Agriculture and Environment

Importance of honeybees as prime pollinators for continual maintenence of crop-diversity and need of their conservation for sustainable agriculture is highlighted based on literature review. Somatic, reproductive and adaptive heterosis or hybrid effects that occur in plant progeny as a result of natural cross-pollination by honeybees brings about significant qualitative and quantitative changes in the economic and biological characteristics of crop plants. Honeybees often facilitate genetic enrichment of native plants through crosspollination offering to their varietal development and adaptation in the changing environment. The natural environment is required to provide bees with habitat or nesting sites. Promotion of organic farming and integrated pest management programs are necessitated.  Keywords: Eco-system; Honeybees; Pollinators; Cross-pollination; Sustainable agricultureThe Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:.9, Jun. 2008  Page: 90-92

Our 25-year vision

Washington has a food system that...

Promotes the health of people
WHERE the health of all farmers, workers and consumers is fully supported by addressing the health impacts in food production, processing, packaging, labeling, distribution, marketing, consumption and disposal. We eliminate food insecurity and hunger.

Is economically vibrant
WHERE our food system maintains and strengthens community assets and local economic development. It supports diversity in size and scale of food system operations. It builds the economic viability of local and regional food systems. Our farmers and food system workers earn a living wage.

Fosters a sustainable, resilient environment
WHERE our land, soil, air, water and biodiversity are conserved, protected and restored. Our food and nutrition needs are met without compromising future generations. We address challenges such as climate change and limited water supply while maintaining our commitment to the environment.

Creates a more equitable and just society
WHERE all farmers, workers and consumers are treated with fairness and respect. A diversity of cultures is appreciated and supported.

An understanding of the major causes of food insecurity is important for interventions aiming at
reducing it. Therefore, this study was conducted to measure food insecurity status of pastoral
households, to identify determinants of food insecurity status of pastoral households, and to
identify pastoral households coping strategies to deal the problem of food insecurity in the study
area. In order to achieve these objectives, cross-sectional data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and institutional aspects were collected from 150 randomly selected
households in four Kebeles based on probability proportional to size through semi-structured
interview schedule and focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics, like mean, standard
deviation and percentage distribution. Bivariate analysis such as t-tests and Chi-square ( 𝜒2) tests
and binary Logit regression were used to achieve the stated objectives. The results from descriptive
statistics show that out of the total surveyed households, 64% were food insecure and while 36 %
were food secure. The binary logit regression results show that among the twelve variables, eight
were statistically significant determinants of household food insecurity. These variables are:
family size, age of the household head and dependency ratio were positively related with food
insecurity. The remaining significant variables Sex of the household, total livestock owned, offfarm income, level of education, remittance, food aid received and credit access were negatively
related with food insecurity status of the households. Furthermore, households used different
coping strategies against food insecurity and these include: sale for firewood and charcoal
production and sales, short-term or seasonal migration, sale of more livestock than usual.
Key words: Food Insecurity, ESRS, Coping with food insecurity.

Agriculture is always vulnerable to unfavorable weather events and climatic conditions. Despite technological advancement such as better crop varieties and irrigation systems; weather and climate are still key factors in agricultural productivity. Today agriculture is the single most and the largest sector of Bangladesh's economy which accounts for 12.64 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 47.30 percent of the labor force. It may consider as the lifeline of Bangladesh economy. It has to be noted that climate change have an effect on agriculture in various ways including through changes in average temperatures, rainfall patterns, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and ground-level ozone concentrations (O3), nutritional quality of some foods, and sea level rise etc. The paper will focus on the major challenges of climate change on agricultural development and food security issues in Bangladesh. Climate change has possibility of negative impact on crop production as well as all other sectors of agriculture. In effect, these changes may increase the risk of food security in our country. Field study clarified about the negative effects on food production, wherever most of the farmers observed unfavorable change in weather patterns especially in case of precipitation and temperature. Therefore it is very much urgent to determine the potential mitigation measures to cope with the problem associate with the climate change by further investigation. Government and non-government organizations might come forward to find out the optimum solutions; besides, national and international joint cooperation is highly required for not only saving our own country but also the human civilization.

My review of one of Paul Thompson's key early works on agricultural environmental ethics. At the time of writing I little knew, as biographers say, that Paul would become a valued friend, colleague and fellow pragmatist a decade later across the water at Michigan State.

Agriculture has untapped potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The use of this potential is an important priority for the sector to meet the growing environmental needs of society. The main points in the article are: there are serious ambitions from the climate mitigation sector; there is a wide range of environmental practices that can lead to a sustained reduction in emissions; it is necessary to strike a balance between the environmental and economic benefits of implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction measures without affecting the competitiveness of the sector; there is an objective need to increase the role of monitoring the sector in relation to greenhouse gas reduction; identifies the need to increase environmental responsibility for farmers, which requires them to increase their awareness; the implementation of climate-friendly environmental practices requires significant resources, which determines the need to continue the financial support for the sector under the Common Agricultural Policy; the role of the agrarian sector in offsetting carbon emissions from other sectors of the economy is growing. In this sense, the article aims to explore the climate change mitigation potential of the sector and to propose policy actions in this context in the context of international climate agreements while maintaining the competitiveness of the sector.

A B S T R A C T Sustaining soil fertility and enhancing food production on smallholder farms is a great challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. The effects of organic amendments and nitrogen fertilizer on soil physicochemical properties and barley yield were investigated in the central Ethiopian highlands. The treatments were factorial combinations of no organic amendment (control), 10 t ha À1 biochar only (B), 10 t ha À1 compost only (Com), 10 t Com ha À1 + 2 t B ha À1 and 10 t ha À1 co-composted biochar-compost (COMBI) as main plots, and five N fertilizer levels (0, 23, 46, 69 and 92 kg ha À1) as sub-plots, with three replicates at two sites (Holetta and Robgebeya) both on Nitisols in the 2014 cropping season. Application of organic amendments and N fertilizer all significantly improved soil fertility and barley yield. The highest yield, chlorophyll content, number of productive tillers and nutrient uptake were obtained from the Com + B soil amendment at Holetta and from Com at Robgebeya. Mean grain yield responses of barley to the organic amendments were 30–49% at Holetta and 51–78% at Robgebeya, compared to the control. Fertilizer N significantly increased grain yield, chlorophyll content and N uptake at both locations. The highest grain yield obtained was at 69 kg N ha À1 at Holetta and at 92 kg ha À1 at Robgebeya. The organic amendment by N fertilizer interaction significantly influenced grain yield at both sites. Com + B and 69 kg N ha À1 addition resulted in the highest grain yield (5381 kg ha À1) at Holetta, whereas Com and 92 kg N ha À1 resulted in the highest grain yield (4598 kg ha À1) at Robgebeya. Organic amendments significantly improved soil properties through increases in soil water content, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and pH (0–20 cm depth). Addition of B, Com and B + Com increased SOC and CEC by 23–27% and 20–24% at Holetta and 26–34% and 19–23% at Robgebeya compared to their respective initial values. Soil pH increased from the initial value of 5.0 to 5.6 at Holetta and from 4.8 to 5.4 at Robgebeya at harvest due to biochar soil amendment. Grain yield was significantly correlated with total biomass, number of productive tillers, SOC and CEC. We conclude that application of organic amendments optimizes soil physicochemical properties and will help sustain barley yields in the Ethiopian highlands. The use of B, Com or Com + B may substantially reduce the amount of mineral fertilizer required for the sustainable production of barley in the long term.

Agriculture has untapped potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The use of this potential is an important priority for the sector to meet the growing environmental needs of society. The main points in the article are: there are serious ambitions from the climate mitigation sector; there is a wide range of environmental practices that can lead to a sustained reduction in emissions; it is necessary to strike a balance between the environmental and economic benefits of implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction measures without affecting the competitiveness of the sector; there is an objective need to increase the role of monitoring the sector in relation to greenhouse gas reduction; identifies the need to increase environmental responsibility for farmers, which requires them to increase their awareness; the implementation of climate-friendly environmental practices requires significant resources, which determines the need to continue the financial support for the sector und...

Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale. Climate change affects agriculture in a number of ways, including through changes in average temperatures, rainfall, and climate extremes (e.g., heat waves); changes in pests and diseases; changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone concentrations; changes in the nutritional quality of some foods; and changes in sea level.

Mosquitoes can have both positive and negative impact on the ecosystems. As part of their useful role, the larvae of mosquitoes live in water and provide food for fish and other wildlife including larger larvae of the Species such as dragonflies. The larvae themselves eat microscope organic matter in the water, helping to recycle it. Adult mosquitoes make up part of the diet of some insect-eating animals, such as birds, bats, adult dragonflies and spiders. They also help pollinate some flowers, when they consume nectar. But mosquitoes also can have a damaging role, harming other animals by being a vector for diseases such as dengue, malaria, yellow fever and encephalitis. The mosquitoes don't cause the diseases themselves, but only act as carriers. They need to feed on a person or animal that is already infected, then when they bite a healthy person or animal who is already afterwards they pass on the diseases that spread of which is mediated by mosquito larva that becomes a health problem everywhere in the world. Some natural and chemical substances had been experimented to combat; one of them is detergent solution.

Butterfly species richness within the UK is decreasing at an alarming rate. Four of 62 British species are regionally extinct, and two critically endangered. The effects of urbanisation and agricultural intensification on butterfly species have been extensively researched; both are known to have significant negative impacts. This study investigated the effects of different land uses upon UK butterfly species abundance, and whether this is dependent upon the butterfly’s larval feeding guild. Butterfly species were recorded along 82 separate transects with land cover information being taken from within a ~1km radius of each transect. Six different land cover types were chosen, approximate human population density (HPD), urbanisation, grassland, grassland under 5 years old (GU5), arable land growing non-cereals (ANC) and arable land growing cereals (AC). It was hypothesised that as HPD, urbanisation, GU5, and AC increased, there would be a significant negative effect upon butterfly abundance; whereas ANC and grassland would have a significant positive effect. Results, however, did not follow these hypotheses. ANC had a significant positive effect upon all butterfly species present, whereas grassland and HPD had a significant negative effect. It has been found that different land uses have profound effects upon butterfly abundance; some of which are consistent across multiple butterfly feeding guilds. It is imperative that with species loss at its current rate we, as humans, need to consider how land use is affecting wildlife. Greater responsibility needs to be taken concerning of our actions upon not just butterflies, but all flora and fauna in general.

Meadows are regularly mown in order to provide fodder or litter for livestock and to prevent vegetation succession. However, the time of year at which meadows should be first mown in order to maximize biological diversity remains controversial and may vary with respect to context and focal taxa. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of delaying the first mowing date upon plants and invertebrates in European meadowlands. Following a CEE protocol, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, JSTOR, Google and Google Scholar were searched. We recorded all studies that compared the species richness of plants, or the species richness or abundance of invertebrates, between grassland plots mown at a postponed date (treatment) vs plots mown earlier (control). In order to be included in the meta-analysis, compared plots had to be similar in all management respects, except the date of the first cut that was (mostly experimentally) manipulated. They were also to be located in the same meadow type. Meta-analyses applying Hedges’d statistic were performed. Plant species richness responded differently to the date to which mowing was postponed. Delaying mowing from spring to summer had a positive effect, while delaying either from spring to fall, or from early summer to later in the season had a negative effect. Invertebrates were expected to show a strong response to delayed mowing due to their dependence on sward structure, but only species richness showed a clearly significant positive response. Invertebrate abundance was positively influenced in only a few studies. The present meta-analysis shows that in general delaying the first mowing date in European meadowlands has either positive or neutral effects on plant and invertebrate biodiversity (except for plant species richness when delaying from spring to fall or from early summer to later). Overall, there was also strong between-study heterogeneity, pointing to other major confounding factors, the elucidation of which requires further field experiments with both larger sample sizes and a distinction between taxon-specific and meadow-type-specific responses.

Based on FAO data on agri-environment worldwide, we choose ten major countries to analyse agri-environment situation and development worldwide. The results showed that China has the greatest agricultural area, seconded by Australia and USA, and third by Brazil and India. USA is the largest country in arable land area, seconded by India, and third by China. Since earlier 1990s, China has become the largest country in the area of permanent crops, seconded by India. Brazil is the largest country in the annual growth of arable land area, seconded by China, and third by Australia. In the area of permanent meadows and pastures, China grows mostly and seconded by Brazil and third by India. India has the largest harvested area, closely seconded by China, and third by USA. Australia is the most fast growing country in area harvested, seconded by Brazil and third by India. China and India are the two countries with most emissions of agricultural CO 2 and equivalents, seconded by Brazil, and third by USA. China grows mostly in emissions of agricultural CO 2 and equivalents, seconded by Brazil and India, and followed by Canada and USA. China is the largest country of fertilizers consumption, seconded by India, and third by USA and Brazil. China grows mostly in P and K fertilizers consumption. India holds the No. 1 position in the annual growth of N consumption. In general, China and India have the largest amount of emissions of agricultural CO 2 and equivalents and fertilizers consumption. Annual growths of arable land area and permanent meadows and pastures of China are also the highest. Agri-environment of China, India, and Brazil has deteriorated significantly. Agri-environment of Australia seems to be deteriorated in the past years. Agri-environment of European countries is relatively optimistic. Environmental Skeptics and Critics ISSN 2224­4263 URL: http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/environsc/online­version.asp RSS: http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/environsc/rss.xml E­mail: environsc@iaees.org Editor­in­Chief: WenJun Zhang Publisher: International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences

Invertebrates perform many vital functions in agricultural production, but many taxa are in decline, including pest natural enemies. Action is needed to increase their abundance if more sustainable agricultural systems are to be achieved. Conservation biological control (CBC) is a key component of integrated pest management yet has failed to be widely adopted in mainstream agriculture. Approaches to improving conservation biological control have been largely ad hoc. Two approaches are described to improve this process, one based upon pest natural enemy ecology and resource provision while the other focusses on the ecosystem service delivery using the QuESSA (Quantification of Ecological Services for Sustainable Agriculture) project as an example. In this project, a predictive scoring system was developed to show the potential of five seminatural habitat categories to provide biological control, from which predictive maps were generated for Europe. Actual biological control was measu...

Environmental Skeptics and Critics
ISSN 2224-4263
environsc@iaees.org
http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/environsc/online-version.asp

Volume 6, Number 1, 1 March 2017

Cover Pages

[Front Pages (312K)] [Back Pages (75K)]
Articles

Situation and development of worldwide agri-environment: Agricultural land uses, fertilizers consumption and carbon dioxide equivalent emissions
Environmental Skeptics and Critics, 2017, 6(1): 1-8
WenJun Zhang, GuangHua Liu
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Six (arguably) necessary steps forwards in landscape connectivity and genetics
Environmental Skeptics and Critics, 2017, 6(1): 9-17
Alessandro Ferrarini
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[Email Article] [Comment/Review Article]

Invertebrates perform many vital functions in agricultural production, but many taxa are in decline, including pest natural enemies. Action is needed to increase their abundance if more sustainable agricultural systems are to be achieved. Conservation biological control (CBC) is a key component of integrated pest management yet has failed to be widely adopted in mainstream agriculture. Approaches to improving conservation biological control have been largely ad hoc. Two approaches are described to improve this process, one based upon pest natural enemy ecology and resource provision while the other focusses on the ecosystem service delivery using the QuESSA (Quantification of Ecological Services for Sustainable Agriculture) project as an example. In this project, a predictive scoring system was developed to show the potential of five seminatural habitat categories to provide biological control, from which predictive maps were generated for Europe. Actual biological control was measu...

Semi-natural grasslands are widely recognized for their high ecological value. They often count among the most species-rich habitats, especially in traditional cultural landscapes. Maintaining and/or restoring them is a top priority, but nevertheless represents a real conservation challenge, especially regarding their invertebrate assemblages. The main goal of this study was to experimentally investigate the influence of four different mowing regimes on orthopteran communities and populations: (1) control meadow (C-meadow): mowing regime according to the Swiss regulations for extensively managed meadows declared as ecological compensation areas, i.e. first cut not before 15 June; (2) first cut not before 15 July (delayed treatment, D-meadow); (3) first cut not before 15 June and second cut not earlier than 8 weeks from the first cut (8W-meadow); (4) refuges left uncut on 10–20% of the meadow area (R-meadow). Data were collected two years after the introduction of these mowing treatments. Orthopteran densities from spring to early summer were five times higher in D-meadows, compared to C-meadows. In R-meadows, densities were, on average, twice as high as in C-meadows, while mean species richness was 23% higher in R-meadows than in C-meadows. Provided that farmers were given the appropriate financial incentives, the D- and R-meadow regimes could be relatively easy to implement within agri-environment schemes. Such meadows could deliver substantial benefits for functional biodiversity, including sustenance to many secondary consumers dependent on field invertebrates as staple food.