Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"Silicon Savannah and smallholder farming: How can digitalization contribute to sustainable agricultural transformation in Africa?","authors":"Evelyne Njuguna ,&nbsp;Thomas Daum ,&nbsp;Regina Birner ,&nbsp;John Mburu","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>The development of smallholder agriculture in Africa faces numerous challenges. While digitalization is seen as a transformative opportunity for the continent's agricultural sector, there is limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness and impact of digital tools for smallholder farmers. This study examines the landscape of digital agriculture in Kenya, often called Africa's <em>“Silicon Savannah,”</em> to assess the current state and potential of these tools.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The study seeks to answer two key questions:</div><div>1. To what extent can digital solutions for agriculture in Africa leverage the latest technological developments?</div><div>2. To what extent can these digital solutions effectively address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers?</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>We developed a novel classification framework to categorize digital agricultural tools based on their physical attributes and analytical capabilities. A comprehensive stocktaking approach mapped digital tools across Kenya's agricultural value chains. Additionally, a literature review explored potential impact pathways through which digital tools can transform African agriculture, drawing on existing studies related to Kenya.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>The findings reveal that the number of digital tools available to smallholder farmers has tripled over the past decade, with a peak in new digital start-ups in 2016, followed by a slowdown. There is a shift from <em>“generic”</em> tools—focused on low-cost information exchange—toward <em>“farm-specific”</em> tools, offering tailored advisory services based on manual data input or sensor-generated data. Generic tools remain limited to information sharing, while farm-specific tools are increasingly using diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive capabilities, supported by satellite imagery and sensors.</div><div>The analysis indicates digital tools can enhance farmers' knowledge and access to inputs, services, and markets, boosting productivity and income. However, there is limited evidence on their effects on food security, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience. Due to the heterogeneity of tools and evaluation methods, there is a lack of quantifiable, attributable evidence on their full impact.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This review highlights the crucial role of digital tools in overcoming agricultural challenges in Africa. By assessing these tools' capabilities, the study identifies significant advancements in sensor technologies and data analytics for smallholder farming. The findings underscore areas of high impact and untapped potential, calling for further research on their long-term effects on agricultural outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 104180"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653369","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":"Capturing the effects of flower strips on natural pest control in agronomic land use models","authors":"Christian Sponagel ,&nbsp;Ana Klinnert ,&nbsp;Rui Catarino ,&nbsp;Caetano Luiz Beber ,&nbsp;Edoardo Baldoni ,&nbsp;Ana-Luisa Barbosa ,&nbsp;Felix Witte ,&nbsp;Enno Bahrs ,&nbsp;Thomas Fellmann","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Given policy objectives for pesticide reduction, functional biodiversity is increasingly important for agricultural production. However, economic land use optimisation models rarely account for the interplay between agricultural production and functional biodiversity, like natural pest control (NPC).</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We present and discuss an approach to consider feedback effects between NPC and agricultural production in a geodata-based farm economic land use model.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The geodata-based land use model PALUD was extended to incorporate interactions between NPC and crop yields. This included linking a generic NPC model, based on semi-natural habitats, with an econometric approach to estimate yield gaps as a function of NPC potential. As a case study, the model was then applied to the German state Brandenburg, using permanent flower strips as example to promote NPC. Here, we analysed the impacts of enhancing NPC potential on food production and gross margins from arable land use.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>Our analysis revealed that a higher level of NPC through flower strips improved gross margins. by up to 6.4 % and crop production by up to 1.2 % within a pesticide-free environment in Brandenburg. Despite inherent limitations and uncertainties of the approach, our study provides a pivotal advancement in integrating NPC into economic land use models. Future refinements incorporating more detailed knowledge on context-specific interactions between crops, pests and predators will improve model robustness. Our approach and case study results provide valuable insights for policy-making on tailored sustainable landscape development and serve as a foundation for future modelling efforts.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>To our knowledge the interaction between NPC and crop yields has not yet been integrated into any geospatially based economic land use model before. Incorparating these interactions is vital for guiding policies towards sustainable agricultural systems. In this respect it is important to develop and discuss further methodological approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 104176"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653218","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":"Integrated crop-livestock farms have higher topsoil nitrogen and carbon than crop-only farms in Chilean Mediterranean climate volcanic soils","authors":"Leah L.R. Renwick ,&nbsp;Ayleen Celedón ,&nbsp;Francisco Nájera ,&nbsp;Juan-Pablo Fuentes Espoz ,&nbsp;Daniela Celedón ,&nbsp;Claudia Arellano ,&nbsp;Osvaldo Salazar","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Crop-livestock reintegration could reduce the environmental footprint of decoupled crop and livestock production related to biogeochemical cycles. Previous experiments showed that replacing fallow periods in annual crop rotations with grazed cover crops increases total nitrogen (N) and organic carbon (SOC), based on topsoil sampling and stocks compared by equivalent soil depth. Stock comparisons based on topsoil sampling or equivalent soil depth, rather than whole-profile sampling or equivalent soil mass, can erroneously report stock gains that have not occurred. Evidence of crop-livestock integration effects on commercial farms is needed.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study assessed on-farm if winter grass forages and beef cattle grazing in annual crop rotations lead to greater soil total N and SOC to a soil depth of 1 m.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We sampled soil at eight paired commercial fields, four integrated crop-livestock (ICL) fields with grazed or ungrazed winter forage (annual ryegrass, oat) in the crop rotation (cereals, grain legumes, industrial crops), and four neighboring fields with winter fallow in the rotation, in volcanic soils in Ñuble Region, central-southern Chile, in fall 2022 and 2023. In each field, 10 soil cores were sampled from a 1 ha plot and separated into four depth layers (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm, 30–60 cm, and 60–100 cm). We quantified soil total N and SOC concentrations and stocks, on an equivalent soil mass basis, and soil texture throughout the soil profile.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>ICL sites had 10 % higher total N (+0.05 % N) and 8 % higher SOC concentrations (+0.5 % SOC) compared to paired non-ICL sites in the top 15 cm soil layer. The topsoil layer at ICL sites had 11 % higher N (+0.37 Mg N ha⁻¹) and 9 % higher SOC (+3.9 Mg SOC ha⁻¹) stocks, based on an equivalent soil mass. Cumulative stocks below 15 cm to a depth of 1 m were similar between ICL and non-ICL sites. Across the 1 m soil profile, 52 % and 53 % of N and SOC stocks were below 30 cm depth.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>We provided on-farm evidence suggesting that integrating non-leguminous winter forages and grazing into annual crop rotations can retain N and store SOC in topsoil, with relevance to land managers and decision-makers who seek to build soil fertility and health through biodiversity and reduce N fertilizer use, though further research is recommended. Sampling soil to at least 60 cm depth can help capture management effects on N and SOC and quantify deeper N retention and SOC storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 104172"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653150","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":"Production viability index for annual agricultural crops","authors":"Fernanda Laurinda Valadares Ferreira ,&nbsp;Lineu Neiva Rodrigues","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104173","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104173","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>In the face of intensifying challenges for sustainable food production, well-planned agricultural development is crucial to mitigate climate impacts and manage blue water demands. Tools and methodologies that support public policy for sustainable regional growth are essential, especially in regions lacking hydroclimatic data, which complicates the use of simulation models for efficient water management. An effective tool should identify areas most suitable for rainfed and irrigated agriculture, optimizing planting dates, crop types, and rotations.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>To develop an index to assess the most suitable areas, inside regions, for developing rainfed and irrigated annual crops.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>The proposed Production Viability Index (PVI) combines ISDIA (Irrigated Agriculture Suitability Indicator) and ISDRA (Rainfed Agriculture Suitability Indicator) to represent suitability for irrigated and rainfed agriculture. Each indicator comprises five sub-indicators reflecting plant characteristics, soil, climate, and water availability in crop production. A Python routine was developed to calculate the PVI, which was then used to assess soybean production suitability across 204 million hectares in Brazil's Cerrado (Brazilian savannah), the country's second-largest biome. Three planting dates (September 15, October 15, and November 15) were simulated, evaluating the Cerrado's suitability and identifying the best planting date per area.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>The PVI for Annual Crops proves to be a valuable tool for agricultural planning, enabling the identification of areas with varying suitability for sustainable agricultural development. Based on factors such as climate, soil, plant characteristics, and water availability, the PVI is not intended to determine if a crop can be produced in a specific area but rather to identify locations with greater cultivation potential across different periods and crop types. Results highlight suitability variations throughout the months, underscoring the need for dynamic planning that accounts for seasonality and regional characteristics. Consequently, the PVI significantly supports managers and agricultural planners in developing adaptive strategies, maximizing agricultural productivity and resilience across diverse agro-ecological contexts.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This work's primary contribution is the development of an index to classify areas within regions based on rainfed and irrigated agriculture potential, relying on basic, accessible data sets for soil, climate, water, and plant information. These findings aid planners in identifying the most suitable areas for sustainable agricultural expansion, enhancing annual crop production while mitigating water use conflicts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 104173"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653217","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":"Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based dairy-beef production systems","authors":"M. Kearney ,&nbsp;E.G. O'Riordan ,&nbsp;N. Byrne ,&nbsp;J. Breen ,&nbsp;P. Crosson","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p><span>Agriculture<span> and food systems contribute significantly to climate change. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity from beef production are high when compared to other livestock production systems and, therefore, mitigation of these emissions is urgently required. In many countries dairy-beef is making a large and growing contribution to total beef output thereby reducing net emissions given the lower emissions intensity of beef originating from the </span></span>dairy herd when compared to specialized beef-cow systems. GHG emissions from dairy-beef systems can be further reduced by adopting best practice and mitigation technologies.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVES</h3><p>The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate a range of management practices to reduce GHG emissions for pasture-based beef cattle production systems, (2) model the individual and combined impacts of these management practices on GHG emissions from dairy-beef systems, and (3) identify any trade-offs between GHG emissions mitigation, farm profitability, food security and land use.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p><span>A farm level bioeconomic systems model was modified to evaluate spring-born, steer production systems finishing cattle at differing slaughter ages and from contrasting forage-based finishing diets (grazed grass or grass silage<span>, each supplemented with concentrates). Mitigation measures included earlier slaughter age, optimal slurry management, </span></span>urease<span> inhibitors for nitrogen (N) fertilizers, replacing cereals with ‘by-products’ in concentrate feed rations and incorporating clover in grassland pastures.</span></p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Combining mitigation strategies reduced dairy-beef systems GHG emissions intensity by an average of 21%. Incorporating clover in grassland pastures was found to be the most profitable stand-alone mitigation strategy increasing net margin by an average of 18%. Substituting by-products for barley in a concentrate ration converted all systems into net producers of human edible protein; otherwise, steer systems finishing at pasture during the third grazing season were the only net producers of human-edible protein. However, finishing at pasture during the third grazing season increased GHG emissions per animal and per kilogram of beef carcass.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>Within a grass-based dairy-beef system, such as that modelled in this study, a number of complementary GHG emissions mitigation strategies can be implemented, without making substantive changes to the production system, while simultaneously improving farm profitability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103748"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46985113","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":"Application of a Bayesian network modelling approach to predict the cascading effects of COVID-19 restrictions on the planting activities of smallholder farmers in Uganda","authors":"Henry Musoke Semakula ,&nbsp;Song Liang ,&nbsp;Paul Isolo Mukwaya ,&nbsp;Frank Mugagga","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>There are rising concerns over the cascading effects induced by COVID-19 restrictions on the planting activities of smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries, which may become a non-negligible threat to the long-term food security. Studies that utilize probability based models to examine the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on planting activities of smallholder farmers are scare, with no available evidence on Uganda<strong>.</strong> Yet these effects do not act in isolation, and are known to be complex, stochastic, nonlinear, and multidimensional.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>To develop a Bayesian network (BN) model based on expert knowledge, existing literature, and Uganda's High Frequency Phone Survey (HFPS) datasets on COVID-19 to bridge this gap.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>A comprehensive survey of relevant literature on the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on the planting activities of smallholder farmers was conducted based on well established guidelines. Resultantly, 23 relevant publications were obtained, and reviewed. A total of 12 variables deemed relevant to smallholder famers in Uganda were extracted, and organized into an influence diagram. The influence diagram was used to develop the BN model. A total 6313 households aggregated from Round 1, 4 and 7 of the HFPS datasets on COVID-19 was used in this study. A training portion (75%, <em>n</em> = 4734) was used to populate the model, and test dataset (25%, <em>n</em> = 1578), was used evaluate model accuracy.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>The error rate was 17.9%% implying that the model had the majority of its predictions correct (82.1%). The model's classification power, was evaluated basing on the scoring rules. The model's scoring rule results indicated that the model has a strongest predictive power with both the logarithmic loss (0.45,) and quadratic loss (0.29) scores close to zero, while a spherical payoff (0.84) approaching 1. Results reveal the maize, beans, and ground nuts, were the most grown crops during the pandemic as compared to the period before the pandemic. The sensitivity results indicate that the probability of COVID-19 restrictions to affect the planting activities of the smallholder farmers in Uganda was 30%. The variables of ‘unable to acquire seeds, and fertilizers’ affected the planting activities by 2.6 percentage points (PP), and 1.3 PP respectively. The variables ‘travel restrictions’ and reduced labour, affected the planting activities by 11 PP and 1PP respectively.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>These findings emphasize the importance of intervening on the highly ranked effects to enhance the resilience of local food systems, and smallholders' capacity to cope with recurring and unforeseen shocks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103733"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41691361","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":"Yield gap between organic and conventional farming systems across climate types and sub-types: A meta-analysis","authors":"Vera Ysabel V. de la Cruz ,&nbsp;Tantriani ,&nbsp;Weiguo Cheng ,&nbsp;Keitaro Tawaraya","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103732","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103732","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Organic farming is a fast-growing system considered a holistic approach that benefits the environment. However, previous studies have reported varying results on its productivity when compared to conventional farming systems. Moreover, the effect of climatic conditions on the yield gap between organic and conventional methods has not been extensively studied.</p></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>Considering the influence of temperature and precipitation on soil microbial activity<span> that drives the decomposition of organic matter and supports the mineralization of organic matter for plants, we hypothesized that the yield gap between organic and conventional farming systems is affected by climatic conditions; that is, it should be higher in locations with warmer climates that those in colder climates.</span></p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Yield data were collected from 105 studies that compared organic and conventional farming; 786 pairwise observations were extracted mainly from previous meta-analyses and individual studies. Using meta-analysis in R software, we examined the yield ratio between the two farming systems in different climate types (boreal, warm temperate, arid, and equatorial) and sub-types, and further investigated other influencing factors such as crop type, study location by region, and soil pH and texture.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>The yield of organic farming was 18.4% (<em>RR</em> = 0.83; 95% confidence interval of 0.77 to 0.89; <em>p</em> = &lt; 0.0001) lower than that of conventional farming, regardless of climate condition, crop type, and other categorical variables. Results showed that only the warm temperate climate had a significant effect on the yield gap between organic and conventional farming systems, where organic yields were 21.18% lower than those of conventional farming (<em>RR =</em> 0.79; 95% CI 0.71 to 0.87; p = &lt; 0.0001; <em>k</em> = 446). However, the variability associated with temperature and precipitation was difficult to estimate using the current data. Among the categorical variables evaluated, it was found that specific crop types, regions, and soils significantly influenced the yield gap. Additional analyses revealed a confounding crop-type effect on the yield gap that requires further investigation. Nevertheless, this study suggests that when determining variations in the yields and productivity of organic and conventional farming systems, it is critical to account for interactions between variables.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The results of this study offer a preliminary understanding of how the climate type affects the yield of the two farming systems in a particular geographic location, supporting future research that will provide a quantitative context to land use development for sustainable agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103732"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45877360","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":"Crop biocultural traits shape seed networks: Implications for social-ecological resilience in south eastern Senegal","authors":"Anna Porcuna-Ferrer ,&nbsp;Vanesse Labeyrie ,&nbsp;Santiago Alvarez-Fernandez ,&nbsp;Laura Calvet-Mir ,&nbsp;Ndèye Fatou Faye ,&nbsp;Sarah Ouadah ,&nbsp;Victoria Reyes-García","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Agroecosystems' social-ecological resilience largely depends on the crop diversity generated and maintained by farmers, which provides insurance against changing environmental and socio-economic conditions. In turn, crop diversity generation, maintenance, and distribution is influenced by seed circulation networks. Thus, patterns of seed circulation can support or constrain households' access to crop diversity, affecting on-farm crop diversity.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>We aimed at understanding the mechanisms shaping seed circulation and farmers' access to crop diversity by: 1) assessing how crop biocultural traits influence patterns of seed circulation; 2) exploring the connections between household position in the seed circulation network and on-farm crop diversity for different crops.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We conducted research in south-eastern Senegal applying crop diversity inventories and a survey to document seed acquisitions for the six local staple crops, which differ in biocultural traits. Household's varietal diversity and household- and community-level network measures calculated for each crop were used to compare seed circulation patterns among crops. Then, we analyzed the association between households' position in the seed circulation networks and households' on-farm crop diversity using generalized linear models.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Our research advances two main findings about the importance of seed circulation networks for farmers' access to crop diversity.</p><p>First, several seed circulation networks operate in the same community and at the same time. Each species circulated differently, which can be explained by crop's biocultural traits. Socio-cultural traits, like the cultural relevance of a crop, and biological traits, like crop's functional group (e.g., legumes, cereals), affect the patterns of seed circulation. Seed circulation networks that involved external actors, like agricultural extension projects or NGOs, were more centralized than seed circulation networks in which these actors were absent.</p><p>Second, household's centrality in the network of seed circulation (indegree and betweenness) was generally associated with higher on-farm varietal diversity. However, the factors that determined household's access to seeds differed among crops and variety types.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>Farmer-to-farmer seed circulation networks are instrumental for the maintenance and distribution of agrobiodiversity and catalyze the introduction of new diversity in the agricultural system. However, tensions exist between traditional and new (e.g., interventions) mechanisms of seed sharing, resulting in centralized and unidirectional seed distribution, which might affect the social-ecological resilience of the system.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103750"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45644123","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":"Can satellite-retrieved data increase farmers' willingness to insure against drought? – Insights from Germany","authors":"Eike Florenz Nordmeyer ,&nbsp;Michael Danne ,&nbsp;Oliver Musshoff","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103718","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103718","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>As the demand for index insurance in Europe remains low, the use of satellite-retrieved data has received considerable research attention because it can reduce the basis risk, increase hedging effectiveness and thus potentially increase the attractiveness of index insurance to farmers. However, there is limited knowledge on farmers' demand and specific preferences for satellite-based index insurance.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>This study aims to obtain initial insights into farmers' preferences for satellite-based index insurance. In particular, farmers' overall preferences for satellite-based compared to precipitation-based index insurance are investigated. The objective is further deepened by investigating the effect of partially subsidizing index insurance. Finally, we focus on differences in preferences caused by the farmer's individual specific factors as this allows to identify the potential target groups for satellite-based index insurance.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>As satellite-based index insurance is still hard to find in Europe, a discrete choice experiment has been conducted with 127 German farmers. In a hypothetical scenario, farmers had to choose whether or not to insure themselves against drought by purchasing hypothetical index insurance products. Specifically, based on a labeled design, they had to choose between a satellite-based and a precipitation-based index insurance, or could choose not to use either alternative (opt-out). We include other insurance attributes such as premium, strike level and payout as they were rated as important by the farmers.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSION</h3><p>Mixed logit model results show a preference for both index insurance products against no insurance. Particularly, the average farmer has a statistically significant higher preference for the satellite-based index insurance. In addition, subsidizing satellite-based index insurance has a higher effect on farmers' preferences. Moreover, the latent class model identifies heterogeneous preferences among farmers. Insurers can be advised to incorporate satellite data into the design of index insurance. By integrating them into existing index insurance products or by developing purely satellite-based index insurance, insurers could tailor index insurance better to farmers' preferences. Policymakers can be advised that farmers are differentially sensitive to subsidies. Especially farmers with a stronger preference for the satellite-based index insurance derive a huge increase in utility from subsidies.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>The study provides initial insights into farmers' preferences for satellite-based index insurance that can guide insurers regarding the design of index insurance products and give policymakers insights into how governmental support would change farmers' demand for index insurance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103718"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46145195","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":"Dynamics of crop category choices reveal strategies and tactics used by smallholder farmers in India to cope with unreliable water availability","authors":"Mariem Baccar ,&nbsp;Hélène Raynal ,&nbsp;Muddu Sekhar ,&nbsp;Jacques-Eric Bergez ,&nbsp;Magali Willaume ,&nbsp;Pierre Casel ,&nbsp;P. Giriraj ,&nbsp;Sanjeeva Murthy ,&nbsp;Laurent Ruiz","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103744","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103744","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Changing cropping pattern is a potentially effective lever to cope with unreliable water resources, but given the multiple factors driving crop choices, assessing if farmers actually use it specifically for this objective remains difficult.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>We aimed at analyzing whether and how farmers choose crop categories with different water requirements to cope with limited water resources in peninsular India.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We monitored over a 10 year period crop choices, weather, and groundwater level for the three cropping seasons in 205 irrigable farms in the Berambadi watershed, in southern India. We categorized crops according to their seasonal water requirement. We built farm types based of Sequence Analysis and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering of crop category sequences over 10 years for each cropping season. For each type, we correlated the variation in crop category choices to variations in rainfall and groundwater availability, to identify tactical adaptations. Finally, we grouped the crop category choices of the three seasons to identify the main strategic pathways followed by farmers.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>Sequence analysis of crop category choices revealed different types of crop category sequences, reflecting farmers' different strategies, which were not significantly linked with groundwater availability. We identified five main pathways across the three cropping seasons, including combining long-cycle irrigated crop and other crop categories, specializing in short-cycle irrigated crops over two or three seasons, specializing in rainfed crops or abandoning agriculture. Within each type, correlations between variation in water availability and crop categories highlighted specific tactical adaptations.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>The opportunity for farmers to choose their crops among a variety of species encompassing a large range of water requirements allows them to base their system resilience on a large diversity of strategies and tactics. This suggests that some farmers empirically estimate the water balance of their cropping systems at seasonal scale to take tactical decisions. Providing them with science-based tools to refine this estimation could therefore improve their decision-making. This also implies that modelling farmer decisions must account for their diversity. Maintaining or increasing the capacity of farmers to cultivate a broad range of crops with different seasonal water requirements is important for farming system resilience, and should therefore be part of the agenda of policy makers for agricultural or environmental regulations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103744"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44385184","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}