Farmland Management Research Articles

Watershed farmland area and instream water quality co-determine the stream primary producer in the central Hengduan Mountains, southwestern China

As the main primary producer in stream ecosystems, periphyton is the fundamental of stream ecosystems and plays an essential role in maintaining stream biodiversity. The central Hengduan Mountains is one of the famous global biodiversity hotspots. However, for stream biodiversity conservations, the fundamental information about the spatial pattern of stream periphyton and the determining factors in this region remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, we investigated the spatial pattern of periphyton biomass (measured by chlorophyll a) in four typical streams in the central Hengduan Mountains and analyzed the driving factors, with the perspective of watershed land use and instream water quality. The results of our study found that farmland area, instream dissolved silicate (DSi), and water temperature (WT) had significant negative relationships with the stream periphyton biomass in the central Hengduan Mountains. However, the dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) had non-significant effects on the periphyton biomass in our study. Further analysis showed that the correlation between the ratio of farmland in the catchment and the DSi is non-significant (r = 0.028, P = 0.698), suggesting that the changes in farmland area will not affect the concentration of dissolved silicate in the stream. This reveals that the stream periphyton biomass was co-determined by the watershed farmland area and instream DSi and WT, but not nitrogen or phosphorus. These results highlight the importance of farmland management and instream DSi for stream ecosystems in the central Hengduan Mountains. Our study investigated the spatial pattern of the stream primary producer in the central Hengduan Mountains region and identified the main determining factors, which could improve our understanding of the high mountain stream ecosystems.

Bumblebee colony density on farmland is influenced by late‐summer nectar supply and garden cover

Abstract Floral resources are important in limiting pollinator populations, but they are often highly variable across time and space and the effect of this variation on pollinator population dynamics is not well understood. The phenology (timing) of floral resources is thought to be important in structuring pollinator populations, but few studies have directly investigated this. Our study quantifies the landscape composition, seasonal nectar and pollen supply and Bombus terrestris colony density of 12 farms in southwest UK to investigate how landscape composition influences the phenology of floral resources and how both these factors affect colony density. We use this information in a spatially explicit predictive model to estimate the effect of different farmland management scenarios on seasonal resource supplies and colony density. We find that farmland nectar supply during September is a strong predictor of B. terrestris colony density in the following year, explaining over half of all the variation in colony density; no other period of resource availability showed a significant association. Semi‐natural habitat cover was not a good proxy for nectar or pollen supply and showed no significant association with colony density. However, the proportional cover of gardens in the landscape was significantly associated with colony density. The predictive model results suggest that increasing the area of semi‐natural flowering habitat has limited effect on bumblebee populations. However, improving the quality of these habitats through Environmental Stewardship and other management options is predicted to reduce the late‐summer resource bottleneck and increase colony density. Synthesis and Applications. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering the phenology of resources, rather than just total resource availability, when designing measures to support pollinators. Late summer appears to be a resource bottleneck for bumblebees in UK farmland, and consequently management strategies which increase late‐summer nectar availability may be the most effective. These include mowing regimes to delay flowering of field margins until September, planting late‐flowering cover crops such as red clover and supporting late‐flowering wild plant species such as Hedera helix. Our results also suggest that rural gardens may play an important role in supporting farmland bumblebee populations.

Farmland landscape fragmentation evolution and its driving mechanism from rural to urban: A case study of Changzhou City

China's farmland landscape fragmentation follows a distinct evolutionary tendency along the spatial gradient “central urban areas → urban–rural transitional areas → rural areas”, because of its binary structure comprising urban and rural areas. This study explores the evolution of this spatiotemporal trend and its dynamic mechanisms in the case of Changzhou City. A landscape analysis model is constructed for farmland landscape fragmentation analysis at the pixel level, and a gradient analysis model is used for farmland landscape evolution analysis along the spatial gradient “urban → transitional → and rural areas”. During the study period, the net switching-in rates of edge patch farmland and discrete patch farmland were 4.58% and 3.63%, respectively, and farmland landscape tended to be somewhat structurally fragmented in the context of Changzhou's traditional agricultural environment. Nevertheless, contiguous farmland, dominated by core and edge farmland, still accounts for 82.53% of the total farmland area. Consequently, the farmland landscape remains relatively stable. In a non-farming environment, however, the net switching-out rate of core farmland reached 17.39%, and the total quantity of core farmland decreased significantly. Gradient analysis revealed that the core evolutionary driver for Changzhou's farmland landscape lies in policy factors relating to land utilisation and management, accounting for up to 79.7% and 60% of evolution in the farmland landscape within central urban areas and rural areas, respectively. Basic farmland preservation areas and spatial regulation of construction land positively affects farmland landscape fragmentation changes. Consequently, it is of great significance to formulate differentiated farmland management policies, and to place strict restrictions on the occupation of farmland resources for urban construction.

Conditions underlying agricultural land lease in Poland, in the context of the agency theory

Research into the land owner-lessee relationship is among the oldest and classic examples of analyses made by economists into agency relationships, the fact that has encouraged the author to carry out this empirical study among agricultural land lessees in Poland (227 agricultural producers who lease farmland). The objective was to gain the knowledge of how this form of land use and farmland management was perceived by lessees. The research results were enriched with an analysis of the data from public statistics and an overview of the most important legal acts creating the institutional framework for land use in the form of lease in Poland. The survey addressed to lessees of farmland from the Agricultural Property Stock of the State Treasury confirmed that there is information asymmetry between the principal (the National Support Centre for Agriculture) and the agent (the lessee), including the knowledge of such facts as the application of agronomic treatments on leased land or volumes of harvested yields.What makes the research subject more important is the specific character of farmland lease in Poland, that is a lack of a legal act dedicated strictly to this institution compounded by frequent changes in legal regulations indirectly governing land lease, which both affect the scope and popularity of this form of agricultural land use. The agricultural policy in Poland regarding the institution of lease is inconsistent. The question that needs to be resolved is whether this form of land use in agriculture will be supported and perpetuated, or whether it will be treated as a transient form of land use leading to complete ownership transformation.

Management of high nature value farmland in the Republic of Ireland: 25 years evolving toward locally adapted results-orientated solutions and payments

Moran, J., D. Byrne, J. Carlier, B. Dunford, J. A. Finn, D. Ó hUallacháin, and C. A. Sullivan. 2021. Management of high nature value farmland in the Republic of Ireland: 25 years evolving toward locally adapted results-orientated solutions and payments. Ecology and Society 26(1):20. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12180-260120

The Effects of Implementing Judgement as Non-Farmland in Area of Agricultural Land on the Maintenance and Management of Farmland

The Effects of Implementing Judgement as Non-Farmland in Area of Agricultural Land on the Maintenance and Management of Farmland

Modeling the relationship between the characteristics of agricultural holdings and the presence of organic farming

Organic farming is a fast growing market segment in the global food industry. Ecological and health benefits of organic farming are frequently emphasized. In addition, we have recently witnessed the promotion of its role in the development of rural areas by means of creating jobs and strengthening ties with local economies. This paper analyzes the relationship between the presence of organic farming and the main characteristics of agricultural holdings in the case of European Union countries. The objective is to identify factors which have a significant relationship with the organic farming sector and which can affect its future development. The results have shown that large farms are dominant in farm land management in the EU, which is related to the fact that there is a significant correlation between the availability of agricultural areas and the economic value of farms (r = 0.881**). There is a positive and significant correlation between the economic value of a holding and the number of livestock units on the farm (r = 0.940**), which indicates that animal husbandry has strong economic potential. When it comes to the relationships between the structural and economic indicators of agricultural holdings and the presence of organic farming, the results have shown that the number of organic producers is positively and significantly correlated with the available agricultural areas (r = 0.675**), and a strongly positively correlated with the economic value of farms (r = 0.810**). The areas under organic farming are also directly correlated with the utilized agricultural area (r = 0.836**), as well as with the number of livestock units (r = 0.793**), but they are slightly negatively correlated with livestock density (r = -0.211). Therefore, high livestock density can be a limiting factor for the further intensive growth of organic farming areas, considering the significant impact of animal husbandry on the environment.

Mapping Nitrogen from Satellite Data to Improve Soil Quality - A Worked Example

Soils are complex ecosystems. They play a key role in providing sustainable life on Earth, meeting the needs of humans and regulating several environmental processes. The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Goals include a commitment to the preservation of soil quality. However, the adopted indicators lack the measurement of a key nutrient: nitrogen. The aim of this paper is to call for the integration of two nitrogen indexes to measure soil quality and to present a worked example of geospatial technologies applied to nitrogen monitoring, aiding in farmland management and decision-making. Due to their inherent time/location precision, remote sensing data can provide insight in predicting the impact of agricultural practices and optimise their application.

Differences in the time budget of the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) in grasslands and arable fields at an important spring stopover site in central Europe

Changes in the management and productivity of farmland affect foraging behaviour in migrating birds. Crops are increasingly being damaged (and farmers are sustaining ever greater economic losses) as a result of large flocks of waterfowl feeding on them. To investigate the differences in the time budget shared between natural grasslands and arable lands, migrating Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) were filmed using digiscoping equipment at a spring stopover site. Four types of activity were noted in connection with habitat types, bird age, position in the flock and flock size. Foraging was the most common activity in both habitats, but was more common in the grasslands than on arable land. The mean times spent on vigilance, resting and other activities were also significantly different between the two habitat types. GLM analysis showed that young birds spent more time foraging than adults but revealed no differences in foraging times between the age categories in grasslands and arable land. In the latter, geese were more vigilant at the edge of a flock and rested more frequently in its centre. No such differences were found in the grasslands. Only resting time was adversely affected by flock size. These findings, which demonstrate that White-fronted Geese are flexible in their use of food resources, could be useful in agricultural management planning in the light of increasing conflicts with farmers.

Development of farmland management in the regions of uzbekistan: Problems and solutions

The authors consider a scientific approach to solving existing problems in the field of personal subsidiary plots, its history and modernity, as well as its phenomenon in the conditions of a market economy in Uzbekistan.The issue of land law has become relevant at all times. The scientific opinions of representatives of physiocratic education in the history of economic education are an obvious example of this, including F.In the concept of Jin, by "natural order" the scientist understands private ownership of land, which appears when the natural order speaks, and becomes more and more fortified. It supports the development of economic entities on a free and competitive basis, limiting state intervention in the economy.

Legislative realization regarding the particularity of lease contract of farmland management right in the era of Civil Code

Legislative realization regarding the particularity of lease contract of farmland management right in the era of Civil Code

Analysis on the Supply Willingness of Mortgage Loan of Farmland Management Right under the Government-Led Mode in China Western’s Region

Abstract In this paper, the Probit model was established based on the survey data of 105 loan officers in China’s Western Region, and the factors influencing the willingness of mortgage loan supply of farmland management rights under the government-led model were investigated from the perspective of financial supply. The research shows that farmers’ income, farmers’ policy awareness, farmland scale, loan experience, risk compensation system, legal perfection and policy stability have a positive impact on the willingness of loan officers to issue mortgage loans for farmland management rights. Factors such as farmers’ age and education level have a negative impact on the willingness to supply. In addition, by comparing the stability of the regression model before and after the addition of risk compensation system, legal perfection degree and policy stability degree, it is concluded that the policy variables have a great influence on the decision-making of financial institutions.

Development and Application of a Vehicle-Mounted Soil Texture Detector.

It is of great significance to obtain soil texture information quickly for the realization of farmland management. Soil with good particle condition can well regulate the needs of plants for water, nutrients, air, and temperature during crop growth, thereby promoting high crop yields. The existing methods of measuring soil texture cannot meet the requirements of time and spatial resolution. For this reason, a vehicle-mounted soil texture detector was designed and developed based on machine vision and soil electrical conductivity devices. The detector does not require pretreatment such as air-drying and screening of the soil, and completely uses the original information of the farmland. The whole process can obtain the soil texture information in real time, omitting the complicated chemical process, and saving manpower and material resources. The vehicle-mounted detector is divided into a mechanical part, a control part, and a display part. The mechanical part provides measurement support for the acquisition of soil texture information; the control part collects and processes signals and images; the measurement results can be intuitively observed and recorded on the display, and can be operated through the mobile phone. The vehicle-mounted detector obtains soil conductivity through 4 disc electrodes, while the vehicle-mounted industrial camera captures the soil surface image, and extracts texture parameters through image processing, takes EC and texture parameters as input, and the embedded SVM model of the instrument was used to perform soil texture prediction. In order to verify the measurement accuracy of the detector, farmland verification experiments were carried out on farmland loam in Tongzhou District and Haidian District of Beijing. The R2 of the correlation between the measured value of soil EC and the actual value was 0.75, and the accuracy of soil texture prediction was 84.86%. It shows that the developed vehicle-mounted soil texture detector can meet the requirements for rapid acquisition of farmland texture information.

Analysis of the spatial variations of determinants of agricultural production efficiency in China

The level of agricultural production efficiency (APE) affects farmers' livelihood decisions and the transformation and reconstruction of the rural territorial system. This paper constructs an evaluation index system of China's APE from the perspective of input–output. The spatial autocorrelation model and econometric model are used to calculate the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of China's APE in 1990 and 2017. The results show that China's APE level is relatively low, and there are significant spatial differences. The extremely high efficiency regions are distributed in the eastern plains of China; the regions with extremely low efficiency are mainly distributed in the southwest and the western regions of China. The results of the spatial correlation effect show that the H-H agglomeration regions of APE are usually distributed in the eastern coastal areas and northeastern areas, while the L-L agglomeration regions are mainly distributed in the central mountainous areas and the border areas of western Yunnan. From 1990 to 2017, the influencing factors of APE have gradually changed, and showing a more complex trend, mainly including farmland management scale, multiple crop index, rural per capita net income, population density, and precipitation per unit area. Finally, the corresponding policy and suggestions are provided.

Estimation of winter-wheat above-ground biomass using the wavelet analysis of unmanned aerial vehicle-based digital images and hyperspectral crop canopy images

ABSTRACT The crop above-ground biomass (AGB) is critically important for monitoring crop growth, and its accurate estimation can be used by agricultural managers to improve farmland management and to predict crop grain yield. Many studies have shown that models for the estimation of AGB for multiple crop growth stages based on optical remote sensing spectral indices (SIs) often underestimate the crop AGB in later growth stages due to saturation problems. The purpose of this study was to estimate winter-wheat AGB using (i) high-frequency information obtained from the image wavelet decomposition (IWD) of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based digital images of winter-wheat canopy (i.e. high-frequency IWD information), and (ii) variables obtained from the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of hyperspectral images of winter-wheat canopy (i.e. hyperspectral CWT variables). Digital and hyperspectral images were acquired using a digital camera and an imaging spectrometer, both mounted on a UAV. Unlike optical SIs, high-frequency IWD information and hyperspectral CWT variables may not be limited by saturation problems for high winter-wheat canopy cover. Our results indicate that high-frequency IWD information and hyperspectral CWT variables both increase (decrease) with increasing winter-wheat AGB. A multiple linear stepwise regression technique was used to analyse the performance of (1) SIs, (2) CWT, (3) IWD, (4) SIs + CWT, (5) SIs + IWD, (6) CWT + IWD, and (7) SIs + CWT + IWD, for estimating AGB. Our results indicate that: (i) the method based only on optical SIs may not support the estimation of winter-wheat AGB for multiple growth stages (SIs: coefficient of determination (R 2) = 0.62, mean absolute error (MAE) = 1.30 t ha–1, root-mean-square error (RMSE) = 1.63 t ha–1); (ii) the combined use of the IWD of digital images of winter-wheat canopy and the CWT of hyperspectral images of crop canopy can support the estimation of winter-wheat AGB for multiple growth stages (CWT + IWD: R 2 = 0.85, MAE = 0.79 t ha–1, RMSE = 1.01 t ha–1), including later growth stages; and (iii) the combined use of SIs and the IWD of digital images of winter-wheat canopy can improve the estimation accuracy of winter-wheat AGB (SIs + IWD: R 2 = 0.80, MAE = 0.93 t ha–1, RMSE = 1.22 t ha–1), which may indicate that imaging spectrometers and cheap digital cameras have distinct advantages and can both be used to obtain AGB estimates using different methods. This work provides a new perspective on the use of high-frequency IWD information, hyperspectral CWT variables, and their combination to estimate AGB for multiple crop growth stages.

Improving smallholder farmers' maize yields and economic benefits under sustainable crop intensification in the North China Plain

To meet the food demands of a growing population, the maize production systems deployed by smallholders in China have tended towards extremely intensive planting and excessive use of fertilizers, which have caused serious environmental impacts. This study investigated the balance between the maize yield and nitrogen (N) input in the North China Plain (NCP), which is one of the most important grain-producing region in China. Our study compared yield simulations generated by the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model with actual data from a number of multi-site field experiments and an extensive household surveys encompassing 1671 farmers. The smallholders' maize cultivars, plant population, and amount of N input on the crop yield and how these affects the economic benefits were analyzed. The results showed that the average traditional farming methods' yield was 72% of the attainable yield, which means that farmers have ample room to improve their yields. We also found that the maize yields varied widely between farmers, and that most of them applied excessive amounts of N but failing to achieve an optimal yield due to poor fertilization management techniques. The study found that the economic benefits achieved by the farmers were low, but after deploying high-yield (HY) methods, the yield was increased by 34.9% and the economic benefits by 14.4%. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the traditional farming methods were high and could potentially be reduced by 48.6%. All in all, farmers should be given guidance on how to appropriately increase the plant population, reduce the input of N fertilizer, and optimize farmland management measures, so that China can achieve intensive but sustainable agricultural production at a lower environmental cost. It was concluded that there are still numerous biological and abiotic factors that restrict production increases by smallholders. These factors vary from region to region and require further investigation.

An Innovative Approach for Improving the Accuracy of Digital Elevation Models for Cultivated Land

The redistribution of solar radiation, temperature, soil moisture and heat by topography affects the physical and chemical properties of the soil and the spatial distribution characteristics of crop growth. Analyses of the relationship between topography and these variables may help to improve the accuracy of digital elevation models (DEMs). The purpose of correcting Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data is to obtain high-precision DEM data in cultivated land. A typical black soil area was studied. A high-precision reference DEM was generated from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and extensive measured ground elevation data. The normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI), perpendicular drought index (PDI) extracted from SPOT-6 remote sensing images and potential solar radiation (PSR) extracted from SRTM. The interactions between topography and NDVI, PDI, and PSR were analyzed. The NDVI, PDI and PSR in June, July, August and September of 2016 and the SRTM were used as independent variables, and the UAV DEM was used as the dependent variable. Linear stepwise regression (LSR) and a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) were used to establish an elevation prediction model. The results indicated that (1) The correlation between topography and NDVI, PSR, PDI was significant at 0.01 level. The PDI and PSR improved the spatial resolution of SRTM data and reduce the vertical error. (2) The BPNN (R21 = 0.98, root mean square error, RMSE1 = 0.54) yielded a higher SRTM accuracy than did the studied linear model (RMSE1 = 1.00, R21 = 0.90). (3) A series of significant improvements in the SRTM were observed when assessed with the reference DEMs for two different areas, with RMSE reductions of 91% (from 14.95 m to 1.23 m) and 93% (from 15.6 m to 0.94 m). The proposed method improved the accuracy of existing DEMs and could provide support for accurate farmland management.

Effects of particulate fractions on critical slope and critical rainfall intensity for runoff phosphorus from bare loessial soil

Slope and rainfall intensity are important factors affecting runoff phosphorus (P), but the dynamic mechanism of their coupled influence on P fractions in loessial bare sloping lands is not completely understood. The critical slope and critical rainfall intensity are thresholds associated with significant changes in runoff, erosion, and/or nutrient loss. In this study, 30 rainfall events (45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 mm/h; 5°, 10°, 15°, 20° and 25°) were simulated to estimate the contribution of particulate P (PP) and soluble P (SP) fractions to P loss from bare loessial soils and identify the critical slope and critical rainfall intensity for different P forms and TP fluxes. The results indicate that: (i) total phosphorus (TP) and PP loss concentrations are significantly correlated to sediment yield and slope gradient, although there were close relationships between the average TP loss concentration and rainfall intensity at slopes of 20° and 25°; (ii) P in runoff from bare loessial soil consists almost entirely of the reactive PP form (96.6%), regardless of rainfall intensity and slope. The average PP fraction for different rainfall intensities increases with increasing slope, from 94.6% at a 5° slope to 98.0% at a 25° slope; and (iii) PP and TP have the same critical slope and critical rainfall intensity for bare loessial soil because of the dominance of PP in runoff P. The critical slope for the sharp increases in PP and TP was found to be in the range of 15–20° because the average losses at 20–25° increased about 1.67 times compared to 5–15°, and the critical rainfall intensity for significant increases in PP and TP was found to be in the range of 90–105 mm/h. The hydrological pathways transporting the various P fractions under storms may help to provide new insights needed to guide sloping farmland management in rainfed land agroecosystems of loess hilly regions.

Main features of farm land management at the municipal level

Establishment of favorable organizational and territorial conditions for land use of farms, elimination of violations in the use of agricultural land and effective implementation of state support measures aimed at the development of agricultural cooperation require studying the methodology of organizing the territory and production of farms, as well as developing a strategy for their development on the basis of land management projects. Actual approaches to improve the territorial development of farms were developed by the authors based on the experience of the Tula region.

Farmland management regulates ecosystem services in Mediterranean drylands: Assessing the sustainability of agri-environmental payments for bird conservation

Agri-environment schemes directly focused on bird conservation have been implemented in agropastoral Mediterranean drylands aiming to guide the design of agricultural landscapes to enhance biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. In this study, by linking agricultural intensification indicators with the richness of grassland specialist birds (RGSB), we aimed to perform a preliminary assessment on the sustainability of the agri-environmental measure “Maintenance of the cereal-fallow dryland rotation” evaluating for potential ecosystem service trade-offs resulting from the application of this measure in Southern Portugal. Our approach is novel by considering simultaneously three major drivers of farmland management ecology (grazing, cropping and haying) in an assessment performed at field level.During the 2012 to 2016 breeding seasons, bird and vegetation samplings were carried to obtain RGSB, and above-ground biomass and crude protein content, which were analysed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM) in relation to grazing, cultivation and haying intensity. Further, a cost-benefit analysis for farmers of the agri-environmental measure was performed.Mixed models indicated a decrease on RGSB when increasing stocking rates and, in a lesser extent, cropping intensity or haying frequency. Vegetation biomass and RGSB (as an indicator of grassland management) were non-linearly associated indicating that the peak of biomass production does not correspond to the peak of bird richness. Crude protein content was negatively associated with RGSB. Cost-benefit analysis showed that agri-enviroment payments can hardly return profit for farmers when contracted areas are higher than 250 ha. Farmers’ profits can be maximized by increasing the contracted crop area. We conclude that the management of drylands to maintain these biodiversity-rich Iberian cultural landscapes can be adjusted to favour both bird conservation and farmers and therefore, cultural services linked to species richness such as the potential for ornithological tourism.