Economic Benefit Evaluation and Analysis Based on Intelligent Agriculture Internet of Things

There has been a consensus on the development of ecological agriculture to promote the leap from traditional agriculture to ecological agriculture, but the unavoidable fact is that the development of ecological agriculture is still relatively slow at the present stage and has not formed a major climate and great influence. The rise of the Internet is a technology that has promoted the transformation and upgrading of modern agriculture, changed the traditional agricultural production mode, and accelerated the scientific and technological integration of information. In view of the characteristics and difficulties of agriculture, this paper builds an Agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) management system to realize the integrated management of Internet equipment and realize the management of environmental data, video data, and agricultural expert knowledge. Then from perception technology, transmission technology, and the perspective of three intelligent information processing technologies, this paper introduces the present state of agricultural IoT, analyzes the Internet of Things to the economic benefits of agricultural production, to research the problems of China’s agricultural development of the Internet of Things, and puts forward China’s agricultural Internet of the future research emphasis and direction of development.

Comparison of the antioxidant potential of some herbal teas produced from ecological and traditional crops

The growing public awareness of the dangers regarding chemicals used in traditional agriculture has led to consumers seeking valuable and contaminant-free products. Ecological agriculture has become synonymous with high health value and product safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and the total polyphenolic content of infusions of herbal tea bags and loose teas from traditional crops, as well as infusions of loose teas from ecological crops. Raw material comprised dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla and Tilia cordata, as well as dried leaves of Urtica dioica, Melissa officinalis and Mentha piperita. Herbal infusions were prepared using three brewing times: 5, 10 and 20 min. The analysis of antioxidant potential was performed using in vitro methods such as DPPH, ABTS and FRAP. The polyphenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant activity of the studied tea infusion depended on the method by which the plants were cultivated and the brewing time. The ecological agriculture conditions seem not to stimulate the synthesis of antioxidants. However, the possibility to obtain other beneficial properties of the studied plants is an indication to carry out ecological cultivation.

Andalusian Organic Farming Plans (2002–2016): Themes, Approaches and Values

Organic farming in the Spanish region of Andalusia has acquired great socio-economic importance over the past decades. The purpose of this article is to study the themes, approaches, and socio-political values pertaining to ecological agriculture addressed in the Andalusian plans for organic farming (2002–2016). The contents of these plans have not been systematically studied before. From a descriptive and qualitative perspective, the authors present and classify the main themes addressed in those plans and show the socio-political approaches and values that underpin the plans. A thematic and semantic content analysis methodology is applied to the plans and sections addressing various objectives, measures, and actions. A theoretical-qualitative sampling is developed, and 109 keywords are selected for content analysis. This analysis allows us to detect numerous themes pertaining to ecological agriculture and to classify them into six semantic fields linked to various approaches and values promoted by the Andalusian autonomous administration. Therefore, this research focuses on changing perspectives of organic farming developed by the administration and the agents involved in the plans. The authors conclude that the diverse actors have prioritized a productivist–technocratic approach to ecological agriculture, to the detriment of an approach centered on sustainable and agroecological local communities.

Comparative Assessment of Vegetable Crop Performances and Ecological Indicators during Transition from Conventional to Ecological Agriculture

Selected field vegetable crop combinations and increasing dosage of bio-char application, together with other alternative agronomic components of ecological agriculture (EA) were compared with conventional agriculture (CA) during the first three seasons of transition from CA to EA under hot-humid tropical conditions and sandy regasolic soils in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka. The recommendations of the Department of Agriculture (Sri Lanka) was followed for managing conventional agriculture plots while alternative ecological options were followed for plant nutrient and pest managements. Capsicum-beet, Okra-beet and mae-spinach and radish-onion crop combinations could be selected for intercropping under ecological as well as conventional cropping systems based on their yield performances (Land Equivalent Ratio -LER) or other yield components. Even though plant growth rates and crop yields were lower at the beginning, EA was able to outrank CA by the third consecutive season. A bio-char amendment of 2 kg m-2 could be identified as the best among the different dosages tested. Soil N, P and K contents were increased while accumulation of Cd and Hg were reduced at the end of a three season long ecological agriculture practices. Insect pest/natural enemy incidence were not different between two cropping systems.