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Agriculture
Special Issues
Agroforestry Planning
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Agroforestry Planning

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 16606

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dimitris Fotakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos—DIMITRA, Forest Research Institute, Vasilika, 57006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: operational research; forest ecosystem management tools; decision optimization tools; multi-objective forest management; heuristic algorithms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Thomas Papachristou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Forest Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization "Dimitra", 570 06 Vassilika, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: plant-herbivore interactions; grazing ecology; agro-silvo-pastoral systems; foraging behaviour and nutrition of grazing animals; management and improvement of rangeland resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agroforestry by definition integrates two main concepts: the yield of products and environmental benefits. It requires combination and interaction between different species of trees, shrubs, crops, and livestock. Agroforestry systems become even more diverse when considering the interactions with insects, reptiles, and wildlife species and the interactions between climate, plants, soil, and water. Thus, a wide range of means could/should be used for identifying interactions among multiple social and ecosystem functions and services, and related drivers, processes, and impacts toward a sustainable agroforestry planning.

In this context, the Special Issue aims to gather research papers and reviews dealing with tools, methods, case studies, and practical knowledge regarding all agroforestry systems and practices (forest farming, silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian buffers, windbreaks, and urban food forest) that respond to the new challenges and perspectives in agroforestry planning and landscape management.

Dr. Dimitris Fotakis
Dr. Thomas Papachristou
Guest Editors

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. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • land use management
  • ecological interactions
  • ecosystem services

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1398 KiB  
Article
Land Use and Land Cover Change Determinants in Raya Valley, Tigray, Northern Ethiopian Highlands
by Eskinder Gidey, Oagile Dikinya, Reuben Sebego, Eagilwe Segosebe, Amanuel Zenebe, Said Mussa, Paidamwoyo Mhangara and Emiru Birhane
Agriculture 2023, 13(2), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020507 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2268
Abstract
Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is the result of both natural and socio-economic determinants. The aim of this study was to model the determinant factors of land cover changes in Raya Valley, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Multistage sampling was used to collect [...] Read more.
Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is the result of both natural and socio-economic determinants. The aim of this study was to model the determinant factors of land cover changes in Raya Valley, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Multistage sampling was used to collect data from 246 households sampled from lowlands (47), midlands (104), highlands (93), and sub-alpine (2) agro-climatological zone. Descriptive statistics and logit regression model were used to analyze the field survey data. Agricultural land expansion, fuelwood extraction, deforestation, overgrazing and expansion of infrastructure were the proximate causes of LULCC in the study area. Agricultural land expansion (p = 0.084) and wood extraction for fuel and charcoal production (p = 0.01) were the prominent causes for LULCC. Persistent drought (p = 0.001), rapid population growth (p = 0.027), and climate variability (p = 0.013) were the underlying driving factors of LULCC. The determinants of LULCC need to be considered and mitigated to draw robust land use policy for sustainable land management by the smallholder farmers. This study provides important results for designing and implementing scientific land management strategies by policy makers and land managers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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14 pages, 6870 KiB  
Article
On the Identification of Agroforestry Application Areas Using Object-Oriented Programming
by Konstantinos Ioannou
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010164 - 09 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1538
Abstract
The detection of possible areas for the application of agroforestry is essential and involves the usage of various technics. The recognition of forest types using satellite or aerial imagery is the first step toward this goal. This is a tedious task involving the [...] Read more.
The detection of possible areas for the application of agroforestry is essential and involves the usage of various technics. The recognition of forest types using satellite or aerial imagery is the first step toward this goal. This is a tedious task involving the application of remote sensing techniques and a variety of computer software. The overall performance of this approach is very good and the resulting land use maps can be considered of high accuracy. However, there is also the need for performing high-speed characterization using techniques that can determine forest types automatically and produce quick and acceptable results without the need for specific software. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology that uses Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument (MODIS) aboard the TERRA satellite. The software developed automatically downloads data using Google Earth Engine and processes them using Google Colab, which are both free-access platforms. The results from the analysis were exported to ArcGIS for evaluation and comparison against the CORINE land cover inventory using the latest update (2018). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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15 pages, 2241 KiB  
Article
Economic and Environmental Assessment of Olive Agroforestry Practices in Northern Greece
by Emmanouil Tziolas, Stefanos Ispikoudis, Konstantinos Mantzanas, Dimitrios Koutsoulis and Anastasia Pantera
Agriculture 2022, 12(6), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12060851 - 13 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2875
Abstract
Preservation and promotion of agroforestry systems entails the ideology for more ecosystem services, additional biodiversity benefits and climate change mitigation. Furthermore, farmland and forest landscapes and the consequent benefits to the environment from their combination, enhance the importance of agroforestry systems towards sustainable [...] Read more.
Preservation and promotion of agroforestry systems entails the ideology for more ecosystem services, additional biodiversity benefits and climate change mitigation. Furthermore, farmland and forest landscapes and the consequent benefits to the environment from their combination, enhance the importance of agroforestry systems towards sustainable environmental policies. Nevertheless, traditional agroforestry systems face significant adaptation problems, especially in the EU, due to continuous economic reforms and strict agri-environmental measures. In this context our main goal is to assess the current managerial framework of two agroforestry systems and more specifically the olive agroforestry practices in Northern Greece. The economic and environmental implications of four different production plans are highlighted following the Life Cycle Costing and the Life Cycle Assessment protocols. The production plans include the simultaneous cultivation of annual crops, such as vetch and barley, along with olive groves. Potential environmental impacts are depicted in CO2 equivalents, while the economic allocation of costs is divided in targeted categories (e.g., raw materials, labor, land rent, etc.). The results indicate significant deviations among the four production plans, with the combination of olive trees and barley being heavily dependent on fertilization. Furthermore, the open-spaced olive trees intercropped with a mixture of barley and commonly depicted the lowest CO2 eq. emissions, though the economic cost was significantly higher than the other agroforestry system intercropped with barley only. The authors suggest that the formulation of a decision support system for agroforestry systems should be taken into account in order to preserve current agroforestry systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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9 pages, 1321 KiB  
Communication
Abandonment of Silvopastoral Practices Affects the Use of Habitats by the European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
by Ilias Karmiris, Thomas G. Papachristou and Dimitrios Fotakis
Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050678 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1676
Abstract
Silvopasture, a traditional agroforestry practice, combines the presence of trees, shrubs, herbage, and livestock in time and space to provide multiple ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. However, the abandonment of traditional agroforestry practices across Europe has led to substantial changes in [...] Read more.
Silvopasture, a traditional agroforestry practice, combines the presence of trees, shrubs, herbage, and livestock in time and space to provide multiple ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. However, the abandonment of traditional agroforestry practices across Europe has led to substantial changes in vegetation characteristics, mainly due to woody plant expansion and, as a consequence, changes in wildlife that rely on open habitats. This study examines the effects of a 20-year abandonment of silvopastoral practices (i.e., livestock grazing and fuelwood harvesting) in a typical agroforestry Mediterranean landscape (kermes oak shrubland, natural grassland, and olive groves) on European hare (Lepus europaeus) habitat use. We estimated tree, shrub, and herb cover using a densitometer and hare habitat use using pellet counts within 2004-m2 rectangular plots in 2002, 2011, and 2021. Hare pellet density in olive groves was significantly lower in 2021 compared to 2002, while the opposite trend was found in grassland for the same period. Woody plant cover expanded from 2002 to 2021. We suggest that the woody plant encroachment that followed the abandonment of traditional silvopastoral practices in the area is the main driver behind the reported decline in hare use of the habitat, as it became less open and therefore less favorable for the species. Maintaining a mosaic of open and closed habitats at the landscape level, which was once provided by silvopastures, is vital for the conservation of this species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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19 pages, 27923 KiB  
Article
Comparative Water Environment Simulation Study of Two Typical Models with BMPs in a Karst Basin
by Jing Zhang, Peiqi Zhang and Yongyu Song
Agriculture 2022, 12(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12010069 - 06 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1454
Abstract
Carbonate rocks are widely distributed in southwest China, forming a unique karst landscape. The Lijiang River Basin provides a typical example of an area with concentrated karst. Research on the laws of hydrology and water quality migration in the Lijiang River Basin is [...] Read more.
Carbonate rocks are widely distributed in southwest China, forming a unique karst landscape. The Lijiang River Basin provides a typical example of an area with concentrated karst. Research on the laws of hydrology and water quality migration in the Lijiang River Basin is important for the management of the water resources of Guilin City and similar areas. In this study, we combined three meteorological data with the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model and the hydrological simulation program-Fortran (HSPF) model to simulate the hydrological and water quality processes in the Lijiang River Basin separately. We chose the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficient, coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), and mean absolute error (MAE) as the metrics used to evaluate the models. The results, combined with the time-series process lines, indicated that the SWAT model provides a more accurate performance than the HSPF model in streamflow, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and dissolved oxygen (DO) simulations. In addition, we divided the karst and non-karst areas, and we analyzed the differences between them in water balance, sediment transport, and pollution load. We further identified the key source areas of pollution load in the Lijiang River Basin, evaluated the pollution reduction effect of best management practices (BMPs) on surface source pollution, and proposed some pollution control countermeasures. Each scenario, especially returning farmland to forest and creating vegetation buffer zones, reduces the NH3-N and DO pollution load. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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Review

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17 pages, 1780 KiB  
Review
Agroforestry Extent in the United States: A Review of National Datasets and Inventory Efforts
by Matthew M. Smith, Gary Bentrup, Todd Kellerman, Katherine MacFarland, Richard Straight and Lord Ameyaw
Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050726 - 21 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5419
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of agroforestry adoption across a landscape is critical for effective agroforestry planning. The objectives of this study are to identify the sources of agroforestry data that can be used in the United States (U.S.) for national inventory purposes, discuss the [...] Read more.
A comprehensive understanding of agroforestry adoption across a landscape is critical for effective agroforestry planning. The objectives of this study are to identify the sources of agroforestry data that can be used in the United States (U.S.) for national inventory purposes, discuss the possible uses and nuances of the datasets, synthesize the data to create regional maps, and provide recommendations for improving future agroforestry inventory efforts. To accomplish this, we queried multiple government databases containing agroforestry inventory data and spoke with agency representatives with in-depth knowledge of each dataset. Data from federal conservation programs were found to be useful for assessing practice-level adoption through a conservation program but not for general inventory use, since agroforestry systems can be established without federal assistance. For inventory purposes, the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture was found to be the most comprehensive dataset, with 30,853 farm operations reporting agroforestry use, representing 1.5% of all U.S. farms. However, this value is likely an underestimate, due to respondent unfamiliarity with agroforestry terminology. We propose several strategies to improve the accuracy of future agroforestry surveys, since a greater understanding of agroforestry adoption will influence decisions related to agricultural policies, technical assistance, and planning of these integrated systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Planning)
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