Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems最新文献

{"title":"Multi-criteria sustainability performance assessment of horticultural crops using DEA and ELECTRE IV methods","authors":"N. Banaeian, M. Zangeneh, P. Golińska-Dawson","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000242","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper presents a novel approach to multi-criteria sustainability performance assessment of horticultural crops. The crops are ranked by the decision-making method ELECTRE IV with environmental, energy and technological criteria. In total eight indicators are taken into consideration and calculated based on primary data collected from over 260 farms in northern Iran. Additionally, Data Envelopment Analysis is used to calculate the technical efficiency and potential for energy saving by different management of the production units. The novel contribution of this study is the comparison of several horticultural products (oranges, kiwis, persimmons and tangerines), when most of the previous studies have focused on one product. Moreover, novel calculations of the carbon footprint are presented for oranges, tangerines and persimmons. This paper also includes the first study on the environmental impact of persimmon fruit's production. The obtained results show that energy efficiency for orange, tangerine, kiwi and persimmon products: 1.1, 0.84, 0.53 and 1.22, respectively. In each hectare of kiwi orchards, the amount of CO2 emissions of 1219 kg and the ecological footprint of 3.21 hectares have been calculated, which is statistically significant compared to orange, tangerine and persimmon. The chemical and fuel inputs have the greatest potential for reducing energy consumption in the studied products. Results of ELECTRE IV showed that kiwi is the most sustainable selection for the studied region followed by orange, persimmon and tangerine, respectively. Kiwi has also relatively low technical efficiency. This means that this product has the greatest potential for a reduction of energy consumption, while maintaining the same amount of crop. It is recommended to include the development of kiwi orchards in the policies of Guilan, but with more careful management of the production inputs.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41554412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral histories of three pioneers in organic agriculture research","authors":"S. Figueroa","doi":"10.1017/s1742170522000266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s1742170522000266","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article offers a window onto the experience of three researchers who influenced the direction of organic agriculture research from the 1980s through today. Kathleen Delate, Catherine Greene and Deborah Stinner have all contributed important work in the field, from organizing and executing research projects to analyzing the collecting hard data that provided insight into the numerous environmental and economic benefits of organic agriculture. Their stories share many similar biographical markers, from the importance of food and nature in childhood memories to trailblazing projects in the early 2000s.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42610512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rye-soybean double-crop: planting method and N fertilization effects in the North Central US","authors":"R. Malone, P. O’Brien, S. Herbstritt, Bryan D. Emmett, D. Karlen, T. Kaspar, K. Kohler, A. Radke, S. Lence, Huaiqing Wu, T. Richard","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000096","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Double-cropping winter rye cover crops (CC) with soybean in the North Central US could help with the global effort to sustainably intensify agriculture. Studies addressing the management of these systems are limited. Therefore, a field study was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in Central Iowa, US to evaluate winter rye CC biomass production, aboveground N accumulation, estimated economics, estimated within-field energy balance and estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under three N application rates (0, 60, 120 kg N ha−1) and three planting methods (pre- and post-harvest broadcast and post-harvest drilling). Averaged over N rates, all planting methods resulted in >5.0 Mg ha−1 year−1 rye aboveground biomass dry matter. Averaged over the 2-year study and compared with unfertilized treatments, applying 60 kg N ha−1 produced 1.1 Mg ha−1 more aboveground biomass (6.1 vs 5.0 Mg ha−1), accumulated 30 kg ha−1 more N in aboveground biomass (88 vs 58 kg N ha−1), and led to 20 GJ ha−1 more net energy. Biomass production was not significantly higher with 120 kg N ha−1 compared with the 60 kg N ha−1 rate. Even when accounting for an estimated 0.75 Mg ha−1 of above ground rye biomass left in the field after harvesting, more N was removed than applied at the 60 kg N ha−1 rate. The minimum rye prices over the 2-year study needed for double-cropping winter rye CC to be profitable (breakeven prices) averaged $117 and $104 Mg−1 for the 0 and 60 kg N ha−1 rates, which factors in estimated soybean yield reductions in 2019 compared with local averages but not off-site transportation. GHG emissions were estimated to increase approximately threefold between the unfertilized and 60 kg N ha−1 rates without considering bioenergy offsets. While environmental tradeoffs need further study, results suggest harvesting fertilized rye CC biomass before planting soybean is a promising practice for the North Central US to maximize total crop and net energy production.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43952307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What are farmers' perceptions about farmland landbirds? A Galapagos Islands perspective","authors":"Ilke Geladi, P. Henry, Paulina M. Couenberg, R. Welsh, B. Fessl","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000229","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Conservation practices in agricultural landscapes can greatly mitigate biodiversity loss. However, agricultural landscapes are embedded in complex, social-ecological systems and therefore require a strong social-ecological approach for effective conservation measures. The Galapagos Islands are globally recognized for their high levels of biodiversity. Nevertheless, in recent years, Galapagos landbirds have suffered rapid declines, specifically in the agricultural zone. Our study is the first to examine the farmers’ perception of landbirds in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 38 farmers to characterize the relationship between farmers and landbirds including how landbirds affect farmers and farmers’ perceptions of landbirds. The interviewed farmers managed a diverse array of farm types including coffee in agroforestry settings (23.7%), small-scale fruit and vegetable (60.5%) and livestock production (15.8%). We found that 86.9% of farmers had a positive or neutral perception of birds despite 52.6% of farmers finding finches bothersome. The most common techniques farmers employed to deter birds were putting out food and water, using nets to protect seedbeds and crops and using protective tubes around young plants. Our results suggest a positive potential for future conservation work targeted on farmland biodiversity. Future conservation projects should also address disservices and the mitigation of crop raiding by landbirds, the uninformed use of pesticides and other pest issues such as ants and rats.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42316321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of varieties and planting dates of bread wheat-lupine intercropping system under additive design in Northwest Ethiopia","authors":"Birhanu Bayeh, G. Alemayehu, T. Tadesse, Melkamu Alemayehu","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000230","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Food production on ever-dwindling agricultural land is a severe problem in Ethiopia, necessitating the adoption of more efficient and sustainable land-use strategies to feed the country's growing population. The benefits of intercropping are known to be limited by a variety of factors such as companion crop sowing date and variety. The present study was therefore initiated to evaluate the effect of varieties and planting dates of lupines in bread wheat-lupine under an additive design intercropping system in Northwest Ethiopia. Field experiments were conducted for two years in Adet and Debre Tabor experimental sites. The treatments consisted of four planting dates of lupines and two varieties of lupine. Moreover, the sole crop of bread wheat (Triticum aestivume L.), local lupine (Lupinus albus L.) and sweet lupine (Lupinus angustiflolius L.) were also included. The experiments were laid out in factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results showed that at the Adet experimental site, the highest land equivalent ratio (LER) was recorded in the simultaneous planting of sweet lupine and bread wheat (1.3), followed by the planting of sweet lupine two weeks after bread wheat (1.23). While at Debre Tabor experimental site, the highest LER was recorded in planting sweet lupine two weeks after bread wheat (1.67). A greater area time equivalent ratio (ATER) was reported in the simultaneous planting of sweet lupine and bread wheat (1.29), followed by the planting of sweet lupine after bread wheat (1.22) at the Adet experimental site. A greater ATER was also recorded in the planting of sweet lupine after bread wheat (1.53) had the highest ATER in Debre Tabor, followed by simultaneous planting of sweet lupine after bread wheat (1.39) intercropping. This revealed that sole cropping would necessitate 29 and 53% more area, respectively, to attain the same yield as intercropping. In Adet, the simultaneous planting of sweet lupine and bread wheat intercropping, while in Debre Tabor, planting of sweet lupine two weeks after bread wheat boosted productivity, and production efficiency and is a viable option for increasing household food security.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46808896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The international trade of U.S. organic agri-food products: export opportunities, import competition and policy impacts","authors":"Kathryn A. Boys, Siqi Zhang, N. Hooker","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000163","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract International markets are an important destination and source of U.S. organic agri-food products. This paper offers new insights concerning the current status and trends of U.S. organic imports and exports U.S. policies relevant to the international trade of U.S. organic agri-food products are described, characterizing specific products and partners. In addition, the impact of organic equivalency agreements (OEAs), which the U.S. has signed with Canada, the EU, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, are examined to determine the extent to which they facilitate trade. Using highly disaggregated international trade data (HS-10) from the U.S. International Trade Commission and Statistics Canada, this analysis finds that fresh agricultural products dominate both U.S. exports and imports. Between 2017 and 2019, apples grapes, strawberries and spinach were the predominant fresh exports, while tomato sauces, vinegar and roasted coffee are the most exported processed food products. A significant majority of these exports are destined for Canada and Mexico. The most imported organic agri-food products include unroasted coffee, bananas, olive oil and soybeans. There is much more diversity in the country of origin of these imports with Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Spain and Argentina among the major organic food suppliers to the U.S. OEAs allow for mutual recognition of national organic standards between countries. This analysis finds that, while, in aggregate, OEAs were not found to impact U.S. organic imports or exports, results evaluating individual agreements do suggest that they can be effective trade policy instruments. In particular, the U.S.–Canada and the U.S.–Switzerland OEAs were found to be effective in facilitating U.S. exports. Taken together these findings offer important insights into current trade patterns, and U.S. international market and organic policy opportunities.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43371725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of livestock farm size on manure disposal modes: sell, give away or self-use","authors":"Qian Li, Xiaoyang Wang, Jingjing Wang, Yubin Wang","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000187","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000187","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Two prevailing trends in livestock production include increasing farm sizes and higher recycling rates of manure. Using beef cattle farms in China as a case study, we examine the impact of farm size on farmers' choice of manure disposal modes. Three forms of manure disposal modes are identified: (1) selling to neighboring farmers, (2) giving away to neighboring farmers and (3) self-use. Based on primary data from a field survey of beef cattle farmers in China, we estimate the choice of the above-mentioned three disposal modes using the constrained singular Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) model. We find a significant and nonlinear impact of farm size on farmers' choice of manure disposal modes. Specifically, there is a significant and inversed U-shaped relationship between farm size and manure giving away, and a significant U-shaped relationship between farm size and manure selling or self-use. We additionally find several other factors that affect farmers' choice of manure disposal: the educational level of a farmer has a positive impact on manure selling; the better a farmer's physical health condition, the more likely the farmer self uses manure and less likely gives it away; land acquisition, as well as engagement in crop farming, increases manure self-use and reduces manure giving away and selling; the availability of manure treatment facilities reduces manure self-use; and the willingness of nearby crop growers to accept manure significantly decreases manure self-use and increases manure selling and giving away. Policy implications are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41650588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can farmers' participation in contract farming promote the application of organic fertilizer? Empirical evidence from a sample of vegetable farmers in Shandong province of China","authors":"Yang Gao, Xue Yao, Chen Chen, Ziheng Niu","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000205","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Determining an effective approach to replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer is a difficult challenge for the Chinese government. This paper constructs a dynamic analysis framework with broader application than previous statistical and case studies by theoretically deriving the impact of farmers' participation in contract farming on their organic fertilizer application behavior. The framework analyzes farmers' intertemporal organic fertilizer application behavior under the two scenarios of participation and nonparticipation in contract farming. Participation in contract farming positively impacts organic fertilizer application behavior in both the short and long terms. Survey data from 473 vegetable farmers in Shandong province of China were used to conduct an empirical analysis, and the endogenous switching probit model was used to solve the endogeneity problem of farmers' participation in contract farming. The empirical analysis supports the above results: farmers' participation in contract farming increases their probability of applying organic fertilizer by 50.7%. Robustness tests conducted using the recursive bivariate probit model and replacing the dependent variable (the intensity with which farmers replace chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer) confirm the research results. Further heterogeneity analysis shows that farmers' participation in contract farming has a more obvious promoting effect on organic fertilizer application behavior in the older group, the group with an education level of primary school or below and the small-scale farming group. Therefore, the government should promote participation in contract farming, especially among elderly, low-education and small-scale farmers, to improve the adoption level of organic fertilizer in China.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48892225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biodegradable and biobased mulch residues had limited impacts on soil properties but reduced yield of the following crop in a low fertility soil","authors":"E. Reid, M. B. Samuelson, H. Blanco‐Canqui, R. Drijber, I. Kadoma, S. Wortman","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000217","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Biodegradable and biobased mulch films and fabrics (BDMs) are potentially sustainable alternatives to polyethylene plastic mulch film (PE) in vegetable production because BDMs can be incorporated into the soil by tillage at the end of the growing season for decomposition. However, grower adoption has been limited in part by concerns about slow degradation rates and possible adverse effects on soil health and productivity. The objective of this study was to measure the effects of soil incorporated residues from two BDMs and compost on soil chemical and physical properties and vegetable crop yield across two diverse locations [Lincoln (LNK) and Scottsbluff (SBF), NE, USA] during a 2-yr study. The BDMs, including a polylactic acid biofabric with embedded wood particles (PLA; 1.14 mm thick and 298 g m−2), and a starch-polyester bioplastic mulch film (STP; 0.015 mm thick and 20 g m−2), were applied in May 2017 for vegetable production. Mulches were incorporated in soil by tillage in September 2017 in half of the experimental plots and removed in the other half as a control. Compost was applied in fall 2017 and 2018 at rates between 42 and 60 Mg ha−1 to establish high and low (no compost) fertility soil environments within each location. Sweet corn (Zea mays) was grown in 2018 and cabbage (Brassica oleraceae) in 2019, and yield data were collected. The soil was sampled at ~6 month intervals for two years. The BDM residues had little effect on soil pH, organic matter or physical properties, but the incorporation of PLA in the soil at SBF reduced soil nitrate 6 months after the incorporation of residues. Nitrogen immobilization likely contributed to the 16% ± 5% reduction in sweet corn yield observed at SBF in plots without compost where BDM residues were incorporated compared to removed. No additional yield differences were detected in sweet corn (2018) or cabbage (2019) across locations or treatments, which suggests that BDM residues are less likely to immobilize nitrogen and reduce yield in high fertility soil environments. Given the potential environmental benefits of BDMs as an alternative to PE, future research should seek to mitigate the negative effects of BDM residues on crop yield, particularly in lower fertility soils.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43265227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bee discovery suggests the importance of urban gardens in a changing world","authors":"Monika H. Egerer","doi":"10.1017/S1742170522000199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000199","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The diversity and distribution of wild bees are dramatically changing due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification and climate change. In cities, urban gardens are proposed ‘island’ habitats for bees offering floral and nesting resources. Yet, it is largely unclear how gardens play a role in changes in species diversity and distribution. This paper reports on the discovery of a bee species to our knowledge previously undocumented in the region of Berlin, Germany. We discovered Lasioglossum limbellum in a community garden created on concrete slabs of annual and perennial vegetation. As a cavity nester in soft rock cliffs—a natural habitat functionally not existent in urban areas—the life history of this species makes this discovery particularly interesting, and an opportunity to explore the role of urban gardens in biodiversity change. This report aims to spur future research, reporting and discussion on the changes in diversity and distribution of wild bees specifically in urban areas.","PeriodicalId":54495,"journal":{"name":"Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49431634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}