Home > Research Projects > Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Elm Farm Research Centre
Elm Farm Research Centre is a registered education charity
which seeks to develop and support appropriate agriculture and food systems,
primarily within local economies, which build on organic principles to ensure
the health and well-being of soil, plant, animal, man and the environment.
As Britain’s leading research, development and advisory institution
for organic agriculture, EFRC has played a pivotal role in the development
of organic research, policy and standards since 1980.
Research and development is undertaken in all aspects of organic food and
farming systems. Projects range from functional biodiversity to livestock
health and welfare and food quality. The policy programme covers a wider
range of environmental, technical and social issues and is conducted with
a number of farmer and institute partners.
Its Organic Advisory Service (OAS), formed in 1985, is the UK’s leading
provider of advice on organic farming and, amongst its other services, delivers
the free advisory visits funded by Defrc’s Organic Conversion Information
Service (OCIS).
EFRC’s Organic Demonstration Farm Network of 10 farms hosts an annual
programme of events and seminars. The programme is used to disseminate research
results and technical information.
The Centre is based on a fully converted organic farm near Newbury, Berkshire.
It disseminates details of all of its work through training, the website
(www.efrc.com), articles, scientific papers and publications and the production
of a regular journal – the Bulletin.
Contact person: Lawrence Woodward
E-mail: Lawrence.w@efrc.com
Internet: www.efrc.com
Hamstead Marshall
GB-Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 OHR
Tel.: 0044-1488658298
Current research projects:
Development of a systems approach for the management
of late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in organic potato production
Overall Aim:
To develop a ‘systems approach’ for the management of late blight,
allowing commercially viable production of organic potato crops without recourse
to copper fungicides
Organic cereal variety and mixtures trials
Overall Aim
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.
English Nature Funded Project 2004/05
Overall Aim
Elm Farm Research Centre have over a number of years successfully produced
a range of training materials to help conservation staff utilise the potential
of organic farming to best effect on both special sites of value for biodiversity
and in the wider countryside. This project is intended to further extend
the availability of this work.
Functional Biodiversity
In summary, development towards greater use of biodiversity
services is essential if organic agriculture is to fulfil its promise and
move from
a minor role
to centre stage. Furthermore, comprehensive sustainability requires not
only wider and fuller applications of ecological sciences to the practice
of food production, but also the application of similar and related principles
to the sustainability of the whole organic food chain.
Impacts of Organic Farming on the Rural Economy
Project
Objectives
-
Review the current state of knowledge of wider socio-economic impacts of organic farming though a review of literature and input of stakeholders via a panel of experts seminar.
-
Examine differences in the socio-economic footprint between organic and conventional farming in terms of patterns of sales and input purchases, quantity and ‘quality’ of labour inputs, integration with local socio-economic networks (including co-operatives, local food networks, etc), contribution to local tourism and rural development.
-
Investigate differences in socio-economic footprint between different types of organic and conventional farms (following the approach outlined above).
-
Develop policy implications in consultation with DEFRA and other stakeholders
Sheepdrove
Organic Farm – Monitoring, Research & Development
The
programme consists of:
A comprehensive monitoring programme of all aspects of SOF including:
-
Monitoring of the including the beef, sheep, pig, poultry, arable and forage production systems.
- Monitoring of the environmental on SOF including soils, water quality, aquatic invertebrates and vegetation, terrestrial invertebrates and vegetation, butterflies and moths, birds and weather.
Generating & evaluating
a novel genetic resource in wheat in diverse environments
Overall Aim
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.
Improving N use and performance of arable crops on organic
arable farms using an expert group approach
Overall Aim
To improve the performance of arable organic cropping systems by identifying
acceptable changes in practice which increase the availability of nitrogen
for crop uptake and decrease losses of nitrogen to the environment.
These aims will ensure that organic agriculture will be able to continue
to maintain
soil fertility, reduce pollution and ensure that foodstuff of high
nutritional quality and sufficient quantity will be produced.
A review of the knowledge of the impacts of GMOs on organic agriculture
Overall
Aim
The aim in this review was to consider the ways in which the use of GMOs
in agriculture in the UK and internationally might impact on organic
farming. It did not address the controversy about the rights or wrongs of
GMO’s
per se. The subjects covered are based on a set of questions raised at
the beginning of the study. The review was based primarily on evidence from
peer-reviewed
literature.
Modelling manure NPK flows in organic farming systems
to minimise nitrate leaching, NH3 volatilization and NO2 emissions
Overall
Aim
Environmentally damaging emissions of N arise from agriculture: ammonia,
nitrous oxide and nitrate. Losses can be altered by changed management
practices; such practices also affect the interaction between the
three loss pathways.
There is a need to make farmers aware of the size of the N losses
and the effects of management practices. This is particularly pertinent
to organic
farmers, where N can be limiting to some crop production. Consequently
a tool to identify the fate of N (and PK) from manure could assist
in developing
more environmentally friendly practices that also increase crop productivity
and soil fertility. Phosphorus loss from agriculture is another environmental
issue that needs addressing.
This project fits within the EFRC objectives to optimise the use of renewable resources within a closed farming system, whilst maintaining soil fertility and avoiding pollution.
Alternative, non-animal based nutrient sources, for organic plant raising
Overall
Aim
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
A review of knowledge: inter-row hoeing and its associated
agronomy in organic cereal and pulse crops
Overall Aim
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.
Participatory investigation of the management of weeds in organic production
systems
Overall Aim
To define weed problems together with organic farmers and growers, propose
ways of addressing these problems, and then research solutions in order
to arrive at the most appropriate methods and approaches for use in organic
systems.
Cereal varieties for organic production: developing a participatory
approach to seed production and varietal selection
Overall Aim
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.
Poultry Research : Breed and Feed Trials
Aims and Objectives
To compare the impact of feed composition (100 percent organic ration with
the currently used 80 percent organic ration), when addressing the
nutritional needs, production traits and behaviour of Sheepdrove birds
within the confines
of the Sheepdrove system and the market requirements.
To ascertain if there are differences between the performance of difference
breeds of table bird in the Sheepdrove system.
To ascertain if there is an interaction between feed and breed, when
considering production traits and behaviour of the birds.
Poultry Research
EFRC has completed a large amount of research
within Sheepdrove Organic Farm (SOF) silvo-poultry production system, which
has been instrumental
in a
number of design elements of the current system.
There is a tendency for organic poultry production to mimic conventional free-range systems without the beak trimming and with smaller flock sizes. Work on the SOF silvo-poultry system by EFRC has been directed at improving the system so the birds can be kept and managed so the animals, farmer and environment benefit from the production methods
Vegetable transplant production
for organic cropping systems
Aims and Objectives
Elm Farm Research Centre has been pivotal in researching and developing
vegetable transplant production systems to comply with organic standards.
The research
started ahead of the removal of the derogation on the use of conventionally
produced transplants at the end of 1997.
To produce vegetable transplants throughout the year that comply with
current and address possible future developments in organic standards
for organic
vegetable production systems in the UK.
Weeds management in organic systems
Aims and Objectives
Weed management in organic systems is frequently appears towards the top
of research priorities identified by organic farmers and growers. To
address these concerns EFRC has undertaken research into weed management
over a number
of years primarily focussing on arable system.
The objectives of this work are to assess and develop appropriate methods
of weed control in organic systems.
