Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"Scaling from patch to paddock: Are diuretic-based mitigations of leaching and nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches effective at all scales and stocking rates?","authors":"V.O. Snow ,&nbsp;E.D. Meenken ,&nbsp;R. Cichota ,&nbsp;D.P. Holzworth ,&nbsp;R.A. Dynes","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Temperate grasslands are important contributors to agricultural production but also to global warming through N₂O emissions and to local water quality issues through leaching of N. These emissions are largely driven by small, concentrated urine patches. Adding diuretic components to the diet of ruminants will reduce the N load in individual urine patches without changing the total N return to the pasture. The effectiveness of lowering the N load has been established at the patch scale. However, diuretics will also increase the number and size of urine patches, and it is not known how much this will offset the reduction in N load at the paddock level.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to understand the trade-off between reduced urine patch N load and increased numbers and sizes of urine patches. We further sought to quantify how that trade-off might change with stocking rate.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We examined this trade-off using a simulation methodology designed for heterogenous urine patches depositions within a representative paddock of a farm. Paddock-level simulations were performed for contracting locations and multiple stocking rates, intensifying the farm by adding more N fertiliser or buying in additional feed, and degrees of diuresis. Supporting patch-level simulations were also done.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>Patch-scale simulations showed that reducing urine patch load would decrease leaching and N₂O emissions. Paddock-scale simulations suggested that the diuretic would be effective at low stocking rates (by up to 40 %). The effectiveness of the diuretic decreased as stocking rate rose and was largely ineffective above 3 cows /ha if fertiliser was used to intensify the farm. If the farm was intensified through imported feed, the effectiveness still decreased, but the declines were less marked.</div><div>The major cause of the decline in effectiveness of the diuretic was the increased urine patch area experiencing short (&lt; 6 months) intervals between successive depositions – this increase was stronger at high stocking rates than lower ones. The effect of adding fertiliser onto ever-larger areas of urine patches was a likely secondary contributor to the decreased effectiveness.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>While these simulations were only at two locations in one country, the pattern of decreased effectiveness with increasing stocking rate is likely to be general. Because the diuretics were most effective when leaching and N₂O emissions were already low, the results suggest that mitigations based solely on diuretics will have limited effectiveness in achieving desired improvements in the environmental performance of grazed pastoral farms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104467"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144703254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coupled modeling of rice growth and quality accumulation facilitates efficient, high-quality and precision water management","authors":"Wenhao Dong ,&nbsp;Aizheng Yang ,&nbsp;Qiang Fu ,&nbsp;Vijay P. Singh ,&nbsp;Lili Zhangzhong ,&nbsp;Pingan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaofang Wang ,&nbsp;Kun Hu ,&nbsp;Mo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>With rising global demand for high-quality rice, irrigation is vital for superior production. Yet, traditional practices often show low water-use efficiency and weak control. Precise daily irrigation improves assimilate distribution, enhancing both yield and grain quality.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study integrates the AquaCrop model with a rice quality model to simulate daily growth processes, quality accumulation, and the intricate dynamics linking irrigation, dry matter production, and assimilate distribution.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Based on this, a dynamic irrigation model was developed to optimize key targets, including high yield, minimal chalkiness, reduced amylose, and enhanced protein content, while generating daily irrigation scenarios to harmonize yield, quality, and water efficiency.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>The results reveal a positive correlation between yield, chalkiness, and amylose, whereas improved protein levels mitigate chalkiness. Ensuring baseline water supply during early and mid-tillering stages, followed by deficit irrigation in subsequent phases, conserves 18.9 % of water and reduces chalkiness by 36.6 %. Allocating 27.4 % of water resources to the jointing and booting stages conserves 13.1 % of water, lowers amylose content by 5.4 %, and stabilizes yields. Prioritizing irrigation during tillering and heading stages reduces water use by 8.6 %, marginally increases yield, and elevates protein levels by 14.2 %. Additionally, compared to wet years, normal years face stronger temperature stress during mid-growth, causing a 6.2 % yield reduction but a 12.8 % protein increase due to balanced nitrogen uptake after flowering; in dry years, limited precipitation and excessive heat in late growth increase chalkiness by 23.3 % and reduce protein content by 5.4 %.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>The high water-use efficiency and quality irrigation decision model for rice developed in this study will facilitate the formulation of precise daily irrigation schedules. It adapts to varying hydrological conditions and decision-maker preferences, achieving synergistic regulation of rice yield increase, quality improvement, and water conservation, thereby providing decision support for high-quality rice production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104454"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization for crop-livestock systems through a holistic watershed based on water quality requirement: a case study in China","authors":"Yueying Wei ,&nbsp;Gaofei Yin ,&nbsp;Bingxin Tong ,&nbsp;Ziwei Yang ,&nbsp;Jiabao Wang ,&nbsp;Huiqing Jiao ,&nbsp;Hongda Wen ,&nbsp;Xinzhong Du ,&nbsp;Hongbin Liu ,&nbsp;Wenchao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Agricultural nonpoint source (ANPS) pollution resulted from crop-livestock production is a major contributor to the degradation of surface water quality. Previous studies have proved that optimization of crop-livestock production is an effective way to control ANPS pollution, however, the optimization method through a holistic watershed is lacking.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>Here, a novel optimization framework integrating zonal management, dynamic water quality thresholds, and policy-technology synergy was proposed to reconcile agricultural production and environmental goals.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>The Baiyangdian Watershed (China) was selected as a case study to quantify the water environmental impact of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) from crop-livestock systems (2015–2020). Eight optimization scenarios were simulated to assess potential mitigation strategies.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Results from the present study showed that the crop-livestock system contributed to 74.5 % and 89.9 % of N and P fluxes, respectively. Livestock production accounted for 86.2 % and 96.8 % of N and P fluxes from this system. The optimal management strategy was to adjust the crop and livestock structure, achieving 100 % compliance with dynamic water quality targets while ensuring inter-regional equity. Livestock management was essential for enhancing water quality, with integrated strategies demonstrating a 35.3 % exceedance of the requirements of loose thresholds. The impact of livestock reduction on watershed water quality improvement was primarily attributed to the upstream regions, while Baiyangdian's adjacent areas demonstrated exceptional manure management performance due to policy-driven interventions. The achievement of watershed water quality objectives required comprehensive consideration of regional environmental background, with spatial coordinated optimization ensuring holistic compliance.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study not only provided a typical case for coordinated governance at the watershed scale, but also, through the transfer and expansion of scales, offered significant references for water quality management practices at the national and even global scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104455"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon neutrality and beef production in the marginal areas: A case study of Podolian cattle system","authors":"Emilio Sabia,&nbsp;Corrado Pacelli,&nbsp;Adriana Di Trana,&nbsp;Adele Coppola,&nbsp;Carlo Cosentino,&nbsp;Pierangelo Freschi,&nbsp;Rosanna Paolino,&nbsp;Ada Braghieri","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated that human activities caused global warming, mainly through emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs); livestock supply chains contribute 14.5 % of global anthropogenic GHG emissions, with cattle (beef, milk) accounting for about two-thirds of that total, mainly due to methane emissions resulting from enteric fermentation.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study aimed to assess the environmental sustainability of the Podolian beef production system in marginal areas of Southern Italy (specifically the Basilicata region) through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and identify suitable mitigation strategies.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>The environmental impact of Podolian beef production was assessed using the following indicators: Global warming potential (GWP₁₀₀, kg CO₂ eq), Freshwater eutrophication (FEP, g P eq), Terrestrial acidification (TAP, g SO₂ eq), Marine eutrophication (MEP, g N eq), Land use (LOP, m² year crop eq), Fossil resource scarcity (FFP, g oil eq), Mineral resource scarcity (SOP, g Cu eq), and Fine particulate matter formation (PMFP, g PM 2.5 eq). The boundaries of the beef production systems encompassed a cradle-to-farm gate analysis. Three functional units (FU) were used: kg of live weight (LW) at slaughter, kg of carcass weight (CW) and hectare of land. Additionally, carbon sequestration from permanent pasture and woodland was calculated.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Our case study evaluated the main impact categories of livestock farming for beef production. The results of GWP₁₀₀ were higher than the European average for the three functional units considered. As the overall outcome is the total deducted the 39 % due to grassland management. Achieving carbon neutrality would require 16.7 ± 4.9 m² of woodland per kg of LW or 30.8 ± 9.0 m² of woodland per kg of CW.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>Our study indicates that the environmental impact per kilogram of beef produced in marginal contexts is generally higher than in intensive livestock farming systems. However, delving deeper into the specific context and accounting for carbon sequestration from pastures used in this cattle farming allows to achieve environmental performance comparable to the most efficient intensive systems. Specifically, we identified the wooded area resource within the Podolian cattle farming system as an existing mitigation strategy which requires effective management and preservation. This study provides more explicit guidance to policymakers and consumers on the environmental implications of different meat production practices, supporting more informed planning of regional, national, and European resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104451"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Smallholder perspectives on agrivoltaics in Nepal: Framing adoption under constraint","authors":"Shira Bukchin-Peles ,&nbsp;Avri Eitan","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation, are increasingly promoted as a dual-use response to land, energy, and climate pressures. Yet, in low-income, smallholder-dominated settings like Nepal, AVS uptake remains limited. Understanding how farmers perceive and evaluate such technologies is essential for inclusive and feasible implementation.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study investigates how smallholder farmers in Nepal initially evaluate and conceptualize the conditions necessary for adopting agrivoltaic systems (AVS). Drawing on a conceptual framework combining Post-Normal Science and the Social-Ecological Systems framework, it analyzes farmer-generated suggestions for enhancing AVS accessibility and examines how these are shaped by household characteristics, structural constraints, and differing perceptions of risk and institutional trust.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A structured survey was conducted with 265 smallholder farmers in Nepal's Jhapa district. The study included open-ended questions on improving AVS accessibility, a measure of willingness to participate in a pilot project, and socioeconomic indicators. Qualitative responses were thematically coded using a hybrid NLP-assisted and manual process. Correlations were calculated between thematic codes, adoption intent, and household traits.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>Farmers identified five conditions they consider essential for adopting AVS: affordability, access to training, compatibility with existing cropping systems, institutional support, and usability on small plots. These perspectives varied systematically with farmer characteristics. Willingness to participate in a pilot project was high (91 %) but not uniform. Willingness increased with income, education, and land access, and declined with higher aversion to uncertainty. Rather than a uniform readiness, adoption was framed as a conditional and negotiated process, shaped by structural constraints and perceived institutional credibility.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This study challenges assumptions of linear or purely incentive-driven technology adoption by foregrounding the contextual, structural, and interpretive conditions under which smallholders consider AVS viable. It shows that adoption is shaped not only by material resources but by farmers' framings of risk, institutional trust, and system compatibility. Effective AVS implementation in smallholder contexts requires alignment with locally defined priorities, production constraints, and governance expectations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104453"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144670489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Farmer seed enterprise revisited: Local seed business models in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Myanmar","authors":"Gareth Denis Borman ,&nbsp;Astrid Mastenbroek ,&nbsp;Christophe Rodier ,&nbsp;Marja Helen Thijssen ,&nbsp;Amsalu Ayana Aga ,&nbsp;Legesse Abate ,&nbsp;Christine Joyce Adong ,&nbsp;Christine Kawuma Menya ,&nbsp;Patrick Oyee ,&nbsp;Abishkar Subedi ,&nbsp;Thuzar Khin ,&nbsp;Min Oo","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Globally, seed business is dominated by vegetables, in sub-Saharan Africa by maize hybrids, and in South and Southeast Asia by rice and wheat. Save for informal seed systems, smallholders have few sources to turn to for quality seed of local staples, like sorghum, beans, and sweet potato. This is despite large public investments in developing improved varieties of such crops.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We revisit the debate on whether farmer seed enterprise is a viable missing middle between formal and informal seed systems and assess the business case of the model known as local seed business (LSB). To this end, we ask the questions: 1. What is the LSB niche; 2. What is the business model; 3. Is it viable, if so; 4. Under what conditions, and; 5. What is its contribution to seed availability and the agricultural economy?</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We evaluate the business case for LSB through the systems perspectives of integrated seed sector development and market archetypes. Further to making inductions about the niche and business model using these concepts, we document the institutions conducive to LSBs' viability and measure LSBs' contribution in economic terms. Data were collected from case studies of the programs of Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Myanmar using internal documents and opinions elicited during experts' consultation.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>The LSB ‘niche’ is the gap left between commercial entities and the development community intervening to improve certain households' welfare outcomes. Whilst LSBs capture small premiums compared to companies, margins are modestly positive. The presence of support – like which ISSD provided – is prerequisite for startup. The model's viability depends upon continued support in accessing affordable early generation seed and seed quality assurance services. We conclude that LSB complements rather than competes with other forms of seed entrepreneurship by broadening the products on offer, deploying new and improved varieties of crops considered commercially less interesting, and accessing harder-to-reach markets.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>The systems perspective applied in our article refutes the notion that one size fits all and departs from the dichotomy that seed systems are either formal or informal. It is also an interesting case of niche innovation and strategic niche management in seed systems change. Supporting LSB is a worthwhile policy option to catalyze public investments in variety development and contribute to SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104452"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lowering foliage nitrogen contents reduces N2O emissions in grazed pastures: An emission factor-based modelling assessment constrained by eddy covariance measurements","authors":"Lìyǐn L. Liáng ,&nbsp;Aaron M. Wall ,&nbsp;Donna L. Giltrap ,&nbsp;Miko U.F. Kirschbaum ,&nbsp;Jordan P. Goodrich ,&nbsp;David I. Campbell ,&nbsp;Louis A. Schipper","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Modern agriculture faces the challenge of maintaining production while reducing environmental impacts, particularly nitrogen (N) pollution from grazed pastures. Recent research has suggested introducing low foliage N content species, such as plantain, into traditional ryegrass/white clover pastures as a potential solution.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lowering foliage N contents in pasture-based grazing systems on excretal N deposition from grazing animals and subsequent nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions by using a combination of field measurements and process-based modelling. We further explored potential management options that could be beneficial for reducing N₂O emissions by changing the N content in feed for grazing animals.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used eddy covariance measurements to parameterise carbon and water fluxes in the process-based model CenW. We estimated site-specific excretal emission factors, which were derived from continuous N₂O emission measurements using eddy covariance and modelled excretal N deposition from CenW, to simulate the effects of lowering foliage N content on N₂O emissions.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>The model accurately captured carbon and water cycling at the site, with Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies ranging from 0.50 to 0.87. Decreasing foliage N content from 41 to 31 g N kg DM⁻¹ in pasture-based grazing systems reduced annual N₂O emissions by approximately 36 %. Modifying excretal N partitioning showed that increasing N excretion through dung rather than urine by 1 g N per kg dry matter intake reduced N₂O emissions by only 3.1 %.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Our findings demonstrate that management practices focusing on reducing urine N contents through the inclusion of feeds with lower N contents can be highly effective for mitigating N₂O emissions in grazed pastures, as urine N is the primary pathway for these emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104450"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144670488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adoption without gains, and vice-versa: Exploring the disconnect between improved bean varieties and yield in Central America and Haiti through the lens of seed systems","authors":"Byron Reyes ,&nbsp;Mywish K. Maredia ,&nbsp;José María Martínez ,&nbsp;Lorena Gómez ,&nbsp;Juan Carlos Rosas ,&nbsp;Angela Miranda","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Common beans (<em>Phaseolus vulgaris</em> L.) are vital for food security and rural livelihoods in Central America and Haiti. Over the past 30 years, R&amp;D has focused on breeding resilient bean varieties to withstand climate change, pests, and diseases. However, the success of these innovations depends not only on variety development but also on efficient seed systems that deliver them to farmers—a crucial yet often overlooked factor in maximizing agricultural R&amp;D benefits.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study evaluates the adoption of improved bean varieties and associated yield differences across Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti. It also assesses the extent to which current seed systems facilitate or constrain adoption and potential yield outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study used a mixed-methods approach, combining DNA fingerprinting, farmer surveys, on-farm field trials, and expert interviews to assess adoption of improved varieties. Regression analysis was used to examine yield differences, controlling for observable factors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Adoption estimates ranged from 10 % (Nicaragua) to 77 % (Haiti). Only Nicaragua—despite low adoption—showed a significant yield gain (∼33 % at <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). In contrast, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti recorded no gains despite moderate to high adoption reported by experts (Honduras and Guatemala) or confirmed by DNA analysis (Haiti). DNA evidence reveals contamination in formal seed channels, while survey data and expert opinion suggest that limited support services may constrain performance.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Adoption alone is not a sufficient metric of success. Ensuring genetic integrity, local adaptation of varieties, and effective delivery systems is critical for translating research investment into yield benefits. Strengthening seed quality control, aligning bean breeding with farmer needs, and supporting informal systems are key to maximizing impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 104447"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144663446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond the bids: Lessons from farmers' reflections on Vickrey auctions of sweetpotato vines in Rwanda","authors":"Fleur B.M. Kilwinger ,&nbsp;David J. Spielman ,&nbsp;Conny J.M. Almekinders ,&nbsp;Srinivasulu Rajendran ,&nbsp;Ynte K. van Dam","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The use of high-quality seed can significantly enhance nutrition, food security, poverty alleviation, and climate change adaptation in rural farming communities. Economic valuation methods can be used to assess farmers' demand for such seed. However, the reproductive biology of seed and the social and economic institutions surrounding their production and exchange vary widely across crops and regions.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>It is important to understand how such contextual factors relate to the assumptions that underly economic valuation methods. In this paper, we qualitatively evaluated an experimental Vickery auction conducted in Rwanda which aimed to identify farmers demand for disease-free vines of orange-fleshed sweet potato rich in Vitamin A.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Data were gathered through observations of and in-depth interviews with participating farmers, focusing on their experiences, strategies, and motivations during the auction. We examined farmers' reflections on the experimental auctions—rather than the auction results themselves—to understand context-specificity and methodological replicability.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusion</h3><div>Our findings reveal that farmers assigned value to the vines in diverse ways, shaped by personal experience, social norms, and local exchange practices—often diverging from the assumptions of auction theory. These dynamics raise concerns about the validity and reliability of the auction outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Although auctions are an increasingly popular tool to evaluate the value of seeds and traits in smallholder farming systems, and although considerable effort has been put into examining mechanisms leading to product overestimation and underestimation in auction settings, this study offers a novel qualitative perspective that uncovers several reasons that explain deviations in the context of an experimental Vickrey auction for sweetpotato vines in rural Rwanda. Our findings highlight the challenges of using auction-based methods in capturing demand when used to value goods that are reproductive, socially embedded, and exchanged outside formal markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 104448"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decision support for managing an invasive pathogen through efficient clean seed systems: Cassava mosaic disease in Southeast Asia","authors":"Kelsey F. Andersen Onofre ,&nbsp;Erik Delaquis ,&nbsp;Jonathan C. Newby ,&nbsp;Stef de Haan ,&nbsp;Cu Thi Le Thuy ,&nbsp;Nami Minato ,&nbsp;James P. Legg ,&nbsp;Wilmer J. Cuellar ,&nbsp;Ricardo I. Alcalá Briseño ,&nbsp;Karen A. Garrett","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104435","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Effective seed systems must distribute high-performing varieties efficiently, and slow or stop the spread of pathogens and pests. Epidemics increasingly threaten crops around the world, endangering the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Responding to these challenges to food and economic security requires stakeholders to act quickly and decisively during the early stages of pathogen invasions, typically with limited resources. A current threat is the introduction of cassava mosaic virus in Southeast Asia.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Our goal in this study is to provide a decision-support framework for efficient management of healthy seed systems, applied to cassava mosaic disease. The specific objectives are to (1) evaluate disease risk in disease-free parts of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam; (2) incorporate estimated risk of disease establishment with seed exchange survey data and whitefly spread in the landscape to model epidemic spread; and (3) identify candidate regions to be prioritized in seed system management.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used machine learning to integrate disease occurrence, climate, topology, and land use, and network meta-population models of epidemic spread. We used scenario analyses to identify candidate priority regions for management.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>The analyses allow stakeholders to evaluate strategic options for allocating their resources in the field, guiding the implementation of seed system programs and responses. Consistently targeting initially high priority locations with clean seed produced more favorable outcomes in this model, as did prioritization of a higher number of districts for the deployment of smaller volumes of clean seed.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>The decision-support framework presented here can be applied widely to seed systems challenged by the dual goals of distributing seed efficiently and reducing disease risk. Data-driven approaches support evidence-based identification of optimized surveillance and mitigation areas in an iterative fashion, providing guidance early in an epidemic, and revising recommendations as data accrue over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 104435"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144631982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}