Browsing by Subject "agroecology"
Now showing items 1-8 of 8
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(2018)This study investigates the effects of oil palm smallholding, wealth, and ecosystem services produced by oil palm dominated agroecosystem in the villages of Tanjung Bering and Betung in Sumatra, Indonesia in 2008. The cultivation of oil palm has many environmental and socio-economic impacts. In particular, indigenous peoples are vulnerable stakeholders between the expanding oil palm plantations. Oil palm industry has sought to find sustainable models for palm oil production: the inclusion of indigenous peoples to oil palm development is an essential part of this. The purpose of the study is to chart the situation and to investigate the impact of the oil palm smallholding for the well-being of local indigenous people, and to provide information for the sustainable decision-making. The study is based on household interviews in the area of the Petalangan ethnic group. The interviews were added to a relational database, which was used to provide variables on ecosystem services, economy and well-being for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out mainly by cross-tabulating the mentioned variables with wealth and the oil palm smallholding status, significance has been defined with the Pearson’s khii-test. Interpretation and analysis of the results has been made in the framework of ecosystem services by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Oil palm smallholding highly significantly increased households’ income, and wealth increased highly significantly household’s well-being. The fragmented oil palm dominated agroecosystem was still providing ecosystem services to households. The wealth reduced households’ dependency on most ecosystem services as well as substituted many of them. It is concluded based on this study that in the oil palm dominated agroecosystem, oil palm smallholding and higher income affects very favourable to the households’ well-being, and vice versa non-oil-palm-smallholding and poverty predicts ill-being.
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(2018)This study investigates the effects of oil palm smallholding, wealth, and ecosystem services produced by oil palm dominated agroecosystem in the villages of Tanjung Bering and Betung in Sumatra, Indonesia in 2008. The cultivation of oil palm has many environmental and socio-economic impacts. In particular, indigenous peoples are vulnerable stakeholders between the expanding oil palm plantations. Oil palm industry has sought to find sustainable models for palm oil production: the inclusion of indigenous peoples to oil palm development is an essential part of this. The purpose of the study is to chart the situation and to investigate the impact of the oil palm smallholding for the well-being of local indigenous people, and to provide information for the sustainable decision-making. The study is based on household interviews in the area of the Petalangan ethnic group. The interviews were added to a relational database, which was used to provide variables on ecosystem services, economy and well-being for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out mainly by cross-tabulating the mentioned variables with wealth and the oil palm smallholding status, significance has been defined with the Pearson’s khii-test. Interpretation and analysis of the results has been made in the framework of ecosystem services by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Oil palm smallholding highly significantly increased households’ income, and wealth increased highly significantly household’s well-being. The fragmented oil palm dominated agroecosystem was still providing ecosystem services to households. The wealth reduced households’ dependency on most ecosystem services as well as substituted many of them. It is concluded based on this study that in the oil palm dominated agroecosystem, oil palm smallholding and higher income affects very favourable to the households’ well-being, and vice versa non-oil-palm-smallholding and poverty predicts ill-being.
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(2018)Recent trends in urbanization have contributed to re-defining urban demand and rural supply across the global agricultural landscape. These dynamic interactions occur within both formal agricultural economies, as well as within informal networks of non-commodity exchange. This research identifies on-the-ground systems of non-commodity exchange practiced in urban agroecology, and explores the implications of these systems of exchange upon the demand for changes in the ways humans relate to food, and the governing structures determining their distribution. Framed by the exploration of urban agroecology as a science, practice and social movement, this research probes exchange pathways across two city-sponsored urban agriculture networks: The P-Patch Community Gardening Program in Seattle, United States and the Allotment Gardens of Helsinki, Finland. As both garden networks are embedded within each city’s respective development plan, these sites offer the distinct benefit of probing civic responsibility and active engagement within civic agriculture outside of the discourse of food production for self as a political act. I employ an interdisciplinary approach to this research methodology which draws from the disciplines of planning, human geography, sociology, and agroecology. Data was collected and analyzed utilizing qualitative methods including semi-structured interview and ethnographic photography. I argue that the identification of these non-commodity exchange systems, and the fragmented urban place-based knowledge pockets from which they emerged, can be utilized to derive principals useful in the design and management of sustainable urban agroecosystems.
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(2011)Besides farms’ main plant and animal products, meat and bone meal (MBM) represents agroecosystems’ biggest outward flow of nutriuents. MBM contains plenty of the main plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium (N ~8%, P ~5%, Ca usually ~10-15%, depending of the amount of bone matter), plus a little potassium (~1% or less). MBM has been proven efficient fertilizer on many plants, and it is also allowed for use in organic farming in EU. The most notable risk of MBM use relates to TSE-diseases (BSE for cattle, scrapie for sheeps and goats, and vCJD for humans). Its feed usage has been restricted in many countries since the BSE-crisis emerged in 1980’s. The rise of BSE was attributed to feeding cattle with MBM of cattle origin. Also feeding MBM to fur animals might pose a TSE-risk. However, assessing on the base of the studies included in this thesis, the TSE-risk from fertilizer use of MBM appears to be rather small. Still, a prerequisite of this is that all appropriate precautions are followed in the production and handling of MBM as well as when using it. By increasing the fertilizer use of MBM we would be able to considerably improve the nutrient cycle of phosphorus and other nutrients in our food systems. MBM is a renewable resource. The fertilizer use of MBM would also diminish the dependency on non-renewable phosphorus-rich rocks, that are commonly used in fertilizers today. MBM-fertlization was compared with mineral fertilizers in sugar beet field trials located in Southwestern Finland in the years 2008 and 2009. The cultivars used were ‘Jesper’ in 2008 and ‘Lincoln’ in 2009. The MBM source was Honkajoki Oy’s Viljo Yleislannoite 8-4-3, of which 10% was a combination of potassium sulphate fertilizer (42% K, 18% S) and plant-based side products. Viljotrials of 2009 also included added potassium sulphate to cover the nutrient requirements of sugar beet (60 kg K/ha). The plain Viljo-fertilizer produced yields that were significantly lower than control, but still above the Finnish average yields. When used in combination with mineral fertilizer (10-25% of the N content) the Viljo-trials produced yields close to the level of mineral fertilizers. The MBM-fertilization had a positive effect on beet quality in 2008 (measured in amino-N, K, and Na-concentrations), but in 2009 this effect was not present. Also, in 2008 one of the combinations (Viljo77%+NK1) produced a significantly higher sugar concentrations than the control. The sugar concentrations in 2009 didn’t differ significantly between fertilizers used but were excellent in all trials. These field trials indicate that MBM supplemented with potassium suphate has good potential for use as a fertilizer for sugar beet in Finnish conditions.
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(2019)The aim of this Thesis was to analyze Finnish food policy from a sustainability point of view. Changing operational environment, both globally and nationally, place food systems under a variety of economic, socio-cultural and ecological pressures. In addition to meet the basic objectives, such as ensuring food security, food systems are expected to fulfill a number of other goals. The drivers and goals, as well as means to food system change are defined in food policy. Considering the ecological, economic and sociocultural dimensions of sustainability in the food system analysis can also be viewed as an agroecological approach. A content analysis, using Atlas TI software was done for three most recent and topical Finnish food policy documents: Food2030 - government report on food policy, and the government programs for local and - organic food sectors. The food policy documents were analyzed with the following research questions in mind: how well is the need for systemic change recognized in the Finnish food policy; what are the main drivers for change; how are different dimensions of sustainability taken into account; is the change anticipated as gradual improvements to the current food system or are there any references suggesting radically reformed food system? The recently renewed Finnish food policy is specifically drafted with the current and forecasted changes in the operational environment in mind. The main drivers were mainly identified as sociocultural trends such as globalization, urbanization and changes in consumer behavior. The economic drivers, especially the competitiveness and export orientation of the food sector emerged as important goals for the future. The ecological dimension to food system reform gave the lowest share in all three categories (drivers, means and goals). A change in a complex system such as a food system takes place by affecting one partof the system at a time. The current Finnish food policy does not present radical changes or radical means to change the current system. However system-level changes can often be identified only afterwards.
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(2019)The aim of this Thesis was to analyze Finnish food policy from a sustainability point of view. Changing operational environment, both globally and nationally, place food systems under a variety of economic, socio-cultural and ecological pressures. In addition to meet the basic objectives, such as ensuring food security, food systems are expected to fulfill a number of other goals. The drivers and goals, as well as means to food system change are defined in food policy. Considering the ecological, economic and sociocultural dimensions of sustainability in the food system analysis can also be viewed as an agroecological approach. A content analysis, using Atlas TI software was done for three most recent and topical Finnish food policy documents: Food2030 - government report on food policy, and the government programs for local and - organic food sectors. The food policy documents were analyzed with the following research questions in mind: how well is the need for systemic change recognized in the Finnish food policy; what are the main drivers for change; how are different dimensions of sustainability taken into account; is the change anticipated as gradual improvements to the current food system or are there any references suggesting radically reformed food system? The recently renewed Finnish food policy is specifically drafted with the current and forecasted changes in the operational environment in mind. The main drivers were mainly identified as sociocultural trends such as globalization, urbanization and changes in consumer behavior. The economic drivers, especially the competitiveness and export orientation of the food sector emerged as important goals for the future. The ecological dimension to food system reform gave the lowest share in all three categories (drivers, means and goals). A change in a complex system such as a food system takes place by affecting one partof the system at a time. The current Finnish food policy does not present radical changes or radical means to change the current system. However system-level changes can often be identified only afterwards.
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Towards local balance of crop and animal farming for recycling of nutrients and for localizing food (2018)Circular economy and nutrient recycling have become central aims of agricultural development domestically and internationally. In Finland the enhancement of nutrient recycling is hindered by the areal dividedness of agricultural production. The high animal densities in West-Finland produce more manure nutrients than the area can sustain whereas in the South-Finland the Uusimaa region is dependent on mineral phosphorus fertilizers as there isn’t enough manures in the region. Also the unutilized grasslands have potential for increasing efficient silage and energy grass production, which enables nutrient recycling through biogas or livestock production. In this thesis the agricultural production structure of Uusimaa is approached from the perspective of the regional feed production and the feed production potential as an enabler of more balanced regional crop-livestock production. Simultaneously the regional nutrient recycling and livestock product self-sufficiency enhances. The method used is MFA (material flow analysis) which is applied to the case study area of the Mäntsälä municipality with results scaled up to the rural areas of Uusimaa County. The materials were based on annual statistics of Finland’s production structure and agricultural production. The Mäntsälä municipality’s nutrient balance of nitrogen and phosphorus, the average yields and self-sufficiency in livestock products were analyzed. Three alternative scenarios were introduced to analyze the possibilities of increasing livestock production, enhancing nutrient recycling and attaining livestock product self-sufficiency. The case area has remarkable potential for livestock production increases. With these increases the cereal dominated region gains the possibility of replacing a majority of mineral fertilizers with the manures. Simultaneously, the municipal production can come close to meeting the municipal consumption. These additions of livestock can be carried out without changes in crop areas, but then the livestock production would depend on imported mineral and protein feeds. Also the increases in protein feed needs can be met by transforming the needed areas from cereal areas. In addition the unutilized grasses provide a potential for enhancing the areal silage production. The case study area can’t meet the areal consumption of livestock produce without using the expanse of the present cereal cultivation areas. The results suggest that Uusimaa and its surrounding rural regions have great potential for increasing livestock production and enhancing the nutrient recirculation, whereas the regional consumption cannot be met with the regional production. To enhance sustainable agroecosystem in Finland changes in production structure, way of production and the consumption patterns of citizens are needed.
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Towards local balance of crop and animal farming for recycling of nutrients and for localizing food (2018)Kiertotalous ja ravinteiden kierrätys on noussut keskeiseksi tavoitteeksi sekä kansallisesti että kansainvälisesti. Suomessa maatalouden ravinteiden kierrätyksen edistämistä hidastaa tuotantorakenteen alueellinen keskittyminen. Länsi-Suomessa suurien eläinyksikköjen lantojen ravinnemäärät ylittävät alueellisen kasvintuotannon tarpeen, kun taas Uudellamaalla Etelä-Suomessa maataloustuotanto on riippuvaista väkilannoite fosforista alueen vähäisen eläintuotannon vuoksi. Myöskään viljelmättömien nurmien potentiaalia rehun- tai energianurmen tuotantoon, joka mahdollistaisi ravinteiden kierrätyksen biokaasun- ja kotieläintuotannon kautta, on hyödyntämättä. Tutkielmassa lähestytään Uudenmaan maatalouden tuotantorakennetta näkökulmasta, jossa alueen rehuntuotanto ja rehuntuotannon potentiaali nähdään mahdollisuutena tasapainottaa alueellista tuotantorakennetta lisäämällä alueen kotieläintuotantoa. Samalla alueen ravinnekierto ja eläintuote-omavaraisuus paranee. Käytettynä menetelmänä oli MFA (material flow analysis) -tapaustutkimus rajautuen Mäntsälän kunnan alueelle, jonka tuloksia skaalataan Uudenmaan alueelle. Tutkielman aineisto perustui vuosittaisiin kansallisiin maataloustuotannon rakenne- ja tuotantotilastoihin. Niiden perusteella määritettiin Mäntsälän nykytilanteen typen ja fosforin ravinnetaseet, satokeskiarvot ja alueen omavaraisuus kotieläintuotteissa. Kolmen vaihtoehtoisen skenaarion avulla tarkasteltiin mahdollisuuksia lisätä alueen kotieläintuotantoa sekä parantaa alueen ravinteiden kierrätystä ja saavuttaa kotieläintuoteomavaraisuus. Alueelta on huomattavaa potentiaalia kotieläintalouden lisäämiseksi. Lisäämällä alueellista kotieläintuotantoa viljanviljelyyn keskittyneellä alueella on mahdollista korvata valtaosa tuotantoon tarvittavista väkilannoitepanoksista eläinten lannoilla. Samanaikaisesti myös alueellinen tuotanto pystyy vastaamaan paremmin alueen kulutusta. Nämä kotieläintalouden lisäykset on mahdollista toteuttaa ilman pellonkäytön muutosta, mutta tällöin tuotanto tulisi nojautumaan tuontiin mineraali- ja valkuaisrehujen osalta. Myös valkuaisrehun kasvavaan tarpeeseen voidaan vastata alueella, muuntamalla osa vilja-alasta tarvittaville rehukasveille. Myös viljelemättömät nurmialat ovat potentiaalinen kohde alueellisen rehutuotannon parantamiseksi. Tapaustutkimuksen alueen kotieläintuotteiden kulutukseen ei kuitenkaan voida täysin vastata ilman alueellisen leipäviljan viljelyn heikentämistä. Nämä tulokset viittaavat siihen että Uudenmaan alueella on paljon potentiaalia lisätä kotieläintuotantoa ja parantaa ravinteiden kierrätystä, vaikkakin asukkaiden kulutus on yli tuotantorakenteen mahdollistamien määrien. Jotta Suomen ruokajärjestelmä kestävyys vahvistuu, on tarpeen tehdä muutoksia sekä tuotantorakenteessa, tuotantotavoissa että kansalaisten kulutustottumuksissa.
Now showing items 1-8 of 8