Sustainable Farmland Management Research Articles

Unraveling patterns, causes, and nature-based remediation strategy for non-grain production on farmland in hilly regions

The surge in non-grain production on farmland (NGPF) poses significant threats to food security and land sustainability, particularly in hilly regions. However, there remains a lack of clarity on how to effectively balance grain and non-grain production in relation to land remediation. Using Wannian County as a case study, we investigate the evolution of this by leveraging high-precision land surveys and satellite imagery. Through the application of bootstrapped partial linear regression models, we identify key influencers behind each type of NGPF. In proposing land remediation solutions, we integrate the results of NGPF and land quality evaluations to identify mismatches between non-grain production and land attributes (i.e., topography, geology, soil, and land use). Our findings reveal a substantial growth in NGPF, expanding from 3838.72 ha to 5659.64 ha (2010–2020), and predominantly occurring on farmland with favorable natural conditions and connected locations such as proximity to roads, town centers, and industrial plants. Surprisingly, the basic farmland protection policy shows limited effectiveness in curbing NGPF, except for garden operations. We identify 1674 NGPF patches suitable for conversion to grain production and provide land remediation suggestions tailored to low-quality farmland with specific natural barriers, thus complementing the demand for regional non-grain production. This study thereby innovatively proposes nature-based land remediation strategies to address the non-grain production dilemma by tailoring NGPF and land quality, offering valuable insights for sustainable farmland management in China and beyond.

Crop residue burning increased during the COVID-19 lockdown: A case study of rural India

The customary practice of crop residue burning (CRB) is a major policy concern across several developing economies because of the associated increase in air pollution and reduction in soil quality. CRB poses a hazard to public health and sustainable farmland management. We collected original survey data from a panel of 400 wheat farmers on CRB choices during April–May of 2019 and 2020 – with the latter coinciding with India's COVID-19 nationwide lockdown. This timeline of events facilitated a unique identification of changes in CRB that are attributable to the lockdown. Several studies find that lockdowns during 2020 had beneficial effects on the environment owing to reduced economic activity. However, our findings indicate that CRB may have unintentionally increased during the lockdown. A binary variable regression framework analyzes the determinants of CRB choices of farmers over two years. We control for farmers' opinions on various socioeconomic aspects of the pandemic lockdown to examine its effects on their CRB decisions. The lockdown significantly increased the likelihood of CRB by up to 12%. Furthermore, farmers who lost agricultural income and those compelled to sell assets during the lockdown were 22% and 19% more inclined, respectively, to choose CRB. Labor mobility ceased during the lockdown and increased the cost of environmentally friendly farmland management; this increased the likelihood of CRB by 6%. This study contributes to a growing literature on the unintentional consequences of pandemic lockdowns.

Analyzing Land Use/Land Cover Changes Using Google Earth Engine and Random Forest Algorithm and Their Implications to the Management of Land Degradation in the Upper Tekeze Basin, Ethiopia.

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) without appropriate management practices has been identified as a major factor contributing to land degradation, with significant impacts on ecosystem services and climate change and hence on human livelihoods. Therefore, up-to-date and accurate LULCC data and maps at different spatial scales are significant for regular monitoring of existing ecosystems, proper planning of natural resource management, and promotion of sustainable regional development. This study investigates the temporal and spatial dynamics of land use land cover (LULC) changes over 31 years (1990-2021) in the upper Tekeze River basin, Ethiopia, utilizing advanced remote sensing techniques such as Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. Landsat surface reflectance images from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) (1990, 2000, and 2010) and Landsat 8 Operational land imager (OLI) sensors (2021) were used. Besides, auxiliary data were utilized to improve the classification of LULC classes. LULC was classified using the Random Forest (RF) classification algorithm in the Google Earth Engine (GEE). The OpenLand R package was used to map the LULC transition and intensity of changes across the study period. Despite the complexity of the topographic and climatic features of the study area, the RF algorithm achieved high accuracy with 0.83 and 0.75 overall accuracy and Kappa values, respectively. The LULC change results from 1990 to 2021 showed that forest, bushland, shrubland, and bareland decreased by 12.2, 24.8, 1.2, and 15.4%, respectively. Bareland has changed to farmland, settlement, and dry riverbed and stream channels. Expansion of dry stream channels and sandy land surfaces has been observed from 1990 to 2021. Bushland has shown an increment by 17.2% from 1900 to 2010 but decreased by 19.5% from 2010 to 2021. Throughout the study period, water, farmland, dry stream channels and riverbeds, and urban settlements showed positive net gains of 484, 8.7, 82, and 26778.5%, respectively. However, forest, bush, shrub, and bareland experienced 12.17, 24.8, 1.2, and 15.37% losses. The observed changes showed the existing land degradation and the future vulnerability of the basin which would serve as an evidence to mitigate land degradation by avoiding the future conversion of forest, bushland, and shrubland to farmland, on the one hand, and by scaling up sustainable farmland management, and afforestation practices on degraded and vulnerable areas, on the other hand.

Effects of Annual Straw Incorporation Combined with Application of Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rice Season on Dry Matter and Nutrient Accumulation Characteristics of Subsequent Rapeseed

In the rice–rapeseed rotation system, straw incorporation plays an important role in achieving the rational utilization of resources and maintaining crop production. However, in the study of rice–rapeseed rotation, there was no study on the effect of straw and nitrogen (N) fertilizer in the rice season on the dry matter accumulation (DMA) and nutrient accumulation of subsequent rapeseed. So, this study relied on the localization experiment of rice–rapeseed rotation and annual straw incorporation (full straw returning to the field, SR; the control is full straw removal from the field, CK) with different N fertilizer application rates (N1: 0 kg ha−1, N2: 75 kg ha−1, N3: 150 kg ha−1, and N4: 225 kg ha−1) in the rice season. Based on the fourth year of experiment implementation, the effects of annual straw incorporation combined with the N fertilizer application rate in the rice season on the leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetic potential (PP), DMA and its distribution proportion and rate, and nutrient uptake and its allocation proportion in rapeseed were discussed. At the bolting stage (BS), initial flowering stage (IFS), terminal flowering stage (TFS), and mature stage (MS), the DMA of rapeseed in SR was significantly higher than that in CK by 69.90, 64.27, 62.90, and 41.27%, respectively. The accumulation of N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in SR was significantly higher than that in CK at the BS, IFS, TFS, and MS. Straw treatment had a significant impact on the apparent surplus of N, P, and K in the rice, rapeseed, and annual seasons, while the application of N fertilizer in the rice season had a significant or extremely significant impact on the apparent surplus (AS) of N in the rice, rapeseed, and annual seasons, indicating that fertilization of previous crops had a certain aftereffect. Therefore, straw incorporation is a sustainable farmland management measure.

Japanese land reform in the new era? Farmers’ wellbeing and sustainable farmland management

This paper examines farmers’ responses to the state initiative of reforming the farmland tenancy institution in Japan. In 2014, Japan’s government launched a new intermediary mechanism for farmland tenancy, called Farmland Banks (FBs), in an attempt to revitalize the farming sector and redress farmland abandonment. FB agencies, established as regional semipublic organizations, promote tenancy on large farms to generate economies of scale: the utter opposite of the post-1945 land reform that undid the prewar landlordism. The study explores why and how farmers have adopted the FB program. Recent studies attend to social and cultural factors influencing landowners’ decisions on land use rather than individual maximization of net economic benefits. However, it remains unclear how farmers negotiate their needs and interests in the process of governing farmland, which involves multiple other actors. Taking the case study approach to one pioneer case of the program adoption, the study expounds that farmers individually and socially negotiated multiple dimensions of wellbeing to accept and tailor the new tenancy arrangements introduced through the FB program. While contributing to the attainment of the national goals, the program adoption reformed the local agricultural landscape, whereby farmers’ tangible and intangible connections to farmland became drastically minimized. This has posed a threat to sustainable farmland management by increasingly disconnecting people from farmland. The study suggests that closer attention to the social and cultural dimensions of farmers’ wellbeing would complementarily remedy the current agricultural policy that skews toward economic and technical dimensions.

Farmland abandonment and its determinants in the different ecological villages of the Koshi river basin, central Himalayas: Synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and social surveys

Globally, there is a noticeable increasing trend in farmland abandonment, which directly affects farmers' livelihood and food security. The abandonment status, its determinants and impact vary by spatial and socioeconomic context. In order to study this important issue, we selected three different villages representing three ecological regions (Mountain, Hill, and Tarai) in the Koshi River Basin (KRB), and applied two methods: the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and a social survey. The UAV captured 3711 images and we carried out 162 households' survey with structured questionnaires. Pix4Dmapper and ArcGIS tools were used for combining and processing the images. On-screen digitalization and binary logistic regression (BLR) were applied to examine the status and determinants of farmland abandonment. The results show a higher proportion of farmland abandonment in the villages located in the Hill and Mountain regions compared to those in the Tarai region. Almost 10.3% area of total land and 22.3% area of total farmland was abandoned in the Hill village. The Tarai village had the least farm abandonment (3.7%). Farmers perceived that climate change (less precipitation, increasing temperatures, and drought), shifting occupations, crops damaged by wildlife, migration, lack of irrigation, and a labor shortage are the leading determinants of farmland abandonment. These factors varied slightly across the different ecological regions. The BLR model was a good fit with Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.776, with a correct model prediction (87.7%) and p = 0.032. The results from the regression model suggest that an increase in temperature (p = 0.000), decrease in rainfall (p = 0.001), lack of machinery used for farm-work (p = 0.000), lack of irrigation (p = 0.000), and reduction of labor-force (p = 0.000) are the main contributing determinants of farmland abandonment. This synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and farmers' perception-based findings facilitates the improvement of land-use governmental policies to improve farmers' quality of life and build sustainable farmland management.

Farmer’s Perceptions on the Farmland Management Practices, Perceived Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Mareka District, Dawuro Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The present study was undertaken in Mareka District, Dawuro Zone, Southern Ethiopia to assess major types, perceived challenges and prospects of farmland management problems in the study area. Mixed research design was used, and both primary and secondary data were collected. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, and percentage were used to describe the background information, types and prospects of major farmland management problems of sample households in the study area. The result of this study revealed that educational status, types of crops cultivated, population pressure, deforestation, culture, over grazing, lack of awareness, topography and poverty are among the challenges that affect farmland management practices in the study area. According to the perception of sample households, there are prospects like favorable government policies and strategies, availability of extension services and scaling up of best practices and establishment of farmer training centers. Thus, to secure sustainable farmland management practices proper monitoring and evaluation, conservation oriented crop combination land management, afforestation, agro-forestry, adequate training in farmer training centers, access to information and proper planning of the population growth are highly recommended for the study area. Keywords : Challenges, Prospects, Farmland Management Practices, Mareka District. DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/9-17-05 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Bat Community Responses to Structural Habitat Complexity Resulting from Management Practices Within Different Land Use Types — A Case Study from North-Eastern Germany

In the present study we evaluated how management practices, structural habitat parameters and arthropod availability affect bat activity, species richness and species diversity (estimated by Shannon's diversity index H') in a cultural landscape composed by a mosaic of different habitats in Brandenburg (Germany). Over a study period of two years (2012–2013), a standardised acoustic monitoring was conducted on 12 sampling sites comprising different land use types in forests (pine, mixed and deciduous forest) and agricultural areas (arable land and grassland). The focus was on the effect of small-scale changes in structural habitat parameters resulting from management practices within one-and-the-same land use type. We applied a paired sampling design and compared two (forest) and three (agricultural areas) sampling sites (complexity categories) per land use type. An effect of structural complexity was tested using parametric and non-parametric analyses. Sampling sites differ in a complexity index derived from vegetation measurements related to: a) vertical vegetation structure (pine forests), b) tree species composition (mixed forests), c) tree age (deciduous forests), d) crop type (arable land), and e) management intensity (grassland). Within the pine and mixed forest, management practices leading to an increase in structural habitat complexity were associated with a significant increase in bat activity, species richness, and species diversity (H'). This effect is only partially explained by increased prey abundance. On grassland, increased bat abundance is associated with low-intensity management practices. This effect is explainable by an increase in arthropod abundance associated with structural complexity but no additional effect of structural complexity beyond that. On arable land, the difference in structural complexity among different crops (and not prey abundance) significantly affects bat communities. Our approach employed proxy measures of habitat quality to estimate which management practices within the study area theoretically result in suitable and available habitats to meet the requirements of local bat species. Thus, our findings have implications for forest and agricultural management. Even minor changes in silvicultural management (understory development in pine monocultures and increased percentage of deciduous trees in mixed forests) may lead to a significant increase in forest habitat quality for bats. The findings also stress the importance of extensive management practices in grassland, as well as structure-rich crops on arable land to achieve a more environmentally sustainable farmland management.

Appraisal of Issues Influencing Soil-Steps Application for Sustainable Farmland Management in High-Potential District, Ethiopia

Soil damage by moving water is a somber predicament on farmlands in highland Ethiopia. Sizeable number of trial in farmland preservation has been executed to handle the crisis during the last tens of years. However, the attempts have not been vibrant to trim-down the danger to an attractive extent. This paper evaluates factors contributing to application of soil-steps (bunds) as sustainable farmland management technology (SFLMT) by smallholder farmers in one of the high-potential districts of northwest Ethiopia named Dangila Woreda (District). Mixed method triangulation designs involving concurrent acquisition and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data were used in the study. Data were acquired from randomly chosen 201 farming households during the harvest seasons of 2011 and 2012. Ordered questionnaire, participatory field observation, key informant interview and focus group discussion were mechanisms employed during the data acquisition. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations and percentiles), Chi-square test, t-test and the binary logistic regression model were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative information was textually narrated to augment the quantitative results. Findings of the investigation confirm that age of the household head, the number of household members, slope of the farmland, the size of the farmland held, households’ participation in indigenous labour-sharing activities and the number of farm tools owned were significantly increasing the building of soil-steps as SFLMT in the study district. Involvement in off-farm activities and pest invasions were considerably hindering farmers from building soil-steps on their farmlands. The results in general indicated that households’ access to livelihood assets are key promoters for farmers’ implementation of soil-steps on their farmlands. Local resource preservation and improvement trials should thus ponder on convalescing farmers’ material endowments to improve their capability to use soil-steps as SFLMT in their farming activities.

Identifying scale-specific controls of soil organic matter distribution in mountain areas using anisotropy analysis and discrete wavelet transform

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important index to evaluate soil fertility. Knowing the spatial distribution of SOM and its controlling factors at different scales is basic to sustainable farmland management. The variability was explored mostly in plain farmlands or at small scales in previous studies. In the present study, combined with anisotropy analysis (AA) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT), we examined the spatial variability of SOM and its controlling factors at various scales in a mountainous area. Transect with dominant directions (major axis and minor axis) of SOM variability was extracted using AA and then the scale-specific variability was examined using DWT. Dominant factors of SOM variability at different scales were identified using correlation coefficients between SOM at different scales and various soil environmental factors. The results showed that the major axis along which SOM varied the most was 24° south by west, consistent with the strike of Wuling Mountains. The minor axis was perpendicular to the major axis direction. DWT separated the SOM variations into nine scale components (eight details, D1 through D8, and one approximation, A8) along the major axis and into eight scale components (seven details, D1 through D7, and one approximation, A7) along minor axis. The largest-scale component (A8 in major axis and A7 in minor axis) explained the most variance of SOM along both axes, accounting for half of the total variance. Compared with the original SOM before separation of scale components (undecomposed SOM), the scale components showed significant correlation with environmental factors. Both elevation and mean annual precipitation had positive correlation with SOM at large scales. However, there was a negative correlation between SOM and mean annual temperature. This indicates that the topography and local climate may have a stronger influence in controlling SOM spatial distribution in mountain regions. The relationship provides important information on environmental covariate selection in mapping soil resource. The combination of AA and DWT shows promise quantifying SOM spatial distribution and its control factors at different scales in mountainous areas.

Effects of Domestic Sewage Water and Ameliorant Effectiveness on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity

Irrigation with domestic sewage water is a normal practice in developing countries, and its possible adverse effects on soil hydraulic conductivity are important for sustainable farmland management. The objective of this study was to assess (i) the influences of untreated raw domestic sewage water irrigation on hydraulic conductivity, and (ii) the effectiveness of soil ameliorants at various soil sodicity levels. The saturated hydraulic conductivity for soils that were equilibrated with Na adsorption ratios (SARs) of 0, 10, 20, and 30 (mmolc L−1)1/2 was measured in a laboratory under constant‐head ponding with raw domestic sewage water following gypsum and polyacrylamide application at rates of 5 and 0.1 g kg−1 soil, respectively. Compared with distilled water, raw domestic sewage water decreased the hydraulic conductivity of nonsodic soil but increased that of sodic soils. The influence of soil sodicity on hydraulic conductivity decreased under domestic sewage water. Additionally, gypsum application decreased leachate pH by about 0.5 pH units and increased hydraulic conductivity by up to 180%, with the exception of soil with a SAR of 20. In that case, the hydraulic conductivity decreased by about 50%. The influence of gypsum on hydraulic conductivity decreased with increasing soil sodicity levels. Application of gypsum by spreading generally resulted in a slightly greater leachate electrical conductivity and hydraulic conductivity than its application by mixing. Polyacrylamide application decreased leachate pH by 0.5 to 1.0 units and slightly decreased hydraulic conductivity. The adverse effect of domestic sewage water irrigation on soil hydraulic conductivity generally can be inhibited or ameliorated by gypsum application.

Clarification of greenhouse-effect gas emissions during no-tillage direct-seeding rice cultivation and the proposal of cultivation system for reduction of these emissions and sustainable farmland management.(JSSPN Technological Advancement Awards)

Clarification of greenhouse-effect gas emissions during no-tillage direct-seeding rice cultivation and the proposal of cultivation system for reduction of these emissions and sustainable farmland management.(JSSPN Technological Advancement Awards)

Modelling land-use sustainability using farmland birds as indicators

Biodiversity on farmland is declining due to agricultural intensification and occurs across many taxa such as plants, insects or birds. Here, we modelled population sizes of five farmland birds in central Germany as the German Sustainability Indicator for Species Diversity (SISD) is based on this taxon. We explored options for sustainable farmland management by generating land-use scenarios at the regional scale. For individual bird species, high SISD scores could be reached by changing environmental variables, such as landscape or crop diversity, percent cover of spring cereals or hedge density. However, contrasting species responses to these variables prevented from reaching high scores for all species simultaneously. We were able to improve the total SISD score from 0.77 at present to 0.94 by increasing landscape and crop diversity or to 0.87 by increasing hedge density and reducing spring cereals, respectively. An economic evaluation of the return losses associated with these changes revealed that annual costs of approx. 5.5 €/ha farmland would suffice for this latter increase by optimizing hedges and spring cereals towards high SISD. We conclude that balancing three levels of trade-offs, i.e. contrasting requirements of species, diverging responses in different landscapes, and alternative economic options, is difficult to achieve without systematic modelling. Yet, by accounting for differences in landscape structure and species distributions at a regional spatial scale and by focusing on clearly defined measures such as hedge density or the cover of spring cereals rather than composite indices like landscape or crop diversity it seems possible to develop realisable, affordable and sustainable management strategies.

Editorial

During 2006, the Geographical Journal carried 22 full papers, 31 book reviews, and 2 commentary papers in relation to the Indian Ocean Tsunami special section published at the end of 2005. Two out of the four issues were Special Issues, the first on Postcolonialism and Development in March and the second on International and Comparative Dimensions on Sustainable Farmland Management in September. Although the publication of special issues impedes the flow of our regular papers, these collections do, however, provide a focused set of papers around a theme that does tend to attract considerable interest. Although well-received, we do not intend to publish any more than two special issues during any year, as it is important that the GJ continues to reflect the diversity and richness of research currently going on in the area of environment and development. It was especially gratifying to see such a large number of book reviews being carried this year, as I know that a large part of the GJ's readership enjoys this section and finds it extremely useful. It was also pleasing to see that the Indian Ocean Tsunami special section, published in December 2005, not only received some subsequent media interest, but also attracted some reaction among the readership, resulting in the publication of two Commentary papers during 2006. As Table 1 shows, the number of new submissions remained at a level broadly comparable to that of the previous year. Because of the larger number of pending papers carried forward, the number of active papers dealt with during the year rose to 79. Of these, 23 (or 29%) were firmly accepted for publication during the year, with the rejection rate rising from 51% to 58%. Encouragingly, the number of papers submitted which included at least one female author increased from 30% of all new submissions last year to 36% this year (Table 2). The provenance of authors has remained broadly similar to that of last year (Table 3), although the relative positions of the Rest of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa have switched. The fact that the number of authors from Sub-Saharan Africa has increased is particularly pleasing, as we are very keen to increase the number of researchers from the Global South choosing to send their work to the GJ. We now need to encourage researchers from other parts of the Global South to follow suit. During the year, the GJ has said goodbye to two of the behind-the-scenes stalwarts. Judy Cornish left Blackwells to return to postgraduate work, and her efforts to promote the marketing of the GJ will be sorely missed. However, we all wish Judy well in her future endeavours. We also said goodbye to Gwen Lowman who did such sterling work in the Journals Office at the RGS-IBG in London. Gwen's knowledge of authors and reliable referees is second to none, and I very much appreciate the support and guidance which she provided for me. Gwen has taken retirement and now has the time to do the travelling she always wanted to. We wish her a very long and healthy retirement. Sal Moore, however, is still doing the production work at Blackwells for the GJ, and, as ever, I thank Sal for all her efforts in supporting us, sometimes against some very tight deadlines. I would also like to thank all those referees who, during the year, have provided full and frank reports on the papers sent out to them. I know that refereeing papers is a thankless task these days, and especially in the RAE-driven environment of the UK, but without your unstinting efforts, there would be no GJ (nor any other journal for that matter).

Managing sustainable farmed landscape through ‘alternative’ food networks: a case study from Italy

This paper focuses on a case study of an ‘alternative’ food network based in the Abruzzo National Park, Italy, to explore how ideas of sustainable farmland management can be expressed through broader understandings of developing networks of care concerned with local economies and societies, high‐quality specialist food products, particular ‘traditional’ farming practices and livestock breeds, as well as the ecology of a farmed landscape. The scheme allows customers, internationally as well as in Italy, to ‘adopt’ a milking sheep on a large mountain farm. In return, adopters are sent food products from the farm. The adoption scheme is inter‐twined with an agri‐tourism project which provides accommodation, runs a restaurant and engages in educational activities. The scheme is the result of the individual initiative of its founder, and is associated with a strongly expressed ethical position concerning the value of sustaining valued local rural landscapes and lifestyles, and the importance of ‘reconnecting’ urban dwellers with rural areas, farming and ‘quality’ food production. Yet the localness of the scheme is sustained through wider national and international networks: volunteer and paid workers are drawn from several European countries, funding has been acquired from the EU LEADER programme, and internet and transport technologies are essential in connecting with and supplying an international customer base. The broader economy of care instanced in this case study draws attention to a need to develop strategies for sustainable farmland management constructed around wider programmes of social, economic and cultural, as well as environmental, concern.

Sustainable farmland management as political and cultural discourse

Sustainability, it is often claimed, is a nebulous a d slippery re ource for thought and practice, one able to marshal together a range of competing, and indeed contradictory, narratives about society-nature relations. Rendering this category meaningful by way of composite definition seems, at times, a preoccupation without prospect, incompatible with how sustainability functions within and across political and cultural discourse. If the currency and legitimacy of 'sustainability' often turns on the vexed issue of theoretical and practical 'proscription', it is also the case that the idea travels with remarkable efficiency precisely because it allows society to project on and secure the future in different ways. Thus the task of critical inquiry into sustainability tends to point in two quite different directions. On the one hand, it seeks to iron out diverse and rapidly proliferating agendas into a coherent political and cultural project with operational targets and measurable ends. On the other, it seeks to unpack and interrogate the different meanings that sustainability agendas produce. The issue of farmland management is particularly instructive in both these respects, for in the occupancy and experience of an ostensibly straightforward material entity like 'farmland', a whole system of competing expectations, agendas and values are now gathering and responding to the exigencies and moralities of 'sustainability'.