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Agronomy
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Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World
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Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 5983

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Dener Márcio da Silva Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Florestal 35690, MG, Brazil
Interests: soil organic matter; greenhouse gases; regenerative agriculture; climate change; mitigation and adaptation in agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture is a major emitter of greenhouse gases and one of the human activities most affected by the effects of climate change. The main move expected from this sector in the coming years is the adoption of production systems that are more resilient to global warming and which contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering soil C. In this sense, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been put forward to synergistically achieve climate change adaptation, mitigation, and food security. Despite the notoriety that CSA has received in recent years, these practices have been adopted for decades and, certainly, there are plenty of mitigative and adaptive technologies for agriculture worldwide. However, assessing the effectiveness of a management practice for climate change mitigation and adaptation in agricultural systems is a challenge. This Special Issue aims to report on the most recent studies that demonstrate how CSA contributes to ensuring food supply in a changing world. We welcome empirical, modelling, and review contributions, including, but not limited to, integrated landscape management, soil C and greenhouse gas assessments in agricultural systems, crop diversification, fertilizers with controlled nutrient release, no-tillage, soil quality, organic amendments, and crop–livestock–forest integration.

Prof. Dr. Dener Márcio da Silva Oliveira
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

  • climate change
  • soil organic matter
  • agricultural systems
  • mitigation
  • adaptation
  • carbon sequestration
  • soil quality
  • greenhouse gases
  • soil management
  • climate resilience

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3012 KiB  
Article
Crop–Livestock Integrated Systems Improve Soil Health in Tropical Sandy Soils
by Beatriz da Silva Vanolli, Henrique Boriolo Dias, Felipe Bonini da Luz, Rubens Augusto Camargo Lamparelli, Paulo Sergio Graziano Magalhães and Maurício Roberto Cherubin
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020378 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1367
Abstract
The degradation of pastures in tropical regions, particularly in sandy soils, poses significant challenges to sustainable agricultural practices. Crop–livestock integration (CLI) systems have emerged as a promising strategy to restore these degraded soils. This study evaluated the impact of land-use transitions on soil [...] Read more.
The degradation of pastures in tropical regions, particularly in sandy soils, poses significant challenges to sustainable agricultural practices. Crop–livestock integration (CLI) systems have emerged as a promising strategy to restore these degraded soils. This study evaluated the impact of land-use transitions on soil health in Western São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on the conversion from pasture (Urochloa brizantha) to CLI systems with U. brizantha (CLI-u) and M. maximum (CLI-m). A comprehensive set of chemicals (pH, phosphorus, potassium), physical (aggregate stability, bulk density), and biological (β-glucosidase activity, soil organic carbon) indicators were assessed across four land-use types: native vegetation (NV), pasture (PA), CLI-u, and CLI-m. The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was applied to calculate the Soil Health Index (SHI) across three soil depths (0–0.1 m, 0.1–0.2 m, 0.2–0.3 m). At the surface layer (0–0.1 m), PA and NV exhibited the highest SHI values (0.65 and 0.63, respectively), while CLI-m showed a lower SHI (0.56). In the subsurface layer (0.1–0.2 m), CLI-m and NV presented the highest SHI values (0.66 and 0.67, respectively), whereas PA and CLI-u had lower values (0.52 and 0.58). At the deepest layer (0.2–0.3 m), SHI values in CLI systems were comparable to NV (0.56), while PA recorded the lowest SHI (0.48). These results demonstrate that land-use transitions and management practices significantly affect soil health in sandy soils. The findings underscore the potential of CLI systems, particularly those incorporating M. maximum, to enhance biological and chemical soil health indicators in tropical agroecosystems. Further refinement of CLI management strategies is essential to optimize soil health recovery in sandy soil ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World)
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27 pages, 6049 KiB  
Article
Global Trends in Conservation Agriculture and Climate Change Research: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Julio Román-Vázquez, Rosa M. Carbonell-Bojollo, Óscar Veroz-González, Ligia Maria Maraschi da Silva Piletti, Francisco Márquez-García, L. Javier Cabeza-Ramírez and Emilio J. González-Sánchez
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010249 - 20 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
This study provides a bibliometric analysis of global scientific production on Conservation Agriculture (CA) and its relationship with climate change mitigation. Using data from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the research encompassed 650 articles published between 1995 and 2022. The analysis [...] Read more.
This study provides a bibliometric analysis of global scientific production on Conservation Agriculture (CA) and its relationship with climate change mitigation. Using data from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the research encompassed 650 articles published between 1995 and 2022. The analysis revealed significant growth in the number of publications over the past three decades, driven by increasing global interest in sustainable agricultural practices. The findings highlight key themes, including no-tillage, soil organic carbon, and greenhouse gas emissions. Collaboration networks were mapped, identifying major contributors, such as the USA, Brazil, and China, alongside thematic clusters emphasizing carbon sequestration and soil management. Results indicate that CA research is increasingly focused on its potential to mitigate climate change, particularly through practices like no-tillage, vegetative cover, and crop rotation. While carbon sequestration has been central to CA research, recent studies have expanded to include nitrous oxide and methane emissions, indicating a broadening conceptual framework. This analysis underscores the importance of CA in addressing climate challenges and offers insights into emerging research areas, such as regional adaptations and the long-term effects of no-till systems. The findings aim to guide future research and policy development in sustainable agriculture and climate mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World)
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14 pages, 787 KiB  
Article
Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Soil under Native Pastures in the Pantanal Wetland Biome, Brazil
by Diego Antonio França de Freitas, Marx Leandro Naves Silva, Evaldo Luis Cardoso, Dener Marcio da Silva Oliveira, Mara Regina Moitinho and Nilton Curi
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091994 - 2 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 875
Abstract
The Pantanal has a high diversity of native pastures that provide food for many wild and domestic animals. Pantanal cattle raising is practiced in an extensive grazing-based system that varies according to the flood levels in the area. This study aimed to evaluate [...] Read more.
The Pantanal has a high diversity of native pastures that provide food for many wild and domestic animals. Pantanal cattle raising is practiced in an extensive grazing-based system that varies according to the flood levels in the area. This study aimed to evaluate the fractions of soil organic matter in areas of native pastures under different uses and to quantify C and N stocks in sandy soils of the Pantanal. Soil samples from three native pastures differentiated by the predominance of Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Axonopus purpusii, and Mesosetum chaseae under different land use systems (continuous grazing and no grazing for five years) were collected and used to quantify the contents of carbon, nitrogen, and humic fractions. The dynamics of SOM are modified in grazed areas of the Pantanal, with influence on C and N, including their stocks. Native pastures of Axonopus purpusii and Hymenachne amplexicaulis showed an increase in organic matter after five years without grazing, while Mesosetum chaseae showed lower soil density and nitrogen levels. The highest C stock was observed in ungrazed areas of H. amplexicaulis (127.41 Mg ha−1 in the 0–40 cm layer). The dynamics of nitrogen in Pantanal pastures are influenced by the type of vegetation and land management, with higher nitrogen content in the surface layer (0–10 cm) and an increasing C/N ratio with soil depth, indicating lower nitrogen availability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World)
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20 pages, 695 KiB  
Article
Assessing Agricultural Impact on Greenhouse Gases in the European Union: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Perspective
by Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru
Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040821 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1842
Abstract
With the increasing concern about climate change and its impacts on agriculture, understanding the dynamics of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study aims to assess the impact of agriculture [...] Read more.
With the increasing concern about climate change and its impacts on agriculture, understanding the dynamics of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study aims to assess the impact of agriculture on GHG within the EU and to examine how climate-smart agricultural practices can affect these emissions. The research investigates the complex relationship between agricultural activities and GHG emissions within the European Union during the period of 2017–2022 using structural equation modeling based on data from Eurostat and the European Commission. Furthermore, the study examines the influence of the digital economy on labor productivity in agriculture, recognizing the pivotal role of digital technologies in fostering climate-smart agricultural practices. The findings unveil significant positive influences encompassing the digital economy, agricultural productivity, agricultural output, and GHG emissions, underscoring the imperative of integrating climate-smart methodologies into agricultural frameworks. However, the influence of digital technologies is not significant as a result of opposing forces. Digital technologies exert positive indirect influences by increasing agricultural productivity and agricultural output, while they have negative influences by improving production processes through automation and precision agriculture. Digitalization and climate-smart agricultural practices have a significant potential to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the agricultural sector, contributing to food security and environmental protection by reducing GHG emissions. This study highlights the EU’s potential to achieve its environmental objectives through the reduction of GHG emissions and the enhancement of resilience within the agricultural sector, emphasizing the necessity of adopting climate-smart strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Changing World)
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