Welcome to
Natural Systems Agriculture
Welcome! The Natural Systems Agriculture website is produced by Martin Entz and his research team at the University of Manitoba. We work on sustainable agricultural systems as a team of researchers, students, technicians, farmers, and interested citizens.
Natural Systems Agriculture explores cropping systems based on processes found in nature - specifically the natural grassland ecosystem of prairie Canada. Critical elements of an agricultural system based on natural processes are perenniality, diversity and animal integration. Native prairie ecosystems contain a great diversity of mostly perennial plants and historically included herds of grazing bison. These are important considerations in the quest to develop agricultural systems that mimic natural systems.
Topics in Natural Systems Agriculture
Within each of the following topics, you will find articles based on research carried out by the University of Manitoba and our collaborators. For a complete alphabetical list of all articles, please see the Site Map.
2012 Research Projects
We have many exciting projects planned for 2012. Please check back often for updates.
- Hairy vetch agronomy
- Decomposition of mulches in no-till organic systems
- Season-long grazing of green manure crops (See past work here)
- Cover crops in organic pulse production
- Reduced tillage for green manure termination
- Organic wheat and oat breeding program
- Participatory wheat breeding program
- Organic Crops Field Laboratory: Carman MB
- Glenlea Long-Term Rotation (See past work here)
This page created October 2005.
Last updated June 2012.