Agro-ecological engineering in China: a way towards sustainable agriculture

Sustainable development, as a “hot topic”, concerns not only economic development but also environmental protection. Agriculture, the base of other economic activities, has faced many difficulties that include over growth population, land decrease, and land degradation and so on. Therefore, how to increase the food supply, to meet the over\|growth population demands, is the main task all over the world at present, especially in the developing countries, such as China, but we also must protect agricultural environment for medium\| and long\|term development simultaneously. Hence, sustainable development in agriculture is the most important estate that we must concern. Its sustainable development determines the sustainability of other economic development to a great extent. Despite Chinese government has paid much attention to develop agricultural production and obtained great successions, there are also many shortcomings in Chinese agriculture. Therefore, China must seek new approaches for its development and environmental protection that suit local conditions and are based on local resources. Agro ecological engineering, the application of ecological engineering in agriculture, is very thriving in China in recent decades. In this paper, the ecological, economic and social benefits of agro\|ecological engineering are analyzed. The principles are discussed. The results indicated that agro\|ecological engineering can meet the farmer′s short\|, medium\| and long\|term benefits. In the meanwhile, it also concerns not only economic benefits but ecological and social benefits. Therefore, agro\|ecological engineering is a way that leads to sustainable agriculture in the future in China.

Nano/Micro-Structural Supramolecular Biopolymers: Innovative Networks with the Boundless Potential in Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture plays a crucial role in meeting the growing global demand for food while minimizing adverse environmental impacts from the overuse of synthetic pesticides and conventional fertilizers.In this context,renewable biopolymers being more sustainable offer a viable solution to improve agricultural sustainability and production.Nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers are among these innovative biopolymers that are much sought after for their unique features.These biomaterials have complex hierarchical structures,great stability,adjustable mechanical strength,stimuli-responsiveness,and self-healing attributes.Functional molecules may be added to their flexible structure,for enabling novel agricultural uses.This overview scrutinizes how nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers may radically alter farming practices and solve lingering problems in agricultural sector namely improve agricultural production,soil health,and resource efficiency.Controlled bioactive ingredient released from biopolymers allows the tailored administration of agrochemicals,bioactive agents,and biostimulators as they enhance nutrient absorption,moisture retention,and root growth.Nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers may protect crops by appending antimicrobials and biosensing entities while their eco-friendliness supports sustainable agriculture.Despite their potential,further studies are warranted to understand and optimize their usage in agricultural domain.This effort seeks to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating their applications,challenges,and future prospects in the agricultural sector.Through experimental investigations and theoretical modeling,this overview aims to provide valuable insights into the practical implementation and optimization of supramolecular biopolymers in sustainable agriculture,ultimately contributing to the development of innovative and eco-friendly solutions to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impact.

Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Northwestern Ecologically Fragile Desert Oasis——A case study of Guazhou County of Gansu Province

Guazhou County of Gansu Province is a typical ecological fragile area lying in the transition area of desert and oasis.The development of its agricultural economy is highly dependent on natural resources and environment.Contradiction of resources characterized agriculture and the fragile ecological environment has become one of the main barriers to log the impact of local agriculture to achieve sustainable development.Aiming at fragile ecological environment and limiting factors of agricultural sustainable development,thoughts and countermeasures of realizing agricultural sustainable development have been proposed.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN SALINE-ALKALI SOIL AREA OF SONGNEN PLAIN,NORTHEAST CHINA

There is great potential for agriculture in saline-alkali soil area in Songnen Plain, Northeast China. But the sustainable crop production in this area has been restricted by a few of main factors, such as less precipitation, h igher evaporation and frequent drought, high salinity and alkalinity, high excha ngeable sodium content and poor infiltration of the soil, and insufficiency and low availability in nutrition. It is also considered that there are a few of fav orable conditions for agricultural development in this region, such as sufficien t light and heat resources, rich ground water resources, plenty of manure produc ed by livestock, and so on. At the same time, scientific management and measurem ents have been employed; rational irrigation and drainage system has been establ ished; reclamation, amendment and fertilization of soil, and suitable strategies of cropping practices have been made for the sustainable development of agricul ture. Great progress has been made during 1996-2000.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)and its mechanisms against plant diseases for sustainable agriculture and better productivity

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)are specialized bacterial communities inhabiting the root rhizosphere and the secretion of root exudates helps to,regulate the microbial dynamics and their interactions with the plants.These bacteria viz.,Agrobacterium,Arthobacter,Azospirillum,Bacillus,Burkholderia,Flavobacterium,Pseudomonas,Rhizobium,etc.,play important role in plant growth promotion.In addition,such symbiotic associations of PGPRs in the rhizospheric region also confer protection against several diseases caused by bacterial,fungal and viral pathogens.The biocontrol mechanism utilized by PGPR includes direct and indirect mechanisms direct PGPR mechanisms include the production of antibiotic,siderophore,and hydrolytic enzymes,competition for space and nutrients,and quorum sensing whereas,indirect mechanisms include rhizomicrobiome regulation via.secretion of root exudates,phytostimulation through the release of phytohormones viz.,auxin,cytokinin,gibberellic acid,1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate and induction of systemic resistance through expression of antioxidant defense enzymes viz.,phenylalanine ammonia lyase(PAL),peroxidase(PO),polyphenyloxidases(PPO),superoxide dismutase(SOD),chitinase andβ-glucanases.For the suppression of plant diseases potent bio inoculants can be developed by modulating the rhizomicrobiome through rhizospheric engineering.In addition,understandings of different strategies to improve PGPR strains,their competence,colonization efficiency,persistence and its future implications should also be taken into consideration.

Best soil managements from long-term field experiments for sustainable agriculture

Global food production is expected to double by 2050 for feeding 9 billion people（Godfray et al.2010）,but yields had stagnated or even collapsed in 24–39%of crop-growing areas over the period 1961–2008（Ray et al.2012）,

Explaining farmers'reluctance to adopt green manure cover crops planting for sustainable agriculture in Northwest China

Green manure cover crops(GMCCs)planting has a potential for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions(GHG)in agroecosystems and provides important ecosystem services,thereby achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)stipulated by the United Nations.However,the advantages of cultivating GMCCs on arable land are not widely recognized.For example,in the whole of China,the GMCCs planting area is less than 3.5%of total arable land.The aim of this study is to explore reasons for the low adoption rate of GMCCs planting.Using best–worst scaling(BWS)approach,farmers ranked their preferred conservation practices including three types of GMCC cropping systems.Taking Gansu Province in Northwest China as a case study,a survey with 276 farmers was conducted.The findings indicated that three factors are related to the low adoption rate of GMCCs:1)farmers preferred improving farmland irrigation facilities and substituting chemical fertilizers with organic rather than planting GMCCs;2)lack of awareness and understanding of government policy on GMCCs and limited access to training courses;3)financial support and subsidies from the government are insufficient.This study provides insights and strategic implications for policymakers on how to further promote GMCCs in the future.

On sustainable development of agriculture in oasis: a case study of Hexi Corridor, Gansu, China

Hexi Corridor is one of the most potential areas in the China’s Western Development in 21st century. However, the problems - the sustainable development of oasis agriculture, the ecosystem of the oasis edge, the landscape structure, the population density in oasis, water resources and land resources in oasis are deteriorating and have restricted the sustainable development of society and economy in this area. This paper summarizes the problems at present, and puts forward the concept of protecting and constructing the oasis environment and sustainable development for the sustainable development of the oasis agriculture in the Hexi Corridor.

Impacts of Climate Variability on Sustainable Agriculture in Imo State,Nigeria

Rainfall and Temperature are important factors in agriculture especially in Nigeria where rain-fed agriculture is practiced extensively and agriculture contributes to food security and provides employment for urban and rural dwellers.Therefore,climate variability represents a major danger to agriculture by modifying the rainfall and temperature pattern,thereby resulting to a big peril in the sustainability of agriculture.This is the reason all countries of the world are concerned about the effects of climate variability on agriculture.This work therefore,examined the impact of climate variability on rainfall and temperature in Imo State,South Eastern Nigeria.The rainfall and temperature data were gotten from Nigerian Meteorological Agency(NIMET)for a period of 30 years which was analyzed by using descriptive statistics,decadal distribution,trend graph anomalies and 5 year moving average.The analysis showed increasing trend pattern in yearly maximum,minimum temperature and decrease in annual rainfall,The third order polynomial trend shows a decrease in the anomaly of annual mean rainfall(y=-0.0002x4)and a persistent increase in the mean temperature anomaly especially in the second decade(1996-2007).The discoveries show that there is a notable variability in temperature and rainfall pattern which revealed an increase in temperature and decrease in annual rainfall.This calls for serious attention as people in this part of Nigeria critically depend on rainfall for agricultural practices.It is recommended that government should support the agricultural sector by providing mechanized farming systems such as irrigation and drilling of water borehole in farm sites for agriculture,especially for the rural farmers and create awareness to the farmers on recent trends in climate issues to achieve sustainable agriculture.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: ITS STATUS QUO AND TREND IN CHINA

Agriculture is a complex of processes that takes place within a threefold (that is, bio-physical, socio-political and techno-economic) environmatal framework. The sustainability of agriculturral systems can also be assessed within this framework. Sustainable agnculture has different meanings at various spatial scales At local and regional scales, it is just ecological farming. At national and global scales, however, the emphasis is put on the issues of food production and distribution. Based upon the framework, this paper discusses the current situation and future trend of Chinese agriculture in relation to sustainability.

The Bioprospecting of Microbial-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides for Sustainable Agriculture

Strategies aimed at defining,discovering,and developing alternatives to traditional antibiotics will underlie the development of sustainable agricultural systems.Among such strategies,antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and multifaceted mechanisms of action are recognized as ideal alternatives in the post-antibiotic era.In particular,AMPs derived from microbes with active metabolisms that can adapt to a variety of extreme environments have long been sought after.Consequently,this review summarizes information on naturally occurring AMPs,including their biological activity,antimicrobial mechanisms,and the preparation of microbial-derived AMPs;it also outlines their applications and the challenges presented by their use in the agroindustry.By dissecting the research results on microbial-derived AMPs of previous generations,this study contributes valuable knowledge on the exploration and realization of the applications of AMPs in sustainable agriculture.

Considerations on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Dryland Areas

Drylands of the world cover 41%of the Earth＇s land surface and are a direct source of livelihood for 6.5 billion people, especially in developing countries. However, nearly all drylands are at risk of land degradation as a result of human activities. Poverty and desertification in dryland areas are major problems threatening sustainable agriculture and rural development in dryland areas. Several topics that are significant for sustainable agriculture and rural development for food security and environmental rehabilitation in dryland areas were stressed in this paper.

Use of the knowledge,attitude,and practice(KAP)model to examine sustainable agriculture in Thailand

Sustainable agriculture plays an important role in achieving sustainable development goals with regard to food security and environmental conservation.Sustainable agriculture relies on sustainable farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas production,the wise use of local natural resources,and reductions in negative impacts on the environment and human health.Sustainable farming practices can be driven by various factors,such as the socio-environmental setting,socio-cognitive factors,agricultural institutions,and policy.This study used the knowledge,attitude,and practice(KAP)model to examine farmers’knowledge,attitudes,and practices in the area of sustainable agriculture.It also considered the factors affecting farmers’knowledge,attitudes,and practices.Two different socio-environmental contextual settings in Surin Province(a Thai-Cambodian border province)of Thailand are considered.The results show that there are differences between the two different socio-environmental contextual settings with regard to farmers’sustainable agricultural practice perceptions,knowledge,and attitudes.Farmers’perceptions of environmental degradation,the number of years of agricultural experience,and agricultural policy drive farmers’attitudes and individual sustainable practices.Another major result of the study is that individual farmers’attitudes and practices promote collective sustainable agricultural behaviors.The implication of these findings is that it is necessary to improve the learning ability of individual farmers on the environment and sustainable agricultural practices through social learning and scientific knowledge dissemination,so as to produce sustainable collective development behaviors.

Selenium Enriched Trionyx sinensis : A New Choice for the Sustainable Development Model of Modern Agriculture

Based on the analysis of the current situation and existing problems of traditional Chinese soft shelled turtle(Trionyx sinensis)breeding industry,combined with the fact that selenium enriched functional agriculture is the future demand of mankind,this paper put forward the necessity of developing selenium enriched Chinese soft shelled turtles and promoting the sustainable development of modern agriculture:the development of selenium-enriched Chinese soft-shelled turtle is the need of the consumer market for food safety,the need to reduce the production cost of soft-shelled turtles and improve the production efficiency of soft-shelled turtles,the need to enrich the Chinese soft-shelled turtle market,and the need to promote the sustainable development of modern agriculture(fishery).

Land Use Capability and the Sustainable Scale: An Overview of Agriculture in São Paulo State, Brazil

Establishing a sustainable scale in natural resources management enables effective economic and ecological policies and guarantees the long-term sustainability of economic production. In agriculture, land evaluations determine the land use sustainable scales, that is, those that avoid land degradation and allow the provision of food, wood, energy, and ecosystem services over time. The paper assessed São Paulo State’s agricultural sustainability by analyzing the current land use adequacy to the land use capability map that follows FAO 1976 “guide for land evaluation” and was applied to São Paulo by the State Agricultural Secretariat. Results indicate inefficiencies in land use at the state level, where more than one-third of agricultural lands do not satisfy technical land capability indications. According to technical land use capability, more than 4.5 million hectares are being underused (economic inefficiency) and another 2.2 million hectares are being overused (environmental inefficiency). Pasturelands represent the most unsustainable land use, where 3.7 million hectares are allocated in high quality lands with high agricultural production potential, and another 0.7 million hectares are allocated in lands with very low quality for agriculture, most of than area degraded. To achieve sustainability, lands with high agricultural production potential should be used to improve agriculture and food production and, on the other hand, lands with very low agricultural production potential should be used for wood production, agroforestry, ecotourism and natural ecosystems conservation. Our results provide a framework for improving land use policies in São Paulo State and highlight an opportunity to achieve land use sustainability.

Smart Farming for Sustainable Rice Production:An Insight into Application,Challenge,and Future Prospect

Rice has a huge impact on socio-economic growth,and ensuring its sustainability and optimal utilization is vital.This review provides an insight into the role of smart farming in enhancing rice productivity.The applications of smart farming in rice production including yield estimation,smart irrigation systems,monitoring disease and growth,and predicting rice quality and classifications are highlighted.The challenges of smart farming in sustainable rice production to enhance the understanding of researchers,policymakers,and stakeholders are discussed.Numerous efforts have been exerted to combat the issues in rice production in order to promote rice sector development.The effective implementation of smart farming in rice production has been facilitated by various technical advancements,particularly the integration of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.The future prospects of smart farming in transforming existing rice production practices are also elucidated.Through the utilization of smart farming,the rice industry can attain sustainable and resilient production systems that could mitigate environmental impact and safeguard food security.Thus,the rice industry holds a bright future in transforming current rice production practices into a new outlook in rice smart farming development.

Understanding factors affecting non-participants’interest in community-supported agriculture

Community-supported agriculture(CSA)has emerged as a viable solution for addressing the agricultural challenges faced by countries like Indonesia.This study uses the wellestablished unified theory of acceptance and use of technology(UTAUT2)model to examine the interest in CSA of potential customers in Indonesia.A standardized questionnaire was distributed to 1200 respondents,and the data were analyzed using structural equation model-partial least square(SEM-PLS)in SmartPLS 4.0 software.The results capture potential CSA consumer interest and will help to improve CSA development strategies in Indonesia.The model explains 44.4%of customers’intentions,and identifies performance expectancy as the decisive factor in customers’willingness to participate in CSA.Performance expectancy(0.292),hedonic motivation(0.262),social influence(0.259),and facilitating conditions(0.086)positively influence customers’interest in participating in a CSA program.The adoption of CSA programs by both farmers and customers could be increased by implementing regulations that provide tax incentives and subsidies,offering training on sustainable farming practices,facilitating the establishment of distribution channels,and establishing guidelines for fair price and quality standards.This study shows the high potential for the implementation of CSA in Indonesia.It could also be used as a foundation for the development of new policies regarding sustainable agriculture markets in Indonesia.

Agricultural intensity for sustainable regional development:A case study in peri-urban areas of Karawang Regency,Indonesia

Peri-urban areas are playing an increasingly crucial role in the agricultural development and intensification in Indonesia.Peri-urban agriculture is highly vulnerable to change compared with urban and rural agriculture,due to its location in transitional areas.Indicators of peri-urban agricultural intensity can help guide regional development.In this study,we assessed the sustainability of peri-urban areas based on agricultural intensity in Karawang Regency,Indonesia.We developed a village-based index to assess the region’s agricultural intensity by rescaling the village agriculture index(VAI)and combining the local sustainability index(LSI)with factor analysis.Since the unit of analysis is the village,we modified the LSI to the village sustainability index(VSI).In addition,we also developed a logical matrix analysis to determine the level of agricultural sustainability(LoAS)of each village.The combined results of the three indices(VAI,VSI,and LoAS)generated information about agricultural sustainability.The results indicated that peri-urban villages with high agricultural intensity tended to exhibit low levels of social welfare,economic development,and disaster risk.Moreover,high agricultural intensity did not necessarily ensure the prosperity of the people.Instead,there was the economic disparity among the villages in the study area.Encouraging diversity of agricultural intensity seems to be more critical than promoting agricultural intensity itself.Overall,this study highlights the distinctive characteristics and dynamic of peri-urban areas.New approaches,variables,and information regarding the combination of agricultural intensity and sustainability need to be developed as valuable tools for regional planning.

Internet of Things for the Future of Smart Agriculture: A Comprehensive Survey of Emerging Technologies

This paper presents a comprehensive review of emerging technologies for the internet of things(IoT)-based smart agriculture.We begin by summarizing the existing surveys and describing emergent technologies for the agricultural IoT,such as unmanned aerial vehicles,wireless technologies,open-source IoT platforms,software defined networking(SDN),network function virtualization(NFV)technologies,cloud/fog computing,and middleware platforms.We also provide a classification of IoT applications for smart agriculture into seven categories:including smart monitoring,smart water management,agrochemicals applications,disease management,smart harvesting,supply chain management,and smart agricultural practices.Moreover,we provide a taxonomy and a side-by-side comparison of the state-ofthe-art methods toward supply chain management based on the blockchain technology for agricultural IoTs.Furthermore,we present real projects that use most of the aforementioned technologies,which demonstrate their great performance in the field of smart agriculture.Finally,we highlight open research challenges and discuss possible future research directions for agricultural IoTs.

Assessing Agricultural Sustainable Development Based on the DPSIR Approach: Case Study in Jiangsu, China

According to the contemporary ecosystem approach, the linkages of human actions with their environment have to be assessed in an integrative manner. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response （DPSIR） model is applied to identify and describe processes and interactions in human-environmental systems. An example application from a research project dealing with the development of sustainable management strategies for the agriculture in Jiangsu, China, illustrates the potentials and limitations of its sustainable development. The concept and indicators of ecological integrity are used to assess the indicators in the dimensions of DPSIR between 2003 and 2006. The main drivers included population growth which caused increasing demand for food, growing environmental demands, and rapidly decreasing of land and other natural resources. The main environmental problem was water pollution. The results show that in the dimension of driver, total grain output and agricultural land productivity both increased. Labor intensive agriculture has been promoted to increase agricultural land productivity. In the dimension of pressure, on the positive side, infrastructure got greatly improved, the input level such as total power of machinery, and level of fertilizer use increased, and level of pesticides use decreased, but on the negative side, cultivated land per capita and irrigation rate decreased, natural resources keep decreased. Environmental pollution indicators such as industrial wastewater discharge and acid rain rate increased in Jiangsu Province. In the aspect of state, ecosystem state was improved, plant coverage index increased, biological abundance index increased, fertilizer productivity increased, eco-environmental quality index increased, but land degradation index also increased. In the aspect of impact, output level increased, output efficiency enhanced, farmer＇s social economic benefit improved. In the aspect of response, social support was greatly improved, input for environmental governance increased. To assess the effects of environmental governance, Jiangsu government was successful to increase compliance rate of sulfur dioxide emissions, but not so efficient in compliance rate of industrial wastewater discharge.