In Search of Sustainable Land Use and Food Security in the Arid Hillside Regions of Central America: Putting the Horse Before the Cart

Human Ecology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avrum J. Shriar
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Central America ◽  
Sustainable Land Use

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Reorganization of Cropland Development in Central Asia during the Post-Soviet Era: A Sustainable Implication in Kazakhstan

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Yuanjun Zhu ◽  
Hao Li ◽  
Kebin Zhang ◽  
Baitian Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The abandonment and cultivation of croplands in the Eurasian Steppe has become the focus of global and regional food security and agricultural policy-making. A large area of cropland in some post-Soviet countries has proven to be abandoned with the disintegration of the Soviet Union; however, it is unclear as to whether Kazakhstan also experienced a similar change as one of the main food providers for the former Soviet Union. In this study, we used the annual land cover dataset (1992–2015) from the European Space Agency, Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) to detect spatio-temporal characteristics of rainfed and irrigated cropland changes in Kazakhstan. The Mann–Kendall test and regime shift analysis showed that rainfed and irrigated cropland at national level had a significant increasing trend with a significant rising up to 1999 and stagnation during 2000–2015, which was further confirmed with analysis at 14 regions. The greatest contributor to rainfed and irrigated croplands was steppes, followed by shrinkage of water bodies since 2005 to a great extent, rapid urbanization process resulted in losses of a part of irrigated oases. The trend surface analysis indicated that reorganized stable pattern characterized by rainfed cropland in north and irrigated cropland in south was driven by the strategy of the gradual agricultural development of oases. The nonexistence of cycle between the abandonment and recultivation proved that newly-gained cropland from steppe may be less degraded and more productive for sustainable land use in Kazakhstan. In conclusion, this study can provide strong evidence for sustainable land use and a basis for food security policy-making in Kazakhstan, and even all of the Central Asian countries in the future.

Systeme bäuerlicher Wald- und Agroforstwirtschaft in Zentralamerika als potenziell nachhaltige Landnutzungsformen

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Kapp
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Central America ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Silvopastoral Systems ◽  
Shade Trees ◽  
Farm Forestry ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Live Fences

AbstractAgroforestry and small scale farm forestry systems in Central America as forms of a potentially sustainable land use: Extended deforestation has caused severe ecological and wood supply problems in Central America. Examples of natural forest management, plantation forestry, tree lines, live fences, shade trees for cocoa and coffee and silvopastoral systems are presented from Costa Rica and Panama. Information and data highlight the important economical and ecological functions of timber trees as an integral part of farm economies as well as the presently wide and growing use of such trees

scholarly journals Using a Citizen Science Approach with German Horse Owners to Study the Locomotion Behaviour of Horses on Pasture

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1835
Author(s):  
Anja Schmitz ◽  
Bettina Tonn ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Schöppner ◽  
Johannes Isselstein
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Science Approach ◽  
Simple Technology

Engaging farmers as citizen scientists may be a cost-efficient way to answering applied research questions aimed at more sustainable land use. We used a citizen science approach with German horse farmers with a dual goal. Firstly, we tested the practicability of this approach for answering ‘real-life’ questions in variable agricultural land-use systems. Secondly, we were interested in the knowledge it can provide about locomotion of horses on pasture and the management factors influencing this behaviour. Out of 165 volunteers, we selected 40 participants to record locomotion of two horses on pasture and provide information on their horse husbandry and pasture management. We obtained complete records for three recording days per horse from 28 participants, resulting in a dataset on more individual horses than any other Global Positioning System study published in the last 30 years. Time spent walking was greatest for horses kept in box-stall stables, and walking distance decreased with increasing grazing time. This suggests that restrictions in pasture access may increase stress on grass swards through running and trampling, severely challenging sustainable pasture management. Our study, involving simple technology, clear instructions and rigorous quality assessment, demonstrates the potential of citizen science actively involving land managers in agricultural research.

scholarly journals Food security among dryland pastoralists and agropastoralists: The climate, land-use change, and population dynamics nexus

2021 ◽  
pp. 205301962110075
Author(s):  
Ilan Stavi ◽  
Joana Roque de Pinho ◽  
Anastasia K Paschalidou ◽  
Susana B Adamo ◽  
Kathleen Galvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Food Security Status ◽  
Global Action ◽  
Land Use And Management

During the last decades, pastoralist, and agropastoralist populations of the world’s drylands have become exceedingly vulnerable to regional and global changes. Specifically, exacerbated stressors imposed on these populations have adversely affected their food security status, causing humanitarian emergencies and catastrophes. Of these stressors, climate variability and change, land-use and management practices, and dynamics of human demography are of a special importance. These factors affect all four pillars of food security, namely, food availability, access to food, food utilization, and food stability. The objective of this study was to critically review relevant literature to assess the complex web of interrelations and feedbacks that affect these factors. The increasing pressures on the world’s drylands necessitate a comprehensive analysis to advise policy makers regarding the complexity and linkages among factors, and to improve global action. The acquired insights may be the basis for alleviating food insecurity of vulnerable dryland populations.

scholarly journals Edible Insects and Global Food Security

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 472
Author(s):  
Fabio Verneau ◽  
Mario Amato ◽  
Francesco La La Barbera
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Central America ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Edible Insects ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Global Food ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Starting in 2008 and lasting up until 2011, the crisis in agricultural and, in particular, cereal prices triggered a period of riots that spread from the Mediterranean basin to the rest of the world, reaching from Asia to Central America and the African continent. [...]

scholarly journals Simulating Land-Use Changes and Predicting Maize Potential Yields in Northeast China for 2050

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 938
Author(s):  
Luoman Pu ◽  
Jiuchun Yang ◽  
Lingxue Yu ◽  
Changsheng Xiong ◽  
Fengqin Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Sanjiang Plain ◽  
Potential Production ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
The Sanjiang Plain ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
The Future

Crop potential yields in cropland are the essential reflection of the utilization of cropland resources. The changes of the quantity, quality, and spatial distribution of cropland will directly affect the crop potential yields, so it is very crucial to simulate future cropland distribution and predict crop potential yields to ensure the future food security. In the present study, the Cellular Automata (CA)-Markov model was employed to simulate land-use changes in Northeast China during 2015–2050. Then, the Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) model was used to predict maize potential yields in Northeast China in 2050, and the spatio-temporal changes of maize potential yields during 2015–2050 were explored. The results were the following. (1) The woodland and grassland decreased by 5.13 million ha and 1.74 million ha respectively in Northeast China from 2015 to 2050, which were mainly converted into unused land. Most of the dryland was converted to paddy field and built-up land. (2) In 2050, the total maize potential production and average potential yield in Northeast China were 218.09 million tonnes and 6880.59 kg/ha. Thirteen prefecture-level cities had maize potential production of more than 7 million tonnes, and 11 cities had maize potential yields of more than 8000 kg/ha. (3) During 2015–2050, the total maize potential production and average yield decreased by around 23 million tonnes and 700 kg/ha in Northeast China, respectively. (4) The maize potential production increased in 15 cities located in the plain areas over the 35 years. The potential yields increased in only nine cities, which were mainly located in the Sanjiang Plain and the southeastern regions. The results highlight the importance of coping with the future land-use changes actively, maintaining the balance of farmland occupation and compensation, improving the cropland quality, and ensuring food security in Northeast China.

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