Combinations between crop intercropping and forage production in a no-tillage system are not well established for environments under low water retention and soil fertility conditions. Our study aimed to evaluate the potential interactions between soybean-grass intercropping with residual nitrogen in a no-tillage system. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications in a subdivided plot scheme. The main plots in the summer season were: 1) soybean monoculture; 2) soybean - Aruana Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus cv. Aruana) intercropping, and 3) soybean - Congo grass (Urochloa ruziziensis cv. Comum) intercropping. The subplots were the nitrogen rates of 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha-1, applied as side-dressing in maize and grasses during the autumn-winter season. Here, the results of the summer seasons are shown. To do so, the parameters evaluated were soybean agronomic traits, dry biomass production, and macronutrient concentrations of plants intercropped. The main effects and interactions were studied. Our findings showed that soybean-Aruana Guinea grass intercropping is an alternative to no-tillage system implementation. Moreover, residual nitrogen from the autumn-winter season directly interfered with the dry biomass production of grasses intercropped with soybeans in the summer season. In short, the systems studied seem suitable for implementing a no-tillage system, which aims to neutralize degraded pastures and produce forage for ensilage. Despite the changes in macronutrient concentrations within the intercropping system and residual nitrogen, and among intercropped crops over the years, Congo grass intercropped with soybeans in the summer season showed great capacity for phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium cycling.

Background. Numerous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) on many chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the adherence of a rural population to the Mediterranean diet, to identify the sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants and to analyze the association between adherence to MD and CKD. Material and Methods. In a cross-sectional study, data on sociodemographic, lifestyle factors, clinical, biochemical parameters and diet were collected on a sample of 154 subjects. Adherence to MD was assessed according to a simplified MD score based on the daily frequency of intake of eight food groups (vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereal or potatoes, fish, red meat, dairy products and MUFA/SFA), using the sex specific sample medians as cut-offs. A value of 0 or 1 was assigned to consumption of each component according to its presumed detrimental or beneficial effect on health. Results. According to the simplified MD score, the study data show that high adherence (44.2%) to MD was characterized by intakes high in vegetables, fruits, fish, cereals, olive oil, and low in meat and moderate in dairy. Furthermore, several factors such as age, marital status, education level, and hypertension status were associated with the adherence to MD in the study population. The majority of subjects with CKD have poor adherence to the MD compared to non-CKD with a statistically insignificant difference. Conclusions. In Morocco, maintaining the traditional MD pattern play crucial role for public health. More research is needed in this area to precisely measure this association.

Abstract Animal movement is increasingly affected by human alterations to habitat and climate change. In wetland systems, widespread hydrologic alterations from agriculture have changed the shape, function, and stability of shallow streams and wetland habitats. These changes in habitat quality and quantity may be especially consequential for freshwater fishes such as Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), a small predatory fish found in disjunct populations across southern Ontario and listed as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. To characterize Grass Pickerel movement response to stream-channel alterations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada implemented a tracking study to monitor the movements of a Grass Pickerel population in an agricultural drain on the Niagara Peninsula (Ontario, Canada). From 2009 to 2013, 2007 Grass Pickerel were tagged and tracked in the 37.3 km2 Beaver Creek watershed using a combination of mark-recapture surveys and eight fully automated passive integrated transponder tag antennas. Most individuals moved within 500 m (i.e., stationary fish) while 16% of the fish moved > 500 m (i.e., mobile fish), with a maximum median movement distance of 1.89 km and a maximum movement distance of 13.5 km (a long-tail distribution). Most movements occurred near the largest confluence where only a few were long-distance upstream or downstream movements. Mobile fish were larger than their stationary counterparts. Grass Pickerel in sites with higher abundance had more mobile fish, implying potential density dependence. Our results highlight that, while a long-distance dispersal ability exists in extant Grass Pickerel populations, the current conditions of riverscapes may prevent these dispersals from occurring. For declining Grass Pickerel populations, limitations to their movement ecology may substantially increase the likelihood of local extirpations.

This Special Edition of Agriculture on The Role of Agriculture in Addressing Food Security, Ecological Sustainability and Quality of Food has seven articles ranging from technological solutions, the importance of quality standards as a means to addressing global trade and farm incomes, through to those with a focus on sustainable development partnerships, and at the micro level, the importance of self-help through home gardening in Vietnam [...]

Abstract Environmental pollution, food sufficiency, and health are among the main challenges for sustainable crop production in Mexico. The main tool for plant protection is chemical pesticides, but environmental safety and risks to animal and human health have prompted the community and scientists to propose alternatives for their integrated management. This has encouraged the inclusion of biological products, such as species of the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma spp., which act against pests and pathogens in different crops, and are environmentally benign, effective and economically viable. The aim of this paper was to compile information on Trichoderma spp. regarding their taxonomy, ecology, use as biological control, isolation, culture, morphological and molecular identification, mode of action, distribution of native species, and availability of international commercial products and those produced in Mexico. For this purpose, information was selected from indexed journals and suppliers of Trichoderma spp. on open data digital platforms. The exposed information could be useful for Mexican farmers, to know, accept and use biological control with Trichoderma spp. in their crops, for the benefit of quality agriculture and pesticide-free crops. In addition, research could be generated to develop new autochthonous products based on Trichoderma spp. that are more effective against pests and diseases native to Mexico. | Resumen La contaminación ambiental, la suficiencia alimentaria y la salud se encuentran entre los principales desafíos para la producción de cultivos sostenibles en México. La principal herramienta para la protección vegetal son los plaguicidas químicos, pero la seguridad ambiental y los riesgos para la salud, animal y humana, han instado a la comunidad y a los científicos a proponer alternativas para su manejo integral. Esto ha incentivado la inclusión de productos biológicos, como las especies del hongo antagonista Trichoderma spp., que actúan contra plagas y patógenos en diferentes cultivos, y son ambientalmente benignas, efectivas y económicamente viables. El objetivo de este artículo fue recopilar información sobre Trichoderma spp. en cuanto a su taxonomía, ecología, uso como control biológico, aislamiento, cultivo, identificación morfológica y molecular, forma de acción, distribución de especies nativas, y disposición de productos comerciales de nivel internacional y los producidos en México. Para este fin, se seleccionó información de revistas indexadas y proveedores de Trichoderma spp. en plataformas digitales de datos abiertos. La información expuesta podría ser útil para los agricultores mexicanos, para conocer, aceptar y emplear el control biológico con Trichoderma spp. en sus cultivos, en beneficio de una agricultura de calidad y de cultivos libres de pesticidas. Además, se podrían generar investigaciones para elaborar nuevos productos autóctonos a base de Trichoderma spp., que resulten más efectivos contra plagas y enfermedades nativas de México.

Livestock markets influence income generation for producers, but also accessibility and affordability of highly nutritious animal-sourced foods for consumers. Despite their importance, the functioning of livestock markets in lower-income countries is poorly understood and rarely studied compared to more developed countries. This study analyzes wholesale cattle markets in Ethiopia using a uniquely rich large-scale dataset covering both prices and cattle characteristics in 39 markets (in both highland and lowland areas) over a 10-year period, and hedonic regression models structured to understand both cattle price formation and seasonal and secular price dynamics. We show that cattle prices are influenced by a wide range of factors, including proxies for meat quality, religious fasting practices, climate-based seasonality but also climate shocks and availability of grazing land, competition from animal traction services, and rising consumer incomes. However, the implied effects of these factors are often significantly different in highland mixed crop-livestock areas compared to agro-pastoralist lowland areas, emphasizing the dualistic nature of cattle markets in Ethiopia. The analyses help inform the systemic challenges that Ethiopia will need to overcome to meet rising demand for beef products in the face of sustained income and population growth, as well as the adverse effects of climate change.

The energy in agricultural systems is two-fold: transformation and utilization. The assessment and proper use of energy in agricultural systems is important to achieve economic benefits and overall sustainability. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the energy balance of crop and livestock production, net energy ratio (NER), and water use efficiency (WUE) of crops of a selected farm in Sri Lanka using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. In order to assess the diversification, 18 crops and 5 livestock types were used. The data were obtained from farm records, personal contacts, and previously published literature. Accordingly, the energy balance in crop production and livestock production was −316.87 GJ ha⁻¹ Year⁻¹ and 758.73 GJ Year⁻¹, respectively. The energy related WUE of crop production was 31.35 MJ m⁻³. The total energy balance of the farm was 736.2 GJ Year⁻¹. The results show a negative energy balance in crop production indicating an efficient production system, while a comparatively higher energy loss was shown from the livestock sector. The procedure followed in this study can be used to assess the energy balance of diversified agricultural systems, which is important for agricultural sustainability. This can be further developed to assess the carbon footprint in agricultural systems.

Agricultural machinery is estimated to contribute around 5-10% of Scottish Agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural land in Scotland covers 5.6 million hectares and the agriculture sector represented 19% of Scotland’s emissions in 2020. The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan update requires a 31% reduction in agricultural emissions by 2032, from 2018 levels, a pace nearly four times faster than has been achieved up to now. The decarbonisation of machinery could play a key role in Scotland’s transition to net zero by 2045. However, there is a lack of reliable information on emissions from mobile agricultural machinery and the options, costs and pathways to decarbonisation. The use of mobile agricultural machinery varies considerably across Scotland, reflecting patterns of agricultural production. In this study we assess the suitability of selected low emission technologies to power mobile machinery.

This study investigates how self-organizing efforts by residents of informal settlements, primarily migrant and informal farmworkers, shape community resilience in Majes, a water-scarce irrigation district in the Atacama Desert of Peru. We collected 45 semi-structured interviews with residents and authorities in Majes and analyzed findings through a framework of self-organizing. Analyses revealed that self-organizing by residents of informal settlements incorporated the three components of White’s theory of Community Agency and Community Resilience, which contends that marginalized communities increase resilience by fostering a commons praxis, practicing a prefigurative politics, and developing opportunities for economic autonomy. We also found that residents self-organized into associations to increase access to resources, resulting in increased resilience. However, certain fees, corruption, and undemocratic decision-making processes can be detrimental to self-organizing. Results expand existing theories of self-organization and community resilience by highlighting how residents of informal settlements in agricultural spaces collectively organize to increase their resilience. Findings also begin to reframe narratives that describe migrants and farmworkers as powerless in the face of water scarcity, climate change, and other social-ecological risks.