04/00936 Pyrolytic descriptors responsive to changes in humic acid characteristics after long-term sustainable management of dryland farming systems in Central Spain

ABSTRACT Understanding the impacts of agricultural practices on soil quality indicators, such as enzymatic activities, is of great importance, in order to advance in their diagnosis and sustainable management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ecological and conventional agricultural managements on enzymatic activities of a soil under coffee agroecosystems. The enzymatic activities were associated with the biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen (urease and protease), phosphorus (acid and alkaline phosphatase) and carbon (β-glucosidase), during the rainy and dry seasons. Physical-chemical soil proprieties were also assessed and related to resilience scores linked to the climatic variability reported for the areas under study. The activities of urease, alkaline and acid phosphatase and ß-glucosidase were statistically higher in ecological agroecosystems than in conventional ones. This may be attributed to the greater application of organic waste in the ecological environment, as well as to the absence of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which allow better conditions for the microbial activity. The resilience scores to the climate variability that showed the highest correlations with the assessed enzymatic activities were: the farmers' knowledge on soil microorganisms, non-use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and non-dependence on external supplies. It was concluded that the enzymatic activities are modified by the management systems, being specifically favored by the ecological management. This agroecosystem, in the long term, ensures an efficient use of the soil resources, with a lower degradation and contamination.

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Effects of long-term (42 years) tillage sequence on soil chemical characteristics in a dryland farming system

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2021.105064 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 212 ◽

pp. 105064

Author(s):

Flackson Tshuma ◽

Francis Rayns ◽

Johan Labuschagne ◽

James Bennett ◽

Pieter Andreas Swanepoel

Keyword(s):

Farming System ◽

Chemical Characteristics ◽

Dryland Farming

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The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perception at an EU Level

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11061735 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1735

Author(s):

Marcello Franchini ◽

Mirco Corazzin ◽

Stefano Bovolenta ◽

Stefano Filacorda

Keyword(s):

Negative Attitude ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Large Carnivores ◽

Direct Experience ◽

Large Carnivore ◽

Degree Of Acceptance ◽

Extensive Farming ◽

Over Time ◽

The Eu

Conflicts between large carnivores and human activities undermine both the maintenance of livestock practices as well as the conservation of carnivores across Europe. Because large carnivore management is driven by a common EU policy, the purpose of this research was to assess stakeholders’ perception towards bears and wolves at an EU level. We conducted a systematic search and subsequent analysis of 40 peer-reviewed studies collected from 1990 to September 2020 within Member States of the EU. Rural inhabitants and hunters exhibited the most negative attitude compared to urban inhabitants and conservationists, whose attitude was more positive. We showed that direct experience with predators as a consequence of ongoing re-colonization may have affected the degree of acceptance of certain categories and that the long-term coexistence between humans and carnivores does not necessarily imply increased tolerance. To encourage coexistence, we recommend monitoring changes in attitudes over time relative to carnivore population dynamics.

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Introduction: Improving the sustainability of dryland farming systems in the Middle East

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300007347 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 98-99

Author(s):

James F. Parr ◽

Robert I. Papendick

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Dryland Farming ◽

The U.S

Six papers in this issue were presented by Middle Eastern authors at the U.S.-Middle East Conference and Workshop on "Dryland Farming Systems and Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture," held at Moscow, Idaho on October 18–23, 1993.

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Agrodeforestation and the loss of agrobiodiversity in the Pacific Islands: a call for conservation

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc140180 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 180 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Randolph Thaman

Keyword(s):

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Sustainable Management ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Ecosystem Goods And Services ◽

Livelihood Security ◽

Goods And Services ◽

The Pacific ◽

Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Our ability to conserve biodiversity and to adapt to climate, environmental and economic change in the Pacific Islands will be greatly dependent on the conservation, restoration and enrichment of biodiversity within traditional multispecies agricultural land use systems. “Agrobiodiversity” is the most well-known, culturally-useful and accessible biodiversity on most islands and constitutes the most important foundation for ecosystem goods and services that support food, health, energy and livelihood security. This rich Pacific agrobiodiversity heritage, including associated ethnobiodiversity is highly threatened and deserves more prominence in mainstream conservation initiatives as a foundation for long-term sustainability. Such action is in line with Aichi Biodiversity Targets 7 and 13 which set goals for sustainable management of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and the maintenance of genetic diversity as critical for successful biodiversity conservation globally. It is also supported by the findings of the Japan Satoyama-Satoumi Assessment, which stresses the critical importance of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provided by traditional agricultural and village landscapes.

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