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Climate Change and Food Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 9124

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina – Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: Effects of bioinoculants (mycorrhizal fungi, rhizobacteria, and endophytic bacteria) on plant growth and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses; development of new formulations and delivery systems of bioinoculants; plant–microbe interactions; microbial-assisted phytomanagement; soil reclamation and restoration; phytotechnology; effects of climate change and related abiotic stresses on plant growth and development;
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Guest Editor
Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: environmental biotechnology; phytoremediation; phytomanagement; microbial-assisted phytotechnological approaches; plant–microbe interactions; soil fertility; development of bioinoculant formulations; effects of climate change and related abiotic stresses on plant growth and development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
CIBIO, InBIO - Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
Interests: molecular mechanisms responsible for environmental stress responses and tolerance in plants; environmental perception and signaling pathways; plant nutrition and nutrient homeostasis; biofortification; gene network analysis; transcriptomics; posttranslational modifications; tomato biodiversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is an unavoidable and prevailing issue that hinders the world’s agricultural production and influences food quality and human health. The increase of abiotic (e.g., drought, salinity, flooding, frost, high temperature) and biotic stresses (e.g., phytopathogen emergence or outbreaks) hampers plants’ yields and soil functions, which threatens the supply of food and other soils’ life-supporting services for human populations. Therefore, farmers and researchers are willing to adopt/develop sustainable strategies to cope with climate change and ensure crop productivity, quality, and soil health. Such strategies include the use of underexploited plant species or improved breeds, the application of biostimulants/bioinoculants, and the use of agronomic practices (e.g., crop rotations and crop diversification) that foster biodiversity in agroecosystems. This will further contribute to mitigate the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which increase environmental degradation and affects food security and water resources. Demonstrating the effectiveness of sustainable agricultural practices under distinct stressful scenarios is required to support a wider, faster, and more efficient implementation of such mitigation strategies by farmers to promote yields and food quality. Likewise, understanding which mechanisms and gene networks are involved in plants’ stress response is a cornerstone to enlighten future paths in the selection of the most suitable and resilient cultivars for crop production.

This Special Issue intends to compile state-of-the-art research on sustainable approaches to enhance crops’ performance with impacts on food quality, soil functions, and human health under climate change. Studies quantifying the effect on, e.g., plants’ biometric, nutritional content, biochemical and physiological parameters, stress signaling and response, gene networks, soil ecosystem services, pest defense, and microbiome are most welcome.

Dr. Sofia Pereira
Dr. Helena Moreira
Dr. Pedro Humberto Castro
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bioinocula
  • biostimulants
  • biodfertilizers
  • plant breeding
  • plant genetic diversity
  • biotic and abiotic stresses
  • crop yield, nutritional content and quality
  • food security
  • human health
  • omics technologies
  • agronomic practices
  • soil health
  • ecosystems services
  • plant microbiome

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6823 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Technological Progress and Climate Change on Food Crop Production: Evidence from Sichuan—China
by Abbas Ali Chandio, Yasir A. Nasereldin, Dao Le Trang Anh, Yashuang Tang, Ghulam Raza Sargani and Huaquan Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9863; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169863 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2594
Abstract
Agriculture is an integral sector in China mandated to feed over 1.3 billion of its people and provide essential inputs for many industries. Sichuan, a central grain-producing province in Southwest China, is a significant supplier of cereals in the country. Yet, it is [...] Read more.
Agriculture is an integral sector in China mandated to feed over 1.3 billion of its people and provide essential inputs for many industries. Sichuan, a central grain-producing province in Southwest China, is a significant supplier of cereals in the country. Yet, it is likely to be threatened by yield damages induced by climate change. Therefore, this study examines the effects of technological progress (via fertilizers usage and mechanization) and climatic changes (via temperature and precipitation) on the productivity of main food crops, such as rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and maize (Zea mays) in Sichuan province. We employ the generalized method of moments (GMM) model to analyze Sichuan provincial data from 1980 to 2018. Our findings show a positive nexus between fertilizers use and yields of main food crops. Only rice and maize yields are significantly improved by mechanization. Increased average temperature reduces rice and wheat yields significantly. Rainfall is unlikely to have a significant impact on agricultural production. The study suggests that the Chinese government should consider revising its strategies and policies to reduce the impact of climate change on food crop production and increase farmers’ adaptive ability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Food Systems)
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16 pages, 2123 KiB  
Article
Modeling the Impact of Climatological Factors and Technological Revolution on Soybean Yield: Evidence from 13-Major Provinces of China
by Huaquan Zhang, Abbas Ali Chandio, Fan Yang, Yashuang Tang, Martinson Ankrah Twumasi and Ghulam Raza Sargani
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5708; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095708 - 7 May 2022
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 2317
Abstract
In recent years, the changing climate has become a major global concern, and it poses a higher threat to the agricultural sector around the world. Consequently, this study examines the impact of changing climate and technological progress on soybean yield in the 13 [...] Read more.
In recent years, the changing climate has become a major global concern, and it poses a higher threat to the agricultural sector around the world. Consequently, this study examines the impact of changing climate and technological progress on soybean yield in the 13 major provinces of China, and considers the role of agricultural credit, farming size, public investment, and power of agricultural machinery from 2000 to 2020. Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) are applied to assess the long-run effect, while Dumitrescu and Hurlin’s (2012) causality test is used to explore the short-run causalities among the studied variables. The results revealed that an increase in the annual mean temperature negatively and significantly affects soybean yield, while precipitation expressively helps augment soybean yield. Furthermore, technological factors such as chemical fertilizers accelerate soybean yield significantly, whereas pesticides negatively influence soybean yield. In addition, farming size, public investment, and power of agricultural machinery contribute remarkably to soybean yield. The causality results endorse that chemical fertilizers, pesticides used, agricultural credit, public investment, and power of agricultural machinery have bidirectional causality links with soybean yield. This study suggests several fruitful policy implications for sustainable soybean production in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Food Systems)
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19 pages, 357 KiB  
Article
Livelihoods, Technological Constraints, and Low-Carbon Agricultural Technology Preferences of Farmers: Analytical Frameworks of Technology Adoption and Farmer Livelihoods
by Dandan Zhao and Hong Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13364; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413364 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3294
Abstract
In the context of achieving carbon neutrality, it is scientifically important to quantitatively explore the relationships among livelihoods, technological property constraints, and the selection of low-carbon technologies by farmers to promote agricultural modernization and carbon neutrality in the agricultural sector of China. Based [...] Read more.
In the context of achieving carbon neutrality, it is scientifically important to quantitatively explore the relationships among livelihoods, technological property constraints, and the selection of low-carbon technologies by farmers to promote agricultural modernization and carbon neutrality in the agricultural sector of China. Based on the scientific classifications of farmer capital and low-carbon agricultural technologies, a farmer technology selection theory model considering capital constraints was developed in this study. Microcosmic survey data were collected from farmers in the Jiangsu province for empirical testing and analyses. A total of four low-carbon technologies related to fertilizer usage and three types of farmers’ livelihoods and their relationships were examined by using a logistic model. The results showed the existence of a significant coupling relationship between the intrinsic decision mechanism involved in selecting low-carbon agricultural technology and the properties of low-carbon agricultural technology for different types of farmers. Significant differences exist in the selection of different low-carbon technologies among large-scale farmers, mid-level part-time farmers, and low-level (generally small) part-time farmers. (1) When selecting technology, large-scale farmers are more inclined to accept capital-intensive, low-carbon technologies, such as new varieties, straw recycling, soil testing, and formulated fertilization. Mid-level part-time farmers are more inclined to accept capital intensive, labor saving, or low risk low-carbon agricultural technologies. In contrast, low-level part-time farmers are inclined to accept labor intensive technologies to reduce capital constraints and agricultural risks. (2) Large-scale farmers and low-level part-time farmers are influenced by household and plot characteristics, while mid-level part-time farmers are more influenced by plot characteristics. (3) Households with capital constraints created by differentiated livelihoods face challenges adopting capital-intensive low-carbon agricultural technologies, such as straw recycling, new varieties, soil testing, and formulated fertilization. However, farmers with stronger constraints in the areas of land and labor are more inclined to accept labor-saving technologies, such as soil testing and formulated fertilization technology. Moreover, farmers with stronger risk preferences tend to accept high-risk technologies, such as new technologies like straw recycling. The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for formulating carbon emission reduction policies and low-carbon technology policies for the agricultural sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Food Systems)
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