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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2022) | Viewed by 36619

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Prof. Dr. Keshav Lall Maharjan

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Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi, Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan
Interests: agricultural economics; rural development; regional studies; climate change; sustainable farming; natural resource management; rural livelihood strategies; food security; poverty dynamics; community dynamics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change, natural disasters, and food insecurity are some of the main challenges to agricultural production and supply chains that affect producers, processors, and consumers. Across the world, a shift to more sustainable farmland systems is increasingly regarded as a solution to these challenges. Under the umbrella of ‘shift to more sustainable farming systems’, several actions have been taken, including changes in agricultural land use which can contribute to economic and environmental sustainability and can ensure the livelihood of the producers. Accordingly, successful reforms and execution of policies, plans, and programs on farmlands seem highly important. As intuitive as these aspects might be, the socio-economic functions of these actions are contextual, leaving space academically for further exploration and analysis of effectiveness in terms of practices on the ground and in the arena of policy formulation and implementation. Such analyses can be conducted from theoretical and practical standpoints. The effect of events of a global scale such as, but not exclusively, the current COVID-19 pandemic, increases the need for further scrutiny of the relationships that exist between sustainable farming systems and pandemics, economic and political crises including regional conflicts and the many aspects of globalization, and hazards related to, for example, anthropogenic climate change. These events are not restricted to any one continent nor to developing, emerging, or developed economies.

This Special Issue aims to accommodate research on socio-economic functions across sustainable farmland systems, with a focus on, but not restricted to, practices, policies, and planning for environmental conservation in agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, conventional and biotechonological agriculture which not only mitigate and/or adapt to the challenges of climate change, natural disasters, food insecurity, and conflict but also boost nature-positive production, stabilizes production, and improve the welfare of the producers; processing and marketing of farm produce which ensure the livelihood of the producers, processors, and consumers, and access to safe and nutritious food; integration of nonfarming with farming activities; and building of a society resilient to all kinds of crises and hazards/conflicts.

Academics and researchers from all parts of the world are invited to contribute to this issue on the broad topics outlined above. All types of articles that Sustainability normally accepts (see the Sustainability webpage) will be considered for peer review. I look forward to receiving papers that enhance our understanding of the theme.

Prof. Dr. Keshav Lall Maharjan
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

climate change
food insecurity
environmental conservation agriculture
agricultural biotechnology
processing and marketing of farm produces
safe and nutritious food
nonfarm activities
institutional building
extension services
awareness and resilience building
hazards/conflict
COVID-19

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 4018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Financing Romanian Agricultural Cooperatives’ Investments for the 2023–2027 Horizon

by Monica Laura Zlati, Andrei Mirel Florea, Valentin Marian Antohi, Marius Sorin Dinca, Florentin Bercu, Costinela Fortea and Stanciu Silvius

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2306; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032306 - 27 Jan 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2977

Abstract

Agriculture represents an important sector of the Romanian economy, with certain vulnerabilities under the current geo-political context and pedoclimatic changes with a direct impact upon food security at national and European levels. This paper analyzes the possibilities for revitalizing the Romanian agricultural sector, which was affected by the excessive inflation (especially via the price increases of fertilizers and fuels) and drought, both generating significant cereal and agricultural production losses. The current research highlights the main investment options for the managers of 219 Romanian agricultural cooperative companies, including the available financing alternatives. In our view, the investments realized within the agricultural cooperative companies support the creation and increase in value added and reduce specific risks, consolidating the role and status of agricultural producers within the food chain. The research evaluates the Romanian agricultural investment typologies and establishes a model of assessing these investments by correlating the information obtained from the questionnaire distributed. The research methods include analyzing the reference literature, building the database, collecting and processing the questionnaires’ observations, transforming the qualitative data into quantitative ones and modeling them with econometric instruments. The results obtained using the econometric model reveal the main investment directions to be integrating the production chains through economic association forms, including constructing and modernizing the warehouses, processing the primary products and obtaining higher value-added products, identifying various distribution channels, making the most of all available resources and focusing on digitalization, efficiency, circular economy and short supply chains. The study is of interest for the investors and managers of agricultural cooperative companies from Romania and Europe in view of securing sustainable development, enhancing the role of agricultural producers within the food chain and increasing efficiency of the agricultural activity, with a direct impact upon European food security. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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17 pages, 2552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socio-Economic Constraints of Adopting New Cowpea Varieties in Three Agro-Ecological Zones in the Senegalese Peanut Basin

by Assane Beye, Pape Bilal Diakhate, Omar Diouf, Aliou Faye, Augustine K. Obour, Zachary P. Stewart, Yared Assefa, Doohong Min and Pagadala V. V. Prasad

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14550; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114550 - 5 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2414

Abstract

Socio-economic constraints like gender, education, age, and income significantly affect the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. The objective of this study was to determine socio-economic factors that affect the adoption of improved cowpea varieties in the Senegalese peanut basin. The study was conducted in three (Bambey, Kebemer, and Kaffrine) of six regions of the peanut basin based on regional importance of cowpea production and rainfall gradient. In each study region, ten villages were selected, and random sampling was used to select eight heads of agricultural households within each village. The questionnaires were administered to 240 randomly selected farmers across the three study regions, 7 communes, and 30 villages. Results showed most heads of households were middle-aged (52–54 years old), married (95–100%), illiterate (84%), and men (95–100%). Households were mostly agriculture dependent (87%), low literacy rates (26% least primary school), and large family sizes (average of 15 members). The median cowpea yields across the study area varied from 35–100 kg ha⁻¹, well below the ~300–400 kg ha⁻¹ average yields reported for Senegal and Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of farmers (67%) in the study regions did not use improved varieties, and the main reasons were low seed availability (78.8%) and limited access to technical knowledge and information (76.3%), but only 5.8% indicated seed price as a barrier to improved variety adoption. Major uses of cowpea in the study area were for marketing, livestock feed, and human consumption. In Kaffrine, fodder production was the major (85%) criterion for cowpea variety selection, whereas in the north (Bambey and Kebemer), taste, maturity date, and grain yield were major selection criteria. Factors that had positive effect on the likelihood of using improved cowpea varieties include; access to extension services, membership in farmers’ organization, cowpea being the main crop of production, organic farming, market, and livestock-oriented production systems, access to farmland and credit, dependence on agriculture as the main source of household income, and education of head of household. We conclude that there is a critical need for training, access to improved seeds, awareness, and financial support to producers to increase the adoption of new improved cowpea varieties, yields, profitability, and nutritional security among smallholder farmers in the Senegalese peanut basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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17 pages, 2170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socioeconomic Characteristics Associated with Farming Practices, Food Safety and Security in the Production of Fresh Produce—A Case Study including Small-Scale Farmers in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

by Tashiana Beharielal, Joyce Thamaga-Chitja and Stefan Schmidt

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10590; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710590 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3175

Abstract

Farmer practices may influence the microbial quality and safety of fresh produce. The increasing demands to create ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh produce while providing potential niche markets for smallholder farmers might be contributing to increased numbers of fresh produce-associated foodborne disease outbreaks. This study determined the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and farmer hygiene practices of farmers using open-ended questionnaires and key informant interviews. Additionally, the relationships between farmer socioeconomic characteristics and hygiene practices were statistically analyzed. The semi-organic smallholder farmer population and the farmworkers of the organic farm were female-dominated. Tertiary education was a predominant characteristic in the organic and semi-conventional workforces. While the semi-organic and semi-conventional farms relied on a combination of ‘store-bought’ synthetic and composted organic fertilizers, the organic farm owner only used composted organic fertilizer. The irrigation water sources varied amongst the farm types. However, most of the semi-organic farmers did not pre-treat irrigation water prior to use. The irrigation water source and fertilizer type selected by farmers varied and might affect the microbial quality and safety of fresh produce. Socioeconomic factors such as gender and education may influence farmer hygiene practices. These characteristics should therefore be considered when planning farmer support interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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23 pages, 1524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drivers of Environmental Conservation Agriculture in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

by Keshav Lall Maharjan, Clarisse Mendoza Gonzalvo and Wilson Jr. Florendo Aala

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9881; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169881 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2751

Abstract

Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture in Japan is one of the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) among developed countries and has since been involved in environmental conservation agriculture (ECA). While ECA is still in its early stage in Japan, it has proven to be effective in mitigating climate change in the agricultural sector; hence, this study aimed to identify drivers of ECA among Sado Island paddy farmers. The data revealed the prevalence of farmers’ cognitive dissonance between ECA and its mitigating effects on climate change. Our findings confirmed the importance of perceived GIAHS involvement in the continuation of ECA. In addition, other identified drivers of ECA fall either on a macro-level (i.e., farmers’ awareness of their role in improving their environment) or micro-level (i.e., farmers’ differing farm optimizations). These perspectives highlighted the altruistic nature of the Sado Island ECA paddy farmers by valuing the improvement of their local and global environment as their main reason to continue ECA, whereas their various farm management optimizations support this observed farmer altruism by providing avenues to increase yield with only a moderate paddy land area. This study highlights the need to continuously develop sustainable strategies to maintain and improve a positive farmer mindset towards ECA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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20 pages, 5094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Farmers’ Participation in Community-Based Organizations on Adoption of Flood Adaptation Strategies: A Case Study in a Char-Land Area of Sirajganj District Bangladesh

by Md Omar Faruk and Keshav Lall Maharjan

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8959; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148959 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2922

Abstract

Community-based organizations (CBOs) are gaining popularity in Bangladesh as a tool for relaying flood risk information and adaptation strategies. However, to our knowledge, no attempts have been made to determine the impact of CBOs on farmers’ adoption of flood adaptation strategies. Therefore, in this paper, we identify the determinants that influence farmers’ decisions to participate in CBOs and how this participation impacts farmers’ adoption of flood adaptation strategies. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 359 farmers for the study. An endogenous switching regression model was applied to control for possible selection bias due to unobserved factors, while propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) were employed to test for the robustness of the results. The results reveal a positive selection bias, indicating that farmers with above-average flood adaptation strategies are more willing to participate in CBOs. Farmers’ flood experience, having children under 10 years, distance to the village center, and access to information mainly determine the participation in CBOs. It is also found that CBO participation significantly increases farmers’ adoption of flood adaptation strategies. ESR results show that farmers who participated in CBOs have 3.76 higher average flood adaptation strategies compared to CBO non-participation, and this finding is also consistent with PSM and IPWRA results. Therefore, policy intervention aimed at further strengthening and institutionalizing CBOs is necessary for successful flood adaptation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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21 pages, 2561 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is Implementing a Biotech Ban Correct or Not? Analysis of Farmer Perceptions and Attitudes on the Philippine Supreme Court’s Ban on Biotech Crops

by Clarisse Mendoza Gonzalvo, Wilson Jr. Florendo Aala and Keshav Lall Maharjan

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7919; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137919 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4825

Abstract

Several studies have explored the effects of restrictive policies in different case-use instances; however, studies focusing on restrictive agricultural policies and their effects on major stakeholders are scarce. While the Philippines has been increasing its support for biotech-related technologies in agriculture, such as the recent approval of Golden Rice and Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) eggplant for cultivation, the years prior to 2020 have not been as lenient in the acceptance of biotech crops. This paper explored the perceptions and attitudes of biotech corn farmers on the Philippine Supreme Court’s ban on biotech crops in 2015 and discussed how this restrictive agricultural policy could affect rural Filipino communities. A bifurcation was observed regarding the farmers’ ban perception, with almost half indicating that implementing the ban was an incorrect decision. The effects of the decision-making stages and influential factors on farmers’ perceived correctness of the ban were modeled using ordinal logistic regression and Spearman correlation. It was observed that while farmers’ initial instinct is directly related to their ban perception, succeeding decision-making stages enforce the notion of a pragmatic point of view leading to innate resistance effects towards the ban. Furthermore, internal factors (such as income and satisfaction) and external family-related factors perturb their ban perception. This information can offer guidance on how future restrictive agricultural policies may be framed to avoid conflicting interests between policymakers and stakeholders. This also highlights the need to understand farmer perspectives and attitudes to gain critical information regarding technology adoption and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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16 pages, 905 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Dynamics of Environmental Conservation Agriculture (ECA) Utilization among Fujioka Farmers in Japan with High Biodiversity Conservation Awareness but Low ECA Interest

by Keshav Lall Maharjan, Clarisse Gonzalvo and Wilson Aala, Jr.

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5296; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095296 - 27 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3268

Abstract

Japan aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050 by targeting various sectors including agriculture. One of the main strategies in this sector to mitigate climate change effects is environmental conservation agriculture (ECA); however, ECA utilization remains low in most of Japan’s prefectures to this date. To address this problem and to know what factors influence ECA adoption, we collected data from Fujioka city, Gunma prefecture, which has low ECA utilization but has high biodiversity conservation efforts. Using factor analysis and binary logistic regression, two major themes emerged by which ECA continuation can be increased, namely: farmers’ intent to improve their local/global environment and to enhance their production. The study highlighted the importance of ECA information dissemination as evidenced by the presence of a knowledge gap on how ECA translates into climate change advocacies. The promotion of farmer-consumer market channels and extension of ECA products in local industries by government and non-government institutions are also recommended to strengthen rural-urban linkages in the area. Increasing the ECA uptake of farmers would also have a positive impact on the ongoing preservation of endangered yaritanago fish species in Fujioka. Lastly, the results from this study highlight the heterogeneity of factors that affect any given farming community with respect to the strategies that can effectively drive ECA adoption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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20 pages, 1812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Farmer Field School on Crop Income, Agroecology, and Farmer’s Behavior in Farming: A Case Study on Cumilla District in Bangladesh

by Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman Bhuiyan and Keshav Lall Maharjan

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4190; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074190 - 1 Apr 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5751

Abstract

The Farmer Field School is a season-long training for farmers involving participatory activities and interactive learning with the doctrine of integrated pest management and agroecosystem analysis. It has become a popular education and extension approach worldwide. This study tried to evaluate the FFS as a vehicle for sustainable agriculture which has economic viability, ecological soundness, and social acceptability. The study aimed to analyze the impact of the FFS on crop income, agroecology, and farmers’ behavior in farming. The empirical models, such as propensity score matching, Mahalanobis distance matching, and difference in differences, were applied for estimating the impact of FFS on crop income, more specifically, real income from brinjal. The environmental impact quotient was used to assess the agroecological impact of using pesticide, and a graded response model was used to investigate farmer behavioral changes in farming. The treatment effect based on the empirical models has shown a positive, significant effect on crop income. The findings also revealed that FFS farmers had a lower agroecological impact from pesticide use, and their behavior in farming practices was improved. Therefore, FFS was demonstrated to be a key strategy in strengthening agricultural extension services, which will contribute to promoting sustainable agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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20 pages, 1352 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Participation of Brinjal Farmers in Large and Small Wholesale Markets: Factors Influencing Farmers’ Decisions and Impact on Producers’ Prices

by Masud Rana and Keshav Lall Maharjan

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2357; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042357 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3318

Abstract

This research aims to explore the factors associated with the decisions of brinjal (aubergine) farmers to participate in large wholesale markets and estimate the impact of large wholesale markets participation on producers’ prices in the Jashore and Narsingdi districts of Bangladesh. A linear probability model (LPM) was used to identify the factors associated with decisions to participate in large wholesale markets, and propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to estimate the impact of large wholesale markets on producer prices. The results showed that the decision to participate in a large wholesale market is significantly associated with years of schooling, farm size, the distance from the farm to the large wholesale market, road quality from the farm to the market, access to extension services, market information, group marketing, trust-based credit, yield, and transportation cost. Moreover, this study consistently showed that participation in a large wholesale market had a positive effect on producer price. Therefore, this study suggests the policy implication that comprehensive strategies must be adopted by the government to increase small-scale farmers’ participation in large wholesale markets and improve the welfare of these farmers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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15 pages, 637 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Leveraging Japanese Sado Island Farmers’ GIAHS Inclusivity by Understanding Their Perceived Involvement

by Keshav Lall Maharjan, Clarisse Mendoza Gonzalvo and Wilson Florendo Aala, Jr.

Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11312; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011312 - 13 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3096

Abstract

Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture is among the first Globally Important Agriculture Heritage Systems (GIAHSs) in Japan and among developed countries worldwide. Recent studies have pointed out the need to incorporate culture and farmer opinions to further strengthen GIAHS inclusivity in rural farming. In connection to this, this study explored whether farmer visibility, which is highlighted by GIAHS designation, actually translates to farmers’ actual perceptions of GIAHS involvement. A survey was conducted among Sado Island farmers to determine their knowledge and perception of their GIAHS involvement, in connection to their perspectives on youth involvement, Sado Island branding, and tourism management. Results showed that 56.3% of Sado Island farmers feel uninvolved or unsure towards the GIAHS, which is in stark contrast with the prevalent farming method in the area, special farming (which complies with GIAHS regulations) (77.3%). Further analyses revealed that farmers who feel that the GIAHS does not promote youth involvement, Sado Island branding, and tourism management have a higher predisposition to perceive themselves as uninvolved towards the GIAHS. This study highlights the need for careful reevaluation and integration of farmer insights and needs into the current GIAHS implementation in Sado Island and in other GIAHSs as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Economic Functions Across Sustainable Farming Systems)

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