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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 16019

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Christina Moulogianni

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Economics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: sustainability in agriculture, farm management, agricultural policy, agricultural economics

Prof. Dr. George Vlontzos

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Guest Editor

Agricultural Economics and Consumer Behavior Lab, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
Interests: agricultural economics; optimization; AI in agriculture; consumer behavior; sustainability
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable agriculture is a major aspect of modern agriculture, allowing the industry to meet society’s goals of respecting natural resources. The “Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Opportunities” Special Issue focuses on topics of applied agricultural economics. Agricultural economics as an applied field of economics covers the issues of sustainable farm management, production and resource management, environmental management, rural development, and the impacts of agricultural policies on farms. We welcome novel studies and research findings regarding new methodologies, tools, and techniques as they apply to the above topics. We further aim to disseminate research on highly specialized sustainable agriculture development, presenting practical results and applications within the fields of agricultural development and sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to present state-of-the-art papers related to a wide range of reviews, research papers, research concepts, and perspectives regarding the applications and benefits of sustainable agriculture development. Some of the topics of interest in this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) the following:

Applied agricultural economics;
Resource management;
Agricultural production management;
Farm management;
Rural development;
Impacts of agricultural policies;
Marketing;
Circular economy;
Water resource management;
Precision agriculture.

Dr. Christina Moulogianni
Prof. Dr. George Vlontzos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

agricultural economics
sustainable farm management
rural development
agricultural policy
circular economy
sustainable resource management.

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

16 pages, 3044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strengthening Agricultural Sustainability for Indigenous Communities Through Self-Managed Social Enterprises Arising from Their Needs

by Edith García, Yaxk’in Coronado, Guadalupe Carmona-Arroyo and Mayra de la Torre

Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5833; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135833 - 25 Jun 2025

Viewed by 316

Abstract

Sustainable rural development seeks to balance social, economic, and environmental needs in rural areas, improving the quality of life of communities and the long-term protection of natural resources. Indigenous local solutions give place to grassroots entrepreneurial initiatives, which together with associative and economic integration are key factors for agricultural production, transformation of products, self-consumption, and commercialization. This study was done in Hñähñu communities with the aim to test if participative workshops based on detonating questions are an effective approach for developing entrepreneurship agriculture initiatives of self-managed social enterprises. The initiatives were proposed by the communities to solve local problems. Three initiatives arose: (1) a community seed bank of local species associated with the Milpa including agave; (2) reforestation with agave to produce agave shoots, leaves, and sap; and (3) a company to produce agave-sap syrup. The participants, based on their traditional knowledge, developed the projects, including economic evaluation, risk analysis, and environmental aspects. Some impacts are the conservation of soil and endangered landraces, accessibility to quality seeds not commercially available, building of local organizational and entrepreneurial capacities, strengthening the community, improving the family’s income, recovery of traditional agroecological techniques, and conservation of agrobiodiversity. In conclusion, the methodology is effective for the Indigenous communities to develop initiatives for sustainable self-managed social enterprises. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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20 pages, 2055 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Price Interaction Between Crude Oil, Selected Grains, and Oilseeds in South Africa

by Kgabo Lucracia Ledwaba, Chiedza L. Muchopa and Abenet Belete

Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020618 - 15 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1623

Abstract

The dynamic interaction between crude oil prices and the prices of grains and oilseed is critical yet a complex issue in agriculture given the potential impact of the energy sector price fluctuations on production costs, transportation, and processing. This study explores the interactions between prices of crude oil, key grains, and oilseeds (maize, soybean, and wheat) in South Africa from 2018 to 2022. Utilising monthly data, this study employs the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to assess the short-term and long-term relationships, and the Granger causality test to determine the causality directions. Results revealed a mixed long-term cointegration wherein crude oil prices and the prices of maize as well as soybean have a relationship, but no evidence of such a relationship exists for wheat prices. Additionally, no short-term effects were observed, suggesting that immediate fluctuations in crude oil prices do not influence the prices of maize, soybean, and wheat. Instead, short-term prices movements of the grains and oilseeds may be driven by other factors that could be of interest to policymakers. Furthermore, the Granger causality findings show no causality direction between prices of crude oil and the selected grain and oilseed. These findings challenge the presumed direct connection between energy and agricultural prices, thus offering policymakers a perspective to redirect their focus to formulate short-term price policy strategies that decrease dependability on crude oil to promote sustainability in the agricultural sector without disrupting the progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 of ending hunger. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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23 pages, 2074 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential Impact of the European Green Deal on Farm Production in Poland

by Krzysztof Piotr Pawłowski and Gabriela Sołtysiak

Sustainability 2024, 16(24), 11080; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411080 - 17 Dec 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2287

Abstract

The proposed changes in the European Green Deal require the restructuring of the agricultural sector throughout the European Union. Particularly crucial for the agri-food industry are “From Farm to Fork” strategies and new legislation “for biodiversity,” which are an integral part of the European Green Deal. From an environmental perspective, changes are required immediately, but at the same time, they may reduce agricultural production in Poland. Therefore, this study aims to assess the potential consequences of implementing the European Green Deal principles on Polish agriculture’s productivity. The study is based on two key assumptions which involve a 50% reduction in the use of plant protection products and a 20% reduction in fertilisation. The conducted analyses rely on data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The results were obtained by constructing a panel regression model for farms of different economic sizes. Although the most significant reduction in production value may concern the largest farms (using the most fertilisers and plant protection products), the smallest farms may experience the most critical difficulties. The potential decline in crop production in Polish agriculture could be stopped by implementing modern technologies enabling the development of precision and digital agriculture 4.0. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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Review

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21 pages, 308 KiB

Open AccessReview

When Will Controlled Environment Agriculture in Its Vertical Form Fulfill Its Potential?

by Megan Burritt, Simone Valle de Souza and H. Christopher Peterson

Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 2957; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072957 - 27 Mar 2025

Viewed by 1115

Abstract

Food systems around the world are challenged to meet increased demand while also mitigating ecosystem pressures from their current structure. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) offers a potential solution to augment the food supply by adopting innovative production systems designed to overcome environmental resource limitations and efficiently serve densely populated urban areas. By utilizing Elkington’s profit, plant, and people framework (3Ps), this article assesses the sustainability of a major subcategory of CEA farms: indoor agriculture vertical farms (IA/VFs). The qualitative analysis attempts to answer the question of whether IA/VFs have fulfilled their potential. Results suggest that IA/VFs have not yet optimized their positive impact on future food system sustainability. For each of the three Ps, IA/VF’s observed progress and required breakthroughs are summarized. Notably, the financial viability of an IA/VF is more likely to be achieved through whole systems solutions: growing the right crops in the right environment, efficient use of resources, and effective consumer targeting. Significant progress is being made in the direction of innovating IA/VF’s role in future food systems. Through public–private partnerships and further analyses, further progress can be made toward realizing IA/VF’s potential to address the growing demands of an expanding world population and shrinking resource base. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

27 pages, 867 KiB

Open AccessReview

Strengthening AKIS for Sustainable Agricultural Features: Insights and Innovations from the European Union: A Literature Review

by Georgios Kountios, Spyridon Kanakaris, Christina Moulogianni and Thomas Bournaris

Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 7068; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167068 - 17 Aug 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3782

Abstract

The Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) and the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) are important elements of the current Programming Period of the Common Agricultural Policy (2023–2027), as it is now deemed necessary to transition the European agricultural model to more sustainable forms, through the dissemination of agricultural knowledge, while simultaneously promoting innovative methods. An Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System must be able to propose and develop ideas for the transmission of agricultural knowledge, promoting innovation and the exchange of ideas. The present study includes a significant number of investigations on the effectiveness of the implementation of the AKIS and the FAS so that the conclusions are representative of the scope of the work. The object in question is now the cornerstone of the modernization of agricultural production and an important way out towards more competitive models of agriculture. The purpose of this paper is to give an extensive overview of the degree of implementation of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in the countries of the European Union (including the United Kingdom until 2019) from 2014 until today, essentially during the implementation of the second period of Common Agricultural Policy. In the context of this article, the main results of the research carried out in the EU countries during the period under study and the proposed improvements by the researchers, where they are mentioned, are recorded epigrammatically. Finally, the countries are categorized according to the degree of implementation of the AKIS and the contribution of the Agricultural Advisory System to more sustainable forms of agricultural practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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20 pages, 1829 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Use of Agricultural Databases for Crop Modeling: A Scoping Review

by Thando Lwandile Mthembu, Richard Kunz, Shaeden Gokool and Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi

Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6554; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156554 - 31 Jul 2024

Viewed by 2147

Abstract

There is growing interest in promoting neglected and underutilized crop species to enhance agrobiodiversity and contribute to food systems transformation under climate change. A lack of available measured data has hindered the mainstreaming of these crops and limited the ability of agricultural databases to be used for calibrating and validating crop models. This study conducts a systematic scoping review and bibliometric analysis to assess the use of agricultural databases for crop modeling. The Biblioshiny App v4.1.2 and VOSviewer software v1.6.20 were used to analyze 51 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science. Key findings from this review were that agricultural databases have been used for estimating crop yield, assessing soil conditions, and fertilizer management and are invaluable for developing decision support tools. The main challenges include the need for high-quality datasets for developing agricultural databases and more expertise and financial resources to develop and apply crop and machine learning models. From the bibliometric dataset, only one study used modeled data to develop a crop database despite such data having a level of uncertainty. This presents an opportunity for future research to improve models to minimize their uncertainty level and provide reliable data for crop database development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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Other

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27 pages, 522 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Sustainable Development Strategies and Good Agricultural Practices for Enhancing Agricultural Productivity: Insights and Applicability in Developing Contexts—The Case of Angola

by Eduardo E. Eliseu, Tânia M. Lima and Pedro D. Gaspar

Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9878; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229878 - 13 Nov 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3488

Abstract

In general, agricultural productivity in Angola is low due to the limited awareness among stakeholders regarding sustainable development strategies (DSs) and good agricultural practices (GAPs) that could be adjusted to local crops, soil types, and climatic conditions. A structured approach was followed to develop a systematic literature review (SLR) that can address this gap by examining how DSs and GAPs may be adapted for Angola’s context to encourage sustainable agricultural development. Key steps included the selection and exclusion of literature from primary scientific databases based on specific screening indicators such as the publication date, language, relevance to DSs and GAPs, and geographic focus on developing or developed nations with comparable agricultural challenges. The initial search resulted in 11,392 articles, of which 4257 met the primary selection criteria. After further screening for relevance and availability, 98 articles were shortlisted, and 15 studies were ultimately included for in-depth analysis. This strict screening process ensured the inclusion of studies most applicable to Angola’s agricultural context. The key research findings indicate that certain DSs and GAPs have high adaptability potential for Angola. The findings emphasise practices such as drip irrigation and inorganic fertilisation, which are widely implemented in both developed and developing countries due to their efficiency in resource-limited environments. Additional strategies, such as water management systems, organic composting, and agroforestry practices, demonstrate significant potential to enhance soil fertility, water efficiency, and crop resilience against climate variability. By identifying these practices and strategies, this study provides a basic framework for policymakers in Angola to develop targeted implementation guidelines, fostering sustainable agricultural growth and resilience in the face of climatic challenges. Thus, this review contributes to the scientific and practical understanding of sustainable agriculture in developing countries, offering critical insights that support Angola’s efforts to achieve greater self-sufficiency and economic stability through sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture Development: Challenges and Oppotunities)

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