Long-term Agricultural Development Research Articles

Physiological and molecular insights into the allelopathic effects on agroecosystems under changing environmental conditions.

Allelopathy is a natural phenomenon of competing and interfering with other plants or microbial growth by synthesizing and releasing the bioactive compounds of plant or microbial origin known as allelochemicals. This is a sub-discipline of chemical ecology concerned with the effects of bioactive compounds produced by plants or microorganisms on the growth, development and distribution of other plants and microorganisms in natural communities or agricultural systems. Allelochemicals have a direct or indirect harmful effect on one plant by others, especially on the development, survivability, growth, and reproduction of species through the production of chemical inhibitors released into the environment. Cultivation systems that take advantage of allelopathic plants' stimulatory/inhibitory effects on plant growth and development while avoiding allelopathic autotoxicity is critical for long-term agricultural development. Allelopathy is one element that defines plant relationships and is involved in weed management, crop protection, and microbial contact. Besides, the allelopathic phenomenon has also been reported in the forest ecosystem; however, its presence depends on the forest type and the surrounding environment. In the present article, major aspects addressed are (1) literature review on the impacts of allelopathy in agroecosystems and underpinning the research gaps, (2) chemical, physiological, and ecological mechanisms of allelopathy, (3) genetic manipulations, plant defense, economic benefits, fate, prospects and challenges of allelopathy. The literature search and consolidation efforts in this article shall pave the way for future research on the potential application of allelopathic interactions across various ecosystems.

Агропромышленный комплекс России и Волгоградской области: особенности импортозамещения в условиях санкционного давления

The priority areas of import substitution in the agro-industrial complex and their prospects in the conditions of sanctions pressure, acting as a strategic factor in the development of the Russian economy, require extraordinary decisions from it. The purpose of this article is to consider the features of the implementation of import substitution in the agro-industrial complex in the country and the Volgograd region. The modern realities of economic development under sanctions are actively restructuring the activities of agricultural enterprises to comply with new rules. The current situation in the country is considered by representatives of agribusiness and the state not as a period of crisis, but, on the contrary, as a prospect for increasing their capabilities: the range of their own products is expanding, new customers are being attracted, the domestic market is aimed at providing high-quality goods of domestic production. In recent years, there has been an increase in production capacity in the agro-industrial complex; the results of the import substitution process are characterized by positive dynamics. Thus, the production complex for drying vegetables in the Volgograd region is a successful example of the implementation of the import substitution policy and proves the region’s potential in this area. The region has sufficient resources for long-term agricultural development. Timely measures taken to support the industry stabilized the situation in conditions of geopolitical tension, which allows us to assert the status of the region as one of the flagships of the Russian agro-industrial complex. The significant scale of involvement of the Russian economy in the global world does not allow the country to completely avoid import substitution. There is no urgent need and possibility of producing all goods; The question is raised about creating our own technologies, goods and services, which are critically important for the country and could become competitive. Therefore, in the near future, it is necessary to strengthen the role of the state from the position of searching for new high-quality partners, adopting appropriate legislative innovations that ensure sovereignty in this area, and increasing the financial component of support for farmers.

Agricultural total factor productivity, digital economy and agricultural high-quality development.

The long-term and stable development of agriculture is the key to China's economic development and social stability. Agricultural total factor productivity and the digital economy have become new kinetic energy and new engines driving agricultural high-quality development. It is of great significance to verify whether there are significant spatial and threshold effects in the process of high-quality development of agriculture and to explore the intrinsic relationship between high-quality development of agriculture and agricultural total factor productivity and digital economy. This paper takes 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 as the research object. The coefficient of variation method is used to estimate the comprehensive evaluation index of agricultural high-quality development and digital economy. And Dea-Malmquist index method is used to estimate agricultural total factor productivity. On this basis, the spatial Durbin model and threshold regression model are constructed to explore the spatial and threshold effects of agricultural total factor productivity, digital economy and other factors and high-quality agricultural development. The conclusion is as follows: the high-quality development of agriculture has significant spatial autocorrelation. Agricultural total factor productivity and digital economy have significant direct effect and indirect spillover effect on the high-quality development of agriculture. Agricultural total factor productivity has stage differences in each range of digital economy level, but its influence on agricultural high-quality development shows a positive state. Based on this, the paper puts forward some countermeasures to promote the high-quality development of agriculture.

Reflection on the Implementation of the Third National Soil Census

This year is the first year for the comprehensive implementation of the third national census work. More than half of the counties and cities in the country will carry out census work, and the census work is facing severe challenges of "more or less, one higher and one lower". In order to complete the census task with high quality and level, technology should be taken as the support, and the soil census work should be planned and designed in a coordinated manner. Key tasks such as sample verification, field survey and sampling, indoor testing and analysis, data review, and result summary should be completed, and the entire process quality control should be strengthened. The summary of basic and application results should be done well to ensure that the results of this census serve the long-term development of agriculture and rural economy with high quality in the future.

Computer aided detection of leaf disease in agriculture using convolution neural network based squeeze and excitation network

ABSTRACT The support rendered by artificial intelligence in plant disease diagnosis and with drastic progression in the agricultural technology, it is necessary to do pertinent research for the cause of long-term agricultural development. Numerous diseases like early and late blight have a significant influence on the quality and quantity of potatoes. Manual interpretation turns out to be a time-consuming process in sorting out leaf diseases. In order to classify various diseases like fungal, viral and bacterial infections in the potato leaf, an enhanced Convolution Neural Network based on VGG16 is used for potato leaf disease classification. Improved Median filter is also used which eradicates the noise to a greater extent. The convolution layers of VGG16 along with the Inception and the SE block are used in this research for classification. The global average pooling layer is used to reduce model training parameters, layer and Squeeze and Excitation Network attention mechanism is used to improve the model’s ability to extract features. The approximate calculations can be done by using soft computing. Compared with other traditional convolutional neural networks, the proposed model achieved the highest classification accuracy of 99.3%

Input subsidies, public investments and agricultural productivity in India

The fund allocation in agricultural sector in India is heavily tilted toward input subsidies provision; however, researchers seem to favor investment expenditure instead. The present paper seeks to compare the usefulness of input subsidies as compared to investment with regard to agricultural productivity so that policy makers hit the right tool and avoid less productive state expenditure. We investigated a total of four regression models using autoregressive and distributed lag cointegration in a time series framework covering period from 1983 to 2019. The first model considers all input subsidies in aggregate form, and the rest three models take input subsidies in disaggregate forms, namely fertilizer subsidy, irrigation subsidy and power subsidy, respectively. It is observed from the results that input subsidies still contribute more than what public investment does to agricultural productivity. It is also found that power subsidy is the most effective component of input subsidies followed by fertilizer subsidy. Hence, government expenditure on input subsidies is justified on the ground that it ensures all farmers to have access to affordable agricultural inputs. Targeted subsidies combined with adequate investment in agricultural infrastructure could deliver long-term agricultural development in India.

Strong seasonality in diets and alarming levels of food insecurity and child malnutrition in south-eastern Madagascar

Rural areas of Madagascar face a tense food and nutrition security situation. The country reports some of the highest rates of undernourishment and malnutrition worldwide. Evidence is scant, however, about how the rural people’s diets vary over the course of the agricultural year, and how different household types deal with fluctuating food availability. This lack of detailed understanding of the food and nutrition security situation across time and social strata currently limits development stakeholders’ ability to tailor interventions to local needs. Using randomly sampled survey data from Farafangana District in south-eastern Madagascar, this study analyzes rural households’ diets across three time points within one year (minor lean period, major lean period, main post-harvest period). In addition, anthropometric data on children aged 6–59 months were collected during the major lean period to determine levels of chronic and acute child malnutrition. Overall, food insecurity stood at high levels at all times, but with substantial variation across the year. Shortly before the main rice harvest, the prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity was 78%, twice as high as shortly after harvest. With 57% of children stunted and a 17% prevalence of wasting, the observed levels of chronic and acute child malnutrition exceed levels reported previously. By studying what households eat and how they source it (own production vs. purchases), we found distinct patterns of food acquisition between the three periods. Diminishing food security is reflected by substituting rice by cassava, unripe jackfruit (minor lean period), and local tuber tavolo (major lean period), as well as by lower diversity of side dishes. Our results underline the need for long-term agricultural development strategies that contribute to greater household food self-sufficiency especially during the lean periods. But the alarming level of acute child malnutrition also calls for more immediate humanitarian aid and public health interventions.

Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism Benefit Analysis on Eco-Environmental Resource Use

In recent years, particularly, the expansion of tourism has become more and more prosperous, and along with it, the impact on the natural environment has become greater and greater. As a result of the continuous development of the economy, human activity is having a greater impact on the natural environment and agricultural depth. The desire to feel more connected to nature and life is leading an increasing number of people to relocate to more rural areas. Because of this, the management and preparation of rural tourism destinations are of utmost significance. This paper presents a study on the analysis of the benefits of the use of ecological and environmental resources driven by the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism. The study was carried out by the Environmental Economics and Policy Group (EEPG). The primary purpose of this study is to conduct an analysis of the benefits of agroecological environment and resource use in Jilin Province in accordance with the evaluation system of resource and environmental benefits of leisure agriculture. This evaluation will be combined with an analysis of the current situation of resource use and will be based on the principle of net social benefits of resource and environmental supply. The results of the experiments show that the coupling degree of the agricultural economic system in Jilin Province from 2015 to 2021 is greater than 0.9, which places it in the category of high-quality coupling (0.9 ≤ C ≤ 1). The degree of synergy ranges from 0.54608 to 0.78358 and exhibits an upward trend, but it remains in the medium synergy stage (0.50 ≤ D ≤ 8). This paper carries out relevant research on ecological and environmental resource use, which is of great practical significance in promoting the rational use of leisure agricultural resources, and, ultimately, the long-term sustainable development of leisure agriculture. In addition, the paper presents an analysis of the benefits of ecological and environmental resource use promoted by the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism.

Spatial variability and hotspot prediction of heavy metal pollution in soil-rice system: based on a new geostatistical method

ABSTRACT The goal of this research was to better understand the spatial characteristics and hot areas of heavy metal concentrations in the soil-rice system, which was critical for implementing heavy metal pollution prevention and control strategies. The amounts of heavy metals in soil-rice were determined using high-precision testing methods such as XRF, ICP-MS, and AFS based on the systematic collection of 285 pairs of soil-rice samples from Wanjiang Economic Zone, China. The Getis-Ord index, Kriging method, and geostatistical method were used to reveal the spatial distribution of heavy metal contamination hot spots in the soil-rice system. The results revealed that the average concentration of heavy metals in soil was Zn>Cr>Cu>Pb>Ni>As>Cd>Hg, whereas it was Zn>Cu>Ni>Cr>Cd>As>Pb>Hg in rice. The average concentrations of heavy metals in the soil were all well below the maximum allowable limit, except for Cd, which was slightly above the allowable limit. Only Cd and Ni concentrations in rice exceeded the maximum permitted limits. In soil, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Zn pollution hotspots were mostly found in the southeast, while Cr and Ni were mostly found in the northeast. An intriguing discovery was that there was a weak relationship between heavy metal concentrations in soil and rice and the spatial pattern of their distribution. The study’s findings offer a scientific foundation for establishing a long-term agricultural development strategy for the soil-rice system in the Wanjiang Economic Zone.

Cocaine: From Coca Fields to the Streets ed. by Enrique Desmond Arias, and Thomas Grisaffi

Reviewed by: Cocaine: From Coca Fields to the Streets ed. by Enrique Desmond Arias, and Thomas Grisaffi Jane Rausch, Emerita Arias, Enrique Desmond, and Thomas Grisaffi, eds. Cocaine: From Coca Fields to the Streets. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2021. Bookended by editor Enrique Desmond Arias's introduction and conclusion, this volume is a collection of eleven essays written by scholars who participated in a series of panels at a Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress in 2016 to discuss the effects of drug trafficking in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia, and Brazil. Setting their observations within the framework of moral economy, these researchers acknowledge the effect of global drug markets on the nations they examined, and they show how [End Page 225] drug trafficking has developed via a complex process of self-regulation in the shadow of a state power that formally seeks to destroy it. They review the interconnection between sites along cocaine's global supply chain; the implications of those interconnections for social, political, and economic experiences in places affected by the trade; and, conversely, how those interconnections affect the cocaine trade (3). Taken collectively, these essays demonstrate that entire ways of life are built around cocaine commodification and show how state authority is coupled with the self-regulating practices of drug producers, traffickers, and dealers. Their authors also suggest more progressive policies that acknowledge the important role drugs play in the lives of individuals at the urban and rural margins. Since the essays are all high quality, a brief comparison of just two of them will provide an idea of their collective value. In her article, "Drug Crops, Twisted Motorcycles, and Cultural Loss in Indigenous Colombia," Autumn Zellers-Leon notes that Colombian Law 30 of 1986 allows indigenous people to grow up to thirty coca plants for local traditional use and exchange, yet these farmers are also active participants in the illegal drug trade that began in the 1970s. Although the drugs they produce make up a crucial part of the drug commodity chain, they receive only 2 percent of the profits. Nevertheless, Zellers-Leon notes that rather than disrupt the traditional economy, the drug trade has promoted development of a cash-based economy in rural areas that has helped indigenous families meet their basic needs. One of the most basic changes has been the abandonment of horse-drawn vehicles for motorcycles. Drug gangs introduced these probably stolen motorcycles and then dumped them in remote places such as rural Cauca. Their presence promoted road building and the expansion of municipal town centers, but they also contributed to the breakdown of traditional community values. In this one example, indigenous families' increasing dependence on global commodities challenges their identity models rooted in past lifeways. In fact, many of Cauca's indigenous communities could not sustain themselves today without the availability of motorcycles for transport. Thus, in this way, the drug trade has helped to mitigate the effects of class inequalities in rural indigenous regions. Zeilers-Leon concludes that to resolve the situation, the state must prioritize the needs of indigenous farmers in both long-term agricultural development projects and policies that favor indigenous agricultural goods (114). [End Page 226] By contrast, Taniele Rui's essay compares drug consumption between 1990 and 2017 in two of Brazil's largest cities—São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Her case studies reveal that the illegal drug trade produces and regulates user scenes in both cities, but in different ways. In São Paulo, a single criminal faction manages conflicts that the trade generates, and illicit markets are not necessarily violent. Drug users concentrate in the downtown area, and the government's repressive efforts to repress drug use have not only increased the number of crack users in prison but also strengthen the criminal organization by providing new recruits. In Rio de Janeiro, state policies have displaced drug users to different parts of the city. This strategy has encouraged activities by illegally armed actors in the favelas and hides the problem from the view of tourists who do not see the consumption sites. Rui concludes that since the crack trade is not the same everywhere in Brazil and does...

A Retrospective Analysis of National-Scale Agricultural Development in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2021

Agricultural intensification has resulted in the depletion of groundwater resources in many regions of the world. A prime example is Saudi Arabia, which witnessed dramatic agricultural expansion since the 1970s. To explore the influence of policy interventions aimed to better manage water resources, accurate information on the changes in the number and acreage of center-pivot fields is required. To quantify these metrics, we apply a hybrid machine learning framework, consisting of Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise, Convolutional Neural Networks, and Spectral Clustering, to the annual maximum Normalized Differential Vegetation Index maps obtained from Landsat imagery collected between 1990 to 2021. When evaluated against more than 28,000 manually delineated fields, the approach demonstrated producer’s accuracies ranging from 83.7% to 94.8% and user’s accuracies ranging from 90.2% to 97.9%. The coefficient of determination (R2) between framework-delineated and manually delineated fields was higher than 0.97. Nationally, we found that most fields pre-dated 1990 (covering 8841 km2 in that year) and were primarily located within the central regions covering Hail, Qassim, Riyadh, and Wadi ad-Dawasir. A small decreasing trend in field acreage was observed for the period 1990–2010. However, by 2015, the acreage had increased to approximately 33,000 fields covering 9310 km2. While a maximum extent was achieved in 2016, recent decreases have seen levels return to pre-1990 levels. The gradual decrease between 1990 to 2010 was related to policy initiatives designed to phase-out wheat, while increases between 2010 to 2015 were linked to fodder crop expansion. There is evidence of an agricultural uptick starting in 2021, which is likely in response to global influences such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the conflict in Ukraine. Overall, this work offers the first detailed assessment of long-term agricultural development in Saudi Arabia, and provides important insights related to production metrics such as crop types, crop water consumption, and crop phenology and the overarching impacts of agricultural policy interventions.

Evolution of wound-activated regeneration pathways in the plant kingdom

Regeneration serves as a self-protective mechanism that allows a tissue or organ to recover its entire form and function after suffering damage. However, the regenerative capacity varies greatly within the plant kingdom. Primitive plants frequently display an amazing regenerative ability as they have developed a complex system and strategy for long-term survival under extreme stress conditions. The regenerative ability of dicot species is highly variable, but that of monocots often exhibits extreme recalcitrance to tissue replenishment. Recent studies have revealed key factors and signals that affect cell fate during plant regeneration, some of which are conserved among the plant lineage. Among these, several members of the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) transcription factors have been implicated in wound signaling, playing crucial roles in the regenerative mechanisms after different types of wounding. An understanding of plant regeneration may ultimately lead to an increased regenerative potential of recalcitrant species, producing more high-yielding, multi-resistant and environmentally friendly crops and ensuring the long-term development of global agriculture.

Water quality and interaction between groundwater and surface water impacted by agricultural activities in an oasis-desert region

A comprehensive understanding of groundwater dynamics and its interaction with surface water under the influence of agricultural activities is essential for local agriculture, ecology and resident in arid regions, which is poorly understood in arid oasis-desert region. In our study, with emphasis on a comparison of hydrogeochemical characteristics between the oasis (irrigated) and desert (non-irrigated) areas, the water quality and groundwater-surface water interaction of a typical oasis-desert system with a rapid irrigation agriculture development were examined to clarify the effects of agricultural activities on groundwater level and quality using stable isotopic and hydrochemical data of 83 water samples. Results showed that cultivated land area increased by 121.8 % (732.4 km2) during 2000 to 2020, mainly transferring from grassland and bare land. Groundwater EC ranged from 786 to 49,400 μS/cm, with weakly alkaline. Shallow groundwater had a much higher EC than other water components. Stable isotopic and EC values of shallow groundwater in the non-irrigation areas were much greater than those in the irrigation areas, whereas middle groundwater isotopic values were more depleted in the desert than in the oasis. Shallow groundwater EC value was lower in summer, middle groundwater had higher EC in summer. Streamflow and confined water in the study area are suitable for agricultural irrigation, but phreatic water in the oasis is generally not suitable for irrigation at present. The groundwater chemistry was mainly controlled by strong evaporation, dilution, mixing, water-rock interaction and agricultural drainage. Groundwater in the irrigation areas was recharged by ephemeral runoff seepage, irrigation return flow and subsurface lateral inflow. Long-term development of irrigation agriculture (large-scale land reclamation, irrigation and groundwater pumping) in arid region has caused groundwater level decline and salinization, with a strong interaction between phreatic water and surface water. Hence, decreasing irrigation area and groundwater exploitation, carrying out gradual ecological restoration, improving water-saving efficiency and agricultural drainage system would be the viable method to restore groundwater and maintain the oasis-desert ecosystem coexistence in arid regions in the context of climate change.

The Environmental and Climatic CAP Measures in Poland vs. Farmers’ Expectations—Regional Analysis

The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union remains at the top tier of the union’s legacies with the aim of bequeathing a sustainable future for all. Series of actions geared towards reforming the environmental and climate goals of the CAP are constantly being taken. The objective of this paper is to verify if the environmental and climatic CAP measures proposed in Poland’s Strategic Development Plan for Agriculture, for the years 2023–2027, reflect farmers’ preferences regarding the structure of the CAP support. To achieve this goal, we model a hypothetical strategic game involving farmers from different regions. The outcomes of the game were derived from the ex-post analysis of EU funds, in the application for environmental and climatic CAP measures, in addition to the results of simulations of the partial equilibrium model for the agricultural sector (CAPRI). It was found out that farmers from regions with disadvantaged agrarian structures would find it more difficult to cope with new eco-schemes due to the fact that good agricultural practices are rather low in such regions. For the long-term development of Polish agriculture, the agrarian structures need to be improved, as this affects the emission of greenhouse gases. The varying preferences of farmers from different Polish regions in implementing eco-schemes can be balanced by increasing redistributive payments.

LASAM Model: An Important Tool in the Decision Support System for Policymakers and Farmers

Today’s global food system (including production, transportation, processing, packing, storage, retail sale, consumption, losses and waste) provides income to more than a billion people all over the world and makes up a significant part of many countries’ economies. The 21st century’s food systems that bring food from “farm to fork” face various challenges, including a shortage of agricultural land and water, competition with the energy industry, changes in consumption preferences, a rising global population, negative effects of climate change, etc. Therefore, many countries are working on creating various models to function as an important decision support system tool for policymakers, farmers and other stakeholders. Various agricultural sector models see particularly extensive use in the European Union (EU), determining the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and helping to create future development scenarios. This is why a special model adapted to the national conditions, called LASAM (Latvian Agricultural Sector Analysis Model), was created in Latvia, making it possible to use historical data on the development of agricultural sectors, medium-term price projections for agricultural products in the EU, changes in support policy, as well as the necessity for the resources used to project the long-term (up to 2050) development of agriculture. The LASAM model covers the crop sector, the animal sector and the overall socioeconomic development, as well as the growth of organic farming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper discusses the main objectives achieved in developing a decision support tool and presenting the research results: LASAM was used to prepare projections of the possible development of Latvia’s principal sectors of agriculture until 2050, considering the necessity to reduce GHG emissions, made available through the LASAM web application. Given that the projection data obtained by LASAM are public, they can be used (1) for national policy making in rural business development, which affects the development of the economy as a whole; and (2) internationally, to compare the projections made in Latvia with those obtained through various agricultural sector models and projected development trends.

Double pot technique for assessing deficiencies of potassium and sulfur on peanut (Arachis hypogaea) production in the sands of South-Central coastal Vietnam

The modified double pot technique could rapidly assess nutrient limitations for plant growth in the soil. This technology could be utilized in Vietnam and other parts of Asia to conduct systematic soil screenings in order to predict nutrient deficits and manage nutrients appropriately for long-term agricultural development. The double-pot experiments with peanut as a test plant were conducted in the spring season of 2019 in Thua Thien Hue province, Central Vietnam to identify limiting nutrients for peanut growth on different sandy soils. Two experiments with twelve treatments per site, including three factors (2 sandy soil types, 2 soil layers, and 3 nutrient solutions), were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results showed that peanut plant dry matter and shoot nutrient concentration responses in the double-pot experiment had the lowest values of K nutrient omission in all studied sandy soil types (1.7–2.5 g/plant and plant K< 0.16%; plant S<0.02%). By this technique, the nutrient-limiting nutrients in the peanut sandy soils were identified as K>S. Further research is needed to develop integrated nutrient management approaches to overcome these deficiencies and also minimise the cost of inputs.

Primary Agriculture Credit Societies' Economic Impact on GrossState Domestic Product for Long-Term Agricultural Development

Primary Agriculture Credit Societies' Economic Impact on GrossState Domestic Product for Long-Term Agricultural Development

Study on the quality improvement on black land in Northeast China under the environment of sustainable agricultural development

PurposeThe authors are committed to providing the Chinese government with a foundation for making decisions that will protect black land and ensure long-term agricultural development.Design/methodology/approachUsing the grounded theory approach, this study investigates the influencing factors affecting the quality of black land in Northeast China and proposes a hypothetical model for the mechanism of the influencing factors on the quality of black land in Northeast China.FindingsThe factors influencing the quality of black land include not only soil quality, ecological quality and environmental quality, but also economic quality and management quality, and can be classified into five categories. There are complex influence relationships between various factors and black land quality, with soil quality, ecological quality, environmental quality and management quality having a positive influence on economic quality. Soil quality, ecological quality and environmental quality are all improved as a result of good management. Black land quality is influenced positively by environmental quality, economic quality and management quality.Research limitations/implicationsThe quality of black land is a major concern in terms of food production and long-term agricultural development. The black land in Northeast China was chosen as the subject of this study, and the research findings have some limitations. The next step will be to expand from studying the black land in Northeast China to the black land worldwide.Originality/valueIn Northeast China, the quality of the five dimensions of black land must be improved in a coordinated and consistent manner.

Long-Term Development of Urban Agriculture: Resilience and Sustainability of Farmers Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in Japan

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has forced global food systems to face unprecedented uncertain shocks even in terms of human health. Urban agriculture is expected to be more resilient because of its short supply chain for urban people and diversified farming activities. However, the short-and long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban farms remain unclear. This study aims to reveal the conditions for farm resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the relationship between short-term farm resilience and long-term farm development using data from a survey of 74 farms located in Tokyo. The results are as follows. First, more than half of the sample farms increased their farm sales during this period. This resilience can be called the “persistence” approach. Second, short-term farm resilience and other sustainable farm activities contributed to improving farmers’ intentions for long-term farm development and farmland preservation. Third, the most important resilience attributes were the direct marketing, entrepreneurship, and social networks of farmers. We discussed the necessity of building farmers’ transformative capabilities for a more resilient urban farming system. These results imply that support to enhance the short-term resilience of urban farms is worth more than the short-term profit of the farms.

Abiotic Stress Tolerance-Progress and Pathways of Sustainable Rice Production

Rice is globally a major food crop and its production has progressively been affected by various types of abiotic stresses especially drought, flooding, salinity, heat and cold in most of the cultivable rice ecosystems. The incidence, intensity and duration of these stresses are anticipated to aggravate due to climate change consequences, demanding resilient yields in these situations to be essential. Present paper deals with reviewing various types of abiotic stresses and their mitigation strategies for enhancing and stabilizing rice production in stress prone areas. Review of available literature pertaining to the study area has been used as research methodology for this paper. The available literature suggests that stress-tolerant varieties can serve as the most viable strategy to contribute in coping with the problem of abiotic stresses. Although, good progress has been made in the development of stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) and incessant efforts are being made to spread these varieties in target areas, adoption by farmers is yet to meet expectations. Advantage, affordability, awareness and availability are the main factors responsible for adopting of any technology. The adoption of stress-tolerant varieties has not reached its potential, predominantly due to the lack of awareness and non-availability of seeds amongst farmers. Strategic and intentional collaborations should be ensured for scaling the sustainable delivery and diffusion of STRVs. A promotional roadmap that ensures the linkages between private and public seed sectors remains the key factor for its successful adoption. Similarly, strengthening of formal, informal and semi-formal seed systems is crucial to accelerate the dissemination of these varieties. There is an imperative need to create strategic plans for the development of varieties possessing multiple stress tolerance. Significant investments for sustainability of rice production in stress prone areas form the essential component of long-term agricultural development. The sooner these investments and strategies are accomplished, the greater the gains are expected.