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Cover crops are important for covering the soil and fixing nutrients in order to manage soil erosion and improve soil quality. This paper discusses some of the modern methods, equipment and technologies used in carrying out cover crop farming. This is important because modern agricultural and farming operations work a lot differently from those of the past as a result of the improvements in technological advancements over the past decades. The paper explains the usefulness of the various classes of cover crops known as grasses, legumes, brassicas and non-legume broadleaves. It also explains the role of smart farming technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, satellites, drones and robotic systems as well as Internet of Things (IoT). Some of the benefits of these advanced technologies are high crop productivity, efficient use of water, fertilizer and pesticides, and improvement in farmer safety and growing conditions, as well as reduced impact on the natural environment and ecosystem. Mechanized cover crop farming equipment are also discussed, and grouped into preparation, planting, termination and incorporation equipment, based on the stage they are used during the cover crop farming process. Clearly, these advanced equipment and technologies are aiding the cover crop farming process by making it safer and environmentally friendly while helping farmers to be more efficient.

Despite many efforts over two decades of independence, Timor-Leste's cereal production and agricultural productivity have decreased dramatically, reflected by high food insecurity and rural poverty. This paper analyses the country's current agricultural mechanization efforts to guide future actions that aim to stimulate growth through sustainable mechanization. We combined information from scientific publications, governmental and international cooperation communications, and data collected during field missions to assess the situation. Our study provides recommendations to reverse a failed tractorization campaign and presents a comprehensive overview of a strategy, in alignment with a proposed and renewed national agricultural mechanization policy, that would enable the modernization and sustainable intensification of current food production systems in a nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart, economically viable, and gender-inclusive fashion. The recommendations suggest a focus on scale-appropriate solutions that respond to upland smallholder farmers' capacities and consider good rural transport options, with the first steps to redirect the situation already taken through a technical cooperation program between FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture. Beyond this, a reform of the current government mechanization hire schemes is needed: integrated approaches, as found from business model analyses and training exercises during field missions, are needed, that entail context-specific solutions for targeted rural communities, with special attention given to participatory extension, inclusive co-validation of technologies, and private sector-led business model development around mechanization service delivery. Finally, the authors hope the presented way forward can serve as a roadmap for smallholder farmers and developing nations in similar conditions elsewhere in the world.

Agroforestry has many benefits suited to mountain agricultural systems. This paper seeks to understand and quantify the mitigation potential of multifunctional agroforestry systems, and the potential for increased tree cover in mountains. The potential of agroforestry approaches for protecting irrecoverable carbon in mountains providing alternative, sustainable, and biodiversity-friendly livelihood options for local mountain communities is explored. A substantial portion (29%) of global 'irrecoverable carbon' is found in mountains, representing irreplaceable ecosystems, biodiversity, and globally significant ecosystem services, under unprecedented environmental and demographic pressures, and rapidly changing climatic conditions. This 'premium' mountain carbon supports high levels of biodiversity, including many of the last remaining large mammal species on the planet. Increasing tree cover within agricultural landscapes in mountains can provide sustainable, biodiversity-friendly development options that support environmental and biodiversity conservation. Estimates of existing and decadal change of above- and below-ground biomass on agricultural land within mountainous regions are modeled based up IPCC Tier 1 estimates. Two scenarios are evaluated to estimate carbon sequestration potential of increasing tree cover on agricultural land: 1) incremental change and 2) a systemic change to agroforestry. Estimates of above- and below ground biomass carbon were combined with the tree cover analysis to estimate the change in biomass. Global increases (0.5−0.7 PgC for incremental change; 1.1−2.7 PgC for systematic change) highlight the mitigation potential within mountain agricultural systems. A 10% increase in tree cover on all agricultural land within mountain regions is estimated to sequester 3 PgC.

Global mountains hold great value to many people, harbor great amounts of biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services. They have not however been well-represented in specific targets under international policy conventions including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on Biological Diversity. This paper explores the efforts of one consortium of actors led by the Mountain Futures Initiative, to create and implement an action plan to link research and field projects at the Honghe Innovations Centre for Mountain Futures to targets in the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This action plan will combine research on agroforestry, soil restoration, ecosystems restoration and connectivity, new green products and supply chains, and more in service of both healthy ecosystem outcomes and lifeways support for local smallholder farmers. Results show that connecting local research goals to GBF targets may leverage more positive outcomes for people and nature.

Although distributed across the Sudano-Sahelian region as an agroforestry system tree species, Vitellaria paradoxa has yet to be reported as successfully established outside of Africa, significantly limiting its yield and further exploitation. In this paper, in order to assess a well-established population of V. paradoxa in the Yuanjiang dry-hot valley of China and examine the relationships between morphological-geological factors and fruit yield, we monitored dendrometric traits and fruiting across 844 shea trees located on different aspects, and applied partial least square regression to build a yield model based on dendrometric and geographical variables. Results revealed climatic resemblance of the introduction site in Yuanjiang to the natural habitat in Ghana, and the growth performance and fruit yield were also comparable, but accumulated precipitation of about 600 mm was better for fruit yield when heat accumulation reached about 2,000 °C. Apart from crown diameter (p < 0.05), dendrometric parameters (basal diameter, basal area and tree height) had positively weak relationships with fruit yield. On the contrary, aside from north and northeast aspect, other aspects showed a strong negative influence. The findings presented that growth and productivity of V. paradoxa increased with dendrometric parameters and monthly average temperature on shady and semi-shady slope, providing a theoretical basis for the development of shea tree and construction of agroforestry system in dry tropical areas outside Africa.

The main objective of this study is to explore the food security status among people living in rural Bangladesh. This paper draws on data collected during a field study conducted between September 15 and October 30, 2022. The study examines the 'Food Security Approach' developed by the Food and Agricultural Organization. This research investigated the current state of food availability, accessibility, utilization, and food stability among purposively selected informants in the study area. The study utilizes qualitative research tools, specifically in-depth interviews (IDIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs). In total, 40 informants were chosen followed by purposive sampling and five FGDs were administered. It emerged that daily foodstuffs are not sufficiently available in nearby shops or markets to meet people's daily consumption needs. High food prices and transportation issues are meaningful indicators that shape whether food is accessible to consumers. A lack of a wide variety of dietary foods indicates the current state of food stability, while recent inflation and climatic factors such as drought and flash floods lead to food shortages. The research recommends that the government of Bangladesh (GoB) should upgrade social protection programs through Open Market Sales (OMS), and the informal sector to improve both people's consumption and production of food so that it is secured in the study area.

Calotropis gigantea fiber (CGF) is to a type of seed fiber collected from the fruits of the Calotropis gigantea (CG). From a sustainable biomass resource, CGF is a naturally abundant cellulose fiber with good economic value, excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. CGF has a high hollow structure and is lightweight, which means CGF has received increasing attention in recent years as the starting material for fabrication of different types of functional materials. In this paper, we have reviewed the morphology and characteristics of CGF, including its biological properties, chemical composition, and physical properties. Additionally, we provide an overview of the recent advancements in the extraction process, toughening treatment process, spinning process, and weaving process of CGF, which have garnered significant attention from researchers in the field. The applications of CGF in the fields of environment processing, antibacterial, and smart materials are also summarized. Finally, the challenges and development prospects of CGF are introduced with the ultimate goal of implementing its potential in real-world applications.

Forests, trees, and agroforestry (FTA) are ecosystem hotspots. They exemplify the contributions of biodiversity to sustainable and resilient landscapes, green circular economy and to sustainable agriculture and food systems for healthy diets. However, most research on these topics have been performed separately and lack comparison. The International FTA-Kunming Conference 'Forests, trees and agroforestry for diverse sustainable landscapes' 22nd–24th June 2021, focused on these contributions, brought together scientists NGOs, and policy makers to further the understanding of tree diversity; provided a communication platform for scientists to share their research results; evaluated the role of tree diversity in agroecology and circular agriculture; assessed benefits of landscape restoration; and explored applied research in mountain ecosystems and food security. The goals were to gather evidence that ground the design of solutions that can contribute to the implementation of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and towards the UN Food Systems Summit, and the overall implementation of the SDGs. This paper summarizes the outcomes of the international FTA Conference in Kunming 2021 and points out the highlights of research involved in six major themes.

The primary challenge of the contemporary world is to meet accelerating requirements for food. Limited land, competition between crop and livestock farming and climate change are major challenges. Agroforestry offer a form of sustainable agriculture through the direct provision of food by raising farmers’ incomes and through various ecosystem services. The first essential step in adopting agroforestry is the selection of appropriate tree species that fit local climates. In this paper, we mapped 20 fodder trees and important crops in China using the multi-model ensemble and Ecocrop modelling approach. Relying on the intersectional concept of set theory, the fuzzy logic technique was applied to identify regions where candidate trees could be grown with appropriate crops and livestock. The resulting models provide important insights into the climatic suitability of trees and crops and offer knowledge critical to the proper integration of trees with crops and livestock at specific locations. The results offer support for developing appropriate strategies regarding potential land-use within agroforestry systems in order to maximize ecosystem services and the benefits of sustainable agriculture. Model outputs could easily convert into conventional maps with clearly defined boundaries for site-specific planning for tree-crop-livestock integration. The next step for actualizing an integrated system is to investigate specifically what these different species may contribute to the existing farming systems, quantify the benefits and estimate any possible trade-offs.

Intensive crop production, use of pesticides, and unsustainable farming practices are known to cause land degradation and soil contamination. Both have led to a decline in biodiversity and changes in the functional groups of soil microorganisms. Although physicochemical methods have been used to apply soil amendments to agricultural land, mushroom cultivation in agricultural land for soil improvement have been poorly studied. In-field mushroom cultivation is considered a good strategy for improving soil quality by reducing the input of chemical fertilizers. In this paper, we list the edible mushroom species suitable for growing in fields and summarize the important role that mushroom field cultivation can play in soil erosion control, nutrient cycling, and the bioremediation of contaminants. Decomposition, symbiosis, assimilation, degradation, bioweathering, oxidation, biosorption, and bioconversion are all critical components of mushroom field cultivation. Research has shown that field mushroom cultivation contributes to nutritional bioavailability while also promoting the degradation of pollutants and formation of soil aggregates. Through soil amendment practices, a portion of agricultural waste can be converted into high-quality food and nutraceutical sources, and the remaining organic matter improves soil quality via fungal mycelial networks and the re-use of spent mushroom substrates. Only a small number of mushroom species have been used in the application of soil amendments in field conditions. This review shows the need for further research into specific mushroom species for achieving different soil amendment goals in order to balance agricultural development with sustainable land management.

In this overview paper, we outline and explore problems and prospects for circular agriculture’s contributions to transformative change toward sustainable food systems in the Anthropocene. We define circular agriculture (CA) and provide historical context on its development. We then discuss how CA can contribute to food system transformations in four key areas: multi-functional landscapes; sustainable intensification (focusing on nitrogen/crop-livestock management and digital agriculture); smallholder farmers; and dietary change. We find that food systems transitions will be challenging due to the depth, scale, and speed of changes necessary for humans to remain within safe planetary boundaries out to 2050.