Liberica coffee as an alternative cropping system for sustainable farming on Indonesian Peatlands

Indonesian peatlands are a fragile ecosystem,and to protect it,growing Liberica coffee is a promising way for both the environment and the economy.This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the liberica coffee on peatland with different water tables and develop an improved cultivation system in this ecosystem.The study area was in Tanjung Jabung Barat District,Jambi Province,Indonesia.The plant age is greater than 15 years and the average plant density was about 1000 trees/hm2.The study was conducted in two stages.The 1st stage was a survey to identify and characterize smallholder liberica coffee farming at three peatland zones,namely 0-100 m,200-300 m,and>400 m from the principal drainage canal,and the 2nd stage was a field experiment to test the effectiveness of amendments in improving liberica coffee growth and improving degraded peatland.The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications,including manure(M),at the rate of 10 t/hm^(2);lime(L),3 t/hm^(2);peat surface elevation(P),and a farmer’s practice(Control)without manure and/or lime as a control.This research revealed that liberica coffee can not tolerate high water table as it may stimulate disease incidence and cause low-quality yield.However,recycling of organic C of about 17.14 t/(hm^(2)·a)through cherry residue application and litter compensated part of the loss of organic C through CO_(2)emissions,coffee bean removal,and maintaining peat fertility for sustainable farming.The low yield of(0.70±0.12)t/(hm^(2)∙a)coffee bean could be increased to(0.87±0.24)and(0.94±0.14)t/(hm^(2)∙a)by adding 3 t/(hm^(2)∙3a)of lime or 10 t/(hm^(2)∙a)of manure,respectively.This research revealed that water table management and amendments are two main factors in liberica coffee farming on peatlands.It is of great significance to study the cultivation technology of coffee in peatland.

Advancements in Catalysts for Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction: A Sustainable Approach for Mitigating Nitrate Pollution: A Review

Nitrate pollution is of great importance in both the environmental and health contexts, necessitating the development of efficient mitigation strategies. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the many catalysts employed in the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia, and presents a viable environmentally friendly approach to address the issue of nitrate pollution. Hence, the electrochemical transformation of nitrate to ammonia serves the dual purpose of addressing nitrate pollution in water bodies, and is a useful agricultural resource. This review examines a range of catalyst materials such as noble and non-noble metals, metal oxides, carbon-based materials, nitrogen-doped carbon species, metal complexes, and semiconductor photocatalysts. It evaluates catalytic efficiency, selectivity, stability, and overall process optimization. The performance of catalysts is influenced by various factors, including reaction conditions, catalyst structure, loading techniques, and electrode interfaces. Comparative analysis was performed to evaluate the catalytic activity, selectivity, Faradaic efficiency, current density, stability, and durability of the catalysts. This assessment offers significant perspectives on the structural, compositional, and electrochemical characteristics that affect the efficacy of these catalysts, thus informing future investigations and advancements in this domain. In addition to mitigating nitrate pollution, the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia is in line with sustainable agricultural methods, resource conservation, and the utilization of renewable energy resources. This study explores the factors that affect the catalytic efficiency, provides new opportunities to address nitrate pollution, and promotes the development of sustainable environmental solutions.

Soil chemical properties under modern and traditional farming systems at Khagrachari,Chittagong Hill Tracts,Bangladesh

Land degradation in Chittagong hill tracts has been taking place due to shrinkage of forest cover, policy weakness, population explosion, and inappropriate hill farming system. Modem farming system in the Chittagong hill tracts like Sloping Agricultural Land Technology （SALT） is practiced to provide a new strategy for developing lands for economic productivity and bio-diversity conservation through establishment of ecological community rather than traditional shifting cultivation which is no longer sustainable according to the carrying capacity of ecosystem of Chittagong hill tracts. This study is to find out changing trends of soil chemical properties of sites under modem and traditional farming systems at Khagrachari district of Chittagong hill tracts. The result of the research shows that Sloping Agricultural Land Technology has significantly higher capacity of production due to the presence of the highest percentage of organic carbon, organic matter, compared with shifting cultivated site. The study recommends that shifting cultivation may be changed into a relatively stable semi-permanent farming system through developing participatory integrated farming systems to establish stable production environment in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Sustainable Table, Innovative Agricultur

CHINESE agriculture relied on organic fertilizer for 4,000years,but since farmers switched to chemical variants a few decades ago,various problems,such as soil degradation,lower crop disease resistance,deterioration in the quality of agricultural products,and agricultural nonpoint source pollution,have arisen.What has caused this non-sustainable effi cacy of chemical fertilizers？

Review of Sustainable Agriculture: Promotion, Its Challenges and Opportunities in Japan

Agricultural ecosystems are the largest managed ecosystem in the world.The sustainable development of agriculture is significant to the reversion of dramatic loss of biological diversity in the world.Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems （GIAHS） project launched by Food and Agriculture Organization （FAO） of the United Nations is among the global efforts to conserve and dynamically manage the specific agricultural knowledge system and landscapes.Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries （MAFF）,Japan stressed the environmental concern of conventional farming practices in Japan in 1992.Noto Peninsula and Sado City were designated as two new GIAHS pilot sites in Japan as part of local level initiative to preserve the traditional agricultural systems in 2011.This paper reviewed the development process of sustainable farming in Japan and analyzed the challenges and new possibilities to its further extension.The current situation of various sustainable farming practices：such as farming with reduced input of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to conserve rich biodiversity,and organic farming,were reviewed.Emphasis was given to the sustainable farming practices in Hokuriku region,in particular,Ishikawa Prefecture and Sado City in Niigata Prefecture.Based on the recent official documents,reports and research papers,policy implication was brought forward.The challenges of sustainable farming practices and market valuation of sustainable farming products were analyzed.It was concluded that the environmental concerns of farmers and consumers are key to extend the sustainable farming practice in Japan.Conversion to bottom up policy making process paying attention to farmers＇interest with involvement of multi stakeholders including government,researchers and private sectors is effective for sustainable farming extension.

Organic farming in India: a vision towards a healthy nation

Food quality and safety are the two important factors that have gained ever-increasing attention in general consumers.Conventionally grown foods have immense adverse health effects due to the presence of higher pesticide residue,more nitrate,heavy metals,hormones,antibiotic residue,and also genetically modified organisms.Moreover,conventionally grown foods are less nutritious and contain lesser amounts of protective antioxidants.In the quest for safer food,the demand for organically grown foods has increased during the last decades due to their probable health benefits and food safety concerns.Organic food production is defined as cultivation without the application of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides or genetically modified organisms,growth hormones,and antibiotics.The popularity of organically grown foods is increasing day by day owing to their nutritional and health benefits.Organic farming also protects the environment and has a greater socio-economic impact on a nation.India is a country that is bestowed with indigenous skills and potentiality for growth in organic agriculture.Although India was far behind in the adoption of organic farming due to several reasons,presently it has achieved rapid growth in organic agriculture and now becomes one of the largest organic producers in the world.Therefore,organic farming has a great impact on the health of a nation like India by ensuring sustainable development.

Green Tourism in Japan: Opportunities for a GIAHS Pilot Site

Numerous studies have looked at sustainable tourism as the key to balancing environmental conservation and development in agricultural heritage sites.A microcosm of the traditional rural productive landscape,the Noto Satoyama Satoumi landscape has been designated as a pilot site for the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System （GIAHS） in Japan.This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of green tourism,focusing on the GIAHS program.The secondary objective is to explore the features of green tourism in Japan.First,the historic development and current state of green tourism in Japan is reviewed.The case in study is a typical green tourism project concerning an organization of farmers in the Noto Peninsula-the Shunran-no-Sato group.The question of how to develop green tourism in the context of the GIAHS project and considering the sustainable development of rural society and its farming systems by increasing incomes of rural households,is investigated.The study combined literature review and in-depth interviews with farm inn owners to investigate tourism development in the depopulated rural areas of Japan,examine its challenges,and present this information to international readers.