Sustainable Management and Climate Change in Forage Systems

Forage systems—given their key role within modern agricultural management systems—are a matter of special importance in the search for sustainability in the context of a changing world. Forage biodiversity—namely, plant species within pastures or meadows, and the genetic diversity of those populations—has been greatly reduced. The widespread loss of biodiversity, as well as other environmental problems, have resulted de facto from agricultural intensification or land abandonment. In this Special Issue, we aim to underline the impacts of recent changes in agricultural management and policy developments, as well as the farming practices and techniques potentially applicable on forage systems to help to deliver agro-ecosystem conservation objectives in the view of climate change. This Special Issue also aims to identify ways to address the complexity of sustainable forage systems’ management and the current and future challenges in view of climate changes and landscape features.

Hence, we invite you to submit papers on (but not limited to) the following topics: (i) the productive performances and quality responses of the main fodder species—grown in mixture or in pure stands—and of the main species turnover within the typical Mediterranean forage systems; (ii) the potential of wild species as a forage resource and their use in combination with conventional fodder species for gradual adaptation to the effects of climate change; and (iii) the role of forage crops and ecosystem services potentially offered by grazing lands to achieve greater resilience and sustainability in Mediterranean agricultural systems in the context of a changing world.

Manuscripts describing new research, new syntheses, and new theories are welcome. 

Dr. Giuseppe Di Miceli
Dr. Mauro Sarno
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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