Search

Farming systems that support locally diverse agricultural production and high levels of biodiversity are in rapid decline, despite evidence of their benefits for climate, environmental health, and food security. Yet, agricultural policies, financial incentives, and market concentration increasingly constrain the viability of diversified farming systems. Here, we present a conceptual framework to identify novel processes that promote the emergence and sustainability of diversified farming systems, using three real-world examples where farming communities have found pathways to diversification despite major structural constraints. By applying our framework to analyze these bright spots in the United States, Brazil, and Malawi, we identify two distinct pathways—network and institutional—to diversification. These pathways emerge through alignment of factors related to social and ecological structure (policies, institutions, and environmental conditions) and agency (values, collective action, and management decisions). We find that, when network and institutional pathways operate in tandem, the potential to scale up diversification across farms and landscapes increases substantially.

Farming systems that support locally diverse agricultural production and high levels of biodiversity are in rapid decline, despite evidence of their benefits for climate, environmental health, and food security. Yet, agricultural policies, financial incentives, and market concentration increasingly constrain the viability of diversified farming systems. Here, we present a conceptual framework to identify novel processes that promote the emergence and sustainability of diversified farming systems, using three real-world examples where farming communities have found pathways to diversification despite major structural constraints. By applying our framework to analyze these bright spots in the United States, Brazil, and Malawi, we identify two distinct pathways—network and institutional—to diversification. These pathways emerge through alignment of factors related to social and ecological structure (policies, institutions, and environmental conditions) and agency (values, collective action, and management decisions). We find that, when network and institutional pathways operate in tandem, the potential to scale up diversification across farms and landscapes increases substantially.

Background Malnutrition (i.e., protein-energy malnutrition) in older adults has severe negative clinical consequences, emphasizing the need for effective treatments. Many, often small, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for the treatment of malnutrition showed mixed results and a need for meta-analyses and data pooling has been expressed. However, evidence synthesis is hampered by the wide variety of outcomes and their method of assessment in previous RCTs. This paper describes the protocol for developing a Core Outcome Set (COS) for nutritional intervention studies in older adults with malnutrition and those at risk. Methods The project consists of five phases. The first phase consists of a scoping review to identify frequently used outcomes in published RCTs and select additional patient-reported outcomes. The second phase includes a modified Delphi Survey involving experienced researchers and health care professionals working in the field of malnutrition in older adults, followed by the third phase consisting of a consensus meeting to discuss and agree what critical outcomes need to be included in the COS. The fourth phase will determine how each COS outcome should be measured based on a systematic literature review and a second consensus meeting. This will be followed by a dissemination and implementation phase. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) representatives will contribute to study design, oversight, consensus, and dissemination. Conclusions The result of this project is a COS that should be included in any RCT evaluating the effect of nutritional interventions in older adults with malnutrition and those at risk. This COS will facilitate comparison of RCT results, will increase efficient use of research resources and will reduce bias due to measurement of the outcome and publication bias. Ultimately, the COS will support clinical decision making by identifying the most effective approaches for treating and preventing malnutrition in older adults.

Emulsions are implemented in the fabrication of a wide array of foods and therefore are of great importance in food science. However, the application of emulsions in food production is restricted by two main obstacles, that is, physical and oxidative stability. The former has been comprehensively reviewed somewhere else, but our literature review indicated that there is a prominent ground for reviewing the latter across all kinds of emulsions. Therefore, the present study was formulated in order to review oxidation and oxidative stability in emulsions. In doing so, different measures to render oxidative stability to emulsions are reviewed after introducing lipid oxidation reactions and methods to measure lipid oxidation. These strategies are scrutinized in four main categories, namely storage conditions, emulsifiers, optimization of production methods, and antioxidants. Afterward, oxidation in all types of emulsions, including conventional ones (oil-in-water and water-in-oil) and uncommon emulsions in food production (oil-in-oil), is reviewed. Furthermore, the oxidation and oxidative stability of multiple emulsions, nanoemulsions, and Pickering emulsions are taken into account. Finally, oxidative processes across different parent and food emulsions were explained taking a comparative approach.

Mechanical separation of anaerobic digestate has been identified as a method to reduce pollution risk to waterways by partitioning phosphorus in the solid fraction and reducing its application to land. Separators have adjustable parameters which affect separation efficiency, and hence the degree of phosphorous partitioning, but information on how these parameters affect separation performance is limited in the literature. Two well known technologies were investigated, decanter centrifuge and screw press, to determine the most efficient method of separation. Counterweight load and the use of an oscillator were adjusted for the screw press, while bowl speed, auger differential speed, feed rate and polymer addition were modified for the decanter centrifuge. Separation efficiency was determined for total solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and carbon, and the total solids content of resulting fractions was measured. The decanter centrifuge had higher separation efficiency for phosphorus in all cases, ranging from 51% to 71.5%, while the screw press had a phosphorus separation efficiency ranging from 8.5% to 10.9% for digestate of ∼5% solids (slurry/grass silage mix). Separation by decanter centrifuge partitioned up to 56% of nitrogen in the solid fraction leaving a reduced nitrogen content in the liquid fraction available for land spreading; this nitrogen would most likely need to be replaced by chemical fertiliser which would add to the cost of the system. The decanter centrifuge is better suited to cases where phosphorus recovery is the most important factor, while the screw press could be advantageous in cases where cost is a limiting factor.

Listeria monocytogenes is an ubiquitously occurring foodborne bacterial pathogen known to contaminate foods during the production processes. To assess the presence and persistence of L. monocytogenes in Danish ready-to-eat (RTE) food production companies in response to a Listeria awareness campaign, the production environment of selected companies were sampled in 2016 and in 2020. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to characterize the isolates (n = 50, plus 35 isolates obtained from the routine surveillance during 2016–2020), including investigation of the presence of virulence, persistence and resistance genes. The number of companies that tested positive by culture was 17/39 (43.6%) in 2016 and 11/34 (32.4%) in 2020, indicating a limited effect of the campaign. WGS analyses of the 85 isolates showed that the most common sequence types (STs) were ST8 and ST121. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis showed that isolates coming from the same company and belonging to the same ST exhibited L. monocytogenes in the food production environment and the need for improved risk communication and mitigation strategies.

Organic agriculture and organic food have expanded in recent decades but have undergone conventionalisation. Some claim that this contradicts some or all of the principles of ‘health’, ‘ecology’, ‘fairness’ and ‘care’ established by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM). It is currently unclear how research on organic food/agriculture is structured, whether it embraces these principles, or how key crop diversification, driving sustainability, are addressed. To fill these knowledge gaps, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 10,030 peer-reviewed articles published from 1945 to 2021 with topic and textual analysis. Our main findings were the following: (1) research is compartmentalised into scales and disciplines, with at field-scale ‘weed’, ‘soil’, ‘pest and disease’ management and ‘livestock farming’ seldom addressed together, or with environmental assessment separated from socioeconomic studies at farm scale. (2) The proportion of publications on ‘consumers’ preferences’ and ‘product quality’ research almost tripled in 20 years, from 10 to 27%, emphasizing the consumer orientation of research on organic agriculture and organic food. (3) Only 4% of articles covered all four IFOAM principles, while associated values such as ‘resilience’, ‘integrity’, ‘equity’, ‘transparency’ and ‘justice’ were even less frequently addressed. (4) Fewer diversification practices have been tested in organic than in conventional agriculture research, with fewer articles on ‘crop mixtures’ or ‘bee-friendly crops’ and a smaller range of legumes considered. (5) Research on genetic improvement and processing of organic legumes is lacking, which could constrain adoption of legumes in organic farming even more than in conventional agriculture. These results indicate a need for increasing interdisciplinary efforts at field level, with systematic measurement of multiple processes (weed-nutrient-pest dynamics). Future studies on organic agriculture should combine several diversification practices and legumes, with relevant indicators addressing the IFOAM values explicitly, and consider the whole value chain by linking producers with consumers.

Organic agriculture and organic food have expanded in recent decades but have undergone conventionalisation. Some claim that this contradicts some or all of the principles of ‘health’, ‘ecology’, ‘fairness’ and ‘care’ established by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM). It is currently unclear how research on organic food/agriculture is structured, whether it embraces these principles, or how key crop diversification, driving sustainability, are addressed. To fill these knowledge gaps, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 10,030 peer-reviewed articles published from 1945 to 2021 with topic and textual analysis. Our main findings were the following: (1) research is compartmentalised into scales and disciplines, with at field-scale ‘weed’, ‘soil’, ‘pest and disease’ management and ‘livestock farming’ seldom addressed together, or with environmental assessment separated from socioeconomic studies at farm scale. (2) The proportion of publications on ‘consumers’ preferences’ and ‘product quality’ research almost tripled in 20 years, from 10 to 27%, emphasizing the consumer orientation of research on organic agriculture and organic food. (3) Only 4% of articles covered all four IFOAM principles, while associated values such as ‘resilience’, ‘integrity’, ‘equity’, ‘transparency’ and ‘justice’ were even less frequently addressed. (4) Fewer diversification practices have been tested in organic than in conventional agriculture research, with fewer articles on ‘crop mixtures’ or ‘bee-friendly crops’ and a smaller range of legumes considered. (5) Research on genetic improvement and processing of organic legumes is lacking, which could constrain adoption of legumes in organic farming even more than in conventional agriculture. These results indicate a need for increasing interdisciplinary efforts at field level, with systematic measurement of multiple processes (weed-nutrient-pest dynamics). Future studies on organic agriculture should combine several diversification practices and legumes, with relevant indicators addressing the IFOAM values explicitly, and consider the whole value chain by linking producers with consumers.

Background: No global consensus exists on diagnostic criteria for malnutrition. Muscular deficits and functional impairments are major components of available malnutrition diagnostic frameworks because these facets of nutrition status significantly impact outcomes. The purpose of this review is to explore which body composition assessment (BCA) and functional status assessment (FSA) tools are being used for nutrition assessment (NA) and monitoring the response to nutrition interventions (RNIs) in adult inpatients. Methods: A literature search of Embase, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, and Cochrane Central was performed to identify studies that used BCA and/or FSA tools for NA (along with an accepted NA diagnostic framework) and/or for monitoring RNI in adult inpatients. Results: The search yielded 3667 articles; 94 were included in the review. The number of studies using BCA and/or FSA tools for NA was 47 and also 47 for monitoring RNI. Seventy-nine percent of studies used bioimpedance for BCA, and 97% that included FSA utilized handgrip strength. When compared against sets of diagnostic criteria, many of the BCA and FSA tools showed promising associations with nutrition status. Conclusion: Bioimpedance methods are the most widely used bedside BCA tools, and handgrip strength is the most widely used FSA tool; however, these methods are being used with a variety of protocols, algorithms, and interpretation practices in heterogeneous populations. To create a standardized nutrition status assessment process there is a need for validation studies on bedside methods and the development of globally standardized assessment protocols in clinical inpatient settings.

Coevolution has driven speciation and evolutionary novelty in functional traits across the Tree of Life. Classic coevolutionary syndromes such as plant–pollinator, plant–herbivore, and host–parasite have focused strongly on the fitness consequences during the lifetime of the interacting partners. Less is known about the consequences of coevolved traits for ecosystem-level processes, in particular their 'afterlife' legacies for litter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and the functional ecology of decomposers. We review the mechanisms by which traits resulting from coevolution between plants and their consumers, microbial symbionts, or humans, and between microbial decomposers and invertebrates, drive plant litter decomposition pathways and rates. This supports the idea that much of current global variation in the decomposition of plant material is a legacy of coevolution.

Parasitoid wasps are important components of insect food chains and have played a central role in biological control programs for over a century. Although the vast majority of parasitoids exploit insect herbivores as hosts, others parasitize predatory insects and arthropods, such as ladybird beetles, hoverflies, lacewings, ground beetles, and spiders, or are hyperparasitoids. Much of the research on the biology and ecology of parasitoids of predators has focused on ladybird beetles, whose parasitoids may interfere with the control of insect pests like aphids by reducing ladybird abundance. Alternatively, parasitoids of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis may reduce its harmful impact on native ladybird populations. Different life stages of predatory insects and spiders are susceptible to parasitism to different degrees. Many parasitoids of predators exhibit intricate physiological interrelationships with their hosts, adaptively manipulating host behavior, biology, and ecology in ways that increase parasitoid survival and fitness.

System modelling of sewage sludge (SS) treatment attracts a growing interest for better comparison and optimisation of technologies. However, SS parameters need to be generalised to be used in holistic assessments, since scattered data may inhibit the development and interpretation of system models. A review of the literature on SS parameters relevant to modelling SS treatment systems revealed 208 datasets published in 162 publicly available scientific papers. We treated thickened and dewatered sludge in the same data analysis, but in some cases, this was an incorrect assumption. The compositional data showed significant variations, but most of the data subscribed to a lognormal distribution, albeit with varying levels of significance. On average, the thickened sludge contained 3.3 ± 1.7% total solid (TS), and the dewatered sludge contained 21.0 ± 6.7% TS. For the combined data, the average Ash content was 32.4 ± 11.8% of TS. Other characteristic parameters were the lower heating value (LHV) of 22.1 ± 2.1 MJ kg−1 volatile solid (VS) and the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of 0.25 ± 0.11 m3 CH4 kg−1 VS. Fertiliser-related elements were on average 53.3 ± 9.3% C in VS, 6.8 ± 2.2% N in VS, 6.7 ± 2.4% P in Ash and 1.7 ± 1.3% K in Ash. The data reviewed herein provide a good basis for assessing the generality of individual SS data and for selecting key parameters for modelling SS treatment systems. However, the review reveals a need for the better characterisation of SS in the future.

Background: No global consensus exists on diagnostic criteria for malnutrition. Muscular deficits and functional impairments are major components of available malnutrition diagnostic frameworks because these facets of nutrition status significantly impact outcomes. The purpose of this review is to explore which body composition assessment (BCA) and functional status assessment (FSA) tools are being used for nutrition assessment (NA) and monitoring the response to nutrition interventions (RNIs) in adult inpatients. Methods: A literature search of Embase, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, and Cochrane Central was performed to identify studies that used BCA and/or FSA tools for NA (along with an accepted NA diagnostic framework) and/or for monitoring RNI in adult inpatients. Results: The search yielded 3667 articles; 94 were included in the review. The number of studies using BCA and/or FSA tools for NA was 47 and also 47 for monitoring RNI. Seventy-nine percent of studies used bioimpedance for BCA, and 97% that included FSA utilized handgrip strength. When compared against sets of diagnostic criteria, many of the BCA and FSA tools showed promising associations with nutrition status. Conclusion: Bioimpedance methods are the most widely used bedside BCA tools, and handgrip strength is the most widely used FSA tool; however, these methods are being used with a variety of protocols, algorithms, and interpretation practices in heterogeneous populations. To create a standardized nutrition status assessment process there is a need for validation studies on bedside methods and the development of globally standardized assessment protocols in clinical inpatient settings.

Recent advances in food insecurity classification have made analytical approaches to predict and inform response to food crises possible. This paper develops a predictive, statistical framework to identify drivers of food insecurity risk with simulation capabilities for scenario analyses, risk assessment and forecasting purposes. It utilizes a panel vector-autoregression to model food insecurity distributions of 15 countries between October 2009 and February 2019. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods are employed to identify the most important agronomic, weather, conflict and economic variables. The paper finds that food insecurity dynamics are asymmetric and past-dependent, with low insecurity states more likely to transition to high insecurity states than vice versa. Conflict variables are more relevant for highly critical states, while agronomic and weather variables are more important for less critical states. Food prices are predictive for all cases. A Bayesian extension is introduced to incorporate expert opinions through the use of priors, which can lead to significant improvements in model performance.

Worldwide, over 250 million children under 5 years do not reach their developmental potential due to several causes, including malnutrition. In Cambodia, the prevalence of stunting and wasting among children remains high. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess acquisition of motor and cognitive developmental milestones in early childhood and their associations with stunting and wasting. Children aged from 0 to 24 months were recruited from three provinces in Cambodia and followed up to seven times from March 2016 to June 2019, until their 5 years. Data collection included anthropometry and developmental milestones. Seven motor and seven cognitive milestones were evaluated using the Cambodian Development Milestone Assessment Tool. Associations were assessed with parametric survival models. Hazard ratios (HR) below 1 stood for lower probabilities for achieving developmental milestones. Data were available for 7394 children. At 12 months, the prevalence of stunting and wasting were 23.7% and 9.6% respectively. Both were consistently associated with delays in most motor and cognitive milestones. Stunting was strongly associated with delays in gross motor milestones (HR < 0.85; p < 0.001). Wasting was more strongly associated with delays in fine motor development and most cognitive milestones (HR < 0.75; p < 0.001). Promoting nutritional programs in the first 1000 days to prevent malnutrition is essential to further the optimal growth and motor and cognitive development of Cambodian children.

While land registration may increase the sense of security amongst landholders and provide a mechanism for resolving boundary disputes, its interaction with social, political-economic and ecological dynamics can actually generate conflicts by creating new opportunities by which some actors can assert claims or expand their landholdings, often at the expense of others. Conflicts over land cannot be understood without understanding the local dynamics with which they are intertwined. Drawing from case studies in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, this paper shows that, despite land registration and certification, there are widespread conflicts within and between households and state authorities regarding the usufruct of individual and communal lands. The paper argues that conflicts over land are complex and political and are linked to and embedded in the processes of commercialization, as well as in local social processes and power relations. These, in turn, influence and are shaped by the political economy of local governance and land administration processes, particularly in relation to the implementation of land registration. The paper highlights that land conflicts are attributed to a range of issues, including not only the challenges of governance in land registration but also population growth, commercialization, urbanization, inheritance and gender inequality, all of which intersect with corrupt land administration systems.

Delivering care that meets patients’ preferences, needs and values, and that is safe and effective is key to good-quality healthcare. Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) has profound effects on patients and families, but often what matters to patients is not captured in the research, where the focus is often on measuring the adverse clinical and economic consequences of DRM. Differences in the terminology used to describe care that meets patients’ preferences, needs and values confounds the problem. Individualised nutritional care (INC) is nutritional care that is tailored to a patient’s specific needs, preferences, values and goals. Four key pillars underpin INC: what matters to patients, shared decision making, evidence informed multi-modal nutritional care and effective monitoring of outcomes. Although INC is incorporated in nutrition guidelines and studies of oral nutritional intervention for DRM in adults, the descriptions and the degree to which it is included varies. Studies in specific patient groups show that INC improves health outcomes. The nutrition care process (NCP) offers a practical model to help healthcare professionals individualise nutritional care. The model can be used by all healthcare disciplines across all healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary team approaches provide nutritional care that delivers on what matters to patients, without increased resources and can be adapted to include INC. This review is of relevance to all involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of nutritional care for all patients, regardless of whether they need first-line nutritional care or complex, highly specialised nutritional care.

High-resolution (HR) visual imaging and spectral imaging are common computer vision-based techniques used for food quality analysis and/or authentication based on the interaction of light and material surface and/or composition. The particle size of ground spices is an important morphological feature that affects the physico-chemical properties of food products containing such particles. This study aimed to interpret the impact of particle size of ground spice on its HR visual profile and spectral imaging profile using ginger powder as a representative spice powder model. The results revealed an increase in the light reflection with the decrease of particle size of ginger powder, which was manifested by the lighter colour (higher percentage of the colour code with lighter yellow colour) of the HR visual image and stronger reflection with spectral imaging. The study also revealed that, in spectral imaging, the influence of the particle size of ginger powder increased with rising wavelengths. Finally, the results indicated a relationship between spectral wavelengths, ginger particle size, and other natural variables of the products which might be generated from cultivation to processing. Ultimately, the impact of natural variables arising during the food production process on the physico-chemical properties of the product should be fully considered or even additionally evaluated prior to the application of specific food quality and/or authentication analytical techniques.

Funding: Matthias Waibel was funded by the University of Galway College of Science and the Irish Research Council under GOIPG/2016/1215. The James Hutton Institute receives funding support from the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government. Open access funding provided by IReL. Soil organic matter (SOM) is biologically, chemically, and physically complex. As a major store of nutrients within soil, it plays an important role in nutrient provision to plants. An enhanced understanding of SOM utilisation processes could underpin better fertiliser management for plant growth, with reduced environmental losses. Metaproteomics can allow the characterisation of protein profiles and could help gaining insights into SOM microbial decomposition mechanisms. Here, we applied three different extraction methods to two soil types to recover SOM with different characteristics. Specifically, water extractable organic matter, mineral associated organic matter and protein-bound organic matter were targeted with the aim to investigate the metaproteome enriched in those extractions. As a proof-of-concept replicated extracts from one soil were further analysed for peptide identification using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry. We employ a framework for mining mass spectra for both peptide assignment and fragmentation pattern characterisation. Different extracts were found to exhibit contrasting total protein and humic substance content for the two soils investigated. Overall, water extracts displayed the lowest humic substance content (in both soils) and the highest number of peptide identifications (in the soil investigated) with most frequent peptide hits associated with diverse substrate/ligand binding proteins of Proteobacteria and derived taxa. Our framework also highlighted a strong peptidic signal in unassigned and unmatched spectra, information that is currently not captured by the pipelines employed in this study. Taken together, this work points to specific areas for optimisation in chromatography and mass spectrometry to adequately characterise SOM associated metaproteomes. Publisher PDF

The expected increase in global food demand, as a consequence of a rising and wealthier world population, and an awareness of the limits and drawbacks of modern agriculture, has resulted in a growing attention to the potential of the seas and oceans to produce more food. The capture production of presently exploited marine fish stocks and other species has more or less reached its maximum and can only be slightly improved by better management. This leaves four alternative options open to increase marine food production: (1) manipulating the entire food web structure via removal of high trophic level species to allow an increasing exploitation of low trophic level species, (2) harvesting so far unexploited stocks, such as various fish species from the mesopelagic zone of the ocean or the larger zooplankton species from polar regions, (3) low-trophic mariculture of seaweeds and herbivorous animals, and (4) restoration of impoverished coastal ecosystems or artificially increasing productivity by ecological engineering. In this paper, we discuss these four options and pay attention to missing scientific knowledge needed to assess their sustainability. To assess sustainability, it is a prerequisite to establish robust definitions and assessments of the biological carrying capacity of the systems, but it is also necessary to evaluate broader socio-economic and governance sustainability.

Food industry aims to develop novel protein-based emulsifiers from sustainable sources (e.g. plants, seaweed/microalgae, microbial, and insects) to satisfy the clean-label demand by consumers. Enzymatic hydrolysis releases peptides with enhanced surface properties compared with the parent alternative proteins. Traditionally, a trial-and-error top-down approach, which requires extensive costs in screening analyses, has been carried out to produce emulsifying peptides. This review presents the recent advances in a novel and fundamentally orthogonal bottom-up strategy, facilitated by quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic functional prediction, to produce emulsifying peptides by targeted enzymatic hydrolysis based on in silico proteolysis. Moreover, new insights on the relation between interfacial properties of peptides and emulsifying activity, as well as impact on stability of wet and dried emulsions, are discussed., Innovation Fund Denmark (Grant nr: 7045-00021B, PROVIDE project)

Poverty and poor mental health are closely linked. Cash transfers have significantly expanded globally. Given their objectives around poverty reduction and improving food security, a major chronic stressor in Africa, cash transfers may affect mental health outcomes. We examine impacts of three large-scale government cash transfer or cash plus programs in Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania on self-perceived stress using an innovative, newly adapted measure for rural African settings. Linear regression models were used to estimate treatment impacts. We find that cash transfers reduced self-perceived stress in Malawi, but programs in Ghana and Tanzania had no impacts on self-perceived stress. These mixed findings, combined with recent reviews on cash transfers and mental health, suggest that cash transfers may play a role in improving mental health. However, cash alone may not be sufficient to overcome many challenges related to poverty, and complementary programming may also be needed to improve mental health.

Funding Information: This work was funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the scope of Raquel Saraiva’s PhD grant 2020.06559.BD, project PTDC/CTM-REF/2679/2020, UIDB/04462/2020, and under the UIDB/04129/2020 project LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Unit. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Agriculture is considered a significant climate change (CC) driver due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the loss of fertilizers that contribute to water eutrophication. On the other hand, climate change effects are already impacting agriculture, endangering food security. This paper explores the dichotomies of the effects of agriculture on CC as well as of CC on agriculture, focusing on the contribution that nanofertilizers can bring to this complex system in both directions. The strategies to reduce CC while adapting and mitigating its effects must be a global effort. It is not possible to focus only on the reduction in GHG emissions to stop the effects that are already being felt worldwide. Nanofertilizers, especially slow- and controlled-release nanofertilizers, can reduce the nutrient input and also boost productivity while mitigating some CC effects, such as soil nutrient imbalance and agricultural emissions. As so, this review highlights the benefits of nanofertilizers and their role as a part of the strategy to reduce the reach of CC and mitigate its ever-growing effects, and presents some guidelines for the increased use of these materials in order to enhance their efficacy in this strategy. publishersversion published

Dairy and probiotics are examples of products that contain ingredients that provide health benefits beyond the basic nutritional components of the food itself. However, strong evidence based on randomised controlled trials is generally lacking, which in turn leads to weak guidelines and recommendations for clinical practice. Interestingly, despite the limited regulation of probiotics, for example, a significant proportion of healthcare professionals still recommend these products. We set out studying the advising behaviour of general practitioners (GPs) and dieticians and their underlying motivations whether to advise probiotics, a relatively new intervention, and dairy, an older intervention by conducting interviews and setting out a questionnaire. This study found that the vast majority of GPs and dieticians recommended dairy and probiotics. The proportion of dieticians that do not advise both dairy and probiotics was too small for statistical analysis, therefore, the results are mainly focused on GPs. Considerations that appeared to be associated with GP advising behaviour were related to compliance with protocols and guidelines in regard to both dairy and probiotics. For probiotics in particular, GPs' knowledge and patients' interest in using probiotics was related to advising behaviour of GPs. Considerations solely related to recommending dairy were related to GPs' perceptions about the amount of evidence of dairy efficacy and the recommendation of dairy in scientific journals. The study highlights the influence of authority-driven, expertise-driven and patient-driven considerations on whether or not to proceed with recommending an intervention. Insights into the drivers of GPs to advise, gives input to stakeholders in the nutrition innovation system to understand and allow to use appropriate tools to support GPs in making an informed decision to increase the quality of care provided.

Globally, of all mycotoxins, aflatoxins present a significant threat to human and animal health and has resulted in the introduction of strict food regulatory limits to protect public health. A systematic review, was performed to elucidate the rationale applied in establishing aflatoxin standards and evaluate the economic impacts of these. The focus was peanuts, a principal trading commodity susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. Results revealed that although regulations are established in many countries, there is huge disparity in the maximum limits applied due to different methodologies used when considering exposure assessment. Moreover, in countries most affected by aflatoxin contamination in peanuts, few, if any standards exist. In the case of risk assessments, knowledge gaps identified include the impact of climate change on peanut aflatoxin contamination, the role of aflatoxins in child stunting, Kwashiorkor and immunomodulation and a lack of occurrence and exposure data in many developing countries from contaminated peanuts. Few quantitative studies evaluating the impact of aflatoxin regulations on trade exist and evidence is lacking in terms of what happens to exports that do not meet regulatory requirements. Evidence does suggest a lack of knowledge of the extent of the aflatoxin problem, associated health risks and mitigation strategies in developing countries. A hugely important factor that needs to be highlighted is that while there is a fundamental right for sufficient, safe, nutritious food, in many cases in low-income and lower middle-income countries there exists an incredibly difficult and complex trade-off between food security and food safety.

Eco-schemes are set to play an important role in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2022 for the delivery of environmental and climate benefits and enhanced animal welfare. This article surveys current plans for the design of eco-schemes in fifteen European Union Member States. The number of eco-scheme measures to be offered per country varies between 3 and 21, and the complexity and level of ambition of the individual measures are quite heterogeneous. The majority of the proposed eco-scheme measures either build upon components from greening obligations or stem from agri-environmental and climate schemes currently offered under Pillar 2. All fifteen Member States address Green Deal targets, with particular emphasis being given to biodiversity enhancement and non-productive land. Eight of the countries surveyed are planning to provide support for organic farming through an eco-scheme. The greater creative freedom offered by the CAP’s New Delivery Model has resulted in a situation where similar measures are programmed as eco-schemes in some countries and as Pillar 2 measures in others. By adding yet another policy instrument to the CAP’s toolbox, the complexity of the CAP is vastly increased. It remains to be seen how farmers will respond.

Eco-schemes are set to play an important role in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2022 for the delivery of environmental and climate benefits and enhanced animal welfare. This article surveys current plans for the design of eco-schemes in fifteen European Union Member States. The number of eco-scheme measures to be offered per country varies between 3 and 21, and the complexity and level of ambition of the individual measures are quite heterogeneous. The majority of the proposed eco-scheme measures either build upon components from greening obligations or stem from agri-environmental and climate schemes currently offered under Pillar 2. All fifteen Member States address Green Deal targets, with particular emphasis being given to biodiversity enhancement and non-productive land. Eight of the countries surveyed are planning to provide support for organic farming through an eco-scheme. The greater creative freedom offered by the CAP’s New Delivery Model has resulted in a situation where similar measures are programmed as eco-schemes in some countries and as Pillar 2 measures in others. By adding yet another policy instrument to the CAP’s toolbox, the complexity of the CAP is vastly increased. It remains to be seen how farmers will respond. Dans la politique agricole commune (PAC) de l’Union européenne après 2022, les éco- régimes sont appelés à jouer un rôle important pour la fourniture d’avantages environnementaux et climatiques et l’amélioration du bien-être animal. Cet article passe en revue les projets actuels de conception d’éco-régimes dans quinze États membres de l’Union européenne. Le nombre de mesures d’éco-régimes à proposer par pays varie entre 3 et 21, et la complexité et le niveau d’ambition des mesures individuelles sont assez hétérogènes. La majorité des mesures d’éco- régimes proposées s’appuient sur des éléments des obligations de verdissement ou découlent de mesures agro-environnementales et climatiques actuellement proposées dans le cadre du pilier 2. Les quinze États membres répondent aux objectifs du Pacte vert, un accent particulier étant mis sur l’amélioration de la biodiversité et le foncier non-productif. Les quinze États membres répondent aux objectifs du Pacte vert, un accent particulier étant mis sur l’amélioration de la biodiversité et les terres non productives. Huit des pays étudiés envisagent de soutenir l’agriculture biologique par le biais d’un éco- régime. La plus grande liberté créative offerte par le nouveau modèle de mise en œuvre de la PAC a abouti à une situation où des mesures similaires sont programmées en tant qu’éco-régimes dans certains pays et en tant que mesures du Pilier 2 dans d’autres. En ajoutant encore un autre instrument de politique à la boîte à outils de la PAC, la complexité de cette dernière est considérablement accrue. Reste à savoir comment réagiront les agriculteurs. Eco-Schemes werden in der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) der Europäischen Union nach 2022 eine wichtige Rolle spielen, wenn es darum geht, einen Nutzen für Umwelt und Klima zu erzielen und den Tierschutz zu verbessern. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die aktuellen Pläne für die Ausgestaltung der Eco-Schemes in fünfzehn Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union. Die Anzahl der Maßnahmen, die in einem Land angeboten werden sollen, schwankt zwischen 3 und 21. Hierbei sind die Komplexität und Zielsetzung der einzelnen Maßnahmen recht heterogen. Die meisten der vorgeschlagenen Eco- Schemes bauen entweder auf Komponenten von Greening- Verpflichtungen auf oder stammen aus Agrarumwelt- und Klimaregelungen, die derzeit im Rahmen der zweiten Säule angeboten werden. Alle fünfzehn Mitgliedstaaten befassen sich mit den Zielen des Green Deals, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf der Förderung der biologischen Vielfalt und der nicht produktiven Flächen liegt. Acht der untersuchten Länder planen, den ökologischen Landbau durch ein Eco-Scheme zu unterstützen. Die größere kreative Freiheit, die das neue GAP-Modell bietet, hat dazu geführt, dass ähnliche Maßnahmen in einigen Ländern als Eco-Scheme und in anderen als Maßnahmen der zweiten Säule definiert werden. Durch das Hinzufügen eines weiteren Politikinstruments zum Portfolio der GAP wird die Komplexität der GAP erheblich größer. Es bleibt abzuwarten, wie die Landwirte und Landwirtinnen darauf reagieren werden.

Purpose To conduct a scoping review to provide a systematic overview of outcomes used in nutritional intervention studies focused on the treatment of protein-energy malnutrition in older adults. Methods A systematic search of four electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published until March 9, 2020, that evaluated the effect of nutritional interventions to treat protein-energy malnutrition in older adults and those at risk for malnutrition. Two authors screened titles, abstracts and full texts independently. One author extracted data that were cross-checked by another author. Results Sixty-three articles reporting 60 RCTs were identified. Most frequently used outcomes included body weight/body mass index (75.0% of RCTs), dietary intake (61.7%), functional limitations (48.3%), handgrip strength (46.7%), and body circumference (40.0%). The frequencies differed by setting (community, hospital and long-term care). For some outcomes there was a preferred assessment method (e.g., Barthel index for functional limitations), while for other outcomes (e.g., functional performance) a much greater variation was observed. Conclusion A large variation in outcomes, not only across but also within settings, was identified in nutritional intervention studies in malnourished older adults and those at risk. Furthermore, for many outcomes there was a large variation in the used assessment method. These results highlight the need for developing a Core Outcome Set for malnutrition intervention studies in older adults to facilitate future meta-analyses that may enhance our understanding on the effectiveness of treatment.

A dynamic market for farmland transactions can contribute to an increase in average farm size and to realising economies of scale in farming. China, with more than 200 million small and fragmented farms, has launched a new wave of land tenure reforms that foster land transfers to increase farm size and to improve agricultural efficiency. However, the factors that influence farmland transactions are far from clear. We aim to understand farmland rental determinants in response to a pilot land reform project in China's south-west Sichuan Province. We collected survey data from 410 farm households and used boosted regression trees to quantify the determinants of the land rentals. Our analyses provide three key findings. First, households with more plots equipped with irrigation infrastructure and closer distances to the nearest town were more likely to rent out land. Second, households rented out a larger share of their land when they had more irrigation infrastructure and lived close to Chengdu, the province capital. Third, the land reform pilot provided a modest but positive stimulus for land rentals. In sum, our results suggest that the supply and demand for land crucially hinges upon plot location and plot infrastructure.

Purpose: To conduct a scoping review to provide a systematic overview of outcomes used in nutritional intervention studies focused on the treatment of protein-energy malnutrition in older adults. Methods: A systematic search of four electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published until March 9, 2020, that evaluated the effect of nutritional interventions to treat protein-energy malnutrition in older adults and those at risk for malnutrition. Two authors screened titles, abstracts and full texts independently. One author extracted data that were cross-checked by another author. Results: Sixty-three articles reporting 60 RCTs were identified. Most frequently used outcomes included body weight/body mass index (75.0% of RCTs), dietary intake (61.7%), functional limitations (48.3%), handgrip strength (46.7%), and body circumference (40.0%). The frequencies differed by setting (community, hospital and long-term care). For some outcomes there was a preferred assessment method (e.g., Barthel index for functional limitations), while for other outcomes (e.g., functional performance) a much greater variation was observed. Conclusion: A large variation in outcomes, not only across but also within settings, was identified in nutritional intervention studies in malnourished older adults and those at risk. Furthermore, for many outcomes there was a large variation in the used assessment method. These results highlight the need for developing a Core Outcome Set for malnutrition intervention studies in older adults to facilitate future meta-analyses that may enhance our understanding on the effectiveness of treatment.

Background: Older adults are particularly prone to the development of poor appetite and undernutrition. Possibly, this is partly due to the aged gut microbiota. We aimed to evaluate the gut microbiota in relation to both poor appetite and undernutrition in community-dwelling older adults. Furthermore, we studied the causal effects of the microbiota on body weight and body composition by transferring faecal microbiota from cohort participants into germ-free mice. Methods: First, we conducted a cross-sectional cohort study of 358 well-phenotyped Dutch community-dwelling older adults from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Data collection included body measurements, a faecal and blood sample, as well as extensive questionnaires on appetite, dietary intake, and nutritional status. Appetite was assessed by the Council of Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) and undernutrition was defined by either a low body mass index (BMI) (BMI 2 if 2 if ≥70 years) or >5% body weight loss averaged over the last 2 years. Gut microbiota composition was determined with 16S rRNA sequencing. Next, we transferred faecal microbiota from 12 cohort participants with and without low BMI or recent weight loss into a total of 41 germ-free mice to study the potential causal effects of the gut microbiota on host BMI and body composition. Results: The mean age (range) of our cohort was 73 (65–93); 58.4% was male. Seventy-seven participants were undernourished and 21 participants had poor appetite (CNAQ

We use newly collected individual-level hunger recall information from the China Family Panel Survey to estimate the causal effect of undernourishment on later-life health. We develop a Two-Sample Instrumental Variable (TSIV) estimator that can deal with heterogeneous samples. We find a non-linear relationship between mortality rates, a commonly used famine indicator, and the individual hunger experience. The nonlinearity in famine exposure may explain the variation in the famine's effect on later life health found in previous studies. We also find that exposure to famine-induced hunger early in life leads to worse health among females fifty years later. This effect is much larger than the reduced-form effect found in previous studies. For males, we find no impact.