Linking Environment and Agriculture in Westsik's Crop Rotation Experiment [antikvár]

Preface High input agriculture is relatively new in Hungary. Crop rotation was introduced in the last century, extensive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides became important only in the second half of the XX. century. Agricultural production has become efficient per unit of human labour and per unit of land. When efficiency is measured against other criteria - capital, fossil fuel, energy, economic or social equity - the results are less clear. Current concerns about soil and water quality deterioration, limited possibility of fossil fuels, loss of biodiversity, viability of rural communities, and in general the sustainability of present day's agricultural production urge to work out methods of sustainable agriculture in Nyírség region. The goal is to bring together people and resources, to promote an agriculture that is efficient, profitable, socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable for the indefinite future. The primary objective is to provide a model where the total agricultural system and community are taken into account, and agriculture is not separated from the natural ecosystem of a region. The most critical challenge is to consider the needs of agriculture and society, and provide an educational environment for people. For this, we need research in the principles of sustainable agriculture and education far beyond the training in specific practices and solutions that will meet the problems of communities. The best known and most remarkable example of continuous production in Hungary is the Westsik crop rotation experiment established in 1929, which is still in use to study the effects of organic manure treatment, develop models and predict the likely effects of different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields. Such experiments are costly to maintain but their cost can easily be justified if they serve a number of different objectives and provide data to improve agricultural practice. In this respect, the Westsik's crop rotation experiment provides data of immediate value to farmers concerning the applications of green, straw and farmyard manure. The experiment also provides a resource of yield, plant and soil data sets for scientific research into soil and plant processes, which control soil fertility, and into the 5