Flowering Farmland Competitions in Europe: History, facts and potential interactions with agri-environmental measures

The attitude of grassland farmers towards nature conservation and agri-environment measures—A survey-based analysis

Evaluating the nature conservation value of field habitats: A model approach for targeting agri-environmental measures and projecting their effects

Targeting the impact of agri-environmental policy – Future scenarios in two less favoured areas in Portugal

Statement of the problem formulation in a general form and its relation to important scientific and practical tasks. One of the factors for ensuring the successful implementation of a person’s rights, liberties and responsibilities by the public administration bodies is the existence of administrative procedural legislation, based on the law on administrative procedure. Whereas the public administration bodies implement many administrative procedures, their principles have a high priority. Among a rather wide range of administrative procedure principles, the principles of efficiency, reasonable time and operability are provided to enable the procedure to be carried out quickly, without any delays and additional resource costs.Analysis of recent publications on the problem and identifying the unresolved earlier aspects of the common problem. The issues of the content and application of the principles of efficiency, operability and reasonable time are the subject of research by O.S. Lahoda, O.M. Soloviova, V.P. Tymoshchuk and other scientists; however, there remains a need to deepen the research in the context of determining and comparing the content of these principles and outlining the conditions for their implementation by the public administration bodies in relations with individuals.Setting research objectives (purpose). The purpose of the article is to define the content and implementation conditions of efficiency, reasonable time and operability principles of the administrative procedure.Рresenting main research material. The principles of efficiency, reasonable time and operability belong to the group of administrative procedure organizational principles.In order to ensure compliance with the effectiveness principle and its implementation, the public administration bodies should have a clearly defined range of powers, consolidate their division between structural units and employees, as well as adhere to the official discipline during their performance.The criteria for evaluating the implementation of the administrative procedure efficiency principle by the public administration bodies may include the degree of the goal achievement, style and costs.The reasonable time as a principle of administrative procedure performance implies the deadline defined by legislative acts or determined by public administration bodies, sufficient to resolve an administrative case, as well as the possibility of its continuation, taking into account the prohibition of unreasonable delay in the consideration of the case, which may harm the rights and interests of the person.The criteria enabling to evaluate the application of the reasonable time principle in the administrative procedure comprise the complexity of the issue raised; involvement of persons who facilitate consideration of the case; the significance of the issue or the occurrence of events requiring the speedy resolution of the administrative case; the need to obtain (demand) additional documents and information; the possibility of harm to a person in the event of untimely resolution of his or her case; the exercising by the person the right to appeal against procedural decisions or decisions made.Efficiency as a principle of administrative procedures is the requirement of public administration to apply appropriate and rational means, methods and tools on passing all stages of the administrative procedure.Conclusions from the study and perspectives for further research in the same direction. The substantive content of the principles of efficiency, reasonable time and operability, which should be reflected in the legislation on administrative procedure in Ukraine, are as follows:the principle of efficiency – the requirements of public administration bodies concerning a detailed definition of their responsibilities and their implementation; duty use of most effective methods, means and tools; efficiency of organizational processes that should provide best results at the lowest appropriate resource costs; the principle of reasonable time – the requirement to establish by legislative acts or determine by the public administration bodies a period sufficient for the resolution of an administrative case, as well as the possibility of its continuing in view of the prohibition of unreasonable delay in the proceedings, which could harm the rights and interests of the person; the principle of operability – the requirement for public administration bodies to apply appropriate and rational means, methods and tools on passing all stages of the administrative procedure in order to resolve the case as soon as possible.The subject of further scientific research may be the issues of the substantive content of other principles of the administrative procedure and their implementation by public administration bodies, as well as the means and tools for applying the analyzed principles in the practical activities of public administration bodies.

The subject matter of the article is the measures taken by the public administration bodies and municipal authorities to improve the quality of public and municipal services. The goal of the article is to assess the government’s efforts to increase the quality, accessibility of public services and the results of 10 years of the administrative reform in the Russian Federation. Conclusions are drawn on the results of sociological polls. The article systematizes the main steps, goals, expectations and efforts to increase the quality of public and municipal services that the bodies of public administration and self governance have made during 10 years of the administrative reform. The data of the sociological poll on the results of this work held by the Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation in 2011– 2013 and headed by the author of the article, are analyzed and presented here. A positive result of the system efforts to increase the quality of public and municipal services can be ascertained on the basis of the research conclusions. It, in the long run, reveals itself in the growing satisfaction of recipients of the services both at the start and in the last years of the reform. Research of 2013 showed that 77.7% of the respondents estimated the quality of the services provided for them as satisfactory (74.6% in 2011; 75.5% in 2012). Conclusions: a) during 10 years of the administrative reform in the Russian Federation system and goal-oriented efforts to increase the quality of public and municipal services have been undertaken by the bodies of public administration and of local self – governance; b) these efforts, despite some problems that still exist, give tangible positive results, thus increasing the level of citizens’ satisfaction with the services they receive; c) to achieve the set ambitious satisfaction level goal of 90% by 2018, it is necessary to continue working hard within the framework of the administrative reform, including additional measures to achieve the goals. This experience suggests that analogous system efforts could be useful for making better other services, including social services, provided by the public and municipal administration bodies either under their control or with their direct participation. Such efforts could be useful for making citizens more satisfied with the performance of the public and local administration bodies as well.

The aim of this research is to develop a strategy for implementing sustainable agriculture based on good agricultural practice as a strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change. This research was conducted in the Kopeng area, Semarang Regency, Central Java, which is one of the areas in Indonesia that is rich in agricultural potential. Efforts to implement a sustainable agricultural model in Kopeng Village considering that the majority of agriculture in this area still relies on conventional agricultural techniques which have an impact on reducing land quality. The data analysis method used in this research is ANP (Analytic Network Process) which is a mathematical theory that allows decision making to deal with interrelated factors (dependence) as well as mathematical feedback. The results of the research show that the Sustainable Agriculture Implementation Model Based on Good Agricultural Practice as a Strategy for Adapting to the Impact of Climate Change in Kopeng Village requires attention to six criteria, including sustainable land management, efficient use of water, conservation of biodiversity, reduced use of chemicals, increased welfare farmer socio-economics, climate change adaptation and mitigation. The most prioritized criterion is sustainable land management. In the criteria for sustainable land management, there are three sub-criteria, including Crop Rotation, No-till land management and Use of land cover. Of the three sub-criteria, the sub-criteria that is most prioritized in the criteria for sustainable land management is crop rotation.

State of Rajasthan in India has a semi-arid to the arid climate and is water-stressed with the prevalence of desertification and frequent droughts due to extremely erratic rainfall. This also jeopardizes the sustainability of agriculture and endangers prospects for future generations by affecting the livelihood of the local populace and source of food for livestock. The challenging climate is further negatively augmented with unsustainable agriculture practices such as mono-cropping, extensive use of chemicals, etc. This study builds an understanding of farmers’ challenges/barriers and motivations to achieve sustainability in the agricultural sector in this region. This study analyses farmers’ perspective of shortlisted ten good agricultural practices (GAPs) for this region which are divided into the following four aspects, (1) cropland management, (2) water management, (3) degraded lands restoration, and (4) soil fertility management. Results: There has been as low as 0% of farmers adopting mulching as a GAP and as high as 100% of farmers adopting crop rotation. Koliwara was the only village using advanced micro-irrigation systems; this can be attributed to closeness to the Sumerpur town as well as the engagement of the agriculture department in organising farm field trips to big farms for some farmers. Salodariya has no interaction with the agriculture department as the extension officer rarely visits the farmers hence providing no new technical information to farmers. Chanod has engagement with its extension officer but due to rain-fed agriculture, it does not leave much scope for systems that require irrigation water and technology like mulching, micro-irrigation, etc. Conclusion: This paper tells how tasks that might seem simple and easy to do as researchers can be tough for a farmer in this region as they are not well educated and often get neglected by government officials. When research organisations make policies for sustainable land management (SLM), they are theoretically very helpful. But the on-ground application by farmers is only 50–60% due to many reasons which are explored in this paper. Hence, one of the biggest challenges to SLM is its application by farmers.

Soil biodiversity constitutes an important part of the terrestrial food web and plays a major role in sustainable agriculture. However, the wider benefits of soil biodiversity have been largely ignored by traditional and conventional agriculture in Africa. This work synthesizes the current state of knowledge and highlights the unique challenges to management of soil biodiversity in African agriculture. The role of soil biodiversity in integrated pest management (IPM), maintenance of soil fertility and rehabilitation of degraded land is demonstrated. The analysis provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that agricultural intensification negatively impacts on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Recognition of the role of soil biodiversity in agricultural and educational policies and adoption of multi-sectoral approaches could improve its sustainable management in Africa.

This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), using Scopus data to explore the chronological and thematic development of the topic from 1964 to 2024. GAP, established to guarantee food safety, environmental sustainability, and economic viability in agriculture, has achieved international acclaim. Nonetheless, investigations on the subject remain disjointed across agronomy, environmental science, and food safety. Good Agricultural Practices study is crucial in discussing global problems like climate change and food security. GAP is a framework to increase sustainable agricultural productivity, minimise the environmental implications, and make production systems resilient to the increasing global challenges. Through an analysis of the research trends, this study emphasises the critical importance of GAP in shaping a sustainable future for agriculture globally. This analysis utilises bibliometric tools like VOS Viewer and Biblioshiny to synthesise and visualise significant contributions to GAP research. 1,732 papers were examined to ascertain prominent authors, major nations, and significant topic trends. The findings indicate a growing emphasis on sustainable crop management, food safety regulations, and the incorporation of new technology like precision agriculture into Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and also show how most of the published evidence on the potential of GAP to help reduce waste in food processing is for developed regions whereas, in developing regions challenges such as limited access to financial resources, lack of knowledge dissemination, and poor infrastructure hamper the proper application of GAP. It's crucial to face these socio-economic challenges to ensure equitable and sustainable agricultural development worldwide. A notable study deficiency remains in investigations centered on developing regions where GAP might exert the most substantial influence. Moreover, socio-economic obstacles, especially those encountered by smallholder farmers in implementing GAP, remain little examined. The study underscores the necessity for more investigation into the long-term impacts of GAP, particularly concerning climate change and global food security. This analysis identifies research gaps and emerging trends, establishing a basis for future studies and policy measures to promote sustainable farming practices globally. There are some limitations, such as the dependency on the Scopus database. Therefore, all the related studies indexed in other databases would not be included. Moreover, the English-language publication bias may mean valuable research done in non-English speaking countries is obscure, leading to potentially neglected global patterns.

Sensitivity of different soil quality indicators to assess sustainable land management: Influence of site features and seasonality

Agri-environmental measures (AEM) are an agricultural policy instrument for enhancing of agricultural practices and activities that go beyond the basic environmental standards. Formulation of agri-environmental measures is a complex substantive, organisational and participatory process. Decision-makers are faced with the difficult task of selecting appropriate design of measures, while the available options and their (dis)advantages are in most part not readily available. The purpose of this paper is to outline a typology of possible AEM in terms of the basis for payments, coordination of actions and selection of beneficiaries. Furthermore, the paper provides an overview of the applicability and implementation of particular measures in practice, which is based on a literature review and an analysis of measures in the EU and EFTA Member States. In the European Union, AEM are among the essential instruments in the field of environmental protection and nature conservation. However, research shows that despite a substantial budgetary allocation, AEM have relatively small environmental impacts. Over the last two decades, various new designs of AEM have been tested in an attempt to improve their environmental effectiveness and efficiency. Predominantly management-based measures are thus becoming more result-oriented and more spatially targeted. Some European countries have also piloted the implementation of collective action by farmers and other stakeholders to achieve environmental and nature conservation objectives.

Avoiding over-implementation of agri-environmental schemes for steppe bird conservation: A species-focused proposal based on expert criteria

The objective of this article is to evaluate economic profits along with return on investment and also the impact of newly designed agri-environmental measures (AEM) on the presence of bioindicator species-European hare and roe deer-in comparison to conventionally cultivated agricultural land. The abundance of European hare was, on average, 4.5-6.7 times higher on AEM compared to the standard agricultural regime and 3.5-6.4 times higher in the case of roe deer in 2020 and 2021. From an economic point of view, the highest incomes were found for extensive orchard alleys and standard conventional crops-wheat and rapeseed rotation. The cash flow from extensive orchard was 4.3 times larger and wheat and rapeseed were 3.5 times larger than from the clover grass mixture. Moreover, the lowest value of operational expenses was found in the case of extensive orchard alleys. The payback period ranged from 16.02 years (wheat and rapeseed rotation) to 53.6 years (clover grass mixture). It is crucial not to assess the economic parameters separately but optimize them with sustainable wildlife management and other benefits that provide ecological and efficient directions of AEM for future generations. However, the performed economic analysis highlights the significantly lower incomes of most components of AEM. We see a principal issue of AEMs usage in the lack of strong incentives for farmers to maximize conservation outcomes. Therefore, the AEMs are often placed in locations with presumed low agriculture profit, which is often related to insignificant conservation effects. Thus, the incomparable AEMs profitability compared to conventional agriculture has to be reflected by the agricultural policy at the European Union level and subsidy policy of particular member states.

Eco‐control offers an integrated management approach to transitioning toward corporate sustainable development, such as sustainable agriculture management. Despite the need to consider organizational and managerial changes and development in the field of sustainable agriculture, the use of integrated management controls has not yet been explored. This study identifies how the eco‐control procedures in sustainable agriculture management change when a commercial tea company transits to different stages of corporate sustainable development. It has developed an analytical framework, combining the sustainability management development perspective with the processual view of integrated eco‐control. Using a longitudinal case study approach, the data have been collected via in‐depth interviews, site visits, and document analyses, in respect of a commercial tea company in Sri Lanka. The findings show how the processual eco‐controls have changed as a result of internal and external challenges faced in the different sustainability management development stages of the transition to sustainable agriculture management. The findings emphasize the need for gaining a better understanding of the actions and decisions at the field (operational) and organizational level in promoting sustainable agriculture management practices in agribusiness firms.

Understanding the routes of contamination of ready-to-eat vegetables in the Middle East