Traditional Production Systems Research Articles

Three-echelon circular economic production–inventory model for deteriorating items with imperfect quality and carbon emissions considerations under various emissions policies

Traditional production systems have a sole focus of maximising economic outcomes but due to the world’s ever-growing awareness about environmental issues, circular production systems, with a dual focus of maximising economic output and minimising environmental impact, have become prevalent in recent years. These types of production systems incorporate circular economy initiatives in their operational processes with the aim of reducing their carbon footprints. However, this is a voluntary measure to reduce carbon footprints and for this reason, various governments have introduced regulatory measures to involuntarily reduce carbon footprints of production systems. These regulatory measures include carbon tax, cap, cap-and-trade and cap-and-offset policies that are designed to reduce carbon emissions from production processes. With this in mind, this paper proposes an integrated sustainable production–inventory model for a three-echelon supply chain for imperfect quality deteriorating items with a circular economy indicator under various carbon emissions regulations. Using four different combinations of functions for both the demand rate and unit gross profit and four different carbon emissions regulations, 16 variants of the model are solved and analysed using heuristic algorithms. The model variants are not only aimed at optimising inventory replenishment decisions but also the circularity economy indicator of the deteriorating inventory. Of the 16 variants, the highest profit is achieved for the logistic demand and linear profit functions combination under cap-and-offset, despite a circularity indicator of 81.75%. The results also show that carbon emissions policies are effective at reducing the supply chain’s carbon footprint, albeit with a slight impact on the profit.

Complementary deteriorating products within a flexible production system: A sustainable approach

The nature of complementary products is the dependency of one product on the other for utility. Further, the complementary products with deteriorated nature create a challenging environment for a suitable strategy. How does an industry deal with complementary deteriorated products at the retailer's house? The present study deals with two complementary deteriorating products in a two-echelon supply chain management. The deterioration of complementary products increases with time, and the deterioration rate is taken as the function of time. Complementary deteriorating products are manufactured by two manufacturers and sold to a common retailer. Manufacturers use a flexible production system to produce products and a single-setup-multiple-delivery policy to deliver those products. Under the flexible production system, emissions from setup, holding products, disposal, and transportation of products are considered. A carbon tax policy is used to reduce emissions. This study aims to optimize the total profit of the supply chain by finding a suitable sales strategy. The total profit is maximized by acquiring the optimal values of the retail price, cycle time of the retailer, production rate, and number of shipments. The numerical result shows that the profit becomes maximum when complementary products are less dependent on each other. The result indicates that adapting the flexible production system increases the total profit by 1.86 % and decreases total emissions by 5.36 % than a traditional production system.

Decentralized Scheduling and Dispatch Control for the Traditional Labor-Intensive Assembly System

The fourth industrial revolution has broadly transformed the manufacturing system. However, this transformation is somewhat lacking in traditional or manual production systems due to the absence of IT infrastructure. Such traditional industries need to have the advantage of real-time control and monitoring. This study has developed economic assembly planning, scheduling, and control for a traditional assembly system. We used the concept of the configurable virtual workstation as the digitalization framework. Then, we employed the decentralized scheduling concept to reduce the computational effort in scheduling the complex product. The implementation result showed that scheduling and planning have transformed the traditional assembly process into intelligent scheduling and control with low digitalization effort

Energy budgeting and global warming potential of traditional rice production system in Eastern Ghats region of Odisha

Aim: This study aims to focus on traditional agricultural practices which are gaining momentum around the globe as an energy efficient and sustainable approach in the changing climate condition. In this study, an attempt was under taken to quantify the energy use, green house gas emission and global warming potential of rice cultivated by traditional method in terraced low land. Methodology: The data were collected through Focused Group Discussion (FGD) from farmers of the study area using the questionnaire. The sample size was calculated by Neyman method. Results: Total input and output energy required for traditional rice production were 8513.0 MJ ha-1 and 77356.88 MJ ha-1, respectively. Energy use efficiency was calculated as 9.01. Total global warming potential (GWP) was 610.19 CO2 eq ha-1. In this study, the output and input carbon were found to be 2580.48 and 164.75 kg C ha-1, respectively and the carbon efficiency ratio was 15.66. Energy productivity of this traditional method of rice production system was approximately 1.21 to 3.64 times higher than that of other rice production system. Interpretation: Rice is the staple food of tribal's habited in the highland region of Eastern Ghats Odisha, India, and these tribal people mostly cultivate rice by traditional method. This traditional rice production system can be considered as an environmental friendly and sustainable agricultural system in this changing climatic condition, and this system is also economical than the conventional rice cultivation practices. Key words: Budgeting, Energy, Eastern Ghats, Green house gases, Global warming, Rice

Dual purpose ratooned rice improves agri-food production with reduced environmental cost

China is faced with the contemporaneous needs to improve resource-use efficiency, raise production and enhance environmental stewardship of status quo agrifood production systems. Dual purpose ratoon rice cropping systems comprise a promising innovation for addressing such challenges through production of forage and grain on the same land parcel. Here, we conducted life cycle assessments of forage-grain ratoon rice (FG-RR), contrasting sustainability indicators associated with FG-RR against those of traditional ratoon rice (productivity, environmental impact and economics) across four provinces in central China. Compared with conventional systems, we show that FG-RR systems had superior energy output (+37%) and energy use efficiency (+37%), but also lower global warming potential (−17%) and eutrophication potential (−13%). Such benefits were attributed to lower methane emissions and ammonia volatilization, together with enhanced nitrogen fertilizer management. We found that FG-RR systems had significantly higher productivity, with yields being 6%–152% greater than traditional production systems, particularly in the climatically challenged areas of Xinyang and Chizhou. We show that biophysical benefits translated to economic dividends, particularly in Chizhou, where net profits were as high as $716 ha−1. We conclude that FG-RR present a sustainable alternative to traditional rice farming methods, with substantial benefits in terms of production efficiency, environmental sustainability, and economic prosperity. We opine that adoption of FG-RR systems helps address challenges associated with suboptimal productivity, particularly in regions prone to environmental degradation and climatic challenges.

Different divergence processes of isoglosses of folk nomenclature between wild trees and rice landraces imply the need for different conservation planning based on the type of plant resources

BackgroundThe intensification of production and socio-economic changes have accelerated the loss of local traditional knowledge and plant resources. Understanding the distribution and determinants of such biocultural diversity is essential in planning efficient surveys and conservation efforts. Because the concept of biocultural diversity in socio-ecological adaptive systems comprises biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity, linguistic information should serve as a surrogate for the distribution of local biological and cultural diversity. In this study, we spatio-linguistically evaluated the names of local trees and rice landraces recorded in Ehime Prefecture, southwestern Japan.MethodsHierarchical clustering was performed separately for the names of local trees and rice landraces. By considering innate flora differences and species having multiple local names, a novel distance index was adopted for local tree names. For the names of rice landraces, Jaccard distance was adopted. V-measure and factor detector analysis were used to evaluate the spatial association between the isogloss maps of the folk nomenclature derived from the clustering and multiple thematic maps.ResultsLocal tree names showed stronger spatial association with geographical factors than rice landrace names. One folk nomenclature group of trees overlapped well with the slash-and-burn cultivation area, suggesting a link between the naming of trees and the traditional production system. In contrast, rice landraces exhibited stronger associations with folklore practices. Moreover, influences of road networks and pilgrimages on rice landraces indicated the importance of human mobility and traditional rituals on rice seed transfer. High homogeneity and low completeness in the V-measure analysis indicated that the names of local trees and rice landraces were mostly homogenous within current municipalities and were shared with a couple of adjacent municipalities. The isogloss maps help to illustrate how the biological and cultural diversity of wild trees and rice landraces are distributed. They also help to identify units for inter-municipal collaboration for effective conservation of traditional knowledge related to those plant resources and traditional rice varieties themselves.ConclusionsOur spatio-linguistic evaluation indicated that complex geographical and sociological processes influence the formation of plant folk nomenclature groups and implies a promising approach using quantitative lexico-statistical analysis to help to identify areas for biocultural diversity conservation.

A green hydrogen production system based on solar-assisted biogas steam reforming

In the context of a carbon–neutral world, biogas reforming technology has potential to realize the production of green hydrogen with distributed production. Traditional hydrogen production system based on biogas reforming dependent on high temperature condition during the reforming process; besides, biogas resource is always identified as a free energy resource in existing studies. This study develops a new way for green hydrogen production based on solar-assisted biogas steam reforming. The heat demand in the digester is considered in the newly proposed system; thus, more reasonable conclusion in regard to system thermal performance could be draw compared with existing studies. An advanced biogas reforming process with high steam-to-carbon molar ratio by introducing a parabolic trough solar collector is designed. At the same time, coupled with the carbon capture scheme proposed by previous study, it has great potential to realize negative carbon hydrogen production. Combined with the carbon deposition analysis, system integrated thermal performances are compared within the margin of safety. High steam-to-carbon molar ratio in the new system obviously improves the hydrogen production rate, with a maximum increase of hydrogen yield reaching 24.21 kg/h. In addition, the heat supply capacity is also significantly enhanced, which can meet the heat load of the digester when the ambient temperature is 4.03 °C (the reference system is only 20.19 °C). In terms of the integrated thermal performance, the hydrogen production efficiency of the new system is 33.60 percentage points higher than that of the reference system. This study provides a new idea for green hydrogen production from the perspectives of low temperature condition and negative carbon emissions.

Improvement of the production and quality of Cordyceps javanica conidia for the control of Diaphorina citri adults.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of palm kernel meal (PKM) in the traditional solid-state fermentation system to improve the production and quality of Cordyceps javanica conidia. The impact of PKM was determined by measuring conidia yield, viability, hydrophobicity, shelf life, and conidia pathogenicity against Diaphorina citri adults. By supplementing rice grains with 5% palm kernel meal increased the conidial yield by up to 40%, without compromising conidia viability and hydrophobicity. In addition, conidia caused higher levels of mortality by mycosis against D. citri adults (90%), relative to conidia harvested from rice (52%). The conidia recovered from rice/palm kernel meal mixtures also retained viability greater than 90% after storage for 10months at 4°C, while the conidia produced on rice reached 80%. Thus, conidia produced in the presence of palm kernel meal can be consumed immediately or in the medium term. Some process advantages of the palm kernel meal as co-substrate in the traditional production system of C. javanica are also mentioned. These results are attractive for improving the mycoinsecticide production process, with excellent cost-benefit and minimal changes in infrastructure and process.

Traditional adhesive production systems in Zambia and their archaeological implications

This study explores traditional adhesives using an ethnobiological approach within a multisocioecological context in Zambia. Through semi-structured interviews, videotaped demonstrations, and herbarium collections, we investigated the traditional adhesives people know and use, the flexibility of production processes, resource usage, and knowledge transmission in adhesive production. Our findings reveal flexibility in adhesive production systems. People use a wide range of organic and inorganic materials in their adhesive recipes. Recipes are flexible, demonstrating the ability to adapt to changes and substitute materials as needed to achieve the desired end product. Additionally, our study reveals a variety of redundant pathways for knowledge transmission typically confined within individual population groups. These include same-sex vertical transmission and distinct learning spaces and processes. Also, we identified material procurement zones showing that people are prepared to travel 70 km for ingredients. We use our findings to review the archaeology and we discuss the identification of archaeological adhesives, the functional roles of adhesive materials, adhesive storage, and the sustained human interaction with species from families such as Euphorbiaceae and Apiade. Our findings underscore the diversity and adaptability of traditional adhesive production and suggest that further research on adhesives would reveal similar diversity within the archaeological record.

An Integrated Decision Support System for Low-Disturbance Surface Mining

Low-disturbance mining in surface mining (LDM) can transform traditional surface mine production systems into a more sustainable model by reducing the disturbance of surface mining, minimizing pollutant emissions, and reducing ecological impacts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the LDM evaluation method by applying multi-criteria decision-making to provide technical support for LDM implementation. Therefore, an evaluation method based on the combination of the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) and grey clustering was proposed. Analyzed in terms of the current status of the evaluation indicators (reality) and the significance of the development of the LDM (desirability). Determined the weights and low-disturbance (LD) levels of the evaluation indicators. Combined with the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (F-TOPSIS), the low-disturbance open pit mining paths are ranked, and finally, the decision support system for low-disturbance mining in surface mining is constructed. This study not only enriches the existing literature on related technologies but also lays the foundation for further research on LDM and provides exploratory insights for deeper improvement of LD level in surface mining.

System Mapping of the Production and Value Chain to Explore Beekeeping Potential in Southwest Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has a high potential for the production of honey and other apiary products due to its ideal agroecology. This potential is, however, not yet well utilized due to weak production and valorization systems. The study analyzed beekeeping systems and their honey value chain to detect the barriers and to explore ways to better exploit the existing potential. Descriptive statistics, a SWOT and PESTEL matrix, and system mapping were utilized for analysis. Ethiopian beekeeping is still dominated by traditional production systems, followed by modern and transitional systems, differing in types of beehives and the average amount of honey yield. The combined SWOT-PESTEL analysis revealed challenges like a limited supply and high cost of modern beehives, shortage of credit, absence of a honey marketing legal framework, pest and predator attacks, absconding, and uncontrolled application of agrochemicals. Opportunities include the globally increasing demand for honey, availability of good investment policy, conducive agroecology, and support from NGOs. The less productive techniques of smallholder beekeepers' crude honey production for local beverage making affected the good use of the potential and minimized its contribution to the local and national economy. On the contrary, strengthening private investors and cooperatives towards the production of fully and semi-processed honey impacted the utilization of the potential positively.

Epistemicide in The Indonesian Food Estate Project in a Critical Approach of Boaventura de Sousa Santos

Food is one of the basic human needs that must be met. Historically, food security has become a dominant topic in the public policies of various countries. Food security is defined as the availability of food and the ability of individuals to afford adequate foodstuffs. To achieve food security, it is necessary to develop a modern food production system, hence, the Indonesian government started a food estate program to achieve national food security. The food estate project is projected to convert potential land into agricultural land which will create food availability for the community. However, the food estate project has not been able to fulfil the promised yields. The food estate project ignores the participation of the local community which has long had a traditional food production system. The development of a food estate project that ignores the role of the community ultimately displaces local wisdom and replaces it with a modern food production system. The development of food estate projects that trigger deforestation and rely on monoculture farming also hurts land fertility; this approach is contrary to local wisdom which prioritises sustainability principles. This condition can result in epistemicide, the systematic murder of local knowledge which will have an impact on local community livelihood. This situation will result in the food estate project perpetuating a food production system dominated by Western knowledge and eliminating the local community’s sustainable food production system. Thus, epistemicide in a food estate project will create a situation where food availability and food affordability cannot be achieved. This research describes how epistemicide appears in Indonesian food estate projects. This research is philosophical research on actual problems that aims to present criticism of Boaventura de Sousa Santos’ epistemicide theory for Indonesian food estate projects. 

Profit comparison analysis in production system simulation based on lean principles to achieve sustainable manufacturing

Companies can achieve effective and efficient process if they make continuous improvements to achieve sustainability. In general, companies are aware of waste in the production process, but do not carry out measurements and analyzes related to this waste, including unit cost and profit analysis. A production system is needed that is able to minimize the unit costs and maximize profits in the company, one of the concepts used is the lean concept. This study aims to analyze the cost unit and profit generated in production systems that apply lean principles. Production system simulation is carried out using the concepts of Heijunka, Jidouka, and Kanban System. These three concepts are applied to a production system simulation that uses miniature cars with unit cost and profit comparison outputs with traditional production systems, pull systems, heijunka, jidouka, and Kanban systems. The results show that the unit cost of simulations 1 to 6 is getting lower, while the profit is increasing. In simulations 1 and 2 no profit was obtained because of implementing the traditional system while in simulations 3 to 6 there was an increase in profit because they had applied lean principles to the production system. Simulations that have implemented the lean concept have low unit costs and increasing profits, but what distinguishes the work methods applied. Production systems that apply the lean concept can help a company achieve sustainability in the economic field.

Towards sustainable production of sesame products: Comparison of traditional and modern production systems via a life cycle assessment approach

Burgeoning ecological crises of food production sector has made the environmental impact evaluation of various food products a sustainability imperative. Specifically, in pursuit of identifying a sustainable production model of high-demand food items, implementing a comparative life cycle assessment of various production approaches is of paramount importance. The energy consumption and environmental impacts of manufacturing two popular sesame products, Tahini (milled sesame paste) and Halva (sweetened sesame paste) in Iran was realized by using life cycle assessment methodology. In this regard, two production systems of traditional and modern, based on sesame cultivation and processing seeds were modeled. Moreover, production of milling stone, as the main instrument in Tahini and Halva production, was evaluated within the boundary of each product system. The highest energy used pattern and carbon footprint were attributed to the traditionally produced Tahini with 89.3 MJ/kg and 12.4 kg CO2eq/kg respectively; while, the lowest results were associated with modern-based Halva production with 47.8 MJ/kg and 5.4 kg CO2eq/kg. Compared to the traditional method, modern production of tahini was found to increase acidification potential and ozone layer depletion potential the most, with 73.1 g SO2eq and 0.735 mg R11eq respectively. Production of milling stone was the predominant hotspot for all products in traditional and modern systems, with average of 56% and 45% contribution to the total energy used, and 75% and 71% contribution to the carbon footprint of products in the former and latter systems respectively. Moreover, implementation of agrivoltaics system and circular economy-based milling stone as the alternative scenarios were evaluated from LCA perspective, which demonstrated that adoption of alternative milling stone could reduce the impact results significantly. It is believed that the novel evaluation framework of this study could serve as an example for future LCA studies to expand the common routine of evaluation and include production of instrument within the product's system boundary.

Evaluating ecological sustainability of mechanized and traditional systems of damaskrose production using extended exergy analysis

Environmental resource efficiency is a major challenge in the management of agroecosystems and their sustainability. The Extended Exergy Analysis (EEA) is a novel approach that assesses the total amount of resources extracted from the environment to produce agroecosystem products. This study applied the EEA to compare the sustainable development of Damask rose flower production in two mechanized and traditional systems in Nehbandan County, South Khorasan province, using the data of 2021–2022. The EEA calculated the flows of labor, capital, and environmental costs in the systems based on the first and second thermodynamic laws. The results showed that the traditional system had lower cumulative exergy consumption (CExC) and environmental modification cost than the mechanized system, indicating higher ecological sustainability. The extended exergy indices, such as the special capital conversion of energy and material input (kcap), the special capital conversion of product sale (KCAPEEA), extended exergy cost (eec) and the cumulative degree of perfection (CDP), also revealed that the traditional system was more cost-effective, economical, technologically efficient, and closer to the optimal conditions than the mechanized system. To achieve a sustainable agricultural crop production system, new patterns and models for selecting inputs and reducing environmental costs are recommended.

Using Bacillus megaterium as a bio-fertilizer alleviates salt stress, improves phosphorus nutrition, and increases cauliflower yield

The traditional crop production system involves the use of large amounts of chemical fertilizers, which negatively impacts the ecological environment by increasing soil degradation and salinity, threatening sustainable agricultural production. Therefore, there is an urgent need for agricultural practices that increase plant productivity and reduce negative impacts on the environment. Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms can enhance nutrient availability and plant uptake. This study investigated the effect of Bacillus megaterium as a bio-fertilizer (inoculated and non-inoculated) combined with phosphorus fertilizer (40, 60, and 80 kg. ha−1) on the growth and yield of cauliflower grown under saline conditions, saline soil (9.68 dS.m−1) and saline irrigation water (7.12 dS.m−1). Salt-stressed cauliflower inoculated with Bacillus and fertilized with 60 or 80 kg. ha−1 P2O5 showed improved growth and higher yield compared to other treatments, without significant differences between them. However, Bacillus-treated plants fertilized with 60 P2O5 showed increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 29.3%, catalase (CAT) by 13.9, chlorophyll by 10.4%, N by 7.8%, and P by 8.6%, while Na decreased by 7.8%, resulting in significant increases in cauliflower yield (head weight by 9.3%, and total yield by 8.3%) compared with the control treatment (recommended P fertilizer, 80 kg P2O5. ha−1). The results indicated that the inoculation of salt-stressed plants with Bacillus megaterium is a promising and feasible approach to reduce phosphorus fertilizer use by up to 25% and enhance membrane stability (MSI), relative water content (RWC), nutrient availability, and growth performance, thus mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress exacerbated by climate change.

PSIX-17 Preliminary Assessment of Preweaning Growth Performance of Dexter and Mashona X Dexter Calves

Abstract Non-traditional cattle breeds are often considered by managers for niche beef production and marketing systems. Some of these alternative breeds are small-framed and thus desired by small-farm operators but have received little research attention because they do not fit traditional commodity beef production systems. Very few of these small breeds also offer heat tolerance. This project was designed to evaluate preweaning performance of straightbred (n = 76) and F1 crossbred calves (n = 81) produced by mature Dexter cows across three years and two Tennessee State University research farms. Spring-born calves were sired by Dexter (n = 7; DD) and Mashona bulls (n = 6; MD) in single-sire, natural service breeding groups following 60-d breeding seasons. Breed of sire was balanced across cow age and farm locations. Calves were weighed within 24-h of birth, at 4 months (125 d of age) of age, and at weaning (227 d of age). Calves were not creep-fed and bull calves were not castrated until after weaning. No cases of dystocia were observed as a result of crossbreeding. Calf performance traits were evaluated using MIXED models of SAS. Fixed effects included sire breed, sex, farm location, and the interaction of sire breed and sex. Random effect terms were production year and sire nested within sire breed. For all the traits evaluated, models were consistent in that the sire breed x calf sex interaction was not significant (P > 0.1), whereas sire breed and calf sex were consistently important (P < 0.01) sources of variation. Bull calves had greater weight and ADG values than heifer calves from birth to weaning. Mean body weight was heavier for MD than DD calves at birth (28.4 ± 0.8 vs. 23.9 ± 0.7 kg), at 4 months of age (120.6 ± 9.7 vs. 96.7 ± 9.6 kg), and at weaning (154 ± 8.6 vs. 124.4 ± 8.6 kg). The MD calves had greater ADG than DD calves from birth to 4 months of age (715.8 ± 36.1 vs. 599.1 ± 36 g/d), from 4 months of age to weaning (334 ± 44.3 vs. 256.8 ± 44 g/d), and from birth to weaning (547 ± 35.7 vs. 447.1 ± 35.7 g/d). Mean 205-d adjusted body weight was heavier for MD than DD (140.2 ± 7.6 vs. 114.7 ± 7.6 kg). Preliminary results indicated that crossbreeding with Mashona bulls significantly increased preweaning growth of calves produced by Dexter cows, while the F1 calves maintained small statute. The spring-born MD F1 calves likely benefited from heat tolerance provided by the Mashona influence and heterosis generated by crossbreeding.

Game and multi-objective optimization of configurations for multiple distributed energy systems considering building users’ demands and satisfaction degrees

Sustainable building energy supply is crucial to the sustainable development of society, and replacing the separation production energy system with a hybrid renewable energy distributed energy system (DES) can help achieve this goal. However, there are challenges to the application of such building DES, such as collaboration between multiple DESs, conflicts between DESs and users, and user energy management/evaluation. While existing works rarely consider them simultaneously. Therefore, this work presents a two-stage collaborative optimization model to solve these issues. The first-stage optimizes the structures and capacities of DESs and the electricity and heat interchanges between DESs to maximize energy, economic, and emission performances. Based on user energy consumption elasticity, the second-stage evaluates DES revenue and user energy consumption utility/satisfaction to perform a multi-leader and multi-follower game. The interactive game determines energy prices and manages the hourly building user demands. A case study shows the validation of the proposed method. The results indicate that from the initial stage to reaching game equilibrium, the revenue of DESs decreases by approximately 11.2 % due to the declined energy prices, which increase users' hourly loads. Then, users’ utility can be increased by 7.0 % due to satisfaction improvement. Moreover, the renewable energy penetration rate in DESs is increased by 7.1 %, and the relative energy, economic, and emission performances (the baseline is traditional separation production system) of DESs are increased by 5.9 %, 0.5 %, and 4.5 %, respectively. The proposed framework helps to design/manage clean and efficient building energy systems and formulate reasonable energy prices, favoring DES development and carbon neutrality goals.

Combined effects of climate change and agricultural intensification on soil erosion in uphill shifting cultivation in Northeast India

AbstractShifting cultivation will face increasing pressure from erosion‐related land degradation caused by rising cultivation intensities and climate change. However, empirical knowledge about future trends of soil erosion and thus land degradation in shifting cultivation systems is limited. We use the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model to first explore the combined effects of climate change and agricultural intensification on soil erosion of uphill shifting cultivation systems, using six surveyed soil profiles. We assess interactions between climate change, the length of the fallow period, and slope inclinations for a near (2021–2050) and far (2071–2100) future period, considering three climate scenarios, five climate models, fallow periods between one and 20 years, and slopes between five and 70% steepness. Our results show a significant nonlinear relationship between global warming and erosion. Until the end of the century, erosion is estimated to increase by a factor of 1.2, 2.2, and 3.1 under the SSP126, SSP370, and SSP585 scenarios, respectively, compared with the historical baseline (1985–2014). Combined effects from climate change, fallow length, and slope inclination indicate that steep slopes require longer fallow periods, with an increase of slope from 5% to 10% multiplying the required fallow length by a mean factor of 2.5, and that fallow periods will need to be extended under higher global warming if erosion rates are to remain at current levels. These findings are novel as they link climate change effects on shifting cultivation systems to different slopes and fallow regimes, making an important contribution to understanding future erosion dynamics of traditional smallholder production systems in mountainous terrain, with relevant implications for policies on agricultural intensification.

Characterization of dairy farms in a family-farm system in the municipality of Senador Guiomard, Acre State, Western Amazon

National dairy production is characterized by significant heterogeneity in production techniques and herd and farmer profiles. Our objective was to characterize 18 dairy farms under family farming in Senador Guiomard, Acre State, from January to December 2019. Data were gathered through 255 question semi-structured forms applied to farmers in monthly visits. The data were then stored in Excel® spreadsheets and subjected to descriptive statistics. A joint analysis showed the following characteristics: farmers with low schooling level (89%); farmers of advanced age (61%); nonadoption of good dairy practices (100%); inadequate milk transport (72%); adequate brucellosis vaccination (100%); non specialized herds (40%); pasture production system (100%); low productivity per area (873 L/ha/year) and per cow (4.0 liters/cow/day); low number of lactating cows (53%); and gross milk income (29,466.65 R$/year) representing 69% of the total gross income. The region studied has positive factors such as market guarantees, proximity to large market centers, reasonable land prices, suitable climate, ease of credit, rural education, and technical assistance. Overall, the farms are managed under a traditional production system, with low use of technology and unsatisfactory zootechnical indexes. However, the region has favorable conditions for dairy farming development.