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Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Products and Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 39793

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
Interests: agronomy; agroforestry; intercropping; plant-soil process modelling; soil carbon dynamics; conservation agriculture; nutrient and water use; arable crops; carbon sequestration; climate-smart agriculture; production system carbon footprint; environmental impacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andrea Pisanelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council, Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, 05010 Porano, Italy
Interests: agroforestry systems; multifunctional agriculture; resilience; rural development policy; agroforestry product value chain; participative approach
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food, fodder and energy production is critically important due to the increasing demands on the finite land base to achieve food security for a growing global population. At the same time, there is growing awareness and science-based evidence of the on- and off-site adverse impacts of intensive agriculture on the environment. This calls for concerted efforts from all quarters including farmers, advisory services, researchers and policy makers to facilitate adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices without compromising food, fodder and energy production. To facilitate the process, this special issue is inviting high quality and original manuscripts on cropping systems, crop rotations, agroforestry and other relevant production systems that enhance efficient resource (radiation, nutrients and water) use and food, fodder and energy production without adverse impacts on environment. Manuscripts that highlight enhanced environmental performance in terms of provision of ecosystem services are also welcome as are articles that showcase successful uptake of sustainable land management practices and production systems due to innovative knowledge transfer tools and activities.

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
Andrea Pisanelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • crop rotation
  • cropping systems
  • conservation agriculture
  • agroforestry
  • resource use efficiency
  • ecosystem services
  • crop–soil process modeling
  • soil health
  • carbon sequestration
  • climate-smart agriculture
  • production system carbon footprint
  • environmental impacts

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 276 KiB  
Article
Factors Affecting the Promotion of Conservation Tillage in Black Soil—The Case of Northeast China
by Yan Qu, Chulin Pan and Hongpeng Guo
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9563; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179563 - 25 Aug 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2631
Abstract
Taking the conservation tillage influences of black soil in Northeast China as the research object, the paper is written according to the advice of relevant experts and technicians in Northeast China, the study also calculates the weight of each influencing factor through the [...] Read more.
Taking the conservation tillage influences of black soil in Northeast China as the research object, the paper is written according to the advice of relevant experts and technicians in Northeast China, the study also calculates the weight of each influencing factor through the Delphi and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Then, the significance of the factors affecting the benefit of conservation tillage is analyzed. The results show that, based on the comprehensive analysis, it is concluded that the economic factor is the primary factor affecting the benefit of black soil conservation tillage in Northeast China. Among the twelve influencing factors, eight of them have a significant impact on the development of conservation tillage benefits on black soil in Northeast China. Such as the degree of government subsidy; the adaptability of agricultural machinery; the input of new technology; relevant policies, laws and regulations; the quality of conservation tillage; the income of agricultural machinery farmers; practical application capacity; government publicity. Therefore, in the process of implementing the black soil conservation tillage, we should focus on these influencing factors, which will effectively promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
22 pages, 5301 KiB  
Article
Farm Rejuvenation-Induced Changes in Tree Spatial Pattern and Live Biomass Species of Cocoa Agroforests in Central Cameroon: Insights for Tree Conservation Incentives in Cocoa Landscapes
by Frederick N. Numbisi, Dieudonne Alemagi, Ann Degrande and Frieke Van Coillie
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158483 - 29 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2893
Abstract
Cocoa agroforests sustain ecosystem services (ESs) to varying degrees. These services are otherwise mostly provided by other non-cocoa shade or companion trees. However, the density of shade trees is associated with services and/or disservices that drive farm-specific tree management successions. Considering the growing [...] Read more.
Cocoa agroforests sustain ecosystem services (ESs) to varying degrees. These services are otherwise mostly provided by other non-cocoa shade or companion trees. However, the density of shade trees is associated with services and/or disservices that drive farm-specific tree management successions. Considering the growing impacts of climate crisis on farm productivity and the need for adaptation strategies, the ESs are increasingly provisional and contingent on the prevailing vegetation, land tenure, and management successions, amongst others social and ecological factors. To assess the temporal changes in shade management, we surveyed an age gradient of “family farms” in cocoa agroforests created from forest (fCAFS) and savannah (sCAFS) land cover. We evaluated the temporal changes in farm structure, relative tree abundance, and live aboveground biomass of the major canopy strata. We used a spatial point process and linear mixed effect analysis to assess the contributions of associated perennial trees (AsT) on farm rejuvenation patterns. The density of cocoa trees was inconsistent with farm age; this was significantly high on farms in sCAFS (1544 trees ha−1) with spatially random configuration across farm age. On farms in fCAFS, we observed a transition of the cocoa tree configuration in the order regular, random, and clustering from young (with highest density of 1114 trees ha−1) to old farms. On a temporal scale, there is no clear distinction of farm structure and biomass between fCAFS and sCAFS. However, the cycle of tree species and structural composition of the canopy strata are dissimilar; the live biomass allocation for the considered use groups of tree species was different with farm age. The observed dynamics in canopy tree structure and live biomass provide insights into farmers’ temporal allocation of uses and prioritization of different tree species with farm age. We recommend the consideration of such landscape-specific, tree management dynamics in proposing on-farm tree conservation incentives. Our results are also conducive to reliable estimates of the ecosystem services from CAFS in the national implementation of conservation mechanisms such as REDD+. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
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17 pages, 810 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Fertilizer Effects on Pea–Barley Intercrop Productivity Compared to Sole Crops in Denmark
by Reed John Cowden, Ambreen Naz Shah, Lisa Mølgaard Lehmann, Lars Pødenphant Kiær, Christian Bugge Henriksen and Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9335; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229335 - 10 Nov 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3932
Abstract
Cereal–legume intercropping increases the nitrogen (N) input from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and improves the exploitation of fertilizer and soil N, often leading to higher grain N content and higher productivity per unit land area compared to monocrops. Previous studies have found that [...] Read more.
Cereal–legume intercropping increases the nitrogen (N) input from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and improves the exploitation of fertilizer and soil N, often leading to higher grain N content and higher productivity per unit land area compared to monocrops. Previous studies have found that these effects are more tangible under low soil and fertilizer N conditions compared to high N availability, and there is a need to assess the N uptake at critical crop development stages in order to time the N application for maximum uptake and use efficiency. The objective of this study was to assess the productivity of pea–barley intercropping compared to monocropping under 0 kg N ha−1 (0 N) and 100 kg N ha−1 (100 N). In 2017, a split plot experimental design was implemented with pea (Pisum sativum) sole crop (SC pea), barley (Hordeum vulgare) sole crop (SC barley), and pea–barley intercrop (IC total) as the main plots and 100 N applications in two 50 kg N ha−1 splits at 30 and 60 days after emergence as subplots within the main plots. The Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), based on grain dry matter (GDM) yields in the pea–barley intercrop (IC total), was higher (1.14 at 0 N and 1.10 at 100 N), indicating 10–14% greater radiation, nutrient, and water use efficiency compared to the sole crops and 4% greater resource use efficiency at 0 N compared to the 100 N; this illustrated greater total intercrop productivity compared to sole crops. The 100 N treatment decreased the SC pea and pea in intercrop (IC pea) GDM and grain dry matter N (GDMN) and increased the GDM and GDMN in SC barley and barley in the intercrop (IC barley). Intercropping increased the grain N content and therefore the protein content of the grains in 0 N and 100 N treatments. The highest fertilizer N yield, % nitrogen derived from fertilizer (%NDFF), and % nitrogen use efficiency (%NUE) were achieved in SC barley followed by IC total, indicating that intercropping improved the soil and fertilizer N use compared to SC pea. The IC pea increased the % nitrogen derived from atmosphere (%NDFA) from 67.9% in SC pea to 70.1% in IC pea. IC total increased the share of %NDFF, %NDFS, and %NDFA compared to the SC pea, which indicated a significant advantage of intercropping due to the complementarity of the component species under limited N supply in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
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9 pages, 228 KiB  
Article
Productivity and Economic Evaluation of Agroforestry Systems for Sustainable Production of Food and Non-Food Products
by Lisa Mølgaard Lehmann, Jo Smith, Sally Westaway, Andrea Pisanelli, Giuseppe Russo, Robert Borek, Mignon Sandor, Adrian Gliga, Laurence Smith and Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5429; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135429 - 6 Jul 2020
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 11228
Abstract
Agroforestry systems have multifunctional roles in enhancing agronomic productivity, co-production of diversity of food and non-food products and provision of ecosystem services. The knowledge of the performance of agroforestry systems compared with monoculture is scarce and scattered. Hence, the objective of the study [...] Read more.
Agroforestry systems have multifunctional roles in enhancing agronomic productivity, co-production of diversity of food and non-food products and provision of ecosystem services. The knowledge of the performance of agroforestry systems compared with monoculture is scarce and scattered. Hence, the objective of the study was to analyze the agronomic productivity and economic viability of diverse agroforestry systems in Europe. A network of five agroforestry systems integrating arable crops, livestock and biomass trees was investigated to assess the range of agricultural products in each agroforestry system. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was used to measure the agronomic productivity, whereas gross margin was used as an indicator for economic viability assessment. LER values ranged from 1.36–2.00, indicating that agroforestry systems were more productive by 36–100% compared to monocultures. Agroforestry gross margin was lower in Denmark (€112 ha−1 year−1) compared to United Kingdom (€5083 ha−1 year−1) and the crop component yielded higher returns compared to negative returns from the tree component in agroforestry. Hence, the study provided robust field-based evidence on agronomic productivity and economic viability assessment of agroforestry systems in diverse contexts for informed decision making by land managers, advisory services, farmers and policymakers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
14 pages, 1172 KiB  
Article
Productivity and Topsoil Quality of Young and Old Permanent Grassland: An On-Farm Comparison
by Goaitske Iepema, Joachim G. C. Deru, Jaap Bloem, Nyncke Hoekstra, Ron de Goede, Lijbert Brussaard and Nick van Eekeren
Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2600; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072600 - 25 Mar 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3232
Abstract
Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, we measured grass [...] Read more.
Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, we measured grass productivity and soil chemical parameters of ‘young’ (5–15 years since last grassland renewal) and ‘old’ (>20 years since last grassland renewal) permanent grasslands, located as pairs at 10 different dairy farms. We found no significant difference with old permanent grassland in herbage dry matter yield and fertilizer nitrogen (N) response, whereas herbage N yield was lower in young permanent grassland. Moreover, the young grassland soil contained less soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (C) and soil organic N compared to the old grassland soil. Grass productivity was positively correlated with SOM and related parameters such as soil organic C, soil organic N and potentially mineralizable N. We conclude that on clay soils with 70% desirable grasses (i.e., Lolium perenne and Phleum pratense) or more, the presumed yield benefit of grassland renewal is offset by a loss of soil quality (SOM and N-total). The current practice of renewing grassland after 10 years without considering the botanical composition, is counter-productive and not sustainable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
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Review

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21 pages, 380 KiB  
Review
Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond
by Maya Sollen-Norrlin, Bhim Bahadur Ghaley and Naomi Laura Jane Rintoul
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7001; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177001 - 27 Aug 2020
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 14443
Abstract
Soil degradation is a global concern, decreasing the soil’s ability to perform a multitude of functions. In Europe, one of the leading causes of soil degradation is unsustainable agricultural practices. Hence, there is a need to explore alternative production systems for enhanced agronomic [...] Read more.
Soil degradation is a global concern, decreasing the soil’s ability to perform a multitude of functions. In Europe, one of the leading causes of soil degradation is unsustainable agricultural practices. Hence, there is a need to explore alternative production systems for enhanced agronomic productivity and environmental performance, such as agroforestry systems (AFS). Given this, the objective of the study is to enumerate the major benefits and challenges in the adoption of AFS. AFS can improve agronomic productivity, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil biodiversity, water retention, and pollination. Furthermore, they can reduce soil erosion and incidence of fire and provide recreational and cultural benefits. There are several challenges to the adoption and uptake of AFS in Europe, including high costs for implementation, lack of financial incentives, limited AFS product marketing, lack of education, awareness, and field demonstrations. Policies for financial incentives such as subsidies and payments for ecosystem services provided by AFS must be introduced or amended. Awareness of AFS products must be increased for consumers through appropriate marketing strategies, and landowners need more opportunities for education on how to successfully manage diverse, economically viable AFS. Finally, field-based evidence is required for informed decision-making by farmers, advisory services, and policy-making bodies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production)
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