Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Research Articles

A systematic review of the methodology of trade-off analysis in agriculture

Trade-off analysis (TOA) is central to policy and decision-making aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural landscapes. Yet, a generic methodological framework to assess trade-offs in agriculture is absent, largely due to the wide range of research disciplines and objectives for which TOA is used. In this study, we systematically reviewed 119 studies that have implemented TOAs in landscapes and regions dominated by agricultural systems around the world. Our results highlight that TOAs tend to be unbalanced, with a strong emphasis on productivity rather than environmental and socio-cultural services. TOAs have mostly been performed at farm or regional scales, rarely considering multiple spatial scales simultaneously. Mostly, TOAs fail to include stakeholders at study development stage, disregard recommendation uncertainty due to outcome variability and overlook risks associated with the TOA outcomes. Increased attention to these aspects is critical for TOAs to guide agricultural landscapes towards sustainability.

Assessing the Economic Viability of Climate-Resilient Crop Varieties for Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

The adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties holds immense promise as a strategy to enhance the resilience of agricultural systems in the face of changing climatic conditions. This research delves into the intricate dynamics of farmer decision-making, socioeconomic impacts, and the interplay of policy and market contexts in the context of adopting climate-resilient crop varieties. Through a comprehensive analysis, this study unveils the multifaceted factors that influence farmers' choices, ranging from economic considerations and risk perceptions to access to resources and market dynamics. The socioeconomic impacts resulting from the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties transcend conventional productivity gains. Improved incomes, heightened food security, resilience to climate shocks, reduced environmental pressures, gender empowerment, and expanded market opportunities collectively contribute to a more holistic and sustainable agricultural landscape. Furthermore, the research underscores the inseparable relationship between effective policy frameworks and responsive market dynamics. Policies that promote research and development, support extension services, and provide incentives are aligned with market demand, enhancing the potential for successful adoption. The findings of this research have far-reaching implications for policy development, agricultural extension services, and development programs aimed at fostering climate resilience. By recognizing the diverse motivations and constraints that farmers face, policymakers and practitioners can tailor interventions that resonate with local realities. The integration of climate adaptation and resilience strategies into national policies and alignment with broader climate agendas is underscored as a crucial pathway toward sustainable agriculture.

Biodiversity Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes: The Role of Integrated Farming Systems

Agricultural landscapes, while essential for food production, often come at the cost of biodiversity loss. The utilization of conventional farming practices has led to habitat degradation, reduced species diversity, and ecological imbalances. In response, Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) have emerged as a promising approach to reconcile agricultural production with biodiversity conservation. This review examines the pivotal role of IFS in mitigating the adverse impacts of agriculture on biodiversity within the context of five key subheadings: (1) Understanding Integrated Farming Systems, (2) Enhancing Habitat Heterogeneity, (3) Promoting Agroecological Practices, (4) Managing Landscape Connectivity, and (5) Evaluating Socioeconomic Implications. We delve into the theoretical underpinnings, practical applications, and scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of IFS in preserving biodiversity. Furthermore, we explore the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing IFS and the potential for IFS to contribute to sustainable agricultural landscapes. The findings emphasize the need for a holistic approach that integrates ecological, agronomic, and sociocultural dimensions to foster biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes.

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

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

Towards sustainable agriculture: Unveiling the nexus of social capital and knowledge management to supports environmentally friendly agriculture

The agricultural sector’s progress, driven by rural farmer groups, is pivotal for national advancement. In Bukit Batu District, Bengkalis Regency, a farmer group holds the potential to emerge as a center for superior agricultural and industrial endeavors. This research assesses Community Social Capital and Knowledge Management Capability as strategies to enhance the competitiveness of farmer groups in Sungai Pakning. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach and a sample of 44 respondents, the study illuminates the current conditions of these factors. It emphasizes the paramount role of community-based social capital and knowledge management in fortifying the competitiveness of farmer groups. The proposed collaborative integration model not only aims to empower farmer groups but also addresses environmental, terrestrial, and energy issues by promoting sustainable agricultural practices. This multifaceted approach positions the farmer groups in Sungai Pakning not only for economic prosperity but also as stewards of the environment, contributing to a sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape.

Features of research and design of the structure of natural-anthropogenic landscape complexes

Intense anthropogenic impact on the landscape envelope leads to the formation of unstable natural-anthropogenic complexes. For agricultural landscapes as a category of transformed landscapes with a relatively high proportion of natural functioning mechanisms, it is necessary to study the mechanisms of formation of sustainability. The article discusses the features of using examples of landscape planning technologies for the design of sustainable agricultural landscape complexes.

Design of a Biogas Power Plant That Uses Olive Tree Pruning and Olive Kernels in Achaia, Western Greece

In Greece, agricultural residues form a significant part of available biomass resources. This study focuses on exploring energy production potential from olive tree pruning and kernels via anaerobic digestion in the Achaia region of Western Greece. It aims to address environmental challenges by analyzing anaerobic digestion of these residues. The study evaluates qualitative and quantitative attributes, including composition analysis and energy content assessment. Detailed design considerations for an anaerobic digestion system tailored for these residues are presented, laying the groundwork for practical implementation. By integrating scientific analysis with engineering principles, this research aims to optimize anaerobic digestion systems for a more sustainable agricultural landscape in Greece.

The impact of rice-crayfish field on socio-ecological system in traditional farming areas: Implications for sustainable agricultural landscape transformation

Agricultural landscape transformation has profound impacts on regional sustainable development. Understanding the relationship between agricultural landscape transformation and socio-ecological system is fundamental to both social prosperity and ecological environment. Rice-crayfish field (RCF) as a unique agricultural model is widely practiced in traditional farming areas and causes significant landscape transformation. However, the RCF remains less understood and its impacts on socio-ecological systems need to be comprehensively investigated. China has a developed crayfish industry with over 90% of the world's crayfish production, which provides an interesting lens to examine the RCF-led agricultural landscape transformation. This research proposes a novel research framework to analyse the spatial dynamic of RCF and its complex impact on socio-ecological system. Using remote sensing and geospatial data analysis, this study explores the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of RCF-led landscape transformation and socio-ecological system. In addition, the impacts of RCF on socio-ecological system are examined by the Pearson correlation analysis, root mean square error and regression model. The results reveal that RCF has dramatically expanded and transformed from paddy fields. The socio-ecological system presents obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics. RCF has the potential to increase farmers' income and alleviate rural poverty, but it is not conducive to grain production and water consumption. The RCF-led agricultural landscape transformation could be a double-edged sword to socio-ecological system. To balance social and ecological systems, it is necessary to manage and design the rational development of RCF to support sustainable agricultural landscape transformation.

Оценка экологического состояния и устойчивости агроландшафтов на локальном уровне

The purpose of the study: assessment of the ecological state and sustainability of land use (local level) to improve the productivity of land use. Research methods: system analysis has become the main method of this scientific work. The works and works of scientists who studied the problems of sustainable development, agricultural land management, soil diversity, climate became the methodological basis of our scientific research. Well-known scientific methods were also used: monographic, analysis and synthesis, statistical processing of analytical information, cartographic and others. Research results. The methodology for the environmental assessment of the state and sustainability of agrolandscapes at the local level makes it possible to determine their agroindustrial potential and prevent the degradation of agricultural land. On the example of a municipal district with an area of 198 thousand hectares, located in the dry steppe zone of the Altai Krai, an environmental assessment of the state and sustainability of agricultural landscapes was carried out. We compiled a unique landscape map-scheme on which five landscape areas were identified. It was established that 80% of the territory is occupied by ancient alluvial flat and slightly undulating plains with chestnut soils, in combination with dark chestnut and meadow chestnut soils, solonetsous in places. Agricultural landscapes are everywhere subject to deflationary processes. It was determined that the agricultural development of the territory exceeds 94%, the coefficient of ecological stability of the agricultural landscape is 0,27, the coefficient of anthropogenic load is 3,62 points, the coefficient of the ecological state of the agricultural landscape is 0,30, which characterizes the territory as extremely highly developed (59% of landscapes – very unstable, 36% – unstable, and only 3 % and 2 % – very and moderately resistant, respectively). The results of the research can be used in the design and organization of farming systems at the level of an agricultural organization. Conclusions. 1. It has been established that the studied agrolandscapes are typical for large areas of the south of Western Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan in terms of a whole range of conditions and factors. 2. Particular attention in the environmental assessment of the state and sustainability of agricultural landscapes at the local level should be given to the structure of the land fund, agricultural land, sown areas and crop rotations. 3. It was determined that the studied agrolandscapes are experiencing a critical anthropogenic load, degradation (deflationary) processes are manifested everywhere on the territory, sustainability indicators characterize two-thirds of the territory as very unstable, more than 30% as unstable, and only 5% of landscapes are stable. 4. Research results can be used in the design and organization of farming systems at the level of an agricultural organization.

Diversification for sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape systems

This virtual issue comprises papers that address diversification for providing sustainable solutions at different scales from cropping and grassland to food systems. The authors investigated processes in case studies at the landscape scale where synergies and trade-offs between social and environmental objectives become the most tangible. Contributions from all continents highlighted regional specificities related to diversification and include research from natural and social sciences, with inter- and transdisciplinary approaches including synthesis of knowledge (reviews), empirical studies with experiments as well as assessments with interviews in case studies: Model-based design of crop diversification, the role of digitalization for achieving sustainability in the European context, ecological engineering for rice pest suppression in China, the role of cereal species mixtures in Ethiopian smallholder farmers, diversified planting in arid irrigation areas in northwestern China, integration of legumes in European and Canadian cropping systems, screening of native forage legumes for northern Swedish grassland systems, cropping system diversification of smallholder farmers in south-central Bangladesh, identification of how farmers imagine diversified landscapes in southern Idaho in the US, farm diversification affecting impacts from COVID-19 across Europe, the role of diversified farming in Mato Grosso Brazil, diversification and soil management measures in Germany, value chain formation for the scaling of crop diversification, and the design process with farmers and scientists for the transition toward legume-supported farming in Europe. A key finding from these examples is that agricultural intensification has led to the simplification of cropping systems and landscapes in terms of species diversity and ecosystem function. To instead move towards sustainable transformation, all system levels (i.e. from the plot, farm, landscape, governance and overall food systems) need to interact and reinforce each other for diversification to deliver the desired outcomes.

Building bushfire resilience in horticultural production systems: important insights from Australia

Extreme bushfire is having considerable negative effects on the sustainability of agricultural landscapes in various parts of the world. Fire-induced damages to tree crops have led to significant effects on perennial horticultural production systems with associated lower returns and decline in economic sustainability. Australia is one of the most fire-prone countries in the world and contributes to global horticultural production with production forecast level estimated at $18.2 billion in 2023–24, according to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Bushfire-related damages to horticultural production may however threaten this promising potential. This review provides a commentary on the history, scale and impacts of extreme bushfires in Australia. The effects of bushfire on horticulture, including soil nutrient availability, fruit tree physiology and carbohydrate sink-source dynamics are discussed. Given the increasing frequency and severity of bushfires as a result of climate change, the negative effects of heat and fire damage on fruit tree production are expected to increase. Based on the Australian experience with bushfires in horticultural landscapes, this review outlines proactive responses for minimising bushfire impacts on horticultural production in temperate regions, with particular reference to the Rosaceae family. Adaptation strategies must be planned and set up before orchard establishment and should include defensible space or safety zones around the orchard, as well as internal and external fuel reduction strategies for the orchard lifespan.

Direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion and landscape fragmentation processes on natural habitats

Agricultural expansion has led to a large-scale loss of natural vegetation and landscape fragmentation, seriously threatening biodiversity. In addition to directly encroaching on natural habitats, agricultural expansion can indirectly affect surrounding natural habitats. However, the indirect effects of agricultural expansion on natural habitats and their responses to landscape fragmentation processes are poorly understood. Taking Lishui city, China, as an example, changes in land use/land cover and habitat quality during 2000–2020 were assessed. Then, an agricultural expansion scenario was designed to separate the direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion on natural habitats. Regression analysis and geographical detector methods were used to explore the relationships among the four landscape fragmentation processes (area, edge, shape, and isolation) and the direct/indirect impacts. The results showed that agricultural expansion resulted in a forest loss area of 376.04 km2. Agricultural expansion led to a 6.08 % decrease in natural habitats, of which 43.84 % were direct effects and 56.16 % were indirect effects. Agricultural expansion indirectly impacted 14,209.06 km2 of natural habitats, and this value was approximately 32 times larger than the area that was directly impacted (449.51 km2). Different landscape fragmentation processes had linear/nonlinear effects on natural habitats. The interaction effects of landscape fragmentation showed duality and nonlinear enhancement. Changes in area and edge contributed the most to the direct effects, but indirect effects were also affected by the shape of agricultural land and the isolation of forest. The agricultural land system balance policy was the main driver of agricultural expansion and landscape fragmentation. Sustainable agricultural landscape management is necessary to mitigate the impact of agricultural expansion on biodiversity. This study provides new insights for agricultural landscape planning and biodiversity conservation.

Soil erosion and runoff: The need to rethink mitigation strategies for sustainable agricultural landscapes in western Europe

AbstractAgricultural landscapes that are intensively farmed, as in western Europe, face the challenge of a transition to more sustainable systems. Although erosion rates are relatively low in western Europe, the agricultural landscape is confronted by the need to mitigate the off‐site impacts of erosion. An important challenge is that of disrupting connectivity between runoff and sediment sources, often farmers' fields, and freshwater systems or local communities. Mitigation strategies should include monitoring of erosion rates and off‐site impacts and a mix of engineered and alternative measures such as buffer strips and retention ponds. Also needed are supportive government policies and actions including awareness of institutional memory problems and the promotion of farmer education. For the future, the risk of climate change must be appreciated and built into the planning of comprehensive mitigation strategies. Our perspective is that the overall aim should be a ‘sustainable agricultural landscape’ and not simply a reduction of erosion and runoff on farmers' fields.

Digital Mapping of Soil Properties Using Ensemble Machine Learning Approaches in an Agricultural Lowland Area of Lombardy, Italy

Sustainable agricultural landscape management needs reliable and accurate soil maps and updated geospatial soil information. Recently, machine learning (ML) models have commonly been used in digital soil mapping, together with limited data, for various types of landscapes. In this study, we tested linear and nonlinear ML models in predicting and mapping soil properties in an agricultural lowland landscape of Lombardy region, Italy. We further evaluated the ability of an ensemble learning model, based on a stacking approach, to predict the spatial variation of soil properties, such as sand, silt, and clay contents, soil organic carbon content, pH, and topsoil depth. Therefore, we combined the predictions of the base learners (ML models) with two meta-learners. Prediction accuracies were assessed using a nested cross-validation procedure. Nonetheless, the nonlinear single models generally performed well, with RF having the best results; the stacking models did not outperform all the individual base learners. The most important topographic predictors of the soil properties were vertical distance to channel network and channel network base level. The results yield valuable information for sustainable land use in an area with a particular soil water cycle, as well as for future climate and socioeconomic changes influencing water content, soil pollution dynamics, and food security.

Agriculture intensity and landscape configuration influence the spatial use of wildcats across Europe

Land use intensification is increasing worldwide and affects wildlife movements, particularly of specialist carnivores. Resource availability and anthropogenic activities drive the extent and shape of home range size. Wildlife may respond to decreased resource availability under intensification scenarios by increasing their home ranges; however they may be less affected when inhabiting sustainable agricultural landscapes. We investigate whether agricultural practices and landscape configuration influence the spatial behaviour of wildcats, a medium-sized specialist carnivore inhabiting landscapes with different degrees of agricultural presence across Europe. We focus on the effect of the proportions of high impact and low impact agriculture, forest integrity and forest edge density on wildcat home range size. We found that wildcat home range increased along with the proportion of high impact agriculture and the forest integrity, whereas it decreased when forest edge density increased. Forest edge density buffered the detrimental effects caused by high impact agriculture. To enhance the long term conservation of wildcats in Europe it is crucial to protect the sustainable mosaic-structured landscapes and prevent its conversion to homogenous intensified agricultural landscapes.

Integrating ecosystem services with geodesign to create multifunctional agricultural landscapes: A case study of a New Zealand hill country farm

An ecosystem-based management approach (EBM) is suggested as one solution to help to tackle environmental challenges facing worldwide farming systems whilst ensuring socio-economic demands are met. Despite its usefulness, the application of this approach at the farm-scale presents several implementation problems, including the difficulty of (a) incorporating the concept of ecosystem services (ES) into agricultural land use decision-making and (b) involving the farmer in the planning process. This study aims to propose a solution to overcome these challenges by utilising a geodesign framework and EBM approach to plan and design a sustainable multifunctional agricultural landscape at the farm scale. We demonstrate how the proposed approach can be applied to plan and design multifunctional agricultural landscapes that offer improved sustainability, using a New Zealand hill country farm as a case study. A geodesign framework is employed to generate future land use and management scenarios for the study area, visualize changes, and assess the impacts of future land use on landscape multifunctionality and the provision of associated ES and economic outcomes. In this framework, collaboration with the farmer was carried out to obtain farm information and co-design the farmed landscapes. The results from our study demonstrate that farmed landscapes where multiple land use/ land cover types co-exist can provide a wide range of ES and therefore, meet both economic and environmental demands. The assessment of impacts for different land use change scenarios demonstrates that land use change towards increasing landscape diversity and complexity is a key to achieving more sustainable multifunctional farmed landscapes. The integration of EBM and geodesign, is a transdisciplinary approach that can help farmers target land use and management decisions by considering the major ES that are, and could be, provided by the landscapes in which these farm systems are situated, therefore maximising the potential for beneficial outcomes.

Developing a new water–energy–food‐greenhouse gases nexus tool for sustainable agricultural landscape management

AbstractA new comprehensive water, energy, food, greenhouse gas (WEFG) nexus index was developed to capture the interrelationships between them. A total of 11 indicators were applied to consider the interplay of resources consumption, productivity, economic issues, and carbon emission as one of the most critical issues regarding sustainable agricultural development. The proposed WEFG index was evaluated for crop pattern optimization. The results showed that the WEFG ranged from 0.162 to 0.658, which were calculated respectively for almonds and rice due to their energy consumption and carbon emission levels. The optimal cultivation pattern based on WEFG leads to 11% and 15.8% reductions in water and energy consumption, even with a 2.3% increase in cultivation area. The estimated profit for optimal pattern based on WEFG decreased by 13.67% due to lower cultivation levels of high‐yield crops such as onion and potatoes. However, the optimal cultivation pattern based on the WEFG index has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 2%, leading to sustainable agricultural management. Therefore, the presented WEFG nexus index can be a practical metric for sustainable planning and management in the agriculture sector.

Landscape products for sustainable agricultural landscapes.

Landscape products link to low-input practices and traditional ecological knowledge, and have multiple functions supporting human well-being and sustainability. Here we explore seven landscape products worldwide to identify these multiple functions in the context of food commodification and landscape sustainability. We show that a landscape products lens can improve food systems by fostering sustainability strategies and standards that are place-sensitive, and as such can mitigate conflicts related to food production, social justice and the environment. Co-management strategies and information policies, such as certification, labelling, product information and raising of awareness could accelerate, incentivize and catalyse actions to support landscape products in the context of sustainability strategies.

Legacy of landscape crop diversity enhances carabid beetle species richness and promotes granivores

It is well understood that agricultural expansion and associated loss of semi-natural habitat in the landscape are major drivers for the marked decline in biodiversity. While conserving remaining semi-natural habitat patches is essential to reverse ongoing biodiversity declines, increasing focus has also been put on diversifying cropland itself by increasing landscape crop diversity as a measure of compositional heterogeneity, and reducing field sizes as a measure of configurational heterogeneity. Both these cropland diversification approaches have shown promise to enhance biodiversity in the year of sampling, but it is unknown whether legacies of crop diversity in the landscape promote biodiversity by building up arthropod communities over time. We selected 14 faba bean fields in landscapes dominated by cropland. The fields were chosen along three gradients: landscape crop diversity of the year of sampling (2017), landscape crop diversity of the previous year (2016) and mean field size in landscapes. Using pitfall traps, we show that the carabid beetle species richness is higher in landscapes with higher crop diversity in the previous year. Especially, granivorous carabid beetles benefitted from legacies of crop diversity. Rove beetles were more abundant and genus rich in landscapes with larger field sizes, while spiders were not responding to any of the landscape variables. A diversity of crops in the landscape and their associated weed communities could provide more diverse food resources and shelter habitats, which build populations of carabid beetle species over time. There is a need to explore the effects of agri-environmental schemes across multiple years to better understand legacy effects, and to structure sustainable agricultural landscapes.

Territory management based on the arrangement of agricultural landscapes

Currently, there is degradation of land, ignoring the system of scientifically based crop rotations, all this creates enormous damage to the productive potential of the country’s land fund. The paper presents a mechanism for making managerial decisions to preserve land productivity and sustainability of agricultural landscapes, which consists in collecting reliable information about the state of land, then assessing the quality state and land use. Management decisions to preserve land productivity and sustainability of agricultural landscapes are divided into different levels: operational, tactical, strategic). It is necessary to manage the territories based on the rational organization and arrangement of the territory of each specific land use, or, in other words, the management of the territories should be based on the solution of environmental and economic issues in the process of land management, and this, of course, affects the state of the ecosystem of a particular agricultural landscape. The developed mechanism for managing territories based on the arrangement of an agrolandscape consists of 3 stages: creating an agrolandscape structure, assessing its territory and analyzing options for optimizing the territory of each agricultural enterprise located on the territory. agrolandscape could be both collapsing and highly resilient. Different specific gravity of arable land can either soften or exacerbate the ecological state of agrolandscapes in different ways, which means that with the help of optimization indicators of various types of agrolandscapes, humanity has the opportunity to influence the stability of the territory. This system of formation of sustainable land use of agricultural organizations has already been worked out in the development of projects in the base farms of the Voronezh region and is a reliable basis for managing territories.