Journal of Sustainable Agriculture最新文献

{"title":"Conservation Agriculture in Maize- and Wheat-Based Systems in the (Sub)tropics: Lessons from Adaptation Initiatives in South Asia, Mexico, and Southern Africa","authors":"O. Erenstein, K. Sayre, P. Wall, J. Hellin, J. Dixon","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.620230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.620230","url":null,"abstract":"Conservation agriculture's underlying principles—minimal soil disturbance, soil cover and crop rotation—are increasingly recognized as essential for sustainable agriculture. This article summarizes three contrasting cases of adapting conservation agriculture (CA) to smallholder conditions in the (sub)tropics: a) irrigated rice-wheat systems in South Asia; b) rainfed maize/wheat and irrigated wheat systems in Mexico; and c) rainfed maize in Southern Africa. In the South Asia case, farm surveys show rapid and widespread adoption of zero tillage wheat—primarily due to a substantial cost saving (15–16%). In the other cases, uptake so far has been limited—although long-term trials show continuously higher and more stable yields both for maize and wheat. Under marginal conditions CA can generate substantial yield increases—averaging some 50% over conventional smallholder maize yields of 1 ton per ha over 6 years in on-farm trails in Southern Africa. The diverse experiences attest to the wide adaptability of CA systems, which can generate clear economic and potentially enormous environmental benefits. The case studies and wider literature however also reiterate the substantial challenges in terms of targeting, adapting and adopting CA—particularly for smallholders in the (sub)tropics. CA systems are best developed in situ through a multi-stakeholder adaptive learning process to create viable CA-based options that are technically sound, economically attractive, and socially acceptable.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"180 - 206"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.620230","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental Entrepreneurship in Organic Agriculture in Järna, Sweden","authors":"Markus Larsson","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.620225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.620225","url":null,"abstract":"The importance of social capital in sustainable development has recently been emphasized in the literature on regional and local development. Entrepreneurs are, by researchers as well as by politicians and policymakers, seen as central in creating local economic development. Organic agriculture is often expected to deliver several services to society, including environmentally friendly food production, thriving rural areas with small-scale farms, and increased biodiversity. However, the synergy effects of environmental entrepreneurs on local development and social sustainability are not well understood. Using semistructured interviews, this article analyzes entrepreneurs engaged in the production, processing and distribution of organic/biodynamic food in a rural Swedish community influenced by anthroposophy. One aim was to identify elements of what constitutes a sustainable community. A dynamic self-organized network of entrepreneurs characterized by economic stability and social capital was observed. The results indicate that the network of environmental entrepreneurs contributes to development in economical, social, and ecological terms. The key to success appears to be a high level of trust and engagement, common norms, reciprocity between the entrepreneurs, and a stable demand from both households and the municipality.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"153 - 179"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.620225","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agroecology and Interculturality","authors":"S. Gliessman","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.639442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.639442","url":null,"abstract":"On August, 20, 2011, I attended a monumental event in José Maria Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, a small town in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula. I had the privilege of attending the graduation ceremony of the first generation of the Mayan Intercultural University of Quintana Roo (UIMQRoo). As part of a national program of Intercultural Universities located in many of the centers of the different ethnic cultures of Mexico, UIMQRoo is the campus focused on the Maya. Students from the many small towns around the Peninsula are given the opportunity to study at a university where courses are given bilingually in Mayan and Spanish, with multiple opportunities for English study as well. Everything they learn is presented in an intercultural context, with a focus on seeing how multiple cultures bring strengths and possibilities to developing systems of knowledge and making contributions to society, from local to global. Rather than think that a culture has to isolate itself to prosper, UIMQRoo emphasizes the importance of simultaneously strengthening one’s own cultural foundations, from language to history to customs, while integrating knowledge and experience from other cultures. Students return to their communities every summer during their four years of study to plan and implement livelihood development strategies that create opportunities for the students as much as for their communities. The four major areas of study are degree programs in community health, language and culture, alternative tourism, and agroecological production systems. It is this last one that is of special pertinence to JSA. Agroecology is grounded in knowledge systems that integrate science and research, practice and experience, and the need for the social change that brings justice and equity to our food systems. The Maya culture is well known for being one that is rich in agroecological knowledge, practice, and tradition, with a long history of developing sustainable food system strategies. These strategies range from the traditional “three sisters” of intercropped corn, beans, and squash, to diverse forested home garden systems, to the pre-Hispanic raised field systems in flood-prone areas that probably gave rise to the Chinampas of Central Mexico. When we realize that such traditional knowledge, much of which continues to function today, is the result of the long coevolution of a people and the landscape where their agriculture is practiced, we begin to see another way that agroecology is part of the knowledge system of a culture. When we look back and also","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"151 - 152"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.639442","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender Analysis of the Contribution of Urban Agriculture to Sustainable Livelihoods in Accra, Ghana","authors":"A. Adeoti, O. Cofie, O. Oladele","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.620229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.620229","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the sustainability of livelihoods through urban agriculture (UA): gender dimensions in Accra, Ghana. The population used for the study was the vegetable producers within and around Accra, Ghana. A mix of sampling techniques was followed in choosing UA producers. While a random sampling technique was employed in choosing male UA producers, all female producers who were willing to be interviewed were chosen. In all, 92 male producers and 8 female producers gave consistent responses that were analyzed. The results show that the mean age for male producers is 39.4 years. Female producers are more elderly with a mean age of 49.8 years. The mean year of schooling is 6.4 years for male producers and 7.1 years for female producers. While all the households are involved in irrigated farming, only 13% male and 25% female managed farms practiced irrigated farming alone. The majority of the male and female farmers indicated that high contribution of urban agriculture to their livelihoods. Farm size and access to credit were significant determinants of income from urban agriculture among the respondents.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"236 - 248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.620229","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Home Gardens in Three Mountain Regions of the Iberian Peninsula: Description, Motivation for Gardening, and Gross Financial Benefits","authors":"V. Reyes‐García, L. Aceituno, S. Vila, Laura Calvet-Mir, T. Garnatje, Alexandra Jesch, J. J. Lastra, M. Parada, Montse Rigat, J. Vallès, M. Pardo-de-Santayana","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.627987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.627987","url":null,"abstract":"Previous research on tropical home gardens stresses their ecological, economic, and social functions. This article a) describes home gardens (n = 252) in three rural areas of the Iberian Peninsula, b) explores motivations for gardening, and c) computes the gross financial benefits of crops in home gardens. Different from tropical gardens, the studied gardens specialize in edible plants, species with other uses being marginally present. Motivations for gardening relate more to people's way of living (i.e., hobby, keeping traditions) than to economic reasons. The average gross financial value of home gardens in our sample is 1,691 €/year/gardener, equivalent to almost three minimal monthly salaries in Spain. Home gardens seem to also provide noneconomic benefits that help explain the maintenance of those agroecosystems.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"249 - 270"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.627987","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling an Improvement in Phosphorus Utilization in Tropical Agriculture","authors":"David M. Edelstein, D. Tonjes","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.627993","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.627993","url":null,"abstract":"Studies of Terra Preta soils have generated interest in recreating their fertility elsewhere. Much of the research has focused on soil amendment charcoal (“biochar”). Terra Preta also contains bone fragments, producing a high concentration of phosphorus. Some forecast worldwide declines in phosphorus supplies, and better agricultural system management is required to improve phosphorus use efficiency. A conceptual model is offered to consider the influence of charcoal on bioavailability of phosphorus. The model describes a system where improvements in the chemical and biological condition of the soil result in increased phosphorus availability and cycling. Mechanisms of phosphorus/charcoal interaction are considered, and an assessment is made of the potential impact on African subsistence agriculture from the incorporation of biogenic, allogenic phosphorus through biochar.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"18 - 35"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.627993","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Designing a Process of Co-Management of Crop Residues for Forage and Soil Conservation in Sudano-Sahel","authors":"A. Dongmo, E. Vall, P. Dugué, A. Njoya, J. Lossouarn","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.620232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.620232","url":null,"abstract":"Over the past 30 years, a large number of farmers and herders have moved into the southern part of the Sudano-Sahelian region in search of arable land and pastures. Today, human population pressure is restricting the amount and quality of pastures available to herds and is forcing farmers to continually cultivate their fields without setting aside fallow areas, leading to decreased soil fertility. The traditional use of crop residues by herders (free grazing) and farmers (organic manure) as well as crop-livestock integration models promoted to date have proved ineffective in halting the degradation of resources and in increasing production. This situation is particularly critical in north Cameroon where various socioeconomic, technical, and organizational factors strongly constrain innovation in comparison with western Burkina Faso and southern Mali. This article proposes novel models (technical and organizational) of producing and managing crop residues (processing/recycling, sharing between groups of actors) that are adapted to the specific features of different types of farms in the region.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"106 - 126"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.620232","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon Dioxide Emissions from an Organically Amended Tropical Soil","authors":"F. Abbas, A. Fares, H. Valenzuela, S. Fares","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.627989","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.627989","url":null,"abstract":"This study determined carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a tropical soil amended with organic compost (CP), chicken manure (CM), and untreated controls during three growing seasons of sweet corn (Zea mays L.). The organic amendments resulted in significantly greater CO2 emissions compared with control treatments. The time duration after organic amendment applications significantly affected CO2 emissions, especially during the warmer growing seasons. The cumulative soil CO2 emissions increased in the order of control < CP < CM probably due to a greater microbial activity and to the greater above and below ground biomass production from N fertilization of organic amendments.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"35 1","pages":"17 - 3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.627989","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of High Rates of Vinasse on Some Pertinent Soil Characteristics and on Sugarcane Yield in Mauritius","authors":"A. Soobadar, K. F. Ng Kee Kwong","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.620226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.620226","url":null,"abstract":"Ethanol production from the available 150,000 tons of molasses by the sugarcane industry in Mauritius would generate annually some 400,000 tons of vinasse that will need to be disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. As large scale application of vinasse has been reported to impart both benefits and demerits and data under conditions prevailing in Mauritius are lacking, the impact of disposing 25–100 m3 ha−1 vinasse in sugarcane fields on soil quality and on sugarcane production was studied in field trials at four different agroclimatic regions. Results showed that vinasse did not negatively affect soil pH and salinity. It increased slightly the soil organic carbon as well as the exchangeable K. The results, moreover, provided evidence that high application rates of vinasse would not affect cane or sugar yield. On the contrary, the data obtained during the three year study, which covered a plant cane crop and two ratoons, have shown that vinasse gave a higher cane yield (average of 84.9 T ha−1) than mineral fertilizers alone (average of 77.3 T ha−1). As all the treatment plots received the same N level, this increase in cane yield may be attributed to a better K nutrition as well as to an improvement in soil organic matter status brought about by the vinasse. The present study provides evidence that the sustainability of the productive capacity of soils in Mauritius would not be affected by the application of large doses of vinasse.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"36 - 53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.620226","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecological, Economic, and Organizational Dimensions of Organic Farming in Miami-Dade County","authors":"C. Sheahan, D. Bray, M. Bhat, K. Jayachandran","doi":"10.1080/10440046.2011.627990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2011.627990","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research was to determine what challenges small-scale organic farmers face in choosing their particular production, marketing, and organizational strategies in Miami-Dade County. Rapid soil assessments were used on six organic farms to determine the effects of soil nutrient management in terms of pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and phosphorus (P). Potential costs of inputs were documented for each farm to determine the largest challenges facing the profitability of organic farms. A production, marketing, and organizational analysis determined how farmers shape their inter-farm competitive and cooperative relations. Preliminary findings from soil, input, labor, marketing, and organizational factors indicate that soil health varies dramatically from farm to farm, inputs and labor constitute significant costs, and marketing, production, and organizational strategies show no signs of immediate growth.","PeriodicalId":50032,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture","volume":"36 1","pages":"105 - 83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10440046.2011.627990","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59669486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}