectors. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Production of organic seed for the organic
sector | OF0154 | 04-Jan-99 | 03-Jan-00 | | | Defra | seed, crops | Objectives were: 1. To assess the current and
potential availability of organic seed, in the
UK, elsewhere in Europe and
further afield. 2. Develop a forecast of demand for
organic seed in the
UK over the next 5-10 years. 3.
Determine the obstacles to be overcome and whether
or not they can be dealt with through
UK or European Co-operation. 4.
Highlight problems that need further research
input. 5. Produce a report covering the
availability of organically produced seed including
details of species and varieties where further work
is needed and recommendations for future
actions. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Action Research | | | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Dec-01 | | | EFRC | crops, weeds, grassland | The identification and development of on-farm
problems and constraints to organic production. The
work included such projects as clover varieties for
early bite, dock control, and soil aeration. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Variety mixtures to reduce potato blight | | | 01-Sep-99 | 31-Aug-01 | | | EFRC | crops, potatoes, disease | The development of management strategies for
late blight in organic potato production. The
project looked at such methods as varietal mixtures
and seed rate. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Alternative, non-animal based nutrient sources,
for organic plant raising | OF0308 | 01-Jan-02 | 31-Dec-02 | HDRA | Defra | plant raising, vegetables | To identify and assess suitable alternative,
non-animal based nutrient sources with adequate
nutrient content and balance (particularly of
nitrogen), for organic plant raising in the
UK | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Over winter transplant production for extended
season organic cropping | OF0144 | 01-Dec-97 | 31-Mar-01 | HDRA,
HRI | Defra | plant raising, vegetables | The overall objective of this project was to
develop and evaluate protocols for organic
transplant production during autumn, winter and
early spring, taking particular account of nutrient
supply, cell size and disease (particularly mildew)
control for brassicas, allium and lettuce. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Organic cereal variety and mixtures trials | | | 01-Sep-99 | 31-Mar-03 | | | Sheepdrove Organic Farm Trust (
SOF) | cereals, varieties, crops | To improve the productivity and stability of
organic cereal production by identifying cereal
varieties and variety mixtures that demonstrate the
best adaptation to organic farming systems. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Generating and evaluating a novel genetic
resource in wheat in diverse environments | ARO914 | 01-Nov-01 | 31-Oct-07 | John Innes Centre | Defra | wheat, breeding, varieties, crops | To increase the sustainability and
competitiveness of both non-organic and organic
farming systems by developing genetically diverse
wheat populations that will respond rapidly to
on-farm selection for improved productivity and
yield. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | The development of an organic silvopoultry
system. | | | 01-Jun-01 | 01-Jan-02 | | | Sheepdrove Organic Farm Trust (
SOF) | | | To provide living conditions that allow chickens
to express their basic behaviour, by establishing a
woodland edge habitat. To supply food sources for
nutritional and health benefits for the chickens
from a variety of sources, trees, shrubs, herbs as
well as grass/clover leys; To provide an enriched
landscape for the farm to encourage an increase in
biodiversity; To provide a community asset in terms
of landscape and the opportunities to gather
hedgerow fruits. | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Eating oil | | | 01-Jan-00 | 01-Dec-00 | Sustain | EFRC | environment, food miles | Research and publication of a report on the
transport and food miles of organic and
conventional food | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Development & evaluation of whole farm
conservation plans for organic farming systems | DL3
EF/02/03 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-03 | | | English Nature | environment, conservation plans | | | | |
Elm Farm Research Centre (
EFRC) | Developing a participatory approach to seed
production & varietal selection | OF0330 | 01-Aug-02 | 31-Jul-06 | HDRA,
NIAB, Kingston University,
Middlesex University | Defra | cereals, varieties, crops | To develop a robust system for identifying,
testing, multiplying and marketing cereal
varieties, lines, mixtures and populations best
suited to organic production in different parts of
the country. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Inclusion of the resource-poor in organic
production and trade: opportunities and constraints
posed by certification | | | 01-Apr-00 | 30-Nov-00 | ASC, Coventry University | Df
ID | economics | A desk study to assess the benefits and
constraints that resource-poor farmers face when
exporting organic produce to the
EU market. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Sustainable Organic Vegetable Systems
Network | OF0340 | 01-Jun-03 | 31-May-06 | EFRC,
HRI | Defra | vegetables, economics | This project will, by monitoring the performance
of vegetable rotations and new developments and
innovations within the context of whole farm
systems, identify the agronomic, financial and
management factors which contribute towards
sustainable organic vegetable systems, and
disseminate best practice techniques to other
growers. The project will operate in a
participatory way, with
HDRA researchers working closely
with a network of 10 organic vegetable growers and
OAS advisors. The farms network
will represent a cross section of the size,
production systems, market outlets and geographical
location which organic vegetables are grown. The
project will follow closely on from methods and
approaches developed, and data collected during the
'Conversion to Organic Vegetable Production
project' (
OF0191). It will share the same
steering committee with the
HDRA/
HRI 'Baseline monitoring of
organic vegetable systems with differing fertility
building periods' project (
OF0332) and work in parallel
with the
DEFRA funded economics of
organic farming study (
OF0190) in which the economic
data from the farms will be collected. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Organic field vegetable production - baseline
monitoring of systems with different fertility
building regimes | OF0332 | 01-Jan-03 | 31-Mar-06 | HRI,
EFRC | Defra | vegetables, economics | The overall aim of this study is to provide
continued baseline information on the agronomic and
economic performance during the post-conversion
period for the organic field vegetable production
systems at
HRI Wellesborne and Kirton. The
resources are made available for organic farming
research initiatives. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Conversion to organic field vegetable production
Phase 2 | OF0191 | 01-Aug-00 | 30-Apr-04 | EFRC,
HRI,
IRS | Defra | vegetables, economics | This project is an extension of
OF0126, to facilitate the
completion of the monitoring of the first full
course of the rotations at the organic unit at
HRI Wellesbourne and the
monitoring of a minimum of four cropping season on
each of the commercial farms. The overall aim of
this study is thus the same as for
OF0126. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Use of green waste compost in agriculture | Environmental Body Project 948082.001 | 01-Mar-97 | 31-Dec-00 | | | Wyvern Waste Services Ltd | composting, green waste | A study aiming to improve our understanding of
the effect of applying green waste compost to
agricultural land. The study focussed on effect on
crop yields, changes in soil nutrient status, soil
structure and biological activity, potential
contamination, risk of nitrate leaching and
economic implications. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Knowledge transfer to organic fruit industry | OF0311 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-02 | | | Defra | knowledge transfer, apples, strawberries,
fruit | The purpose of this project was to produce two
technical guides for growers. One was entitled
Organic Strawberry Production - a growers guide,
and the other Organic Apple Production - pest and
disease management. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Provision of information on organic soft fruit
production | OF0306 | 01-Feb-02 | 31-Jan-03 | OSFWG | Defra | fruit | The purpose of this project was to gather
information on organic soft fruit production and to
produce a technical guide for growers | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Combining peas, monitoring and evaluation of the
feasibility of organic production | | | 01-Mar-00 | 31-Mar-01 | | | PGRO | vegetables, peas | The purpose of this study was to assess the
feasibility of growing combining peas organically
and identify those factors which may limit
production, such as weed, pest and disease
problems. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Organic Management of Roses Phase 1 | | | 01-Apr-02 | 31-Mar-03 | | | National Trust, Roses
UK | ornamentals, roses | Long term, the aim of this project is to develop
effective management regimes for roses and, in
particular, to develop appropriate solutions to
overcome problems caused by foliar diseases,
including rose black spot (Diplocarpon rosae). The
objectives of the first phase of this project were
to gather the existing knowledge on organic rose
management from gardeners, commercial rose growers,
researchers and from the literature. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Economics of organic top fruit production | OF0305 | 01-Feb-02 | 31-Jan-05 | ADAS,
IRS Aberystwyth | Defra | fruit | This study will collect and assess economic data
from commercial organic top fruit growers over
three years. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Mechanical weed control strategies in organic
field vegetable production | | | 01-Nov-98 | 31-Oct-03 | Coventry University,
HRI | HDRA, Coventry University
Studentship for Organic Horticulture | vegetables, weeds, carrots | This study investigates weed management
strategies for organically grown main crop carrots
and transplanted onions by evaluating a range of
weed control factors. These include cultural,
thermal and mechanical methods of control which are
integrated to formulate optimum weed management
programmes | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Varieties and integrated pest and disease
management for organic apple production | HL0150
LOF | 01-Apr-00 | 31-Mar-05 | HRI | Defra (Horticulture
LINK) | apples, fruit | To develop organic systems that will enable the
problems of pests and diseases in organic apple
production in the
UK to be overcome. The target is
that fruit quality, in terms of appearance and
eating characteristics, should be at least equal to
conventionally produced apples. Coupled with this,
the systems developed must be both sustainable and
environmentally sensitive. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Study of the market for organic vegetables | OF0307 | 01-Feb-02 | 31-Jan-03 | IRS Aberystwyth,
EFRC, Soil Association | Defra | vegetables | The overall aim is to provide detailed market
information on the demand and supply of individual
UK organic vegetable crops
throughout the
UK growing season. | | |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Participatory investigation of the management of
weeds in organic production systems | OF0315 | 01-Aug-02 | 31-Jul-06 | HRI,
EFRC,
ADAS,
RULIVSYS | Defra | weeds, participatory | Weed control is a primary production constraint
to organic farming systems. This new project aims
to take a participatory approach to identify and
resolve weed management problems. Workshops and
focus groups will be run throughout the project.
Farmers, researchers and other stakeholders will
jointly investigate and develop solutions. | http://www.organicweeds.org.uk/ |
Henry Doubleday Research Association (
HDRA) | Conversion to organic field vegetable production
Phase 1 | OF0126 | 01-Aug-96 | 31-Jul-00 | EFRC,
HRI,
IRS | Defra | vegetables, economics | The overall aim of this study was to provide
information on the agronomic and economic
performance of during the conversion to organic
systems of field vegetable production. The study
involves the monitoring of eleven sites that are
undergoing conversion; two of these are on
experimental farms (
HRI Wellesbourne and Kirton) and
the other nine are on commercial holdings. The
information provided by the project will aid
farmers who are undergoing, or who are considering,
conversion to organic systems, and also policy
making on related issues. | | |
HRI | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in organic
systems | OF0333 | 21-Jan-03 | 21-Aug-03 | ADAS High Mowthorpe,
HDRA | Defra | arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil | This project has three objectives: 1) To deliver
a literature review covering current knowledge of
the role of
AM fungi in conventional and
organic agricultural systems. The review will
consider the ways in which management influences
the structure and functioning of
AM fungus communities, and will
include case studies in which
AM fungi have been managed in
agricultural systems, including the possibilities
for using
AM fungi as inoculants. 2) To
establish the extent of differences in
AM fungus inoculum between
organic and conventional systems, covering a range
of management practices. 3) To develop a method
suitable for characterising
AM fungus communities in soil
libraries, based on 18S r
RNA terminal restriction
fragment length polymorphism | | |
HRI | Changes to soil quality indicators following
conversion to organic vegetable production | OF0401 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-02 | HDRA | Defra | soil, vegetables | The objectives of this research are to
characterise how key functional indicators of soil
quality are affected by contrasting fertility
building strategies, and to determine how these
indicators have changed over the first five years
following conversion from conventional arable to
organic vegetable production. The study will
provide information about the time taken for key
soil functional characteristics with importance for
sustainability to change following conversion, and
the way in which contrasting fertility building
strategies affect these changes. This knowledge
will be of value for identifying potential soil
functional constraints to productivity following
conversion to organic production. The data-set will
also provide a valuable contribution to the
development of general indicators for soil
sustainability, and the identification of critical
processes and thresholds contributing to
sustainability of agricultural soils. | | |
HRI | Organic Seed Production | OF0166 | 01-Feb-99 | 31-Jul-03 | EFRC,
HDRA, Elsoms Seeds | Defra | vegetables, seed | The economic and agronomic feasibility of
organic seed production is being investigated.
Vegetable crop species included are brassicas,
winter cauliflower, bulb onion, parsnip and
lettuce, All production work has been carried out
under a specially constructed 'Spanish' tunnel unit
on a certified organic area at Wellesbourne. The
project aim is to measure the potential seed yield,
seed health and seed vigour from organic seed
production, and where possible, seed from
experimental organic plots is being compared with
that produced conventionally. Both the pathology
and physiology of seed quality are monitored,
following organic protocols for the production of
seed from several species. | | |
HRI | Growth and competition model for organic weed
control | OF0177 | 01-Apr-99 | 31-Mar-02 | | | Defra | weeds, modelling, vegetables | A
MATLAB software program encoding
the Aikman and Benjamin (1994) model, will be
written and run to predict the optimal weeding
times of major vegetable crops in organic
production. Parameter values for major vegetable
crops obtained for conventional agriculture will be
used. Other inputs will be the wide row spacing
common in organic production to allow mechanical
inter-row weeding, weed density and varying
climatic conditions. Validation of the work will be
by reference to historic data sets, such as
CSA2093, 'Mechanical weed
control techniques for agriculture and
horticulture', by Mr W. Bond at
HRI. | | |
HRI | Using weeds to reduce pest insect numbers in
organic vegetable crops - a desk study. | OF0329 | 01-Apr-03 | 31-Mar-06 | | | Defra | weeds, vegetables, pests | The aim of this project is to demonstrate how
the existing crop protection models could be used
to optimise weed and pest insect control in
organically-grown vegetable crops. The best
management strategies for reducing the incidence of
pests, without compromising crop yield, will be
identified using the pest and weed models. A range
of treatments will be selected for validation under
field conditions. Guidelines will be produced, in
consultation with
IOR-
HDRA, to show how best to manage
weed populations to reduce crop-colonisation by
pest insects. Suggestions will also be made to show
how the system could be adapted for other crop/pest
combinations. Apart from showing how techniques
developed for conventional horticulture can be used
by organic growers, the project will identify
subject areas that require further work - specific
to organic production. | | |
HRI | Desk study to apply knowledge developed for
conventional horticulture to the control of pests
in organic vegetables. | OF0179 | 01-Apr-99 | 31-Mar-02 | HDRA | Defra | vegetables, pests | The project will demonstrate how methods of pest
control developed for conventional vegetable
production can be adapted for use by organic
growers. It concentrated on the pests of
umbelliferous and cruciferous crops, which occupy
about 52% of the total area of organic vegetable
production. Simulation models, to indicate the
optimum times to plant, protect and harvest a
specific crop, were used as the basis for
developing specific control strategies for organic
growers. The results can be used by organic growers
to decide 1) which crops are most susceptible to
pest attack, 2) when to plant and harvest the crop
to minimise pest damage and 3) when to protect the
crop with covers or approved control agents. | | |
IGER | Organic Milk Production | OF0146 | 01-Oct-98 | 30-Sep-02 | IRS | Defra | dairy, cattle, milk, economics | Objectives: 1. To investigate the factors
affecting the physical and financial performance of
two different organic dairy farming systems (System
A: a self-sufficient system and System B: the
importation of concentrate feeds to supplement
home-grown forages) 2. To develop a model of
organic milk production which will allow the
financial performance of contrasting strategies to
be evaluated, utilising data collected from Ty Gwyn
and the three other organic dairy farms. 3.To
continue to monitor the financial performance of
ten dairy farms and Ty Gwyn. At least four of these
farms will have been established long term and up
to six entered conversion in the 1996/97 study.
Data will be contrasted with data collected from
the previous phase of the study to confirm results
for farms entering the post-conversion phase. | | |
IGER | Influence of level of self-sufficiency on the
nutrient budgets of an organic dairy farm | OF0180 | 01-Oct-99 | 30-Sep-02 | | | Defra | dairy, cattle, milk, economics | Objectives are: 1. To determine whole-farm
budgets and internal flows of N, P and K for
organic dairy systems A and B at Ty Gwyn. 2. To
measure the effect of slurry applications on N
fixation in grass/clover fields at Ty Gwyn and
effects on the uptake of P, K and Mg. 3. To measure
possible changes in the P and K content of soils in
Systems A and B at Ty Gwyn and evaluate recommended
laboratory tests as indicators of P and K
deficiencies in these soils. | | |
IGER | The development of organic dairy production
systems | OF0317 | 01-Oct-02 | 30-Sep-06 | | | Defra | dairy, cattle, milk, economics | Improving the efficiency of organic production
systems. (continued from
OF0146) | | |
IGER | Crops for organic systems | | | 01-Jun-02 | 31-May-03 | | | Farming Connect | forage, grassland, silage | Evaluating (1) forage energy sources, (2) grass
+ clover mixtures, (3) silage quality | | |
IGER | Clover: cereal bi-cropping for organic farms | OF0173 | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Dec-01 | | | Defra | companion cropping, bi-cropping, cereals,
crops | The proposal will evaluate the agronomic
viability and sustainability of clover:cereal
bi-cropping in organic farming systems as specified
under
UKROFS, for both silage and
grain production. Experiments will be established
on three
UKROFS approved sites with
contrasting soil types and environmental
conditions. Randomised block small-plot experiments
will determine the most satisfactory ways of
modifying the
IGER/
IACR system for organic farming.
The results will be used to enable the greater
adoption of organic cereal growing and would be a
very attractive option for growers and would be
directly in line with
Defra's policy focus of
encouraging conversion to organic production. | | |
John Innes Centre | A review of knowledge of the potential impacts
of
GMOs on organic agriculture | OF0193 | 04-Jan-01 | 30-Sep-01 | EFRC | Defra,
BBSRC | GMOs, crops | Desk Study: A consideration of the potential
impact of
GM crop production on organic
crop production | | |
New Economic Foundation | The Organics Tax Credit | | | 01-Feb-02 | 30-Jun-02 | | | Triodos Bank | economics | Report looked at the potential for government to
encourage investment in organic farming and on-farm
enterprise, to grow the
UK organic sector and to
encourage and reward the entrepreneurialism of
farmers, through an organic tax credit. | | |
NIAB | Varieties of field vegetables and potatoes for
organic production and marketing | OF0142 | 01-Apr-97 | 31-Mar-01 | | | Defra | vegetables, potatoes, varieties, crops | This project is designed to test the performance
of varieties promoted for organic production in
organic situations. Organic seed is used when
available together with untreated seed of varieties
known to be in production as organic seed or
varieties with characteristics which could be
useful to organic growers. | | |
NIAB | Varieties of field vegetables and potatoes for
organic production and marketing | OF0304 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-04 | HDRA | Defra | vegetables, potatoes, varieties, crops | This project is designed to test the performance
of varieties promoted for organic production in
organic situations. Organic seed is used when
available together with untreated seed of varieties
known to be in production as organic seed or
varieties with characteristics which could be
useful to organic growers. (continued from
OF0142) | | |
NIAB | Shelf life of organic vegetables | OF0156 | 01-Jun-98 | 31-May-01 | | | Defra | vegetables, potatoes, shelf life, crops | To investigate the shelf life of selected
varieties of vegetables and potatoes, and the
storage of onions and potatoes for organic
production. The shelf life of selected varieties of
organically grown early carrots, broccoli, lettuce,
novelty salads, parsnips and potatoes was
investigated under cool cabinet (20ºC, 50% relative
humidity, 1200 lux lighting) and ambient (1ºC, 80%
relative humidity, 1200 lux lighting)
conditions. | | |
NIAB | Establishment of and running a comprehensive
organic seed database and communication network | OF0195 | 01-Sep-00 | 31-Aug-03 | Soil Association | Defra | seed, crops, vegetables | A website has been set up designed to make it
easier to find out the availability of organic seed
and to provide performance data in organic and
conventional trials. In addition the web site has
sections for news updates, organic trials results
and a chatroom for discussions on organic seed. | http://www.organicxseeds.co.uk
http://www.cosi.org.uk/ |
Norton Organic Grain | Organic Grain Link | MQP19 | 01-Aug-02 | 31-Jul-05 | Saxon Agriculture, Lincolnshire Organic
Producers | Defra | cereals, marketing | To support organic farming and food through the
development of an improved market structure for
organic combinable crops. | http://www.organicgrainlink.co.uk/ |
Rothamsted Research | Studies on exploiting semiochemicals for pest
management in organic farming systems | OF0188 | 01-Nov-99 | 31-Jan-00 | | | Defra | semiochemicals, crops, pests | Semiochemicals, as naturally-occurring signals
that regulate the behaviour or development of pests
and disease, have potential for exploitation in
organic farming systems where intervention against
pests is required. This study will investigate the
extent to which exploitation of semiochemicals for
pest control will be acceptable in organic farming,
i.e. whether release of semiochemicals from
companion or trap plants can be extended to
deployment of semiochemical formulations as natural
extracts or even as nature-identical products. The
main objective will be to identify specific aspects
of organic farming where exploitation of
semiochemicals could advance and widen use of
organic farming practices by providing new pest
management strategies acceptable in such systems.
Objectives are to determine targets where
intervention against pests is required to expand
organic farming practices, to review
semiochemical-based pest management relevant to
organic farming, to determine deployment strategies
for semiochemical-based pest management acceptable
in organic farming and to produce priority
recommendations for field and/or scientific studies
in furtherance of 3. | | |
Rothamsted Research | Integrated control of slug damage | OF0158 | 01-Sep-98 | 31-Mar-02 | | | Defra | pests, slugs, crops, vegetables | Objectives: 1. evaluation of biocontrol methods
using the nematode Phasmarhhabditis hermaphrodita
in combination with other methods. 2.
quantification of the impact of carabid beetle
predators on slug populations. 3. evaluation of
mechanical & cultural methods of slug control,
particularly methods of weed control.4. Evaluation
of intercropping with attractive or repellent
crops. 5. Assessment of the potential value of
modified crop rotations. 6. Potential of
molluscicidal composts for control of slug damage
and potential use of plant extracts as additives to
repellant mulch material.7. Determination of
spatial patterns of slug populations & damage
in key organic vegetable crops. 8. Use of
combinations of control measures, e.g. nematodes
applied to soil in crop rows combined with
mechanical cultivation between rows. 9. Production
of recommendations, to be published as a booklet or
pamphlet, for best practice in integrated pest
management of slugs in organic vegetable
production. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Review of the organic farming sector in Scotland
and evaluation of the Organic Aid Scheme. (
FF) | ERM/001/97 | 01-Dec-97 | 28-Feb-00 | ERM (subcontractors Scottish
Wildlife Trust & University of Aberdeen) | SEERAD | policy | | | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Effects of composting manures and other organic
wastes on soil processes & pest & disease
interactions | OF0313 | 01-May-02 | 31-Dec-02 | University of Reading | Defra | composting, soil, pests, diseases | The overall objectives of this project are: 1.To
document the current standards, regulations and
legislation relevant to recycling, compost/manure
preparation and application and to review common
UK practices relating to the
preparation and use of uncomposted materials,
manures, composts and compost extracts. 2. To
review current scientific knowledge of the effects
of different composting processes on chemical and
biological parameters in the finished compost or
compost extract. 3. To review the effects of
uncomposted materials, manures and composts on soil
health and quality, soil fertility and crop
development and nutrition. 4. To review the effects
of uncomposted materials, manures, composts and
compost extracts on pest and disease incidence and
severity in agricultural and horticultural crops.
Information from this work will be published and
will also be used to outline a proposed strategy
for research (developed under Obj. 5) which will
seek to develop composting systems and
compost/manure application protocols with a view to
optimising soil fertility management and pest and
disease control in organic agriculture and
horticulture. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Optimisation of phosphorus and potassium
management within organic farming systems | OF0114 | 01-Jan-98 | 31-Dec-00 | EFRC, Rothamsted Research, Royal
Agricultural College | Defra | soil fertility, P, K, grassland, crops | Objectives: 1) Assess the balance between inputs
and offtakes of P and K within a range of
UK organic farming systems using
whole farm nutrient budgeting. 2) Evaluate chemical
and bioavailability indices used to assess P and K
status of soils. 3) Assess the availability of a
range of P and K fertilisers to grass-clover leys
and tillage crops, with and without arbuscular
mycorrhizal associations and identify practical
application methods for on farm use. 4) Develop a
process-based dynamic simulation model of P and K
turnover in the soil-crop system that includes a
description of P and K availability from
non-soluble sources and evaluate using data from
field experiments. 5) Provide guidelines for
farmers on the use of phosphorus and potassium
fertilisers for organic systems. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Preserving fertility and soil quantity in
organic production with emphasis on the conversion
from ley to arable | SAC/312/01 | 01-Apr-01 | 31-Mar-05 | | | SEERAD | soil fertility | Studies of grazing vs. non-grazing regimes,
timing of cessation of grazing or grass harvesting
before tillage, timing of tillage and depth of
tillage. The approach will integrate nutrient
release, soil biological measurements and soil
structural habitats to build a comprehensive
understanding of the processes regulating soil
fertility and soil quality. Will measure the long
term effect of organic production on soil
structural quality. Will study effect of mechanical
weeding on soil structure. Will be done on field
experiments of the "Resource Use in Organic
Farming" and "En
COIRE" projects | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Key factors in sustainable ley-arable farming
systems: quantifying the effects of crop rotation,
vegetation management and animal health status on
nitrogen and energy flows. | SAC/093/95 | 01-Apr-95 | 31-Mar-00 | | | SEERAD | crops, vegetables, livestock, nutrients,
energy | | | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Review of organic cereal production | 2299 | 01-Apr-00 | 30-Sep-00 | | | HGCA | cereals, crops | This proposal summarised present production
methods of organic cereal production, reviewed
published research and other information available
on the production of organic cereals, and
identified key areas for future research and the
need for technology transfer, taking account of the
present and projected size and value of the organic
cereals market and its component sectors. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | A study of the advantages & disadvantages of
break crops for organic rotations | OF0143 | 01-Oct-98 | 30-Sep-02 | University of Aberdeen | Defra | crops, break crops | Objectives: 1. Review of the scientific
literature to evaluate known agronomic advantages
and disadvantages of 15 potential break crops for
organic arable/grass rotations. 2. Evaluation of
the economic potential of the 15 potential break
crops. 3. Identification of agronomic and
environmental suitability of 10 break crops in
small-scale field trials. 4. Identification of
agronomic and environmental suitability of potato,
carrot, swede and borage in a large scale
experimental organic rotation. 5. Assessment of
consumer acceptability, sensory characteristics and
market potential of harvested crops grown in field
trials. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Resource use in organic farming | SAC/257/00 | 01-Apr-00 | 31-Mar-05 | Moredun Research Institute | SEERAD | nutrients, biodiversity, welfare | Integrates studies of nutrient use at
SAC farms with a series of
targeted studies on nutrients, biodiversity and
animal welfare on converting and organic commercial
farms. Will take a holistic approach to modelling
organic systems in the Scottish Environment with a
view to the future development of decision
support. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Maintaining a competitive position in the
Scottish organic fresh food market | SAC/262/00 | 01-Apr-00 | 30-Sep-02 | | | SEERAD | food, fruit, vegetables | To identify the variables, criteria and decision
processes associated with consumers' choice of
fresh fruit and vegetables, both organic and
conventional. Results to be communicated back
through the supply chain to improve competitiveness
of Scottish producers. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Weed Control in Organic Farming (
WECOF) | QLK5-
CT-2000-01418 | 01-Oct-00 | 30-Sep-04 | University of Bonn (Germany), Warsaw
Agricultural University (Poland), Instituto
Madrileno de Investigation Agraria y Alimentaria
(Spain), University of Ancona (Italy) | EU | weeds, crops | The aim of the
WECOF project ('Strategies of
Weed Control in Organic Farming') is to improve the
efficiency of weed control in Organic Farming. The
model crop is winter wheat. A primary objective is
to optimise the natural competitiveness of winter
wheat in reducing weed growth, and thus reduce the
need for direct weed control. A core experimental
program is focussing on plant morphological and
crop architectural characteristics to increase the
competitive ability of the crop for light. Variety
trials have been established in Scotland with
constant row width and sowing direction to give
more detailed varietal comparisons in terms of
shading ability. The aim is to identify key
characteristics of winter wheat morphology, which
can increase shading ability, in order to assist
breeders in selecting suitable cultivars for
Organic Farming. The economic efficiency of the
tested weed control methods will be analysed, both
at the micro-economic (farm) and the macro-economic
(society) level. The elaborated strategies will be
integrated in a Decision Support System (
DSS) to assists advisers and
farmers in selecting site specific strategies for
effective weed control. | http://www.wecof.uni-bonn.de/ |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Modelling weed population dynamics and control
in organic agriculture | SAC/328/02 | 01-Apr-02 | 31-Mar-05 | SCRI | SEERAD | weeds, crops | Mathematical models of weed communities will be
produced based on extensive
SAC datasets from system studies
and current research. The models will be used to
study the development of weed communities in whole,
realistic organic rotations and will include the
effects of control options which will be selected
on the basis of workshops involving advisers and
farmers. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Utilisation of organic and inorganic nitrogen
sources by grassland species | SAC/256/000 | 01-Apr-00 | 31-Mar-02 | | | SEERAD | soil fertility, nitrogen | Understanding and managing biological nitrogen
cycling processes is central to developing
effective and sustainable agricultural systems. In
many soils the dissolved organic nitrogen (
DON) pool may constitute as much
as 80% of the total soluble nitrogen. This has been
demonstrated in grass/clover leys, pine forest,
tundra and heathland ecosystems. The utilisation of
DON is likely to be plant
species specific, and to be influenced by
environmental factors. This study will investigate
the potential for selected grassland species,
showing a range of mycorrhizal associations, to use
organic nitrogen sources when supplied as the sole
N source or when combined with inorganic N forms,
in the presence or absence of mycorrhizal
colonisation. We will thus examine direct root
uptake and the extent to which mycorrhizal
associations and root physical adaptations broaden
the nitrogen source base using a variety of
methods. Additionally, root architectural changes
will be monitored by growing plants hydroponically
or in glass-fronted microcosms, followed by
scanning and image analysis. Improved understanding
of the role of
DON will potentially lead to the
development of more efficient nitrogen management
strategies by increasing plant utilisation and
decreasing nitrogen losses. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | Breeding strategies for organic dairy cattle | | | 01-Apr-00 | 30-Sep-02 | | | SEERAD | cattle, dairy, survey | Survey of organic farmers. Organic dairy farmers
were asked to give a score of 0 to 5, with 0 being
of little importance and 5 being of great
importance, to 28 potential goal traits. These
traits included production, resistance to general
and specific diseases, fertility, and feet and leg
disorders. | | |
Scottish Agricultural College (
SAC) | WORMCOPS: Worm control in
organic production systems for small ruminants in
Europe: Towards the implementation of non-chemical,
sustainable approaches | QLK5-
CT-2001-01843 | 01-Jul-01 | | | The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
(Denmark), Utrecht University (Holland), Diputacion
General de Aragon (Spain), Danish Institute of
Agricultural Sciences, Institut National de la
Recherche Agronomique (France), Moredun Research
Institute (Scotland), National Veterinary Institute
(Sweden), Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse
(France). | EU | livestock, worms | The aim of the project is to develop and analyse
options for an integrated strategy for control of
parasitic nematodes in organic small ruminant
production systems across Europe. The options are
combinations of existing non-chemical options (i.e.
grazing management) and novel approaches such as
biological control and bioactive forages. The
recommendations will integrate the necessary
elements: Bioactive forages, biological control and
grazing management, and will also be appreciable
and highly relevant to non-organic farmers. | http://www.wormcops.dk/ |
Scottish Crop Research Institute (
SCRI) | Impacts of a conventional and an organic crop
insecticide spray treatment on life history traits
of two spot ladybirds. | SCR/535/99 | 01-Aug-99 | 31-Jan-02 | | | SEERAD | pests, beneficial insects, vegetables, crops | | | | |
Sheepdrove Organic Farm (
SOF) | Monitoring Research and Development of
Sheepdrove Organic Farm | | | 01-Nov-02 | 01-Dec-03 | EFRC | SOF Trust | economics, environment | The objective of this project is to provide a
description of the whole farming system at
Sheepdrove Organic Farm (
SOF). The secondary objective is
to establish a baseline data set for agronomic and
environmental activities on the farm in order to
monitor changes over time as the organic farming
system develops. Thirdly the project will evaluate
areas for further R&D work to improve and
enhance the agronomic and environmental systems at
SOF. | | |
Silsoe Research Institute (
SRI) | Cost-effective inter-row hoeing and band
spraying systems for weed control in integrated and
organic
cereal production (
LK0928) | 2694 | 01-Oct-02 | 31-Jul-05 | | | HGCA,
Defra (
LINK) | weeds, crops | The aim is to demonstrate high precision
(lateral S.D. 10mm) systems spanning multiple drill
bouts, typically three 4m sections operating on a
12m tramline, operating at 10kph. For conventional
systems the benefit would be a 60% reduction of
herbicide input and a one third reduction in
treatment costs with no loss of yield. For organic
systems the proven benefits of precision inter-row
cultivation could be achieved at treble the work
rate of existing systems. The technology has other
potential applications and is complementary to
precision agriculture techniques based on spatial
variability. | | |
Soil Association | Animal welfare and organic farming | | | 01-Jun-03 | 01-Dec-03 | | | Anonymous individual donor | livestock, welfare | The objective of the study is to give a
definitive overview of organic farms performance on
animal welfare. It is aimed at consumers, retailers
and policy makers. | | |
Soil Association | The jobs dividend in
UK organic farming | | | 01-Jan-03 | 01-Oct-03 | | | Rowan charitable Trust | economics, socio-economics | The research will aim to evaluate and quantify
the social and economic effects of both organic and
conventional farming and direct-marketing - not
only directly (in terms of jobs created) but also
indirectly in terms of the effect of a thriving
farm business on other local suppliers and service
providers. | | |
Soil Association | The biodiversity benefits of organic farming | | | 01-Mar-00 | 01-May-00 | | | WWF | environment, biodiversity | The report presents and reviews the findings of
nine studies on the biodiversity supported by
organic farming in the lowlands, compared to
conventional farming systems | | |
Soil Association | Organic farming, food quality and human health:
a review of the evidence | | | 01-Jan-01 | 01-Jun-01 | | | JJ Trust | food, health | The report presents a comprehensive review of
existing research into the differences between
organically and non-organically produced food. | | |
Soil Association | Food for life | | | 01-Mar-03 | 01-Oct-03 | | | Organex | food | The project will research and establish a pilot
project with six schools in the
UK, involving teachers, pupils
and parents with the aim of introducing children to
healthy, sustainable food and a meaningful food
culture through the provision of organic food at
school meals. The project will develop an
educational programme to help children understand
the links between the food they eat and their
health. | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Potential benefits and problems of marker
assisted breeding | | | Sep-01 | Jun-03 | | | Greenpeace Environmental trust | breeding | Desk study to review literature on the current
use, likely future impact and potential benefits
& problems associated with marker assisted
breeding technologies | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Interactions between crop nutrition and soil
borne diseases in organic protected cropping
systems | | | Aug-01 | Jan-04 | | | Industry | protected cropping, diseases | Strategies to control soil borne diseases (corky
root rot and Verticillium) without the use of soil
steaming are evaluated. This includes resistant
root stocks, suppressive composts, soil amendments
and improved irrigation schedules. | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Development of a systems approach for the
Management of late blight in
EU organic potato production
(blight-
MOP) | QLK5-31065 | Mar-01 | Aug-05 | EFRC, Swiss Research Institute
of Organic, Unite Mixte de Recherches
INRA/
ENSAR, Department of Ecological
Plant Protection, University of Kassel, Danish
Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal
Biological Research Centre for Agriculture &
Forestry, Swiss Federal Research, Norwegian Centre
for Ecological Agriculture, Louis Bolk Instituut,
Plant Research International B.V.,
Landbouw-Economisch Instituut | EU | crops, potatoes, diseases | Variety selection, in field diversification,
agronomic and alternative treatment strategies for
potato blight in organic systems which can replace
Cu-treatments are being developed. |
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/tcoa/bm_annual1.html |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Alternatives for the control of late blight in
organic potato production | OF0167 | Jan-01 | Dec-04 | University of Aberdeen,
BPC, Glenside Organics Ltd | Defra | crops, potatoes, diseases | Development of alternative treatment strategies
for late blight and their integration with
agronomic blight control methods | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Market for Organic Foods in Europe | | | Mar-02 | Mar-03 | | | Industry | seed, crops, vegetables | Desk study to project the likely development of
demand for organic seed in selected European
counties | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Improving organic cereal production | | | Sep-02 | Aug-06 | | | Industry | cereals, grain quality, baking quality,
crops | Development of strategies to improve the protein
content and baking quality of organic cereal
production systems through variety selection,
fertility management and grass clover management
practices | | |
Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture (Newcastle
University) | Red Meat Industry Forum organic project:
Improving
UK organic red meat production
systems | | | 01-Sep-02 | 31-Aug-05 | | | Defra, Tesco Stores Ltd,
MLC | cattle, sheep, meat | Group of research and technology transfer
projects focused on developing farm diversification
strategies for organic red meat producers | | |
University of Aberdeen | Monitoring the conversion of farms to organic
status. | | | 01-Jan-00 | 01-Jan-05 | | | Kintail Land Research Foundation | soil fertility, crops, livestock | Monitoring the conversion of farms to organic
status and linking output to
SOPA. Main interest is
monitoring farm performance from the availability
of soil cations through to crop and animal health.
Farms being studied are: a dairy unit and a mixed
arable/beef/sheep unit. |
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/organic/organic_04.php |
University of Bristol | The Use of Homeopathic Nosodes in the Prevention
of Mastitis Within Organic Dairy Herds | OF0186 | 01-Feb-02 | 31-Jan-05 | University Warwick, University of Reading | Defra | cattle, dairy, diseases | This project is designed to test the efficacy of
a widely used homeopathic nosode in reducing
clinical mastitis in organic dairy herds and in
reducing somatic cell counts in milk. The project
will also allow an evaluation of the association
between differing managerial practices and levels
of mastitis within organic dairy herds. The aim is
to produce a standard protocol on management and
target setting for mastitis control in organic
dairy herds. The results from the study should also
be relevant for the control of mastitis in
conventional herds and for a reduction in the use
of antibiotics | | |
University of Cardiff | Going Local? Regional Innovation Strategies and
the New Agri-Food Paradigm | | | 01-Mar-03 | 28-Feb-05 | | | EFRC | food | The proposed research aims to produce a critical
assessment of the prospects for local and organic
food chains in the light of the Curry report which
extolled these novel food chains as one of the
greatest opportunities for farmers and producers in
the
UK to add value and retain a
greater slice of the retail price. To examine this
claim the proposed research looks at these novel
food chains in two different regulatory contexts:
(1) the macro regulatory context of
CAP reform and (2) the regional
context in which these local systems are being
directly promoted by regional development agencies
and other bodies. The research uses three regional
case studies: Wales and South West England, where
this is a relatively new regional strategy, and
Tuscany, which is one of the most innovative
regions in the
EU in producing and promoting
local and organic food products. | | |
University of Gloucestershire | Comparison of the environmental, social and
economic impacts of conventional, integrated and
organic farming systems | | | 01-Jul-00 | 31-Dec-00 | IGER | Countryside Agency | environment, economics, socio-economics | Principally a desk based study of the relative
environmental, economic and social impacts of three
farming systems. The overall purpose of the
research is to inform the Countryside Agency of the
relative social, economic and environmental effects
of farming land conventionally, through integrated
principles, or organically, to enable assessment of
the policy implications of each approach. The
research contract also aims to: 1. Identify and
assess the methods available to measure the social,
economic and environmental effects of each
production system. 2. Develop costed scenarios for
further field study and recommend the optimal
approach in terms of methods, scale and budget. | | |
University of Newcastle | Are organically fertilised soils biologically
enhanced? | D19376 | 01-Apr-03 | 01-Apr-06 | | | BBSRC | soil fertility | Are organically fertilised soils "biologically
enhanced?". They programme seeks to answer whether
there is any evidence that biological cycles are
enhanced in soils subject to long term organic
inputs | | |
University of Nottingham | Identification and analysis of optimum
conversions strategies for stockless organic
farming systems on the basis of agronomic and
economic performance and applicability to different
soil types and farm business situations. | 2313 | 01-Mar-00 | 28-Feb-03 | | | HGCA | crops, stockless, conversion | The project will recommend a number of
appropriate conversion strategies for stockless
organic farming systems both under Agenda 2000 and
further policy reform. Field experiments will
examine changes in soil physical properties and the
fate of N, P & K for several conversion
strategies during the two-year conversion period.
Winter wheat will be grown across the entire
experimental area in the third year to assess the
effect of the different strategies on yield and
quality of the first organic crop. Fields of
contrasting soil type that are undergoing
conversion to organic status will be monitored for
comparison with the field experiments. The impact
of the conversion strategies on profitability,
risk, return-on-investment and cash flow will be
examined with and without policy support. A
practical guide to aid growers in their decision
making when choosing a conversion strategy will be
produced. | | |
University of Nottingham | Investigating the long term impact of organic
conversion strategies | 2803 | 01-Oct-02 | 29-Sep-05 | | | HGCA | crops, stockless, conversion | The aim of the project is to investigate the
longer-term implications of the conversion
strategies set up in project 2313 by continuing to
monitor subsequent crops in a replicated
experiment. Particular emphasis will be given to
soil structure and fertility and weed burden
following the different conversion strategies and
their impact on yield and quality of the organic
crops. The results of the experiment will be used
to update the linear programming model developed in
project 2313 and hence investigate the longer-term
profitability of the various strategies. | | |
University of Reading | Vaccine use in organic cattle and sheep systems:
Development of a decision support tool based on
risk assessment | OF0310 | 01-Mar-02 | 28-Feb-03 | | | Defra | cattle, sheep, diseases | | | | |
University of Reading | Organic animal health, welfare & husbandry:
assess existing knowledge & production of
advisory resource compendia | OF0162 | 01-Oct-98 | 31-Mar-00 | | | Defra | livestock, health, welfare | An electronic compendium collating and assessing
existing knowledge and available information on
animal health, welfare and husbandry and its
relevance to livestock production under organic
standards. Five compendiums, covering five
livestock production systems, will be produced from
the database, in consultation with the sector
advisory bodies and relevant specialist veterinary
organisations. The compendiums will be produced in
CD-
ROM and printed formats and will
be made available via the Internet. The main aim of
the compendiums is to serve as a resource material
for advice and further development of organic
standards for livestock production. | | |
University of Reading | Animal welfare in organic livestock
production | FF/00/22/3 | 01-Feb-01 | 31-Mar-03 | University of Aberdeen | SEERAD | livestock, welfare | A review and development of a welfare assessment
protocol including a review of existing
information, a description of current practices on
Scottish organic farms, a survey of organic
inspectors and Vets, a workshop, a survey of
experts to evaluate the developing protocol and a
survey of organic farmers to seek views on welfare
and its assessment. | | |
University of Reading | Compendium of animal health and welfare in
organic farming | | | 01-May-98 | 30-Apr-00 | | | Defra | livestock, welfare | The objective of the project was to provide a
compendium of disease issues and potential control
methods in organic livestock production | | |
University of Reading | Co-ordination of
NAHWOA | | | 01-Jan-99 | 31-Dec-01 | IRS | EU | livestock, health, welfare | An
EU-funded concerted action
network on animal health and welfare in organic
livestock production co-ordinated from Reading.
EU-funding, for a three year
period will be used to organise five meetings
(first on in Reading May 1999), to maintain a
Web-site connected to the departmental site, to
publish and circulate proceedings of the meetings
and to produce to reports and a book. The network
includes 15 research institutes from eleven
EU countries. The main aim of
the project is to provide a joint platform for
research organisations involved in organic
livestock production and to create a forum for an
on-going discussion on animal production and
welfare in organic farming. | | |
University of Reading | Organic dairy cows: milk yield & lactation
characteristics & development of herd
simulation model for organic milk production | OF0170 | 01-Sep-00 | 28-Feb-01 | | | Defra | cattle, dairy | The project was designed to assess typical
performance levels and health status in organically
managed dairy herds. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Environmentally friendly farming systems and the
CAP | | | 01-Nov-02 | 31-Oct-03 | | | EU, University of Hohenheim | policy, environment | Report commissioned by
DG-Environment aimed to
investigate the relationship between
environmentally-friendly farming systems (taking
organic farming as an example) and the Common
Agricultural Policy. The study compared levels of
support provided to organic farms and conventional
farms under the Rural Development Regulations and
assessed the impact on organic farming of financial
support within the Common Market Organisations.
Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the
United Kingdom were studied in detail. An
assessment of implications of
CAP Reform 2003 for organic
farming was made. Final report submitted to
DG-Environment in December,
2003. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Policy development and environmental impact of
organic farming | | | 01-Nov-02 | 31-May-03 | | | Countryside Council for Wales | policy, environment | Objectives of this desk study were to1) To
examine the body of existing research into the
environmental and associated biodiversity impacts
of organic farming on upland habitats. 2) To assess
the transferability of impacts, processes and
practices based on studies of organic lowland
agriculture and to identify gaps and weaknesses in
existing knowledge. The most recent and
comprehensive
UK review of studies of the
environmental impact of organic agriculture is
Shepherd et al.(2003). 3) To identify other
potential impacts that may be expected to result
from organic farming in upland and pastoral
situations from of research on general
(conventional) agriculture. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | CAP reform and organic farming
in
EU | FAIR3-
CT96-1794 | 01-Mar-97 | 30-Jun-00 | | | EU | policy, economics,
EU | Organic farming is one of the key issues in
reshaping
EU agricultural policy. The
project assesses the impact of
CAP Reform and possible policy
developments on organic farming and thus
contributes to a better understanding of the
effects that current
EU policies have on this sub
sector. The project used a mix of methodologies:
literature review; review of other materials; face
to face interviews with quantitative,
semi-quantitative and qualitative questions;
modelling at the farm level; quantitative sector
models including programming models based on
regionalised farms, a multi-product market model
and a programming model differentiated by regions
and farm-type; and scenario analysis is used as a
tool to integrate the results and guide all other
tasks during the course of the research project.
The combination of modelling techniques with
scenario analysis is innovative. |
http://www.uni-hohenheim.de/~i410a/ofeurope/ |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | European Information System for Organic Markets
(concerted action) | | | 01-Jan-03 | 31-Dec-05 | | | EU | economics.
EU | The overall objective of
EISf
OM is to build up a framework
for reporting valid and reliable data for relevant
production and market data about the European
organic sector in order to meet the needs of policy
makers, farmers, processors, wholesalers and other
actors involved in organic markets. In the project
existing information collection systems in 32
countries will be analysed. Proposals will be made
for developing new or enlarging existing data
collection and processing systems. The proposals
will be the basis for developing a Quality
Management System (
QMS) for ensuring data
quality. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | The value adding process in the organic food
chain | | | 01-Jan-03 | 31-May-03 | | | EU | economics, food chain | The project aims to clarify whether there any
difference with regard to price calculations and
margins between the organic and conventional food
chain for five sample products in a number of
EU countries. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Organic Marketing initiatives and rural
development (
OMIARD) | QLK5-2000-01124 | 01-Jan-01 | 31-Dec-03 | Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona,
Italy; University of Kassel, Germany;
INRA, France;
FiBL, Switzerland; Mikkeli
Institute for Rural Research and Training, Finland;
Institute for High Mountain Research, Austria;
IPL/Innovation and
Sustainability, Technical University of Denmark;
University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany;
Department of Value Process Management, Marketing,
University of Innsbruck, Austria | EU | marketing,
EU | OMIARD is a research project
lasting three years from January 2001 funded under
the European Union's 5th Framework for Research and
Technological Development. As the first major
research project to link the two key
EU policy areas of sustainable
agriculture and rural development,
OMIARD will examine all aspects
of the marketing of organic food in Europe, with a
focus on rural development. | http://www.irs.aber.ac.uk/OMIaRD/ |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | EU-
CEE-
OFP | QLK5-2002-00917 | | | | | Universität Hohenheim, Germany; Università
Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy;
FiBL, Switzerland; Institut für
Betriebswirtschaft, Agrarstruktur und ländliche
Räume, Germany; Institute for Agricultural
Economics, Czech Republic; Warsaw Agricultural
University, Poland; Institute for Sustainable
Development, Slovenia. | EU | policy, economics,
EU | The Organic Farming Policy activities both in
EU and
CEE Accession states will be
analysed in detail recognising the two very
different points from which
EU states and
CEE Accession states have
started with organic farming and the very different
conditions under which their agricultural sectors
operate. The main outcome of the project for policy
makers will be an evaluation of whether the
conditions for the establishment and effective
operation of the necessary political institutions
charged with elaborating
OFP exist and how they can be
further developed in a complementary way. To
prepare such a policy recommendation, lessons
learnt from the
EU experience with elaborating
and co-ordinating
OF related aspects of Agenda
2000 need to be assessed and a more detailed
picture of the dynamics of
OF development in
CEE states is required. |
http://www.irs.aber.ac.uk/EUCEEOFP/index.html |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Conversion to organic production software (
COP) | | | 01-May-99 | 31-Aug-00 | | | Defra | knowledge transfer, software | | | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Economics of Organic Farming (extension to
OF0125) | OF0190 | 01-Jul-99 | 30-Jun-00 | | | Defra | economics | This work was carried out on the financial
performance of organic farms over the years 1995/96
to 1997/98, with an extension to cover 1998/99. The
aim of the research was to assess the financial
performance of organic farms differentiated by farm
type, in order to inform
MAFF policy-making with respect
to organic farming, and to provide a basis for
assessments by farmers, advisers and other
interested parties of the farm-level implications
of conversion to, and continued organic farming.
The specific objectives were the provision of
information on different organic farm types. This
was achieved through the collation of financial
data collected under three different
MAFF-funded research projects
supplemented by data collected on other farm types,
including data on dairy farms in the process of
converting to organic production. | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Economics of Organic Farming (extension to
OF0190) | OF0189 | 01-Dec-02 | 28-Feb-06 | | | Defra | economics | | |
University of Wales, Institute of Rural Studies
(
IRS) | Testing of OrgPlan conversion planning
software | OF0331 | 01-Dec-02 | 30-Apr-03 | | | Defra | knowledge transfer, software | | |
Welsh College of Horticulture | Organic Seed Trials | | 01-Mar-03 | 12-Jan-04 | | | WDA,
OCW, Farming Connect | seed, vegetables | Trials of organic seed varieties to assess
germination, yield etc | |
Welsh College of Horticulture | UV Greenhouse polythene covers
for insect pest control | | 01-Mar-03 | 31-Mar-04 | | WDA,
OCW, Farming Connect | protected cropping, pests | Trials of
UV blocking greenhouse polythene
covers. Flying insect pest incidence, infestation
and damage to organically grown plants is being
measured | |