Smart agriculture modifies traditional farming practices,and offers innovative approaches to boost production and sustainability by leveraging contemporary technologies.In today’s world where technology is everything...Smart agriculture modifies traditional farming practices,and offers innovative approaches to boost production and sustainability by leveraging contemporary technologies.In today’s world where technology is everything,these technologies are utilized to streamline regular tasks and procedures in agriculture,one of the largest and most significant industries in every nation.This research paper stands out from existing literature on smart agriculture security by providing a comprehensive analysis and examination of security issues within smart agriculture systems.Divided into three main sections-security analysis,system architecture and design and risk assessment of Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)applications-the study delves into various elements crucial for smart farming,such as data sources,infrastructure components,communication protocols,and the roles of different stakeholders such as farmers,agricultural scientists and researchers,technology providers,government agencies,consumers and many others.In contrast to earlier research,this work analyzes the resilience of smart agriculture systems using approaches such as threat modeling,penetration testing,and vulnerability assessments.Important discoveries highlight the concerns connected to unsecured communication protocols,possible threats from malevolent actors,and vulnerabilities in IoT devices.Furthermore,the study suggests enhancements for CPS applications,such as strong access controls,intrusion detection systems,and encryption protocols.In addition,risk assessment techniques are applied to prioritize mitigation tactics and detect potential hazards,addressing issues like data breaches,system outages,and automated farming process sabotage.The research sets itself apart even more by presenting a prototype CPS application that makes use of a digital temperature sensor.This application was first created using a Tinkercad simulator and then using actual hardware with Arduino boards.The CPS application’s defenses against potential threats and vulnerabilities are strengthened by this integrated approach,which distinguishes this research for its depth and usefulness in the field of smart agriculture security.展开更多
This study employs a quantitative approach to comprehensively investigate the full propagation process of agricultural drought, focusing on pigeon peas (the most grown crop in the AGS Basin) planting seasonal variatio...This study employs a quantitative approach to comprehensively investigate the full propagation process of agricultural drought, focusing on pigeon peas (the most grown crop in the AGS Basin) planting seasonal variations. The study modelled seasonal variabilities in the seasonal Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Agricultural Drought Index (SADI). To necessitate comparison, SADI and SPI were Normalized (from −1 to 1) as they had different ranges and hence could not be compared. From the seasonal indices, the pigeon peas planting season (July to September) was singled out as the most important season to study agricultural droughts. The planting season analysis selected all years with severe conditions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2022) for spatial analysis. Spatial analysis revealed that most areas in the upstream part of the Basin and Coastal region in the lowlands experienced severe to extreme agricultural droughts in highlighted drought years. The modelled agricultural drought results were validated using yield data from two stations in the Basin. The results show that the model performed well with a Pearson Coefficient of 0.87 and a Root Mean Square Error of 0.29. This proactive approach aims to ensure food security, especially in scenarios where the Basin anticipates significantly reduced precipitation affecting water available for agriculture, enabling policymakers, water resource managers and agricultural sector stakeholders to equitably allocate resources and mitigate the effects of droughts in the most affected areas to significantly reduce the socioeconomic drought that is amplified by agricultural drought in rainfed agriculture river basins.展开更多
Remote sensing, in particular satellite imagery, has been widely used to map cropland, analyze cropping systems, monitor crop changes, and estimate yield and production. However, although satellite imagery is useful w...Remote sensing, in particular satellite imagery, has been widely used to map cropland, analyze cropping systems, monitor crop changes, and estimate yield and production. However, although satellite imagery is useful within large scale agriculture applications (such as on a national or provincial scale), it may not supply sufifcient information with adequate resolution, accurate geo-referencing, and specialized biological parameters for use in relation to the rapid developments being made in modern agriculture. Information that is more sophisticated and accurate is required to support reliable decision-making, thereby guaranteeing agricultural sustainability and national food security. To achieve this, strong integration of information is needed from multi-sources, multi-sensors, and multi-scales. In this paper, we propose a new framework of satellite, aerial, and ground-integrated (SAGI) agricultural remote sensing for use in comprehensive agricultural monitoring, modeling, and management. The prototypes of SAGI agriculture remote sensing are ifrst described, followed by a discussion of the key techniques used in joint data processing, image sequence registration and data assimilation. Finally, the possible applications of the SAGI system in supporting national food security are discussed.展开更多
With the deep combination of both modern information technology and traditional agriculture,the era of agriculture 4.0,which takes the form of smart agriculture,has come.Smart agriculture provides solutions for agricu...With the deep combination of both modern information technology and traditional agriculture,the era of agriculture 4.0,which takes the form of smart agriculture,has come.Smart agriculture provides solutions for agricultural intelligence and automation.However,information security issues cannot be ignored with the development of agriculture brought by modern information technology.In this paper,three typical development modes of smart agriculture(precision agriculture,facility agriculture,and order agriculture)are presented.Then,7 key technologies and 11 key applications are derived from the above modes.Based on the above technologies and applications,6 security and privacy countermeasures(authentication and access control,privacy-preserving,blockchain-based solutions for data integrity,cryptography and key management,physical countermeasures,and intrusion detection systems)are summarized and discussed.Moreover,the security challenges of smart agriculture are analyzed and organized into two aspects:1)agricultural production,and 2)information technology.Most current research projects have not taken agricultural equipment as potential security threats.Therefore,we did some additional experiments based on solar insecticidal lamps Internet of Things,and the results indicate that agricultural equipment has an impact on agricultural security.Finally,more technologies(5 G communication,fog computing,Internet of Everything,renewable energy management system,software defined network,virtual reality,augmented reality,and cyber security datasets for smart agriculture)are described as the future research directions of smart agriculture.展开更多
In this paper,we review and analyze intrusion detection systems for Agriculture 4.0 cyber security.Specifically,we present cyber security threats and evaluation metrics used in the performance evaluation of an intrusi...In this paper,we review and analyze intrusion detection systems for Agriculture 4.0 cyber security.Specifically,we present cyber security threats and evaluation metrics used in the performance evaluation of an intrusion detection system for Agriculture 4.0.Then,we evaluate intrusion detection systems according to emerging technologies,including,Cloud computing,Fog/Edge computing,Network virtualization,Autonomous tractors,Drones,Internet of Things,Industrial agriculture,and Smart Grids.Based on the machine learning technique used,we provide a comprehensive classification of intrusion detection systems in each emerging technology.Furthermore,we present public datasets,and the implementation frameworks applied in the performance evaluation of intrusion detection systems for Agriculture 4.0.Finally,we outline challenges and future research directions in cyber security intrusion detection for Agriculture 4.0.展开更多
Current status of several management models of the agriculture industry is introduced,as well as its impacts on industrial security.The management models are mainly the enterprise-like operation model,"enterprise...Current status of several management models of the agriculture industry is introduced,as well as its impacts on industrial security.The management models are mainly the enterprise-like operation model,"enterprise + peasant household" model,small-scale peasants' operation model,and peasant specialized cooperative model.Functions of peasant specialized cooperative in ensuring the security of agricultural industry are introduced,which are enhancing the industrial security by organization degree,promoting the industrial security by scale economy formed by cooperative organizations,fully utilizing the resources by the factor allocation capability,and ensuring the industrial security by industrial chain improvement.Development predicaments of the peasant specialized cooperative at present are analyzed,such as small scale,poor economic benefits,and non-standard operation.Analysis shows that institutional absence is the main reason causing these predicaments.And suggestions on improving the cooperatives system in the Law of the People's Republic of China on Peasants Specialized Cooperatives are put forward,in order to better ensure the security of agriculture展开更多
The study of the climate change and the effects of climate change induced extreme events on food security are fundamental for the sustainable development of agriculture globally. Climatic factors are the primary impor...The study of the climate change and the effects of climate change induced extreme events on food security are fundamental for the sustainable development of agriculture globally. Climatic factors are the primary important factors affecting agricultural production. Furthermore, the world is now experiencing more frequent and intense droughts and floods in many agricultural regions which damage and at times destroy crops. The effects of climatic change on agriculture have triggered significant trend of research during the last decade globally in order to unfold the solutions to climate change induced extreme events on agriculture. Several studies have been conducted on effects of extreme events such as droughts and flooding induced by climate change on agriculture and food security. These effects include changes in crop and livestock yields as well as the economic consequences of these potential yield changes globally. Therefore, this study reviews the effects of extreme events, including floods and drought, caused by climate change on agriculture and food security with focus on Nigeria in particular. For the study, literatures were identified for review through a comprehensive search by using electronic and non-electronic databases to identify researches conducted on effects on climate change and extreme events on agricultural productivity. From the review, it shows that extreme events such as droughts and floods impact agriculture and food security. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change especially droughts and floods, on agricultural productivity, there is an urgent need to intensity efforts and researches on climate change to mitigate and adapt to the occurrences of these extreme events when necessary in Nigeria. Several mitigation and adaptation measures need to be implemented to mitigate the effects of extreme events on agricultural productivity and food security. These measures include practicing climate-smart agriculture, construction and improvement of drainage networks to effectively dispose of flood water in order to reduce the risks of flooding in urban agriculture and drought-resistant varieties of crops should be cultivated.展开更多
The objective of this study is to define agricultural water resources security and its connotation and extension. The definitions of water security, water resources security, and water environment security were summar...The objective of this study is to define agricultural water resources security and its connotation and extension. The definitions of water security, water resources security, and water environment security were summarized, and their relationship was differentiated and analyzed. Based on these, the elements of the conception of agricultural water resources security were hashed and the conception was defined. Agricultural water resources security is the provision of water resource that ensures protection of agriculture against threat, hazards, destruction, and loss. Moreover, the connotation and extension of agricultural water resources security were ascertained. In detail, the connotation of the definition has natural attributes, socioeconomic attributes, and cultural attributes. The extensions of agricultural water resources security include both broad and narrow ones, as well as, food security, agroenvironmental security, agroeconomic security, rural society security, etc. The definition will serve as the frame of reference for developing the researches, limiting the frame of the theory, and founding a appraising system for agricultural water resources security.展开更多
Ecological security is the main task and applied field of present geography, resources and environment sciences and ecology. Ecological security evaluation will efficiently promote ecological security and environmenta...Ecological security is the main task and applied field of present geography, resources and environment sciences and ecology. Ecological security evaluation will efficiently promote ecological security and environmental construction in regional land use. In this thesis, the authors put forward the index system of ecological security evaluation in karst mountainous area on three aspects, the pressure of resources and eco-environment, the quality of resources and eco-environment, and the ability of environmental protection and ecological improvement. Using the evaluation method with single index, based on the case study ofDu'an Yao Autonomous County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the system of synthetic regionalization of ecological agricultural economy was formed, which includes three regions, south region with basic security and synthetic agricultural development, east region with critical security and agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry balanced development, mid-west and south region with ecological insecurity and compounded agriculture and forestry management. Meanwhile, for these regions, the countermeasures of sustainable agricultural development were pointed out, which provide the basis and example for ecological regulation and control of sustainable agricultural development in counties ofkarst mountainous area.展开更多
The Sudanian-Sahelian zone of the Far-North Cameroon faces an extreme climate challenge resulting in increased vulnerability to erosion, soil degradation, and the effects of climate change, impacting soil fertility an...The Sudanian-Sahelian zone of the Far-North Cameroon faces an extreme climate challenge resulting in increased vulnerability to erosion, soil degradation, and the effects of climate change, impacting soil fertility and agricultural yields. The objective of this study was to analyze agricultural practices, challenges related to climate change and soil degradation, as well as the solutions adopted by farmers to address these issues. To achieve this, 600 farmers from the six departments of the region were interviewed. The results highlight the significant impact of climatic conditions on soil health, agricultural activities, and food security. Farmers identified various indicators of soil degradation, including agricultural yields, bioindicator plants, plant growth, soil fauna, and root density. The main causes of soil degradation are associated with practices such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, overgrazing, and the effects of climate change. The impacts of this degradation are multiple, including soil fertility loss, reduced agricultural yields, deforestation, reduced biodiversity, income loss, water resource pollution, and food insecurity. In response to these challenges, farmers have adopted sustainable soil management practices, including crop rotation, intercropping, fallowing, the use of organic fertilizers, and the adoption of conservation agriculture. To effectively address these challenges, concerted collaboration between farmers, civil society organizations, and government authorities is imperative to develop sustainable and effective solutions against soil degradation in the region.展开更多
In December 2015,the Central Rural Work Conference put forward the structural reform of agricultural supply side,to ensure the national food security. At present,China's grain production is increasing,the supply a...In December 2015,the Central Rural Work Conference put forward the structural reform of agricultural supply side,to ensure the national food security. At present,China's grain production is increasing,the supply and demand structure of grain market is not balanced,and the ineffective supply due to the lack of market supply and demand has caused the problem of structural surplus and structural shortage.And price and quality difference of domestic and international grain is obvious,and the agricultural products in China are overstock,so the reform of agricultural supply side based on food security must be implemented. To adjust structure,reduce stock,reduce cost,increase quality,promote the primary,secondary and tertiary industries convergence will become the focus of China's agricultural supply side structural reform,and we can develop the ecological agriculture,improve the competitiveness of the grain market in price and quality,to ensure food security for the nation.展开更多
The challenge Africa faces the most is how to feed the 2.4 billion people in 2050. This will require a transformational agriculture. Africa doesn’t need subsistence agriculture, but rather agriculture linked to the m...The challenge Africa faces the most is how to feed the 2.4 billion people in 2050. This will require a transformational agriculture. Africa doesn’t need subsistence agriculture, but rather agriculture linked to the market where market demand and the consuming habits are taken in consideration. Agriculture evolves in an environment where small holders are linked to markets (national and regional), where economies of complementarity and economies of scale are taken advantage of by producers and private sector. In short, Africa will need a paradigm shift to industrialise and commercialise its agriculture sector in order to increase food production, and income and to create jobs in and outside the sector. Africa needs agribusiness and agro-industries to domesticate the benefits of the sector, to create wealth in the sector and retain that wealth in the continent. Agricultural commodities regional value chains for increased food should be the target for Africa. The continent remains the region with the highest prevalence of under-nourishment. Since agriculture remains the mainstay of most African economies except the mineral producers, the sector deserves a close attention from leaders. It accounts for 65% of employment and 40% of Africa’s export earnings and accounts for 17% of the GDP. This shows how important the sector is. Agriculture needs to be seen as a conduit for farmers to get connected to markets, a conduit for revenue, for jobs and for transformation. Africa needs to come back on the international scene as food sufficient continent and even food exporter. This can be achieved only with a stable, productive agricultural resource base. Thus, achieving and sustaining food security and economic prosperity in Africa will require significant efforts to modernize the continent’s agriculture sector through injection of agribusiness and agro-industries and through the application of science and technology in agriculture. In essence, agriculture needs to be viewed as knowledge based entrepreneurial activity. Smart investments in agriculture will have multiplier effects for the whole economy and hence induce prosperity to other sectors. In recent years, a renewed focus on agriculture has been evident in policy and development agendas across the African continent. This paper outlines the status of agriculture, agribusiness and agro-industries in Africa, their role in the agenda of agricultural transformation and economic transformation and the focus on regional value chain to increase food production, transformation and trade. The paper adopts a new thinking in agriculture, which reflects a regional value chain approach. The author covers such issues as: need for agricultural transformation, the role of value chain in agricultural sector, the need for regional value chain for increased income and increased food, the role of markets and the common denominator of all, the regional integration to push forward the African agriculture agenda. Evidence shows that it is agricultural growth, through its leverage effects on the rest of the economy that typically enables poor countries, poor regions and ultimately poor households to take the first steps toward economic transformation. Therefore agricultural productivity, at the small holder’s level, has the potential to lift millions of Africa’s vulnerable out of poverty and provide sustainable jobs. Other factors, namely “the rapid urbanization” and “increased population growth”, are quoted to be of critical importance. Africa population is projected to double, attaining the 2.3 billion people mark over the next 40 years representing half of the globe’s total population. This could trigger competition for resources and can have devastating effects on natural resources if not rightly channelled.展开更多
Global food security is a pressing issue that affects the stability and well-being of communities worldwide.While existing Internet of Things(IoT)enabled plant monitoring systems have made significant strides in agric...Global food security is a pressing issue that affects the stability and well-being of communities worldwide.While existing Internet of Things(IoT)enabled plant monitoring systems have made significant strides in agricultural monitoring,they often face limitations such as high power consumption,restricted mobility,complex deployment requirements,and inadequate security measures for data access.This paper introduces an enhanced IoT application for agricultural monitoring systems that address these critical shortcomings.Our system strategically combines power efficiency,portability,and secure access capabilities,assisting farmers in monitoring and tracking crop environmental conditions.The proposed system includes a remote camera that captures images of surrounding plants and a sensor module that regularly monitors various environmental factors,including temperature,humidity,and soil moisture.We implement power management strategies to minimize energy consumption compared to existing solutions.Unlike conventional systems,our implementation utilizes the Amazon Web Services(AWS)cloud platform for reliable data storage and processing while incorporating comprehensive security measures,including Two-Factor Authentication(2FA)and JSON Web Tokens(JWT),features often overlooked in current agricultural IoT solutions.Users can access this secure monitoring system via a developed Android application,providing convenient mobile access to the gathered plant data.We validate our system’s advantages by implementing it with two potted garlic plants on Okayama University’s rooftop.Our evaluation demonstrates high sensor reliabil-ity,with strong correlations between sensor readings and reference data,achieving determination coefficients(R2)of 0.979 for temperature and 0.750 for humidity measurements.The implemented power management strategies extend battery life to 10 days on a single charge,significantly outperforming existing systems that typically require daily recharging.Furthermore,our dual-layer security implementation utilizing 2FA and JWT successfully protects sensitive agricultural data from unauthorized access.展开更多
Iraq is part of the Fertile Crescent with the two large rivers:Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries that secure the required quantity and quality of water to the Iraqi population for their different uses;includi...Iraq is part of the Fertile Crescent with the two large rivers:Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries that secure the required quantity and quality of water to the Iraqi population for their different uses;including agriculture,industry,and other domestic requirements.During the last decades,however,the quantity and quality of water in these rivers decreased causing water scarcity in the country.This scarcity is having severe impacts on food security in Iraq since large cultivated areas in different parts of the country that grow different agricultural products have been abandoned due to lack of water.The worsening situation is attributed mainly to global climate changes including decreasing rainfall amounts,increase in air temperature,and insufficient water inflows in the two main rivers and their tributaries.This last issue is exasperated by the unfair water sharing policies of the riparian countries namely Turkey and Iran.In writing this article relevant data from different sources were used.Numerous published reports and papers dealing with this important issue were consulted,while at the same time,the long experience of the authors in these very important issues was also drawn upon to elucidate the difficulties that are current today and those expected in the future in this field.展开更多
A surging population in Karnataka State,a semi-arid region in India,poses a threat to both food security and livelihood sustainability,necessitating a concentrated effort to bolster agricultural efficiency and achieve...A surging population in Karnataka State,a semi-arid region in India,poses a threat to both food security and livelihood sustainability,necessitating a concentrated effort to bolster agricultural efficiency and achieve United Naton’s Sustainable Development Goal 2(zero hunger).Therefore,in order to address the pressing issue of food scarcity in Karnataka,this study meticulously examined the spatio-temporal variation of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity in Karnataka,uncovering its significant dependence of agricultural efficiency on irrigation intensity.Specifically,this study used a one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)to ascertain significant differences in the means of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity during 2004-2005 and 2018-2019.This study showed that the maximum improvement in agricultural efficiency index was recorded in Belgaum(40.24),Gulbarga(24.77),and Yadgir districts(22.92)between 2004-2005 and 2018-2019,which indicated the progressing trend and better scope for agriculture extension.On the contrary,some districts expressed threat(a decline of above 20.00 of agricultural efficiency index)and needed special care for the improvement of agricultural efficiency in four northern districts(Bagalkot,Bidar,Raichur,and Bijapur),three southern districts(Chitradurga,Chikballapur and Hassan),and two southern districts(Koppal and Gadag)in Karnataka.During 2004-2005,irrigation intensity varied from 3.19%to 56.39%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest irrigation intensity in Shimoga District.During 2018-2019,irrigation intensity changed from 0.77%to 72.77%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest in Dakshin Kannad District.Moreover,the research scrutinized the complex relationship between agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity,with the correlation coefficient increased from 0.162 during 2004-2005 to 0.255 during 2018-2019.It implies that in both periods,a low positive correlation existed between these two variables.Over time,several factors(high-yield seeds and chemical fertilizers)other than irrigation intensity gradually became essential for agricultural efficiency.This research offers a wealth of valuable insights for regional planners and policy-makers contending with comparable challenges in various regions of India and other developing countries.展开更多
At present,there is still no unified standard for evaluation of agricultural insurance security level,especially in the quantitative evaluation. In order to explore a scientific and reasonable evaluation method for ag...At present,there is still no unified standard for evaluation of agricultural insurance security level,especially in the quantitative evaluation. In order to explore a scientific and reasonable evaluation method for agricultural insurance security level,this paper analyzed the current situation of evaluation methods of social insurance,endowment insurance and medical insurance,as well as the application of security index. It is expected to provide a certain reference for evaluation of agricultural insurance security level by the agricultural insurance security index.展开更多
Efficient agricultural water use is crucial for food safety and water conservation on a global scale. To quantitatively investigate the agricultural water-use efficiency in regions exhibiting the complex agricultural ...Efficient agricultural water use is crucial for food safety and water conservation on a global scale. To quantitatively investigate the agricultural water-use efficiency in regions exhibiting the complex agricultural structure, this study developed an indicator named water footprint of crop values(WFV) that is based on the water footprint of crop production. Defined as the water volume used to produce a unit price of crop(m^3/CNY), the new indicator makes it feasible to directly compare the water footprint of different crops from an economic perspective, so as to comprehensively evaluate the water-use efficiency under the complex planting structure. On the basis of WFV, the study further proposed an indicator of structural water-use coefficient(SWUC), which is represented by the ratio of water-use efficiency for a given planting structure to the water efficiency for a reference crop and can quantitatively describe the impact of planting structure on agricultural water efficiency. Then, a case study was implemented in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The temporal and spatial variations of WFV were assessed for the planting industries in 14 prefectures and cities of Xinjiang between 1991 and 2015. In addition, contribution rate analysis of WFV for different prefectures and cities was conducted to evaluate the variations of WFV caused by different influencing factors: agricultural input, climatic factors, and planting structure. Results from these analyses indicated first that the average WFV of planting industries in Xinjiang significantly decreased from 0.293 m^3/CNY in 1991 to 0.153 m^3/CNY in 2015, corresponding to an average annual change rate of –3.532%. WFV in 13 prefectures and cities(with the exception of Karamay) has declined significantly during the period of 1991–2015, indicating that agricultural water-use efficient has effectively improved. Second, the average SWUC in Xinjiang decreased from 1.17 to 1.08 m^3/CNY in the 1990 s, and then declined to 1.00 m^3/CNY in 2011–2015. The value of SWUC was highly consistent with the relative value of WFV in most prefectures and cities, showing that planting structure is one of the primary factors affecting regional agricultural water-use efficiency. Third, the contribution rate of WFV variations from human factors including agricultural input and planting structure was much more significant than that from climatic factors. However, the distribution of agricultural input and the adjustment of planting structure significantly differed among prefectures and cities, suggesting regional imbalances of agricultural development. This study indicated the feasibility and effectiveness of controlling agricultural water use through increasing technical input and rational selection of crops in the face of impending climate change. Specifically, we concluded that, the rational application of chemical fertilizers, the development of the fruit industry, and the strict restriction of the cotton industry should be implemented to improve the agricultural water-use efficiency in Xinjiang.展开更多
Worldwide biodiversity is being threatened by human activities to a greater level wherein the natural ecosystems are reaching the verge of collapsing. We are faced with four major interrelated challenges namely a chan...Worldwide biodiversity is being threatened by human activities to a greater level wherein the natural ecosystems are reaching the verge of collapsing. We are faced with four major interrelated challenges namely a changing climate, biodiversity loss, human population growth and food production for this growing population. Agricultural intensification contributes significantly to biodiversity loss. The agricultural model for our current food production systems is mainly based on the Green Revolution, which promoted the cultivation of crops in extensive monoculture fields and intensified external inputs of agrochemicals. This model resulted in biodiversity loss, particularly in insect populations. A model based on ecological intensification as an alternative to agricultural intensification with minimized use of agro-inputs may slow the rate of biodiversity loss resulting in more sustainable agricultural ecosystems.展开更多
The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows...The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows that agriculture played a significant role in the rise of civilization globally and was the main contributor to the Caribbean economy before the 1950's. Overall, it was determined that the BVI population, in general, is desirous of more investment opportunities within the agricultural sector, to assist with the alleviation of poverty at the national level, to advance economic development and trade across the region and to make sustainable development more attainable for the Caribbean, as a whole. To do this, agricultural development and food security must become the focal point of the BVI and other Caribbean economies. Accordingly, the paper recommends that investment within the agricultural sector be undertaken more aggressively across the region. The mixed research approach method was used to validate these claims.展开更多
文摘Smart agriculture modifies traditional farming practices,and offers innovative approaches to boost production and sustainability by leveraging contemporary technologies.In today’s world where technology is everything,these technologies are utilized to streamline regular tasks and procedures in agriculture,one of the largest and most significant industries in every nation.This research paper stands out from existing literature on smart agriculture security by providing a comprehensive analysis and examination of security issues within smart agriculture systems.Divided into three main sections-security analysis,system architecture and design and risk assessment of Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)applications-the study delves into various elements crucial for smart farming,such as data sources,infrastructure components,communication protocols,and the roles of different stakeholders such as farmers,agricultural scientists and researchers,technology providers,government agencies,consumers and many others.In contrast to earlier research,this work analyzes the resilience of smart agriculture systems using approaches such as threat modeling,penetration testing,and vulnerability assessments.Important discoveries highlight the concerns connected to unsecured communication protocols,possible threats from malevolent actors,and vulnerabilities in IoT devices.Furthermore,the study suggests enhancements for CPS applications,such as strong access controls,intrusion detection systems,and encryption protocols.In addition,risk assessment techniques are applied to prioritize mitigation tactics and detect potential hazards,addressing issues like data breaches,system outages,and automated farming process sabotage.The research sets itself apart even more by presenting a prototype CPS application that makes use of a digital temperature sensor.This application was first created using a Tinkercad simulator and then using actual hardware with Arduino boards.The CPS application’s defenses against potential threats and vulnerabilities are strengthened by this integrated approach,which distinguishes this research for its depth and usefulness in the field of smart agriculture security.
文摘This study employs a quantitative approach to comprehensively investigate the full propagation process of agricultural drought, focusing on pigeon peas (the most grown crop in the AGS Basin) planting seasonal variations. The study modelled seasonal variabilities in the seasonal Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Agricultural Drought Index (SADI). To necessitate comparison, SADI and SPI were Normalized (from −1 to 1) as they had different ranges and hence could not be compared. From the seasonal indices, the pigeon peas planting season (July to September) was singled out as the most important season to study agricultural droughts. The planting season analysis selected all years with severe conditions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2022) for spatial analysis. Spatial analysis revealed that most areas in the upstream part of the Basin and Coastal region in the lowlands experienced severe to extreme agricultural droughts in highlighted drought years. The modelled agricultural drought results were validated using yield data from two stations in the Basin. The results show that the model performed well with a Pearson Coefficient of 0.87 and a Root Mean Square Error of 0.29. This proactive approach aims to ensure food security, especially in scenarios where the Basin anticipates significantly reduced precipitation affecting water available for agriculture, enabling policymakers, water resource managers and agricultural sector stakeholders to equitably allocate resources and mitigate the effects of droughts in the most affected areas to significantly reduce the socioeconomic drought that is amplified by agricultural drought in rainfed agriculture river basins.
基金supported by the Opening Project of the Key Laboratory of Agri-Informatics,Ministry of Agriculture of China(2012004)the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,2010CB951500)+2 种基金the Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciencesthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(41301365)the National High-Tech R&D Program of China(863 Program,2013AA12A401)
文摘Remote sensing, in particular satellite imagery, has been widely used to map cropland, analyze cropping systems, monitor crop changes, and estimate yield and production. However, although satellite imagery is useful within large scale agriculture applications (such as on a national or provincial scale), it may not supply sufifcient information with adequate resolution, accurate geo-referencing, and specialized biological parameters for use in relation to the rapid developments being made in modern agriculture. Information that is more sophisticated and accurate is required to support reliable decision-making, thereby guaranteeing agricultural sustainability and national food security. To achieve this, strong integration of information is needed from multi-sources, multi-sensors, and multi-scales. In this paper, we propose a new framework of satellite, aerial, and ground-integrated (SAGI) agricultural remote sensing for use in comprehensive agricultural monitoring, modeling, and management. The prototypes of SAGI agriculture remote sensing are ifrst described, followed by a discussion of the key techniques used in joint data processing, image sequence registration and data assimilation. Finally, the possible applications of the SAGI system in supporting national food security are discussed.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(62072248,61902188)in part by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2019M651713)。
文摘With the deep combination of both modern information technology and traditional agriculture,the era of agriculture 4.0,which takes the form of smart agriculture,has come.Smart agriculture provides solutions for agricultural intelligence and automation.However,information security issues cannot be ignored with the development of agriculture brought by modern information technology.In this paper,three typical development modes of smart agriculture(precision agriculture,facility agriculture,and order agriculture)are presented.Then,7 key technologies and 11 key applications are derived from the above modes.Based on the above technologies and applications,6 security and privacy countermeasures(authentication and access control,privacy-preserving,blockchain-based solutions for data integrity,cryptography and key management,physical countermeasures,and intrusion detection systems)are summarized and discussed.Moreover,the security challenges of smart agriculture are analyzed and organized into two aspects:1)agricultural production,and 2)information technology.Most current research projects have not taken agricultural equipment as potential security threats.Therefore,we did some additional experiments based on solar insecticidal lamps Internet of Things,and the results indicate that agricultural equipment has an impact on agricultural security.Finally,more technologies(5 G communication,fog computing,Internet of Everything,renewable energy management system,software defined network,virtual reality,augmented reality,and cyber security datasets for smart agriculture)are described as the future research directions of smart agriculture.
基金supported in part by the Research Start-Up Fund for Talent Researcher of Nanjing Agricultural University(77H0603)in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(62072248)。
文摘In this paper,we review and analyze intrusion detection systems for Agriculture 4.0 cyber security.Specifically,we present cyber security threats and evaluation metrics used in the performance evaluation of an intrusion detection system for Agriculture 4.0.Then,we evaluate intrusion detection systems according to emerging technologies,including,Cloud computing,Fog/Edge computing,Network virtualization,Autonomous tractors,Drones,Internet of Things,Industrial agriculture,and Smart Grids.Based on the machine learning technique used,we provide a comprehensive classification of intrusion detection systems in each emerging technology.Furthermore,we present public datasets,and the implementation frameworks applied in the performance evaluation of intrusion detection systems for Agriculture 4.0.Finally,we outline challenges and future research directions in cyber security intrusion detection for Agriculture 4.0.
文摘Current status of several management models of the agriculture industry is introduced,as well as its impacts on industrial security.The management models are mainly the enterprise-like operation model,"enterprise + peasant household" model,small-scale peasants' operation model,and peasant specialized cooperative model.Functions of peasant specialized cooperative in ensuring the security of agricultural industry are introduced,which are enhancing the industrial security by organization degree,promoting the industrial security by scale economy formed by cooperative organizations,fully utilizing the resources by the factor allocation capability,and ensuring the industrial security by industrial chain improvement.Development predicaments of the peasant specialized cooperative at present are analyzed,such as small scale,poor economic benefits,and non-standard operation.Analysis shows that institutional absence is the main reason causing these predicaments.And suggestions on improving the cooperatives system in the Law of the People's Republic of China on Peasants Specialized Cooperatives are put forward,in order to better ensure the security of agriculture
文摘The study of the climate change and the effects of climate change induced extreme events on food security are fundamental for the sustainable development of agriculture globally. Climatic factors are the primary important factors affecting agricultural production. Furthermore, the world is now experiencing more frequent and intense droughts and floods in many agricultural regions which damage and at times destroy crops. The effects of climatic change on agriculture have triggered significant trend of research during the last decade globally in order to unfold the solutions to climate change induced extreme events on agriculture. Several studies have been conducted on effects of extreme events such as droughts and flooding induced by climate change on agriculture and food security. These effects include changes in crop and livestock yields as well as the economic consequences of these potential yield changes globally. Therefore, this study reviews the effects of extreme events, including floods and drought, caused by climate change on agriculture and food security with focus on Nigeria in particular. For the study, literatures were identified for review through a comprehensive search by using electronic and non-electronic databases to identify researches conducted on effects on climate change and extreme events on agricultural productivity. From the review, it shows that extreme events such as droughts and floods impact agriculture and food security. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change especially droughts and floods, on agricultural productivity, there is an urgent need to intensity efforts and researches on climate change to mitigate and adapt to the occurrences of these extreme events when necessary in Nigeria. Several mitigation and adaptation measures need to be implemented to mitigate the effects of extreme events on agricultural productivity and food security. These measures include practicing climate-smart agriculture, construction and improvement of drainage networks to effectively dispose of flood water in order to reduce the risks of flooding in urban agriculture and drought-resistant varieties of crops should be cultivated.
文摘The objective of this study is to define agricultural water resources security and its connotation and extension. The definitions of water security, water resources security, and water environment security were summarized, and their relationship was differentiated and analyzed. Based on these, the elements of the conception of agricultural water resources security were hashed and the conception was defined. Agricultural water resources security is the provision of water resource that ensures protection of agriculture against threat, hazards, destruction, and loss. Moreover, the connotation and extension of agricultural water resources security were ascertained. In detail, the connotation of the definition has natural attributes, socioeconomic attributes, and cultural attributes. The extensions of agricultural water resources security include both broad and narrow ones, as well as, food security, agroenvironmental security, agroeconomic security, rural society security, etc. The definition will serve as the frame of reference for developing the researches, limiting the frame of the theory, and founding a appraising system for agricultural water resources security.
基金Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40161004)
文摘Ecological security is the main task and applied field of present geography, resources and environment sciences and ecology. Ecological security evaluation will efficiently promote ecological security and environmental construction in regional land use. In this thesis, the authors put forward the index system of ecological security evaluation in karst mountainous area on three aspects, the pressure of resources and eco-environment, the quality of resources and eco-environment, and the ability of environmental protection and ecological improvement. Using the evaluation method with single index, based on the case study ofDu'an Yao Autonomous County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the system of synthetic regionalization of ecological agricultural economy was formed, which includes three regions, south region with basic security and synthetic agricultural development, east region with critical security and agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry balanced development, mid-west and south region with ecological insecurity and compounded agriculture and forestry management. Meanwhile, for these regions, the countermeasures of sustainable agricultural development were pointed out, which provide the basis and example for ecological regulation and control of sustainable agricultural development in counties ofkarst mountainous area.
文摘The Sudanian-Sahelian zone of the Far-North Cameroon faces an extreme climate challenge resulting in increased vulnerability to erosion, soil degradation, and the effects of climate change, impacting soil fertility and agricultural yields. The objective of this study was to analyze agricultural practices, challenges related to climate change and soil degradation, as well as the solutions adopted by farmers to address these issues. To achieve this, 600 farmers from the six departments of the region were interviewed. The results highlight the significant impact of climatic conditions on soil health, agricultural activities, and food security. Farmers identified various indicators of soil degradation, including agricultural yields, bioindicator plants, plant growth, soil fauna, and root density. The main causes of soil degradation are associated with practices such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, overgrazing, and the effects of climate change. The impacts of this degradation are multiple, including soil fertility loss, reduced agricultural yields, deforestation, reduced biodiversity, income loss, water resource pollution, and food insecurity. In response to these challenges, farmers have adopted sustainable soil management practices, including crop rotation, intercropping, fallowing, the use of organic fertilizers, and the adoption of conservation agriculture. To effectively address these challenges, concerted collaboration between farmers, civil society organizations, and government authorities is imperative to develop sustainable and effective solutions against soil degradation in the region.
基金Supported by Humanities and Social Sciences Planning Project of the Ministry of Education(16YJA790014)
文摘In December 2015,the Central Rural Work Conference put forward the structural reform of agricultural supply side,to ensure the national food security. At present,China's grain production is increasing,the supply and demand structure of grain market is not balanced,and the ineffective supply due to the lack of market supply and demand has caused the problem of structural surplus and structural shortage.And price and quality difference of domestic and international grain is obvious,and the agricultural products in China are overstock,so the reform of agricultural supply side based on food security must be implemented. To adjust structure,reduce stock,reduce cost,increase quality,promote the primary,secondary and tertiary industries convergence will become the focus of China's agricultural supply side structural reform,and we can develop the ecological agriculture,improve the competitiveness of the grain market in price and quality,to ensure food security for the nation.
文摘The challenge Africa faces the most is how to feed the 2.4 billion people in 2050. This will require a transformational agriculture. Africa doesn’t need subsistence agriculture, but rather agriculture linked to the market where market demand and the consuming habits are taken in consideration. Agriculture evolves in an environment where small holders are linked to markets (national and regional), where economies of complementarity and economies of scale are taken advantage of by producers and private sector. In short, Africa will need a paradigm shift to industrialise and commercialise its agriculture sector in order to increase food production, and income and to create jobs in and outside the sector. Africa needs agribusiness and agro-industries to domesticate the benefits of the sector, to create wealth in the sector and retain that wealth in the continent. Agricultural commodities regional value chains for increased food should be the target for Africa. The continent remains the region with the highest prevalence of under-nourishment. Since agriculture remains the mainstay of most African economies except the mineral producers, the sector deserves a close attention from leaders. It accounts for 65% of employment and 40% of Africa’s export earnings and accounts for 17% of the GDP. This shows how important the sector is. Agriculture needs to be seen as a conduit for farmers to get connected to markets, a conduit for revenue, for jobs and for transformation. Africa needs to come back on the international scene as food sufficient continent and even food exporter. This can be achieved only with a stable, productive agricultural resource base. Thus, achieving and sustaining food security and economic prosperity in Africa will require significant efforts to modernize the continent’s agriculture sector through injection of agribusiness and agro-industries and through the application of science and technology in agriculture. In essence, agriculture needs to be viewed as knowledge based entrepreneurial activity. Smart investments in agriculture will have multiplier effects for the whole economy and hence induce prosperity to other sectors. In recent years, a renewed focus on agriculture has been evident in policy and development agendas across the African continent. This paper outlines the status of agriculture, agribusiness and agro-industries in Africa, their role in the agenda of agricultural transformation and economic transformation and the focus on regional value chain to increase food production, transformation and trade. The paper adopts a new thinking in agriculture, which reflects a regional value chain approach. The author covers such issues as: need for agricultural transformation, the role of value chain in agricultural sector, the need for regional value chain for increased income and increased food, the role of markets and the common denominator of all, the regional integration to push forward the African agriculture agenda. Evidence shows that it is agricultural growth, through its leverage effects on the rest of the economy that typically enables poor countries, poor regions and ultimately poor households to take the first steps toward economic transformation. Therefore agricultural productivity, at the small holder’s level, has the potential to lift millions of Africa’s vulnerable out of poverty and provide sustainable jobs. Other factors, namely “the rapid urbanization” and “increased population growth”, are quoted to be of critical importance. Africa population is projected to double, attaining the 2.3 billion people mark over the next 40 years representing half of the globe’s total population. This could trigger competition for resources and can have devastating effects on natural resources if not rightly channelled.
基金supported by the budget of GIC project at Okayama University.
文摘Global food security is a pressing issue that affects the stability and well-being of communities worldwide.While existing Internet of Things(IoT)enabled plant monitoring systems have made significant strides in agricultural monitoring,they often face limitations such as high power consumption,restricted mobility,complex deployment requirements,and inadequate security measures for data access.This paper introduces an enhanced IoT application for agricultural monitoring systems that address these critical shortcomings.Our system strategically combines power efficiency,portability,and secure access capabilities,assisting farmers in monitoring and tracking crop environmental conditions.The proposed system includes a remote camera that captures images of surrounding plants and a sensor module that regularly monitors various environmental factors,including temperature,humidity,and soil moisture.We implement power management strategies to minimize energy consumption compared to existing solutions.Unlike conventional systems,our implementation utilizes the Amazon Web Services(AWS)cloud platform for reliable data storage and processing while incorporating comprehensive security measures,including Two-Factor Authentication(2FA)and JSON Web Tokens(JWT),features often overlooked in current agricultural IoT solutions.Users can access this secure monitoring system via a developed Android application,providing convenient mobile access to the gathered plant data.We validate our system’s advantages by implementing it with two potted garlic plants on Okayama University’s rooftop.Our evaluation demonstrates high sensor reliabil-ity,with strong correlations between sensor readings and reference data,achieving determination coefficients(R2)of 0.979 for temperature and 0.750 for humidity measurements.The implemented power management strategies extend battery life to 10 days on a single charge,significantly outperforming existing systems that typically require daily recharging.Furthermore,our dual-layer security implementation utilizing 2FA and JWT successfully protects sensitive agricultural data from unauthorized access.
文摘Iraq is part of the Fertile Crescent with the two large rivers:Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries that secure the required quantity and quality of water to the Iraqi population for their different uses;including agriculture,industry,and other domestic requirements.During the last decades,however,the quantity and quality of water in these rivers decreased causing water scarcity in the country.This scarcity is having severe impacts on food security in Iraq since large cultivated areas in different parts of the country that grow different agricultural products have been abandoned due to lack of water.The worsening situation is attributed mainly to global climate changes including decreasing rainfall amounts,increase in air temperature,and insufficient water inflows in the two main rivers and their tributaries.This last issue is exasperated by the unfair water sharing policies of the riparian countries namely Turkey and Iran.In writing this article relevant data from different sources were used.Numerous published reports and papers dealing with this important issue were consulted,while at the same time,the long experience of the authors in these very important issues was also drawn upon to elucidate the difficulties that are current today and those expected in the future in this field.
文摘A surging population in Karnataka State,a semi-arid region in India,poses a threat to both food security and livelihood sustainability,necessitating a concentrated effort to bolster agricultural efficiency and achieve United Naton’s Sustainable Development Goal 2(zero hunger).Therefore,in order to address the pressing issue of food scarcity in Karnataka,this study meticulously examined the spatio-temporal variation of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity in Karnataka,uncovering its significant dependence of agricultural efficiency on irrigation intensity.Specifically,this study used a one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)to ascertain significant differences in the means of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity during 2004-2005 and 2018-2019.This study showed that the maximum improvement in agricultural efficiency index was recorded in Belgaum(40.24),Gulbarga(24.77),and Yadgir districts(22.92)between 2004-2005 and 2018-2019,which indicated the progressing trend and better scope for agriculture extension.On the contrary,some districts expressed threat(a decline of above 20.00 of agricultural efficiency index)and needed special care for the improvement of agricultural efficiency in four northern districts(Bagalkot,Bidar,Raichur,and Bijapur),three southern districts(Chitradurga,Chikballapur and Hassan),and two southern districts(Koppal and Gadag)in Karnataka.During 2004-2005,irrigation intensity varied from 3.19%to 56.39%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest irrigation intensity in Shimoga District.During 2018-2019,irrigation intensity changed from 0.77%to 72.77%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest in Dakshin Kannad District.Moreover,the research scrutinized the complex relationship between agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity,with the correlation coefficient increased from 0.162 during 2004-2005 to 0.255 during 2018-2019.It implies that in both periods,a low positive correlation existed between these two variables.Over time,several factors(high-yield seeds and chemical fertilizers)other than irrigation intensity gradually became essential for agricultural efficiency.This research offers a wealth of valuable insights for regional planners and policy-makers contending with comparable challenges in various regions of India and other developing countries.
基金Supported by the National Science and Technology Project in the Twelfth FiveYear Plan Period(2014BALO7B03.2)
文摘At present,there is still no unified standard for evaluation of agricultural insurance security level,especially in the quantitative evaluation. In order to explore a scientific and reasonable evaluation method for agricultural insurance security level,this paper analyzed the current situation of evaluation methods of social insurance,endowment insurance and medical insurance,as well as the application of security index. It is expected to provide a certain reference for evaluation of agricultural insurance security level by the agricultural insurance security index.
基金supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC0404301, 2016YFA0601602)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51479209)+1 种基金the Application Foundation Research Project of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (2016AG003)the Talent Initiate Scientific Research Project (RCZX2015027)。
文摘Efficient agricultural water use is crucial for food safety and water conservation on a global scale. To quantitatively investigate the agricultural water-use efficiency in regions exhibiting the complex agricultural structure, this study developed an indicator named water footprint of crop values(WFV) that is based on the water footprint of crop production. Defined as the water volume used to produce a unit price of crop(m^3/CNY), the new indicator makes it feasible to directly compare the water footprint of different crops from an economic perspective, so as to comprehensively evaluate the water-use efficiency under the complex planting structure. On the basis of WFV, the study further proposed an indicator of structural water-use coefficient(SWUC), which is represented by the ratio of water-use efficiency for a given planting structure to the water efficiency for a reference crop and can quantitatively describe the impact of planting structure on agricultural water efficiency. Then, a case study was implemented in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The temporal and spatial variations of WFV were assessed for the planting industries in 14 prefectures and cities of Xinjiang between 1991 and 2015. In addition, contribution rate analysis of WFV for different prefectures and cities was conducted to evaluate the variations of WFV caused by different influencing factors: agricultural input, climatic factors, and planting structure. Results from these analyses indicated first that the average WFV of planting industries in Xinjiang significantly decreased from 0.293 m^3/CNY in 1991 to 0.153 m^3/CNY in 2015, corresponding to an average annual change rate of –3.532%. WFV in 13 prefectures and cities(with the exception of Karamay) has declined significantly during the period of 1991–2015, indicating that agricultural water-use efficient has effectively improved. Second, the average SWUC in Xinjiang decreased from 1.17 to 1.08 m^3/CNY in the 1990 s, and then declined to 1.00 m^3/CNY in 2011–2015. The value of SWUC was highly consistent with the relative value of WFV in most prefectures and cities, showing that planting structure is one of the primary factors affecting regional agricultural water-use efficiency. Third, the contribution rate of WFV variations from human factors including agricultural input and planting structure was much more significant than that from climatic factors. However, the distribution of agricultural input and the adjustment of planting structure significantly differed among prefectures and cities, suggesting regional imbalances of agricultural development. This study indicated the feasibility and effectiveness of controlling agricultural water use through increasing technical input and rational selection of crops in the face of impending climate change. Specifically, we concluded that, the rational application of chemical fertilizers, the development of the fruit industry, and the strict restriction of the cotton industry should be implemented to improve the agricultural water-use efficiency in Xinjiang.
文摘Worldwide biodiversity is being threatened by human activities to a greater level wherein the natural ecosystems are reaching the verge of collapsing. We are faced with four major interrelated challenges namely a changing climate, biodiversity loss, human population growth and food production for this growing population. Agricultural intensification contributes significantly to biodiversity loss. The agricultural model for our current food production systems is mainly based on the Green Revolution, which promoted the cultivation of crops in extensive monoculture fields and intensified external inputs of agrochemicals. This model resulted in biodiversity loss, particularly in insect populations. A model based on ecological intensification as an alternative to agricultural intensification with minimized use of agro-inputs may slow the rate of biodiversity loss resulting in more sustainable agricultural ecosystems.
文摘The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows that agriculture played a significant role in the rise of civilization globally and was the main contributor to the Caribbean economy before the 1950's. Overall, it was determined that the BVI population, in general, is desirous of more investment opportunities within the agricultural sector, to assist with the alleviation of poverty at the national level, to advance economic development and trade across the region and to make sustainable development more attainable for the Caribbean, as a whole. To do this, agricultural development and food security must become the focal point of the BVI and other Caribbean economies. Accordingly, the paper recommends that investment within the agricultural sector be undertaken more aggressively across the region. The mixed research approach method was used to validate these claims.