User:Redddbaron/sandbox

Evidence of this: [QUOTE=Dinwar;9406031] ETA: If Nowak (and you and !Kaggen) had restricted yourself to discussions of psychology, [COLOR="Red"]which is what the papers in this thread have been about[/COLOR], you'd be correct--the issues I raised wouldn't be applicable...... And yes, I've read the articles.[/QUOTE] Really?

[QUOTE]Abstract Cooperation is needed for evolution to construct new levels of organization. The emergence of genomes, cells, multi-cellular organisms, social insects and human society are all based on cooperation....(whole paper supporting the claim).... Thus, we might add ‘natural cooperation’ as a third fundamental principle of evolution beside mutation and natural selection. -Nowak[/QUOTE]

History
Organic farming (of many particular kinds) was the original type of agriculture, and has been practiced for thousands of years. Forest gardening, a fully organic food production system which dates from prehistoric times, is thought to be the world's oldest and most resilient agroecosystem. Artificial fertilizers had been created during the 18th century, initially with superphosphates and then ammonia-based fertilizers mass-produced using the Haber-Bosch process developed during World War I. These early fertilizers were cheap, powerful, and easy to transport in bulk. Similar advances occurred in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, leading to the decade being referred to as the 'pesticide era'.

The modern organic movement is a revival movement in the sense that it seeks to restore balance that was lost when technology grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The organic movement began in the mid-1920s in Central Europe through the work of Rudolf Steiner, whose Lectures on Agriculture were published in 1925. who created biodynamic agriculture, an early version of organic agriculture. The system was based on Steiner's philosophy of anthroposophy rather than on a solid grasp of science. Organic agriculture was independently developed in the 1940s England through the work of Albert Howard who was inspired by his experiences with traditional farming methods in India. Howard is widely considered in the English-speaking world to be the "father of organic farming". Further work was done by J.I. Rodale in the United States, Lady Eve Balfour in the United Kingdom, and many others across the world.

Modern organic farming has made up only a fraction of total agricultural output from its beginning until today. Increasing environmental awareness in the general population has transformed the originally supply-driven movement to a demand-driven one. Premium prices and some government subsidies attracted farmers. In the developing world, many producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming but are not certified. In other cases, farmers in the developing world have converted for economic reasons.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

History
Traditional farming (of many kinds) was the original type of agriculture, and has been practiced for thousands of years. Forest gardening, a traditional food production system which dates from prehistoric times, is thought to be the world's oldest and most resilient agroecosystem.

Artificial fertilizers had been created during the 18th century, initially with superphosphates and then ammonia-based fertilizers mass-produced using the Haber-Bosch process developed during World War I. These early fertilizers were cheap, powerful, and easy to transport in bulk. Similar advances occurred in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, leading to the decade being referred to as the 'pesticide era'. But these new agricultural techniques, while beneficial in the short term, had serious longer term side effects such as soil compaction, erosion, and declines in overall soil fertility, along with health concerns about toxic chemicals entering the food supply.

Soil biology scientists began in the late 1800's and early 1900's to develop theories on how new advancements in biological science could be used in agriculture as a way to remedy these side effects, while still maintaining higher production. In Central Europe Rudolf Steiner, whose Lectures on Agriculture were published in 1925. created biodynamic agriculture, an early version of what we now call organic agriculture. The system was based on Steiner's philosophy of anthroposophy rather than on a solid grasp of science.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s Sir Albert Howard and his wife Gabrielle Howard, both accomplished botanists, developed organic agriculture. The Howards were influenced by their experiences with traditional farming methods in India, biodynamic, and their formal scientific education. Sir Albert Howard is widely considered to be the "father of organic farming", because he was the first to apply scientific knowledge and principles to these various traditional and more natural methods. In the United States another founder of organic agriculture was J.I. Rodale. In the 1940's he founded both a working organic farm for trials and experimentation, The Rodale Institute, and founded the Rodale Press to teach and advocate organic to the wider public. Further work was done by Lady Eve Balfour in the United Kingdom, and many others across the world.

Increasing environmental awareness in the general population in modern times has transformed the originally supply-driven organic movement to a demand-driven one. Premium prices and some government subsidies attracted farmers. In the developing world, many producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming but are not certified and may or may not include the latest scientific advancements in organic agriculture. In other cases, farmers in the developing world have converted to modern organic methods for economic reasons.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

=Deleted section:Research and teaching organizations=

Holistic Management International Exiled as a result of his opposition to the ruling Rhodesian party, Allan Savory immigrated to the United States where he co-founded the Center for Holistic Management, and Holistic Management International, with his wife, Jody Butterfield, in 1984. In 1999, the institution published At Home with Holistic Management by Ann Adams, in which Adams explains the holistic management process and how it can be used to create a more meaningful life. In 2009, Holistic Management International celebrated its 25th anniversary. [edit]Savory Institute Savory left that organization in 2009 to form the Savory Institute, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The Institute's aim is to work globally with individuals, government agencies, NGOs and corporations to restore the vast grasslands of the world through the teaching and practice of holistic management and holistic decision making.

=Deleted criticism due to not being necessarily applicable and poorly written.=
 * I did a complete rewrite of the criticism section and even used some of the same references.

Studies have suggested that while rotational grazing can have a positive ecological effect on land, leading to increased soil quality and system diversity, experiments conducted on grazed land have not found rotational grazing to lead to superior ecological and economical benefits when compared to continuous grazing. This paper states: "Continued advocacy for rotational grazing as a superior strategy of grazing on rangelands is founded on perception and anecdotal interpretations, rather than an objective assessment of the vast experimental evidence."

=Article I wrote = Holistic management describes a systems thinking approach to managing resources. Holistic management was originally developed by Allan Savory for grazing management, but is now being adapted for use in managing other systems with complex social, ecological and economic factors. In 2010 the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe, Operation Hope (a "proof of concept" project using holistic management) was named the winner of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge as a comprehensive, anticipatory, design approach to radically advance human well being and the health of our planet's ecosystems.

Beginnings
The idea of holistic managed planned grazing began in the 1960s when Allan Savory, then a young wildlife biologist in his native Southern Rhodesia, set out to solve the riddle of desertification. This can be seen in the context of the larger environmental movement. Heavily influenced by the work of André Voisin and the ineffectiveness of mainstream science of the time, Savory concluded that the spread of deserts, the loss of wildlife, and the human impoverishment that always resulted were related to the reduction of the natural herds of large grazers and even more, the change in behavior of those few remaining herds. Livestock could be substituted to provide important ecosystem services like nutrient cycling when mimicking those lost natural herds. But managers had found that while rotational grazing systems can work for diverse management purposes, scientific experiments had demonstrated that they do not necessarily work for specific ecological purposes. An adaptive management plan was needed for the integration of the experiential with the experimental, as well as the social with the biophysical, to provide a more comprehensive framework for the management of rangeland systems. None of these sources of knowledge could be understood except in the context of the whole. Holistic management was developed to meet that need.

Development and uses
In many regions, pastoralism and communal land use are blamed for environmental degradation caused by overgrazing. Savory discovered through years of research and experience that this common belief was often wrong, sometimes removing animals actually made it worse. "I have been particularly fascinated, for example, by the work of a remarkable man called Allan Savory, in Zimbabwe and other semi arid areas, who has argued for years against the prevailing expert view that is the simple numbers of cattle that drive overgrazing and cause fertile land to become desert. On the contrary, as he has since shown so graphically, the land needs the presence of feeding animals and their droppings for the cycle to be complete, so that soils and grassland areas stay productive. Such that, if you take grazers off the land and lock them away in vast feedlots, the land dies."- His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles)

This is why Savory developed a flexible management system to ensure the proper use of grazing systems. Holistic managed planned grazing is one of a number of newer grazing management systems that more closely simulate the behavior of natural herds of wildlife and have been shown to improve riparian habitats and water quality over systems that often led to land degradation and can also be an effective tool to improve range condition for both livestock and wildlife. Holistic managed planned grazing is similar to rotational grazing but differs in that it recognizes and provides a framework for adapting to the nature and importance of four basic ecosystem processes: the water cycle, the mineral cycle including the carbon cycle , energy flow, and community dynamics (the relationship between organisms in an ecosystem)  as equal in importance to livestock production and social welfare. Holistic management has been likened to "a permaculture approach to rangeland management".

While originally developed as a tool for range land use and restoring desertified land, the holistic management system can be applied to other areas with multiple complex socioeconomic and environmental factors. One such example is Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which promotes sector integration in development and management of water resources to ensure that water is allocated between different users in a fair way, maximizing economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. In essence, coordinated, holistic water management that takes in consideration all water users in nature and society. Another example is mine reclamation. A forth successful use of Holistic management is in no till crop production. Holistic management has been adopted by The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to meet various agricultural, conservation and social goals.

At its core, the holistic decision making framework uses four principles to set goals to guide decision making. These goals tie people's desired way of life, based on what they value most deeply, to the ecosystems and resources that support their vision.

The holistic management framework
The holistic management decision-making framework uses six key steps to guide the management of resources:


 * Define in its entirety what you are managing. No area should be treated as a single-product system. By defining the whole, people are better able to manage. This includes identifying the available resources, including money, that the manager has at his disposal.
 * Define what you want now and for the future. Set the objectives, goals and actions needed to produce the quality of life sought, and what the life-nurturing environment must be like to sustain that quality of life far into the future.
 * Watch for the earliest indicators of ecosystem health. Identify the ecosystem services that have deep impacts for people in both urban and rural environments, and find a way to easily monitor them. One of the best examples of an early indicator of a poorly functioning environment is patches of bare ground. An indicator of a better functioning environment is newly sprouting diversity of plants and a return or increase of wildlife.
 * Don't limit the management tools you use. The eight tools for managing natural resources are money/labor, human creativity, grazing, animal impact, fire, rest, living organisms and science/technology. To be successful you need to use all these tools to the best of your ability.
 * Test your decisions with questions that are designed to help ensure all your decisions are socially, environmentally and financially sound for both the short and long term.
 * Monitor proactively, before your managed system becomes more imbalanced. This way the manager can take adaptive corrective action quickly, before the ecosystem services are lost. Always assume your plan is less than perfect and use a feedback loop that includes monitoring for the earliest signs of failure, adjusting and re-planning as needed. In other words use a "canary in a coal mine" approach.

The four principles
Holistic managed planned grazing has four key principles that take advantage of the symbiotic relationship between large herds of grazing animals, their predators and the grasslands that support them:


 * Nature functions as a holistic community with a mutualistic relationship between people, animals and the land. If you remove or change the behavior of any keystone species like the large grazing herds, you have an unexpected and wide ranging negative impact on other areas of the environment.
 * It is absolutely crucial that any agricultural planning system must be flexible enough to adapt to nature’s complexity, since all environments are different and have constantly changing local conditions.
 * Animal husbandry using domestic species can be used as a substitute for lost keystone species. Thus when managed properly in a way that mimics nature, agriculture can heal the land and even benefit wildlife, while at the same time benefiting people.
 * Time and timing is the most important factor when planning land use. Not only is it crucial to understand how long to use the land for agriculture and how long to rest, it is equally important to understand exactly when and where the land is ready for that use and rest.

Criticism
One limitation of any land management system is that economically and politically powerful users can easily quantify and argue their needs. It is harder to define the economic value of ecosystem services and, therefore, the ecosystems and people most dependent on them for their subsistence become voiceless and often neglected users. In theory Holistic Management framework addresses this issue, but it is not always seen in the field. Another common criticism of holistic management is that while farmers and ranchers around the world have proven it consistently works for them and they have even received awards,      the majority of scientists have consistently stated that rotational grazing systems do not show any evidence of benefit, and those managers' successful examples are anecdotal. Some groups value the role of animals in agriculture as part of the ecosystem, though in the form of free-living wildlife, not in the form of domesticated animals.

"Most of the public lands in the West, and especially in the Southwest, are what you might call "cowburnt." Almost anywhere and everywhere you go in the American West you find hordes of these ugly, clumsy, stupid, bawling, stinking, fly-covered, shit-smeared, disease-spreading brutes. They are a pest and a plague. They pollute our springs and streams and rivers. They infest our canyons, valleys, meadows and forests. They graze off the native bluestem and grama and bunch grasses, leaving behind jungles of prickly pear. They trample down the native forbs and shrubs and cacti. They spread the exotic cheatgrass, the Russian thistle and the crested wheat grass. Weeds. Even when the cattle are not physically present, you'll see the dung and the flies and the mud and the dust and the general destruction. If you don't see it, you'll smell it. The whole American West stinks of cattle. Along every flowing stream, around every seep and spring and water hole and well, you'll find acres and acres of what range-management specialists call "sacrifice areas"—another understatement. These are places denuded of forage, except for some cactus or a little tumbleweed or maybe a few mutilated trees like mesquite, juniper or hackberry."-Edward Abbey

HMI

 * http://www.envirolink.org/resource.html?itemid=60626192060&catid=5
 * http://free.salesfuel.com/CoIntell/CoDetailsOverview.aspx
 * http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/994C762DF3C2A972492577B500070D09-Full_Report.pdf