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Although toxicogenic moulds have been identified in municipal waste and composting facilities, only a few reports exist on the occurrence of mycotoxins in compost. Those reports mostly concern sewage sludge as a substrate, tested only a limited range of mycotoxins, and did not monitor the production of mycotoxins during the composting process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether mycotoxins are produced during composting of selectively collected kitchen and garden waste. The study was carried out at pilot scale (550 L reactor with passive aeration). Kitchen waste (59.0% w/w), garden leaves (28.2%), and wood chips (12.8%) were used as a substrate, which was sampled every five days to determine its basic physicochemical characteristics (temperature, moisture, size-fraction content, loss on ignition) and respirometric activity (AT4). The substrate and leachate samples were also tested for the content of eight mycotoxins by HPLC-MS/MS. To screen the local compost market, commercial organic-compost samples were analysed for mycotoxin contamination. The substrate was successfully stabilized after 45 days (thermophilic peak of 62.6 °C, 40.4% mass reduction, 26.9% loss of organic matter, increase in the share of particles in the smallest size fraction, AT4 of 9.82 g O2/kg). Although the substrate was colonised by moulds at an early stage, only trace amounts of mycotoxins were detected in a few samples. Similarly, little or no mycotoxins were found in the commercial compost. Our results suggest a low risk of mycotoxin contamination in biowaste compost produced under appropriate technological conditions. Future research should focus on screening compost produced at smaller scales (e.g., in agricultural/residential compost piles) and on identifying factors associated with the risk of mycotoxin contamination in compost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Climate change, nutritional security, land shrinkage, and an increasing human population are the most concerning factors in agriculture, which are further complicated by deteriorating soil health. Among several ways to address these issues, themost prominent and cost-effectivemeans is to adopt an integrated farming system (IFS). Integrating farming systems with livestock enables a way to increase economic yield per unit area per unit of time for farmers in small and marginal categories. This system effectively utilizes the waste materials by recycling them via linking appropriate components, thereby minimizing the pollution caused to the environment. Further integrating livestock components with crops and the production of eggs, meat, and milk leads to nutritional security and stable farmer's income generation. So, there is a dire need to develop an eco-friendly, ecologically safe, and economically profitable IFS model. Methods: An experiment was conducted to develop a crop-livestock-based integrated farming system model for the benefit of irrigated upland farmers in the semi-arid tropics for increasing productivity, farm income, employment generation, and food and nutritional security through efficient utilization of resources in the farming system. Results and discussion: The IFS model has components, viz., crop (0.85 ha) + horticulture (0.10 ha) + 2 cattles along with 2 calves in dairy (50 m²) + 12 female goats and 1 male goat (50 m²) + 150 numbers of poultry birds (50 m²) + vermicompost (50 m²) + kitchen garden (0.02 ha) + boundary planting + supporting activities (0.01 ha) in a one-hectare area. Themodel recorded a higher totalMEY (162.31 t), gross return (689,773), net return (317,765), and employment generation (475 mandays). Further negative emissions of -15,118 CO2-e (kg) greenhouse gases were recorded under this model. The study conclusively reveals that integration of crop, horticulture, dairy, goat, poultry, vermicompost production, kitchen garden, and boundary planting models increases the net returns, B:C ratio, employment generation, nutritional security, and livelihoods of small and marginal farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review summarizing the data, both original and literature, on the development of the urban environment by smaller mammals is presented, the common hamster serving as an example. Initially, having predominantly inhabited the forested steppe zone, this species first essentially became a hemi-agrophile and, along with the development of agriculture, it occupied the margins of fields, this providing it with good food supply throughout the year. Changes in farming culture (fragmentary fields replaced with vast areas of arable land occupied by monocultures and the use of poisons and fertilizers) led to a shift in the ecological optimum of the species to areas occupied by gardens, kitchen gardens, and urban ecosystems. This has provoked changes in the genetic structure of populations, a greater (compared to suburbs) diversity of alleles of the main histocompatibility complex responsible for the resistance to pathogens, a reduced hibernation period up to its complete abandonment, and a decreased aggressiveness to conspecifics which allows for more burrows to be arranged in a limited space and the general storage to be consumed. Using food wastes as additional food resources has appeared possible, and this may have led to changes in the digestive and other systems. All this has allowed the common hamster to exist successfully in urbanized environments, despite the reduction of life expectancy due to a large number of stressors (parasitic load, pollution, etc.). Not all of the above traits are assumed to have been formed in the process of synurbization. Many previously acquired adaptations could have turned out to be effective along with the development of urban areas. Obviously, the way the common hamster has developed from a noncommensal species to an agrophile and a synurbist is not unique, as many other mammalian and bird species have passed or are passing through it at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting food and nutritional security needs for a growing population is a global sustainability challenge due to the heavy reliance on a few cultivated crops for dietary requirements across the world. To ensure local food security, it is imperative to diversify dietary options with locally available, neglected, and underutilized crops (NUCs) with nutritional and biocultural significance. In this context, the present study aims to explore the role of NUCs for nutritional, ethnomedicinal, and agricultural relevance in two districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, i.e., Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. Extensive field surveys were conducted in the study sites, and a total of 445 local respondents were interviewed based on structured questionnaires for calculating ethnobotanical indices, i.e., relative frequency of citation (RFC), frequency of citation (FC), use report (UR), and cultural importance index (CI) of NUCs. The study identified 116 NUCs belonging to 55 families and 103 genera. All reported NUCs had medicinal value; 55 were edible and used as food; and 41 had agricultural significance. Leaves were the most commonly used plant parts for medicinal purposes, followed by roots and stems, whereas flowers were the least commonly used parts. NUCs were used by the locals for their medicinal properties to treat various ailments, such as skin and eye problems, headaches, and liver problems. They were administered as decoction, paste, vapor inhalation, fruit juice, and poultice. The RFC, FC, UR, and CI values of the NUCs were in the range of 12 to 365, 0.03 to 0.82, 12 to 394, and 0.03 to 0.89, respectively. Fruits were the most commonly consumed part, followed by leaves, tubers, pods, and aerial bulbs, whereas the mode of consumption was stir-fry, soup, vegetables, salad, or in raw form. NUCs were bestowed with essential macro- and micronutrients and were found in the range of Ca (3.79–1147.3), K (2.6–1600.3), Mg (0.8–468.0), Na (0.4–270.8), P (1.15–305), Fe (0.1–327.6), Zn (0.1–84.6), Cu (0.047–33.3), Mn (0.1–62.3) mg/100 g, and vitamins like ascorbic acid (0.04–1561.1), thiamine (0.041–2.4), and β-Carotene (0.2–93.6) mg/100 g. These NUCs were cultivated in different settings, such as kitchen gardens, backyard gardens, border crops, and sometimes agricultural fields. The current study reveals the rich diversity and varied use of these NUCs with respect to their ethnomedicinal, nutritional, and agricultural relevance. Sustainable utilization with large-scale cultivation of promising NUCs can lead to local food security and the subsequent attainment of the associated UN Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Between 2018 and 2022, we surveyed small mammals at 23 sites in Lithuania—meadows, commercial orchards and berry farms, kitchen gardens, homesteads and farms—with the aim to assess the proportion of shrews in the community and their diet using stable isotope analysis. We found that in these natural, agricultural, and commensal habitats, common (Sorex araneus) and pygmy (Sorex minutus) shrews were under-represented—having a proportion of 3.1%, less than a half that of the long-term average in the country. The diet of these two species was similar in both agricultural and commensal habitats. On farms and in orchards with intensive farming, there were no catches of shrews. Contamination by plant protection products and a lack of invertebrates, which are the main food of shrews, may be factors limiting their numbers in the agriculturally managed habitats. Two species of water shrews, Neomys fodiens and Neomys anomalus, were found for the first time in homesteads, including in outbuildings, and their diet requires further investigation. Shrews are a less studied group of small mammals than rodents. Between 2018 and 2022, we surveyed 23 sites in Lithuania, including natural and anthropogenic habitats, with the aim to assess the proportion of Soricidae in small mammal communities and their diet based on stable isotope analysis. The average representation of Soricidae was 3.1%, about half the long-term average in other habitats in the country. The highest proportions were in meadows and farmsteads, at 4.9% and 5.0% respectively. Shrews were not trapped on farms or in young orchards, and their relative abundance was very low in intensively managed orchards (0.006 individuals per 100 trap days). Neomys fodiens and N. anomalus were unexpectedly found in homesteads, including in outbuildings. Sorex araneus and S. minutus had similar diets. The trophic carbon/nitrogen discrimination factor between invertebrates and shrew hair was 2.74‰/3.98‰ for S. araneus, 1.90‰/3.78‰ for S. minutus in the orchards. The diet of N. fodiens and N. anomalus at the homesteads requires further investigation. We propose that the under-abundance of shrews may be due to contamination by plant protection products and a lack of invertebrates under intensive agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Hassan made an attempt to assess the influence of technological interventions initiated through ‘Village Adoption Program (VAP)’. VAP aims at boosting agricultural production, encouraging farmers to practice more scientific farming, making them to understand the technological options thereby uplifting the socio-economic status of farmers. In light of this, a study was conducted by selecting Rampura village of Hassan district under VAP for three years (2019-2022). Initially, majority of the farmers were lacking knowledge on scientific cultivation practices, improved varieties and different scientific production technologies. After KVK intervention and supply of critical inputs,farmers knowledge and adoption in advanced technologies available in agriculture improved. Farmers expressed that, KVK intervention reduced the drudgery in field operations, increased the knowledge on the animals husbandry and scientific management of crop stand by organizing various training programs, capacity development programs, demonstrations and educative extension materials. Simultaneously, their knowledge on backyard nutritional kitchen gardening increased. Conclusively, a noticeable change in farmer’s awareness, farmers empowerment and capacity building through demonstrations and training programmes with respect to new technologies and utilization of the existing resources effectively were obseved. Crop diversification through improved varieties integrated with animal component resulted in obtaining maximum productivity and profitability of small and marginal farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many development interventions rely on last-mile agents for information delivery. • The ethnicities of beneficiaries or agents could affect intervention effectiveness. • We test this using a field experiment with women's groups in India. • Agents deliver information and elicit willingness to contribute to club good. • Ethnicity matters for information retention and individual contributions. Development programs often rely on locally hired agents for service delivery, especially for interventions promoting agricultural practices, health, and nutrition. These agents are key to reaching underserved communities, especially women, with information and services around recommended practices. However, where societies are socially stratified, differences in ethnic identities between agents and beneficiaries may impact the effectiveness of information and service delivery and the uptake of recommended behaviors. We explore the salience of shared ethnic identity between agents and beneficiaries in promoting collective action using a field experiment with women's self-help groups (SHGs) in India. We cross-randomize an information treatment and a group-agent shared ethnicity treatment at the SHG level. We measure impacts on individual group member information retention and willingness to contribute to a group-owned kitchen garden that could improve access to a diverse and nutritious diet. We find information retention is better when the group is matched with an agent lower in the ethnic hierarchy, but that agents higher in the hierarchy elicit greater individual contributions to the group-owned kitchen garden. We suggest some hypotheses for these seemingly contradictory results. Other characteristics like education, group cohesion and perceived agent ability also matter in changing knowledge and contribution. Our findings have important implications for effective program design and implementation, suggesting that implementers need to consider factors beyond the information content, target group and pedagogical mode of delivery for their strategies to be transformative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Homegardens are spaces with significant cultural, social, and psychological importance, not simply places for growing food. • Anthropological approaches to the archaeology of homegardens are necessary to fully situate them within a cultural context. • Homegardens are spaces where gender, identity, status, and political economy are negotiated. • It is crucial to study homegardens as they have the potential to provide food for people around the world, but we need to know their cultural importance to implement them as a strategy. Homegardens are spaces where food, medicine, construction materials, and plants of aesthetic value are grown, both for household consumption, but also for sale in markets to supplement household income. Importantly, they are also spaces of cultural significance; gardens are spaces where many household activities are enacted, where household income is supplemented, where cultural memory is maintained. Archaeological explorations of garden spaces, particularly in the Neotropics, have successfully utilized soil chemical, archaeobotanical, and spatial analysis in identifying the location of cultivated spaces in relation to household structures. Having refined our ability to identify homegarden spaces, we can focus on anthropologically oriented questions regarding gender, status, political economy, and identity. In this special issue we are looking beyond gardens as simply utilitarian and functional spaces, and seeing them as places that have social, cultural, personal, and psychological importance. This introductory article will present some of the past and current research on homegardens and provide avenues for future archaeological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the earliest days of the Soviet Union, the people of Tajikistan were allowed to have small “kitchen gardens” attached to their homes or in the vicinity of their apartments in which they could augment their diets with fresh food and also keep a milk cow and perhaps chickens. Over time however, families began to produce far more than they needed and would sell the surplus in local markets, along roads, and even in nearby cities—an early example of market-oriented, investment agriculture in Central Asia. By the end of the Soviet era, as much as one third of food sold in the markets was from kitchen gardens. In post-independence Tajikistan, these gardens have allowed families facing civil war, drought, and demodernization to feed themselves and earn some extra income. This paper describes the historic geography, layout and crops of kitchen gardens, and provides quantitative data on the economic importance of these gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In rural Africa, indigenous farming and natural resource management systems exemplified by kitchen gardens are being reshaped by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its negative impacts (illness, stigma and mortality, and economic costs) and positive opportunities (organizational responses to the epidemic). Subtle changes in crops and farm techniques can be traced to these diverse influences of HIV+ infection, illness, mortality, widowhood, foster child care, and AIDS support groups, as well as the organizations, ideas, and flow of funding from outside. These findings draw on original field data: a village census, in-depth interviews with gardeners, and group discussions in a village in Bungoma District (in 2005 and 2007). This part of western Kenya is a typical small-farm zone that has faced a moderate HIV/AIDS epidemic since the 1990s, following decades of demographic, environmental, technological, and institutional changes. Implications of this case study for further research on HIV/AIDS and on micro-level population–environment change suggest that households are useful but imperfect analytical units and are best seen as part of complex social networks, shaping connections to markets. These important “mediating institutions” link AIDS as a demographic and economic force with environmental outcomes in cultivated landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) projects are increasingly common, yet little research has examined its equity aspects. • Paddy transplanting, which is labor and time-intensive, was a main barrier to adoption of NSA practices. • Not all farmers transplanted paddy and there were a cultural politics of 'modern' paddy promoted in self-help groups (SHGs). • Due to recognitional and economic barriers, some farmers were not active in SHG activities or shared in benefits of NSA. • For NSA programs to be more effective, they should use an approach based on recognitional equity and cognitive justice. Malnutrition remains a problem across India, particularly among women and children in rural areas. In response, nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) programs have emerged, which promote activities such as crop diversification, nutrition education, and women's empowerment. While research has assessed whether NSA programs have an impact on nutrition indicators, less work has examined whether such programs are equitable in distributive, procedural, and recognitional terms. This study investigates how one non-governmental organization (NGO) working through women-led self-help groups (SHGs) in eastern India has incorporated NSA practices into its traditional focus of improving cereal productivity and promoting cash crops. Given that both research sites in northern Jharkhand and eastern Madhya Pradesh have seen agricultural practices shift from more diverse, traditional cropping to high-yielding rice over the past decade, this research examines women's responses to these new NSA promotion efforts. This 11-month study employed ethnographic methods including participant observation and 117 interviews with village women along with NGO and government workers across both sites. This analysis employed an equity framework based on the decolonial concept of cognitive justice, which asserts that epistemological inequity precedes socioeconomic inequities. The findings suggest while all respondents reacted positively to the tenets of NSA promotion, due to high-yielding paddy's labor requirements and cultural aspirations to maximize rice production, many farmers (especially those engaged in improved paddy cultivation) were unable to adopt NSA practices robustly. While poorer farmers not growing improved paddy were better positioned to adopt NSA, many were less active in SHG activities due to structural barriers and an observed lack of cognitive justice. As NSA programs are still emerging, little research has detailed the ways such efforts may exacerbate or allay rural inequities. This study suggests NSA could have more impact on cropping practices and nutrition outcomes if it led with an equity approach centered on cognitive justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]