scholarly journals Climate and Sustainable Food Security

MAUSAM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
M. S. SWAMINATHAN
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Economic Structure ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Solar Energy Harvesting ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Climatic Information

Agriculture is the world's largest solar energy harvesting enterprise. In the Indian context, the last few decades have witnessed unprecedented growth in agricultural production largely due to productivity improvement. However, the gap between potential yield and farmers fields is still high. This paper highlights the various socioeconomic issues that dominate the variability in agricultural production at the field level. Monsoon management of agriculture and human livelihoods has been a traditional experience in India. However, in the current context of wide spread concerns about global climatic change there is a need to translate climatic information into practical tools for the development and sustainment of agriculture. This paper makes a case for the development of a suitable strategy for climate management, in the context of the unique socio-economic structure of the country.

scholarly journals Balancing production and culture: Sustainable agriculture in the Amazon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Gandarilla ◽  
Giovanni A Carosso ◽  
Mohammed A Mostajo-Radji
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food Production ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
Transgenic Seeds ◽  
The World ◽  
Single Exception

Sustainable food production in developing countries is challenging, as it requires balancing scalability with respect for local culture and traditions. Bolivia represents a particularly interesting example; with over 36 recognized indigenous groups encompassing over 70% of the country’s population in a relatively small territory, Bolivia is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world (Ferreira et al., 2019). Agriculture in Bolivia employs over 5% of the country’s population and represents over 14% of its GDP. Yet, the introduction of new agribusiness approaches has often been met with resistance by the local communities. For example, the use of transgenic seeds in Bolivia is forbidden by law, with a single exception in soybean production (Avila and Izquierdo, 2006). As result, Bolivia is at a disadvantage in relation to its neighbors in agricultural production. In addition, high costs of transport and export of produce due to the landlocked nature of the country, compounded by logistic difficulties of exporting through a third country, highlight the need of policies that facilitate a larger and more efficient food production.

Implications of Land Grabbing on Sustainable Food Systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Agatha Osivweneta Ogbe ◽  
Sarah Edore Edewor
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Income Generation ◽  
Land Grabbing ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food

Land is one of the most valuable assets required for agricultural production. In Africa, smallholder agricultural producers are faced with a lot of challenges that have highly impacted on productivity and sustainable food systems. The global demand for agricultural land for food and bio-fuel production has increasingly led to the emergence of land grabbing after the 2007-08 food price crisis. The rural poor are the victim of land grabbing as they are faced with declining farmlands, low income generation, and loss of livelihood activities. These have affected the food security status of the rural poor as farmlands are taken from them. The proponents of land grabbing revealed that developing countries are expected to benefit from investments inflow on grabbed land, development of infrastructure, increased income generation, and job creation. They argue that investment in agriculture is necessary to stimulate agricultural production; however, this situation has brought negative effects as most investors failed to keep their end of the transaction on land acquisition deals.

Study on Labour Force in Romanian Agriculture

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Nica
Keyword(s):  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Active Population ◽  
Current Context ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Total Labour

This article describes how in the current context, there are many opinions in Romania which lead to the claim that there is no longer a labour force in agriculture, especially the seasonal labour force. In the present article, it is desirable to analyse the dynamics of the agricultural labour force in recent years as well as to determine the current level, but also its productivity. Thus, with the data collected from the national, European and international databases on the total population, indicators such as the active population, the employed population, the share in the total labour force, as well as the unemployed and the unemployment rate were analysed. In order to determine labour productivity, total agricultural production is analysed along with the indicators presented above. At the end of the study, the author also analyses the earnings of the population working in agriculture, trying to determine how this indicator influences the workforce in this sector of the national economy.

Capitalism after Satoshi

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Berg ◽  
Sinclair Davidson ◽  
Jason Potts
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Economic Structure ◽  
Regulatory State ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Long Run

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the long-run economic structure and economic policy consequences of wide-spread blockchain adoption. Design/methodology/approach The approach uses institutional, organisational and evolutionary economic theory to predict consequences of blockchain innovation for economic structure (dehierarchicalisation) and then to further predict the effect of that structural change on the demand for economic policy. Findings The paper makes two key predictions. First, that blockchain adoption will cause both market disintermediation and organisational dehierarchicalisation. And second, that these structural changes will unwind some of the rationale for economic policy developed through the twentieth century that sought to control the effects of market power and organisational hierarchy. Research limitations/implications The core implication that the theoretical prediction made in this paper is that wide-spread blockchain technology adoption could reduce the need for counter-veiling economic policy, and therefore limiting the role of government. Originality/value The paper takes a standard prediction made about blockchain adoption, namely disintermediation (or growth of markets), and extends it to point out that the same effect will occur to organisations. It then notes that much of the rationale for economic policy, and especially industry and regulatory policy through the twentieth century was justified in order to control economic power created by hierarchical organisations. The surprising implication, then, is that blockchain adoption weakens the rationale for such economic policy. This reveals the long-run relationship between digital technological innovation and the regulatory state.

scholarly journals Narrowing the Agronomic Yield Gaps of Maize by Improved Soil, Cultivar, and Agricultural Management Practices in Different Climate Zones of Northeast China

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijuan Liu ◽  
Xiaoguang Yang ◽  
Xiaomao Lin ◽  
Kenneth G. Hubbard ◽  
Shuo Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Climate Zones ◽  
Yield Gaps

Abstract Northeast China (NEC) is one of the major agricultural production areas in China, producing about 30% of China’s total maize output. In the past five decades, maize yields in NEC increased rapidly. However, farmer yields still have potential to be increased. Therefore, it is important to quantify the impacts of agronomic factors, including soil physical properties, cultivar selections, and management practices on yield gaps of maize under the changing climate in NEC in order to provide reliable recommendations to narrow down the yield gaps. In this study, the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM)-Maize model was used to separate the contributions of soil physical properties, cultivar selections, and management practices to maize yield gaps. The results indicate that approximately 5%, 12%, and 18% of potential yield loss of maize is attributable to soil physical properties, cultivar selection, and management practices. Simulation analyses showed that potential ascensions of yield of maize by improving soil physical properties PAYs, changing to cultivar with longer maturity PAYc, and improving management practices PAYm for the entire region were 0.6, 1.5, and 2.2 ton ha−1 or 9%, 23%, and 34% increases, respectively, in NEC. In addition, PAYc and PAYm varied considerably from location to location (0.4 to 2.2 and 0.9 to 4.5 ton ha−1 respectively), which may be associated with the spatial variation of growing season temperature and precipitation among climate zones in NEC. Therefore, changing to cultivars with longer growing season requirement and improving management practices are the top strategies for improving yield of maize in NEC, especially for the north and west areas.

scholarly journals The Use of Freshwater Sapropel in Agricultural Production: A New Frontier in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sylvia I. Murunga ◽  
Eliud N. Wafula ◽  
Joseph Sang
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Soil Microbial Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Food

Opportunities for sustainable agriculture development in Kenya which heavily depends on healthy soil and soil microbial diversity can be found in the promotion of organic farming. The increasing populations, higher demands for animal and plant products, climate change impacts, and weather conditions necessitate novel ideas and technologies to try reverse the adverse effects of excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and to maximize the potential of the land. Sapropel, a promising biological deposit from freshwater lakes, has found its limelight in its use in agricultural crop production as a soil conditioner and biofertilizer. This could be an ultimate practice for sustainable food and energy production in Kenya. This review aims at presenting information in the literature about the potential use of the organic fertilizer based on sapropels in intensified crop production and their main effects on plant growth. It discusses soil fertility, the composition of sapropels, and their application and advantages in agricultural production. It is evident from the review that sapropel can be considered as a resource that is valuable with wide application possibilities in agriculture. Sapropel can present an important contribution to the solution of the conservation of the fertility of the soil for integrated nutrient management systems to maintain agricultural productivity and help in environmental conservation.

scholarly journals Blockchain drivers to achieve sustainable food security in the Indian context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinay Surendra Yadav ◽  
A. R. Singh ◽  
Rakesh D. Raut ◽  
Naoufel Cheikhrouhou
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Matrix Multiplication ◽  
Multiple Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Fuzzy Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Agricultural Applications

AbstractBlockchain has the potential to improve sustainable food security due to its unique features like traceability, decentralized and immutable database, and smart contract mechanisms. However, blockchain technology is still in the early stages of adoption in particular in agricultural applications. In this context, this article aims to identify blockchain drivers to achieve sustainable food security in the Indian context and model them using an integrated MCDM (Multiple Criteria Decision Making) approach. The blockchain adoption drivers are identified through an exhaustive literature review and opinions from domain experts from industry, academia, and Agriculture Supply Chain (ASC) stakeholders. Subsequently, the integrated MCDM approach is developed by combining Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) and Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), which does not only investigate the interrelation between the identified constructs and builds hierarchy but also determines the intensity of the causal interrelationships. At a later stage, Fuzzy Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) is used to cluster the identified drivers to evaluate the importance of each driver. The results reveal that Traceability, Real-time information availability to agro-stakeholder, and Decentralized and immutable database are the most significant drivers. Policymakers, governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders may utilize the information about the interrelationship between these drivers and their influential power, to frame suitable strategies for enhancing the adoption rate of blockchain in the Indian ASC.

Crisis and Opportunities at the Intersection Between Food, Agri-Bussiness and Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
Simona Nicoleta Stan ◽  
Străteanu Amalia-Gianina
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Human Life ◽  
European Population ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Current Context

Abstract In the current context, food safety crises often have a direct impact on the health of the European population. Such moments bring chaos and confusion among the population, about food consumption, food systems, the ethics of businesses involved in the agri-food chain, or about guaranteeing their consumers’ rights. Although the level of consumer information has increased in recent years, there is a need for a uniform approach to all topics of interest to them, from quality, cost, authenticity, maintenance of food safety, to contaminants and fraud. Choosing a diet generates multiple effects on the quality of human life. Europeans are concerned about how food products are produced and consumed and which are the short and long-term effects, with attention being shifted from providing sufficient food. However, food consumption patterns of European citizens often have negative health consequences, endangering the future and making it necessary to change the way we feed and consume them. From farms to restaurants, we need to redefine the assumed concept of adequate nutrition in the 21st century: sustainable diets from sustainable food systems.

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