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Plastic mulch is used for agricultural production to improve crop performance and mediate local environmental concerns. Paper mulch is an alternative to plastic mulch, it is effective and more biodegradable. The performance of plastic and paper mulch materials in agricultural production varies according to climatic environments, production practices, and crops. The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of paper mulch compared with plastic mulch and bare soil for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) field production in 2018 and 2021. Data on weed control, soil temperature, and tomato yield were recorded. Weed coverage and weeding time were reduced in paper and plastic mulch treatments compared to bare soil. Soil temperature in 2021 was lower in paper and plastic mulch treatments than in bare soil. Tomato yield was greater in plastic mulch than paper mulch and bare soil. Tomato yield for paper mulch treatments was not different from that of bare soil treatments. Paper mulch offered comparable weed control benefits as plastic mulch, and comparable tomato yield as bare soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the effects of pulp and paper industry wastewater treatment sludge composts on soil and cereal crops in Finland. Chemical characteristics of composts prepared using forest industry sludges and limit values for soil improvers used in agriculture; Details of crop yield and nutrient intake of compost.

To increase agricultural production and feed the growing human population, the control of phytopathogens, known to affect the quality and yield of fruit and vegetable production, is of utmost importance. Chemical pesticides are by far the most used defensives to control plant diseases, which, despite their effectiveness, are already associated with several health issues in humans, besides their toxic and cumulative effects on the environment and food chain. In this context, natural products appear as viable alternatives to reduce the volume of pesticides used in the field and yet, have a recognized potential to be used in disease management programs. This systematic review highlights the use of essential oils (EOs) as control agents against microbial phytopathogens. Defined as oily, aromatic, and hydrophobic liquids obtained from any part of the plants, EOs are known for their diverse activities, such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and others. Furthermore, EOs are classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) when used as food additives due to their moderate effects on mammals and low persistence in the environment. These characteristics point to EOs as viable alternatives in the research and development of new products and approaches for the control of diseases caused by phytopathogens. The present systematic review reports on scientific novel papers published between January 2019 - June 2023 (approximately five years) that relate the use of EOs against phytopathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the first meta-analysis of yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) production studies in Nigeria, with a special emphasis on technical efficiency. The focus was on published studies in journal papers and conferences. For the meta-analysis of production function, a total of 40 studies were included for ware yam and 3 for seed yam, for technical efficiency a total of 23 ware yam and 3 seed yam studies were included and for the farm budget meta-analysis, a total of 22 ware yam and 6 seed yam studies were included. The "peak" years of publication of the ware yam studies were from 2012 to 2014. The bulk of the studies took place in the major yam-growing states, such as Ekiti, Benue, and Kogi. Technical efficiency of yam production varied between and within each of the studies, with an average technical efficiency across studies of between 0.6 and 0.8. The studies highlight the importance of knowledge; it is not just about the quantity of inputs applied but how they are used that matters. The paper notes that meta-analyses of studies designed to explore the factors influencing production of agricultural crops in Nigeria are relatively sparse in number, yet given the importance of agriculture in the country, both for the livelihoods of millions of people, and export, then more such analyses are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that rapid agricultural productivity growth is necessary for the expansion of manufacturing employment as a share of total employment. This hypothesis is tested utilizing data from 15 African nations. The estimation technique utilized is dynamic ordinary least squares and represents the first use of this technique to study the hypothesis that agricultural productivity growth is an important factor in the growth of manufacturing employment. The results indicate that agricultural productivity growth is a significant positive factor in the expansion of manufacturing employment. This is important in that productivity growth in agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa has until recently been very sluggish. Thus, if manufacturing is to play an important role in this region, then significant investment in raising agricultural productivity needs to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Asian countries, rice is the major agricultural product. Hence, the initial identification of plant disorder via the IoT (Internet of Things) offers to ignore the rice from critical disorders. To increase crop production, the measurements should be considered to completely destroy the rice plant disorders by an effective system. This paper proposed an Intelligent IoT-aided deep learning model for detecting rice blast fungal along with a hybrid heuristic algorithm. The proposed work encompasses with multiple stages that are explained as follows. At first, the required paddy images are gathered from online data resources. Next, the pre-processing of the collected images is made by adaptive mean filtering and contrast enhancement. Further, the adaptive thresholding and morphological operation are adopted for leaf segmentation purposes, where the threshold value is tuned by a Fitness-based Billiards-inspired Rat Swarm Optimizer (FBRSO). Consequently, from the segmented image, the Region of Interest (ROI) is cropped. Finally, the cropped ROI is subjected to the Optimized MobileNetv2 and Multiscale Residual Attention Network (OMMRAN), where it includes MobileNetV2 and Multiscale Residual Attention Network, in which some of the hyperparameters are tuned by FBRSO approach. The performance is validated and compared with other existing approaches for detecting rice diseases effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of provincial units in China from 2000 to 2020, this paper uses the entropy method to calculate agricultural environmental regulation level in China from the perspectives of afforestation projects, water conservancy projects and environmental protection projects. Then, this paper calculates agricultural non-point source pollutant emissions in China by using the unit survey and evaluation method, and calculates agricultural green productivity growth in China by using the SBM directional distance function and Luenberger productivity index. On this basis, the influence of environmental regulation on agricultural green productivity growth in China and its mechanism are empirically analysed. The results show that:(1) During the sample period, agricultural environmental regulation level and agricultural green productivity growth increased significantly, while the emission density of agricultural non-point source pollution decreased significantly; (2) On the whole, environmental regulation significantly promoted agricultural green productivity growth in China, which was mainly reflected in the promotion of agricultural green technology progress change; (3) Environmental regulation can significantly promote agricultural green productivity growth in China through the channel of agricultural innovation investment. The innovation of this paper lies in the measurement of agricultural environmental regulation, and the analysis of the moderating effect of agricultural innovation investment on the impact of environmental regulation on agricultural green productivity growth in China. The research conclusions of this paper verify the 'Porter Hypothesis' theory in the field of agriculture, and have guiding significance for China to promote agricultural green productivity growth by relying on environmental regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite relative richness of the existing literature, it remains a challenge to consistently estimate the impacts of transport connectivity on agricultural production. The paper constructs pseudo-panel data with transport infrastructure defined at high resolution in two periods of time and examines spatially heterogeneous impacts of improved transport connectivity. The paper takes advantage of the unique circumstances in Mozambique where the Government invested intensively in road infrastructure during a relatively short period of time in the 2010s. Combining the highly disaggregated location-specific fixed effects with the instrumental variable method, the paper controls for the endogeneity to show that the improved road connectivity increased agricultural production significantly. Rural connectivity and domestic market accessibility are found to be of particular importance, but substantial heterogeneity exists across regions. The northern provinces, where transport connectivity is limited, have the potential for agricultural growth, exhibiting increasing returns to scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient agricultural advisory and extension service (AES) is poised to lead to improved agricultural productivity as farmers utilize information and knowledge to optimize their use of limited resources. However, the role of AES has progressively evolved due to the changing technological, economic and social context. This paper uses primary and secondary data to study the AES delivery process in Kenya. This process is interrogated from an inclusivity perspective based on the suitability of related AES approaches in reaching out to rural communities in the acquisition of services for innovation purposes. The study finds differences in AES approaches that can effectively stimulate institutional innovation in an equitable way. In addition, approaches for delivery of AES are hampered by several factors that either constrain or perpetuate inclusivity more generally. The paper enhances discussion around the importance of agricultural AES as a key function of the agricultural innovation system, especially in a rural setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India agricultural and packaging technology practices are constantly evolving to enhance crop production by improving soil quality and creating suitable environments, respectively. Mulching and improved packaging films have emerged as popular methods, but the use of non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) for both poses disposal challenges. To address this, the focus has shifted to the biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), in combination with fruit peel waste powder as filler. This literature review paper was written to describe a detailed survey about PLA with the incorporation of increasing amounts of fruit peel waste to enhance the properties of the PLA film. The primary aim was to explore the potential of PLA mulch film with the incorporation of fruit peel waste as an environmentally friendly alternative for mulching application in agriculture. To date we know of no review article published regarding the incorporation of fruit peel waste as a filler within the PLA matrix to enhance the properties of the films used in agriculture and the packaging industry. Moreover, this review paper also describes recent trends in the application and methods of preparation of PLA mulch films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the concept of circular economy, this paper plans the agricultural production bases in the suburbs of the city, combines agricultural ecology to construct agricultural functional production bases suitable for current needs, and designs and plans the agricultural bases. Moreover, this paper uses the methods of field investigation, theoretical analysis and case design to conduct research. Supported by the concept of circular economy, this paper combines intelligent planning technology to construct an agricultural production base architectural planning system, and through the evaluation of present exhaustive circumstance of the arranging and design of ecological agricultural sightseeing park, a fundamental comprehension has been built. Next to studying the planning and design, this paper proposes a model appropriate for the arranging and design of the urban suburban ecological agricultural sightseeing park at the area scale. Finally, this paper completes the basic planning of the agricultural production base through case analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides are crucial for increasing agricultural productivity, but they have also been linked to a range of health and environmental risks. In this paper, we used nationally representative data from 557 agro-dealers in Uganda to assess the role of agro-dealer certification in improving knowledge and practices related to environmentally-friendly pest control. We found that almost half of the sampled agro-dealers were not certified or accredited by regulatory bodies, even though this is a prerequisite for selling pesticides in the country. Results further showed that only 16% of the agro-input shops were selling biopesticide products, largely due to a lack of awareness, access and demand from farmers. Regression results showed that certified agro-dealers were 9-12 percentage points more likely to know about biopesticides and integrated pest management, and 8-10 percentage points more likely to sell biopesticide products, compared to their non-certified counterparts. Our findings imply that agro-dealer certification courses can play an important role in raising knowledge and stimulating the supply of environmentally-benign pest control products. We identified regulatory enforcement, a decentralized certification system and agro-dealer associations as some of the potential pathways for incentivising compliance with certification requirements, thereby promoting lower-risk pest control products and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes key findings from the recent literature on agricultural productivity and structural transformation and then identifies priority areas for further research. The paper discusses the macro relevance of agricultural productivity for growth and structural transformation. New theory and data have underscored the importance of agricultural productivity as a proximate cause of low aggregate productivity in the world's poorest countries, including many in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence has also emerged on the importance of agricultural productivity growth as a driver of development and growth in the past. But micro evidence and changes in the global context suggest that today's low-income countries may face a different set of challenges in the years ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory development communication is often hindered by two major obstacles: insufficient funding and community residents' reluctance to participate. This article proposes that agricultural collectivization can serve as an institutional prerequisite for overcoming these obstacles. Collectivization establishes a new property rights system and labor relations that facilitate labor-intensive projects, thereby reducing the costs of participatory approaches. Moreover, the new labor relations and distribution system shape peasants' preferences and behaviors, motivating them to engage in public affairs. Through a case study of the literacy movement in Mao-era China, the latter part of the paper provides a detailed description and analysis of the mechanisms through which collectivization impacted participatory communication. In the end, the paper highlights the importance of considering the relations of production when examining the relationship between communication and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the effects of weather variability in temperature and precipitation on agricultural output are short- or long-run. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the paper attempts to establish whether temperature or precipitation variability affects agricultural output in the short or the long run. Second, it examined whether the effects of temperature or precipitation variability on agricultural output are homogenous across East African countries. The results reveal that variability in temperature had a long-run impact on agricultural output, while variability in precipitation had a short-run effect. The findings also reveal that the long-run temperature variability effect was heterogeneous across East African countries, and to some extent, there is also evidence for the long-run effect of precipitation variability. These results are crucial in providing decision-makers and other interested parties a thorough evaluation of climate impacts and adaptation measures aimed at increasing agricultural production and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, biochar has garnered significant interest as a viable remedy for enhancing soil quality and elevating crop output in problematic soils. This article delves into the repercussions of biochar on vegetable production in challenging soils, exploring its capacity to improve plant growth, nutrient accessibility, and its influence on soil microbial communities. A meticulous evaluation of pertinent literature exposes that the impacts of biochar on vegetable crop production can vary, contingent upon factors like biochar composition, application dosage, and crop variety. Moreover, biochar has the potential to interact with other soil additives and fertilizers, potentially influencing its efficacy. This research presents insights into the existing knowledge voids crucial for a more thorough understanding of the mechanisms through which biochar influences vegetable production in challenging soils. The primary focus of this paper is to emphasize the capability of biochar in ameliorating soil fertility and boosting vegetable yields in challenging soils, with an emphasis on the importance of further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractNew approaches are required in the agricultural sector to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for food in the context of climate change and resource deterioration and avoiding further negative impact on the environment. Nonthermal plasma is an environmentally-friendly technology which could make a difference in future agricultural production. This review intends to introduce the topic of plasma agriculture to a broad audience by describing in detail various plasma sources with potential for agricultural applications, as well as the effects of plasma exposure of seeds, both at the macroscopic scale, and concerning the intimate mechanisms occurring inside the plant. Examples meant to illustrate the plasma effect on seeds and plants have been selected among extensively investigated species, such as cereals and legumes, as well as among a few species that are less often reported in literature, such as medicinal plants and woody plants. Generally, the main effects for all types of seeds consist in increased germination, higher plant yield, seed decontamination, and sometimes higher tolerance to various stress factors. These effects are due to the physical and chemical plasma interaction with seeds followed by the response of cell mechanisms, which are addressed in detail in the paper. Finally, a few crucial aspects regarding the practical application of nonthermal plasma in agriculture are discussed to illustrate the challenges and perspective of such treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powered by global financial institutions, philanthrocapitalists and development agencies, agricultural commercialization is once again at the forefront of development discourse and policies, especially since the late 2000s. The cornerstone of this development approach is that by investing in raising agricultural productivity, supporting infrastructure, and introducing climate-smart agricultural systems, with private sector investments all along the food value chain, Africa will transform into a breadbasket for the world. In the last decade, Uganda and Tanzania have enthusiastically embraced agricultural modernization discourses, becoming test beds of new ‘frontier’ blueprints: ‘responsible’ agricultural commercialization projects, ‘inclusive’ business models and ‘sustainable’ contract farming schemes. This paper takes issue with the de-politicizing discourse of the value chain paradigm by exploring diachronically the genealogies of agricultural commercialization in Uganda and Tanzania from colonial times, across post-independence state-led modernizations, to the present neoliberal reforms. It argues that mainstream development narratives tagged to commercialization projects have worked as an ‘anti-politics machine’ making invisible to the public eye the widespread land dispossession, rural pauperization and social conflicts it entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faunal remains from Ḥorvat Tevet, a site located in the rural hinterlands of the Jezreel Valley, reveal patterns of a complex redistributive apparatus during the Late Iron IIA. This paper assesses a large assemblage of animal bones within inter- and intra-site comparative analyses. Inter-site comparisons to contemporary sites in the northern valleys of Israel demonstrate that the agricultural production of grain and animal by-products at Ḥorvat Tevet is unprecedented and went far beyond the site's local needs. Further, an intra-site comparison reveals a hierarchical distinction in the consumption patterns between elites and the labour force. These results further reinforce the conclusion that the late Iron IIA Ḥorvat Tevet was an administrative centre of a royal Israelite estate in the Jezreel Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) dated from 1991 to 2015, we assess the impact of public bus expansion into villages on income mobility of rural household, particularly, with low income. This paper finds that the income mobility of low-income households is suffered from the expansion of public buses in the rural areas. Due to the 'crowding out' effect, the low-income families are excluded from the non-agricultural employment brought by the public bus expansion, which nevertheless does not improve the agricultural production structure. This can explain why the low-income group has been marginalized during the process of urban-city integration in China. Improvement of the human capital can significantly alleviate the negative impact of public bus expansion on the low-income group in rural areas, while the child-care burden aggravates the issue. These results may also have policy implication for potential solutions to problems such as the 'First Kilometer' to realize common prosperity is not simply about the modernization in the infrastructure but also equalization of opportunities through cultivation of human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cavendish banana is Australia's most popular fruit and marketed as emblematic of Australian nationalisms. In July 2017, the disease-causing fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense was confirmed present on Australia's largest Cavendish banana farm, in the worst disease incursion that Northern Queensland Cavendish monocrop plantations have yet faced. Confronted with the potential collapse of the industry, banana growers and Biosecurity Queensland officials have deployed a biosecurity response centred on measures of border control and containment. This paper examines the othering of the disease vector Panama Tropical Race 4, revealing biosecurity attempts as embroiled in cultural preoccupations with invasion. In so doing, this paper establishes that the biosecurity concerns regarding Northern Queensland bananas are not just with the economic and biological productivity of nature, but entangled in post-colonial anxieties over who belongs within the landscape. Following the entangled relations between the disease and Cavendish bananas reveals cultural nuances and multispecies relations. These shape and are shaped by industry and government efforts as experts attempt to maintain governance over entities as they appear to slip from human control. This paper finds that the anxieties and narratives of Australian post-colonial politics are deeply imbricated with the logics of ecological protection, agricultural productivity and the banality of everyday nationalisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several resources on topics related to food. The briefing paper "Women: the Key to Food Security" examines the important roles of women in ensuring food security. The book "Chains of Fortune: Linking Women Producers and Workers With Global Markets," edited by Marilyn Carr, features case studies of women workers and producers in various countries. Moreover, a paper by Nira Ramachandran discusses issues related to food security and women involvement in South Asia.

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This paper is a preliminary note to facilitate discussion on (1) the opportunities arising from advances in ICT for CGIAR in conducting its main business of research, and (2) the role of CGIAR in capacity building to help national partners use ICTs in their research and related activities.1 The paper takes a look at ICT in relation to the new CGIAR vision and strategy and examines the use of GIS-based ICTs in CGIAR. A short summary of ICTs used by CGIAR Centres for access and dissemination of information from their research and related activities is also presented. There is a need for CGIAR to analyse opportunities arising from advances in ICT in terms of: research inputs; research methodologies and processes; research outputs, delivery and outcomes; research support; communication, research collaboration and partnership; and as an activity to strengthen capacity of national partners. The paper draws some conclusions and makes recommendations regarding the next steps towards analysing ICT opportunities for CGIAR in the context of the CGIAR vision and strategy. [Editorial note: a list of acronyms may be found at the end of this paper.] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While the role of agricultural productivity in alleviating poverty and enhancing household well-being is widely acknowledged, the micro-level evidence on the relationship between smallholder productivity and rural household welfare remains scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. Utilising three-wave comprehensive panel data from rural Ethiopia, this paper offers valuable insights into the effect of maize productivity on rural household welfare. We use both fixed-effects and correlated random-effects IV estimators to account for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity. Our findings reveal that increased maize productivity leads to higher household income, enhanced maize consumption, and greater asset ownership, ultimately reducing rural poverty. Notably, the welfare gains from maize productivity vary among farm households, with the most substantial effects observed among advantaged households, particularly those headed by male farmers and those with a more favourable economic standing in terms of poverty status. These results not only hold promise for poverty reduction through intensified agricultural practices in rural Ethiopia but also emphasise the necessity for targeted interventions to ensure equitable distribution of welfare benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision nutrient management is a modern approach for optimizing nutrient supply in fruit crops, ensuring that plants receive the actual amount of essential elements at the right time and place. Traditional nutrient management methods often undergo deficiencies, leading to over-fertilization, uneven distribution of nutrients, environmental pollution, and economic inefficiency. These review paper challenges can be addressed by providing real-time data of soil conditions, plant health and nutrient levels. This strategy depends on advanced technologies such as remote sensing, variable rate technology, fertigation, slow/control release fertilizer, and organic amendments to weave nutrient application to the specific needs of each crop and individual plant within a field. It is emphasized by its potential for plant growth and development, increased crop yield, optimized resource utilization and mitigated environmental concerns. By fine-tuning nutrient application, farmers can achieve better economic returns while promoting sustainable agriculture. Precision nutrient management for fruit crops is characterized by a scarcity of studies exploring the application of advanced technologies and data-driven approaches. There is a need for more in-depth investigation to develop and validate precision nutrient management strategies tailored to the unique requirements of different crops. Closing this research gap will contribute to sustainable and optimized fruit crop production. In conclusion, precision nutrient management represents a paradigm shift in agricultural practices, offering a more sustainable and efficient approach to nutrient application in fruit crops. By untried advanced technologies and data-driven insights, farmers can optimize their resource use, enhance crop performance, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data from the 2015 China Household Finance Survey, this paper assess the links between rural-urban migration and the marketization of land rentals. The estimated results indicate that farm households with more migrant labour are less likely to participate in land rentals, and lessees with more agricultural labour tend to use the rented land for non-grain production. Meanwhile, lessees with less migrated labour are more likely to rent land for profit and pay high land rent, even when land rentals are conducted between acquaintances. Further evidence shows that lessors with more migrated labour have a higher probability of leasing farmland for for-profit purposes and obtain high land rent. Our analysis reveals that with rural-urban migration, the marketization of land rentals between acquaintances in rural China increases if there emerge large numbers of lessees who are specialized in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of financial access on convergence in the US agricultural sector. We find that financial access allows states with lower real per-capita agricultural production to catch up faster with those with higher real per-capita agricultural production. Our results are robust to various specifications and in the presence of other factors determinant of dynamics in the agricultural sector, such as the level of unemployment and competition. Therefore, this paper unveils higher opportunity costs of lower financial access in terms of welfare improvement, policy dissemination, and technological spillovers across the states. We recommend the implementations and dissemination of strategiesthat will ensure the availability, to all farmers, of innovations developed in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty remains a major challenge for the countries of the global south. Decent employment opportunity, a crucial determinant of poverty reduction, is increasingly becoming elusive for those countries regardless of a decent rate of economic growth. There is a growing separation of economic growth and employment growth under the aegis of neo-liberal economic policies. Economic growth, instead of becoming inclusive, turns out to be “jobless” or “job loss.” Failing to reverse this trend, “Active Labour Market Policies” (ALMPs) in the form of “Public Works Programmes” (PWPs) have emerged as a major strategy to reduce unemployment and poverty. Secondly, rural–urban migration is very much relied upon for the same. Raising agricultural productivity, a crucial question of “agrarian transition,” well evident and verified across the globe, is, however, becoming oblivion in the fight against poverty. In this context, based on a primary survey of 300 households in the poorest regions of India, this paper endeavors to investigate the relative strength of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), rural–urban migration, and land productivity on poverty. The study suggests that an agrarian-centric intervention is more effective in dealing with poverty as compared to MGNREGA (ALMPs) and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing agricultural productivity and reducing carbon emissions are two major challenges that China faces. This paper explores how agricultural insurance affects agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) that addresses these two challenges. First, we adopt DDF-GML to measure AGTFP, and the Dagum's Gini decompositions results show the large differences in AGTFP, with transvariation between subregions contributing the most. Second, we find the U-shaped effect of agricultural insurance on AGTFP in a large country context. The result remains robust after adjusting for time, sample and estimation method of AGTFP. We also construct instrumental variables from the minimum distance from the centroid of counties within a province to the 45 ports in China and two-stage lagged agricultural insurance penetration (AIP) for AIP, and their squares as instrumental variables for AIP2. The conclusion remains robust in 2SLS model. Third, the findings confirm three channels for agricultural insurance to influence the AGTFP: environmentally friendly production, labor inputs and operation scale. We further propose policy advice to promote China's agricultural modernization and point out further research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnohistory of the Colorado River delta has been substantively misunderstood, owing to the widespread neglect and/or misinterpretations of the writings of Francisco Garcés. In 1771, 1774, and 1775–1776, Garcés undertook three entradas into the delta, and wrote a series of valuable ethnographic accounts. Not only have Garcés's locations and routes frequently been misidentified by earlier scholars, his observations on agricultural production and population size have been ignored or marginalized, enabling misconceptions about delta historical demography and adaptation to flourish. The present paper seeks to restore Garcés's accounts, making his locations and ethnographic observation intelligible and interpretable, and to show how these can help resolve extant misconceptions. Part I focuses on some key texts, tying his locations to a master map. Part II focuses on ethnolinguistic groups and settlement sites, discusses the implications for a better understanding of historical demography and agricultural adaptation in the delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholder agricultural commercialization is a central objective across Africa, one linked to poverty reduction, sectoral transformation and increasingly, climate resilience and adaptation. There is much attention given to the extent to which agricultural commercialization serves to reduce poverty, but less to the commercialization pathways that lead towards or away from that outcome. There are, likewise, many studies that project hugely adverse future impacts of climate change on commercial agricultural production, but surprisingly little empirical work on how climate impacts are affecting current agricultural commercialization prospects and pathways for smallholder farmers. This paper, therefore, offers an analysis of levels of climate vulnerability and resilience within existing commercialization pathways in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It embeds the account within an analysis of the underlying causes of uneven distributions of vulnerability and resilience. We find that while being able to practise commercially viable agriculture can contribute to resilience, it does not do so for the people who most need commercialization to reduce poverty. It is more common for farmers to face what we term an adaptation trap. We conclude by considering what these cases add to our understanding of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-wildlife interactions can affect human wellbeing and wildlife population persistence. This paper addresses the perceived impacts of wildlife on agropastoral food production in the Tarangire ecosystem of northern Tanzania. It is based on sixteen months of collaborative ethnographic fieldwork with agropastoral Maasai communities (2019–2020; 2022; 2023), 240 semi-structured interviews, and a household survey (n = 1076). People felt that caterpillars, elephants, and zebras had the most significant effects on crop production, while hyenas were responsible for the bulk of livestock depredation by carnivores. These social costs of wildlife merit further attention from conservation policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies time series techniques to test for convergence in agricultural total factor productivity among the USA and a sample of nine European countries for the period 1973–1993. The data set used in this paper obtained from Ball et al . (2001). The wide spectrum of unit root test results obtained in the present study support the presence of convergence among the sample countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper updates previous estimates for the global value of using genetically modified (GM) crop technology in agriculture at the farm level. It examined impacts on yields, important variable costs of production, including the cost of the technology, direct farm (gross) income, and impacts on the production base of the main crops where the technology is used (soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola). Over the period 1996 to 2020, the economic benefits have been significant with farm incomes for those using the technology having increased by $261.3 billion US dollars. This equates to an average farm income gain across all GM crops grown in this period of about $112/hectare. In 2020, the farm income gains were $18.8 billion (average of $103/ha). The cumulative farm income gains have been divided 52% to farmers in developing countries and 48% to farmers in developed countries. Seventy-two percentage of the gains have derived from yield and production gains with the remaining 28% coming from cost savings. These yield and production gains have made important contributions to increasing global production levels of the four main crops, having, for example, added 330 million tonnes and 595 million tonnes respectively, to the global production of soybeans and maize since the introduction of the technology in the mid-1990s. In 2020, the extra global production of the four main crops in which GM technology is widely used (85 million tonnes), would have, if conventional production systems been used, required an additional 23.4 million ha of land to be planted to these crops. In terms of investment, for each extra dollar invested in GM crop seeds (relative to the cost of conventional seed), farmers gained an average US $3.76 in extra income. In developing countries, the average return was $5.22 for each extra dollar invested in GM crop seed and in developed countries the average return was $3.00. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The everyday practice of food sovereignty varies across place, and efforts to democratize food systems and create more holistic and equitable forms of food production and access are highly politicized. Considering the "geo" of these practices assists with understanding how perceptions of place shape imaginaries about food sovereignty in place. Using the example of education-based food sovereignty tourism in Cuba I examine, in this paper, how outsiders from the US map geopolitical imaginaries onto Cuba in their efforts to see the "real Cuba" and authentic food sovereignty practices. I argue that the myopic character of food sovereignty tours creates a re-writing of space based on participants' hopes and fears regarding agricultural production and consumption. Drawing on a feminist geopolitical framing, I use recent theorizations that consider geopolitical encounters via tourism to elucidate what I observed, which trended towards paternalistic geopolitical imaginaries of Cuba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aspects have come to light for sustainable agriculture system to maintain soil status. Integrated nutrient management (INM) is a concept which combines the use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients to fulfil plant nutrient requirement and for growing crops in a sustainable way which ultimately maintains soil health as well as to supply nutrient in appropriate amount which consider social, ecological, and economic impacts. This review particularly shows the positive impact in agricultural production of lentil as well as its importance and need in agriculture production. INM practices have some beneficial impacts on growth and yield parameters of lentil. The nodule formations of legumes crop have good impact on nutrient management. Lastly, this review paper also defines about the relation of biofertilizers on crop production and its effect on different parameters of lentil production which can be combined with other nutrient management strategies to be considered as an improved technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of biomass, as an energy resource, depends on four main steps of production, pre-treatment, bio-refinery, and upgrading. This work reviews Machine Learning applications in the biomass production step with focusing on agriculture crops. By investigating numerous related works, it is concluded that there is a considerable reviewing gap in collecting the applications of Machine Learning in crop biomass production. To fill this gap by the current work, the origin of biomass raw materials is explained, and the application of Machine Learning in this section is scrutinized. Then, the kinds and resources of biomass as well as the role of machine learning in these fields are reviewed. Meanwhile, the sustainable production of farming-origin biomass and the effective factors in this issue are explained, and the application of Machine Learning in these areas are surveyed. Summarily, after analysis of numerous papers, it is concluded that Machine Learning and Deep Learning are widely utilized in crop biomass production areas to enhance the crops production quantity, quality, and sustainability, improve the predictions, decrease the costs, and diminish the products losses. According to the statistical analysis, in 19% of the studies conducted about the application of Machine Learning and Deep Learning in crop biomass raw materials, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm has been applied. Afterward, the Random Forest (RF) and Super Vector Machine (SVM) are the second and third most-utilized algorithms applied in 17% and 15% of studies, respectively. Meanwhile, 26% of studies focused on the applications of Machine Learning and Deep Learning in the sugar crops. At the second and third places, the starchy crops and algae with 23% and 21% received more attention of researchers in the utilization of Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in China is undergoing a swift transformation to modify labour relocation. This change is spearheaded by commercial farms and other Chinese government interventions thereby promoting agricultural production and rural growth. The input-dependent industrial model of agriculture is also considered in conflict with attaining a safe and healthy environment for its inhabitants. The current approaches initiated in the tea sector have witnessed several enriched sustainable agricultural technologies (SATs). The SATs seek to increase yield while ensuring agricultural sustainability via ecological strategies. However, reports have shown farmers have low desire resulting in a lower acceptance rate of SATs among Chinese farmers. We provide a systematic review with a focus on the key determinants of SATs adoption rate in tea production in China from 2000 to 2022. The results revealed the significance and suitability of different approaches in establishing farmers' adoption behaviour. The specificity of farmers' SAT adoption behaviour is essentially not compromised by any codified variables but the interrelationship among the determinants, including socio-demographic, agroecological and environmental, technological, institutional, and social networks, and informational, and farmer behavioural factors. We recommend that the government increase awareness of SATs to promote public demand for agricultural sustainability, particularly in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural development (SAD) requires empowerment and engagement of all actors in the agricultural production and supply chain to enable change. This paper proposes a novel framework for Participatory Sustainable Agricultural Development (PSAD) that distinguishes four main classes of factors that influence participation in SAD: environmental, economic, social and governance-related. The factors in each of these classes are analysed in relation to their effect over time, on the basis of 49 SAD programmes reported in the literature. Findings show that the social factors of engagement and empowerment, not often addressed in existing SAD programmes, are of significant influence to effect over time, as are the environmental factors of food safety, and the economic factors of production and capacity development. As such this paper shows that in in addition to the well-acknowledged need for knowledge and skills related to food safety, production and capacity development, SAD programmes also need to address the social factors of engagement and empowerment to enable sustainable change over time for SAD through participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emissions of greenhouse gases together with other anthropogenic activities has caused a change in global climatic conditions with corresponding negative effects on agricultural productivity, biodiversity and other socio-economic indices. Studies reveal that the impacts of climate change are felt most severely by the vulnerable, who have fewer adaptive capacities. In Africa, for example, little is known about local narratives on the 'causes' of climate change, and how such narratives influence climate change coping and adaptation strategies in specific local settings. Where do the 'local' and the 'global' intersect in the search for effective coping measures – and do they? Using a qualitative approach, this paper reveals how local conceptions of climate change appear to be rooted in 'politics' and spiritual forces. The paper highlights not only the major points of divergence between local interpretations and 'Western' conceptions about climate change, but also important areas of convergence between the two ideational domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-examine some of the strongest evidence supporting agricultural commercialisation, a highly touted yet under-researched development intervention. Our replication study re-examines Ashraf, Giné, and Karlan's 'Finding Missing Markets' paper. Using the previous paper's raw data, our research generally reproduces the original findings. We explore the evaluation's theory of change, focusing on the result that first time export crop adopters benefit more from agricultural commercialisation than previous adopters. We also examine recall bias questions and provide sample size guidance for future researchers. Similar to the original paper, we find that the intervention mostly benefits households just entering the agricultural production value-chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty is a major problem Tanzania is facing, which depends on agriculture as the main economic activity. Different stakeholders have involved themselves in boosting agricultural productivity, especially in semiarid regions, where their main focus is on drought tolerant crops such as sorghum and millet. If this support is not linked with market opportunities, commodity prices may be depressed and discourage farmers. This paper determines prospect for increasing utilization of animal feed as the market opportunity for farmer by forecast consumption of livestock product such as eggs, milk, chicken and cow meat. Autoregressive integrated moving average models were used for forecasting with the data from FAOSTAT. The result shows that consumption of all livestock products will increase, hence expected demand for animal feed. This paper calls for more research works in analyzing factors that may affect consumption of livestock products such as population increase and change of consumption behavior toward livestock products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a prolonged agrarian impasse, agricultural production in West Bengal, India, grew at an unprecedented rate in the 1980s, a process in which the expansion of groundwater irrigation played an important role. The growth of groundwater irrigation and agricultural production, however, decelerated from the early 1990s. This paper argues that the deceleration in groundwater irrigation development in West Bengal since 1995 is primarily attributed to the adoption of different regulatory policies in two ways: directly, through controlling the overall installation of tubewells or decelerating tubewell electrification; and indirectly, through high electricity pricing for water use in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins, including aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, and M2, are one of the major types of mycotoxins that endangers food safety, human health, and contribute to the immeasurable loss of food and agricultural production in the world yearly. In addition, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) mainly produced by Aspergilus sp. is the most potent of these compounds and has been well documented to cause the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans and animals. This paper reviewed the detoxification and degradation of AFB1, including analysis and summary of the major technologies in physics, chemistry, and biology in recent years. The chemical structure and toxicity of the transformed products, and the degradation mechanisms of AFB1 are overviewed and discussed in this presented review. In addition to the traditional techniques, we also provide a prospective study on the use of emerging detoxification methods such as natural products and photocatalysis. The purpose of this work is to provide reference for AFB1 control and detoxification, and to promote the development of follow-up research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the interrelations between migration, agricultural production, class, and cultural belonging, focusing on the economic and demographic transformation of Gemlik, an Ottoman district that underwent substantial change over the course of the nineteenth century. Based on the mid-nineteenth-century population and tax registers of the town of Gemlik and of two villages in the district, Kurşunlu and Kumla-i Sagir, we demonstrate that the agricultural economy in the district was heavily shaped by commodity production in the context of the district's increasing integration into global markets. By tracing specific patterns of mobility and settlement over time, we show that the process of global integration was entangled with class and cultural differentiation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human capital development is considered the primary source of knowledge and skills in the innovation process. Despite this, there is evidence of a lack of technical and managerial knowledge among emerging sugarcane farmers who are beneficiaries of South Africa's land reform programme, thus, limiting their full potential in terms of innovation and productivity which is detrimental to their competitiveness. This paper employs the Crépon, Duguet, and Mairesse (CDM) approach, correcting for endogeneity problems, to estimate the causal impact of on-the-job training expenditure, used as a proxy for human capital development, on innovation, and innovation on farm productivity. It is based on a case study of 35 emerging sugarcane farmers in the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, South Africa. The results from the CDM model confirm the causal relationships between human capital (on-the-job training) and the innovation behaviour of the farmers, which positively impact the farm's productivity. This result underscores the relevance of human capital development in boosting innovation and productivity in the agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnohistory of the Colorado River delta has been substantively misunderstood, owing to the widespread neglect and/or misinterpretations of the writings of Francisco Garcés. In 1771, 1774, and 1775–76, Garcés undertook three entradas into the delta, and wrote a series of valuable ethnographic accounts. Not only have Garcés's locations and routes frequently been misidentified by earlier scholars, his observations on agricultural production and population size have been ignored or marginalized, enabling misconceptions about delta historical demography and adaptation to flourish. The present paper seeks to restore Garcés's accounts, making his locations and ethnographic observations intelligible and interpretable, and to show how these can help resolve extant misconceptions. Part I focuses on some key texts, tying his locations to a master map. Part II focuses on ethnolinguistic groups and settlement sites, and discusses the implications for a better understanding of historical demography and agricultural adaptation in the delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological plant remains are key data in the identification of the material consequences of imperial interventions in past local lifeways. In this paper, the spatial and stratigraphic analysis of plant remains preserved in a hypothesized kitchen context from the archaeological site of Dhiban, Jordan, is presented in detail. This context is dated to ca. a.d. 570–640 based on 16 AMS dates, a time when the Dhiban community was part of and located at the eastern edge of the Byzantine empire. Analysis of over 130 point-provenienced flotation samples reveals a local emphasis on the agricultural production of wheat, peas, and grape, in spite of the challenges of water management in a semi-arid landscape. Comparison with other nearby and contemporaneous sites indicates that while all grew a similar suite of crops, their frequencies vary, possibly indicating a community of agricultural practice specializing in different foodstuffs or crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to agricultural credit is still a challenge in developing countries. The weakness of agricultural financing prevents producers from acquiring the modern technologies that are essential for the development of their activity. This paper aims to determine the impact of access to credit on agricultural productivity in Benin using alternative measures of productivity. To do this, we use the endogenous switching regression model to control for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity issues associated with this impact analysis. The data used comes from the statistical databases of the National Agricultural Research Institute of Benin. The results show that the adoption of improved seeds, the geographic location, the area sown and member of peasant organization determine producers' access to credit are factors that determine producers' access to credit. Farmers' access to credit generates an estimated gain of 40.07% and 31.97% respectively for production per hectare and production per FCFA invested. These results require a comprehensive and coherent public action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]