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A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2023) | Viewed by 27069

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Diane Pearson

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Guest Editor

School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
Interests: sustainable landscape management; landscape ecology; environmental management; land system change; land use; GIS; environmental change; participatory research; co-production of knowledge; landscape planning and design and landscape function
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Dr. Julian Gorman

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Guest Editor

School of People, Environment and Planning, College of Social Sciences, Massey University, 4442 Palmerston North, New Zealand
Interests: sustainable use of wildlife; land and natural resource management; indigenous livelihoods

Dr. Alfonso Piscitelli

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Sciences, Federico II University of Naples, 80055 Portici, Italy
Interests: applied statistics; food security and sustainability; citizens' satisfaction and wellbeing
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Dr. Michele Staiano

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Guest Editor

Statistics Technology and Analysis of Data, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: computational statistics; sustainability; complex systems; nonlinear dynamic systems

Prof. Dr. Richard Aspinall

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Guest Editor

Honorary Research Fellow, James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK
Interests: land systems science; land use; GIS; sustainability; environmental change; landscape ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Landscapes and sustainable farming provide a compelling area for research into sustainable development and issues of environmental change and management, policy support and land and environment management. Farming plays a central and fundamental role in attempts to achieve a sustainable future within the limits of Earth resources [1] and forms an important part of Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. Farming also influences environmental quality at multiple scales and has a core influence on many ecosystem goods and services. Issues of achieving sustainability in farming are receiving increasing attention, with initiatives and land management protocols being proposed that are productivity- or ecologically oriented [2], the former emphasising productivity, technology and optimised input management, the latter emphasising ecological processes and conservation practices [3]. Similarly, much landscape research also aims to address holistic understanding of coupling of human and natural systems to support sustainability. Landscape ecology, landscape planning, land systems science, geography and other disciplines and interdisciplinary research emphasise multi-functionality within landscapes, integration of humans and environment and spatial pattern and scale, as central to understanding coupling of environmental, social and economic systems and values [4,5].

This Special Issue is focussed on diverse perspectives on sustainable farming in landscapes, as a focus of research; as a framework for understanding complexity in sustainable farming and environmental, social and economic consequences; as a contribution to transition to land uses that achieves multiple purposes, and of case studies and examples that plan, design, modify and develop understanding for new land use patterns and farming systems in specific geographic landscapes that can function with the best environmental, economic and social outcomes in mind [6].

Reference

Meyfroidt, P.; de Bremond, A.; Ryan, C.M.; Archer, E.; Aspinall, R.; Chhabra, A.; Camara, C.; Corbera, E.; DeFries, R.; Díaz, S.; et al. Ten facts about land systems for sustainability. Available Online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35131937/ (accessed on 12 May 2022)
Duff, H.; Hegedus, P.B.; Loewen, S.; Bass, T.; Maxwell, B.D. Precision Agroecology. Sustainability 2022, 14, 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010106.
Anderson, C.R.; Bruil, J.; Chappell, M.J.; Kiss, C.; Pimbert, M.P. From Transition to Domains of Transformation: Getting to Sustainable and Just Food Systems through Agroecology. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5272. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195272.
Hermann, A.; Schleifer, S.; Wrbka, T. The Concept of Ecosystem Services Regarding Landscape Research: A Review. Living Rev. Landsc. Res. 2011, 5, pp. 1–37.
Verburg, P.H.; Mertz, O.; Erb, K.-H.; Haberl, H.; Wu, W. Land system change and food security: towards multi-scale land system solutions. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 2013, 5, pp. 494–502.
Mayer, A.L.; Buma, B.; Davis, A.; Gagné, S.A.; Loudermilk, E.L.; Scheller, R.M.; Schmiegelow, F.K.A.; Wiersma, Y.F.; Franklin, J. How Landscape Ecology Informs Global Land-Change Science and Policy. Bioscience 2016, 66, pp. 458–469.

Prof. Dr. Diane Pearson
Dr. Julian Gorman
Dr. Alfonso Piscitelli
Dr. Michele Staiano
Prof. Dr. Richard Aspinall
Guest Editors

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. Land 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

sustainable farming
landscapes
cultural landscapes
ecosystem services
land systems
land use
landscape ecology
landscape planning and design
natural capital
socio-ecological systems
sustainable landscapes

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Related Special Issue

Multiple Roles for Landscape Ecology in Future Farming Systems in Land (10 articles)

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Research

20 pages, 3855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Filtering Effect of Oil Palm Plantations on Potential Insect Pollinator Assemblages from Remnant Forest Patches

by J. Mohd-Azlan, S. Conway, T. J. P. Travers and M. J. Lawes

Land 2023, 12(6), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061256 - 19 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2666

Abstract

Extensive oil palm plantations worldwide are dependent on insect pollination, specifically by introduced African weevils (Elaidobius spp.). The effectiveness of these weevils has been questioned following poor pollination and yield loss in Malaysia. Indigenous thrip (Thysanoptera) species, and moths (Lepidoptera) in the genus Pyroderces, may also be pollinators of oil palm, while the role of bees (Hymenoptera) and flies (Diptera) is unknown. The potential of native pollinators remains uncertain because of the almost total clearing of forest habitat from oil palm landscapes. In this study, we investigate the value of small high conservation value (HCV) forests as sources of potential native insect pollinators of oil palm in northern Sarawak. We further examine the filtering effect of oil palm-dominated landscapes on the species assemblages of six potential pollinator insect orders: Blattodea, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. Orders differed in both species composition and abundance between forest and oil palm plantations, with an average of 28.1% of species unique to oil palm. Oil palm presented a soft permeable boundary to Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. Their species richness and abundance differed little between habitats with distance, despite species turnover. In contrast, oil palm presented a harder boundary to Diptera with a decline in both species richness and abundance with distance into oil palm. The abundance of the oil palm weevil (Elaedobius kamerunicus) was low compared to the native dominants, but similar to levels displayed by native thrips that may be pollinators of oil palm. The functional diversity of well-known pollinator guilds—bees and flies—was similar in forest and oil palm, suggesting that potential pollinators may yet exist among native orders of insects. Contrary to the prevailing opinion, even small forest patches in oil palm landscapes may provide native pollinator pressure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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16 pages, 591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aboriginal Community Views about a Native Plant-Based Enterprise Development in Northern Australia

by Julian Gorman, Gretchen Ennis, Penelope Wurm, Melissa Bentivoglio and Chris Brady

Land 2023, 12(5), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051096 - 19 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2511

Abstract

As global populations rapidly increase, there is a need to maintain sustainable landscapes through innovative agricultural systems and practices that continue to work towards addressing Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. Indigenous people around the world seek culturally appropriate and sustainable livelihood opportunities to improve their socioeconomic status, and there is a rich diversity of existing globally important agricultural heritage systems that have been developed by Indigenous cultures over millennia. Wild harvest of plant products is an innovative agricultural practice which has been conducted by Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years and is a more acceptable form of agriculture on Aboriginal land than more intensive forms, such as horticulture. Wild harvest is typically more culturally appropriate, less intensive, and involves less impact. However, enterprise development programs in Aboriginal communities across Northern Australia have historically had very limited economic success. Such communities often experience high welfare dependency and few economic development opportunities. This research takes a case study approach to explore community views about the development of an Aboriginal plant-based enterprise in the Northern Territory, Australia. We used qualitative methods to engage with community members about their experiences, current attitudes, and future aspirations towards the Enterprise. We found that there was broad support from across all sectors of the community for the Enterprise and clear understanding of its monetary and non-monetary benefits. However, there was limited knowledge of, and involvement in, the business beyond the role of provider and producer, and of the governance aspects of the Enterprise. Using this case study as our focus, we advocate for deeper understanding and stronger inclusion of community aspirations, realities, and perspectives on Aboriginal economic development. Cultural values and knowledge need to inform business development. Additionally, there is a need to invest in basic infrastructure to account for the low base of private asset ownership in this context. A holistic, multifunctional landscape approach is required to support sustainable agricultural practices on Aboriginal lands across Northern Australia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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19 pages, 7503 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

U.S. Farmland under Threat of Urbanization: Future Development Scenarios to 2040

by Yanhua Xie, Mitch Hunter, Ann Sorensen, Theresa Nogeire-McRae, Ryan Murphy, Justin P. Suraci, Stacy Lischka and Tyler J. Lark

Land 2023, 12(3), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030574 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 9916

Abstract

Urbanization imperils agriculture by converting farmland into uncultivable impervious surfaces and other uses that limit land productivity. Despite the considerable loss of productive croplands due to historic urbanization in the United States, little is known about the locations and magnitudes of extant agricultural land still under threat of future urban expansion. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit machine learning-based method to predict urban development through 2040 under a business-as-usual scenario and explored its occurrence on existing farmland. We found that if urban development continues at the same pace as that between 2001 and 2016, by 2040, highly developed areas and low-density residential areas will increase by 9.5 and 21 million acres, respectively. This increase would result in 18 million acres of agricultural land lost, fragmented, or compromised (~2% of total agricultural lands in 2016), with the remainder of projected development occurring on other types of natural and semi-natural lands. Of the affected agricultural lands, 6.2 million acres (34%) would be converted to uncultivable urban uses and 12 million acres (66%) to low-density residential uses. Agricultural land losses are projected to be greatest in fast-growing regions such as Texas, California, and the Southeast, and on the outskirts of metropolitan areas across the country, especially in the Midwest, where agricultural lands are more concentrated. The losses as a percentage of existing agricultural lands are projected to be highest along the East Coast, where many urban areas are forecasted to expand onto a limited remaining pool of cultivable lands. These findings can help guide the efforts of local, state, and federal policymakers to reduce land use competition between urban and agricultural systems and mitigate the impacts of projected urban expansion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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15 pages, 3215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Community-Based Approaches in the Construction and Management of Water Infrastructures among the Chagga, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

by Valence M. Silayo and Innocent Pikirayi

Land 2023, 12(3), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030570 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2574

Abstract

Water management among the Chagga people of Kilimanjaro has involved community collaboration in the construction, ownership and management of water infrastructures. Since the second half of the second millennium AD, the Chagga settlement on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro significantly transformed the landscape to reflect an agrarian society characterised by decentralised forms of socio-political and economic organisation. Such organisation involved conception, construction, and post-construction management of water distribution systems, synonymous with high levels of socio-political complexity. The study employs ethnography and archaeological surveys to document the construction of water infrastructures on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. An ethnographic survey among Chagga elders generated primary data on water furrow construction. This information was then used to aid archaeological surveys in mapping irrigation furrows (mfongo) in the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. The ethnography also provided data on how Chagga chiefs and clan leaders governed the construction, use and maintenance of water infrastructures in the past. Such approaches highlighted Chagga lived experiences of traditional irrigation technologies and infrastructures and how these developed a complex agrarian society. Results show that community collaboration was key in the management of water infrastructure vital for their home gardens, and this sustained Chagga society for centuries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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19 pages, 3698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pesticide Residues and Heavy Metals in Vineyard Soils of the Karst and Istria

by Borut Vrščaj, Helena Baša Česnik, Špela Velikonja Bolta, Sanja Radeka and Klemen Lisjak

Land 2022, 11(12), 2332; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122332 - 19 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

Pesticide residues and heavy metal concentrations were determined in two depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) of Chromic Cambisol in 69 vineyards in the Slovenian winegrowing region of the Karst. Similarly, pesticide residues and heavy metal concentrations were also determined in two depths of Calcaric Cambisol in 11 vineyards in the other Slovenian and Croatian winegrowing regions of Istria. The topsoil (0–20 cm) was analysed for the presence of 176 different pesticidal active substances using two multiresidue analytical methods: (a) gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and (b) liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Seven active substances (five fungicides and two insecticides) were detected in the soil samples. Their concentrations were compared with the maximum concentrations observed in the vineyards of the winegrowing regions of France, Italy, and Spain. In addition to pesticides, the soil samples were analysed for the presence of nine heavy metals commonly detected in vineyard soils. The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, molybdenum, nickel, lead, and zinc were below the critical thresholds set by Slovenian legislation, with the exception of one soil sample in which the Cu concentration exceeded the critical threshold. Compared with the maximum concentrations measured in other vineyard soils in Spain, Italy, and France, the heavy metal concentrations in the vineyard soils of Karst and Istria were lower. Both the heavy metal concentrations and the residual concentrations of pesticidal active substances in the vineyard soils of the Karst and Istria regions were significantly lower than the concentrations that are occasionally discussed in the literature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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13 pages, 292 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Entrepreneurship in Dairy Cattle Sector: Key Features of Successful Administration and Management

by Georgia Koutouzidou, Athanasios Ragkos, Alexandros Theodoridis and Georgios Arsenos

Land 2022, 11(10), 1736; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101736 - 7 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2640

Abstract

In this study, data envelopment analysis is applied to 47 dairy cattle farms to estimate their level of efficiency in the utilization of the available resources and to identify the most efficient ones. The analysis is based on technical and economic data collected through a farm management survey. The main structural and financial characteristics of the most efficient farms are presented, revealing the features that make them better than their peers. A comparative financial analysis is applied between the efficient and inefficient farms, highlighting the appropriate farm structure and determining the major cost drivers in modern dairy cattle farming. The results show that there is still room for improvement in intensive dairy farming. Dairy cattle farms must operate with increased variable cost and utilize their infrastructure at full capacity to decrease their fixed cost per cow. Farms should increase their economic resilience and be less risk averse in an environment where margins to lower production costs in highly intensive farms have been narrowed down. The findings of this study verify that dairy cattle farms of entrepreneurial mindset have the potential to rise to the future economic, environmental and social challenges that will affect the survival of the sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

14 pages, 1437 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uncontrolled Exploitation of Pterocarpus tinctorius Welw. and Associated Landscape Dynamics in the Kasenga Territory: Case of the Rural Area of Kasomeno (DR Congo)

by Médard Mpanda Mukenza, Héritier Khoji Muteya, Dieu-Donné N’Tambwe Nghonda, Kouagou Raoul Sambiéni, François Malaisse, Sylvestre Cabala Kaleba, Jan Bogaert and Yannick Useni Sikuzani

Land 2022, 11(9), 1541; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091541 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2616

Abstract

The uncontrolled logging of Pterocarpus tinctorius Welw. in the Kasenga territory in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is of significant socioeconomic benefit, but above all, it is a threat to the stability of forest ecosystems. Based on Landsat images from 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021, the landscape dynamics of the Kasomeno region in the Kasenga territory, a P. tinctorius exploitation area, was quantified using a mapping approach coupled with landscape ecology analysis tools. The results reveal a continuous loss of forest cover over all the periods studied, mostly between 2013 and 2017, primarily through the dissection of patches. Also, through the spatial process of attrition, the fields recorded a regressive dynamic between 2013–2017, a sign of abandonment of agricultural activity in favour of P. tinctorius illegal logging. These landscape dynamics are the consequences of strong anthropic activities in the study area, leading to an important spatial expansion of the savannah. Consequently, the level of landscape disturbance doubled from 0.8 to 1.7 between 2009 and 2021. Our results suggest that, without regulatory enforcement, illegal logging of P. tinctorius seriously compromises forest ecosystem health and household food security in the region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Sustainable Farming)

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