•We assess energy balances at national scale while maintaining sub-national relevance.•There are prominent feed scarcity hotspots.•Interventions can address hotspots by influencing herd sizes and ...herd mobility.•Intervening agents can develop new sources of feed and incentivise feed trade.•Feed balances will be of value to decision−makers for multiple purposes.
Demand for animal−source foods and livestock feed are forecast to increase across sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, there is a need to estimate the availability of livestock feed to support decision−making at local, sub-national and national levels. In this study, we assess feed balances for ruminant livestock in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Feed availability was estimated using remotely sensed products and detailed feed composition data. Feed requirements were estimated for maintenance, growth, lactation, gestation and locomotion using a data−intensive model. Biomass available as animal feed was estimated to be 8.6 tonnes of DM per hectare in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 3.2 tonnes DM per hectare in the Ethiopian lowlands, 2.9 tonnes DM per hectare in Burkina Faso’s Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 1.0 tonne DM per hectare in the Sahel. The energy requirements of lactating cows were estimated to be 62.1 Megajoules (MJs) per animal per day in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 62.7 MJ in the Ethiopian lowlands, 88.5 MJ in Burkina Faso’s Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 53.1 MJ per animal per day in the Sahel. Feed scarcity hotspots are most prominently located in the Ethiopian highlands and the Sahelian agro-ecological zone of Burkina Faso. Demand−side policy and investment initiatives can address hotspots by influencing herd sizes, nutritional requirements and herd mobility. Supply−side policy and investment initiatives can secure existing feed resources, develop new sources of feed and incentivise trade in feed resources. Improving feed balances will be of value to decision−makers with the aims of optimising livestock productivity, minimising exposure to climatic shocks and minimising greenhouse gas emission intensity.
Feedstock selection is a key factor affecting the process of cellulosic ethanol production. Densifying lignocellulosic biomass with chemicals (calcium hydroxide) followed by regular steam autoclave ...(DLCA(ch)) is an emerging and efficient pretreatment technology. In this study, different crop straws were selected as feedstock in a DLCA(ch) based process for cellulosic ethanol production, and their experimental and economic performances were evaluated. Both single crop straws and mixed crop straws were used and compared as feedstock for DLCA(ch) based biorefinery. Among single crop straws of corn stover, rice straw and wheat straw, wheat straw had the highest ethanol yield and the lowest feedstock cost, with a minimum ethanol selling price of 2.03 $/gal ethanol considering a 10 % internal rate of return and a 2000 tons crop straw per day biorefinery scale. When mixed crop straws were used as the feedstock, both feedstock cost and ethanol production cost were further reduced, and the minimum ethanol selling price was reduced to 2.02 $/gal ethanol. In addition, the use of mixed crop straws has great potential for large scale DLCA(ch) based process for cellulosic ethanol production.
Crops and livestock play a synergistic role in global food production and farmer livelihoods. Increasingly, however, crops and livestock are produced in isolation, particularly in farms operating at ...the commercial scale. It has been suggested that re-integrating crop and livestock systems at the field and farm level could help reduce the pollution associated with modern agricultural production and increase yields. Despite this potential, there has been no systematic review to assess remaining knowledge gaps in both the social and ecological dimensions of integrated crop and livestock systems (ICLS), particularly within commercial agricultural systems. Based on a multi-disciplinary workshop of international experts and additional literature review, we assess the current knowledge and remaining uncertainties about large-scale, commercial ICLS and identify the source of remaining knowledge gaps to establish priorities for future research. We find that much is understood about nutrient flows, soil quality, crop performance, and animal weight gain in commercial ICLS, but there is little knowledge about its spatial extent, animal behavior or welfare in ICLS, or the tradeoffs between biodiversity, pest and disease control, greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, and drought and heat tolerance in ICLS. There is some evidence regarding the economic outcomes in commercial ICLS and supply chain and policy barriers to adoption, but little understanding of broader social outcomes or cultural factors influencing adoption. Many of these knowledge gaps arise from a basic lack of data at both the field and system scales, which undermines both statistical analysis and modeling efforts. Future priorities for the international community of researchers investigating the tradeoffs and scalability of ICLS include: methods standardization to better facilitate international collaborations and comparisons, continued social organization for better data utilization and collaboration, meta-analyses to answer key questions from existing data, the establishment of long term experiments and surveys in key regions, a portal for citizen science, and more engagement with ICLS farmers.
•We synthesize knowledge about commercial integrated crop and livestock systems (ICLS).•C and N cycling, yields, and economic outcomes in ICLS are fairly well understood.•Spatial extent, adoption determinants, and animal outcomes in ICLS remain unknown.•Knowledge gaps derive from a lack of data at both the field and system scales•We identify future priorities for the international community of ICLS researchers.
Soil salinization is a significant environmental challenge prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions, causing adverse effects on crop yields and jeopardizing household food security. Previous research ...has examined the influence of institutional dynamics and the adoption of sustainable land management practices in bolstering agricultural output, and some have investigated the interplay among socioeconomic determinants, institutional frameworks, and the uptake of climate-resilient and sustainable methodologies, or the association between soil health and agricultural productivity. Yet, there has been a lack of studies that considered this relationship altogether and their role in enhancing soil fertility.
We investigate the relationship among socioeconomic and institutional factors, adoption of sustainable land management practices, and the resulting changes in soil fertility between 2016 and 2019 within the context of mixed crop-livestock farms in the three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. A household survey was conducted in 2019 to complement soil attributes data collected by the Government of Punjab in 2016. Households that implemented sustainable land management practices between 2016 and 2019 were analysed to investigate the effect of various factors on soil fertility, including the adoption of sustainable land management practices and their influence on soil fertility dynamics.
A structural equation model was employed to examine the relationship among exogenous variables, moderating variables, and endogenous variables, to explain their collective influence on soil fertility between the two periods.
The key findings highlight the significant role of institutional factors, including access to formal information channels such as extension services, demonstration trials, and credit facilities, alongside secure land rights, in predicting the adoption of sustainable land management practices such as gypsum application, laser land leveling, farmyard manuring, and agroforestry. Furthermore, specific SLM practices, particularly agroforestry featuring intercropping with Acacia spp. and farmyard manure application, exhibited positive impacts on change in soil organic matter, albeit with agroforestry showing a negative influence on soil phosphorus levels. The adoption of gypsum and LLL displayed positive effects on soil phosphorus levels over time, contrasting with LLL's adverse impact on soil organic matter.
Our findings suggest that soil fertility benefits from policies enacted through public-private partnerships that lead to improved access to sustainable land management information, reduced credit barriers, establishment of local soil testing facilities, and expedited land entitlement processes. These findings highlight the critical role of collaborative partnerships and institutional arrangements in enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.
Note: Soil attributes used in the study are electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). *A negative impact on EC means lower EC levels; a positive impact on EC means higher EC levels.EC & P SOM. Display omitted
•A structural equation model was estimated to examine the impacts of sustainable land management practices on soil fertility changes.•Exposure to demonstration trials, field days, extension services, credit access, and land entitlement are key predictors of SLM practices.•SLM practices such as application of gypsum, laser land leveler, farmyard manuring, and agroforestry effectively reduced soil salinity.•SLM practices safeguard the environmental sustainability of farms.
Integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS) are supposed to achieve eco-efficiency; however, its management is more complex than that of specialized systems, thereby posing a challenge for researchers, ...farmers, and advisors to develop coordinated actions. Besides, there is a lack of methodological approaches to support the transitions to ICLS that are important to help toward effectively crop-livestock recoupling.
The Farm Coaching (FC) workshop was developed based on a blend of ICLS concepts (i.e., management of the soil-plant-animal relationships, financial resources) and personal coaching (i.e., assertive communication and time budgets). Accordingly, the objectives of this study include: (i) to analyze and discuss the potential benefits and constrains of the FC workshop; (ii) to evaluate farmers mindset change after FC; and (iii) to identify the effective actions implemented by farmers supported with specialized ICLS advising.
The FC initiative was led by a private advisory company together with ICLS researchers. During each workshop, four steps are proposed: 1) deconstructing the current modus operandi, 2) going through concepts and tools to understand ICLS, 3) gaining experience through a serious game (SIPA game), and 4) co-designing a new lifestyle and production system. In addition to the workshop, the advisory company led the work on-farm that was composed of a pre-set framework, including diagnosis, co-design, and implementation. To better understand the impacts of FC, participant observation and individual interviews were conducted with 12 farmers.
Four FC workshops were held between 2017 and 2019 (90 participants in total). The FC initiative successfully supported the participants' mind-set changing from specialized toward ICLS. The 12 farmers interviewed also experienced customized ICLS advice to help set up the concepts of sustainable ICLS, including whole farm design, and transition into practice. The results highlight the individual trajectories in implementing ICLS projects. Initial strategies reported for transitions included: implementing pilot projects, evaluating technical and financial indicators, organizing personal working routines, and improving teamwork skills to deal with the duties of the new concept.
This study describes an original technical–personal blending approach that inspires the revision of current trends (i.e., specialized agricultural systems) and motivates farmers to act differently. The insights in this article may support ICLS agricultural initiatives in facilitating more effective mind-set changing and co-design processes.
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•Integrated crop-livestock systems are more complex to design and implementing than specialized systems•There is a lack of methodological approaches for supporting transitions toward Integrated crop-livestock systems•Farm Coaching workshops were based on a blend of core Integrated crop-livestock systems concepts and personal coaching•A serious game was conceived to help participants experience the designing of Integrated crop-livestock systems•Farm Coaching inspires mind-set changing mind-set and on-farm advising motivates the farmers to act differently
The successful development of parasitoids of herbivores depends on the quality of their host, which is often affected by the host plant. Therefore, a parasitoid’s oviposition decisions will directly ...depend on the host, but also on plant quality. Here, we investigated the direct effects of host species and the indirect effects of the host’s food plant on the oviposition decisions and performance of the gregarious ectoparasitoid Euplectrus platyhypenae Howard (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). With a series of no‐choice experiments, we determined the oviposition and performance of the parasitoid on: (1) two caterpillar species, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda JE Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and velvet armyworm, Spodoptera latifascia Walker, reared on maize (Zea mays L., Poaceae), (2) the same caterpillars reared on maize, bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae), or squash (Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbitaceae) leaves, and (3) S. latifascia caterpillars reared on leaves of wild and cultivated lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L. All these insects and plants originate from Mesoamerica where they have coexisted for thousands of years in the traditional agricultural system known as Milpa in which maize, beans, and squash are planted together. We found that the preferred and best combination of host and host plant for parasitoid performance was S. frugiperda on maize. Parasitoids laid larger clutches, had higher survival, and more females and larger adults emerged from S. frugiperda reared on maize. However, when both caterpillar species were reared on squash, S. latifascia was the better host. Contrary to the literature, S. frugiperda was not able to develop on bean plants. Results from the lima bean experiment showed that parasitoid performance was best when S. latifascia was reared on leaves of cultivated compared to wild lima bean. These findings are discussed in the context of mixed cropping in which the ability of generalist parasitoids to switch among hosts and host plant species could be advantageous for pest management.
Herbivorous hosts and the quality of their food plants will affect the oviposition and performance of a generalist ectoparasitoid. In no‐choice experiments, we investigated direct effects of two hosts – Spodoptera frugiperda and S. latifascia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) caterpillars – and indirect effects of the host’s food plant (maize, bean, or squash) on oviposition decisions and performance of the gregarious ectoparasitoid Euplectrus platyhypenae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). The findings are discussed in the context of mixed cropping, allowing switches among hosts and their food plants.
Mixed crop-livestock systems, combining livestock and cash crops at farm level, are considered to be suitable for sustainable intensification of agriculture. Ensuring the survival of mixed ...crop-livestock systems is a challenge for European agriculture: the number of European mixed crop-livestock farms has been decreasing since 1970. Analysis of farming system dynamics may elucidate past changes and the forces driving this decline. The objectives of this study were (i) to identify the diversity of paths that allowed the survival of mixed crop-livestock farming and (ii) to elucidate the driving forces behind such survival. We analysed the variety of farm trajectories from 1950 to 2005. We studied the entire farm population of a case study site, located in the 'Coteaux de Gascogne' region. In this less favoured area of south-western France, farmers have limited specialisation. Currently, half of the farms use mixed crop-livestock systems. The data set of 20 variables for 50 farms on the basis of six 10-year time steps was collected through retrospective surveys. We used a two-step analysis including (i) a visual assessment of the whole population of individual farm trajectories and (ii) a computer-based typology of farm trajectories on the basis of a series of multivariate analyses followed by automatic clustering. The European Common Agricultural Policy, market globalisation and decreasing workforce availability were identified as drivers of change that favoured the specialisation process. Nevertheless, farmers' choices and values have opposed against these driving forces, ensuring the survival of some mixed crop-livestock farming systems. The trajectories were clustered into five types, four of which were compatible with mixed crop-livestock systems. The first type was the maximisation of autonomy by combining crops and livestock. The second type was diversification of production to exploit economies of scope and protect the farm against market fluctuations. The other two types involved enlargement and progressive adaptation of the farm to the familial workforce. The survival of mixed crop-livestock systems in these two types is largely dependent on workforce availability. Only one type of trajectory, on the basis of enlargement and economies of scale, did not lead to mixed crop-livestock systems. In view of the current evolution of the driving forces, maximising autonomy and diversification appear to be suitable paths to deal with current challenges and maintain mixed crop-livestock systems in Europe.
The main challenge for farmers is to maintain a high annual income within an ever-changing context of production (climate, prices, sanitation issues), i.e. to ensure low vulnerability. The ...vulnerability of a given system corresponds to its susceptibility to be harmed, reflecting its inability to cope with adverse effects. This paper presents a framework that can be applied to determine the economic vulnerability of farming systems considering their social dimension, and to identify farming management profiles that are likely to be less vulnerable. The framework defines vulnerability levels based on analysis of four quantitative indicators reflecting the ‘behaviour’ of the economic results per labour unit in the long term: the relative standard deviation of the economic result per worker, the relative mean distance of the economic result to a minimum threshold, the number of economic disruptions over a specified period, and the economic recovery time after disruption. The framework was applied to a sample of 208 French farms, and the results revealed that diversification alone is not enough to cope with risks. Less vulnerable mixed crop-livestock systems are characterized by more crop-livestock interactions, allowing for less dependency on markets and more flexibility. This kind of management allows farms to be larger and to have more livestock. These findings help clarify the vulnerability of farming systems and may encourage the development of policies to enhance market opportunities at the regional level to foster diversification strategies and flexibility.
•Development of a framework to assess the economic vulnerability of farming systems, considering a social dimension•Diversification and interactions are key factors to reduce the vulnerability of mixed crop-livestock systems•The importance of diversification, crop-livestock interactions and flexibility reveal the need for regional support policies
Farmland birds are declining globally due to anthropogenic activities, with particularly few studies in Asian agricultural landscapes. Various studies have examined the impacts of landscape ...heterogeneity on farmland bird composition, but few have considered seasonal changes in bird diversity and examined functional feeding guild assemblages. Here, we disentangle the impact of seasonal variation (summer, monsoon, and winter), cropping practice (mixed crop, monocultural-crop, and fallow land), crop type (rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and other crops), landscape heterogeneity, and the number of houses and trees on the richness and abundance of farmland birds and their feeding guilds conducted within human-dominated agricultural landscapes of lowland Nepal. We established 116 transects (farmland = 100, forest = 8, and river = 8), and each transect was visited nine times from April 2018 to December 2019, with forests and river transect to test the dissimilarities in bird composition between those habitats and farmlands. We recorded 201 bird species in farmland, 133 in the forest, and 131 in river habitats. Bird composition on farmlands showed more dissimilarity with forest than river transects. We recorded nine globally, and 26 nationally threatened birds in farmlands. Seasonal variation and cropping practice significantly influenced the richness of all farmland birds and resident birds only, whereas species abundances vary by season only. We recorded higher species richness in the winter season and mixed crop fields but greater abundance in the monsoon and monoculture crop fields. Farmland bird richness increased with increasing tree numbers but decreased with increasing house numbers. Sugarcane fields had the highest bird richness within crop species, whereas rice fields had the greatest abundance. Seasons and cropping practice also shaped the assemblages of feeding guilds differently. In the context of increasing crop intensification globally, our study suggests that the governments in this region should encourage farmers to cultivate mixed crops and simultaneously restrict the urbanization of farmlands to protect bird diversity. Seasonality should be factored into analyses aimed at understanding bird diversity in agricultural landscapes.
•We studied seasonal bird community composition in agricultural landscapes of lowland Nepal.•Mixed crop fields host higher bird richness whereas monoculture crop fields host higher abundance of farmland birds.•Number of trees positively influences richness of farmland birds, whereas number of houses has a negative impact.•Seasonal variation is an important parameter to shape the composition of farmland birds.
Improving farming systems in resource-poor contexts is often difficult as farmers face multiple challenges to implement the innovations developed by researchers. Viable solutions may however be ...present within local communities by positive deviant farmers, i.e. farmers that outperform positively compared to others. This study develops a positive deviance informed methodology to support redesign of farming systems, with the aim to improve farm productive, economic and environmental performances. We tested the methodology in Bihar, India, using survey data from 43 farms and the indicators of operating profit, soil organic matter balance, water use and dietary energy production. Positive deviant farms and practices were first identified and then recombined into a redesigned farm in consultation with farmers. The FarmDESIGN model was used to calculate current farm performance and to explore potential alternative farm configurations in the redesign. We found that outstanding performance on all indicators could only be reached by integrating high livestock density with an optimal combination of crop practices, which confirms the key role of interactions among components in mixed crop-livestock systems to improve all dimensions of farm sustainability. The redesigns outperformed all real farms on the indicators assessed. Farmers confirmed the viability of the redesigns in focus group discussions and their suggestions can serve as useful input for a next cycle of farm redesign. Since all suggestions are locally practiced and have proven to be accessible, affordable and recognizable, we conclude that our methodology based on positive deviant farms and practices yields promising results with a large potential to boost agricultural development for resource-scarce smallholder farmers.
•We integrate the positive deviance approach with redesign of farming systems.•Redesign allowed doubling indicator performance relative to the population mean.•Indicators only improved when combining high livestock density and crop practices.•Redesign is based on best practices present within community and therefore viable.•Farmers' feedback was obtained in focus groups to inform a new cycle of redesign.
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