Limited Land Resources Research Articles

Землепользование и система хозяйства в России в начале XX века

Relevance. This article is an attempt to study the features of land use in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Land use and the economic system in Russia during the period under study were the result of a complex centuries-old process of development of the country's agricultural sector. The purpose research is to study the features of the development of land use and the economic system in Russia at the beginning of the XX century. Objectives. The tasks of our scientific research will be formulated as follows: to present an analysis of historical information related to the structure of land use and the economic system in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century; ras-look at the dynamics of the development of land relations in the country. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study was: the principle of historicism; methods of objectivity and scientific character; chronological, historical and comparative approaches research served: the principle of historicism; methods of objectivity and scientific character; chronological, historical and comparative approaches. Results made it possible to draw objective conclusions about the structure and dynamics of the development of the land use system and the economic system in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Conclusion Thus, the system of land use in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century was closely connected with the system of land tenure, which was formed over several centuries. The Russian peasantry was in dire need due to its limited land resources. It was forced to rent large areas from other owners: landlords, the state, and other peasants. In turn, this became the cause of the poverty of the peasantry, who gave on average half of their crops to the owners of the land. As a result, the poor Russian peasantry was largely exposed to the revolutionary propaganda of various leftist forces. This was clearly manifested during the revolutionary events of 1905-1907. and especially during the revolutionary events of 1917, when mainly representatives of these small-land peasant farms destroyed the entire mechanism of the land use system.

Exploration of potential regional resources for beef cattle farming development in West Java, Indonesia

More than 90% of cattle in Indonesia are raised by smallholder farmer. They are facing limited land resources so that the input of feed mostly depend on the agriculture waste and its environment. The aimed of this study was to determine the potential agricultural resources which influence to the development of beef cattle. The sample locations were 3 districts from the eastern part of West Java province. Panel data of variables that were thought have an effect on beef cattle development were taken from 2012 to 2019 in three regencies. These data were analyses by Multiple Regression Model using the OLS method. The stationary test was done before using time series data by unit root tests of Augmented Dickey-Fuller. The results of this research showed that the corn and Cassava production, as well as the population as a source of agriculture labor in a region was potential resources to increase of beef cattle population. The integration of cattle and corn farming on suitable land in a region needs to be considered as the strategy in beef cattle farming development, because the corn production per unit of land can produce the highest feed compared to the other food crop residues.

Farmers-Herders Conflict and Nigeria’s Quest for Food Security: The Imperative Need for Information Communications Technology

Although, Nigeria is chiefly known for its oil and gas production, agriculture employs about 70 per cent of its labour force. Nigeria has experienced severe farmers-herders conflict that has negatively influenced her agricultural production capacity, resulting in severe food insecurity. Tensions have grown over the past decades, with increasingly violent flare-ups between the farmers and the herdsmen spreading across the entire country. In recent times, many scholarly studies and inquiries on the impact of Information Communications Technology, particularly with respect to promoting food security in Nigeria, have been engendered mainly by the need to ensure greater agricultural outputs among farmers and other agriculturists. However, only scanty attention had been devoted to the need to understand the imperativeness of the use of Information Communications Technology in the quest to proffer solutions to the incessant farmers-herdsmen conflicts that have also contributed to the unpalatable state of food security in Nigeria. The study adopts Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory as a framework of analysis and qualitative date elicited through content analysis of desktop date. Hinging on this theory, this study contends that the farmers-herdsmen conflict is inevitable like every other conflict due to the competition for limited land resources. The study however found out that why the farmers-herdsmen conflict has persisted, among many other factors, was due to the failure of relevant stakeholders to leverage on the possibilities of Information Communications Technology to address the technological gap in the conflict. While further findings suggest that the principal causes and aggravating factors behind the escalating conflict are climatic changes; population growth; technological and economic changes; crime; political and ethnic strife; and cultural changes, the lack of use of Information Communications Technology in the areas of educating both the farmers and herders, awareness creation, crime reporting and conflicts resolution further compounds the farmers-herdsmen conflicts. This study recommends the need for proper and improved use of I.C.T. in the processes to address the farmers-herdsmen conflicts.

Finite Element Modelling of Prestressed Concrete Piles in Soft Soils, Case Study: Northern Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta is faced with limited land resources due to its position as the capital city of Indonesia. Therefore, numerous high-rise buildings are being constructed to solve this problem and provide accommodations for a large number of Jakarta residents. Studies have shown that prestressed concrete piles (spun piles) are commonly used as the foundations of high-rise buildings in metropolitan cities across Indonesia, especially in the Northern Jakarta Coastal area, which is predominant with deep soft soils deposit. To further assess and verify the ultimate capacity of the pile, a static loading test was conducted. However, not all results from the field test produced ideal, accurate, precise, and reliable load-settlement curve (until failure) results. Therefore, this study aims to determine the soil properties for the analysis of prestressed concrete spun piles with a diameter of 600 mm in the Northern Jakarta coastal area based on the standard penetration test values (SPT-N). It is a case study of a well-documented static pile load test using the kentledge system. Back analyses were performed by the finite element method to obtain the extrapolated load-settlement curve. Furthermore, the effect of interface strength between pile and soil on the load-settlement curve was also investigated. The results showed that a reduction of interface strength leads to a smaller load–settlement curve. In addition, several geotechnical engineering parameters of soil, such as the undrained shear strength and effective young's modulus, were established using data from an in-situ soil site investigation and empirical correlations with SPT-N.

Optimal crop planting pattern can be harmful to reach carbon neutrality: Evidence from food-energy-water-carbon nexus perspective

Global warming, water scarcity and limited land resources are the most challenging problems facing agriculture to ensure food security for the expected 9 billion people in 2050. To solve these problems, the classical optimal planting pattern, based on crop suitability evaluation method, is often adopted to reallocate water and land resources. However, whether or not the classical optimal planting pattern, which only considers environmental conditions in crop suitability evaluation, is beneficial to the regional carbon neutrality goal and saves water and energy resources has rarely been explored. Here, China’s major arid food production area, the middle reaches of Heihe River Basin, is chosen as the demonstration to explore this issue. The classical optimal planting pattern obtained by crop suitability evaluation is compared with current planting in terms of planting distribution, carbon sequestration, energy consumption and water productivity from 2002 to 2016. Interestingly, the results indicate that optimal planting would reduce the regional net carbon sequestration capacity by up to 13.09% and increase regional carbon emissions by up to 22%, which is harmful to reach the commitment of carbon neutrality goal in China. Contrary, optimal crop planting pattern can increase regional water productivity by 1.74–32.59% and economic benefits by 1.52–30.55% while having little impact on energy consumption and water consumption. Considering the contradictions effects of classical optimal planting pattern on the food-energy-water-carbon nexus, we strongly recommend redefining the “optimal” in crop planting management by taking impacts on carbon into consideration to alleviate the crisis of global warming.

Spatial Assessment of Jerusalem Artichoke’s Potential as an Energy Crop in the Marginal Land of the Shaanxi Province, China

As a foodstuff crop, Jerusalem artichoke has a promising prospect for providing sustainable feed-stock sources for bioenergy development. Due to relatively limited cultivated land resources in China, it is crucial to evaluate Jerusalem artichoke’s potential production capacity in marginal land. Based on Jerusalem artichoke’s growth and photosynthetic characteristics, the agricultural production systems simulator model (APSIM) and multi-factor integrated assessment method were integrated to provide an operational method for comprehensively evaluating the marginal land resources suitable for developing the plantation of Jerusalem artichoke in the Shaanxi province, China. The results showed that 0.73 million ha of marginal land was suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation in the Shaanxi province, and 5.4 million ha of marginal land was fairly suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation, with the yield reaching 44,289 kg/ha and 38,861 kg/ha, respectively. The suitable land resources are mainly located in Yan’an (0.18 million ha), Hanzhong (0.13 million ha), and Baoji (0.08 million ha), most of which are moderate dense grassland (accounting for 50.6% of suitable land), dense grassland (accounting for 16.2% of suitable land), shrubland (accounting for 14.7% of suitable land), and sparse forest land (accounting for 9.18% of suitable land). The findings of this study can be used to establish targeted policies for Jerusalem artichoke development in China and other countries, particularly those along the Silk Road.

Sustainable aquafeed and aquaculture production systems as impacted by challenges of global food security and climate change

Sustainable aquafeed and aquaculture production systems as impacted by challenges of global food security and climate change

Effect of saline land reclamation by constructing the “Raised Field -Shallow Trench” pattern on agroecosystems in Yellow River Delta

Efficient utilization of the limited water and land resources is critical for global development with a growing population. The widespread saline land remains an important reserved land resource for food security. This study investigated the performance of the raised field-shallow trench pattern on salt removal and water budget in the cotton field by a virtual experiment. The widely-used physically-based HYDRUS (2D/3D) model was used to implement different raise field elevations and slopes. Results showed that the raised land could control the soil salinity in the unsaturated root zone by intensifying the drainage. Compared with the flat land, the desalination effect of the raised land was more effective with the gentler slope and higher raised elevation. Without irrigation, the 30° and 45° slope-raised lands had slight effect on the soil salinity in the unsaturated root zone. Salt removal would be more effective with the addition of irrigation, with the desalination ratio ranging from 10.60% to 41.01% under fresh irrigation, or from 6.76% to 25.92% under saline irrigation, respectively. More importantly, the implementation of irrigation effectively improved the cotton root water uptake, and saline water irrigation for the 15° slope-raised field was proved to nearly meets the cotton water requirement. Therefore, the raised field-shallow trench pattern combined with saline water irrigation may provide local farmers with an alternative solution to saline land reclamation under fresh water scarcity.

The Natural and Socioeconomic Influences on Land-Use Intensity: Evidence from China

Intensive land use can support sustainable socioeconomic development, especially in the context of limited land resources and high population. It is measured by land-use intensity that reflects the degree of land-use efficiency. In order to support decision-making for efficient land use, we investigated the mechanism whereby natural and socioeconomic factors influence land-use intensity from the perspectives of overall, region-, and city-based analysis, respectively. This investigation was conducted in Chinese cities using the multiple linear stepwise regression method and geographic information system techniques. The results indicate that: (1) socioeconomic factors have more positive impact on land-use intensity than natural factors as nine of the top 10 indicators with the highest SRC values are in the socioeconomic category according to the overall assessment; (2) education input variously contributes to land-use intensity because of the mobility of a well-educated workforce between different cities; (3) the increase in transportation land may not promote intensive land use in remarkably expanding cities due to the defective appraisal system for governmental achievements; and that (4) in developed cities, economic structure contributes more to land-use intensity than the total economic volume, whereas the opposite is the case in less-developed cities. This study can serve as a guide for the government to prepare strategies for efficient land use, hence promoting sustainable socioeconomic development.

Identifying Key Sites of Green Infrastructure to Support Ecological Restoration in the Urban Agglomeration

The loss and fragmentation of natural space has placed tremendous pressure on green infrastructure (GI), especially in urban agglomeration areas. It is of great importance to identify key sites of GI, which are used to economically and efficiently restore urban ecological network. However, in the existing research, few scholars have explored the identification and application of GI key sites. Taking the Southern Jiangsu Urban Agglomeration as an example, based on the ecosystem service assessment and landscape connectivity analysis, we identified the multi-class key sites of GI in the study area by MSPA, InVEST model, MCR model, and Linkage mapper. The results showed that: (1) a total of 60 GI sources and 130 GI corridors were extracted. The ecological resources of the study area were densely distributed in the north and south and sparsely in the middle. (2) Three-hundred eighty GI key sites were identified, including 53 water ecological points, 251 ecological fracture points, and 76 ecological pinch points. The GI key sites we identified were large in number and widely distributed, yet were hardly included in the existing ecological protection policies. These key sites should be prioritized in GI planning and differentiated for management strategies, ensuring that limited land resources and public funds can be directed to where restoration is really needed. The present study provides land managers and urban planners with additional tools to better understand how to effectively restore and develop the ecosystems of urban agglomerations in the context of scarce land resources.

Retraction Note: Slope rainfall environment characteristics based on target tracking algorithm and economic efficiency of green city

With the rapid development of China’s economic construction, large-scale infrastructure construction has been carried out in the slope area. However, due to the poor geological environment, concentrated rainfall, and limited land resources in the region, a large number of slope toe excavation and graded slope cutting are carried out in the process of engineering construction. The unreasonable excavation method destroys the original slope shape and affects the stability of the slope, which brings many geological disasters in the loess area. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze the influence of rainfall and excavation on the deformation and stability of loess slope. Considering the practical application, this paper also considers the target tracking on FPGA. The target tracking algorithm on FPGA must be reliable, real-time, meet certain tracking accuracy, and have certain operability. The proposed target tracking algorithm combines Harris method and optical flow method. Firstly, Harris method is used to extract some target angle features, and then optical flow method is used to match angle features more accurately for subsequent video frames. When the target is rotated or twisted, the barycenter algorithm is used to calculate the barycenter of the matching features. Based on the above research, this paper draws the following conclusions: the overall level of green economy efficiency is unbalanced; There is a U-shaped relationship between urban economic development and environmental pollution; The main influencing factors of urban green development efficiency are industrial structure, economic development degree, opening degree, financial development level, and human capital.

Spatial priorities for biodiversity and ecosystem services considering theoretical decision-makers’ attitudes to risk

Choosing appropriate spatial priorities for protected areas (PAs) to conserve ecosystem services (ESs) and biodiversity is a challenge for decision makers under limited land resources, especially when facing uncertain protection consequences or conflicting protection objectives. Attitudes toward risk will influence actions, which will, in turn, impact consequences. To understand how theoretical decision-makers’ attitudes towards risk impact protection effectiveness for biodiversity and ESs (e.g., water retention, soil retention, flood mitigation, water purification and carbon sequestration) and how this information can be integrated into effective PAs management, we examined Hainan Island as a case study. We used the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) algorithm to assess the impact of attitude towards risk in PA management. Decision-makers’ attitude towards risk scenarios (from risk-averse and risk-taking) showed higher mean protection effectiveness (2.41–2.85) than existing PAs (2.37), indicating that there is still room for improvement in biodiversity and ESs conservation in existing PAs. In addition, among the seven examined risk scenarios, the higher risk aversion scenario showed the best outcome. In comparison to existing PAs, this scenario improved mean protection effectiveness (20.13%) as well as the protection effectiveness of water retention (24.84%), water purification (11.46%), flood mitigation (8.84%), soil retention (16.63%), carbon sequestration (5.31%), and biodiversity (12.84%). Thus, our research shows that the influence of theoretical decision-makers’ attitudes towards risk could be considered by OWA method which could provide a normative model of what the right choice given theoretical risk attitudes is while selecting priority area for biodiversity and ESs.

Állat jóléti kérdések legeltetéskor

From the very beginning cattle was linked to the pastures and countryside. Development of the animal production and limited land resources pushed producers to keep cattle in places where they would be collected together. That solution helps to run breeding and husbandry procedures more efficiently. However, even with the support of genetics and management, modern agriculture faces problems related to indoor system. There is a dilemma among farmers to keep animals indoor or outdoor. In the following material attempt will be taken to analyse factors related to grazing and cattle welfare issues. This work will not only focus on Hungarian or European agriculture issues. Experiences and animal policies related to grazing cattle from different countries and regions of the world were also collected. Actions taken in one part of the world might be not applicable in another. However, it is still interesting to see how agricultural production affects nature resources and communities. There is the same background off all stories related to grazing cattle - sustainable development and particular lobby behind. Whether there is a farmer, holding, enterprise or animal welfare organisation. There is only a question if this is going to be more economical or ethical approach.

Hybrid Economic-Environment-Ecology Land Planning Model under Uncertainty—A Case Study in Mekong Delta

The research on land natural resources as the leading factor in the Mekong Delta (MD) is insufficient. Facing the fragile and sensitive ecological environment of MD, how to allocate limited land resources to different land use types to obtain more economic benefits is a challenge that local land managers need to face. Three uncertainties in land use system, interval uncertainty, fuzzy uncertainty, and random uncertainty, are fully considered and an interval probabilistic fuzzy land use allocation (IPF-LUA) model is proposed and applied to multiple planning periods for MD. IPF-LUA considers not only the crucial socio-economic factors (food security, output of wood products, etc.) but also the ecological/environmental constraints in agricultural production (COD discharge, BOD5 discharge, antibiotic consumption, etc.). Therefore, it can effectively reflect the interaction among different aspects of MD land use system. The degree of environmental subordination is between 0.51 and 0.73, the net benefit of land system is between USD 23.31 × 109 and USD 24.24 × 109 in period 1, and USD 25.44 × 109 to 25.68 × 109 in period 2. The results show that the IPF-LUA model can help the decision-makers weigh the economic and ecological benefits under different objectives and work out an optimized land use allocation scheme.

The effect of contract farming on the environmentally sustainable production of rice in China

Environmentally sustainable production has been widely discussed as one of the most important issues in sustainable agricultural development, especially for countries with limited arable land resources. In this study, we estimate the effect of contract farming on environmentally sustainable production behaviours using a household survey of 623 farmers in China conducted in 2019. To address selection bias and the potential endogeneity problem of contract farming participation, the propensity score matching approach and endogenous switching regression are employed in estimations of rice farmers’ environmentally sustainable production behaviours. The results indicate that participation in contract farming can increase the probability of applying environmentally sustainable control technologies and manual weeding by 56.7% and 28.2%, respectively. It is also found that organic fertiliser use can be increased by 31.1% when farmers participate in contract farming. Thus, we conclude that contract farming promotes environmentally sustainable production and could potentially protect the environment from the abuse of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural production. While contract farming tends to increase the total cost of rice production, the benefits of increasing the sale price and farmers’ gross and net incomes from contract farming serve as the main channels underlying the positive effect of contract farming on environmentally sustainable production.

Land Use Optimization in a Resource-Exhausted City Based on Simulation of the F-E-W Nexus

Limited land resources are used to meet the growing economic, social, and ecological needs of people in China. Food, energy, and water (F-E-W) are the basic resources for supporting human survival and the transformation of different land uses. This paper tries to construct a theoretical framework of land use and the F-E-W nexus and uses system dynamics to simulate the optimal allocation of land use in Shizuishan City, China, by comparing different scenarios that have different parameters related to F-E-W. The final results follow: (1) according to the relationship between land use and the F-E-W nexus, a three-layer nested theoretical framework is constructed. (2) Future land use under different scenarios differs. Under the scenarios of a less dependence on coal energy, a higher utilization efficiency of energy and agricultural water resources, and a lower grain self-sufficiency rate, there are less crop and urban lands but more ecological land. However, generally speaking, crop and rural construction lands tend to decrease, while urban and ecological lands tend to increase. (3) Combined with different objectives, the rapid transformation scenario is considered a better option in which to achieve a balance among the economy, society, and ecology. This paper also discusses the application of land use optimization in the delineation of three control lines in territory-space planning in China.

Assessing economic, social and environmental impacts on housing prices in Hong Kong: a time-series study of 2006, 2011 and 2016.

Given Hong Kong’s unique high-density urban environment and limited land resources, more and more general public has been concerned about the living quality. Based on three waves of census data (2006, 2011 and 2016), combined with our spatial–temporal urban environmental database consisting of three local datasets of urban climate and air quality, this paper assesses the impacts of social, economic and environmental factors on the logarithm of housing prices in Hong Kong through linear regression analysis. Specifically, both supply- and demand-side economic factors have significant impacts on housing prices. Demographic factors are not as significant as expected in affecting housing prices. Transportation factors have more significant effects in the short run than in the long run. Environmental factors, including the number of hot night hours, Annual Air Quality Index (AAQI) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates with particle sizes less than 10 microns (PM10), significantly affect housing prices over time. The results have important implications: current policy instruments to prevent housing price escalation are focused on increasing property tax or land supply (economic factors), while little attention is paid to social or environmental factors, which are geographically heterogeneous. Our findings suggest that housing provision in the New Territories may be a feasible solution to alleviate the housing crisis as its demographic pattern, transportation connectivity and air quality are significantly different from Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Peninsula. In regard to urban environmental problems brought by the high-density development in Hong Kong despite land-use saving, intensified urban infrastructure and promotion of public transportation, our study contributes to the understanding of its housing price dynamics from a more holistic perspective by comparing the impacts of economic, social and environmental factors.

Selection of suitable parking lot sites in megacities: A case study for four districts of Istanbul

Parking is one of the biggest challenges faced by megacities experiencing rapid growth. With more than 15 million population and approximately 3 million passenger cars, Istanbul is a megacity having a considerable parking problem. Sustainable planning of the parking lots in the city requires smarter spatial decision making approaches to use limited land resources efficiently. In order to determine the optimum locations for parking supply in the case of four districts of Istanbul, a GIS-based fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach is employed. In this context, the relevant criteria are identified and collected under three main categories: (1) land use, (2) finance and (3) transportation. Raster grid layers are created in GIS for those criteria through spatial data processing and analysis techniques. Those layers are then combined after being weighted with the fuzzy AHP approach. Thus, the scores of all grid cells in the study area are obtained and then transferred to the land parcels to rank them by their suitability. Besides, the parcels are also evaluated with respect to shape and area. Finally, those assigned to the highest ranking category as well as having proper shape and area are recognized as the feasible parcels for parking lot generation and prioritized according to those factors. The findings showed that the GIS-based fuzzy AHP approach applied in this study enabled multi-criteria investigation of each location (i.e. grid cell) in the study area based on highly detailed spatial data and could therefore be used to determine the feasible parcels for parking lot generation. Among the main criteria, transportation had the greatest weight while finance had the least weight. According to the case study, the need for parking and the number of feasible parcels are greater in Uskudar than the other three districts.

Assessment of the regional agricultural water-land Nexus in China: A green-blue water perspective

An appropriate agricultural water-land nexus can help to effectively take advantage of limited water and land resources, which is of great significance for guaranteeing food security. An R index was proposed to evaluate the regional agricultural water-land nexus from a green-blue water perspective in the current paper. The effects of irrigation on the agricultural water-land nexus were revealed for the first time based on this index in evaluations of all (Rt) and irrigated (Ri) arable land in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (PAMs) of China during 1999–2018. The national annual average values of Rt and Ri were 1.94 and 3.55 m3/m2, respectively; the former was steady during the observed period, while the latter showed a significant decreasing trend (P < 0.01) from 4.35 m3/m2 in 1999 to 2.66 m3/m2 in 2018. The values of both Rt and Ri values in South China were higher than those in North China. The maximum values of Rt and Ri appeared in Xizang (Rt = 99.15 m3/m2; Ri = 201.99 m3/m2), while the minimum values occurred in Ningxia (Rt = 0.30 m3/m2; Ri = 0.44 m3/m2). The Gini coefficient for Ri (Gi) in each year was higher than that for Rt (Gt), demonstrating that the agricultural water-land nexus in irrigated arable land was highly imbalanced during the last two decades. From the perspective of the equitable distribution of irrigation water, irrigation facilities should be developed in the Southeast and Southwest PAMs to improve the effective irrigation rate. In addition, the government should simultaneously implement water transfer plans to reduce the agricultural water pressure in the PAMs in the North China Plain and Northeast China.

HYDROPONICS SYSTEM AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOIL FARMING OF WATERMELON IN NIGERIA

Watermelon is an important vegetable consumed worldwide. It is mostly grown in a sandy loam soil with a pH value ranging from 6.5 to 7.5. However, due to the constraints in land accessibility coupled to the farmers-herders clashes for limited land resources in Nigeria, it is important to shift the focus from land extensification to intensification farming. This study therefore compares the potential of hydroponics system of cultivating watermelon relative to conventional soil farming system. Three varieties of water melon (Diamond black, Crimson sweet and Travelers watermelon varieties) were planted in 2 substrate conditions (soil and cocopeat) 4 kg each. It was a 3x2 factorial experiment arranged in a completely randomized design with 3 replicates. Data were collected on the agronomic and yield parameters, and analysed using ANOVA, and means were separated using LSD at 5% level of significance. Results obtained showed varied agronomic performances among the genotypes, while the Crimson sweet watermelon produced significantly heavier fruit size (5.38±0.34) compared to the rest genotype. However, the highest number of fruits (2.33±0.22) was obtained in the soil, but the substrate type was insignificant in the average fruit weight. Hence, the hydroponics system is recommended as a complementary alternative to soil farming.