Cultivation of halophyte plants

Ecological restoration, when implemented effectively and sustainably, contributes to protecting biodiversity; improving human health and wellbeing; increasing food and water security; delivering goods, services, and economic prosperity; and supporting climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. It is a solutions-based approach that engages communities, scientists, policymakers, and land managers to repair ecological damage and rebuild a healthier relationship between people and the rest of nature. When combined with conservation and sustainable use, ecological restoration is the link needed to move local, regional, and global environmental conditions from a state of continued degradation, to one of net positive improvement. The second edition of the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration (the Standards) presents a robust framework for restoration projects to achieve intended goals, while addressing challenges including effective design and implementation, accounting for complex ecosystem dynamics (especially in the context of climate change), and navigating trade-offs associated with land management priorities and decisions.

This comprehensive analysis explores the significance of millets as a solution for small and marginal farmers in India. The country faces substantial challenges in food and nutritional security, exacerbated by climate change, inequality, and inadequate infrastructure. Millets offer a promising solution, addressing malnutrition, ensuring food security, and demonstrating resilience to climate change. By diversifying cropping systems and promoting value addition, millets provide income-generating opportunities for farmers. However, challenges such as low productivity, limited awareness, insufficient value chain infrastructure, and market linkages hinder the widespread adoption of millets. Government initiatives, including the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture and the National Food Security Mission, aim to support millet cultivation and production. Furthermore, policies promoting research and development, market access, and minimum support prices contribute to the growth of the millet sector. The nutritional benefits, climate resilience, and income opportunities associated with millets make them a valuable solution for small and marginal farmers. By investing in technology, infrastructure, and policy sup-port, India can harness the potential of millets to achieve sustainable agricultural practices, improve livelihoods, and ensure food and nutritional security.

Biofuel production and its impact on food security in low and middle income countries: Implications for the post-2015 sustainable development goals

Introduction: Morocco's food security strategy must balance resource optimization with agricultural modernization. While the country has made notable progress, persistent structural challenges remain: erratic rainfall patterns (requiring minimum 300mm annually), severe water stress, and lagging productivity in critical sectors like sugar, olives and dairy. The nation's heavy import dependence - particularly for cereals (43%), sugar (65%) and vegetable oils - creates significant vulnerability to global price shocks. However, Morocco possesses competitive advantages in citrus fruits, tomatoes, and animal products that could generate exportable surpluses with improved yields and value chain efficiency. Realizing food sovereignty will require: (1) climate-smart water management, (2) targeted sectoral investments, (3) input subsidy reforms, and (4) enhanced market competitiveness. Success hinges on sustained policy commitment and adaptive capacity to mitigate climate risks while capitalizing on strategic export opportunities. Key improvements from previous version: Added specific data points Structured challenges and solutions more clearly Included implementation aspects (value chains, subsidy reforms) Maintained analytical depth while staying concise. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to assess the future of food security by considering key factors influencing food demand and supply, such as demographic growth, economic trends, agricultural policies, and climate change. Methods: This study adopts an integrated approach combining projections, scenario analysis, and economic modeling to assess Morocco’s food security. It includes forecasting food supply and demand using economic models, analyzing trends in agricultural productivity and GDP, and evaluating the impacts of climate change on crop yields. The study also explores the role of technology and research & development in boosting productivity, assesses Morocco’s dependence on food imports and global market risks, and examines water and land management strategies to support sustainable agriculture. Together, these methods help anticipate future challenges and guide strategic decision-making. Results: The study reveals a persistent reliance on imports of strategic products such as cereals, pulses, sugar, and olive oil. However, opportunities for surpluses emerge in certain sectors, including citrus fruits, tomatoes, dairy products, eggs, and seafood. Projections indicate an expected improvement in meeting food demand for several products, particularly fruits, vegetables, as well as white and red meats. Two scenarios were analyzed: The baseline scenario (S1) assumes a continuation of current trends, with modest progress. The ambitious scenario (S2), aligned with the objectives of the Green Morocco Plan and Generation Green, assumes several conditions: annual rainfall of at least 300 mm, continued agricultural subsidies (especially for soft wheat and sugar), and catch-up efforts in the sugar, olive, and dairy sectors. Finally, the study highlights several major structural challenges, including: An aging farming population, Increasing water scarcity, A decline in available agricultural land per capita. Conclusions: Despite notable progress, Morocco continues to face structural challenges to achieving food security. The country’s future in this area will largely depend on its ability to gradually reduce its dependence on food imports, while simultaneously improving domestic agricultural yields. Equally important is the sustainable management of key natural resources, particularly water and agricultural land, which are increasingly under pressure. Strengthening strategic agricultural value chains will also be essential, along with promoting the adoption of modern technologies and the expansion of localized irrigation systems. Together, these efforts will be crucial in building a more resilient and self-sufficient food system for Morocco.

Development of suitable ecological protection and restoration policies for sustainable management needs to assess the potential impacts of future land use and climate change on ecosystem services. The two ecological shelters and three belts (TSTB) are significant for improving ecosystem services and ensuring China’s and global ecological security. In this study, we simulated land use in 2050 and estimated the spatial distribution pattern of net primary productivity (NPP), water yield, and soil conservation from 2010 to 2050 under future climate change. The results showed that water yield, NPP, and soil conservation exhibited a spatial pattern of decreasing from southeast to northwest, while in terms of the temporal pattern, water yield and NPP increased, but soil conservation decreased. Water yield was mainly influenced by precipitation, NPP was affected by temperature and implementation of ecological restoration, and soil conservation was controlled by precipitation and slope. There was a strong spatial heterogeneity between trade-offs and synergies. In terms of the temporal, with the combination of climate change and ecological restoration, there was a synergistic relationship between water yield and NPP. However, the relationships between water yield and soil conservation, and between NPP and soil conservation were characterized by trade-offs. In the process of ecological construction, it is necessary to consider the differences between overall and local trade-offs and synergies, as well as formulate sustainable ecological management policies according to local conditions. Understanding the response of ecosystem services to future climate change and land use policies can help address the challenges posed by climate change and achieve sustainable management of natural resources.

The Big Question

India nurtures a tradition of rich civilization traceable from the antiquarian history and its primordial Indian village system. The linguistic relics, artifacts, rudiment tools and implements, skills of reading of the signs and seasons, mythic beliefs, tribal wisdom (sayings and proverbs), concepts and practices are foolproof of the existence of indigenous knowledge and practices. About 75% of global population is home to indigenous peoples and culture capable of deriving sustainable resource management. The knowledge of the local people tested over long period, adapted to local environment, then being passed down from one generation to another still has the carrying capacity of sustainable food security, health care, and ecological protection. The Baiga known for his cultural heritage, whose indigenous knowledge and practices is in transition but has relevance for sustainable resource management in resource depletion. The present work is an ethnographic study on the subject, in which the researcher used participant observation for data collection on food security through indigenous methods of farming. Open ended ethnographic interviews were conducted to the key informants.Keywords: Indigenous knowledge and practices, sustainable resource management, food security, Ethnographic, participant observation, organic farming, food security, Nutri cereals, Baiga Chak, PVTGs, Dāhi

Development of surfactant-free microemulsion hybrid biofuels employing halophytic salicornia oil/ethanol and oxygenated additives

The sustainable management of natural resources by the EU is in our own interest and also contributes to global sustainable development. What we import can have serious consequences in exporting countries. Such external effects of EU natural resources use have been discussed at length by the EU institutions, but a clear and coherent policy framework has not emerged. Instead, an ad hoc approach has been followed. Over time, the EU has thus developed separate policy regimes with distinct features for numerous individual natural resources. Two such regimes, regarding forestry and fisheries, are examined in this contribution. The manner in which they aim at ensuring that only legally harvested natural resources are put on the EU market or imported has turned out to be quite different. While the specific characteristics of the natural resources in question do not seem to play a decisive role here, it does seem that other factors do. A prominent factor seems to be the fear of violating rules of international trade law. Another factor could be that the EU has an exclusive competence to adopt fisheries measures, but not when it comes to forestry products. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the individual regimes, it is concluded that it is worth striving for enhanced coherence of the EU's policy regarding sustainable management of natural resource. INTRODUCTION The European Union (EU) is highly dependent on the import of resources from third (non-EU) countries. This brings economic advantages for those countries, but some of the EU imports have environmental and social disadvantages for the producing countries that stand in the way of their sustainable development. They can have negative economic consequences where natural resources (like timber, minerals and fish) are illegally harvested and payment of taxes is avoided. These negative consequences for third countries of EU production and consumption processes can also affect the Union itself, notably through rising greenhouse gas emissions due to illegal logging or burning of forests to clear land for oil palm plantations. They can also contribute to destabilisation and increased migration to Europe. Only by paying attention to the external consequences of EU use of natural resources, for instance in terms of environmental effects, rights of indigenous persons and their livelihoods and food security, can the EU ensure that it does not add to the problems of developing countries and instead contribute to building more sustainable and resilient societies.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021–2030 as the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration”, which positions “the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature-based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities”. Ecological restoration, when it was implemented effectively, contributes to improving food and water security, mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, boosting economic prosperity and benefiting human health and well-being. Thus, ecological restoration is fundamental for the success of ecological civilization and sustainable development. Ecological restoration theories in developed countries usually require restoring the ecosystem to the status prior to degradation, and this requirement is difficult to achieve in regions with serious degradation, especially in developing countries. We developed a new theory of ecological restoration, or stepwise ecological restoration (STERE), which comprises three modes in different restoration stages: Environmental remediation in the initial stage with serious degradation, ecological rehabilitation for moderately degraded ecosystems, and natural restoration for slightly degraded ecosystems. Environmental remediation aims to reduce environmental pollution through the removal or detoxification of pollutants or excess nutrients from soil and water. Ecological rehabilitation is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed through various physical, chemical and biological restoration strategies. Natural restoration aims to restore ecosystem functions and services and improve ecosystem resilience without much human assistance. Environmental remediation is fundamental and needs to be implemented prior to ecological rehabilitation and natural restoration in places where pollution is severe. Only the former is successfully carried out; however, when the ecosystem is moderately degraded, ecological rehabilitation can be effectively implemented. In places where the ecosystem is slightly degraded, natural restoration is recommended. The processes of ecological rehabilitation and natural restoration will result in ecological functions that are more complete, an increase in biodiversity, and improved ecosystem resilience. For STERE, appropriate restoration goals should be formulated based on the degree of degradation, local funding support, and technological development. The new theory proposed in this study emphasizes the application of reference ecosystems in restoration projects and the importance of ecological monitoring. It also requires an adaptive restoration management framework that considers the influence of global climate change. STERE should be implemented for future ecosystems rather than only for restoring an ecosystem to a status similar to the condition prior to degradation. Moreover, STERE promotes systematic large-scale landscape restoration by considering the interactions between individual small scales (e.g., field scale) and large scales (e.g., catchment scale). In addition, technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles and remote sensing should be more widely used in future STERE projects. Ecological restoration databases should be established for restorative activities in mountains, waters, forests, farms, lakes and other ecosystems. The newly proposed STERE theory would play an important role in developing restoration projects worldwide, especially in developing countries.

The global interest in biofuels production is agued to have substantial impacts on food security. A slew of studies have identified a nexus between biofuel production intensification and food price hikes in the international market. Regardless of the results of these studies, global biofuels production keeps increasing and it is projected to escalate even further within the next decade. A major concern is that some sub-Saharan African countries with food security worries have policies to enhance the production and use of first generation biofuels. In view of that, this paper examines the potential consequences of diverting food and agricultural lands for biofuels production with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. It reviews the current and projected trends in the production of biofuels and trade of feedstocks, analyses the potential of “food gap”, land use change and associated carbon emissions and the effects on biodiversity and water resources within the region. In conclusion, the study accentuates the doubt on the potential of first generation biofuels as a realistic source of energy particularly in sub-Saharan Africa as it could have substantial effects on the regions’ food security as well as on its natural resource. It also suggests ways to enhance the sustainability of the region’s biofuel policies to maximize welfare gains and enhance food security.

To position the concept of sustainability within the context of food security. An overview of the interrelationships between food security and sustainability based on a non-systematic literature review and informed discussions based principally on a quasi-historical approach from meetings and reports. International and global food security and nutrition. The Rome Declaration on World Food Security in 1996 defined its three basic dimensions as: availability, accessibility and utilization, with a focus on nutritional well-being. It also stressed the importance of sustainable management of natural resources and the elimination of unsustainable patterns of food consumption and production. In 2009, at the World Summit on Food Security, the concept of stability/vulnerability was added as the short-term time indicator of the ability of food systems to withstand shocks, whether natural or man-made, as part of the Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security. More recently, intergovernmental processes have emphasized the importance of sustainability to preserve the environment, natural resources and agro-ecosystems (and thus the overlying social system), as well as the importance of food security as part of sustainability and vice versa. Sustainability should be considered as part of the long-term time dimension in the assessment of food security. From such a perspective the concept of sustainable diets can play a key role as a goal and a way of maintaining nutritional well-being and health, while ensuring the sustainability for future food security. Without integrating sustainability as an explicit (fifth?) dimension of food security, today's policies and programmes could become the very cause of increased food insecurity in the future.

In developing countries, rural farmers contribute significantly to food production, but their households are still vulnerable to poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Food security is a concept that refers to the ability of a country or region to ensure the availability, accessibility, and utilization of sufficient and nutritious food for its entire population, both in normal situations and under crisis conditions such as natural disasters or political instability. Food security is critical as it is directly related to national security, public health, and sustainable development. To improve food security, governments and international agencies often focus on policies such as increased food production, diversification of food sources, sustainable management of natural resources, and food assistance programs for vulnerable populations. The practice of agroforestry in home gardens offers a variety of readily available, cost-effective, and nutritious food options, which plays a significant role in enhancing the food security of agricultural families. Agroforestry, an integrated land management system combining food crops, trees, and sometimes livestock, offers a potential solution to improve food security. By growing various crops, farmers are not solely dependent on a single source of food, which reduces the risk of crop failure. Agroforestry systems increase resilience to climate change by reducing the impact of natural disasters, such as floods and droughts. Trees can act as wind barriers, reduce soil erosion, and aid in water conservation. This qualitative research with a systematic exploratory approach and grounded analysis examines how agroforestry contributes to farmers' food security by conducting in-depth interviews with farmers in North Luwu, Indonesia. The study identified home garden categories of agroforestry and then evaluated the role of agroforestry food production in terms of securing the food needs of households. The study discovered that restructure food bolsters across various income brackets by promoting healthier eating habits. Additionally, food production enhances the sustainability of food supplies for households and the health and prosperity of agriculturalists. The primary obstacles to producing food at the household level were identified as secure access to appropriate land and the possession of adequate farming expertise. Key words: agroforestry, farmer, rural, food security, household, home garden, Indonesia

One of the greatest revolutions in food processing and agriculture has been the combination of 3D printing and smart agricultural technology in response to the urgent demands for waste reduction, sustainability, and food security. It covers how innovative technologies in modern agriculture can be used-from their perspective in precision farming, custom food production, sustainable resource management, to post-harvest technology. This is because IoT, AI, and additive manufacturing power provide real-time monitoring of environmental parameters for optimizing crop health management and resource use and open up opportunities for customization of food products through 3D printed customized food products, biodegradable packaging, and on-demand equipment manufacturing. These regions would face huge up-front costs, little technological know-how, many regulatory constrictions, and also severe infrastructure deficiencies in applying and adopting the two technologies, respectively. Future work or research regarding the above two technologies needs to come from cost efficiencies, policymaking, scalability, as well as no faults to enable both full potentials for proper, effective working. This paper will conclude by mentioning that even so, there will remain a pressing need for more advanced forms of interdisciplinary cooperation as well as public education in order to achieve the maximum benefits of such technologies towards attaining a more resilient and sustainable global food system.

In the face of growing challenges in modern agriculture, such as climate change, sustainable resource management, and food security, drones are emerging as essential tools for transforming precision agriculture. This systematic review, based on an in-depth analysis of recent scientific literature (2020–2024), provides a comprehensive synthesis of current drone applications in the agricultural sector, primarily focusing on studies from this period while including a few notable exceptions of particular interest. Our study examines in detail the technological advancements in drone systems, including innovative aerial platforms, cutting-edge multispectral and hyperspectral sensors, and advanced navigation and communication systems. We analyze diagnostic applications, such as crop monitoring and multispectral mapping, as well as interventional applications like precision spraying and drone-assisted seeding. The integration of artificial intelligence and IoTs in analyzing drone-collected data is highlighted, demonstrating significant improvements in early disease detection, yield estimation, and irrigation management. Specific case studies illustrate the effectiveness of drones in various crops, from viticulture to cereal cultivation. Despite these advancements, we identify several obstacles to widespread drone adoption, including regulatory, technological, and socio-economic challenges. This study particularly emphasizes the need to harmonize regulations on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights and improve economic accessibility for small-scale farmers. This review also identifies key opportunities for future research, including the use of drone swarms, improved energy autonomy, and the development of more sophisticated decision-support systems integrating drone data. In conclusion, we underscore the transformative potential of drones as a key technology for more sustainable, productive, and resilient agriculture in the face of global challenges in the 21st century, while highlighting the need for an integrated approach combining technological innovation, adapted policies, and farmer training.