Review
Environmental Sciences
Bartosz Bartkowski, Charlotte Schuessler, Birgit Mueller
Summary: The study on European farmer typologies shows diversity in terms of purposes, methods and variables used for developing typologies. Despite the presence of recurring types, they remain diverse and difficult to compare across studies.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Kathryn Gillespie
Summary: This article discusses the theory of lively commodities and applies it to the exchange of dairy cows, emphasizing the continuity of commodity forms and the different states of cows in auctions. By analyzing the performance of cows in auctions from various perspectives, it points out the impact of commodification on nonhuman life and calls for a change in this situation.
ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING A-ECONOMY AND SPACE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Bonnie Averbuch, Martin Hvarregaard Thorsoe, Chris Kjeldsen
Summary: The study found differences in sustainability perceptions between US and Danish farmers, with Danish farmers focusing mainly on environmental sustainability while US farmers distributed their focus evenly across environmental, social, and economic factors. Additionally, US and Danish farmers had different notions of community engagement.
AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Natalia Zugravu-Soilita, Rajwane Kafrouni, Severine Bouard, Leila Apithy
Summary: This study investigates the impact of cultural values and social relations on tribal agricultural production in New Caledonia, finding a two-way relationship between agricultural performance and social relations, as well as the indirect influence of cultural values on economic performance. The results suggest that the complementary nature of different forms of capital is crucial for the sustainability of tribal agriculture, challenging the neoclassical hypothesis of perfect substitutability between components of wealth.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gujie Li, Xiaoman Jia, Arshad Ahmad Khan, Sufyan Ullah Khan, Muhammad Abu Sufyan Ali, Muhammad Ali, Jianchao Luo
Summary: Green agriculture is the leading trend for sustainable development in the agricultural sector. The success of credit guarantee policies in promoting green agricultural development relies on farmers' participation and response in securing loans. A survey of 706 farmers in Xiji, Ningxia, revealed that only 29.32% had knowledge of the agricultural credit guarantee policy, and only 23.65% actually participated in such loans. Increasing farmers' awareness and understanding of the policy, personalizing loan products according to their capital, and enhancing the credit guarantee system are recommended to better support farmers.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gujie Li, Xiaoman Jia, Arshad Ahmad Khan, Sufyan Ullah Khan, Muhammad Abu Sufyan Ali, Muhammad Ali, Jianchao Luo
Summary: This study examines how farmers in Xiji, Ningxia perceive agricultural credit guarantee policies and their involvement in such loans. The findings reveal low overall awareness and participation rates among farmers, but increasing their awareness can have a significant impact on their willingness and frequency of participation. The farmers' understanding of the policy also plays a significant role in their decision to participate in credit guarantee loans. Therefore, increasing farmers' awareness and understanding of agricultural credit guarantee policies, as well as providing personalized loan products and services, can improve support to farmers.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mariko Kanamori, Masamichi Hanazato, Katsunori Kondo, Andrew Stickley, Naoki Kondo
Summary: Farmers in neighborhoods with low farm density may have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, possibly due to the scarcity of formal and informal social support in such communities. Further research is needed on the health effects of neighborhood environment on farmers, which may vary by the type of agriculture.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefan Bojnec, Imre Ferto, Szilard Podruzsik
Summary: In the past two decades, the number of Hungarian family farms has declined while the average farm size has grown. This study explores the factors driving farm size growth and finds that leadership skills have little impact in comparison to farm characteristics and government subsidies. Smaller family farms experienced faster growth. The relationship between farm size growth and farm type as well as state subsidies is non-linear.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
A. Duley, M. Connor, B. Vigors
Summary: Increased urbanisation has led to a knowledge gap between farming and the Irish public. Mainstream media fills this gap through reports on farm animal welfare (FAW) incidents that often portray farming negatively. This negative framing can impact farmers' perception and experiences. Societal pressures can also negatively affect farmers' mental health. However, little is known about how negatively framed FAW stories influence farmers' perceptions. This study explored the effect of negatively framed media stories on cattle farmers' perceptions of animal welfare.
IRISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geography
Louise Burns
Summary: The research findings indicate that Irish farmers generally perceive displayed tidiness in farming as a cultural capital associated with 'good' farming, with male farmers assigning more value to this perception compared to female farmers. This recognition of tidiness as symbolic capital leads to criticism and judgement among farmers, particularly questioning the right of untidy farmers to be considered 'good farmers'. Female farmers, on the other hand, tend to dislike the culture of judgement and criticism. The cultural preference for tidiness may hinder the cultural embedding of agri-environmental schemes, especially given the low representation of Irish women in farm ownership and management.
SOCIOLOGIA RURALIS
(2021)
Article
Area Studies
Philip C. C. Huang
Summary: Kenneth Pomeranz and Li Bozhong have admitted their previous mistake but still argue that their earlier argument on agriculture and labor productivity remains valid. This article compares the fundamental differences between 18th-century England's mixed agriculture and China's crop-focused agriculture to emphasize their distinctiveness. It is crucial to acknowledge and understand the significant disparities between the two and their separate paths of modern development, rather than obscuring them by claiming equivalence.
Article
Ecology
Gillian Paxton
Summary: This paper explores the cultural barriers to drought preparedness within the Queensland Government's Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP) through discourse analysis, identifying two different ways of framing drought and its management in Queensland agriculture. One frame emphasizes the disruptive power of drought, presenting it as a profound difficulty for producers managed using endurance, hope, and ingenuity, while the other downplays drought's disruptive power and views it as a neutral business risk that can be managed using rational planning skills and scientific knowledge.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
E. Munoz-Ulecia, A. Bernues, I Casasus, A. M. Olaizola, S. Lobon, D. Martin-Collado
Summary: Mountain regions are influenced by political and socioeconomic factors, leading to changes in farming systems over the years. There are different trajectories of evolution in different valleys, shaped by global and regional drivers as well as household characteristics. Maintaining adaptation capacity while ensuring economic and social viability will be crucial for the future of cattle farming in the region.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
A. Belanche, D. Martin-Collado, G. Rose, D. R. Yanez-Ruiz
Summary: The European small ruminants farming sector provides economic, social and environmental benefits to society, but faces challenges such as economic uncertainties, production system issues, and market practices. Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to address these challenges and ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
D. Martin-Collado, C. Diaz, G. Benito-Ruiz, D. Onde, A. Rubio, T. J. Byrne
Summary: The under-use of genetic improvement tools and low participation in breeding programmes are key drivers of breeding programmes under-performance. Farmers' attitudes play a crucial role in this, and a lack of reference scale for measuring attitudes has hindered attitudinal studies towards livestock breeding tools. By developing a scale to measure farmer attitudes, this research provides insights into the variations in attitudes towards genetic improvement tools and sheds light on factors influencing farmer attitudes within and across different breeds, species, and countries.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kajal Devani, Cheryl D. Quinton, Jason A. Archer, Bruno F. S. Santos, Daniel Martin-Collado, Peter Amer, Ed A. Pajor, Karin Orsel, John J. Crowley
Summary: The genetic evaluations for teat and udder structure developed by the Canadian Angus Association have significant impacts on efficiencies, animal health, and welfare. Including these functional traits in genetic selection programs is crucial for profitability and further longitudinal studies are needed to understand their effects on efficiencies and animal health and welfare.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Elisabeth Morales-Gonzalez, Jesus Fernandez, Ricardo Pong-Wong, Miguel Angel Toro, Beatriz Villanueva
Summary: A main objective in conservation programs is to maintain genetic variability, and different genomic coancestry matrices can impact both the maintained genetic variability and the change in allele frequencies. The study found that using one matrix can increase genetic variability but also result in allele frequencies closer to those in the base population.
Article
Agronomy
Ireti Balogun, Elisabeth Garner, Peter Amer, Peter Fennessy, Bela Teeken, Olamide Olaosebikan, Bello Abolore, Tessy Madu, Benjamin Okoye, Bruno Santos, Tim Byrne, Daniel Martin-Collado, Chiedozie Egesi, Peter Kulakow, Hale Ann Tufan
Summary: This study presents a method of quantifying preferences and developing typologies in breeding programs by applying an online trait preference survey approach. The results demonstrate the usefulness of this methodology in addressing the expanding needs of plant breeding programs within smallholder contexts. This innovative approach provides insights into trait preferences and helps set breeding priorities that represent diverse interests.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrique Munoz-Ulecia, Alberto Bernues, Daniel Onde, Maurizio Ramanzin, Mario Solino, Enrico Sturaro, Daniel Martin-Collado
Summary: This study highlights the importance of ecosystem services provided by mountain agroecosystems and reveals different attitudinal dimensions among people regarding the agrifood system. Most respondents support increasing the delivery of ecosystem services, but disagreements may arise in the steps taken to achieve this increase.
Article
Plant Sciences
Julius J. Okello, Jolien Swanckaert, Daniel Martin-Collado, Bruno Santos, Benard Yada, Robert O. M. Mwanga, Anouk Schurink, Michael Quinn, Graham Thiele, Simon Heck, Timothy J. Byrne, Guy G. Hareau, Hugo Campos
Summary: Crop breeding programs need comprehensive and quantitative methods to understand the preferences of farmers and other actors for traits in order to meet diverse needs. A novel approach to trait ranking was found to uncover differences and heterogeneity among actors, providing valuable insights. Implementing this approach for sweetpotato and other crops would enhance the effectiveness of breeding programs in improving food security in developing countries.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Daniel Martin-Collado, Tim J. J. Byrne, Jonh J. J. Crowley, Tom Kirk, Guillermo Ripoll, C. B. A. Whitelaw
Summary: This study investigated public attitudes and consumption predisposition towards gene-edited meat products and their potential added benefits to livestock farming. The results show that gene-editing technology is perceived as an extrinsic cue of meat products quality and can generate controversy and opposition. However, added benefits increase the consumption predisposition of most consumers who are moderate or pro-gene editing, with animal welfare-related benefits having a greater effect.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Bernues, A. Tenza-Peral, E. Gomez-Baggethun, M. Clemetsen, L. O. Eik, D. Martin-Collado
Summary: Agri-environmental policies in Europe need improvement in order to address environmental degradation, biodiversity decline, climate impacts, and sustainability. Using social valuation tools, this study explores the relationship between agricultural practices and the provision of ecosystem services in mountainous areas of Europe. Through case studies in the Mediterranean and Nordic regions, the effectiveness of different agricultural practices in achieving environmental outcomes under various policy scenarios is analyzed. Results suggest the need for regional research and policy design, and identify grazing and silviculture practices as significant for ecosystem service delivery. The study provides guidance for designing agri-environmental policies that reward farmers for sustainable management of natural resources, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Elsa Varela, Ana M. Olaizola, Isabel Blasco, Carmen Capdevila, Antonio Lecegui, Isabel Casasus, Alberto Bernues, Daniel Martin-Collado
Summary: Silvopastoral systems, which combine wood perennials with forage and livestock, are important for biodiversity conservation and bio-cultural heritages. This study investigates the attitudes and opinions of livestock farmers and forest owners towards wood pasture grazing in Spain and finds that production objectives are related to positive attitudes towards silvopastoralism and the environmental functions it provides. The study also suggests that there is potential for synergy between cattle farmers and small forest owners in joint silvopastoral management.
Letter
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Enrique Munoz-Ulecia, Miguel Rodriguez Gomez, Alberto Bernues Jal, Alicia Benhamou Prat, Daniel Martin-Collado
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
H. Rjili, E. Munoz-Ulecia, A. Bernues, M. Jaouad, D. Martin-Collado
Summary: This study analyzes the main changes that have occurred on farms in the arid rangelands of south Tunisia from 2004 to 2019 and discusses the factors that explain the geographical patterns of such changes. The results show that most farms increased herd size and cereal area for feeding the sheep, and reduced the time spent in rangelands. However, there is wide variability among pathways of change, with a few farms continuing to use rangelands for sheep or camel production. The study concludes that the current situation of livestock farming in arid rangelands remains fragile and their long-term viability is uncertain.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elisabeth Morales-Gonzalez, Beatriz Villanueva, Miguel a. Toro, Jesus Fernandez
Summary: The Optimal Contribution (OC) method is the consensus method for maintaining genetic diversity in both undivided and subdivided populations. In subdivided populations, this method maximizes global genetic diversity by determining the optimal contribution of each candidate to each subpopulation, while balancing coancestry levels between and within subpopulations. Inbreeding can be controlled by increasing the weight given to within-subpopulation coancestry (lambda).
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrique Munoz-Ulecia, Alberto Bernues, Andrei Briones-Hidrovo, Isabel Casasus, Daniel Martin-Collado
Summary: The sustainability of livestock systems is controversial. Pasture-based systems rely on local resources but depend on public support and purchased feeds. Using emergy accounting, this study found that increasing self-produced feeds and grazing on natural pastures can improve the sustainability of mountain pasture-based cattle systems.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
