Search Results (26,421)

This systematic literature review critically examines the impact of digitalisation on sustainable agricultural development, synthesising empirical evidence published between 2015 and 2026. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 62 empirical studies indexed in Scopus and Web of Science were identified and analysed using a combined deductive–inductive thematic approach. The analysis is structured around a triple-bottom-line framework encompassing economic, environmental, and social sustainability dimensions. The review addresses two research questions: the geographical and temporal distribution of research on digitalisation and agricultural sustainability, and the extent to which digitalisation yields both beneficial and adverse outcomes across all three dimensions. The findings reveal a sharp increase in scholarly attention after 2022, with strong geographical concentration in Asia, particularly China, while evidence from developing regions remains comparatively limited. Overall, existing research predominantly highlights positive effects, particularly productivity gains, efficiency improvements, and income growth, alongside enhanced environmental performance through resource optimisation and emission reduction. However, the evidence also documents uneven and context-dependent outcomes, especially within the social dimension, including labour displacement, rising inequality, and digital wage opacity. Crucially, integrative analyses that examine all three sustainability dimensions simultaneously remain scarce; fewer than 5% of included studies address economic, environmental, and social outcomes together, and potential trade-offs among dimensions are insufficiently explored. By synthesising fragmented empirical evidence through an explicit analytical framework, this review provides a comprehensive and critical foundation for understanding the complex, uneven, and context-dependent impacts of digitalisation on sustainable agriculture and identifies four priority directions for future research. Full article

Understanding how the spatiotemporal variability of precipitation affects ecosystem respiration (RE) is central to carbon–climate feedback in climate-smart agriculture, yet remains unresolved for the alpine agricultural region of the southern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, where flux observations are sparse. Using 25 years (2000–2024) of monthly gridded climate and remote sensing data for the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin and Its Two Tributaries Basin, we developed a flux tower-constrained reference–respiration (R_ref) environment-matching model in which R_ref varies with the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and land surface temperature (LST) to correct the Lloyd–Taylor parameterization. The correction reduced the RE root mean square error by 54.8% (1.04 → 0.47 gC·m⁻²·month⁻¹) and eliminated systematic bias (+0.80 → −0.001) relative to an independent gridded RECO product. We then constructed a multidimensional index of precipitation variability (intra-annual concentration, interannual variability, long-term trend, spatial clustering) and combined random forest, spatial regression, lag analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to disentangle direct and indirect pathways from precipitation variability to RE. The central finding is an indirect-conduction mechanism: precipitation concentration (PCI) affects RE almost entirely through vegetation productivity (PCI → GPP → RE, indirect effect −0.676) rather than directly (direct effect +0.076, opposite in sign), because low temperature and high soil water holding capacity buffer the immediate soil moisture response. The basin functions as a net carbon source (mean NEP = −0.550 gC·m⁻²·month⁻¹) with a significant warming-driven interannual RE increase (Sen’s slope = 0.0025 yr⁻¹, p = 0.022) that is independent of the stable precipitation total. The framework offers a transferable paradigm for carbon flux attribution in alpine regions under sparse observation. Full article

The effects of climate change have altered precipitation patterns, causing extreme weather events that impact crop yields and increase the demand for agricultural production, which drives the need to implement emerging technologies. This research presents the design, construction, and validation of a real-time monitoring system for environmental parameters in open-field avocado orchards. A four-phase methodology was employed: (1) Establishment of required parameters and construction of the IoT architecture; (2) Design of the geometry and final elaboration of the system: modeling in SolidWorks, circuit diagrams in Fritzing, and system assembly; (3) Development of a mobile application: Android Studio and development of the autoencoder model with machine learning; and (4) Validation: Evaluation of the wireless link; system implementation and deployment of the mobile application. The results obtained include a system with a transmitter node equipped with sensors and a receiver, both incorporating ESP32 and nRF24L01+PA+LNA modules, with a wireless transmission range of 2300 m. A total of 2016 data records were stored on microSD and in the cloud, which can be queried, visualized, and analyzed through the mobile application via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi; the system also detects outlier data that can be used for decision-making in the agricultural sector. Full article

Agrivoltaic (AV) systems represent a promising strategy for integrating renewable energy production and agricultural activity on the same land unit, while contributing to soil water conservation under increasingly frequent drought conditions. This preliminary, single-site case study investigates the effects of a horizontal biaxial tracking AV system on soil water dynamics in a durum wheat field in the Po Valley (Borgo Virgilio, Mantua, Italy) over a full monitoring period, covering the final crop growth stages and the post-harvest bare soil phase (May–December 2024). Monitoring of soil temperature, volumetric water content (VWC), and soil water potential (SWP) was conducted at four depths (15, 30, 45, and 60 cm) at one representative monitoring station per treatment, comparing soil under AV cover (AVC) and in unshaded conditions (UC), located 10 m apart. Paired VWC and SWP measurements were used to derive site-specific soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) and to calibrate the agro-hydrological model CRITERIA-1D, which was used to estimate available water (AW) in the first 80 cm of depth for both treatments. Measured VWC values were higher in the AVC profile than in the UC profile at all monitored depths throughout the May–September period, with differences persisting, although at lower values through October–December. Estimated AW was consistently higher under AVC than in UC during both the dry and wet periods. Despite higher VWC, the AVC profile showed more negative average SWP values at all depths during summer. This pattern is consistent with the shape of the derived SWCCs and may point to differences in water-retaining capacity between the two profiles, possibly related to structural modifications induced by 13 years of AV system operation. These preliminary findings suggest that AV systems could potentially improve soil water availability in the root zone of rainfed cereal crops and propose the hypothesis that long-term AV cover may act as a driver of changes in soil hydraulic properties, with implications for the sustainability and climate resilience of dryland farming systems. However, given the design of this case study, with only one monitoring point per treatment, the observed differences reflect the specific monitored locations and cannot fully disentangle the AV treatment effect from pre-existing spatial heterogeneity in soil properties. The preliminary results obtained in this study should therefore not be generalised beyond the specific conditions of this case study, and the interpretations proposed here should be treated as unproven hypotheses rather than established conclusions. Further studies with spatial replication and multi-year monitoring are needed to confirm these patterns. Full article

Colistin (polymyxin E), a last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, is becoming increasingly compromised by the rapid emergence and dissemination of resistance. The extensive use of colistin in agriculture and veterinary medicine has accelerated the spread of plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes, facilitating transmission across human, animal, and environmental reservoirs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and geographical distribution of colistin resistance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Analysis of the available literature indicates that Tunisia reports the highest prevalence of colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in North Africa (58.09%), followed by Egypt (24.76%), Algeria (14.29%), and Libya (2.86%). Across the region, mcr-1 is the predominant plasmid-mediated resistance determinant, whereas chromosomal alterations involving the mgrB, pmrA/pmrB, and phoP/phoQ regulatory systems are the principal non-plasmid-mediated mechanisms. Resistance has been documented in major clinical pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as in livestock, poultry, aquaculture, wildlife, food products, and environmental samples, highlighting the interconnected nature of resistance transmission under a One Health framework. The evidence demonstrates substantial geographical variability and significant gaps in surveillance across several MENA countries, limiting accurate regional burden estimates. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, harmonized surveillance programs, molecular monitoring of resistance determinants, and the implementation of One Health strategies are essential to limit the continued emergence and dissemination of colistin resistance throughout the region. Full article

Micronutrient deficiencies, collectively known as hidden hunger, affect more than two billion people worldwide and remain a major challenge for sustainable agriculture, global food security and human nutrition. Crop biofortification has emerged as a sustainable agricultural strategy to enhance the concentration and bioavailability of essential micronutrients in edible plant tissues while reducing reliance on post-harvest fortification and dietary supplementation. This review provides an integrated analysis of the soil, plant physiological, agronomic and molecular processes governing biofortification efficiency in agricultural systems. Particular emphasis is placed on how soil formation, mineralogy, nutrient speciation, organic matter and rhizosphere interactions regulate micronutrient availability, root uptake, translocation and accumulation in crops. The review further examines plant physiological mechanisms involved in nutrient acquisition and partitioning, together with the contribution of beneficial microorganisms, precision agriculture and digital technologies to improving nutrient-use efficiency under diverse agricultural conditions. Conventional breeding, agronomic biofortification, transgenic approaches and genome-editing technologies are critically evaluated as complementary strategies for developing nutrient-enriched and climate-resilient crop varieties. Particular attention is also given to nutrient bioavailability, post-harvest stability and consumer acceptance, which ultimately determine the nutritional effectiveness of biofortified crops. Furthermore, the review discusses how climate change modifies soil properties, plant physiology and crop productivity, thereby influencing micronutrient availability, nutrient accumulation and the long-term effectiveness of biofortification programmes. By integrating advances in soil science, plant physiology, agronomy and molecular biology, this review identifies current challenges, knowledge gaps and future research priorities for developing resilient biofortification strategies capable of supporting sustainable agricultural systems and improving global nutritional security. Full article

Decentralized agricultural systems (DAS) are essential to food security for millions of people in low-resource settings, yet most existing contaminant monitoring frameworks have been designed for centralized supply chains. This paper proposes a structured framework for integrating contaminant monitoring into DAS by (1) mapping the diverse supply chain structures and stakeholders that constitute these systems; (2) analyzing stakeholder motivations, constraints, and value propositions for monitoring adoption; and (3) identifying efficient monitoring points where these value propositions align with product quality improvement. The framework is organized around four core principles: tiered monitoring matched to supply chain position and stakeholder capacity, monitoring at stakeholder handoff points rather than within individual segments, incentive structures that make monitoring self-sustaining, and capacity building and governance as durable infrastructure. The framework is illustrated through the case of maize and aflatoxin contamination in Guatemala. It remains a conceptual framework, however, and its principles are intended to be generalizable across crops, contaminants, and geographies rather than demonstrated to be so. Empirical validation across these dimensions remains a necessary next step. The central argument is that through this framework, small, strategically placed incentives at high-leverage points in decentralized supply chains can shift system-wide quality outcomes. This can occur without requiring top-down regulatory enforcement, which is often neither feasible nor effective in these contexts. Full article

The increasing environmental impacts of conventional agriculture have intensified the search for farming approaches capable of balancing food production, resource efficiency, and ecosystem protection. In this context, multiple sustainability-oriented approaches have emerged, including organic agriculture, integrated production, sustainable agriculture, and regenerative agriculture. This study develops a comparative framework based on a structured literature review covering the period January 2000–March 2026 to assess these approaches from both practice-based and governance perspectives. The analysis examines key environmental management dimensions, alongside governance-related aspects. The results reveal substantial convergence across approaches regarding core environmental practices, including cover cropping, crop diversification, reduced tillage, and input optimisation. However, important differences emerge in system integration, governance structures, and sustainability objectives. Efficiency-oriented approaches mainly prioritise productivity and resource optimisation, whereas regenerative and organic approaches place stronger emphasis on ecosystem restoration and soil health. The study highlights the limitations of current sustainability assessment frameworks and emphasises the need for integrated, outcome-based approaches capable of capturing both environmental impacts and regenerative benefits across agricultural systems. Full article

Developing context-specific drought regionalization is crucial for targeted risk management, as drought evolves as a cascading hazard driven by complex land–atmosphere interactions rather than isolated climatic anomalies. However, conventional regionalization frameworks remain largely static and fail to capture the dynamic propagation from meteorological forcing to agricultural impacts. To address this limitation, we developed a framework that links continuous drought dynamics to discrete drought events, enabling identification of propagation patterns and their associated environmental mechanisms across the Loess Plateau, China. By integrating run theory, dimensionality reduction, clustering, and explainable machine learning, we identified three distinct drought propagation regimes: Propagation Blocked, Disaster Amplified, and Response Desensitized zones. At the regional scale, eco-hydrological factors, particularly vegetation productivity and soil moisture dynamics, showed the strongest attribution signals for differentiating drought propagation regimes. However, regime-specific environmental associations differed substantially: (i) propagation blockage was associated with terrain–vegetation interactions; (ii) disaster amplification was associated with low ecological productivity and declining soil moisture; and (iii) response desensitization was associated with intensive agricultural activities and relatively favorable soil moisture conditions, which may partly buffer vegetation responses to thermal and meteorological stress and create apparent resilience that may mask underlying hydrological vulnerability. SHAP analysis further indicated that topography and thermal conditions were strongly associated with broad-scale differentiation, while eco-hydrological conditions showed stronger associations with local regime-specific responses. Anthropogenic activities may also be associated with altered drought propagation pathways and potential risks of unsustainable water use. These findings highlight drought as a dynamic propagation process rather than a static hazard and provide a basis for targeted drought management strategies. Full article

The plant-based diets market has grown in popularity over recent decades and is projected to reach USD 27 billion by 2030. Innovative systems such as intercropping, defined as growing two or more crop species in proximity, are promising contributors to the advancement of sustainable agriculture by improving resource efficiency, enhancing crop resilience, and cutting down the need for chemical inputs. However, legume seed lots grown under intercropping versus monocropping systems differ in composition, which, in turn, can influence seed flour quality. Furthermore, antinutritional properties of legumes, such as phytic acid, condensed tannins (CTs), and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), limit their utilisation in product formulation. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to reduce these antinutritional compounds for utilisation of the intercropped legume flour in bakery products. A harvest of intercropped peas and faba bean mix (IM) obtained from Irish farmers was soaked (S) for 8 and 16 h and germinated (G) for 24, 48, and 72 h. Non-germinated intercropped mix (IM) was used as a control. All flours were subsequently used to substitute for wheat flour and fortify wheat-based cakes. The 72 h germinated intercropped mix (pea bean; 95.5:4.5) flour showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower levels of antinutritional compounds than the non-germinated intercropped flour. Raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose contents were reduced by 43%, 38%, and 46%, respectively, while phytic acid and condensed tannins decreased by 32% and 57%, respectively. The germination process also reduced the green hue (a*) from −8.37 to −6.49 and enhanced levels of soluble dietary fibre by 2.67% of the flour, while improving their suitability for bakery applications. Wheat-based cakes fortified with germinated and non-germinated intercropped legume flours showed a significant enhancement in protein and soluble dietary fibre contents. Compared with the control cake, protein content increased from 9.52 to 12.80%, while soluble dietary fibre content increased from 0.47 to 1.99% in the fortified cakes. Cakes containing up to 40% germinated flour (G72) showed comparable specific volume values 1.84–1.86 mL/g) and slice brightness (112.50–94.23) to the control cake. Additionally, cakes formulated with 40% intercropped flour showed significantly lower condensed tannin and phytic acid contents (p < 0.05), with reductions of 38% and 31.38%, respectively. Samples containing intercropped legume flours proved suitable for bakery applications, supporting up to 40% substitution in wheat-based cakes, and the germination process was effective in reducing antinutritional properties in intercropped legume flour fortified cakes. Full article

Amid growing concerns over climate change and the need for sustainable agriculture, the study investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities of MBPH fractions. MBPH was produced via alcalase hydrolysis and fractionated by ultrafiltration into >5, 3–5, 1–3, and <1 kDa fractions. Bioactivity exhibited a clear inverse correlation with molecular weight. The <1 and 1–3 kDa fractions demonstrated their highest antioxidant capabilities through their performance in ORAC and ABTS tests, which produced results of 836.51 ± 11.81 µmol TE/g and 19.36 ± 0.71 µmol TE/g, respectively. Both fractions also demonstrated significant in vitro anti-inflammatory potential, with the <1 kDa fraction showing superior activity by inhibiting LOX activity (76.93 ± 1.53%) and heat-induced albumin denaturation (81.82 ± 2.72%). All fractions were non-cytotoxic, preserving >90% cell viability in RAW 264.7 macrophages at 100 µg/mL. The 1–3 kDa MBPH fraction exhibited distinct context-dependent immunomodulatory activity in RAW 264.7 macrophages. At 3 h, the fraction markedly suppressed Tnf-α and Il-1β expression under LPS stimulation, indicating strong early-stage anti-inflammatory effects. At 6 h, IL-6 secretion further confirmed this dual behavior, with a mild increase under basal conditions (33.15–36.42 pg/mL) and a reduced level under inflammatory conditions (28.25–28.81 pg/mL). This represents an approximate 15–22% lower IL-6 production technology under LPS stimulation compared to basal conditions at equivalent concentrations. The results demonstrate that low-molecular-weight MBPH peptides, particularly the 1–3 kDa fraction, exhibit dual functionality by providing robust antioxidant protection while dynamically rebalancing immune homeostasis, highlighting their immense potential as bioactive ingredients for functional foods of agroindustry. Full article

Freshwater scarcity is an increasing concern for agricultural systems, making water footprint (WF) assessment an important tool for evaluating water use in crop production and supporting sustainable water resource management. Two main methodological approaches are widely used: the water footprint network (WFN) framework and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based approaches. This review synthesizes 27 peer-reviewed studies that use tomato production as a representative case study to compare the two approaches across methodological frameworks, geographical contexts, production systems, system boundaries, functional units, and research objectives. The reviewed studies revealed substantial methodological heterogeneity, with WFN representing the predominant approach, whereas LCA-based applications remained comparatively limited. WFN was primarily applied to quantify water use and identify water-use hotspots, whereas LCA-based approaches focused on evaluating the potential environmental impacts of water consumption under local water-scarcity conditions. The review also highlights the ongoing debate surrounding scarcity-weighted indicators and the interpretation of water footprint results. Reported water footprint values varied considerably due to differences in climate, irrigation management, crop productivity, system boundaries, and methodological assumptions, particularly in the calculation of gray water footprint. Overall, the findings indicate that WFN and LCA-based approaches provide complementary perspectives on freshwater sustainability. Their combined application can support more comprehensive water assessments and better-informed decision-making in agricultural systems, while greater methodological harmonization is needed to improve the comparability of future studies. Full article

Biofertilizers are often presented as a more ecological alternative that allows for the utilization of agricultural residues and reduces dependence on chemical fertilizers. This study uses the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the environmental implications of producing forage oats on a small scale, considering three fertilization strategies: (1) application of a biofertilizer, (2) application of an inorganic fertilizer, and (3) no fertilization. Two functional units (FUs) were evaluated within a cradle-to-farm-gate system boundary: one ton of oats and one harvested hectare. The results show that while forage oat production using inorganic fertilizers yields a high output (6.20 t/ha of oat dry matter), it also results in the most significant environmental impacts across both FUs (e.g., 262 kg Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq)/ton and 1620 kg CO₂ eq/ha). In contrast, using biofertilizers increases the yield to 7.05 t/ha of oat dry matter while decreasing environmental impacts (e.g., 80.1 kg CO₂ eq/ton and 564 kg CO₂ eq/ha). Finally, when no fertilization is used, the yield decreases significantly (4.92 t/ha of oat dry matter), while the environmental performance varies depending on the FU considered (e.g., 98.1 kg CO₂ eq/ton and 482 kg CO₂ eq/ha). This study shows that, compared to inorganic fertilization or no fertilization at all, biofertilizers optimize both production and environmental performance. Therefore, biofertilization is a key strategy for managing residues and reducing environmental impacts in this case study. Full article

The Huaibei region is a critical grain and energy–chemical base in northern China, characterized by substantial water demand for industrial and agricultural production. Karst groundwater systems constitute the primary water supply source in this area. Under the superimposed impacts of intensive exploitation, climate change, and anthropogenic activities, karst aquifers have encountered a series of geo-environmental problems, including groundwater level decline and expansion of cones of depression. Most previous studies have predominantly focused on water quality assessment and groundwater resource quantification, yet systematic investigations into the multi-scale characteristics and driving mechanisms of karst groundwater level dynamics remain insufficient. In this study, based on long-term groundwater level and rainfall monitoring data (2014–2024) from three monitoring wells representing different types of karst aquifers, continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and wavelet coherence (WTC) approaches are introduced to identify the periodic patterns of karst groundwater levels and reveal the dominant controlling factors of groundwater level dynamics. The results demonstrate that groundwater levels in all types of karst aquifers exhibit distinct multi-scale periodic variations. The groundwater levels of HB01 and HB02 share dominant oscillation periods of 18~19 months and 9 months with regional rainfall, while the groundwater level at HB03 displays a more complex, multi-scale, periodic combination of 41 months, 18~19 months, and 9 months. Periodic variations in regional rainfall serve as the dominant controlling factor for the intra-annual and inter-annual periodic fluctuations of karst water levels, with a prominent resonance relationship identified between the two variables at dominant periodic scales. Distinct heterogeneity is observed in the response magnitude and lag time of different karst aquifer types to rainfall; specifically, the lag time of water level response to rainfall on the annual periodic scale ranges from 2.7 to 2.9 months. The correlation between annual average water level and pumping discharge is moderate for boreholes HB01 and HB03, whereas a strong correlation is detected for borehole HB02, implying that its water level regime is likely subjected to pronounced pumping disturbance. The degree of karst development, aquifer burial depth, and overlying stratum architecture are the key geological factors accounting for such heterogeneous response patterns. For the first time, this study utilizes long-term water level time series data from the karst water exploitation zone of the Huaibei Plain, complemented by synchronous precipitation and pumping records. Integrated with regional hydrogeological settings, wavelet analysis is employed to conduct an in-depth investigation into the dynamic variations in karst water levels in the Huaibei region from the perspective of groundwater recharge–discharge relationships. The results provide a scientific underpinning for the remediation of karst water over-exploitation and the optimal allocation of water resources. Specifically, pumping and artificial recharge schemes can be proactively adjusted based on periodicity forecasts. Zoned management strategies for water resources are put forward: artificial regulation and storage are recommended for zones with sensitive hydrological responses, while preventive protection is prioritized for zones with sluggish responses. By incorporating periodic characteristics and lag durations, targeted pumping strategies for dry and wet seasons can be developed, and a coupled water level–rainfall–pumping early warning system can be established to realize the long-term sustainable regulation of karst water resources. Full article

Potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination of food systems has emerged as an important environmental and public health concern in many developing countries, including Uganda, owing to rapid urbanization, industrialization, mining activities, wastewater reuse, informal waste disposal, and expanding urban agriculture. This review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed and selected grey literature on the occurrence of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) in cereals, vegetables, tubers, livestock products, fish, fruits, and processed foods consumed in Uganda. A structured literature synthesis and screening-level dietary risk assessment using estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), carcinogenic risk (CR), and total carcinogenic risk (TCR) were conducted to identify contamination hotspots, priority exposure pathways, and potential public health implications. The available evidence revealed substantial spatial variability, with contamination consistently concentrated in mining-influenced agricultural areas, wastewater-irrigated farms, municipal dumpsites, industrial corridors, and urban food markets. Vegetables, cereals, livestock products, fish, and street-vended foods exhibited the greatest contamination burdens, while Pb and Cd were the PTEs most frequently reported exceeding WHO/FAO, Codex Alimentarius, and Ugandan food safety limits. Screening-level risk estimates indicated that Pb, Cd, and Cr contributed most to cumulative dietary exposure, with children consistently exhibiting higher EDI, THQ, HI, and TCR values than adults because of greater food intake relative to body weight. Although cumulative HI and TCR values exceeded recommended screening thresholds in several hotspot regions, these estimates should be interpreted as conservative screening-level indicators derived from heterogeneous published datasets rather than nationally representative measures of dietary exposure. Overall, the evidence indicates that PTE contamination in Ugandan food systems is predominantly hotspot-driven and highlights the need for targeted surveillance, standardized monitoring and reporting, improved pollution control, and strengthened food safety management to reduce chronic dietary exposure and protect public health. Full article