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In Europe, increasing the area of legume crops has been identified as a key measure to achieve the objectives set by the European Green Deal and transition toward more sustainable food systems. Although the role of grain legumes in climate change mitigation has been closely examined, little research has focused on how climate change will challenge the development of these crops. This article systematically reviews recent simulation studies to assess the impact of climate change on grain legume performances in Europe and the effect of adaptation strategies. Forty papers using process-based, ecological niche, or statistical models were selected to simulate the response of eight grain legume species to future climate (2020–2100) in Europe. The lack of data on adaptation strategies in Europe was compensated for by enlarging the study area to climatically similar regions. The review highlights a notable imbalance between research about soybean versus other grain legumes, with soybean representing approximately 80% of selected studies. Studies focused on soybean found good agreement, with yield or suitability gains found in northern Europe and a higher probability of yield losses in southern and south-eastern Europe. While a similar spatial pattern may be expected for other grain legumes, the scarcity of data makes this result more uncertain. The review also shows that several adaptation strategies have the potential to mitigate the negative impact of climate change on grain legume performances or enhance its positive impact. The most promising strategies tested include irrigation, change in sowing date, and cultivar choice. In addition, we identify several knowledge gaps that, if addressed, would support legume development in Europe. In particular, key species such as field pea, faba bean, lentil, and chickpea remain blind spots, despite their prominent role in European environmental, agricultural, and nutritional policies. Other knowledge gaps include a lack of accounting for crop response to elevated CO 2 , ozone, and future biotic pressure, and a limited range of adaptation strategies tested and indicators assessed. Implementing multi-criteria analyses that involve stakeholders would help identify relevant inputs and outputs for future simulations. • We review 40 papers assessing grain legume response to climate change in Europe. • Grain legumes other than soybean are blind spots despite their role in policies. • For soybean, yield gains are expected in the north and yield losses in the south. • Adaptation strategies can mitigate the impact of climate change on grain legumes. • We identify several knowledge gaps, including a lack of data on key legume species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2023, the Taliban banned poppy cultivation and the trade of all narcotics. This caused a 95% reduction in opium production. Usually, that would be good news. But there is a substantial worry: synthetic opioids might fill the void left by heroin. This is concerning because these drugs have led to health emergencies in areas where they are prevalent. This paper highlights the limitations of the current drug surveillance system in Europe and proposes improvements. It argues that reliance on secondary data is insufficient. Instead, we need to interview a sentinel group of people who inject drugs and adjust city-level sentinel systems, such as wastewater analysis, to specifically track the spread of synthetic opioids. Without these proactive steps, we risk only noticing a transition from heroin to synthetic opioids after it has occurred, with its harmful impacts already in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI) is recognized as a way to address agrifood system sustainability challenges. Because of its complexity, SOI requires inter-organizational collaboration between actors within and around value chains. Since farming practices account for a large part of the environmental impact of food products, farmer involvement in SOI processes is key. However, there is a lack of evidence on the degree of farmer engagement in inter-organizational collaboration, as well as the diversity of partners involved. Moreover, our understanding of the heterogeneity of collaboration in relation to the sustainability dimensions of the innovation SOI processes is limited. The objectives of our research are twofold. First, to propose a novel conceptualization of SOI, converging the sustainability specificities of the innovation process and the characteristics of the collaboration supporting the innovation process. Second, to unpack heterogeneous forms of collaboration in SOI with attention to farmer engagement in these forms. We developed the SOI framework and analyzed SOI processes in the fruit and vegetable sector across Europe. A multiple correspondence statistical analysis was carried out based on data from more than one hundred value chains that have implemented a SOI process. A hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to reveal patterns of collaboration in SOI. The results show different patterns of collaborative SOI in European fruit and vegetable chains. The SOI differ as regards to three specific dimensions: the diversity, the direction, and the distribution; and they rely on various collaboration forms. Seven clusters are analyzed and discussed, with specific attention to the farmer engagement in the collaboration forms. We differentiated between 1) Intermediary-led farm & food innovation with farmer collaboration; 2) Intermediary-led short food supply chain innovation with farmer collaboration; 3) Processor-led green food product innovation without farmer collaboration; 4) Farmer-led sustainable agricultural practices innovation with a collaborative network; 5) Farmer-led coupled innovation with downstream integration; 6) value chain actor-led coupled innovation with farmer collaboration; 7) Retailer-led distribution innovation without farmer collaboration. The relationship between diverse collaboration forms and SOI dimensions is discussed. Revealing the heterogeneity of collaboration forms in SOI processes is important for developing sound policies. Given the significant role of farmers in sustainable agrifood system transitions, this paper reveals various levels of farmer engagement in collaborative SOI processes in value chains. Results have implications for mission-oriented policies since they allow a more precise and targeted approach to agrifood chains within the broader agrifood system transformation. [Display omitted] • Sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) has three dimensions: direction, diversity, and distribution • SOI requires collaboration among multiple actors within and around the value chain • SOI is characterised in 74 food value chains in Europe; seven clusters reveal the heterogeneity of collaboration • The relationship between heterogeneity of collaboration and SOI dimensions provides insights for targeted innovation policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of resilience has recently been investigated from the perspective of several disciplines. This extensive research has produced many approaches to determine the key definitions, linked to both the notion of stability in dynamics (return to the previous equilibrium after a shock) and the idea of adaptivity (absorption of the shock leading to new equilibria). Among the various definitions and measurements which can be found in the literature, the Resilience Capacity Index (RCI) defines a kind of ‘potential resilience’, i.e. the potential ability of a region to recover, or bounce back in the presence of external shocks. However, the RCI should also be tested empirically versus other resilience/vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability denotes a different view on the state of the system in the presence of shocks, i.e. the degree to which a system is susceptible to harm. In the present paper, this concept will be adopted by analysing the dynamics of the unemployment growth rate, and then comparing it to the RCI. The country of interest in this paper is Slovakia. Slovakia is a small country in Central-Eastern Europe and can serve as a good example of an open and export-based economy, subjected to the global crisis. Thus, in the context of the 2007–2008 economic crisis, the RCI in the 79 Slovak districts is examined with respect to their vulnerability in the first period of rising unemployment (2008–2012), as well as in the second period following vulnerability to the economic shock (2012–2014). A clear West-East divide in the resilience capacity can be seen. The more urban and export-oriented districts with high RCI values are shown to be exposed to high vulnerability compared with the rural districts. On the other hand, the small, peripheral districts respond to a lesser extent, or with a delay, to the shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Droughts and floods are increasing worldwide. • Changes in soil moisture affect the soil microbiome. • Climate change affects the soil environment. • Changes in the soil environment affect crop production. • Drought and floods have a negative impact on agriculture. Climate change is progressing and is already visible to the naked eye around the world. Hydrological events associated with climate change, i.e. floods and droughts, have reached extreme levels in recent years. Researchers warn that these phenomena will continue to intensify. According to recent reports, the number of extreme weather events, including hydrological phenomena, has increased by 60% in Europe over the last three decades. Both water shortages and water surpluses affect the soil environment and its functions. This in turn has a direct impact on crops and agriculture. For example, in the US alone, droughts and floods were responsible for more than 70% of the decline in cereal yields in 2011 alone. However, the soil environment is a complex ecosystem that is not yet fully understood, making it difficult to predict the impact of climate change on its quality and functioning. In this paper, we discuss the effects of floods and droughts on the soil microbiome and the implications of these changes for agriculture. We suggest that changes in soil moisture are an important factor affecting crop growth and yield, which is of great importance for global food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Low-intensity farmland contributes to Urban Green Infrastructure in regard to connectivity.. • This study suggests an evidence-based planning approach to identify the potential spatial distribution of low-intensity farmland. • This paper presents an analytical methodology that is transparent, repeatable, and transferable to other European urban areas. Abstract In recent years, Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) has gained broad political support and has evolved to become a new research topic in the area of sustainable urban development. The focus has been largely on green urban structures, such as parks and urban forest. The role and contribution of farmland has often been neglected. This work wants to scrutinise the potential of farmland’s contribution to the basic conception of UGI, in particular, with regard to connectivity. It reports on three case studies from Southern Germany, in the peri-urban regions of the three largest and expanding cities of Bavaria: Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg. The spatial analysis we used is transparent, simple and repeatable. It is transferable to any European urban area. We use habitat suitability modelling to map the potential spatial distribution of low-intensity farmland, with emphasis on grassland systems. Based on these potential distributions, landscape indicators are used to analyse structural connectivity. Structural connectivity is used as a surrogate for functional connectivity, which supports ecological and abiotic processes and functions, but on the other hand characterises functional social connectivity, with respect to the accessibility of recreation. The results of this study suggest that farmland bears a great potential to contribute to UGI. The immediate surroundings of the cities do not just offer spatial potential but can enhance connectivity significantly. Based on these results some recommendations have been formulated to enable a better appreciation of farmland and farmers as partners for effectively developing strategies for UGI planning and sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European agriculture is a large importer of nutrients in the form of chemical fertilizers. Additionally, countries with livestock-intensive farming face problems with disposal of nutrients in animal manure. The availability of chemical fertilizers has changed farmers' past dependence on manure. Nowadays, despite its nutrient content, manure is sometimes considered as a waste product. However, if the characteristics of manure and other waste streams could be enhanced through processing, it could be transformed into an alternative bio-based fertilizer recycling the nutrients within the farming sector. This would also create opportunities for nutrient exchange between different European regions. However, a key question is what is needed for farmers to accept these products as replacements for their current chemical fertilizer use? In this paper, key attributes determining the acceptance of alternative bio-based fertilizer products are identified. Based on the identified attributes, a discrete choice experiment was designed to reveal farmers' preferences and Willingness-To-Pay for these attributes. Identical experiments were conducted in seven different European countries. The results indicate that farmers from the different countries have common preferences for concentrated products that have certainty in the nitrogen content and at a lower price than chemical fertilizer. Other attributes such as the presence of organic carbon, hygienization of the product and fast release of nutrients were only statistically significant in some countries. The results imply that a bio-based fertilizer similar to chemical fertilizers could be sold at around 65% of the price of mineral fertilizer. Additionally, we show which attributes industry should take into consideration when estimating the demand for new bio-based fertilizer products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is one response to the challenges faced by agriculture due to climate change. As with other sustainability transitions, technological innovation is highlighted as playing a critical role, however, the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations in OECD countries is slow. The aim of this paper is to identify key socio-economic barriers, in terms of supply and demand, that inhibit the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations in Europe. To achieve this aim, a theoretical framework is constructed based on a literature review of socio-economic barriers effecting adoption and diffusion. This framework is explored with data from semi-structured interviews with CSA technology providers and members of agricultural supply chains, such as farmers associations and consumer goods producers (the end-users of the technology). Data was collected on the barriers they experienced, with interviews conducted in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Italy. This data was thematically coded and categorised to identify key barrier typologies. The results demonstrate that barriers exist on both the demand (user) and supply (technology provider) sides. The paper provides recommendations for increasing the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations, as well as implications for the CSA and innovation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is widespread across the EU and has caused considerable impacts on freshwater ecosystems. To revert the degradation caused to streams and rivers, research and restoration efforts have been developed to recover ecosystem functions and services, with the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) playing a significant role in strengthening the progress. Analysing recent peer-reviewed European literature (2009–2016), this review explores 1) the conflicts and difficulties faced when restoring agriculturally impacted streams, 2) the aspects relevant to effectively reconcile agricultural land uses and healthy riverine ecosystems and 3) the effects and potential shortcomings of the first WFD management cycle. Our analysis reveals significant progress in restoration efforts, but it also demonstrates an urgent need for a higher number and detail of restoration projects reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The first WFD cycle ended in 2015 without reaching the goal of good ecological status in many European water-bodies. Addressing limitations reported in recent papers, including difficulties in stakeholder integration and importance of small headwater streams, is crucial. Analysing recent developments on stakeholder engagement through structured participatory processes will likely reduce perception discrepancies and increase stakeholder interest during the next WFD planning cycle. Despite an overall dominance of nutrient-related research, studies are spreading across many important topics (e.g. stakeholder management, land use conflicts, climate change effects), which may play an important role in guiding future policy. Our recommendations are important for the second WFD cycle because they 1) help secure the development and dissemination of science-based restoration strategies and 2) provide guidance for future research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequently acknowledged as coming forward to environmental issues by reducing external input use, low input (LI) dairy farming is gaining attention. The absence of a clearly delineated description of LI dairying, however, hampers identification and analysis of these farming systems. This paper aims at empirically examining, EU wide, the farm structure, production intensity and productivity of LI with respect to their high input (HI) conventional counterpart and to organic dairying (ORG). A pragmatic quartiles-based categorization of farms from the Farm Accountancy Data Network of 20 important EU dairy countries, with the value of external input costs per grazing livestock unit (GLU) is used as prior discriminating indicator between LI and HI. LI dairy farms are smaller than HI dairy farms, in particular when farm size is expressed as total farm capital. Other variables that differentiate between LI and HI in most countries are number of dairy cows per GLU and area of forage and grassland on total agricultural area. Partial productivities in HI farms exceed those in LI farms, most apparent is milk production per cow. Differentiation of forage production between LI and HI is less uniform throughout Europe. A pairwise matching of differentiation profiles between countries indicates that differentiation between LI and HI is country specific. A similar diversity in country-specific differentiation between ORG and LI farming is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In north western Europe, agricultural systems are generally managed to maximize the potential delivery of provisioning ecosystem services. This has often been at the expense of other ecosystem services. Because the current supply of most ecosystem services is insufficient to meet the increasing demand, particular attention to ecosystem service delivery and hence multifunctionality in agriculture is vital. In this paper, we quantitatively assessed the impact of hedgerows and grass strips bordering parcels with annual arable crops on the simultaneous delivery of a set of ecosystem services and from there we identified synergies and trade-offs on virtual parcels. After a systematic literature search, mixed models were applied on observations from 60 studies and quantitative effect relationships between ecosystem service delivery and hedgerow and grass strip characteristics were developed. Next to the hedgerow, until a distance of twice the hedgerow height, arable crop yield was reduced by 29%. Beyond this distance, until 20 times the hedgerow height, crop yield was increased by 6%. Compared to a similar arable parcel without hedgerow or grass strip, soil carbon stock was 22% higher in the hedgerow, on average 6% higher in the adjacent parcel next to the hedgerow and 37% higher in the upper 30 cm soil layer in the grass strip. Both hedgerows and grass strips intercepted nitrogen from the surface (69% and 67%, respectively) and subsurface (34% and 32%, respectively) flow and phosphorus (67% and 73%, respectively) and soil sediment (91% and 90%, respectively) from the surface flow. More natural predator species were found on parcels with hedgerows, but the number of predators was unaffected. On parcels with grass strips, both predator density and diversity was higher and aphid density was reduced. Our calculations on parcel level indicate that the trade-off between arable crop yield and regulating ecosystem services depends on hedgerow width and height and parcel dimensions. A similar trade-off is found on parcels with grass strips, but increasing grass strip width results in a proportionally higher delivery of regulating ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Information on accidents in facilities for processing and storage of selected agricultural products are contained in the work. • A unique accident database was created containing 195 items. • The causes, consequences and possible measures are researched and discussed in the work. • The information contained in the work can be used to increase the level of safety in the agricultural sector. Process safety in the storage and processing of agricultural products is an important aspect related not only to reducing the risk of damage to the human health or property, but is also strategical to national food safety. A special emphasis must therefore be placed on risk assessment of the operation of these facilities. One of the cornerstones of the risk assessment process is the use of knowledge of past accidents. As the agricultural industry is rather marginal in the field of safety engineering compared to other sectors of the economy, available publications dealing with this topic are rather an exception. The aim of this paper is to conduct research on the available information on accidents that have occurred in agricultural processing and storage facilities in the past. The purpose is to provide professionals and operators with a comprehensive source of information useful for activities related to the prevention of these accidents. The output of the work is then a previously unrealised representative database of systematically sorted information on accidents that have occurred in the process of treatment or storage of agricultural products. This information was subsequently analysed and evaluated. The created database consists of 195 records of accidents that occurred between 1989 and 2018. To create a unique representative database, mainly publicly available databases of industrial accidents or professional publications were used. The author's database contains information on accident locations, accident causes and accident prevention measures. A total of 21 persons died and 32 persons were injured during the accidents. The analysis shows that fires are the most frequent manifestation of accidents (86%) and accidents in material handling facilities are the most frequent (33%). According to the information available in the database, organisational factors were identified as the most frequent causative factors of accidents (47%). For a better understanding of the accident process, a description of selected accident scenarios was also provided in the work. A linear model was used for this purpose. Due to the strategic importance of the evaluated facilities for processing and storage of agricultural products, efforts are made to prevent accidents from recurring or to reduce their impact on the surrounding area. Therefore, an integral part of the work is the description of possible measures against the recurrence of similar accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty percent of the EU land area is currently considered to be agriculturally managed (utilised agricultural area - UAA - Eurostat Agricultural Census 2010), and attention to the environmental performance of farming practices is growing. To determine the performance of agricultural practices, farm-scale monitoring programmes are required but their implementation is hampered by a number of difficulties such as the identification of broadly applicable indicators appropriate for different biogeographic locations, and the evaluation of the effectiveness and costs of different monitoring approaches. In this paper, we focus on the costs of farm-scale biodiversity monitoring, presenting results from a Europe-wide cost data collection in the EU FP7 BioBio Project. Firstly, we present an analytical assessment of resources consumed by the research units and a cost estimation for the measurement of six biodiversity-related parameters: farm habitats, vegetation, wild bees and bumblebees, spiders, earthworms and farm management. Thereafter, we estimate a standardised cost for an ordinary measurement of the six parameters at farm-scale. In doing so, we highlight the cost differences between three strategies involving different potential actors (professional agencies, farmers, volunteers). This analysis demonstrates that producing reliable data on monitoring costs requires a large sample pool of farms and farm types, as was the case in the BioBio project. The cost standardisation allowed us to estimate a cost for biodiversity monitoring ranging between €2700 and €8200 per farm, depending on the chosen strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Land change process type had a significant impact on interpretation consistency. • The number of available images had no significant effect. • Absence of change of non-agricultural land was most consistently interpreted. • Land abandonment, reforestation and agricultural expansion were least consistent. Large-scale land change maps are essential to support policies addressing land transformations. Calibration and validation of large-scale land change maps require reference data that are commonly acquired by visual interpretation of remotely sensed images. However, visual interpretation itself is prone to error. Little is known about factors influencing the quality and consistency of changes detected by visual interpretation. This paper reports on an experiment assessing the effect of the number of very high resolution images and land change process types on the consistency of visual interpretations. The experiment involved 48 sites scattered over Europe for which 18 individuals interpreted very high resolution images, which were provided via Google Earth. Land change process type was found to have a significant impact on the consistency of visual interpretations, while the marginal effect of the number of images was not significant. Absence of change on non-agricultural land was interpreted with high consistency. On the contrary, agricultural land abandonment and reforestation were the least consistent in their interpretation. We conclude that for increased efficiency, resources allocated to acquire reference data by visual interpretation should be adjusted based on the expected type of land change. Interpretation of agricultural land abandonment, reforestation and agricultural land expansion require most efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]