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The pulp and paper industry is primarily dependent on fibrous wood for pulp and paper production. However, this over-dependence on fibrous wood poses serious environmental challenges such as the diminishing of the fibrous wood stocks, deforestation, emission of greenhouse gases, and global warming. Therefore, to mitigate these environmental challenges associated with its utilization for paper and pulp production, other sustainable raw material sources can also be considered for the production of paper and pulp. There are enormous benefits associated with the utilization of non-wood fibres as an alternative and sustainable raw materials source for the production of paper and pulp. These benefits have in the recent past prompted millers in China, India, Brazil, and the USA to consider the utilization of non-wood fibres in paper and pulp production. In Kenya, the pulp and paper industry is very much dependent on fibrous wood for production and the industry is yet to fully embrace the utilization of nonwood fibres for paper and pulp production. Further, the dependence on fibrous wood has contributed significantly to the decline of paper pulp and paper production, deforestation, and rise in paper importations due to insufficient raw material supplies. The importation of paper and pulp products has further led to the collapse of the paper industry in Kenya. The sector stands a chance of revival and vibrancy through the utilization of the abundant agricultural residues and feedstocks lying in the agricultural fields across the country. Similar experiences elsewhere have proved that the abundance of agricultural waste can be utilized for the production of paper and pulp due to their excellent fibre content for specialty papers, and easy pulpability. The agricultural residues are therefore considered a quintessential alternative and sustainable source of raw materials for the pulp and paper industry. Moreover, their utilization will mitigate environmental impacts such as deforestation, climate change, and pollution .

In this paper, the implementation of artificial neural networks (multilayer perceptron [MLP] and radial base functions [RBF]) and the upgraded Markov chain model have been studied and performed to identify the human behavior patterns during rock, paper, and scissors game. The main motivation of this research is the design and construction of an intelligent robot with the ability to defeat a human opponent. MATLAB software has been used to implement intelligent algorithms. After implementing the algorithms, their effectiveness in detecting human behavior pattern has been investigated. To ensure the ideal performance of the implemented model, each player played with the desired algorithms in three different stages. The results showed that the percentage of winning computer with MLP and RBF neural networks and upgraded Markov model, on average in men and women is 59%, 76.66%, and 75%, respectively. Obtained results clearly indicate a very good performance of the RBF neural network and the upgraded Markov model in the mental modeling of the human opponent in the game of rock, paper, and scissors. In the end, the designed game has been employed in both hardware and software which include the Zana intelligent robot and a digital version with a graphical user interface design on the stand. To the best knowledge of the authors, the precision of novel presented method for determining human behavior patterns was the highest precision among all of the previous studies.

Declining carbon (C) content in agricultural soils threatens soil fertility and makes soil prone to erosion, which could be rectified with organic soil amendments. In a 4‐yr field trial, we made a single application of three different organic sludges from the pulp and paper industry and studied their effects on cereal yield, soil C content, and fungal and bacterial composition. In laboratory rainfall simulations, we also studied the effects of the soil amendments on susceptibility to erosion and nutrient mobilization of a clay‐textured soil by measuring the quality of percolation water passing through 40‐cm intact soil monoliths during 2‐d rainfall simulations over four consecutive years after application. A nutrient‐poor fiber sludge reduced wheat yield in the first growing season, but there were no other significant effects on cereal yield or grain quality. An input of ∼8 Mg ha−1 C with the soil amendments had only minor effects on soil C content after 4 yr, likely because of fast microbe‐mediated turnover. The amendments clearly changed the fungal and bacterial community composition. All amendments significantly reduced suspended solids (SS) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in percolation water. The effect declined with time, but the reduction in SS and TP was still >25% 4 yr after application. We attributed the lower tendency for particle detachment in rain simulations to direct interactions of soil minerals with the added particulate organic matter and microbe‐derived compounds that stabilize soil aggregates. In soils with low organic matter content, pulp and paper industry by‐products can be a viable measure for erosion mitigation.

The contamination of water and food in agricultural areas, where an enormous volume of pesticides is widely employed to enhance crop production, is a challenging reality. The rapid assessment of these contaminants is fundamental to assure water and food quality and safety, particularly for local community members. This work presents a nonexpensive and easy-operational paper-based testing device for the fast detection of insecticides (carbamates and organophosphates) in water samples. The structural design "dip-and-fold" allows us to carry out the analysis without introducing reagents or samples. The device is prepared using different high-quality papers to support the active acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the customized chemical formulation for colorimetric detection. The chemical principle is based on the AChE inhibition reaction and Ellman's method. The experiments using standard solutions of carbofuran, propoxur, and chlorpyriphos indicated satisfactory detection at concentrations between 0.1 and 0.0001 mM, and the color results are revealed within 10 min. Therefore, this technique represents a promising alternative for implementing low-cost and efficient water monitoring and management solutions.

The paper presents the research results on the properties of the pulp coniferous and deciduous wood composition in its original state and paper made from it, proposes a mechanism to increase the waterfast and waterproof food packaging paper by surface treatment with a composition based on polyamidepichlorohydrin with polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The study was conducted in order to ensure an increase in the consumer properties of packaging paper, since when packaging materials encounter food products, their structure can change under the influence of moisture, steam, and gas. Polyamidaminepichlorohydrin was used as the main component of the composition for paper processing, as functional additives: polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The above-mentioned starting materials are environmentally friendly, since foreign inclusions in food packaging materials would pose a serious danger to human health and life, as well as to the brand image of the product in which they would be detected. It was proved that high waterfastness and waterproofness, as well as the necessary level of barrier, protective and operational properties of packaging material for food products cannot always be obtained by introducing a significant amount of polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, so the paper investigated the mechanism of interacting cellulose fibers of paper with polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, and also proved the possibility of its use to obtain packaging paper with a given set of properties. It was found that the consumption of up to 4–6% polyamidaminepichlorohydrin provides the main increase in the mechanical strength of packaging paper, both in wet and dry conditions. The resulting waterfast and waterproof material can be used for food packaging.

Although the use of pesticides has highlighted obvious advantages on agricultural yields, intensive and widespread pesticide use raises serious environmental and health concerns. In particular, organophosphate pesticides represent >40% of the totality used in the field of agriculture, and developing countries face the issue of agricultural poisoning, also due to scarce monitoring programs. In this work, a decentralized, miniaturized, sustainable, and portable paper-based electrochemical biosensor for the quantification of organophosphorus pesticides' level has been realized. The proposed approach highlights the use of a very common paper-based substrate, namely, office paper. Office paper offers several advantages due to its nature: it allows one to print conductive strips for electrochemical connection, loading bio-hybrid nanosized probes (Prussian blue, carbon black, and butyrylcholinesterase), evaluating pesticides and reducing waste disposal compared to plastic-based strips. The portable system has been characterized by a low detection limit of 1.3 ng/mL, and accordingly to total discovered pesticide contents in EU agricultural soils, up to ca. 3 μg/mL, it can offer a valuable tool for fast monitoring. To demonstrate its effectiveness, soil and fruit vegetables have been used to perform in situ quantification. Good recovery percentages between 90 and 110% have been achieved in different matrices, highlighting to be suitable for field measurements, and a good correlation has been obtained in comparison with LC-MS analysis.

Silage quality remains an important issue in farming, as do limitations in the range of products suitable for animal fodder. We therefore explored the microorganisms that are critical for the fermentation quality of paper mulberry silage. Low (unwilted) and high (wilted) dry matter (DM) paper mulberry were harvested at two cutting times. These were ensiled for 0, 3, 7, 14, and 56 days, respectively. Compared with unwilted silages, wilting significantly decreased (p

Small companies encounter difficulties to adapt to new markets with a sustainable perspective. The subject of this article is a paper transformation company which has been eager to develop the organic farming market by developing a new plant support. Alternatives made from plant fibres or plastics exist, such as jute and polypropylene. The main difficulty of this project was to ecodesign a paper product with a multicriteria approach. The factors considered have been divided into two categories. Firstly, the environmental impacts calculated according to the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (on raw material extraction, manufacturing and end-of-life) are summarised. Secondly, the characteristics of the product are discussed in regards to these results and sustainability questions as part of the interpretation phase. Finally, ways of improvement of the LCA methodology to improve the study in terms of geographical representativeness and societal considerations are discussed.

Crop disease management depends on efficient and adequate pesticide distribution to reduce pest population. Instrument-based methods to evaluate the spatial distribution of pesticides are available, but they are not field-compatible because of instrument size, cost, and extensive sample preparation. The current gold standard of water-sensitive papers is field-compatible; however, these papers often produce false positives due to reaction with water from sources other than the pesticide mixture. Thus, we developed a novel method in which a fluorescent dye is sprayed over a crop with circles of filter paper (samplers) attached to the leaves. After collection, a lightbox is used to take pictures of the samplers, and an algorithm analyzes each image for percent coverage to visualize the pesticide distribution within the crop. Our method produces results quickly and inexpensively compared to current methods and can be applied to any crop to inform best pesticide application strategies.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is becoming a worldwide threat due to the increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacterial strains. There is a general consensus about the potential implications of the use of antibiotics in livestock on the onset of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), mainly through meat consumption. However, the ever-increasing use of reclaimed wastewater (RWW) in agriculture may also contribute significantly to the non-accounted exposure to antibiotics, ARB, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This position paper aims at evaluating the current knowledge concerning the occurrence of antibiotics, ARBs, and ARGs in edible parts of different common crops irrigated with RWW. We will discuss which regulations on the use of RWW may contribute to the minimization of the prevalence of these contaminants in crops, and provide recommendations on how to minimize the impact of these practices., The authors would like to acknowledge the COST Action ES1403 NEREUS “New and emerging challenges and opportunities in wastewater reuse”, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, www.cost.eu) for enabling the collaboration among the authors of the paper.

In recent decades, advances in pulp and paper making involve immense chopping of trees, which consecutively leads to clearing of forests. Rising contest for provisions of wood fibers combined with progressively increasing expenses of wood has caused increased attention in the consumption of agricultural residues for pulp and paper manufacturing in the developed and developing nations. The utilization of natural cellulosic plant residues in pulping and paper production might be necessary since it avoids the necessity for clearance, which presently rises the expenditures of farming and induces ecological deterioration by toxic wastes. The significant goals of this chapter are threefold; (1) to examine the requirements for utilization and improvement of natural cellulosic plant fibers in pulping and paper making; (2) to recognize the various issues related with the utilization of natural plant residues in pulp and paper production, and remedies accessible; and (3) to examine the prospects of various natural cellulosic plant fibers for pulp and paper making and recognize the potential of using pineapple leaf fiber as an alternate source materials in pulp and paper manufacturing mills. Better mechanical characteristics, a renewable resource, and reasonable price are some of the leading aspects that make great prospective of pineapple leaf fibers to be employed as a replacement for conventional wood fibers in pulp and paper production industries.

COVID-19 pandemic limits many physical activities of the society in public areas. The agricultural production sector is one of the important sectors in supporting the country’s nutrition demand. Research is a way to maintain the productivity of the agricultural sector. This study has a purpose to analyze if pandemic COVID-19 has an impact on the number of papers about agriculture recorded by Scopus. This study uses a quantitative with secondary data analysis approach in collecting data. The samples are paper on the Scopus website contains keywords “agriculture& meat”, and “agriculture&egg”. the period of samples are during 2019-2020. The data are analyzed using Vosviewer software to show the institution with the most related topic paper. The result shows that some papers are decreasing while others are increase based on the document type. For paper related to “agriculture” meat”, article as full type research paper increases along with review type paper. For a paper about “agriculture & egg”, conference type paper and review increase, while other decreases. It can be concluded that the type of paper along with the topic affects the institutions’ productivity in publishing papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Pharmacognosy Journal is the property of Phcog.Net and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Producing sugar from lignocellulosic biomass is a promising resilient food solution to counter the near-total global failure of food production due to the agricultural collapse that would likely follow an abrupt sunlight reduction catastrophe such as a nuclear winter, a supervolcanic eruption, or a large asteroid or comet impact. This study examines how quickly edible sugar production could be ramped up globally by repurposing pulp and paper mills, sugarcane biorefineries, corn biorefineries, and breweries for lignocellulosic sugar production. A sub-unit component comparison to the NREL 2017 Biochemical Sugar Model indicates that 84%, 65%, 37%, and 39% of ISBL unit components are present, respectively. Fast construction methods were studied to analyze how this and other industrial foods could be rapidly leveraged in a catastrophe. Results suggest that the world’s current sugar demand could quickly be fulfilled by repurposing pulp and paper mills for lignocellulosic sugar production, given 5 months of production ramp-up and 24/7 construction. This method could reduce construction time to an estimated 32% of the original at an increased labor cost of 1.47 times, resulting in sugar production beginning 5 months after the catastrophe at a retail cost of $0.82 USD/kg. This could not only contribute a significant share of the food requirement after the catastrophe (∼28% within the first year), but also be key to preventing global starvation between the time at which global food storages run dry and other resilient food solutions can scale up significantly. This study aims to serve as the basis for more comprehensive scenario analyses. More research is needed to characterize material and labor constraints to fast response in more depth; repurposing and fast construction pilot studies and food safety studies are recommended.

Data supporting the peer-reviewed manuscript: Defining and validating regenerative farm systems using a composite of ranked agricultural practices Tommy Fenster Claire E. LaCanne Jacob R. Pecenka Ryan B. Schmid Michael M. Bredeson Katya Busenitz Alex Michels Kelton D. Welch Jonathan G. Lundgren

Sustainability standards are increasingly used in the livestock sector.Insight into their actual contribution to sustainability is limited.This paper sets out a research agenda to study the role that standards play.We focus on the role of standard developers, consumers, producers and scientists.Standards need to be reliable and make an actual improvement to sustainability.

In recent years evolution of Internet of Things has brought revolution in many different sectors. The agriculture sector has become efficient and cost effective due to role of IoT. Monitoring systems has become the crucial part of agriculture. In past few years lot of work is been done and many systems has been purposed in this regard. In this paper we are going to make comparison between 4 different agriculture monitoring systems. We are also going to discuss what type of hardware including different sensors are used in those systems. We are also going to discuss software and platform on which those applications run. We will also discuss processing mechanism and what kind of algorithms are used in these systems and in the last we are going to make a comparative table based on these parameters.

The Coronavirus outbreak has brought a global health emergency with a newfound domestic and international trade disruption such as restrictions on imports and exports of major food commodities, loss of lives, closure of various essential institutions, and the likes. With the spread of COVID-19 around the world, the food and agricultural sector have experienced a negative downturn with an immense labor loss, inadequate distribution of food inputs around the world. Thus, the question arises that to what extent can the food supply chain remain resilient to the effects of the pandemic? And, what are the immediate and lasting resolutions? Importantly, the resilience of the food supply chain is critical to mankind’s survival. In this paper, we highlighted the main challenges faced by the resilience of the global food supply chain. We also present policies and suggestions that focus on mitigating the impact of the pandemic on food production and distribution systems.

The study was undertaken to identify the suitable mulch paper for different high-value vegetables during the winter season of November 2019 to March 2020 at the Olericulture research field of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh. The study was a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Four vegetable varieties viz., tomato, brinjal, capsicum and broccoli and 3 mulch treatments viz., T1 = Silver over black mulch; T2 = Black mulch; T3 = No mulch were included in this study. Different vegetables responded differently with the changes of mulches irrespective of different characters. it was clear that fruit number, average fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter were strongly related to soil moisture content. The effect of different plastic mulches on fruit weight per plant and yield (t/ha) was significant. Mulching produced higher fruit yield per plant and fruit yield per hectare than for the control, indicating that the mulch had a positive effect in generating increased fruit yield. Silver over black plastic mulch produced the highest fruit yield viz., 98.05 t/ha (tomato), 54.11 t/ha (brinjal), 34.33 t/ha (capsicum), 26.09 t/ha (broccoli) followed by black and no mulches, while the control plot produced the lowest fruit yield.

Most developing country's governments in Sub Sahara African countries’ including Zambia's and international organizations have committed major resources to promote Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a means of increasing resilience to the effects of climate change. Zambia has made significant progress in expanding CSA and is now regarded as a regional leader in this file. This research is of great importance in ascertaining adopted practices impacts among rural farming households and contributions to soil physicochemical properties (agroecosystem). The study's findings will aid in the improvement of CSA activities and have an impact on policy regarding the development of future intervention approaches. Hopefully, CSA activities in Zambia will be scaled up, resulting in more effective resource use and CSA project execution. Therefore, an inclusive study is needed to quantify the effects of CSATs on soil physicochemical properties across different (selected) technologies and household consumption among smallholder farmers. The inclusive study will conduct a statistical analysis with a holistic econometric approach. © International Journal of Ground Sediment & Water, © Sun Jichao, The website is http://ijgsw.comze.com/

Self-Sufficiency is an undermined subject that has not been given attention since the early days of Socialism and the beginning of Marxism. With the capital-based economy and the rise of globalisation, most countries reached their lowest self-sufficiency level ever with the majority having only 20% capacity to depend on their products. This paper explores why SF is important now during the pandemic and in the New Norma and how these current conditions brought more opportunities for the subject to make people and decision-makers release more from the pros and cons of globalisation. The paper explores how countries and communities could benefit from SF to re-build more independent communities through optimising concepts as the eco-villages and animal farming that would also encourage the making of sustainable cities. The challenges and the solutions of future food security SF projects establishment are presented as part of the contribution of this paper. Further studies in the area SF during lockdown are recommended to extract the best methodologies of maintaining livelihood while we are fighting for life.

The spatial distribution of heavy metals (Fe and Mn) in the paper mill contaminated area of Jagiroad, Assam, India were investigated using statistics, geostatistics and GIS techniques. The total concentration of Fe and Mn were determined for 188 samples collected from the contaminated area. The mean concentration of Fe (7629 mg kg1) was high. The highest and the lowest standard deviation were observed in the Fe (1749) and pH (0.81), respectively. Analysis of the isotropic variogram indicated that the Fe semivariogram was well described with the Gaussian model, with the distance of spatial dependence being 1354 m, while Mn was well described with the spherical model, with the distance of spatial dependence being 833 m. The ordinary kriging estimates of Fe and Mn maps showed that high concentrations of these metals occured in the low-lying areas like bils (lakes). For both the investigated heavy metals the prediction of goodness (G) value was greater than zero. This indicates that spatial prediction is better than assuming mean of observed value as the property value for any unsampled location. Thus the geostatistical method was spatial variability of Fe and Mn.

Pesticides are largely used at worldwide level to improve food production, fulfilling the needs of the global population which is increasing year by year. Although pesticides are beneficial for crop production, their extensive use has serious consequences for the pollution of the produced food as well as for soil and groundwaters. Indeed, it is reported that 50% of sprayed pesticides reach different destinations other than their target species, including soil, surface waters, and groundwaters. For this reason, we developed a flower-like origami paper-based device for pesticides detection in aerosol phase for precision agriculture. In detail, the paper-based electrochemical platform detects paraoxon, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and glyphosate at ppb levels by measuring their inhibitory activity towards three different enzymes namely butyrylcholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase, and peroxidase enzyme, respectively. This integrated electrochemical device is composed of three office paper-based screen-printed electrodes and filter paper-based pads loaded with enzymes and enzymatic substrates. The pesticide detection is carried out by measuring through chronoamperometric technique the initial and residual enzymatic activity by using a smartphone-assisted potentiostat and evaluating the percentage of inhibition, proportional to the amount of aerosolized pesticides. This paper-based device was able to detect the three classes of pesticides in aerosol phase with limits of detection equal to 30 ppb, 10 ppb, and 2 ppb, respectively for 2,4-D, glyphosate, and paraoxon.

Xylanases are useful in several industrial segments, including pulp and paper bleaching, animal feed, and bread-making processes. However, the industrial use of these enzymes is closely related to its production cost and its catalytic properties. The process of solid state fermentation enables the use of agro-industrial residues as substrates for microbial cultivation and enzymes production, reducing costs. In the present study, different cultivation parameters were evaluated for the xylanase production by the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus , by solid state fermentation, using agro-industrial residues as substrates. High production of xylanase (1701.9 U g -1 of dry substrate) was obtained using wheat bran containing 65% of initial moisture, at 120 h of cultivation, and 45°C. The xylanase showed optimal activity at pH 5.0 and 75°C; its stability was maintained at pH 3.0–11.0. The enzyme retained its catalytic potential after 1 h, at 75°C. The enzymatic extract produced under optimized conditions showed reduced activities of endoglucanase and FPase. Our results, including the xylanase production by T. aurantiacus in low-cost cultivation medium, high structural stability of the enzyme, and reduced cellulolytic activity, encourage the application of this enzymatic extract in pulp and paper bleaching processes.

This study aims to examine current trends and patterns of North Korea’s knowledge production in science and technology (S&T) by employing scientometrics analysis. In order to capture the distinctive nature and characteristics of S&T activities in the Global South, this study analyzes co-occurring keywords of papers in the North Korean journal titled Technological Innovation to construct and visualize semantic and network structure of scientific knowledge. Although S&T has long been emphasized as an important means of rebuilding the economy and society in the country, research and development (R&D) activities have been veiled in the shadows, mainly due to difficulties in accessing adequate data and information. The results found that the terms “use” and “method” are predominately associated with a variety of keywords concerning urgent domestic issues regarding energy resources, agriculture, virus, and industrial automation. This pattern of knowledge production is manifested in the national S&T policy framework that has primarily focused on applied and problem-solving knowledge and techniques responding to social and economic needs. While North Korea has embraced S&T as a strategic means to cope with challenges encountered in its autarkic economy, a close and interactive relationship has established between science, technology and society.

Objective. Over the past time, more and more importance has been attached to the analysis of scientometric indicators of a particular scientific discipline, occupational health is no exception. Materials and methods. A special place is given to the analysis of indicators of occupational health and safety in the workplace. Results. The largest percentage of research is based on the study of the worker`s health in the mining, chemical and oil refining industries, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. During the same period, the share of dissertations dealing with the influence of production factors in agriculture decreased significantly. Conclusion. This problem is not studied enough among knowledge workers, medical personnel, military personnel, employees of potentially dangerous facilities, workers of "peaceful" professions builders, transport. Representatives of other studied professional groups, including research on the development of occupational health of vocalists, migrants, athletes, as well as workers related to small and medium-sized enterprises, are also found, but in isolated studies, although the problems of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of occupational health disorders in these categories of workers are relevant, both in this country and abroad, especially in terms of the growing pace of world labor migration.

The primary focus of the urban agriculture literature has been on landscapes as biophysical spaces in which to grow food rather than on them as humanized places in which to grow experience. There is a need to leave the desk behind and enter the field to invigorate case study descriptions through the reflexive tool of narrative scholarship.

It is estimated that >400 Mt of board and paper are produced globally per year, and that 4.3–40 kg (dw) of sludge like material, pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), is generated for every tonne of product. PPMS are now more widely reused in agriculture as a soil amendment due to their high organic content of 40–50% by weight, perceived low toxicity and possible liming capabilities. Within this review article historic and recent literature on PPMS land spreading are combined with knowledge of European and UK regulation to explore the benefits, potential impacts and viability of land spreading PPMS. The review reveals that risks relating to potential N immobilisation in soils post-application can be readily mitigated, if desired, by coapplication of an N source, or even pre-treatment of sludge via composting. The benefits to crops have been demonstrated emphatically, while negative ecological impacts under typical field application rates have not been observed to date. The case is therefore strong for continued land application of the material as an environmentally responsible and sustainable use option. However, there are currently gaps in the literature regarding longer-term implications of PPMS applications in agriculture and in regards to the possible presence of emerging contaminants in some PPMS materials, both of which have been identified as areas that merit further research.

Most agricultural soils in Western Newfoundland are acidic and need lime to raise soil pH to be productive. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd produces a substantial amount of fly-ash, disposed of at a local landfill. This study was conducted to assess the potential for using fly-ash as a liming material for agricultural soil (pH 5.5) in Western Newfoundland. Heavy metal concentration in the soil and fly-ash were analysed and compared with soil and compost guidelines. As per quality guidelines, only part of the lime requirement can be substituted by fly-ash. The percentage may vary depending on initial soil pH and the desired pH for the crop to be grown. The total lime requirement can be met when fly-ash is applied combined with other soil amendments low in trace element concentration.

This Position Paper was prepared by members of the Task Force on Global Food Security of the International Society for Plant Pathology. An objective approach is proposed to the assessment of the potential of genetic modification (GM) to reduce the impact of crop diseases. \ud \ud The addition of GM to the plant breeder’s conventional toolbox facilitates gene-by-gene introduction into breeding programmes of well defined characters, while also allowing access to genes from a greatly extended range of organisms. The current status of GM crops is outlined. GM could make an additional contribution to food security but its potential has been controversial, sometimes because of fixed views that GM is unnatural and risky. These have no factual basis: GM technology, where adopted, is widely regulated and no evidence has been reported of adverse consequences for human health. \ud \ud The potential benefits of GM could be particularly valuable for the developing world but there are numerous constraints. These include cost, inadequate seed supply systems, reluctance to adopt unfamiliar technology, concern about markets, inadequacy of local regulatory systems, mismatch between research and growers’ needs, and limited technical resources. The lower cost of new gene-editing methods should open the practice of GM beyond multinational corporations. As yet there are few examples of utilization of GM-based resistance to plant diseases.\ud \ud Two cases, papaya ringspot virus and banana xanthomonas wilt, are outlined. In the developing world there are many more potential cases whose progress is prevented by the absence of adequate biosafety regulation. \ud \ud It is concluded that there is untapped potential for using GM to introduce disease resistance. An objective approach to mobilizing this potential is recommended, to address the severe impact of plant disease on food security.

Solid waste generated from food mainly contains various organic compounds such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. These biodegradable wastes mainly released from food, agricultural, household, and hospitality segments. The waste material produced from food is frequently burned or discarded into open areas, which may also become a source of many severe health and environmental problems. The management of waste material generated from food is done by transform into various value-added products, like phytochemicals, food supplements, bioactive materials, dietary fibers, safe to eat and important oils, biofertilizers, biofuels, and single-cell proteins (SCP). Every year, enormous amounts of solid waste (sludge) from the wastewater treatment of paper manufactures have been created. They might be dumped into the landfill if they have heavy metals lower than the standard of the Department of Industrial Work and the Ministry of Industry. Nowadays, the area of landfills is quite limited whereas solid waste has been accumulated. In the case of waste from agriculture biomass, a few of them are mixed with soil or applied as ingredients of the fertilizer. On the other hand, the value of the wastes is fairly low. Hence, the manufacture of value-added products, such as furniture cardboard, and packaging and the agricultural product from solid wastes could be useful. This chapter is mainly focused on the modification of the solid waste from agriculture, paper, and food by searching the suitable technology for producing value-added products such as biofuels, bioenergy, agricultural products, phytochemicals, bio fertilizers, enzymes, and single-cellproteins.

Recently, the research and development of novel antimicrobial food packaging paper have been accrued a considerable attention due to their ultimate advantages namely contain food in a cost-effective way that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, maintains food safety, and minimizes environmental impact also to increase the shelf life of foodstuff. These unique food packaging papers can be prepared through different materials such as synthetic polymers, nature or bio-polymers owing to their numerous properties. Therefore, in order to enhance the biological properties particularly the antimicrobial activity against the most pathogenic bacteria and biodegradability of the packaging material, the polymeric matrix can be reinforced with different fillers mainly biofiber, clay and agriculture biomass. Herein, this chapter book reviews the different classes of food packaging paper and their roles, manufacturing, applications and also the effects of antimicrobial agents on the final properties of packaging papers. The major aim of this review was to highlight the effect of several antibacterial agents on final mechanical and biological properties of biomass- based composites and nanocomposites materials. This chapter is divided into three parts, the first one is dedicated to the classifications and roles of food packaging systems, the second part is devoted to the manufacturing of packaging paper based on agriculture biomass, the third part concern the applications of these materials and the side effect of the antibacterial agents on their properties. From the results obtained in this research work, we can conclude that the agricultural biomass can be used to manufacture food packaging by several techniques mostly pulp manufacturing processes. Also, the mechanical and antibacterial properties of these materials can enhanced by the addition of divers antibacterial agents.

Farmers constitute a large professional group worldwide. In developed countries farms tend to become larger, with a concentration of farm operations. Animal farming has been associated with negative respiratory effects such as work-related asthma and rhinitis. However, being born and raised or working on a farm reduces the risk of atopic asthma and rhinitis later in life. A risk of chronic bronchitis and bronchial obstruction/COPD has been reported in confinement buildings and livestock farmers. This position paper reviews the literature linking exposure information to intensive animal farming and the risk of work-related respiratory diseases and focuses on prevention. Animal farming is associated with exposure to organic dust containing allergens and microbial matter including alive microorganisms and viruses, endotoxins and other factors like irritant gases such as ammonia and disinfectants. These exposures have been identified as specific agents/risk factors of asthma, rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, COPD and reduced FEV1. Published studies on dust and endotoxin exposure in livestock farmers do not show a downward trend in exposure over the last 30 years, suggesting that the workforce in these industries is still overexposed and at risk of developing respiratory disease. In cases of occupational asthma and rhinitis, avoidance of further exposure to causal agents is recommended, but it may not be obtainable in agriculture, mainly due to socio-economic considerations. Hence, there is an urgent need for focus on farming exposure in order to protect farmers and others at work in these and related industries from developing respiratory diseases and allergy.

Medicinal plants play important roles in human and animals disease treatment. 1000 medicinal plant species are identified and reported in the Ethiopian Flora. They contribute and is more preferable for new drug development. Ethiopia has the potential to become an important source country, given the diversity of plants and the rich traditional knowledge regarding their use. The main sources of medicinal plants for utilizers are the wild forests. There is also cultivation practice of medicinal plants in home garden. About 80% of human and 90% of livestock population in Ethiopia depends on utilization of medicinal plants for primary health care. The knowledge transfer of medicinal plants in Ethiopia is largely oral. Most parts of medicinal plants commonly used are leaves and roots. Utilization of leaves for drug preparation is important for conservation of medicinal plants since harvesting leaves may not cause detrimental effect on the plants compared to the root or whole plant collections. Medicinal plants play a crucial role in health care needs in Ethiopia, because modern health care do not have adequate and equitable health service. Moreover, they depend on medicinal plants due to financial limitations related to rapid population growth and poor economic performance. In Ethiopia the market for essential oils of medicinal plants is very high and increasing in alarming rate. In the year 2011, 1,596.5 tons of essential oils of medicinal plants was imported and more than 30 million USD spent. Through increasing production potential and modernizing the sector of medicinal plants, they play a great role to substitute import and export. Medicinal plants have great potential to contribute to economic development and poverty alleviation in Ethiopia. Environmental degradation, deforestation, agricultural expansion over exploitation and population growth is the principal threats to medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Key words: Medicinal plants, utilization, economic role.

The interest of this conference is agricultural, environmental, bioenergetics, and sanitary. In that context, domestic, agricultural and industrial environments produce organic waste, which needs to be collected, selected, stored and recycled properly in order to avoid environmental pollution and promote agriculture. The green Industry proposed involves the conversion of natural, non-toxic organic waste in order to efficiently produce organic fertilizers for agriculture. These types of fertilizers from biological origin are suitable because they are not toxic for human and the environment. Enzymatic reactions described in this presentation concern mainly the hydrolysis of proteins, sugars and lipids, the acidification of intermediate products from hydrolysis, the formation of acetate, and the production of methane. In other words, this review is timely as it discusses for the chemical behavior or the reactivity of different functional groups to better understand the enzymatic catalysis in the transformations of residual proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids to generate biomethane and fertilizers. In the same perspective, this review is to enrich the documentation related to organic reactions catalyzed by enzymes, which occur in the anaerobic degradation of residual organic substances, with emphasis on the structures of organic compounds and reaction mechanisms. This will allow understanding the displacement of the electrons of a reactive entity rich in electrons to another reactive entity that is poor in electrons to form new bonds in products.

Plastic bags have been introduced in the middle of 19th decade and it's received a huge popularity amongst the consumers and retailers. Around the world, numerous plastic plants are manufacturing tons of plastic bags which are very commonly used by the society because of its comfort, cheapness and handiness. But the adverse impact of plastic is certainly not highlighted or not openly debated in a serious tone. The negative impact of the plastic in the environment made many counties to ban it due to public concern. Specifically, in Agri dominant countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, etc., the government has taking stringent efforts towards the prevention of single ended plastic. Since, plastic bags are not bio-degradable, the only way to get rid of them is to burn up which discharges the toxic fumes into atmosphere. Dumping of plastics at the soil will also results in degradation of soil quality and makes it as an unfit to the agriculture. The domestic animals will take the plastic papers as food which will lead to their death. An ultimate solution to the above said problem is the replacement of paper bags, in the place of plastic bags. The cost, ease, availability and load carrying capacity are the main factors restricting the use of paper bags among the public. Only Few manufactures are available in the field and due to the cost of machineries, complexity of production, availability of raw materials, man power and electricity demand results in higher cost which becomes as a barrier among the common man in the adoption of paper bags. In this paper, a cost effective, portable, solar powered paper-bag making machine is proposed to produce paper-bags. The proposed design will minimize the usage of plastic bags and assist in the motto of a clean and safe society. The machine is capable of handling different sizes and textures of the paper. It also has the provision to control the speed of production and monitor the quality of the output. The bags are tested for standard conditions and were found to have enough strength to replace 20-micron plastic bags.

The paper provides a deep insight into the agricultural practices and cropping pattern in Haor basin. Boro-Fallow-Fallow is the dominant cropping pattern in entire Haor basin. The paper also examines the characteristics of flood and its effects on agricultural production. It is found that flash flood severely destroy standing boro rice just before harvesting almost every year. The paper focuses the principle interventions taken by different organizations (Government and Non-government) to secure agriculture based livelihood against flood hazard in Haor areas. Most of the government initiatives were found structural whereas non-structural measures were prioritized by non-government organizations. The paper formulates a framework for sustainable agricultural production in Haor basin.

This paper is an historical analysis of how global pressures and aspirations have affected US farm bill debates over time, from the first farm bill in 1933 to the current debates over a 2018 farm bill. It focuses in particular on how nationalist and patriotic arguments have been used to support the USA's desired place in global agricultural markets over time. For example, debates over the 2008 farm bill reflected strong international concerns around both trade and energy, with early discussion focusing on keeping the USA ‘competitive’ as an agricultural exporter alongside emerging agricultural powerhouses, and later debates focusing on increasing domestic bioenergy production to ‘protect’ the USA from what were seen as risky energy imports. In other words, debates over trade and energy in 2008 provide insight into how stakeholders positioned the USA with respect to the rest of the world and how that positioning changed over the course of debates. But such questions about the USA's global aspirations—whether to maximize US production for export or protect US agriculture from global rivals—have been part of the farm bill since its earliest days. This analysis will examine how concerns over such national agricultural prominence in a globalizing context have played into and influenced the contours of domestic farm policy over time, with implications for the 2018 farm bill debates.

Today, the farmers are suffering from the lack of rains and scarcity of water. The traditional farmland irrigation the main objective of this paper is to provide an automatic irrigation system thereby saving time, money & power of the farmer, as water supply is becoming scarce in today’s world there is an urgency of adopting smart ways of irrigation. It also helps in conserving water by automatically providing water to the plants/field depending on the water requirements[1]. The objective of this system is to detect the moisture content of the soil and depending on the basis it generates the water with the automated technology of irrigation. Soil is recognized as one of the most valuable natural resource where soil pH property used to describe the degree of acidity or basicity which affects nutrient availability and ultimately plant growth. pH value of the soil is determined and accordingly crops or plants are suggested that can be grown in that field. Due to detection of soil pH value the chances of crops destruction becomes less, with this we can say that automatic irrigation system provides less effort and generates the good result.

Agriculture being a primary source of income in the country is the backbone of Indian economy. And being a primary and important source of income, ICT has played an significant role in the extension services and information sharing in agriculture. To get high yield and high profit, farmers require advance or expert knowledge to take decision during soil preparation, seed selection, fertilizer management, pesticide management, water scheduling, weed management. Decision Support System are now being used into agriculture sector and are proved to be most efficient tool for interchange of knowledge and facts. This paper explains need of DSS in agriculture and review of various DSS/expert systems in agriculture. A Project on DSS on Mango for U.P. state according to various Agro-climatic zones of India has been proposed as mango is one of most important horticultural crop and has a wide distribution all over the country.

Introduction Every year there is an increase in the number of cases and deaths due to the majority of cancers. Currently, these diseases constitute the second cause of death in Poland and the USA. The number of cases of malignant neoplasms in Poland has more than doubled over the last three decades. According to the National Cancer Registry, in Poland about 95.5 people per thousand die every year from malignant neoplasms. Current epidemiological data on cancer is worrying because the World Health Organization predicts a significant increase in the incidence of cancer in the general population. This problem, which is significant on the global scale, demands the search for more effective prevention methods so that more and more attention is paid to both primary and secondary prevention. Prevention and early detection of cancer have become a priority for the national health policy of many European countries. Numerous studies around the world prove that reducing the risk of cancer is most effective through adopting a healthy lifestyle, avoiding exposure to carcinogens, combined with regular screening. Objective The aim of the study was to review knowledge on cancer prevention, including the latest research results. Conclusions Due to the systematic increase in the incidence of cancer, a strong emphasis should be placed on prevention. Preventive actions bring benefits not only to the individual, but are an important aspect of health policy. The importance of primary prevention in relation to healthy people has been demonstrated, including secondary prevention aimed at controlling risk factors in relation to persons exposed to them. The combination of these activities becomes an important element in maintaining the health of the individual, as well as society.

Over the last decade, international concerns about climate change have stimulated broad investment in the pursuit of agriculture that is more climate-smart. These concerns are particularly pressing in Africa, where most farmers remain severely impoverished and dependent on rain-fed production systems. This volume collates some of the latest research from agricultural scientists working to speed up the development and adoption of more climate-smart farming systems in eastern and southern Africa. These 25 papers highlight ongoing efforts to better characterise climate risks, develop and disseminate climate-smart varieties and farm management practices, and integrate these technologies into well-functioning value chains. The papers emphasise the additional research efforts needed to improve the understanding and response to climate risk. The expert authors also make suggestions for strengthening the responsiveness of agricultural research and extension systems to future climate changes.