In recent years, several initiatives have sought to encourage redemption of food assistance benefits at direct-to-consumer (DTC) market venues such as community supported agriculture programs and farmers’ markets in the USA, with the dual goal of increasing access to healthy foods for low-income families and sales of locally-grown foods for farmers. Proponents of these interventions assert that these programs have a positive impact on local economies yet there is limited evidence to validate this argument. This research project used a customized input-output model to simulate potential economic impacts of programs and policies that enable Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to shift purchases from traditional food retailers to DTC venues in four states. Two different scenarios were explored: (1) increased outreach to low-income consumers and (2) financial support for using SNAP benefits at DTC market channels. We found a positive, though modest, economic impact at the state level under both scenarios when accounting for (a) business losses in the food retail and wholesale sectors, (b) a shift in acreage from commodity to specialty crops and (c) the cost to taxpayers. Since most of the increased economic activity would be in the produce farming sector, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for this sector along with potential policy implications.

Overuse of fertilizer is detrimental to the sustainability of crop production from an economic and environmental perspective. While rice side-deep fertilization technology can significantly improve fertilizer utilization efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce environmental pollution caused by improper use of fertilizer compared with conventional fertilization methods. Therefore, side-deep fertilization technology has an important role in the sustainable development of agriculture. This article describes fertilizer selection, side-deep fertilization devices and the effects of side-deep fertilization technology on rice plants and soil. We summarize the types and characteristics of side-deep fertilizers and their ratios and modes. The basic principles and characteristics of the key components of mechanical fertilization devices are described in detail, including fertilizer discharging devices (rotating disc type, outer groove wheel type, screw type), fertilizer conveying devices (pneumatic, mechanical forced type) and sensors. The effects and mechanisms of side-deep fertilization on rice growth, yield, quality, fertilizer utilization efficiency and soil microorganisms are summarized. Finally, based on current research on side-deep fertilization, future directions are identified to aid the development of this promising technology.

The demand for water is high in the food industry, particularly during the processing of animal product origin. A more sustainable approach to the use of the water resource is needed to reduce its waste. A systematic literature review was carried out from publications identified according to relevance and timeliness. The aim was to find alternative food processing production methods that considered both recycling and reuse of water in different slaughtering of animals such as cattle, swine, poultry, goat, sheep and fish. Articles which addressed cleaner production methods were selected because of special relevance in water resource management, Poultry processing was considered a special case regarding the recycling and reuse of water. That was due to the volume of water used as well as the level of likely contamination it might pose if reused. Wastewater can be largely reduced by adopting changes in practices, such as plant layout; materials used; drainage systems using dedicated separation of effluents and shaded area at reception with ventilation and sprinkles.

The pastoral systems of Eastern Africa have been affected by the alternated incidence of recurrent drought and flood for the last decades, aggravating poverty and local conflicts. We have introduced an innovation to convert floods to productive use using water spreading weirs (WSW) as an entry point to capture and spread the torrential flood emerging in the neighboring highlands into rangelands and crop fields of low-lying pastoral systems in Afar, Ethiopia. The productivity and landscape feature have changed from an abandoned field to a productive landscape within 3 years of intervention. The flood patterns and sediment loads created at least four different crop management zones and productivity levels. Based on moisture and nutrient regimes, we developed land suitability maps for integrating crops and forages fitting to specific niches. The outcome was a fast recovery of landscapes, with 150% biomass yield increment, increased access to dry season feed and food. These positive outcomes could be attributed to the proper design of weirs, joint planning and execution between pastoralists, researchers and development agents, identification and availing best-fitting varieties for each management zone and developing simple GIS-based parcel level maps to guide development agents and pastoralists. The major ‘agents’ were community leaders (‘Kedoh Abbobati’) who keenly debated potential benefits and drawbacks of innovations, enforced customary rules and byelaw and suggested changes in approaches and choices of interventions. In general, an innovation system approach helped to create local confidence, attract attention of government institutions and helped local actors to identify investment areas, develop implementation strategies to increase productivity, define changes as it occurs and minimize conflicts between competing communities. However, the risk of de facto use of a plot of communal land translating into long-term occupation and ownership may be impacting a communal territory and social cohesion that was subject to other collective choice customary rules.

How can agricultural mechanization be accomplished in a sustainable and equitable way? This question has gained increased prominence in mechanization research over the past few years. In this study, we apply the question to mechanized maize shelling in Tanzania as a case in point. Data from a survey with 400 farmers and from semi-structured interviews with 21 key informants are combined for a gender analysis that relies on Kabeer's concept of four institutional sites (household, community, market and government). The findings reveal that although mechanization reduces men's and women's perceived drudgery of shelling, relief depends on gendered patterns of labor allocation and decision-making at the household level. As a result, the transformation of inequitable norms emerges as paramount. Key informants identified additional aspects that would make mechanized shelling more equitable and sustainable, such as mainstreaming gender and mechanization in comprehensive agricultural training, or the sensitization of mechanized input suppliers and manufacturers to farmers' preferences (including gender-sensitive machine design). Concerted efforts in multiple institutional sites are needed to achieve lasting change in respect of equity in mechanization.

Oak (Quercus spp.) savanna is a rare and dwindling ecosystem primarily due to the clearing of vast areas for agriculture and encroachment of woody midstory shrubs in the remnant areas. There is interest in introducing controlled grazing to re-open these ecologically sensitive semi-wooded areas. We report the forage quality and diet selection by Scottish Highland cattle (Bos taurus spp.), a breed recognized for their browsing behavior, of the most common shrubs in this ecosystem. Shrub species sampled included prickly ash (Xanthoxylem americana Mill), gooseberry (Ribes missouriense Nutt.), gray dogwood (Cornus racemesa L.), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb. ex Murr.), black or red raspberry (Rubus spp.) and wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L). Leaf biomass was collected in June 2001 and 2002 and analyzed for forage quality. Animal observations showed that diet included a fairly even mixture of shrub leaves, grass and herbaceous forbs. Prickly ash and raspberry were most frequently browsed and had the highest crude protein (CP; 190 g kg−1), while multiflora rose and gray dogwood, neither highly browsed upon, had the lowest levels of CP (120 g kg−1). All shrubs had high in-vitro true digestibility, with prickly ash approaching 850 g kg−1 (as compared to 688 g kg−1 for mature alfalfa). The quality of the shrub layer in late spring is adequate to provide nutritional support for beef cattle as long as dry matter intake is not limited. Integrating shrubs into the rotation could expand the pasture base by providing feed at a time when cool-season pastures are typically quasi-dormant.

Alternative crops, with appropriate markets and infrastructure, provide farmers the potential for diversification to offset financial stress caused by an overabundant supply of a limited number of species grown over a broad area. The objective of this work was to develop a model that would identify where soil and climate conditions are likely to be suitable for a large number of crops over a large geographic region. The model was used to screen 414 crops for suitability to Illinois conditions. The 414 crops were a subset of 968 candidate crops, for which crop soil (texture, pH, drainage) and climate (temperature, precipitation, growing season length, minimum winter temperature) requirements were identified from a literature search. The simple model was linked to geographic information system software to evaluate the suitability of the soil and climate conditions of Illinois. Two of the 414 crops were classified as highly suitable in more than 50% of the state's land area, 18 suitable in more than 90% of the state, and a total of 83 crops were rated as suitable to highly suitable in more than 90% of the state. Comparison of the suitability maps to known ranges of existing crops, and limited evaluation of 15 crops classified as suitable, moderately suitable and unsuitable for Urbana, Illinois conditions in a demonstration plot, showed this model's utility to a limited area, and suggests that the model can be applied to any region where geographically referenced soil and climate data either exist or can be developed.

Agriculture is a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but changing management practices to those more beneficial to the environment could help mitigate climate change as long as they are economically and environmentally viable. This study examines the environmental (public) and economic (private) effects of adopting ten different beneficial management practices on a representative corn farm in Ontario, Canada. The study integrates changes in GHG emissions in carbon equivalents (CO2e) and changes in profit from changes in costs and revenues in two dimensions to reveal the scope and scale of different kinds of practices. 4R nitrogen management practices are smaller in scale compared to cropping practices and, therefore, have smaller potential costs and benefits. Land use changes, from practices including biomass, afforestation, crop rotation and cover cropping, have larger impacts on soil sequestration and carbon-equivalent GHG reduction, but with significantly greater costs. Seven practices were found to, at least partially, be economically and environmentally beneficial. The adoption of no-till and N-rate reduction is firmly positive, whereas the production of biomass has the largest potential economic and environmental gains. Crop rotation and diversification and cover cropping can be mutually beneficial, as can changing N-application practices. The use of inhibitors may be economically beneficial if yield gains outweigh purchase costs.

Opportunities for alternative swine production and marketing are emerging across the value chain. Given the developing nature of the differentiated pork industry, measurements of niche performance and success are not yet fully known. For this reason, the objectives of this study were to determine performance metrics across all major life phases for niche pork production and compare such metrics with national averages of conventional commodity pork production. Additionally, this study aimed to quantify producers’ reasoning and barriers to successfully raising niche swine. Niche meat producers in the USA self-identified for this study (n = 176); their swine production had alternative characteristics that included small- to mid-sized farms, farrow-to-finish operations, heritage breeds, housing with bedding and outdoor or pasture access, no use of antibiotics (sub-therapeutic for growth promotion or no antibiotics ever), vegetarian feed, diverse agricultural enterprises and alternative marketing avenues. This study focused on the metric categories regarding reproduction, mortality, culling and growth characteristics. The niche system produced approximately 15% fewer weaned piglets per bred sow per year than the conventional system due to fewer breeding cycles, smaller litters and higher piglet mortality in alternative production. Similarly, niche production finished 12% fewer hogs per bred sow per year than conventional production. Regarding age benchmarks of finishing and breeding, the niche system averaged 18 additional days to finish hogs at a standardized market weight of 124 kg. Likewise, niche production gilts were first bred at 283 days, whereas conventional production breeds gilts at 225 days. All directly comparable metrics were found to be statistically significant with 95% confidence for the one-sample test of means. Regarding farmer attitudes toward niche pork, survey participants shared personal reasons for raising swine and barriers to successful niche production. Choosing niche over commodity swine, participants’ reasons were grouped into three intra-related categories: (1) farm and producer viability, (2) animal and environmental welfare, and (3) consumer preference and taste. Despite these benefits, participants were faced with numerous challenges, which were organized into four intra-related categories: (1) alternative production requirements, restrictions and knowledge; (2) access and affordability of credit and inputs; (3) alternative supply chain for processing, marketing and customers; and (4) non-niche production competition and governmental policies. In sum, the success of these niche pork operations equates to high welfare for the pigs, economic viability for the operation, personal enjoyment for the farmer, customer satisfaction with meat flavor and quality, and responsible environmental practices, inclusive of many components of an alternative food system.

The purpose of this research is to show that the vegetable wastes produced by the greenhouses of the Poniente region of Almería, which grow eight main horticultural crops, can be defined as vegetable subproducts and used for animal feed. These vegetable subproducts from greenhouses (VSG) meet existing legal maximum limits of waste from phytosanitary products at the European level, and they are free of other solid wastes. For this purpose, a farm must show that subproducts are traceable. The use of such VSG by sheep and goats would allow considerable reduction in biomass generated by vegetable greenhouses along with sustainable profit. At the same time, the cost of food for livestock would be reduced at a time when prices of fodder and concentrates are increasing. Finally, new traceability for vegetable wastes is proposed that would be compatible with and complementary to that existing nowadays, and would reduce the environmental impact of these wastes.

We analyze the efficiency of organic pasture farming in Germany using data from 1994/95 to 2005/06. Five inputs and one output are analyzed by means of a stochastic frontier production function, allowing for heteroscedasticity and technical effects. Five sets of possible determinants of technical efficiency are considered in the model. These include: (1) farm structure and resources; (2) human capital and management capacities; (3) institutional choice; and (4) subsidies. To these factors that are commonly included in technical effects models, we add (5) a set of variables that capture localization and urbanization economies such as the share of organic farms in a region and the regional share of votes for the Green Party in recent elections. These regional effects are found to have a significant impact on the technical efficiency of organic farms. The evolution of efficiency on farms that are converting from conventional to organic farming is also analyzed.

Native orchid cultivation is a compatible alternative for impoverished coffee farmers in southeastern Mexico who are in crisis due to falling prices. Sustainable orchid cultivation is also an urgent necessity as an alternative to nonsustainable extraction from protected reserves, forest fragments and traditional coffee plantations, and to restore and conserve populations within these habitats. Our objective was to test the effects of locally available substrates and fertilizers upon orchids cultivated under typical rural conditions in coffee-producing areas in Soconusco, Chiapas. Seven species of epiphytic orchids native to Soconusco region—Cattleya aurantiaca, Brassavola nodosa, Prosthechea (Encyclia) chacaoensis, Anathallis (Pleurothallis) racemiflora, Cattleya skinneri, Cycnoches ventricosum and Encyclia cordigera—were propagated in vitro, acclimatized and established in rustic orchid galleries in the home gardens and plantations of coffee growers. Locally available waste products were used as substrates: clay tiles, tree bark, bamboo, seed hulls of pataxte (Theobroma bicolor) and wire baskets filled with bark chips. Two cheap and readily available commercial foliar feeds, Algaenzims (an organic product) and Bayfolan (a synthetic product) were tested. First, the substrates alone were tested for a period of 6 months to 1 year, then a combination of substrates and fertilizers were tested for 6 months, for effects upon leaf and root growth and root number. The mortality rates of these nonsymbiotically propagated, epiphytic orchids during the acclimatization phase, prior to these experiments, were high, between 60 and 90%. Once established in rustic galleries, the young orchid plants showed no preference for a particular substrate, survival depended upon technical problems during establishment, relating to difficulties with the attachment of plants to substrates, and the variable quality of care and attention offered by the farmers. Both fertilizers significantly improved one or all the parameters studied, and possibly counteracted the negative effects of the absence of symbiotic fungi, which, under natural conditions, are essential for orchid seed germination and adequate development of the young plant. More than half of the producers did not continue with the orchid cultures for economic and cultural reasons.

This study used a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the potential for hydroponic production of vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) in Kenya. Hydroponic systems have potential for increased efficiency in water and land use, but their potential has not been critically evaluated in many developing countries. To address this gap in knowledge, this study assessed the nutritional density and economic viability of hydroponic systems built from local materials. Specifically, vegetable amaranth was grown hydroponically and evaluated for increased nutritional density of key micronutrients. Manipulation of the nutrient solution used in hydroponic systems changed the bioaccumulation of zinc, iron and carotenoids, which are three of the most common micronutrients lacking in Kenyan diets. Economic viability was assessed with a benefit-cost analysis that compared three different hydroponic systems to soil-based production and purchasing vegetables from local markets. This analysis showed that none of the hydroponic systems were profitable under current conditions, but sensitivity analyses revealed certain scenarios where they could become so. Overall, hydroponic production has the potential to create nutrient-dense crops with high levels of zinc, iron, or carotenoids. However, hydroponic systems may be better suited to crops of higher value than amaranth, areas where soil-based production is not an option, or regions where vegetable markets are not available.

The dehesa agroforestry system is classified as one of the most singular ecosystems in the European Union. In the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it spreads over an area of approximately 6.7 million hectares, contributing major environmental, cultural, aesthetic and economic value to the region. The main agricultural activity that is developed in this ecosystem is the extensive farming of cattle, sheep and Iberian pigs with low stocking density and few inputs. Sustainable management of these ecosystems' existing production farms is essential in order to secure their continuity, as they face a difficult situation on account of their low profitability. One of the strategies that could be employed to attain a sustainable situation is the proposition of an organic production model. In order to explore this option, a participatory research process has been proposed and developed in the Spanish region called Extremadura (Spain). The aim of this process is to investigate the potential of extensive farming systems in moving toward a sustainable organic production model, identifying the main barriers preventing livestock farmers from converting to the organic model and seeking specific improvement measures that would reduce such barriers. For that purpose, four focus group sessions were run with a total of 33 participating stakeholders. For the analysis of these focus groups, Atlas.ti qualitative software was used to categorize and quantify the main ideas proposed during the sessions. The findings revealed that the main barriers can be classified into three groups: barriers that are inherent to the production processes and the structure of the specific sector, barriers associated with administration and management issues and lastly, barriers relating to education and training of the various actors involved. We consider this paper may contribute to policy makers' decisions to focus on specific actions for improvement that are customized for the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the region.

Weed control is one of the most important practices for a satisfying crop performance. In organic farming, weeds are mainly controlled by using mechanical methods, which may result in incomplete crop selectivity. Maize is one of the crops for which mechanical weed control is commonly applied. To assess weed control efficacy and the possible crop injuries caused by mechanical interventions (harrowing, hoeing and ridging), a field experiment was carried out in 2013–2014 on traditional flint Italian varieties of maize (Marano, Ottofile, Pignoletto, Nostrano and the hybrid Maranello) suited for organic food production. The study included the following treatments: weed control with a spring tine harrow + hoeing and ridging (STH), manual weed removal all season long (MWR), spring tine harrowing + manual weed removal (STH + MWR) and an untreated check (CHK). In the 2 years, the experiment was carried out in two similar fields in which 60 plots (6 × 10 m) were arranged in a RCBD with three replications. Weed control efficacy was assessed by determining weed density, weed species composition and weed cover after each mechanical intervention in the STH and CHK plots. Weed diversity indices were also calculated at the final assessment. The possible crop injuries caused by mechanical means were assessed by determining maize plant height, number of leaves, and plant density after each mechanical intervention. At maturity, maize yield and other yield-related traits (1000-seed weight, hectolitre weight, and grain moisture) were determined. The results showed that the mechanical treatments lowered the weed infestation, without changing weed species dominance and slightly lowering species richness; even though they were not able to completely control the weeds. In both years, the final weed density in STH plots was of about 50 plants m−2. Better weed control was obtained when weeds were at early growth stages and with a repeated number of harrowing. Mechanical weeding did not cause significant injury in terms of plant height nor density; however, for Marano and Maranello, a delay in the crop cycle was observed as shown by the lower number of leaves in STH compared with MWR. Yield ranged from 0.3 t ha−1 for Marano CHK to 10.4 t ha−1 for the hybrid Maranello in MWR + STH. Yield and yield-related traits were not affected by mechanical weeding.

Organic grain producers are interested in interseeding cover crops into corn (Zea mays L.) in regions that have a narrow growing season window for post-harvest establishment of cover crops. A field experiment was replicated across 2 years on three commercial organic farms in Pennsylvania to compare the effects of drill- and broadcast-interseeding to standard grower practices, which included post-harvest seeding cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) at the more southern location and winter fallow at the more northern locations. Drill- and broadcast-interseeding treatments occurred just after last cultivation and used a cover crop mixture of annual ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] + orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) + forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. ssp. longipinnatus). Higher mean fall cover crop biomass and forage radish abundance (% of total) was observed in drill-interseeding treatments compared with broadcast-interseeding. However, corn grain yield and weed suppression and N retention in late-fall and spring were similar among interseeding treatments, which suggests that broadcast-interseeding at last cultivation has the potential to produce similar production and conservation benefits at lower labor and equipment costs in organic systems. Post-harvest seeding cereal rye resulted in greater spring biomass production and N retention compared with interseeded cover crops at the southern location, whereas variable interseeding establishment success and dominance of winter-killed forage radish produced conditions that increased the likelihood of N loss at more northern locations. Additional research is needed to contrast conservation benefits and management tradeoffs between interseeding and post-harvest establishment methods.

This paper addresses the question as to whether it is profitable to apply a mechanical mulching technology (MT) in the Bragantina region of Brazil and assesses the technology's feasibility as an alternative to the slash-and-burn practices of the Amazon. Using empirical data collected from a prototype assessment and a few secondary sources, the paper employs a cost–benefit analysis of ‘with’ and ‘without’ technology cropping systems (plots that applied the technology are compared with those that did not) to assess the financial and economic feasibility of investing in the MT. The analysis showed that the technology is profitable, both financially and socially, mainly because it is able to produce yields that are high enough to offset the costs, including the hiring of the mulching equipment. However, it may not be a feasible alternative to slash-and-burn farming unless certain conditions are fulfilled by farmers. Most of these conditions relate to farmers' adherence to a set of rules for the successful application of the technology. These rules include the abandonment of a single cropping cycle, typical for the traditional slash-and-burn system, and the adoption of two cycles of crop cultivation. In addition, farmers have to choose profitable crop combinations, such as cassava and beans for both cycles. Since most of the trial farmers did not meet these conditions, the technology received a notably low acceptability (8%). Further analysis indicated that the main reason for this trend was the increase of total labor requirement (by 32%), though the technology reduced labor demand during land preparation to almost zero. Similarly, there was a 22% increase in requirement for inorganic fertilizers. Thus, compared with the slash-and-burn practices of the Amazon, the MT can be regarded as a more intensive method of farming which gives higher crop yields but demands higher quantities of inputs such as labor and inorganic fertilizers. The paper concludes by deriving policy implications for the feasibility of the MT as an alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture in the Amazon. Among these is the importance of creating incentives to extend the cropping period from one to two consecutive cycles. Moreover, the necessity to conduct further studies after the technology has been adopted by the farmers is underscored.

Degradation of crop and grazing lands is a pervasive problem that negatively impacts agricultural productivity and livelihoods of crop-livestock farmers in the Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia. Area enclosure together with a cut and carry livestock feeding system is often advocated as an approach for the regeneration of degraded grazing lands. This paper reports the results of a two-year farmer participatory study conducted to assess the effects of infiltration trenches (ITs) and Chloris gayana Kunth (Rhodes grass; cultivar Masaba; tetraploid; C4 grass species) reseeding on restoration of degraded grazing lands. A split plot design was used with IT as the main plot and C. gayana reseeding as a sub-plot on 28 private grazing plots under enclosure. The results showed that IT alone increased soil moisture content and prolonged the growing period. IT and C. gayana reseeding together significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased herbage dry matter yield and improved soil chemical properties. The highest mean herbage dry matter yield (21 Mg ha−1 per cut) was recorded for plots treated with IT and reseeded with C. gayana. The higher herbage dry matter yield was attributed to increased soil moisture and the resultant prolonged growing period induced by the trenches coupled with the ability of C. gayana to effectively utilize the retained water. The results suggest that an integrated land management approach involving enclosure, in-situ water conservation and C. gayana reseeding can rapidly increase biomass productivity on degraded grazing lands while also enhancing soil quality with concomitant livelihood benefits for farmers.

A 1999 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy on organic certification excluded the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. The decision remains controversial because it provokes debate over the fundamental meaning of organic agriculture. Some scholars, farmers and activists claim that organic agriculture represents a value orientation that is opposed to trends in industrial agriculture, of which GM crops are the latest product. Because organic farmers are a significant constituency in this debate, we examined their values and practices related to marketing, environment and GM crops. From a survey of 1181 Washington State farmers, we created a sub-sample of 598 crop farmers (fruits, vegetables and grains), of which 109 described themselves as organic (certified organic, moving towards organic certification and non-certified organic), and we analyzed organic and conventional farmer responses to a number of issues to discern comparative commitment to self-seeking economic interests. Results reveal differences among conventional and organic farmers on GM crops and several marketing and environmental values and practices, suggesting that there is some validity to portraying organic agriculture as an alternative vision to industrial agriculture.

The benefits of farming organically in the USA are increasingly known; however, organic farmers also encounter considerable risks, especially from weeds. Without herbicides, organic farmers can rely only on crop rotations, mechanical cultivation, manual weeding, beneficial insects and other cultural practices, termed ecological weed management (EWM), to control weeds. Despite promising results and the many ways in which EWM can be employed, it remains poorly adopted by the organic community. Organic farmers resist research and recommendations from University scientists and Extension, instead preferring to rely on local family and friends and their own experience to guide decisions. Here we investigate factors that may lead organic farmers to recognize that they need additional information about EWM and to seek that information out. Using a national survey of organic farmers (n = 554) and a risk-information seeking and processing model, we show that farmers’ risk and benefit perceptions, worry, social norms encouraging seeking out information, and farmers’ own perceived knowledge gaps, particularly with respect to their most problematic weed, influence information-seeking behavior. Identifying characteristics that may distinguish those organic farmers who need and want additional information, we provide recommendations to Extension and University scientists about how best to communicate, build trust and provide decision support to the organic community with respect to EWM.