The experiment was developed under production conditions on a farm in the Santa Ana city, south-central region of the province of Manabí, Ecuador, in a mountainous area of approximately 300 meters above sea level. Coffee (Coffea arabica, sp.) production is carried out in a context of peasant family agriculture, with an agroforestry system with coffee trees of the Sarchimor variety planted at 1.5 x 1.5 m, interspersed with tree species typical of the dry forest. The system involves manual weed control, without fertilization, irrigation, phytosanitary control, or shade regulation. In this scenario, and during an experimental period of 90 days (03/08/2022 - 26/10/2022), phenological variables of coffee trees maintained in a study area of 50 x 50 m at a high (S1: 51-70%) and low (S3: 1-30%) shade level was compared with those obtained at an intermediate shade level considered as standard (S2: 31-50%). The phenological variables related to vegetative development (Total Branches) of coffee plants showed higher values in S2 compared to S1 and S3. These results are related to the higher photosynthetic activity associated with the higher intensity of incident solar radiation, although the relationship is not linear. In our results, flowering and fruiting were not affected by the level of shade, nor were their precursors, such as nodes per productive branch and productive nodes per productive branch. On the other hand, coffee plants at full sun exposure in S1, without shade, decreased chlorophyll measured in SPAD units, as a possible compensation for the increase in photosynthetically active uptake in that condition.

This thesis studied the viability of recycling filter substrates as soil amendments after being used in on-site systems for phosphorus (P) removal from wastewater. Focus was put on the materials Filtra P and Polonite, which are commercial products used in compact filters in Sweden. A prerequisite for this choice was to review filter materials and P sorption capacity. The filter substrates (Filtra P, Polonite and wollastonite tailings) were recycled from laboratory infiltration columns as soil amendments to a neutral agricultural soil and to an acid meadow soil to study their impacts on soil properties and yield of barley and ryegrass. The amendments tended to improve the yield and showed a liming effect, significantly increasing soil pH and the availability of P. In another experiment, samples of Filtra P and Polonite were equilibrated in batch experiments with the two soils in order to study the P dynamics in the soil-substrate system.  Batch equilibrations confirmed the liming potential of Filtra P and Polonite and showed that improved P availability in soils was strongly dependent on substrate P concentration, phase of sorbed P, and soil type. Finally, samples of Polonite used for household wastewater treatment were recycled as soil amendments to a mountain meadow and to an agricultural field for wheat cropping. The liming effect of Polonite was confirmed under field conditions and the results were similar to those of lime for the mountain meadow soil. However, the results were quite different for the agricultural field, where Polonite did not affect soil pH or any other chemical and physical soil properties investigated and had no impact on wheat yield and quality. The results from field experiments suggested that Polonite can be safely recycled to meadows and cropping fields at rates of 5-10 ton ha^-1 but long-term studies are needed to forecast the effects of accumulation.

This study assesses farmers’ perceived impact of high-dikes on rice and fish yields, use of synthetic fertilizers, water quality, fish diversity, and inflow of nutrient-rich water and sediments in the Mekong Delta. Interviews were conducted with 89 farmers from three districts in the An Giang province, of which 69-98% of the agricultural land is covered by high-dikes. Only 57% of the farmers felt that the rice yields had increased after the construction of high-dikes. 93% of respondents perceived that the inflow of nutrient-rich water and sediments had decreased, and 99% felt that the use of synthetic fertilizers had increased by 26-37% after the construction of high-dikes. 94% of all farmers felt that high-dikes had impacted on the aquatic environment and water quality, which was perceived to have decreased from good to poor quality. The wild fish yield and fish diversity were estimated to have decreased by 68-83 and 75-81%, respectively, and had decreased most in Cho Moi, followed by Phu Tan and Chau Phu districts. It is concluded that high-dikes have helped to increase rice yields in some areas, but at the expense of decreased natural fertilization, water quality, fish diversity and yields, which all impact on the farmers’ profit and well-being.

The traditional agriculture in Europe favoured numerous plant and animal species that are presently declining. Integrated studies based on various sources are needed in order to unravel the complex relationships between changing landscapes and biological diversity. The objectives of this study were to describe changes in land use during c. 350 years in a Swedish agricultural landscape in relation to changes in human population and livestock, and to analyse relationships between historical land use and present-day plant species diversity. There were only minor long-term changes in land use, population and livestock between 1640 and 1854 in the two studied hamlets, but detailed data 1620-41 showed a large short-term fluctuation in livestock numbers. After 1854 larger changes took place. Grasslands were cultivated and livestock composition changed. After 1932, livestock number decreased and most of the former grazed outland (areas located outside the fenced infields) turned into forest by natural succession. 7 per cent of the study area is still grazed semi-natural grassland. The highest plant species richness is today found on semi-natural grassland with a long continuity of grazing. The distribution of five target species suggests that previous land use still has an important effect today. The majority of their occurrences are remnant populations located in previous outland pastures which are today forests.

A total of 132 White rot fungus were isolated from the wood bark samples, collected from the different locations in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka and screened for Ligninolytic enzyme production. Ten strains exhibiting maximum activity numbered 30, 40, 41, 61, 76, 86, 104, 113, 123 and 124 were further screened under submerged fermentation using agricultural wastes for enzyme production activity. Among the four substrates used (Sawdust, Paddy straw, Pongamia leaf, Kitchen Vegetable waste), highest lignin peroxidase activity was seen in Pongamia with strain 75 (0.766 U/ml) and minimum was in Paddy straw with strain 124(0.003 U/ml). Highest Manganese Peroxide content was seen in sawdust with strain 40 (1.014 U/ml) and minimum was in vegetable waste strain 75 (0.150 U/ml). Highest laccase activity was in Pongamia leafwith strain 123 (0.375 U/ml) and lowest was in Paddy straw strain (75)(0.012 U/ml).Highest versatile peroxidase activity was observed in Pongamia strain 113(0.504 U/ml) and lowest in Paddy straw strain 61 (0.023 U/ml). Cellulase content was highest with Pongamia using strain 41 (0.032 U/ml)and lowest in Paddy straw with strains61, 104, 113, 124 (0.003 U/ml).Highest Protein content was present in Pongamia degradation with strain 104(0.246 U/ml) and lowest was in Paddy straw with strain 113 (0.059 U/ml).The maximum enzyme activity of laccase by wood rot fungal strains 30, 40, 41, 61, 76, 86, 104, 113, 123 and 124 strains were obtained on the 8th day of fermentation wherein Manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase showed the highest activity on the 10th day of fermentation.

There is consensus that we need sustainability transitions and increasing acknowledgement that such transitions should be conducted in a just manner. However, what exactly a ‘just transition’ means and how this should be brought about is less clear. Attempts to examine the justice of transitions to date primarily rely on normative interpretations of what justice means. Using the English agricultural transition as a case, we develop an instrument that builds on the underlying dimensions of justice evaluations to provide a tool for decision-makers to gain insights into societal perceptions of what a just agricultural transition means to them. When adapted, this instrument is also valuable for sustainability transitions in other sectors. We establish adequate construct reliability and validity for a number of constructs such as Equality, Entitlement, and Merit as Principles of Procedural Justice, whilst others such as the different Topics of Distributional Justice will need further refinement.

Yield data for a series of years on the main crops grown in Sweden were collected and summarised in order to identify years with extremely low yield, determine their frequency and risk level and relate these to weather data in order to identify weather events leading to large yield reductions.

Annual yield data at county level for cereals, field beans, oilseed rape, potatoes and temporary grasses were taken from official statistics for the period 1965-2014. For the period 2005-2012, crop yield data on farm level were also available from official statistics. In addition, yield data for cereals and temporary grasses being studied in long-term experiments (more than 40 years) located in four different agroecological zones of Sweden were considered. Daily temperature and precipitation data for each of the 21 counties in Sweden during the period 1961-2012 were downloaded from the official Swedish weather data website.

In general, yield reductions were higher in northern than in southern counties and higher for spring cereals than winter cereals. Oats, spring rape and potatoes were the crops with the highest yield variation at county level. The frequency of a 30% yield reduction at county level was very low or close to zero in those counties with widespread cereal production, but large reductions occurred in individual years and certain counties (e.g. -80% in Norrbotten county in 1987).

Close agreement between annual area of non-harvested crops and a 30% yield reduction was observed for certain years, crops and counties. The northern counties had on average 4-11% non-harvested crop area, with Norrbotten county having the highest values. The non-harvested area of cereals in southern counties was on average 0-2%.

The risk of severe crop losses on farm level was around 10%, although in a few cases the risk was 25%, depending on the county. More specifically, the overall risk among the counties for individual farms of obtaining 30% lower yield for winter wheat was 5-20%, for spring wheat 5-20%, for rye 5-10% and for spring barley 5-25%. The corresponding risk of obtaining 50% lower yield for oats was 5-20%.

The yield data for individual farms showed large variations, even in years with ‘favourable’ weather conditions. In most years, yield on the lower 10th percentile of farms was less than half the average yield at county level. Winter wheat showed the lowest variation in southern counties and oats and spring rape the highest. Farm-level yield variations were also much higher in Norrbotten county than in southern counties. This large yield variation was confirmed by data from the long-term crop experiments, in which yield reductions exceeding 30% occurred in 5-18% of years (i.e. 2-8 years in the period 1965-2010).

Most years with the lowest yield were associated with a prolonged dry period (<20 mm precipitation over 40 days) and/or a high level of precipitation during the harvesting period (>100 mm during August). However, attempts to correlate county average yields with indices based only on daily temperature and precipitation gave poor and inconsistent results. Similar results were obtained using yield data from the long-term experiments and indices based solely on precipitation.

The large yield variations between individual farms, the heterogeneity of crop responses to Scandinavian weather conditions and the limitations of yield prediction models in terms of detailed input data and result accuracy indicate that yield reductions should be measured on farm level.

Within the study period, precipitation during summer months appeared to increase over time, particularly in 25% of years in southern Sweden. If this situation persists, it will have conflicting effects on crop production, by reducing the risk of drought periods and increasing the risk of rainy harvesting periods.

Det övergripande syftet med denna studie var att undersöka leveranssäkerheten för halm kopplat till risker på grund av dåliga väderförhållanden vid skörd samt utvärdera regionala skillnader i fyra viktiga odlingsområden i landet. Väderlekens inverkan på halmens vattenhalt i sträng och halmmängd som kunde pressas vid varierande gårdsstorlek, bärgningsperiod och halmmängd undersöktes. Med hjälp av simuleringsmodeller och historiska väderleksdata från 22-23 år beräknades vattenhalten på timbasis för spannmålskärna i den stående grödan och för halm i sträng. Skördetröskning och halmpressning simulerades med en annan modell under samma period, där en kort pressningsperiod till sluten av augusti och en längre period till mitten av september utvärderades. Väderlekens inverkan på pressningsförloppet uppskattades, samtidigt som begränsande och känsliga faktorer identifierades. De årliga pressade halmmängderna beräknades för typgårdar med 100, 300 och 600 ha spannmålsareal, belägna i Västmanland, Östergötland, Västra Götaland och Skåne.

Stricter national regulations on fertilisation and improved use of manure in agriculture, as well as set-aside schemes, do have measurable effects on the riverine loads of nitrogen to the Baltic Sea, although it can take up to a decade to reach full depletion of legacies in agricultural soils. However, reaching the environmental goals in a cost-effective way, requires more targeted measures to areas where the risk for leaching is high.

Based on the sustainable development practice-zero growth in chemical fertilizer application, this article used bagasse organic fertilizer and rice husk derived biochar to investigate the response of soil bacterial community in apple orchard. Aimed at realize the soil quality improvement and biomass resource recovery to contribute agricultural and environmental sustainability. The co-trophic Proteobacteria was predominant in all the treatments (29–36 %) and enriched in non-nitrifying Alphaproteobacteria (9–11 %) and ammonia oxidant Betaproteobacteria (8–10 %), especially richest in bagasse fertilizer combine biochar treated soil. In addition, bacterial community variation was assessed by alpha and beta diversity, four treatments dispersed distribution and richer abundance observed in combined apply bagasse fertilizer and biochar treatment (3909.22 observed-species) than single application (3729.88 and 3646.58 observed-species). Biochar as microbial carrier combined organic fertilizer were established synergistic interaction and favorable to organic matter availability during sustainable agriculture. Finally, integrated biochar-bagasse fertilizer was richer than single organic or biochar fertilization in improving soil bacterial diversity, notably by promoting the metabolism of copiotrophic bacteria, nutrient cycling, plant growth and disease inhibit-related bacteria.

Agricultural production plays a strategic role in ensuring food security, income and employment for rural households across developing countries. Smallholder farming systems are complex, and efforts to transform them are undermined by climate change induced shocks as well as long-term changes. We employed a multi stakeholder approach to develop an inclusive sorghum value chain for effective transition towards more diversified, resilient and climate smart crop production in Nongoma and Clau Clau villages, in KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa. The coming on board of various stakeholders providing diverse support and services to the smallholder farming cooperatives helped to upscale sorghum production from the experimental trials, establish links with markets, train and capacitate the farmers in key aspects of project and business management. Consequently, the smallholder farmers are more equipped to adapt to climate change in terms of knowledge and skill sets, while livelihoods and food security are enhanced through crop diversification. We conclude that smallholder farmer support should go beyond basic research and extension, and multi-stakeholder and inclusive value chain development should be at the centre of efforts to build smallholder resilience to climate change. 

Dietary diversity has been widely used as a proxy indicator for micronutrient adequacy. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Rwanda, women are at high risk of inadequate micronutrient intake resulting from poorly diversified diets. This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with women's dietary diversity, with emphasis on homestead production diversity and market access in the Northern Province of Rwanda. A cross-sectional design was used, involving 606 women aged 18-49 years. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the association between various factors and women's dietary diversity. Results show that 84% of the sample households raised at least one livestock species. Seventy-one percent of the households had no agricultural land. Eighty percent of those without land had a homestead garden on which they grew food crops, mainly vegetables and fruit trees. The average crop species was 2.3. On average, women consumed 3 out of 9 food groups. The homestead production diversity score was positively associated with women's dietary diversity score (beta = 0.16, p < 0.001). Women's dietary diversity score was negatively associated with distance from the household to the nearest market (beta = -0.08, p = 0.027) and household food insecurity (beta = -0.06, p < 0.001). Maternal education (p < 0.001), household wealth index (p < 0.05), and ownership of more than 2.5 acres compared to being without land (p < 0.05) were associated with women's dietary diversity score. The dietary diversity of women could be enhanced through interventions that promote the diversity of livestock and crop species produced through homestead production. Potential interventions to explore may include integrated farming systems that combine small livestock and crop production utilising improved livestock breeds and high-quality seeds and planting materials of high-yielding varieties of fruits and vegetables, along with rainwater harvesting to facilitate small-scale irrigation. The impact of such interventions on women's dietary diversity can be further reinforced by parallel programmes aimed at improving women's education and the socioeconomic status of households.

Farmers as volunteers in research could potentially provide a rich resource for exploring sustainable agricultural research questions. To discern emerging patterns in citizen science-based studies on topics with relevance for sustainable agriculture and reveal salient challenges and opportunities for conducting such studies, we conducted a literature review of 27 articles from the period 2004-2019 of 250 publications screened from Google Scholar. These articles were thematically grouped under the topics: Soil health, climate adaptation, pest/pathogen monitoring, invasive species, inputs and outputs and pollination. Participants' characteristics, motivations, study design and project outcomes in the reviewed articles were summarized and discussed. Both observational and experimental studies were represented in the articles, while emerging trends point towards field experimentation and 'Large-N' trials by lay farmers. Crowdsourcing lends itself to projects where the main role of the public is local visual observations and reporting, such as in pest/pathogen monitoring. Challenges included methodological issues such as validation procedures, but above all motivation, recruitment, and retention of volunteers. Despite the importance of participatory approaches for deeper citizen involvement for sustainability transitions and for the quality of knowledge outcomes, the role of citizens was overall restricted to data collection. Several of the methodologies proposed would be difficult to implement in low-income countries, and relatively few studies pertained to agricultural concerns of the global South. To lend value to farmers' time, we recommend projects relevant to livelihoods, health issues or local farming problems, accompanied by well structured data feedback protocols, routing study results back to farmers.

With a Categorizing tool for conservation of settlement remains we can, through better instructions, reduce the damages made to settlement remains in conjunction with forestmeasures.The purpose of this study was to create a categorizing tool for the conservation status of settlement remains. The categorization tool will be used to select specific remains for increased management. Interviews were conducted with the County administrative board in Östergötland, Board of Forestry (Skogsstyrelsen) and Holmen skog. Pre-field studies both with Skogsstyrelsen and Holmen skog were also conducted. A field study was conducted where totally 20 different areas of settlement remains were visited and used to create the tool. All settlement remains were located in Östergötland. The data collected showed that the largest amount of monuments were located close to a road and were relatively easy to access. The categorizing tool was made in collaboration with Holmen skog and was tested together with a representative from the company with the outcome as an approved categorizing tool for the demands of the company.

Köttets miljöpåverkan är välstuderad och det finns många publicerade studier baserade på livscykelanalyser (LCA) för olika köttslag. Resultat från LCA-studier uttrycks som miljöpåverkan per kg kött, oftast per kg benfritt kött. En viktig faktor som påverkar det slutliga resultatet vid beräkning av miljöpåverkan från kött är utbytet vid slakteriet, dvs. hur mycket av djuret som blir till produkter till vilka miljöpåverkan ska fördelas. Ett lågt utbyte leder till en högre miljöpåverkan per kg slutlig produkt. Vad och hur mycket som används från djuret påverkas av många olika faktorer, bland annat av efterfrågan på ätbara biprodukter till livsmedel. Små ändringar i utbyte kan få stor påverkan på de olika produkternas miljöpåverkan eftersom all miljöpåverkan från djurets uppfödning fördelas med avseende på slakt-/köttutbytet. I LCA:er som kvantifierar miljöpåverkan av kött är det därför viktigt att förstå hur resultatet påverkas av vilken allokeringsmetod som använts i analysen. Syftet med denna studie är att • sammanställa tillgängliga data för slakt-/köttutbyte för gris och får/lamm, • sammanställa hur miljöpåverkan från djurets uppfödning och slakt bör allokeras enligt olika LCA standarder, • ge övergripande rekommendationer för hur miljöpåverkan från djurets uppfödning och slakt bör allokeras i LCA-studier, samt • identifiera de områden där det saknas koncensus gällande metodik eller där det behövs mer forskning. Resultatet av denna studie visar att val av omvandlingsfaktorer, allokeringsmetod och allokeringsfaktorer påverkar resultatet vid beräkningar av produkternas miljöpåverkan. Med omvandlingsfaktor avses den faktor som möjliggör omräkning mellan levande vikt, slaktkroppsvikt och benfritt kött. Allokeringsmetod anger på vilket sätt fördelning av miljöpåverkan ska ske till olika produkter. Till exempel kan klimatavtrycket för ett kg benfritt griskött variera mellan 3,3 och 4,4 kg koldioxidekvivalenter (CO2-ekv.) beroende på de omvandlingsfaktorer som använts i sammanställd litteratur. På motsvarande sätt varierar klimatavtrycket mellan 1,9 och 3,7 kg CO2-ekv./kg produkt beroende på val av allokeringsmetod. Klimatavtrycket av ett kg benfritt får-/lammkött visade en variation mellan 21 och 34 kg CO2-ekv. per kg produkt beroende på val av allokeringsmetod. Konsumenter visar ett ökat intresse för att göra medvetna och hållbara matval där miljöpåverkan är en viktig faktor. Information om miljöpåverkan från en livsmedelsprodukt kan påverka konsumentens val av mat och därmed påverka framtida efterfrågan av vissa livsmedel, vilket i sin tur även påverkar livsmedelsproduktionen. Då allt eller så mycket som möjligt tas till vara av djuret blir miljöpåverkan per kg produkt från djurkroppen lägre. Val av allokeringsmetod kan därför indirekt ha en inverkan på både livsmedelskonsumtionen och -produktionen. Det är därför viktigt med konsensus inom branschen med avseende på metodval och transparens i miljöpåverkansberäkningar av produkter från djur. Det dataunderlag som finns tillgängligt från svenska slakterier gällande kött- och slaktutbyte från gris har använts för att dra slutsatser gällande fysisk allokering (massallokering) i denna studie. Informationen kommer framför allt från Jordbruksverkets rapporter om förluster i livsmedelskedjan. Motsvarande information gällande slakt av svenska får och lamm är däremot begränsad. Detta innebär att det saknas ett tillräckligt omfattande underlag för att ge rekommendationer för fysisk allokering i form av massallokering för får och lamm. Enligt gängse metodik allokeras vanligtvis miljöpåverkan från djuret till det som anses vara en resurs eller produkt, både för gris och får/lamm. I ett par studier av grisproduktion allokeras hela miljöpåverkan till grisköttet, medan ekonomisk allokering mellan till exempel kött och hudar/skinn används i större utsträckning i får-/lammproduktion. Slaktavfall och gödsel från produktionen ses som avfall, vilket i metodiken idag varken belastar eller krediterar köttsystemet. Det finns potential att nyttja fraktionerna, och i vissa fall nyttjas de redan, till energiproduktion eller gödselmedel. På sikt, när det cirkulära i produktionssystemen blir allt viktigare, kan det därför vara intressant att undersöka hur allokering av miljöpåverkan till samtliga produkter från djuret påverkar köttets miljöpåverkan.