Agriculture In Peri-urban Areas Research Articles

Agro-Food Supply Chains in Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Do They Contribute to Preserve Local Biodiversity? The Case of Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park

Peri-urban regions, especially in the Mediterranean, face challenges like farmland loss due to urban pressure. This study emphasizes retail stores as strategic focal points for evaluating societal, economic, and production systems. It hypothesizes that analyzing retail stores in agricultural areas provides insights into traded and cultivated agrobiodiversity. Using the Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) as a case study, this research examines different food retailers from short and conventional food supply chains. Results indicate variations in plant diversity, origin, and seasonality among different retail stores. Farmers’ markets exhibit higher intraspecific diversity, contributing to local agrobiodiversity conservation. This study observes temporal changes in farmers’ markets, highlighting shifts influenced by socioeconomic factors and climate change perceptions. Finally, this research underscores certain strategies to promote sustainable peri-urban local food systems and preserve agrobiodiversity, offering valuable insights into food supply chain dynamics in peri-urban agricultural regions.

The Emergence of Irrigated Agriculture in Semi-Arid Zones in the Face of Climate Change and Urbanization in Peri-Urban Areas in Setif, Algeria

This article aims to investigate the complex relationship between a local population and its natural and urban environment. The study area, which was previously dominated by cereal cultivation, is currently facing profitability challenges due to climate change, water scarcity, rapid urban expansion, and the overexploitation of aquifers, influenced by changes in agricultural practices, which are disrupting the local ecosystem. This study relies on three interconnected indicators, population growth, climate change effects on agriculture, and the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and reveals the impact of these factors on agricultural practices. Google Earth Engine was employed to determine the urbanization and greenness indices using scripts. The significant findings of this study demonstrate the remarkable demographic growth of 49.96% during the study period (2000–2020). Furthermore, this growth has led to a new trend towards intensive farming, with a substantial increase in irrigated lands by 44.19% and a multiplication of protected crop lands by 20 times, rising from 19.88 to 405.89 hectares. Additionally, horticultural production surged by 212.4% during the same period. Moreover, groundwater levels shifted from less than 50 m in the northern regions to less than 150 and 300 m in the southern part of the study area. The water potential in the study zone cannot meet the demands of the new agricultural orientation, which tends to deplete local groundwater, potentially causing recurrent shortages of agricultural products. This study underscores the importance of incorporating agricultural production into future urban planning and development programs to maintain a renewed balance between built environments and agriculture in peri-urban areas.

Application of Sanitation Safety Planning in the Usage of Wastewater for Agriculture in Bangalore Urban District, India.

Due to water scarcity, wastewater is used in agriculture in peri-urban areas. We aimed to assess the hazards associated with wastewater farming and develop an incremental improvement plan for the sanitation system of wastewater use for agriculture using Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP) in Bangalore urban district, India. Interviews and observations were conducted among 100 farmers in the Mugalur Gram Panchayat area. Direct ingestion and ingestion after contact with wastewater due to inadequate hand hygiene are the routes of contact with wastewater. The control measures followed in the community are the cultivation of crops, which do not have direct contact with wastewater, furrow and drip irrigation, and restricted irrigation. Methods to mitigate the hazards are the provision of interval between final irrigation and consumption,washing of produce with freshwater before transportation to market, and hygienic cooking. Occupational hazards and risks associated with wastewater farming can be mitigated through the adoption of locally acceptable preventive measures.

Effects of Climate Change and Urbanization on Vegetation Phenology in the Bucharest Metropolitan Area

Being an essential issue in global warming, the response of urban vegetation to climate change and urbanization has become an increasing concern at both the local and global levels. This study aims to investigate the effect of the urban environment on vegetation phenology for the Bucharest metropolitan area in Romania and to identify the potential climate drivers that influence key phenology in the urban environment. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the response of urban vegetation phenology shifts due to climate variability and urbanization in the Bucharest metropolitan area from a spatiotemporal perspective during the 2002- 2022 period. Through synergy use of time series of the main climate variables, Air temperature -AT, land surface temperature (LST), and biophysical variables derived from MODIS Terra/Aqua satellite and in-situ data, this study developed a complex statistical and spatial regression analysis. Green space was measured with satellite-derived vegetation indicators Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Net Primary Production (NPP) data, which captures the combined availability of urban parks, street trees, forest, and periurban agricultural areas. Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) indicators have been used to characterize the effects of meteorological parameters and urbanization impacts on vegetation phenology and their changes. The results show that the response of vegetation phenology to urbanization level and climate parameters variability has a distinct spatiotemporal difference across the urban/periurban gradient. The findings of this study show that the land surface temperature anomalies associated with urbanization-induced climate warming, especially during strong summer heat waves and under urban heat islands alter urban vegetation biophysical properties, directly impacting its phenology shifts. At the metropolitan scale, the urban thermal environment directly impacts vegetation phenology patterns. The quantitative findings of this study are of great importance for understanding the complex impacts of urbanization and climate changes on vegetation phenology and for developing models to predict vegetation phenological changes under future urbanization.

Wastewater driven trace element transfer up the food chain in peri-urban agricultural lands of Lahore, Pakistan

In peri-urban agricultural lands of Lahore city, untreated wastewater from trans-boundary Hudiara drain is widely used for agriculture. The irrigated water may pose a hazard of trace element (TE) contamination in agricultural produce and consequently threat to human health. This study was designed to investigate the quality and transferability of TE contamination in water, soil, fodder and buffalo milk. Samples from the 4 assets and products were collected at upstream, midstream and downstream sites along Hudiara drain. Potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn) were analyzed using standard methods. Physicochemical analysis of water, bioaccumulation factor (BAF) from soil to fodder and Pearson correlation of metal contamination in water, soil, fodder and milk were determined. TE contamination increased from upstream to downstream site. Highest Cd concentration in water, soil, fodder and milk was 0.29 mg/L (downstream), 1.10 mg/kg (midstream), 2.12 mg/kg (downstream) and 0.29 mg/L (downstream), respectively, which surpassed permissible limits for all the 4 mediums. Similar results were found with Cu, Ni and Zn which increased downstream and the concentrations higher than permissible limits in all mediums except soil. Significantly high Hazard Index (HI) values were recorded for irrigation wastewater (23.25–31.75), fodder (7.41–11.13), and milk (11.12–17.85), which were increasing down the stream of drain. All 4 metals have shown strong positive correlation among water, soil, fodder and milk, showing transferability risk up to food chain. Transfer of TE from soil to fodder was highest for Ni (BAF 8.44) and lowest for Zn (BAF 0.41) with the following ascending trend: Zn < Cd < Cu < Ni. The physicochemical parameters of drain water also did not meet the permissible limits for wastewater irrigation. Use of untreated water of Hudiara drain for agriculture in peri-urban areas of Lahore needs to be stopped until appropriate treatment and reuse.

Response of Cellulose Decomposition and Nodulation in Soils Amended with Biochar for Peri-Urban Agriculture

Peri-urban agriculture is becoming a potential step to promote sustainable and environmental food production systems. Our aim was to study the effect of biochar application at various rates on faba bean growth, cellulose decomposition, nodulation, and selected enzyme activities associated with carbon cycling in clay and sandy soils collected from peri-urban agricultural areas near the city of El-Minia, Egypt. To achieve this aim, incubation and pot experiments were conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions using clay and sandy soil. Among the studied treatments, using biochar at the rate of 3 kg/sq·m was the most effective soil amendment followed by biochar at the rate of 2 kg/sq·m. At 60 days of incubation, the count of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms reached a high level in both clay and sandy soil, and then decreased after 90 days, regardless of the biochar rate. The response of the cellulose-decomposer ratio (Fcd/Bcd) was positively correlated with biochar rates and incubation time. The obtained results showed significant increases in fresh and dry weight in clay soil compared to sandy soil. In any case, the use of biochar as a soil amendment enhanced soil health, soil microbial communities, and increased cellulose-decomposing microorganisms, thus improving faba bean nodulation and growth.

Typology of Peri-Urban Farming Households in the Tahoua Region, Niger Republic

This paper presents a typology of peri-urban farming households in the Tahoua region of Niger. These farms are managed by peri-urban households distributed according to the agroecological zones of this region. The results were obtained from surveys conducted in five villages with 21 heads of household per village, giving 105 heads of household located in the urban communes of the Tahoua region. The objective of this paper is to highlight, through the analysis of the results, the issues of urbanization of the rural sector, marital status, level of education, granary capacity, different food productions, labor force, and composition in the peri-urban areas of the emerging and agro-ecological UBT. The study will establish a diagnosis of these areas around the secondary cities of Tahoua. The tests of normality and equality of variances allowed us to establish an ANOVA between the agroecological and emergent peri-urban zones. A high percentage of household heads have been found to be illiterate. It stands for peri-urban agricultural, agro-pastoral, and pastoral areas at 55%, 45%, and 43% respectively. Finally, the demographic pressure of the peri-urban agropastoral zone causes a decrease in the average surface areas of the plots.

Why local is not enough! Constrains for adaptive governance in peri-urban areas. A case study in Mexico City

The current state of conceptual approaches to study peri-urban areas focusses foremost on land use changes and informal human settlements because of cities' urban expansion. The uncertainty and insecurity related to the expansion of the metropolis increases the complexity of the harmonization of institutional systems and the integration of local actors and communities to respond to urban planning processes. We address the calls for an examination of local community involvement in governance processes in Milpa Alta (MA), a peri-urban agricultural area in Mexico City (CDMX), a megacity with strong peri-urbanization trends. Livelihoods and adaptive capacities approaches were applied for analysis of the results of surveys, interviews, and participatory workshops. We report that in MA there is no integral adaptive capacity to deal with the effects of urban pressures, regional environmental deterioration, and local agricultural dynamics. There are close linkages between limited participation, low local organizational levels, and the social commitment of the population dedicated to agriculture and the existing distrust of government institutions. Sustainable management of peri-urban areas requires the creation of collaborative networks from which local institutional norms can emerge. Furthermore, peri-urban areas require the establishment of participatory systems for decision-making, including the recovery of community and local councils, to activate processes supportive of achieving peri-urban adaptive governance. We conclude that “local is not enough,” based on an adaptive governance approach, to understand the paradigms of decision-making processes and public and local interests in resource management for agriculture in this peri-urban case study.

Integrated Multi-Level Assessment of Ecosystem Services (ES): The Case of the Casal del Marmo Agricultural Park Area in Rome (Italy)

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the ES assessment within a “place-based policy-mix model” for urban planning testing and integrating three ES assessment methodologies: (1) mapping and assessment, (2) expert-based evaluation and (3) social perception. The results indicate that (1) mapping assessment provides higher values to the regulating ecosystem services, (2) expert-based evaluation provides slightly lower values to the regulating ecosystem services and (3) social perception highlights the importance of cultural ES but tends to underestimate other ecosystem functions. These three methodologies translate into sectorial and nondialoguing policies for which decisions are made on partial and nonintegrated information. In order to design integrated policies with a view to the sustainability of the local food system, our results indicate that the planning of urban and peri-urban agricultural areas should rely on tools capable of integrating both spatial mapping methods and human-based assessment methodologies.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and food crops from a coexist area of heavily industrialized and intensively cropping in the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan, China.

Environmental pollution caused by rapid industrial activities are becoming increasingly drastic, particularly its impact on soil and plant health. The present study was conducted to investigate the heavy metal (loid) (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in soils and food biomass crops and estimate the potential health risks of metals to humans via consumption of contaminated food biomass crops from Shifang, a periurban agricultural areas in the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan, China. Results revealed that the soils have been experiencing a substantial accumulation of heavy metals, especially for Cd, with a mean of 0.84 mg kg−1, about six times higher than the background values, of which 98% exceeded the pollution warning threshold of the China Soil Environmental Quality Standards. A total of 78% of all the grain part failed the national food standard for Cd. No significantly positive relationships between metal levels in food biomass crops and in the corresponding soils, indicated metals enrichment in soils were not entirely reflected to crops contaminant burdens. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of all the metals except for Pb, exceeded the oral reference dose (RfD) or the minimal risk levels recommended by USEPA and ATSDR. Target hazard quotients (THQs) of all the metals except for Cd was less than one indicated that potential health risk to the local inhabitant originated mainly from Cd exposure via cereals consumption. Mitigation strategies to curtail Cd-contaminated soils and crops Cd burdens need careful tailoring to meet the needs of health and safety in this region.

Multiple evaluation of urban and peri-urban agriculture and its relation to spatial planning: The case of Prato territory (Italy)

• The study analyses contribution of urban and periurban agriculture (UPUA) to selected ecosystem services and food self-reliance. • Comparison between the current an agro-ecological scenario showed the increase of CO 2 storage, ecological connectivity and slight decrease of food provision. • Study revealed the importance of UPUA in reframing and re-embedding urban/rural interface. • Spatial planning policies and tools need to enhance the role of ES provided by UPUAs on an urban and peri-urban scale. • Scenario design methodology turned out as suitable to address and assess, at the proper scale, integration between land use planning, rural development and agroecological policies development. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPUA) can play a fundamental role in producing Ecosystem Services (ES) ES at the local level improving sustainability of urban / rural relations. Referring to the peri-urban areas surrounding Municipality of Prato (Tuscany - Italy), we assessed the potential of urban and peri-urban agricultural areas in providing some key ES: food supply, CO 2 storage and biodiversity / connectivity. We also analysed the planning tools operating in the area to foster the enhancement of the UPUA area within the planning processes. The study was conducted using the scenario method by comparing the current situation with an agroecological scenario and verifying the change in the delivery of these three ES. The results show an increase of CO 2 storage capacity and ecological connectivity with tolerable repercussions on food provision. Indeed, results highlights the potential of the UPUA in satisfying the food needs of almost 87.9% of the inhabitants of Prato for cereals and 27.9% for legumes whereas, in the agroecological scenario, these produce decrease by about 23% and 11%. Finally, the study suggests the need to integrate governance and territorial planning tools to promote and enhance the role of ES provided by UPUAs on an urban and peri-urban scale.

Mapping direct N2O emissions from peri-urban agriculture: The case of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

Geographically explicit datasets reflecting local management of crops are needed to help improve direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emission inventories. Yet, the lack of geographically explicit datasets of relevant factors influencing the emissions make it difficult to estimate them in such way. Particularly, for local peri-urban agriculture, spatially explicit datasets of crop type, fertilizer use, irrigation, and emission factors (EFs) are hard to find, yet necessary for evaluating and promoting urban self-sufficiency, resilience, and circularity. We spatially distribute these factors for the peri-urban agriculture in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and create N2O emissions maps using crop-specific EFs as well as Tier 1 IPCC EFs for comparison. Further, the role of the soil types is qualitatively assessed. When compared to Tier 1 IPCC EFs, we find 15% more emissions (i.e. 7718 kg N2O-N year−1) than those estimated with the crop-specific EFs (i.e. 6533 kg N2O-N year−1) for the entire AMB. Emissions for most rainfed crop areas like cereals (e.g. oat and barley) and non-citric fruits (e.g. cherries and peaches), which cover 24% and 13% of AMB's peri-urban agricultural area respectively, are higher with Tier 1 EF. Conversely, crop-specific EFs estimate higher emissions for irrigated horticultural crops (e.g. tomato, artichoke) which cover 33% of AMB's peri-urban agricultural area and make up 70% of the total N2O emissions (4588 kg N2O-N year−1 using crop-specific EFs). Mapping the emissions helps evaluate spatial variability of key factors such as fertilizer use and irrigation of crops but carry uncertainties due to downscaling regional data to represent urban level data gaps. It also highlighted core emitting areas. Further the usefulness of the outputs on mitigation, sustainability and circularity studies are briefly discussed.

How to guarantee food supply during pandemics? Rethinking local food systems from peri-urban strategic agents’ behaviour: The case study of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region

The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a warning for the world’s current food system, especially in urban contexts with global food dependence. This article aims to analyse the food system behaviour of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (in the northeast of Spain) during the first stage of the pandemic by deepening the behaviour of different peri-urban agricultural areas in which local food supply is promoted. Semi-structured interviews to 11 entities and institutions located in the peri-urban area of the BMR based on its productive and management profile have been carried out from March to May 2020. The results obtained highlight the socio-economic, environmental, and health perspective of food supply during the pandemic. Main results show 1) shortcomings in the operation and logistics of the metropolitan food system; 2) the complicity between the local producer and the urban consumer through new sales and distribution initiatives, 3) the role of peri-urban agricultural areas for ensuring food supply and land preservation, and 4) the need to initiate cooperation and mutual aid activities between the different agents involved in the food system. Furthermore, agents underlined the need for rethinking the agroeconomic model to strengthening the producer-consumer nexus and promoting local food policy based on food sustainability, sovereignty, and governance.

Status of Dieldrin in vegetable growing soils across a peri-urban agricultural area according to an adapted sampling strategy

Since the fifties, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) had been used in agriculture to protect vegetables. Two decades after their ban by the Stockholm convention in 2001, OCPs are still present in agricultural soils inducing vegetable contamination with concentrations above Maximum Residue Level (MRL). This is a major concern for a 5 km2 peri-urban vegetable growing valley located in the south west of France. In the present work, the sampling method was developed to clarify the spatial distribution of one OCP, Dieldrin, and its relationship with soil properties at the scale of study area. A total of 99 soil samples was collected for physicochemical analyses and Dieldrin concentrations. Results show Dieldrin concentrations in soils up to 204 μg kg−1. The horizontal distribution of this pesticide is heterogeneous at the study area scale but homogeneous in each reference plot studied. About 85% of the contamination was located in the top soil layers (0–40 cm depth), but Dieldrin may still be quantified at a depth of 80 cm. Among all soil physicochemical parameters analysed, SOM was the most significantly related (P < 10−4) with Dieldrin concentrations, once different grain size fractions were considered. Moreover, results indicate a 33 times higher Dieldrin concentration and/or extractability for coarse sand than for other grain size fractions. These results show that the developed sampling method is adapted for the study area scale as it helps understanding the factors influencing the spatial distribution of Dieldrin. Historical amendments are the predominant factor for the horizontal contamination and deep ploughing for the vertical contamination. Also, the variations of coarse sand repartition in soils prevents identification of relationships between SOM and Dieldrin contamination in bulk soil. Further investigation is required to explain these relationships but these results highlight why no clear relationship between OCPs and SOM was previously identified.

Soil Sealing and Hydrological Changes during the Development of the University Campus of Elche (Spain).

The University Miguel Hernández of Elche was created in 1996 and its headquarters is located in the city of Elche. A new campus was developed where new buildings and infrastructures have been established for over 25 years in the north of the city. The university is growing, and the land cover/land use is changing, adapted to the new infrastructures. In fact, the landscape changed from a periurban agricultural area mixed with other activities into an urbanized area integrated into the city. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the progressive sealing of the soil and the consequences on the surface hydrology. The area is close to the Palmeral of Elche, a landscape of date palm groves with an ancient irrigation system, which is a World Heritage Cultural Landscape recognized by UNESCO. The evolution of the land occupation was analyzed based on the Aerial National Orthophotography Plan (PNOA). Soil sealing and the modifications of the hydrological ancient irrigation system were detected. Based on the results, proposals for improvement are made in order to implement green infrastructures and landscape recovery that can alleviate the possible negative effects of the soil sealing in the area occupied by the university.

The dynamic changes in peri-urban agricultural area and typology of multi-function agriculture in Batu City, Indonesia

Urbanization and population growth are logical consequences for economic growth and regional development. In the face of the pressure of urbanization, both in the form of competition for land use and increasing food needs, an adaptation effort of the agricultural system is needed. This study analyzes the patterns of in-situ urbanization that occurred in Batu City, East Java, and the dynamics of the development of agricultural areas in Batu City. This study used land use change analysis, descriptive statistics on socio-economic data, and spatial clustering analysis to map and obtain a relationship between in-situ urbanization processes that occur with the development of agricultural areas in Batu City. The results of this study indicate that there was a strong relationship between the process of in-situ urbanization that occurred in Batu City towards changes in agricultural land use and resulted in the adaptation of a multifunctional farming system in Batu City. There are three types of multifunction agriculture in the Batu City, with focused on incorporating the tourism and agriculture, and create a strong social-environmental awareness of the sustainability development. The development of multifunctional agriculture in Batu City is one of the main strategies to face of current in-situ urbanization.

Agri-urban patterns in Mediterranean urban regions: the case study of Pisa

ABSTRACT Urban regions require planning tools in order to manage agricultural areas under urban pressure. The aim of our paper is to test an analytical framework that combines both the composition in urban and agricultural land covers and their spatial configuration into four general agri-urban patterns: isolated fields, urban belt fields, periurban agricultural areas and rural areas. We evaluated the spatial distribution and the changes of such patterns in the short-term (2003–2011) starting from Spot images for the case study of Pisa, Italy. The results indicate an increase of the most urban patterns despite continuing to have cash crops, a stability of periurban agricultural land patterns although highly fragmented, and a decrease of the rural agricultural land patterns. The applied methodology can help to identify new measures and actions suitable in order to strengthen the relationships between city and agriculture existing in urban regions.

Assessing soil ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban areas: From urban soils survey to providing support tool for urban planning

The current practice of urban planning does not pay proper attention to the quality of urban soils, to their multiple functions and to the supply of ecosystem services to the urban population. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to raising awareness about the role of soil in the built-up environment, to provide tools to assess and map urban soils ecosystem services and to highlight the possibility of integrating soil knowledge into urban planning.Within the framework of the EU funded project SOS4LIFE - Save Our Soils for LIFE, we surveyed, sampled, analyzed and mapped the soil of the city of Carpi (NE Italy), integrating the existing knowledge about soils and land use with the urban plan, and providing the basis for the production of a 1:5,000 map of urban soils. Soil data interpolated over the entire case study area provided the inputs for locally calibrated pedotransfer functions whose outputs were used to assess a set of six indicators of ecosystem services supply: soil biodiversity, buffer capacity, carbon storage, agricultural production, water regulation, and water storage. Maps of the six ecosystem services are presented along with an overall urban soil quality map based upon the number of service hotspots per unit area of unsealed soil. Results show that for a number of services, hotspots occur not only in the peri-urban agricultural areas but also in unsealed soils within the urban fabric, and that different soils provide high quality services in diverse constellation depending on soil characteristics and degree of sealing. We estimated that the unsealed soils of the green areas within the city (193 ha) store within the first 30 cm of depth 15,067 Mg of organic carbon (55,246 Mg CO2 eq.) corresponding to an average carbon density of 78.0 Mg ha−1, which is significantly higher than the corresponding average of the agricultural soils of the area (43.4 Mg ha−1). Furthermore, thanks to their high available water capacity they store up to 58,682 m3 of water, corresponding to 304 m3 ha−1.Our approach can contribute to making soils and their ecosystem services an integral part of the urban planning process, and an example of its application is provided in order to highlight the impact of planning decisions of the joint provision of soil ecosystem services.

Scavenger activity in a peri-urban agricultural setting in the Highveld of South Africa.

Scavenging animals often scatter skeletal remains of forensic interest and cause scavenging damage. This study aimed to identify scavenging animals in the peri-urban agricultural Highveld of South Africa, describe their scattering patterns, and the damage they cause to bone. Ten pig carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) (40-80kg) were placed at the University of Pretoria's Mierjie Le Roux Experimental Farm (Highveld) in summer and winter. Motion-activated cameras recorded the scavenging. Scavenger species were identified and their behaviors, scattering pattern, and the damage they cause to bone were described. Scavenging was primarily by black-backed jackals; however, mongooses (slender, yellow, and water mongoose), Cape porcupine, and honey badger were also active. Remains were commonly scattered in two directions by jackals. The distance of scattering was heavily influenced by fencing. The remains were scattered within a maximum radius of 73.7m. The remains were scavenged and skeletonized faster in summer. Jackals caused minimal damage to bone, isolated to superficial, nonspecific scores, furrows, and punctures. A few mongoose bone alterations were present as jagged gnaw marks on the angle of the mandible and gnawing of the vertebral spinous process. Cape porcupine bone damage included gnaw marks on the condyle of a femur and head of humerus, and destruction of the proximal and distal ends of a tibia. The described scattering pattern and bone modification patterns will assist in the recovery and analysis of scavenged remains found in peri-urban agricultural areas in South Africa.

Environmental and economic life cycle assessment of alternative greenhouse vegetable production farms in peri-urban Beijing, China

With the rapid urbanization, peri-urban agriculture faces with increased pressure to provide sufficient and qualified food without environment deterioration. Organic agriculture and community-supported agriculture are considered as two alternatives to reduce the environmental burdens related to agricultural production. In order to gain a better understanding of both agroecosystems, an on-site survey was conducted via a semi-structured questionnaire on eight conventional (CON), eight organic (ORG), and seven community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms of greenhouse vegetable production in the peri-urban region of Beijing China. Environmental impacts and economic performance were analyzed with life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC), and eco-efficiency methods. The results indicated that CSA farms exhibited the lowest integrated environmental impact index, which was 29% and 82% lower than those of ORG and CON farms, respectively. Specifically, ORG farms exhibited the highest soil eco-toxicity potential and aquatic eutrophication potential, and this is mainly due to the heavy application of off-farm manures. The LCCs of CON, ORG, and CSA farms corresponded to 29.2, 65.5, and 74.0 thousand USD/ha, respectively. Labor incurred the highest cost accounting for 32%, 50% and 38% of total cost in CON, ORG and CSA farms, respectively. Additionally, CSA farms exhibited the highest gross income (40.74 thousand USD/ha), and this was followed by ORG (21.13 thousand USD/ha) and CON (14.31 thousand USD/ha) farms. Besides, CSA farms also exhibited the highest cost-benefit ratio with 0.51, while ORG farms exhibited the lowest cost-benefit ratio of 0.28. CSA farms also showed the highest eco-efficiency when compared with CON and ORG farms, implying that they achieved more profit with lower environmental impacts. The results of the study provide a reference for decision makers and stakeholders to promote the development of sustainable agriculture in peri-urban areas.