Special Issue "Agricultural Environment and Rural Economy, Policy and Sustainable Development"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Margarita Maria Brugarolas Molla-Bauza
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Guest Editor
Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elchedisabled, Elche, Spain
Interests: agricultural economics; local markets; food consumer behaviour
Dr. Laura Martinez-Carrasco
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Guest Editor
Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche, Elche, Spain
Interests: organic food; local food; agricultural system sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decades, major changes have been shaking the world, and agriculture is not stranger to them. The abandonment of rural areas, barriers in international trading, the climate change and environmental degradation are relevant aspects transforming the agricultural domain in a notorious way. In addition, new trends in consumption and innovative technologies add to the complex challenges facing the agri-food system.

In this special issue the contributions that may help to analyse the impact of these new trends in economy, society and environment will be welcomed. Submissions could be related, but not restricted to the following topics:

- Agricultural policies.

- Rural development.

- Local and global markets.

- New technologies in agriculture and environment.

- International trading.

- Agrifood marketing.

We would be pleased if researchers from different disciplines such as economics, management, business, marketing, sociology, statistics and others were willing to send us their contributions.

Dr. Margarita Maria Brugarolas Molla-Bauza
Dr. Laura Martinez-Carrasco
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 papers will be 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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1900 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

  • rural development
  • agricultural policies
  • agrifood markets

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Assessment of the Sustainability of Extensive Livestock Farms on the Common Grasslands of the Natural Park Sierra de Grazalema
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1818; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041818 - 08 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 462
Abstract
The communal pastures of the Natural Park Sierra de Grazalema are grazed by a total of 23 extensive herds, of which 75% are certified as organic, although only 39% are subsidized for being organic. In a previous research work, these farms were characterized [...] Read more.
The communal pastures of the Natural Park Sierra de Grazalema are grazed by a total of 23 extensive herds, of which 75% are certified as organic, although only 39% are subsidized for being organic. In a previous research work, these farms were characterized and classified into four typologies: group 1 (farms of intermediate size and without sheep), group 2 (large and very extensive farms), group 3 (farms with sheep suitable for both meat and milk) and group 4 (farms with dairy goat milk and without cattle). In this article, the sustainability of these farms is evaluated and compared based on their organic orientation (whether they are organic or conventional) and their typology (the four typologies indicated), as a tool for decision-making in the management of this natural protected area. To do so, 49 sustainability indexes have been generated, grouped into five attributes: adaptability, self-management, equity, stability, and productivity. The results indicate that, at the global level, there are no significant differences in sustainability between the organic and conventional farms studied. In contrast, depending on the typologies, the results indicate that group 3 is the most sustainable, followed by groups 1 and 4, with group 2 being the one with the lowest level of sustainability. Taking into account that there are a reduced number of herds grazing in this natural park, it is essential to solve the weaknesses of these farms in order to guarantee that they continue to maintain environmental equilibrium in the grasslands. Full article
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