340 results on '"agricultural intensification"'
Search Results
2. From Torrents to Trickles: Irrigation's Future in Africa and Asia
- Author
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Claudia Ringler
- Subjects
Economics and Econometrics ,Agricultural intensification ,Irrigation ,Geography ,Component (UML) ,Key (cryptography) ,Water resource management - Abstract
Irrigation has been a key component of agricultural intensification and transformation in Asia and has the potential to take on the same role in Sub-Saharan Africa. Irrigation has contributed to increased food production, lower food prices, higher rural employment, and overall agricultural and economic growth. At the same time, irrigation—through its large consumptive water use—has accelerated water depletion, degradation, and pollution; moreover, it has benefitted richer farmers more than poorer farmers. This article reviews the contributions and challenges of irrigation and identifies a series of measures to increase the sustainability and equity of irrigation going forward.
- Published
- 2021
3. A Journey to the West: The Ancient Dispersal of Rice Out of East Asia
- Author
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Li Tang, Hongen Jiang, Alisher Begmatov, Daniel Fuks, Rasmus Bjørn, Robert N. Spengler, Luca M. Olivieri, Sören Stark, Xinying Zhou, Basira Mir-Makhamad, Nicole Boivin, Spengler, Robert N [0000-0002-5648-6930], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, Apollo-University Of Cambridge Repository, and Spengler, Robert N., III [0000-0002-5648-6930]
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,South asia ,Agricultural intensification ,Archaeobotany ,Crop exchange ,Paddy farming ,Rice ,West Asia ,Soil Science ,Plant Science ,Review ,01 natural sciences ,SB1-1110 ,Paleoethnobotany ,0601 history and archaeology ,East Asia ,Domestication ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,2. Zero hunger ,060102 archaeology ,business.industry ,Plant culture ,06 humanities and the arts ,Arid ,Geography ,Agriculture ,Settore L-OR/16 - Archeologia e Storia Dell'Arte Dell'India e dell'Asia Centrale ,Biological dispersal ,Ethnology ,business ,Agronomy and Crop Science - Abstract
Rice is one of the most culturally valued and widely grown crops in the world today, and extensive research over the past decade has clarified much of the narrative of its domestication and early spread across East and South Asia. However, the timing and routes of its dispersal into West Asia and Europe, through which rice eventually became an important ingredient in global cuisines, has remained less clear. In this article, we discuss the piecemeal, but growing, archaeobotanical data for rice in West Asia. We also integrate written sources, linguistic data, and ethnohistoric analogies, in order to better understand the adoption of rice outside its regions of origin. The human-mediated westward spread of rice proceeded gradually, while its social standing and culinary uses repeatedly changing over time and place. Rice was present in West Asia and Europe by the tail end of the first millennium BC, but did not become a significant crop in West Asia until the past few centuries. Complementary historical, linguistic, and archaeobotanical data illustrate two separate and roughly contemporaneous routes of westward dispersal, one along the South Asian coast and the other through Silk Road trade. By better understanding the adoption of this water-demanding crop in the arid regions of West Asia, we explore an important chapter in human adaptation and agricultural decision making. Introduction Domestication - East Asia - South Asia Himalayan Plateau West and Central Asia - Historical Sources - Archaeobotanical Data South Asian Coastal Routes - Historical Sources - Archaeobotanical Data Intensification of Rice Cultivation Culinary Shift Conclusions
- Published
- 2021
4. Agricultural intensification erodes taxonomic and functional diversity in Mediterranean olive groves by filtering out rare species
- Author
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Teresa Salido, Carlos Martínez-Núñez, Pedro J. Rey, Francisco Valera, Juan P. González-Varo, Rubén Tarifa, and Biología
- Subjects
Mediterranean climate ,Agricultural intensification ,Functional diversity ,Geography ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,Intensive farming ,Rare species ,Agricultural biodiversity ,Landscape complexity - Abstract
Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) have been proposed to mitigate the impact of agriculture on both taxonomic and functional biodiversity. However, a better knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the loss of agrobiodiversity is needed to implement efficient AES. An unbalanced effort on research towards arable lands compared to permanent crops, and on fauna relative to plants, is patent, which limits the generalization of AES effectiveness. We evaluated the effects of agricultural management and landscape simplification on taxonomic and functional diversity of the ground herb cover of 40 olive groves. We use a recently developed approach based on Hill numbers (rare, common and dominant species based) to analyse taxonomic and functional dissimilarity between farms with contrasting agricultural practices, and its potential attenuation by landscape complexity. We further explore the filtering effect of agricultural intensification on functional traits, and the relationship between functional and species richness across landscapes. We found that taxonomic and functional dissimilarity of herb assemblages between intensively and low-intensively managed fields was mainly due to rare species. Dissimilarity decreased as landscape complexity increased, evidencing that complex landscapes attenuate the impact of agriculture intensification on herb assemblage composition. Agricultural intensification favoured more functionally homogeneous assemblages and disfavoured the herbs pollinated by insects, while it did not seem to affect wind-pollinated species. Overall, functional richness increased exponentially with species richness across landscapes, but the latter was insufficient to drive any clear enhancement in functional richness in simple landscapes. In contrast, high species richness accelerated the enhancement in functional richness in intermediate and complex landscapes. These results highlight the functional filtering that intensive agriculture has generated for decades in homogeneous olive-dominated landscapes. Synthesis and applications. Herb cover is essential to support the fauna of permanent croplands and their sustainable production. Hence, Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) in these croplands should promote management practices favouring the diversity and functionality of herb assemblages. Such AES should be particularly prioritized in homogeneous landscapes, where ground herb cover composition and function has long been homogenized to a great extent.
- Published
- 2021
5. Impact of the Sidhmukh Canal Irrigation Project (SCIP) on landscape modification and agriculture at Bhadra Tehsil segment, district Hanumangarh, Rajasthan
- Author
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GS Malhotra and S.K. Bainda
- Subjects
Government ,Irrigation ,Nohar ,business.industry ,Agricultural economics ,Environmental sciences ,Water resources ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Agriculture ,Sidhmukh Canal Irrigation Project ,GE1-350 ,business ,Inland Drainage Project ,Cropping ,Land productivity - Abstract
The study was conducted to know the landscape modification and agricultural intensification at a terrestrial segment of the Sidhmukh Canal Irrigation Project (SCIP) command area. The study confirms that the inception of the Sidhmukh Canal Project caused a massive land-use pattern change and shifted irrigation systems towards rain-fed farming to canal irrigation. Furthermore, the increased water availability by SCIP has extensively inflated irrigated land area, changed cropping pattern and land productivity. The study noticed a significant positive impact of SCIP on agricultural intensification. The study was accomplished by analysing primary data provided by the Department of Water Resources, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Economics & Statistics, Rajasthan Government.
- Published
- 2021
6. Landscape ecology in the Anthropocene: an overview for integrating agroecosystems and biodiversity conservation
- Author
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Felipe Martello, Manuel Eduardo Ferreira, Andrelisa Santos de Jesus, Juliana Silveira dos Santos, Rosane G. Collevatti, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Carlos de Melo e Silva-Neto, Pavel Dodonov, Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Universidade Federal do Acre, and Instituto Federal de Goiás
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Agroecosystem ,long-term ecological research ,habitat heterogeneity ,Ecology ,lcsh:QH1-199.5 ,spatio-temporal heterogeneity ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,functional connectivity ,Biodiversity ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,lcsh:General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,agricultural landscapes ,Agricultural intensification ,Biodiversity conservation ,Geography ,Anthropocene ,lcsh:QH540-549.5 ,lcsh:Ecology ,Landscape ecology ,Environmental planning ,Nature and Landscape Conservation - Abstract
Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:10:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Recent studies have characterized the influence of agroecosystems on biodiversity. However, a set of components associated with the management of these areas is still neglected in landscape-level studies, especially in areas of recent agricultural intensification. The resources and conditions provided by agroecosystems to different species are highly variable in space and time, and failing to account for this variation may lead to misleading conclusions about the biodiversity status in these environments. In this perspective, we provide a conceptual overview to highlight why and which landscape components still need to be better explored to provide an adequate assessment of the agroecosystem effects on biodiversity. We used a Brazilian heterogeneous intensive-farming landscape as an example to outline the components that we believe are important for understanding biodiversity patterns in such landscapes. An in-depth description of agroecosystems can help us create better landscape-level management strategies and to design more effective green-way policies. Laboratório de Genética & Biodiversidade Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Goiás Spatial Ecology Lab Institute of Biology Federal University of Bahia Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab (LEEC) Department of Biodiversity São Paulo State University UNESP, Avenida 24 A, 1515, Bela Vista Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Manejo de Recursos Naturais Universidade Federal do Acre Instituto de Estudos Sociombientais - IESA Universidade Federal de Goiás Instituto Federal de Goiás Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab (LEEC) Department of Biodiversity São Paulo State University UNESP, Avenida 24 A, 1515, Bela Vista
- Published
- 2021
7. Agricultural Intensification and Soil Fertility in Atlantic Spain, 1750–1890
- Author
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Roc Padró Caminal and Beatriz Corbacho González
- Subjects
History ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Agroforestry ,Soil fertility ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) - Abstract
This article describes the intensification process of agriculture and its environmental limits regarding soil fertility in the rural community of Fonsagrada, in the inner region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It addresses changes in land use, crops, and agricultural productivity between 1750 and 1890, framed within the theory of social metabolism and based on the method of nutrient balances. That technique measures nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium flows across the landscape within a given agro-ecosystem to assess its biophysical functioning and to detect environmental constraints related to management. The intensification of cropland resulted in net losses of potassium in outlying rough grazing land and hay meadows that served as the sources of cropland nutrients. Agricultural intensification was possible due to the close stabling of livestock, which allowed for more manure availability. Doing so, however, deprived pastureland of nutrient recover through manure deposition, which created a metabolic rift in the agro-ecosystem.
- Published
- 2021
8. The impacts of agricultural windbreaks on avian communities and ecosystem services provisioning in the Bellbird Biological Corridor, Costa Rica
- Author
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Cody Cox, Katherine Brownson, and Steve Padgett-Vasquez
- Subjects
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Agroforestry ,business.industry ,Provisioning ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,Development ,Windbreak ,01 natural sciences ,Ecosystem services ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Agriculture ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,business ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Agricultural windbreaks are promoted to reduce the negative ecological impacts of agricultural intensification while providing ecosystem services. To improve understanding of the conditions under w...
- Published
- 2020
9. The State of the World's Insects
- Author
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Paul Eggleton
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Value (ethics) ,0303 health sciences ,Ecology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,fungi ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,State (polity) ,Ecosystem ,030304 developmental biology ,General Environmental Science ,media_common - Abstract
This article reviews the present state of insects, describing their taxonomic position, cost, and value as well as the threats to their well-being. Insects are an important source of both ecosystem services and ecosystem disservices. Recent studies have indicated a worrying decline in insect species, especially in flying insects in the northern temperate region, and this has spawned much media attention. Some decline has occurred, it is clear, due to agricultural intensification, urbanization, overuse of pesticides, and global climate change. A decline would seriously affect the ecosystem services that insects provide. However, there is too little data to warrant the belief that all insects are declining everywhere. There is a pressing need for more basic research on insect diversity in the context of a changing world.
- Published
- 2020
10. Trajectories of Agricultural Development in Prehistoric China
- Author
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Yijie Zhuang
- Subjects
Prehistory ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Agricultural development ,Agroforestry ,Crop cultivation ,China - Published
- 2020
11. Agricultural Intensification, Diversification and Migration as Livelihood Strategies Among Rural Scheduled Tribe Population of Palasbari Revenue Circle: A Case of India
- Author
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Meghna Das and Barnali Gogoi
- Subjects
education.field_of_study ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Population ,Soil Science ,Plant Science ,Diversification (marketing strategy) ,Livelihood ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Tribe ,Revenue ,Socioeconomics ,education ,Agronomy and Crop Science - Abstract
The key objective of this study is to examine the livelihood practices and strategies adopted by the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of the Palasbari Revenue circle, Assam, India. For empirical analysis, 132 households were surveyed from 6 areas dominated by the ST population, namely Kallapara N.C. (Satargaon), Jimirigaon, Rani Khamar, Chouthala, Jupangbari, and Kochpara, which aggregates to 553 sample populations. It was surveyed by stratified random sampling method from January to March 2020. The results show that livelihood diversification, agricultural intensification and temporal migration are three of the major strategies adopted by the population to meet their needs.
- Published
- 2020
12. Adoption by adaptation: moving from Conservation Agriculture to conservation practices
- Author
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Rodenburg, Jonne, Buchi, Lucie, and Haggar, Jeremy
- Subjects
Economics and Econometrics ,No-till farming ,Agricultural intensification ,S1 ,Geography ,Agroforestry ,Agricultural diversification ,Conservation agriculture ,Trade offs ,Diversification (marketing strategy) ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Mulch ,Agroecology - Abstract
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a Sustainable Agricultural Intensification strategy based on minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil coverage by living or dead biomass, and diversification of crop rotations. We reviewed the literature on benefits, trade-offs, adoption and adaptation of CA in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While CA can improve soils and sustain crop yields, benefits are inconsistent and there are trade-offs with crop residue use, weeds and insect pests, labour demands and short-term yield penalties. Adoption rates by smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa are generally low. We hypothesize that underlying adoption constraints are 1) the magnitude of transformation of management practices required from farmers moving to CA, 2) the multiple inherent trade-offs associated with CA practices and 3) the incompatibility of CA practices to local conditions. We suggest CA adoption in SSA could be improved by focusing the promotion of CA to environments where it best fits, or by facilitating smallholders’ adaptation of the practices of CA to respond to their conditions and constraints. We, therefore, propose to move from Conservation Agriculture to Conservation Practices by: (A) identifying and overcoming locally important CA trade-offs through adaptations and complementary practices, and (B) finding farm-specific optimal combinations of practices in terms of feasibility and benefits.
- Published
- 2020
13. Factors influencing herpetofauna abundance and diversity in a tropical agricultural landscape mosaic
- Author
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Deyatima Ghosh and Parthiba Basu
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Ecology ,Abundance (ecology) ,Agriculture ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Mosaic (geodemography) ,business ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Diversity (politics) ,media_common ,Spatial heterogeneity - Published
- 2020
14. The Crested Lark Galerida cristata as an example of a bird species that benefits from agricultural management in western Poland
- Author
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Mateusz Lisiecki, Łukasz Dylewski, Barbara E. Kistowska, and Marcin Tobolka
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Galerida cristata ,animal structures ,Geography ,biology ,Habitat ,Ecology ,fungi ,embryonic structures ,Agricultural management ,biology.organism_classification ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Nature and Landscape Conservation - Abstract
Capsule: The Crested Lark Galerida cristata as an example of a species which selects habitats which have undergone agricultural intensification. Aims: To describe habitat preferences of the Crested...
- Published
- 2020
15. Landscape context mediates the physiological stress response of birds to farmland diversification
- Author
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Amanda B. Edworthy, William E. Snyder, Jeb P. Owen, Christina M. Kennedy, Olivia M. Smith, Joseph M. Taylor, and Christopher E. Latimer
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Biodiversity conservation ,Geography ,Ecology ,Context (language use) ,Diversification (marketing strategy) ,Body condition ,Physiological stress - Published
- 2020
16. Generational dynamics of agricultural intensification in Malawi: challenges for the youth and elderly smallholder farmers
- Author
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Karin Lindsjö, Wapulumuka Mulwafu, Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, and Miriam Kalanda Joshua
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Economics and Econometrics ,education.field_of_study ,Population ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,Affect (psychology) ,01 natural sciences ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Development economics ,Human geography ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,education ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
In the next 24 years, the Malawian population is expected to double, a development that will inevitably affect access to land and land holding sizes. As access to land is already limited, securing ...
- Published
- 2020
17. Habitat preferences of the Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) in its prime wintering grounds, the cereal-dominated Ethiopian Highlands
- Author
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Jérémy Gremion, Tolera Sori, Fanuel Kebede, Mihret Ewnetu, Philippe Christe, Alain Jacot, Julien Mazenauer, Raphaël Arlettaz, and Gabriel Marcacci
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Emberiza hortulana ,Bunting ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Prime (order theory) ,010605 ornithology ,food ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,2. Zero hunger ,Food security ,food.dish ,biology ,Ecology ,food security ,15. Life on land ,biology.organism_classification ,330 Economics ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Habitat ,570 Life sciences ,590 Animals (Zoology) ,Ethiopia ,agricultural intensification ,migratory landbirds - Abstract
Agricultural intensification and land-use changes are major factors impacting farmland biodiversity. The Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana is the long-distance trans-Saharan migratory passerine that has undergone the most dramatic decline among all European farmland birds. The factors responsible for this decline may originate from the breeding grounds, migration stopovers and/or overwintering quarters. Very little is known about conditions on the species' wintering grounds, but a recent study has highlighted the utmost importance of the traditionally managed agroecosystems in the Ethiopian Highlands as a key wintering area, apparently harbouring as much as 90% of the world's Ortolan Bunting population. Using radiotracking and line transect surveys, this study aimed to provide fine-grained information about species–habitat relationships in the Ortolan Bunting overwintering quarters. Our results showed the importance, at the landscape scale, of small-scale agriculture, notably of traditionally managed, cereal-dominated fields interspersed with semi-natural structures. At a foraging-site scale, on the other hand, patches of bare ground in combination with large areas of post-harvesting stubble represented key habitat features. Stubbles provide an essential food resource and bare ground promotes ground foraging by enhancing food accessibility. The maintenance of a traditional agricultural economy will be essential to maintain the habitat potential for the Ortolan Buntings overwintering in the Ethiopian Highlands and will be instrumental in preserving its world population from further decline.
- Published
- 2022
18. Village modernization may contribute more to farmland bird declines than agricultural intensification
- Author
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Matthew Hiron, Dorota Kotowska, Zuzanna M. Rosin, Paweł Szymański, Matthew Low, Tomas Pärt, and Marcin Tobolka
- Subjects
Sustainable development ,sustainable development ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,Biodiversity ,General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,modern architecture ,QH1-199.5 ,Modernization theory ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Urbanization ,rural landscape ,housing renovation ,farmland birds ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,biodiversity - Abstract
The central tenet of European farmland ecology is that agricultural intensification during the 20th century was largely responsible for dramatic declines in species abundances. However, during this time, human rural settlements were also undergoing radical changes through modernization, with undocumented biodiversity impacts in this important wildlife habitat. We performed the first ever large‐scale study to disentangle the impact of these simultaneous processes on farmland bird diversity in 104 Polish villages. We show that modernized villages and their surrounding agricultural fields had 50–60% fewer birds than those in and around comparable older villages. The relative contribution of modernization versus agricultural intensification to predicted bird declines was 88% versus 12% for bird communities in villages and 56% versus 44% in surrounding croplands, with considerable variation among ecological species subgroups. These results challenge our current understanding of agricultural ecosystem ecology and how best to implement conservation measures costing billions of euros annually.
- Published
- 2021
19. Dégradation De La Fertilité Des Sols Et De L’environnement Dans La Région Des Savanes Au Nord-Togo : Analyse Des Perceptions Et Stratégies D’adaptation Indigènes
- Author
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Hien Edmond, Magamana Abalo-Esso, Chotte Jean Luc, Gadedjisso-Tossou Agossou, and Blavet Didier
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,education.field_of_study ,Geography ,Deforestation ,Soil retrogression and degradation ,Degraded soils ,Population ,Reforestation ,Soil restoration ,Forestry ,Organic manure ,education - Abstract
Le nord-ouest du Togo, est caracterise par une forte pression sur les sols, entrainant une regression de parcs agroforestiers et une diminution rendements agricoles. Dans un tel milieu, l’appreciation des producteurs de ces changements ainsi que les methodes qu’ils adoptent pour y faire face restent moins connus. C’est pour cet objectif qu’une enquete socio-economique a ete menee aupres des producteurs pour evaluer leurs perceptions sur la degradation des sols et les changements climatiques afin d’identifier puis retenir les pratiques originales d’adaptation pouvant faire objet de diffusion. L’enquete menee sur un echantillon raisonne de 216 producteurs des deux sexes a montre que : 98,10% des enquetes sont conscients de la degradation de leurs sols tandis que 99,50% ressentent les effets des changements climatiques qui se manifestent en termes de longues secheresses, de retards de pluies, de pluies violentes, abondantes et variable et d’augmentation de temperature. Les causes des changements evoquees par les producteurs sont : les pluies diluviennes (26,85%), les mauvaises pratiques culturales (62,50%), l’intensification agricole (46,76%), le surpâturage (2,78%), l’usage abusif de pesticides (20,37%), l’augmentation de la population (12,96%), la deforestation (21,76%) et les feux de brousse (6,48%). Globalement, les 98,6% des enquetes ont abandonne 63 ha de sol devenus irrecuperables. Les producteurs adoptent des mesures d’adaptation telles que l’apport de fumure organique, les rotations et associations culturales, la construction de bandes enherbees, de cordons pierreux et de diguettes, et le reboisement pour proteger et restaurer leurs champs. Plusieurs especes de plantes desirees par les producteurs pour leur vertu sont en voie de disparition. La perception par les paysans des cas de longue secheresse sont expliques par les variables « âge du paysan », « la pratique de l’elevage », « l’acces aux services de vulgarisation » et « la pratique de l’agriculture ». Il est necessaire de prendre ces variables en compte dans les projets et programmes de luttes contre la secheresse dans le milieu. Les variables « âge du paysan », « mauvaises pratiques culturales », et « deforestation » influencant egalement la perception des paysans de degradation des sols, doivent etre egalement consideres dans les programmes et projets de restauration des sols degrades dans le milieu. Il est important d’etudier les effets The north-west of Togo is characterized by strong pressure on the soil, leading to a decline in agroforestry parks and a reduction in agricultural yields. In such an environment, producers' appreciation of these changes and the methods they adopt to deal with them remain less well known. It is for this purpose that a socioeconomic survey was conducted among producers to assess their perceptions of soil degradation and climate change to identify and then retain original adaptation practices that can be disseminated. The survey carried out on a purposely selected sample of 216 producers from both sexes. The results showed that: 98, 10% of respondents are aware of the degradation of their soils while 99,50% feel the effects of climate change which are manifested as long droughts, delayed rains, heavy rains and temperature rise. The causes of the changes mentioned by the producers are: torrential rains (26,85%), bad cultivation practices (62,50%), agricultural intensification (46,76%), overgrazing (2,78%) , the abusive use of pesticides (20,37%), the increase in population (12,96%), deforestation (21,76%) and bush fires (6,48%). Globally, 98,6% of those surveyed abandoned 63 ha of land that had become irrecoverable. Producers adopt resilience measures such as providing organic manure, crop rotations and associations, the establishment of grass strips and stone bunds, bunds and reforestation to protect and restore their plots. Producers adopt adaptation measures such as adding organic manure, crop rotations and associations, construction of grass strips, stone bunds, bunds, and reforestation to protect and restore their fields. Several species of plants desired by producers for their virtue are endangered. The farmers' perception of cases of long drought are explained by the variables "age of the farmer", "the practice of animal husbandry", "access to extension services" and "the practice of agriculture". It is necessary to take these variables into account in projects and programs to fight against drought in the area. The variables "farmer's age «,» bad cultivation practices” and "deforestation" also influencing farmers' perception of soil degradation, must also be considered in programs and projects for the restoration of degraded soils in the area. It is important to study the effects of these practices on soil restoration and crop yields.
- Published
- 2021
20. Yearning to farm – Youth, agricultural intensification and land in Mkushi, Zambia
- Author
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Audrey Kalindi, Karin Lindsjö, Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, and Mukata Wamulume
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Sociology and Political Science ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Human geography ,Development ,Agricultural economics - Published
- 2019
21. Ecological sustainability and environmental risks of agricultural intensification in inland valleys in Benin
- Author
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Paul Kiepe, Brice Tente, Justin Fagnombo Djagba, Sander J. Zwart, Christophe S. Houssou, UT-I-ITC-FORAGES, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, and Department of Natural Resources
- Subjects
Economics and Econometrics ,Irrigation ,Crop residue ,Geography, Planning and Development ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,DPSIR model ,01 natural sciences ,Sustainable development ,West Africa ,021108 energy ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Agricultural diversification ,Monocropping ,business.industry ,Agroforestry ,Agricultural intensification ,n/a OA procedure ,Inland valley ,Geography ,Agriculture ,ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE ,Sustainability ,Land degradation ,business - Abstract
To meet food demand after the failure of irrigation system developments, agricultural intensification is occurring in inland valley agro-ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural enhancement in inland valleys, which undermines environmental sustainability, was assessed using ‘Driving Force–Pressure–State–Impact–Response’ approach in four agro-ecological zones of Benin. The survey revealed that inland valleys are largely devoid of ligneous species. Crop residues are mainly transferred from inland valley fields to feed cattle, burnt in situ by the farmers themselves or abandoned to wildfires or to pasture—not mulched. Crop diversification is not universal and is limited to rice and vegetables crops. Monocropping of rice, practised by 83.3% of inland valley farmers, requires large chemical fertilizer application despite their impacts on environment including land degradation and water contamination. A major challenge is to determine means of characterizing entire agro-ecosystems of inland valleys in a way that is simple enough to be effectively and efficiently monitored. Inland valley agricultural development projects might include backstopping activities and policies that enable monitoring of chemical inputs and farming practices in inland valleys to reduce negative impacts on the environment and human health.
- Published
- 2019
22. Economic analysis of development policies with reference to large-scale water control infrastructures and rural intensification in the Mekong River Delta: a case study from Vietnam
- Author
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Yen Dan Tong and Harry Clarke
- Subjects
Delta ,050208 finance ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Cost–benefit analysis ,Floodplain ,05 social sciences ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Development ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Scale (social sciences) ,0502 economics and business ,Political Science and International Relations ,Mekong river ,Economic analysis ,050207 economics ,Environmental planning - Abstract
This study conducts a Cost-benefit analysis of dyke heightening in the Vietnam floodplain to explore some of economic issues associated with three interrelated aspects of the Mekong Develop...
- Published
- 2019
23. Investigating environmental changes as the driving force of agricultural intensification in the lower reaches of the Yellow River: A case study at the Sanyangzhuang site
- Author
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Zhen Qin, Tristram R. Kidder, Michael Storozum, Haiwang Liu, and Xiaohu Zhang
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,Environmental perspective ,business.industry ,Environmental pressure ,Crop failure ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Environmental protection ,Agriculture ,Period (geology) ,Famine ,Agricultural productivity ,business ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes - Abstract
In many different societies around the world, people transitioned from slash-and-burn agriculture to an intensive mode of agricultural production. However, why agriculture was increasingly intensified by early farmers remains less understood. This study investigates the driving forces of agricultural intensification from an environmental perspective. Based on our fieldwork at the Sanyangzhuang site and previous paleoclimatic studies, we reconstruct the depositional processes and climatic changes at Sanyangzhuang and its surrounding area between 5000 yr BP and 2000 yr BP. Data suggest that farmers in the lower reaches of the Yellow River were confronted with increasingly severe Yellow River flooding and drier and colder climate during this time period. The environmental changes increase risks of crop failure and famine, disrupt the equilibrium of the social system and induce a process that brings about initial agricultural intensification. This environmental pressure is aggravated by social/political factors and results in the further development of agricultural intensification.
- Published
- 2019
24. Synergistic effects of climate change and agricultural intensification on steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the interior Columbia River basin
- Author
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David E. Wooster, Willis E McConnaha, Laura E. McMullen, Eric G. Doyle, Sandra J. DeBano, and Jonathan R. Walker
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,business.industry ,Drainage basin ,Fishery ,Agricultural intensification ,Effects of global warming ,Agriculture ,Environmental Chemistry ,Environmental science ,Rainbow trout ,business ,General Environmental Science - Published
- 2019
25. The Bajada Canals of the Safford Basin, Southeastern Arizona: Excellence in Prehistoric Engineering
- Author
-
Don Lancaster and James A. Neely
- Subjects
Prehistory ,Archeology ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Excellence ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Structural basin ,Archaeology ,media_common - Abstract
A large network of exceptionally well-engineered prehistoric canals has been discovered near Safford, Arizona. Within an area of roughly 450 km2, 12 distinct canal systems, comprised of 41 ...
- Published
- 2019
26. Is there such a thing as sustainable agricultural intensification in smallholder-based farming in sub-Saharan Africa? Understanding yield differences in relation to gender in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia
- Author
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Wapulumuka Mulwafu, Elibariki Msuya, Mukata Wamulume, Wisdom Kaleng'a, Ellen Hillbom, Audrey Kalindi, Miriam Kalanda Joshua, Göran Djurfeldt, Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, and Aida Isinika
- Subjects
Sub saharan ,biology ,Agroforestry ,business.industry ,Yield (finance) ,lcsh:Human settlements. Communities ,lcsh:HT51-65 ,Development ,Livelihood ,biology.organism_classification ,smallholders ,lcsh:HD72-88 ,lcsh:Economic growth, development, planning ,Agricultural intensification ,Tanzania ,Geography ,sub-saharan africa ,Agriculture ,gender ,business ,Productivity ,agriculture - Abstract
Smallholder-based, sustainable, agricultural intensification is increasingly put forth as a development pathway that is necessary to improve farmer's livelihoods, enhance productivity and engender a surplus that can be used to feed growing urban areas across sub-Saharan Africa. The following article examines trends in yields for Africa's largest staple crop – maize – among smallholder farmers in six regions in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, using longitudinal quantitative data collected in 2008, 2013 and 2017 in combination with qualitative data from nine villages. Substantial increases in yields are found only in Zambia, while yields are largely stagnant in Malawi and Tanzania. In the case of Zambia, however, there is a persistent gender-based yield gap. We use the qualitative data to explain this gap and find that gender-based differences in yields need to be understood in relation to local production systems, as well as the varied positionality of women, where the biases facing women who head their own households are different than for women living in male headed households. In policy terms, technologies that can promote intensification are different depending on these factors, even within the local context of particular farming systems.
- Published
- 2019
27. Coincidence of High Nature Value farmlands with bird and butterfly diversity
- Author
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Annika Harlio, Tuomas Seimola, Juha Tiainen, Risto K. Heikkinen, Andrea Maier, Irina Herzon, Katri Lepikkö, Mikko Kuussaari, Anni Arponen, Sanna Mäkeläinen, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), and Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,INCREASES ,education ,CONSERVATION ,Biodiversity ,High Nature Value farmland indicator ,SEMINATURAL GRASSLANDS ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Diversity index ,Agricultural land ,LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ,1172 Environmental sciences ,Farmland birds ,2. Zero hunger ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,SPECIES RICHNESS ,Agricultural biodiversity ,ENVIRONMENTAL FALLOWS ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Vegetation ,15. Life on land ,BIODIVERSITY INDICATORS ,Geography ,13. Climate action ,Butterfly ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,FIELD MARGINS ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Species richness ,COMMUNITIES ,Butterflies ,AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Environmental indicator - Abstract
The amount of High Nature Value farmland (HNVf) is a commonly used environmental indicator for assessing the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy, to support sustainable agriculture and monitor changes in agricultural land use in Europe. HNVf comprises agricultural areas of semi-natural state, low-intensity farming and fine-scale landscape mosaics of different habitat types. For a successful implementation, the identification of HNVf should correctly reflect the variation in biodiversity values between different agricultural landscapes. We examined how well the Finnish HNVf indicator and the sub-indicators constituting it – recalculated for the purposes of this study for five study regions – reflect the variation in bird and butterfly species richness and diversity patterns at different spatial scales. We found that butterfly diversity index was positively associated with the HNVf indicator at the finest scale of 0.5 km × 0.5 km squares. Among the HNVf sub-indicators, extensive cultivation of grasslands was most strongly related to the farmland bird diversity and the density of edge to the butterfly diversity. Thus, the HNVf concept reflects well the distribution of butterflies in the Finnish agricultural landscapes but insufficiently the diversity patterns of farmland birds. Importantly, semi-natural vegetation and long-term pastures – the backbone of the concept – presently occur in small and highly fragmented patches in agricultural landscapes in Finland. The Pan-European concept of HNVf has restricted application to farmland birds of this boreal country and the national HNVf concept may need to be revised.
- Published
- 2019
28. Agricultural intensification, ownership, and landscape change in the Mackenzie Basin
- Author
-
Rowan Sprague, Marion Vernotte, Hamish McNair, and Ann Brower
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Freehold ,Geography ,Landscape change ,Natural resource economics ,Soil Science ,Plant Science ,Landscape transformation ,Structural basin ,Land tenure ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Nature and Landscape Conservation - Abstract
This article investigates the role of shifting land ownership in landscape change in New Zealand’s Mackenzie Basin. It was hypothesised that ownership patterns influence landscape transformation; and changes in ownership lead to landscape changes. Satellite imagery was used to trace recent landscape changes quantifying a change from brown extensive pastoralism to green irrigated pasture. It was concluded that the change in land ownership following land reform allowed for about half of this agricultural intensification since 2003. Aggregating intensification on new freehold land with that on current pastoral lease changes the story; Crown decisions about disposition or intensification of Crown land account for two-thirds of intensification since 2003. Hence, if current trends in the Mackenzie are to change, the Crown must examine its decision patterns. Change in some form seems likely. The results presented speak to who has the power to make change. The choice and the power reside somewhere in the space between the Commissioner of Crown Lands and the Minister of Land Information.
- Published
- 2018
29. Warming springs and habitat alteration interact to impact timing of breeding and population dynamics in a migratory bird
- Author
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Rosemarie Kentie, Theunis Piersma, A. H. Jelle Loonstra, Ruth A. Howison, Christiaan Both, Mo A. Verhoeven, Jos C.E.W. Hooijmeijer, Tim Coulson, Piersma group, Conservation Ecology Group, and Both group
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,NETHERLANDS ,Population Dynamics ,Breeding ,01 natural sciences ,Grassland ,Hot Springs ,010605 ornithology ,Integral Projection Model ,Charadriiformes ,L. LIMOSA ,General Environmental Science ,Global and Planetary Change ,Source–sink dynamics ,education.field_of_study ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,CLIMATE-CHANGE ,Ecology ,Phenology ,Reproduction ,Temperature ,ARRIVAL ,climate change ,Habitat ,SURVIVAL ,Seasons ,LIMOSA-LIMOSA-LIMOSA ,Aves [Birds] ,Population ,source and sink ,MODELS ,Climate change ,shorebirds ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,phenology ,BLACK-TAILED GODWITS ,Time ,MANAGEMENT ,Environmental Chemistry ,Animals ,education ,Ecosystem ,geography ,Extinction ,LAPWINGS VANELLUS-VANELLUS ,15. Life on land ,Habitat destruction ,13. Climate action ,Animal Migration ,agricultural intensification - Abstract
In seasonal environments, increasing spring temperatures lead many taxa to advance the timing of reproduction. Species that do not may suffer lower fitness. We investigated why black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa limosa), a ground-breeding agricultural grassland shorebird, have not advanced timing of reproduction during the last three decades in the face of climate change and human-induced habitat degradation. We used data from an 11-year field study to parameterize an Integral Projection Model to predict how spring temperature and habitat quality simultaneously influence the timing of reproduction and population dynamics. We found apparent selection for earlier laying, but not a correlation between the laying dates of parents and their offspring. Nevertheless, in warmer springs, laying dates of adults show a stronger positive correlation with laying date in previous springs than in cooler ones, and this leads us to predict a slight advance in the timing of reproduction if spring temperatures continue to increase. We also show that only in landscapes with low agricultural activity, the population can continue to act as a source. This study shows how climate change and declining habitat quality may enhance extinction risk.
- Published
- 2018
30. European agricultural terraces and lynchets: from archaeological theory to heritage management
- Author
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Sara Cucchiaro, Daniel J. Fallu, Paolo Tarolli, Antony G. Brown, and Kevin Walsh
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,Archeology ,Social condition ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Terrace (agriculture) ,landscape change ,Diversification (marketing strategy) ,VDP::Humaniora: 000::Arkeologi: 090 ,01 natural sciences ,remote sensing ,agricultural sustainability ,Cultural heritage management ,population density ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,2. Zero hunger ,business.industry ,Agricultural intensification ,Abandonment (legal) ,Environmental resource management ,Articles ,15. Life on land ,terrace classification ,Geography ,Agriculture ,VDP::Humanities: 000::Archeology: 090 ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,business ,Research Article ,Archaeological theory - Abstract
Terraces are highly productive, culturally distinctive socioecological systems. Although they form part of time/place-specific debates, terraces per se have been neglected – fields on slopes or landscape elements. We argue that this is due to mapping and dating problems, and lack of artefacts/ecofacts. However, new techniques can overcome some of these constraints, allowing us to re-engage with theoretical debates around agricultural intensification. Starting from neo-Broserupian propositions, we can engage with the sociopolitical and environmental aspects of terrace emergence, maintenance and abandonment. Non-reductionist avenues include identifying and dating different phases of development within single terrace systems, identifying a full crop-range, and other activities not generally associated with terraces (e.g. metallurgy). The proposition here is that terraces are a multi-facetted investment that includes both intensification and diversification and can occur under a range of social conditions but which constitutes a response to demographic pressure in the face to fluctuating environmental conditions.
- Published
- 2021
31. Regime shift tipping point in hare population collapse associated with climatic and agricultural change during the very early 20th century
- Author
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Neil Reid, Jon E. Brommer, W. Ian Montgomery, Robbie A. McDonald, Nils Chr. Stenseth, and Ferdia Marnell
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Game bag ,Population dynamics ,Population cycles ,Population ,Population Dynamics ,Climate change ,Wavelet analysis ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,SDG 13 - Climate Action ,Environmental Chemistry ,Animals ,Regime shift ,education ,Ecosystem ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,General Environmental Science ,SDG 15 - Life on Land ,Global and Planetary Change ,education.field_of_study ,Ecology ,biology ,Agricultural intensification ,Arctic Regions ,Global warming ,Agriculture ,biology.organism_classification ,Tipping point (climatology) ,Hares ,Geography ,Landscape homogenisation ,North Atlantic oscillation ,Population cycle ,Lepus timidus ,North Atlantic Oscillation ,Ireland - Abstract
Animal populations at northern latitudes may have cyclical dynamics that are degraded by climate change leading to trophic cascade. Hare populations at more southerly latitudes are characterized by dramatic declines in abundance associated with agricultural intensification. We focus on the impact of historical climatic and agricultural change on a mid-latitude population of mountain hares, Lepus timidus hibernicus. Using game bag records from multiple sites throughout Ireland, the hare population index exhibited a distinct regime shift. Contrary to expectations, there was a dynamical structure typical of northern latitude hare populations from 1853 to 1908, during which numbers were stable but cyclic with a periodicity of 8 years. This regime was replaced by dynamics more typical of southern latitude hare populations from 1909 to 1970, in which cycles were lost and numbers declined dramatically. Destabilization of the autumn North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) led to the collapse of similar cycles in the hare population, coincident with the onset of agricultural intensification (a shift from small-to-large farms) in the first half of the 20th century. Similar, but more recent regime shifts have been observed in Arctic ecosystems and attributed to anthropogenic climate change. The present study suggests such shifts may have occurred at lower latitudes more than a century ago during the very early 20th century. It seems likely that similar tipping points in the population collapse of other farmland species may have occurred similarly early but went undocumented. As northern systems are increasingly impacted by climate change and probable expansion of agriculture, the interaction of these processes is likely to disrupt the pulsed flow of resources from cyclic populations impacting ecosystem function.
- Published
- 2021
32. Factores psicosociales que influyen en la intención de los tomadores de decisión agropecuarios de la Pampa austral de Argentina de conservar las franjas de vegetación ribereñas
- Author
-
Virginia Aparicio, Pedro Laterra, Gustavo Carlos María Giaccio, Matías E. Mastrangelo, and José Luis Costa
- Subjects
Modelos de ecuaciones estructurales ,Intentions to conserve ,Servicios de los Ecosistemas ,Decision Making ,Indicadores Sociales ,Structural equation models ,Ecosystems ,Factores psicosociales ,Toma de Decisiones ,Riparian vegetation strips ,Social Indicators ,Models ,Franjas vegetación ribereñas ,Ecosistema ,Ecosystem Services ,Vegetation ,Modelos ,Vegetación ,9 - Geografía e historia::91 - Geografía.Exploración de la tierra y de los distintos países.Viajes.Geografía regional [CDU] ,Intenciones de conservar ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Región Pampa Austral ,Psychosocial factors ,Decisores del uso de las tierras ,Land use decision makers ,Humanities - Abstract
En áreas de intensificación agropecuaria, los tomadores de decisión son los responsables del uso de las tierras y de la conservación de las franjas de vegetación ribereñas. Estas, proporcionan numerosos servicios ecosistémicos a los seres humanos. A pesar de su importancia, cuando la calidad de los suelos lo permite, son convertidas en áreas de cultivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue comprender la influencia relativa de distintos factores psicosociales, sobre las intenciones de conservar los ambientes ribereños. Se eligieron 50 explotaciones en la Pampa Austral de Argentina, se entrevistaron a los tomadores de decisión a los que se pidió completaran una encuesta de tipo estructurada. Las respuestas fueron codificadas, analizadas estadísticamente y se obtuvieron 3 modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. El modelo basado en los factores normativos mostró el mayor peso, el segundo mejor modelo, fue el cimentado en factores cognitivos, en tanto que, el fundado en factores emocionales fue el de menor representatividad. Se concluye que si bien los factores normativos fueron los que mejor explicaron las intenciones de conservación, representan cuellos de botella en los que no se puede influir y solo se puede intervenir a través de los factores cognitivos, promoviendo el conocimiento. In areas of agricultural intensification, decision makers are responsible for the land use and the conservation of riparian vegetation strips. These provide many ecosystem services to humans. Despite their importance, they are converted into crop areas when the quality of the soils allows it. The objective of this work was to understand the relative influence of different psycho-social factors on the intentions to conserve the riparian environments. Fifty decision makers of farms of the Southern Pampa of Argentina were interviewed in order to complete a structured survey. The responses were coded and statistically analyzed to determine three models of structural equations were obtained. A model based on normative factors showed the greatest weight. A second model, based on cognitive factors, was most adjusted than one based on emotional factors. It is concluded that although normative factors were the ones that best explained the intentions about the conservation. These factors represent bottlenecks that cannot be influenced and can only be intervened by cognitive factors based on the promotion of the knowledge. EEA Barrow Fil: Giaccio, Gustavo Carlos María. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Chacra Experimental Integrada Barrow; Argentina Fil: Giaccio, Gustavo Carlos María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Mastrángelo, Matías Enrique. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Mastrángelo, Matías Enrique. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Fil: Aparicio, Virginia Carolina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Costa, Jose Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Laterra, Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Laterra, Pedro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: Laterra, Pedro. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.
- Published
- 2021
33. Potential impacts of agricultural intensification and climate change on the livelihoods of farmers in Nioro, Senegal, West Africa
- Author
-
Ibrahima Hathie, Bright Salah Freduah, Amoudou Ly, Roberto O. Valdivia, Pierre C. Sibiry Traoré, Myriam Adam, Mouhamed Ly, Dilys S. MacCarthy, and Andree Nenkam
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Agroforestry ,Climate change ,Livelihood ,West africa - Published
- 2021
34. Secondary Forests and Agrarian Transitions: Insights from Nepal and Peru
- Author
-
Kristina Marquardt, Dil B. Khatri, and Adam Pain
- Subjects
Economic growth ,Differentiation ,Land access ,Sociology and Political Science ,050204 development studies ,Peruvian Amazon ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,Environmental Science (miscellaneous) ,Forest and agrarian transitions ,Article ,Social group ,Nepal ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Social differentiation ,0502 economics and business ,Territory ,Regeneration (ecology) ,Ecology ,Rural households ,Forest Science ,Secondary forest ,05 social sciences ,021107 urban & regional planning ,Livelihood ,Agrarian society ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Anthropology ,Indigenous peoples - Abstract
We provide an analytical contrast of the dynamics of secondary forest regeneration in Nepal and Peru framed by a set of common themes: land access, boundaries, territories, and rights, seemingly more secure in Nepal than Peru; processes of agrarian change and their consequences for forest-agriculture interactions and the role of secondary forest in the landscape, more marked in Peru, where San Martín is experiencing apparent agricultural intensification, than in Nepal; and finally processes of social differentiation that have consequences for different social groups, livelihood construction and their engagement with trees, common to both countries. These themes address the broader issue of the necessary conditions for secondary forest regeneration and the extent to which the rights and livelihood benefits of those actively managing it are secured.
- Published
- 2021
35. Preserving wintering frugivorous birds in agro-ecosystems under land use change: Lessons from intensive and super-intensive olive orchards
- Author
-
Francisco Castro Rego, Pedro Beja, Francisco Moreira, José M. Herrera, Rui Pedroso, Rui Morgado, and Miguel Porto
- Subjects
Mediterranean climate ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,wintering birds ,Mediterranean ,fruit crops ,resource tracking ,Agricultural intensification ,Frugivore ,Geography ,super-intensive olive orchards ,Land use, land-use change and forestry ,Ecosystem ,farmland birds ,frugivory ,agricultural intensification - Abstract
Research Article 1. Fleshy fruit production is becoming more intensive worldwide, but how this affects frugivorous birds is poorly known. In the Mediterranean region, intensive and super-intensive olive orchards are fast expanding, potentially affecting millions of wintering songbirds. Here, we test the idea that intensification may benefit frugivorous birds, at least locally, due to increased fruit availability, while negatively affecting the wider wintering bird community due to intensive management, structural simplification and landscape homogenisation. 2. We estimated olive abundance and surveyed birds in early, mid-and late winter, at traditional, intensive and super-intensive orchards in southern Portugal. We used Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities to relate species richness, prevalence and abundance to management intensity, winter period, olive availability and landscape context, and evaluated the role of frugivory in modulating observed responses. 3. Olive availability was much higher throughout the winter in more intensive than in traditional orchards, both in trees and on the ground. Frugivorous bird abundance was higher in more intensive orchards, and the most abundant frugivorous species (blackcap, song thrush, robin) were positively affected by olive availability and/or increasing landscape cover by olive orchards, while intensification level had relatively minor effects after accounting for other variables. Non-frugivorous richness and abundance were higher in traditional orchards, and many non-frugivorous species had lower prevalence in more intensive orchards or were negatively affected by landscapes dominated by olive cultivation. 4. Synthesis and applications. While negatively affecting the wider bird community, our results suggest that olive farming intensification can contribute to sustaining large numbers of frugivorous birds in the Mediterranean region. As frugivorous birds are not seen as damaging by olive farmers, there is an opportunity to promote their conservation in intensive and super-intensive orchards, which requires management to increase habitat heterogeneity, and to reduce risks such as mortality associated with mechanical harvest and contamination with pesticide residues. Overall, we recommend that efforts to manage farmland biodiversity should consider the impacts and conservation opportunities of fruit crop intensification info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
- Published
- 2021
36. Why is the Common Grackle becoming less common?
- Author
-
Michael P. Ward and Noah P. Horsley
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Population decline ,Geography ,Ecology ,Common species ,Grackle ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Nature and Landscape Conservation - Published
- 2021
37. Vineyard modernization drives changes in bird and mammal occurrence in vineyard plots in dry farmland
- Author
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François Mougeot, Antonio J. Salguero, Xabier Cabodevilla, Alexander D. Wright, Beatriz Arroyo, European Commission, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, and Eusko Jaurlaritza
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Irrigation ,Vine ,ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species ,Biodiversity ,Red-legged partridge ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Vineyard ,Hierarchical occupancy model ,European rabbit ,Farmland birds ,Ecology ,ved/biology ,Agroforestry ,business.industry ,Agricultural intensification ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Trellis (architecture) ,Groundcover ,Geography ,Agriculture ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Fertirrigation ,Arable land ,business ,Agronomy and Crop Science - Abstract
The fast intensification of agriculture affects many systems. In recent decades, traditional vineyards have been rapidly converted to trellis vineyards in Spain (the country with the largest vineyard surface worldwide) in an attempt to reduce harvesting costs and increase vine productivity. The implications of this modernization of vineyards on farmland biodiversity are still largely unknown. We studied 52 vineyards (26 traditional and 26 trellis) from June to September in south-western Spain, aiming to describe the effect of the modernization of goblet-shape traditional vineyards on vine structure and their management, as well as its effect on species' occurrence in vineyard plots. We applied hierarchical occurrence models to assess the occurrence probability of 10 bird species and two mammal species in traditional and trellis vineyard plots. Vineyard modernization involved taller vines (connected by metallic guide wires and poles by rows), greater distance between vine rows, bigger plot sizes, the systematic implementation of irrigation, and an application of fertilizers through the watering system (fertirrigation) in a third of studied vineyards. Other agrochemical treatments seemed to be equally used in both vineyard types. Due to the use of herbicides and frequent tilling, both types of vineyards showed low natural vegetation groundcover. Vineyard modernization had clear effects on fauna biodiversity in vineyard plots, with a higher occurrence in trellis vineyards of some species (rufous-tailed scrub-robin, European goldfinch, red-legged partridge, and house sparrow) and a higher occurrence of other species (European rabbit and European greenfinch) in traditional ones. Thus, vineyard modernization can drive a change in the community of birds and mammals that inhabit them. In addition, vineyard use by some species (particularly ground-dwelling ones) was strongly determined by the presence of arable land adjacent to the vineyard. These species may therefore use vineyards during summer because they provide water and/or better cover than harvested crops. Animals attracted to vineyards for water could be exposed to toxic doses of nitrates that are routinely applied through the watering system in a third of these. To maximize benefits for biodiversity, it would be advisable to manage modernization schemes in order to maintain landscape heterogeneity, with vineyards of both types combined with other agricultural systems, as well as higher proportions of natural vegetation surface cover., F.M. and B.A.'s time for writing this paper was within the AGROPERDIZ project (SBPLY/17/180501/000245), funded by the “Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional” (Feder) and “Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha” (JCCM) (recipient: F.M). X.C. was supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Basque Country Government (Grant number PRE_2018_2_0273).
- Published
- 2021
38. Socio-Environmental Consequences of Low Margins in the Argentine Yerba Mate Food System
- Author
-
Adam S. Dohrenwend
- Subjects
Agricultural intensification ,Extreme poverty ,Geography ,food ,Public economics ,Yerba-mate ,Socio environmental ,Food systems ,Key issues ,Environmental degradation ,food.food - Abstract
This chapter identifies and discusses the key social and environmental consequences of the modernizing food system outlined in Chap. 4. Based on a series of field interviews by the author (along with evidence from the literature), we see through yerba mate’s careful branding to reveal the true contexts of the vast majority of production. Key issues explored include extreme poverty, child labor, occupational hazards, pollution, and soil erosion.
- Published
- 2021
39. Weather and agricultural intensification determine the breeding performance of a small generalist predator
- Author
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Paula M. Orozco-Valor and Juan Manuel Grande
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Agroecosystem ,Agricultural intenification ,lcsh:Medicine ,Kestrel ,Breeding ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,010605 ornithology ,purl.org/becyt/ford/1 [https] ,Generalist predator ,American kestrel ,Animals ,lcsh:Science ,purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 [https] ,Weather ,Ecosystem ,Falconiformes ,Apex predator ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Ecology ,business.industry ,Intensive farming ,Agroforestry ,lcsh:R ,Agriculture ,biology.organism_classification ,Breed ,Environmental sciences ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Predatory Behavior ,Birds of prey ,lcsh:Q ,Soybeans ,business ,Zoology ,Climate sciences - Abstract
Land-use changes due to agricultural intensification and climatic factors can affect avian reproduction. We use a top predator of agroecosystems, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) breeding in nest boxes in Central Argentina as a study subject to identify if these two drivers interact to affect birds breeding. We analyzed their breeding performance across a gradient of agricultural intensification from native forest, traditional farmland to intensive farmland. The surface devoted to soybean was used as a proxy of agriculture intensification; however, it did not affect the breeding performance of American kestrels. Even though the presence of pastures was important to determine the probability of breeding successfully. Climatic variables had strong effects on the species breeding timing, on the number of nestlings raised by breeding pairs and on the probability of those pairs to breed successfully (raising at least one fledgling). Our results highlight the relevance of pastures and grasslands for American kestrel reproduction. These environments are the most affected by land-use change to intensive agriculture, being transformed into fully agricultural lands mostly devoted to soybean production. Therefore, future expansion of intensive agriculture may negatively affect the average reproductive parameters of American Kestrels, at least at a regional scale. Further research will be needed to disentangle the mechanisms by which weather variables affect kestrel breeding parameters. Fil: Orozco Valor, Paula Maiten. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Recursos Naturales. Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de Aves Rapaces; Argentina Fil: Grande, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
- Published
- 2020
40. Agricultural intensification and risk in water-constrained hard-rock regions: a social-ecological systems study of horticulture cultivation in western India
- Author
-
Milind Sohoni and Pooja Prasad
- Subjects
Ecology ,Agroforestry ,QH301-705.5 ,sustainable intensification ,horticulture ,Groundwater management ,india ,Ecological systems theory ,Common-pool resource ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,system dynamics ,agricultural intensification ,Biology (General) ,groundwater management ,common pool resource ,development ,QH540-549.5 - Abstract
Developing countries frequently find their poverty reduction initiatives to be at odds with promotion of sustainable practices. In India too, agricultural intensification through horticulture cultivation is an important government strategy to raise farm incomes but its mechanisms and implications have not been critically analyzed. Our objective is to characterize this intensification and explore conditions under which its goals may be achieved while ensuring equity in access to ecological services and resilience of the social-ecological system (SES). Our focal SES is the water-constrained farm system of western India that overlays shallow hard-rock aquifers common to the Indian peninsula. We document farm decisions and coping strategies of 121 farmers over two consecutive years: a drought year and a good rainfall year. We find that farmers are driven to high-value horticulture to remain economically viable in the face of increasing social-ecological vulnerability due to factors such as monsoon variability, high groundwater development, and uncertainty in irrigation access. Through systems modeling, we uncover the feedback loops that propagate risk. Risk in access to water, in part due to monsoon dry spells, starts a cycle of expensive investments often requiring large loans to assure access and a simultaneous move to horticulture in response to the elevated cost of water. This mitigates risk for the farmer in the short run but, in the absence of regulation and complete information about the common groundwater pool, leads to competitive investments, driving the regime to greater uncertainty levels for the entire community. This vicious cycle of investment and intensification escalates risk, leading to frequent crop failure, farmer indebtedness, and the tragedy of the commons. Government interventions further catalyze this. We propose alternate leverage points to enhance social comprehension of risk and facilitate collective action so as to negotiate room for human needs while remaining within biophysical boundaries.
- Published
- 2020
41. Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Crops and Agrochemicals in Canada Over 35 Years
- Author
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Egina Malaj, Levi Freistadt, and Christy A. Morrissey
- Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,fertilizers ,Agrochemical ,010501 environmental sciences ,cropping system ,01 natural sciences ,Crop ,Sustainable agriculture ,Cropping system ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,General Environmental Science ,2. Zero hunger ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,land cover change ,business.industry ,Crop yield ,Canadian Census of Agriculture ,Forestry ,15. Life on land ,Census ,sustainable agriculture ,Geography ,13. Climate action ,Agriculture ,agricultural intensification ,business ,Cropping - Abstract
In an effort to feed a growing world population, agriculture has rapidly intensified over the last six decades, relying heavily on agrochemicals (fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) to increase and maintain desired crop yields. Despite environmental concerns in Canada’s agricultural regions, long-term patterns of changing crops and the associated trends in the proportion of cropland treated with agrochemicals are poorly documented. Using the Canadian Census of Agriculture, we compiled historical data over 35 years (eight census periods: 1981–2016) on agrochemical applications, measured as the proportion of cropland treated with pesticides and fertilizers and the associated crop classes, to identify and interpret spatial and temporal trends in Canada’s agricultural practices across 260 census units. Due to differences in agricultural practices, soil, and climatic conditions across the country, the Pacific (British Columbia), Prairie (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba), Central (Ontario, Quebec), and Atlantic (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland/Labrador, Prince Edward Island) regions were analyzed separately. Most of the agrochemicals in Canada were applied in the Prairie and Central regions, which combined comprise 97% of the total cropland. Fertilizers were the dominant agrochemicals across Canada applied on 48% (Pacific) to 78% (Prairie) of the total cropland area, followed by herbicides, which were applied on 30% (Pacific) to 81% (Prairie) of the total cropland area in 2016. Notably, we observed significant changes between 1996 and 2016 in area treated with fungicides and insecticides, which increased by 412% and 50% in the Prairie region and by 291% and 149% in the Central region, respectively. The proportion and distribution of crops shifted in favor of more oilseeds and soybeans in the most intensive Prairie and Central regions, whereas cereals decreased over the same time period. Our analysis of past and current trends of agrochemicals and cropping patterns within Canada indicates a rapid and systemic increase in chemical use, and policies that promote a shift toward lower chemical reliance through sustainable agricultural practices are urgently needed.
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- 2020
42. Attribution of Hydrologic Changes in a Tropical River Basin to Rainfall Variability and Land-Use Change: Case Study from India
- Author
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M. L. Narasimham, S. Setti, D. Radha, R. Maheswaran, Venkataramana Sridhar, and Kamal Kumar Barik
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Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Environmental Chemistry ,Climatic variables ,Tropical river ,Land use, land-use change and forestry ,Physical geography ,Structural basin ,Attribution ,General Environmental Science ,Water Science and Technology ,Civil and Structural Engineering - Abstract
In recent decades, several parts of the world have been facing severe droughts and frequent floods against a background of anthropogenic influences and changes in climatic variables. For ef...
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- 2020
43. Local Factors Rather than the Landscape Context Explain Species Richness and Functional Trait Diversity and Responses of Plant Assemblages of Mediterranean Cereal Field Margins
- Author
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Yésica Pallavicini, José Luis González-Andújar, Fernando Bastida, Sandrine Petit, Jordi Izquierdo, Eva Hernández-Plaza, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Huelva, Agroécologie [Dijon], Université de Bourgogne (UB)-AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Departament d’Enginyeria Agroalimentària i Biotecnologia, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya [Barcelona] (UPC), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Agroalimentària i Biotecnologia, Inst Agr Sostenible CSIC, Avda Menendez Pidal S-N,Aptdo 4084, Cordoba 14080, Spain, Univ Huelva, Dept Ciencias Agroforestales, Campus La Rabida,Ctra Palos S-N, Huelva 21819, Spain, and Univ Politecn Cataluna, Dept Engn Agroalimentaria & Biotecnol, C Esteve Terradas 8, Barcelona 08860, Spain
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0106 biological sciences ,Pollination ,Range (biology) ,Seed dispersal ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Context (language use) ,Plant Science ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,Ecosystem services ,Seed mass ,lcsh:Botany ,Plant functional traits ,Plant ecology ,Enginyeria agroalimentària::Agricultura::Producció vegetal [Àrees temàtiques de la UPC] ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,2. Zero hunger ,plant functional traits ,Ecology ,Agricultural intensification ,Ecologia vegetal ,food and beverages ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,15. Life on land ,seed mass ,plant diversity ,lcsh:QK1-989 ,Geography ,Habitat ,Plant diversity ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,Trait ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Species richness ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,agricultural intensification ,human activities - Abstract
© 2020 by the authors., Arable field margins are valuable habitats providing a wide range of ecosystem services in rural landscapes. Agricultural intensification in recent decades has been a major cause of decline in plant diversity in these habitats. However, the concomitant effects on plant functional diversity are less documented, particularly in Mediterranean areas. In this paper, we analyzed the effect of margin width and surrounding landscape (cover and diversity of land use and field size), used as proxies for management intensity at local and landscape scales, on plant species richness, functional diversity and functional trait values in margins of winter cereal fields in southern Spain. Five functional traits were selected: life form, growth form, seed mass, seed dispersal mode and pollination type. RLQ and fourth-corner analyses were used to link functional traits and landscape variables. A total of 306 plant species were recorded. Species richness and functional diversity were positively related to margin width but showed no response to landscape variables. Functional trait values were affected neither by the local nor landscape variables. Our results suggest that increasing the margin width of conventionally managed cereal fields would enhance both taxonomic and functional diversity of margin plant assemblages, and thus the services they provide to the agro-ecosystem., This work was partly funded by FEDER funds and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Projects AGL2012-33736 and AGL2015-64130-R). YP was supported by an FPI (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) scholarship.
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- 2020
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44. Hyperspectral Reflectance as a Basis to Discriminate Olive Varieties—A Tool for Sustainable Crop Management
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Luis Gomes, Fernando Rei, Nuno Guiomar, Tânia Nobre, and Adélia Sousa
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0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,lcsh:TJ807-830 ,Geography, Planning and Development ,lcsh:Renewable energy sources ,Biodiversity ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,spectral reflectance ,01 natural sciences ,remote sensing ,Agricultural land ,Sentinel 2 ,Crop management ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,agricultural abandonment ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,traditional olive groves ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Sustainable development ,sustainable development ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Agroforestry ,lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants ,Reflectivity ,Agricultural intensification ,lcsh:TD194-195 ,Geography ,olive cultivars ,Sustainability ,Threatened species ,agricultural intensification ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Worldwide sustainable development is threatened by current agricultural land change trends, particularly by the increasing rural farmland abandonment and agricultural intensification phenomena. In Mediterranean countries, these processes are affecting especially traditional olive groves with enormous socio-economic costs to rural areas, endangering environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Traditional olive groves abandonment and intensification are clearly related to the reduction of olive oil production income, leading to reduced economic viability. Most promising strategies to boost traditional groves competitiveness&mdash, such as olive oil differentiation through adoption of protected denomination of origin labels and development of value-added olive products&mdash, rely on knowledge of the olive varieties and its specific properties that confer their uniqueness and authenticity. Given the lack of information about olive varieties on traditional groves, a feasible and inexpensive method of variety identification is required. We analyzed leaf spectral information of ten Portuguese olive varieties with a powerful data-mining approach in order to verify the ability of satellite&rsquo, s hyperspectral sensors to provide an accurate olive variety identification. Our results show that these olive varieties are distinguishable by leaf reflectance information and suggest that even satellite open-source data could be used to map them. Additional advantages of olive varieties mapping were further discussed.
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- 2020
45. Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to Simulate the Pesticide Dynamics in the Data Scarce Guayas River Basin, Ecuador
- Author
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Sacha Gobeyn, Marie Anne Eurie Forio, Indira Nolivos, Luis Dominguez-Granda, Naomi Cambien, Peter Goethals, Martin Volk, Felix Witing, and Mijail Arias-Hidalgo
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River ecosystem ,Technology and Engineering ,lcsh:Hydraulic engineering ,Soil and Water Assessment Tool ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Pesticide application ,Drainage basin ,Land management ,SWAT MODEL ,Aquatic Science ,Biochemistry ,HYDROLOGY ,lcsh:Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes ,CATCHMENT ,data scarcity ,lcsh:TC1-978 ,Streamflow ,guayas river basin ,QUALITY ,soil and water assessment tool ,SWAT model ,SURFACE WATERS ,LOSSES ,Water Science and Technology ,Soil map ,CALIBRATION ,geography ,lcsh:TD201-500 ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,PRECIPITATION DATA ,pesticide dynamics ,TRANSPORT ,VARIABILITY ,freshwater ecosystem management ,Earth and Environmental Sciences ,Environmental science ,Guayas River basin ,agricultural intensification ,Water resource management - Abstract
Agricultural intensification has stimulated the economy in the Guayas River basin in Ecuador, but also affected several ecosystems. The increased use of pesticides poses a serious threat to the freshwater ecosystem, which urgently calls for an improved knowledge about the impact of pesticide practices in this study area. Several studies have shown that models can be appropriate tools to simulate pesticide dynamics in order to obtain this knowledge. This study tested the suitability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the dynamics of two different pesticides in the data scarce Guayas River basin. First, we set up, calibrated and validated the model using the streamflow data. Subsequently, we set up the model for the simulation of the selected pesticides (i.e., pendimethalin and fenpropimorph). While the hydrology was represented soundly by the model considering the data scare conditions, the simulation of the pesticides should be taken with care due to uncertainties behind essential drivers, e.g., application rates. Among the insights obtained from the pesticide simulations are the identification of critical zones for prioritisation, the dominant areas of pesticide sources and the impact of the different land uses. SWAT has been evaluated to be a suitable tool to investigate the impact of pesticide use under data scarcity in the Guayas River basin. The strengths of SWAT are its semi-distributed structure, availability of extensive online documentation, internal pesticide databases and user support while the limitations are high data requirements, time-intensive model development and challenging streamflow calibration. The results can also be helpful to design future water quality monitoring strategies. However, for future studies, we highly recommend extended monitoring of pesticide concentrations and sediment loads. Moreover, to substantially improve the model performance, the availability of better input data is needed such as higher resolution soil maps, more accurate pesticide application rate and actual land management programs. Provided that key suggestions for further improvement are considered, the model is valuable for applications in river ecosystem management of the Guayas River basin.
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- 2020
46. A social-ecological framework and toolbox to help strengthening functional agrobiodiversity-supported ecosystem services at the landscape scale
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Kris Verheyen, Bert Reubens, Lies Messely, and Frederik Gerits
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Agriculture and Food Sciences ,0106 biological sciences ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Social-ecological system ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Citizen science ,Landscape observatory ,Social Environment ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Ecosystem services ,MANAGEMENT ,Environmental Chemistry ,Action research ,COMMON ,Functional agrobiodiversity ,Ecosystem ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Planning and Development ,Geography ,LAND-USE ,Ecology ,Land use ,business.industry ,Environmental resource management ,AGRI-ENVIRONMENT SCHEMES ,PEST ,General Medicine ,FARMLAND ,Natural resource ,Toolbox ,Scale (social sciences) ,Perspective ,BIODIVERSITY ,COMMUNITIES ,business ,AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION ,Gardens ,SYSTEM - Abstract
Functional agrobiodiversity (FAB) has severely declined during the last decades. Current efforts to reinforce FAB are mainly focused on single-actor, parcel-based measures, whereas multi-actor landscape approaches are supposed to be more effective. In this paper, we propose a social–ecological framework that structures how different land users at both the parcel and landscape level interact with FAB as a natural resource. Furthermore, we introduce 1 m(2) FAB gardens as an interactive multipurpose measurement tool to gather data on ecosystem services in collaboration with land users. The presented action research approach provides new insights on motivations and interests of different land users in FAB and how knowledge exchange can result in a higher motivation to invest in FAB. Using a case study in Flanders, we illustrate the FAB-garden concept and highlight its strengths and necessary considerations to properly complement other research approaches in this social–ecological system. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01382-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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- 2020
47. Participatory multicriteria assessment of maize cropping systems in the context of family farmers in the Brazilian Cerrado
- Author
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Eric Scopel, José Humberto Valadares Xavier, Fernando Antonio Macena da Silva, Flávio Sacco dos Anjos, Marc Corbeels, and Mário Conill Gomes
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Economics and Econometrics ,agriculture familiale ,Exploitation agricole familiale ,Conservation agriculture ,Context (language use) ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Zea mays ,Culture sous couvert végétal ,Cropping system ,Crop management ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,F07 - Façons culturales ,Agroforestry ,Analyse multivariée ,Citizen journalism ,E80 - Économie familiale et artisanale ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,agriculture de conservation ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Système de culture ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Cropping - Abstract
Conservation agriculture (CA) is recognized as a promising crop management strategy for sustainable agricultural intensification. The objective of this study was to evaluate CA cropping systems for rainfed maize as an alternative to the traditional tillage-based cropping systems (CT) in the context of family farms, using a multi-criteria model that represents the point of view of farmers. Farmers considered several aspects for evaluating the cropping systems, thatwere systematized in the model through five criteria (with sub-criteria): (a) costs; (b) yield; (c) labour; (d) human health and environment; and (e) production risks. CA did not differ from CT for the 'costs' criterion but was superior for the 'yield' and 'labour' criteria. In contrast, CT obtained better ratings for the criteria 'human health and environment' and 'production risks'. Considering all criteria, CA was better appraised than CT. However, a new local policy measure that subsidizes the hiring of mechanized tillage services overturns this outcome, indicating the importance of exogenous factors. Overall, the participatory processes in building the model allowed us to better understand the reasons of adoption or non-adoption of CA by small-scale farmers in the tropics.
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- 2020
48. Crop diversity benefits carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes with semi‐natural habitats
- Author
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Giovanni Tamburini, Erik Öckinger, Riccardo Bommarco, Tomas Roslin, Sandra Lindström, Klaus Birkhofer, Guillermo Aguilera, Adrien Rusch, Maj Rundlöf, Berta Caballero-López, Henrik G. Smith, Kirsten E. Miller, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), University of Bari Aldo Moro (UNIBA), Department of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology, Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, Lund University [Lund], Swedish Rural Economy and Agricultural Society, Santé et agroécologie du vignoble (UMR SAVE), and Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV)-Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques de Bordeaux-Aquitaine (Bordeaux Sciences Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,diversification ,pollination ,Pollination ,Diversification (marketing strategy) ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Ecosystem services ,Predation ,Pollinator ,arable land ,2. Zero hunger ,Semi natural habitats ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,landscape composition ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,15. Life on land ,crop diversity ,Geography ,Crop diversity ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,predation ,Arable land ,agricultural intensification ,ecosystem services - Abstract
1. In agricultural landscapes, arthropods provide essential ecosystem services such as biological pest control and pollination. Intensified crop management practices and homogenization of landscapes have led to declines among such organisms. Semi-natural habitats, associated with high numbers of these organisms, are increasingly lost from agricultural landscapes but diversification by increasing crop diversity has been proposed as a way to reverse observed arthropod declines and thus restore ecosystem services. However, whether or not an increase in the diversity of crop types within a landscape promotes diversity and abundances of pollinating and predaceous arthropods, and how semi-natural habitats might modify this relationship, are not well understood. 2. To test how crop diversity and the proportion of semi-natural habitats within a landscape are related to the diversity and abundance of beneficial arthropod communities , we collected primary data from seven studies focusing on natural enemies (carabids and spiders) and pollinators (bees and hoverflies) from 154 crop fields in Southern Sweden between 2007 and 2017. 3. Crop diversity within a 1-km radius around each field was positively related to the Shannon diversity index of carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes rich in semi-natural habitats. Abundances were mainly affected by the proportion of semi-natural habitats in the landscape, with decreasing carabid and increasing pollinator numbers as the proportion of this habitat type increased. Spiders showed no response to either crop diversity or the proportion of semi-natural habitats.
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- 2020
49. Paradise lost — transformation of the gully landscape in South-East Norway
- Author
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Kia Sandra Simonsen, Knut Rydgren, Christian Incerti, Ingrid Hjorth-Johansen, and Liv Norunn Hamre
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Paradise lost ,Aerial photos ,Agroforestry ,05 social sciences ,Geography, Planning and Development ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,0507 social and economic geography ,021107 urban & regional planning ,02 engineering and technology ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Agricultural intensification ,Geography ,Urban planning ,Threatened species ,South east ,Landscape ecology ,050703 geography ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,General Environmental Science - Abstract
In the last 50–60 years, agricultural intensification and later urban development have threatened the rare and valuable gully landscape formed on marine clay. We studied landscape changes in eastern Akershus county in south-east Norway, which has one of the world’s largest concentrations of marine gullies. Interpretation of aerial photos showed that about 25% of the gully area has been lost. Only 39.5% of the remaining area is original gullies, and 60.5% of the area has been affected by landscape change. The largest loss of gully area was between 1955 and 1991, mainly through land levelling and transformation to intensively managed agricultural landscape. The most densely populated areas also lost gullies to residential areas and industry. Gullies support high plant and animal diversity, and future management should be based on landscape ecological principles. Gully fragments should also be preserved to maintain connectivity between the many different habitats belonging to the gullies.
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- 2020
50. The influence of landscape change on multiple dimensions of human–nature connectedness
- Author
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Maraja Riechers, Joern Fischer, Ágnes Balázsi, and David J. Abson
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Agricultural intensification ,Landscape change ,Geography ,Ecology ,Multiple time dimensions ,Economic geography ,Nature connectedness - Published
- 2020
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