Agricultural Food Security Research Articles

Comprehending farmer's views on climate change and agricultural/livestock adaptation in Halavarthi Village, Koppala District, Karnataka: a case study

This study conducted in Halavarthi village, Karnataka, delves into the intricate impact of climate change on the community's livelihoods. Over two decades, the semi-arid region has witnessed erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and droughts, with profound consequences for agriculture, livestock and overall food security. The farmers in this area have grappled with numerous challenges, including water scarcity, diminishing water quality, crop losses, increased pest and disease outbreaks and the migration of plant species to new locations. These changes have also led to a weakened immunity in humans and a surge in diseases among both people and livestock. While the farmers have initiated some climate change adaptation measures, like crop rotation and intensifying the use of agricultural inputs, there remains a substantial gap in knowledge and awareness regarding climate change mitigation. This research underscores the pressing need to address the extensive repercussions of climate change on agriculture, food security and human health. It highlights the importance of developing comprehensive strategies to enhance the resilience of farming communities such as Halavarthi in the face of an evolving climate.

Effects of Project Planning Practices for Project Performance: A Case of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project in Rwanda

Effects of Project Planning Practices for Project Performance: A Case of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project in Rwanda

Hydrogen peroxide priming promotes salinity tolerance in plants—A comprehensive review

AbstractSalinity stress is a growing concern for agriculture, as soil salinization is increasing worldwide and seriously affects global agricultural production and food security. How to minimize the adverse effects of salinity stress and meet the food needs of the growing human population becomes an urgent problem. Conventional techniques in agriculture and recently modern plant science have limitations; therefore, alternative technologies such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) priming have emerged as promising solutions. The findings highlight that H2O2 priming enhances antioxidant defenses, regulating the balance between reactive oxygen species production and scavenging. Furthermore, H2O2 priming promotes osmotic adjustment by stimulating the accumulation of osmoprotectants, maintaining cellular water status under salinity conditions. The review also discusses how H2O2 priming modulates gene expression and signaling processes, causing stress‐responsive genes and transcription factors activation. Moreover, H2O2 priming helps to preserve chloroplast integrity and photosynthetic efficiency, mitigating the detrimental impacts of salt stress on plant development and productivity. Overall, the collective knowledge gathered here, covering various aspects of the H2O2 priming phenomenon, may facilitate the design and conduct of future research on plant tolerance to salinity or other abiotic stresses. However, future research needs to focus on elucidating how priming can be applied on a large scale to diverse plants, understanding biochemical and molecular mechanisms of H2O2 priming for precise and reliable applications of this approach, and figuring out the potential benefits of in vitro priming (H2O2) technology in plant science.

Multi-year mapping of cropping systems in regions with smallholder farms from Sentinel-2 images in Google Earth engine

ABSTRACT Accurate acquisition of spatial and temporal distribution information for cropping systems is important for agricultural production and food security. The challenges of extracting information about cropping systems in regions with smallholder farms are considerable, given the varied crops, complex cropping patterns, and the fragmentation of cropland with frequent reclamation and abandonment. This study presents a specialized workflow to solve this problem for regions with smallholder farms, which utilizes field samples and Sentinel-2 data to extract cropping system information over multiple years. The workflow involves four steps: 1) processing Sentinel-2 data to simulate crop growth curves with the Savitzky‒Golay filter and computing feature variables for classification, including phenology indices, spectral bands, and time series of vegetation indices; 2) mapping annual croplands with one-class support vector machine; 3) mapping various cropping patterns, including single cropping, intercropping, double cropping, multiple harvest, and fallow by decision tree and K-means clustering; and 4) mapping crops with random forest where Jeffries-Matusita distance was used to select appropriate vegetation indices. The workflow was applied in the Hetao irrigation district in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China from 2018 to 2021. The overall accuracies were 0.98, 0.96, and 0.97 for cropland, cropping patterns, and crop type mapping, respectively. The mapping results indicated that the study area has low cropping continuity and is dominated by single cropping patterns. Furthermore, the area of wheat cultivation has decreased, and vegetable cultivation has expanded. Overall, the proposed workflow facilitated the accurate acquisition of cropping system information in regions with smallholder farms and demonstrated the effectiveness of available Sentinel-2 imagery in classifying complex cropping patterns. The workflow is available on Google Earth Engine.

The multifaceted role of different SnRK gene family members in regulating multiple abiotic stresses in plants.

Abiotic stresses are a major constraint for agricultural productivity and food security in today's era of climate change. Plants can experience different types of abiotic stresses, either individually or in combination. Sometimes, more than one stress event may occur simultaneously or one after another during the lifecycle of the plant. In general, key survival strategies for stress tolerance may differ from one stress to another. However, at the molecular level, evolutionarily conserved protein kinase SUCROSE NONFERMENTING 1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase (SnRK) gene family members, comprising SnRK1, SnRK2, and SnRK3 gene families, play a key role in different types of stress and adaptive responses. SnRK gene family members can act as master regulators and regulate the central metabolism of plants, which determines the energy distribution in either survival or growth/developmental processes. The key mechanism of SnRK-mediated regulation is associated with the phosphorylation of downstream genes, which either induces or dampens the function of target proteins. This may be crucial for maintaining differential morpho-physiological and biochemical processes in plants, including potassium signalling, ROS homeostasis, sugar signalling, and energy homeostasis. Furthermore, phosphorylation sites associated with different targets were also reviewed, which showed that SnRK-mediated phosphorylation of Serine and Threonine residues of the target protein is a site-specific event, where the target consists of specific amino acid sequences, including RXXS/T, Serine-threonine rich regions, or AMPK/SNF1 types. Here, we review different classes of SnRK gene family members and their multifaceted roles in understanding the commonality of SnRK-mediated responses to multiple abiotic stresses in plants.

Climate shocks’ impact on agricultural income and household food security in Bangladesh: An implication of the food insecurity experience scale

Floods and extreme rainfall are common climatic phenomena in Bangladesh, and farm households are more susceptible to such shocks. This paper assesses the impact of climate shocks on agricultural income and food security of farm households in Bangladesh using an extensive nationally representative dataset from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2018–19, including 5604 sample rural households in 64 districts. However, this research considered 24 districts, representing 2131 sample farm households, by developing an exogenous climate shock indicator based on data from the Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics of Bangladesh 2018. Empirical findings on the grounds of simultaneous quantile regression reveal that climate shocks substantially lower agricultural income in the study regions. However, the presence of prime-age women (15–49) in the home, the male-headed family, farmland, and livestock ownership of the household are the decisive factors that safeguard agricultural income. Applying the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), descriptive statistics disclose that most farm households suffer at various food insecurity levels (considerably moderate, noticeably mild, and tiny severe), while the rest are at the food security level. The key finding regarding ordered probit regression uncovers that climate shocks significantly increase household food insecurity (at different levels of FIES). In other words, cropland damage due to floods and extreme rainfall reduces the food security of farm households in the study districts. On the other hand, increased farm size and educated households are profoundly protected against food insecurity. This study, therefore, recommends that raising livestock can complement agricultural income, and enhancing education would ensure households’ food security in the climate-exposed areas of Bangladesh.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF MACHINE LEARNING MODELS IN RICE CROP STAGE CLASSIFICATION

The effective classification of rice crops plays a crucial role in optimizing agricultural management and enhancing yield forecasts. In this paper, we explored the efficacy of various machine learning (ML) techniques in advancing the classification of rice crops. Four machine learning classification algorithms, namely k-nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forests (RF), Decision Trees (DT), and XG Boost, are assessed using a dataset comprising rice crop images and environmental parameters. The studys findings reveal that XG Boost significantly outperforms other models, achieving an impressive accuracy of 96.78%, along with high precision and F1-Score. The Support Vector Machine also demonstrates strong performance with an accuracy of 93.83%. These findings emphasize the potential of ML in advancing agricultural practices and decision-making, highlighting the role of precision agriculture in food security.

The Russia-Ukraine war decreases food affordability but could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has the potential to exacerbate food insecurity around the world, as both countries are major exporters of grains and other agricultural products. In this model-based scenario study, medium-term effects of the war are quantified on agricultural production, trade flows, market prices, food security, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The scenarios assess the possible consequences of macro-economic and agricultural production impacts in Ukraine, trade sanctions against Russia, and conflict-related energy price developments for global trade, food security, and greenhouse gas emissions. From a food security perspective, we conclude that there is enough food on the global level, but higher food and energy prices cause problems for low-income populations, spending a large part of their income on staple foods. Agricultural production and area expansion in parts of the world other than Ukraine and Russia could pose a risk to biodiversity and lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions related to land. However, total greenhouse gas emissions might decrease as lower emissions from less use of fossil energy due to higher energy and fertilizer prices in the whole economy dominate additional emissions resulting from land use change.

Assessment and Mapping of Soil Fertility Status of Migna Kura Kebele, Wayu Tuka District, East Wollega, Oromia, Ethiopia

Soil fertility decline is a significant obstacle to Ethiopia's increased food production, but information on current soil fertility status among the study areas is inadequate. Accurate soil fertility data is crucial for implementing effective strategies and developing targeted interventions to improve agricultural productivity and food security in Ethiopia. This study was initiated in this context with the aim of mapping the spatial distribution of specific soil parameters and assessing the status of soil fertility in Migna Kura Kebele, Wayu Tuka District, East Wollega, Ethiopia, providing crucial information for agrarian development. A total of 32 samples of surface soil were drawn at Stratifying random for laboratory analysis in 2019 G.C. Maps of soil fertility status were created using ArcGIS 10.4.1 and the common Kriging interpolation technique. Clay loam and clay are the two types of soil in the research study area. The bulk density of the soil ranged from 1.13 to 1.46 g/cm3, while the total porosity ranged from 42.57 to 55.15%. The pH of the soil can range from 6.7, which is slightly acidic, to 4.91, which is strongly acidic. The range of soil exchangeable acidity levels was 0 to 2.46 cmol (+) kg-1, while the range of OC values was medium (1.79% to 3.51%). Soil total N and available P values were between very low and low (0.19 to 1.11%) and 6.71 to 13.44 mg kg-1, respectively. Exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Na levels in the soil ranged from 6.93 to 51.15, 2.85 to 23.63, 0.21 to 1.76, and 0.05 to 0.71 cmol (+) kg-1, respectively, while a medium to very high degree of CEC (22.19 to 77.42 cmol (+) kg-1) was observed. A moderate to very high rating was assigned to soil PBS, which ranged from 42.13 to 98.30%. Micro nutrients; Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn extractable from soil by DTPA ranged in value from 12.07 to 33.51 mg kg-1, 16.02 to 48.26 mg kg-1, 0.18 to 0.62 mg kg-1, and 0.19 to 0.62 mg kg-1, respectively. The soil fertility map was created for the following parameters: pH, OC, total N, available (P, S), CEC, PBS, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn; Cu, Zn, and B. According to the study's findings, the study area's soils were found to be deficient in six nutrients that limit yields: N, P, K, S, B, and Zn. he soil in the study area is affected by soil acidity; for sustainable crop production in the study area, soils should be amended with lime, organic matter, and fertilizers of N, P, S, K, B, and Zn.

Optimizing water use and crop yield with deficit irrigation techniques: A comprehensive overview and case study from Morocco

Water scarcity is a global challenge that threatens agricultural productivity and food security. Irrigation agriculture consumes most of the world’s freshwater resources and often suffers from low water use efficiency. To address water shortages, deficit irrigation techniques have been developed to minimize water inputs while sustaining or enhancing crop yields and quality. Deficit irrigation consists of allocating a minimum amount of water to the crop. It can be applied either for the entire growing season (sustained deficit irrigation) or for specific crop stages (regulated deficit irrigation). Another technique is partial root zone drying, which involves alternately irrigating different parts of the root system. This causes partial water stress and increases the water uptake efficiency. These techniques aim to maximize net water use efficiency by exploiting the physiological responses of crops to water stress. This paper provides a theoretical background on deficit irrigation, a review of recent studies on its effects on different crops and environments, and a case study in Morocco where sustained deficit irrigation was applied to peach trees in a semiarid region. The findings showed that sustained deficit irrigation reduced water use by 20% without affecting fruit yield or quality and increased water productivity by 33%. This paper also discusses the challenges and opportunities for implementing deficit irrigation in different contexts and provides some recommendations for future research and development.

Agriculture land use transformation: A threat to sustainable food production systems, rural food security, and farmer well-being?

The acquisition of agricultural land is a crucial aspect of survival for numerous rural communities, serving as a fundamental tool for combating poverty and food insecurity and promoting equitable sustainable economic progress. The expropriation of land offers a promising prospect for remedying past inequities and promoting both economic progress and food sufficiency. Limited research has examined the association between land expropriation and food security, livelihood shocks, and the well-being of rural households worldwide. Therefore, this research explores the implications of land expropriation on food security, livelihood shocks, and well-being of land lost rural communities. The data were collected from 384 farmers selected through stratified sampling techniques using face-to-face surveys in rural China. The data were analyzed using descriptive and logit regression models. The descriptive findings showed that land expropriation has detrimental effects on the livelihood, food security, and well-being of the farmers. Furthermore, these impacts are more harmful among land-expropriated households with a lower educational level, a large family size, and women farmers in less developed rural communities. The econometric results evinced that gender, age, education level, marital status, family size, and negative changes in income all significantly affect the impact of land expropriation on the food security of farmers. Similarly, the findings revealed that farmers with lower education levels were more likely to be affected by land loss as compared to farmers with medium and high education levels. Farmers with complete land loss were 1.70 times more likely to suffer livelihood shocks than those with partial land loss. The results also evinced that the well-being of all farmers was not affected equally, and some farmers' well-being was affected more than others due to various socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, this study suggests the implementation of public policies that provide support to farmers who have been marginalized due to land acquisition.

Decline in Planting Areas of Double-Season Rice by Half in Southern China over the Last Two Decades

Accurately tracking the changes in rice cropping intensity is a critical requirement for policymakers to formulate reasonable land-use policies. Southern China is a traditional region for rice multi-cropping, yet less is known about its spatial–temporal changes under the background of rapid urbanization in recent decades. Based on images from Landsat and MODIS and multiple land cover products, the gap-filling and Savitzky–Golay filter method (GF-SG), the enhanced pixel-based phenological features composite approach (Eppf-CM), random forest (RF), and the difference in NDVI approach (DNDVI) were combined to map the rice cropping pattern with a spatial resolution of 30 × 30 m over Southern China in 2000 and 2020 through Google Earth Engine (GEE). Subsequently, the spatial–temporal changes in rice cropping intensity and their driving factors were examined by Getis-Ord Gi* and geographical detector. The results showed that the produced rice cropping pattern maps exhibited high accuracy, with kappa coefficients and overall accuracies exceeding 0.81 and 90%, respectively. Over the past two decades, the planting areas of double-season rice in Southern China decreased by 54.49%, and a reduction was observed across eight provinces, while only half of the provinces exhibited an increase in the planting areas of single-season rice. Compared to the year 2000, the planting area of the conversion from double- to single-season rice cropping systems in 2020 was 2.71 times larger than that of the conversion from single- to double-season rice cropping systems. The hotspots of the change in rice cropping intensity were mainly located in the central part of Southern China (excluding the Poyang Lake Plain). The decline in the rural labor force, coupled with ≥10 °C accumulated temperature and topographical factors, plays a crucial role in the decreased intensity of rice cropping. Our findings can be beneficial for realizing regional agricultural sustainability and food security.

Effects of Urban Agriculture on the Socio-Economic Status of Farmers in Cities of Sub-Sahara Africa. A case of Zambia, South Africa, and Nigeria: A Review

This paper reviews the current literature concerning the effect of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of urban farmers in Sub-Sahara African Cities. The main objective of this review is to examine the impacts of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of urban farmers in Sub-Sahara African Cities. Specifically, the paper reviews the impact of urban agriculture on income and food security as well as the benefits and challenges affecting urban Agriculture development in selected cities of sub-Saharan African countries. This paper reviews different articles and papers on urban farming in Sub-Sahara Africa and globally. The review posits that there is scanty information on how urban agriculture affects farmers' socio-economic status in sub-Saharan Africa. How farmers derive their social and economic status by engaging in urban agriculture, and the types and motivations of farmers are not clear. The review suggests that understanding the factors that are crucial for food security, income and related benefits in urban agriculture is essential to developing the right technologies and policies

REVIEW OF THE COLLECTIVE MONOGRAPH "ANALYSIS OF RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA"

The collective monograph "Analysis of the risks associated with food in the Republic of Moldova" was carried out within the project 20.80009.5107.09 "Improving the quality and safety of food through biotechnology and food engineering" within the State Program (2020-2023), Strategic Priority II "Agriculture sustainable, food security and food safety". The work includes the analysis of the risks associated with improper nutrition, the behavioral characteristics of consumers in relation to the consumption of salt, sugar, sweeteners, trans fats. The risks of contamination of raw materials and food products along the food chain with technogenic pollutants are analyzed in detail: food contamination caused by the environment, contamination caused by animal breeding and care, food contamination during processing, food contamination during transportation and contamination in the result of contact with food packaging.

Fertility Assessment of Nun River Floodplain Soils in Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria for Agricultural Productivity

Following massive crude oil exploitation in Bayelsa State, arable land is shrinking and a food crisis, looming. To stop this trend, information on soil fertility status and management strategies becomes important for policy development. This paper assesses fertility status of the Nun River floodplain soils in Bayelsa State using newly developed indices for sustainable agricultural productivity and food security. Nun River plain alluvial soils of different landforms were collected from the genetic horizons of nine profiles, and analysed for physicochemical characteristics and soil fertility assessed using soil fertility index. (SFI) and soil evaluation factor (SEF). ). Silt-sized particles dominated Odi (ODI), Koroama (KRM) and Niger Delta University (NDU 1) soils, except in NDU2 and NDU3, pH was moderate to slightly acidic (5.64–6.30), available P, low to high (0.6–22 mg/kg), organic C (0.31–5.35%), and total nitrogen (0.01–0.45%) low to high while calcium dominated the exchange complex. Correlation between Organic matter and total N (r = 0.366, p ‹ 0.001) and available P (r = - 0.310, p ‹ 0.01) was highly positively, suggesting that organic matter dictates availability of N and P. The SFI values were higher (p ‹0.05) than SEF except in NUD2 and NDU3, pH, organic matter and available phosphorus contributing more. Of paramount importance is conservation of organic matter as the accumulation of biomass greatly improved physical properties and fertility of the soil.

Climate change awareness and adaptation strategies by smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Agricultural production, food, nutrition and income security of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are threatened by extreme weather events, such as increased frequency of mid-season dry spells and increased temperatures. Their impacts are exacerbated by the prevalence of sandy soils, characterized by limited water and nutrient retention capacity leading to low crop productivity. In this study, we aimed at assessing farmers' awareness of extreme weather events, identify adaptation strategies and evaluate maize yield from different soil fertility and water management practices. A household survey including 245 smallholder farmers in Marange, Zimbabwe was carried out. The results revealed that farmers were aware of and had experienced extreme weather events. Among adaptation strategies used were soil water-harvesting, use of improved varieties, mulching and planting trees. Maize yield remains significantly low, averaging 0.62 t ha−1 among farmers using some forms of soil fertility and water management strategies. To further understand the reason for low maize yields and improve climate change related adaptation strategies, more research is needed to quantify and confirm management practices applied by farmers, such as fertilizer use and rates, water and nutrient management, use of improved varieties as well as socio-economic factors.

Psychological Distress and Food Insecurity among International Students at a Hungarian University: A Post-Pandemic Survey.

The aim of the present study was two-fold: Firstly, to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress among international students at a Hungarian university two years after the COVID-19 outbreak; and secondly, to identify its demographic and socioeconomic factors, with special regard to the students' food-security status. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out from 27 March to 3 July 2022 among international students at the University of Debrecen. The questionnaire included information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, food-security status (six-item United States Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module (USDA-FSSM)), and psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)). Bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the potential associations between demographic/socioeconomic factors and psychological distress. Additionally, multiple logistic regression was employed to further analyze these associations. Of 398 participants, 42.2%, 48.7%, and 29.4% reported mild to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The ages 18-24 (AOR = 2.619; 95% CI: 1.206-5.689) and 25-29 (AOR = 2.663; 95% CI: 1.159-6.119), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 1.726; 95% CI: 1.081-2.755), and being food insecure (AOR = 1.984; 95% CI: 1.274-3.090) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Being female (AOR = 1.674; 95% CI: 1.090-2.571), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 1.736; 95% CI: 1.098-2.744), and being food insecure (AOR = 2.047; 95% CI: 1.327-3.157) were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, being female (AOR = 1.702; 95% CI: 1.026-2.824)), living with roommates (AOR = 1.977; 95% CI: 1.075-3.635), reporting a low perception of health status (AOR = 2.840; 95% CI: 1.678-4.807), and being food insecure (AOR = 2.295; 95% CI:1.398-3.767) were significantly associated with symptoms of stress. Psychosocial programs combined with strategies to alleviate food insecurity are required to enhance international students' mental health and well-being.

Agricultural Technology Innovation and Food Security in China: An Empirical Study on Coupling Coordination and Its Influencing Factors

The coupling coordination of agricultural technology innovation with food security is of great significance for high-quality agricultural development. By identifying the coupling coordination relationship between the two systems and the influencing factors, this paper aims to promote the virtuous cycle of coordinated development between regional agriculture and technology, as well as accelerate the realisation of high-quality development of Chinese agriculture. Therefore, this paper explores the spatial and temporal coupling characteristics of the two using the entropy value method, coupling coordination degree model, and exploratory spatial data analysis, and it screens for important influencing factors using the grey correlation model. The main results show that ① the coupling coordination relationship between agricultural technology innovation and food security in China is at a dissonant stage, but the value of the coupling coordination degree increases from 0.2076 to 0.3437 during the period of study, and the level of coordination gradually improves. ② The degree of coupling coordination in the provincial space exhibits a distribution pattern of “high in the east and low in the west”. The areas of high value are primarily situated in the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, and other provinces along the southeastern coast of China, while the areas of low value are mainly located in the provinces of Qinghai, Ningxia, and other provinces in inland northwest China. ③ The Moran’s index of provincial coupling coordination is greater than 0, showing a certain positive correlation, and there is a significant pattern of spatial aggregation. ④ The correlation coefficients between the influencing factors and the degree of coupling coordination are all greater than 0.35, indicating a moderate or high correlation, but the significance of technological support capacity and food distribution security increased over time.

Coupling GEDI LiDAR and Optical Satellite for Revealing Large‐Scale Maize Lodging in Northeast China

AbstractWind‐induced crop lodging can reduce agricultural production and impact food security. However, a systematic evaluation of large‐scale crop lodging and its drivers is lacking, mostly due to the limited observations available. Such knowledge gaps hinder the application of effective management practices to mitigate yield losses. Here, we quantify maize‐lodging induced by three consecutive typhoons in Northeast China in 2020 using direct crop canopy height observations from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigations (GEDI) instrument and optical satellite imagery. We show that the canopy water‐related vegetation index provides a robust wall‐to‐wall mapping of crop lodging, supported by changes in GEDI canopy height. Our spatially contiguous lodging maps show that lodging intensity is mainly due to typhoon intensity (64.34%), with maize plantation fraction (11.94%) and phenology (7.94%) as secondary factors. The shelterbelt forest may partly alleviate the lodging risk, but its effect requires further investigation. Considering the recent expansion of maize cultivation and the poleward shift of landfalling typhoons alongside climate change, the lodging risk may increase for maize and further threaten China's food security.

Typology of Tomato Cropping Systems and Determinants of Preharvest Losses in Western Cameroon.

Preharvest losses, which are often neglected, limit the availability of fresh tomato fruit to varying degrees in tomato-based cropping systems in Cameroon. Increasing tomato yields requires identifying, understanding, and controlling the factors responsible for preharvest losses in the identified cropping systems. Field surveys were conducted in three production areas of western Cameroon (Foumbot, Bansoa, and Dschang) to characterize cropping systems and growers, quantify production losses, and identify causal factors associated with losses and proffer solutions. One hundred and ninety-six growers were interviewed in 13 villages, using purposive sampling to select zones and simple random sampling to select growers. Factor analysis for mixed data (FAMD) and canonical discriminant analysis, combined with multinomial logistic regression, were used to analyze the collected data. The FAMD results indicated that 72% of the farm variability was expressed through technical route, preharvest losses, and technical mastery. The tomato-based cropping systems were classified into three types: (1) a pure cultivation system that consumes excessive synthetic fertilizers and results in significant losses; (2) a pure cultivation system that consumes high amounts of synthetic fertilizers and moderate amounts of organic fertilizers with moderate losses; and (3) a cultivation system that involves moderate synthetic fertilizer consumption, extremely low organic amendment, and low losses. Preharvest losses can be significantly affected by the unregulated use of synthetic fertilizers. The study's implications are many, affecting agricultural practices, policy, economic stability, and food security in Cameroon. A more sustainable and productive tomato industry can be achieved by addressing preharvest losses through informed strategies. To address this issue, it is crucial to establish fertilization protocols that consider the soil's fertility status and the tomato's essential macro- and micronutrient requirements.