Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"Spatial trajectories of coffee harvesting in large-scale plantations: Ecological and management drivers and implications","authors":"Emilio Mora Van Cauwelaert ,&nbsp;Denis Boyer ,&nbsp;Estelí Jiménez-Soto ,&nbsp;Cecilia González ,&nbsp;Mariana Benítez","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104141","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Coffee is produced under different management systems and scales of production categorized as Syndromes of Production. The “Capitalist Syndrome” is characterized by large-scale and high-density planting farms that may promote the development of plant pathogens like coffee leaf rust (CLR). Harvesting dynamics are also affected by the syndrome of production and generate spatial trajectories that could contribute to the dispersal of pathogens across and within plantations. However, these spatial trajectories have not yet been described, nor their relationship with the syndrome of production, and even less its potential ecological implications for pathogen dispersal.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>Describe and analyze the daily spatial movement of coffee harvesters in two large-scale capitalist plantations, an organic and a conventional plantation, and systematize the drivers that might explain the differences in the spatial trajectories.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Using State-Space Models, we recorded and analyzed the spatial movements of harvesters. We then constructed a driver tree for harvest dynamics, which incorporated qualitative variables related to the environment, coffee biology, and management aspects reported by the harvesters or in previous studies.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>The model differentiated two kinds of movements: 1) when trees have berries, harvesters remain in the coffee rows or areas nearby (Collect state; 94–98 % of the steps); 2) when not, harvesters make longer steps within the harvesting location or move to another area (Search state; 2–6 % of the steps). In the organic plantation, the Search state had a longer-tailed step-length distribution than in the conventional plantation, resulting in a significantly larger visited area per worker (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). This might be directly related to the lower interplant ripening percentage or smaller harvesting locations (“<em>pantes</em>”) per number of harvesters. The number of harvested trees might be affected by the fruit load or the coffee variety, among others. Harvesting movements that explore a larger area, either by visiting more plants or by changing locations on the same day, could create more foci of CLR infection across the plantation.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>These results constitute an initial analysis of harvesting trajectories and highlight practices that can reduce the potential impact of human dispersal of pathogens, like shorter harvesting trajectories by working fewer hours a day or avoiding harvesting at the end of the maturation season when few trees have berries and harvesters have to travel medium to long distances. This calls for organic coffee management that could prevent diseases and guarantee just and safe conditions for workers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104141"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424178","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":"Exploration of the optimal low-carbon peanut rotation system in South China","authors":"Xiaolu Sun ,&nbsp;Linjun Qian ,&nbsp;Yidan Cao ,&nbsp;Minghui Wang ,&nbsp;Ning Li ,&nbsp;Ruyue Pang ,&nbsp;Tong Si ,&nbsp;Xiaona Yu ,&nbsp;Xiaojun Zhang ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Junior Zuza ,&nbsp;Xiaoxia Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Peanut is an important economic and oil crop that has the potential to contribute to low-carbon agriculture. However, there is scarcity of comprehensive evaluations regarding the impact of various peanut rotation systems and their contribution to low-carbon agriculture.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The research aims to comprehensively evaluate the contribution of peanut rotation systems to low-carbon agriculture in South China, and expected to explore the optimal low-carbon peanut rotation system in this area.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Three cropping patterns were compared over a four-year experimental period: wheat–peanut (W-P) rotation, rape–peanut (R-P) rotation, and peanut monocropping (MP), under two types of initial fields (paddy and dryland). The carbon footprint (CF), product carbon footprint (PCF), carbon sequestration, food carbon cost (FCC), soil carbon characteristics, net economic benefit, and ecosystem service values of C sequestration of three rotation ecosystems were studied.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Our findings reveal that R-P, W<img>P, and MP had total CFs of 1.788, 3.882, and 1.096 t CO₂-eq·hm⁻², respectively. Agricultural material input, particularly N fertilizer, was the primary CF contributor. R-P had higher carbon sequestration amount and efficiency than W<img>P. Notably, dryland-initial fields of both R-P and W<img>P had higher carbon sequestration efficiency (71.1 % and 17.6 % higher, specifically). Our soil carbon analysis indicates that both plant residue quality and initial field type influence C sequestration. While W<img>P had the highest PCF (0.552 t CO₂-eq t⁻¹) and FCC of protein (3.428 kg CO₂-eq·kg⁻¹), fat (3.791 kg CO₂-eq·kg⁻¹), and energy (0.135 kg CO₂-eq·1000 kcal⁻¹), R-P showed the highest net income (3333.3 US$·hm⁻²) and higher ecosystem service value of C sequestration (−5.6 US$·hm⁻²). Furthermore, our findings reveal that common crop rotations in South China have higher CFs than the tested peanut-based systems. Therefore, R-P rotation is the most suitable system for low-carbon agriculture in the research area among these three rotations due to its lower carbon cost and higher economic benefits. And the advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties of different low-carbon agricultural indicators have also been analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>Our study would contribute to exploring agroecosystems management ways and methods to mitigation climate change and provide references for the establishment of evaluation criteria for low-carbon agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104145"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424174","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":"Clarifying the impacts of climatic coupling on plastic-mulching potato production in the loess plateau of China","authors":"Zhihao He ,&nbsp;Kaiyuan Gong ,&nbsp;Mengyu Qu ,&nbsp;Xiaoya Ru ,&nbsp;Shang Chen ,&nbsp;Tengcong Jiang ,&nbsp;Jing Zhang ,&nbsp;Hao Feng ,&nbsp;Qiang Yu ,&nbsp;Liang He ,&nbsp;Jianqiang He","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104140","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104140","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The ongoing changes in climate constitute a major risk factor for global potato production. Recent studies have underscored the productivity-enhancing effects of plastic mulching for rain-fed potatoes. However, the adaptability of mulching measures to climate change in order to facilitate increased potato yields remains a question. Moreover, the coupling effects of different climatic factors on potato production was unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to investigate the impact of different climatic factors and their coupling effects on the yields of mulching and no mulching potatoes in the Loess Plateau.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We utilized multiple crop models and global climate models (GCMs) to predict the yields of mulching and no mulching potatoes on the Loess Plateau based on Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 245 and SSP585 scenarios. Additionally, we analyzed the response of yields to the coupling effects of climate, and clarified the effects of main climatic coupling effects to yield of mulching and no mulching potatoes.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>We found that, for mulching potatoes, the contribution of climate coupling to yield under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios ranged from 47.05 % to 49.31 % for the period 2021–2060 and increased to 49.09 % to 50.94 % for the period 2061–2100. The mean temperature (<em>T</em>_<em>men</em>)-dominated coupling contributed the most to yield for mulching potatoes, while for no mulching potatoes, precipitation (<em>Pr</em>)-dominated coupling played a dominant role. The maximum temperature (<em>T</em>_<em>max</em>)-dominated coupling significantly reduced potato yields in the future, and mulching measures exacerbated the negative effect. However, mulching measures eliminated the adverse impact of minimum temperature (<em>T</em>_<em>min</em>)-dominated coupling on potato yields. After decomposing the coupling effects of climatic factors, we found that the main factors leading to a reduction in potato yield were <em>T</em>_<em>max</em> and <em>Pr</em> couplings, with mulching measures amplifying the heat-moisture effects. But mulching not only alleviated <em>T</em>_<em>min</em> and <em>Pr</em> coupling but also strengthened the <em>T</em>_{<em>mean</em>} and <em>Pr</em> coupling, resulting in increased yield.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Hence, understanding how mulching potatoes avoid heat-moisture coupling to promote production was crucial for the future on the Loess Plateau. Our findings contribute to clarifying the impact of climatic coupling on mulching potato production, thereby aiding in the informed development of rational policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104140"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142359116","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":"A comparison of animal and plant-based proteins from an economic, environmental, and nutritional perspective in the Republic of Ireland","authors":"Marie Merlo ,&nbsp;Thia Hennessy ,&nbsp;Cathal Buckley ,&nbsp;James O'Mahony","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Protein is a central component of health and nutrition. The current protein production system is unlikely to sustainably meet the growing global demand for protein. Therefore, alternative sources of protein must be considered.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study uniquely compares animal-based (milk, beef meat, sheep meat) and plant-based (cereals and legumes) protein production in terms of land usage. The comparison is carried out across a suite of economic, environmental, and nutritional metrics. As land use decisions are taken at the farm level, the analysis adopts a farm gate approach. Focusing on the supply side, consumption is not considered in the analysis.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Economic performance is measured through the gross and net margins. Environmental performance is evaluated through farm-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) balances. Nutritional performance is measured through the gross protein yield, the protein yield corrected for digestibility and land-use efficiency, i.e., the land needed to generate one kg of (digestible) protein. Results are expressed per hectare and per 100 g of gross and digestible protein to allow for a holistic comparison. The analysis focuses on the Republic of Ireland, a relevant country given the importance of the strong agricultural export focus, the dominance of the livestock sector and the country's ambitious environmental emission reduction targets.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Findings indicate that, on a per hectare basis, milk production on dairy farms has the strongest economic performance and highest GHG emissions amongst the products considered. Crops' gross and net margins are less than half that of dairy farms, but they also show the strongest environmental performance generally. Cereals and legumes have the best nutritional performance, from a protein perspective, whereas sheep meat production returned the lowest gross and digestible protein yields per hectare. Arable crops also show the lowest GHG emissions and nutrient balances on a per unit of protein basis.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>Land-use policies need to be designed holistically, given the complexity of the agricultural sector. Agricultural policy design currently focuses on income support and on the environmental impact of the agricultural sector, but farmers' livelihood and food and protein security need to be safeguarded. Diversifying agricultural production and increasing plant-based protein production in Ireland, a country with a livestock-focused agricultural sector, could contribute to achieving the climate change targets of the country, provided the necessary policy levers are in place.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104143"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142359190","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":"Determinants of adoption of climate resilient agricultural solutions","authors":"Sujata Shrestha ,&nbsp;Uttam Babu Shrestha ,&nbsp;Bibek Raj Shrestha ,&nbsp;Shirish Maharjan ,&nbsp;Erica Udas ,&nbsp;Kamal Aryal","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Climate change poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity, crop yield and overall resilience of farming system, particularly in mountainous regions. In a mountainous coutry like Nepal, where agriculture is a crucial livelihood for a substantial population, the Climate Resilient Agricultural (CRA) solutions are imperative. These solutions aim to enhance the sustainability of water, reduce reliance on pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and increase farm productivity and income. However, understanding the factors influencing farmers' decisions to adopt or reject such solutions remains a critical knowledge gap.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVES</h3><div>This study investigates the socio-psychological and socio-demographic determinants affecting the adoption of climate-resilient agricultural solutions.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>This study uses the theory of planned behavior and a mixed-method approach to conduct household surveys with farmers, Key Informant Interviews with experts and implementing partners, and Focus Group Discussions with farmers' groups. Responses to behavior-related questions were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), and the factors influencing the farmers' adoption behavior were identified using binary logistic regression.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>The result based on a limited sample size indicates that farm characteristics and farmers' perceived behavior control significantly influence the adoption and continuation behavior of CRA solutions. In conclusion, fostering awareness, capacity building, and skill development and establishing both market and non-market incentives are essential for improving the adoption of new solutions for climate resilience in agriculture, however, the in-depth research is recommended to better understand the adoption behavior within specific farming systems.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>The findings of this research offer valuable insights for policymakers and development practitioners striving to promote the widespread adoption of CRA solutions in farming communities. It will help to develop targeted strategies and policies that effectively support the integration of these solutions into agricultural practices, ultimately enhancing the resilience of the farming system in the face of climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104139"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142329843","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":"Benchmarking sustainability performance in UK free-range laying hen flocks","authors":"L.E. Higham ,&nbsp;I. Handel ,&nbsp;L. Boden ,&nbsp;D. Moran","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>To equitably nourish the world's growing human population whilst halting further transgression of the planetary boundaries, there is a need to evaluate the relative performance of food and farming systems in terms of multiple and often competing food security, environmental, and ethical sustainability objectives.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>We aimed to benchmark the sustainability performance of 80 free-range laying hen flocks in England and Scotland, in production between 2016 and 2022, and to identify any common characteristics between the best performers to inform supply chain policy. Benchmarking was based on multi-criteria efficiency scores, incorporating six input and two output criteria covering human, animal, and environmental domains, including the neglected measures of animal welfare and antibiotic use.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Data Envelope Analysis (DEA) was used to derive efficiency scores. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were then applied to explore production factors that could be associated with the attainment of maximum efficiency.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Approximately half of the flocks attained the maximum efficiency score, relative to their peers. Analysis of their component inputs and outputs demonstrated the favourable performance of the most efficient flocks across a broad array of criteria compared to inefficient flocks, indicating that some farms are successfully reconciling production and profitability with superior environmental, animal welfare, and antibiotic use performance. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression revealed no statistically significant predictors of efficiency at the level of <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05, with unexplained variation in relative efficiency scores of the flocks of between 0.7 and 1.0, indicating a path of improvement amongst farmers with similar production systems and standards, potentially based on unmeasured human factors. However, univariate analysis revealed an association between laying hen breed and the attainment of efficiency at the level of <em>p</em> &lt; 0.1, supporting the notion that breeds with balanced genetic merit will play an important role in food systems seeking to mitigate externalities of production.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>DEA allows multiple sustainability dimensions to be combined into a single performance metric to benchmark and compare production units. It offers a method for industry and government to identify potential leverage points to incentivise improved performance, and is a basis for better data collection in relation to both market and non-market (external) cost impacts of production, including animal welfare and antimicrobial use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104103"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142319821","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":"The multiscale response of global cropland cropping intensity to urban expansion","authors":"Chen Ma ,&nbsp;Manchun Li ,&nbsp;Penghui Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Urban expansion(UE) and multiple cropping(MC) are key factors in anthropogenic impacts on global environmental change. However, the multi-scale response patterns of UE and MC have not yet been revealed, and how urbanization affects cropland intensification is still not deeply explored.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study examines the spatial and temporal trends in global UE and MC and analyses the multi-scale response patterns of both.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>The GEE (Google Earth Engine) platform was used to count global cropland cropping intensity (CCI) and impervious surface rasters on an image-by-image basis, while GIS was employed for spatial analyses, and the generalized additive model (GAM) was applied to inscribe variable response trajectories.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSION</h3><div>The global multiple cropping index(MCI) increased significantly (by 4.1 %) over the period 2001–2019, with growth in double- and triple-cropped cropland dominating this change. Double cropping, as a widespread global farming strategy, has led to a shift towards the intensification of agriculture, with countries in the northern hemisphere contributing more. Global UE significantly expands to twice the baseline level at an average annual growth rate of 2. 42 × 10⁴ km² over the period 2001–2019, with the expansion of world-class urban agglomerations in China, the United States and Europe dominates this trend. The spatial clustering of MC and UE has continued to intensify, with high-intensity cropping strategies progressively clustering towards areas of significant UE, and this tendency has a clear decreasing urban-rural gradient effect. The global CCI grows significantly and non-linearly with UE, but an important inflection point in the growth trajectory has occurred under the influence of threshold effects. Developed countries tend to be more flexible in their cropping intensity strategies as they move forward with urbanization. There is a clear increasing effect of the urban-rural gradient in the degree of non-linearity in the response of urbanization and cropping intensity.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the complex spatial and temporal coupling mechanisms between UE and MC, and provide useful insights for the development of trade-offs between urbanization and maturity strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104138"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142319673","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":"Quantifying spatial distributions and temporal trends of livestock populations across pastoral agroecosystems at high resolution","authors":"Mitchell Donovan ,&nbsp;Peter Pletnyakov ,&nbsp;Tony Van der Weerden ,&nbsp;Cecile de Klein","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104128","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104128","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Global agroecosystems, predominantly pastoral and rangelands, are crucial for food, fibre, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity, covering about 40-50 % of Earth's land. Yet, they are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, and land degradation. In New Zealand, nearly half the land supports grazing ruminants, significantly impacting the environment and contributing to methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Accurate livestock population data are essential to understand and mitigate these impacts.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVES&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study aims to create a high-resolution, farm-scale dataset of livestock densities in New Zealand, using a novel methodological framework that integrates agricultural production surveys, geospatial products and data derived from remote sensing. This framework is designed to improve the accuracy of environmental assessments, inform national and global livestock inventories, and guide sustainable land-use and conservation efforts.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The study used a combination of geodatabases, data derived from remote sensing, regional statistics, and surveys to generate high-resolution gridded data products of livestock densities. Livestock counts were refined using land cover and farm-type data to exclude non-pastoral lands and accurately estimate grazing densities. The approach integrated data cleaning, processing, and spatial analysis within Python and qGIS, providing time-series analyses and regional validations against standard survey data to ensure accuracy and reliability. The outputs were further compared with global-scale livestock data to validate the accuracy and bias in global data being used to inform international modeling efforts.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;RESULTS &amp; CONCLUSIONS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We generated detailed maps showing spatial and temporal trends of sheep, beef, and dairy cattle across New Zealand. This high-resolution national dataset provides a more accurate national data source than previous global estimates for New Zealand and identifies biases/overestimations in global livestock data. The study also offers insights into the environmental pressures of livestock grazing, particularly regarding greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. The research presents a significant advance in our ability to quantify livestock populations at farm scale across national extents, providing a basis for more precise environmental and policy-making decisions. It underscores the need for high-resolution, locally validated data to inform global databases and supports targeted interventions to mitigate environmental impacts.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;SIGNIFICANCE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The study's findings are crucial for managing agroecosystems sustainably, enhancing greenhouse gas inventories, and improving land and water quality management. They represent a step forward in our ability to quantify and manage the ecological footprint of livestock farming, with implications fo","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104128"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142312717","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":"Evidence of a rebound effect in agriculture: Crop-livestock reconnection beyond the farm gate does not always lead to more sustainable nitrogen management","authors":"Olivier Godinot ,&nbsp;Julia Jouan ,&nbsp;Thomas Nesme ,&nbsp;Matthieu Carof","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Reconnecting crop and livestock production beyond the farm gate by exchanging raw materials (e.g., feed, manure) between farms is seen as a promising solution for improving the environmental performance of farms, since it should reduce the use of imported nitrogen (N) inputs. However, such a circular economy does not necessarily lead to a positive outcome, since cooperating farms might simultaneously intensify their production, which could cancel out the benefits of reconnecting crops and livestock: this is known as a rebound effect.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The aim of our study was to identify and analyze a potential rebound effect due to reconnection of crop and livestock farms.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>We collected data on 18 case-study farms in a small territory in Spain. We then calculated two indicators of the N rebound effect: one based on potential savings of inorganic N fertilizer for cooperating crop farms and another based on potential savings of N losses to the environment for cooperating livestock farms.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>On cooperating crop farms, importing manure did not lead to replacement of inorganic N fertilizer and could lead more inorganic N fertilizer being used. Thus, their mean N rebound effect was 520 %, which constituted a backfire effect. This mean, however, covered large differences among farms. On cooperating dairy farms, exporting manure resulted in a mean negative rebound effect of −17 %, meaning that they achieved higher savings in the N balance than expected compared to non-cooperating dairy farms.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>Our main contribution is to show that there may be a rebound effect when reconnecting crop and livestock production beyond the farm gate due to the intensification of farms. The indicators of the N rebound effect developed can thus help identify situations that improve or degrade environmental performance. They should be used to complement existing indicators, such as N-use efficiency and the N balance, to design efficient farming systems while avoiding a rebound effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104137"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142275692","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":"Drivers and barriers to digital transformation in agriculture: An evolutionary game analysis based on the experience of China","authors":"Yong Sun ,&nbsp;Yiling Miao ,&nbsp;Zhiju Xie ,&nbsp;Runtian Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>The digital transformation of agriculture is a complex and dynamic process involving numerous stakeholders. Inadequate participation and collaboration from stakeholders are major factors contributing to the difficulties in agricultural digital transformation. However, there is a paucity of research that dynamically uncovers the driving forces and obstacles of agricultural digitization from the perspective of stakeholders.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The purpose of this article is to systematically analyze the drivers and obstacles faced by government incentives, digital technology service providers, and agricultural operators in participating in the digital transformation of agriculture.</div></div><div><h3>METHOD</h3><div>This article employs evolutionary game theory to construct a model of the game between digital technology service providers and agricultural operators under the exogenous influence of the government. It also conducts stable strategy analysis and numerical simulation to explain and predict the behaviors and interaction mechanisms among multiple stakeholders in the digital transformation of agriculture.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Our analysis reveals four potential equilibrium points under specific conditions, identifying that the increase in returns and the opportunity costs of not participating in agricultural digital transformation are key driving factors. Critical barriers include the high costs faced by digital technology service providers and agricultural operators, as well as the associated risks of non-participation. Government incentives emerge as a crucial exogenous factor in promoting agricultural digital transformation. To better facilitate this process, we propose policy recommendations and management insights.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study provides a new research perspective and methodology for agricultural digital transformation, offering a more comprehensive reflection of the complexity and multidimensionality of the driving and barrier factors influencing this process. It also provides theoretical support for explaining phenomena such as irrational behavior, multiple equilibria, and path dependence that exist in agricultural digital transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104136"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142312716","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}