IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v162y2018icp28-33.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A free online tool to calculate three nitrogen-related indicators for farming systems

Author

Listed:
  • Carof, Matthieu
  • Godinot, Olivier

Abstract

Reactive nitrogen (N) is a key agricultural input, essential for crop growth and production, but excess N in the environment causes problems for human and ecological health. One of the most promising solutions for reducing environmental impacts of excess N levels and feeding a growing population is to improve N efficiency of farming systems i.e., increase the ratio of their N output to N input. Assessing promising solutions involves calculating N efficiency, which is not trivial. For this reason, a free online tool was developed – the SyNE calculator, https://www.nefficiencycalculator.fr/en/ – to allow farmers, farm advisors, researchers, and policy makers to calculate three N-related indicators of farming systems: SyNE, an N efficiency indicator; SyNB, an N balance indicator; and RNE, a relative N efficiency indicator. After entering information about a farming system, the SyNE calculator produces two main outputs: first, values of the three indicators (SyNE, SyNB, and RNE) and those of related variables (N inputs, N losses during production and transport of inputs, N outputs, and change in soil N); second, a downloadable diagram showing these values. The main advantages of this tool are that it (i) simplifies N indicator calculation, using the same scientific framework for all farming systems, and (ii) includes many reference values that are difficult to obtain (e.g., N losses during production and transport of inputs). Furthermore, this tool allows advanced users to modify the values and equations used to calculate the three N-related indicators. The SyNE calculator is currently available for farms producing dairy cattle, beef cattle, and field crops; in the near future, it will be available for farms producing pigs and broilers. If used, this online tool will contribute to the development of N efficiency evaluation by farmers, farm advisors, and researchers, which may result in improved agricultural N management practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Carof, Matthieu & Godinot, Olivier, 2018. "A free online tool to calculate three nitrogen-related indicators for farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 28-33.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:162:y:2018:i:c:p:28-33
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2018.01.015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X17306686
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.01.015?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bockstaller, C. & Girardin, P., 2003. "How to validate environmental indicators," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 639-653, May.
    2. Rose, David C. & Sutherland, William J. & Parker, Caroline & Lobley, Matt & Winter, Michael & Morris, Carol & Twining, Susan & Ffoulkes, Charles & Amano, Tatsuya & Dicks, Lynn V., 2016. "Decision support tools for agriculture: Towards effective design and delivery," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 165-174.
    3. Godinot, O. & Carof, M. & Vertès, F. & Leterme, P., 2014. "SyNE: An improved indicator to assess nitrogen efficiency of farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 41-52.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio & Lauri Jauhiainen, 2019. "Risk of Low Productivity is Dependent on Farm Characteristics: How to Turn Poor Performance into an Advantage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Schiavon, Stefano & Sturaro, Enrico & Tagliapietra, Franco & Ramanzin, Maurizio & Bittante, Giovanni, 2019. "Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion on mountain farms of different dairy systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 36-47.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jeroen Ooge & Katrien Verbert, 2022. "Visually Explaining Uncertain Price Predictions in Agrifood: A User-Centred Case-Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo & Jordi Segalas & Gorka Bueno & Pere Busquets & Joan Climent & Victor G. Galofré & Boris Lazzarini & David Lopez & Carme Martín & Rafael Miñano & Estíbaliz Sáez de Cámara & Bá, 2021. "Tools for Embedding and Assessing Sustainable Development Goals in Engineering Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-30, November.
    3. Spaeter, Sandrine & Verchère, Alban, 2004. "Aléa moral et politiques d’audit optimales dans le cadre de la pollution d’origine agricole de l’eau," Cahiers d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales (CESR), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 71.
    4. Jacquet, Florence & Butault, Jean-Pierre & Guichard, Laurence, 2011. "An economic analysis of the possibility of reducing pesticides in French field crops," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1638-1648, July.
    5. Oscar Reicher & Verónica Delgado & José-Luis Arumi, 2021. "Use of Indicators in Strategic Environmental Assessments of Urban-Planning Instruments: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    6. Shamsheer Haq & Ismet Boz, 2020. "Measuring environmental, economic, and social sustainability index of tea farms in Rize Province, Turkey," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2545-2567, March.
    7. Meiling Zhang & Stephen Nazieh & Teddy Nkrumah & Xingyu Wang, 2021. "Simulating Grassland Carbon Dynamics in Gansu for the Past Fifty (50) Years (1968–2018) Using the Century Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Gary Bentrup & Michael G. Dosskey, 2022. "Tree Advisor: A Novel Woody Plant Selection Tool to Support Multifunctional Objectives," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, March.
    9. Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Oomen, Gerard J.M. & Rossing, Walter A.H., 2012. "Multi-objective optimization and design of farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 63-77.
    10. Adriana Luciano & Federica Pascale & Francesco Polverino & Alison Pooley, 2020. "Measuring Age-Friendly Housing: A Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-35, January.
    11. Jesús-María Sánchez-González & Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri & Claudia P. Romero & María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero, 2024. "Environmental Sustainability Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Change Using the WEI Index: Application to the Municipalities around the Doñana Area in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-23, May.
    12. Ranjan Roy & Ngai Weng Chan, 2012. "An assessment of agricultural sustainability indicators in Bangladesh: review and synthesis," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 99-110, March.
    13. Elena Feo & Sylvia Burssens & Hannes Mareen & Pieter Spanoghe, 2022. "Shedding Light into the Need of Knowledge Sharing in H2020 Thematic Networks for the Agriculture and Forestry Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, March.
    14. Hidalgo, Francisco & Quiñones-Ruiz, Xiomara F. & Birkenberg, Athena & Daum, Thomas & Bosch, Christine & Hirsch, Patrick & Birner, Regina, 2023. "Digitalization, sustainability, and coffee. Opportunities and challenges for agricultural development," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    15. van Calker, K.J. & Berentsen, P.B.M. & de Boer, I.J.M. & Giesen, G.W.J. & Huirne, R.B.M., 2007. "Modelling worker physical health and societal sustainability at farm level: An application to conventional and organic dairy farming," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 205-219, May.
    16. So Pyay Thar & Thiagarajah Ramilan & Robert J. Farquharson & Deli Chen, 2021. "Identifying Potential for Decision Support Tools through Farm Systems Typology Analysis Coupled with Participatory Research: A Case for Smallholder Farmers in Myanmar," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, June.
    17. Berjawi, A.E.H. & Walker, S.L. & Patsios, C. & Hosseini, S.H.R., 2021. "An evaluation framework for future integrated energy systems: A whole energy systems approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    18. Gabriela Mayumi Saiki & André Luiz Marques Serrano & Gabriel Arquelau Pimenta Rodrigues & Carlos Rosano-Peña & Fabiano Mezadre Pompermayer & Pedro Henrique Melo Albuquerque, 2024. "An Analysis of the Eco-Efficiency of the Agricultural Industry in the Brazilian Amazon Biome," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-23, July.
    19. Jouan, Julia & Carof, Matthieu & Baccar, Rim & Bareille, Nathalie & Bastian, Suzanne & Brogna, Delphine & Burgio, Giovanni & Couvreur, Sébastien & Cupiał, Michał & Dufrêne, Marc & Dumont, Benjamin & G, 2021. "SEGAE: An online serious game to learn agroecology," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    20. Julia Jouan & Aude Ridier & Matthieu Carof, 2018. "SYNERGY: a bio economic model assessing the economic and environmental impacts of increased regional protein self-sufficiency," Post-Print hal-01937084, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:162:y:2018:i:c:p:28-33. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.