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This special issue idea originated when a few researchers from around the world came together with the goal of compiling the most up-to-date information on the use of alternative animal feed resources derived from agroforestry plants, including woody perennials. It is a common animal feeding practice in many parts of the world, particularly in the tropics; however, no comprehensive source of this information exists as attempted in this special issue. In addition to exploring alternative resources such as foliage of woody plants and other plant products and by-products for animal feed, papers included in this issue also addressed their impacts on ruminant and non-ruminant performance, health and welfare, and ruminal fermentation metabolism and mitigation of methane emission. We received 78 manuscripts from more than 21 countries and 45 papers were accepted following appropriate peer reviews. Overall, alternative feed resources, including woody plant foliage, improved animal performance, particularly during dry season. Several bioactive compounds were identified in agroforestry plants and they had positive impacts as antimicrobials against some the pathogenic bacteria and for controlling gastrointestinal parasites in livestock, which improved the health, welfare and production. Most alternative feeds added at low proportions with regular feed improved digestibility and decreased methane production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoculture systems in South East Asia are facing challenges due to climate change-induced extreme weather conditions, leading to significant annual production losses in rice and oil palm. To ensure the stability of these crops, innovative strategies like resilient agroforestry systems need to be explored. Converting oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) monocultures to rice (Oryza sativa)-based intercropping systems shows promise, but achieving optimal yields requires adjusting palm density and identifying rice varieties adapted to changes in light quantity and diurnal fluctuation. This paper proposes a methodology that combines a model of light interception with indoor experiments to assess the feasibility of rice–oil palm agroforestry systems. Using a functional–structural plant model of oil palm, the planting design was optimized to maximize transmitted light for rice. Simulation results estimated the potential impact on oil palm carbon assimilation and transpiration. In growth chambers, simulated light conditions were replicated with adjustments to intensity and daily fluctuation. Three light treatments independently evaluated the effects of light intensity and fluctuation on different rice accessions. The simulation study revealed intercropping designs that significantly increased light transmission for rice cultivation with minimal decrease in oil palm densities compared with conventional designs. The results estimated a loss in oil palm productivity of less than 10%, attributed to improved carbon assimilation and water use efficiency. Changes in rice plant architecture were primarily influenced by light quantity, while variations in yield components were attributed to light fluctuations. Different rice accessions exhibited diverse responses to light fluctuations, indicating the potential for selecting genotypes suitable for agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term contributions of agroforestry to landscape restoration should be carefully managed. Agroforestry began as early as 1977, meanwhile, landscape restoration, gained traction after the 2011 Bonn Challenge. Since missing the 2020 Bonn Challenge targets, there's urgency to hit 2030 ambitions and secure the gains later. We use here, the participatory domestication of Irvingia wombolu, as an agroforestry pathway to mosaic landscape restoration. This paper describes the transfer of planting materials of this species between two agroecological regions of Cameroon. Over a twenty-year period; 2003 to 2023. we analyze the steps; reflections; performance of the transferred materials; and mixed fortunes they brought to beneficiary communities. A number of lessons emerge for agroforestry and landscape restoration practices; (i) there is need for future technical and social safeguarding, to support vulnerable segments of beneficiary communities; (ii) the cost of safeguarding should be anticipated; (iii) as the 'decade of restoration', looms models are necessary to anticipate the future; (iv) user-friendly models of ecosystem services of agroforestry systems are needed to leverage private sector funding; and (v) a 'maintenance mentality' and mechanism for restored landscapes, need to be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Local climate change impacts hit hard at smallholder farmers in developing countries due to their overreliance on rain-fed farming. Whilst ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change holds an answer to smallholder farmers' adaptation needs, there are inadequate empirical results from the field to support formulation of effective adaptation strategies. Hence, this paper aimed at investigating EbA practices adopted by farmers, in North-Western Ghana to ameliorate local climate change impacts, with emphasis on benefits and associated challenges. The study methods were cross-sectional survey, mixed methods, and case study approach, with all data collected in the Wa West District of Ghana. Data were gathered using questionnaire, focus group discussion (FGD) and interviews. Data from the questionnaire were entered into SPSS version 20 to analyze associations between the variables using cross-tabulation. Descriptive statistics, in the form of percentages and frequencies, were then generated from the survey data and integrated with the qualitative information in the presentation of results. Also, statistical significance of the relationships was analyzed using chi-square test. Chi-squared tests were done to determine associations between socio-economic and environmental factors, and challenges and benefits associated with the adoption of EbA practices. This was necessary to give further insights to inform policy-related decisions aimed at addressing EbA adoption challenges. The results revealed that farmers use a combination of practices rather than single practice. Farmers integrated crops and trees and keep local breed of farm animals. Benefits of EbA included improvements in soil fertility leading to high crop yield and availability of food and income. Challenges of adopting EbA were the long timespan for benefits of most EbA practices to begin to accrue, lack of extension information and increasing cost of hired labour. It is recommended that tree integration should emphasis trees with multiple benefits and compatible with food crops. For the achievement of food security policy objectives, agroforestry promotion should focus on the integration of fruit tree crops and food crops to address hunger and increase farmers' incomes. Mobile extension technology should be exploited by government for the provision of EbA-specific information to farmers to bridge the extension services gap. Climate change policy of government should include the planting of non-fruit trees as windbreaks to provide multi-purpose benefits including provision of stakes for yam farmers, live-fencing and firewood for women. There is the need for government policy objectives to include EbA by farmers under the flagship 'planting for food and jobs' programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document, titled "Biological cycling of nitrogen and phosphorus in soils," explores the bioavailability and cycling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soil and its impact on agricultural production and food security. The document emphasizes the importance of understanding the biological turnover of N and P in soils and managing their availability to optimize nutrient-use efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. The special issue includes 10 papers that cover various ecosystems and management practices, highlighting the role of plants, microorganisms, and fauna in N and P cycling. The document concludes by emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary approaches to further unravel the complex interactions that determine nutrient efficiency and crop productivity. [Extracted from the article]

Quantifying soil attributes in agroforestry reflects its productivity and carbon dynamics which indicates a healthier ecosystem functioning toward achieving sustainable production of coffee in the Southern region of Chhattisgarh. The present study was carried out in the coffee-based agroforestry system (AFs) of the Darbha Block, Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. The objective of this paper was to analyze soil properties and carbon dynamics of soil under five varietal treatments of coffee-based AFs. Silver oak cultivation was added to the AFs as it protects coffee and helps in sustainable coffee production. The soil was collected randomly using the auger from two different depths viz., 0–15 and 15–30 cm under coffee-based AFs. The value of N, P, K, S, B, Zn, C, Fe, Mn, OC%, and SOC stock were higher in San Ramon (T3) based AFs. The values of bulk density (BD), pH, and EC were recorded as highest under control treatment (To), respectively. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock ranged between 10.21 (T0)–13.86 (T3) and 0.34 (T0)–0.59 (T3) t ha−1 for surface and sub-soil, respectively. Data analysis revealed the isolation of six PCA (principle component analysis) from the various soil attributes. The first component reflected maximum variability for both layers. Further, correlation studies revealed a strong association between the soil attributes. Therefore, the present work highlights the importance of agroforestry systems towards improving soil quality along with sustainable production of coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a tribute to Rainer Schultze-Kraft, a prominent member of the international tropical forages community who recently passed away. The article provides a brief overview of Rainer's early life, including his education and hobbies. It then discusses his career in tropical agriculture, including his work at CIAT and the University of Hohenheim. Rainer made significant contributions to the field of forage science, particularly in the areas of germplasm collection, evaluation, and characterization. He also played a key role in the establishment of the open-access journal Tropical Grasslands-Forrajes Tropicales. Rainer's expertise and dedication to forage research will be greatly missed. [Extracted from the article]

Peri-urban rural system rehabilitation is pivotal to the socio-ecological balanced functioning of urban systems. In this paper, we investigate the performance of agroforestry participative practices in rehabilitating peri-urban belts (in-field productive agroforestry; between-field landscape features). We test a new trans-disciplinary, multi-level analytical framework for the ecosystem services (ESs) assessment based on site-specific socio-ecological information. We parallelly analyse ecological and cultural traits: 1. agroecosystem components (flora–vegetation; human community); 2. their organization at the landscape level (landscape eco-mosaic; cultural landscape); and 3. their socio-ecological functions/processes. We compare the current state with a transformation scenario. The first application to the "Milano Porta Verde" agroecology hub, Italy, outlined: 1. the agro-eco-mosaic structuring and diversification improvement consequent to the agroforestry model spread (higher natural components percentage, agricultural patch shape complexity, landscape heterogeneity, landscape structural diversity, connectivity and circuitry); and 2. the cultural functions provided by participative practices (40 initiatives; 1860 people involved; 10 stakeholder types), enabling cultural landscape rehabilitation processes (higher accessibility, citizen empowerment, community and knowledge building, cultural values building). These results qualitatively inform the ES analysis. The potential ES supply matrices and maps showed an increase, through a transformation scenario, in the total ESs delivered by natural components (+44% support ESs; +36% regulating ESs) and agricultural components (+21% cultural ESs; +15% regulating ESs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Central Asia, agricultural and agroforestry practices have been shaped by a high-modernist approach since about the 1950s, with the aim of overcoming ecological limitations. Negative repercussions of this approach still affect local developments, but a shift towards resource-conserving production systems faces constraints—many of which relate to so-called 'path dependencies', i.e. historically-evolved institutions constraining the current practices, policies and local imaginaries of (un-)sustainable land use in various ways. Drawing on case studies from agriculture and agroforestry developments in Xinjiang (China), Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the paper explores these mechanisms and reveals a modernisation paradigm as a major source of path dependency. Moreover, the paper highlights aspects that are sometimes overlooked in the path dependency literature on Central Asia: first, path dependency should not be confused with Soviet legacies, and second, not all agricultural policies in the past were environmentally detrimental; in fact, reviving some aspects could actually be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is the intentional intervention in the forest landscape to recover biological diversity and ecosystem functions, improving human well‐being in altered landscapes. The general objective of the present study was to understand the state of the art of research that potentially contributes to FLR practices in the Amazon. We carried out a comprehensive literature review using the Web of Science platform, considering papers published between 2000 and 2020 to understand the state of knowledge on restoration strategies that support FLR in the nine Amazonian countries and the nine states of the Brazilian Amazon. We selected 362 articles that met our inclusion criteria after analyzing 1,205 articles. We found that Brazil, followed by Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, has the largest number of published articles on FLR. Agroforestry (37.88%) and natural regeneration (30.35%) were the most common FLR strategies across all countries and Brazilian states. Most studies investigated ecological functioning (33%), vegetation structure (31%), and tree diversity (15.5%). Forest restoration strategies (forest plantation, natural regeneration, or silviculture) are reported in most studies (57.23%), in comparison to restoration strategies of agricultural lands (agroforestry systems or improved fallow; 42.77%). We found an increase in publications describing restoration strategies over time in the Amazon, especially from 2012 onwards, with a peak in 2018. Future studies in the Amazon region should address socioeconomic issues and expand the geographic scope within the Amazon, as well as the FLR strategies and the ecosystem attributes investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry systems (AFS) upscaling has the potential to integrate sustainability and resilience objectives into agriculture. However, this is a daunting task requiring multi-actor collaboration across public and private sectors at multiple governance levels, coupled with innovative approaches to jointly managing AFS knowledge. Understanding such multi-actor interactions from a network perspective may help to unravel how social structures, created by relational patterns enhance or hinder AFS upscaling. Our paper aims to comparatively explore the role of regional actor-networks on AFS upscaling for a selected farming system. By conducting semi-structured interviews, we collected information about the ties of 86 actors supporting cacao agroforestry systems (CAFS) across two regions of Colombia. We use social network analysis (SNA) to comparatively visualize and understand the general structure of these networks, find relational patterns between the diverse categories of actors involved, and identify a set of key players bridging the majority of the actors within these networks. We find highly centralized networks that connect multiple actors by a low number of mostly non-reciprocal ties. Within these networks, we identify a predominance of bridging ties over bonding ties, homophily patterns among research and education institutions, and heterophily configurations among farmer-based organizations. We also find that the composition of the sets of key actors and the platforms where they converge varies substantially from region to region due to decentralized agricultural policies and differing characteristics across regions. Our approach provides key entry points for promoting multi-actor coalitions that can effectively expand the benefits of AFS in tropical agricultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic agricultural practices have played a dominant role in shaping landscapes, creating a heritage which must be understood and conserved from the perspective of sustainable development. Agroforestry (i.e., the practice of combining trees with agriculture or livestock) has existed since ancient times in European countries, and it has been recognised as one of the most resilient and multifunctional cultural landscapes, providing a wide range of economic, sociocultural, and environmental benefits. This research explores aspects of the history, physical characteristics, decline, and current state of conservation of historic agroforestry systems on the Northern Apennines in Italy, using an interdisciplinary approach combining archival sources, landscape archaeology, dendrochronology, and GIS analysis. Furthermore, through computer-based modelling, this research aims to evaluate how the abandonment of this historic rural land-use strategy impacted slope geomorphic processes over the long term. The importance of environmental values attached to traditional rural landscapes has received much attention even beyond the heritage sector, justifying the definition of transdisciplinary approaches necessary to ensure the holistic management of landscapes. Through the integration of the Unit Stream Power-Based Erosion Deposition (USPED) equation with landscape archaeological data, the paper shows how restoring the historic agroforestry landscape could significantly mitigate soil mass movements in the area. Thus, the interdisciplinary workflow proposed in this study enables a deep understanding of both the historical evolution of agroforestry systems and its resulting effects for cumulative soil erosion and deposition in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the lack of attention paid by the scientific community to the optimization of timber structures, specifically in the context of large-span agro-industrial constructions. The study focuses on the optimization of a three-dimensional roof composed of GL32h glulam regular double-tapered beams and purlins. Firstly, MATLAB was employed to develop a calculation software and then run the proposed optimization model based on genetic algorithms, in order to optimize the different geometries of the construction elements based on cost, as well as the optimum arrangement of the purlins and the number of beams. Moreover, statistical analyses were carried out on more than 200 optimization data points to uncover the influence of different variables in the optimization process. It was found that the snow load and span have a significant influence on the prediction of the height and width of beams and purlins, as well as the purlin spacing; while, as expected, the roof length also influences the optimal number of beams. All these findings could promote the use of timber structures; thus, achieving more sustainable and efficient construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agro-forestry is a dynamic, eco-based resource management system that involves the integration of trees on farmlands for diversified and sustained production of social, economic and environmental benefits for all land users. However, the shortage of research-based information on the potentials of agro-forestry in enhancing the livelihood of rural dwellers has restricted the adoption of agro-forestry systems and/or practices. In order to overcome challenges facing sustainable rural livelihood in sub-sahara Africa, agroforestry becomes viable option. This paper reviewed the relevance of agroforestry in sustaining rural livelihood by guaranteed food security, employment opportunities, increased income, soil conservation, biodiversity conservation and environmental security. Economic return, poverty alleviation, increased income, coping with climate change and carbon sequestration, and pruning litter deposition were discussed as economic impacts of agro-forestry on local livelihood. The thrust of the review further lends credence to the necessity to adopt agroforestry practices by subsahara Africa farmers for sustainable rural livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes new results from a land survey of the Alas Mertajati in Central Bali based on multi-spectral data collected from a new class of commercially available satellites. We use these assets to create the first representations of sustainable small-scale farming, agroforestry, in the study area. We describe the process of producing the results, specifically establishing ground truth for complex land cover and land use classes, and discuss how input from stakeholders can be included in the creation of these representations. Furthermore, we describe an open-source software environment developed to create our classification pipeline with a focus on shallow learners, collaborative workflows and intuitive visualization results. The text ends with a discussion of bad maps; maps that contain outdated data, and why such maps are now problematic, particularly in resource constrained contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many agroforestry research projects contribute to improving food security, livelihoods and management of natural resources, few have had a significant role in achieving transformational development outcomes. Evaluating the achievements and impacts of multiple research for development (R4D) projects improves understanding of how and why different development interventions work or don't work. This paper evaluates the relative success of 15 completed agroforestry R4D projects, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and analyses key success factors and other aspects that have contributed to differential project success. The evaluation found that six projects had achieved both high achievement of planned activities and had high impacts. The two key success factors considered by project scientists to have the greatest influence on project success were "good leadership and project management" and "collaborative scoping and design", but the factor "links to impact pathways and user benefits" was also found to be a determinant of high achievement-high impact projects. The paper examines aspects of three most successful agroforestry projects, implemented in Eastern Africa, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea, that have enabled these projects to contribute to transformational development outcomes. These aspects included the development of simple farmer-friendly, locally-appropriate agroforestry technologies, the existence of supportive government policies and programs including effective mechanisms for dissemination of germplasm and tree-growing knowledge to farmers, the engagement of non-government organisations and private sector entities, and the willingness of the donor to invest in value-added product development, effective value-chains and market research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary ecology and agronomy point to the many benefits of agroforestry crop systems for the provision of ecosystem services by regenerating native ecologies, and in many contexts, socio-economic benefits for coffee farmers, especially the contribution of nitrogen-fixing trees' litter to soil nutrition and water retention. However, the implementation of agroforestry in coffee cultivation is thus far incomplete and uptake has been uneven. In this paper, we examine the adoption and non-adoption of agroforestry coffee growing techniques as a reflection of the historical, social and cultural embeddedness of smallholder coffee cultivation. It is structured as a narrative literature review contextualized with the results of surveys of smallholder coffee farmers in Colombia, Malawi and Uganda regarding their perceptions of agroforestry coffee in their respective contexts. Findings suggest that coffee farmers' perceptions of agroforestry and the decision to implement or remove it are influenced by factors included in the notion of embeddedness, involving social relations, historical memory and formal and informal institutions, as well as practical capabilities. Intention and action are sometimes discordant due to the complex interactions of these institutional factors, and they often conflict with outside interveners' expectations based on epistemological differences. The study illuminates some of the main sources, manifestations and dimensions of the social embeddedness of agricultural practices which mediate the perception of current practices, the sacrifice implied by potential changes, the credibility of theories linking action with outcome and the desirability of expected outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the potential effects of farmers' species preferences on carbon stock in cocoa-based agroforestry systems (CAFS) in the Central Region of Cameroon. To achieve this goal, the species composition and structural variables of two land-use systems were investigated using 26 plots of 30 m × 30 m each, of which 20 were distributed in CAFS and 6 in adjacent secondary forests. Allometric models were used to estimate the species aboveground and root carbon stock. Ordination analysis indicated three types of species management systems: high-density timber and fruit trees; high-density Musaceae, palms and other shading trees; and low-density timber and fruit trees. The average densities of cocoa shading trees and shrubs were 234 ± 136 and 843 ± 360 individuals' ha−1, respectively. Thus, the average potential carbon stock of the sampled CAFS was estimated at 186.97 ± 86.06 Mg C ha−1, 22% representing the root carbon stock. The transformation of secondary forest into various species management systems decreased the aboveground carbon by 18–34%. The annual rate of carbon accumulation estimated based on ring analyses was within the range 2.32–13.74 Mg C ha−1 year−1. The monetary value of the total carbon stored and the carbon accumulation rate were US$4042 ha−1and US$159 ha−1year−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing landscape features, such as field boundary hedgerows, can contribute to food, fodder, material, and energy production for an EU bio-based circular economy. Recent trials undertaken by the project team in the UK demonstrated that hedgerows can be managed to produce woodfuel of a quality that meets industry standards. However, to be attractive to farmers, woodfuel production from hedgerows must be profitable. This paper uses the FarmSAFE model to undertake a financial assessment with data generated from these trials. The net present value of a standard hedgerow management method (flailing every 2 years) was compared with those from alternative hedgerow management scenarios for woodfuel production over a 60 year time horizon. Using data from the hedgerow trials, the results showed that coppicing hedgerows for woodfuel production could provide a profit to the farmer. The sale of woodchips into an off-farm market was found to be profitable if harvesting with tree shears (medium scale harvesting capacity) or a Bracke felling head (large scale harvesting capacity), but chainsaw harvesting (small scale harvesting capacity) was unprofitable. When considering the use of woodchips on farm to replace purchased woodchip or heating oil, the financial benefit to the farmer increased. Sensitivity analyses showed that the use of medium scale machinery (tree shears) made the hedgerow enterprise most resilient to changes in prices, grants, and costs. This scale of machinery is appropriate for local energy production whilst also being affordable to farmers and local contractors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1.In many tropical areas, forests have almost undergone complete decline. In this context, agroforestry has often been acknowledged as fostering compromises between crop production, local income diversification and the preservation of forest ecosystem services. 2.Cocoa agroforestry capacity to provide ecosystem services has mainly been studied through a management intensification gradient summed up as a shade rate. This paper proposes an alternative reading grid based on different trees origins that agroforests often combine: (i) Remnants,left-alive during deforestation, (ii) Recruits that have colonized the agroforest and (iii) Planted trees. This grid has been applied to 137 cocoa fields in the south of Ivory Coast to assess the impact of farmers management on provisioning trees ecosystem services (i.e.: carbon storage, diversity, food, medicine, timber and agronomic services to cocoa trees). 3. (i) Little environmental effect was found to explain ecosystem services provisioning. (ii) However, with regard to their origins, trees provide different services: remnants stock most above-ground carbon, recruits are the most diverse and provide medicinal resources and planted trees bring food resources. (iii) According to their origin, trees belong to different species or are at different stages of maturity so that trees from different origins play a complementary role in providing ecosystem services. Our results suggest that Ivorian cocoa agrosystems are so shaped by human management of associated trees that ecosystem services are weakly linked to environmental variables. Two neighboring fields in similar environmental conditions will provide very different services according to farmers' management. 4. Synthesis and applications Preserving remnants while clearing forest is irreplaceable for large-scale climate mitigation while providing farmers with trees seedlings may have only little impact on carbon stocks. To strengthen complementarities between human-brought and human-selected trees, private companies providing trees to farmers should supply them with different valued trees from the ones they already plant or easily find in recruits. At landscape scale, policy should encourage remnants preservation to ensure that those remnants can feed the cohort of recruits with propagules thus allowing the survival of the species throughout several cycles of perennial crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social innovation is critical in shaping human-forest relationships and how farmers and scientists engage with each other to design sustainability transitions. This paper reports on the outputs of a participatory stakeholders' engagement platform that was designed to draw on local farmers' knowledge and experience in identifying sustainable pathways for the development of multi-functional agroforestry in Guadeloupe. Two participatory workshops were organised that aimed to gain insights into the reality faced by farmers, in particular: (i) their vision of the future, needs and aspirations; (ii) their understanding of barriers and enablers in relation to the sustainability challenges they are confronted with and; (iii) their framing of human–environment relationships in socio-ecological systems. Outputs of the activities were synthetized by the research team and represented graphically for analysis. Results show that while farmers envision prosperous multifunctional forest farms in the future, they have to face complex challenges that require solutions at multiple scales and suggest different types of innovation: social, institutional, market-based and technical. Farmers saw themselves as being part of the socio-ecological system and as custodians of the natural environment. We discuss the implications of those results in the context of the absence of a system of innovation for agroforestry in Guadeloupe and highlight the opportunity for a innovation ecosystem thinking approach that integrates better the agricultural and forestry sectors, but also between actors and scales of governance. Implementation of a Stewardship status would enable farmers achieve their vision and embrace a custodian role vis-à-vis the agroforest. Embededment of the stakeholders' engagement platform and its enabling processes in the innovation ecosystem is key to achieve those objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining bees (Andrenidae) are solitary, ground-nesting, smaller to medium in size, mostly found in the temperate agroforestry and arid ecosystems. These bee's builds their nest in soil mounds and burrows in the soil that's why they are called mining bees. These bees are very efficient pollinator in agricultural crops, fruits, fodder, pulses and other economically important plants. Most of the pollinators including mining bees enhance agricultural productivity at a large commercial level and appear in the beginning of the spring season. Due to their hairy body, scopae, smoky wings, with short and spikey tongue and chewing-lapping type of mouthparts, these adaptive structures are very favourable for the pollination. Our review is based on the importance of mining bees and their role in pollination in different agroforestry ecosystem in India. Besides, the literature pertaining to their pollination mechanism and different activities performed by different species of mining bees has been placed in a single roof for further studies. Family Andrenidae is represented by single genus (Andrena) from India and distributed under 54 species. Very elaborate and comprehensive information about mining bees from the region is presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been generally established that the global food system needs to be transformed urgently, in order to meet the growing demand for food, feed and fodder. Agroforestry is a type of farming system that combines trees/shrubs with crops with the objective of enjoying a mutual benefit that enhances productivity, profitability and biodiversity, which at the moment is unpopular in Nigeria. Therefore the objective of this paper is to provide relevant information on the role of agroforestry in transforming the Nigerian food system. Some of the agroforestry technologies which can be used to achieve its mutual benefit include taungya system, home garden, alley cropping, improved fallow, woodlots, live fences, fodder banks, orchards or tree gardens, windbreaks, shelterbelts, trees on pasture and apiculture with trees. Planting trees as a component of crop farming is a smart way to achieve multiple purposes with a single enterprise. Planting multipurpose trees in a world affected by climate change can decelerate the negative impact of anthropogenic cause of climate change, while providing food for humanity. Hence, the paper also review the roles of agroforestry in the global fight against climate change, while also ensuring food security through food system transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The special above-ground and underground dual structure in the karst area makes the capacity of surface water storage in this area poor. In water-limited ecosystems, soil moisture is the key to the survival of plants. Influenced by rainfall and soil texture, soil moisture variation characteristics of different vegetation types are different in slope land. Many researchers use rainfall simulation experiments to study the influence of soil water movement processes under rainfall patterns, but there are few studies under natural conditions. In this paper, wood trees, peach trees, flue-cured tobacco, and grassland were planted at the buffer zone boundary of Shibing, a World Heritage site, along different elevations in the depression of the research site. Peach trees and flue-cured tobacco were the main cash crops in the area. The soil layers of 0–0.15 m, 0.15–0.30 m, 0.30–0.45 m, 0.45–0.60 m, and 0.60–0.75 m were taken as research objects. Rainfall and soil moisture were monitored every ten minutes to study the variation of soil moisture of vegetation types under different rainfall patterns. Through the analysis of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation types, it was found that soil moisture changes were different in different land types. In general, shallow soil moisture (0~0.30 m) was more active in the wet season (CV > 10%) but tended to be stable in the dry season. The rainy season rainfall had the greatest influence on soil moisture change. The response level of soil moisture to rainfall of all vegetation types was grassland > peach trees > flue-cured tobacco. These results can provide ecological and economic suggestions for karst areas with large population distribution in China, so as to reduce the impact of rock desertification on this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of wastewater irrigation lessens the pressure on the aquatic environment by minimizing the use of freshwater resources. However, this may lead to significant damage to the human health and environments. Recycled wastewater possesses a substantial amount of nutrients that act as fertilizers for crops and facilitate the metabolic action of microorganisms. The major advantages of wastewater irrigation are increased agricultural production, nutrient recycling, reduced stress on freshwater, economical support and provision of livelihoods for farmers. However, several harmful impacts of wastewater irrigation are also prominent due to inappropriate wastewater management and irrigation practices. These include severe hazards to farmer's health, contamination of agricultural land and crops with toxic metals, chemical compounds, salts and microbial pathogens. In addition, long-term irrigation using wastewater can significantly affect the groundwater through leakage of salty and toxic metal-rich wastewater making it unfit for human consumption. Wastewater irrigation may also alter the physicochemical properties and microbiota of soil, which in turn can disturb land fertility and crop productivity. Several factors need to be considered while using treated or partially treated wastewater for irrigation such as diversity and type of pollutants, available nutrients, pathogenic microorganisms and soil salinity. In this review paper, we assess the impact of wastewater irrigation on humans as well as on the environment based on available case studies globally, outline current use of wastewater for irrigation of agricultural crops such as cereals, vegetables, fodder crops, including agroforestry and discuss suitable management practices of wastewater reuse for irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee is one of the most important globally traded commodities and substantially contributes to the livelihoods of millions of smallholders worldwide. As a climate-sensitive perennial crop, coffee is likely to be highly susceptible to changes in climate. Using a systematic approach, we explore evidence from the published academic literature of the influence of climate change and variability, specifically drought, on coffee production. A number of mostly negative impacts were reported in the current literature, including declines in coffee yield, loss of coffee-optimal areas with significant impacts on major global coffee-producing countries and growth in the distribution of pest and disease that indirectly influence coffee cultivation. Current research also identified positive effects of climate change such as increases in coffee-producing niche, particularly in areas at higher altitudes; however, whether these gains might offset losses from other production areas requires further investigation. Other advantages include increases in pollination services and the beneficial effects of elevated carbon concentration, leading to potential yield improvements. Future priorities should focus on major coffee-growing regions projected to be adversely affected by climate change, with specific attention given to potential adaptation strategies tailored to particular farming conditions such as relocation of coffee plantations to more climatically suitable areas, irrigation and agroforestry. The majority of studies were based in the Americas and concentrated on Arabica coffee. A broader spread of research is therefore required, especially for the large growing regions in Asia and for Robusta coffee, to support sustainable production of the global coffee industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security, poverty and the overall sustainability of food and agricultural systems are influenced by a series of global trends. Nowadays, economic growth, population dynamics, and climate change disproportionately affect different regions. Conventional agriculture also contributes to accentuating these changes. As a result, we are faced with several challenges in the fields of food and agriculture. So, innovative systems are needed to protect and enhance the natural resource base as productivity increases. Consequently, today, but also in the future, the farming systems that counteract the negative impact of climate change must be in the attention of practitioners. Moreover, regulations in the field are necessary, and the implementation of such systems must be carried out in relation to the specificity of the geographical area. In view of the above, in the present paper, a brief overview was made on some agricultural systems aimed at counteracting the negative effects of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]