Search Results (95)

Green hydrogen offers a promising yet underexplored pathway for agricultural decarbonisation, requiring technological readiness and coordinated action from policymakers, industry, and farmers. This paper integrates techno-economic modelling with stakeholder engagement (semi-structured interviews and an expert workshop) to assess its potential. Analyses were conducted for farms of 123 hectares and clusters of 10 farms, complemented by seven interviews and a workshop with nine sector experts. Findings show both opportunities and barriers. While on-farm hydrogen production is technically feasible, it remains economically uncompetitive due to high levelised costs, shaped by seasonal demand variability and low utilisation of electrolysers and storage. Pooling demand across multiple users is essential to improve cost-effectiveness. Stakeholders identified three potential business models: fertiliser production via ammonia synthesis, cooperative-based models, and local refuelling stations. Of these, cooperative hydrogen hubs emerged as the most promising, enabling clusters of farms to jointly invest in renewable-powered electrolysers, storage, and refuelling facilities, thereby reducing costs, extending participation to smaller farms, and mitigating risks through collective investment. By linking techno-economic feasibility with stakeholder perspectives and business model considerations, the results contribute to socio-technical transition theory by showing how technological, institutional, and social factors interact in shaping hydrogen adoption in agriculture. With appropriate policy support, cooperative hubs could lower costs, ease concerns over affordability and complexity, and position hydrogen as a practical driver of agricultural decarbonisation and rural resilience. Full article

Climate change remains one of the existential threats to humanity in particular and life on earth in general. It presents significant impacts on food and nutritional security, health, and the general well-being of living organisms globally. Despite global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, the record shows that limited progress has been made in curbing the problem. Consequently, this study intends to address the following research question: How does the climate crisis affect indigenous food systems, farmers’ livelihoods, and local communities in the study area? This study was conducted in the Tolon district of the northern region of Ghana from 2017 to 2022. Grounded in the theoretical prism of political ecology and indigenous knowledge perspective, we selected individuals who were smallholder farmers, students, faculty members, extension officers, and an administrator from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The data were gathered through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and workshops and analyzed using coding, thematization, and inferences drawn from the literature and authors’ experiences. This study discovered some of the effects of a changing climate, including the extinction of indigenous food crops, poor yield resulting in poverty, and food and nutritional insecurity. This study concludes that failure to tackle climate change could pose a greater threat to the survival of smallholder households in Ghana. Full article

This study examines how seasonal air pollution affects health perceptions, risk awareness, and preventive behaviors among a sample of 150 individuals, particularly within vulnerable people living in Thailand. Many participants were older adults (54.7% aged ≥ 60), female (76.7%), and had a low income (less than 10,000 THB/month (USD 295), 92.6%). Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure, as indicated by urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), significantly increased during high-pollution periods (p < 0.001), while benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE) levels did not show significant changes. Farmers exhibited the highest PAH exposure (p = 0.018). Risk perception and preventive behavior scores rose from 0.711 to 0.748 and from 0.505 to 0.707, respectively. Notable items with high factor loadings included “burning pollutes the air and spreads pollution” (Q2.1 = 0.998) and “avoid burning of any kind” (Q4.2 = 1.007). Neurological symptoms, such as loss of consciousness, increased from 0.956 to 1.049, while respiratory problems like pneumonia went up from 0.673 to 1.07. Environmental risk knowledge-related perceptions experienced a slight decline (from 0.609 to 0.576). These results highlight the need for targeted education through community workshops and strategies like mask distribution, indoor air filtration, and early warning systems for vulnerable populations. Full article

Risk management and resilience of agriculture are among the most important issues in the ongoing discussion on the shape of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Farming systems face various risks that increase their vulnerability, which necessitates the strengthening of their resilience. This raises critical questions whether CAP policies adequately support the resilience of farming systems in addressing these challenges. The study investigates the resilience of the Polish fruit and vegetable farming system within the context of the CAP. Employing a mixed-methods approach that includes interviews and stakeholder workshops, the research identifies critical risks such as market volatility, climate change, labor shortages, or international competition. The study reveals that while farmers adopt various coping strategies, existing CAP measures predominantly support robustness, often neglecting adaptability and transformability, which are essential for addressing long-term risks. Stakeholder feedback highlights bureaucratic inefficiencies, limited access to resources for innovation, and an overemphasis on short-term interventions. Recommendations emphasize the need for policy adjustments to foster long-term adaptability through enhanced vertical and horizontal integration, support for innovation, and knowledge transfer. Under future scenarios, policy priorities vary but consistently call for resilience-focused reforms. These findings underscore the benefits of integrating resilience-thinking frameworks into agricultural policy to enable sustainable development and competitiveness of farming systems. Full article

Advanced generations of mobile network technologies (XG), last-mile connectivity and edge computing solutions can offer invaluable support for farmers and agribusinesses, fostering sustainable development, though unequal access to these digital technologies may lead to a digital divide. It remains, however, unclear to what extent and why farmers are (not) ready to adopt digital technology solutions in agricultural production systems. Hence, this study identifies and assesses the constraints on and drivers for the adoption and diffusion of smart XG, last-mile connectivity and edge computing solutions in agricultural production systems, using the Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT) in a stakeholder workshop setting. Results for the case of the ‘digital shepherd’ in Flanders (Belgium) show that there is substantial potential for its adoption (~40% of the target population) and diffusion (~15 years to peak adoption). To motivate farmers to adopt the ‘digital shepherd’, its profitability, environmental benefits and management convenience are pivotal; to accelerate adoption of the ‘digital shepherd’, its trialability and evaluability, as well as farmers’ skills and knowledge, are pivotal. Addressing these factors can significantly reduce the risk of a digital divide and, hence, allow policy makers to define corresponding strategies. Full article

Decision support systems (DSSs) can improve decision making in integrated pest management (IPM), but are still underutilised despite proven environmental and economic benefits. To overcome the barriers to DSS adoption, this study analyses survey data from 31 farmers and 94 farm advisors, researchers and developers across 11 European countries. Using machine learning techniques, respondents were first categorised into clusters based on their responses to the questionnaire. The clusters were then explained using classification trees. For each cluster, customised approaches were proposed to overcome the barriers to DSS adoption. For farmers, these include building trust through co-development, offering free trials, organising practical workshops and providing clear instructions for use. For farm advisors and researchers, involvement in the development of DSS and giving them access to information about the characteristics of the DSS is crucial. IPM DSS developers should focus on 14 key recommendations to improve trust and the ease of use, increase the transparency of DSS descriptions and validation, and extend development to underserved sectors such as viticulture and vegetable farming. These recommendations aim to increase the uptake of DSSs to ultimately improve the implementation of IPM practises and help reduce the risk and use of pesticides across Europe despite the ever-growing challenges in agriculture. Full article

The objective of the EU project Resilience for Dairy (R4D) is to develop and strengthen a self-sustainable Thematic Network on resilient dairy farms in 15 European countries. This article focusses on those solutions (practices and techniques) that are assessed contributing to a resilient dairy farming sector. The opinions of experts, farmers, and stakeholders were collected and scored through surveys and in a series of local workshops. Six key contributing knowledge fields are included: economic and social resilience, technical efficiency, environment, animal welfare and health, and societal perception. Assessing these knowledge fields proved to be a good predictor for measuring resilience. Only the impact fields of animal welfare and health and societal perception overlapped each other in response. This study shows differences in the choice of solutions across Europe. Experts from South and East Europe are more positive about the contribution of solutions to resilience than their colleagues from North and West Europe, except for social life items. Expert and farmer/stakeholder opinions differ regarding several of the solutions. Technical efficiency is a leading strategy. Priority topics of interest are communication with society, renewable energy production, strategic hoof trimming, early detection of diseases, monitoring fertility and health, and calf rearing. Besides resilience, attractiveness and readiness of the solutions were also assessed. Full article

Experiential learning and discovery through farmer field schools (FFS) have the potential to empower smallholder livestock farmers who face heightened vulnerability to climate change. However, there are various levels of learning and discovery in FFS that can inform smallholder livestock farmer knowledge and perception. Understanding this is vital, as farmers’ perceptions influence their readiness to adopt climate-smart practices, informing effective resilience-building strategies. Therefore, this study sought to investigate and assess the impact of the FFS approach on smallholder livestock farmers’ perceptions of climate change, taking Raymond Local Municipality in South Africa as a case. The design followed by the study was a longitudinal survey, with three pools each signifying various FFS intervention points. The study utilized simple random sampling to collect data from 80 smallholder livestock farmers using structured questionnaires in each of the three cross-sectional pools, while descriptive statistics, Min–Max Normalization, and t-tests were used for analysis. The results show that there was an increase in the awareness of climate change due to the interventions of the FFS. Furthermore, there are cumulative differences between the knowledge and perception towards climate change between the three pooled cross-sections. In conclusion, participating in FFS had a significant impact on farmers’ level of understanding and adaptation to climate change. The study recommends that the government and policymakers extensively promote FFS and support them financially so that they can provide more support to rural farmers as well as enhance knowledge on climate change. This study recommends the provision of workshops and awareness campaigns on climate change for farmers through FFS as this will assist farmers to be more sustainable on their farming systems and production. Full article

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that close to 9% of the world’s soils are affected by salinity. The purpose of this article is to discuss qualitative social science findings on alternative ways of conceptualizing salinization in Kazakhstan and how these findings could be leveraged for transformative knowledge towards sustainability. We highlight dimensions of land degradation that are doubly obscured: the under-represented issue of salinization, and vernacular knowledge on salinization. The article draws on qualitative data collection methods, including eighteen months of participant observation, workshop transcripts and archival records. Three research findings are presented. First, there is an analysis of the framing of environmental issues common among policymakers in the region. Second, these frameworks are contrasted with novel data on how local farming communities understand and deal with salinization. These two research results enable extrapolating a third finding: how such locally based knowledge could be harnessed towards solving salinization issues. Beyond the specific issue of salinization, the results of this research suggest potentially valuable design principles relating to specific ways that the environmental knowledge of expert farmers and scientific experts could be paired. In the case of Central Asia, models based on the local culture can be adapted, such as hosting and apprenticeship relationships. This example suggests transferable lessons on how to forge social learning towards sustainability that start from imperfect local tools (bottom-up) rather than from internationally promoted but socially distant blueprints (top-down). Full article

This paper provides policy recommendations for accelerating the adoption of Fossil-Energy-Free Technologies and Strategies (FEFTS) in the EU agricultural sector. Faster adoption of these technologies and strategies is crucial to achieving the medium- and long-term sustainability targets laid out in EU policy. The prepared policy recommendations originate out of the key outputs and findings of the Horizon 2020 project “AgroFossilFree”, including an assessment and evaluation of the current energy use status in EU agriculture, survey results on farmers’ needs, ideas and interests on the adoption of FEFTS, FEFTS categories identified through an online inventory of FEFTS called the AgEnergy platform, and key innovative processes through national and transnational workshops that combine expertise from hundreds of keys stakeholders (researchers, innovation brokers, policymakers, farmers, and industry representatives). The policy recommendations are synthesized and presented in the form of 19 policy briefs split into three main categories: those that are related to energy issues in farming and can be applied to any farm and FEFTS type; those that are specific to certain agricultural production systems; and those that are necessary for FEFTS integration in agriculture in general. Full article

This research examines how sheep farmers and industry actors in the United Kingdom (UK) understand and conceptualize what animal welfare scientists term ‘positive animal welfare’. It explores their awareness of the concept, and how they interpret it using a qualitative approach. Participants were recruited using a snowballing, purposive sample approach, resulting in 25 sheep farmers and 11 industry actors (veterinarians, farming organizations, advisors, and supply chain) being interviewed. To collect data, a combined approach involving semi-structured interviews and a facilitated workshop were used between April 2021 and March 2022. Data were then thematically analyzed using a hybrid of inductive and deductive coding process. The findings suggested that the perceptions of farmers and industry actors in the study regarding positive welfare differ from contemporary academic discourses. Overall, around 7 of the farmers equated positive welfare with “positive stockmanship”, while six of them expressed “good animal welfare” definitions associated with the Five Freedoms. In contrast, most industry actors (6) expressed interpretations associated with high welfare standards (going above minimum recommended practices) and positive mental experiences (3). Emerging discourses revealed the link between self-identity, social identity and what positive welfare is, the importance of knowledge exchange, and the need for practical indicators through language rephrasing. There is a clear need to enhance and improve knowledge dissemination strategies, particularly in the UK, where much research is being conducted on positive animal welfare. Full article

Notably, 56 worldwide experts gathered for the Antimicrobial Assessment on Global Aquaculture Production (AGAP) series of workshops to (1) evaluate the current state of knowledge on antimicrobial use and identify existing gaps; (2) formulate strategies to identify ecologically relevant impact indicators and establish thresholds for assessment; (3) identify pivotal socioeconomic factors and effective governance mechanisms essential for implementing monitoring practices in aquaculture and extending them across sectors and countries for aquaculture sustainability; (4) develop pathways to enhance our comprehension between antibiotic use in aquaculture and antimicrobial resistance; and (5) explore potential antibiotic monitoring tools that can be universally adapted and implemented across region and sectors. The main outcomes were a roadmap for establishing investigation priorities on the relevant topics regarding antibiotic use in aquaculture, socioeconomic drivers for using antibiotics and behaviors that need more robust and transparent regulatory frameworks to guide farmers, training on antimicrobial use, and access to veterinarians and extension services agents for education. Overall, the workshop evidenced the power of collaboration in addressing complex global challenges to achieve sustainable aquaculture. Despite diligent efforts, some constraints may have inadvertently narrowed the possibility of having more experts and left some pertinent topics unaddressed, but they are needed in the discussion. Full article

Climate change poses significant threats to coffee supply chains, highlighting the crucial role of coffee genetic resources in enhancing resilience and improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers. Increasing climate change effects are intensifying pressure to develop new high-performance resilient varieties. Current cultivated coffee species include Coffea arabica and C. canephora, while uncultivated genetic resources include C. stenophylla, C. racemosa, and many others among the 130 known coffee species. To protect and recognize the property rights of countries and people hosting and conserving genetic resources, the international community has developed regulations embodied in the Plant Treaty and the Nagoya Protocol, among others. The majority of coffee genetic resources originate in Africa and are maintained in large field collections, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. The 2023 International Coffee Convention (ICC) highlighted the need for community awareness in applying these international regulations. To foster a common understanding and establish precise rules for exchanging coffee genetic resources, the Crop Trust and the International Coffee Organization organized an invitation-only satellite workshop in Mannheim, Germany, on 16 October 2024, in connection with ICC 2024. International experts on the Nagoya Protocol and Plant Treaty and genebank experts were invited to participate. This presentation summarizes key outcomes from the workshop, covering topics such as (i) key requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), its Nagoya Protocol, and the Plant Treaty specifically applicable to the coffee sector; (ii) assessment of the coffee sector’s readiness to implement these international regulations for the transparent use and exchange of coffee genetic resources; (iii) suggestions for mechanisms enabling transparent use and exchange of coffee genetic resources in compliance with international regulations; (iv) evaluation of strategies for generating benefits for communities hosting coffee genetic resources; (v) a practical, user-friendly checklist to ensure the correct handling of coffee genetic resources in line with international regulations; and (vi) a practical decision-making tree with examples to differentiate genetic resources falling under Nagoya/CBD and the Plant Treaty from others. The workshop’s discussions and outcomes expanded on these topics, yielding several concrete initiatives and recommendations. Most importantly, the workshop identified critical gaps in existing coffee genetic resource collections and proposed a global safety duplication strategy. Participants conceptualized a global platform to facilitate the exchange and use of coffee genetic resources, including a centralized database and a system for tracking benefit-sharing obligations. A comprehensive list categorizing coffee varieties based on their status under the Nagoya Protocol may be initiated to clarify access and benefit-sharing requirements. The workshop concluded with a clear roadmap for advancing coffee genetic resource conservation and exchange. Full article

Uganda’s aquaculture sub-sector is rapidly developing, contributing up to 22% of all fish produced in the country. However, the sub-sector still faces challenges related to limited access to extension services, production inputs, post-harvest handling facilities, disease incidences, value-addition skills and weak market linkages. Although there have been isolated interventions at different aquaculture value-chain nodes, the registered challenges continue to recur. To address prioritized issues in Uganda’s aquaculture sub-sector, nine zonal aquaculture innovation platforms were established based on the country’s nine agro-ecological zones. These platforms brought together different stakeholders to identify solutions to common problems in each aquaculture value-chain node. Each innovation platform consisted of fish farmers, hatchery operators, traders, extension workers, researchers, input dealers, local leaders, and financial institutions. During a series of zonal workshops, participants identified constraints to the aquaculture sub-sector in their respective zones. From the findings, there are technical knowledge gaps across the entire aquaculture value chain mainly affecting hatchery operators, input suppliers, and farmers. Therefore, there is need for coordinated interventions to enhance access to production technologies, innovations, knowledge, and skill transfer to promote gender-centered aquaculture development. Full article

Agriculture contributes to the South African economy, but this sector is highly vulnerable to climate change risks. Smallholder maize farmers are specifically susceptible to climate change impacts. The maize crop plays a crucial role in the country’s food security as is considered a staple food and feed. The study aimed at examining the socioeconomic factors influencing smallholder maize farmers’ willingness to adopt climate-smart agriculture in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was conducted in three different areas due to their specific agro-ecological zones. A multipurpose research design was used to gather data, and multistage random sampling was used to choose the study areas. Subsequently, 209 purposefully selected farmers were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaires and focus discussion groups. Descriptive results revealed that 81%, 67%, and 63% farmers in Ga-Makanye, Gabaza, and Giyani were willing to adopt CSA. Using the double-hurdle model, the t-test was significant at 1%, Prob > chi2 = 0. 0000, indicating a good model. At a 5% confidence level, education, crop diversification, and information about climate-smart agriculture (CSA) positively influenced adoption, while household size and agricultural experience negatively influenced it. It is recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development provide CSA workshops and educational programs to farmers to enhance their knowledge and decision-making processes regarding adaptation strategies. Full article