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Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk) was a national Norwegian R&D institute specialising in the fields of agriculture and food production, environmental protection and natural resource management. In 2015, it became part of the merger that resulted in the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO). [1]
Bioforsk was established on 1 January 2006, after a merger of the Norwegian Centre for Soil and Environmental Research, the Norwegian Institute for Crop Research and the Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture. Bioforsk was organised under the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. [1] Bioforsk had a staff of about 500.[ citation needed ]
The institute consisted of seven research divisions:
The Bioforsk Plant Health and Plant Protection Division is in charge of R&D related to plant health and plant protection. The division specialises in the fields of plant diseases, weeds, pests, climate effects, genetics and biotechnology. Important R&D areas include integrated plant protection, biological pest control and pest forecasting systems. The division is furthermore involved in such fields as agrometeorology [ ecotoxicology and risk analysis. The Plant Health and Plant Protection Centre is located in Ås Municipality.
The Bioforsk Soil and Environment Division is in charge of soil and environmental research. The division is specialised in the fields of soil science, soil pollution, ecotoxicology, waste management, wastewater and ecological engineering, hydrology, water quality, land use and terrestrial climate effects. The division’s main office is in Ås, but there is also a branch in Svanvik in eastern Finnmark, close to the Russian and Finnish borders, with a specific focus on environmental issues in the Barents Region. The branch also includes the Svanhovd Conference Centre and the Visitor's Centre of the Øvre Pasvik National Park.
The Bioforsk Arable Crops Division is in charge of R&D related to cereals, oilseed crops, peas, seed production, potatoes, vegetables and herbs. The division also conducts research on such areas as berries, forage crops, lawn grass, small livestock, organic agriculture, precision farming and farm-based rural development in the mountain regions. The main office is in Kapp in Innlandet County, but there are branches throughout eastern Norway, where, due to natural conditions, most of the country’s arable crops are grown.
The Bioforsk Horticulture and Urban Greening Division is in charge of R&D related to fruit and berry crops, greenhouse production of vegetables and berries, Christmas trees and cut greens, as well as the establishment and maintenance of urban green space, including sports and amenity turf. The division also focuses on roughage production and cultural landscape management. The main office is in Klepp Municipality in Rogaland County, just south of Stavanger, and there are three branches in Vestland county in western Norway.
The Bioforsk Grassland and Landscape Division is in charge of R&D related to grassland management, roughage production and the cultural landscape. The division, which is based in Stjørdal Municipality to the northeast of Trondheim, also conducts research on cereals, berries, vegetables, potatoes, greenhouse crops and bioenergy.
The Bioforsk Organic Food and Farming Division is a national centre of expertise, in charge of R&D related to organic agriculture and organic food production. The division’s activities cover the entire value chain from “farm to table”. The division is based in Tingvoll Municipality in north-western Norway (Møre og Romsdal county).
The Bioforsk Arctic Agriculture and Land Use Division is in charge of R&D related to Arctic agriculture and the utilisation of wilderness and rangeland resources. The division has special expertise in the fields of wild berry production, utilisation of uncultivated land and freshwater fisheries. The division also has a regional responsibility for facilitating an innovative development of agriculture and land use in northern Norway. The main office is in the Arctic city of Tromsø, with two branches in Nordland county (Tjøtta and Bodø).
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. This practice reduces the reliance of crops on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, along with the probability of developing resistant pests and weeds.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to agriculture:
Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming, is an agricultural system that emphasizes the use of naturally occurring, non-synthetic inputs such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation, companion planting, and mixed cropping. Biological pest control methods such as the fostering of insect predators are also encouraged. Organic agriculture can be defined as "an integrated farming system that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility and biological diversity while, with rare exceptions, prohibiting synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and growth hormones". It originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Certified organic agriculture today accounts for 70 million hectares globally, with over half of that total in Australia.
The blackcurrant, also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically.
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. It is the application of a combination of sciences such as biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Professionals of agronomy are termed agronomists.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sustainable agriculture:
In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem—an ecological system managed and shaped by humans. Cover crops can increase microbial activity in the soil, which has a positive effect on nitrogen availability, nitrogen uptake in target crops, and crop yields. Cover crops reduce water pollution risks and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Cover crops may be an off-season crop planted after harvesting the cash crop. Cover crops are nurse crops in that they increase the survival of the main crop being harvested, and are often grown over the winter. In the United States, cover cropping may cost as much as $35 per acre.
Floriculture is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found throughout the world. Efficient production practices have been developed over the years, for the hundreds of plant taxa used in the floral industry, increasing the overall knowledge of whole plant biology. Plant breeding and selection have produced tens of thousands of new genotypes for human use. Jasmine, marigold, chrysanthemum, rose, orchid, and anthurium are flowers of commercial demand.
Agricultural wastewater treatment is a farm management agenda for controlling pollution from confined animal operations and from surface runoff that may be contaminated by chemicals in fertilizer, pesticides, animal slurry, crop residues or irrigation water. Agricultural wastewater treatment is required for continuous confined animal operations like milk and egg production. It may be performed in plants using mechanized treatment units similar to those used for industrial wastewater. Where land is available for ponds, settling basins and facultative lagoons may have lower operational costs for seasonal use conditions from breeding or harvest cycles. Animal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland. Constructed wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes.
Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation.
The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) was an executive agency of the UK government branch, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It is now part of the Food and Environment Research Agency, which is in turn part of DEFRA.
The Muck Crops Research Station is an agriculture research facility near Kettleby and Ansnorveldt, in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Office of Research at the University of Guelph.
The environmental effects of pesticides describe the broad series of consequences of using pesticides. The unintended consequences of pesticides is one of the main drivers of the negative impact of modern industrial agriculture on the environment. Pesticides, because they are toxic chemicals meant to kill pest species, can affect non-target species, such as plants, animals and humans. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, because they are sprayed or spread across entire agricultural fields. Other agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, can also have negative effects on the environment.
Organic food, ecological food, or biological food are foods and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Organizations regulating organic products may restrict the use of certain pesticides and fertilizers in the farming methods used to produce such products. Organic foods are typically not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or synthetic food additives.
Agriculture in Kenya dominates Kenya's economy. 15–17 percent of Kenya's total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed, and 7–8 percent can be classified as first-class land. In 2006, almost 75 percent of working Kenyans made their living by farming, compared with 80 percent in 1980. About one-half of Kenya's total agricultural output is non-marketed subsistence production.
The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different farming practices have on the ecosystems around them, and how those effects can be traced back to those practices. The environmental impact of agriculture varies widely based on practices employed by farmers and by the scale of practice. Farming communities that try to reduce environmental impacts through modifying their practices will adopt sustainable agriculture practices. The negative impact of agriculture is an old issue that remains a concern even as experts design innovative means to reduce destruction and enhance eco-efficiency. Animal agriculture practices tend to be more environmentally destructive than agricultural practices focused on fruits, vegetables and other biomass. The emissions of ammonia from cattle waste continue to raise concerns over environmental pollution.
Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The pollution may come from a variety of sources, ranging from point source water pollution to more diffuse, landscape-level causes, also known as non-point source pollution and air pollution. Once in the environment these pollutants can have both direct effects in surrounding ecosystems, i.e. killing local wildlife or contaminating drinking water, and downstream effects such as dead zones caused by agricultural runoff is concentrated in large water bodies.
The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) is an autonomous organization acting as a nodal agency for basic, strategic, anticipatory and applied research on various aspects of horticulture such as fruits, vegetable, ornamental, medicinal and aromatic plants and mushrooms in India. The institute has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and is a subsidiary of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, under the Ministry of Agriculture, India. It recently has been ranked 1st for the combined years 2019-20 and 2020–21 by the ICAR.
The Indian Institute of Soil Science is an autonomous institute for higher learning, established under the umbrella of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India for advanced research in the field of soil sciences.
The Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research is an autonomous institute of higher learning, under the umbrella of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India for advanced research in sugar cane agriculture. The Institute is located on Raibareli Road, Dilkusha in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. While, The Central Sugarcane Research Institute established in 1912 is located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It works also under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
59°40′4″N10°45′57″E / 59.66778°N 10.76583°E
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