Agrarian Practice Research Articles

Age and origin of closed depressions in the Paris Basin: A majority of marl pits dug since the Neolithic period?

Marling (limestone alkaline amendment) agrarian practices have a plurimillennial influence on soil pH and on soil-associated ecosystems. Although the earliest written records in Europe date back to antiquity, the origin of this agrarian practice is not well known. In order to trace the evolution of this practice in the early agrarian societies of Western Europe, we searched for topographic anomalies of ancient limestone quarries that may have been used for marling. Four hundred circular closed topographic depressions (CDs) were identified under two areas of ancient forest in northern France with Lidar digital elevation models (DEMs). Soils, morphology and archaeological context were studied and filling sediments were dated in several dozen CDs.The gaps in the carbonate rocks, soils with calcaric properties (scattered limestone fragments), unstratified fills, the absence of buried paleosols, and dates (OSL, C-14) later than the first local agricultural societies made it possible to recognise the CDs that may have served as limestone quarries. This was the case for most of the 30 CDs studied, leaving a minority of natural origin (suffosion, depressions of thermokarstic origins). Amongst the quarries identified, the preferential excavation of soft (friable) limestone and the location of these quarries in fossil agrarian plots led us to hypothesize that they were used for alkaline amendments of the cultivated fields. The quarries were filled from the Middle Neolithic to Late Antiquity, shortly before the period of afforestation of these former agrarian territories.

What is a village? Agroscapes, collective action and medieval villages in northern Iberia

Why, how and when villages emerged across medieval Europe are enduring questions for archaeologists and historians because of the wider social and economic transformations implied—and because many of these settlements persist to the present day. Most archaeological investigations have focused on the nucleated centres of these communities; here, instead, the authors examine the role of agroscapes. Focusing on an agricultural area near the village of Tobillas, changes in soil chemistry are used to document the creation and maintenance of common fields attesting to collective agrarian practice pre-dating the foundation of the medieval village. Reversing the accepted narrative, the authors argue it was these pre-existing agrarian communities who coalesced to constitute villages such as Tobillas.

Князь А. Г. Щербатов (1850-1915) – выдающийся российский аграрник-просветитель конца XIX – начала ХХ в. Часть II

This work is the second part of the publication: Kozlov S. A. Prince A. G. Shcherbatov (1850-1915) – an outstanding Russian agrarian educator of the late XIX – early XX century. Part I // Manuscript. 2023. Vol. 16. Iss. 1. In the first part, the main areas of A. G. Shcherbatov’s multifaceted activities were identified and characterized: conducting economic and educational work, supporting the rural population, elaborating various scientific and practical issues in the field of agrarian science, as well as actively introducing advanced efficient methods into Russian agriculture and promoting these methods among peasants and land-owning nobles. In this part of the study, the author examines A. G. Shcherbatov’s activities starting from the period preceding the First Russian Revolution and up to the death of the Prince in 1915: he was productively engaged in scientific and analytical, economic and applied, as well as organizational work and at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, Shcherbatov was involved in socio-political activities, taking an active part in the monarchist movement. As a result, the author concludes that the economic, socio-cultural, socio-political activities of Prince A. G. Shcherbatov reflected his commitment to both traditional Russian spiritual and economic values and the tasks of Russian state-building in general: a creative synthesis of bourgeois methods and traditional forms of both national consciousness and agrarian practice was required for the successful nationwide modernization of the early XX century (including in the field of agriculture).

Urban Agriculture as an Alternative Source of Food and Water Security in Today’s Sustainable Cities

The concept of a regenerative city goes far beyond a sustainable one. The regenerative approach is to think of urban green space as a productive landscape, a source of food, and a support for biodiversity. In this approach, the so-called urban wastelands have a positive significance. Urban agriculture (UA) has become a commonly discussed topic in recent years with respect to sustainable development. Therefore, the combination of urban fabric and local food production is crucial for ecological reasons. The key issues are the reduction of food miles and the demand for processed food, the production of which strains the natural environment. At the same time, UA enables regeneration and restoration. An original methodological approach was used in the study following the mixed-method research concept: literature survey, case studies, and comparative analysis of objects. A review of UA architecture (UAA) projects was carried out to supplement the knowledge acquired during the bibliometric analysis. In sum, 25 existing projects, including allotment gardens, community gardens, and urban farms in the global north, were compared in this study. As a result of the analyses carried out, the breakdown of urban agriculture was developed into the following categories: (i) architectural-urban, (ii) ecological, (iii) social, and (iv) economic, including the impact of UA on physical activity and social interaction. UA is also a factor shaping the urban landscape. In conclusion, agrarian practice in urban environments has led to the creation of a new type of space, known as UAA. Production in the context of UA exceeds private goods, such as food produced for sale or for individual use. Additional goods include public goods. The review shows that UA fulfills economic, social, and environmental functions, thus falling under the concept of sustainable development.

Farm Level Cost-benefit Analysis: The Evaluation of Economics of Conservation Agriculture in Bergville Town in Kwa-zulu Natal Province of South Africa

Background: Practicing the unsustainable system of farming contributes in no small way to soil deterioration which in turn affects agricultural productivity. Even though one of the important requirements for embracing any agrarian practice is the financial viability of the process, it is believed that the differences in the benefits obtained from both conventional farming and conservation agriculture are not well articulated. While general inference can be made, it is also important to make a thorough evaluation of the benefits that can be derived from conservation agriculture and conventional agriculture.Methods: The study was conducted in Okhahlamba Local Municipality, which is situated in-between Lesotho, Free State Province, Alfred Duma and the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality. Secondary data were retrieved from the Mahlathini Organics dataset collected from three different seasons, such as 2012/2013 to 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 seasons. The farmers under study practiced conservation agriculture (0.8ha) and conventional agriculture (0.8ha). Result: Using Gross Margin in addition to indicators like Benefit-Cost Ratio, Internal Rate of Returns and Net Present Value, this research identified that the advantages of using the conservation system of farming are enormous when matched with conventional agriculture. Consequently, this research suggests the advancement and encouragement of conservation agriculture as it provides more incentives in the long run.

Relationship between agrarian contracts and renewable energy production in sugarcane agroindustry

Many agroindustries that process sugarcane raw to produce sugar and ethanol, and for energy cogeneration have difficulties to obtain all the necessary raw material. The agrarian contract practice can allow access to land in order to increase the production of sugarcane, without immobilizing resources in terms of the purchase of land, reducing the idle capacity of industrial plant, and increasing the cogeneration of energy by burning bagasse and sugarcane straw. It appears that the form of production of sugarcane (i.e., through land leasing, sharecropping, independent producers, etc.) can significantly affect the total costs of the industrial process. This work looks to find an empirical relation between the type of sugarcane producers and the energy produced by the mill based on data of the Agricultural Census of Brazil and monitoring data of power plant operation parameters of a typical mill in Brazil. It was found that the sugarcane raw coming from lands worked for tenants and sharecroppers increased his participation 112% and 469% respectively in the energy generation in the period 2006 to 2017.

Assessing Impacts of CAP Subsidies on Financial Performance of Enterprises in Slovak Republic

Sustainability is a particularly crucial factor in policy formulation and analysis, including in the EU’s common agricultural policy. The common agricultural policy, through a subsidy policy, has caused a significant proportion of public funding to flow to agricultural subsidies, so it is appropriate to focus on the effect of these subsidies in the context of the sustainable development of EU agriculture. The impact of agricultural subsidies on business performance is of interest to policy makers. In agrarian practice, insufficient attention is paid to the legal form of agricultural performance, so our economic analysis focused on this area of research. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the effect of financial support in the form of subsidies resulting from the EU’s common agricultural policy and to verify its connection with the performance of agricultural enterprises in terms of the legal form in the context of sustainable development of the agricultural sector in Slovakia. No statistically significant linear correlation was found between farms’ performance results and the volume of subsidies per hectare of agricultural land for each legal form throughout the reporting period. In each analyzed year, business companies achieved a better overall assessment than agricultural cooperatives based on monitored parameters.

Управління агроресурсами України засобами аерокосмічного дистанційного зондування: актуальність та перспективи

The purpose. To discuss urgency of use of data of distant exploration of Earth in the system of agro-ecological monitoring, agricultural, scientific and practical activities, and to determine perspectives of wide use of satellite information resource in agroindustrial production, including overcoming of aftereffects of climate fluctuations, desertification and degradation of lands, for preserving landscape and biotic diversity. Methods. System analysis and generalization, analytical, monographic. Results. World experience in application of space exploration in agrarian sphere is probed. Modern state of use of satellite information is analyzed by domestic agrarian science and practice. Conclusions. System of ecological monitoring existing in Ukraine as an important component of system of state policy of balanced development, mismatches international standards and demands basic perfection. It is necessary to begin in the shortest times embodiment of space methods of deriving operative information on the state of agrosphere. For this purpose it is necessary to create information infrastructure which will provide state authorities, industrial structures, scientific institutes and sociability with reliable operative information. Actual and expedient is also creation on the basis of Institute of agroecology and natural management of NAAS of Interdepartmental science-analytical centre «Agrokosmos». It was declared at session of Bureau of Presidium of National academy of agrarian sciences of Ukraine on December, 12th, 2018

Loch drainage and improvement in Scotland

ABSTRACTThis paper sets out a history of loch (lake) drainage during the Improvement period in Scotland. A range of case studies are presented that trace the practice from before the eighteenth century through the second half of the nineteenth century. Evidence is presented to suggest that drainage was viewed during the Improvement period as essential to new agricultural practices implemented at this time. The importance of loch drainage can be seen in the exhaustive nature of the practice in parts of Scotland. It has been recently shown that different patterns in the intensity and timing of loch drainage occurred across Scotland, but the reasons why some areas saw more intense drainage, even where similar physical geographies exist, remain unexplored. It is suggested here that the framework of interpretation that has been applied to the much better studied practice of enclosure can equally be applied to drainage. Possible motivations and drivers for loch drainage are suggested here that show correlation in the intensity of drainage with areas that suffered particularly severely during a long period of poor harvests, due to cooler and wetter climate at times in the decades leading up to the Improvement period. This paper throws light on loch drainage as an important agrarian practice of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as rural Scotland shifted away from a largely subsistence economy to one characterised by more capitalist production.

Pollen based vegetation and climate change records deduced from the lacustrine sediments of Kikar Tal (Lake), Central Ganga Plain, India

A 2.0 m thick sediment profile from Kikar Tal, Raebareli District is studied for the pollen assemblage to infer the vegetation and climate variability scenario during the Holocene period. Four distinct palynozones were demarcated based on the palynological succession in the core sediment. However, the radiocarbon dates for the profile could not be procured; therefore, the lake profile is corroborated with the chronology of adjacent lake ‘Chaudhary–Ka–Tal’, Raebareli District. It is envisaged that during 8,000–7,200 cal yrs BP, (Pollen Zone KT–I), forest groves with Holoptelea, Acacia, Madhuca indica, Syzygium and Prosopis as major tree taxa were present in the adjoining area of the lake. The forest groves were interspersed with wider stretches of open vegetation comprising grasses, Tubuliflorae, Liguliflorae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, etc. and shrubs of Adhatoda vasica and Acanthaceae. This vegetation scenario reflects that the region was under a warm and humid climate during that time. The existence of lake is also envisaged by the presence of aquatic elements, Lemna and Typha. Subsequently, during 7,200–4,200 cal yrs BP (Pollen Zone KT–II), the forest groves became more diversified and dense in composition as evidenced by the expansion of most of the existing trees as well as presence of Emblica officinalis, Aegle, Adina cordifolia, Symplocos and Sapotaceae and thickets of Adhatoda vasica and Mimosa pudica. This significant change in the vegetation mosaic as a whole implies the initiation of a warm and more–humid climatic condition, owing to climate amelioration. The encounter of Cerealia and concomitant cropland weeds, viz. Cheno/Am. Cannabis sativa, Brassica, etc. suggests that the vicinity of the lake was under agrarian practice and other anthropogenic activities. The ground flora was still dominated by grasses; however, it also turned more profuse than before. The increasing trend of Cerealia coupled with concomitant cropland weeds signifies the augmentation in Cereal–based agrarian practice owing to favourable climatic condition. The lake expanded as manifested by the increase in aquatic elements, such as Typha, Potamogeton and Lemna during this period. During the time bracket of 4,200–1,800 cal yrs BP (Pollen Zone KT–III), the arboreals reveal a decrease in their frequency and diversity of major tree taxa with incursion of Moringa and Bombax ceiba suggesting warm and moderately humid climate with reduced monsoon. The last zone (Pollen Zone KT–IV), from 1,800 cal yrs BP–Present, elucidates open grassland vegetation corresponding to reduced monsoon precipitation, with the shrinkage of lake area. The presence of Cerealia and other culture pollen taxa suggests the prevalence of intense agrarian practice in the vicinity of the lake.

Cereal cultivation and nomad-sedentary interactions at the Late Bronze Age settlement of Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham

Abstract

Cultivating subjects in the Neo-Assyrian empire

This article, which centers upon the Neo-Assyrian empire of the early first millennium BCE, presents agriculture as a field of political intervention and transformation in the creation of imperial subjectivities. As part of the expansion process into territories of Upper Mesopotamia, Neo-Assyrian rulers (ca. 900–600 BCE) relied on settled agriculture to produce and promote imperial subjects bound to the authorities for whom they tilled and toiled. However, archaeobotanical data from Tušhan, a provincial capital of the empire, reveals that people under Neo-Assyria’s control did not fully conform to the idealized agrarian lifeways construed by officials to uphold Assyrian power and dictate subject conduct. Evidence for semi-nomadic pastoralism at Tušhan exposes the slippage between ideal agrarian subject and actual agrarian practice in the Neo-Assyrian empire, wherein lies the contestation over politically oriented subjectivities and their instantiation through land-use.

Multiproxy records of vegetation and monsoon variability from the lacustrine sediments of eastern Ganga Plain since 1350 A.D.

The lacustrine sediments of 90 cm thick profile of Nikahari Tal (lake), Deoria district in the Ganga Plain were analyzed for multiproxy study using pollen analysis, sedimentology and AMS radiocarbon date to deduce short term climate and vegetational changes since about 1350 A.D. (600 BP). The presence of arboreal and dominance of herbaceous vegetation along with aquatic elements and fresh water alga Botryococcus from the basal part suggests the prior existence of lake and open grass land vegetation in the region. However, the scantiness of tree and shrubby taxa along with higher percentage of clay in the beginning indicates relatively warm and less humid climate than today. The presence of Cerealia with other culture pollen taxa indicates prevalence of agrarian practice in the region. Substantial increase in the tree taxa of Holoptelea integrifolia, Madhuca indica, Acacia, Emblica officinalis, Syzygium cumini and Myrtaceae along with the increase in shrubs, marshy and aquatic elements suggest the expansion of forest grove within the grassland as a consequence of enhanced precipitation during ∼1420–1620 A.D. Similar trends are observed by higher percentage of silt content owing to increased surface runoff in response to enhanced precipitation and high water budget under strong Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) during above period. A highly variable vegetation scenario existed during 1620–1900 A.D. as a consequence of fluctuating climatic conditions. The variable percentages of silt and clay indicate the increase and decrease in the surface runoff so as the water column and energy in the lake, in direct response to enhanced and weak ISM respectively. During 1620–1700 A.D., the arboreals became less diversified and a decline in the diversity of terrestrial herbs is also witnessed, which is also corroborated by exceptionally high percentages of clay elucidating stagnant low-energy ponding condition under weak ISM during the Little Ice Age (LIA). During the time interval of 1700–1800 A.D., considerable improvement in the floristics has been noticed due to climate amelioration. From 1800 A.D. onwards, the increasing frequency trends of arboreal and aquatic taxa along with relatively increased silt content suggests moderately warm and humid climate. The well-sorted sediment explains the consistency in the water level and energy of the lake.Pollen analysis coupled with sediment grain parameters indicate intense ISM from 1400 to 1600 A.D. and 1850 A.D. onwards and weak monsoon around 1600–1750 A.D. The signals of weak monsoon around 1650, 1770 and 1850 A.D. are synchronous with the Little Ice Age.

Seed That Falls on Fertile Ground (Matthew 13:1–9): Catholic Higher Education and the Renewal of Agrarianism

Agriculture in the United States today faces myriad challenges, including soil erosion, biodiversity loss, climate change, water shortages, dependence on harmful chemicals, and a breach in the intergenerational transmission of agricultural knowledge. The scope and scale of the agricultural problems facing our nation today are an indication that we need a new culture of theager(“field” in Latin)—a fundamentally new way of understanding and enacting our relationship to the land and the production of food. Catholic colleges and universities can make a vital contribution to this renewal through new agrarian curricular and research programs grounded in Catholicism's sacramental epistemology, analogical metaphysics, interdisciplinary search for wisdom, and respect for the spiritual significance of agricultural and manual labor. In turn, the incorporation of agrarian practice, education, and research within Catholic institutions of higher education can contribute to the education of the whole person that is fundamental to Catholic pedagogy, the cultivation of the virtue of humility, and the enrichment of Catholic liturgical practice and Catholic culture.

Late Quaternary vegetation history, climatic variability and human activity in the Central Ganga Plain, deduced by pollen proxy records from Karela Jheel, India

Pollen analysis of a 2.6 m thick sediment profile from Karela Jheel has indicated that between 14,000 and 12,500 cal BP, open grassland with sparingly distributed trees such as Holoptelea integrifolia and Oroxylum occurred in the region under a cool and dry climate. The meager presence of aquatic elements viz., Potamogeton, Typha and fresh-water alga Botryococcus suggests the existence of the lake. Around 12,500 to 8700 cal BP, the forest groves dominated by Oroxylum together with H. integrifolia, and Madhuca indica were established, interspersed with open grasslands under a warm and humid climate in response to increased monsoon precipitation. The debut of Cerealia ∼9000 cal BP along with cropland weeds viz., Cheno/Am, Artemisia and Rumex implies the initiation of cereal-based agrarian practice. However, an abrupt decline in Oroxylum and other associated trees, except for M. indica and Acacia, which increased slightly, ∼8700 to 4800 cal BP, indicates that the forest groves became less varied in response to a warm and less humid climate, because of decreased monsoon precipitation. Between 4800 and 2000 cal BP, maximum expansion of forest groves occurred as evident by the improvement in M. indica, Acacia, H. integrifolia, etc. and invasion of more trees. The proliferation of the overall vegetation envisages the onset of a warm and more humid climate, attributed to intensification of SW monsoon. The augmentation of agricultural practice is confirmed by the steady presence of Cerealia and other cropland weeds. Since 2000 cal BP, the depletion in the arboreals suggests that the region supported open grasslands with scattered trees, depicting the deterioration of climate due to reduced monsoon precipitation.

Holocene vegetation and climate change in Central Ganga Plain: A study based on multiproxy records from Chaudhary-Ka-Tal, Raebareli District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Pollen, sediment texture and organic/inorganic carbon analyses of a 2.1 m thick sediment profile from Chaudhary-Ka-Tal (lake) of Raebareli District, reveals that around 8470 to 6422 calBP grasslands comprising grasses, Asteraceae, Cheno/Am, with interspersed forest groves of Madhuca indica, Holoptelea integrifolia, Shorea robusta, and Acacia, thrived in the region under a warmer and moderately-humid climate than today. This is also substantiated by the finer clay sediment with increasing concentrations of moisture and organic carbon. The appearance of Cerealia pollen ∼7500 calBP suggests incipient agrarian practice. The record of aquatic elements, Lemna and Typha, reflects the existence of lake. Between 6422 and 3150 calBP, the forest groves became diversified with the invasion of more trees, Capparis, Butea monosperma, and Symplocos, reflecting a warm and more-humid climate compared to the previous phase, attributed to the strengthening of the SW monsoon. The higher concentration of organic carbon further confirms good vegetation cover, and an increase in aquatic flora depict the expansion of lake. A similar vegetation scenario existed ∼3150 to 1110 calBP. However, the forest groves became less varied due to prevailing moderately-humid climate owing to weakening of the SW monsoon. This is also validated by more carbonate in the sediments. From 1110 calBP, a further diminishing trend of trees implies that the region supported open grasslands owing to reduced rainfall under a warm and less-humid climate, which is corroborated by a further increase in carbonate content.

Organic Designs and Agrarian Practice in Uttarakhand, India

AbstractThis article brings together ethnographic fieldwork with archival research to show that debates about human agency are central to the contemporary meaning of organic agriculture in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Through a study of an initiative taken by the Uttarakhand state government to promote certified organic agriculture among the region's smallholder farmers, the article demonstrates that debates about human agency in relation to soil, manure, and compost are bound up with historical as well as ongoing processes of state formation in the Uttarakhand region. After examining how state officials recognize certain forms of agricultural practice as agentive, but not others, the article concludes with an exploration of how farmers navigate newfound agrarian identities.

The Civic Life of Food Production

The Civic Life of Food Production

A Harvest of Humility: Agrarian Practice and Christian Higher Education

Humility, the keystone of the virtues in the Christian spiritual tradition, has been dismissed by modern philosophers, critiqued by feminist theologians, and overpowered by our industrial and technological culture. The incorporation of agricultural experience in Christian higher education presents the opportunity to cultivate anew the virtue of humility, properly understood not as a practice of self-abnegation but as a relation of the creature to the God who has gifted us with nourishing soil and deified us in Christ.

The canal system and Tiber delta at Portus. Assessing the nature of man-made waterways and their relationship with the natural environment

Results of the ongoing archaeological survey and excavations at Portus and the surrounding hinterland of the Tiber delta have revealed a system of large artificial canals and associated structures relating to the Imperial and Late Antique port, and associated agrarian practice and secondary industries practiced in the delta area. These man-made features have demonstrable links to the geomorphology of the Tiber delta, with canals making use of the dune cordons and variations in the sediments across the wetland. The methodology used to map the archaeological and geomorphological features in the study area has included topographic survey, geophysical survey, using magnetometry, and Ground Penetrating Radar, and analysis of air photographic evidence together with other sources of data including satellite imagery. To these non-intrusive techniques have been added borehole data collected by colleagues as part of the Portus Project (www.portusproject.org), and evidence for canal and waterfront construction relating to excavation at the site of Portus. This paper presents a detailed methodology of the fieldwork to date, and assesses some of the preliminary results of the archaeological survey, focusing on evidence for the system of large canals linking the port with the river Tiber, and the Tiber to the coast. It also focuses upon a reassessment of some of the canal features by comparing coring evidence collected during the excavation seasons at Portus by colleagues at the CNRS-Lyon with results of the geophysical survey. The paper also advances possible avenues for future investigation and research, and draws upon the results of the survey to provide an overview of evidence for the organization of land in the delta and wetland surrounding the port complex, including a system of smaller canals and land divisions.