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Highlights • A synthesis of five years of research on agriculture and nutrition in South Asia. • A systems approach is needed to understand agriculture's contribution to nutrition. • Political commitment needs to lead to large-scale action and results on the ground. • Leadership, capacity, coherence and coordination are key for progress. • Contextual evidence from research on impact pathways should continue to guide decisionmaking. Abstract Despite significant improvements over recent decades, rates of undernutrition remain high in South Asia, with adverse impacts on morbidity and mortality. Overweight/obesity, among children and adults, is now an additional and major public health concern. While agriculture has the potential to improve nutrition through several pathways, this potential is currently not being realised in the region. The Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research consortium (2012–2018) set out to improve understanding about how agriculture and related food policies and programs in South Asia (specifically in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan) can be better conceptualised and implemented in order to enhance impacts on nutrition outcomes, especially those of young children and adolescent girls. This paper provides a snapshot of the agriculture-nutrition nexus in the region, outlines the pathways through which agriculture can influence nutrition outcomes, elaborates on the objectives of the LANSA research consortium within this context, and highlights the core findings of the six papers that form the body of this Special Issue. The paper ends with five key lessons that have emerged from this research, during this decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions often support vulnerable populations. • Evidence shows interventions improve intermediate outcomes like dietary diversity. • Limited evidence that interventions improve long-term outcomes like child growth. • Unintended consequences for women's workload and sustainability need attention. • LANSA has significantly extended range and scope of interventions in South Asia. Abstract Research on the potential impact of interventions in agriculture on nutrition outcomes is of particular relevance in South Asia where agriculture-related activities are a major source of livelihoods for large sections of society and where the population suffers from one of the highest global burdens of malnutrition in all its forms. This systematic review aims to assess the strength of the available evidence that agricultural interventions have an impact on intermediate and final nutrition outcomes in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We searched five literature databases and reference lists of previous systematic reviews to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2017, detailing impacts of household- or farm-level agricultural interventions on nutritional outcomes in South Asia. We identified six intervention studies (reported in nine papers) conducted in Bangladesh (two studies), India (two studies) and Nepal (two studies). The majority of studies examined the impact of provision of seed, plants and training to increase home garden fruit and vegetable production with or without integrated poultry provision and training. Other studies evaluated the impact of livestock or aquaculture provision and training. Study designs and quality were mixed; heterogeneity across studies precluded formal meta-analysis. Interventions had a positive impact on intermediate outcomes on the pathway from agricultural intervention to nutritional or health status including dietary quality and dietary diversity of households and individuals (reported in seven papers). The evidence on the impact on final nutritional outcomes was mixed: one paper reported that home gardens with poultry reduced the odds of anaemia but there was no convincing evidence of an impact of agricultural interventions on child anthropometric measurement (reported in four papers). In recent years, the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research programme consortium has significantly expanded research on agricultural interventions for nutrition outcomes by conducting and commissioning a suite of formative and feasibility studies that have extended both the range and geographic location of interventions under study. This expanding body of research should, in the future, enable the identification of cost-effective interventions to enhance the impact of agricultural interventions sustainably to improve nutrition outcomes especially in women and children in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on rural field research in three provinces of Northeast Thailand, the paper seeks to understand the ways in which life course, generational, era-defining and developmental change intersect, and why rural smallholders and smallholdings continue to persist notwithstanding deep structural change. We outline the creative ways that households and their members have sought to address the scissor effects of declining land holdings, rising needs, reduced relative returns to agriculture, and often precarious non-farm work. We posit, drawing on this work from Thailand, that while Asia’s ‘truncated agrarian transition’ goes some way to explaining the current empirical fact of persistent smallholders, we raise doubts whether the rural development agenda of modernisation, marketisation and rural exit will have the traction that governments and some scholars anticipate. A focus on production obscures how rural livelihoods also embody acts of consumption, care, reproduction and redistribution. Our study finds that the current experience of occupational multiplicity where households’ livelihoods comprise farm and non-farm, commoditised and quasi-subsistence, in situ and ex situ , production and care, and reproduction and redistribution will likely also persist, if non-farm occupations remains classically precarious and social safety nets thinly woven. The paper contributes to debates over agrarian and rural livelihood transitions in Asia, and sheds explanatory light on why the farm-size transition has not taken hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agronomy–livestock–forestry nexus is critical as it influences ecosystem services, food production, and land use. Asia, a diverse and technologically dynamic region, faces disparities in agronomy tech adoption. Studies emphasize agronomy and forestry's pivotal role in determining livelihoods in the region. Challenges like rising food demand, land scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss require innovative solutions. Digital technologies offer enhanced productivity, sustainability, and resource management opportunities, defining the era of smart agriculture and forestry. This work presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which examines the potential for using digital technology in agronomy and forestry across Asian countries and evaluates evidence of the potential benefits for practitioners and the environment. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method guided the choice of relevant publications. Of the 375 papers located in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, only 24 were considered relevant to the research questions. In the agronomy and forestry sectors in Asia, the adoption of digital technologies has the potential to contribute toward the promotion of biodiversity, the preservation of ecosystem services, improved labor efficiency, risk reduction, and the promotion of climate change resilience. Geospatial tools, modeling tools, decision support systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as prominent technologies driving these positive outcomes. The study lists evidence from various articles supporting these benefits, although most demonstrate indirect causation. This underscores the need for more direct experiments to establish the broader contribution of digital technologies as well as provide evidence showing farmer uptake and the potential negative impacts of implementation. The findings from this study offer a comprehensive view of the potential use of digital technologies for agronomy and forestry in Asia, as well as evidence of their potential benefits. It gives stakeholders valuable information on digital technologies and provides a springboard for future studies regarding the application of digital technology in agronomy, animal husbandry, and forestry. [Display omitted] • Digital solutions can mitigate the impact of uneven tech adoption on livelihoods in Asia's agronomy and forestry sectors. • Presents SLR provide the evidence of benefits for practitioners and environment. • Key technologies include geospatial tools, modeling tools, decision support systems, UAS, IoT. • Digital tech enhances Asia's agronomy/forestry by improving biodiversity, labor and risk management. • Provides information for stakeholders and highlighting research potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision agriculture (PA) has recently employed as an innovative agriculture to increase the profitability through enhancing the crop yields. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is widely used in PA to measure the agricultural parameters. However, the main challenges of using WSNs in PA are to improve the measurement accuracy and to increase the network lifetime of WSNs. A novel scheme is developed in this paper to measure soil moisture and temperature in heterogeneous farms called Adaptive heterogeneous precision agriculture (AHPA). As well as the Extended kalman filter (EKF), AHPA contains two invented algorithms, named Optimally sensor selection algorithm (OSSA) and Adaptive sampling interval algorithm (ASIA). As part of the EKF, agricultural state is proactively predicted and then it is updated through measuring it using WSN so that the noises associated with sensor measurements are eliminated. OSSA employs the Genetic algorithm (GA) for selecting a group of sensor nodes that are used to sense the agricultural state, in order to enhance network lifetime and crop yields. The root system is modeled and used in the OSSA to select the nodes inside the area covered by the root system. In the prediction stage, the ASIA is used to calculate an adaptive sampling interval based on the predicted state of agricultural parameters. The simulation results show that the total energy consumption and the reduction of the agricultural parameters are improved in the proposed ASIA, compared with other fixed sampling interval schemes. Moreover, the number of dead nodes, the time of the first node death, the energy balance, the neighbors count, and the number of evolved nodes in sensing activities are enhanced in the proposed OSSA, compared with other schemes. Hence, the network lifetime and crop yields are enhanced. Moreover, the proposed OSSA selects the sensor nodes based on the root age so that the agricultural parameters of the whole soil of the plants are sensed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa Duch.) is the most economically important soft fruit worldwide. While self- and wind-pollination is possible for strawberry, without biotic pollination (animal pollinators, including artificial pollination by humans) rate of strawberry flowers rarely exceeds 60% and thus fruit production is decreased. At a time of widely recognized decline of pollinators and increasing global demand for balanced food, we need a comprehensive understanding of the worldwide valuation of these ecosystem services. In this paper, we use a transparent and systematic review process to detect gaps in the available literature. By applying multilevel meta-analytic models, we quantified the contribution of biotic pollinators and different pollinator types to strawberry fruits. Our review showed that research on strawberry pollination is clearly concentrated in European countries, with limited information for Asia – the largest strawberry producer. Additionally, we detected disproportions across research topics, stressing the need for further research on pollinator preferences between strawberry cultivars and the occurrence of managed and wild bee communities. The overall estimate of pollination benefit to strawberry crops is on average a 25% reduction in fruit weight for plants not receiving a biotic pollination treatment. This benefit is similar regardless of the pollinating species. The mean amount globally (2011–2020) receivable by producers from purchasers due to biotic pollination is $5.36 billion per year. Moreover, we demonstrated that strawberry plants that are dependent on self- or wind-pollination set on average 43% fewer seeds (fertilized achenes) than biotically pollinated plants. Such a huge reduction in seed set can cause fruit deformation and reduce the commercial value of strawberries. Together, these findings indicate the critical role of biotic pollination in strawberry production and quality. To ensure pollination services in strawberry farms and produce the best-quality fruits, growers should take action to sustain healthy pollinator communities and utilize them with the optimal cultivar. • Biotic pollination has fundamental importance to strawberry production and quality. • Besides honeybees, a huge diversity of species are involved in strawberry pollination. • Pollination benefits are comparable regardless of the pollination species. • Without biotic pollination fruits are smaller and produce fewer fertilized achenes. • Growers should take action to sustain healthy pollinator communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient irrigation systems (AISs) have been providing a multitude of ecosystem services to rural farming and urban communities in Asia and Africa, especially in arid and semi-arid climatic areas with low rainfall. Many AISs, however have now been degraded. A systematic analysis of AISs on their typologies, causes of degradation, and their ecosystem services is lacking. The objective of this review was to synthesize the knowledge on AISs on their typologies, status and causes of degradation, ecosystem services and functions, and identify gaps in research in Asia and Africa. A critical review of peer-reviewed journal papers, conference and workshop proceedings, book chapters, grey literature, and country reports was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative information from journal papers were used to conceptualize the typologies and analyze the status and causes of degradation, and ecosystems services and functions provided by the AISs. Based on the review, we classified AISs into three groups by source of irrigation water: Rainwater harvesting system (RHS) with small reservoirs, ground water based system, and floodwater based system. The RHSs, which used to receive reliable rainfall and managed by well cohesive social organizations for their maintenance and functioning in past, have now been silting due to extreme rainfall pattern and breakdown of the cohesive organizations in recent decades. In ground water based systems, indiscriminate development of deep tube wells causing siltation of channels has been a major challenge. In floodwater irrigation systems, irregular rainfall in the highlands and the breakage of irrigation structures by destructive floods were the main causes of degradation. Lack of maintenance and increased soil erosion, inadequate skilled manpower, and declining support from the government for repair and maintenance were the main causes of degradation of all AISs. The main ecosystem service provided by all AISs is water for agriculture. In tank- and pond-based systems, fish farming is also practiced. Tank irrigation systems provide various types of provisioning, regulatory, cultural and supporting services, especially in India and Sri Lanka. Ground water based systems provide water for domestic purposes and various cultural services. Floodwater based systems provide water for power generation and wildlife habitat maintenance and help in flood control. The knowledge generated through the review provide evidence-based information, and help aware governments, private sectors and development agencies for improved policy planning and decision making, and prioritizing the restoration, rehabilitation, and management of various AISs. Community Managed Ancient Irrigation Systems in Asia and Africa: Typologies, Degradation and Ecosystem services. [Display omitted] • Ancient irrigation systems (AISs) in Asia and Africa provide a multitude of benefits to mankind but are at a threat of degradation. • A systematic review conducted to identify typologies, status and causes of degradation of, and ecosystems services provided by, AISs. • Three typologies (rainwater harvesting, groundwater, and surface water based) and four ecosystems services identified. • Cascade tanks in Sri Lanka and India provide irrigation water for farming communities and ecosystem services for local communities and societies. • Rehabilitation of AISs needs urgent attention by governments, private sector, and development partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, many developing countries have introduced policies to promote seed industry growth and improve the delivery of modern science to farmers, often with a long-term goal of increasing agricultural productivity in smallholder farming systems. Public, private, and civil society actors involved in shaping policy designs have, in turn, developed competing narratives around how best to build an innovative and sustainable seed system, each with varying goals, values, and levels of influence. Efforts to strike a balance between these narratives have often played out in passionate discourses surrounding seed rules and regulations. As a result, however, policymakers in many countries have expressed impatience with the slow progress on enhancing the contribution of a modern seed industry to the overarching goal of increasing agricultural productivity growth. One reason for this slow progress may be that policymakers are insufficiently cognizant of the trade-offs associated with rules and regulations required to effectively govern a modern seed industry. This suggests the need for new data and analysis to improve the understanding of how seed systems function. This paper explores these issues in the context of Asia's rapidly growing seed industry, with illustrations from seed markets for maize and several other crops, to highlight current gaps in the metrics used to analyze performance, competition, and innovation. The paper provides a finite set of indicators to inform policymaking on seed system design and monitoring, and explores how these indicators can be used to inform current policy debates in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Innovation is a development policy buzzword. • Policy makers seek innovations in agri-food systems to improve nutritional outcomes. • The 'triple burden of malnutrition' is an outcome of previous innovations. • Policy should heed the direction, distribution and diversity of innovations. • South Asia has an opportunity to shape socio-technical change in agri-food systems. Abstract Innovations within global food systems have contributed to the predicament known as the triple burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of hunger and micronutrient deficiency with the diseases of overnutrition, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. We use the case of the triple burden in South Asia to demonstrate analytically that innovation is a double-edged sword, with positive and negative potential, rather than a simple good. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that target food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (e.g. SDGs 2, 3 and 12), the countries of South Asia need more innovation, but, first, they would also benefit from some intelligent reflection about what innovation means, the directions it should take, and its risks and downsides alongside its benefits. In the present juncture, South Asian countries have an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other developing nations, and choose from alternative options to steer their own course. In this paper, we discuss how innovation has contributed to the present situation and ask how alternative kinds of innovation may enable South Asian countries to escape from the triple burden. We describe a conceptual framework that may be useful for thinking about how innovation pathways can be created and directed towards the goal of improving nutritional outcomes in South Asia. The framework draws attention to the direction of socio-technical change, the distribution of technologies and their risks and benefits, and the diversity of possible innovation pathways (STEPS Centre, 2010). We illustrate these points using examples of innovations in the areas of agricultural production, value chain interventions, and policy and institutional reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Ag-nutrition linkages require special attention in fragile contexts in South Asia. • There is a balance between what the state ought to do, can do and is willing to do. • The state has to engage systemically and intersectorally, integrating sectors. • State capacity must enhance the mobilisation and role of women. • Important to create, maintain and engage in formal spaces for dialogue. Abstract This paper systematically reviews the evidence on what capacities the state requires to leverage agriculture for nutrition in fragile contexts, maintaining a focus on state in South Asia (especially India). It uses the framework of what the state ought to do (in terms of pathways), can do (in relation to parts of the enabling environment it is able to deliver) and is willing to do (addressing constraints in terms of political choices). The results of the search were sorted into three further themes: capacity of the state to intervene systemically and intersectorally; engage with participatory and locally relevant understandings of agriculture-nutrition linkages, and to create, maintain and engage in formal spaces for dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Despite improvement, political commitment is still tilted towards food security. • Leaders must work across sectors to build alliances to address malnutrition. • Nutrition governance requires a focus on processes, as well as structures. • Horizontal and vertical coherence are both essential for progress in nutrition. • Timely, actionable nutrition-relevant data are needed to improve accountability. Abstract Malnutrition is a multicausal challenge that requires multisectoral responses to make comprehensive and sustainable progress, over the long term. How is agriculture and the wider agri-food system positioned within the constellation of factors and processes that determine nutrition outcomes in different contexts and countries? What is known about the role of enabling environments and the governance of agri-food systems in driving nutrition outcomes, for better or worse? In this paper we will highlight the findings of a systematic review that focuses on this question, drawing on work from the South Asian region including research undertaken by LANSA. We conclude with a discussion of the major implications and recommendations for future policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector in Lao PDR is forecast to move from subsistence rice production to a more modernized and market-oriented sector with greater focus on commercialization of agricultural production. Intensification of agricultural production in the southern and central rice growing regions of Lao PDR is problematic as dryland farmers rely on rainfall and soils are poor, yet rural households have been experiencing rapid change in their farming and livelihood systems. This paper employs Q methodology techniques to explore 35 farmers' viewpoints when contemplating their production goals and potential to adopt technologies to improve productivity. Findings describe the two emerging viewpoints among farmers as ‘labour saving productivity maximization’ and ‘traditional labour productivity using improved techniques’. The two viewpoints describe the different issues currently guiding production decisions. While the Lao Government forecasts substantial increases in rice production in the southern plains, farmers will require specialized and tailored support, accounting for their envisaged livelihood and production goals, to allow the sector transformation that many stakeholders currently envisage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Livelihoods in rural southern Laos are highly diverse, comprising a wide range of different productive activities. In this paper motivations for diversification within livelihood strategies in rural communities in southern Laos are investigated through theories of distress-induced risk spreading in response to crises and progressive success and wealth. Results indicate that livelihood diversification at the household level is associated with higher wealth status and ownership of a range of assets as part of a progressive, accumulation livelihood strategy for those with fewer constraints. Diversification strategies across all socioeconomic groups commonly include a combination of agricultural and non-agricultural activities as well as migrant remittances, however, the types of activities undertaken are dependent on wealth. The increased asset status of households extends to enabling higher income-generating migration opportunities and may facilitate transition into both non-agricultural employment, as well as into a wider variety of agricultural employment activities. This further strengthens livelihoods through the mutually reinforcing complementarities across livelihood activities and reducing the risks associated with each. But this has the effect of leaving the poor, with lower levels of diversification, at most risk to natural or economic disasters or other shocks. Results have implications for development policy for rural southern Laos, highlighting the importance of recognizing the positive aspects of livelihood diversification for rural poverty reduction. Broadened policy mechanisms which support and encourage diversification and mobility at the household level are needed. Likewise, pro-poor development initiatives that focus on increasing the diversity of assets (rather than the quantity of any one single asset) of the poor are more likely to be successful in supporting livelihood diversification and reducing vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not all foreign direct investment (FDI) is alike as far as its impact on various dimensions of human development is concerned. This paper focuses, in particular, on child labor and it undertakes a cross-country empirical analysis of this issue, using data on 100 countries spanning the period 1990–2009. Unlike earlier studies that focus mostly on total FDI, we also utilize data on disaggregated FDI, covering the main economic sectors of interest such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, services, and finance. The empirical results suggest that different economic sectors generate varied effects on child labor. For instance, FDI in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia tends to exacerbate child labor, whereas FDI in manufacturing in South and East Asia and FDI in mining in Latin America appear negatively linked to child labor. Furthermore, signing on to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is positively associated with child labor. One possible explanation for the latter result is that stronger anti-child labor laws could lead to multiple equilibria in labor markets, including the possibility of increasing child labor in certain sectors. Selected case studies help clarify the possible reasons behind this varied FDI impact on child labor, emphasizing among other factors supply chain management and the critical importance of policy implementation and coordination with the private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Granaries (hórreos) are bioclimatic conservation structures with various forms that have been used for over 2000 years in different countries across Europe and Asia. Galician raised granaries built upon “staddle stones” (pillars with a rodent-proof cap) are specialised barns. The importance of airflow in the preservation of stored grain is based on the use of air as an energy exchange fluid for exchanging heat or water with the grains. The preservation system is based on continuous ventilation inside the bin. Some granaries do not have a wooden slatted floor with gaps, although they should. The gapped, slatted floor particularly influences the thermodynamic behaviour, which is powered by solar radiation, improving ventilation efficiency and internal temperature regulation. This paper shows the important influence of floor grooving on improving grain conservation via better ventilation and limiting the rise in the internal temperature when the granary is subjected to solar radiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: India’s farm sector sustains livelihoods for hundreds of millions of rural people, but faces serious management challenges for land, water, and energy resources. Growing dependence on groundwater threatens water resources sustainability and power sector viability. Sustaining India’s rising prosperity rests on managing groundwater. This study shows that raising power tariffs in the farm sector to achieve efficiency and sustainability of groundwater use is both socially and economically viable. The question is about how to introduce this shift. This paper discusses five different options for power supply, metering and energy pricing in the farm sector and the expected outcomes of implementing each vis-a-vis efficiency of groundwater and energy use, equity in access and sustainability of groundwater. It concludes that establishing an energy quota for each farm-based on sustainability considerations, and metering and charging pro rata for power used are the best options to manage groundwater and the energy economy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The phosphorus (P) cycle has been significantly altered by human activities. For this paper, we explored the sustainability of current P flows in terms of resource depletion and the ultimate fate of these flows. The analysis shows that rapid depletion of extractable phosphate rock is not very likely, in the near term. Under best estimates, depletion would be around 20–35%. In worst case scenarios, about 40–60% of the current resource base would be extracted by 2100. At the same time, production will concentrate in Asia, Africa and West Asia, and production costs will likely have increased. As there are no substitutes for phosphorus plant nutrients in agriculture, arguably even partial depletion of P resources may in the long run be relevant for the sustainability of agriculture. Consumption trends lead to large flows of phosphorus to surface water and a considerable build-up of phosphorus in agricultural soils in arable lands. This may allow a reduction in future P fertiliser application rates in crop production. Results also indicate a global depletion of P pools in soils under grassland, which may be a threat to ruminant production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine linkages between women's empowerment and nutrition in 6 countries. • Women's empowerment and gender equality are positively associated with child HAZ. • Tradeoffs exist between domains of empowerment and women's nutritional outcomes. • Higher workload is associated with more diverse child diets but lower women's BMI. • Women's empowerment accounts for a small share of the variance in nutrition outcomes. Although women's empowerment and gender equality are often linked with better maternal and child nutrition outcomes, recent systematic reviews find inconclusive evidence. This paper applies a comparable methodology to data on the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), an internationally-validated measure based on interviews of women and men within the same household, from six countries in Africa and Asia to identify which dimensions of women's empowerment are related to household-, woman-, and child-level dietary and nutrition outcomes. We examine relationships between women's empowerment and household-level dietary diversity; women's dietary diversity and BMI; and child-related outcomes, controlling for woman, child, and household characteristics. We also test for differential associations of women's empowerment with nutrition outcomes for boys and girls. We find few significant associations between the aggregate empowerment scores and nutritional outcomes. The women's empowerment score is positively associated only with child HAZ, while lower intrahousehold inequality is associated with a higher likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding and higher HAZ but with lower BMI. However, analysis of the subdomain indicators finds more significant associations, suggesting that tradeoffs exist among different dimensions of empowerment. Women's empowerment accounts for a small share of the variance in nutritional outcomes, with household wealth and country-level factors accounting for the largest share of the variation in household and women's dietary diversity. In contrast, most of the variation in child outcomes comes from child age. Improving nutritional outcomes requires addressing the underlying determinants of poor nutrition in addition to empowering women and improving gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The analysis indicated a positive correlation between socioeconomic factors and agricultural land change in Asia. • A negative correlation between agricultural land and urban population signified agricultural land decline in Asia. • Higher agricultural productivity gains contributed to the farm land decline in some countries in Asia. • An increase in the agricultural area has not addressed the higher food import dependency in several countries in Asia. This paper identifies major transformations in agricultural land both in terms of land use and land-use changes, analyses major drivers and impacts, and describes the major policy interventions to arrest negative trends. The rapidly growing population and their needs constitute one of the major drivers of land-use changes in the Asia region. Agricultural productivity has increased at a slightly faster pace than population growth in Asia through agricultural intensification. Intensive farming practices have put pressure on ecosystems leading to declining total factor productivity, land degradation, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, and GHG emissions. Policy measures to address unsustainable land transformations have been minimal and countries are yet to be successful in arresting the negative trends. Through coordinated land management and integrated land decision support systems, countries can address food-fuel conflicts, arrest negative environmental consequences, enhance rural prosperity, and achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aucklandia costus Falc. a medicinal plant is native to the Himalayan region and synonymous with Saussurea costus, Saussurea lappa, and Aucklandia lappa. It has an ancient background of being used ethnopharmacologically for various body ailments. According to Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Costus roots are recommended for leukoderma, liver, kidney, blood disorders, Qi stagnation, and tridosha. Root and powder are used orally with warm water to cure gastric problems, and the paste is applied to the inflamed area to relieve pain. Root paste is applied on the skin to cure boils, blisters, and leprosy. The aim of the present review is to establish a correlation among the ethnopharmacological uses and scientific studies conducted on A. costus with chemical constituents, safety & toxicity data including future directions for its conservation with higher yield and effect. The study was conducted by studying books, research papers, and literature in history, agroforestry, phytopharmacology of Himalayan plants using international databases, publication, Red data book, and reports. The search engines: Pubmed, Scopus, Wiley Inter-science, Indian Materia Medica, Science Direct, and referred journals are referenced. The literature collected from databases, journals, websites, and books mentioned the use of costus roots in local and traditional practices. CITES included A. costus in a critically endangered category due to lack of cultural practices and overexploitation from wild. A. costus roots are known since 13th century for use in ancient Ayurvedic products but the scientific evaluation is of future research interest. A correlation of traditional uses with scientific studies has been explored to assess the effect of root powder, extract, oil and isolated constituents: Costunolids, Saussureamine B and Dehydrocostus lactone etc. in gastric ulceration and lesions; inhibition of antigen-induced degranulation, mucin production, number of immune cells, eosinophils, and expression and secretion of Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13) in asthma. The inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators is also reported by Cynaropicrin, Alantolactone, Caryophyllene, Costic acid. Also, the sesquiterpene lactones has profound effect in inhibition of inflammatory stages and induced apoptotic cascades in cancer. Very few data on the safety and toxicity of plant parts have been noted which needs to be evaluated scientifically. A. costus have been noted to have remarkable effect for gastric, hepatic, inflammatory, respiratory, cancer, skin problems but there were several errors in selection of plant material, authentification, selection of dose, assessment, selection of standard and control have been identified. Therefore, a schematic drug development and research strategy exploiting the potential of plant extract, fraction, products and probable constituents, costunolide, dehydrocostus lactone, cynaropicrin, saussureamine assuring dose-response relationship and safety may be determined under pre-clinical which may be extrapolated to clinical level. An evaluation of phytochemicals in A. costus collected from different geographical location in Himalayas may be drawn to identify and conserve the higher yielding plant. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In Asia, as elsewhere in the world, countries rushed to promote biofuels during the dramatic oil price increases of 2007–2008 as way to enhance energy security, without waiting for the settlement of controversial debates about the environmental effects of biofuels, especially their effects on greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodiversity, and whether biofuels cause a conflict between food and fuel. This paper does not settle this debate, but instead argues that there are straightforward, practical and feasible measures that can be implemented immediately in order to reduce the pressure of biofuels on the environment and food supply, and more generally increase food production. The key is to focus on increasing resource use efficiency in agriculture, especially different forms of energy use. Resource use efficiency in agriculture is low in many parts of Asia. Concrete measures that could be taken include reductions in market-distorting input subsidies and the introduction of resource-conserving technologies. These could be supplemented with greater use of non-fossil fuels in agricultural production, use of agricultural wastes in energy production, inclusion of input use levels in biofuel certification systems, and greater investment in agricultural research, extension systems, and infrastructure development. Biofuel fever has waned since the onset of the global financial crisis in late 2008, but it is likely to return when economic conditions eventually improve, and possible moves to strengthen the European Union biofuel blending requirements could further accelerate it. Much of the debate on biofuel-related impacts in the region has focused on deforestation, with little attention on agricultural input use, which could also have serious consequences for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In sum, this paper argues that governments can still improve the environmental performance of biofuels while reducing potential conflicts with food security by implementing the straightforward measures suggested here. Though these may appear to be basic textbook suggestions, many governments are still not following them even though the spread of biofuels increases their importance and urgency. The message is that the governments in the region should get back to the basics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]