scholarly journals Facing Change through Diversity: Resilience and Diversification of Plant Management Strategies during the Mid to Late Holocene Transition at the Monte Castelo Shellmound, SW Amazonia

Quaternary ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Laura P. Furquim ◽  
Jennifer Watling ◽  
Lautaro M. Hilbert ◽  
Myrtle P. Shock ◽  
Gabriela Prestes-Carneiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
History Of

Recent advances in the archaeology of lowland South America are furthering our understanding of the Holocene development of plant cultivation and domestication, cultural niche construction, and relationships between environmental changes and cultural strategies of food production. This article offers new data on plant and landscape management and mobility in Southwestern Amazonia during a period of environmental change at the Middle to Late Holocene transition, based on archaeobotanical analysis of the Monte Castelo shellmound, occupied between 6000 and 650 yr BP and located in a modern, seasonally flooded savanna–forest mosaic. Through diachronic comparisons of carbonized plant remains, phytoliths, and starch grains, we construct an ecology of resource use and explore its implications for the long-term history of landscape formation, resource management practices, and mobility. We show how, despite important changes visible in the archaeological record of the shellmound during this period, there persisted an ancient, local, and resilient pattern of plant management which implies a degree of stability in both subsistence and settlement patterns over the last 6000 years. This pattern is characterized by management practices that relied on increasingly diversified, rather than intensive, food production systems. Our findings have important implications in debates regarding the history of settlement permanence, population growth, and carrying capacity in the Amazon basin.

scholarly journals Legumes increase grassland productivity with no effect on nitrous oxide emissions

2019 ◽  
Vol 446 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlete S. Barneze ◽  
Jeanette Whitaker ◽  
Niall P. McNamara ◽  
Nicholas J. Ostle
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
Grassland Productivity

Abstract Aims Grasslands are important agricultural production systems, where ecosystem functioning is affected by land management practices. Grass-legume mixtures are commonly cultivated to increase grassland productivity while reducing the need for nitrogen (N) fertiliser. However, little is known about the effect of this increase in productivity on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in grass-legume mixtures. The aim of this study was to investigate interactions between the proportion of legumes in grass-legume mixtures and N-fertiliser addition on productivity and GHG emissions. We tested the hypotheses that an increase in the relative proportion of legumes would increase plant productivity and decrease GHG emissions, and the magnitude of these effects would be reduced by N-fertiliser addition. Methods This was tested in a controlled environment mesocosm experiment with one grass and one legume species grown in mixtures in different proportions, with or without N-fertiliser. The effects on N cycling processes were assessed by measurement of above- and below-ground biomass, shoot N uptake, soil physico-chemical properties and GHG emissions. Results Above-ground productivity and shoot N uptake were greater in legume-grass mixtures compared to grass or legume monocultures, in fertilised and unfertilised soils. However, we found no effect of legume proportion on N2O emissions, total soil N or mineral-N in fertilised or unfertilised soils. Conclusions This study shows that the inclusion of legumes in grass-legume mixtures positively affected productivity, however N cycle were in the short-term unaffected and mainly affected by nitrogen fertilisation. Legumes can be used in grassland management strategies to mitigate climate change by reducing crop demand for N-fertilisers.

Documenting ancient plant management in the northwest of North AmericaThis paper was submitted for the Special Issue on Ethnobotany, inspired by the Ethnobotany Symposium organized by Alain Cuerrier, Montréal Botanical Garden, and held in Montréal at the 2006 annual meeting of the Canadian Botanical Association.

Botany ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Lepofsky ◽  
Ken Lertzman
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
European Contact ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Ethnographic literature documents the pervasiveness of plant-management strategies, such as prescribed burning and other kinds of cultivation, among Northwest Peoples after European contact. In contrast, definitive evidence of precontact plant management has been elusive. Documenting the nature and extent of precontact plant-management strategies has relevance to historians, archaeologists, managers, conservationists, forest ecologists, and First Nations. In this paper, we summarize the various lines of evidence that have been, or could be, used to document ancient cultivation in the northwest of North America. We organize this discussion by the ecological consequences of ancient plant-management practices and their documented or potential visibility in the paleo-, neo-ecological, and archaeological records. Our review demonstrates that while finding evidence of ancient plant management can be difficult, such evidence can be found when innovative research methods are applied. Further, when various independent lines of evidence are compiled, reconstructions of past plant-management strategies are strengthened considerably.

scholarly journals Exploring Farmers’ Management Practices and Values of Ecosystem Services in an Agroecosystem Context—A Case Study from the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Junior Choruma ◽  
Oghenekaro Nelson Odume
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Provisioning Ecosystem Services

Globally, farmers remain the key ecosystem managers responsible for increasing food production while simultaneously reducing the associated negative environmental impacts. However, research investigating how farmers’ agricultural management practices are influenced by the values they assign to ecosystem services is scarce in South Africa. To address this gap, a survey of farmers’ agricultural management practices and the values they assigned towards ecosystem services was conducted in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results from the survey show that farmers assign a high value on food provisioning ecosystem services compared to other ecosystem services. Irrigation and fertiliser decisions were mostly based on achieving maximum crop yields or good crop quality. The majority of farmers (86%) indicated a willingness to receive payments for ecosystem services (PES) to manage their farms in a more ecosystems-oriented manner. To encourage farmers to shift from managing ecosystems for single ecosystem services such as food provision to managing ecosystems for multiple ecosystem services, market-oriented plans such as PES may be employed. Effective measures for sustainable intensification of food production will depend on the inclusion of farmers in the development of land management strategies and practices as well as increasing farmers’ awareness and knowledge of the ecosystem services concept.

scholarly journals Holocene history of fire, vegetation and land use from the central Pyrenees (France)

2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Rius ◽  
Boris Vanniére ◽  
Didier Galop
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Subsequent Reduction ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
History Of ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Central Pyrenees

Located on a mountain pass in the west-central Pyrenees, the Col d'Ech peat bog provides a Holocene fire and vegetation record based upon nine 14C (AMS) dates. We aim to compare climate-driven versus human-driven fire regimes in terms of frequency, fire episodes distribution, and impact on vegetation. Our results show the mid-Holocene (8500–5500 cal yr BP) to be characterized by high fire frequency linked with drier and warmer conditions. However, fire occurrences appear to have been rather stochastic as underlined by a scattered chronological distribution. Wetter and colder conditions at the mid-to-late Holocene transition (4000–3000 cal yr BP) led to a decrease in fire frequency, probably driven by both climate and a subsequent reduction in human land use. On the contrary, from 3000 cal yr BP, fire frequency seems to be driven by agro-pastoral activities with a very regular distribution of events. During this period fire was used as a prominent agent of landscape management.

scholarly journals A Conceptual Model of Grassland-Based Beef Systems

2012 ◽  
pp. 100-119
Author(s):  
Guillaume Martin ◽  
Roger Martin-Clouaire ◽  
Jean-Pierre Rellier ◽  
Michel Duru
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Scientific Investigation ◽  
Biophysical Processes ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Production Objectives

Fulfilling the production objectives of a grassland-based beef system requires a robust management strategy to secure the best practicable use of forage resources with regard to the cattle demand. To address the challenging issue of designing such strategies, this article describes the application of an ontology of agricultural production systems to the generic conceptual model SEDIVER, which supports the representation and dynamic farm-scale simulation of specific grassland-based beef systems. The most salient and novel aspects of SEDIVER concern the explicit modeling of (a) the diversity in plant, grassland, animal and farmland, and (b) management strategies that deal with the planning and coordination of activities whereby the farmer controls the biophysical processes. By using the SEDIVER conceptual framework, part of the subjective and context-specific knowledge used in farm management can be captured and, in this way, enable scientific investigation of management practices.

scholarly journals Organic Agriculture: The logical sequence to modern chemical agriculture in the Philippine context

2010 ◽  
pp. 112-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodoro Mendoza
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Fertility Restoration ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Logical Sequence

Organic agriculture, which is also described as less fossil fuel-dependent and agrochemical-free agriculture, is now perceived as the logical sequence to the food production systems which are dependent on agro-chemical inputs from production to processing. This paper discusses the situations and factors that should be considered in the crucial process of shifting approaches to food production systems to achieve food security in the new millennium. In the past, farmers shifted with government support to chemical agriculture to produce the food requirements of the burgeoning population. Soils are badly degraded from the use of chemical fertilizer and pest populations are so complex and crop failures associated with no application of pesticides are widely known. Withdrawal from agrochemical use will mean huge yield reduction without soil fertility restoration and any further yield decline is unacceptable both to the farmers and the consumers. The shift to organic agriculture requires soil fertility restoration, breeding/selection of seeds for organic agriculture, adoption of cultural management practices and shifting monocropping to diverse planting, integrated nutrient management and ecological pest management systems, among others. Farmers need full government support to shift to organic agriculture. Moreover, the society or the consumers need to realize that the shift to organic agriculture is for their own benefit, hence, they need to appreciate, understand, cooperate, patronize and put premium value to organic agriculture products. The superior quality of organic products should be appreciated and should be translated to higher price. Organic agriculture production should be complemented with a change in consumer preferences or consumption patterns. It should be translated into a demand that will lead to changes in the supply side thereby changing the agricultural production systems that our Filipino farmers currently adopt.

Productive and reproductive performance of crossbred and indigenous dairy cows at smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Belay Duguma
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Jimma Zone ◽  
Improvement Programs

Context Evaluation of the performance of dairy cows kept in different production systems is essential for the development of appropriate breeding strategies. Aims To examine milk production and reproductive performance of crossbred (CB) and indigenous (I) dairy cows, farmers’ traits preference for CB and I breeding females, and factors affecting the performance of dairy cattle on smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Methods In total, 52 smallholder dairy cattle farmers were randomly sampled and data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews by using structured questionnaires. The traits studied were daily milk yield (DMY), lactation milk yield (LMY), lactation length (LL), age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), days open (DO), and number of service per conception (NSC), all being factors affecting performance of dairy cattle and farmers’ preferred dairy traits. Results On average, CB cows had significantly (P < 0.05) higher DMY (6.0 ± 0.33 vs 1.8 ± 0.07 L/cow), LMY (1466.7 ± 1.13 vs 376.0 ± 21.02 L (L)), LL (8.1 ± 0.41 vs 6.9 ± 0.22 months), and lower AFS (2.69 ± 0.1 vs 3.3 ± 0.07 years), AFC (3.7 ± 0.13 vs 4.3 ± 0.07 years) and CI (21.2 ± 1.37 vs 29.8 ± 1.30 months) than did I cows. However, DO and NSC were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by genotype. In order of perceived importance, high milk yield (mean rank = 0.306), LL (0.292) and fertility (0.199) were farmers’ most preferred traits for CB breeding cows, and the corresponding preferred traits for I cows were high milk yield (0.253), adaptability (0.229) and LL (0.192). The most important factors perceived by farmers affecting the performance of dairy cattle were breed, nutrition, diseases, breeding and management practices Conclusions The findings of the study indicated that even though CB cows performed better, the performance of both breeds of dairy cows in the study area was found to be generally low due to delayed AFS, late AFC, long CI, shorter LL, low daily and LMY and high NSC. Implications The study highlighted that there is a potential for increasing the performance of dairy cows in the study area, through improved management strategies leading to shorter AFS, AFC, CI and lower NSC. Furthermore, future breed-improvement programs should take into consideration farmers’ trait preferences in design of sustainable improvement programs.

scholarly journals Animal Welfare and Production Challenges Associated with Pasture Pig Systems: A Review

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana Pietrosemoli ◽  
Clara Tang
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Extreme Temperatures ◽  
Pig Production ◽  
Potential Contact ◽  
Piglet Mortality ◽  
Cleaning And Disinfection

A review of published literature was conducted to identify pasture pig production system features that pose risks to animal welfare, and to develop recommendations aimed at improving the wellbeing of the animals managed in those systems. Pasture pig production systems present specific challenges to animal welfare that are inherent to the nature of these systems where producers have little room to make improvements. However, these systems present other challenges that could be reduced with a carefully designed system, by adopting appropriate management strategies and by avoiding management practices that are likely to negatively affect animal wellbeing. In pasture pig production systems, exposure to extreme temperatures, potential contact with wildlife and pathogens (especially parasites), vulnerability to predators, risk of malnutrition, pre-weaning piglet mortality, complexity of processes for monitoring and treating sick animals, and for cleaning and disinfection of facilities and equipment are among the main threats to animal welfare.

scholarly journals Impacts of land management on the resilience of Mediterranean dry forests to fire

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Jucker Riva ◽  
Gudrun Schwilch ◽  
Hanspeter Liniger ◽  
Alejandro Valdecantos
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Before And After ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Specific ◽  
The Impact

Wildfires have always been a part of the history of Mediterranean forests. However, forest regeneration after a wildfire is not certain. It depends on many factors, some of which may be influenced by land management activities. Failure of regeneration will cause a regime shift in the ecosystem, reducing the provision of ecosystem services and ultimately leading to desertification. How can we increase Mediterranean forests’ resilience to fire? To answer this question, we did a literature review, investigating chains of processes that allow forests to regenerate (which we label “regeneration mechanisms”), and assessed the impact of selected management practices documented in the WOCAT database on the regeneration mechanisms. We identified three distinct regeneration mechanisms that enable Mediterranean forests to recover, as well as the time frame before and after a fire in which they are at work, and factors that can hinder or support resilience. The three regeneration mechanisms enabling a forest to regenerate after a fire consist of regeneration (1) from a seed bank; (2) from resprouting individuals; and (3) from unburned plants that escaped the fire. Management practices were grouped into four categories: (1) fuel breaks, (2) fuel management, (3) afforestation, and (4) mulching. We assessed how and under what conditions land management modifies the ecosystem’s resilience. The results show that land management influences resilience by interacting with resilience mechanisms before and after the fire, and not just by modifying the fire regime. Our analysis demonstrates a need for adaptive – i.e. context- and time-specific – management strategies.

scholarly journals Reproductive management strategies to reduce postpartum anestrus in dual-purpose cattle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan González-Maldonado ◽  
Miguel J. García-Winder ◽  
Jaime Gallegos-Sánchez ◽  
Camelia A. Herrera-Corredor ◽  
Gustavo Sosa-Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Productive Efficiency ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Reproductive Management ◽  
Dual Purpose Cattle ◽  
Postpartum Weight

Objective: To share technical aspects and recommendations to improve the reproductive and productive efficiency of dual-purpose cattle. Design/Methodology/Approach: A review of scientific articles published in journals was carried out to show the importance of some factors that limit reproduction, as well as to identify management strategies to increase the reproductive potential in dual-purpose cows. Results: The duration of postpartum anestrus is reduced by weaning calves at a few days or weeks of age, restricting suckling to short periods of the day, delaying suckling, and exposing cows to a bull during postpartum. On average, the combined effect of delayed suckling and exposure of cows to a bull reduces postpartum anestrus to less than 50 d and the calving-conception interval to 84 days. Milk production and calf weight gain also are improved without affecting postpartum weight changes in cows. Study Limitations/Implications: Extensive management of dual-purpose cattle reduces the intensive use of some reproductive biotechnologies commonly applied in other animal production systems. Findings/Conclusions: Improvement in the reproductive efficiency of dual-purpose cattle can be achieved by reducing the postpartum anestrus by using reproductive management strategies and minor modifications to common management practices.

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