Regional Food Production Research Articles

ОЦЕНКА ПРОСТРАНСТВЕННОЙ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ СЕЛЬСКОГО ХОЗЯЙСТВА КАК ОСНОВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, РАЗМЕЩЕНИЯ И УГЛУБЛЕНИЯ СПЕЦИАЛИЗАЦИИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВА СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОЙ ПРОДУКЦИИ

The article discusses the dynamics of the transformation of the spatial structure of the location of agricultural production over the period from the beginning of market transformations in the 90s to 2021, and analyzes changes in regional food production over this period. The process of concentration of the main group of regions of the country, which form the basis of the food base of Russia, is revealed. It is concluded that land-intensive industries are shifting and concentrating in areas with available natural and labor resources. On the basis of the analysis carried out, the degree of uniformity in the distribution of crop and livestock production in the context of federal districts was revealed. The results obtained can be used in the development of an agricultural development strategy, taking into account regional characteristics, and in determining the target indicators for the development of agriculture. Solving the problem of the spatial development of agriculture is associated with an integrated approach to the implementation of such fundamental principles as: achieving the country's food security; ensuring the most complete and efficient use of bioclimatic and production potentials, the maximum approximation of the production of one or another type of agricultural product to areas and regions that have, first of all, the most favorable natural conditions; priority of national interests over regional economic interests; a differentiated approach to the main directions and measures of state support for the spatial development of agriculture and rural areas; complex solution of issues of territorial organization of agriculture. Significant regional differences in agriculture and its individual sub-sectors preclude a unified approach to their spatial organization. At the same time, special attention should be paid to such regions as: a few regions with relatively favorable natural and economic conditions for intensive and competitive agriculture; priority and border geostrategic territories; separate depressive and sparsely populated territories, primarily the Non-Chernozem zone; numerous regions of the Far North and terrain equated to them; labor-surplus and densely populated national republics of the North Caucasus. Since in the future the differentiation of regions in the production of certain types of agricultural products will increase to a greater extent than the tendency towards their self-sufficiency, the state should play a key role here.

Small‐scale silvopasture: Addressing urban and peri‐urban livestock challenges in the United States with agroforestry practices

AbstractThe growing urban and peri‐urban populations around the world creates strain on food and environmental security. Alleviation of these stressors may be possible by enhancing regional food production and ecosystem services provided by urban and peri‐urban agriculture (UPA). Despite the growing popularity of UPA in the United States, incorporating livestock in these settings is challenging. A review of the literature identified three key barriers to adoption of urban and peri‐urban livestock keeping that have the potential to be ameliorated using agroforestry practices to facilitate integration: animal feed resources, water quality and nutrient cycling, and use of sites contaminated with heavy metals. A discussion focused on the solutions to those barriers resulted in two theoretical silvopasture systems; we propose one for the urban setting and another for the peri‐urban setting. We have determined small‐scale livestock keeping provides a potential strategy to meet the demands of growing urban and peri‐urban environments, but sustainable and effective integration of livestock under these conditions must be considered to mitigate environmental risks associated with urban livestock keeping. Urban silvopasture has the potential to enhance specialty crop and niche food production in these environments. Future research should seek to better understand small‐scale silvopasture at the whole‐system level in a variety of resource contexts and with local species and practices.

Increasing Regional Food Production with Maize Intensification in East Africa Also Help Reduce Household-Level Food Insecurity

Increasing Regional Food Production with Maize Intensification in East Africa Also Help Reduce Household-Level Food Insecurity

Emerging agricultural expansion in northern regions: Insights from land-use research

Emerging agricultural expansion in northern regions: Insights from land-use research

Nitrogen losses from food production in the North China Plain: A case study for Quzhou

Nitrogen (N) management is essential for food security. The North China Plain is an important food producing region, but also a hotspot of N losses to the environment. This results in water, soil, and air pollution. In this study, we aim to quantify the relative contribution of different crops and animals to N losses, by taking the Quzhou county as a typical example in the North China Plain. We developed and applied a new version of the NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment, and Resource use (NUFER) model. Our model is based on updated information for N losses in Quzhou. Our results show that N losses to the environment from crop and animal production in Quzhou were approximately 9 kton in 2017. These high N losses can be explained by the low N use efficiency in food production because of poor N management. For crop production, wheat, maize, and vegetables contributed 80% to N losses. Ammonia emissions and N leaching have dominant shares in these N losses. Pigs and laying hens were responsible for 74% of N losses from animal production. Ammonia emissions to air and direct discharges of manure to water were the main contributors to these N losses. Effective reduction of N losses requires improving the nutrient management in crop (wheat, maize, vegetables) and animal (pigs, laying hens) production. Our work could support the Agricultural Green Development in the North China Plain.

Analysis of regional food production and consumption

The article provides a detailed analysis of the regional average per capita production and consumption of basic food products. Negative transformational changes and trends in the production and consumption of crop and livestock products in the Orenburg region are revealed. A set of measures for improving and increasing the production of agricultural products for food purposes, improving the consumption of food products by the population of the region, which are of practical importance for all regions of the Russian Federation, is proposed.

Green Food Industry in China: Spatial Pattern and Production Concentration Drivers

China is the largest manufacturing country globally and currently faces severe environmental problems. China needs to identify a new mode of economic growth to contribute towards environmental protection. Developing the green industry is China’s national strategy to achieve a sustainable path and prevent further degradation of the environment. This study used China’s green food certification enterprise location data to investigate the green food industry’s spatial patterns in 2018 at the agricultural district, provincial, and city levels. Then, using the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method, we evaluated the factors impacting the green food industry’s concentration. Fourteen impact factors were selected from three aspects: socioeconomic, natural, and other factors corresponding to the regional food production potential. Our results showed the following: 1) the structure and species of green food enterprises are simple, and most enterprises are plant products upstream of the industrial chain, with low additional value. There is a large potential to increase the ratio of livestock, poultry, and fishery products; 2) the regional development of the green food industry is not uniform. The green food industry tends to concentrate along the eastern coastline and Yangtze River, and the middle-lower Yangtze Plain, Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, and North East Plain account for 76% of the total production capacity. However, northern China has the highest production ability among single enterprises; 3) regional economies, natural resource conditions, and environmental quality largely impact the concentration of the green food industry. In particular, the green food industry is concentrated in regions with high gross economic levels, highly advantageous natural conditions, and high proportion of cultivated land, except cereal planting areas. Better air quality has a positive influence on the food industry’s concentration.

Managing food-ecosystem synergies to sustain water resource systems

Measures implemented to restore ecosystem services are widely believed to conflict with food production in the world's irrigated regions because of their competition for scarce water. However, little integrated analysis has been conducted to test this hypothesis. This work tests that hypothesis by presenting results of a basin-scale hydroeconomic analysis linking biophysical, hydrologic, agronomic, ecological, economic, policy, and institutional dimensions of the partially-restored Mesopotamian Marshes of Western Asia. Results serve to partly reject the hypothesis: Here we find that an economically-optimized ecosystem restoration trajectory can be achieved with a minimal loss in food production or farm income where restored wetlands complement important dimensions of food production. Moreover, we find that where water shortage sharing rules can be made more flexible, ecosystem restoration more nearly complements improved food security. Our results point to previously unexplored synergies among food production, ecosystem restoration, and water laws in arid and semi-arid regions internationally.

Long-term dynamics of nitrogen flow in a typical agricultural and pastoral region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its optimization strategy

Nitrogen (N) plays a central role in livestock development and food production in agricultural and pastoral regions, while its flow and loss can affect environmental quality, biodiversity and human health. A comprehensive understanding of the sources, patterns and drivers of N flow helps to alleviate its negative effects and promote sustainable management. We developed a county-scale N flow model to quantitatively analyze the N use efficiency (NUE), N losses and their driving forces in the food production and consumption system (FCPS) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). More sustainable N utilization was further investigated through scenario analyses. Our results revealed that N fluxes doubled from 1998 to 2018 to maintain the growing demands for human food production and consumption in Ledu County, which was related to the increasing N losses to the atmosphere and water environment. The surging N fluxes greatly changed the N distribution pattern, resulting in a relatively low NUE (mean value: 29.41%) in the crop-production subsystem (CPS) and a relatively high NUE (mean value: 23.50%) in the livestock-breeding subsystem (LBS). The CPS contributed the most to the N losses. The urban population, animal-derived consumption, crop planting structure, imported fodder and N fertilizer application level were closely associated with N losses. The scenario analysis indicated that combined reasonable changes in planting structure, precision animal feeding, fertilizer management, diets and conversion of cropland into pasture could reduce N losses in 2030 to 5%–61% of Business as usual level. Our results highlighted the strong anthropogenic impact on the N flow of food production and consumption and suggested a sustainable N flow management strategy to harmonize the relationship between N flow and anthropogenically driven factors on the QTP.

FTIR spectroscopy with machine learning: A new approach to animal DNA polymorphism screening

Technological advances in recent decades, especially in molecular genetics, have enabled the detection of genetic DNA markers associated with productive characteristics in animals. However, the prospection of polymorphisms based on DNA sequencing is still expensive for the reality of many food-producing regions around the world, such as Brazil, demanding more accessible prospecting methods. In the present study, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and machine learning algorithms were used to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in animal DNA. The fragments of bovine DNA with well-known polymorphisms were used as a model. The DNA fragments were produced and genotyped by PCR-RFLP and classified according to the genotype (homozygous or heterozygous). FTIR spectra of DNA fragments were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning algorithms. The best results exhibited 75–95% accuracy in the classification of bovine genotypes. Therefore, FTIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis can be used as an alternative tool for prospecting polymorphisms in animal DNA. The method can contribute with studies to identify genetic markers associated with animal production and indirectly with food production itself, and reduce pressure on available natural resources.

Identifying the driving factors of water consumption from water-energy-food nexus in the Yangtze River Delta region, China.

The current water shortage in China is critical. Moreover, the water shortage has become the main bottleneck hindering sustainable economic growth. Against the background of China's dual control target of total water use and intensity, we choose the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region as a research object, which encompasses Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. Based on the perspective of water-energy-food nexus, we employ the generalized Divisia index method to decompose the change of water use into eight factors, regional economic scale effect, regional energy use scale effect, regional food production effect, regional water technology effect, regional energy technology effect, regional water-energy nexus effect, regional food-energy nexus effect, and regional water technology for food production effect, and analyze the contribution of each driver to identify the key drivers of total water use control. The results showed that the top four influencing factors are GDP, water intensity, energy consumption, and water-energy nexus in the YRD region. Regional economic scale is the first driving factor for increasing water use in the YRD region except for Zhejiang. Water intensity is the primary driving force of water-saving in Zhejiang. Energy consumption is the third driver of increasing water use in Jiangsu and Anhui. The effect of water-energy nexus is the third driving factor that affects the change of water use in Shanghai and Zhejiang. The authorities in the YRD region should vigorously develop water and energy utilization technologies to increase the water intensity and decrease energy consumption. The energy sector should decrease the water use to decrease the water-energy nexus which is also the main driving factor affecting the change of water use.

Securing food under adverse climate and socioeconomic scenarios in Jiangsu Province, China: Critical role of human adaptation under change

Food security is important for human well-being worldwide. However, changing climate, population growth and shrinking land resources are threatening food security in many regions of the world. Jiangsu Province, China, is one such region. It is a major food-producing region of the country but is witnessing rapid population growth and urbanization that is putting pressure on agricultural water and land resources and threatening food security of the region.This paper interprets the nexus between regional water availability and food security in Jiangsu Province under different climate change and socio-economic scenarios of population growth and land resource availability. Climate change scenarios are generated based on historical data and Global Climate Model (GCM) products. Socio-economic scenarios are generated based on population growth and crop planted area projections.The uptake of water and nutrients are considered as two dominant biophysical processes of crop growth and food production. Complementing it is human agency, including human labor, irrigation and land-preparation machinery, which are the factors behind water and nutrient use efficiencies of crops grown. Two dominant crops are considered, rice and wheat, that contribute to 61.4% of total crops produced in the province.Results show that adaptation by human agency is necessary to ensure that food supply meets at least the demand of the province under all climate change and socio-economic scenarios. Under relatively favorable scenarios, labor could replace land-preparing machinery since the level of food production can be easily maintained with abundant water and land availability. Mechanization in agricultural production significantly increases food production under unfavorable conditions, since it improves water and nutrient use efficiencies and leads to higher crop yields. This demonstrates that human agency plays an important role in securing food under stressful scenarios of drier climate, population growth, and contraction of agricultural lands.

Tolerância de cultivares de pimentão (Capsicum annuum L.) à salinidade na germinação e crescimento inicial

A utilização de cultivares tolerantes à salinidade é uma das estratégias para a produção de alimentos em regiões afetadas pela salinização do solo. Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar a tolerância de cultivares de pimentão ao estresse salino durante o processo de germinação das sementes e desenvolvimento das plântulas. O experimento foi conduzido em laboratório, adotando-se delineamento inteiramente aleatorizado, em esquema fatorial, com quatro repetições. O primeiro fator foi constituído por duas cultivares de pimentão (Casca Dura Ikeda e Amarelo SF 134); e o segundo, por cinco níveis de salinidade da água (0,0; 3,0; 6,0; 9,0 e 12,0 dS m-1). Avaliou-se a germinação, primeira contagem de germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação, tempo médio de germinação, comprimento de plântula, massa seca da raiz e parte aérea e índice de tolerância à salinidade. De forma geral, a salinidade da água promoveu efeitos deletérios na germinação e crescimento de plântulas das duas cultivares a partir da CE 6,0 dS m-1. A ‘Amarelo SF 134’ indica apresentar tolerância ao estresse salino no processo germinativo, enquanto a ‘Casca Dura Ikeda’, na fase de crescimento inicial de plântulas.

Financial Feasibility of Water Conservation in Agriculture

AbstractGlobal water use for food production needs to be reduced to remain within planetary boundaries, yet the financial feasibility of crucial measures to reduce water use is poorly quantified. Here, we introduce a novel method to compare the costs of water conservation measures with the added value that reallocation of water savings might generate if used for expansion of irrigation. Based on detailed water accounting through the use of a high‐resolution hydrology‐crop model, we modify the traditional cost curve approach with an improved estimation of demand and increasing marginal cost per water conservation measure combination, adding a correction to control for impacts on downstream water availability. We apply the method to three major river basins in the Indo‐Gangetic plain (Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra), a major global food producing region but increasingly water stressed. Our analysis shows that at basin level only about 10% (Brahmaputra) to just over 20% (Indus and Ganges) of potential water savings would be realized; the equilibrium price for water is too low to make the majority of water conservation measures cost effective. The associated expansion of irrigated area is moderate, about 7% in the Indus basin, 5% in the Ganges and negligible in the Brahmaputra, but farmers' gross profit increases more substantially, by 11%. Increasing the volumetric cost of irrigation water influences supply and demand in a similar way and has little influence on water reallocation. Controlling for the impact on return flows is important and more than halves the amount of water available for reallocation.

Effects of farm type on food production, landscape openness, grassland biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions in mixed agricultural-forestry regions

ContextThe global demand for food is expected to continue increasing for decades, which may drive both agricultural expansion and intensification. The associated environmental impacts are potentially considerable but will depend on how the agricultural sector develops. Currently, there are contrasting regional developments in agriculture; expansion and/or intensification in some regions and abandonment in others, as well as changes in the type of farming. However, the environmental consequences of changes in farm type are not well understood. ObjectiveWe have evaluated the impacts of farm type on food production and three key environmental variables—landscape openness, grassland biodiversity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—in three marginal agricultural regions in Sweden. MethodsWe do this by first dividing the population of farms in each region into types, based on their land-use and livestock holdings using an innovative clustering method. Thereafter we analysed changes in production activities for farm types over time and evaluated the environmental and food-production impacts, where landscape openness is quantified using a novel indicator. Results and conclusionOur results show that there is not one single farm type that would simultaneously maximize food production, grassland biodiversity, and landscape openness, whilst minimizing GHG emissions. However, there exists considerable potential to manage the trade-offs between food production and these environmental variables. For example, by reducing land use for dairying and instead increasing both cropping for food production and extensive livestock grazing to maintain landscape openness and biodiversity-rich semi-natural pastures, it would keep food production at similar levels. SignificanceOur farm typology allows us to assess the multifunctionality of farming, by relating contrasting production activities to multiple ecosystem services, grassland biodiversity and GHG emissions for informing policy towards more sustainable agriculture. We have demonstrated this with examples under Swedish conditions, but it should to a large extent also be applicable for other countries.

Development of local food growth logistics and economics

<abstract> This study investigates the logistics and economics of local food production for modeling active living. The data collected from selective groups of respondents in Khunyuam dale regarding Thailand's cost of living, demographics, food products, transport geography, and outbound logistics served as empirical evidence. A unique tiger bean was reviewed as a local asset in food products. The results showed that the capabilities of local economics and logistics were enhanced by establishing regional food production. The local living standard and household economy were logistically improved by the positive outcomes of active living. Finally, the findings suggested that each county should have its own food products to boost logistics and economics. </abstract>

Field test on the biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based mulch films in soil

The use of plastic much films has been fundamental to promoting food production in many regions of the world. However, concern is growing about the progressive accumulation of plastic residues in soil after crop harvest and its subsequent impact on soil health and potential to enter the food chain. Although biodegradable films have been developed to prevent these problems, it is still unclear whether they are environmentally benign. Here we evaluated the physical and chemical breakdown of four commercial poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based biodegradable mulch films (BMF1, BMF2, BMF3 and BMF4) in an agricultural soil over a 26-month period. Based on visual examination, degradation followed the series BMF4 > BMF1, BMF2 > BMF3. Importantly, microplastic residues (fragments <5 mm) still remained in the soil of all 4 plastic types after 2 years, suggesting that they are likely to accumulate over time if used on an annual basis. Viscosimetry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to characterise the breakdown process. Our results indicated that the degradation of the mulch film after burial in agricultural soil may be linked to the nature of the polymer but also to its manufacturing formulation. Although the peak changes of polyester in the infrared spectrum were not distinct, the plastic films showed other signs of degradation including a reduction in intrinsic viscosity after burial in soil. The different degradation rates of BMF1 and BMF2 at the molecular level may be due to the different CaCO3 contents. In conclusion, under field conditions, we show that slight variations in the formulations of commercial biodegradable mulch films leads to very different persistence rates in soil. Further, we conclude that their slow rate of degradation will ultimately lead to their progressive accumulation in soil if used repeatedly.

The Arctic as a food producing region: Consumer perceptions and market segments

AbstractThe Canadian Arctic is a unique food producing region. Much of the food produced in the Canadian Arctic has a strong tie with Indigenous cultures and communities, is produced or harvested in a pristine environment, and features species not commonly consumed in other parts of Canada. Building upon previous work and using data from a survey of Canadian consumers featuring a discrete choice experiment positioned around a seafood purchasing decision (Arctic Char), we use a latent class model to examine heterogeneity in consumer responses to Arctic food. We identify three groups (classes) of consumers who differ in the relative importance placed on geographic origin, Indigenous origin, wild harvested (vs. farmed), and certification for sustainability and authenticity. A class membership model explores the sociodemographic and psychographic characteristics differentiating consumers across these three groups, including food neophobia and consumers’ prior perceptions of the Arctic as a food producing region with respect to quality expectations, environmental and social impacts, Indigenous cultural origins, health, moral and price concerns. Our analysis sheds light onto Indigenous cultural origin as a novel type of credence attribute. We discuss implications for the Arctic food sector and for regional certification initiatives.

Detection of Tn7-Like Transposons and Antibiotic Resistance in Enterobacterales From Animals Used for Food Production With Identification of Three Novel Transposons Tn6813, Tn6814, and Tn6765.

Enterobacterales are widely distributed in the gastro-intestinal system of animals and may cause opportunistic infections. Worse still, multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales also poses a serious threat to public health. Tn7-like transposons have been found in several species of the Enterobacterales order and play an important role in dissemination of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and genetic characterization of Tn7-like transposons in Enterobacterales isolates from food animals and their association with antibiotic resistance. Enterobacterales isolated from the samples were identified and classified according to the 16S rDNA sequence. Tn7-like transposons and associated integrons were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. The antibiotic resistance of each Tn7-like transposon positive isolate was detected according to the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Then, six representative strains were selected to study the genetic environment by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). In total, we isolated 377 Tn7-like transposons positive strains of Enterobacterales. Class 2 integrons were detected in 99.5% of the isolates, and there were high frequency mutation sites especially in base 535, a stop mutation. Many isolates (54.9%) were multidrug-resistant and observed high resistance rates to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and streptomycin. Among these strains, we found three new types of Tn7-like transposons, named Tn6813, Tn6814, and Tn6765. This is the first comprehensive survey that shows Tn7-like transposons in Enterobacterales from animals used for food production in different regions of China. This study also provides an insight into the horizontal transfer of resistance genes associated with Tn7-like transposons.

"When I Breastfeed, It Feels as if my Soul Leaves the Body": Maternal Capabilities for Healthy Child Growth in Rural Southeastern Tanzania.

The burden of childhood stunting in Tanzania is persistently high, even in high food-producing regions. This calls for a paradigm shift in Child Growth Monitoring (CGM) to a multi-dimensional approach that also includes the contextual information of an individual child and her/his caregivers. To contribute to the further development of CGM to reflect local contexts, we engaged the Capability Framework for Child Growth (CFCG) to identify maternal capabilities for ensuring healthy child growth. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in Southeastern Tanzania using in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, participant observation, and focus group discussions with caregivers for under-fives. Three maternal capabilities for healthy child growth emerged: (1) being able to feed children, (2) being able to control and make decisions on farm products and income, and (3) being able to ensure access to medical care. Mothers’ capability to feed children was challenged by being overburdened by farm and domestic work, and gendered patterns in childcare. Patriarchal cultural norms restricted women’s control of farm products and decision-making on household purchases. The CFCG could give direction to the paradigm shift needed for child growth monitoring, as it goes beyond biometric measures, and considers mothers’ real opportunities for achieving healthy child growth.