Economic evaluation of cereal cropping systems under semiarid conditions: minimum input, organic and conventional
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162009000500005Keywords:
profitability, organic agriculture, crop rotationAbstract
Cropping systems like organic farming, selling products at a higher price and promoting environmental sustainability by reducing fertilizer and pesticides, can be more profitable than conventional systems. An economic evaluation of three cropping systems in a seven year period experiment was performed, using a common rotation (fallow-barley-vetch-durum wheat) in a semi-arid rainfed field of Spain. The minimum input system included mouldboard ploughing, cultivator preparation, sowing and harvest. The conventional system involved mineral fertilizer and herbicide treatments, while the organic system involved composted manure and mechanical weed control. The resulting economic margins were highest with the minimum input system, followed by the organic and conventional systems. If the cereal grain from the minimum input system was sold at a higher price on the organic market, this system was the most profitable. Without the price difference, the organic system was as profitable as the conventional one.Downloads
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Published
2009-10-01
Issue
Section
Applied Economy
License
All content of the journal, except where identified, is licensed under a Creative Common attribution-type BY-NC.How to Cite
Economic evaluation of cereal cropping systems under semiarid conditions: minimum input, organic and conventional . (2009). Scientia Agricola, 66(5), 615-621. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162009000500005