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Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 14546

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Silvia Lisciani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CREA- Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546, Rome, Italy
Interests: food composition; food analysis; sustainable diet; nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural production systems represent one of the main causes of water consumption, soil degradation, greenhouse-gas emissions and consequent climate change, and pose a threat to global biodiversity. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development orients the agri-food policies of the coming years towards responsible production systems, which facilitate access to food, optimizing the use of resources and agricultural practices to increase productivity, from the perspective of environmental protection. Agriculture, therefore, must face the double challenge of competitiveness and sustainability, two objectives that often do not go together, but which can be achieved by combining innovative scientific methods and sustainable agricultural practices as well as social policies and institutional changes. A multidisciplinary approach is therefore needed to ensure the improvement of the soil and water quality, the protection of ecosystems from climate change, and a reduction in food loss and waste, with the goal of guaranteeing access to healthy, genuine products and nutritionally adequate food for all [1–3].

The goal of this Special Issue on Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food is to collect the latest evidence from different research fields on the key role of agriculture and the entire agri-food chain, addressing environmental, demographic, and economic changes using strategies for an efficient and respectful use of natural resources and local biodiversity.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Sustainable management of the agri-food sector
  • Sustainability transition and innovation in agriculture
  • Directions and benefits of precision agriculture
  • Postharvest and processing of agricultural products
  • Malnutrition and food insecurity
  • Protection of biodiversity in vegetable crops
  • Food waste management and circular food production
  • Indicators of sustainability

References

  1. United Nations. Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2015, A/RES/70/71. Available online: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld/publication (accessed on 30 April 2022).
  2. Crippa, M.; Solazzo, E.; Guizzardi, D.; Monforti-Ferrario, F.; Tubiello, F.N.; Leip, A.J.N.F. Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nat. Food 2021, 2, 198–209.
  3. Clark, M.; Hill, J.; Tilman, D. The Diet, Health, and Environment Trilemma. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 2018, 43, 109–134.

Dr. Silvia Lisciani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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

  • sustainability in agriculture
  • biodiversity
  • agri-food systems
  • food security

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 165 KiB  
Editorial
Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food
by Silvia Lisciani
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6695; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156695 - 5 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1304
Abstract
Food production has an adverse impact on the environment [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)

Research

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16 pages, 318 KiB  
Article
Efficiency of the Integrated Production Systems: Evidence from the Winegrowing Firms in Italy
by Ruggiero Sardaro, Daniela Panio, Paweł Chmieliński and Piermichele La Sala
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4726; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114726 - 1 Jun 2024
Viewed by 755
Abstract
In Italy, the environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector is regulated by the National Integrated Production Quality System. It is the foundation of the regional Integrated Production Regulations (IPRs), which identify voluntary agronomic strategies on the use of pesticides, fertilisers, and irrigation water, [...] Read more.
In Italy, the environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector is regulated by the National Integrated Production Quality System. It is the foundation of the regional Integrated Production Regulations (IPRs), which identify voluntary agronomic strategies on the use of pesticides, fertilisers, and irrigation water, as well as on soil and plant management. The aim is a reduction in the environmental impacts of the agricultural processes and an increase in the production quality. However, the direct relationship between environmental and economic sustainability of the regional IPRs is not obvious and its absence could weaken the economic efficiency of firms. The study, through the stochastic frontier (SF) method, investigates the possible inefficiencies of the regional winegrowing firms that voluntarily adhere to the Apulian IPRs. The results highlight that some measures in the IPRs aimed at preserving the local agroecosystems (soil management and use of resistant varieties) are efficient, therefore allowing for an increase in the production value and quality. On the contrary, crucial measures concerning the management of irrigation water and pesticides decrease efficiency. Thus, more thoughtful measures are requested by policy makers to improve the economic impacts of the regional IPRs on firms and to make possible a certain convergence between environmental and economic sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)
12 pages, 2613 KiB  
Article
Factors Affecting Dietary Intake of Copper and Zinc via Rice Consumption by Residents of Major Rice-Producing Regions in China
by Tingting Mu, Jian Xu, Xiaohan Wang, Lin Chen, Yang Xu and Xinhong Gan
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14362; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914362 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1023
Abstract
Background: Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are essential nutrients that must be maintained at adequate levels in the human body in order to make physiological functions normal and sustainable. Rice is a leading staple cereal crop which can be the main source of [...] Read more.
Background: Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are essential nutrients that must be maintained at adequate levels in the human body in order to make physiological functions normal and sustainable. Rice is a leading staple cereal crop which can be the main source of Cu and Zn in the diet. Results: Here, we aimed to investigate Cu and Zn concentrations in rice with corresponding soil influencing factors and to assess the dietary intake of Cu and Zn from rice consumption by residents of major rice producing regions. A total of 712 rice grain and 90 paired soil–rice samples were collected from September to November 2015 covering eleven provinces across China. Average Cu and Zn concentrations were 27.2 and 69.1 mg kg−1, respectively, in soils, and 1.98 and 12.3 mg kg−1 in rice. The concentrations and bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of Cu and Zn followed the sequence: roots > shoots > grains. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil organic carbon (SOC) play important roles in rice Cu and Zn uptake with negative effects. The average Cu and Zn intakes from rice consumption were 0.597 and 3.68 mg day−1, respectively. Conclusions: The status of Cu and Zn daily intake from rice consumption were fully adequate but there remained some sampling sites where Zn intake for males and Cu intakes were deficient at 1.40%, indicating that local residents need to maintain their dietary nutrient requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)
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Review

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17 pages, 697 KiB  
Review
Government Support Mechanisms for Sustainable Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda
by Marcelo Werneck Barbosa
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 2185; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052185 - 6 Mar 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6173
Abstract
Government support for enterprises can be provided in different forms, such as subsidies, tax incentives, or direct public investment. Government support can also be given to develop environmentally and socially responsible initiatives. In the agriculture sector, government support involves providing early-warning information from [...] Read more.
Government support for enterprises can be provided in different forms, such as subsidies, tax incentives, or direct public investment. Government support can also be given to develop environmentally and socially responsible initiatives. In the agriculture sector, government support involves providing early-warning information from meteorological monitoring, policies to encourage companies and citizens to engage in sustainable behavior, and the organization of disaster relief activities. A comprehensive view of the government support mechanisms employed in the agriculture industry and their possible effects on the adoption of sustainable initiatives is yet to be provided in the literature. Through a systematic literature review of articles published from 1992 to 2023 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, this study found that subsidies, programs, regulations, and financial assistance are the main mechanisms used by governments to support sustainable initiatives in agriculture. Moreover, our review also found that the reduction in environmental impacts, the stimulus to organic production, industry growth, and rural development are the most common goals of using government support for sustainable agriculture. We also geographically categorize research in this field by showing where research has been produced and where it should be improved. We call for more research focused on support from governments in South America. We also observed that environmental protection, the supply of organic foods, and urban agriculture are frequently impacted when there is not enough government support. At last, we propose some research questions to guide future studies. We expect that policymakers will use the outcomes of this study to guide the design and implementation of new government support mechanisms aimed at improving the sustainable performance of agriculture firms. The outcomes of this study will also help managers make investment decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)
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14 pages, 1492 KiB  
Review
Valorization of Fruit Co-Product Flours for Human Nutrition: Challenges, Applications, and Perspectives
by Simone Kelly Rodrigues Lima, Alessandra Durazzo, Massimo Lucarini, João José Alves de Oliveira, Robson Alves da Silva and Daniel Dias Rufino Arcanjo
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13665; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813665 - 13 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1533
Abstract
The fruit agro-industry is one of the sectors that stand out both in production and in the volume of losses along the supply chains, which has generated a strong concern from the nutritional, economic, social, and environmental points of view. This study is [...] Read more.
The fruit agro-industry is one of the sectors that stand out both in production and in the volume of losses along the supply chains, which has generated a strong concern from the nutritional, economic, social, and environmental points of view. This study is aimed at understanding the updated scenario of the conversion of fruit residues into value-added co-products, its main challenges, applications, and perspectives. For this, a literature review was conducted through Scielo, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect databases. The advanced search covered the period from 2018 to 2022. The evaluation of the articles showed that the drying process is an important step to obtain flours from fruit co-products with characteristics that can provide longer shelf life, practicality, and versatility of use, demonstrating great potential for inclusion in various food preparations; although difficulties persist around the technological characteristics of this raw material, they can confer a nutritional increase, in addition to the possibility of additional health benefits due to the presence of bioactive compounds and fibers inherent in these products. Indeed, although there is a long way to go in studies with co-products derived from residual fractions of fruits, strategies such as these contribute to the better management of losses along the agri-food chains while providing greater food and nutrition security for the global population on the path to sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)
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23 pages, 511 KiB  
Review
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agri-Food Systems in West Africa
by Hamid El Bilali, Lawali Dambo, Jacques Nanema, Sheirita Reine Fanta Tietiambou, Iro Dan Guimbo and Romaric Kiswendsida Nanema
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310643 - 6 Jul 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2227
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic affected not only the functioning of food supply chains but also the performance and outcomes of agri-food systems. In this context, this paper analyses the scholarly literature dealing with the impacts of the [...] Read more.
A growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic affected not only the functioning of food supply chains but also the performance and outcomes of agri-food systems. In this context, this paper analyses the scholarly literature dealing with the impacts of the pandemic on West African agriculture and food systems. A search carried out on the Web of Science in March 2023 returned 176 records and 87 eligible documents were included in the systematic review. The bibliometric analysis suggests a decreasing interest in the research field. Moreover, a large share of the eligible articles are authored by researchers based outside West Africa. There is a research gap, especially in Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. Studies focus on the crop production subsector and consumption stage. The pandemic affected all four dimensions/pillars of food security (viz. availability, access, utilisation/use, and stability). However, most of the analysed documents focus on food access (economic accessibility and physical accessibility). Moreover, COVID-19 affected all the dimensions of agri-food systems (viz. environmental, economic, social, and political) but the analysed articles focus on the pandemic’s socio-economic impacts, especially those relating to food security and health. The promotion of research on the impacts of the pandemic on agri-food systems in West Africa is paramount to designing the evidence-based policies needed to improve the preparedness of the region for current and future crises and shocks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food)
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