Article
Soil Science
Tarquinio Mateus Magalhaes
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact of shifting cultivation on soil carbon content in miombo woodlands, highlighting the importance of maintaining or introducing the arboreal component to mitigate soil carbon loss.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Daniela Pauletto, Lucieta Guerreiro Martorano, Lucas Sergio de Sousa Lopes, MichellinyPinheiro de Matos Bentes, Thiago Almeida Vieira, Thiago Gomes de Sousa Oliveira, Verena Santos de Sousa, Adria Fernandes da Silva, Pricila da Silva Ferreira de Lima, Aldeize Santos Tribuzy, Iandra Victoria Pinto Guimaraes
Summary: This study examined the composition and use of plant species in agroforestry home gardens in three municipalities in the western region of Para, Brazilian Amazonia. The findings revealed that a few plant species, particularly fruit-bearing plants, dominated these gardens. These gardens serve multiple purposes, including food and medicinal needs, highlighting their economic and environmental significance.
Article
Ecology
Oliver T. Coomes, Yuanyu Cheng, Yoshito Takasaki, Christian Abizaid
Summary: This paper examines the recent field clearing practices of indigenous and folk peasant households in the Peruvian Amazon, finding low rates of old-growth forest clearing and highlighting factors such as household education level and land size that influence their choice of forest location and type for clearing.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Emebet Getachew, Debissa Lemessa, Ermias Leulekal
Summary: The composition of crop species in homegardens in southwest Ethiopia is significantly influenced by factors such as non-crop woody cover, altitude, distance to market, and type of crop raiders. Additionally, plant species richness decreases with increasing altitude gradient, increases with distance from forest edges and non-crop woody species richness, and varies among different wealth categories of households. Conservation strategies in southern Ethiopia need to consider these socio-ecological factors when determining crop species composition in agroecosystems.
AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aurore Rimlinger, Jerome Duminil, Taina Lemoine, Marie-Louise Avana, Armel Chakocha, Alexis Gakwavu, Franca Mboujda, Melanie Tsogo, Marlene Elias, Stephanie M. Carriere
Summary: This study investigated the perceptions, preferences, and management practices of 441 African plum tree owners from three different ethnic groups in Cameroon. Findings showed that there were over 300 different local varietal names based on morphological and organoleptic traits, with differences in preferences and priorities among ethnic groups and between urban and rural areas. The results provide insights for designing measures to conserve the agrobiodiversity of African plum trees in the context of their domestication.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Hanna Sjulgard, Tino Colombi, Thomas Keller
Summary: In Sweden, crop species diversity is strongly influenced by latitude and associated mean annual temperature. Mean annual precipitation and soil texture have no significant relationship with crop diversity. There is no significant change in crop diversity at the national level, but temporal trends vary between counties. Some counties show an increase in crop diversity over time, while others show no change or a decrease. Socioeconomic factors likely play a role in these temporal changes.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
W. A. Sigler, S. A. Ewing, S. D. Wankel, C. A. Jones, S. Leuthold, E. N. J. Brookshire, R. A. Payn
Summary: The loss of nitrogen from cultivated soils poses a threat to the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. This study uses isotopic evidence to characterize the denitrification process in soils, groundwater, and stream riparian corridors in a non-irrigated agroecosystem. The findings suggest that substantial denitrification occurs during fallow periods, representing an under-quantified flux of nitrogen to the atmosphere and a significant source of agricultural N2O emissions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Arif, Ikramullah, Talha Jan, Muhammad Riaz, Kashif Akhtar, Salman Ali, Shahen Shah, Fazal Jalal, Ishaq A. Mian, Khadim Muhammad Dawar, Haiyan Wang
Summary: Using biochar and leguminous cover crops to replace natural summer fallowing in cereal-based cropping systems can have beneficial effects on conserving soil organic carbon, sustaining soil fertility, and improving soil quality.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anna M. Visscher, Manuela Franco de Carvalho da Silva Pereira, Thomas W. Kuyper, Jose Lavres Jr, Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri, Hilton Thadeu Zarate do Couto, Ciro Abbud Righi
Summary: Swidden agriculture, practiced for thousands of years, can maintain soil fertility during recovery periods, suggesting its potential as an ecologically sustainable system compared to traditional forests.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sabina Yasmin Laskar, Gudeta Weldesemayat Sileshi, Karabi Pathak, Nirmal Debnath, Arun Jyoti Nath, Kaynath Yasmin Laskar, Pator Singnar, Ashesh Kumar Das
Summary: Shifting cultivation is an important agricultural form globally, with significant impact on the cultural identity of indigenous communities. The study found significant changes in soil bulk density, aggregate stability, and soil organic carbon content with the transition from undisturbed forest to slash-and-burn cultivation and fallow phases. The research concluded that a minimum of 20 years of fallow period is required to achieve soil organic carbon content and carbon stocks comparable with intact forest land.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily K. Burchfield
Summary: Climate change is projected to transform agricultural systems globally. Understanding how climate interacts with human activity to shape cultivation possibilities is crucial for assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture. This study models the cultivation geographies of six major crops and finds that agricultural activities, such as the use of crop insurance and inputs, amplify and expand cultivation geographies, even into regions unsuited for cultivation. The projected shifts in cultivation geographies due to climate change indicate significant agricultural adaptation will be necessary, particularly in the Central and Eastern U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Dileep Kumar Pandey, Shivani Dobhal, Himansu Kumar De, P. Adhiguru, S. Vimla Devi, T. S. Mehra
Summary: This study explored agrobiodiversity in the changing shifting cultivation landscapes in North East India, finding a rich variety of crop species, livestock breeds, and wild plants, as well as potential threats to biodiversity conservation. The results of the study may be useful for landscape management and rural development policies.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
B. Mohan Kumar
Summary: Homegarden agroforestry combines carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The study in India's Western Ghats region found that carbon stocks and species richness in homegardens varied with elevation and garden size. Homegardens contribute to carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation, supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Climate Action (SDG-13) and conserving agrobiodiversity (SDG-15, Life on Land).
AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xitlali Aguirre-Dugua, Alejandro Casas, Santiago Ramirez-Barahona, Edgar Perez-Negron
Summary: This study investigated the phylogeographic structure of Crescentia alata and its relationship with past climatic changes, as well as the genetic diversity levels of homegarden populations and their association with human management. The results revealed a latitudinal pattern of phylogeographic structure with geographical barriers in the northern Pacific Ocean and the Tehuantepec Isthmus. Homegarden populations shared chloroplast haplotypes with wild populations, indicating that human management has not modified the natural phylogeographic structure of C. alata.
BOTANICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xitlali Aguirre-Dugua, Alejandro Casas, Santiago Ramirez-Barahona, Edgar Perez-Negron
Summary: The study on Crescentia alata in Mexico and Central America revealed a latitudinal pattern of phylogeographic structure, with homegarden populations showing unaffected genetic diversity levels due to human management, serving as a genetic reservoir.
BOTANICAL SCIENCES
(2022)