Increasing the amount of food produced while simultaneously reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. A promising approach through which this could be achieved is ‘sustainable intensification’. This thesis contributes to the exploration of sustainable intensification using two complementary modes of investigation. First through the development of a conceptual framework that analyzes agricultural systems through the lens of ecosystem services and the trade-offs associated with using external inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, fossil fuels) as substitutes for them. Then by quantifying the life cycle environmental impacts of a novel aquaculture technology developed as a means for minimizing local ecological impacts. These modes of investigation are linked by using the conceptual framework to analyze trade-offs associated with waste capture in the aquaculture system. This research provides a potentially valuable method for conceptualizing agricultural systems and contributes to the knowledge of the environmental trade-offs associated with aquaculture.

Soil degradation and low crop productivity negatively affect the food security of smallholder farmers in West Africa. Various agricultural techniques have been developed as components of food security interventions, but their effectiveness in addressing food insecurity in part depends upon farmers’ willingness to adopt these techniques. Likewise, adoption depends upon the effectiveness of these techniques in fulfilling farmers’ objectives. The institutional and biophysical environments mediate not only the effectiveness of the techniques, but also how farmers value a technique. This study examined the evidence for fertilizer microdosing as a form of agricultural intensification and the socio-economic conditions that influence its adoption among smallholder farmers. A census was conducted in one village in northwest Benin that had recently seen the introduction of fertilizer microdosing. Key household-level determinants of adoption identified in the literature—household resources, household demographics, and access to inputs— were included in the household surveys. Using partial budgeting analysis and yield data from demonstration plots, the relative profitability of fertilizer microdosing was calculated as a necessary condition of adoption. Drawing from farmers’ stories, the potential value of microdosing was contextualized within the larger social and institutional context. Based upon the village census, there was little adoption outside of the research project that introduced microdosing to the village. Households using microdosing (predominantly found within the research project) had, on average, higher socio-economic status, more cultivable land and larger labour forces. Profitability analysis indicated that microdosing was on average less profitable than the point-source application of the recommended dosage rate in Benin (the common alternative). However, farmers still expressed a desire to microdose, due to poorly functioning input markets, poor infrastructure, and lack of access to financial instruments, all of which limited the availability, access and utilization of inorganic fertilizer.

O ambiente de terras baixas no sul do Brasil é predominantemente explorado com a cultura do arroz irrigado. Baseado em um sistema agrícola pouco diversificado, é comum o uso sucessivo das mesmas áreas ano após ano, com práticas de manejo que envolvem o revolvimento do solo. Isto acarreta em prejuízos tais como a degradação do solo e recursos naturais, além de recorrente baixa rentabilidade da atividade. O cultivo de espécies forrageiras hibernais, associado com o não revolvimento do solo, pode trazer melhorias ao sistema produtivo, seja com seu uso como plantas de cobertura ou com o pastejo animal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os benefícios e potencialidades que a utilização destas espécies podem proporcionar e, para tanto, dois estudos principais foram realizados. O primeiro, conduzido no município de Cachoeirinha, RS, avaliou o estado de agregação e o incremento do teor de carbono orgânico do solo, comparando cultivos sucessivos de arroz irrigado em um experimento de longa duração. Os tratamentos foram um sistema manejado na forma convencional, com revolvimento do solo, e outros três sob semeadura direta, com coberturas de: azevém, cornichão e vegetação espontânea. Os resultados indicaram que, na camada de 0 a 5 cm de profundidade, os tratamentos sob semeadura direta apresentaram maiores teores de carbono orgânico e agregação do que o convencional. Já na camada de 5 a 10 cm, para os agregados, o tratamento azevém se destacou em relação aos demais. O segundo estudo foi conduzido no município de Cristal, RS. Foram avaliadas a produção animal e de forragem durante três anos no período hibernal, em diferentes combinações de sistemas integrados de produção agropecuária (SIPA). Os cultivos estivais trataram-se de arroz irrigado, soja, capim sudão e campo de sucessão, enquanto as pastagens hibernais consistiram de azevém e consórcios desta espécie com trevo branco e cornichão. Os resultados confirmaram a adaptabilidade destas espécies forrageiras ao ambiente de terras baixas e demonstraram as potencialidades que a exploração pecuária possui, sendo necessários, porém, novos estudos para o melhor ajuste do manejo das áreas. Por fim, foi realizado um terceiro estudo, comparando a relação entre a massa de forragem e altura de pastos hibernais em SIPA conduzidos em terras altas com SIPA em terras baixas. A relação no ambiente de terras baixas é menor, corroborando a necessidade de maiores estudos neste ambiente, visto que as alturas ótimas preconizadas para o manejo do pasto se originam de estudos conduzidos em terras altas. / The lowland environment in Southern Brazil is predominantly explored with the irrigated rice crop. Based on a very low diversified system, in such environment is very common the successive use of the same areas year after year, with management practices that involve soil tillage. This leads to damages such as the degradation of soil and natural resources, in addition to recurrent profitability problems. The insertion of winter pasture species associated with the no-till, as cover crops or for animal grazing, may bring improvements to the system. The objective of the current work was to evaluate the benefits and potentialities that the utilization of such plants can provide. For this, two main studies were performed. The first, conducted in the Cachoeirinha County (Rio Grande do Sul State – RS), evaluated the soil aggregation status and its organic carbon content, by comparing successive irrigated rice croppings in a long-term experiment. The treatments consisted of one system under conventional soil tillage and three others under no-till, being the treatments the following cover crops: Italian ryegrass, birdsfoot trefoil and spontaneous vegetation. The results indicated that, in 0 to 5 cm soil layer, the treatments under no-till presented higher organic carbon contents and greater aggregation, as compared to the conventional system. In the 5 to 10 cm soil layer, the treatment with Italian ryegrass has its aggregation highlighted among the others. The second study was conducted in the Cristal County (RS). The animal and pasture production was evaluated during three years in the winter season, under different combinations of integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS). The summer croppings were irrigated rice, soybean, Sudan grass and a succession field (native pasture), while the winter pastures consisted of Italian ryegrass and its mix with white clover and birdsfoot trefoil. The results confirmed the adaptability and potentiality of such pasture species and livestock exploration in the lowland environment. However, it is needed further studies for a better management adjustment of the areas. Finally, a third study was performed, comparing the relationship between forage mass and winter pasture height in ICLS conducted in highland and lowland. It was demonstrated that in lowland such relationship is lower, corroborating the necessity of more studies in these conditions, because the optimum heights preconized for pasture management are originated from studies conducted in highlands.

O ambiente de terras baixas no sul do Brasil é predominantemente explorado com a cultura do arroz irrigado. Baseado em um sistema agrícola pouco diversificado, é comum o uso sucessivo das mesmas áreas ano após ano, com práticas de manejo que envolvem o revolvimento do solo. Isto acarreta em prejuízos tais como a degradação do solo e recursos naturais, além de recorrente baixa rentabilidade da atividade. O cultivo de espécies forrageiras hibernais, associado com o não revolvimento do solo, pode trazer melhorias ao sistema produtivo, seja com seu uso como plantas de cobertura ou com o pastejo animal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os benefícios e potencialidades que a utilização destas espécies podem proporcionar e, para tanto, dois estudos principais foram realizados. O primeiro, conduzido no município de Cachoeirinha, RS, avaliou o estado de agregação e o incremento do teor de carbono orgânico do solo, comparando cultivos sucessivos de arroz irrigado em um experimento de longa duração. Os tratamentos foram um sistema manejado na forma convencional, com revolvimento do solo, e outros três sob semeadura direta, com coberturas de: azevém, cornichão e vegetação espontânea. Os resultados indicaram que, na camada de 0 a 5 cm de profundidade, os tratamentos sob semeadura direta apresentaram maiores teores de carbono orgânico e agregação do que o convencional. Já na camada de 5 a 10 cm, para os agregados, o tratamento azevém se destacou em relação aos demais. O segundo estudo foi conduzido no município de Cristal, RS. Foram avaliadas a produção animal e de forragem durante três anos no período hibernal, em diferentes combinações de sistemas integrados de produção agropecuária (SIPA). Os cultivos estivais trataram-se de arroz irrigado, soja, capim sudão e campo de sucessão, enquanto as pastagens hibernais consistiram de azevém e consórcios desta espécie com trevo branco e cornichão. Os resultados confirmaram a adaptabilidade destas espécies forrageiras ao ambiente de terras baixas e demonstraram as potencialidades que a exploração pecuária possui, sendo necessários, porém, novos estudos para o melhor ajuste do manejo das áreas. Por fim, foi realizado um terceiro estudo, comparando a relação entre a massa de forragem e altura de pastos hibernais em SIPA conduzidos em terras altas com SIPA em terras baixas. A relação no ambiente de terras baixas é menor, corroborando a necessidade de maiores estudos neste ambiente, visto que as alturas ótimas preconizadas para o manejo do pasto se originam de estudos conduzidos em terras altas. / The lowland environment in Southern Brazil is predominantly explored with the irrigated rice crop. Based on a very low diversified system, in such environment is very common the successive use of the same areas year after year, with management practices that involve soil tillage. This leads to damages such as the degradation of soil and natural resources, in addition to recurrent profitability problems. The insertion of winter pasture species associated with the no-till, as cover crops or for animal grazing, may bring improvements to the system. The objective of the current work was to evaluate the benefits and potentialities that the utilization of such plants can provide. For this, two main studies were performed. The first, conducted in the Cachoeirinha County (Rio Grande do Sul State – RS), evaluated the soil aggregation status and its organic carbon content, by comparing successive irrigated rice croppings in a long-term experiment. The treatments consisted of one system under conventional soil tillage and three others under no-till, being the treatments the following cover crops: Italian ryegrass, birdsfoot trefoil and spontaneous vegetation. The results indicated that, in 0 to 5 cm soil layer, the treatments under no-till presented higher organic carbon contents and greater aggregation, as compared to the conventional system. In the 5 to 10 cm soil layer, the treatment with Italian ryegrass has its aggregation highlighted among the others. The second study was conducted in the Cristal County (RS). The animal and pasture production was evaluated during three years in the winter season, under different combinations of integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS). The summer croppings were irrigated rice, soybean, Sudan grass and a succession field (native pasture), while the winter pastures consisted of Italian ryegrass and its mix with white clover and birdsfoot trefoil. The results confirmed the adaptability and potentiality of such pasture species and livestock exploration in the lowland environment. However, it is needed further studies for a better management adjustment of the areas. Finally, a third study was performed, comparing the relationship between forage mass and winter pasture height in ICLS conducted in highland and lowland. It was demonstrated that in lowland such relationship is lower, corroborating the necessity of more studies in these conditions, because the optimum heights preconized for pasture management are originated from studies conducted in highlands.

Afrikanisches einheimisches Gemüse (AIVs) hat in letzter Zeit in ganz Afrika südlich der Sahara (SSA) aufgrund des zunehmenden Bewusstseins für deren Ernährung und gesundheitlichen Nutzen größere Anerkennung gefunden. Dieses wachsende Verbraucherbewusstsein hat zu einer erhöhten Nachfrage nach AIV-Verbrauch geführt, was wiederum zu einer verstärkten Produktion von AIV geführt hat. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher, das Ausmaß und die zugrunde liegenden Faktoren zu bewerten, die Einfluss auf die Einführung nachhaltiger Intensivierungsmethoden (SIPs) haben (Einsatz von verbesserten Bewässerungssystemen, integrierte Bodendüngung, organischer Dünger und AIV - Diversifizierung) (2) Die Übernahme von SIP in Bezug auf den Lebensunterhalt der Landwirte und (3) eine Bewertung der wirtschaftlichen Leistung und der ökologischen Ergebnisse von Bodendüngungsstrategien, um Bodenbewirtschaftungsstrategien zu empfehlen, die die Produktion, den Lebensunterhalt und den Klimaschutz optimieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Einsatz von organischem Dünger und die Diversifizierung der AIV in ländlichen und stadtnahen Produktionsgebieten weit verbreitet waren, wohingegen verbesserte Bewässerungssysteme und ein integriertes Bodenfruchtbarkeitsmanagement eher gering waren und in ländlichen Gebieten sogar erheblich niedriger waren als in Stadtrandgebieten. Darüber hinaus wurden Komplementaritäten und Substituierbarkeiten zwischen SIPs identifiziert, was darauf hindeutet, dass eine Änderung der Richtlinien, die sich auf ein einzelnes SIP auswirkt, Auswirkungen auf andere verwandte SIPs haben kann. Die Ergebnisse der Determinanten von SIP zeigen, dass die Marktintegration, das Haushaltseinkommen und die städtischen Gemüseproduktionsumgebungen die Haupttreiber der Akzeptanz waren. Darüber hinaus erhöht die Einführung von SIPs sowohl das Gesamteinkommen der Haushalte als auch die Ernte. Darüber hinaus optimiert die integrierte Strategie zur Bodenfruchtbarkeit die Wirtschafts- und Umweltleistung. Daher ist ein integriertes Bodenfruchtbarkeitsmanagement ein möglicher Weg, um die AIV-Produktion nachhaltig zu intensivieren. / African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have recently gained greater recognition across sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) because of increased awareness on their nutrition and health benefits. This rising consumer consciousness has caused an increase in demand for consumption of AIVs, which in turn has led to increased intensification of AIV production. The aim of this thesis was therefore, to evaluate the level and underlying factors influencing the adoption of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) (use of improved irrigation systems, integrated soil fertilisation, organic manure and AIV diversification), (2) examined the impacts of SIP adoption on farmers’ livelihoods, and (3) assessed economic performance and ecological outcomes of soil fertilisation strategies in order to recommend soil fertility management strategies which optimises production, livelihood and climate trade-offs. The results revealed that use of organic manure and AIV diversification were widely adopted across rural and peri-urban production areas while improved irrigation systems and integrated soil fertility management was rather low, and even significantly lower in rural areas than in peri-urban areas. Moreover, complementarities and substitutabilities between SIPs were also identified indicating that a change in policy affecting a single SIP might have a spill over effect on other related SIPs. The results of determinants of SIPs shows that market integration, household income and peri-urban vegetable production environments were the major drivers of adoption. In addition, adoption of SIPs significantly increases both total household and crop incomes. Furthermore, integrated soil fertility manage strategy optimises economic and environmental performance. Therefore, integrated soil fertility management is a potential pathway to sustainably intensify AIV production.

No description available.

Today, most of us live without a physical understanding of what agriculture does in and for modern societies and what its implications are. This makes it hard to see all the complex facets surrounding the farming practice and its connection to our past, present and future. This study explores how peri-urban farmers experience what they find to be a weak practice of the for them purely theoretical phenomenon of sustainable development. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with unconventional farmers in fertile Swedish agricultural area around Mälardalen. Nearby cities include Stockholm, Enköping and Uppsala. The qualitative empirical study deals with issues of peri-urban agriculture and sustainable intensification of agriculture. But above all describes clusters of how the farmers experience the concept of sustainable development. The methodology of phenomenology is used as a way of experiencing what the farmers express both explicitly and implicitly. By adding the term sustainable farming, a triangulation is done for a sustainable development. Two peer-reviewed studies that launch the terms ecological understanding (Carlsson 1999) and distance moral (Almers 2009), together with the sustainability terms, make a more robust theoretical framework for interpreting a sustainable development. The third peer-reviewed study by Larsson (2016) uses scenario analysis of what an up-scaled agriculture in Polish and three Baltic states could mean for the Baltic sea region.  The scenarios point out the effects of either converting into Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA) or to the conventional agriculturarl policy (CAP) as promoted in Sweden and the European Union. The empirical study as well as the peer-reviewed studies mutually find a dissonance between theory and practice between governance, organizations, farmers and consumer behavior when it comes to sustainable farming as well as a sustainable development as defined by the UN (WCED 1987). The study raises how a sustainable intensified farming, SIA, (Rockström 2016) and the theoretical framework of sustainable development could benefit from a higher level of ecological understanding and distance moral. The study also suggests a new term: ecemony, from a semantic merger of the terms economy and hegemony. By ecemony I argue that the economy has been given such prominance by and for us, that it pours through our minds and collective thoughts and governance so that it now constitutes our common senses. / I dagens samhällen lever merparten av befolkningen utan egen djup kunskap om eller praktisk erfarenhet av jordbruk. Det påverkar våra uppfattningar om oss själva och vår plats och roll i samhället. Dagens jordbruk och samhällsutveckling att tätt sammanflätade på gott och ont. De både samverkar och motverkas av respektives effekter i form av dolda kostnader. Syftet med studien är att ta reda på hur hållbarhetsbegrepp uppfattas av de periurbana jordbrukarna mätt som kvalitativt skilda beskrivningskategorier med fenomenografisk metod. Studien baserar sig på fem semistrukturerade djupintervjuer med periurbana jordbrukare och identifierar deras uppfattningar om hållbarhetsbegreppet som studiens resultat. Studien omfattar förutom egen empiri också begreppen avståndsmoral (Almers 2009) och ekologisk förståelse (Carlsson 1999) genom tidigare forskning. Ytterligare en studie (Larsson 2016) som använts utgår från tre scenarier för hur jordbruk i Östersjöregionen kan bli mer hållbart. Frågeställningarna som valts är: Vad är jordbrukarnas uppfattningar om begreppet en hållbar utveckling? Vilka uppfattningar har de av begreppet ett hållbart jordbruk? Vad har jordbrukarna för tilltro till om hållbarhetsdefinitionen kan förverkligas?  I den empirin och med stöd av dessa studier, framläggs att och hur ekonomin dominerar över de sociala och ekologiska aspekterna inom hållbarhetsbegreppet och hur stora skillnader mellan ord och handling råder inom praxis i hållbarhetsfrågan. Låg förståelse för ekologi och moralfrågor inom hållbarhetsområdet minskar enligt studien sannolikheten för att vi ska kunna uppnå en hållbar utveckling. I diskussionen återknyts till frågeställning och syftet. Där diskuteras även det som framkommer i uppsatsens bakgrund och problembeskrivning exempelvis att samhällets utmaningar i hög grad sammanfaller med jordbrukets. Aktuell forskning liksom den egna empirin pekar på att pedagogiska, etiska och moraliska utmaning väntar våra samhällen. Slutsatsen blir att moral och etikfrågor kan stärka det teoretiska begreppet hållbar utveckling.

No description available.

Increasing food, feed, fiber, biofuel production on decreasing amounts of arable land while simultaneously enhancing ecosystem services is challenging. Strategic inclusion of winter rye (<i>Secale cereale</i>) for biomass, silage, grain and Kura clover (<i>Trifolium ambiguum</i>) living mulch into existing Midwestern cropping systems may offer alternative economic income for farmers without displacing or reducing yields of primary crops. Research was conducted at the Purdue Water Quality Field Station (WQFS) where net balances of water, carbon, nitrogen, and radiation can be measured, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are monitored. The agronomic performance of a corn-soybean rotation and continuous corn (controls) were compared to novel systems that included the use of rye cover cropping and Kura clover co-cropping. Rye was harvested for biomass/silage at heading immediately followed by corn or soybean planting. Continuous corn receiving 69 kg N ha^-1was planted into an establishment of Kura clover sod. Controls included these same systems without the rye or clover. GHG samples were taken via the static chamber method and tile-drained water sub-samples were collected, analyzed for nitrate, and load losses calculated. Biomass composition was determined and used to calculate herbage theoretical ethanol (EtOH) yields. Cereal rye did not significantly decrease corn or soybean grain yield. Averaged across years, Kura clover significantly depressed corn grain yields by nearly 70%. Kura clover significantly reduced flow-weighted tile drainage nitrate (NO₃^-) concentrations, however cereal rye did not. Reductions in flow-weighted tile drainage nitrate (NO₃^-) concentrations were found to largely occur during Quarter two (April, May, June). Cover crops did not significantly reduce annual tile drained NO₃^- load losses in most cases, however, they did significantly reduce annual N₂O emissions. Cumulative annual CH₄ emissions were not significantly altered. Annual CO₂emissions were higher after the introduction of Kura clover and not significantly altered following the introduction of cereal rye. Averaged across years, theoretical ethanol yields in the Kura clover system produced 2,752 L EtOH ha^-1, whereas EtOH production in cereal rye systems ranged from 3,245 to 4,210 L EtOH ha^-1. Theoretical ethanol yields of continuous corn and rotational controls ranged from 2,982 to 3505 L EtOH ha^-1 for these same systems without the cereal rye of Kura clover. These data suggest that a multipurpose approach to cover crop inclusion can provide both environmental and economic advantages worthy of consideration.

The growing global population and the ongoing loss of arable soils increase the pressure on agricultural production. In conjunction with climate change, this causes new challenges for agricultural production systems worldwide and requires a more sustainable approach for the future. The concept of ‘sustainable land management’ (SLM) is known as a concretisation of the sustainable development goals in the field of agriculture. The Western Siberian grain belt covers 1 million km² in Asiatic Russia and is of global importance for agricultural production as well as an important carbon sink and of international interest for biodiversity preservation. The work was conducted as part of the interdisciplinary German-Russian SASCHA project, which focused on SLM strategies at the intersection of climate change and land-use change in Tyumen region of Western Siberia. The objective of this work was to identify strategies for sustainable agricultural land management in Western Siberia with a focus on arable farming issues. Therefore, specifically the following research questions were addressed: (i) What does the history of agricultural land use across the Western Siberian grain belt tell us for developing future strategies? (ii) How can the eco-efficiency of Western Siberian cereal cropping systems be increased under the strain of changing climatic conditions? (iii) Is soybean cultivation capable of diversifying crop rotations in the southern part of Western Siberia? Triggered by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the state farm system, massive land-use changes took place in the region. A normalised input-oriented intensity index was developed to quantify these changes and patterns in land-use intensity (LUI). Based on subnational, annual statistical data, two separate indices for cropland and grassland were calculated and applied on two spatial scales (provinces and districts). The spatio-temporal analysis showed significant opposite trends: decreasing intensity on grassland by -0.015 LUI units per year and intensification on cropland by +0.014 LUI units per year. The land-use changes that accompanied the post-Soviet transition from a planned to a market-driven economy also implied substantial socio-economic consequences for agricultural production. Based on the LUI analysis, locally adapted SLM scenarios were developed for Tyumen province and priority areas for implementation were identified. The findings clearly showed the need for having a different SLM strategy for grassland (predominantly used by livestock of households) and cropland (predominantly managed by large agricultural enterprises), which have to be addressed specifically by the different land users. Two major strategies were derived for the Western Siberian grain belt: low-intensity grazing for grassland conservation and sustainable intensification (SI) on cropland instead of cropland expansion. The system of conservation agriculture is a known possibility for SI in dryland cropping systems. Particularly under climate change predictions of drier and warmer growing conditions, no-till farming could be a promising way to increase eco-efficiency in Western Siberian cereal production systems. Therefore, a full-factorial split-split-plot field trial was conducted on a farmer’s field to test adaptations of tillage (usual conventional tillage ‘CT’ vs. no-till ‘NT’), seeding depth (usual deep 6.5 vs. shallow 4.5 cm) and seeding rate (usual high 600 vs. reduced 450 grains m-2) for the potential to increase water use efficiency and grain yield. Results from two above-average wet and cold growing seasons showed significantly better soil water storage of NT (+40 %) and no adverse effect on spring wheat grain yield and grain quality. Impacts of variations in seeding rate and seed placement were less pronounced. The highest yields of 3.19 and 3.82 t ha-1 were observed with NT treatment in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Other alternatives implemented to increase eco-efficiency of dryland cropping systems are enhanced fertilizer strategies. In Western Siberia, nitrogen (N) fertilizers (urea or ammonium-nitrate ‘Selitra’) in cereal production are commonly banded during sowing directly into the seed furrow. The performance of a new kind of slow-release fertilizer was tested in a field trial under on-farm conditions. A modified urea with silicate coating and urease inhibitor was compared in four N-levels (25/50/75/100 %) to 100 % of conventional urea, 100 % of Selitra and an unfertilized control in RCBD. Results showed significant differences in soil nitrate availability but no differences in ammonium release and no significant impact on grain yield or quality. From the results of this field trial there seemed to be no beneficial advantage of the tested novel slow-release fertilizer so far. More field site years and further improvements of the laboratory-scale fertilizer production are needed for scientifically founded results. Climate change is likely to considerably affect future growing conditions in regions around the current high-latitude boundaries of agricultural production. Specifically for soybeans, this leads to a northwards shift of the northernmost limit for cultivation. Therefore, the effect of soybean seed inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum was investigated in comparison to an untreated control in a small-scale split-plot field trial under high latitude conditions. Leaf chlorophyll content by SPAD-meter readings was used as proxy for biological nitrogen fixation. Inoculation was always successful, since nodulation took only place in plots with seed treatment. Effect sizes of SPAD-values were significantly positive at beginning of seed filling but did not differ earlier. Except for the warmest site year, inoculation had no impact on seed yield and protein yield. Under cold growing conditions of high latitude regions, temperature sums seemed to limit soybean yield and the effectiveness of inoculation with B. japonicum. To implement soybeans as legumes in crop rotations, nevertheless, inoculation is mandatory, since soils in high latitudes lack soy-specific rhizobia bacteria. The trials and studies compiled in this thesis are examples of contributions to SLM strategies on varying spatial and temporal scales. Besides all the promising benefits of the described SI applications, some drawbacks must be considered: NT and CA often result in increased herbicide applications, genetically modified varieties (GMO) and herbicide resistances. Diverse crop rotations including legumes, however, would be a base for resilient cropping systems with a reduced reliance on a single herbicide. Moreover, Western Siberia has a great potential to become a key contributor to non-GMO dryland cropping. Even though the focus of this thesis was on agronomic strategies, the integration of livestock and arable farming is crucial for sustainable agriculture. The agricultural system of the Western Siberian grain belt could considerably benefit from crop-livestock integration by better soil fertility and enhanced nutrient management. The current observed trend of cropland intensification, however, will require increased attention paid to the sustainability of Siberian arable farming. Considering the forest steppes’ peculiarities and the unique land-use history, SI implemented on cropland and a moderate grazing regime on grassland seems to be the best combination for SLM across the Western Siberian grain belt.