Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"From emerging theories to messy realities: Inclusive innovation in agriculture and food systems","authors":"Amy R. Beaudreault , Holger Meinke , Md. Mofakkarul Islam","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104121","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104121"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535304","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":"Assessing cropping system multifunctionality: An analysis of trade-offs and synergies in French cereal fields","authors":"Audrey Alignier ,&nbsp;Matthieu Carof ,&nbsp;Stéphanie Aviron","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><p>Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing cropping systems in a given context is a key first step before designing new, more sustainable cropping systems. The concept of multifunctionality can be a useful tool for cropping system assessment. Whether and how cropping systems and specific management practices might modulate agroecosystem multifunctionality remains unknown, as do the potential trade-offs and synergies among functions.</p></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><p>This study aimed to (i) assess the multifunctionality of annual cropping systems by estimating their agronomic, ecological and socio-economic performances; (ii) identify trade-offs and synergies among functions; (iii) highlight management practices that can be mobilized to foster synergies between agricultural production and other functions.</p></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><p>We measured 14 primary variables, used as proxies for seven functions, in 20 conventional and 20 organic winter cereal fields, in northwestern France. We considered three management practice description levels: (i) farming system (<em>i.e.</em> organic <em>vs.</em> conventional), (ii) combination of management practices that defines a cropping system, and (iii) individual management practices.</p></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><p>We found a strong trade-off between functions related to ecological performance and agronomic, socio-economic performances, especially between biodiversity conservation and food and feed production. Organic systems tended to minimize this trade-off. Our study also revealed contrasts in levels of functions despite similar multifunctionality value across cropping systems. The number of field interventions and nitrogen inputs were the main drivers of cropping system multifunctionality and its underlying functions. The results indicate that specific management practices, such as reducing within-field interventions and nitrogen fertilization amount, could be integrated even in conventional cropping systems to improve multifunctionality. More generally, our work opens the door to further studies on how agricultural management fosters the simultaneous provision of multiple functions including socio-economic ones.</p></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><p>Besides multifunctionality assessment of cropping systems, our study emphasizes the need to further explore how management practices shape the provision of multiple functions and their potential trade-offs. This knowledge is crucial to develop effective strategies for the design of sustainable cropping systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104100"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002506/pdfft?md5=c63fbd6e2bf8c9a6eddcc66712865a90&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002506-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142144045","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":"Modelling Indigenous small-scale agriculture and food systems in Guatemala - Hybrid Bayesian inference for data-poor regions","authors":"Julien Malard-Adam ,&nbsp;Jan Adamowski ,&nbsp;Héctor Tuy ,&nbsp;Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104102","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participatory system dynamics modelling is a useful method for characterising agricultural systems and the complex dynamics linking their human and agronomic counterparts that determine their long-term behaviour and sustainability. One challenge facing this use of system dynamics methods, nonetheless, is the scarcity of time-series data for many key variables, which hinders the calibration and validation of these models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;This research proposes a new approach for quantifying difficult-to-quantify relationships within system dynamics models of socio-agricultural systems when temporally scarce but spatially rich data (e.g., survey or census data) is available for many socioeconomic model variables of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;We propose a methodology to quantify system dynamics models that uses Bayesian inference over spatially-explicit data from different regions to estimate the shape of relationships between socioeconomic variables, where the diversity of values across a country can serve to compensate for the lack of time-series data in regions of interest. The hierarchical component of the approach allows for the automatic weighting of each site's data according to its degree of similarity to the case study region. This approach was applied to a model of agricultural systems and food security developed in Tz'olöj Ya', and K'iche', Guatemala with two different Indigenous farming communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;1) Results indicate that the model performs better in non-study site municipalities that are socioeconomically and environmentally similar to the case study sites than in less similar municipalities (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; 0.81–0.98 in the study sites, but &lt;0.5 in many dissimilar regions).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2) The spatial validation procedure across non-case study municipalities shows that trends in population and child chronic malnutrition are relatively well-represented by the model in similar municipalities (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; 0.81–0.99 in case study regions), while forest cover dynamics are much more difficult to generalise across regions (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; 0.26–0.87 in case study regions, and worse elsewhere).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3) The model showed that agricultural system resiliency was best improved not by technological fixes to improve crop productivity, but rather by structural changes to livelihood diversification.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4) These results were possible due to the hybrid approach used: stakeholder participation was central to the identification of key relationships between agronomic and socioeconomic variables, while Bayesian inference and spatial validation allowed for the assessment of the model's validity and geographical limits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;SIGNIFICANCE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new methodology allows for quantification and testing of system dynamics models of agricultural systems that could otherwise not be formally calibrated or validated due to a lack of time-series dat","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104102"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142144032","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":"Classifying and explaining Walloon dairy farms in terms of sustainable food security using a multiple criteria decision making method","authors":"Caroline Battheu-Noirfalise ,&nbsp;Alexandre Mertens ,&nbsp;Arno Faivre ,&nbsp;Catherine Charles ,&nbsp;Thomas Dogot ,&nbsp;Didier Stilmant ,&nbsp;Yves Beckers ,&nbsp;Eric Froidmont","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Land intensive grass-based dairy systems have the highest contribution to food security but may have a higher impact on the environment. The aim of this study was to classify dairy farms in terms of sustainable contribution to food security and analyze the farm characteristics related to these performances. To this end, we performed a sustainability assessment by calculating 17 indicators using FADN data of 209 Walloon (Belgium) dairy farms. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process, 25 stakeholders of the Walloon milk upstream sector defined preference weights for the indicators. Farms were ranked using ELECTRE III using the mean weights for the dairy sector and grouped in four sustainability groups. A canonical discriminant analysis was performed on farm characteristics. Farm characteristics that negatively impact sustainability are the use of maize silage, the use of concentrates and the CP-content of these concentrates, the farm size, and the number of female followers per cow. The farm characteristic that positively impacts sustainability is the grassland yield. Milk production per cow, age at first calving, and calving interval have a negligible effect on sustainability. These results suggest that feed conversion efficiency is not a main driver of sustainability but rather that specific production means and practices play a more significant role in determining sustainability. Consequently, we argue that the search for efficiency that has been promoted to increase the sustainability of food systems should be placed in a systemic perspective in order to avoid trade-offs with other aspects and that, in general, an increase in efficiency is positively linked with sustainability when achieved through knowledge and technicity rather than by the addition of external inputs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104112"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142151478","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":"The economic performance of grassland-based milk production using best practices to lower greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions","authors":"Owen Cashman ,&nbsp;Imelda Casey ,&nbsp;James Humphreys","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Economic sustainability is a primary consideration when contemplating adoption of new farming practices to mitigate climate change. Quantifying the impact of adopting best practices to lower emissions on the profitability of dairy production systems is critical to encouraging rapid adoption at farm level to reach emissions reduction targets.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The aim was to evaluate the economic consequences of adoption of best practices to mitigate climate change in a typical compact spring-calving grassland-based system of dairy production in Ireland.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Data were collected from compact systems-scale experiments conducted at Solohead Research Farm, Co. Tipperary, Ireland (52°51′N, 08°21′W) between 2011 and 2022. There were three systems that had an average of 27 cows per system per year and an average annual stocking rate of 2.53 cows ha⁻¹. INT was the control in this study and included average annual fertiliser N input of 265 kg ha⁻¹, applied as calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN 27.5 % N) and urea (46 % N) and the average annual clover content of grassland dry matter was 110 g kg⁻¹, and slurry was applied by splash plate. BPN included average annual fertiliser N input of 99 kg ha⁻¹ applied as urea or protected urea, clover content was 230 g kg⁻¹ and slurry was applied by trailing shoe. BPO received minimal (&lt;5 kg ha⁻¹) inputs of fertiliser N, clover content was 280 g kg⁻¹ and slurry was applied by trailing shoe. INT encompassed each of 7 experimental years, BPN 7 years and BPO 4 years. Herbage, milk and other production characteristics were measured. Relevant farm activity data was modelled on the basis of a 50 ha farm to compare the economic performance of the three systems.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>There were no (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) differences in herbage dry matter production per ha and milk production per cow between the three systems. BPO was more (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) profitable than INT, whereas BPN was intermediate. Sensitivity of the systems to changing fertiliser N and milk price showed that BPO was more profitable (P &lt; 0.05) in scenarios with intermediate or high fertiliser N prices. BPO had the potential to maintain or improve profitability with substantially lower greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions than conventional grassland-based dairy production (INT).</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The adoption of practices to lower greenhouse gas emissions from grassland-based dairy production can maintain or improve farm profitability. These results support wider adoption on farms.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104105"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002555/pdfft?md5=d7e3151299ccd2618ba5259cc0914d17&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002555-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142128463","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":"Integrating environmental footprints and ecosystem economic performance to evaluate nitrogen management in intensive drip-irrigated potato production","authors":"Yunfei Di ,&nbsp;Haibo Yang ,&nbsp;Yuncai Hu ,&nbsp;Fei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Excessive fertilizer application and poor agronomy management result in adverse environmental impacts and high environmental and economic costs for ecological restoration.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Analyzing the integrated effects of nitrogen (N) management on environmental footprints, human health, and ecosystem economic benefits (EEB) is essential to intensive potato cultivation under drip irrigation in Northwest China.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>In this study, field experiments were conducted from 2018 to 2020 to evaluate environmental footprints and EEB based on the life cycle assessment (LCA), and a random forest algorithm was used to identify the importance of indicators to N and carbon (C) footprints. The N fertilizer levels were denoted as no N fertilizer application (Control), farmer practice (FP), and optimized N management (OM) based on N-balance principles, soil mineral N, and target yield.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>The results revealed that OM treatment remarkably reduced reactive N (Nr) losses, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, environmental footprints, and ecosystem costs and increased human health and net EEB potentials per tonne or hectare of potato production. The OM treatment achieved 47.8 %, 27.7 %, 48.8 %, 30.4 %, and 42.9 % lower Nr losses, GHG emissions, N footprint, C footprint, and ecological costs, and 19.6 % higher N-derived net EEB compared to the FP treatment, respectively. The N leaching to the N footprint and N fertilizer to the C footprint were the most critical indicators and gained the highest importance scores. The decreased environmental footprints and increased EEB of OM treatments matched environmentally sustainable demand more than the FP treatment.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Integrating management measures and optimized N fertilizer rates have significant potential for environmental impacts and sustainable development in an intensive potato system under drip irrigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104110"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142122983","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":"Complex cocoa agroforestry systems shaped within specific socioeconomic and historical contexts in Africa: Lessons from Cameroonian farmers","authors":"Isabelle Michel ,&nbsp;Julien Blanco ,&nbsp;François Manga Essouma ,&nbsp;Stéphanie M. Carrière","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104111","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the humid tropics, the socioecological advantages of family-based, multistory agroforestry systems are well recognized. Yet public policies tend to focus on conservation and land-sparing strategies alongside the promotion of modern intensive agriculture, neglecting these biodiverse agroecosystems, which are in decline. This is a particularly central issue in cocoa cultivation. In Africa's two largest cocoa-producing countries (Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana), cocoa plantations with few associated trees contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss. In contrast, in regions like Cameroon, biodiversity-rich cocoa agroforests prevail. Considering global changes and rising cocoa demand, it is crucial to preserve and develop these agroforestry systems that reconcile cocoa production with ecosystem services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study, conducted in Cameroon between 2013 and 2017, aimed to pinpoint the socioeconomic factors influencing the characteristics, maintenance, and degradation of cocoa agroforests, with the ultimate goal of identifying intervention strategies to promote their preservation and development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study collected data from (i) on-field measurements in 95 cocoa agroforestry plots, (ii) interviews with the 95 farmers managing the plots, and (iii) historical interviews with 50 key informants. We focused on five sites across a gradient of population density, encompassing various socioecological environments and types of cocoa agroforests. Through thematic and statistical analyses, we evaluated differences between the five sites.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results indicated contrasting management practices, dendrometric structure, species composition, and cocoa yields between sites. These contrasts largely reflected socioeconomic factors and site-specific dynamics. Cocoa agroforests were less rich in biodiversity in sites where farmers with capital using hired labor had acquired land than in sites where family farmers predominated. A trade-off was found between the richness of companion trees and cocoa yields. Plots managed by smallholder family farmers near urban areas tended to better reconcile cocoa production and biodiversity conservation. These farmers had gradually transformed their traditional agroforests to adapt to increasing demographic pressure by integrating diverse fruit tree species, using pesticides sparingly, and introducing selected cocoa varieties mixed with older varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;SIGNIFICANCE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The small-scale family-managed cocoa agroforests, which incorporate fruit species as described in this study, could serve as a model for a more sustainable cocoa production strategy. However, developing such a strategy would require greater investment and support from policymakers. This includes supporting the marketing of products from companion trees, stabilizing cocoa prices at a high level, and implementing la","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104111"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002610/pdfft?md5=290c66f1ec5cbbb81757b84fdd350fe1&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002610-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142101073","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":"Assessing pollinator abundance and services to enhance agricultural sustainability and crop yield optimization in the Qilian Mountains","authors":"Haijiang Yang ,&nbsp;Xiaohua Gou ,&nbsp;Yibo Niu ,&nbsp;Wenwei Shi ,&nbsp;Xinyun Wang ,&nbsp;Yuxin Wei ,&nbsp;Tek Maraseni","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Pollination services are critical to crop production and human livelihoods, linking natural ecosystems directly to agricultural production systems. However, pollination services and pollinators are under constant threat from land-use changes and various other environmental pressures.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>In this study, employing a case study of the entire Qilian Mountains in northwest China, the distribution of nectar sources in different land use types in the study area was determined through field survey and literature.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Based on 1990–2020 land use data, crop yield data, crop prices, pollinating bee species and nectar plants data. We used the Gross Ecological Product (GEP) accounting and InVEST model of pollination services and assessed the status and trends of pollination services, the risks posed by land use changes and environmental pressures, and suggested potential solutions for mitigating identified risks.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>The results of the study showed that (1) nectar sources and nesting areas' potential distribution closely correlates with land use types; (2) the Pollinator abundance index (PAI) is above 0.30, a high level, and the Pollination potential index (PPI) is between 0.15 and 0.30, a medium level, with both indices generally increasing over the past 40 years; (3) Human economic activities and land management policies had the most significant impact on pollination services, with 15.57 % and 14.02 %, respectively. Climate change (temperature, precipitation, extreme events) and invasive alien species had relatively minor impacts, accounting for 0.14 % and 0.15 %, respectively. (4) The Qilian Mountains will face a new risk, whether monoculture or the expansion of pollinator-dependent crops could lead to habitat homogenization issues, potentially affecting pollinator abundance and diversity.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>We recommend that future plans emphasize the provision of pollinator nesting resources along with floral resources, restoration of semi-natural and natural habitats adjacent to crops, adjustment of cropping patterns, and implementation of agricultural diversification, which will help to ensure pollinator diversity and sustainability of agroecosystem pollination services.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104109"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142101141","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":"Optimal resource reallocation can achieve water conservation, emissions reduction, and improve irrigated agricultural systems","authors":"Simeng Cui ,&nbsp;Jan F. Adamowski ,&nbsp;Raffaele Albano ,&nbsp;Mengyang Wu ,&nbsp;Xinchun Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104106","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crop production consumes large volumes of fresh water and is a key contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Increasing crop output to ensure adequate food supplies under water and land scarcity relies excessively on intensive agricultural inputs (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural films), leading to irreparable environmental consequences (water scarcity and degradation and GHG emissions). Therefore, research on a nexus approach and resource optimization model were carried out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;To fill the gap of objectives priority and optimal allocation of water resources at irrigation area scale, this study constructed a model to achieve optimal water conservation, GHG emissions reduction, and economic benefit improvement, covering the cumulative environmental burden of agricultural inputs, production processes, trade and consumption related to agricultural activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on a resource-environmental-economic framework, we took the blue water footprint (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;blue&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;) as a decision variable and developed an integrated water resource optimization model, which was solved by the non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II in Matlab. Minimizing crop water footprint (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;), minimizing crop carbon emissions (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;CE&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;) and maximizing crop economic benefits (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;EB&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;) were the objectives of the model, and blue water resource, food security, electric energy consumption and land security were the constraint conditions. In addition, three scenarios were tested based on the priority of the objective functions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Annually, &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; was 1234.29 × 10&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; and &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;CE&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; was 522.45 Gg CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; eq for food production in Lianshui Irrigation District from 2005 to 2019. Grain crops exhibited a greater &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and contributed significantly more to &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;CE&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; than oilseed crops. Virtual water and carbon flows increased with food transfer. By adjusting the &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;blue&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; of crops compared to the baseline scenario (BS), the average &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; decreased by 10.0 %, &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;CE&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; decreased by 4.0 %, and &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;EB&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; increased by 6.4 % under Scenario 2 (minimizing &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;WF&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;crop&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and maximizing &lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;EB","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 104106"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142101142","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 state-and-transition model framework to take stock of natural capital on farms","authors":"Frederick W. Rainsford ,&nbsp;Matthew Appleby ,&nbsp;Angela Hawdon ,&nbsp;Alex Maisey ,&nbsp;Rachel Lawrence ,&nbsp;Imogen Semmler ,&nbsp;Daniel O'Brien ,&nbsp;Sue Ogilvy ,&nbsp;James Q. Radford","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><p>Natural capital accounting is an emerging approach to help address the challenge of preventing further biodiversity loss while sustainably providing resources for a growing human population. It requires an effective and robust framework for quantifying natural capital on farms. State and transition models (STMs) have been used extensively to describe the range of observable condition states for an ecosystem and the processes that maintain states or drive shifts between them. Current STM frameworks have limited capacity for use in modified landscapes and therefore are currently unsuitable for many applications of natural capital accounting.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>We aimed to develop an extended STM framework, using ‘Eucalyptus woodlands of south-eastern Australia’ as an example, to categorise ecological condition states unambiguously in high-resolution across whole farms.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We used synthesised current literature, consulted experts, and conducted field visits to develop and refine the STM.</p></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><p>We developed an STM that defines 35 condition states observable on farms in south-eastern Australia, ranging from ‘reference’ condition woodlands that have experienced minimal disturbance to highly modified derived grasslands and crops. The STM framework can be used to assign an ecological condition state to all areas on a farm.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The STM described here marks a significant advancement in farmland ecology and natural resource management. Using this tool and adapting the states and thresholds to fit other vegetation types, all ecosystems on a farm can be categorized based on ecological condition, which can then be mapped across whole farms. Ecosystem state mapping can be used to guide restoration actions, management trade-offs and track changes in ecological condition over time. These maps can be used to quantify natural capital on farms to form the basis of natural capital accounts and infer ecosystem service provision. This framework will facilitate biodiversity credential certification and help enable farmers to access price premiums and restricted markets, and ultimately, will enhance biodiversity conservation in farmlands while also enabling appropriate decisions regarding continuing agronomic use.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 104104"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24002543/pdfft?md5=467f10a3c98dde1dd7ed95a30b76206e&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24002543-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097292","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}