Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"Applying life cycle assessment to European high nature value farming systems: Environmental impacts and biodiversity","authors":"M. Torres-Miralles ,&nbsp;V. Kyttä ,&nbsp;P. Jeanneret ,&nbsp;M. Lamminen ,&nbsp;P. Manzano ,&nbsp;H.L. Tuomisto ,&nbsp;I. Herzon","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) remains a method of choice for assessing the environmental performance of agricultural systems. However, it is rarely applied to multifunctional extensive production systems, in which livestock use, apart from animal production, maintains a continuous disturbance that sustains the diversity of habitats and species.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>This study aims to assess the environmental impact and biodiversity of extensive ruminant production on semi-natural grasslands (SNG), that is, High Nature Value (HNV) farming across Europe. We collected data from a total of 41 HNV farms in five countries (Finland, Estonia, Spain, Greece, and France) that produce beef, sheep, and goats, and that incorporate (to a varied degree) semi-natural and permanent pastures into production.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We used LCA to assess the potential environmental impact of HNV farms according to global warming potential (GWP₁₀₀), fossil resource scarcity (FRS), water scarcity (WS) and land use (LU), by using the Solagro Carbon Calculator and OpenLCA software. We assessed biodiversity based on the expert scoring system of SALCA-BD. We compared impacts on per area and per product basis across the farms, and related them to the productivity.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Results revealed a considerable variation in all environmental impacts among HNV farms, explained mostly by the type of ruminants, main product (meat or milk) and the production level. GWP₁₀₀ per unit in beef product in France was almost twice as high as that in boreal and 3 times more than in Spain, while sheep systems in Greece varied 7-fold for meat. Sheep systems consistently had the highest GWP₁₀₀, while goat systems used the most land, fossil fuel and water. Small ruminant production in Spain had both the highest land occupation and biodiversity values. Biodiversity was at its highest on farms utilising only SNG for production, which, however, related negatively to the farms' production output. Enteric fermentation accounted for 32% of overall emissions.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>This study makes a novel contribution towards a better understanding of the environmental performance and production capacity of HNV farming systems that are often used as examples of multifunctional and sustainable ruminant-based production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104096"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141990874","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":"Understanding farms trajectories methods to build sustainable futures on pioneer fronts: Lessons from a systematic literature review and a framework proposal","authors":"Andrés Vega-Martinez ,&nbsp;Nathalie Cialdella ,&nbsp;Nadine Andrieu","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>On pioneer fronts, the new spatial-temporal evolution of agriculture needs to be understood to help farmers find their way to conciliate food production and forest conservation. Analyzing farm trajectories is consequently critical for designing such futures and to assess their commitments with agroecology principles.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Based on the analysis of the literature on farm trajectories and pathways we proposed a renewed analytical framework to analyze farm trajectories in pioneer fronts and support the identification of desirable strategies for the future.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A systematic review adapted from the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology was used. From an initial record of 246 papers, 81 were selected as eligible for the review. The articles were classified in six categories according to three criteria: i) the retrospective or prospective analysis of farm trajectories, ii) the consideration or not of the territorial scale (drawing lessons at territorial scale), iii) the use or not of modeling tools. We also explored whether off-farm factors (such as existing infrastructure at territorial scale or access to credit) and intra-farm factors (such as the organization of family work and the role of women within this organization) were considered since these factors affect farms trajectories in pioneer fronts.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>Results indicate that the concept of trajectory is mainly associated with retrospective analyses while the concept of pathway is mostly associated with prospective studies generally using simulation tools for the design of future scenarios. The link between trajectories and agroecological principles also has been little explored in the literature. Both retrospective and prospective studies fail to pay sufficient attention to the roles of women and family organization. Lastly, most of the methodologies studied do not fully consider the effects of off-farm territorial factors and public policies on these trajectories.</p><p>We propose an analytical framework that would address these limitations.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This framework is currently used in Brazilian and Colombian Amazon and will help defining sustainable farm trajectories limiting deforestation. Such a framework is needed to support farm development on pioneer fronts and broadly in territories that must deal with highly critical environmental agendas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104093"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002439/pdfft?md5=16d42b94c83eed5ccb43a0c21761e25e&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002439-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141979328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A spatially explicit assessment on the carrying capacity of livestock under minimum feed imports and artificial fertilizer use in Dutch agriculture","authors":"M. Lessmann ,&nbsp;A. Kanellopoulos ,&nbsp;J. Kros ,&nbsp;F. Orsi ,&nbsp;M. Bakker","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Current agricultural systems in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe depend on large quantities of nutrients from imported feed and artificial fertilizers. This may result in unwanted nutrient accumulation and losses and negative environmental impacts. One way of making these systems more sustainable is to balance livestock numbers with the local feed supply and nutrient requirements for crop production. However, there is currently limited quantitative- and spatially-explicit insight into the effects of reduced imports on livestock numbers and nutrient balances.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>The aim of this study is to quantify the number of livestock that can be sustained when minimizing nitrogen (N) imports of feed and artificial fertilizers into Dutch agriculture.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We developed a spatially-explicit mathematical programming model to optimize livestock numbers in different scenarios of allowed N imports. The model takes into account current flows of nutrients, related to nutrient supply from livestock manure, feed and fodder, and nutrient requirements in agricultural production.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Minimizing N feed imports and artificial N fertilizer use under current land use resulted in an overall reduction of livestock density of 57.4% compared to the current livestock density based on 2020 activity data. In addition, it led to an increase in artificial N fertilizer inputs of 20.5% to maintain the N requirements of agricultural land. In contrast, focusing on minimizing artificial fertilizer use led to a reduction in livestock density of 25.8% compared to the current livestock levels. Depending on the scenario, we found strong regional variation in nutrient balances and livestock numbers. For instance, while currently the application rates of artificial fertilizers and livestock manure are relatively constant in space, this was no longer the case when N import in the form of feed was minimized. In that case, the crop-dominated areas showed a deficit in livestock manure and a substantial increase of artificial fertilizers.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>The presented model allows for assessing spatially explicit impacts of reduced N imports of feed and artificial fertilizers on livestock density. Using the Netherlands as case study, we show that reducing feed imports is a more effective leverage point to reduce N surplus and external N inputs into agriculture as compared to when reducing artificial fertilizer use. Our findings can inform the development of area-specific strategies that are aimed at reconnecting livestock and agricultural land.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104092"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002427/pdfft?md5=cc7e5d90386275602f8cdd24f1bc9872&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002427-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141910776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field monitoring reveals scope to reduce environmental impact of ware potato cultivation in the Netherlands without compromising yield","authors":"Arie Pieter Paulus Ravensbergen ,&nbsp;Martin K. van Ittersum ,&nbsp;Renske Hijbeek ,&nbsp;Corné Kempenaar ,&nbsp;Pytrik Reidsma","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104091","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104091","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Intensification of arable farming in Northwest Europe has led to high yields. However, inadequate use of external inputs such as nutrients, irrigation water and crop protection products has contributed to several environmental problems, such as nitrate leaching and losses of crop protection products. There is a need to reduce environmental losses and contribute to a more circular and sustainable agriculture in Northwest Europe.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Here, we take ware potato production in the Netherlands as an example cropping system to assess if there is scope to reduce input levels and environmental impact of nutrient, water and crop protection product use without compromising yield.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We determined variability in use and use efficiency of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and pesticides as well as water productivity (WP) and yields of 96 on-farm ware potato fields in the Netherlands, on both clay and sandy soils. In addition, we assessed if relatively high performance could be achieved on multiple environmental indicators simultaneously.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>Average N surplus was 265 kg N ha⁻¹ on clay soils and 139 kg N ha⁻¹ on sandy soils and varied among fields by a factor three. Phosphorus and K input exceeded P and K output on clay soils by 33 and 105 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, while on sandy soils P and K balances were close to zero. Mean WP was 43 kg dry matter (DM) mm⁻¹ ha⁻¹ and ranged from 30 to 60 kg DM mm⁻¹ ha⁻¹ for both soil types. In terms of crop protection product use, lowest and highest use differed by a factor four. Unexpectedly, yields did not increase with higher input rates, suggesting that lower input rates are sufficient to obtain current yields. Consequently, input rates were the most important drivers to explain variability in resource use efficiency and environmental impacts. At the same time, a comparison across multiple indicators simultaneously showed that it was possible to achieve relatively high yields with relatively low N surplus, high WP, and low crop protection product use. Hence, environmental impact could decrease substantially if all fields performed similar to the best performing fields.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This study showed that it seems feasible to maintain high yield levels while reducing resource use in a substantial share of the potato production fields in the Netherlands. If put in practice, this will reduce losses to the environment and therefore contribute to a more sustainable but still productive agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104091"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002415/pdfft?md5=184a46e9d6af84ef206535baeca9c2c1&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002415-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141944700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research agenda for holistically assessing agricultural strategies for human micronutrient deficiencies in east and southern Africa","authors":"Philip Grabowski ,&nbsp;Douglas Slater ,&nbsp;Wanjiku Gichohi-Wainaina ,&nbsp;Job Kihara ,&nbsp;Regis Chikowo ,&nbsp;Agnes Mwangwela ,&nbsp;Dalitso Chimwala ,&nbsp;Mateete Bekunda","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104094","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104094","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Human micronutrient deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa are connected through complex pathways to soils and how soils are managed. Interventions aiming directly at nutrient consumption, such as supplements and food fortification, have direct impacts but are often limited in their reach and require continuous support. In contrast, less direct changes, such as agricultural diversification and agronomic biofortification, are complicated by a wide array of factors that can limit progress toward nutritional outcomes. However, changes in agriculture and dietary patterns, if successfully linked to deficiencies, provide a more systemic transformation with the potential to achieve wide-reaching and self-perpetuating attainment of nutritional goals.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The purpose of this paper is to advance theoretical frameworks and research methods for holistic analysis of agriculture-based interventions for micronutrient deficiencies.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We synthesize lessons from the literature and from the Africa RISING project in Malawi and Tanzania about the connections between soil nutrients and human micronutrient deficiencies from the perspective of the five domains of sustainable intensification (productivity, economic, environmental, human condition and social).</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>We present a menu of indicators for future research on the soil-plant-food-nutrition pathway related to micronutrient deficiency and smallholder farming that need to be considered to effectively assess how agricultural interventions may or may not result in the desired nutritional outcomes. Ultimately, addressing micronutrient deficiencies through agricultural interventions requires a holistic approach that considers all five domains. Research on soil-nutrition linkages should consider the feedback loops across the five domains of sustainable intensification.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Interdisciplinary and participatory research to effectively link soils to human health supports sustainable development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104094"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002440/pdfft?md5=441364d208d4ecf1c6a4c1ce868a0b81&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002440-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141944698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can we estimate farm size from field size? An empirical investigation of the field size to farm size relationship","authors":"Clemens Jänicke ,&nbsp;Maximilian Wesemeyer ,&nbsp;Cristina Chiarella ,&nbsp;Tobia Lakes ,&nbsp;Christian Levers ,&nbsp;Patrick Meyfroidt ,&nbsp;Daniel Müller ,&nbsp;Marie Pratzer ,&nbsp;Philippe Rufin","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Farm size is a key indicator associated with environmental, economic, and social contexts and outcomes of agriculture. Farm size data is typically obtained from agricultural censuses or household surveys, but both are usually only available in infrequent time intervals and at aggregate spatial scales. In contrast, spatially explicit and detailed data on individual fields can be accessed from cadastral information systems or agricultural subsidy applications in some regions or can be derived from Earth observation data. Empirically exploring the field-size-to-farm size relationship (FFR) is a lever to enhance our understanding of spatial patterns of farm sizes by assessing field sizes. However, our currently limited empirical knowledge does not allow for the characterization of the FFR over large spatial extents.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>We analyze the FFR using data from the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) for Germany. The IACS manages agricultural subsidy applications in the European Union; therefore, the data include spatial information on the extent of all fields and farms for which farmers have applied for subsidies.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We developed a Bayesian multilevel model and a machine learning model to estimate farm size based on field size, controlling for contextual factors such as crop types, state boundaries, topography, and neighborhood effects.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>We found that farm size generally increased with field size for almost all federal states and crop type groups, but the FFR varied considerably in magnitude. Farm size predictions were accurate for medium-sized and large farms (50–7,000 ha, representing 66% of the data) with mean absolute percentage errors of 40–114%, but estimates for smaller farms had higher errors. To evaluate the relationship at the landscape level, we spatially aggregated the predictions into hexagons with a diameter of 15 km. This resulted in more accurate predictions (mean absolute percentage errors of 37%) than at the field level.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>Our study presents the first empirical insights into the FFR, opening future research directions towards producing spatially explicit farm size predictions at scale. Such information is key for monitoring scale transitions in agricultural systems, facilitating the design of timely and targeted interventions, and avoiding undesired outcomes of such processes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104088"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002385/pdfft?md5=1b6256b84a9fde10900b62e7676f1ea6&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002385-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141944793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Driving factors behind precision livestock farming tools adoption: The case of the pedometer on dairy farms","authors":"R. Selvaggi ,&nbsp;G. Pappalardo ,&nbsp;C. Zarbà ,&nbsp;J.L. Lusk","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104090","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104090","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>The development of new advanced technologies has led to rapid changes livestock production systems. Precision livestock farming (PLF) uses digital devices that gather, process and examine specific physiological, behavioral and production indicators to improve control of individual animals. Regarding dairy farming, despite the wide scientific debate, the digital devices (i.e., pedometers) are not widely used among farmers, and as such, market data are unavailable to study farmer demand for the technology. In literature, the exact causes that favor or discourage the adoption of digital devices have not yet been identified.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>The aim of the work was to estimate dairy farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for an innovative prototype of pedometer that does not need IT infrastructure to work but can operate autonomously, related to factors not yet investigated, and in particular the “payment method”, “type of data provided” by the device, the “convenience of use” and the “price”.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We conducted a choice experiment (stated preference method) to determine dairy farmers demand for pedometers and their willingness-to-pay.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Farmers are likely to purchase the pedometer under certain conditions and with specific functions:</p><ul><li><span>●</span><span><p>through a monthly subscription associated with the technical support service;</p></span></li><li><span>●</span><span><p>for a trial period and possibly returning it at the end of the period;</p></span></li><li><span>●</span><span><p>reading data provided by the pedometer through their smartphones;</p></span></li><li><span>●</span><span><p>having information related to estrus prediction rather than other related to animal welfare.</p></span></li></ul></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>The results provide a useful contribution to understand the influencing factors of the underutilization of digital devices by dairy farmers. The issue of digital device adoption has become crucial for increasing the competitiveness of dairy farms especially in the current historical period when issues of sustainability and digitization have become of great importance. New solutions or strategies need to be thought of that enable the use of such devices that are technically easy to use and economically more affordable for farmers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104090"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002403/pdfft?md5=cd42151c35d4b52c16daffc5727833bf&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002403-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141944697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using conditional Kendall's tau estimation to assess interactions among variables in dairy-cattle systems","authors":"Naomi Ouachene,&nbsp;Tristan Senga Kiessé,&nbsp;Michael S. Corson","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Understanding how multiple factors interact in complex systems is an important issue. In particular, agricultural production systems are based on biological and ecological processes that are influenced by environmental and human factors, all of which interact. When evaluating such systems statistically, these multiple dependences and interactions make it more difficult to model system performances as a function of management practices and weather.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Our objective was to assess interactions among management practices, weather and system performances. We aimed in particular to identify subsets of farms whose correlations for given pairs of variables as a function of another variable deviated greatly from the traditional correlation between the variables (i.e., atypical farms).</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We investigated a measure of dependence that assesses whether (and if so, how) the correlation between two variables varies as a function of a third one: conditional Kendall's tau. We applied this measure to a set of variables that described management practices (e.g., concentrated feed fed), weather (e.g., precipitation) and performances (e.g., milk production, enteric methane emissions) for dairy-cattle systems in France in 2013 and 2014 (2523 and 804 farms, respectively).</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>In 2013, the amount of digestible organic matter in the ration ingested per cow influenced the correlation between milk production per cow and enteric methane emissions per livestock unit. In particular, the correlation was negative for a set of atypical farms whose ingested digestible organic matter was <span><math><mo>≈</mo></math></span> 2050-<span><math><mn>2900</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>kg</mi><mo>.</mo><msup><mi>cow</mi><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>. In addition, total annual precipitation in 2013 influenced the correlation between the amount of concentrated feed fed per cow and milk production per cow for farms surveyed in either year. In 2013 and 2014, the correlation began decreasing strongly beyond a certain threshold of precipitation (ca. 1400 and 1100 mm, respectively), which highlighted the need to adapt each farm's practices to its agricultural and weather context.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Application of conditional Kendall's tau identified interactions that caused the effectiveness of management practices to vary and how they did so.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104089"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002397/pdfft?md5=2cea02e7fb2bc9f5ac1d78271a099a65&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002397-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141944699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding how governance arrangements within agricultural supply chains influence farmers' SAP adoption for adaptation and mitigation practices","authors":"Kusnandar Kusnandar ,&nbsp;El Bram Apriyanto ,&nbsp;Maulana Akbar ,&nbsp;Eki Karsani Apriliyadi ,&nbsp;Tomy Perdana","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>In order for farmers in developing countries to combat the effects of climate change, sustainable agricultural practices (SAP) have been promoted, but their adoption rate remains modest. Prior research examining psychological and socio-economic issues has identified farmers' limited knowledge and capital contribute to this problem. However, supply chain systems that require farmers to follow formal and informal rules (governance arrangements) have received little attention in previous studies.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>From a system thinking standpoint, this article seeks to comprehend farmers decision regarding SAP adoption by examining the influence of governance arrangements on the socioeconomic and psychological aspects of farmers. This paper concentrates specifically on governance arrangements between farmers and midstream actors, to whom farmers sell their products directly.</p></div><div><h3>METHOD</h3><p>This study utilises a qualitative research methodology, specifically employing multiple case studies. A system thinking approach utilising a Causal Loop Diagram was applied to comprehend farmers decision regarding SAP adoption. The case studies cover supply chain systems that have different governance arrangements. The study focused on examining the rice supply chains in Indramayu District and the fresh vegetable supply chains in West Bandung District, located in West Java, Indonesia.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSION</h3><p>This paper found that different governance arrangements exhibit distinct influences, which in turn have varying impacts on farmers' decisions to adopt SAP. Governance arrangements that foster greater market integration and exert influence on the psychological (e.g., knowledge and information) and socio-economic (e.g., provision of production inputs and price assurance) aspects are regarded as the most effective approach to promoting the adoption of SAP by farmers. Furthermore, this paper revealed that midstream actors play a crucial role in promoting the adoption of SAP among farmers.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>This paper contributes to the body of knowledge on how governance arrangements within agricultural supply chains influence farmers decision regarding SAP adoption. Specifically, it investigates the influence of midstream actors in facilitating farmers' adoption of SAP by addressing their psychological and socioeconomic requirements. The findings imply that government supports must be extended to midstream actors that have made efforts to persuade their farmers to implement SAP as a means of addressing climate change, as well as implementing midstream actors-to-farmer extension initiatives alongside the government's existing farmer-to-farmer extension programmes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104085"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141891963","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":"Bright spots of agroecology in the Netherlands: A spatial analysis of agroecological practices and income stability","authors":"Loes A. Verkuil ,&nbsp;Peter H. Verburg ,&nbsp;Christian Levers ,&nbsp;Anne Elise Stratton ,&nbsp;Catharina J.E. Schulp","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104086","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104086","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Agroecological practices are known to reduce environmental pressure of farming systems and increase food system resilience in tropical regions. In contrast, in the temperate climate and industrialized agricultural context of the Netherlands, agroecology use remains limited and its impacts are unknown. As agroecological systems can form a sustainable alternative to conventional farming, it is relevant to study to what extent farmers use agroecological practices in the Netherlands, potentially serving as a model for transition.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study assesses spatial patterns of uptake of agroecological practices and their relationship with income resilience.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Using data from 735 Dutch farms, we created a composite Agroecology Index to quantify the extent of use of agroecological practices. The FAO's 10 Elements of Agroecology framework was used to select indicators for the index, by selecting the six of the Elements in this framework for which our dataset contained suitable data. Linear regressions explored underlying factors, such as farm size and farm type. Using an outlier analysis, bright and dark spot farms, exceeding or lagging the Dutch average, were mapped. We evaluated the effects of agroecological practices on income resilience over a 10-year period.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>On a 0–100 scale, agroecology scores ranged from 16.5% to 61.1% (36.6 ± 7.0), with stark contrasts between different Elements of agroecology. Arable farms excelled in Diversity, while livestock farms performed better in Efficiency. Spatial variation was substantial, with both bright and dark spots dispersed across the country. We found highest average scores and the strongest prevalence of bright spots in the province of Flevoland, an area with an exceptional number of organic farmers. Higher agroecology scores were linked to increased income stability, independent of farm size or type.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The methods developed in this study provide an approach to address the growing demand for evidence of the upscaling of agroecology in practice. Also, the relationships between agroecology and social and environmental outcomes from farm to regional scales can be addressed, which can guide developments towards sustainable agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104086"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002361/pdfft?md5=14a5e8a7052ba9e6701380eab5dd5a3e&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002361-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141891987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}