Yield of Agricultural Eco-economic System in Dongting Rim

To analyze the efficiency of the agro-ecosystem of Dongting Rim in Hunan Province,this paper adopted the emergy theory to study the agricultural output of this region during 2001 to 2010.The results showed that the value of regional agricultural emergy output increased by44.68%to(6.50 E)sej,but lower than the growth of non-agricultural industry output.Compared with 2001,the emergy output of planting industry was(4.10E)sej in 2010 which occupied 63.09%of the total agricultural emergy output and got an increase of 2.93 percentage points,while the emergy output of stock farming got a decrease of 2.87 percentage points.The growth of fishery emergy output was not in conformity with the characteristics of Dongting Rim in Hunan.From the contrast between emergy output and economic output,we could find that the economic return ratio of planting industry and fishery industry were lower than those of forestry industry and stock farming industry,which indicated that it is necessary to improve the economic benefits of planting industry and fishery industry which were the traditional industries with advantages of the Dongting Rim in Hunan.

Research Review on Agricultural Heritage Systems and Its Tourism Development

Concept of agricultural heritage systems was introduced. As a new heritage type, agricultural heritage systems focus on agricultural systems and its related biodiversity, landscape, land use system, traditional agricultural knowledge and experience, practices, and also the relative cultural diversity which make it the best expression of "agricultural heritage systems are not about the past, it is about the future". Studies about agricultural systems are mainly concentrating on pilot systems, about biodiversity conservation, eco-mechanism and ecological values of the systems, traditional knowledge conservation, community involvement, policies and regulations about the dynamic conservation and adaptive management, and also ways of dynamic conservation and exploration. Being considered as a dynamic approach of protecting agricultural heritage systems, agricultural heritage tourism was compared with rural tourism, agricultural tourism and "farm-stay". Agricultural heritage tourism is actually a type of heritage tourism, and one of its important functions is to build cultural identity of the heritage site and enhance awareness of the local community to conserve their assets. And the studies show that agricultural heritage systems as a kind of tourist resources have great development potentials.

Economic Analysis Study of Agricultural and Solar Complementary System

Agro-photovoltaic complementary system(APCS)is an innovative land use model combining agricultural production with photovoltaic power generation,aiming to realize dual land use and improve land use efficiency and economic benefits by installing photovoltaic panels on farmland.With the growth of global energy demand and the intensification of climate change,agro-photovoltaic(APV)systems have received widespread attention as a sustainable energy solution.Studies have shown that agro-photovoltaic systems exhibit significant economic benefits in different regions and crop types.Through reasonable system design and optimization,the agricultural and photovoltaic complementary system is not only technically feasible,but also has significant economic advantages,which provides a strong support for achieving the goal of sustainable development.

How Could Agricultural Land Systems Contribute to Raise Food Production Under Global Change?

To feed the increasing world population, more food needs to be produced from agricultural land systems. Solutions to produce more food with fewer resources while minimizing adverse environmental and ecological consequences require sustainable agricultural land use practices as supplementary to advanced biotechnology and agronomy. This review paper, from a land system perspective, systematically proposed and analyzed three interactive strategies that could possibly raise future food production under global change. By reviewing the current literatures, we suggest that cropland expansion is less possible amid iferce land competition, and it is likely to do less in increasing food production. Moreover, properly allocating crops in space and time is a practical way to ensure food production. Climate change, dietary shifts, and other socio-economic drivers, which would shape the demand and supply side of food systems, should be taken into consideration during the decision-making on rational land management in respect of sustainable crop choice and allocation. And ifnally, crop-speciifc agricultural intensiifcation would play a bigger role in raising future food production either by increasing the yield per unit area of individual crops or by increasing the number of crops sown on a particular area of land. Yet, only when it is done sustainably is this a much more effective strategy to maximize food production by closing yield and harvest gaps.

Shifts in Carbon Stocks through Soil Profiles Following Management Change in Intensive Agricultural Systems

Soil carbon content is an important ecosystem property, especially under the ongoing climate change. The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) is controlled by environmental and biological factors including anthropogenic-induced agricultural management change. However, understanding the effects of anthropogenic activities (e.g., intensive agricultural practices) on carbon stability of soil profiles remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in carbon stocks through soil profiles following agricultural management change from grain fields to greenhouse vegetable fields. The sampling sites were located in an intensive vegetable production area in northernChina. A total of 20 pairs of grain fields (GF) and adjacent vegetable fields (VF) within a distance of50 mwere selected. The results showed that soil organic carbon (SOC) storage increased by 10.6 mg C ha-1 in upper soil layers but decreased by 5.3 mg C hm2 indeeper soil layers due to large input of organic manure and chemical fertilizer following the conversion from GF to VF. Conversion to VF also led to increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations. Extremely higher input of chemical N fertilizer in the VF led to the soil C:N ratio decreased by 2.02 times and the -N leached to deeper soils increased by 3.7 times compared to that in the GF. The pH value and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content were lower in the VF than in the GF. These results indicate that excessive nitrogen application as fertilizers might lead to deeper soil carbon depletion. Reducing nitrogen addition in intensive agricultural systems is thus necessary to reduce soil carbon loss and to maintain a relatively sustainable soil system.

Variations of Farming Systems and Their Impacts on Surface Water Environment in Past 60 Years in Intensive Agricultural Area of Taihu Region, China

Based on agricultural nitrogen (N) balance model and field experiments, the impacts of farming system changes of Taihu Region of China on surface water environment were studied. During past 60 years, farming systems changed greatly in Taihu Region. The traditional method of manure collection and application was replaced by chemical fertilizer utilization gradually. Chemical N fertilization intensity decreased greatly due to the abolition of “3 crops per year” and reduction of cropland area in 1990-2010. Crops depleting soil fertility increased, while those improving soil fertility decreased, leading to an excessive dependence on chemical fertilizer application, which increased the risks of soil N loss to surface water environment in Taihu region. However, field experiments showed that the agricultural N loss with runoff only accounted for 2% of fertilizer N application rate. The majority of N was exported by crop harvesting. Our findings showed that the agricultural N loss might not be the main source of N pollution in Lake Tai after 2000. To control N pollution of Lake Tai, more attention should be paid to industrial and domestic wastewater from urban and rural areas, wastes from livestock and poultry breeding, bait input for aquaculture, etc in the Taihu Region, China.

Agricultural Heritage Systems Tourism： definition,characteristics and development framework

Architectural heritage comprises one o the most important elements of mountain settlements in Greece. It holds high cultural value, represents the tangible continuation of the past and forms the unique character and identity of each mountain region. Yet, controversy regarding funding for its preservation often arises. In this paper, we used two Contingent Valuation surveys to estimate the socia benefit deriving from protecting the traditiona architecture in the mountainous village of Sirako and through it, to examine perceptions and attitudes o local residents and visitors. Research findings revealed a strong social will in favor of the good＇s protection followed by high percentages of positive willingness to pay（WTP）. However, WTP is significantly higher among residents. Cultura heritage value, of the good, appears to prevail, along with the environmental one. However, both residents and visitors pointed out that local heritage, if wellpreserved, will boost tourism development. Residents appeared to better recognize the true level o architectural decay, expressed higher apprehension for its protection and were willing to pay higher amount of money. Tourists, on the other side expressed high satisfaction for their visit, appreciated the beauty and serenity emerging from local built and natural environment and spent several days visiting the surrounding area. The longer they stayed and gotfamiliar with the village, the more willing they were to contribute to local heritage＇s protection. Percentages reflecting indifference for protecting architecture were extremely low. Yet, they were higher among tourists. Traditional architecture is considered as public good; an opinion resulting in an important percentage of visitors stating that national government should provide the necessary funding. In addition, the architecture appears to hold a high level of topicality. Those descending from Sirako or emotionally connected to it, of both social groups,turned out to be more concerned about the good and with a stronger sense of responsibility for it. Usevalue of the good holds high economic value, as well,while higher percentages of zero WTP appeared among non-users. Research findings revealed social attitudes and perceptions on what constitutes architectural heritage, in its cultural and economic frame. If taken under consideration, they may form useful drivers for local, heritage-based, sustainable

Characterization and Classification of Agricultural Production Systems in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

The low level of agricultural productivity within the production systems in the insular region of Galapagos is caused by the lack of sustainable technologies accordingly to the insular conservation regime. As a consequence, producers face low productivity and economic losses, which result in low levels of incomes and hasten the change from agricultural to tourist activities. With consequent abandonment of productive lands, the presence of invasive species and pathogens has become a growing threat to the biodiversity of the Galapagos National Park. For this reason, it is necessary to generate and disseminate technologies adapted to the prevalent production systems in the islands. Primary data were collected through face-to-face surveys in a sample of 208 producers from 4 islands during the period from July to November 2018. Multivariate analyses (principal components and cluster) were applied to characterize and classify typical agricultural production systems. The results show three types of systems, differentiated mainly by the technology used in the management of agricultural production, that influence the yields of crops and of animal products such as beef and milk, which cannot satisfy the demand for food on the islands, which has created the dependence on imports to cover the production gap. The definition of the types of agricultural production systems can help in identifying sustainable production alternatives that integrate local social and environmental needs. This is one of the very few technical descriptions of farms on the islands and should be used by policymakers to plan interventions.

Possible Trajectories of Agricultural Cropping Systems in China from 2011 to 2050

Predicting the possible impacts of future climate change on cropping systems can provide important theoretical support for reforming cropping system and adjusting the distribution of agricultural production in the future. The study was based on the daily data of future B2 climate scenario (2011-2050) and baseline climate condition (1961-1990) from high resolution regional climate model PRECIS (~50 km grid interval). According to climatic divisions of cropping systems in China, the active accumulated temperature stably passing the daily average temperature of 0°C, the extreme minimum temperature and the termination date passing the daily average temperature of 20°C which were justified by dominance as a limitation of different cropping systems in zero-grade zone were investigated. In addition, the possible trajectories of different cropping systems in China from 2011 to 2050 were also analyzed and assessed. Under the projected future B2 climate scenario, from 2011 to 2050, the northern boundaries of double cropping area and triple cropping area would move northward markedly. The most of the present double cropping area would be replaced by the different triple cropping patterns, while current double cropping area would shift towards areas presently dominated by single cropping systems. Thus the shift of multiple cropping areas would lead to a significant decrease of single cropping area. Compared with China’s land area, the percentage cover of single cropping area and double cropping area would decrease slowly, while percentage cover of triple cropping area would gradually increase.

Harmony Coefficient and Regional Agricultural Systems

The regional agricultural system （RAS） can be divided into three subsystems： ecological, economic, and social. This article examines the use of the harmony coefficient （HC）, efficacy coefficient, rank of the harmony coefficient （RHC）, and its appraising index system within the RAS. The harmony coefficient function was developed using a variance coefficient and then applied to Ziyang District, Yiyang City in Hunan Province （ZYH）, China, as a test case. From 1995 to 2002, the HC of RAS increased from 0.2982 to 0.4826 and the RHC increased from 3 to 5, although the HC trend was an ＂n＂ type in general. This suggests that the HC was weakly maladjusted and the RAS was not harmonious. The HC of the ecological subsystem decreased from 0.3898 to 0.2850, and its RHC from 4 to 3, with the HC trend following the ＂n＂ type. For the economic subsystem, the HC value increased from 0.5767 to 0.7458 and the RHC from 6 to 8. However, the trend in HC for the economic subsystem was of the ＂U＂ type. The HC of the social subsystem increased slightly from 0.4948 to 0.4663, and the RHC did not change in value. From the HC trends, the HC curve of the economic subsystem is above the HC curve of ZYH and the HC curve of the ecological subsystem is below the HC curve of ZHY. Hence, the ZHY environment has been destroyed by economic development. Environment and social building should be regarded as important issues in the future and promoting RAS harmony development should be considered. The results of the theoretical analysis match fairly closely with reality, and suggest that the harmony theory is feasible in appraising RAS development phases.

Application of Principles of Integrated Agricultural Systems： Results from Farmer Panels

The Integrated Agricultural Systems workgroup is examining agricultural systems of the US to determine fundamental principles that underlie successful production systems. Our hypothesis is that principles are applicable across regions, but key drivers interact to influence producer decisions and create distinct production systems. We interviewed agricultural producers to examine the underlying rationale for producer decisions and discern primary factors influencing production and marketing practices. While drivers are common among regions, interactions between drivers and influences on decision-makers vary substantially to create unique production systems. The internal social driver that values farming lifestyle is the principal factor that leads people to farming. The type of farming is partly a lifestyle choice and is influenced by other factors. Economic drivers and marketing options are primary drivers influencing production systems and management choices, as farmers provide an economic foundation for their families. While all producers employed strategies to manage production and marketing risks, these varied with different marketing channels. Identification of key drivers and principles can be used by producers, scientists and policy makers to direct agricultural production and agricultural research. New management systems can be developed that are flexible enough to respond to changing societal demands, and are environmentally and economically sustainable.

Drivers of Change, Threats and Barriers to the Conservation of Biodiversity in Traditional Agricultural Systems

People and nature are working in tandem to reduce the integrity of traditional agricultural systems. The paper highlighted the drivers of change acting on traditional agricultural landscapes including the threats and barriers hindering biodiversity conservation. The drivers of change are： modem agriculture, tourism, education and outmigration and climate change. The threats are encroachment and land-use change, pollution, replacement of traditional varieties and erosion of indigenous knowledge systems and practices. The barriers to biodiversity conservation include the incapacity of farmers to respond to pressures affecting their traditional farming systems, absence of methodologies for integrating traditional and modem knowledge in biodiversity conservation and the multi-functionality of traditional agriculture not fully captured by the market. The conservation framework to guide stakeholders for in-situ management of biodiversity includes niche market development, revenue generation and cultural restoration. The study made use of data collected during the series of workshops conducted in 2005-2007 covering the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippines. Secondary data from other traditional agricultural systems were integrated to enrich the discussion and write-up of this paper.

The Stony Soils Reclamation Systems in Agricultural Lands: A Review

The agricultural soil is a highly variable and complex active medium for the plant’s life. Due to prolonged formation processes, it must be considered as a non-renewable resource, easily subject to many degradative processes, in most cases due to human activities. These activities lead to the definition of “anthropic” soils, often labelled also as “disturbed”, “manipulated”, “artificial”, or “deviations” of the natural soil continuum. In the agronomic sense, however, when these deviations result from the optimization of structural characteristics of fine earth fractions, they may represent the main quality parameters of soil in terms of physical, chemical, and biological fertility. Nevertheless, over the fine earth fractions, many agricultural soils have a variable percentage of varying coarse fractions in their arable layer, interfering with cultivation needs, damaging the machinery, and requiring extra energy and time for soil tillage. They may even make the use of machinery impracticable. When these conditions occur, it becomes necessary to proceed with soil destoning to recover arable land and optimize the cultural management according to modern farming techniques and machines for soil cultivation. The research aimed at evaluating the different possibilities of reclamation of stony soils and the machines that can be used in different environmental conditions, according to the various cultivation needs, and for the recovery and optimization of the non-renewable resource “soil”. This review briefly summarizes the soil destoning techniques currently available for agricultural lands: 1) the collection and removal of stones from the field;2) the on-site stones crushing;3) the stone burial.

Agricultural Heritage System应是“农业遗产系统”而不是“农业文化遗产”

联合国粮农组织(UNFAO)的“Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System”(全球重要农业遗产系统,简称GIAHS)项目的核心是“Agricultural Heritage System”(农业遗产系统)。中国政府主管部门与主要学术支持机构却将它译为“农业文化遗产”。这一错译的错误有三:(1)“Agricultural Heritage System”从字面上不可能译为“农业文化遗产”;(2)由世界遗产委员会的文化遗产顾问机构“国际古迹遗产保护理事会”等制定的文化遗产类型中,只有“农业遗产”而无“农业文化遗产”;(3)最重要的是,将“农业遗产系统”改为“农业文化遗产”完全抹杀了GIAHS的特点与特殊保护意义。

Development and Application of the Edition System of Agricultural Meteorology Short Message in Liaoning Province

In order to meet the needs of Agricultural Meteorology business and research,an edition system of agricultural meteorology short message was established based on the Microsoft Access 2000 database and visualization developing software Visual Basic 6.0 in Liaoning Province.The basic principles of agro-meteorological text editing and system optimization ideas were pointed out.The meteorological conditions of the main crops growth needed in material library were introduced.

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Rainfed Farming Systems: A Modeling Framework for Scaling-Out Climate Smart Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Improving agricultural water productivity, under rainfed or irrigated conditions, holds significant scope for addressing climate change vulnerability. It also offers adaptation capacity needs as well as water and food security in the southern African region. In this study, evidence for climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in rainfed agricultural systems is explored through modeling predictions of crop yield, soil moisture and excess water for potential harvesting. The study specifically presents the results of climate change impacts under rainfed conditions for maize, sorghum and sunflower using soil-water-crop model simulations, integrated based on daily inputs of rainfall and evapotranspiration disaggregated from GCM scenarios. The research targets a vast farming region dominated by heavy clay soils where rainfed agriculture is a dominant practice. The potential for improving soil water productivity and improved water harvesting have been explored as ways of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. This can be utilized to explore and design appropriate conservation agriculture and adaptation practices in similar agro-ecological environments, and create opportunities for outscaling for much wider areas. The results of this study can suggest the need for possible policy refinements towards reducing vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in rainfed farming systems.

Impact of systems modelling on agronomic research and adoption of new practices in smallholder agriculture

An analysis of the impact of simulation modelling in three diverse crop-livestock improvement projects in Agricultural Research for Development（AR4D） reveals benefits across a range of aspects including identification of objectives, design and implementation of experimental programs, effectiveness of participatory research with smallholder farmers, implementation of system change and scaling-out of results.In planning change, farmers must consider complex interactions within both biophysical and socioeconomic aspects of their crop and animal production activities.For this, whole-farm models that include household models of food, workload and financial requirements have the most utility and impact.The analysis also proposes improvements in design and implementation of AR4 D projects to improve the utility of simulation modelling for securing positive agronomic and livestock outcomes and lasting legacies.

Impact of rainfed and irrigated agriculture systems on soil carbon stock under different climate scenarios in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Understanding the dynamics of soil organic carbon(SOC) is of fundamental importance in land use and management, whether in the current researches or in future scenarios of agriculture systems considering climate change. In order to evaluate SOC stock of the three districts(Delmiro Gouveia, Pariconha, and Inhapi districts) in the semi-arid region of Brazil in rainfed and irrigated agriculture systems under different climate scenarios using the Century model, we obtained RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios derived from the Eta Regional Climate Model(Eta-Had GEM2-ES and Eta-MIROC5) from the National Institute for Space Research, and then input the data of bulk density, p H, soil texture, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and rainfall into the soil and climate files of the Century model. The results of this study showed that the Eta-Had GEM2-ES model was effective in estimating air temperature in the future period. In rainfed agriculture system, SOC stock under the baseline scenario was lower than that under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, while in irrigated agriculture system, SOC stock in the almost all climate scenarios(RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and models(Eta-Had GEM2-ES and Eta-MIROC5) will increase by 2100. The results of this study will help producers in the semi-arid region of Brazil adopt specific agriculture systems aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Urbanization and Its Impacts to Food Systems and Environmental Sustainability in Urban Space: Evidence from Urban Agriculture Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Urbanisation is the key factor underpinning and catalysing changes in food systems, environmental quality, climate change and agriculture livelihoods in the overall urban ecosystem setting and its sustainability. The paper explores Dar es Salaam, a rapidly expanding city in Sub-Saharan Africa, and shows that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services and climate change and variability found eminent feature that influence land governance, productivity and aesthetic value of the city. The study reaffirms the pivotal role urban agriculture which plays to enhance community health services and access to resources, with important implications on urban environmental sustainability and redistributive spatial land use planning policies and practices. The process of urbanisation, forms of urban agriculture and government strategies for enhanced urban food systems in the city economy have been highlighted. Equally, the process triggers the transformation of settlements from rural in character to modernity with an augmented land use conflicts. The results suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to overcome the challenges and enhanced food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities like Dar es Salaam in Sub-Saharan Africa.

China agricultural outlook for 2015–2024 based on China Agricultural Monitoring and Early-warning System(CAMES)

The primary goal of Chinese agricultural development is to guarantee national food security and supply of major agricultural products. Hence, the scientiifc work on agricultural monitoring and early warning as wel as agricultural outlook must be strengthened. In this study, we develop the China Agricultural Monitoring and Early-warning System (CAMES) on the basis of a comparative study of domestic and international agricultural outlook models. The system is a dynamic and multi-market partial equilibrium model that integrates biological mechanisms with economic mechanisms. This system, which includes 11 categories of 953 kinds of agricultural products, could dynamical y project agricultural market supply and demand, assess food security, and conduct scenario analysis at different spatial levels, time scale levels, and macro-micro levels. Based on the CAMES, the production, consumption, and trade of the major agricultural products in China over the next decade are projected. The fol owing conclusions are drawn:i) The production of major agricultural products wil continue to grow steadily, mainly because of the increase in yield. i ) The growth of agricultural consumption wil be slightly higher than that of agricultural production. Meanwhile, a high self-sufifciency rate is expected for cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize, with the rate being stable at around 97%. i i) Agricultural trade wil continue to thrive. The growth of soybean and milk im-ports wil slow down, but the growth of traditional agricultural exports such as vegetables and fruits is expected to continue.