Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 578 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Economic Efficiency of Climate Smart Agriculture Technology: Case of Agrophotovoltaics

by Taejun Mo, Hojune Lee, Sungeunsally Oh, Hyunji Lee and Brian H. S. Kim

Land 2023, 12(1), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010090 - 27 Dec 2022

Viewed by 2047

Climate change must be the most serious environmental crisis of the present human generation. While corresponding climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are emerging, the extent to which CSA is profitable to farmers is unclear. In this paper, we focus on agrophotovoltaics (APV), one of [...] Read more.

Climate change must be the most serious environmental crisis of the present human generation. While corresponding climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are emerging, the extent to which CSA is profitable to farmers is unclear. In this paper, we focus on agrophotovoltaics (APV), one of the CSA policies intensively pursued by the Korean government, to analyze the profitability of APV and its implications for rural sustainability. First, we consider the total profit of farms before and after APV installation by a region through generalized least squares (GLS) to verify that APV has overall profitability through the region. Additionally, we estimate farms’ productivity by region with a generalized method of moments (GMM) to compare with the results of the profitability. We predict that APV installation will be more profitable than not installing, and the regions with lower productivity will show higher profitability than other regions. The results are in line with the prediction. The profitability of APV is verified in all regions, and the order of profitability by region and productivity by region are opposite to each other. It suggests that regions with lower productivity may have a higher preference for installing APV, implying the installation of APV provides a new incentive to continue farming even in regions with low agricultural productivity. These results have an important policy implication on rural sustainability since the implementation of CSA could generate a sound and sustainable farming environment by addressing the challenges of climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 7086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Potential of Soil Salinity Assessment through Remote Sensing and GIS: Case Study in the Coastal Rural Areas of Bangladesh

by Billal Hossen, Helmut Yabar and Md Jamal Faruque

Land 2022, 11(10), 1784; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101784 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3195

Abstract

Soil salinity is a negative impact of climate change, and it is a significant problem for the coastal region of Bangladesh, which has been increasing in the last four decades. The issue of soil salinity substantially limits the agricultural crop production in coastal [...] Read more.

Soil salinity is a negative impact of climate change, and it is a significant problem for the coastal region of Bangladesh, which has been increasing in the last four decades. The issue of soil salinity substantially limits the agricultural crop production in coastal areas. Therefore, a soil salinity assessment is essential for proper land-use planning in agricultural crop production. This research was carried out to determine the soil salinity area with different salinity levels in Barguna Sadar Upazila (sub-district). The remote sensing technique, which is a potentially quick yet effective method for the soil salinity estimation in data-scarce conditions, was applied. The methodology employed the Landsat 8 OLI dataset along with nine soil salinity indices to develop a soil salinity map. The maps were from Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), and low NDVI value (−0.01 to 0.48) was produced using satellite images illustrate the extent of the soil salinity for the study area. However, nine linear regressions, which were made between the pixel value of the satellite-based generated map and ground truth soil salinity data, that is, the EC value, indicate a maximum R² value for the salinity index SI 7 = G × R/B, representing a value of 0.022. This minimal R² value indicates a negligible relationship between the ground EC value and the pixel value of the salinity index generated map, inferring that the indices are not sufficient to assess the soil salinity. Nonetheless, this research’s findings offer a guide for researchers to investigate alternative geospatial approaches for this geophysical condition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1801 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

A Long Way toward Climate Smart Agriculture: The Importance of Addressing Gender Inequity in the Agricultural Sector of Guatemala

by Clara Mosso, Diego Pons and Cristian Beza-Beza

Land 2022, 11(8), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081268 - 07 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2404

Abstract

In the context of climate change’s detrimental effects on agricultural production and food security, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies constitute a promising approach to reduce vulnerability and boost adaptation capacity and resilience within farmers. However, CSA strategies should address gender dynamics to reach their [...] Read more.

In the context of climate change’s detrimental effects on agricultural production and food security, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies constitute a promising approach to reduce vulnerability and boost adaptation capacity and resilience within farmers. However, CSA strategies should address gender dynamics to reach their full potential. This study analyzed the barriers and opportunities for the implementation of gender-sensitive CSA strategies in rural Guatemala, a low-latitude country with a high gender gap index, through the perceptions of agricultural extensionists. For this purpose, we conducted an online survey among Guatemalan agricultural extensionists who attended a series of Climate Services for Agriculture workshops between May and July 2021 and analyzed the results using a qualitative approach. Results suggest that women in rural Guatemala are frequently excluded from climate information access, agricultural training, and decision-making spaces in which agricultural resource management strategies are defined. We argue that this exclusion represents a barrier to the improvement in adaptation capacity and resilience and that gender inequity should be addressed to implement successful gender-sensitive CSA approaches. Generating gender-sensitive indicators and training extensionists against gender bias could be a starting point, but further research is necessary to understand gender dynamics in rural Guatemala. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 2674 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Smart Agriculture Implementation on Coffee Smallholders in Indonesia and Strategy to Accelerate

by Fadjry Djufry, Suci Wulandari and Renato Villano

Land 2022, 11(7), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11071112 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4079

Abstract

Sustainable coffee production is significantly threatened by climate change. While implementing CSA practices offers numerous benefits, adoption rates remain low. Coffee plantations are dominated by smallholders and located in rural areas, making them more complex and requiring a comprehensive analysis and intervention. This [...] Read more.

Sustainable coffee production is significantly threatened by climate change. While implementing CSA practices offers numerous benefits, adoption rates remain low. Coffee plantations are dominated by smallholders and located in rural areas, making them more complex and requiring a comprehensive analysis and intervention. This study used an exploratory approach to assess farmers’ preferences for CSA practices, identify barriers to implement, and design a support system model. The investigation focused on Arabica and Robusta farmers, with case studies from two Indonesian production centres. Preferences assessment used conjoint analysis, barriers evaluation used Mann–Whitney analysis, model development used synthetic approaches, and priority analysis used the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The study revealed that diversification is more desirable than cultivation, soil management, and water management. Arabica farmers preferred intercropping with annual crops, whereas Robusta farmers preferred perennials crops. Robusta farmers assessed that agricultural inputs, such as labor, capital, climatic data, and farm equipment and machinery, existed as barriers. However, these represent a lesser issue for Arabica farmers. We proposed agricultural innovation support system, consisting of innovation support facilities and services, as a comprehensive support system model to accelerate CSA implementation. Further analysis showed that the priority strategy for Arabica farmers is support services that focus on network development, while for Robusta farmers is support facilities that focus on climate information system development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 3243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Assessment Perspective for Sectoral Adaptation to Climate Change: Environmental Impact Assessment of Pig Production

by Kennedy Ndue and Goda Pál

Land 2022, 11(6), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11060827 - 31 May 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3237

Abstract

Growing demand for sustainably driven production systems, especially pork, requires a holistic or system thinking approach. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) offers a robust methodological background as one of the approaches to achieving system analysis for a product along its lifecycle. On the other [...] Read more.

Growing demand for sustainably driven production systems, especially pork, requires a holistic or system thinking approach. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) offers a robust methodological background as one of the approaches to achieving system analysis for a product along its lifecycle. On the other hand, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can perform state-of-art system analysis characterising its sustainability fronts as a compelling set of tools. Pork, as the most consumed meat across Europe (circa 34 kg per capita per year), compounded with the sector’s contribution to global greenhouse gases (GHG) doubling over the past decade necessitated this research. Our objective was to map hotspots along the value chain and recommend the best available practices for realising the sectoral contribution to carbon neutrality and climate change adaptation. To achieve the objective, we compared organic and conventional production systems by basing our analysis on Recipe midpoint 2016 (H) V1.13 as implemented in OpenLCA 1.10.2 using AGRIBALYSE^® 3.0 datasets for eleven indicators. We found that producing 1 kg of pig meat under an organic production system had almost double the environmental impact of conventional systems for land use, water consumption, acidification, and ecotoxicity. Feed production and manure management are the significant hotspots accounting for over 90% of environmental impacts associated with 1 kg pig meat Liveweight (LW) production. Similarly, efficient conventional systems were less harmful to the environment in per capita unit of production and land use compared with organic ones in ten out of the eleven impacts evaluated. Implementing increased efficiency, reduced use of inputs for feed production, and innovative manure management practices with technological potential were some of the best practices the research recommended to realise minimal impacts on the identified hotspots. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preferences in Farmland Eco-Compensation Methods: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

by Xin Yang, Xiaohe Zhou, Shuwen Cao and Anlu Zhang

Land 2021, 10(11), 1159; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111159 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1711

Abstract

Successful farmland eco-compensation projects need to reflect the heterogeneous preferences both from suppliers and beneficiaries. This paper tries to answer this question by investigating both citizen and farmer preferences for different farmland eco-compensation methods in Wuhan, China, and explore some of the socio-demographic [...] Read more.

Successful farmland eco-compensation projects need to reflect the heterogeneous preferences both from suppliers and beneficiaries. This paper tries to answer this question by investigating both citizen and farmer preferences for different farmland eco-compensation methods in Wuhan, China, and explore some of the socio-demographic characteristics that contribute to their preferences. Based on the data of 288 citizens and 331 farmers, the multinomial logit model was employed to analyze their preferences for the four farmland eco-compensation methods (monetary compensation, in-kind compensation, technology compensation and policy compensation), respectively. The results show that: (1) Monetary compensation is the most welcomed farmland eco-compensation method among both citizens and farmers. (2) Despite farmers and citizens both putting a high value on monetary compensation methods, citizens are more likely to provide compensation methods that can help farmers improve their living standards in a sustainable method (in-kind compensation, technology compensation and policy compensation). Farmers are less likely to choose the in-kind compensation method. (3) The preference for farmland eco-compensation systems of farmers and citizens are influenced by different socio-demographic characteristics. The results can help the government to design more aimed farmland eco-compensation methods for farmers with different socio-demographic characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 604 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Land Reform in the Era of Global Warming—Can Land Reforms Help Agriculture Be Climate-Smart?

by Alexis Rampa, Yiorgos Gadanakis and Gillian Rose

Land 2020, 9(12), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9120471 - 24 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6322

Abstract

In an era of global warming, long-standing challenges for rural populations, including land inequality, poverty and food insecurity, risk being exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Innovative and effective approaches, such as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), are required to alleviate these environmental [...] Read more.

In an era of global warming, long-standing challenges for rural populations, including land inequality, poverty and food insecurity, risk being exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Innovative and effective approaches, such as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), are required to alleviate these environmental pressures without hampering efficiency. In countries with unequal distribution of land, where issues of access to and use of land rank high on the policy agenda, policymakers are confronted with the challenge of implementing interventions such as land reforms, whilst endeavouring to ensure that sustainable agriculture approaches be adopted by farm-households. The aim of this study is to investigate how land reforms can provide an opportunity for policymakers, particularly in lower-income countries, to enhance not only equity and efficiency but also environmental sustainability. In particular, this study builds on an extensive review of the theoretical and empirical literature and employs a conceptual framework analysis method to develop and describe a framework that explores how land reforms can be associated with the CSA approach. The resultant “Climate Smart Land Reform” (CSLR) framework contains four driving pillars, namely land redistribution, tenure reform, rural advisory services and markets and infrastructure. The framework disentangles relevant channels through which land reform, via its four pillars, can foster CSA adoption and thus contribute to the attainment of sustainable increases in agricultural productivity, climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation. The framework also includes relevant channels through which more ‘traditional’ objectives of land reformers, including economic, social and political objectives, can be achieved. In turn, the (partial) attainment of such objectives would lead to improvements in agroecological and socioeconomic conditions of rural areas and populations. These improvements are considered within the framework as the ‘ultimate’ objective of land reformers. The CSLR framework represents an innovative way of conceptualising how land reforms can generate beneficial effects not only in terms of equity and efficiency but also of environmental sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

28 pages, 5294 KiB

Open AccessReview

Agrivoltaics: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Approach for Indian Farmers

by Rakeshkumar Mahto, Deepak Sharma, Reshma John and Chandrasekhar Putcha

Land 2021, 10(11), 1277; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111277 - 20 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 9762

Abstract

India is a leader when it comes to agriculture. A significant part of the country’s population depends on agriculture for livelihood. However, many of them face challenges due to using unreliable farming techniques. Sometimes the challenges increase to the extent that they commit [...] Read more.

India is a leader when it comes to agriculture. A significant part of the country’s population depends on agriculture for livelihood. However, many of them face challenges due to using unreliable farming techniques. Sometimes the challenges increase to the extent that they commit suicide. Besides, India is highly populated, and its population is steadily increasing, requiring its government to grow its GDP and increase its energy supply proportionately. This paper reviews integrating solar farming with agriculture, known as Agrivoltaics, as a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) option for Indian farmers. This study is further supported by the Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of agrivoltaics. Using the SWOT analysis, this article presents how agrivoltaics can make agriculture sustainable and reliable. This paper identifies rural electrification, water conservation, yield improvement, sustainable income generation, and reduction in the usage of pesticides as the strengths of agrivoltaics. Similarly, the paper presents weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to agrivoltaics in India. The research concludes with the findings that agrivoltaics have the potential of meeting multiple objectives such as meeting global commitments, offering employment, providing economic stability, increasing clean energy production capacity, conserving natural resources, and succeeding in several others. The paper also includes a discussion about the findings, suggestions, and implications of adopting agrivoltaics on a large scale in India. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Climate-Smart Agriculture and Rural Sustainability

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (8 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI