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SAREP's Three Major Themes:
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PARTNERING WITH FARMERS TO IMPLEMENT BIOLOGICALLY INTEGRATED FARMING PRACTICES
An increasing number of California farmers and livestock producers are reducing their reliance on agricultural chemicals while maintaining yields and quality through SAREP's innovative grants program, Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS). Since 1995, the BIFS program has funded ten projects in nine different farming systems. BIFS projects typically include:
- On-farm demonstrations of innovative biologically-based farming systems;
- A collaborative extension model that encourages public-private partnerships
for sharing technical information about the farming system;
- An organized program of monitoring key biological and economic variables for on-farm decision making and evaluation.
The goal of BIFS is to expand the use of biologically integrated farming systems by establishing on-farm demonstrations in which growers reduce negative environmental impacts from pollutants such as agricultural chemicals, animal waste, and soil erosion. BIFS projects are designed to assist farmers in maintaining their economic viability while developing these alternative farming practices. Farmers participating in BIFS projects:
- Integrate biological and cultural control of pests into their production systems;
- Use pest monitoring and economic thresholds for decisions about whether and when to apply chemicals;
- Emphasize soil-building practices such as the use of cover crops to provide nitrogen, increase water infiltration, and decrease erosion and flooding;
- Create on-farm habitat and restore riparian areas to encourage beneficial insect populations and improve habitat for fish, migrant birds and game species;
- Improve livestock management while protecting natural resources.
Currently, BIFS projects are underway in dried plums (throughout the Central Valley), dairy/forage crops (in the San Joaquin Valley), apples (in Contra Costa County), and winegrapes (on the Central Coast).
SAREP staff support the projects by linking team leaders from all BIFS projects
to each other and to university researchers, by participating in management
team meetings, and by conducting surveys of grower practices and attitudes in
order to fully assess impacts.
For more information on the BIFS program, see http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/bifs/
Project Examples:
