Impact Of Agriculture Research Articles

Agronomic Considerations for Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production

Sustainable intensification of crop production is a multifaceted strategy aimed at meeting the increasing global demand for food while minimizing the environmental impact of agriculture. This article delves into key agronomic considerations crucial for achieving sustainable intensification. Conservation agriculture practices, including minimum tillage and crop residue retention, are explored for their role in promoting soil health and reducing erosion. Precision agriculture technologies, such as GPS and remote sensing, are highlighted for optimizing resource use. Crop diversification, rotation, and water use efficiency strategies are discussed to address issues of monoculture, nutrient imbalance, and water scarcity. Integrated nutrient management, incorporating organic sources and precision application, is examined for its contribution to soil fertility. Agroforestry and biodiversity promotion are explored as means to enhance ecosystem resilience. By integrating these agronomic considerations, farmers can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural system capable of meeting global food demands while safeguarding the environment.

Optimized model for coordinated development of regional sustainable agriculture based on water–energy–land–carbon nexus system: A case study of Sichuan Province

In the context of global warming and resource scarcity, economic development and population growth are challenging the demand for water and land resources, and the complex relationship among water, land, energy and carbon dioxide makes it important that a process for efficiently managing water, energy, land and carbon dioxide in sustainable agricultural systems is developed. Therefore, considering the uncertainty of agricultural systems, this paper proposes a multiobjective optimization model for the sustainable management of water–energy–land–carbon dioxide systems that optimizes the allocation of water resources and land resources under the condition of minimizing agricultural carbon emissions and maximizing irrigation water productivity and energy economic productivity. The model uses the improved nondominated sorting genetic algorithm to address this issue, and the optimal resource allocation strategy is further obtained through the multiobjective decision model. This paper uses Sichuan Province, the main grain-producing region in Southwest China, as a case study to verify the effectiveness of the model and then provide a decision-making process for improving the utilization rate of agricultural resources and developing low-carbon agriculture. The results show that under the coordination of resource consumption, economic benefits and carbon emissions, the total allocation of water resources and the total allocated area of crop planting after optimization were 118.678 × 108m3 and 4598.796 × 103ha, respectively, decreases of 22.87% and 7.9%. The planting structure changed. The area planted with rice increased by 4.25%, the area planted with corn decreased by 15.5%, and the area planted with rapeseed decreased by 14.96%. Electricity, fertilizer and straw burning contributed significantly to agricultural carbon emissions, with average contributions of 68.0%, 15.9% and 6.6%, respectively. The multiobjective optimization model established in this paper can improve resource utilization and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, which are of great significance in terms of achieving the goal of “carbon neutrality” and promoting the sustainable development of regional agriculture. The established model framework can be applied to regions with limited resources around the world.

Effects of Livelihood Capital on the Farmers’ Behavioral Intention of Rural Residential Land Development Right Transfer: Evidence from Wujin District, Changzhou City, China

In the process of rapid urbanization and industrialization, there is a significant gap between farmers’ participation and rural homestead reorganization for the more diversified external environment. Despite considerable research focused on homestead withdrawal, the transfer of rural residential land development rights has received comparatively little attention. To realize the optimal use of rural homesteads’ resources and reducing potential living risks, this paper conducted an empirical study on the impact of farmers’ livelihood capital on their behavioral intention of rural residential land development right transfer within Wujin District as an example by incorporating the concepts of livelihood capital and risk perception into the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The results of this research show that the increase in livelihood capital may reduce the level of risk perception. The livelihood capital influences farmers’ intentions towards rural residential land development right transfer through risk perception and individual cognition. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested to diversify livelihood strategies and improve the quality of livelihood capital, in order to reduce the constraint impact of risk perception on farmers’ behavioral intention (BI).

An Analysis of Impact of COVID -19 on Agriculture, Horticulture Crops and Livetocks in Krishna District, India

The present was conducted in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Krishna district mainly agrarian district mostly crops like agricultural crops paddy, cotton, Maize, Blackgram, Greengram, sugarcane, Groundnut horticultural crops are chillies, mango, turmeric and livestock buffalos, cows, sheep’s and goat are the major livestock population in the district. The impact of covid19 very much in the district because the supply chain of various commodities were severely affected in the district. By keeping in the view the present study with an aim to assess the impact of Covid-19 in the Krishna district. The objectives were to study the impact of covid19in agricultural, horticultural and livestock sector, post lock done preparedness of farmers in production and marketing aspects and constraints and Constrains faced by farmers during Covid -19 in agriculture and allied sectors. An ex post facto research design followed for the study. The structured interview schedule was prepared for the study and a total of 60 respondents from 3 mandals randomly from six villages from two villages from each mandal selected for the study. The statistical tools like mean, median, frequency and percentage used for the study. The findings of the study was impact of covid-19 on production was 8.33% in agriculture crops, 28.33% in horticulture crops and (35.00%) on live stock. Covid-19 impact on Farm gate prices was (25.00%) on agriculture crops, (86.70%) on horticulture crops and 21.66% on live stock. Whereas impact on availability of inputs in agriculture is (20.00%), horticulture was (23.33%) and livestock was (28.33%) and on labour availability it was 68.33% in agriculture, 80% in horticulture and 40% in live stock. Farmers during COVID-19 were lack of labour availability, farm labour is huge demand and very costly, market sale prices very less for produce and no marketing facility and cost of cultivation is high are the important constraints faced by the farmers. The study useful to policy makers to understand the impact of the pandemic on agrarian sector.

Exploring the Adoption and Impact of Conservation Agriculture among Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Areas: Evidence from Chamwino District, Tanzania

The adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies by smallholder farmers is expected to affect agricultural productivity and ultimately improve food security and farm incomes. However, there is still limited empirical evidence on the adoption and effects of CA technologies among smallholder farmers in the semi-arid areas of Tanzania. This study was designed to assess the adoption of CA by smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas. The study used a cross-sectional survey design in four villages in Chamwino districts where CA projects are promoted. A random sample of 260 households was interviewed in this study, including 134 CA adopters and 126 non-CA adopters. Data were collected and analyzed using KoBo and SPSS statistics respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to examine extension approaches applied and analyze the extent of CA adoptions. A logistic regression model explored the determinants influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt CA. In addition, two independent samples t-tests were used to calculate the effect of CA adoption on crop yields and farm incomes. The results show that robust extension services led to a better quality of CA practices on CA farms. Gender, access to extension services, access to agricultural inputs, participation in farmer groups, and access to credit for agriculture significantly influence the adoption of CA. CA adopters achieved better average crop yields and higher farm income per unit area than those who did not adopt CA. Thus, the study recommends that the government and other development actors devote more resources to agricultural extension services and mechanization to support and increase the scaling up of CA technologies. There is also a need to establish and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure coherence, impact and sustainability of CF programs in semi-arid areas of Tanzania.

Application of multi-criteria decision analysis techniques and decision support framework for informing select agent designation for agricultural animal pathogens.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Division of Agricultural Select Agents and Toxins (DASAT) established a list of biological agents and toxins (Select Agent List) that potentially threaten agricultural health and safety, the procedures governing the transfer of those agents, and training requirements for entities working with them. Every 2years the USDA DASAT reviews the Select Agent List, using subject matter experts (SMEs) to perform an assessment and rank the agents. To assist the USDA DASAT biennial review process, we explored the applicability of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques and a Decision Support Framework (DSF) in a logic tree format to identify pathogens for consideration as select agents, applying the approach broadly to include non-select agents to evaluate its robustness and generality. We conducted a literature review of 41 pathogens against 21 criteria for assessing agricultural threat, economic impact, and bioterrorism risk and documented the findings to support this assessment. The most prominent data gaps were those for aerosol stability and animal infectious dose by inhalation and ingestion routes. Technical review of published data and associated scoring recommendations by pathogen-specific SMEs was found to be critical for accuracy, particularly for pathogens with very few known cases, or where proxy data (e.g., from animal models or similar organisms) were used to address data gaps. The MCDA analysis supported the intuitive sense that select agents should rank high on the relative risk scale when considering agricultural health consequences of a bioterrorism attack. However, comparing select agents with non-select agents indicated that there was not a clean break in scores to suggest thresholds for designating select agents, requiring subject matter expertise collectively to establish which analytical results were in good agreement to support the intended purpose in designating select agents. The DSF utilized a logic tree approach to identify pathogens that are of sufficiently low concern that they can be ruled out from consideration as a select agent. In contrast to the MCDA approach, the DSF rules out a pathogen if it fails to meet even one criteria threshold. Both the MCDA and DSF approaches arrived at similar conclusions, suggesting the value of employing the two analytical approaches to add robustness for decision making.

Soil Erosion in Northern Nigeria: Potential Impact and Possible Solution: A Review

Aim: This research aims to discuss the environmental soil erosion problem in northern Nigeria: their potential impact and possible solution for sustainable agriculture and livelihood management
 Methods: This research was carried out by reviewing the literature. The data were derived from; books, journals, internet and conference reports, and Google Scholar, and some university library catalog was used to search the literature. The search terms used are soil erosion, climate change, land degradation, Sahel, drylands, soil conservation, agroforestry, and sustainable land management.
 Results: This paper reviewed environmental problems such as soil erosion which are generally considered as the most serious consequences and their impact will remain the main issues for the 21st century. Soil loss will however be prevented or decreased by appropriate crop management such as cover cropping, multiple cropping, and high-density planting. Cover crops have certainly influenced the properties of physical soil which include infiltration rate, moisture content, bulk density, increase organic matter content, the levels of Nitrogen (N) by use of Nitrate (N2) fixing legumes, exchange of cation capacity and crop yields.
 Conclusion: The use of cover crops, multiple cropping, agroforestry, and conservation tillage are provided as some of the effective means of controlling soil erosion in the northern part of Nigeria. Therefore, the recommendation here is that the government extension services should incorporate farmers in the affected areas.

The spatial distribution of agricultural emissions in the United States: The role of organic farming in mitigating climate change

Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and organic farming practices can potentially offset some of these emissions. However, previous research on the environmental impact of organic agriculture has provided mixed or contradictory results. This study aims to analyze the role that organic farming can play in mitigating agricultural emissions across the United States. Using panel U.S. state-level data, we find evidence that farming activities increase GHG emissions. However, we also find that dedicating a larger share of farmland to organic and pasture farming reduces GHG emissions. A spatial analysis of agricultural emissions that accounts for the role of organic farming provides three key insights. First, the spatial distribution of agricultural GHG emissions in the United States is uneven. Second, agriculture is a significant contributor to GDP within high-emissions states where organic agriculture represents only a small proportion of total farmland. Third, agriculture has a substantially lower contribution to GDP within low-emissions states where organic agriculture represents a large proportion of total farmland. These findings suggest that reducing GHG emissions effectively may necessitate creating and implementing policies and initiatives tailored to specific regions rather than relying on general recommendations. Thus, low-emissions states should be explored as examples of sustainable agricultural practices that could set the stage for scaling up organic farming practices across the country.

New trends in sugarcane fertilization: Implications for NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions and crop yields

Recycling nutrients helps to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and contributes to alleviating the effects of global climate change. A recent trend in sugarcane cultivation is the application of concentrated vinasse (CV) combined with fertilizers into an organo-mineral formulation to improve logistics, reduce costs and foster the circular economy. However, the implications of the application of such organo-mineral formulation in sugarcane fields are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the organo-mineral formulation containing granular urea (UR), and a nitrification inhibitor (NI) on crop yields, NH3 volatilization, and N2O emissions. Field experiments were conducted during two fertilization seasons, dry and wet, and the treatments were: control; UR; UR + NI; CV; CV + UR; and CV + UR + NI. CV was applied at 7 m3 ha−1. The treatments (except control and CV) were balanced to receive the same amount of N and K. Compared with UR, the organo-mineral formulation of CV + UR decreased NH3 volatilization losses from 7% to 4% in the dry season and from 3.5% to 0.5% in the wet season. Conversely, compared with UR, N2O emissions increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in CV + UR in the wet season from 1% to 2% of applied N. In the dry season, no differences were observed. The addition of NI was effective in mitigating N2O emissions in both seasons. Emission reductions ranged from 43 to 48% in the dry season and from 71 to 84%, in the wet season. Fertilization with UR or the organo-mineral formulation influenced sugarcane yield only in the dry season, with the highest yield in CV + UR. NI did not affect crop yield. In general, emission intensities (kg CO2eq Mg−1 of stalk) were highest in CV + UR. We conclude that the organo-mineral formulation reduced NH3 losses and increased N2O emissions compared with regular solid fertilizer and that NI was effective for mitigating N2O emissions.

Impact of adoption of climate smart agricultural practices to minimize production risk in Ethiopia: A systematic review

Climate change influences agriculture in sub Saharan Africa. The climate-smart agriculture approach is emerging as a new paradigm for adapting agriculture to the changing climate and mitigation. The main aim of this review was to assess the climate smart agriculture practice, factors affecting it and impact of climate smart agriculture. It was conducted by following systematic review procedures. It includes defining a research problem, conducting a literature searches, evaluating relevant material, data analysis, synthesis, and interpretation; and presentation. The result indicated that the climate smart agriculture implemented in Ethiopia were agronomic practices, integrated soil fertility management, conservation agriculture, agroforestry system, irrigation. The factors that affect climate smart agriculture in Ethiopia were age of the family head, sex, household size, education level, distance to farm land, farm size, farming system, farm income source, off-farm income, access to irrigation, market access, access to agricultural credit, access to extension service, membership to organizations, farmers’ perceptions of rainfall shocks, crop yield, access to climate information, access to agricultural inputs, slope, agro ecology, change in precipitation, tenure security and livestock ownership. The impact of climate smart agriculture practice improves soil fertility status, increased crop yield, per capita nutrition consumption and dietary diversity, increased income of smallholder farmers, hence reducing poverty. Therefore, adopting different climate smart agriculture practice should be promoted in different parts of the country. In addition, the study was limited geographically to Ethiopia and it is better to incorporate the study in Africa and worldwide level.

Probabilistic assessment of drought impacts on wheat yield in south-eastern Australia

A risk-based approach is more meaningful to quantify the effects of drought on crop yield given the randomness nature of past drought events, compared to the deterministic approach. However, the majority of these probabilistic studies are conducted at national or global scale to assess the yield loss probability under given drought conditions. There is still a lack of research combining droughts and crop yields in a probabilistic way at a local scale. Moreover, it is unclear how drought threshold triggering yield loss at a given conditional probability will vary in dryland cropping regions. Here, we used wheat yield data from 66 shires in New South Wales (NSW) wheat belt and meteorological data from 986 weather stations. A copula-based probabilistic method was developed to explore the yield loss probability to various drought conditions. We investigated the drought threshold under a given yield loss probability using the constructed copula function. We found that SPEI-6 in October was the optimal drought index to represent detrended wheat yield variation as this period covered the main growth stages of winter wheat in the study region. Our results show that as the severity of drought increased, the wheat yield loss probability also increased. Yield loss probability varied among the study shires, mainly due to the various climate conditions of each region. The drought threshold in subregion 1 (the northwest) was highest, followed by subregion 2 (the southwest) and subregion 3 (the eastern), indicating that wheat yield in subregion 1 was more sensitive to drought. The findings could provide important direction and benchmarks for stakeholders in evaluating the agricultural impact of drought, especially in those drought prone areas. We expect that the methodological framework developed here can be extended to other dryland areas to provide helpful information to growers, risk management policy makers and agricultural insurance evaluators.

Further notes on the Estimation of Biodiversity and the Influence of Land use and Climate Warming on European Heath Bird Populations

The present commentary elaborates on the question whether interspecies and niche interactions and long-distance interactions between hibernating and breeding habitats are important for maintaining biodiversity in a changing world. The study focusses on the abundance trends of five bird species that are typical for heathland in North- Western Europe. The sympatric species Saxicola rubetra and Saxicola torquata, the Whinchat and the Stonechat respectively, receive special interest because of their very divergent conservation status and habitat preferences. An important result is that conservation practices (especially in natural reserves) should take more notice of the species-specific niche requirements and adopt the timing and precautionary requirements for biodiversity protection instead of promoting a few species at the cost of many others. In this study also an old hypothesis (formulated for tropical forest birds) is re-examined with respect the influences of seasonal migration and flexible versus stereotypical habitat selection on the long-term species survival potential, now applied to heath bird species. Outline Introduction: about an old question of tropical forest birds and seasonal migration Recent trends in Dutch bird populations: the European Nightjar and other heath birds Comparison with European trends for two sympatric species: the Whinchat and Stonechat Impact of agriculture and grassland management in the Netherlands Ecological networks of flowering plants, insects and birds Conclusions and recommendations

Strategies of Climate Change Mitigation in Agriculture Plant Production—A Critical Review

Agriculture is the second-highest, after energy use, source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are released from soils and animal digestion processes and as a result of energy consumption at various stages of agricultural production. However, changes in the management of agricultural systems may mitigate the negative impact of this sector on the atmosphere and climate. This paper presents a literature review on energy consumption in agriculture and the potential of agricultural crop production to assist in mitigation of global warming by increasing absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. The issue was considered in the context of managing the cultivation of main, catch and cover crops. The potential of carbon sequestration in the above- and below-ground biomass of selected crops was analyzed. It was stated that, depending on the species, main crops can sequester up to 113 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 in whole biomass, while catch or cover crops can sequester up to 14.80 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and 0.17 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 in the above- and below-ground biomass, respectively. The benefits of the spread of catch or cover crops, such as improvement of soil quality (leading to an increase in primary crop yield by even as much as 65%) and a phytosanitary effect, as well as the barriers that limit the use of catch crops, including the problems with matching crop species to climate and soil conditions and the risk of reducing farmers’ income, were considered. The results of the review show that catch crops can assimilate an additional amount of 4 to 6 tonnes CO2 ha−1 yr−1, and thus, spreading of catch crops is an effective way to reduce the climate impact of agriculture.

Removing non‐crop flowers within orchards promotes the decline of pollinators, not their conservation: A comment on McDougall et al. (2021)

Abstract Abundant and diverse floral resources are needed for the preservation of pollinator populations and the services they provide to human societies. However, pollinators are negatively affected by several agricultural practices, among which pesticide use and ‘weed’ removal stand out. McDougall et al. (2021) published a paper titled ‘Managing orchard groundcover to reduce pollinator foraging post‐bloom’, where they propose removing the within‐field flowering ground vegetation after the mass flowering period of the crop ends, to reduce pesticide exposure. They consider this is a bee conservation strategy, after observing it reduces the abundance and diversity of pollinators within the crop. However, despite assuming this implied a realisation of an expected reduction in pesticide exposure, this was not quantified. Here, we give three main arguments against the proposal of the authors, that is, the need for providing accessible, sufficient, safe and seasonally‐spread feeding resources to crop pollinators, the potential role of diverse floral resources in their pesticide tolerance, and the urgent need to reduce pesticide use and impact in agriculture.

Application of plant extended phenotypes to manage the agricultural microbiome belowground

Plants have a surprising capacity to alter their environmental conditions to create adequate niches for survival and stress tolerance. This process of environmental transformation, commonly referred to as “extended phenotypes” or “niche construction”, has historically been studied in the domain of ecology, but this is a process that is pervasive across the plant kingdom. Furthermore, research is beginning to show that plants’ extended phenotypes shape the assembly and function of closely associated microbial communities. Incorporation and understanding the role that plant-extended phenotypes play in agriculture may offer novel, bioinspired methods to manage our arable soil microbiomes. Here, we review the challenges agriculture faces, the plant extended phenotypes we know to shape the microbiome, and the potential utilization of this knowledge to improve the environmental impact of agriculture. Understanding how plant extended phenotypes shape microbial communities could be a key to creating a sustainable future with both plants and microbiomes in consideration.

Does Livelihood Determine Attitude? The Impact of Farmers’ Livelihood Capital on the Performance of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Management: An Empirical Investigation in Yilong Lake Basin, China

Agricultural non-point source pollution is intricately connected to the rural population’s production and lifestyle. The heterogeneous composition of livelihood capital results in varied livelihood types, influencing the farmers’ attitudes and perceptions of the treatment projects. This ultimately causes discrepancies in the farmers’ evaluation of agricultural non-point source pollution control. In this study, a participatory evaluation method was employed to evaluate the performance of agricultural non-point source pollution control projects in the Yilong Lake Watershed of Yunnan Province and analyze the underlying reasons for the differing performance evaluations. The findings revealed that pure farmers’ performance evaluation value for agricultural non-point source pollution control projects in Yilong Lake Basin was 0.4811 (with the full mark being 1), with a general evaluation grade. Part-time business households had a performance evaluation value of 0.5969, also with a general evaluation grade, while non-farmers had a performance evaluation value of 0.7057, with a good evaluation grade. The performance evaluation value ranked from highest to lowest is non-farmer > part-time farmer > pure farmer. The main factor affecting the variation in farmers’ performance evaluation is the key index of different livelihood capital. If pollution control projects can promote the adjustment of farmers’ livelihood capital types, it can enhance not only the performance evaluation degree of farmers, but also the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods and increase their adaptability to livelihood risks. Therefore, pollution control projects should consider farmers’ livelihood capital types and be implemented accurately to improve farmers’ satisfaction and sustainability.

Impact of climate smart agriculture on households’ resilience and vulnerability: An example from Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

AbstractClimate change is causing serious challenges for smallholder farm households, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. The overarching objectives of this study are as follows: (i) to estimate household resilience and vulnerability indices, (ii) identify factors that explain these indices and (iii) to examine the impact of climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) on households’ resilience and vulnerability, and (iv) to identify which CSA package performs better in enhancing resilience and reducing vulnerability. For this study, 278 farm households from 4 districts and 8 kebeles from the Central Rift Valley (CRV) of Ethiopia were randomly selected using a three‐stage proportional to size sampling procedure. Cross‐sectional data applying a structured and pretested survey questionnaire was collected for 2020/21 production season. Household resilience and vulnerability indices were estimated using resilience index and measurement analysis and indicators approaches, respectively. Multinomial endogenous switching regression was used to estimate the average treatment effects (ATEs) of the adoption of CSA practices on households’ resilience and vulnerability. The results show that livestock holding, land size, level of education, and state of food consumption are major explaining factors of resilience, whereas educational level of households, livestock holding, and access to credit are found to be major factors explaining vulnerability. The estimated ATEs indicate that households which adopted more diversified combinations of CSA packages were more resilient and less vulnerable than non‐adopter households. The impacts of soil fertility management and conservation agriculture practices have better performance in improving resilience, whereas conservation agriculture and small‐scale irrigation performed better in reducing the vulnerability of rural households in CRV. Boosting resilience and reducing vulnerability, hence, requires scaling up CSA among smallholder farmers by diversifying and raising farm households’ income, educational status, and livestock holding.

AGRICULTURE URBAINE: POURVOYEUSE DE DENREES ALIMENTAIRES ET SOURCES DE NUISANCES SANITAIRES AU QUARTIER SODEPRA A KORHOGO (NORD DE LA COTE DIVOIRE)

Urban agriculture is an activity that is developing more and more throughout the city of Korhogo, more specifically in the Logokaha district. Undeveloped areas and low-lying areas in the heart of the neighborhood are being invaded by farmers. The objective of this study is to show the impact of urban agriculture on food production and the health of farmers.To achieve this objective, the methodology was based on documentary research and field survey. The field survey was conducted among 81 farmers using the snowball method.The results show that urban agriculture is generally practiced by women (85.19%) without any level of education (71.61%) who squat the spaces. To improve production, farmers use various types of fertilizers (chemical and biological) and pesticides. The time between two consecutive applications is not respected by the farmers. The packaging of chemical products used is thrown away in the immediate environment by 59.26% of farmers. The products of this agriculture are intended for consumption and sale. Despite its contribution to the empowerment of farmers, it exposes farmers to health problems such as fatigue (53.09%), injuries (25.92%), skin burns (11.11%) and pathologies (dry coughs and colds (32.10% of respondents), and diarrheal diseases (19.75%).In order to increase production and reduce health risks, a resilient, healthy and sustainable production system must be put in place, which requires the involvement of all actors (producers, traders and consumers).

Change of Agricultural Technology and Impacts on Farmer's Relationship with Nature and Environment in Timor, Indonesia.

This paper examines the impacts of agricultural technology changes on farmers' relationship with nature and their environment. Based on a field study in Bena Irrigation Area in South Amanuban Sub-District, Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, this paper analyses how the introduction of new technologies in agriculture by the Government of Indonesia in these last 30 years has changed the farmer's pattern of cultivation, their views about nature and environment, and the ways they link their agricultural activities with social life. This study found that many of the traditional steps in the cultivation cycle have disappeared or been replaced by new technologies, resulting in profound changes in their views and attitude to nature, the environment and social relationships. Impacts on agriculture productivity are still debatable. However, this study argues that some supporting policies are necessary to make the use of new agricultural technologies give the best benefit for the welfare of farmers and the preservation of nature.

Categorizing the sustainability of vegetable production in Chile: a farming typology approach

ABSTRACTSustainable practices are seen as one of the solutions to redress the negative impact of agriculture's growing intensification. Despite efforts by many governments, the adoption rate of sustainable practices amongst farmers is still low. One of the causes is policymakers’ insufficient knowledge of farming-system diversity. In order to account for such diversity, this paper proposes classifying farming systems, including new elements such as the sustainability level of agricultural practices and market channel traits, in combination with socio-economic and farm characteristics. We apply a farming typology approach, using vegetable production in Chile as our case study. We developed the typology using multivariate analysis techniques including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering (CA). We collected data using surveys (n = 352) in the central region of Chile. The results reveal five farming-system types: (1) Large dual farming, (2) ecological farming, (3) traditional farming, (4) conventional small-scale farming, and (5) conventional medium-scale farming. The five farming system types provide insights on the different agricultural practices used and their different starting points in terms of their transition towards more sustainable agriculture practices. We also propose possible policies based on these farming-system types that can be useful for policymakers to promote sustainable practices.