Investigating farm management practices that may foster green growth

This chapter outlines the structure of the full report. Based on a review of the literature, the report analyses the potential effects of key farm management practices on resource productivity and efficiency compared with conventional agriculture. Although only a selection of farm management practices are analysed, all farm management systems – from intensive conventional farming to organic farming and science-led technologies – have the potential to contribute to green growth. Whether they do or not in practice will depend on whether farmers adopt the appropriate technology and practices. This, in turn, will strongly depend on whether the right policy framework is in place. More intensive farming systems can co-exist with more extensive systems, with the overall effect of increasing productivity and natural resource efficiency in a sustainable manner. The selected practices examined include soil and water conservation practices, integrated pest management, organic farming, modern agricultural biotechnology, and precision agriculture.