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Information on field management practices impacting root health in sugarcane is available but fragmented across diverse literature. This makes a synthesis of information on the management of sugarcane fields, with emphasis on root health, difficult. The purpose of this paper is to collate information on field management practices that will benefit the growth of healthy sugarcane roots in support of optimal crop production. This paper reviews background information on the growth dynamics and characteristics of sugarcane roots. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of discipline-related problems and their recommended ameliorative field management practices, with a focus on root health. Information on sugarcane roots is not equally available for all disciplines. In such cases, information was also considered from other crops to provide likely answers to the amelioration of root management problems in sugarcane. Across all these management practices a list of practical procedures to reduce root health problems is compiled. This review also highlights gaps in our knowledge regarding sugarcane root health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural production plays an important role in food provision and income generation for the rural population. To mitigate the climate change and ensure food security, the agricultural sector has faced multiple initiatives, including the European Green Deal. Developing effective frameworks for measures under such initiatives requires identifying reasonable benchmarks. Accordingly, it is important to assess the patterns of input use and productivity in the agricultural sector. This paper focuses on the agricultural energy productivity in the European Union (EU) Member States during 2005–2019. Indeed, the EU allocates substantial support to improve resource efficiency and reduce climate pressures in the agriculture. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to apply the club convergence approach for the energy productivity the EU agriculture. This particular approach allows identifying the homogenous groups of the EU countries and, subsequently, assess the dynamics of the agricultural energy productivity within these groups. The results indicate that the agricultural energy productivity still requires attention in the EU countries, as only partial convergence was observed during 2015–2019. The EU countries were grouped into five clusters with different levels of the agricultural energy productivity. The results imply that the differences among resulting clusters remained rather stable over time. Therefore, relevant policies addressing energy efficiency issues can be developed for these relatively homogeneous groups to ensure further cohesion. The results suggest that countries with high energy productivity may show high levels of greenhouse gas intensity (and low levels of, e.g., labour productivity). Therefore, energy conservation and introduction of clean energy is a complex task that can be guided by the proposed framework and adjustment in the Common Agricultural Policy measures. [Display omitted] • An advanced approach of the club convergence is applied for energy productivity. • The case of the European Union agriculture is considered. • The results indicate that the countries have converged yet several clusters persist. • The GHG emission intensity is analysed for each cluster. • The policy implications include mutual learning within and among the clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Reclaimed water has been identified as a viable and cost-effective solution to water shortages impacting agricultural production. However, lack of consumer acceptance for foods irrigated with reclaimed and treated water remains one of the greatest hurdles for widespread farm-level adoption. Using survey data from 760 participants in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., this paper examines consumer preferences for six sources of reclaimed irrigation water and identifies statistically significant relationships between consumers' demographic characteristics and their preferences for each type of reclaimed water. Key findings suggest that adult consumers prefer rain water to all other sources of reclaimed water. Women are less likely than men to prefer reclaimed irrigation water sources and are particularly concerned about the use of black and brackish water. Consumers who had heard about reclaimed water before are more likely to accept its use. Drawing on evidence from survey and experimental research, this paper also identifies disgust, neophobia and safety concerns as the key issues that lead consumers to accept or reject foods produced with reclaimed water. Finally, we identify avenues for future research into public acceptance of reclaimed water based on our analysis and evidence from prior research. Highlights • Consumer preferences for six sources of reclaimed irrigation water are tested using survey data. • Consumers prefer rain water to all other sources of reclaimed water tested, including black, brackish, industrial, and grey water. • Women are less likely than men to prefer reclaimed irrigation water sources. • Disgust, neophobia and safety concerns are the key issues for acceptance and rejection of foods produced with reclaimed water. • Avenues for future research into public acceptance of reclaimed water are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tropical countries lie at the nexus of three pressing issues for global sustainability: agricultural production, climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. The forces that drive forest protection do not necessarily oppose those that drive forest clearance for development. This decoupling, enhanced by the stronger economic forces compared to conservation, is detrimental for the social-ecological sustainability of forested tropical landscapes. This paper presents an integrated, and spatially-explicit, Agent-Based Model that examines the future impacts of land-use change scenarios on the sustainability of the Wet Tropics region of tropical Queensland, Australia. In particular, the model integrates Bayesian Belief Networks, Geographical Information Systems, empirical data and expert knowledge, under a land-sharing/land-sparing analysis, to study the impact of different landscape configurations on trade-offs and synergies among biodiversity and two ecosystem services (sugarcane production and carbon sequestration). Contrary to most tropical regions, model simulations show that Business As Usual is helping to reconcile these contrasting goals in the forested landscape of the Wet Tropics. The paper analyses which combination of governance and socio-economic factors is causing these positive results. This is an outstanding achievement for a tropical region, considering that most tropical areas are characterized for having stronger economic-land clearing forces compared to conservation forces, which reduce important ecosystem services for human wellbeing and the health of ecosystems. Highlights • Integrated Agent-Based Model simulates a social-ecological system of the Wet Tropics. • BAU reconciles sugarcane production, carbon sequestration and biodiversity. • Results driven by different socio-economic, governance and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmonious coexistence of man and nature is a universally recognized standard to test the rational utilization of multifunctional territorial space, and the planning of territorial space adapted to nature is a scientific guide to balance ecological protection and human development. This study focuses on the inevitable relationship between the scale, function and pattern of territorial space utilization (TSU), and puts forward a process research framework of "background evaluation-advantage comparison-optimization conduction". Based on the evaluation of resource and environment suitability, this paper determines the scale of multifunctional territorial space through the potential conflict identification model of TSU. The location entropy method is used to identify the advantageous functions of the county level, and the matching characteristics of the research results and the current situation are obtained by comparing them with the current plan. Finally, from the county functional zoning to the regional TSU pattern, the corresponding optimization conduction path is designed to form a new development and protection pattern. The empirical results of research area show that: (1) The study area is suitable for urban construction and agricultural production as a whole. The ecological protection is mainly at the general important level, and there is a moderate potential conflict between the development and protection of territorial space. The space scale of urban construction, agricultural production and ecological protection are accounted for 8.77%, 78.71% and 12.52%, respectively. (2) The advantageous function of TSU in county-level administrative units is dominated by single advantageous function, and the number of composite advantageous functions is generally small. The advantageous functional types determined by this research have a high matching with the current plan. (3) Based on the analysis of the scale structure and functional use of territorial space, this paper defines the ecological space that should be strictly protected and the agricultural and urban space that should be moderately developed for production and construction, and sets up elastic development areas. Finally, a strategic pattern of "one corridor, two screens, three circles and four zones" is conducive to the realization of the beautiful vision of the unification of protection and development. • Ecological protection is a prerequisite for territorial space utilization (TSU). • There is relation among scale, function and pattern of TSU. • Resource and environment carrying capacity decides the scale of TSU. • Multilevel coordination is an important way to balance protection and development. • A functional and strategic pattern is helpful for efficient TSU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing population worldwide, in recent years, an exponential increase in agricultural practices has occurred in order to attend to the growing demand for food. Unfortunately, this increase is not associated with the supply of foodstuffs free of environmental pollutants. In Brazil, agriculture is one of the most important economic pillars, making the country one of the largest consumers of pesticides around the world. The intense use of pesticides, mainly glyphosate, 2,4-D, and atrazine, constitutes an essential factor in the viability of this great agricultural productivity. Sugarcane, corn, soybean, and citrus crops consume around 66% of the total pesticides worldwide, representing 76% of the planted area. Pesticide residues have been frequently detected in food and the environment, becoming a significant concern for human health. Monitoring programs for pesticide use are essential to reduce the potential negative impacts on the environment and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of their use. However, in Brazil, the approval status of pesticide-active ingredients is very discrepant compared to other agricultural countries. Moreover, the duality of benefits and risks of pesticide application creates an economic and toxicological conflict. In this paper, we have critically reviewed the duality of risks-benefits of the use of pesticides in agriculture and the current Brazilian legislation issues. We have also compared this flawed legislation with other countries with high economic potential. Due to the negative environmental impacts on soil and water by the high levels of pesticides, remediation techniques, sustainable agriculture, and the development of new technologies can be considered some viable alternatives to reduce the levels in these compartments. Besides, this paper includes some recommendations that can be included in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water supplies are becoming increasingly strained, pushing policy makers to find solutions to facilitate reductions in water use though there is limited evidence on how farmers respond to policy induced variation in surface water supplies. This paper uses a difference-in-differences framework to compare the response of farmers to a bundle of policies reducing deliveries from the Colorado River by 35%. I find that on average, farmers reduce the amount of land planted but plant more water intensive crops leading to a minimal reduction in total estimated water use compared to the counterfactual. Additionally, there is strong suggestive evidence that farmers are using groundwater to offset a significant amount of the surface water loss. These findings have important consequences for understanding the relative trade-offs policy makers face when implementing policies that protect surface water sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contaminated farmland leads to serious problems for human health through biomagnification in the soil-crop-human chain. In this paper, we have established a new soil remediation strategy using periphyton for the production of safer rice. Four representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), were chosen to generate artificially contaminated soil. Pot experiments demonstrated that in comparison with rice cultivation in polluted soil with ΣPAHs (50 mg kg−1) but without periphyton, adding periphyton decreased ΣPAHs contents in both rice roots and shoots by 98.98% and 99.76%, respectively, and soil ΣPAHs removal reached 94.19%. Subsequently, risk assessment of ΣPAHs based on toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ), pollution load index (PLI), hazard index (HI), toxic unit for PAHs mixture (TU m), and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) indicated that periphyton lowered the ecological and carcinogenicity risks of PAHs. Besides, the role of periphyton in enhancing the rice productivity was revealed. The results indicated that periphyton alleviated the oxidative stress of PAHs on rice by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increasing total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). Periphyton reduced the toxic stress of PAHs on the soil by promoting soil carbon cycling and metabolic activities as well. Periphyton also improved the soil's physicochemical properties, such as the percentage of soil aggregate, the contents of humic substances (HSs) and nutrients, which increased rice biomass. These findings confirmed that periphyton could improve rice productivity by enhancing soil quality and health. This study provides a new eco-friendly strategy for soil remediation and simultaneously enables the production of safe crops on contaminated land. [Display omitted] • A novel strategy with periphyton was proposed for PAHs-polluted soil remediation. • In pot experiment the content of PAHs in different parts of rice was reduced. • Periphyton efficiently removed high molecular weight PAHs and reduced health risks. • Periphyton improved rice productivity by enhancing soil quality and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curbing the continuous abandonment of large areas of farmland is important for meeting the global food demand and promoting agricultural and rural development. Accurate identification is the key to the effective management and utilization of abandoned farmland. The identification of abandoned land based on a long time series of remote sensing data has become rapid and effective. Therefore, a set of training and test datasets generated from invariant samples and reference sample sets is established in this paper. On this basis, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) is used to classify Landsat and Sentinel high-precision long-term remote sensing images from 2000 to 2022. In addition, a change detector based on the sliding window algorithm is proposed to extract abandoned farmland in the Huangshui Basin from 2002 to 2020, and the intensity, trend, frequency, reclamation rate and utilization efficiency are analyzed. The results revealed that the OA of land use classification in the Huangshui Basin from 2000 to 2022 was between 0.852 and 0.91, and the kappa coefficient was between 0.822 and 0.89, indicating a good classification effect. From 2002 to 2020, the accumulated abandoned farmland area in the Huangshui Basin continued to increase, showing a fluctuating upward trend, and the phenomenon of farmland abandonment and reclamation occurs repeatedly in some areas. From the overall distribution, the abandoned area gradually increased from the central region to the southeast. With the passage of time, the amount of abandoned farmland in the valley increased gradually, and the abandoned area was transferred from the high mountains to the valley area. The average annual abandonment rate of supplementary farmland was 50.45%, which was much greater than that of basic farmland. Most of the supplementary farmland could not be effectively and judiciously used, and the utilization efficiency was low. The research results provide data support for the reuse of abandoned farmland in ecologically fragile plateau areas, the formulation of targeted strategies, the implementation of timely adjustments, and the establishment of new ideas and methods for the accurate identification of abandoned farmland. • Developed a set of training and test data sets generated by invariant and reference samples. • Proposed a sliding window algorithm based on the change detector to plot long time series abandoned farmland. • Spatiotemporal distribution, trend, and recultivation of abandoned were analyzed. • Abandonment rate of supplementary farmland is higher than original farmland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation and regulation is increasingly limiting the use of pesticides or chemical fumigants to counteract soil-borne pathogens. Therefore the use of disease resistant grafted plants is increasing. However, the grafting of herbaceous crops is a labour-intensive technique, with consequent costs. These aspects have encouraged the development of automated machines able to increase productivity and rooting success rate while reducing costs. This paper presents an innovative solution for automatic grafting of vegetable crops, suitable for small to medium sized farms. The concept is to use a group of cooperative robots, adaptable in number, to meet workload specifications. The machine consists of one or more grafting units, able to cut and join scions and rootstocks, and a supplying and sorting system based on an ensemble of single-axis, identical and independent robotic modules, displacing on a unique rail, which coordinates the movement and the selection of scions, rootstocks and grafted plants. Overall productivity is given by the number of grafting units, the number of robotic modules implemented in the supply system, and the efficiency of the control and task allocation strategy. Together with the description of the innovative aspects of the machine mechanics, designed to face intrinsic variability in vegetable objects, the objective of this paper was to present the ensemble synthesis of the control policies, based on heuristic scheduling priorities, to allocate and coordinate the team of robots to a set of spatially distributed tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume-based mixtures have considerable interest for modern agriculture, because they can increase or stabilize crop production and simultaneously provide important agro-ecosystem functions. Accordingly, there is increasing demand for legume cultivars adapted to this utilization. This paper reviews the available findings and discuss methodological, eco-physiological and diversity-related issues that can help define cost-efficient breeding strategies for cool- and warm-season annual legumes intercropped with cereals, and perennial legumes intercropped with forage grasses. On average, selection in pure stand (PS) exhibited about 40% lower predicted yield gains than selection in target mixed stand (MS) conditions, in a survey of case studies. Specific breeding for intercropping tends to be particularly important for species undergoing severe competition because of modest competitive ability or the targeted growing conditions, for which direct selection in MS or indirect selection for traits associated with greater competitive ability prove valuable. Breeding for compatibility with a wide range of plant companions is encouraged by the larger size of general-compatibility effects relative to specific-compatibility ones. There is fairly limited evidence for the advantage of greater intraspecific diversity in legume breeding for intercropping. On the whole, however, the available findings are insufficient for designing efficient breeding strategies for the majority of legume species. We present a range of informative and cost-efficient methodological approaches that could be exploited for future studies. There is an urgent need to assess the efficiency of novel and relatively low-cost breeding strategies, among which evolutionary breeding and genomic selection emerge as the most promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock production is important for food security, nutrition, and landscape maintenance, but it is associated with several environmental impacts. To assess the risk and benefits arising from livestock production, transparent and robust indicators are required, such as those offered by life cycle assessment. A central question in such approaches is how environmental burden is allocated to livestock products and to manure that is re-used for agricultural production. To incentivize sustainable use of manure, it should be considered as a co-product as long as it is not disposed of, or wasted, or applied in excess of crop nutrient needs, in which case it should be treated as a waste. This paper proposes a theoretical approach to define nutrient requirements based on nutrient response curves to economic and physical optima and a pragmatic approach based on crop nutrient yield adjusted for nutrient losses to atmosphere and water. Allocation of environmental burden to manure and other livestock products is then based on the nutrient value from manure for crop production using the price of fertilizer nutrients. We illustrate and discuss the proposed method with two case studies. • New method to value manure for its beneficial effects on crop production is proposed. • Manure can be considered as a co-product in Life Cycle Assessments when applied according to crop nutrient requirements. • The method encourages farmers to use manure sustainably in livestock and crop production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental lighting in greenhouses can increase crop growth, improving rates of greenhouse production. The advent of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for photosynthetic lighting presents new opportunities for optimising greenhouse supplemental lighting control. Because LED light intensity can be controlled rapidly and precisely in real time, these lights can be controlled such that supplemental light is provided when it will be most efficiently used to drive photosynthesis. This approach to supplemental lighting control has the potential to reduce the electricity cost associated with greenhouse lighting while retaining the beneficial effects on crop growth, thereby decreasing the financial cost and improving the sustainability of greenhouse crop production. In this paper, an optimisation problem is formulated to minimise the total amount of electricity used by supplemental LED lights, subject to achieving a specified daily amount of photochemistry. An algorithm to solve the problem explicitly based on sufficient conditions for a global minimiser is developed. This method represents a computationally simple and broadly applicable means for minimising the amount of electricity required for supplemental lighting in greenhouses. • Electricity use of greenhouse lights can be reduced using dimmable LEDs. • An optimization problem is formulated to minimize electricity use for lighting. • The problem is solved using a quick and computationally-simple algorithm. • Lettuce lighting requirements are simulated using typical meteorological year data. • Annual electricity costs can be reduced by an estimated 9.55% using this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a variety of crops that may be considered as potential biomass production crops. In order to select the best suitable for cultivation crop for a given area, a number of several factors should be taken into account. During the crop selection process, a common framework should be followed focussing on financial or energy performance. Combining multiple crops and multiple fields for the extraction of the best allocation requires a model to evaluate various and complex factors given a specific objective. This paper studies the maximisation of total energy gained from the biomass production by energy crops, reduced by the energy costs of the production process. The tool calculates the energy balance using multiple crops allocated to multiple fields. Both binary programming and linear programming methods are employed to solve the allocation problem. Each crop is assigned to a field (or a combination of crops are allocated to each field) with the aim of maximising the energy balance provided by the production system. For the demonstration of the tool, a hypothetical case study of three different crops cultivated for a decade (Miscanthus x giganteus , Arundo donax , and Panicum virgatum) and allocated to 40 dispersed fields around a biogas plant in Italy is presented. The objective of the best allocation is the maximisation of energy balance showing that the linear solution is slightly better than the binary one in the basic scenario while focussing on suggesting alternative scenarios that would have an optimal energy balance. • Energy balance estimation in multiple crops and multiple fields. • Multiple crops to fields spatial allocation. • Binary and linear programming solutions. • Optimization according to the optimal energy balance. • Alternative allocation scenarios and comparison with the basic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Governments such as New Zealand's seek to raise the value of agricultural exports while concurrently protecting the natural environment. Therefore, farmers are encouraged to increase production while reducing environmental impacts. In this paper, we analyse the relationship between age and farmer values, farming objectives, past management decisions, and future intentions, all of which may impact the environment. Using multivariate regression that controls for gender, education, industry, and region, we find that older farmers are more risk averse, less willing to experiment, less likely to be influenced by social expectations, and more focused on financial performance. Older farmers are less likely to adopt new technologies and to have concrete plans to convert land and to intensify existing land uses. Using an agro-environmental land use model to project changes in farmer demographics, we find that if farm succession and adoption rates follow our estimates, then the natural shift in farmer age and resulting preferences for implementing plans to manage nutrients and soils over time could lead to a reduction in New Zealand's annual total nitrogen, phosphorus, and soil loss by 7%, 9%, and 19%, respectively, between 2015 and 2075. We conclude by noting that encouraging younger individuals to become more active in the farming community is a positive step towards accelerating the adoption of management practices with environmental benefits, but caution that this strategy alone will not meet the full objectives of the country's recent freshwater reforms. Highlights • Older farmers are less likely to adopt new technologies or to change or intensify land uses. • Young farmers are less risk averse, more influenced by social norms, and less focused on finances. • Changing demographics will likely lead to significant uptake of plans to manage nutrients and soil. • Shift in age and adoption rates are modelled to reduce environmental outputs to waterways by 7–19%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Systemic changes in environmental conditions, such as climate, can have a significant impact on both natural and human systems. This paper provides an improved understanding of the spatio-temporal variations in underlying climate processes, and the potential effects climate change may have on Vietnam's agricultural sector. Statistical methods were combined with geostatistical techniques to test the statistical significance of long-term trends in the climatic variables, graphically representing the distribution of climate patterns, identifying variations and trends of changes over time and their likely effects on agricultural production. By using records of monthly precipitation and temperature for a relatively long-term period (1975–2014) over a high density of 112 meteorological stations across the country, robust statistical and visual evidence of climatic change throughout Vietnam are provided. The Mann-Kendall trend test confirms the statistically significant long-term trends of rainfall and temperature in many regions across the country. The visual analysis shows remarkable changes in the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of those variables and most of the 'hotspot' areas identified by geostatistical mapping are in areas with confirmed long-term trends. The long-term significant trends are also concentrated in areas with very high proportion of agricultural land, particularly land used for rice production in the Red River and Mekong River deltas. The findings deliver a better understanding of underlying climate processes and impacts across regions of Vietnam and provide a basis to develop effective climate-related policies for agricultural production in response to changing climatic conditions. Highlights • We use data from weather stations at high spatial density recorded over a long period. • Robust visual and statistical evidence of climate change across Vietnam is provided. • We identify key rice-growing areas that are affected with pronounced climatic change. • We evaluate the likely effects of the ongoing climatic change on rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of grain production technologies and improvement of rural living standard, the production and utilization of straw have significantly been changed in China. More than 1 billion tones of straw are produced per year, and vast amount of them are discarded without effective utilization, leading various environmental and social impacts. Straw return is an effective approach of the straw utilization that has been greatly recommended by government and scientists in China. This paper discussed the current status of the straw return in China. Specifically, the production and models of straw return were explored and their environmental impacts were extensively evaluated. It was concluded that straw could be positively effective on the improvement of the soil quality and the grain production. However, it appeared that the straw return also had several neglect negative effects, implying that further research and assessment on the returned straw are required before its large-scale promotion in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dalmatian coast has been occupied by Neolithic seafaring communities since the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. On the basis of pottery styles, a transition between the Impressed Ware and Danilo culture is defined, around 5300 cal BC. Nevertheless, bioarchaeological and archaeological data indicate general continuity between the two periods. In the current paper, we present an integrated technological and use-wear study of a large selection of lithics from several sites of both inland and insular Dalmatia. The results provide strong evidence for a change in harvesting techniques between the Impressed Ware and Danilo cultural phases. This change can be related to the pursuit of better performing inserts that could be used for longer periods and would be quicker to resharpen. Such a switch may have been associated with an initial increase in agricultural production during the Middle Neolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correct energy management offers the best possibility for reducing the costs in agricultural production. In present day farming energy and agronomic efficiencies are both important factors. As the working-width of implements has increased, air-seeding is the best solution for the sowing of cereal crops. One of the problematic areas is the design of the air-delivery system, particularly if the pneumatic conveying system is wrongly dimensioned. The flow of seeding material during conveying must be high and regular enough for a high-speed seeding. There are three parameters that ensure the conveying of seeding material in a pipe: air velocity, flow concentration and pipe diameter. It is demonstrated that the outlets of the divider heads are the most critical part of the conveying system. Outlet pipes relatively small diameters and must allow for the highest seeding rates without clogging. It was hypothesised that the air velocity in outlet pipe may be used as an input data for designed a completed conveying system. This paper determines I) a minimal air velocity and flow concentration per type of seeds relative to pipe diameter; II) establishes a method to measure the air velocity of the loaded flow, which could be used to optimise existing seeders from an energy point of view; III) describes a global design methodology for air-seeder conveying systems; IV) reports an comparative study of energy of the most commonly used outlet pipe diameters within the air-seeders; V) describes a method for calculating the energy consumption evaluation; VI) prescribes the optimum outlet pipe diameter deduced from our experimental results, necessary for the design of the following divider heads. Tests were carried out using for wheat and barley seeds, starter fertilisers and a wheat–fertiliser mixture, for three currently used pipe diameters (20, 25 and 30 mm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measured the impacts of drought tolerant maize varieties (DTMVs) on productivity, welfare, and risk exposure using household and plot-level data from rural Nigeria. The study employed an endogenous switching regression approach to control for both observed and unobserved sources of heterogeneity between adopters and non-adopters. Our results showed that adoption of DTMVs increased maize yields by 13.3% and reduced the level of variance by 53% and downside risk exposure by 81% among adopters. This suggests that adoption had a “win-win” outcome by increasing maize yields and reducing exposure to drought risk. The gains in productivity and risk reduction due to adoption led to a reduction of 12.9% in the incidence of poverty and of 83.8% in the probability of food scarcity among adopters. The paper concluded that adoption of DTMVs was not just a simple coping strategy against drought but also a productivity enhancing and welfare improving strategy. The results point to the need for policies and programs aimed at enhancing adoption as an adaptation strategy to drought stress in Nigeria and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant land use changes from natural/agricultural to urban land uses have been proposed within the Mpushini/Mkhondeni sub-catchments of the uMngeni Catchment in South Africa. A better understanding of the influences which such land use changes are likely to have on hydrological flows, is required, in order to make informed land use decisions for a sustainable future. As a point of departure, an overview of linkages between urbanisation and hydrological flow responses within this sub-humid study area is given. The urban characteristics of increased impervious areas and the potential return flows from transfers of potable water from outside the catchment were identified as being important in regard to hydrological flow responses. A methodology was developed to model urban response scenarios with urban characteristics as variables, using the daily time-step process based ACRU model. This is a hydrological multi-process model and not an urban hydraulic model and it addresses the landscape as well as the channel components of a catchment, and in addition to runoff components includes evaporation and transpiration losses as outputs. For the study area strong links between proposed urbanisation and hydrological resource flow responses were found, with increases in stormflows, together with increased and more regulated baseflows, and with impacts varying markedly between dry or wet years and by season. The impacts will depend on the fractions of impervious areas, whether or not these are connected to permeable areas, the amount of imported water and water system leaks. Furthermore, the urban hydrological impacts were found to be relatively greater in more arid than humid areas because of changes in the rainfall to runoff conversion. Flow changes due to urbanisation are considered to have important environmental impacts, requiring mitigation. The methodology used in this paper could be used for other urbanising areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural producer participation and spatial coordination of land use decisions are key components for enhancing the effective delivery of ecosystem services from private land. However, inducing participation in Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes for coordinating land management choices is challenging from a policy design perspective owing to transaction costs associated with participation. This paper employs a laboratory experiment to investigate the impact of such costs on participation and land use in the context of an Agglomeration Bonus (AB) scheme. The AB creates a coordination game with multiple Nash equilibria related to alternative spatially-coordinated land use patterns. The experiment varies transaction costs between two levels (high and low), which affects the risks and payoffs of coordinating on the different equilibria. Additionally, an option to communicate is implemented between neighbors arranged on a local network to facilitate spatial coordination. Results indicate a significant difference in participation and performance under high and low transaction costs, with lower uptake and performance when transaction costs are high. These effects are, however, impacted by transaction costs faced in the past. Communication improves both AB participation rates and performance with the effect being greater for participants facing high transaction costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the social costs of second-best agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policies. Adjustments along the land use and input intensity margins are represented within a regionalized optimization model of California crop production calibrated to economic and agronomic information. Second-best policies relying on spatially aggregated GHG emission factors lead to small abatement efficiency losses, while policies targeting a single GHG lead to moderate losses. In contrast, policies targeting a single input entail large abatement efficiency losses, which nonetheless can be reduced by combining instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is widespread recognition of the global environmental impact of agricultural production on greenhouse gas emissions, but evidence is sparse regarding the impact in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this study, we treat agricultural emissions as an undesirable output from agricultural production and apply the directional distance function to measure environmentally-adjusted technical efficiency, defined as environmental efficiency in agricultural production, in six countries in the MENA region (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia) during the period 1980–2016. The results show that all six countries have clear scope to improve their environmental efficiency. Agricultural production is greener in Jordan and Israel, while environmental efficiency is currently lowest in Egypt and Morocco. Estimated relative shadow price of agricultural emissions is −1.002, implying that the 'cost' of removing agricultural emissions is almost equal to the value of producing one unit of good output. These findings suggest there is a trade-off between agriculture emissions and production, which should be considered in efforts to enhance the sustainability of agricultural production in the MENA region. • The first empirical analysis paper that applies the directional distance function by treating N 2 O and CH 4 as undesirable outputs of agricultural productionin the MENA region. • The highest environmental efficiencies are from Jordan and Israel, and the lowest environmental efficiency are from Egypt and Morocco in the MENA region. • According to the shadow price, the 'cost' of removing agricultural emissions is almost equal to the value of producing one unit of good output. • There is a trade-off relationship between agriculture emissions and desirable output of agricultural production, rather than a synergistic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manpower is an important input parameter for both strategic and tactical management levels in agricultural production systems, connected to management tasks such as capacity planning, task times planning, and scheduling. In large scale field operations manpower surplus can lead to an unnecessary increase in operational cost, while, on the other hand, manpower shortages in the absence of appropriate planning can lead to reduced productivity with a high risk for timeliness costs. In this paper, the simulation model reported by Busato [Busato, 2015, A simulation model for a rice-harvesting chain. Biosystems Engineering, 129, 149–159] was extended to incorporate the functionality of the minimisation of manpower in large scale field operations, such as crop harvesting and transportation. Specifically, the model implements the practice where the number of transport units' operators is lower than the number of transport units. The simulation model was validated based on measurements in two harvesting and transport operations. The deviation of the predicted operation parameters as compared to the measured ones was relatively low. Specifically, for the case of area capacity the error in the prediction was 2.2% and 2%, respectively, compared to the measured area capacity in the two operations. Regarding the practice of the reduced number of operators, it was shown that there are significant reductions in required manpower use when fewer operators than the number of transport units are implemented in the operation. For the specific transport units-operators configurations examined, the reduction of manpower use (h ha −1 ) was in the range of 12%–30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is considerable interest in understanding the climate–migration relationship, particularly in the context of concerns about global climatic change, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. In the paper, we combine a rich panel data on annual bilateral international migration flows with an extensive data on climate variability across the countries to investigate in-depth the climate–migration link. We find a positive and statistically significant relationship between temperature and international outmigration only in the most agriculture-dependent countries, consistent with the widely documented adverse impact of temperature on agricultural productivity. Further, the temperature–migration relationship is nonlinear and resembles the nonlinear temperature–yield relationship. In addition, migration flows to current major destinations are especially temperature-sensitive. Policies to address issues related to climate-induced international migration would be more efficient if focused on the agriculture-dependent countries and especially people in those countries whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to fill a gap in a growing literature examining the global economic implications of weather shocks. Past research has found significant, robust impacts of hotter temperatures on reducing economic growth. While rainfall is important for agriculture, impacts on aggregate economic activity remain elusive. In this paper, I argue that rainfall is a poor indicator of water availability, particularly in urban contexts. Instead, I find that changes in water runoff significantly impact economic growth. Results show that years in which runoff is significantly lower than average, local economic activity growth is depressed. This impact is strongest in middle-income regions, where runoff 1 or 2 standard deviation below normal levels reduces GDP growth by 0.4–0.6% and 1.3–2.5%. I examine two mechanisms, agricultural production and hydropower dependence. Globally, agricultural production is depressed by below average runoff shocks, although the resulting impact on GDP is likely low. Regions which are more urban and rely more on hydropower production in their energy mix are significantly more sensitive to these runoff shocks. With climate change expected to increase the variability of water runoff, these shocks are expected to become more frequent in the future and in some regions may significantly hamper growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue that current definitions of drought, especially in the context of small-scale agricultural production, are incomplete. We introduce the concept of 'technological drought' to account for crop failures, reduced yields or water scarcity, which are the consequence of an inability to supplement water when there is a lack of irrigation technology and/or existing poor water management. We illustrate the diversity of causes of technological drought, which can include shortages of fuel or electricity to operate pumps, problematically high costs to access irrigation infrastructure, or constrained access to pumps that have to be shared among multiple farmers. We argue that vulnerability to technological drought can be strongly conditioned by socio-economic conditions and that its impact can be magnified when population growth and the demand for food mean that any decline in yield can have serious consequences for food security. We show that technological drought is a complex phenomenon, and can be differentiated from the more widely-recognised classes of drought (meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socio-economic) in multiple ways. In particular, technological drought exhibits an important dependence on the socio-economic context of agricultural production. It is perhaps most evident in developing economies, especially where agricultural output depends strongly on the capacity of individual farmers to manage crop water supply on small holdings. Technological drought can follow from even brief interruptions to monsoon rainfall during critical stages of crop growth, such that technological droughts can be distinguished from other forms of drought by their brevity. • Globally, food production is sustained by irrigation. • Technological drought arises from a failure of water technology and/or management. • Failure of irrigation infrastructure can intensify the technological drought. • Its impact and severity depend on the access to credit, irrigation and water sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of the paper by Yu et al. (1979) is discussed in the context of the long history of ethylene as a plant growth regulator. By launching the era of molecular analysis and biotechnological exploitation, this research made a vital contribution to crop production and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of agriculture production in the Brazilian savanna is seen as one of the greatest achievements of worldwide agricultural science in the 20th century. Yet, reaching this current situation was, and still is, not an easy task. Actually, until the 1960s, 23% of Brazil (2 million km²) was occupied by a savanna-like vegetation generally called "Cerrado," developed in highly weathered soils, with particularly low natural fertility, used for extensive beef cattle production on unimproved pastures. This review paper intends to summarize a pioneer survey study by Dr Alfredo Lopes on "Cerrado" soils in the mid-1970s aiming to: (1) revisit the main chemical and physical properties of 518 topsoil samples under "Cerrado" vegetation in Central Brazil; (2) compare these results with some of the critical levels suggested for soil fertility interpretation; and, (3) study some relations among soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics in selected 44 topsoil samples with data concerning available water, phosphorus fixation, charge attributes, as well as extractable and total zinc. Besides stressing on the importance of adequate management strategies to allow the incorporation of these low natural fertility soils into successful crop production, we also highlight the historical importance of international collaborations that contribute to the development of soil fertility evaluation and agronomic-economic research programs on tropical soils in the Brazilian Cerrados. Lastly, additional comments are provided concerning the need of strategic actions and appropriate political decisions for the continuous sustainable development of this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we introduce a new source of data to economic history: palynological data or, in other words, information about pollen grains which are preserved in the bottom sediments of various water basins. We discuss how this data is collected and how it should be interpreted; develop new methods for aggregating this information into regional trends in agricultural output; construct an extensive dataset with a large number of pollen sites from Central Europe; and use our methods to study the economic history of Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Bohemia, Brandenburg, and Lower Saxony since the first century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an environmental generalised productivity indicator and its ratio-based counterpart. The innovative environmental generalised total factor productivity measures inherit the basic structure of both Hicks-Moorsteen productivity index and Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen productivity indicator. This methodological contribution shows that these new environmental generalised total factor productivity measures yield the earlier standard Hicks-Moorsteen index and Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen indicator, as well as environmental performance index, as special cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving cost-effective mitigation and sustainable livelihoods through reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) depends heavily on the local context within which REDD+ projects are implemented. Studies have focused on how REDD+ can benefit or harm local people, with little attention paid to how people, their assets and institutions can promote or impede REDD+. This paper examines the key local assets necessary for REDD+ to protect forests and support local livelihoods based on evidence from a globally-linked REDD+ project in Kenya. Household interviews (n = 100), focus group discussions (n = 6) and in-depth interviews with government (n = 8) and project stakeholders (n = 14) were undertaken to rank and explain how local assets interact with the project's efforts to protect forests, and the role of State institutions in shaping project–asset interactions. Locally, pro-poor assets such as land tenure and water access had most influence on the project's ability to protect forests. Inclusion of communal forests as part of the REDD+ project entitled local poor peasant farmers to participate in and benefit from the project and so dissuaded them from using protected forests for charcoal production. Water access determined agricultural productivity and intensity of forest use for livelihoods and coping. Even though carbon revenues were distributed equally between social groups and support directed to pro-poor livelihood initiatives, efforts were impeded by State decisions on land that interfered with communal approaches to forest conservation, by strict carbon standards that limited trade-offs between livelihoods and forest protection and by fluctuating carbon prices and buyers that limited funds needed for project operations and local livelihoods. Equitable and pro-poor benefit sharing are necessary but not sufficient for effective REDD+ implementation unless national institutions are reformed and global carbon pricing harmonized with local livelihood needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Indian context. It is one of the highest employing sectors in the Indian scenario. Unlike other sectors agriculture is highly dependent on the quality and the quantity of both the external factors like rainfall, climate, pH of the soil, fertilizers and insecticides used, and internal factors like the quality of seeds. This paper predicts the production of crops as a function of rainfall for four Indian States. This knowledge can be implemented in generating a rough overview of how the production is based on rainfall and how much can a specific crop production for the amount of rainfall it receives. Two crops each belonging to four different states are chosen and the best regression model for the crop of the state is chosen. There is no research done solely on how rainfall affects crops of particular states. The proposed method of evaluation is better than other existing methods of evaluation as it evaluates all the regression techniques (Linear Regression, Polynomial Regression, Support Vector Regression, Decision Tree Regression, Random Forest, and XGBRegression) for two crops of four individual states. For balanced evaluation, two states of North India and two states of South India are selected. The regression techniques are evaluated based on their Mean Squared Error. • Crops of same species have different production rates within a same country. • Performance of each algorithm is different for crops within state. • Rainfall is the key determining factor for crop production in India. • Production of crop is affected by environment more than the genotype. • Predicting the production provides high impetus for developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoculture and simplified two-crop rotation systems compromise the ecosystem services essential to crop production, diminish agricultural productivity, and cause detrimental effects on the environment. In contrast to the simplified two-crop rotation, diversified crop rotation (DCR) refers to rotation systems that contain three or more crops. Despite multiple benefits generated by DCR, its usage has dwindled over the past several decades. This paper examined determinants of farmers' adoption decisions and perceived benefits of DCR in the west margins of the U.S. Corn Belt where crop diversity has declined. We analyzed 708 farmer responses from a farmer survey conducted in the eastern South Dakota in 2018, accounting for county-level climate variables, as well as cropland data, soil and topographic variables in close proximity of the farm. Our findings indicated that farmers were more likely to utilize DCR as an adaptive strategy to cope with water deficit and reduce soil erosion on marginal land. Additionally, livestock integration and organic farming helped necessitate DCR adoption and magnify its benefits. Producer concerns towards lack of equipment and new crop profitability diluted producers' interests in DCR practice and compromised its benefits. Enhanced technical and policy support, along with infrastructure and market development, could help producers fully utilize DCR benefits and expand DCR usage to more regions. • We examine adoption and perceived benefits of diversified crop rotations (DCR). • Producers use DCR on steeper-sloped lands and in regions with greater water deficit. • Livestock integration and organic farming necessitate DCR and magnify its benefits. • Lack of equipment and profitability diluted producers' interests in DCR practice. • Enhanced technical and policy support are needed to promote DCR in expanded regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change effects on agricultural yields will be uneven over the world. A few countries, mostly in high latitudes, may experience gains, while most will see average yield decrease. This paper aims to quantify the role of market-mediated adjustments in attenuating the effects of climate change by allowing the expression of the new climate-induced pattern of comparative advantages within and between countries. To do this, we develop a quantitative general equilibrium trade model where the representation of land use choice is inspired from modern Ricardian trade models. We use spatially explicit information from the agronomic literature about potential yields before and after climate change for calibration and counterfactual simulations. The results show that the climate-induced yield changes generate large price movements that incentivize adjustments in production and trade. Both production and trade adjustments contribute to reducing welfare losses globally, with production adjustments making the larger contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As population and consumption grow, so does crop production and its residue. Crop residue is traditionally burned in developing countries, which impacts environment, economy, society and health. Thailand faces similar challenges as it is among the largest producers of rice paddy and sugarcane in the world with 83% of its total burnt residue coming from these crops. To address this problem, the Government of Thailand has implemented some policies (e.g. Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP) and zero burning policy for sugarcane) targeting both, the use of residue, and the practice of burning. While these policies appear to control residue burning to some extent, there are still challenges, especially for poorer farmers, who rely on manual harvesting practices. The paper looks into the current status of rice and sugarcane residue burning, its impacts on the environment, existing policies, current challenges, and future solutions through sustainable management practices. To achieve reduction in residue burning, the best possible solution is to use residue for alternative purposes. Some sustainable management practices include use of residue for energy production, green harvesting to improve soil nutrients, biochar production and composting. Thailand can also learn from solutions implemented in other countries, to reduce some of the impacts of crop residue burning. • Crop residue burning has major impacts on environment, economy, society and health. • 83% of its total burnt residue in Thailand comes from rice and sugarcane. • We investigate the scope of limiting crop residue burning in Thailand. • Some Thai government policies target crop residue burning, yet challenges remain. • Residue use for other purposes is the best solution to reduce residue burning.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen has a significant contribution to global warming and its reduction in agriculture is expected to reduce N 2 O emissions having however adverse effects on the productivity of agricultural ecosystems. Maintaining systems productivity with alternative N sources i.e manure and composts could be a strategy also to mitigate N 2 O emissions. In this paper, we present the effect of different N sources (organic and chemical) on field N 2 O emissions and how these emissions are associated with soil available N forms (NH 4 + and NO 3 −) in three different rain-fed crops namely barley, pea and vetch grown in Cyprus for two growing seasons. The daily emissions ranged from −3.11 to 12.3 g N–N 2 O/ha/day, while cumulative emissions ranged from 119 g N–N 2 O/ha to 660 g N–N 2 O/ha depending on crop and nitrogen source type. The emissions showed a seasonal pattern and WFPS has been identified as a critical soil parameter controlling daily N 2 O emissions. The daily N 2 O fluxes in the current study derives mainly from nitrification irrespectively crop type or nitrogen source type. Specific emission factors for each crop cultivated under different N source type were calculated and ranged from 0.03% ± 0.02–0.34% ± 0.09. The application of manure and chemical fertilizers cause similar intensity of N 2 O emissions while compost exhibited the lower emission factors. These findings suggest that composts could be integrated in a nutrient management strategy of rain-fed crops with less N 2 O emissions. The high background emissions found suggest also that other factors than external inputs are associated with N 2 O emissions and further studies including the response of microbial community structure and their contribution and association with N 2 O emissions. • Nitrous oxide emissions are very low in rain-fed Mediterranean like climates. • Emission factors from organic N sources ranged from 0.25 to 0.03%. • Organic manure had similar emission factor compared to ammonium nitrate. • Compost exhibited the lowest N 2 O emissions. • N 2 O fluxes had a seasonal variation and were crop depended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the underlying relationship between agricultural productivity and deforestation by analyzing the impacts of a large fertilizer and seed subsidy program in Malawi. In the absence of well-defined subsidy eligibility criteria, we demonstrate that areas with a high proportion of individuals of the same ethnicity as the president received more subsidized fertilizer and deforested less compared to areas with other predominant ethnicities. We provide evidence that subsidized fertilizer increased yields and reduced pressure to expand agriculture and that the findings are not confounded by increases in public sector employment or other public assistance programs. The results suggest that policies aimed at increasing small-scale agricultural productivity may have positive environmental spillovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on accurately identifying farmers' livelihood risks, this paper investigates the effects of farmers' livelihood assets on their livelihood risks and adaptation strategies. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with farmers in Rugao City. The results show that natural risks and market risks are the main livelihood risks for farmers in agricultural production. Farmers' social, financial and human assets can mitigate their livelihood risks in agricultural production, while natural and physical assets have the opposite effects. Most farmers chose crop variety adjustment, water and fertilizer management, agricultural finance and agrotechnical support to deal with livelihood risks. Social, natural and physical assets have significant and positive effects on farmers' adoption of adaptation strategies, while human and financial assets have relatively weak influences. • We examine the effect of livelihood assets on livelihood risks and adaptation strategies. • Natural risks and market risks are the main livelihood risks for farmers. • Most farmers adopted adaptation strategies to deal with livelihood risks. • Social, financial and human assets can mitigate farmers' livelihood risks. • Social, natural and physical assets facilitate adopting adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We create diachronic models of urbanization at Angkor to assess the use of top-down vs. bottom-up water management strategies over time. • We find that bottom-up strategies are replaced over time by land ownership and management by upper elites and the state. • This suggests shifting production strategies from bottom-up, decentralized systems to top-down, centralized production.. The Greater Angkor region, in northwestern Cambodia, was home to several successive capitals of the Khmer Empire (9th to 15th centuries CE). During this time, the Khmer developed an extensive agricultural and water management system characterized by top-down state-sponsored hydraulic infrastructure. Archaeological evidence now shows that the well-documented state temples and water management features formed the core of an extended settlement complex consisting of many thousands of ponds, habitation mounds, and community temples. These community temples are difficult to date, and so far, the lack of chronological resolution in surface archaeological data has been the most significant challenge to understanding the trajectory of Angkor's growth and decline. In this paper, we combine heterogeneous archaeological datasets and create diachronic models of the landscape as it was developed for agricultural production. We trace the foundation of new temple communities as they emerge on the landscape in relation to the construction of extensive state-sponsored hydraulic infrastructure. Together, these two forms of water management transformed over 1000 km2 of the Greater Angkor Region into an elaborate engineered landscape. Our results indicate that, over time, autonomous temple communities are replaced by large, state-sponsored agricultural units in an attempt by the state to centralize production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter cover crops could contribute to more sustainable agricultural production and increase resiliency to climate change; however, their adoption remains low in California. This paper seeks to understand barriers to winter cover crop adoption by monetizing their long-term economic and agronomic impacts on farm profitability in two of California's specialty crop systems: processing tomatoes and almonds. Our modeling effort provides a present, discounted valuation of the long-term use of winter cover crops through a cost-benefit analysis. A net present value model estimates the cumulative economic value of this practice. We then explore how the long-term trade-offs associated with winter cover crops can affect an operation's profits under a spectrum of hypothetical changes in California's agricultural landscape. Our analysis sheds light on the barriers to adoption by reporting benefit-cost ratios that indicate profitability across several scenarios; however, benefits and costs accrue differently over time and with long planning horizons. At the same time, a small portion of gained benefits are external to the grower. Findings from this study reveal that winter cover crops in California can be profitable in the long-term, but the extent of profit depends on the cropping system, extent of irrigation savings due to improved soil function, access to financial subsidies and climate change. Winter cover crops can return positive net benefits to growers who have flexible contractual obligations, can wait for the long-term return on investment and manage cover crops as closely as cash crops. This analysis contributes to the study of conservation agriculture practices by explaining possible reasons for low adoption through an economic valuation of the implications of soil management choices and policy counterfactuals. • Net present value models were used to understand winter cover crop adoption in California. • Winter cover cropping can increase baseline profits in specialty crop systems sometimes. • The value of winter cover crops accrues over many planting seasons. • Reduced irrigation and increased subsidies can increase adoption of cover crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding household's decision making in agricultural production to natural hazards is significant for policymakers and extension organizations in supporting farmers to optimize adaptive strategies, there are, however, still limited empirical researches that emphasize the determinants affecting the choice of measures in the process of adaptation. This paper explores the decision-making process of rural households in adapting to flash floods and landslides (FF&LS) by conducting a household survey on 405 purposively selected households in Yen Bai province, one of the poorest mountainous regions in Vietnam. Based on the multi-portfolio framework, the study assumes that farmers have multiple choice of adaptation strategies simultaneously and these adaptation measures are correlative. Multivariate Probit models were used to figure out the household decision making process in adapting to FF&LS. Survey results showed that changing cropping patterns, crop variegation, diversifying types of crop varieties, as well as managing and implementing crop protection (soil and plant) are the primary adaptation measures applied by local farmers. Furthermore, lack of money, inadequate support from local government, shortage of machinery and technical equipment, as well as insufficient knowledge about FF&LS were listed as major constraints in the study area. The MVP analysis indicated that all farmers' perception, socio-economic, farming features, and institutional conditions strongly influence the farmers' adaptation decisions regarding FF&LS. Future policies may therefore need to consider these major contributing factors with appropriate interventions to facilitate suitable adaptations for local farmers. • Frequent natural disasters in one of the poorest regions in Vietnam are considered. • Factors affecting farmers' decisions to flash floods and landslides are examined. • Local farmers apply several crop-related methods for adaptation. • Farmers' perception and farm income are keys factors affecting their decisions. • Different ethnic groups apply different adaptation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]