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2. Food production and resource use of urban farms and gardens: a five-country study
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Dorr, Erica (author), Hawes, Jason K. (author), Goldstein, Benjamin (author), Fargue-Lelièvre, Agnèsa (author), Fox-Kämper, Runrid Cohen, (author), Specht, Kathrind (author), Fedeńczak, Konstancja (author), Caputo, Silvio (author), Cohen, Nevin (author), Poniży, Lidiae (author), Schoen, Victoria (author), Górecki, Tomaszi (author), Newell, Joshua P. (author), Jean-Soro, Liliane (author), and Grard, Baptiste (author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2023-02-01
- Published:
- United States: Springer
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12838
- Journal Title:
- Agronomy for Sustainable Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Online
- Notes:
- 17pgs, There is a lack of data on resources used and food produced at urban farms. This hampers attempts to quantify the environmental impacts of urban agriculture or craft policies for sustainable food production in cities. To address this gap, we used a citizen science approach to collect data from 72 urban agriculture sites, representing three types of spaces (urban farms, collective gardens, individual gardens), in five countries (France, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, and United States). We answered three key questions about urban agriculture with this unprecedented dataset: (1) What are its land, water, nutrient, and energy demands? (2) How productive is it relative to conventional agriculture and across types of farms? and (3) What are its contributions to local biodiversity? We found that participant farms used dozens of inputs, most of which were organic (e.g., manure for fertilizers). Farms required on average 71.6 L of irrigation water, 5.5 L of compost, and 0.53 m2 of land per kilogram of harvested food. Irrigation was lower in individual gardens and higher in sites using drip irrigation. While extremely variable, yields at well-managed urban farms can exceed those of conventional counterparts. Although farm type did not predict yield, our cluster analysis demonstrated that individually managed leisure gardens had lower yields than other farms and gardens. Farms in our sample contributed significantly to local biodiversity, with an average of 20 different crops per farm not including ornamental plants. Aside from clarifying important trends in resource use at urban farms using a robust and open dataset, this study also raises numerous questions about how crop selection and growing practices influence the environmental impacts of growing food in cities. We conclude with a research agenda to tackle these and other pressing questions on resource use at urban farms.
3. Improved management of grassland to promote sustainable use based on farm size
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- He, Xin (author), Wei, Jingru (author), Gu, Suhua (author), Wang, Luping (author), Tian, Zechen (author), Chen, Danqiong (author), and Yuan, Jiazhi (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2023-01-31
- Published:
- Switzerland: MDPI
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12797
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 13, Iss.2
- Notes:
- 13 pages, Grassland farms form the basis of grassland resource management in China. Farm sizes in China are generally small, which obviously increases the risk of grassland ecosystems. It is necessary to analyze the impact of farm size on grasslands from the perspective of livestock production in order to improve grassland management. This study combines field investigations and statistical analysis from 2004 to 2020, using a total of 126 farms from the Xilinguole League of Inner Mongolia in China as samples. These sample farms are divided into large farms and small farms. Different production scale and management behaviors are explored, along with their different impacts on grassland resources use. The results show that the expansion of farm size is constrained by the government management policies. Different behaviors are adopted by large and small farms in terms of finance, grassland circulation, and overgrazing management. The differentiation mechanisms of different farm size and the utilization of grassland resources are clarified in this study. This work suggests that managers promote sustainable use based on farm size and build appropriate policies to avoid future risks. The results of this study can provide a framework for solving similar problems.
4. Agricultural technologies, territorialization from below and land-use conflicts in agro-pastoral areas of Northern Benin
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Djohy, Georges (author) and Edja, Honorat (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-12-31
- Published:
- Nigeria: Academic Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12754
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 14, N.4
- Notes:
- 10 pages, For some years, the Republic of Benin has promoted mechanization and modernization of its agricultural sector as a driver of food security, socio-economic development and sub-regional solidarity. New agricultural technologies such as tractors and pesticides have been introduced into the small scale farming systems and have reached record adoption rates in various agro-ecological zones of the country. However, rural actors’ use of these technologies also leads to new forms of territoriality which make some winners and others losers. This study was carried out in the cotton basin of northern Benin to scrutinize the forms of appropriation of agricultural technologies and the effects on access to productive resources and interactions between farmers and herders who are cultural neighbors. Participatory observation was carried out over ten months in the district of Gogounou where informants who were purposively selected were engaged in 164 individual interviews and 21 focus group discussions recorded by consent, transcribed and thematically analyzed. By analyzing the mechanisms of appropriation of herbicides in rural areas and the related political ecology of land use, the paper argues that herbicides reconfigure tenure systems by inducing new forms of land-tenure insecurity and land-use conflicts between socio-professional groups that depend on the same natural resources for their livelihoods. Community-based discussions can engage stakeholders in exchanges of sustainable production alternatives, just as institutional reforms are needed to better channel the uses of modern agricultural technologies.
5. Means and ways of engaging, communicating and preserving local soil knowledge of smallholder farmers in central Vietnam
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Huynh, Ha T. N. (author), Lobry de Bruyn, Lisa A. (author), Knox, Oliver G. G. (author), and Hoang, Hoa T. T. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-03-03
- Published:
- USA: Springer
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12624
- Journal Title:
- Agriculture and Human Values
- Journal Title Details:
- V. 39
- Notes:
- 24 pgs, Increasing interest in farmers’ local soil knowledge (LSK) and soil management practice as a way to promote sustainable agriculture and soil conservation needs a reliable means to connect to it. This study sought to examine if Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) and farmer workshops were suitable means to engage, communicate and preserve farmers’ LSK in two mountainous communes of Central Vietnam. Twenty-four farmers with reasonable or comprehensive LSK from previously studied communes were selected for the efficacy of VSA and farmer workshops for integrating LSK into a well-accepted soil assessment tool (VSA). In field sites chosen by the farmers, VSA was independently executed by both farmers and scientists at the same time. Close congruence of VSA scores between the two groups highlighted that farmers could competently undertake VSA. Farmers’ VSA score was compared with their perception of field’s soil quality. For the majority of farmers’ perception of soil quality was consistent to their VSA score (62.5%), while the remainder perceived their soil quality was lower than their VSA score. For most farmers their assessment of soil quality using VSA valued their LSK, and the two measures were well aligned. Soil colour and presence or vulnerability to erosion were common soil characteristics mentioned by farmers and affected the final VSA score. Farmers’ participation in VSA and workshops strengthen farmers’ confidence in their LSK and provided guidance on the impact of their soil management on soil improvement and conservation.
6. Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Agricultural Land-Use Change, and Associated Factors, in Nigeria
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Johnpaul Ihemezie, Eberechukwu (author) and Dallimer, Martin (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-10-21
- Published:
- International: MDPI
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12498
- Journal Title:
- Environments
- Journal Title Details:
- 8 (11)
- Notes:
- 18 pages, Agricultural Land-Use Change (ALUC) is a major driver of global environmental change, not least via its direct impact on the sustainability and resilience of the rural economy. Its drivers are complex and have remained contentious, necessitating further empirical study. This study aims to derive context-specific evidence on the driving factors and effects of ALUC from different stakeholders’ perceptions. We carried out household surveys and participatory rural appraisal across Benue State, Nigeria. ALUC has economic, social, ecological, and institutional implications for farmers and on agricultural productivity. Farmers perceived that the main factors driving ALUC were land conflict, government land-use policies and infrastructural development. Stakeholders’ perceptions revealed that although the factors driving ALUC are diverse in nature, they are somewhat embedded within the broader issue of land-use conflict, which has led to cropland abandonment, clearing of forest vegetation, soil degradation, changes from large scale to subsistence farming, and farmers’ eventual loss of interest in agriculture. This suggest that the drivers and implications of ALUC go beyond simple changes to the extent of land used for agriculture, but also incorporates other regional socio-ecological changes. Our study highlights the importance of stakeholders’ perceptions in understanding complex socio-ecological issues if we are to provide clear direction into areas where policy interventions are most needed.
7. Forest farming: Who wants in
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Trozzo, Katie E. (author), Munsell, John F. (author), Chamberlain, James L. (author), Gold, Michael A. (author), and Niewolny, Kim L. (author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-09
- Published:
- England: Society of American Foresters
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12767
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Forestry
- Journal Title Details:
- Volume 119, Issue 5, Pages 478 - 492
- Notes:
- 15pgs, ative NTFPs species are found. We surveyed Appalachian family forest owners in 14 Southwest Virginia counties about their interest in forest farming and likelihood of leasing land for this purpose. We also asked about the owner's residency and historical connection to the region as well as contemporary land uses, and identified the following types of uses: Absentee and vacationers, newcomers, longtime farming residents, and longtime nonfarming residents. We mailed 1,040 surveys and 293 were returned (28.9%). Forty-five percent were interested or extremely interested in forest farming and 36% were likely or extremely likely to lease land. Rates of interest in forest farming and leasing were similar across owner types, suggesting broad appeal among family forest owners.
8. The Washington, D.C. siege has Western roots and consequences
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Segerstrom, Carl (author)
- Format:
- Commentary
- Publication Date:
- 2021-01-08
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12068
- Journal Title:
- High Country News
- Notes:
- Online from publication. 16 pages., "History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency."
9. Regenerative ag: the No. 1 food trend of 2020: America's conservation ag movement
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Karst, Tom (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-01-06
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12081
- Journal Title:
- Packer
- Notes:
- Online from publisher. 4 pages., "Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused pulic-private partnerships in our nation's history."
10. Village fund, village-owned-enterprises, and employment: Evidence from Indonesia
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Arifin, Bondi (author), Wicaksono, Eko (author), Tenrini, Rita Helbra (author), Wardhana, Irwanda Wisnu (author), Setiawan, Hadi (author), Damayanty, Sofia Arie (author), Solikin, Akhmad (author), Suhendra, Maman (author), Saputra, Acwin Hendra (author), Ariutama, Gede Agus (author), Djunedi, Praptono (author), Rahman, Arif Budi (author), and Handoko, Rudi (author)
- Format:
- journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-09-11
- Published:
- Indonesia: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11881
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Rural Studies
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 79
- Notes:
- 13 pages, via online journal, Social and economic development in rural area is one of the main concerns for Indonesia Government. Despite the importance of village owned enterprises in improving rural economy, evidences regarding the impacts of village fund and village owned enterprise (BUM Desa) in developing countries were still limited. This study presents that evidence from more than one thousand villages in Indonesia. It employs two different estimation strategies: first difference, and difference-in-difference methodologies adapted for continuous treatment. The results show that village fund is more likely to increase number of village-owned enterprise with similar trend between java and non-java region. However, rapid increase of village-owned-enterprises were not followed by large utilization. We do not evidence that BUM Desa provides more opportunity for villager to work.