Foreword – special issue Mycotoxins in Latin America

Latin America with its considerable North-South extent is subject to climate that varies from tropical, subtropical and warm temperate to temperate. Different agricultural products are produced in the area including cereals, oilseeds, beans, fruits and nuts together with animal production including cattle for beef and milk, pigs, poultry and fish. The heterogeneity of agriculture in Latin America is reflected in the diversity of the region’s farm structures. While agriculture in the Southern Cone is dominated by large, commercial and export-oriented farms, particularly in Argentina and Brazil, besides increasingly in other countries like Uruguay, much of the rest of the region is characterised by smallholder and family agriculture. The contamination of agricultural products with mycotoxins has impact both human and animal health, as well as the economy due to losses related to rejections of agricultural products and by-products during trade. The economic burden related to the consumption of mycotoxins by animals is especially important, causing productivity losses up to the death of animals. The relevant mycotoxins are fumonisins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) in cereals and cereal-based products, aflatoxins in cereals, oily seeds and nuts, aflatoxin M1 in milk and dairy products as well as ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee, grapes and raisins. Co-occurrence of mycotoxins has also been observed mainly with aflatoxins and fumonisins in different Latin American countries (Torres et al., 2015). Advances on legislation in different countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay have been done to establish maximum limits for mycotoxins including aflatoxins, DON, ZEN, OTA, patulin and ergot alkaloids (ANVISA, 2011/2017; CAA, 2019/2021, Norma Oficial Mexicana, N.-243-S., 2010/2010; Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos, 2013).

Solar Powered Agricultural Water Pumping with Auto Tracking

Now a days people use electric pumps to irrigate and where does not have grid electricity, they use fuel-powered pumps. However, the problem of energy is a big issue, and both fuel and electricity prices are rising. Another problem is sometimes it is hard to get fuels in rural or hilly areas. Most of the farmers are poor. To overcome these problems the project is made. It would be implemented in everywhere. The most important renewable energy source is solar energy. Light energy is converted into electrical energy by the solar panel. Agricultural technology is rapidly evolving. Farm equipment, farm structures, and manufacturing facilities are all being improved on a regular basis. There are a variety of agricultural applications for photovoltaic (PV) solutions. Person installations and systems built by utility providers when they discover that a PV solution is the best solution for a remote agricultural need like water pumping for crops or livestock. Two easy way of components make up a solar-powered water pumping system. PV panels and pumps are the items in question. The solar cell is the smallest component of a PV plate. When exposed to light, each solar cell has two or more particularly arranged layers of semiconductor material that directly generate current (DC) electricity. The panel's wiring detects this DC current. It's then either fed into a DC pump that pumps water whenever the sun shines, or it's retained in batteries for use by the pump at a later stage. In this paper, Whenever the soil get dry condition the pump can automatically on once the soil get sufficient amount of water the pump can automatically off.

Marginal farmers carry the burden of damage caused by Asian elephants Elephas maximus in Bardiya National Park, Nepal

In areas where farmland borders protected areas, wildlife may be attracted to crops and cause substantial financial damage for farmers. Elephants, in particular, can destroy a year's harvest in a single night, and can also cause damage to buildings and other farm structures. Few studies have examined whether damage caused by wild elephants increases social inequalities in farmer communities. We interviewed settlement leaders and subsistence rice farmers living in the buffer zone of Bardiya National Park, Nepal, to examine (1) the variation and spatial distribution of wealth within the farmer community, (2) the severity and spatio-temporal distribution of damage inflicted by Asian elephants Elephas maximus, and (3) the willingness to insure against such damage. We investigated whether particular societal strata are disproportionally affected by negative interactions with elephants. We found that farmers near the boundary between agricultural and wilderness areas were significantly poorer and had smaller landholdings than those further into the cultivated lands. Concomitantly, damage to crops and houses was more frequent nearer the wilderness–agriculture boundary than further away from it. Hence, in the buffer zone of Bardiya National Park, farmers near the wilderness–cultivation boundary, with small landholdings, had a relatively higher cost of elephant damage, yet were less willing to pay for an insurance scheme. We infer that in areas where both social inequality and damage caused by wildlife are spatially structured, conservation success may cause economic hardship for the local community, particularly for the poorer class. We discuss causes of the current lack of communal mitigation measures against the damage caused by elephants in the Park, and potential solutions.

Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Agricultural Structures

The health diagnosis of agricultural structures is critical to detecting damages such as cracks in concrete, corrosion, spalling, and delamination. Agricultural structures are susceptible to environmental degradation due to frequent exposure to water, organic effluent, farm chemicals, structural loading, and unloading. Various sensors have been employed for accurate and real-time monitoring of agricultural building structures, including electrochemical, ultrasonic, fiber-optic, piezoelectric, wireless, fiber Bragg grating sensors, and self-sensing concrete. The cost–benefits of each type of sensor and utility in a farm environment are explored in the review. Current literature suggests that the functionality of sensors has improved with progress in technology. Notable improvements made with the progress in technology include better accuracy of the measurements, reduction of signal-to-noise ratio, and transmission speed, and the deployment of machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence in smart IoT-based agriculture. Key challenges include inconsistent installation of sensors in farm structures, technical constraints, and lack of support infrastructure, awareness, and preference for traditional inspection methods.

Effect of corrosion on surface degradation of galvanized steel in poultry dung, pig dung and urea solutions using rice straw as an inhibitor

Waste control is a big challenge in industries. The aim of this study is to control degradation of farm structure using rice husk as corrosion inhibitor in pig dung, poultry dung and urea solution environment. The rice straw was subjected to phytochemical analysis. The four variables: rice straw, Pig dung, urea and poultry dung solutions were used to determine the best approach to reduce the corrosion rate of galvanized steel used for farm structures. Time variation used was 3–12 days. The result from the phytochemical analysis showed that rice husk has constituents of a good inhibitor. The result from the variables’ mix in S1: A: 40 cm3; B: 40 cm3; C: 10 cm3 and D: 10 cm3 has the highest inhibition efficiency of 88.59%. The SEM result from the best combination showed that passive film was formed which was attributed to the adsorption via rice straw extract. The rice straw used in this study was an effective inhibitor. It is an agricultural waste that was converted into a viable process which is of economic value.

Evaluation of Cassava Effluent as Organic Admixture in Concrete Production for Farm Structures

This paper evaluated the influence of cassava effluent on the compressive strength of concrete for farm structures. Three sets of concrete cubes were produced with a concrete mix ratio of 1:2:4 (C 15) and a water to cement ratio (w c-1) of 0.5. The 1st set was produced with 100% fresh water (tap water). The 2nd set was produced with 75% partial replacement of the fresh water with fresh cassava effluent, while the 3rd set was produced with 75% partial replacement of the fresh water with old cassava effluent. The density, water absorption rate and compressive strength of the concrete cubes was tested in accordance with ASTM International standards, at the end of 7, 14, 21, 28 and 56 curing days. The results revealed that, the cassava effluent slightly increased the cubes density; but reduced their water absorption rate. The study further showed that, concrete produced with fresh cassava effluent, developed the highest compressive strength (29.57 MPa) at the end of the 56th curing day. In contrast, concrete produced with old cassava effluent developed the lowest compressive strength (24.43 MPa) at day 56, which was lower than the compressive strength of 27.18 MPa developed by the concrete produced with fresh water (also at day 56). In addition, the cassava effluent retarded the initial rate of strength development, as such, increasing its prospect as an organic concrete admixture. This study will be helpful in mitigating the harmful effects of cassava effluent in the environment, since it can be utilized in concrete production.

Durability Issues and Corrosion of Structural Materials and Systems in Farm Environment

This review paper investigated the durability and corrosion of materials used in the construction of agricultural buildings. Even though concrete and metal were the materials of choice in the construction of farm structures, they are susceptible to corrosion and environmental degradation. Acid attacks result in the oxidation of metals and mass losses and reduced compressive strength of the metal structures. Concrete structures are degraded in high humidity environments, such as lagoons, agricultural effluents, and animal manure. Poultry, cow, and pig manure contain variable quantities of corrosion-inducing chemicals, such as sulfates, nitrates, chlorides, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia. However, the degradation of concrete structures can be mitigated by the utilization of modified concrete containing sulfur, fly ash, silica fume, and nanoparticles such as silica. Concrete structures made of fiber-reinforced polymers are less prone to corrosion and are more durable. The design for durability has also emerged as a viable option for optimizing the service life of agricultural buildings by adhering to the exposure limits.

FARM STRUCTURES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERCA IN THE YEARS 1978-2017 – SELECTED ASPECTS

The aim of the study was an attempt to assess the level of changes in the agricultural farm structure of the United States of America within the years 1978-2017 in the he area. The main purpose of the study was to determine the share and dynamics in selected farm area groups in the process of farm area changes. The number of farms in the years 1978-2017 decreased from 2.29 million to 2.04 million (a decrease of 11%), while the area occupied by these farms decreased from 1,353 million acres to 900 million acres (down 33.5%) [USDA 2017]. The article puts forward the hypothesis that due to the long period of observation and regional diversity in agriculture – area changes in farms will confirm significant differences in the rate at which this phenomenon has occurred. The study shows the significant diversification of land resources, dynamics within the number of farms and land utilization within selected states. While the number of farms in the period under consideration increased in 17 states, it decreased in 33 states. The average area of farms in the case of 25 states increased, while it also decreased in 25 cases. The aggregated ratio of farm structure changes was characteristic of states where the most significant changes in farm structure occurred (Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, North Carolina, Nevada and Massachusetts). Research confirmed relatively variable dynamics of farm area changes within a single country. Because of larger scale farms, in comparison to other countries (especially the EU region), the process of farm evolution seems to be slower and, in several cases, remains almost the same in terms of farm structure as 40 years ago. Farm area changes in the USA have shown significant spatial diversity.

Structural heterogeneity in farm structures: a configurational approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a multidimensional framework for the identification, description and comparative analysis of alternative farm structures and their properties for economic development. Design/methodology/approach Integrating previous typologies and considering a large set of examples, the authors identify six attributes that are necessary to characterize and compare farm structures: size; strategy; organizational form; legal form; who the owners are; and degree of separation of ownership and control. They also discuss potential complementarities between those organizational attributes and specific features of the institutions of developing and emerging countries, such as contract enforcement and property rights protection regime, and developed capital markets and corporate law. Findings Conceptually and empirically, effective farm structures can deviate from the templates traditionally considered – “small family-owned farm” or “large factory-like corporate farm,” combining structural attributes in diverse ways. The dimensionalization of farm structures also helps in revealing complementary institutional traits at the regional or larger system level that may foster development processes. Research limitations/implications The paper is limited to theory building and case-based evidence. Nevertheless, it provides dimensions that can be measured on a larger scale and by quantitative studies. Originality/value This paper sheds light on organizational diversity in agriculture and on a wider set of feasible development paths.