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Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production
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Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 13835

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Duncan B. Westbury

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Science & the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove Worcester , WR2 6AJ
Interests: ecosystem services; conservation biological control; pest regulation; natural enemies, pollinators; pollination services; ruminant livestock production; habitat creation; restoration ecology; carbon capture; vegetation dynamics; biodiversity; ecosystem management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The demand for food will continue unabated as we approach an anticipated population of 9 billion people by 2050. At present 40% of the world’s terrestrial surface is under agricultural production, yet spatial inequalities in production and access to food persist. Agricultural development has served to increase production but often with negative consequences for people and the environment. This includes the over-exploitation of natural resources (e.g. soil and water), but also the disruption of ecological processes that otherwise underpin food production.

It is evident that new approaches to food production are required if we are to achieve sustainable development. Critical to this is the continued advancement in our understanding of agro-ecosystems enabling natural processes to be supported and harnessed, and environmental impacts to be reduced, whilst still meeting the demand for food. Due to the overriding influences of a changing climate, a greater emphasis also needs to be placed on the management of agricultural land to help mitigate change.

The aim of this Special Issue in the journal Sustainability (Impact Factor 2.576) is to bring together a collection of works on the sustainable production of food through agro-ecosystem approaches, with a focus on the issues faced and how these can be overcome.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to submit your research that is aligned to the keywords provided for this Special Issue.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Duncan B. Westbury
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

  • Agro-ecology
  • Carbon capture
  • Conservation agriculture
  • Ecological intensification
  • Ecosystem services
  • Food security
  • Habitat creation / restoration
  • Natural resource management
  • Pest regulation
  • Pollination
  • Resource protection
  • Smart irrigation
  • Socio-ecological agricultural systems
  • Soil erosion
  • Soil health and biodiversity
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Sustainable intensification
  • Sustainable livelihoods
  • Sustainable production
  • Water management and protection

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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22 pages, 2392 KiB  
Article
Attitudes and Behaviours of Certified Winegrowers towards the Design and Implementation of Biodiversity Farming Strategies
by Wendy McWilliam and Andreas Wesener
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031083 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2635
Abstract
Substantial environmental impacts and loss of resilience occurs with conventional vineyard designs characterized by monotonous specialized production. Studies support the restoration of green infrastructure (GI) and introduction of other production systems as promising biodiversity design strategies. However, little is known about the degree [...] Read more.
Substantial environmental impacts and loss of resilience occurs with conventional vineyard designs characterized by monotonous specialized production. Studies support the restoration of green infrastructure (GI) and introduction of other production systems as promising biodiversity design strategies. However, little is known about the degree to which winegrowers are implementing them. We surveyed Willamette valley, Oregon, certified sustainable winegrowers as potential early adopters of innovative biodiversity design strategies. Results revealed growers were implementing up to 11 different types of GI components, providing them with up to 16 different ecosystem services, and six disservices. The GI was implemented at three spatial scales, with growers pursuing a sharing GI design strategy at fine scales, and a sharing and sparing strategy at intermediate and farm-wide scales. Only biodynamic certified farmers had implemented valued additional production systems. Growers can improve the implementation of their biodiversity GI designs by adopting an integrated multi-system whole farm design approach. Key enablers for grower implementation of GI and/or additional production systems included: (1) Grower awareness and value of strategy’s ecosystem services and functions, (2) grower knowledge of their design and management, (3) certifier requirements for GI, (4) availability of land incapable of growing quality grapes, (5) availability of GI backup systems in case of failure, (6) low risk of regional pest outbreaks, (7) premium wine prices, and (8) strong grower environmental and cultural heritage ethics. Further research is required to identify effective ways to advance these enablers among growers, and within certification and government programmes, to improve the implementation of these strategies among growers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production)
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14 pages, 5548 KiB  
Article
Farmers’ Preference, Yield, and GGE-Biplot Analysis-Based Evaluation of Four Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Varieties Grown in Multiple Environments
by Abdullah Al Mahmud, Mohamed M. Hassan, Md Jahangir Alam, Md Samim Hossain Molla, Md Akkas Ali, Haridas Chandra Mohanta, Md Shahidul Alam, Md Aminul Islam, Md Alamin Hossain Talukder, Md Zannatul Ferdous, Md Ruhul Amin, Md Faruque Hossain, Md Mazharul Anwar, Md Shahidul Islam, Eldessoky S. Dessoky and Akbar Hossain
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3730; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073730 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3304
Abstract
The study aimed to select high-yielding, farmers-preferred quality sweet potato varieties that are suitable to grow in various environmental conditions in Bangladesh. In this context, four popular sweet potato varieties (viz., ‘BARI Mistialu-8′, ‘BARI Mistialu-12′, ‘BARI Mistialu-14′, and ‘BARI Mistialu-15′) were used in [...] Read more.
The study aimed to select high-yielding, farmers-preferred quality sweet potato varieties that are suitable to grow in various environmental conditions in Bangladesh. In this context, four popular sweet potato varieties (viz., ‘BARI Mistialu-8′, ‘BARI Mistialu-12′, ‘BARI Mistialu-14′, and ‘BARI Mistialu-15′) were used in the study. These varieties were released by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). In the first season (2018–2019), these varieties were evaluated at nine locations, and in the second season (2019–2020), the same varieties were tested further, but only in three locations. The trial was set up in a randomized complete block design and repeated three times. After two years of observation, it was found that the fresh root yield was varied significantly due to the environment (E), genotypes (G), and their (G × E) interaction (p ≤ 0.01) by using genotype and genotype x environment (GGE) biplot analysis. The E and G × E interaction effects were found to the greater than the genotypes effect solely. In the first year, three varieties, namely ‘BARI Mistialu-8′, ‘BARI Mistialu-12′ and ‘BARI Mistialu-14′, were identified as balanced and comparatively higher in yield in nine locations. These three varieties also showed a similar trend with respect to root yield in tested three locations in the second year. Among the four varieties, ‘BARI Mistialu-12′ was found to be the highest root yielder, followed by ‘BARI Mistialu-8′ and ‘BARI Mistialu-14′. Across the locations, these varieties showed 57.89%, 61.50% and 44.30% higher yield than the local check cultivar. Therefore, these three varieties may be recommended as the best varieties of sweet potato throughout the country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production)
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15 pages, 935 KiB  
Article
Management to Support Multiple Ecosystem Services from Productive Grasslands
by Joanna Savage, Ben A. Woodcock, James M. Bullock, Marek Nowakowski, Jeremy R. B. Tallowin and Richard F. Pywell
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6263; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116263 - 1 Jun 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4036
Abstract
Sustainable intensification will require the development of new management systems to support global food demands, whilst conserving the integrity of ecosystem functions. Here, we test and identify management strategies to maintain or enhance agricultural production in grasslands whilst simultaneously supporting the provision of [...] Read more.
Sustainable intensification will require the development of new management systems to support global food demands, whilst conserving the integrity of ecosystem functions. Here, we test and identify management strategies to maintain or enhance agricultural production in grasslands whilst simultaneously supporting the provision of multiple ecosystem services. Over four years, we investigated how the establishment of three plant functional groups (grasses, legumes, and other flowering forbs), using different cultivation (minimum tillage and deep ploughing) and management (cutting, grazing and their intensity) techniques, affected provision and complementarity between key ecosystem services. These ecosystem services were agronomic production, pollination, pest control, food resources for farmland birds, and soil services. We found that the establishment of floristically diverse swards, particularly those containing grasses, legumes and forbs, maximised forage yield and quality, pollinator abundance, soil nitrogen, and bird food resources, as well as enhancing populations of natural predators of pests. Cutting management increased bird food resources and natural predators of pests without depleting other services considered. However, a single management solution to maximise the delivery of all ecosystem services is unlikely to exist, as trade-offs also occurred. Consequently, management options may need to be tailored to strategically support localised deficits in key ecosystem services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production)
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13 pages, 6034 KiB  
Article
Selection of Non-Crop Plant Mixes Informed by Arthropod-Plant Network Analyses for Multiple Ecosystem Services Delivery Towards Ecological Intensification of Agriculture
by Supratim Laha, Soumik Chatterjee, Amlan Das, Barbara Smith and Parthiba Basu
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1903; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031903 - 7 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2347
Abstract
Ecological intensification (EI) of agriculture through the improvement of ecosystem service delivery has recently emerged as the alternative to the conventional intensification of agriculture that is widely considered unsustainable and has negative impacts on the environment. Although tropical agricultural landscapes are still heterogeneous, [...] Read more.
Ecological intensification (EI) of agriculture through the improvement of ecosystem service delivery has recently emerged as the alternative to the conventional intensification of agriculture that is widely considered unsustainable and has negative impacts on the environment. Although tropical agricultural landscapes are still heterogeneous, they are rapidly losing diversity due to agricultural intensification. Restoration of natural or semi-natural habitats, habitat diversity, and provision of multiple benefits have been identified as important targets for the transition to EI. Choosing the right plant mixes for the restoration of habitats that can offer multiple ecosystem service benefits is therefore crucial. The selection of candidate species for plant mixes is generally informed by studies focusing on a specific ecosystem service (e.g., pollination) and not based on the whole arthropod—non-crop plant interactions matrix. In this study, we try to identify non-crop plant mixes that would provide habitat for pollinators, act as refugia for natural pest predators, and also as a trap crop for potential crop pests by studying non-crop plants—arthropod interaction network. We have identified the non-crop plant species mixes by first identifying the connector species based on their centrality in the network and then by studying how their sequential exclusions affect the stability of the network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Approaches for Sustainable Food Production)
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