Cotton production systems in the Brazilian Cerrado: The impact of soil attributes on field-scale yield

Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens, Diptera: Stratiomyidae) are used for the bioconversion of organic side products into valuable compounds such as proteins, lipids and chitin. However, the economic competitiveness of farmed insects compared to conventional protein production systems in agriculture and aquaculture depends on the availability of large quantities of inexpensive insect feed. Cottonseed press cake (CPC) is a side-stream of cotton production that is rich in proteins and lipids but unsuitable as feed for several farmed animals, except ruminants, due to the presence of the anti-nutritional sesquiterpenoid gossypol. Here, we tested CPC as a feed for black soldier fly larvae and studied the impact of this diet on the gut microbiome. Larvae reared on CPC developed normally and even showed a shorter life-cycle, but were smaller at the end of larval development than control larvae reared on chicken feed. The adaptability of the larvae to different diets is mediated by their versatile gut microbiome, which facilitates digestion and detoxification. We therefore used amplicon sequencing to analyze the bacterial and fungal communities associated with larvae reared on each diet, revealing differences between the larval guts and frass (residual feed substrate) as well as differences between the two diet groups. For example, Actinomycetaceae and Aspergillaceae were significantly enriched in guts of the CPC diet group and may help to metabolize compounds such as gossypol. Potentially probiotic yeasts and beneficial Enterobacteriaceae, which presumably belong to the core microbiota, were detected in high relative abundance in the gut and frass, indicating a functional role of these microbes, especially the protection against pathogens. We conclude that CPC may be suitable as an inexpensive and environmentally sustainable feed for the industrial rearing of black soldier flies.

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Adoption and Impact of the Improved Fallow Technique on Cotton Productivity and Income in Zambia

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v8n2p1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Nandi Jama ◽

Elias Kuntashula ◽

Paul C. Samboko

Keyword(s):

Production Systems ◽

Education Level ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Improved Fallow ◽

Cotton Production ◽

Improved Fallows ◽

Maize Production ◽

Cash Crops ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Impact

An improved fallow is a soil fertility agroforestry technique that has commonly been used in the staple maize production systems of Zambia and sub-Saharan Africa. Several studies have assessed the adoption and impact of the improved fallow on maize production. Generally, it has been observed that though the improved fallow does increase maize yields, its efficacy on welfare in terms of increased income is low. The use of the technique on cash crops that could significantly contribute to household welfare has rarely been investigated. This study assessed the factors affecting the adoption and impact of improved fallows on a commonly grown cash crop, cotton, in the cotton growing provinces of Zambia. The study used a sub sample (N=1206) of the nationally representative 2014/15 Rural Agricultural Livelihoods Survey (RALS) data which was randomly collected by the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) and Central Statistical Office (CSO) of Zambia. The determinants of improved fallow adoption among the cotton farmers were examined through the use of the probit model while the impact of the technique on cotton production and income was evaluated by using the propensity score matching and the endogenous switching regression models. Among the socioeconomic factors significantly increasing the probability of improved fallow adoption included: increases in age, education level, and per capita productive assets of the farmer, in addition to the area under cotton production and the distance of the homestead to the market. Institutional factors found to increase the farmer’s likelihood of adopting the improved fallow in the cotton production systems included; farmer membership to a cooperative, receiving improved fallow seedlings from the government projects and having information on agroforestry tree species. On the other hand, an increase in land size per capita was found to negatively affect the likelihood of improved tree fallow adoption. Impact estimates showed significant cotton yield and income increases as a result of adopting the technique. The continuous provision of information on relatively new techniques such as the improved fallows preferably in farmer organized groups, and support towards the provision of the technique’s planting materials are some of the areas requiring government and NGOs attention. In addition, the study recommends that the farmers’ formal education level should be enhanced and that improved tree fallows should also be explicitly promoted on cash crops that have similar agronomic requirements to maize such as cotton.

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Review: Impacts of shade on cattle well-being in the beef supply chain

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa375 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lily N Edwards-Callaway ◽

M Caitlin Cramer ◽

Caitlin N Cadaret ◽

Elizabeth J Bigler ◽

Terry E Engle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Heat Stress ◽

Beef Cattle ◽

Production Systems ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Well Being ◽

Third Party ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

Stress Susceptibility ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Shade is a mechanism to reduce heat load providing cattle with an environment supportive of their welfare needs. Although heat stress has been extensively reviewed, researched, and addressed in dairy production systems, it has not been investigated in the same manner in the beef cattle supply chain. Like all animals, beef cattle are susceptible to heat stress if they are unable to dissipate heat during times of elevated ambient temperatures. There are many factors that impact heat stress susceptibility in beef cattle throughout the different supply chain sectors, many of which relate to the production system, i.e. availability of shade, microclimate of environment, and nutrition management. The results from studies evaluating the effects of shade on production and welfare are difficult to compare due to variation in structural design, construction materials used, height, shape, and area of shade provided. Additionally, depending on operation location, shade may or may not be beneficial during all times of the year, which can influence the decision to make shade a permanent part of management systems. Shade has been shown to lessen the physiologic response of cattle to heat stress. Shaded cattle exhibit lower respiration rates, body temperatures, and panting scores compared to un-shaded cattle in weather that increases the risk of heat stress. Results from studies investigating the provision of shade indicate that cattle seek shade in hot weather. The impact of shade on behavioral patterns is inconsistent in the current body of research, some studies indicating shade provision impacts behavior and other studies reporting no difference between shaded and un-shaded groups. Analysis of performance and carcass characteristics across feedlot studies demonstrated that shaded cattle had increased ADG, improved feed efficiency, HCW, and dressing percentage when compared to cattle without shade. Despite the documented benefits of shade, current industry statistics, although severely limited in scope, indicate low shade implementation rates in feedlots and data in other supply chain sectors do not exist. Industry guidelines and third party on-farm certification programs articulate the critical need for protection from extreme weather but are not consistent in providing specific recommendations and requirements. Future efforts should include: updated economic analyses of cost versus benefit of shade implementation, exploration of producer perspectives and needs relative to shade, consideration of shade impacts in the cow-calf and slaughter plant segments of the supply chain, and integration of indicators of affective (mental) state and preference in research studies to enhance the holistic assessment of cattle welfare.

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Governance of differential stakeholder interests in supply chains and networks

Journal on Chain and Network Science ◽

10.3920/jcns2013.1001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 99-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E.F.M. Wubben ◽

H.J. Bremmers ◽

P.T.M. Ingenbleek ◽

A.E.J. Wals

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Business Models ◽

Production Systems ◽

Stakeholder Management ◽

Data Gathering ◽

Health Claims ◽

Stakeholder Dialogue ◽

Stakeholder Interests ◽

Multi Stakeholder ◽

The Impact

Competing frames and interests regarding food provision and resource allocation, adding to the increased global interdependencies, necessitate agri-food companies and institutions to engage themselves in very diverse multi-stakeholder settings. To develop new forms of interaction, and governance, researchers with very different backgrounds in social sciences try to align, or at least share, research trajectories. This first paper in a special issue on governance of differential stakeholder interests discusses, first, different usages of stakeholder categories, second, the related intersubjectivity in sciences, third, an rough sketch of the use of stakeholder management in different social sciences. Social science researchers study a wide variety of topics, such as individual stakeholder impact on new business models, stakeholder group responses to health claims, firm characteristics explaining multi-stakeholder dialogue, and the impact of multi-stakeholder dialogue on promoting production systems, and on environmental innovations. Interestingly, researchers use very different methods for data gathering and data analysis.

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The impact of habitat fragmentation on the ecology of xenarthrans (Mammalia) in the Brazilian Cerrado

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-012-9832-2 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 259-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Barbara Zimbres ◽

Mariana M. Furtado ◽

Anah T. A. Jácomo ◽

Leandro Silveira ◽

Rahel Sollmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Brazilian Cerrado ◽

The Impact

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Bioeconomic simulation of Rhipicephalus microplus infestation in different beef cattle production systems in the Brazilian Cerrado

Agricultural Systems ◽

10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103247 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 194 ◽

pp. 103247

Author(s):

Maria Paula Cavuto Abrão Calvano ◽

Ricardo Carneiro Brumatti ◽

Jacqueline Cavalcante Barros ◽

Marcos Valério Garcia ◽

Kauê Rodriguez Martins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Beef Cattle ◽

Production Systems ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Brazilian Cerrado ◽

Cattle Production ◽

Beef Cattle Production

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Postcolonialism

Geography ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0226 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lindsay Naylor

Keyword(s):

Production Systems ◽

Colonial Period ◽

Economic Relations ◽

15Th Century ◽

Accumulation By Dispossession ◽

Indigenous Groups ◽

The 19Th Century ◽

The Impact ◽

British Colonies ◽

Independence Movements

In the colonial period imperialism advanced in uneven ways across time and space globally. European exploration in the late 15th century first brought destructive, exploitative, and deadly changes to what became known as the Americas. The subjugation and elimination of Indigenous groups, which commenced during this period, created the conditions for accumulation by dispossession, enslavement (of both Indigenous groups and people stolen from Africa), plantation-style production systems, and the extraction of resources—the legacies of which still mark political, social, economic, and environmental landscapes today. Following rebellion and successful de jure (legal) independence from Europe in the late 1700s and early 1800s (starting with the radical uprising of enslaved peoples in Haiti), Western powers turned to new regions to regain such systems of control and resource extraction. In 1848, the Berlin Conference was held— also called the “Scramble for Africa,” where European powers divided the continent and created new sites of extraction. Such patterns followed in South and Southeast Asia as well as North Africa and Central Asia in the latter parts of the 19th century. As a result of these violent campaigns, there are very few places on the globe that did not sustain, at some point, a form of colonial-imperial relation. Independence movements were ongoing and by the end of the 20th century, de jure colonial control had all but disappeared. Decolonization had occurred and the global periphery entered the period of being postcolonial. Former British colonies were assembled into the Commonwealth, which changed relations from direct control and subjugation to allegiance to the Queen and for some, drastic changes in economic relations, (this had the effect of marginalizing Indigenous struggles in many of these places). Notwithstanding the legal separation of the colonies from imperial powers, de facto (in effect) colonial arrangements lingered and remain today, giving rise to a series of critiques and new ways of thinking about imperialism and the impact of colonialism, such as the theory of postcolonialism.

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Can hemp hurd or paper mulch and biochar application improve weed management in matted-row strawberry production systems?

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170521000533 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Greta G. Gramig ◽

Samantha K. Hogstad ◽

Patrick M. Carr

Keyword(s):

Weed Management ◽

Production Systems ◽

Weed Suppression ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Yield Data ◽

Weed Biomass ◽

Soil Temperatures ◽

The Impact ◽

Hemp Hurd ◽

Amended Soil

Abstract During 2015 and 2016, studies were conducted at Absaraka and Dickinson, North Dakota to evaluate the impacts of hemp (applied at 1156 m3 ha−1) and commercial paper mulch, as well as soil-applied biochar (applied at 11.25 m3 ha−1), on weed suppression and strawberry growth during the establishment year, and on weed suppression and strawberry yield during the production year, in a matted row production (MRP) system. During 2015, biochar influenced dry weed biomass only within the hemp mulch, with slightly more weed biomass associated with biochar application compared to zero biochar (3.1 vs 0.4 g m−2), suggesting that biochar may have increased weed germination and/or emergence from beneath hemp mulch. Biochar application also slightly increased soil pH, from 6.9 in non-amended soil to 7.0 in amended soil. Strawberry runner number during 2015 was greater in association with hemp or paper mulch compared to zero mulch (4.5 and 4.9 vs 2.4 runners plant −1, respectively). This result mirrored a similar differential in per berry mass across sites (7.6 and 7.4 vs 6.2 g berry −1 for hemp mulch, paper mulch and zero mulch, respectively). These results may be related to hemp and paper mulch reducing maximum soil temperatures during summer 2015. During the establishment year, both hemp and paper mulch suppressed weeds well compared to zero mulch, although at Absaraka hemp mulch provided slightly better weed suppression than paper mulch. During the production year, both mulches continued to suppress weeds compared to zero mulch at Dickinson. However, at Absaraka, only hemp mulch provided weed suppression compared to zero mulch, possibly because of faster paper degradation caused by greater numbers of large precipitation events and greater relative humidity at Absaraka compared to Dickinson. Weeds were removed from plots during 2015 to allow separation of weed suppression from other possible mulch impacts; therefore, yield data do not reveal striking differences among mulch treatments. Because previous research has demonstrated the impact of weed management during the establishment of strawberries in a matted row system, we concluded that hemp mulch may provide more durable weed suppression compared to paper mulch, which would increase strawberry yield protection in an MRP system. Material cost may be an issue for implementing hemp mulch, as hemp hurd cost was 25 times paper mulch at the application rates used in this study. However, hemp mulch could still be a beneficial option, especially for organic strawberry growers desiring a renewable and environmentally sound replacement for plastic mulch who are able to find affordable local sources of this material.

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