Use Of Sustainable Agricultural Practices Research Articles

A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Role of Participation in a Nutrition-Sensitive Agroecology Intervention in Rural Tanzania

BackgroundParticipation is key to the successful implementation of nutrition-related interventions, but it has been relatively overlooked. ObjectiveWe sought to describe participation intensity among smallholder farmers in a randomized nutrition-sensitive agroecology study in rural Tanzania. We explored the association between baseline characteristics and overall participation intensity (quantitatively at the individual level and qualitatively at the group level), the association of participation intensity with 2 process indicators, and the association between participation intensity and key study outcomes. MethodsData came from 7 rounds of surveys with 295 women and 267 men across 29 months and 2 rounds of semi-structured interviews with the 20 “mentor farmers” who delivered the intervention. Participation intensity was based on the number of months of attendance at village-level project meetings or household visits (range: 0–29). Multivariable models of participation were built. ResultsWomen and men participated for 17.5 ± 7.2 and 13.6 ± 8.3 months, respectively. Participation intensity followed 1 latent trajectory: initially low, with a sharp increase after month 7, and plateaued after the first year. At baseline, higher participation intensity was associated with older age, higher education, level of women’s empowerment, being in the middle quintile of wealth, and qualitatively, village residence. Higher participation intensity was associated with 2 process indicators – better recall of topics discussed during meetings and greater knowledge about key agroecological methods. High participation intensity was positively associated with increased use of sustainable agricultural practices among all participants, and among women, with husband’s involvement in household tasks and child’s dietary diversity score. ConclusionsParticipation intensity covaried with key study outcomes, suggesting the value of increased attention to implementation in nutrition-related programs for providing insights into drivers of impact. We hope that investigations of participation, including participation intensity, will become more widespread so that intervention impacts, or lack thereof, can be better understood.

Agronomical Practices and Management for Commercial Cultivation of Portulaca oleracea as a Crop: A Review.

Soil is an essential resource, and its degradation is challenging modern agriculture, while its impact is expected to increase in the near future. One of the strategies to address this issue is to incorporate new alternative crops able to tolerate arduous conditions, as well as for the use of sustainable agricultural practices in order to recover and/or improve soil health. Additionally, the increasing market for new functional/healthy natural foods promotes the search for potential alternative crop species with promising bioactive compounds content. For this purpose, wild edible plants are a key option because they have already been consumed for hundreds of years in traditional gastronomy and there is well-established evidence of their health-promoting effects. Moreover, since they are not a cultivated species, they are able to grow under natural conditions without human intervention. Among them, common purslane is an interesting wild edible species and a good candidate for integration in commercial farming systems. With worldwide spread, it is able to tolerate drought, salinity and heat stress and is already used in traditional dishes, while it is highly appreciated for its high nutritional value due to its bioactive compound content, especially omega-3 fatty acids. In this review, we aim to present the breeding and cultivation practices of purslane, as well as the effects of abiotic stressors on yield and chemical composition of the edible parts. Finally, we present information that helps to optimize purslane cultivation and facilitate its management in degraded soils for their exploitation in the existing farming systems.

Long-Term Changes in Macrophyte Distribution and Abundance in a Lowland River.

The aim of this study was to reveal the changes of macrophyte community over time and along the course of the Ižica River. In 1996, 2000, and 2016, we surveyed the distribution and abundance of macrophyte species in the lowland Ižica River, which originates in the town of Ig and then flows through an agricultural landscape. We calculated the River Macrophyte Index (RMI), which reflects the ecological status of the river. In 2016, ecomorphological conditions of the river, using the Riparian, Channel and Environmental inventory, were also assessed. In just 10.5 km of the river, we identified 27 taxa of macrophytes, among which Potamogeton natans, Sagittaria sagittifolia, and P. perfoliatus were the most abundant. Detrended correspondence analysis showed that, in 1996, the surveyed stretches differed more according to macrophyte composition than in the following years. The assessed environmental parameters explained 43% of the variability of the macrophyte species; riverbank stability explained 20%, riverbed structure 10%, while vegetation type of the riparian zone and bottom type explained 7 and 5%, respectively. The species composition of the macrophyte community revealed significant changes over the years of the riverine ecosystem. Comparison of RMIs in 1996 revealed better conditions in the upper and middle part of the river, while in 2016, the situation was the opposite, since the conditions in the upper part deteriorated significantly over time, while the lower part of the river had the best ecological status. These changes may be due to a considerable increase in the population of the settlement Ig, while better status in the lower course of the river may be a consequence of improvements in the infrastructure and the use of sustainable agricultural practices in the catchment due to the establishment of a formal area of protection.

A Proposed Conceptual Framework on the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Role of Network Contact Frequency and Institutional Trust

To promote environmental changes in agriculture, the use of sustainable agricultural practices was considered to be crucial. Several factors have been identified that affect farmers in their decision to implement sustainable agricultural practices effectively. Despite this, the rate of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices remains below the planned level, and it is important to know how to solve this issue. In this paper, we propose a model based on the theory of planned behavior and the norm activation theory with the integration of network contact frequency as a mediator and institutional trust as a moderator to fill “the intention-behavior” gap.

Agriculture in Hilly and Mountainous Landscapes: Threats, Monitoring and Sustainable Management

Agricultural landscapes cultivated in hilly and mountainous areas, often with terracing practice, could represent for some regions historical heritages and cultural ecosystem services. For this reason, they deserve to be protected. The complex morphology that characterises them, however, makes these areas intrinsically susceptible to hydrogeological instability, such as soil loss due to surface erosion or more severe mass movements. We can identify three major critical factors for such landscapes. The first is related to the socio-economic evolution of contemporary civilization, that increased the land abandonment of several rural regions, leading therefore to a lack of maintenance. A second element is the unsustainable agricultural practices, such as excessive heavy-mechanization that cause soil compaction thus accelerating degradation. Finally, the climate change forcing, with the increasing of the extreme rainfall. In this complex framework, it is necessary to find innovative solutions for the mitigation of hydrogeological risk and to respond in a well-prepared way to the possible future critical scenarios. Therefore, the use of sustainable agricultural practices, which allow the production of quality agricultural products in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, becomes crucial. Suitable solutions must respond to the criterion of multidisciplinary, where the various stakeholders collaborate by offering their specific knowledge in a shared intention of problem-solving. The discipline of geography may become a valuable asset in this framework. In particular, thanks to the recent technological advances in the topographic survey (e.g. innovative remote sensing techniques such as drones and airborne laser scanning), it is possible to exploit digital terrain analysis to synthesize key information for decision-makers, in order to plan sustainable interventions. Moreover, thanks to the high-resolution and accuracy offered by digital topography and the advanced morphometric algorithms, it is possible to tackle the problem of hydrogeological risk from a unique and privileged perspective: that of prevention.

A Technology Acceptance Model of common bean growers’ intention to adopt Integrated Production in the Brazilian Central Region

SummaryThe Brazilian government encouraged the Integrated Production (IP) farming system adoption to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of intensive bean production in irrigated areas of the Brazilian savanna. By ensuring food-safety and the use of sustainable agricultural practices, IP may strengthen national agriculture competitiveness. Regardless of the government efforts to promote IP in the main agricultural regions and among the largest food growers, only few slowly adopted it. Therefore, studying the process of technology adoption is important to identify possible problems that could affect adoption and diffusion of this farming system. We applied a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain the adoption and use of IP by the common beans growers from one of the most important bean production regions in Brazil. Ninety-three interviews were administered to different actors involved in beans production. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) following a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to identify the relationship between factors. The findings suggest that respondents have positive perceptions toward adopting IP. Perceived usefulness has a positive impact on attitude, and attitudes affect behavioral intention. However, the proposed model only partially explains IP adoption intentions.

Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions on Climate Change and the Use of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa

In developing regions with high levels of poverty and a dependence on climate sensitive agriculture, studies focusing on climate change adaptation, planning, and policy processes, have gained relative importance over the years. This study assesses the impact of farmer perceptions regarding climate change on the use of sustainable agricultural practices as an adaptation strategy in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa. In this empirical approach, we adopt methods that account for the plausibility that unmeasured characteristics exist, which are correlated with perceptions and the adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices. We use a unique and representative dataset collected in December 2012 and June 2013, from smallholder farmers in the Chinyanja Triangle. The results indicate that farmer’s perceptions significantly influence the use of sustainable agricultural practices. Specifically, we established that farmer perceptions considerably impact the use of grain legume rotations, inorganic fertilizers, compost, and farmyard manure. Our results highlight the need for a serious and perhaps equal consideration of farmer perceptions regarding climate change, as important inputs to climate change adaptation policies targeted at enhancing climatic resilience in smallholder farming communities. This is plausible as the adaptation and pliability of farmers to the effects of climate change should be a social process involving the collective efforts from various stakeholders.

QUALIDADE DE PRODUTOS ORGÂNICOS: A PERCEPÇÃO DOS PRODUTORES DE HORTALIÇAS DE UMA FEIRA ECOLÓGICA EM PORTO ALEGRE – RS

The use of sustainable agricultural practices promotes natural resources conservation. Specifically, organic foods production stands out among these actions. In this context, the theoretical framework used addressed the agroecological foods production, cooperation on organic agriculture and the perception of quality in organic foods production. Thus, the overall goal was to identify quality parameters adopted by farmers at an Ecological Fair in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. This is an applied type research and classified as exploratory with quantitative and qualitative approaches for data processing. The results showed that, for most farmers, a vegetable quality is linked only to organic production. To ensure quality, we emphasize that care must be taken throughout in production chain main links.

Pesticides Use among Grain Merchants in Mubi Grain Markets of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Food security in sub-Saharan Africa largely depends upon improved food productivity through the use of sustainable agricultural practices and the reduction of post-harvest losses caused by pests and diseases. This study was conducted in two major grain markets in Mubi to study pest control practices by grain merchants. Fifty questionnaires were administered to randomly selected grain merchants and laborers through personal interviews from the two main markets between April and August, 2011. The responses of the respondents were recorded. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis. The result of the study shows that close to half (46%) of the respondents have: low level of education, while (30%) of them have no formal education. The result further shows that the respondents lack technical know-how on how to apply pesticides during grain storage period that ranged from 1-6 months; and the most commonly used insecticides were dichlorvos, permethrin and aluminium phosphate. The implications with respect to pesticide poisoning are food contaminants were discussed accordingly. It is, therefore, recommended that farmers, retailers, distributors and all the pesticide workers should undergo regular training/workshop on the use and safety measures of pesticides. Also multimedia awareness activities in local language should be massively conducted. Key words : Pesticides, food security, grain merchants, storage, perception.

Soil Ecosystem Changes During the Transition to No-Till Cropping

Summary Growers in the United States and worldwide are adopting no-tillage (no-till) cropping to reduce soil erosion, improve soil quality, increase water infiltration, and reduce number of passes with farm equipment over their fields. Soil erosion from dry farmed (i.e., non-irrigated) cropland in most regions of the United States exceeds the tolerable rate. An understanding of the changes in the soil ecosystem with changing tillage practices is needed to minimize the impact of agriculture on the environment and foster the use of sustainable agricultural practices. The soil biota is critical to the functioning of any agro-ecosystem, but studying the soil biota is difficult due to the diversity and the challenges associated with isolating and identifying these organisms. Soil disturbance or lack of disturbance can have a profound effect on biotic populations, processes and community structure. This contribution examines changes that occur in soil during the transition to no-till cropping, interrelations among organisms in the soil food web, and the relationships between organisms and their environment. As interest grows in sustainable cropping systems that mimic processes and soil organic matter turnover of native, undisturbed systems, it is imperative to understand how the transition to no-till affects an organism's niche, or functional role within the soil environment. Ecosystem investigations will enhance the understanding of changes that occur with the adoption of reduced tillage and no-till cropping systems so that these systems become increasingly viable.