Search Results (348)

Climate-induced floods increasingly disrupt agricultural production systems, posing escalating threats to food security and economic stability in climate-exposed and trade-integrated regions. This study examines the relationship between flood shocks and agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) change across China and ten ASEAN economies and investigates whether public service capacity and structural conditions attenuate this negative association. A country–year panel dataset covering 1993–2024 is constructed by aggregating event-level flood records from EM-DAT and matching them with World Bank indicators of agricultural production, population, public services, and industrial structure. Agricultural TFP change is measured using the DEA-Malmquist index, with arable land, agricultural land, agricultural employment, fertilizer use, agricultural freshwater use, and rural electricity access as inputs and crop production and agricultural value added as outputs. A two-way fixed-effects model is then applied to examine the conditional association between flood mortality severity and agricultural TFP change. The empirical results show that greater flood mortality severity is significantly associated with lower agricultural TFP change. This negative contemporaneous association remains evident across the reported alternative specifications and sensitivity analyses. Current health expenditure per capita, energy use per capita, access to basic drinking-water services, and medium- and high-tech manufacturing value added are positively associated with an attenuation of the negative association between flood mortality severity and agricultural TFP change. These findings suggest that agricultural productivity performance under climate-related disturbances is shaped not only by exposure to flood shocks but also by policy-relevant capacities embedded in public service provision and structural conditions. A notable finding is that the marginal association becomes positive and statistically significant at high observed levels of health expenditure per capita and energy use per capita, whereas the corresponding estimates for drinking-water services and medium- and high-technology manufacturing remain statistically indistinguishable from zero. Full article

This research examines the structural evolution of environmental assessment in Spain over a 35-year period (1991–2025), serving as a longitudinal case study for the transition of mid-sized developed economies from industrial-age infrastructure to a decarbonized energy model. The study introduces a novel approach by utilizing Environmental Assessment records to evaluate national strategic directions and quantify developmental intent via administrative proxies. The analysis utilizes a comparative quantitative study of Strategic Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments of national and supranational projects. Administrative trends were contextualized within major socio-economic and geopolitical events, including global financial crises, public health emergencies, and energy security developments, to identify potential external influences. The data reveals a paradigm shift. While the period 1991–2010 was dominated by grey infrastructure (transport and civil engineering), the post-2018 era shows an unprecedented increase in renewable energy dossiers. Between 2021 and 2025, energy projects dominated the regulatory workload, accounting for 73.86% of total processed dossiers, and reaching a single-year peak of 84.56% in 2022. National and international legal, economic, and social events, such as European Green Deal mandates and the NextGenerationEU recovery funds, have an apparent alignment with a country’s development strategy. We highlight the challenges and risks of such an exponential change in the energy model. For mid-sized developed economies, these findings suggest that Environmental Assessment data is an essential tool for navigating the complexities of rapid decarbonization and identifying systemic gaps in strategic planning. Full article

Soil salinity is a major environmental constraint that threatens global food security by significantly inhibiting seed germination and early seedling establishment. Salinity disrupts all three phases of seed germination: Phase I (imbibition), where reduced water absorption capacity reduces seed hydration and delays metabolic reactivation; Phase II (lag phase), where ionic toxicity and oxidative stress impair enzyme activity, reserve mobilization, and cellular metabolism; and Phase III (radicle protrusion), where limited cell division and length prevent radicle emergence and seedling establishment. These disturbances reduce germination percentage, germination rate, germination index, germination energy, and plant vigor, while increasing average germination time. At the morpho-physiological level, salinity impairs water absorption, membrane stability, photosynthetic pigment accumulation, and root–shoot development. Biochemically, excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA) causes cellular damage and metabolic dysfunction. At the molecular level, salinity alters the expression of the aquaporin gene family (PIPs, TIPs, NIPs, and SIPs), suppresses starch mobilization by reducing α-amylase, enhances abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, and inhibits gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthesis, all of which cause inhibition of germination and early growth. As a result, an effective strategy is needed to improve seed germination under saline conditions. Therefore, the second focus of this review is to critically evaluate the potential of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanobiochar (NBC) as emerging tools to mitigate salinity stress during seed germination. Current evidence suggests that NPs and NBC enhance water absorption, maintain membrane strength, improve nutrient availability, promote antioxidant defense systems, and regulate osmotic adjustment in saline environments. Furthermore, these nanomaterials alter key molecular pathways involved in aquaporin expression, hormonal homeostasis, and reserve mobilization, thereby promoting successful germination and seedling establishment. By combining recent advances in physiological, biochemical, and molecular research, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of salinity-induced germination disruption and highlights the potential of NP- and NBC-based approaches to improve crop establishment under saline conditions. Full article

This article presents an Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (AI–IoT/AIoT) decision-making framework for smart water management and sustainable aquaponic systems. The framework connects sensors, IoT telemetry, machine learning algorithms, and real-time monitoring of key water quality parameters, with the aim of early detection of deviations, operational decision support, and risk reduction in system management. A special contribution of the paper is that water is viewed simultaneously as a limiting resource, a biological factor and an operational cost. The proposed framework defines the structure of a decision support system, including monitoring of temperature, pH value, dissolved oxygen, ammonia/ammonium, EC/TDS value, water flow, feeding regime, and basic biological indicators. In the methodological sense, the paper presents a conceptual-methodological framework based on publicly available data, scenario estimates, and a clearly defined protocol for future pilot validation of high-frequency operational data. In addition to the technical architecture, the framework includes elements of responsible application of AIoT systems: data quality control, sensor deviation and drift detection, model explainability through XAI/SHAP, data transfer security, and the possibility of human confirmation before risky interventions. The economic part of the paper shows ROI/NPV as a scenario estimate, based on explicit assumptions about costs, resource consumption and possible operational savings, and not as a confirmed financial result. The framework is aligned with the principles of the circular bioeconomy, as it links the monitoring of water quality, the reduction in nutrient losses, the reuse of resources, and better planning of interventions in aquaculture and aquaponics. The results indicate the potential of AIoT approaches to improve monitoring, transparency and operational decision-making, while the actual effects on productivity, water consumption, food consumption, energy, and economic sustainability must be confirmed in a pilot phase. Full article

Aquaculture has rapidly expanded, surpassing capture fisheries and playing a vital role in global food security. However, this growth raises environmental concerns, especially regarding nitrogen waste accumulation in recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs). Nitrogen compounds from uneaten feed and fish excreta, mainly ammonia (NH₃) and nitrite (NO₂⁻), lead to water pollution, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. This study describes the setup and the efficiency of a new photo-electrocatalytic (PEC) system in reducing nitrogen waste in a high-density RAS for rainbow trout (30 kg/m³). The PEC system, an evolution of a pure photocatalytic system, was integrated in the units of the RAS and tested for the first time in field conditions, combining photocatalysis and electrochemical oxidation to convert toxic nitrogen species (NH₃) into less harmful nitrogen forms (NO₃⁻ and N₂), aiming to mitigate both water and atmospheric pollution. Over a 4-week period, water nitrogen compounds, ammonia and greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane) emitted by water were continuously monitored in two groups of three tanks (PEC vs. control). Each tank was equipped as an independent RAS unit. PEC treatment led to significantly lower NH₃ concentrations (0.96 ± 0.2 mg/L vs. 1.78 ± 0.2 mg/L, p < 0.01), lower NO₂⁻ levels and higher NO₃⁻ levels (61.77 ± 2.14 mg/L vs. 53.10 ± 2.14 mg/L, p < 0.01) in water, indicating efficient nitrogen oxidation. Gaseous emissions were also reduced: NH₃ (1.49 vs. 2.64 mg/m²/day, p < 0.05) and N₂O (1.44 vs. 2.88 mg/m²/day, p < 0.05). These results support PEC technology as a promising solution for improving nitrogen management in intensive aquaculture. Although challenges remain in optimizing energy use and scalability, PEC offers a valuable strategy for reducing environmental impact while sustaining productivity in the aquaculture industry. Full article

This article develops a systems-thinking framework to analyze and govern interconnections among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Contemporary policy challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, water and energy security, inequality, urbanization, and conflict, are treated as complex systems characterized by feedback loops, delays, cross-sector dependencies, and unintended consequences. Drawing on a structured literature review, qualitative case analysis, and framework synthesis, the article translates core systems concepts into an operational workflow for coherent policy decision-making. The framework combines causal-loop analysis, leverage-point identification, cross-sector coordination, adaptive monitoring, and iterative learning. Two illustrative policy arenas, Zero Hunger and Climate Action, demonstrate how a systems lens can reveal reinforcing and balancing feedback loops, clarify synergies and trade-offs among SDGs, and support more coherent interventions. The article contributes to systems research by connecting conceptual tools from systems thinking with practical governance mechanisms for SDG implementation. It also identifies institutional, methodological, political economy, and financing barriers that limit adoption and proposes strategies for embedding systems analysis into policy design, budgeting, evaluation, and adaptive governance. Full article

This integrative critical review examines how biomass and bioenergy can contribute to energy diversification while accounting for constraints related to climate mitigation, energy security, resource availability, and technology readiness. The review combines a targeted literature synthesis with expert-informed insights from the international seminar Energy Transition and Biofuels held at the Federal University of Itajubá in October 2025. The seminar and COP30-related discussions were used as contextual and conceptual inputs, while peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and technical reports provided the evidentiary basis for the analysis. The manuscript evaluates biomass and biofuels utilization, refinery integration, sustainable aviation fuels, biochar, BECCS, hydrogen synergies, life-cycle assessment, artificial intelligence, and logistics. The synthesis indicates that biomass is not a universal substitute for fossil fuels. Still, it has distinctive value in applications requiring renewable carbon, dispatchable energy, process heat, liquid fuels, carbon removal, and compatibility with existing infrastructure. The analysis also shows that these contributions are contingent on feedstock governance, land and water safeguards, logistics, fertilizer inputs, technology maturity, and verified life-cycle performance. The food–fuel discussion is therefore reframed as a context-specific problem of land-use, access, productivity, and governance rather than a simple competition between energy and food production. The study concludes that bioenergy can most credibly support the energy transition when deployed through differentiated pathways tailored to regional resources, sustainability constraints, and sector-specific decarbonization requirements. Full article

As the largest inter-basin water diversion project in eastern China, the Eastern Route of China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project (ER-SNWDP) plays a crucial role in alleviating water shortages and ensuring regional ecological security. However, large-scale water diversion that uses natural lakes as impounded lakes across different basins has impacted on the structure and function of the original ecosystems. To explore the changes in the food web and ecosystem structure of the impounded lakes during different operation periods of the ER-SNWDP, we constructed Ecopath models for Hongze Lake in 2010–2011 (pre-operation), 2017–2018 (initial operation), and 2023–2024 (operational period). Our results showed that the trophic energy flow in Hongze Lake was dominated by the detrital food chain, with the highest trophic level ranging from 3.06 to 3.50. Energy flows at trophic levels I and II accounted for a high proportion of the total throughput, and the interactions between trophic levels were relatively simple, indicating that Hongze Lake is approaching a mature ecosystem. Compared with the pre-operation period, the average trophic level, food chain length, and energy conversion efficiency of Hongze Lake declined during the initial operation period, but rebounded during the operational period, though still remaining lower than the pre-operation period. Ecosystem stability followed a similar trajectory: the total primary production/total respiration (TPP/TR) and the system omnivory index (SOI) indicated that ecosystem maturity decreased during the initial operation and increased during the operational period. Fishing activities had negative effects on most functional groups during the pre-operation and initial operation periods, whereas the negative effects from zooplankton and non-native species groups increased during the operational period. Based on changes in the food web structure and ecosystem of Hongze Lake across different water diversion periods, we suggest that the management of Hongze Lake should establish precautionary fishing management measures targeting the effects of filter-feeding functional groups and non-native species, optimize the species and quantities of restocking initiatives, prioritize the protection of critical habitat integrity, and implement long-term ecological monitoring. Full article

Recirculating organic byproducts like food waste, wastewater and manure efficiently and at scale in a circular bioeconomy will be critical to ensuring future food security, energy security, climate resilience, water security and environmental health. Ultimately, we will not be able to live within the safe operating space of our planetary boundaries if we do not stop our wasteful and inefficient habits. Our food, waste, energy and water sectors are starting to transform towards circularity, driven by a diverse range of drivers, from net zero emissions targets, to food waste policies, and to rising fertiliser prices and geopolitical risks. However, these sectors are often not transforming in a coordinated manner, risking unintended consequences like competition between end-uses, technology lock-in, the prevention of scalability, or failure to achieve key sustainability targets, causing rebound effects. For example, society’s organic waste is being earmarked for the production of bioenergy, sustainable aviation fuels, biomaterials, and biofertilisers; however, it is not clear if there will be a sufficient supply of organic waste to meet these diverse demands. Phosphorus flow analyses indicate that we will need to secure almost all of the nutrients in organic waste as fertiliser raw material to produce food. There are some existing pockets of innovation within sectors related to food waste, water and wastewater, fertilisers and agriculture, and bioenergy. However, many initiatives are being driven by short-term challenges, are not operating at scale, or are not sufficiently integrated across sectors. In this paper, we provide examples of innovations and challenges from around the world, including Italy, Australia, Sri Lanka, the UK, Japan, and Malawi. This paper identifies a pathway to navigate tensions to achieve co-existing sustainability goals, including key enablers and barriers, ranging from overcoming regulatory fragmentation to a lack of capital investments. Creating a truly viable circular economy for organic byproducts requires the integration of policies, markets, technologies and people. This means engaging diverse stakeholders, from local councils and private waste contractors, farmers, and fertiliser companies to energy retailers and wastewater utilities, NGOs, informal collectors, and environmental regulators and policy-makers. Full article

The roles of proline in stress tolerance, energy metabolism, immune function, and ecology across organisms suggest a broader relevance in orchard agroecosystems than is often recognized. In fruit trees, stress-induced proline accumulation reflects a complex regulatory network, while evidence also indicates that inter-organ transport contributes to protective responses under abiotic stress. In insects, proline functions as an oxidative substrate priming the rest-to-flight metabolic transition in pollinators and pests, a cryoprotective osmolyte and a structural element of conserved classes of antimicrobial peptides against microbial threats. These roles create paradoxical orchard-scale feedbacks while a stress-protective molecule both intensifies herbivore pressure and enhances pollination and biocontrol services. The orchard environment represents a meeting point of plant, environmental, animal and human health, reflecting the integrative logic of the One Health framework, where proline emerges as a highly water-soluble and bioactive compound. The functional homology between insect and human proline catabolism emerges governance-critical issues across tree physiology, insect immunity and human dietary exposure. The targeted application offers a unifying framework for farmers, scientists and policymakers to advance Sustainable Development Goal commitments across food security, human health, climate resilience and biodiversity. We conclude that proline supplementation in orchards requires regulatory monitoring across ecophysiological and pharmaceutical dimensions. Full article

In the face of intensifying climate change, agricultural water security in semi-arid zones has emerged as a critical frontier for water governance. This study provides a systematic and critical analysis of the scientific literature to map current research frontiers and structural gaps. The methodology integrated the PRISMA 2020 protocol and a modified Methodi Ordinatio, spanning a search period from 2014 to 2026 across the Science Direct and SciELO databases. From an initial broad screening, 136 high-impact articles were selected based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings reveal a significant fragmentation of knowledge, characterized by a high prevalence of small-scale studies (25 articles) and limited interdisciplinarity. Notably, a governance-centric approach is present in only 20% of the literature, while the Water–Energy–Food Nexus appears in just 6%, signaling a major disconnect in holistic management. Based on these results, this study identifies water governance and socioeconomic integration as the most pressing research gaps. Consequently, an integrated conceptual framework is proposed, built upon three pillars: Governance, Technology, and Environment (GET). This study concludes that advancing the frontiers of agricultural water security requires moving beyond isolated solutions toward a structured, systemic, and interdisciplinary integration. Full article

Biogas production through anaerobic digestion is increasingly recognised as a strategic renewable energy pathway capable of addressing South Africa’s energy insecurity, organic waste management challenges, and climate mitigation goals. However, the water-intensive nature of anaerobic digestion raises critical sustainability concerns in water-scarce regions. This systematic review critically examines the water footprint of biogas-based bioenergy systems, with a specific focus on South Africa’s water-stressed context, to understand how water availability, feedstock selection, digester configuration, and governance frameworks influence system viability and scalability. This study adopts a systematic literature review (SLR) approach guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology; peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2025 was retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science and synthesised through descriptive analysis and qualitative meta-synthesis. The review integrates blue, green, and greywater footprint concepts to assess water use across diverse biogas pathways, including livestock manure, agricultural residues, food waste, wastewater sludge, and aquatic biomass. Findings indicate that wet digestion systems, dominant in South Africa, are highly sensitive to freshwater availability, particularly where slurry dilution relies on blue water. In contrast, wastewater-integrated, semi-wet, and co-digestion systems substantially reduce freshwater demand while enhancing methane yields and process stability. The reuse of greywater, industrial effluents, and digestate emerges as a key strategy for lowering water footprints and strengthening circular water–energy linkages. Despite strong technical potential, the adoption of water-efficient anaerobic digestion systems remains constrained by fragmented governance, infrastructure deficits, and limited empirical data on dry and low-water digestion technologies. The review concludes that embedding water footprint considerations into bioenergy planning, policy, and system design is essential for the sustainable expansion of biogas in South Africa. Integrated water–energy–waste governance, coupled with targeted technological innovation, is critical to ensuring that biogas development enhances both energy security and water sustainability in water-scarce regions. Full article

Agricultural irrigation is a critical component of global food security, accounting for a substantial share of both water use and energy demand while strongly influencing production costs and market stability under volatile energy conditions. This study evaluates grid-connected and off-grid solar water pumping systems for sugar beet irrigation using real case-study data from Konya, Türkiye. Unlike conventional approaches, this work incorporates irrigation method (sprinkler vs. drip) as a core variable, linking agronomic decisions to energy demand and system sizing. The analysis is based on high-resolution real-world data, including measured hourly solar generation, crop-specific irrigation schedules, and field-based water demand. Two hydraulic conditions were evaluated: low-head (LH-45 m) and high-head (HH-80 m). The results show that grid-connected PV systems provide the most economically viable solution across conditions. While small-scale systems remain marginally unprofitable, economic viability is achieved beyond moderate farm sizes, with payback periods decreasing to 7–8 years. Although higher groundwater depth increases energy demand, it also enhances economic performance through greater energy utilization and cost savings. In contrast, off-grid PV systems with battery storage remain economically unfeasible due to high capital costs. Overall, the findings highlight that irrigation strategy, hydraulic conditions, and system scale are key determinants of solar irrigation performance. Full article

The livestock sector underpins food security, employment, and rural livelihoods across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), contributing up to 50% of agricultural GDP and supporting more than 60% of rural households. Yet climate change poses escalating threats through heat stress, declining pasture productivity, water scarcity, and vector-borne diseases that compromise productivity and economic resilience. This review identifies and locates effective climate change mitigation strategies along the livestock value chain, spanning production, processing, transport, and consumption, to promote sustainable, low-emission, and inclusive growth in the SADC region. A broad review of 46 peer-reviewed and institutional sources (2000–2024) was undertaken, focusing on livestock-related mitigation within SADC and comparable agro-ecological systems. Strategies were thematically categorized by value-chain stage and assessed for their emission-reduction and livelihood-enhancement potential. Local strategies include genetic improvement for low-methane and heat-tolerant breeds, adaptive rangeland and feed management, renewable-energy adoption in processing, climate-resilient transport infrastructure, and consumer awareness of low-emission products. Evidence suggests potential GHG-emission reductions of 18–30%, coupled with productivity gains and improved smallholder incomes. Coordinated implementation through the SADC Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (2021–2030) and national policies can transform the livestock sector into a climate-resilient driver of inclusive growth. Further research should quantify the socioeconomic feasibility and scaling potential of these strategies across production systems. Successful integration of climate change mitigation imperatives must be tailored to local biophysical conditions (e.g., rainfall, soil type) and socioeconomic contexts (e.g., market access, cultural practices). Full article

Across Africa, drought seldom occurs alone. Rainfall deficits often coincide with heat, rapid soil moisture loss and reduced streamflow, producing compound events whose impacts exceed those of any single driver. This review synthesises station observations, satellite and reanalysis products, and climate model simulations to clarify where such events are most common, how they form, how they affect societies and ecosystems, and how risks are changing. A practical tiered definition tailored to African conditions is outlined and applied to identify five recurrent hotspots: the Sahel, the Greater Horn of Africa, southern Africa, the margins of the Congo Basin and the Guinea Coast. The review sets out a physically consistent sequence that links basin-scale sea surface temperature anomalies to shifts in monsoon circulation, and then to land processes that amplify and prolong heat and dryness through reduced evapotranspiration and soil-moisture memory. Documented impacts include lower crop and pasture productivity, pressure on rivers, reservoirs and groundwater, stress on hydropower and wider consequences for food and energy security. Compound drought frequency across these hotspots has risen by 18–55% since 1980, with the probability of the most severe events roughly doubling at 1.5 °C of global warming and tripling at 3 °C. The review highlights near-term priorities, including compound-aware monitoring, sub-seasonal-to-seasonal early warning and conjunctive water management. Full article