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Abstract Background An estimated 140 million people in Africa face acute malnutrition. By impacting agricultural production, climate change is likely to further decrease food consumption, particularly in sub-Saharan African states. Against this backdrop, various actors have called for more attention to alternative farming and food systems based on traditional agricultural knowledge capable of ensuring access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food. So far, however, we have limited systematic evidence on which traditional agricultural practices may promote the food resilience of households exposed to extreme climatic conditions. Focusing on the most prevalent traditional diversification practices in Tanzania, this study assesses the extent to which crop diversification, annual crop intercropping, crop-tree intercropping, crop-livestock integration, and the cultivation of traditional crops increase the food availability and dietary diversity of smallholders facing extreme weather events in Tanzania. Methods We combine temperature and rain data with information on farming practices and food consumption information provided by the Living Standards Measurement Study–Integrated Surveys on Agriculture for more than 25,000 Tanzanian households nationwide. We rely on a matched differences-in-differences approach to account for selection bias and allow for causal inference. Results Our matching models consistently show that the planting of traditional crops (in particular sorghum) promotes dietary diversity and reduces the need for food rationing in households experiencing climate shocks. In contrast, households relying on maize cultivation show less dietary diversity and increased food rationing behavior. In addition, we find that—under extreme weather conditions—crop diversification furthers households’ dietary diversity, and crop-livestock integration, as well as crop-tree intercropping, seem to reduce households’ need to ration food. Conclusion and policy recommendation This study has important implications for policymakers. In light of climate change and weather variability, it underscores the need to better integrate indigenous knowledge into farming systems. Our results call for greater dissemination of traditional diversification strategies and more reliance on indigenous, drought-tolerant crops. Traditional farming practices can function as a safety net, protecting smallholders in Tanzania against the detrimental consequences of weather shocks.

Agriculture is crucial in guaranteeing food security all over the world. Essentially, farmers play a significant role in food security. Producing improved crop varieties is one of the ways to increase sustainable crop productivity. Farmers in Malaysia, in particular small-scale farmers, are still practicing and relying on some traditional agricultural practices. In order to protect new varieties of crops and plants, there exists some legislation vis-a-vis intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the field of agriculture. Patents and plant breeders’ rights, for instance, bring with them some legal implications towards farmers. This paper aims to examine the existing legislation governing farmer rights in Malaysia, focusing on the relevant provisions of the Protection of New Plant Variety Act 2004 (PNPVA). The research also dwells on current issues pertaining to PNPVA’s implementation and the ongoing proposed amendment. The research has employed doctrinal analysis in its investigation and analysis, which has been based on the available data and materials, supported with input collected from an interview with the Department of Agriculture (DOA). The study has found that the concept of farmer rights should not be jeopardized amidst the Government’s commitment in harmonizing the law with the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), while optimizing the access of Malaysian farmers to new crop varieties and plant technologies. The present study has also come to the conclusion that the Government must balance the protection afforded to plant breeders with that granted to the local farming community in Malaysia.

Terraced landscapes are characterized by many features but are also threatened by abandonment, with the loss of the historical landscape and increased hydrogeological risk. In this research, we developed an innovative integrated approach using expert-based assessment and evaluation of winegrowers' perceptions to investigate the coevolution between terraced landscapes and rural communities. The aims were as follows: (i) to identify the historical landscape elements, (ii) to identify the landscape dynamics, and (iii) to analyze winegrowers' perceptions about the historical landscape elements and future development prospects. The methodology was applied to a terraced vineyard landscape (545 ha) located in Piedmont (Italy). The expert-based assessment included historical analyses and field surveys. To evaluate winegrowers' perceptions, an online questionnaire was used to understand their perceptions about the landscape's historical elements and dynamics. The results suggest that unique historical landscape elements and traditional practices (vine pergolas supported by stone columns) are conserved in the area, but also highlight some dynamics, including new vine-breeding techniques (espaliers) and new land uses (olive groves, meadows, and woodland). Winegrowers (n = 49) recognized as identity elements the same identified as historical by experts. Regarding future prospects, almost all winegrowers preferred the conservation of vineyards and pergolas. The research methodology was able to show the mutual link between terraced landscapes and rural communities in coevolutionary terms and could be replicated in similar contexts. According to the winegrowers' awareness, future planning strategies will have to support dynamic conservation of the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has assessed the ecological sustainability of cocoa production systems in Côte d'Ivoire. The litterature has shown that cocoa crop has been introduced in 1988 and this crop has been suitable with various pedoclimatic and vegetation factors in Côte d’Ivoire. This suitability has involved a move of the cocoa boom area and some changing practices from the South-east to the South-west of the country. The study has shown the existence of some divergences between farmers and scientists about the choice of associated tree species in cocoa agrosystems. Also, none adequate scientific research have been achieved in order to suggest to the farmers the most sustainable cocoa agroforest system. Future research should be focused on finding a trade-off about the choice of associated tree species which can be profitable to the farmers and ecological sustainable. These research will approve or deny some empirical perceptions from traditional practices. These research will also demonstrated to the farmers, the political decision-maker and management structures the need of a synergy between cocoa production and the economic value from of the ecosystem services produced in the farms.

The degree of technification and the conditions for the production of coffee (Coffea arabica) in producing countries differ from one to another, although they share low prices for the grain in the market as a particular problem. The decrease in production aggravates losses, since coffee rust is the disease with the greatest economic importance. The aim of this study was to examine the traditional management of the coffee crop regarding the control of rust in small production units in the region of Tierradentro, department of Cauca, Colombia, as well as to identify the main problems in the design of lines of action to solve them. The methodology consisted in selecting production units, using an intentional or convenience collection of samples, with the application of semi-structured interviews, and the information was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results obtained indicated that farmers continue using the traditional farming system and incorporate agronomic practices to increase yields and improve grain quality. Such practices include renovation of the coffee plantation with rust-resistant varieties, the use of fertilizers, soil analysis, planting under shade and cleaning the plantation. The main problem identified was the high cost of inputs and the low prices of coffee in the market. We therefore conclude that the traditional coffee plantation methods, along with the adoption of others agricultural practices, helped to modify the hierarchy of the problems by facing the importance of rust, since it allowed to control the incidence of the disease in the coffee plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines, even through the analysis of some case studies, some recent national initiatives for historical rural landscapes. Some problematic issues, both theoretical and practical, that emerge considering these landscapes in conservation and safeguard policies, are then highlighted, with reference to the Italian case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study was conducted to identify the farmers’ characteristics that act as factors in influencing their knowledge on indigenous agricultural practices. The study was conducted in the state of Kerala among 40 farmers each of ten selected horticultural crops. Step wise regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to identify the influencing factors. The study revealed that age, farm power status, innovativeness, rational orientation, communication status, and social participation status positively influence knowledge of farmers on indigenous agricultural practices whereas material status, educational status, and family status were the important characteristics of farmers negatively influencing the knowledge of indigenous practices.

The paper aims at providing a linguistic account on the description of agricultural and societal practices during the first part of the XX c. narrated in a recent book written with large excerpts in the Sallentinian dialect of Sava (Tarentum, Southern Italy). Diffuse references are made to popular traditions as seen by the eyes of a young boy and rivisited as an old man with the true words of the local dialect which are here emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peasant production units, despite the few or no support received, are still important in food production. Their strategies are based on the management of their scarce resources, the use of their labor and their experience. The objective of this study was to analyze the production process and the mechanisms of commercialization of chia carried out by peasant families in the municipalities of Tochimilco and Atzitzihuacán, Puebla, Mexico. To generate the information, a survey was conducted on 101 chia producers in the PV-2013 cycle and 10 key informants from the Puebla and Atlixco markets were interviewed. The results show that they are small producers, with an average age of 53 years and average primary schooling. In order to carry out agriculture they use traditional techniques based on knowledge, experiences and peasant knowledge that have been inherited by generations. They produce basic crops, mainly of self consumption and some for sale. Its family unit is on average 3.3 ha, surface distributed in more than two farms. For the production process of chia used traditional systems and tools, only 8% have a tractor and 90% uses yunta in the different cultural tasks typical of a traditional agriculture. Marketing mechanisms are the traditional ones, carried out in local and regional markets. Even though prices have decreased considerably, producers continue to sow chia with higher profitability than other crops, such as maize and beans, which are produced with a high social significance. It is concluded that chia has become an important source of income and with possibilities of contributing to local development for small producers, despite the unstable price situation with downward trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the latent relationship between rural landscape and biodiversity conservation is of key importance when aiming to preserve food security, ecosystem services and the quality of the environment. Crop intensification negatively impacted the biodiversity of rural areas and was followed by the adoption of mono-cultural production models. The conservation of traditional agricultural landscapes (TALs) based on traditional land management approaches, ensures the conservation of the ecosystem's complexity and high levels of biodiversity. In Europe, Mediterranean TALs are threatened by a combination of anthropogenic and natural factors. The need to preserve TALs is widely recognized despite the lack of comprehensive information and collective policy strategies. On the other hand, inventories are available for endangered cultivars, typical products and traditional agricultural practices. This study focuses on the relationship between TALs and the use of local varieties/typical products. The analysis will: (i) define, map and characterize the tree-crop based traditional landscapes in one of the Mediterranean regions (Latium, central Italy) through a land-use change detection analysis (1960-2000) and (ii) identify the most endangered TALs based on environmental risk factors, on autochthonous agro-biodiversity at risk of varietal erosion and on traditional products that risk to disappear. Results prove that the most endangered rural landscapes are the ones located on fringe and marginal lands due to climate aridity and soil erosion. The identification of the endangered TALs contributes to constructing more effective strategies for the preservation of agro-biodiversity and natural ecosystem functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Agrobiodiversity and agroecosystem management have changed in central Himalaya due to increasing emphasis on market economy and the motive ‘maximization of profit’. Such changes have benefited local people in economic terms, but at the same time increased their vulnerability to environmental and economic risks. The present study addressed the issue of how the ecological functions that are provided by agrobiodiversity translate into tangible benefits for the society. Important characteristics of agrodiversity management are the use of bullocks for draught power, human energy as labour, crop residues as animal feed and animal waste mixed with forest litter as organic input to restore soil fertility levels. The present analysis of resource input–output energy currency in traditional crop production indicated that inputs into different crop systems were significantly higher during kharif season compared to rabi season both under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The maximum input for crop during rabi season (second crop season) was about 31% of that of kharif season (first crop season after fallow) under rainfed conditions. Under irrigated conditions the rabi season input was about 63% of kharif season input. Under rainfed conditions, paddy sole cropping required maximum inputs (231.31 GJ/ha) as compared to mustard sole cropping (11.79 GJ/ha). The present investigation revealed that the total energy inputs and outputs are higher for irrigated agriculture as compared to rainfed system, the difference in inputs is about 5 fold and outputs is about 2 fold. The output–input ratio showed that irrigated systems have higher values as compared to rainfed systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Environmental, biological, socio-cultural and economic status variation existing in the Central Himalaya have led to the evolution of diverse and unique traditional agroecosystems, crop species and livestock, which facilitate the traditional mountain farming societies to sustain themselves. Indigenous agroecosystems are highly site specific and differ from place to place, as they have evolved along divergent lines. For maintenance of traditional agrodiversity management the farmers of the Central Himalaya have evolved various types of crop rotations in consonance with the varied environmental conditions and agronomic requirements. In irrigated flat lands two crops are harvested in a year with negligible fallow period but in rainfed conditions if a cropping sequence is presumed to be starting after winter fallow phase then four major cropping seasons can be identified namely first kharif season (first crop season), first rabi season (second crop season), second kharif season (third crop season) and second rabi season (fourth crop season). Highest crop diversity is present in kharif season in comparison to rabi season. Traditionally the fields are left fallow after harvest of the second kharif season crop. Important characteristics of agrodiversity management are the use of bullocks for draught power, human energy as labour, crop residues as animal feed and animal waste mixed with forest litter as organic input to restore soil fertility levels. Women provide most of the human labour except for ploughing and threshing grain. The present study deals with assessment of traditional agrodiversity management such as (i) crop diversity, (ii) realized yield under the traditional practices and (iii) assess the differences of realized yields under sole and mixed cropping systems. It indicated that crop rotation is an important feature of the Central Himalayan village ecosystem which helps to continue the diversity of species grown, as are the distribution of crops in the growing period and the management of soil fertility. The cropping diversity existing and the sequences practiced by the traditional farmers seems to have achieved high degree of specialization and thus even when the yield/biomass variations are about 60%, the farmers continue to practice these sequences as they need to maintain diversity and synergistic relationships of crops in addition to manage the food and labour requirements for crop husbandry. Crop yields are generally higher in irrigated systems than rainfed systems and in sole cropping as compared with mixed cropping. However, gross biological and economic yields are higher in mixed cropping than sole cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Himalayan mountain system is distinguished globally for a rich biodiversity and for its role in regulating the climate of the South Asia. Traditional crop-livestock mixed farming in the Himalaya is highly dependent on forests for fodder and manure prepared from forest leaf litter and livestock excreta. Apart from sustaining farm production, forests provide a variety of other tangible and intangible benefits, which are critical for sustainable livelihood of not only 115 million mountain people, but also many more people living in the adjoining plains. Extension of agricultural landuse coupled with replacement of traditional staple food crops by cash crops and of multipurpose agroforestry trees by fruit trees are widespread changes. Cultivation of Fagopyrum esculentum, Fagopyrum tataricum, Panicum miliaceum, Setaria italica and Pisum arvense has been almost abandoned. Increasing stress on cash crops is driven by a socio-cultural change from subsistence to market economy facilitated by improvement in accessibility and supply of staple food grains at subsidized price by the government. Farmers have gained substantial economic benefits from cash crops. However, loss of agrobiodiversity implies more risks to local livelihood in the events of downfall in market price/demand of cash crops, termination of supply of staple food grains at subsidized price, pest outbreaks in a cash crop dominated homogeneous landscape and abnormal climate years. Indigenous innovations enabling improvement in farm economy by conserving and/enhancing agrobiodiversity do exist, but are highly localized. The changes in agrobiodiversity are such that soil loss and run-off from the croplands have dramatically increased together with increase in local pressure on forests. As farm productivity is maintained with forest-based inputs, continued depletion of forest resources will result in poor economic returns from agriculture to local people, apart from loss of global benefits from Himalayan forests. Interventions including improvement in traditional manure and management of on-farm trees, participatory development of agroforestry in degraded forest lands and policies favoring economic benefits to local people from non-timber forest products could reduce the risks of decline in agricultural biodiversity and associated threats to livelihoods and Himalayan ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Thar Desert of western India is known for its rich and ancient culture system and traditions. The communities have long been part of the Thar Desert ecosystem and have evolved specific strategies to live in harmony with its hostile environment. This culture has provided several miracle plants of immense food and medicinal value to modern civilisation. The ancient rural livelihood knowledge system reflects time-tested techno-scientific knowledge with a proven track record of sustainability, especially during natural hazards like drought and famines. In addition, several of the traditional skills of local communities in arts and crafts, music and instruments have made modern man aware of the art and techniques of sustainably utilising local biological resources and preserving their biodiversity along with using waste products of the forests, without harming the desert ecosystem. Traditional cultural and socio-religious values are fast dwindling under the impact of materialistic approach, industrialisation and development. This paper endeavours to illustrate the need to assist and propagate indigenous rural livelihood systems rather than mindlessly replace or abandon them as a result of state bureaucracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About two billion rural individuals depend on agricultural systems associated with a high amount of risk and low levels of yield in the drylands of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Human activities, climate change and natural extreme events are the most important drivers of desertification. This phenomenon has occurred in many regions of Iran, particularly in the villages in the periphery of the central desert of Iran, and has made living in the oases so difficult that the number of abandoned villages is increasing every year. Land abandonment and land-use change increase the risk of desertification. This study aims to respond to the research questions: (i) does the planning of green infrastructures on the desert margin affect the distribution and balance of the population? (ii) how should the green belt be designed to have the greatest impact on counteracting desertification?, and (iii) does the design of productive landscape provide the solution? Through a wide-ranging and comprehensive approach, this study develops different scenarios for designing a new form of green belt in order to sustainably manage the issues of environmental protection, agricultural tradition preservation and desertification counteraction. This study proposes a new-traditional greenbelt including small low-cost and low-tech projects adapted to rural scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terraced Mediterranean areas are distinctive man-made landscapes with historical and cultural relevance. Terraced land abandonment driven by physical and economic constraints had important ecological consequences. This study focuses on a marginal agricultural district in southern Latium, central Italy, where terracing dated back to the Roman period and olive groves are the main agricultural use. A diachronic assessment of land-use transformations was carried out to identify landscape dynamics and drivers of change around terraced land. Terraced landscape systems (TLS), derived from spatial aggregation of neighboring terraced patches, have been analyzed for landscape transformations considering slope as the main stratification variable. Structural and functional characteristics of TLS were analyzed using a landscape ecology approach. Soil bio-chemical indicators were finally assessed to study the impact of terraced olive agro-ecosystems on soil-related ecosystems services. The empirical findings outlined that TLS in central Italy are sensitive to urbanization and land abandonment. Cultivated terraces prevailed up to gentle-medium slope land, uncultivated and wooded areas dominated terraces on steep slopes. In this context, poly-cultural olive groves proved to be a cropping system particularly resilient to global change, irrespective of land slope. Terraced systems and extensive poly-cultural olive groves play a role in preserving ecosystem integrity, landscape quality, soil functionality and, therefore, environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]