1. ECO-INTENSIFICATION – THE SCIENCE OF ORGANIC FARMING – A GUIDE TO CLIMATE REGULATION & RESILIENCE Andreas Gattinger

2. Contents What is eco-intensification? Soil management in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Animal husbandry in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Conclusions

3. The four basic principles of organic agriculture, endorsed by IFOAM, September 2005

4. Eco-functionalintensification? Higher degree of organization of farms, knowledge-based farming and food systems. More complex and less industrialised farming systems (e.g. agro-forestry). Improved land and resource use efficiency. Improved management of soil fertility, water, biodiversity, genetic diversity, energy and nutrients. Improved use of resilience, self-regulation and self-healing in farming systems and animal herds. Adaptation of crop and animal breeding programs to organic and low-input systems. Novel and improved therapies against pests and diseases in crop and livestock.

5. 5 Built-upofsoilfertility

6. 6 Recycle and produce on-farm nutrients Global potential to use 160 million tons of nitrogen (and other nutrients) from livestock manure more efficiently on cropland (calculated on the basis of 18.3 billion farm animals/FAO) Global potential to produce 140 million tons of nitrogen on cropland (Badgley et al., 2007)

7. 7 Intensification through ecological support functions Fotos: Eric Wyss, Lukas Pfiffner

8. 8 Making bestuseofnature‘spharmacy Health promoting agents from plants against endo-parasites of livestock (especially sheep and pig) Cichorium intybus Onobrychis viciifolia Heckendorn et al., 2006; Marley et al., 2003; Hansen et al., 2006

9. 9 Breeding smartly Maize: Mechanical resistance against the European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) Walter Schmidt, 2009

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11. Organic farming – managingandusingnaturalressources/ecosystemservices

12. Contents What is eco-intensification? Soil management in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Animal husbandry in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Conclusions

13. Overall sustainability parameters of organically managed soils Increased SOM or Corg-contents(Gerhardt, 1997; Clark et al., 1998; Brown et al., 2000; Pulleman et al., 2003; Pimentel et al., 2005; Marriott & Wander, 2006) Ranging from 10 to 60 % (average 28 %, Soil Association, 2009). Improved biological properties of soils (e.g. microbial biomass, microbial enzyme activities, abundance of earthworms, abundance of soil-dwelling insects): Gerhardt, 1997; Siegrist et al., 1998; Hansen et al., 2001; Mäder et al., 2002; Pulleman et al., 2003; Fließbach et al., 2007, Pfiffner, L. and Luka, H., 2002. Ranging from 40 to 120 %.

14. Overall sustainability parameters of organically managed Increased aggregate stability(Gerhardt, 1997; Siegrist et al., 1998; Brown et al., 2000; Maeder et al., 2002; Pulleman et al., 2003; Williams & Petticrew, 2009). Increased water holding capacity, higher water content in soil(Brown et al., 2000; Lotter et al., 2003; Pimentel et al., 2005) Improved infiltration rate of water (Lotter et al., 2003; Pimentel et al., 2005; Zeiger & Fohrer, 2009). e.g. Rodale experiment in Pennsylvania + 17 % in both organic systems (livestock manure and green manure) compared to conventional system.

15. DOK trial: Soil aggregate stability Bio dynamic Conventional/ IPM Mäder et al. 2002, Science

16. Soil aggregate stability, infiltration rate Biodynamic with composted manure Fotos: Fliessbach Nov. 2002 IP with mineral fertilizers

17. Resource use efficiency (DOK trial, 28 years) Mäder, Fliessbach, Dubois, Fried, Niggli (2002), Science 296

18. Carbon sequestration in long term experiments Niggli, U., Fließbach, A., Hepperly, P. and Scialabba, N., 2009. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/ai781e/ai781e.pdf

19. Carbon sequestration in long term experiments Average difference between the best organic and the conventional treatments: 590 kg carbon ( 2.2 t CO2) per hectare and year. Niggli, U., Fließbach, A., Hepperly, P. and Scialabba, N., 2009. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/ai781e/ai781e.pdf

20. Contents What is eco-intensification? Soil management in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Animal husbandry in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Conclusions

21. Integration of livestock: Improved management of livestock manure and on-farm production of nitrogen Global potential to use 160 million tons of nitrogen (and other nutrients) from livestock manure more efficiently on cropland (calculated on the basis of 18.3 billion farm animals/FAO) Global potential to produce 140 million tons of nitrogen on cropland (Badgley et al., 2007)

22. Influence of soil texture and livestockintegration on soil organic matter Decreasing particle size (n = 1276) Capriel, 2006

23. Sourcesof GHGE in animalproduction Feed production (on farm)) Feed production (importincluding LUC) Buildings, technique Bedding, Manure Metabolicemissions (entericfermentation) GHGE (kgCO2-eq) per kg milk for eight Dairy production systems in Austria (Hörtenhuber et al., 2010)

24. Entericfermentationandmethane Focus of discussion according to organic cows High milk yield requires concentrates rich diets Low-fibre diets decrease ruminal methane production Intensive High-output dairy production as climate protector?? Unconsidered critical elements Import of soybeans and other feed crops from overseas (LUC) Breed characteristics (Holstein: milk and not beef) Animal Health > Replacement rate > Rearing intensity LONGEVITY

25. Concentrates in cattlenutrition 30% of crop production for animal feeding Not an appropriate diet for ruminants Competition to human nutrition Imported feed crops in CH: 0.8 Mio. tons/a Organic feed crops import: Grains 70% Protein carrier (soy) 98%

26. Increasingefficiency of production Conventional approach Intensification of production Genetic improvement (more product units per animal) Changing ruminalmetamolism by additives and modified diets Sustainable approach including Physiological improvement of milk yield curves Animal welfare aspects Integrated herd health management Optimized (not maximized) reproduction parameters

27. Feed no Food – Grass andRoughageratherthanconcentratesfordairycows

28. Feed no Food: Objectives Forage based milk production concepts Reduction of concentrates to a minimum Consideration of animal needs Local feed production as far as possible Optimizing feeding management Evaluation of roughage based cow type Effects on health, welfare and fertility Implementation of herd health programmes Effects on product quality Modeling economic impact Modeling GHG emissions

29. Exemplary LCA in 4 model farms

30. Preliminaryresults (GHGE models) Scenarios (assumingconstantenergycontent) Total kg CO2-eq/kg milk Valley 1 (<10% Conc.) Valley 2 (<5% Conc., no silage) Mountain 2 (<5% Conc.) Mountain 1 (concentratesfree)

31. Animalhealth and climateprotection General health improvement and longevity Udder health improvement Fertility improvement Rearing management

32. Health, Longevity and climate protection Impact of replacementintensity on „unproductivedays“ duringrearingperiod Replacement strongly depends on animal health Replacement intensity increases rearing days per farm Health improvement reduces culling rate Prolongation of LNo by 1 lactation leads to 23% less „unproductive“ days Milk yield optimum during 6th lactation! * Age at 1st calving: 30 m Milk yield (kg/cow) per 305 daysbylactationnumber (data of FiBL project „pro-Q“)

33. Fertiliy and climateprotection Fertilty of heifers Age at first calving in CH: 30 mon Optimum: 24 to 28 mon? Fertility of cows Infertility the most important culling reason Reducing periods of low milk yield Increasing number of calves for beef production

34. Lactationcurvesdepending on fertility subfertilecows (days to conception: >150d) Date of conception dry dry dry dry fertile cows (days to conception <100 days) dry dry dry dry t Milk yielddifferenceafter 5 years: +5000 kg

35. Udderhealth and climateprotection Milk loss by clinical mastitis 5 to 10 days by delivery stop 10+ days by reconvalescence Milk loss per day by increased Somatic Cell Count (SCC) 10 to 20% High culling rates due to udder health

36. Contents What is eco-intensification? Soil management in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Animal husbandry in organic agriculture and its climate relevance Conclusions

37. Eco-intensification as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy has the following benefits: Soil-plant systems Increased carbon sequestration in soils. Reduced energy consumption. Reduced nitrogen inputs and resultant reduction in emissions of nitrous oxide. Avoidance of burning of crop residues. Better soil quality and soil fertility with resultant reduced soil erosion and increased water retention capacity. Diversified management systems with resultant lower risks. Higher species diversity on farms and fields – more resilient.

38. Livestock systems Livestock play an integral role in organic farming systems can utilize roughage on grasslands that are not suited to other types of agricultural uses: high C stocks under permanent grassland and high aboveground diversity! No competition between feeding ruminants and human nutrition. Animal health has a significant impact on GHGE Health improvement is leading to longevity increase Improved udder health minimizes milk losses Optimized fertility increases cumulative milk yield Need for herd health improvement programmes Animal welfare aspects are of highest priority Robust animals for improved lifetime performance

39. Thank you very much for your attention!