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Agronomy
Special Issues
Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods
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Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 18611

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shi Min

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Interests: agricultural economics and rural development; food and resource economics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues，

The shifting of food consumption structure in developing countries brings substantial pressure on agricultural development, especially in the context of increasing population and limited natural resources and environment. Thus, it is urgent to develop new technologies for more sustainable agriculture and expend novel food sources for more sustainable food systems. In the era of information and technology, precision farming, smart farming, and digital agriculture may play important roles in improving the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. Innovation of agri-food by using alternative proteins sources, such as plant-based meat, cultured meat, synthetic meat, algae, insects etc., which have a relatively low ecological footprint and environmental costs, provides a new choice for future foods.
In this Special Issue, we aim to improve scientific understanding of sustainable agriculture, agri-food innovation, and future foods by a systematic review and related empirical studies, as well as propose corresponding recommendations on policy design and development strategies.

Topics of interest for submission not limited to: 

  1. Agricultural sustainability, green agriculture, agricultural technology innovation;
  2. Precision farming, smart farming, and digital agriculture;
  3. Agri-food innovation, biofortified crops, cultured meat, algae, insects etc.

Dr. Shi Min
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. Agronomy 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

  • agriculture
  • sustainability
  • transformation
  • agri-food innovation
  • alternative protein

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

20 pages, 4119 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Climate Change on the Mean and Variance of Indica and Japonica Rice Yield in China
by Lijuan Zhang, Jinxia Wang, Tianhe Sun and Xialin Wang
Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 3062; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123062 - 3 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1403
Abstract
The overall goal of this study was to examine the impacts of climate change on the mean and variance of rice yields in China by using historical climate and crop data. An econometric model was established to estimate Just–Pope stochastic production functions and [...] Read more.
The overall goal of this study was to examine the impacts of climate change on the mean and variance of rice yields in China by using historical climate and crop data. An econometric model was established to estimate Just–Pope stochastic production functions and identify the potential impacts of climate change on the mean and variance of rice yields by type, keeping other factors constant. Based on the estimated production functions, the contribution rate of climatic factors to rice yield was then assessed by conducting the growth accounting of yields over the past 30 years. The results showed that both the mean rice yield and the yield variability were influenced by changes in the mean climate conditions and climatic variance. In the future, the impacts of climate change on rice yields will depend on local regions’ present climatic conditions. The results have implications for improving the adaptation capacity of rice production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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15 pages, 1005 KiB  
Article
Sustainability of Small Farms in Serbia: A Comparative Analysis with the European Union
by Žana Jurjević, Stanislav Zekić, Bojan Matkovski and Danilo Đokić
Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2726; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112726 - 3 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1726
Abstract
Throughout the EU, small farms have varying degrees of importance, which points to the need to analyse the role of small farms. This study, in addition to EU countries, includes Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership. This study aims to provide an [...] Read more.
Throughout the EU, small farms have varying degrees of importance, which points to the need to analyse the role of small farms. This study, in addition to EU countries, includes Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership. This study aims to provide an overview of agriculture’s structural characteristics by creating an Index of Agricultural Structural Characteristics (ASC Index). The analysis was carried out at the regional level, which provides a more detailed overview of the structural characteristics of agriculture in the EU and Serbia. The results indicate several regional differences in the EU along north–south and west–east divisions. Serbian agriculture is predominantly made up of small farms and corresponds to the southern model of European agriculture. In terms of the west–east division, Serbian agriculture also corresponds to the structure of Central and Eastern Europe countries (CEEC), with which it shares a historical heritage of a centrally planned economy. Changes in Serbian agricultural policy must be directed toward regions with unfavourable structural characteristics. Special attention should be given to small farms in cases where there is potential to improve competitiveness and where there is a good basis for improving the social sustainability of rural areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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11 pages, 302 KiB  
Article
Does Adoption of Biofortification Increase Return on Investment? Evidence from Wheat Farmers in China
by Jing Zeng, Han Li, Yifan Tang and Ping Qing
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2019; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092019 - 26 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1280
Abstract
Biofortification is a new agricultural intervention to alleviate hidden hunger in China and even the world. Exploring the impact of farmers′ adoption of biofortification on return on investment (ROI), which is calculated from farmers′ production net income and profitability, can provide empirical support [...] Read more.
Biofortification is a new agricultural intervention to alleviate hidden hunger in China and even the world. Exploring the impact of farmers′ adoption of biofortification on return on investment (ROI), which is calculated from farmers′ production net income and profitability, can provide empirical support for the development of sustainable agriculture. This paper examines the impact of the adoption of biofortification on ROI using cross-sectional data from a survey of farmers in China. An endogenous switching regression model that accounts for selection bias was used in the research. The empirical results revealed that the adoption of biofortification has a positive and statistically significant impact on ROI. A heterogeneity analysis also revealed that comparatively high annual income adopters and female adopters tend to benefit more from the adoption of biofortification than middle- and low-income adopters and male adopters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
16 pages, 2113 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study about the Consumption of Organic Food Products on Samples of Portuguese and Turkish Consumers under the COVID-19 Pandemic Context
by Raquel P. F. Guiné, Sofia G. Florença, Daniela T. V. A. Costa, Selda Çelik, Manuela Ferreira, Ana Paula Cardoso, Sümeyye Çetin and Cristina A. Costa
Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061385 - 8 Jun 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3984
Abstract
This research aimed to study consumers’ trends and the consumption of foods obtained through organic farming in two different countries, Portugal and Turkey. A questionnaire survey was used, applied through internet tools as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. For the treatment of [...] Read more.
This research aimed to study consumers’ trends and the consumption of foods obtained through organic farming in two different countries, Portugal and Turkey. A questionnaire survey was used, applied through internet tools as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. For the treatment of data, we used basic statistics complemented with a tree classification, aimed at evaluating the influence of sociodemographic factors on the knowledge about this type of food. The results showed that the consumption patterns are relatively similar in both countries, with many participants consuming organic foods, especially vegetables and fruits, consuming them mostly two or three meals per week. The strongest motivations to consume organic foods include benefits for human health and lower environmental impacts, while the most substantial reason not to consume is the higher price. It was also found that in both countries, people have good knowledge about the advantages of organic foods over conventional ones. Finally, the perception of the value attributed by society to organic foods was considerably higher in Portugal. These results confirm the apparent trend of making more sustainable food choices, which is motivated by the perceived negative impact of conventional agriculture on ecosystems and health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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18 pages, 2654 KiB  
Article
Impact of Government Policies on Seed Innovation in China
by Yawei Zhao, Haiyan Deng, Ruifa Hu and Changzhao Xiong
Agronomy 2022, 12(4), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040917 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1812
Abstract
Seed innovation is of great importance for more sustainable agriculture and food systems. Using data on nationally approved rice varieties and farmers’ adopted varieties, this study examined rice varietal trait changes in China over the past four decades and explored the impact of [...] Read more.
Seed innovation is of great importance for more sustainable agriculture and food systems. Using data on nationally approved rice varieties and farmers’ adopted varieties, this study examined rice varietal trait changes in China over the past four decades and explored the impact of national crop varietal approval policies on approved rice traits as well as the effect of seed subsidies on adopted rice trait changes. The results showed that the yield of approved varieties and adopted varieties showed an upward trend over the past decades, and the yield of approved varieties was slightly higher than that of adopted varieties in most years. The rice quality of approved rice varieties showed a trend of continuous improvement but the adopted varieties showed a downward trend. The disease resistance of the approved varieties failed to show an increasing trend overall while the adopted varieties remained unchanged. National crop variety approval policies seemed to exert a significant positive impact on approved rice yield traits but exert a negative influence on disease resistance. Subsidies for superior seed varieties significantly increased adopted rice quality but decreased yield. The results suggest that national crop variety approval policies are the gatekeeper of improved rice, so the government can improve the policies to more meet farmers’ and consumers’ needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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Review

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14 pages, 828 KiB  
Review
The Transformation of Rice Crop Technology in Indonesia: Innovation and Sustainable Food Security
by Sutardi, Yayan Apriyana, Popi Rejekiningrum, Annisa Dhienar Alifia, Fadhlullah Ramadhani, Valeriana Darwis, Nanik Setyowati, Dwi Eny Djoko Setyono, Gunawan, Afrizal Malik, Syahrial Abdullah, Muslimin, Wahyu Wibawa, Joko Triastono, Yusuf, Forita Dyah Arianti and Andi Yulyani Fadwiwati
Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010001 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5030
Abstract
The growth of the Indonesian population has led to an increase in the demand for rice, which the country has yet to satisfy. Indonesia needs a comprehensive strategy that integrates meaningful efforts to increase its agricultural production. This study aims to review the [...] Read more.
The growth of the Indonesian population has led to an increase in the demand for rice, which the country has yet to satisfy. Indonesia needs a comprehensive strategy that integrates meaningful efforts to increase its agricultural production. This study aims to review the examined trends in rice yield in Indonesia for 70 years after Indonesia’s independence (1945–2016) followed by the identification of the application technology and factors that contribute to increasing rice yields to forecast sustainable food security scenarios up to 2030. This article reviews the results of research on rice production technology in Indonesia from 1945 to 2016, and the outlook for 2030. This paper examines the main points of the Indonesian transformation of rice technology: improvement of rice varieties, integrated crop management, innovations in agricultural machinery, and the Integrated Cropping Calendar Information System (ICCIS). We found that transformation has helped Indonesia increased its rice yields from 3 t ha−1 prior to 1961 to 4.6 t ha−1 in 1985, stagnated in 1990, and increased again in 2017 to 5.46 t ha−1. The increase in yield was sustained by an increase in the harvested area owing to cropping index (CI) innovation. Food security and sustainable development remain the primary goals of Indonesia’s agricultural sector. The application of appropriate technologies and institutional innovations can assist Indonesia in achieving its food security. Therefore, the transformation of technological innovations will continue to be an essential driver of future agricultural growth, including greater use of crop varieties, machinery, and land/institutional reforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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Other

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19 pages, 666 KiB  
Essay
Effects of Organic Fertilizer Substitution on the Technical Efficiency among Farmers: Evidence from Bohai Rim Region in China
by Long Zhang, Ting Meng, Zhexi Zhang and Yueying Mu
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030761 - 6 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2479
Abstract
Using organic fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizer is an effective way to promote sustainable agricultural development. Based on survey data of 514 farmers from five provinces and cities in the Bohai Rim region of China, collected in 2019, organic fertilizer substitution’s effects on [...] Read more.
Using organic fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizer is an effective way to promote sustainable agricultural development. Based on survey data of 514 farmers from five provinces and cities in the Bohai Rim region of China, collected in 2019, organic fertilizer substitution’s effects on farmers’ technical efficiency were analyzed. The PSM method is used to solve the problem of farmers’ self-selection. Considering the causal relationship between the substitution behavior of organic fertilizer and farmers’ technical efficiency, the IV-Tobit model, 2SLS, and ML estimation methods are used to solve the endogenous problem. The study found that: (1) quality and safety awareness, part-time employment level, participation in insurance, and training significantly promote using organic fertilizers to replace chemical fertilizers; (2) the technical efficiency of farmers who use organic fertilizer to substitute the chemical fertilizers is 0.625, 9.46% higher than their counterparts; and (3) the promotion effect of organic fertilizer substitution on technical efficiency has heterogeneity, which has a significant role among small-scale farmer households with fewer and low-educated family laborers. Regarding the policy implications, it is necessary to strengthen agricultural subsidies by improving the accuracy of policy formulation and implementation, fully considering the heterogeneity of farmers for implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture and Future Foods)
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