Navigating the environmental,economic and social impacts of sustainable agriculture and food systems:a review

The escalating recognition of sustainable agriculture and food systems is a response to the multifaceted challenges of food insecurity,climate change,environmental deterioration and economic pressures.In this review,sustainable agriculture is characterized as an array of farming practices that effectively address immediate demands,while simultaneously safeguarding the potential of future generations to fulfill their needs.The primary objectives include sustained productivity,pollution reduction,and economic viability and sustainability.Sustainable food systems incorporate dimensions beyond production,including processing,distribution,consumption patterns,and waste management along the entire food supply chain.An abundance of research underscores the manifold benefits offered by sustainable agriculture and food systems to society at large.These advantages include fostering climate resilience,curbing greenhouse gas emissions,enhancing water quality,promoting biodiversity,enriching soil fertility,fortifying rural livelihoods and nurturing community well-being.Nevertheless,the path toward sustainability is strewn with significant challenges.These include substantial costs involved in transitioning,conflicts in policy objectives,and the pervasive influence of traditional methods.Achieving sustainability requires the execution of holistic strategies that traverse various sectors and scales.Accelerating this progress can be facilitated through the adoption of diverse strategies,including agroforestry,agroecology,urban agriculture,farmer knowledge exchange,ecosystem service payments and supply chain shortening.However,the success of these strategies hinges on the provision of appropriate policies and incentives.Further research is vital to ascertain the ideal conditions for implementing specific interventions and to assess the comprehensive expenses and benefits linked to them.This review emphasizes the assertion that widespread adoption of sustainable practices in agriculture and interconnected food systems has positive impacts in terms of community nutrition,conservation of natural resources and long-term economic progress.

No generality in biodiversity-productivity relationships along elevation in temperate and subtropical forest landscapes

An improved understanding of biodiversity-productivity relationships(BPRs)along environmental gradients is crucial for effective ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation.The stress-gradient hypothesis suggests that BPRs are stronger in stressful environments compared to more favorable conditions.However,there is limited knowledge regarding the variation of BPRs along elevational gradients and their generality across different landscapes.To study how BPRs change with elevation,we harnessed inventory data on 6,431 trees from152 plots surveyed twice in eight to ten year intervals in mountain forests of temperate Europe and subtropical Asia.We quantified the relationship between aboveground productivity and different biodiversity measures,including taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic diversity.To elucidate the processes underlying BPRs,we studied the variation of different functional traits along elevation across landscapes.We found no general pattern of BPRs across landscapes and elevations.Relationships were neutral for all biodiversity measures in temperate forests,and negative for taxonomic and functional diversity in subtropical forests.BPRs were largely congruent between taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity.We found only weak support for the stress-gradient hypothesis,with BPRs turning from negative to positive(effect not significant)close to the tree line in subtropical forests.In temperate forests,however,elevation patterns were strongly modulated by species identity effects as influenced by specific traits.The effect of traits such as community-weighted mean of maximum plant height and wood density on productivity was congruent across landscapes.Our study highlights the context-dependence of BPRs across elevation gradients and landscapes.Species traits are key modulating factors of BPRs and should be considered more explicitly in studies of the functional role of biodiversity.Furthermore,our findings highlight that potential trade-offs between conserving biodiversity and fostering ecosystem productivity exist,which require more attention in policy and management.

Spatial Analysis of Structural Changes and Floristic Distribution of Forest Landscapes in the Centre-West Region of Burkina Faso

Land use and occupation dynamics impact landscape structure, diversity, richness and balance of vegetation cover. The aim of this study is to describe the process of fragmentation of the forest landscape from 1990 to 2020 and its effects on the degradation of the floristic characteristics of the vegetation in the Central West region of Burkina Faso. To achieve this, satellite data were collected and processed as part of a mapping approach to describing the landscape and the different types of landscape fragmentation. Mapping indices of landscape fragmentation (relative richness, change process, patch zones, Shannon diversity index) were also calculated. These indices were programmed in Idrisi Selva’s Landscape Pattern and change process analysis module. Spatio-temporal analysis revealed that in 1990, the landscape was dominated by natural vegetation formations, covering 66.33% of the territory. By 2020, these had been degraded to 44.80% by farmlands. The mapping analysis of indices also showed that the study area is characterized by four types of landscape fragmentation, including attrition, aggregation, creation and dissection. We also observed an abundant homogeneity, diversity and richness of conservation areas with legal and land tenure status. However, the structure is heterogeneous in landscapes outside protected areas and in areas under human occupation. This shows the crucial role played by conservation areas in preserving and balancing the diversity of vegetative cover in the study area.

The role of forest culture in green construction and management of forest parks:merging knowledge-attitude-practice and theory of planned behavior

As a cultural concept refl ecting the relationship between humans and forests,forest culture plays an active role in sustainable forest management.Forest parks provide a wide range of ecosystem services essential for the sustainable development of society,and the relationships between forest culture,green construction and management of forest parks have practical signifi cance.This study aimed to understand the interaction and process of forest culture infl uencing green construction and management in forest parks with the models Knowledge-Attitude-Practice(KAP)and Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB)by proposing a theoretical model.Four hypotheses were tested using data collected from 193 forest park employees in Heilongjiang Province,China.Our results show that forest culture had a signifi cant infl uence on green construction and forest management.In addition,subjective norm and perceived behavioral control directly impacted behavior in green construction and management of the forest park,whereas attitude did not have an impact.Subjective norm had a direct eff ect on attitude.Results between constructs show that forest culture had an indirect eff ect on planning and construction,and on ecological and economic management.Consequently,it supported three of four hypotheses within the proposed model in determining the infl uence of forest culture on green construction and management.

Case Study on the Forestry Cooperation Model from Game Structure Perspective

Take Chinese yew cooperative organization for example,different game structures of forestry cooperation model were analyzed,the elative merit and applicable occasion was discussed combined with empirical investigation,and some suggestions were given also.The results showed that depending entirely on normal forest farmers cooperate spontaneously is difficult.Policies should be designed from the perspective of promoted village cadres and influential family salons to cooperation.When market factors become the main obstacle,it is necessary to introduce companies,relax constraints of forest management and build the right market atmosphere.According to unequal status of company and forest farmers,develop the cooperation model of " company + cooperation organization + farmers".In certain circumstances,especially there are several companies vicious competition,the intervention of association can play a coordinating role.

Developing Ecosystem Maps Using Eco-Geological Information for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

Ecosystem maps are vital to represent ecological patterns and processes in a region. It enables the use of ecosystem goods and services as a robust unit for a variety of applications, including conservation planning, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, resource management, and the economic estimation of ecosystem benefits. As different elements of eco-geological components, such as the geological, soil, and biotic assemblages organize an ecosystem;here, we developed an ecosystem map of the State of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, using geology, soil, elevation, and land-use data. Landsat ETM+ images, ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and digitized soil and geological data were integrated to develop a map of the types of ecosystem for 2005. We found 19 different natural ecosystems in the studied region that represented approximately 35% of the total land area. Among the natural ecosystems, peat-swamp forest represents highest (at ~10%), while montane ericaceous forest representing the lowest (at ~0.008%) and the hill dipterocarp quartz forest, lowland dipterocarp sandstone forest, upper dipterocarp quartz forest, and mangrove forest are representing approximately 6.4%, 4.6%, 3% and 2.6% of the total land area respectively. These data can be used to prioritize the areas deserving attention due to their value for biodiversity conservation and for the production of goods and supply of ecosystem services. In addition to a variety of ecological and environmental aspects, such an ecosystem map has potential use for the sustainable management of natural resources at the national, regional, continental, and global scales.

Effects of Broussonetia papyrifera invasion and land use on vegetation characteristics in a tropical forest of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Broussonetia papyrifera(paper mulberry)invasion and land use on the floristic composition of a dry semideciduous forest in Ghana.Forty-five plots(25 m×25 m each),distributed among three land uses-selectively logged(SL);abandoned farmlands(AF);and an undisturbed reference(RF)-were surveyed.Results showed lower tree species richness(S),diversity(H’),evenness(S)and basal area(BA)in the SL(46,0.78,0.32 and 269.12 m2 ha-1,respectively)and AF(40,0.53,0.45,and 131.16 m^2 ha^-1)sites compared to the RF site(79,2.66,0.87,963.72 m^2 ha^-1).Similar patterns were found at the shrub layer,but no differences were observed at the herb layer.Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed distinct species composition among the land uses.The two disturbed habitats,SL and AF,were associated with increased B.papyrifera invasion particularly in the overstory,with importance value index and mean relative density of 45 and 65.03%,and 42 and 53.29%,correspondingly.However,the species was only sparsely represented in the RF site.Tree density of B.papyrifera correlated negatively with H’,S,E,BA,and native tree density and richness.These findings highlight the strong link between human land use(i.e.,logging and slash-andburn farming),invasion,and vegetation characteristics,and suggest the need to limit these disturbances to conserve biodiversity within tropical forest ecosystems.

Fragmented forest in tropical landscape——the case of the State of Selangor, Malaysia

This paper presents the pattern and changes of fragmented forest in relation with changes of total forest cover in the state of Selangor in three decades. In this study, inventoried forest cover maps of Selangor in 1971/1972, 1981/1982 and 1991/1992 produced by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia were digitized to examine the changes in area and number of fragmented forest. Results showed that in 1971/1972, 16 fragmented forests were identified in Selangor. All fragmented forests were identified as dipterocarp forest. A decade later the number of fragmented forests increased by approximately 44% (23). Of the 23 fragmented forests, two were peat swamp forests whereas the remaining were dipterocarp forests. In 1991/1992 the number of fragmented forests (12) was reduced by 47.8%. Two of the fragmented forests were identified as peat swamp forest, seven dipterocarp forest and the other three was mixed of dipterocarp forests and plantation forests. Fragmentation of both dipterocarp and peat swamp forests occurred profoundly during the period between 1971/1972 and 1981/1982, which consequently increased the number of fragmented forests compared with before the period of 1971/1972 where fragmentation happened only at dipterocarp forests. However, many fragmented forests vanished between the 1981/1982 and 1991/1992 periods.

Chemical Properties,Low-Temperature Performance,and Burning Performance of Bio-Jet Fuel

The effects of composition of bio-jet fuels on freezing point,smoke point,distillation range,and flash point are investigated.Performance tests using petroleum-based jet fuel with different compositions are conducted in line with standard test specifications.The results show that alkylbenzenes reduce the freezing point,with the amount of reduction becoming greater with increasing alkylbenzene content.For a 25%content of the C_8 aromatic xylene,the freezing point is in the range from-55.5℃to-60.1℃.The presence of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons leads to an increase in carbon deposition performance,especially when alkyl side chains are present.With cycloalkanes,carbon deposition is reduced,although alkyl side chains weaken this beneficial effect.Isomeric hydrocarbons are beneficial in reducing carbon deposition.The ASTM D7566 specifications for the distillation range are based on the average properties of petroleum-based aviation fuel,and if all the parameters governing the distillation range of an alternative jet fuel are at their lower limits,it is necessary to check whether other performance standards are met.Light components affect the flash point greatly,with 5%of benzene reducing the flash point by 17℃,whereas intermediate components(e.g.,xylene and ethylbenzene)and heavier components have less impact.Although alcohols provide better combustion performance,their content must be strictly limited owing to their effects in reducing the flash point.

Agroforestry Trees Improve Water Infiltrability in Semi-arid Tropical Parklands in Burkina Faso

Maintaining appropriate levels of soil infiltrability is important for avoiding undesirable levels of surface runoff and erosion and for maintaining adequate rates of soil and groundwater recharge.This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of Faidherbia albida(apple-ring acacia)and Vitellaria paradoxa(shea butter tree)trees and additions of inorganic fertilizer,leaves and compost on soil infiltrability in two agroforestry parkland systems in the western part of Burkina Faso.Infiltrability was measured before tilling both under and outside canopies of these trees,using tension disc and double-ring infiltrometers.The results show that infiltrability was 33%higher on average under than outside canopies in both agroforestry parkland systems.The compost,leaves and inorganic fertilizer did not improve infiltrability significantly during the study period.More than 75%of the infiltrability estimates obtained using ring infiltrometers outside the canopies were lower than 40 mm/h.In contrast,less than 10%of those obtained from under canopies were lower than this.This could have highly significant effects on run-off,erosion and recharge since rain intensity measurements collected over three years at 30 min intervals showed that up to 35%of the annual precipitation fell with intensities≥40 mm/h.The study demonstrates the potential of improving infiltrability and reducing surface runoff by managing trees appropriately in agroforestry systems in semi-arid tropics.

Physical Forcing Induced Coastal Vulnerability along the Gulf of Guinea

Coastal areas of the Gulf of Guinea experience accelerated degradation as a result of erosion and flooding associated with intensification of extreme marine-meteorological phenomena. The coastal erosion process, especially on the sandy or muddy littoral, constitutes one of the main factors of the degradation of the Gulf of the Guinean coast. These risks, which are still poorly studied, could increase over the coming decades because of climate change and the human activities that exacerbate them. Data related to ocean forcing (tide, wave, and sea level anomaly), to hydrologic parameter (rainfall) and to the state (geomorphology, coastal slope, and rate of coastal retreat) of the coast were analyzed by several statistical methods and a numerical vulnerability model to map the vulnerability of the different coastlines of this region. The results showed that the vulnerability of these coastal areas is influenced by geomorphology, tide, waves and rainfall intensity. 24.34% and 37% of the entire coast are of low and moderate vulnerability respectively. While 26.98% and 11.66% are of high and very high vulnerability respectively. This information could facilitate developing sustainable policies to effectively manage hazards in this coastal zone.

Preliminary Results of Application Mobilev Traffic model to Calculate Air Emission and Assessing Policies for Reducing Air Emissions in an ASEAN City

Traffic is one of the main air pollution source in urban cities,especially in Ho Chi Minh City.Annually,it emits a huge amount of pollutants into the atmosphere;and air quality in HCMC becomes worse due to circulation of outdate private vehicles.Therefore,clean air plan(CAP)is necessary for reducing air pollution level in the city and air emission inventory(EI)is an essential step to develop CAP.Mobilev model from Germany was chosen to conduct EI for HCMC.Objectives include of this study:(i)elaborating an air emission inventory(EI)from road traffic activities over HCMC;and(ii)assessing emission control policies and study abatement strategies to reduce air pollution level from traffic activities for HCMC in 2020.The results indicated that motorcycles are the main sources of air emission in HCMC.The emissions of CO are 3,586.707 tons/year,following ish VOC,NOx,CH4,NO2,SO2 and particulate matter(PM).In addition,CO2,which is one of the main greenhouse gases,also included and contributed 36,293.501 ton/year.These pollutants concentrated in the center which has crowded roads and population,affecting directly human health.Therefore,a replaced private vehicle with public transportation is necessary to reduce emissions.Two abatement strategies to 2020 for reducing emissions were performed and showed that if the HCMC government has severe policies on motor vehicles,the emission will be reduced until 60%,opposite emissions in 2020 will be increased to 200%.

Wood Density Determination with the Perspective to Decarbonisation of Tropical Forest Species from the Luki Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Specimens of the forest species such as Pentaclethra macrophylla, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Pycnanthus angolensis and Terminalia superba have been sampled from LUKI Biosphere reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to determine their wood density with the perspective to decarbonisation. These parameters have been found out experimentally utilizing a drying technique in an oven including techniques of immersion in an Erlenmeyer full of water. The corresponding results indicated that the four species wood density is respectively 0.85, 0.80, 0.77 and 0.51. These preliminary results will be useful in our ongoing project on carbon dioxide absorption capacity of Congo rainforest tree species.

Develop an Air Emission Inventory for Potential Point Sources in Northern Key Economic Zone and Simulate Its Impacts on Air Quality in Hanoi City,Vietnam

The Northern Key Economic region of Vietnam is a dynamic economic center that is an important economic locomotive of the North and the whole of Vietnam.In this area,large industrial parks are concentrated,attracting many large FDI projects.Key industries:cement production,cars-motorcycles,electronics,...Economic development entails environmental problems.The industrial sector has been identified as the number one driving force driving the growth of Hanoi city and neighboring provinces.Therefore,industrial development is one of the main causes of environmental pollution.In addition,the growth rate of industry in neighboring provinces significantly affects the air quality in Hanoi city.Some factories in Vinh Phuc,Hung Yen,Bac Ninh and Hai Duong provinces have large sources of gas emissions,potentially affecting air quality around Hanoi city.Monitoring results show that air pollution in Hanoi city is mainly caused by dust pollution,especially PM2.5 superfine dust.This is a very harmful dust to health;it is necessary to determine the cause and control solution.Therefore,the objectives of this study are:(1)inventory of potential emissions sources for industrial activities in the northern key economic region around Hanoi;(2)Simulate air spread by AERMOD model to get an overall picture of the industrial impact of surrounding provinces in Hanoi city;(3)Propose solutions to manage air quality for the city in the coming time.Simulation results for pollutants with the highest concentration of NOx for 1 hour,24 hours and the average of the year is 7.94;1.02;0.222(μg/m3);of CO for 1 hour and 8 hours are 27.616;8.89(μg/m3);of SO2 for 1 hour,24 hours and the average of the year is 4.005;0.288;0.038(μg/m3);of PM2.5 for 1 hour,24 hours and the average of the year is 0.32;0.023;0.003(μg/m3);of PM10 in 1 hour,24 hours and year average are 1.03;0.074;0.098(μg/m3).

Development of an Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index for the Ivorian Coast in West Africa

This study assesses the vulnerable state of the 566-km Ivorian coastal area using the physical (geomorphology, coastal slope, coastal retreat rate, relative sea level rise and wave/Tide energy) and socio-economic (coastal population density, harbor, airport, road, land use and protected area) factors as indicators. This enabled an Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index to be determined for the Ivorian coastal zone. This Index could be defined as the weighted average of indexes based on physical and socio-economic factors. The study revealed that vulnerability of the western and the eastern coastlines of Cote d’Ivoire are strongly influenced by human activities, while physical forcing affects significantly the vulnerability of the central section. The relative vulnerability of the different sections depends also strongly on the geomorphology, wave energy, coastal population density and land use factors. The west and central sections of the coastline are more resilient than the eastern section when integrating physical and socio-economic factors. The Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index, based on physical and socio-economic factors, appears to be more appropriate for coastal vulnerability assessment. These results could be useful in the development of adaptation strategies to increase the resilience of this coastal area and then extended for West Africa Coastal Areas Management.

Projected impacts of climate change and anthropogenic effects on habitat distribution of endangered Javan Hawk-Eagle in Indonesia

Changing climate will jeopardize biodiversity,particularly the geographic distribution of endemic species.One such species is the Javan Hawk-Eagle(JHE,Nisaetus bartelsi),a charismatic raptor found only on Java Island,Indonesia.Thus,it is crucial to develop an appropriate conservation strategy to preserve the species.Ecological niche modeling is considered a valuable tool for designing conservation plans for the JHE.We provide an ecological niche modeling approach and transfer its model to future climate scenarios for the JHE.We utilize various machine learning algorithms under sustainability and business-as-usual(BAU)scenarios for 2050.Additionally,we investigate the conservation vulnerability of the JHE,capturing multifaceted pressures on the species from climate dissimilarities and human disturbance variables.Our study reveals that the ensemble model performs exceptionally well,with temperature emerging as the most critical factor affecting the JHE distribution.This finding indicates that climate change will have a significant impact on the JHE species.Our results suggest that the JHE distribution will likely decrease by 28.41%and 40.16%from the current JHE distribution under sustainability and BAU scenarios,respectively.Furthermore,our study reveals high-potential refugia for future JHE,covering 7,596 km^(2)(61%)under the sustainability scenario and only 4,403 km^(2)(35%)under the BAU scenario.Therefore,effective management and planning,including habitat restoration,refugia preservation,habitat connectivity,and local community inclusivity,should be well-managed to achieve JHE conservation targets.

Oligomeric procyanidins combined with Parabacteroides distasonis ameliorate high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis by regulating lipid metabolism,inflammation reaction and bile acid metabolism in ApoE^(-/-)mice

Atherosclerosis(AS)is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases.Hence,the prevention and treatment strategies of AS have attracted great research attention.As a potential probiotic,Pararabacteroides distasonis has a positive regulatory effect on lipid metabolism and bile acids(BAs)profile.Oligomeric procyanidins have been confirmed to be conducive to the prevention and treatment of AS,whose antiatherosclerotic effect may be associated with the promotion of gut probiotics.However,it remains unclear whether and how oligomeric procyanidins and P.distasonis combined(PPC)treatment can effectively alleviate high-fat diet(HFD)-induced AS.In this study,PPC treatment was found to significantly decrease atherosclerotic lesion,as well as alleviate the lipid metabolism disorder,inflammation and oxidative stress injury in ApoE^(-/-)mice.Surprisingly,targeted metabolomics demonstrated that PPC intervention altered the BA profile in mice by regulating the ratio of secondary BAs to primary BAs,and increased fecal BAs excretion.Further,quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)analysis showed that PPC intervention facilitated reverse cholesterol transport by upregulating Srb1 expression;In addition,PPC intervention promoted BA synthesis from cholesterol in liver by upregulating Cyp7a1 expression via suppression of the farnesoid X receptor(FXR)pathway,thus exhibiting a significant serum cholesterol-lowering effect.In summary,PPC attenuated HFD-induced AS in ApoE^(-/-)mice,which provides new insights into the design of novel and efficient anti-atherosclerotic strategies to prevent AS based on probiotics and prebiotics.

黄土炭屑分级统计方法及其在火演化研究中的意义

在综合了炭屑筛选法和炭屑花粉流程分析法的基础上,设计了一套从黄土、古土壤和古文化层中提取不同粒径炭屑的新途径——黄土炭屑分级统计方法,对不同粒级的炭屑进行分析和统计．筛选法提取、统计粒径在125μm 以上的炭屑颗粒,作为地方性火活动的替代指标；而用炭屑花粉流程分析方法获取粒径在125μm 以下的炭屑颗粒,作为区域性火活动的替代指标．黄土炭屑分级统计方法提高了炭屑研究的精度,丰富了黄土火演化研究的内容,是建立黄土高原火演化历史,研究植被演替和生态特征的重要途径,在认识黄土高原气候变化,探讨人类活动及其环境效应等方面具有重要意义．

敦化盆地晚全新世泥炭沉积中化学元素记录的古气候分析

在对敦化吉祥泥炭剖面的Na、K、Mg、Ca、Fe、Cr、Mn、Sr、Ba和Pb等元素进行分析的基础上,采用Morlet一维连续小波分析其时频变化,将剖面晚全新世以来的古气候过程分为6个阶段:公元前730年前的温暖降温期;公元前730年～公元前205年的温和湿润期;公元前205年～公元255年早期温暖湿润,之后变凉干;公元255年～公元525年气候寒冷时期;公元525年～1220年的温暖湿润时期;以及公元1220年～现在的气候波动频繁阶段。为本区泥炭古气候重建及综合对比分析提供了重要的基础素材。