scholarly journals Ammonia Volatilization from Fertilizer Urea—A New Challenge for Agriculture and Industry in View of Growing Global Demand for Food and Energy Crops

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 822
Author(s):  
Maria Skorupka ◽  
Artur Nosalewicz
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Energy Crops ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
World Population ◽  
Ammonia Emissions ◽  
Total Ammonia ◽  
The Impact

The growing world population and the necessity to meet its nutritional needs despite the limited area of agricultural land pose a serious challenge for agriculture. Agriculture is responsible for 80–95% of total ammonia emissions to the atmosphere, but at the same time it has great potential to reduce them. Fertilisation with mineral nitrogen (in particular urea) is responsible for 19.0–20.3% of total ammonia emissions emitted from agriculture. Ammonia emissions have a negative impact on the environment and human health, therefore it is important to minimize the volatilization of ammonia and increase fertiliser efficiency. This is important due to the need to mitigate the negative impact of anthropopressure on the environment in terms of air pollution, negative effect on soils and waters. The application of urease inhibitors during fertilisation with nitrogen fertilisers is one method to reduce ammonia emissions from plant production. Another option to achieve this goal is to reverse the global trend toward maximizing the production of energy crops (intensive fertilisation inevitably increasing ammonia emissions to the environment) for the production of biofuels, which is growing rapidly, taking up arable land that could be used for food production. The aim of the review is to identify the impact of recently introduced technologies for reducing ammonia emissions from urea on agricultural productivity, environment, and crops. It is of importance to reconsider optimization of crop production in arable land, possible owing to the progress in the production, modification, and application of mineral fertilisers and changes in crop structure. A broad debate is necessary with policymakers and stakeholders to define new targets allowing introduction of technologies for conversion of energy crops into energy with a minimal impact on food production and environmental issue.

South Africa’s increasing climate variability and its effect on food production

2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110049
Author(s):  
Mashudu Tshikovhi ◽  
Roscoe Bertrum van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Fixed Effects Panel Regression ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the impact of increasing climate variability on food production in South Africa, focusing on maize and wheat yields. A two-way fixed effects panel regression model was used to assess the climate variability impacts, analysing secondary data for the period 2000 to 2019 for nine provinces in South Africa. The study found that increasing climate variability has a negative impact on maize and wheat production in South Africa. Specifically, the results indicated a negative correlation between mean annual temperature with both maize and wheat yields. A decrease in precipitation affected maize yields negatively, while the impact on wheat yields was positive, although insignificant. This analysis, therefore, depicted that crop yields generally increase with more annual precipitation and decrease with higher temperatures. The study recommends that funding initiatives to educate farmers on increasing climate variability and its effects on farming activities in South Africa should be prioritised.

scholarly journals Social isolation and quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on mental health and quality of population life

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e30510212535
Author(s):  
Gabriel Kiaro Leite Nunes ◽  
Karinne Alice Santos de Araújo ◽  
Thais Ranielle Souza de Oliveira ◽  
Marcelina da Conceição Botelho Teixeira ◽  
Ieler Ferreira Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
World Population ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about major changes in the lifestyle of the world population. Due to the lack of vaccines or a definitive treatment for disease, governments around the world have adopted social isolation and quarantine as methods to control the spread of the virus. Objective: Thus, the objective of this study was to discuss how social isolation and quarantine periods affected people's mental health and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic between March and September 2020, establishing the following guiding question: How did social isolation and quarantine affect the mental health and quality of life of the population in the COVID-19 pandemic? Results: The final sample consisted of nineteen (19) articles, two (2) addressed depression during the pandemic period, three (3) presented the pandemic and the relationship with sociodemographic aspects, five (5) analyzed mental health in the pandemic, four (4) reported the impact of COVID-19 on the population's style and quality of life and the last five (5) demonstrated the quality of human relationships and emotional aspects in the face of the pandemic. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that isolation and the quarantine period had a negative impact on the population's quality of life and long-term mental health.

Improving China's alfalfa industry development: an economic analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Results ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThis study analyzes the factors which affect the alfalfa cultivation acreage in China and estimates the development of alfalfa planting by the supply model.Design/methodology/approachBased on the characteristics and actual conditions of alfalfa cultivation in China, a naïve empirical model was created to analyze the impact of various influencing factors on the cultivation acreage of alfalfa.FindingsThe analysis of influential factors shows that China's alfalfa planting conforms to naïve price behavior. The prices of alfalfa and per capita arable land occupancy have a positive effect on the cultivation acreage, while the price of competitive crops and transportation costs have a negative effect on the production of alfalfa. Lastly, the 2012 alfalfa subsidy policy has a significant negative impact on alfalfa cultivation acreage.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the limited research on alfalfa supply in China, there is a lack of available research data and statistical data. A large number of data in this study are mainly indirect data derived and calculated from other industrial data. The measurement results may not be fully accurate.Originality/valueThis study represents the first empirical analysis of the characteristics of the factors influencing alfalfa cultivation acreage in China. The secondary data were used to analyze the influence of various control variables on the cultivation acreage of alfalfa, which is different from existing research.

Towards Food Security: the Prediction of Climatic Factors in Nigeria using Random Forest Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-81
Author(s):  
Charity Ojochogwu Egbunu ◽  
Matthew Tunde Ogedengbe ◽  
Terungwa Simon Yange ◽  
Terlumun Gbaden ◽  
Malik Adeiza Rufai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Random Forest Algorithm ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Impact

With the explosive growth in the world’s population which has little or no corresponding rise in the food production, food insecurity has become eminent, and hence, the need to seek for opportunities to increase food production in order to cater for this population is paramount. The second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (i.e., ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture) set by the United Nations (UN) for the year 2030 clearly acknowledged this fact. Improving food production cannot be achieved using the obsolete conventional methods of agriculture by our farmers; hence, this study focuses on developing a model for predicting climatic conditions with a view to reducing their negative impact, and boosting the yield of crop. Temperature, wind, humidity and rainfall were considered as the effect of these factors is more devastating in Nigeria as compared to sun light which is always in abundance. We implemented random forest algorithm using Python programming language to predict the aforementioned climate parameters. The data used was gotten from the Nigerian Meteorological (NiMet) Agency, Lokoja, Kogi State between 1988 and 2018. The result shows that random forest algorithm is effective in climate prediction as the accuracy from the model based on the climatic factors considered was 94.64%. With this, farmers would be able to plan ahead to prevent the impact of the fluctuations in these climatic factors; thus, the yield of crops would be increased. This would dwarf the negative impact of food insecurity to the populace.

scholarly journals Antioxidants in Potatoes: A Functional View on One of the Major Food Crops Worldwide

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2446
Author(s):  
Hanjo Hellmann ◽  
Aymeric Goyer ◽  
Duroy A. Navarre
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
World Population ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Potato Tubers ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food Production ◽  
Major Food ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Future Potential

With a growing world population, accelerating climate changes, and limited arable land, it is critical to focus on plant-based resources for sustainable food production. In addition, plants are a cornucopia for secondary metabolites, of which many have robust antioxidative capacities and are beneficial for human health. Potato is one of the major food crops worldwide, and is recognized by the United Nations as an excellent food source for an increasing world population. Potato tubers are rich in a plethora of antioxidants with an array of health-promoting effects. This review article provides a detailed overview about the biosynthesis, chemical and health-promoting properties of the most abundant antioxidants in potato tubers, including several vitamins, carotenoids and phenylpropanoids. The dietary contribution of diverse commercial and primitive cultivars are detailed and document that potato contributes much more than just complex carbohydrates to the diet. Finally, the review provides insights into the current and future potential of potato-based systems as tools and resources for healthy and sustainable food production.

scholarly journals African Orphan Crops under Abiotic Stresses: Challenges and Opportunities

Scientifica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zerihun Tadele
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
World Population ◽  
World Food ◽  
Orphan Crops ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
World Food Security

A changing climate, a growing world population, and a reduction in arable land devoted to food production are all problems facing the world food security. The development of crops that can yield under uncertain and extreme climatic and soil growing conditions can play a key role in mitigating these problems. Major crops such as maize, rice, and wheat are responsible for a large proportion of global food production but many understudied crops (commonly known as “orphan crops”) including millets, cassava, and cowpea feed millions of people in Asia, Africa, and South America and are already adapted to the local environments in which they are grown. The application of modern genetic and genomic tools to the breeding of these crops can provide enormous opportunities for ensuring world food security but is only in its infancy. In this review, the diversity and types of understudied crops will be introduced, and the beneficial traits of these crops as well as their role in the socioeconomics of Africa will be discussed. In addition, the response of orphan crops to diverse types of abiotic stresses is investigated. A review of the current tools and their application to the breeding of enhanced orphan crops will also be described. Finally, few examples of global efforts on tackling major abiotic constraints in Africa are presented.

scholarly journals Bioenergy production: are the objects realistic??

2008 ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Margit Csipkés
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Energy Crops ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Energy Crop ◽  
The North ◽  
National Market ◽  
Energy Plant ◽  
Energy Economy

Currently we do not have the possibility to define our energy reserves, since we do not know the magnitude of extant material resources. The known petroleum (crude) supply will be sufficient for about 100 years at the longest, and according to the latest estimates in 2008 we will reach and even exceed the maximum level of oil extraction, and after this it is going to decrease.Hungary has good givens to go upon the way of sustainable energy economy according to experts, however a coherent government policy that lasts for not just one period is essential, and a sound economic- and agricultural policy is needed as well. According to the FVM’s under-secretary in Hungary more than 1 million hectares can be disposable for energy crop production. This would mean that 20 percent of the fields would be taken away from food production and on these fields energy crops would be grown. But we also have to take into consideration that the increase in energy plant production could happen at the expense of food production. If we would like to ensure the food for Hungary’s population from national sources we have to make calculations in determining energy need. In my research I set out the objective to determine the level of that specific turnover and marginal cost which supports the profitability of grain cultivation. With these indicators it is possible to analyze the economy and competitiveness of growing energy crops in the region of the North Plain. The alternatives of using cereals and rational land use should be also considered. A developing bio-fuel program can be a solution for the deduction of excess grain that is typical in Hungary for several years in the cereals sector. The pressure on the national market caused by excess grain can be ceased or moderated, and therefore the storage problems would decrease as well.

THE ROLE OF BIOLOGICAL PROGRESS IN THE INCREASE OF THE YIELD OF SPRING CEREALS IN VARIETAL TESTING IN POLAND

2018 ◽  
Vol XX (2) ◽  
pp. 162-168
Author(s):  
Ludwik Wicki
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
World Population ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Yield Level ◽  
Spring Triticale ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Spring Cereals ◽  
The Impact

The growing world population and the increase in the wealth of societies are the reason for the growing demand for food. An important issue is to obtain production growth without excessive increase of use of production inputs. It is possible thanks to biological progress, whose share in creating the growth of plant production in the world is estimated at 40%. The aim of the work is to determine the impact of biological progress on the increase in the yield level of spring cereals in Poland. The analysis was based on the results of post-registration varietal testing for the years 2006-2017. It was found that the yield of varieties of spring cereals increased in the analyzed period by an average of over 15 dt/ha. The share of biological progress in the observed increase ranged from 15% for spring triticale to 38% for spring barley. On average, it was 28% at a lower production intensity level and 23% at a higher intensity level. The importance of biological progress in the increase of yields of spring cereal varieties in Poland is high, and the effective dissemination of new varieties may allow for obtaining more crop production without increasing inputs, if the level of utilization of the varieties’ potential will be higher in agriculture production.

REGIONAL DIFFERENTIATION AND POSSIBILITIES OF REDUCING AMMONIA EMISSIONS FROM AGRICULTURE IN POLAND

2019 ◽  
Vol XXI (4) ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
Anna Jędrejek
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Spatial Differentiation ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Regional Differentiation ◽  
Ammonia Emissions ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
National Centre ◽  
Total Ammonia

The main purpose of this paper was to present ammonia (NH3) emissions from agriculture, on a regional scale, in 2017, and identify recommendable agricultural practices limiting ammonia emissions. The methodology used to estimate emissions was based on the approach of the National Centre for Emissions Management (KOBiZE). Analyses were based on statistical data of Statistics Poland (GUS), from 2017. The results of the conducted study showed significant spatial differentiation of ammonia emissions from agriculture. The region of Wielkopolska had the highest NH3 emissions at a level of 34.5 kg NH3 per ha UAA. Lower ammonia emissions were identified in the following regions: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Podlaskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie, between 20.3-24.7 kg NH3/ha UAA. In total ammonia emissions from agriculture, in Poland, 76.8% constituted emissions from the management of natural fertilisers. The Wielkopolskie and Podlaskie voivodships have a majority share in the emissions of ammonia from animal production – 29.1 and 21.3 kg NH3/ha UAA, respectively. Whereas, ammonia emissions from plant production in 2017 was 66 Gg, which equals 4.6 kg NH3/ha UAA. The highest emission of ammonia from plant production was detected in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Opolskie and Dolnośląskie voivodships, in regions characterized by the most intensive crop production. Estimated emissions were 6.9, 6.2 and 6.0 kg NH3/ha UAA, respectively. A reduction of ammonia emissions from agriculture can be obtained through the proper maintenance of livestock and natural fertilisers, and the implementation of low-carbon methods of the application of mineral nitrogen fertilizer.

scholarly journals Cultural Influences on Fruit and Vegetable Food-Wasting Behavior in the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9685
Author(s):  
Corina Pelau ◽  
Roxana Sarbu ◽  
Daniela Serban
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
World Population ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

In a context of increased world population and imbalanced access to resources, the concept of food waste has gained increased attention in the past years. The waste of food has a negative impact on the economy, the society and the environment. In order to reduce the quantities of wasted food, it is important to understand the factors and the situations in which food waste occurs. Several studies have shown that food waste happens mostly at the consumer level and that it is determined by a wide range of factors, such as socio-demographic characteristics and consumption patterns. The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of the national culture on the quantity of wasted fruit and vegetables. Based on secondary data, the panel regression analysis was applied for 28 European countries with the purpose of determining the influence of the cultural dimensions as described by Hofstede on the quantities of wasted fruit and vegetables. The results of the research show that the uncertainty avoidance of a culture complemented by the indulgence index influences the quantity of wasted fruit and vegetables, confirming that certain characteristics of the national culture are factors that affect the quantity of wasted food.

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