scholarly journals Study of Farmer’s Behavior in Recultivation of Abandoned Farmland: Example of the Republic of Buryatia

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-102
Author(s):  
Alexander Prishchepov ◽  
◽  
Elena Ponkina ◽  
Zhanli Sun ◽  
Miroslava Bavorova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bayesian Networks ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
Buryat Republic ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Abandoned Lands

Despite the looming land scarcity suited for agricultural expansion, farmland abandonment is widespread globally. The recultivation of some abandoned farmlands could unlock the untapped agricultural potential. Yet, little is known about the determinants of recultivation. To better understand the behavioral intentions of farmers regarding the recultivation of abandoned lands, we concentrated on the Buryat Republic in Russia, where agricultural land abandonment is widespread and farmers with different ethnicities carry out diverse agricultural practices. We conducted 149 face-to-face interviews with the farmers in the Buryat Republic in 2018 and filled a structured questionnaire on farm’s and farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, perceived corruption, and farmers’ behavioral intentions regarding expected land use. We modeled the intention of recultivation with the Bayesian networks. The Bayesian networks analysis showed that perceived corruption was considered to be a barrier to recultivation. Our study also showed that non-Buryat ethnic and young farmers are more likely to recultivate abandoned land. Abandoned farmlands without or with a low degree of afforestation were preferred for recultivation. In sum, our study showed how behavioral aspects of political trust, the farm’s and farmer’s characteristics, in combination with regional and locational characteristics, may shape farmers’ decisions on land use. The results provide an important ground to assess regional land-use policies, which should foster the recultivation of abandoned lands while preserving ecosystem services in the global hotspots of farmland abandonment, such as Russia

scholarly journals Agriculture and land use in the North of Russia: Case study of Karelia and Yakutia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1497-1511
Author(s):  
Alexey Naumov ◽  
Varvara Akimova ◽  
Daria Sidorova ◽  
Mikhail Topnikov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The North ◽  
The Republic

AbstractDespite harsh climate, agriculture on the northern margins of Russia still remains the backbone of food security. Historically, in both regions studied in this article – the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – agricultural activities as dairy farming and even cropping were well adapted to local conditions including traditional activities such as horse breeding typical for Yakutia. Using three different sources of information – official statistics, expert interviews, and field observations – allowed us to draw a conclusion that there are both similarities and differences in agricultural development and land use of these two studied regions. The differences arise from agro-climate conditions, settlement history, specialization, and spatial pattern of economy. In both regions, farming is concentrated within the areas with most suitable natural conditions. Yet, even there, agricultural land use is shrinking, especially in Karelia. Both regions are prone to being affected by seasonality, but vary in the degree of its influence. Geographical location plays special role, and weaknesses caused by remoteness to some extent become advantage as in Yakutia. Proximity effect is controversial. In Karelia, impact of neighboring Finland is insignificant compared with the nearby second Russian city – Saint Petersburg.

scholarly journals How Can We Represent Seasonal Land Use Dynamics in SWAT and SWAT+ Models for African Cultivated Catchments?

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Albert Nkwasa ◽  
Celray James Chawanda ◽  
Anna Msigwa ◽  
Hans C. Komakech ◽  
Boud Verbeiren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Cropping Seasons ◽  
Decision Tables ◽  
Land Cover Maps

In SWAT and SWAT+ models, the variations in hydrological processes are represented by Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). In the default models, agricultural land cover is represented by a single growing cycle. However, agricultural land use, especially in African cultivated catchments, typically consists of several cropping seasons, following dry and wet seasonal patterns, and are hence incorrectly represented in SWAT and SWAT+ default models. In this paper, we propose a procedure to incorporate agricultural seasonal land-use dynamics by (1) mapping land-use trajectories instead of static land-cover maps and (2) linking these trajectories to agricultural management settings. This approach was tested in SWAT and SWAT+ models of Usa catchment in Tanzania that is intensively cultivated by implementing dominant dynamic trajectories. Our results were evaluated with remote-sensing observations for Leaf Area Index (LAI), which showed that a single growing cycle did not well represent vegetation dynamics. A better agreement was obtained after implementing seasonal land-use dynamics for cultivated HRUs. It was concluded that the representation of seasonal land-use dynamics through trajectory implementation can lead to improved temporal patterns of LAI in default models. The SWAT+ model had higher flexibility in representing agricultural practices, using decision tables, and by being able to represent mixed cropping cultivations.

Agricultural Land Management Options Following Large-Scale Environmental Contamination: Evaluation for Fukushima Affected Agricultural Land

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegarde Vandenhove
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Management Option ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Agricultural Land Management

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the foodchain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident.

scholarly journals Abandonment of agricultural land in central Poland and its ecological role

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Majchrowska
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
General Study ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Central Poland ◽  
Spontaneous Vegetation ◽  
Ecological Landscape ◽  
Abandoned Lands ◽  
Methodological Difficulties

AbstractMajchrowska A.: Abandonment of agricultural land in central Poland and its ecological role. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, No. 3, p. 320-327, 2013. The intent of this paper is to give an overview of the ongoing study of farmland abandonment in central Poland. The goal of this project, initiated in 2011, is to provide field-verified information: 1. What is the spatial distribution of abandoned agricultural land in central Poland? How is it related to biophysical features of the study area? 2. What are botanical characteristics of spontaneous vegetation succession in the abandoned agricultural lands? What are their environmental determinants? 3. How do the abandoned lands correspond to existing protected areas? How could they be used to strengthen the ecological landscape structure of central Poland? The paper summarises the general study approach, discusses some methodological difficulties, presents preliminary findings and formulates the expected results.

scholarly journals 'Of Milk and Honey: A design strategy for the economical, ecological and ideological resilience of a cultural landscape and its people

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Findlay Sloane
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Nutrient Runoff ◽  
The North

<p>Wetlands are one of New Zealand’s most important freshwater ecosystems. They are low-lying waterlogged areas bordering rivers and streams and forming quiet edges of lakes, rivers, low- lying floodplains estuaries and harbours. In the last 150 years more than 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands have been destroyed or severely impacted by agricultural developments.  The South Wairarapa region, in the lower part of the North Island, covers 2,485 km2 and is characterised by its expanses of lowland plains and lakes, surrounded by mountainous ranges. Once its wetlands provided important ecosystem services filtering nutrients and controlling floodwaters but they are now under pressure from agricultural land use, including drainage, grazing, nutrient runoff and the impacts of pest animals and plants.  For the indigenous Māori culture of New Zealand, wetlands are often regarded as equivalent to organs that cleanse the body (tinana) such as the kidneys (nga whatumanawa) and the liver (te ate), and therefore represent important sites for purifying and cleaning, by filtering or reducing nutrients, chemicals and suspended sediment before it reaches the Lake Wairarapa. Many wetlands have historical and cultural importance as well as are regarded as source of food (mahinga kai) for the Māori tribes, providing important habitats for a range of culturally important food sources such as eel or important flora for carving such as flax, bulrush, tall grasses and bamboo spike sedges. Māori people perceive their own health as directly linked to the condition of their environments.  This study examines how we can re-purpose / re-configure land use within the region to a more ecologically conscious industry, finding a balance between the existing farming and agricultural practices that the region relies on and a recognition to the cultural practices of the Māori people and its importance to healthy communities and resourceful environments.</p>

scholarly journals EVALUATION OF ECOLOGICAL STABILITY OF THE TERRITORY OF SIMFEROPOL DISTRICT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 172-183
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Y. Melnichuk ◽  
◽  
Olga V. Zakalichnaya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Ecological Stability ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Stability

The article considers aspects of evaluation of the spatial structure of land use and agricultural land, based on calculations of environmental stability coefficients and heterogeneity indexes. The relevance of the research is the need to obtain reliable information on the balanced land use, which is a condition for saving the natural capabilities of the agrarian landscape, the ability to self-repair and achieve the stability of the territories. The purpose of research is to assess the sustainability of land use on the example of the territory of Simferopol district. The pronounced vertical zoning of the study area introduces additional requirements and restrictions to the use of the territory. The indices were calculated using the methods for assessing the stability of territories and using the Shannon index. The spatial distribution of results was performed using GIS-technologies. The results of research to indicate the greatest diversity of the structure of agricultural land and a relative stability in the mountainous areas of the studied territory. The territories of Shirokovsky, Zhuravlevsky, Pervomaysky and Nikolaevsky rural settlements are homogeneous in the structure of land use and less environmentally stable. It is stated that the plains need to optimize the land use structure and the land of the Foothills territories need the application of precise agricultural technologies. The results can be used in the development of strategies for managing territories, in the improving the structure of land and crop areas, and in the development of other measures aimed by achieving the sustainable development of territories.

scholarly journals Impact of Agricultural Practices on Water Quality of Old Woman Creek Watershed, Ohio

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 426
Author(s):  
Israel A. Olaoye ◽  
Remegio B. Confesor ◽  
Joseph D. Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Organic Phosphorus ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Old Woman Creek

The effect of agricultural practices on water quality of Old Woman Creek (OWC) watershed was evaluated in a hydrological model using the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate data and 20 different global circulation models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). A hydrological model was set up in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), while calibration was done using a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm and Pareto Optimization with PRISM climate data. Validation was done using the measured data from the USGS gage station at Berlin Road in the OWC watershed and water quality data were obtained from the water quality lab, Heidelberg University. Land use scenario simulations were conducted by varying percentages of agricultural land from 20% to 40%, 53.5%, 65%, and 80% while adjusting the forest area. A total of 105 simulations was run for the period 2015–2017: one with PRISM data and 20 with CMIP5 model data for each of the five land use classes scenarios. Ten variables were analyzed, including flow, sediment, organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, mineral phosphorus, chlorophyll a, CBOD, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. For all the variables of interest, the average of the 20 CMIP5 simulation results show good correlation with the PRISM results with an underestimation relative to the PRISM result. The underestimation was insignificant in organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a, CBOD, and total phosphorus, but was significant in CMIP5 flow, sediment, mineral phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen. A weak negative correlation was observed between agricultural land percentages and flow, and between agricultural land percentages and sediment, while a strong positive correlation was observed between agricultural land use and the water quality variables. A large increase in farmland will produce a small decrease in flow and sediment transport with a large increase in nutrient transport, which would degrade the water quality of the OWC estuary with economic implications.

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