Production Landscapes Research Articles

Pastorale urbana. Kampung Admiralty a Singapore e il mito del villaggio

The strategies for the construction of national identity devised by the Singaporean government in the years following independence as a British colony included the evocation of an ideal original landscape, epitomized both by the tropical forests that covered the archipelago of Singapore and by the productive landscape of rural villages, or kampung in Malay. The idealized representations of these two local landscapes were entrusted to the plants selected to shape the greening campaigns accompanying the massive urbanization process that rapidly transformed Singapore into a high-density metropolis. Evolving from that approach is Kampung Admiralty, a large contemporary multifunctional building crowned by roof gardens designed by Singapore-based architectural practice WOHA, with Henning Larsen Landscape as landscape consultant. The architectural and landscape architectural complex appears as a technological celebration of the rural landscape: while the botanical associations employed suggest the varied spaces and lively atmospheres of traditional villages with their distinctive mixture of agricultural, wild, and ornamental plants species, the introduction of nature-based solutions and plant communities promoting biodiversity adapt the operational role of tropical vegetation in sustaining the survival of the community that inhabited the kampung to the needs of the contemporary city.

Examining Traditional Food Processing Landscapes from the Perspective of Cultural Landscapes: Pickle-Making in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

The cultural landscapes of living and living industries in Asia are changing and disappearing, and this is currently under-documented and under-discussed in the international publishing field. This study takes pickle-making in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, as the research subject, clarifies the constituent elements and characteristics of the cultural landscapes of pickle-making in Yamagata, and analyses the formation and change of the local landscapes from the point of view of the food-processing and production activities. The elements of the cultural landscapes of pickle-making in Yamagata Prefecture were classified as follows: landscapes of cultivation sites, landscapes of processing sites, landscapes of sales sites, landscapes of cooking and eating spaces, and landscapes of special festivals. It was found that the cultural landscapes of pickle-making in Yamagata Prefecture can play a role in supporting and maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance within the region and that they are highly recognizable and inherited. The elements of the cultural landscape of pickle-making are rich and diverse, and the carriers of dependence are not fixed. Special celebrations and festivals constitute important intangible elements of food production behavior and become the spiritual connotation of its cultural landscape. The results of this study are useful in supplementing the current system of cultural landscapes in Japan and the gaps in existing research. It is also conducive to enhancing the understanding of Japanese food culture in the international publishing field and the influence of productive cultural landscapes in Japan as well as in Asia.

Understanding nitrogen dynamics in the Brazilian beef industry: A comprehensive decadal analysis

Brazil stands as a prominent beef producer and exporter, witnessing major transformations and expansions in its production chain over the past 20 years. These changes have prompted concerns regarding waste generation and environmental pressure. This study employs material flow analysis (MFA) to quantify nitrogen flows throughout the cattle slaughter process and subsequent beef consumption in Brazil, spanning from 2011 to 2021. The analysis encompasses co-production streams like leather, tallow, viscera, and blood. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and the nitrogen cascade indicator (NCI) were used to evaluate efficiency and nitrogen accumulation in the production chain. Nitrogen inputs in the system increased by 8.47 %, while beef production rose by 7.29 %. In contrast, per capita beef consumption decreased by 1.29 kg, despite an overall consumption increase of 2.84 %, attributed to population growth in Brazil. Beef exports witnessed a notable surge of 86.03 %. Conversely, human excreta and food waste losses experienced increments of 10.88 % and 2.84 %, respectively. Examining NUE reveals the highest values during the slaughter phase (90 %), followed by processing, transportation, and storage stages (79–88 %). The consumption phase exhibited the lowest NUE values (29–34 %). Regarding the cumulative nitrogen effect, the NCI varied between 77 % and 82 % throughout the study period. This highlights opportunities for enhancing nitrogen use efficiency, particularly by addressing food waste at the consumer level. Notably, the study observes nitrogen accumulation across the Brazilian beef production chain, potentially contributing to the nitrogen cascade effect and heightening environmental pressure. Recognizing these dynamics provides avenues for targeted improvements, emphasizing the need to address nitrogen-related challenges and enhance sustainability in the beef production and consumption landscape.

Growing Sustainably: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Horticulture in India

In India's bustling terrain, peri-urban areas face neglect, unplanned growth, and environmental damage. As urbanisation encroaches on agricultural land, the competition for resources grows. This article delves into the complex tapestry of challenges and opportunities in urban and peri-urban horticulture, offering light on topics such as land-use disputes, food security, and environmental sustainability. The article also explores the durability of conventional growing methods such as home gardening and community gardens, as well as novel alternatives such as soilless cultures and indoor farming systems. Amidst the challenges, there are chances for revitalising urban settings with continuous productive landscapes, developing sustainable food sources, and improving general urban well-being. From the complicated dance of people, places, and food products to managing market dynamics, this research reveals urban horticulture's brilliant promise for crafting a healthier, more sustainable future for India's changing urban fabric.

- Invited Review - Pig production in Latin America.

Latin America is a culturally, geographically, politically, and economically diverse region. Agriculture in Latin America is marked by a remarkable diversity of production systems, reflecting various agroecological zones, farm sizes, and technological levels. In the last decade, the swine industry increased by 30.6%, emerging as a great contributor to food security and economic development in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico dominate the pig production landscape, together accounting for 70% of sow inventory in the region. The swine industry in Latin America is predominantly comprised of small and medium-sized farms, however, in the past 30 years, the number of pig producers in Brazil dropped by 78%, whereas pork production increased by 326%. Similar to the global pork industry, the growing demand for pork, driven by population growth and changing dietary habits, presents an opportunity for the industry with an expected growth of 16% over the next decade. The export prospects are promising, however subject to potential disruptions from global market conditions and shifts in trade policies. Among the challenges faced by the swine industry, disease outbreaks, particularly African Swine Fever (ASF), present significant threats, necessitating enhanced biosecurity and surveillance systems. In 2023, ASF was reported to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Venezuela, and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) in Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Ecuador. Additionally, feed costs, supply chain disruptions, and energy expenses have affected mainly the smaller and less efficient producers. The swine industry is also transitioning towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, including efficient feed usage, and precision farming. Ensuring long-term success in the swine industry in Latin America requires a holistic approach that prioritizes sustainability, animal welfare, and consumer preferences, ultimately positioning the industry to thrive in the evolving global market.

Cost-effective biodiversity protection through multiuse-conservation landscapes

ContextIntensive land use and exploitation of natural resources are the main direct drivers of biodiversity loss. Transformative changes in land management are called for as conservation and management actions have not been sufficient to support the viability of species populations. It has been proposed that to solve the sufficiency problem one could segregate the landscape into an intensively managed part, and into so-called multiuse-conservation landscapes that aggregate set asides with managed areas for multiple uses.ObjectivesWe describe a scenario analysis where we evaluate the effects and cost-efficiency of transforming the boreal forest from intensively managed production landscapes progressively towards multiuse-conservation landscapes.MethodsWe simulated Finnish boreal forests under various managements and optimized management to produce six scenarios to reveal the ecological, economic, climate and management regime implications of multiuse-conservation landscapes. Ecological effects explored included habitat availability and metacommunity capacity of dead wood dependent species.ResultsIncreasing the area of set aside and multiuse management increased the habitat availability and metacommunity capacity as well as climate benefits but caused economic losses in terms of timber revenues. Pooling the set asides and multiuse management areas together into the same landscapes reduced the economic losses, had negligible added climate benefits and produced mixed biodiversity effects: pooling decreased habitat availability but increased metacommunity capacity across all landscapes.ConclusionsChanging land management and aggregating conservation efforts can be a cost-efficient way to protect biodiversity. Our results suggest biodiversity benefits in landscapes where the set aside and multiuse is aggregated. Careful spatial planning can also alleviate the conflicts between ecological and economic values of land.

Unpaved road verges are attractive habitats for dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a plantation forestry-grassland mosaic

Roads have direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity, although the impacts on insects are not yet fully understood. In a plantation forestry-dominated landscape in South Africa, where natural grasslands make up ecological networks of conservation corridors among plantation compartments, we investigated the impact of maintained unpaved roads and unmanaged tracks on dung beetles. We show that these two types of roads have little impact on dung beetle species richness and assemblage structure, indicating that road verges are attractive habitats for dung beetles. Yet, nocturnal dung beetle abundance increased with distance away from roads, suggesting that areas farther away from roads are important to maintain their population sizes. Vegetation characteristics, especially total cover by grasses and overall vegetation height, were important drivers of dung beetles, yet substrate characteristics were unimportant. With vegetation characteristics being related to road maintenance, roads in the landscape have an indirect impact on dung beetle species richness, abundance, and assemblage composition, rather than a direct impact. Road construction in production landscapes is unavoidable, and their edges are attractive to dung beetles. This means that road users should avoid unnecessary road killings by strictly keeping to the road tracks. Habitat heterogeneity across the overall landscape should be encouraged to minimize current and future impacts of roads on dung beetles. The expansion of road networks, or the maintenance of existing road networks, should be done cautiously so as to promote habitat heterogeneity which is important for maintaining regional dung beetle diversity patterns.

Disability, work status and deprivation among working age-group: shred of evidences from National Sample Survey 76th round data

Background: In the Indian context, where a substantial portion of the population is of working age and 2.1% grapple with disabilities, as per the 2011 census, the emergence of diverse disability profiles within this demographic becomes a paramount concern. This issue holds profound consequences, directly impacting the nation's productivity and overall economic landscape. The focus of this study is a comprehensive examination of the repercussions of disability, honing in on the alteration and loss of occupational experiences among individuals in the working-age stratum. Methods: The primary objective is the computation of a "disability deprivation index" for both India as a whole and its states, a multinomial logistic regression model is employed, seeking to elucidate the extent of the impact precipitated by the onset of disability in the working-age population. Multiple classification analysis is integral to determining adjusted percentages (probabilities) of changes of work, loss of work, and no loss or change of work, derived from multinomial logit regression, fostering a nuanced understanding of the issue. Results: The study reveals that 2.2% of individuals previously gainfully employed experience disability, with a significant majority losing their livelihoods due to disabling conditions. The disability deprivation index provides insights into relative deprivation levels across states, highlighting Kerala as the least deprived and Bihar as the most deprived. Conclusions: Despite commendable efforts by government and non-governmental organizations to address the needs of disabled population, the study underscores the stark reality that these provisions reach only a fraction of the disabled population, intensifying the severity of the situation concerning disability in India.

Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability with Deep Learning: A Case Study of Cauliflower Disease Classification

The pivotal role of sustainable agriculture in ensuring food security and nurturing healthy farming communities is undeniable. Among the numerous challenges encountered in this domain, one key hurdle is the early detection and effective treatment of diseases impacting crops, specifically cauliflower.This research provides an in-depth exploration of the use of advanced DL algorithms to perform efficient identification and classification of cauliflower diseases. The study employed and scrutinized four leading DL models: EfficientNetB3, DenseNet121, VGG19 CNN, and ResNet50, assessing their capabilities based on the accuracy of disease detection.The investigation revealed a standout performer, the EfficientNetB3 model, which demonstrated an exceptional accuracy rate of 98%. The remaining models also displayed commendable performance, with DenseNet121 and VGG19 CNN attaining accuracy rates of 81% and 84%, respectively, while ResNet50 trailed at 78%. The noteworthy performance of the EfficientNetB3 model is indicative of its vast potential to contribute to agricultural sustainability. Its ability to detect and classify cauliflower diseases accurately and promptly allows for early interventions, reducing the risk of extensive crop damage.This study contributes valuable insights to the expanding field of DL applications in agriculture. These findings are expected to guide the development of advanced agricultural monitoring systems and decision-support tools, ultimately fostering a more sustainable and productive agricultural landscape.

Urban Agricultural Territories as Components of the Architectural Landscape of Ho Chi Minh City

Currently, urban agriculture (UA) is considered as one of the strategic factors of the integrated sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City, but the urban land fund for agricultural purposes in this city is insignificant. Since 2005, the concept of a continuous Productive urban landscape (CPL- Continuous Productive Urban Landscape) has been proposed, which can be used for the development of urban agriculture. The article mentions the possibility of applying CPUL as an important direction for territorial development in Ho Chi Minh City, in which the sizes of urban green landscapes used for urban agriculture can be increased. The article presents the main components of these landscapes in Ho Chi Minh City.

Marketing audit is a tool for strategic development of an industrial company

The high-tech sector of the economy carries out marketing activities at the operational and strategic management level. The implemented import substitution policy actualizes the marketing expertise of the technical decisions taken. Technological audit is aimed at improving the competitiveness of a particular production. The results of the completed marketing audit determine the main directions of innovative changes in the production landscape. The authors propose a conceptual model of a marketing management system that integrates the results of the evaluation of marketing and technological audit and creates conditions for the release of innovative industrial products. Relationship marketing forms new criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities, which is based on increasing the level of consumer perception of the brand. Strategic priorities for the development of industrial companies are based on a marketing platform and ensure the achievement of technological self-confidence.

Benchmarking is a tool for the development of an industrial company

The transformation of the industrial sector of the economy in modern conditions has actualized issues related to increasing competitiveness. This led to a strategic interest in building an innovative production landscape, the use of new management methods. It is established that the main goal of benchmarking is the continuous improvement of activities. The architecture of benchmarking is aimed at building a landscape of marketing solutions, expanding the system of interaction within the framework of strategic tasks. The author defines the directions of benchmarking application in the marketing environment. Benchmarking has a creative nature, ensures the development of production taking into account the experience of best practices. It is a tool to increase competitiveness, creates of a corporate governance system. Conducting regular benchmarking procedures based on comparative analysis forms competitive advantages, entrepreneurial culture, innovative architecture of the business model.

Cropland can support high bird diversity in heterogeneous rural tropical landscapes

Summary Land-use change for crop production is one of the key drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation and consequently biodiversity loss and change in tropical regions. This may impact biodiversity-regulated ecosystem services; birds are important to crop health regulating services (e.g. seed dispersal, pest control) and disservices (e.g. seed predation, grain herbivory). However, knowledge is limited on how birds use heterogeneous agricultural landscapes and the consequences for spatial distribution and flow of services and disservices. We studied crop and non-crop–habitat associations of birds in forest–agricultural landscapes of the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. We focused on dietary preference as a key trait impacting bird responses to land-use change, services, and disservices to crops. We surveyed birds across four main habitat types using repeated point counts, recording a total of 148 species. We found that crop habitats supported higher species richness and larger communities of potentially beneficial species to crop health, whereby 34.5% of invertebrate-feeding species were recorded in cropland. We found that habitat heterogeneity within the landscape supports bird functional diversity and that each habitat type supported unique communities of species. Furthermore, the number of species unique to forest habitats increased with increasing forest canopy closure. Our findings suggest that management strategies for maintaining trees and shrubs, and enhancing tree cover within the crop production landscape, can be effective approaches for maintaining bird diversity and services. However, in-depth studies on trade-offs with disservices need further exploration to mitigate negative impacts of birds on crop yields.

Filmmaking as architectural carpentry

Food production is the largest cause of global environmental change. The debate on sustainable agriculture focuses largely on the implementation of new agricultural techniques. The impact of these techniques on agricultural landscapes is not often considered. With the film ‘Tussen de kassen’, I attempt to shift the current debate in a direction that allows consideration of the aesthetic and systemic consequences of the implementation of agricultural techniques on specific landscapes. ‘Tussen de kassen’ examines an innovative and sustainable landscape of greenhouse horticulture. More than a tool to communicate research or annotate site visits, film and filmmaking functioned as architectural carpentry. Meaning that the complete process of filmmaking (including preliminary site visits, editing, etc.) functioned as an unconventional method of knowledge production for an architectural research project. Using ‘Tussen de Kassen’, I illustrate three ways in which filmmaking as architectural carpentry benefits the work of landscape architects whilst examining modern landscapes of food production; As a tool to explore and examine the atmospheres of agricultural landscapes (1) Film is able to convey synaesthetic properties of a landscape. These are properties that belong to multiple sensory fields at once and play a part in generating ‘atmosphere’, the meaning a person assigns unconsciously and almost instantaneously to a space. Film allows viewers to explore the synaesthetic properties behind this initial atmosphere and (re-) examine their subconsciously assigned meanings to space. As a method to explore unexpected entanglements in food production landscapes (2) The (architectural) medium used to analyse a site determines the understanding of that site. Filmmaking demands close engagement with a site, making the filmmaker a participant of the landscape. This results in unexpected discoveries of entanglements between agricultural techniques and other site aspects. As a form of eidetic storytelling for landscapes of the Anthropocene (3) Narrating the functioning and conception of Anthropocenic landscapes in a causal, linear manner is problematic as it leads to ‘undecidability’ and inaction. Film, as an eidetic storytelling tool, combines different types of information (i.e. visual, acoustic, quantifiable, metaphoric, etc.) to mediate multivalent, openended and non-linear narratives for Anthropocenic landscapes. Cover image: Stills from ‘Tussen de Kassen’

Declining American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) Nest Site Habitat Suitability in a Timber Production Landscape: Effects of Abiotic, Biotic, and Forest Management Factors

Declining American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) Nest Site Habitat Suitability in a Timber Production Landscape: Effects of Abiotic, Biotic, and Forest Management Factors

The Many Meanings of ‘One’: The Concept and Practice of the One Health Approach in Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes

Abstract What does One Health mean for a complex socio-ecological system? How can this integrated approach be put into practice? Can it foster on-the-ground local management and national policy uptake? Our commentary explores these questions by looking at the concept of One Health in the context of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) and the use of resilience assessment in SEPLS as a tool for its operationalisation in Taiwan. We conclude that One Health has a high sustainability potential for holistic, dynamic and integrated solutions in complex systems at various scales. One Health impact statement From a ‘scapes’ perspective, the One Health approach offers an opportunity to take a fresh look at the familiar socio-ecological components of a landscape or seascape – community, biodiversity and abiotic environment. In fact, in addition to the holistic and dynamic qualities of it as a concept, its implementation in a real-world setting allows to explore its many meanings of ‘One’. One Health stands for ‘oneness’ – as many inter-connected elements within one system, for being ‘the only one’ – as the most valuable and cherished thing, and for ‘one for all’ – as what is to be co-created and shared by all living beings.

Agricultural intensification increases farmers' income but reduces food self‐sufficiency and bee diversity: Evidence from southeast Mexico

AbstractThe tropical region of Hopelchén, southeastern Mexico, is a place of high contrasts in terms of the agricultural intensity of production systems and landscape configuration: It presents enormous areas of conserved forest and at the same time the highest rate of deforestation in Mexico. The consequences of agricultural intensification in this region are the subject of our research. We surveyed 80 farmers, whom we grouped into seven types, and developed an index of agricultural intensity based on sowing intensity, frequency of pesticide application and frequency of tractor use. We evaluated the economic potential and added value for farmers, such as food security and self‐sufficiency, as well as bee diversity in the agricultural intensification gradient. Our results show that agricultural intensification generates higher added value, but not economic potential, and does not necessarily lead to higher food security. However, it does negatively affect bee diversity and pollination potential, which compromises the sustainable development of the region.

Participatory mapping of local stakeholders’ perceptions of nature’s contributions to people in an intensified agricultural area in the Colombian Andes

ABSTRACT Intensification of agricultural land use in traditional Andean production landscapes has led to changes in the provision of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) that can threaten people’s wellbeing. Understanding local stakeholders’ valuation of these NCP is crucial for improving land use decisions. We implemented a spatially explicit and participatory NCP valuation method, using semi-structured interviews and participatory mapping, followed by a spatial multi-criteria decision analysis, to identify priority areas for NCP provision in a highly intensified production landscape in the Colombian Andes. We considered multiple value types, ecological, economical and sociocultural, and the points of view of different actors, orienting this towards decision-making on land use. Our results show that local actors can identify and value a wide range of NCP. However, there are also significant differences between actors. Environmentalists attached special importance to regulating NCP, while agricultural laborers focused more on agriculture-related material NCP. As we expected, tourism entrepreneurs especially valued non-material NCP related to their business experiences. Small-scale farmers tended to put more importance on regulating and non-material NCP than big farmers did. Although there was a consensus between actors as to the importance of natural ecosystems for NCP provision, agricultural actors tended to attach more importance to material NCP in areas deemed important for regulating and non-material NCP by other actors. Our main results confirm the importance of involving different stakeholders in spatial NCP valuation exercises, recognizing their different points of view to help identify possible trade-offs and synergies related to land use.

Designing an adaptive and deep learning based control framework for modular production systems

AbstractIn today’s rapidly changing production landscape with increasingly complex manufacturing processes and shortening product life cycles, a company’s competitiveness depends on its ability to design flexible and resilient production processes. On the shop-floor, in particular, the production control plays a crucial role in coping with disruptions and maintaining system stability and resilience. To address challenges arising from volatile sales markets or other factors, deep learning algorithms have been increasingly applied in production to facilitate fast-paced operations. In particular deep reinforcement learning frequently surpassed conventional and intelligent approaches in terms of performance and computational efficiency and revealed high levels of control adaptability. However, existing approaches were often limited in scope and scenario-specific, which hinders a seamless transition to other control optimization problems. In this paper, we propose a flexible framework that integrates a deep learning based hyper-heuristic into modular production to optimize pre-defined performance indicators. The framework deploys a module recognition and agent experience sharing, enabling a fast initiation of multi-level production systems as well as resilient control strategies. To minimize computational and re-training efforts, a stack of trained policies is utilized to facilitate an efficient reuse of previously trained agents. Benchmark results reveal that our approach outperforms conventional rules in terms of multi-objective optimization. The simulation framework further encourages research in deep-learning-based control approaches to leverage explainability.

Changes in the ecosystem service importance of the seven major river basins in China during the implementation of the Millennium development goals (2000–2015) and sustainable development goals (2015–2020)

In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), providing guidance and direction for the future development of countries around the world. Both MDG and SDG have established multiple indicators to achieve environmental sustainability. However, few studies have compared the changes in the ecological environment during the two periods. Therefore, this study selected the seven major river basins in China as the study area and comprehensively assessed the changes in ecosystem service importance (ESI) within different basins in the MDG and SDG periods based on six ecosystem services, including habitat quality, soil conservation, water yield, carbon storage, grain production, and aesthetic landscape. Specifically, the changes from 2000 to 2015 and 2015 to 2020 were used to represent MDG and SDG periods, respectively. The results showed that the overall ESI of the seven major river basins showed an increasing trend in both periods, and the proportion of extremely important basins reached 20.39% in 2020, mostly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and the Pearl River basin. Except for carbon storage, other ecosystem services were restored in the SDG period. However, COVID-19 and a series of sudden disasters in 2020 have greatly affected grain production and the aesthetic landscape. The fluctuation of habitat quality also indicated that although the ecological environment has a trend of recovery, there was still some degradation compared to 20 years ago. National protection policies and restoration projects have gradually improved the ecological environment of the seven river basins and are striving to reach the SDG standards step by step. However, many problems still need to be solved urgently, such as the reduction of ecological land, the increase in carbon emissions, and the weak resilience to disasters. China has made significant positive progress in MDG, and more efforts are needed to achieve the SDG goals in the future.