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Cillis, Giuseppe, Dina Statuto, and Pietro Picuno. "Vernacular Farm Buildings and Rural Landscape: A Geospatial Approach for Their Integrated Management." Sustainability 12, no. 1 (December 18, 2019): 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12010004.
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Over the centuries, farm buildings, which accompany the development of agriculture, have played an important role in defining spatial and environmental planning. In some European countries in particular, these rural structures have been built based on traditional agricultural needs and typical land characteristics. Considering the land abandonment that has occurred over the last five decades, with farmers moving to more comfortable residences in neighboring urban settlements, historical farm buildings have often been abandoned, thus causing a leakage of the historical-cultural heritage of the rural landscape. Nowadays, open data and geographic technologies together with advanced technological tools allow us to gather multidisciplinary information about the specific characteristics of each farm building, thus improving our knowledge. This information can greatly support the protection of those buildings and landscapes that have high cultural and naturalistic value. In this paper, the potential of Geographic Information Systems to catalogue the farm buildings of the Basilicata region (Southern Italy) is explored. The analysis of these buildings, traditionally known as masserie, integrates some typical aspects of landscape studies, paving the way for sustainable management of the important cultural heritage represented by vernacular farm buildings and the rural landscape.
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Campbell, J. C., J. Radke, J. T. Gless, and R. M. Wirtshafter. "An Application of Linear Programming and Geographic Information Systems: Cropland Allocation in Antigua." Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 24, no. 4 (April 1992): 535–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/a240535.
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This paper is focused on the application of linear programming (LP) in combination with a geographic information system (GIS) in planning agricultural land-use strategies. One of the essential inputs for planning any agricultural land-use strategy is a knowledge of the natural resources. This is even more critical in small countries such as those in the Eastern Caribbean, where land-area limitations dictate a greater need for careful assessment and management of these resources. The first step of the proposed methodology is to obtain an assessment of the natural resources available to agriculture. The GIS is used to delineate land-use conflicts and provide reliable information on the natural-resource database. This is followed by combining the data on natural resources with other quantifiable information on available labour, market forecasts, technology, and cost information in order to estimate the economic potential of the agricultural sector. LP is used in this step. Finally, the GIS is applied again to map the crop and land-allocation patterns generated by the LP model. The results are concrete suggestions for resource allocation, farm-size mix, policy application, and implementation projects.
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Bhatta, Gopal Datt, and Nilhari Neupane. "Simulating farm income under the current soil management regime in the mid-hills of Nepal." Himalayan Journal of Sciences 6, no. 8 (June 24, 2011): 27–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hjs.v6i8.3243.
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Farmers in the mid-hills of Nepal follow diverse farming systems. The peri-urban area of this region, where population density is higher, faces several problems in farming. While hills suffer from erosion because they are erodible, the peri-urban areas face the problem of decline in factor productivity, particularly in intensively cultivated farmlands. The present study is concerned with simulating farm income on a regional scale based on soil management practices. Spatial explicit simulation shows that the loss of farm income due to degradation is substantially higher in hills while it is lower in valley bottoms. Strategy formulation and testing in the spatial environment indicates that Geographic Information System is an appropriate methodological tool for simulating the consequences of particular interventions. Key words: Mid hills, Nepal, spatial modeling, soil quality index, farm income DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hjs.v6i8.3243 Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.6 Issue 8 2010 pp.27-34
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Jofre-Giraudo, Eduardo, Deborah H. Streeter, and William Lazarus. "The impact of computer information systems on dairy farm management decisions." Agribusiness 6, no. 5 (September 1990): 463–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1520-6297(199009)6:5<463::aid-agr2720060505>3.0.co;2-a.
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Robert, Pierre C. "643 Site-specific Management for the 21st Century." HortScience 34, no. 3 (June 1999): 558D—558. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.34.3.558d.
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The new agricultural system called soil/site specific crop management (SSCM), now more generally named precision agriculture (precision farming) is the start of a revolution in natural resource management based on INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CONTROL: it is bringing agriculture in the digital and information age. New technologies in the early 80s, particularly the microprocessor, made possible the development in the United States of farm machinery computers and controllers, the electronic acquisition and process of spatial field data to build farm geographic record keeping systems, the production of soil/site specific condition and management maps using GIS, the positioning of machines using GPS, and the development of real-time soil and crop sensors, particularly yield sensors. The concept of precision agriculture originated from a better awareness of soil and crop conditions variability within fields. The variability of soil conditions within parcels in the U.S. has been demonstrated in many ways (soil survey, soil sampling, and remote sensing) for both soil nutrients and soil physical properties (e.g., available water and compaction). It is progressively found that the concept of precision agriculture can be applied to a variety of crops and practices; management technological levels; and farm types and sizes. For example, in addition to grain crops (corn, soybeans, and wheat), applications are now developed for sugar beet and sugar cane, potato, cotton, peanut, vegetables, turf, or- chard, livestock, tree plantation, etc. Precision agriculture is still in infancy but it is the agricultural system of the future because it offers a unique variety of potential benefits in profitability, productivity, sustainability, crop quality, food safety, environmental protection, on-farm quality of life, and rural economic development.
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Dinaburga, Gundega, Dainis Lapiņš, and Andris Bērziņš. "THE IMPACT OF UNREGULATED FACTOR INFLUENCE ON WINTER WHEAT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT." Environment. Technology. Resources. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference 1 (August 3, 2015): 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.17770/etr2009vol1.1093.
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The modern meaning of accurate crop cultivation is closely associated with the new information technologies - geographic information and global positioning systems. Latvia has not published the results of research on soil conditions and the impact of unregulated factors of production conditions on winter wheat growth and yield. Analysis of results of studies aimed to clarify the difference of soil treatment facilities, as the criteria for the treatment of soil using soil characterizing Non-plant growth and development factors. Investigations were carried out in 2005 – 2007 on the production plantations of the Kurpnieki field, the Vecauce Study and Research Farm of the Latvia University of Agriculture. The results, while on a previous year, research on soil management measures to optimize the opportunities associated with global positioning systems, precision field management implementation practice shows that in order to obtain objective indicators and to gain the desired results, it was not enough for one season observation, since a large role in shaping the harvest is the meteorological conditions during the growing period. Unregulated factors: organic matter content, Ap horizon thickness, as well as the relative height above sea-level properties of materials research is the prerequisite for geographic information system-based resource-saving cultivation technology field-crop cultivation.
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Babajanov, Allabergan, and Rashid Abdiramanov. "Drafting land allocation projects for urban development based on GIS technologies." E3S Web of Conferences 264 (2021): 03040. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202126403040.
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The article scientifically describes the development of land allocation projects for urban purposes using geographic information systems (GIS) technology, one of the main forms of inter-farm land management, one of the state measures aimed at rational organization of land use. In addition, the scientific article should take into account the formation of the databases necessary for the development of such projects, the stages of data processing and analysis, as well as the issues that need to be addressed, as well as the development of feasibility studies for the implementation of such projects—key factors and key indicators, as well as expected project results.
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Yang, Feng, Kaiyi Wang, Yanyun Han, and Zhong Qiao. "A Cloud-Based Digital Farm Management System for Vegetable Production Process Management and Quality Traceability." Sustainability 10, no. 11 (November 1, 2018): 4007. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10114007.
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Farm Management Information Systems (FMISs) are being expanded to improve operation efficiency, reduce inputs, and ensure compliance with standards and regulations. However, this goal is difficult to attain in the vegetable sector, where data acquisition is time-consuming and data at different stages is fragmented by the potential diversity of crops and multiple batches cultivated at any given farm. This applies, in particular, to farms in China, which have small areas and low degrees of mechanization. This study presents an integrated approach to track and trace production efficiently through our Digital Farm Management System (DFMS), which adopts the cloud framework and utilizes Quick Response (QR) codes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Specifically, a data acquisition system is proposed that runs on a smartphone for the efficient gathering of planting information in the field. Moreover, DFMS generates statistics and analyses of planting areas, costs, and yields. DFMS meets the FMIS requirements and provides the accurate tracking and tracing of the production for each batch in an efficient manner. The system has been applied in a large-scale vegetable production enterprise, consisting of 12 farms distributed throughout China. This application shows that DFMS is a highly efficient solution for precise vegetable farm management.
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Nieto, María, Olivia Barrantes, Liliana Privitello, and Ramón Reiné. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina." Sustainability 10, no. 11 (November 16, 2018): 4228. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10114228.
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The livestock sector can be a major contributor to the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Within the sector, beef production produces the largest proportion of the livestock sector’s direct emissions. The objective of this study was to assess the on-farm GHG emissions in semi-arid rangelands in Argentina and to identify the relationship between emissions and current farm management practices. A survey recorded detailed information on farm management and characteristics. Assessments of GHG emissions were based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 protocols. The relationship between farm management and GHG emissions were identified using general linear models. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of farms that differed from others in emissions and farm characteristics. Emissions per product sold were low on farms that had improved livestock care management, rotational grazing, received technical advice, and had high animal and land productivities. Emissions per hectare of farmland were low on farms that had low stocking rates, a low number of grazing paddocks, little or no land dedicated to improved pastures and forage crops, and low land productivity. Our results suggest that the implementation of realistic, relatively easy-to-adopt farming management practices has considerable potential for mitigating the GHG emissions in the semi-arid rangelands of central Argentina.
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Niel, T. G. Van, and T. R. McVicar. "Current and potential uses of optical remote sensing in rice-based irrigation systems: a review." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55, no. 2 (2004): 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar03149.
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For high water usage cropping systems such as irrigated rice, the positive outcomes of producing a staple food source and sustaining the economy often come at the cost of high resource use and environmental degradation. Advances in geospatial technology will play an increasingly important role in raising productivity and resource use efficiency and reducing environmental degradation, both worldwide and within Australia. This paper reviews the current use of one of these technologies, remote sensing, with the rice-growing region in Australia as a case study. Specifically, we review applications of remote sensing in crop identification, area measurement, regional yield forecasting, and on-farm productivity monitoring and management. Within this context, consideration is given to classification algorithms and accuracy assessment, hyperspectral remote sensing, positional and areal accuracy, linear mixture modelling, methane (CH4) emissions, yield forecasting techniques, and precision agriculture. We also discuss the potential for using remote sensing to assess crop water use, which has received little attention in rice-based irrigation systems, even though it is becoming increasingly important in land and water management planning for irrigation areas. Accordingly, special attention is given to the role of remote sensing with respect to the surface energy balance, the relationship between surface temperature and remotely sensed vegetation indices, and water use efficiency. A general discussion of other geospatial issues, namely geographic information systems and spatial interpolation, is provided because earth-science analysis using remote sensing is often intrinsically integrated with other spatially based technologies and aspects of geographical science.
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Padgitt, Steve, Peggy Petrzelka, Wendy Wintersteen, and Eric Imerman. "Integrated crop management: The other precision agriculture." American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 16, no. 1 (March 2001): 16–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s088918930000881x.
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Abstract“Precision agriculture” was a favorite buzzword in agricultural discussions in the 1990s. Proponents of precision agriculture note its promises are twofold: economic benefits for the producer and environmental benefits for society. These benefits are to be achieved by improving the efficiency of input use, based on data obtained with global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies. Although fulfillment of these promises has been mixed to date, it appears that “precision agriculture” will continue in the agriculture vernacular into the 21st century. In this article, we propose another sense of the term, and argue that precision agriculture, or at least long strides in that direction, is possible short of these highly complex methods and capital investments, through integrated crop management (ICM). As practiced by the producer and/or provided by independent crop consultants, ICM is one alternative to providing information-intensive management on the farm, and has proven efficiency of input use. That is, the promise of economic and environmental benefits holds true in a manner that makes it possible for any producer to implement “precision agriculture.” Using data from users and nonusers of independent crop consultants implementing ICM, this study reveals that several economic and environmental benefits are gained from the information and management recommendations provided by consultants. Pest and nutrient management recommendations have led to decreases in pesticide and commercial fertilizer use. For the majority of users, these input reductions have resulted in an increase in profits since hiring a consultant. Users attributed changes in total cost of production to their consultant's effectiveness, and some reported receiving double or greater return for every dollar invested in consultant services. The results confirm the important role that Iowa's independent crop consultants could play in agricultural production and environmental protection through their promotion of ICM activities. However, the scarcity of consultants in Iowa, and possibly elsewhere, presents a challenge within the industry. Addressing this issue may help in contributing to rural development, economic benefit for the producer, and environmental benefit for all of society.
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Wang, Hao, Yaxin Ren, and Zhijun Meng. "A Farm Management Information System for Semi-Supervised Path Planning and Autonomous Vehicle Control." Sustainability 13, no. 13 (July 5, 2021): 7497. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13137497.
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This paper presents a farm management information system targeting improvements in the ease of use and sustainability of robot farming systems. The system integrates the functionalities of field survey, path planning, monitoring, and controlling agricultural vehicles in real time. Firstly, a Grabcut-based semi-supervised field registration method is proposed for arable field detection from the orthoimage taken by the drone with an RGB camera. It partitions a complex field into simple geometric entities with simple user interaction. The average Mean Intersection over Union is about 0.95 when the field size ranges from 2.74 ha to 5.06 ha. In addition, a desktop software and a web application are developed as the entity of an FMIS. Compared to existing FMISs, this system provides more advanced features in robot farming, while providing simpler user interaction and better results. It allows clients to invoke web services and receive responses independent of programming language and platforms. Moreover, the system is compatible with other services, users, and devices following the open-source access protocol. We have evaluated the system by controlling 5 robot tractors with a 2 Hz communication frequency. The communication protocols will be publicly available to protentional users.
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Rodríguez Díaz, Juan Antonio, Rafael González Perea, and Miguel Ángel Moreno. "Modelling and Management of Irrigation System." Water 12, no. 3 (March 4, 2020): 697. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12030697.
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Nowadays, irrigation is becoming an activity of precision, whereby it is necessary to combine information collected from various sources to manage resources in an optimal way. New management strategies, such as big data techniques, sensors, artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and new technologies in general, are becoming more relevant every day. Related to this, modeling techniques, both at the water distribution network and at farm level, will be essential to gather information from various sources and offer useful recommendations for decision-making processes. In this Special Issue, ten high-quality papers were selected that cover a wide range of issues that are relevant to the different aspects related to irrigation management: water source and distribution network, plot irrigation systems and crop water management.
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Anasiru, Rahmat Hanif. "ANALISIS SPASIAL DALAM KLASIFIKASI LAHAN KRITIS DI KAWASAN SUB-DAS LANGGE GORONTALO." Informatika Pertanian 25, no. 2 (February 26, 2018): 261. http://dx.doi.org/10.21082/ip.v25n2.2016.p261-272.
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<p>Watershed (DAS) is a complex ecosystem, where land quality is largely determined by land use activities. This illustrates the importance of analytical procedure, especially where the context in which the spatial pattern of land use in the future can be designed based on the risk of degradation in large areas. Data and information are necessary to be used as reference in designing a planning scheme related to land use. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a system that has the ability to analyze problems and their spatial and non-spatial combinations (queries) in order to provide solutions to spatial problems. Sustainable farming is an integral part of sustainable development, a farming system which preserves water resources, land resources, and plant resources in acceptable and suitable ways economically, socially, and environmentally. The research aimed to identify and classify critical land by spatial analysis. Based on identification of land, there were 12 individual units in the study area. Based on the spatial analysis, critical land classification was divided into not critical area of 1,818 ha (28.7.%), Potentially Critical 2,596 ha (41.06%), Moderately critical 1,631 ha (25.08%), Critical 226 ha (3.57 %). Most of the land in sub-basin Langge was a hilly area of 1180.6 ha (63.8%) with a slope of 12-25%; 25-40% and above 40%. Alternative farm management in this area was a conservation farm by mechanical conservation techniques (terraces) or vegetative with cultivation techniques hallway, living fences, grass strips and agroforestry.</p>
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Kim, Jae Sung, and Isaya Kisekka. "FARMs: A Geospatial Crop Modeling and Agricultural Water Management System." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 10, no. 8 (August 17, 2021): 553. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10080553.
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To ensure agricultural sustainability and desirable environmental outcomes, stakeholders need systems-based model-driven decision support tools. The objective of this study was to develop a global scale web-based geospatial crop modeling application called Food, Agriculture, and Resource Management system (FARMs), to simplify the application of the crop simulation model —Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) without requiring users to create input weather, climate, and soil files. FARMs was built based on open source Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies and DSSAT to allow for adaptive management through its ability to perform in-season yield predictions for alfalfa and maize, currently. Validation of FARMs against variety trial data in California was acceptable between measured and simulated yields for alfalfa. The work done in this study showed how a complex model like DSSAT can be translated into a useable web-based decision support tool for near-real-time simulation with the help of open-source GIS technologies.
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GARCIA-LAUNAY, F., C. SIBRA, H. MOLÉNAT, C. AGABRIEL, and G. BRUNSCHWIG. "Grassland use in mountain bovine systems according to a hierarchy of geographical determinants." Journal of Agricultural Science 150, no. 2 (June 21, 2011): 203–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021859611000517.
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SUMMARYKnowledge of the spatio-temporal management of forage production and grazing in grass-based livestock systems is needed to simulate their functioning and then to propose new cutting and grazing practices that will achieve both environmental and economic benefits. The objectives of the present work were to characterize the types of grassland use in mountain bovine systems and relate them to field geographical characteristics to produce a conceptual model of grassland use. This model can be incorporated into a whole beef and/or dairy farm simulator of the impact of practice changes on environmental and productive performances. For this purpose, a survey of 72 farms was conducted in the traditional Salers system in the Massif Central (France). Information was gathered on geographical characteristics and cutting and/or grazing practices on three general groups of fields: cut only, cut and grazed, and grazed only fields. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses constructed 15 field use classes that account for the complexity of forage production and grazing management. Geographical determinants of grassland use follow a certain hierarchy: slope and carrying capacity influence the occurrence of cutting, and field area determines the possibility of allocating a cut field to grazing animals and of allocating a field to milked cows. The distance to the cowshed is involved in the allocation to milked or suckler cows and also influences the order of the cutting and grazing sequence. For the same combination of geographical characteristics, two types of grassland use may be observed, highlighting the flexibility of mountain systems. A conceptual model of grassland use is proposed as the basis for field use allocation in a whole farm model. Further investigation will consider the influence of field pattern characteristics on these relationships.
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Sandhu, Harpinder, Adele Jones, and Patrick Holden. "True Cost Accounting of Food Using Farm Level Metrics: A New Framework." Sustainability 13, no. 10 (May 19, 2021): 5710. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13105710.
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The application of true cost accounting (TCA) at farm level requires a common framework and metric for measuring, capturing and valuing sustainability. We propose such a framework and farm metric that build on the four capitals—natural, social, human and produced—that are essential for sustainability. The framework is developed by reviewing the scientific and technical literature on various approaches and tools that have been used to measure farm sustainability. We use quantifiable aspects of sustainability in the farm metrics. The farm sustainability metrics comprise four capitals with 11 categories and 33 indicators. These indicators can be assessed using bio-physical assessment, descriptive or quantitative methods. Once this information is compiled for a farm, then some of the categories can be monetised to reflect all the costs and benefits of using state-of-the-art TCA. There is a need to establish benchmarks and standards for each of the four types of capitals and indicators for the comparison of food systems. We believe the use of this comprehensive framework and farm metrics will help to correct several deficiencies of the current food system. We conclude by highlighting the benefits and limitations in the use of farm metrics. Measuring all positive and negative externalities at farm level can shift global food systems towards sustainability.
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Rinaldi, L., G. Fusco, V. Musella, V. Veneziano, A. Guarino, R. Taddei, and G. Cringoli. "Neospora caninum in pastured cattle: determination of climatic, environmental, farm management and individual animal risk factors using remote sensing and geographical information systems." Veterinary Parasitology 128, no. 3-4 (March 2005): 219–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.12.011.
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Tzouramani, Irene, Stamatis Mantziaris, and Pavlos Karanikolas. "Assessing Sustainability Performance at the Farm Level: Examples from Greek Agricultural Systems." Sustainability 12, no. 7 (April 7, 2020): 2929. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12072929.
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In recent years, farmers and policymakers have faced ample challenges and have struggled to support the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Sustainable agriculture encompasses multiple concepts, and its performance produces extensive debate about data requirements, appropriate indicators, evaluation methods, and tools. Under the European Union (EU) financed project FLINT (Farm Level Indicators for New Topics in policy evaluation), detailed data have been collected at the farm level to provide broader coverage of sustainability indicators on a wide range of relevant topics to facilitate the assessment of sustainability performance. The approach has been applied in a pilot network of representative farms at the EU level, considering the heterogeneity of the EU farming sector to provide data infrastructure with up to date information for sustainability indicators. This study aims to assess sustainability performance at the farm level in Greece. Representative and dominant agricultural systems, such as permanent crops, olive trees, arable crops, and livestock (sheep) farms, comprise the Greek sample. It uses the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology and attempts to gain insights into the sustainability performance of agricultural systems. The outcome of the sustainability assessment reveals knowledge and develops support for strategic farm choices in order to support both farmers and policymakers towards more sustainable development plans. The results indicate that three typical Mediterranean farming systems, namely permanent crops, olive trees, and extensive livestock systems (sheep farms), are more sustainable in contrast to intensive and arable crop farms.
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Scott, J. M., M. Munro, N. Rollings, W. Browne, P. J. Vickery, C. Macgregor, G. E. Donald, and H. Sutherland. "Planning for whole-farm systems research at a credible scale: subdividing land into farmlets with equivalent initial conditions." Animal Production Science 53, no. 8 (2013): 618. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an11176.
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Most research comparing different farming systems has been conducted on relatively uniform plots at small scales made necessary by the desire for sufficient replication of the systems and cost limitations. This paper describes an alternative approach to plan the allocation of land to three unreplicated whole-farm management systems such that each farmlet had equivalent starting conditions and yet was at a scale credible to both livestock producers and researchers. The paddocks of each farmlet were distributed across the landscape in a ‘patchwork quilt’ pattern after six iterations of a mapping exercise using a Geographic Information System. Allocation of paddocks took into account those variables of the landscape and natural resource capacity that were not able to be altered. An important benefit of the procedure was that it ensured that the farmlets were co-located with contiguous paddock boundaries so that all farmlets experienced the same climatic as well as biophysical conditions. An electromagnetic survey was conducted of the entire property and used in conjunction with a detailed soils map in order to classify areas into soil conductivity groupings. Equivalent areas of each soil type were allocated across the three farmlets. Similarly, land was distributed according to its topography so that no farmlet would be compromised by being allocated more low lying, flood-prone land than any other farmlet. The third factor used to allocate land to each farmlet was the prior fertiliser history of the original paddocks. This process ensured that each farmlet was objectively allocated equivalent areas of soil type, topography and fertiliser history thus avoiding initial bias among the farmlets. After the plan for all paddocks of each farmlet was finalised, new paddock boundaries were drawn and where necessary, fencing was removed, modified and added, along with re-arranged watering points. The farmlet treatments commenced in July 2000 when the first pasture establishment and differential fertiliser applications were carried out. Evidence from the electromagnetic survey and the Landsat imagery confirmed that the distribution of hydrologic soil conductivity and vegetation greenness were similar between all farmlets just before the commencement of the experiment.
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Moore, A. D., P. J. Vickery, M. J. Hill, J. R. Donnelly, and G. E. Donald. "Combining satellite data with a simulation model to describe spatial variability in pasture growth at a farm scale." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, no. 3 (1999): 285. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea98109.
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Practical application of simulation modelling as a decision aid for grazing system management usually involves an assumption of uniformity of model inputs over a farm paddock or property. In reality, paddocks and farms display high spatial variability in model inputs. There is considerable interest in assessing the significance of this spatial variablity for anmal production and enterprise profitability. This study seeks to demonstrate the use of spatial data with the GRAZPLAN pasture model to provide estimates of annual net primary production from pastures at a farm scale on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The GRAZPLAN pasture model was validated against data from 2 separate field experiments for a typical improved pasture based on Phalaris aquatica from 1968 to 1972. A spatial coverage, classifying paddocks into 9 pasture types based on a botanical survey, was used to define the pasture parameter sets used in simulations. A Landsat TM satellite image classified to give 3 pasture growth status classes was used to define within-paddock levels of a fertility index used in the simulation model. Simulations over 1975–94 were conducted for all combinations of pasture types and fertility scalar values using climate data for the CSIRO Pastoral Research Laboratory near Armidale. Simulation output was written to a lookup table and imported into a PC-based geographic information system. The spatial data layers were combined to form a display template representing spatial variation in pasture type, pasture condition and fertility. The spatial template was reclassified using the lookup tables to create maps of annual net primary production from pastures. Spatial variability in simulated annual net primary production was greater for the paddocks with diverse mixtures of sown and native species than for the more uniform highly improved or pure native pastures. The difference in response to rainfall of simulated net primary production was greater between different pastures types than between different levels of the fertility index. The resulting maps provide a demonstration of the way in which satellite imagery and other data can be interfaced with a decision support system to provide information for use in precision management of grazing systems. Implementation of such methods as a management tool will depend on development of quantitative spatial data layers which provide accurate and repeatable initial conditions and parameter values for simulation models.
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Aldhshan, Shaban R. S., Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud, Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar, Othman A. Karim, and Biswajeet Pradhan. "Energy Consumption and Spatial Assessment of Renewable Energy Penetration and Building Energy Efficiency in Malaysia: A Review." Sustainability 13, no. 16 (August 18, 2021): 9244. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13169244.
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The development of sustainable energy systems is very important to addressing the economic, environmental, and social pressures of the energy sector. Globally, buildings consume up to 40% of the world’s total energy. By 2030, it is expected to increase to 50%. Therefore, the world is facing a great challenge to overcome these problems related to global energy production. Malaysia is one of the top consumers of primary energy in Asia. In 2018, primary energy consumption for Malaysia was 3.79 quadrillion btu at an average annual rate of 4.58%. In this paper, we have carried out a detailed literature review on several previous studies of energy consumption in the world, especially in Malaysia, and how geographical information system (GIS) methods have been used for the spatial assessment of energy efficiency. Indeed, strategies of energy efficiency are essential in energy policy that could be created using various approaches used for energy savings in buildings. The findings of this review reveal that, for estimating energy consumption, exploring renewable energy sources, and investigating solar radiation, several geographic information system techniques such as multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) are mainly utilized. The result indicates that the fuzzy DS method can more reliably determine the optimal PV farm locations. The 3D models are also regarded as an effective tool for estimating solar radiation, since this method generates a 3D model exportable to software tools. In addition, GIS and 3D can contribute to several purposes, such as sunlight access to buildings in urban areas, city growth prediction models and analysis of the habitability of public places.
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Bachev, H., and G. Kharlamova. "Eco-System Approach for Assessing Agrarian Sustainability in Bulgaria." Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Economics, no. 203 (2019): 17–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.17721/1728-2667.2019/203-2/3.
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Ecosystem approach has been increasingly incorporated in the management and evaluation of sustainability levels in general and in agriculture in particular. Despite enormous progress in the theory and practice of this new area, still there is no consensus on how to assess the sustainability of agro-ecosystems due to diverse understandings, approaches, methods, employed data, etc. In Bulgaria there are practically no in-depth studies on sustainability level of diverse agro-eco-systems. This articles assesses the sustainability level of agro-ecosystems of different type in Bulgaria. A holistic hierarchical framework for assessing integral, economic, social and ecological sustainability of agro-ecosystems is suggested including 17 principles, 35 criteria, and 46 indicators and reference values. Assessment is made on overall and aspects sustainability of large (agro)ecosystems in four geographic regions and particular main and specific types of agro-ecosystems of the country. The assessment is based on first- hand information collected though in-depth interviews with the managers of “typical” farms in the respective ago-ecosystems. The study has found out that there is considerable differentiation in the level of integral sustainability in agricultural ecosystems of different types. There are also substantial variations in the levels of economic, social and ecological sustainability of agro- ecosystems of different type, and the critical indicators enhancing or deterring overall and particular sustainability of individual agro-ecosystems. Results of the integral agrarian sustainability level based on the micro agro-ecosystem (farm) data, are similar to the previous assessment based on the aggregate sectoral (statistical, etc.) data. Having in mind the importance of holistic assessments of this kind for improving agrarian sustainability, farm management and agrarian policies, they are to be expended and their precision and representation increased.
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Tripathi, Hemant G., Harriet E. Smith, Steven M. Sait, Susannah M. Sallu, Stephen Whitfield, Astrid Jankielsohn, William E. Kunin, Ndumiso Mazibuko, and Bonani Nyhodo. "Impacts of COVID-19 on Diverse Farm Systems in Tanzania and South Africa." Sustainability 13, no. 17 (September 2, 2021): 9863. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13179863.
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Emerging information on the interactions between the COVID-19 pandemic and global food systems have highlighted how the pandemic is accentuating food crises across Africa. Less clear, however, are how the impacts differ between farming systems. Drawing on 50 key informant interviews with farmers, village leaders and extension officers in South Africa and Tanzania, we identify the effects of COVID-19 and associated measures to curb the spread of the disease on farming production systems, the coping mechanisms adopted by farmers, and explore their longer-term plans for adaptation. We focus on a diverse range of production systems, from small-scale mixed farming systems in Tanzania to large-scale corporate farms in South Africa. Our findings highlight how COVID-19 restrictions have interrupted the supply chains of agricultural inputs and commodities, increasing the storage time for produce, decreasing income and purchasing power, and reducing labour availability. Farmers’ responses were heterogeneous, with highly diverse small-scale farming systems and those less engaged with international markets least affected by the associated COVID-19 measures. Large-scale farmers were most able to access capital to buffer short-term impacts, whereas smaller-scale farms shared labour, diversified to subsistence produce and sold assets. However, compounded shocks, such as recent extreme climate events, limited the available coping options, particularly for smaller-scale and emerging farmers. The study highlights the need to understand the characteristics of farm systems to better equip and support farmers, particularly in contexts of uncertainty. We propose that policy actions should focus on (i) providing temporary relief and social support and protection to financially vulnerable stakeholders, (ii) job assurance for farmworkers and engaging an alternative workforce in farming, (iii) investing in farming infrastructure, such as storage facilities, digital communication tools and extension services, and (iv) supporting diversified agroecological farming systems.
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Yamoah, Fred A., James S. Kaba, David Botchie, and Joseph Amankwah-Amoah. "Working towards Sustainable Innovation for Green Waste Benefits: The Role of Awareness of Consequences in the Adoption of Shaded Cocoa Agroforestry in Ghana." Sustainability 13, no. 3 (January 30, 2021): 1453. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13031453.
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Drawing on the awareness of consequence literature, this paper unpacks how the awareness of the consequences of full-sun cocoa production can encourage farmers to adopt shaded cocoa agroforestry that preserves the land and favours better cocoa farm waste management. Using Ghana as a case study, the paper provides distinctive insights on how shaded cocoa agroforestry systems provide sustainable yields in the medium- to long-term, relative to unshaded systems. We also find that cocoa farmers’ awareness of consequences about the effects of undertaking unshaded cocoa production could make individual farmers exhibit pro-environmental behaviour, leading to the adoption of cocoa agroforestry systems that help preserve soil fertility and improve waste management. We recommend that the utilization of awareness of consequence protocols, coupled with the efficient diffusion of information on the benefits of agroforestry in terms of waste management and environmental improvements to the cocoa farmers, could increase the adoption of shaded cocoa production regimes in Ghana.
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Hashem, Nesrein M., Eman M. Hassanein, Jean-François Hocquette, Antonio Gonzalez-Bulnes, Fayrouz A. Ahmed, Youssef A. Attia, and Khalid A. Asiry. "Agro-Livestock Farming System Sustainability during the COVID-19 Era: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Information and Communication Technologies." Sustainability 13, no. 12 (June 8, 2021): 6521. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13126521.
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In the near future, the year 2050, agricultural production should expand to fulfill the needs of approximately 9.7 billion inhabitants. Such an objective should be harmonized with social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects to maintain safe food production and food security worldwide. For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised and is still strongly disrupting the agro-livestock production sector, similar to several other economic sectors. In this sector, the relationships between suppliers, producers, and consumers should always continue to maintain the activity of the production chain, which are impaired by social distancing decisions taken following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, a global cross-sectional survey (translated into four languages: Arabic, English, French, and Spanish) was shared with people belonging to the agricultural sector to identify: (1) the role of the agricultural information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agro-livestock farming systems sustainability during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the need for such technologies in the agricultural sector, and (3) the factors that affect the use of such technologies. The results showed that the most frequently used agricultural ICTs were social media (Facebook and/or WhatsApp; 27.3%) and online platforms and Internet services (26.3%), whereas robotic vehicles and/or drones (6.6%) were less frequently used. During the emergence of the pandemic, the major reasons impacting agro-livestock farming systems’ sustainability were social distancing (30.0%), shortage of labor (17.7%), maintaining precision farm management (14.8%), product marketing (14.2%), access production inputs (7.2%), and others (16.1%). Applying agricultural ICTs solved many obstacles related to the production process, such as maintaining precision farm management (25.6%), product marketing (23.6%), and access production inputs (16.1%). The subgroup analyses of the results considering the degree of country advancement, size of agribusinesses, and role/position of respondents in the farm highlighted the importance of supporting the use, availability, and awareness of agricultural ICTs at least for some groups of people such as those belong to developing countries, laborers, and small-scale agri-business holders. This cross-sectional study highlights the urgent need to turn to and to expand the use of new agricultural ICTs to meet the growing demand for food production in the world and to ensure the resilience and sustainability of farming systems, specifically under unexpected and extreme conditions.
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Teixeira, Heitor, Leonardo van den Berg, Irene Cardoso, Ardjan Vermue, Felix Bianchi, Marielos Peña-Claros, and Pablo Tittonell. "Understanding Farm Diversity to Promote Agroecological Transitions." Sustainability 10, no. 12 (November 22, 2018): 4337. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10124337.
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Agroecology is increasingly promoted by scientists, non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), international organisations and peasant movements as an approach to foster the transition to sustainable and equitable food systems. The challenges to agroecological transitions are not the same for all farmers, as they can face different social and bio-physical conditions. We developed a farm typology combining participatory and quantitative methodologies to assess and categorise farm diversity and its implications for developing strategies to promote agroecological transitions. The participatory typology was developed during workshops to acquire insights on local farmers’ perceptions and knowledge, and to generate hypotheses on family farm diversity. The participatory-based hypotheses were tested in the quantitative farm characterisation, which provided information on household characteristics, production strategies, land use, participation in public policies and extension services. Farms were located in Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil, which harbour a wide diversity of farmers and where different actors have been engaged in agroecological transitions for the past 30 years. Our main findings were: (i) In the face of agroecological transitions, farmers differ in their management strategies, practices and principles; (ii) farmers identified as agroecological typically had stronger engagements in a network composed of farmers’ organisations, universities and NGO’s; (iii) agroecological farms showed great potential to provide a wide range of ecosystem services as they featured a higher crop diversity and a higher number of crops for self-consumption; (iv) to promote agroecology, it is crucial to recognise peasant knowledge, to change the dominant discourse on agriculture through social movement dynamics, and to generate support from public policies and funds; and (v) participatory and quantitative methodologies can be combined for more precise and relevant assessments of agroecological transitions.
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Jansen, D. M., J. J. Stoorvogel, and R. A. Schipper. "Using sustainability indicators in agricultural land use analysis: an example from Costa Rica." Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 43, no. 1 (March 1, 1995): 61–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.18174/njas.v43i1.585.
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A methodology to analyse land use is applied to the Neguev settlement in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. The methodology comprises a linear programming model, a geographical information system, and a customized data management tool. While options for land use are described at the field level, the methodology allows for analysis of land use at the field, the farm and the regional level. The various steps involved in making the sustainability concept operational are described. Selection and quantification of the sustainability indicators require some assumptions, affecting the period for which the analysis can assumed to be valid. The possibility of using nutrient balances and biocide indices as quantitative indicators of sustainability of agricultural land use systems is argued and demonstrated for the Neguev settlement. Some limitations and advantages of the methodology are discussed.
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Gattoo, Munir Ahmad, Ghulam Mustafa, and Muhammad Iqbal. "Impact of Farm Households’ Adaptations to Climate Change on Food Security: Evidence from Different Agro-ecologies of Pakistan." Pakistan Development Review 55, no. 4I-II (December 1, 2016): 561–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.30541/v55i4i-iipp.561-588.
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The study used data from 3298 food crop growers in Pakistan. Potential outcome treatment effects model was applied to evaluate the impact of adaptations on household food security. A household Food Security Index (FSI) was constructed applying Principle Component Analysis (PCA). Adaptation strategies employed by the farmers in response to climate change were categorised into four groups namely: changes in sowing time (C1); input intensification (C2); water and soil conservation (C3); and changes in varieties (C4). Out of 15 mutually exclusive combinations constructed for evaluation, only 7 combinations were considered for estimating the treatment effects models because of limited number of observations in other cases. Results of only two of the 7 are discussed in the paper, as the other 5 had very small number of adapters and the impact measures shown either insignificant results or had opposite signs. The first (C1234) combined all the four, while the second (C234) combined the last three strategies. The results suggest that the households which adapted to climate changes were statistically significantly more food secure as compared to those who did not adapt. The results further show that education of the male and female heads, livestock ownership, the structure of house—both bricked and having electricity facility, crops diversification, and non-farm income are among the factors, which raise the food security of farm households and their impacts are statistically significant. The variables which are significantly negatively associated with the food security levels include age of the head of household, food expenditure management, households having less than 12.5 acres of land— defined as marginal (cultivate 6.25 to 12.5 acres). Farmers of cotton-wheat, rice-wheat, and rain-fed cropping systems are found to be more food secure as compared to the farmers working in the mixed cropping systems where farm holdings are relatively small and high use of tube-well water adding to salinity of soils. It is crucial to invest in the development of agricultural technological packages, addressing issues of climate change relevant to different ecologies and farming systems; improve research-extension-farmer linkages; enhance farmers‘ access to new technologies; improve rural infrastructure; development of weather information system linking meteorological department, extension and farmers; and establishment of targeted food safety nets as well as farm subsidy programs for marginal farm households.
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Giupponi, Carlo, and Paolo Rosato. "Agricultural land use changes and water quality: a case study in the watershed of the lagoon of Venice." Water Science and Technology 39, no. 3 (February 1, 1999): 135–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1999.0153.
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The effects of alternative agricultural land use scenarios in terms of environmental impact assessment on surface and ground water were simulated by means of combined socio-economic and environmental models. The economic model produced and evaluated alternative farming systems, defined in terms of land use (in farm crop allocations and regional statistics of crop distributions) and cultivation practices as influenced by different macro-economic scenarios of agricultural policies. These scenarios were defined on the basis of the present Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union and possible future measures for reducing the impact of current agricultural systems on the environment. The farmers' decisional process has been simulated with multi-objective functions aimed at maximising profits and minimising risk. The methodology for the environmental impact assessment of farming systems is based on a simulation model for non-point source agricultural pollution which determines the impact of agriculture on a single field basis as influenced by environmental variables (soil and climate) and farmers' decisions (crop, soil management, fertilisation, etc.). The results obtained from this model were used to calculate a series of comparative indices capable of describing the effects of the use of fertilisers and pesticides on surface and ground waters. A geographical information system supported the spatial data management in particular for: a) the definition of simulation environments; b) the integration of physical and statistical geographical information; c) the cartographic presentation of results and the comparison of alternative scenarios. The model has been applied in the area of the Watershed of the Lagoon of Venice (WLV), located in northern Italy and has demonstrated how alternative policy scenarios determine not only significant variations in the overall environmental impacts in the study area, but also remarkable differences in their spatial distribution.
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Jiri, Obert, Paramu L. Mafongoya, and Pauline Chivenge. "Building climate change resilience through adaptation in smallholder farming systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe." International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 9, no. 2 (March 20, 2017): 151–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijccsm-07-2016-0092.
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Purpose This study aimed to determine factors that increase resilience and cause smallholder farmers to adapt better to climate change and vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used the vulnerability to resilience model and binary logit model to analyse the factors influencing household decisions to adapt. Findings Households with increased access to climate information through extension services were likely to have better adaptation abilities. It was also shown that younger farmers were likely to adapt to climate change given their flexibility to adopt new techniques and their access and use of modern information and technology. Larger households were found to have higher probability of adapting as most adaptation strategies are labour intensive. Household’s possession of livestock and access to credit significantly enhanced adaptation. However, households with higher farm income have lesser incentives to adapt to because their current farming practices might already be optimum. Research limitations/implications Given that most of the smallholder farmers are vulnerable, such as women-headed households and the elderly, who are labour constrained, there is need for research and development of labour saving technologies to increase resilience to climate change and vulnerability. Originality/value These findings underscore the importance of enabling farmer access to information and better technologies which enable them to increase adaptive capacity and resilience.
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Jack, Claire, Adewale H. Adenuga, Austen Ashfield, and Michael Wallace. "Investigating the Drivers of Farmers’ Engagement in a Participatory Extension Programme: The Case of Northern Ireland Business Development Groups." Sustainability 12, no. 11 (June 2, 2020): 4510. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12114510.
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Participatory agricultural extension programmes aimed at encouraging knowledge transfer and the adoption of new technology and innovation at the farm level are a novel approach to advisory service provision. In order to drive sustainable agricultural production systems that address farm-level economic and environmental objectives, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in November 2015, developed a new participatory extension programme for farmers in Northern Ireland, the Business Development Groups (BDGs). The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyse the drivers of farmers’ decisions in relation to joining and participating in this new approach to farm extension, learning and advisory service provision. Making use of data from both primary and secondary sources, this study employs a mixed-methods approach which involves an empirical analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to examine the factors influencing membership of the BDG programme. The results of our analyses show that larger, more intensive farmers who are keen to access information from other farmers to improve their business performance are most likely to participate in the BDG programme. The study contributes to the empirical literature by establishing the need to take into consideration the different characteristics of farmers in the design and delivery of participatory extension programmes.
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Festus, Ibimilua Adewale, Ibimilua Foyeke Omoboye, and Ogundare Babatope Andrew. "Urban Sprawl: Environmental Consequence of Rapid Urban Expansion." Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH) 5, no. 6 (June 14, 2020): 110–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v5i6.411.
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Urban Sprawl is a disturbing issue to geographers, urban planners and allied professionals in the 21st century. The anxiety is based mainly on the social, political, economic, cultural and environmental consequences of rapid urban growth. Hence, this study examines the reasons for urbanization, as well as encroachment of urban development into the border belt. Next, the study probes into the causes, consequences and adverse effects of uncontrolled infringement and conversion of rural land to urban uses. Likewise, the study investigates the processes of land use development, population expansion and physical growth, as well as their ecological foot prints. Consequently, the study identified the major causes of urban sprawl as rapid population increase, high level of urban development pressure, provision of housing, changes in living standard, as well as technological changes among others. Also, the study found out that urban sprawl is desirable because of the benefits of spread of development, low rent at the periphery, as well as lesser pressure on the environment of the border belt. Also, the effects of urban sprawl were recognized as destruction of the means of livelihood of the rural dwellers at the urban fringe belt, land fragmentation, food scarcity, changes in the ecosystem, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, as well as loss of wildlife habitat. For the achievement of sustainable urban development in the 21st century and beyond, the study recommends environmental monitoring with the aid of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques, environmental impact assessment, development control, farm land policy, regulation of land allocation, sustainable land use management, as well as enforcement of planning policies.
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Ahozonlin, Maurice Cossi, and Luc Hippolyte Dossa. "Diversity and Resilience to Socio-Ecological Changes of Smallholder Lagune Cattle Farming Systems of Benin." Sustainability 12, no. 18 (September 16, 2020): 7616. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12187616.
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The indigenous smallholder Lagune breed and the production systems in which it is embedded in Southern Benin have received very little research or policy attention. Consequently, very little information exists on the diversity of these production systems or on their capacity to adapt to ongoing socio-economic and environmental changes. This study aimed to explore and characterize the diversity of Lagune cattle production systems along with farmers’ local knowledge and resilience strategies. A questionnaire was administered to 417 Lagune cattle farmers across two agro-ecological zones: Ouémé Valley (OVZ) and Pobe (PZ). It included, inter alia, questions related to households’ socio-economic conditions, their cattle herd characteristics, and management practices. Categorical principal component analysis and the two-step clustering method were used to classify the production systems which were then compared using the chi-square and ANOVA procedures. Four distinct farm types were identified. This study revealed the important role of agroecology in the diversity of farmers’ breeding practices. Controlled mating was more common in tethering systems whereas uncontrolled mating, widespread in free-roaming systems, has favored Lagune breed admixture with zebus. Opportunities for conserving the genetic diversity within the Lagune breed might be greater in PZ where breed admixture was almost inexistent.
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Matchaya, Greenwell, Luxon Nhamo, Sibusiso Nhlengethwa, and Charles Nhemachena. "An Overview of Water Markets in Southern Africa: An Option for Water Management in Times of Scarcity." Water 11, no. 5 (May 14, 2019): 1006. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w11051006.
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Southern Africa faces acute water scarcity challenges due to drought recurrence, degradation of surface water resources, and the increasing demand of water from agriculture, which has to meet the growing food demands of an increasing population. These stressors require innovative solutions that ensure the sustainability of water resources, without which the consequences could be dire for a region exposed to a host of vulnerabilities, including climate change. This review outlines the role of water markets in water management in times of water scarcity, highlighting the drivers of water markets in southern Africa, such as water scarcity, transboundary nature of water resources, and their uneven distribution. The review further discusses the role of water markets in climate change adaptation. Related institutional and legal frameworks as well as water allocation mechanisms are explored, aiming at improving water markets governance. The impact of adaptation to new water regimes in the face of scarcity are assessed by considering characteristics of current markets as related to future opportunities. In a diverse region such as southern Africa with unevenly distributed water resources, advancing the concept of water markets could play an important role in mitigating water scarcity challenges and promoting regional integration through coordinated transboundary water transfers. The emergence of water markets in the region is influenced by the continued depletion of water resources, which is resulting in the adoption of innovative water marketing strategies, such as inter-farm sharing or farm joint venture systems and inter-basin and intra-basin water transfers. As the concept is new in the region, it still has challenges that include general market inefficiencies, high transaction costs, market information asymmetries, imperfect competition, and weak or absent robust institutional frameworks that can facilitate market development.
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McCluskey, Cathleen, and William F. Tracy. "Engaging Farmer Stakeholders: Maize Producers’ Perceptions of and Strategies for Managing On-Farm Genetic Diversity in the Upper Midwest." Sustainability 13, no. 16 (August 7, 2021): 8843. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13168843.
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Debates about the genetic diversity of cultivated crops have riled the scientific community. While there have been studies on measuring genetic diversity among crop types, none have described on-farm genetic diversity in U.S. maize (Zea mays) because of patent restrictions. The approximately 36.5 million hectares of U.S. maize planted by farmers annually is carried out largely without them having knowledge of the seed genetic background. The literature shows a shrinking of genetic diversity in commercially available hybrids over time. Given the restrictions on the genetic information given to farmers about their maize seed and the risk it poses to their landscape, we conducted twenty exploratory interviews with farmers in the Upper Midwest regarding their perspectives of and strategies for managing on-farm genetic diversity in their maize crop. The data gathered suggest five themes: (1) managing surface diversity by planting multiple varieties; (2) navigating seed relabeling; (3) lacking clear access to genetic background information; (4) reliance on seed dealers when selecting varieties; and (5) limited quality genetics for organic systems. This study concludes that the lack of access to genetic background data for public researchers, including the United States Department of Agriculture and farmers, does not allow for vulnerability assessments to be carried out on the landscape and puts farmers at risk to crop failure.
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Acharya, Ram N., Rajan Ghimire, Apar GC, and Don Blayney. "Effect of Cover Crop on Farm Profitability and Risk in the Southern High Plains." Sustainability 11, no. 24 (December 12, 2019): 7119. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11247119.
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Cover cropping has been promoted for improving soil health and environmental quality in the southern High Plains (SHP) region of the United States. The SHP is one of the more productive areas of the country and covers a large landmass, including parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. This region faces challenges in sustainable crop production due to declining water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer, the primary source of water for irrigated crop production. This study examines the impact of integrating cover crops in the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L)-based rotations on farm profitability and risk in the SHP. The study combines experimental yield data with other secondary information, including market prices, to conduct simulation analysis and evaluate the risk involved in introducing cover crops in a wheat-fallow cropping system. The results show that, due to the additional monetary costs involved, none of the cover crop options is economically viable. However, when secondary benefits (erosion control and green nitrogen) or government subsidies are included in the analysis, one of the cover crop options (peas) dominates the fallow alternative. Moreover, when the secondary benefits and a government subsidy are combined, two cover crop alternatives (peas and oats) emerge as more profitable options than leaving land fallow. These results highlight the importance of agricultural research and extension programs that are making a concerted effort to develop more productive farming techniques and increase public awareness about the long-term benefits of adopting soil health management systems such as cover cropping in the SHP region.
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Bryceson, Kim P., and Anne Ross. "Agrifood Chains as Complex Systems and the Role of Informality in Their Sustainability in Small Scale Societies." Sustainability 12, no. 16 (August 13, 2020): 6535. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12166535.
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Agrifood chains are complex systems; they encompass biological, economic, social, health and political variables at different scales (e.g., on-farm, local, regional, national and global). Consequently, what enables a food system to achieve ‘sustainability’ is also complex. This is particularly the case in small-scale societies in developing nations which are socially constituted. In this paper we posit that a habitus of informality underpins food systems’ sustainability in these societies. We argue that conventional applications of approaches like the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and Circles of Sustainability (CoS) frameworks fail to assist understanding of sustainability in informal socio-economic systems because they either place too much emphasis on economic growth (TBL) or underplay the strength of socio–cultural obligations and responsibilities (CoS). This is seen in international aid programs that encourage economic growth in the agrifood sector, which is challenging for villages in such societies. We review data from two Pacific Island countries—Tonga and Solomon Islands—to demonstrate the need for a more holistic way to think about sustainability in informal agrifood systems in small-scale developing nations. We demonstrate the value of employing a Hybrid Value Chain Framework for collecting information necessary to understanding how sustainability is constituted in the food systems of small-scale societies.
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Zeweld, Woldegebrial, Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Girmay Tesfay, Hossein Azadi, and Stijn Speelman. "Impacts of Socio-Psychological Factors on Actual Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in Dryland and Water Stressed Areas." Sustainability 10, no. 9 (August 21, 2018): 2963. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10092963.
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Despite the presence of several studies on technology adoption, there are limited empirical studies on how socio-psychological factors affect the adoption of sustainable agriculture. Therefore, this paper investigates how socio-psychological factors-such as social capital, information, attitudes, efficacy, and aversion-affect smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt sustainable land management practices, such as agroforestry systems, organic compost, and crop rotation with legumes. Cross-sectional data are collected from 350 randomly selected farm households using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. A multivariate probit model is used to investigate factors that influence the probability of adopting these practices. The ordered probit model is also applied to identify and analyze the determinants of the number (intensity) of land management practices adopted. The findings indicate that nearly half of the farmers have adopted these land management practices to improve soil fertility, enhance water retention capacity, and increase productivity. It is also found that attitudes, information, education, group membership, relational capital, risk attitudes, and labor supply significantly affect the probability of adopting these agricultural practices. The estimates of the ordered probit model also indicate that extension services, risk attitudes, group membership, relational capital, education and labor supply are major determinants of the number of land management practices used. However, financial resources, biophysical factors and some demographic factors are found to have an insignificant effect on sustainable agriculture adoption. This implies that when it is necessary to promote sustainable land management practices and to stimulate smallholder farmers to adopt such practices in isolation or combination, specific strategies should be designed to improve awareness, build positive attitudes, reduce risk aversion, strengthen formal organizations, and empower endogenous groups (or informal institutions).
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Bhaskara, Srikanta, and Kamaljit S. Bawa. "Societal Digital Platforms for Sustainability: Agriculture." Sustainability 13, no. 9 (April 30, 2021): 5048. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13095048.
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During the last several decades, international and national agricultural research infrastructures have rapidly expanded, bringing the outputs of agricultural research to the world’s farmers. However, despite huge investments in agricultural research, there have been few systematic efforts to create digital platforms to meet the information requirements of farmers in a changing world. We describe an interactive information system in real time to provide agricultural information to farmers. The goals were to increase yields, reduce or optimize farm inputs, inform farmers about markets and government policies, and enable digital literacy among farmers, which (in the long run) would enhance rural incomes. Farmer clubs were created at the village level to increase engagement in the program and to access information. A call-in help center enabled farmers to get information in real time. In addition, a digital platform named eKisaan delivered relevant and contextual information in the local language, mostly in the video format via mobile and cloud technologies. The platform provided information about crop management and a variety of other parameters. The combined incremental savings and incremental earnings resulted in an estimated increase of 15% in income after 18 months, totaling INR₹26,250,000 (US$365,000), followed by an additional increase of 7% in the third year. The approximate cost of the information technology program and help center was INR₹15,000,000 (US$208,000). Over time, costs can decrease by spreading fixed costs over several years, with benefits reaching more farmers. Thus, the digital systems focused on information alone can be cost-effective, reduce inputs, increase productivity and income, and foster sustainability.
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Détang-Dessendre, Cécile, Hervé Guyomard, Vincent Réquillart, and Louis-Georges Soler. "Changing Agricultural Systems and Food Diets to Prevent and Mitigate Global Health Shocks." Sustainability 12, no. 16 (August 11, 2020): 6462. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12166462.
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No one would dispute that agricultural systems and food diets are not sustainable from an environmental and health point of view, and that increasing their sustainability must be a major objective of farm and food policies. Simultaneously, climatic, environmental, and health shocks are likely to increase in the coming years. This note defends the idea of an additional double benefit of public policies, aiming at favoring environmentally friendly food systems and healthy diets through two channels: by reducing the risks of developing shocks and by limiting their negative impacts on populations when they occur. As a result, public policies should address, simultaneously and consistently, supply and demand issues. This is illustrated in the case of the European Union. Supply measures should favor the agro-ecological transition of agricultural systems through a more rigorous application of the polluter pays principle, implying notably the taxation of the main determinants of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (cattle heads and nitrogen fertilizers) and biodiversity loss (mineral fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and antibiotic treatments). This would send the right signals to farmers and would legitimize an extended use of the provider gets principle, allowing the remuneration of positive externalities. Demand measures should favor the adoption of healthier and environmentally friendly food diets by changing consumer behaviors through dietary recommendations, information campaigns, nutritional labeling, and fiscal instruments.
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Brody, Roberta. "Geographic Information Systems." Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship 5, no. 1 (September 1999): 3–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j109v05n01_02.
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Acevedo, Pelayo, Miguel Prieto, Pablo Quirós, Isabel Merediz, Lucía de Juan, José Antonio Infantes-Lorenzo, Roxana Triguero-Ocaña, and Ana Balseiro. "Tuberculosis Epidemiology and Badger (Meles meles) Spatial Ecology in a Hot-Spot Area in Atlantic Spain." Pathogens 8, no. 4 (December 10, 2019): 292. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens8040292.
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We provide a temporal overview (from 2012 to 2018) of the outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) in the cattle and badger populations in a hot-spot in Asturias (Atlantic Spain). We also study the badger’s spatial ecology from an epidemiological perspective in order to describe hazardous behavior in relation to TB transmission between cattle and badgers. Culture and single intradermal tuberculin test (SITT) were available for cattle as part of the National Program for the Eradication of TB. A field survey was also carried out in order to determine the paddocks and buildings used by each farm, and the information obtained was stored by using geographic information systems. Moreover, eighty-three badgers were submitted for necropsy and subsequent bacteriological studies. Ten badgers were also tracked, using global positioning system (GPS) collars. The prevalence of TB in cattle herds in the hot-spot increased from 2.2% in 2012 to 20% in 2016; it then declined to 0.0% in 2018. In contrast, the TB prevalence in badgers increased notably (from 5.55% in 2012–2015 to 10.64% in 2016–2018). Both cattle and badgers shared the same strain of Mycobacterium bovis. The collared badgers preferred paddocks used by TB-positive herds in spring and summer (when they were more active). The males occupied larger home ranges than the females (Khr95: males 149.78 ± 25.84 ha and females 73.37 ± 22.91 ha; Kcr50: males 29.83 ± 5.69 ha and females 13.59 ± 5.00 ha), and the home ranges were smaller in autumn and winter than in summer. The averages of the index of daily and maximum distances traveled by badgers were 1.88 ± (SD) 1.20 km and 1.99 ± 0.71 km, respectively. One of them presented a dispersive behavior with a maximum range of 18.3 km. The most preferred habitat was apple orchards in all seasons, with the exception of winter, in which they preferred pastures. Land uses and landscape structure, which have been linked with certain livestock-management practices, provide a scenario of great potential for badger–cattle interactions, thus enhancing the importance of the badgers’ ecology, which could potentially transmit TB back to cattle in the future.
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Aronoff, Stan. "Geographic information systems: A management perspective." Geocarto International 4, no. 4 (December 1989): 58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10106048909354237.
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Marsh, Will. "Geographic information systems: A management perspective." Preventive Veterinary Medicine 23, no. 1-2 (May 1995): 121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0167-5877(95)90035-7.
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Joerger, Albert, Stephen D. DeGloria, and Malcolm A. Noden. "Applying Geographic Information Systems." Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 40, no. 4 (August 1999): 48–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001088049904000413.
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Lewis, Tony. "Evolution of farm management information systems." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 19, no. 3 (March 1998): 233–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1699(97)00040-9.
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Sánchez-Toledano, Blanca Isabel, Zein Kallas, Oscar Palmeros Rojas, and José M. Gil. "Determinant Factors of the Adoption of Improved Maize Seeds in Southern Mexico: A Survival Analysis Approach." Sustainability 10, no. 10 (October 2, 2018): 3543. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10103543.
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Maize is the most important and strategic crop in Mexico, however, this sector suffers from low productivity. Among the various strategies to improve yield by hectare, improved maize seeds play an important role. In this context, adoption studies in Mexico of these types of seeds are scarce and in general do not jointly account for the timing of adoption factors affecting the adoption decision. This study analysed the determinants of the adoption rates of improved seeds using the survival analysis method. Farm-level data were collected in 2015 through a questionnaire administered to 200 maize farmers in Chiapas, Mexico. Our results showed that 60% of the farmers who adopted the improved seeds reached the decision within a 10 years’ period. Specifically, young farmers with a low number of family members from several generations of agricultural work, who exhibited positive attitudes towards innovation and with low risk perception were likely to adopt the new varieties. Furthermore, results showed that the NAFTA Mexican reform of agricultural policy in 1994 negatively affected the adoption rate of improved seeds. Improving the maize yield requires adequate extension information systems that allow farmers to receive more information on the importance of adoption innovation as well as help them market their products.
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Fung, Devlin S., and Todd Blankenbeckler. "The Role Of Geographic Information Systems In Management Information Systems." Review of Business Information Systems (RBIS) 2, no. 2 (April 1, 1988): 41–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/rbis.v2i2.5459.
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Miao, Qingfeng, José M. Gonçalves, Ruiping Li, Diana Gonçalves, Tiago Levita, and Haibin Shi. "Assessment of Precise Land Levelling on Surface Irrigation Development. Impacts on Maize Water Productivity and Economics." Sustainability 13, no. 3 (January 23, 2021): 1191. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13031191.
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The new technologies of surface irrigation require the adoption of effective Laser-controlled precision land levelling (PLL) to reach the high irrigation performance standards, with significant benefits on water saving, salinity control, crop productivity, and farmer’s income. This study aimed to assess the performance and the impacts of PLL on surface irrigation systems, focusing the maize crop on the irrigation districts Hetao (China) and Lower-Mondego (Portugal). The experimental study at field scale assessed the PLL and evaluated the on-farm irrigation under precise levelled fields and well management practices. PLL operators have been inquired to improve the knowledge about hiring services. The design of surface irrigation scenarios allowed to explain the effects of field size and slope on irrigation and land levelling performance. The best practice to manage the PLL maintenance is an important issue to guarantee a high effectiveness of irrigation performance. The optimization of PLL appeals the application of best soil tillage practices and the monitoring of soil surface elevations with newest information technologies. Efficient operational guidelines to support the PLL planning, schedule, and operation, well trained operators and carefully adjusted equipment, are key factors to the improvement.