A review of agroecology publications (#journal)

Agroecology publications and coloniality of knowledge

Agroecology is a recent scientific field that has become increasingly active since 1990. It has moved away from conventional emphasis on crops and productivity and has embraced a systemic, multidisciplinary approach that focuses on agroecosystems or food systems and their sustainability. This article analyzes original articles in agroecology that have been published in eight major global databases in order to establish where agroecology is taking place and what topics focus on agroecology.

 

 

Leave weeds among crops to attract bees (#journal)

Plant biodiversity enhances bees and other insect pollinators in agroecosystems. A review

Thirty-five percent of global production from crops including at least 800 cultivated plants depend on animal pollination. The transformation of agriculture in the past half-century has triggered a decline in bees and other insect pollinators. This article reviews the literature providing mounting evidence that the restoration of plant biodiversity within and around crop fields can improve habitat for domestic and wild bees as well as other insects and thus enhance pollination services in agroecosystems.

 

Sustainability indicators for livestock farming (#journal)

Sustainability Indicators for Livestock Farming. A Review

Considers how to choose from the many available indicators to avoid selection bias. Discusses the balance between environmental, economic and social indicators. Creates a typology of indicators. Discusses how farms and farming practices can best be compared using indicators.

 

 

The effects of afforestation on soil carbon (#journal)

A synthesis of change in deep soil organic carbon stores with afforestation of agricultural soils

Afforestation is a good mitigation activity to climate change because it causes sequestration of CO₂ from the atmosphere and stores it as the living biomass and the dead organic matter. However, the response of soil organic carbon (SOC) to afforestation in deep soil layers is still poorly understood. This article surveys 56 previously published studies for changes in deep SOC after afforestation of both croplands and grasslands. It concludes that converting cropland to forestry has a highly positive impact on SOC (1.3-1.6 times greater), converting grassland to forestry much less so.

 

Agroforestry for climate change mitigation (journal)

Branching out: Agroforestry as a climate change mitigation and adaptation tool for agriculture

US and Canadian agricultural lands are being pressed to provide more environmental and economic services, while at the same time their capacity to provide these services under potential climate change is being questioned. Climate change will increase the growing season but also increase risks from floods, droughts and pests. One solution to this is the creation of agroforestry, which can produce high food yields while also offering resilience to extreme climate events.

Edible plants in London public landscapes (on-line)

An Investigation into the Attitudes and Approaches of a Group of Landscape Managers to the Inclusion of Edible Plants in Public Landscapes in Greater London

Under established conventions in the UK, ornamental plant species frequently dominate the soft landscaping of public space. Although there are examples of the use of edible planting in public spaces, there is little research into the attitudes and approaches of landscape managers in this regard. The aim of this  study was therefore to explore the attitudes and approaches of a group of landscape managers to the inclusion of edible plants in public landscapes in greater London, including the associated benefits, challenges and practical considerations, and the public response, and to generate hypotheses for further research in this regard.

Half of Russia's food is home-grown (on-line)

THE SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD GARDENING IN THE VLADIMIR REGION OF RUSSIA

The author uses official government statistics to show that in 2004 garden plots, typically measuring just 600m2 and tended only at weekends, produced 51% (by value) of the total agricultural output of the Russian Federation. This represents 384 billion rubles (approx. US$14 bn at the then current exchange rate), or 2.3% of Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), greater than the contribution to the GDP of the coal (54 bn rubles), natural gas (63 bn), and oil refining (88 bn) industries combined. It means 51% of food was produced on just 3% of agricultural land. He argues that the only thing that has kept Russia from major domestic conflict has been the ability of ordinary Russians to feed themselves from their gardens.