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During the last decade, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has prioritised measures focused on sustainability and quality over production. The purpose of the AGRICORE project is to develop a tool based on agent-based modelling to assist policymakers in the design of improved policies. The present study belongs to a use case of this project that measures the environmental and climate impact of Measure 11—Organic agriculture—from the 2014–2020 Rural Development Programme of the Andalusian olive sector. As part of this study, a survey campaign was conducted, which collected data from 189 organic olive farmers in Andalusia. The data were analysed in order to characterise organic olive farmers and their farms. This paper presents the resulting characterisation, covering some information gaps detected as part of the AGRICORE project, such as their acceptance of M11 and willingness to innovate and take risks. The results highlight that most of the respondents are unaware of important aspects, such as exploitation costs and their belonging to environmentally protected areas. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that most farmers are approximately 60 years old, and more than 35% are women. Furthermore, most of those studied do not intend to return to conventional production methods. These results help to provide a current perspective of the organic olive sector in Andalusia, which can be used by policymakers to design improved policies that entail an increase in organic olive production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of Land Consolidation (LC) is deemed an important instrument of rural development in many countries, where it contributes to the economic development and viability of their rural areas. This paper aims to analyze three areas of Castilla y León in Northwestern Spain, all having similar agronomic features. The above areas have recently undergone LC processes. This research proves LC can contribute to reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) using the rationalization introduced in the layout of the agrarian exploitations. For this purpose, this paper analyzes the effects of LC actions on the size, shape, and level of scattering of the owners affected and compares the energy consumption in every journey from the exploitation to each plot, as well as the number of row-end turnings within the plots. GHG reductions present significant differences depending on the LC technique carried out, the size of the area consolidated, and the different degrees of intensification of agricultural exploitations. Through the three LC projects analyzed, a reduction in GHG emissions of 23.60% in SA1, 11.46% in SA2, and 9.85% in SA3 would have been obtained. In total, 1067.34 t CO2 of GHG emissions would have been mitigated. In the light of the results obtained, LC can be considered an efficient process in the strategy of GHG reduction, all in line with the current commitments derived from the Paris Agreement. It is also necessary to continue to research the structure and importance of the consumption of fossil fuels in farming and its possible link to emission reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine tourism has become an exciting avenue of development for rural wine-producing regions. The channels through which these millenary traditions are transmitted are diverse, and the wineries that practice heroic viticulture can sustainably influence the economic recovery process, especially after the COVID-19 crisis. This paper analyzes the possibilities offered by social media to promote rural territory and wine production in a sustainable way through wine tourism. For this purpose, we have used the case study of the wineries of the Ribeira Sacra appellation of origin and the Canary Islands context in the Lanzarote AO. The methodology used has counted, on the one hand, the existence of web pages of the geographical demarcations mentioned. On the other hand, a study of these wineries' presence on the three main social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, has been carried out. The main focus has been on a content analysis of the social network Instagram, taking into account the terroir's emotional values and tourist attractions. The results show that their presence on the Internet could be higher, as only 55% of the wineries of these appellations of origin have a website. In the case of Instagram, the percentages decrease in Ribeira Sacra and increase in Lanzarote. Finally, it has been possible to trace a model of rural development supported by sustainable tourism, wherein emotional values and transmitted attractions stand out, alongside elements related to the landscape and nature and the wine landscape, tradition and gastronomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of introduced pulse varieties has made valuable contributions to the development of the global agricultural industry, and China is one of the largest pulse producers in the international market. A special type of pulse, the red kidney bean, has made a major contribution to improving the rural economy. Taking Kelan County, Shanxi Province, as an example, this paper expounds on the formation of the kidney bean industry and its impact on local development. The existing research used a qualitative case study (QCS) method to examine the driver and impact of kidney beans in the agricultural industry. This study found that (1) the development of the kidney bean industry has benefited from its adherence to a market demand-oriented strategy, focusing on breeding and retaining excellent varieties, and vigorously supporting the construction of technical systems and the cultivation of the main body of the industrial chain. Developing new varieties, creating brands, and industrial integration are the key driving forces for development. (2) The kidney bean industry promotes local development by increasing farmers' income, forming a more complete kidney bean supply chain, highlighting the brand effect, and promoting sustainable rural development. This study suggests that disease-resistant and mechanized-adapted varieties need to be developed in the future. Market and demand trends should be constantly monitored when determining reproductive paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is one of the three major industries in China, and its level of development occupies an important position in the development of the national economy. At present, China vigorously promotes the strategy of rural revitalization, which provides new opportunities for agricultural modernization. Since modern agriculture and regional economy are coupled in a mutually influencing and constraining relationship, this paper constructs a coupled and coordinated evaluation index system of agricultural modernization and regional economic development. Using the entropy value method and coupled coordination degree model, the comprehensive development level and coordinated development degree of agricultural modernization and regional economic development of 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and cities in China from 2011 to 2020 were evaluated, revealing the time evolution and spatial distribution characteristics of the two systems. The results show that: (1) In the past decade, China's agricultural modernization and regional economy have made some progress in terms of their respective development levels and the degree of coupling and coordination between them. (2) In terms of spatial evolution, there are obvious regional differences between the two systems, and the coupling coordination degree shows a "ladder" distribution pattern from the east to the central, northeastern, and western parts of the country. (3) Regions with a high level of regional economic development also have a relatively high degree of coupling and coordination between agricultural modernization and regional economic development. Our results provide insights into the economic effects of agricultural modernization in China and provide useful insights into the future direction of agricultural development programs in countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper set out to explore the precision agriculture (PA)-training needs of students studying in agricultural universities in the Euro-Mediterranean region (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain). SPARKLE is a Knowledge Alliance Project, funded by the European Union (EU), and one of its main goals is to narrow the innovation divide between entrepreneurship and the effective application of sustainable PA. During the project, the research conducted in all countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region revealed differences in the PA-training needs of university students. Additionally, this paper set out to explore the socioeconomic characteristics of students that affect their interest and knowledge towards PA. Finally, this paper aimed to understand the scope, present status and strategies for improving PA training in agricultural universities in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The following descriptive statistics and two multivariate analysis techniques were used: Two-Step Cluster Analysis (TSCA) and Categorical Regression (CATREG). Results support the notion that the lack of "PA knowledge/interest" adds to the technological gap amongst university students, slow adoption of PA and lower levels of overall rural economic development. These findings will be used as the fundamental cognition for the development of a joint action plan and several other national plans in the selected regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural eco-efficiency can effectively reflect the coordinated green and balanced development of rural resources, and digital financial inclusion provides a strong financial power in the process of long-term balanced development of rural areas. There may be a complex relationship between the two. Therefore, based on the panel data of 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in mainland China from 2011 to 2018, this paper explores the impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural eco-efficiency through the differential GMM method. Further, the paper analyzes how digital financial inclusion influences agricultural eco-efficiency by influencing the agricultural scientific and technological investment. The following conclusions are drawn. First, there is a positive U-shaped nonlinear relationship between digital financial inclusion and agricultural eco-efficiency. Second, the impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural eco-efficiency is of regional heterogeneity. Digital financial inclusion has a significant positive U-shaped impact on agricultural eco-efficiency in central China but has no significant impact on Eastern and Western China. Third, agricultural R&D investment will intensify the promotion effect of digital financial inclusion on agricultural eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interconnectedness between climate change and development has generated an increasing interest amongst development organisations to integrate adaptation into government rural development plans in a way that effectively increases resilience at a local level. However, the nature of climate change resilience is widely debated in the literature, and there is a knowledge gap regarding the best way to address adaptation at the interface with development objectives as part of mainstreaming. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap via a case study of a community-based, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in Vietnam. A case study approach was applied with fieldwork at one project site, complemented by semi-structured interviews with government stakeholders, key experts, and project leaders of related projects. The analysis identifies five key factors that enhance rural resilience in a smallholder agricultural context: (i) engaging local governments as partners, (ii) considering broader landscape issues such as markets, (iii) providing farmers with support to facilitate adoption of CSA practices, (iv) fostering community capacity building, and (v) promoting adaptive management and scenario planning to deal with uncertainty. The paper concludes that resilience is multidimensional and not solely in line with any one of the approaches dominant in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]