Advancing Sustainable Farming Systems: Innovations, Challenges, and Solutions

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2024) | Viewed by 2282

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Agriculture Department, Hartpury University, Gloucester GL19 3BE, UK
Interests: farming systems; innovation; environmental impact; animal-plant interactions; sustainable production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is considerable interest and investment in information that can transform our food production systems towards a more sustainable future. The diverse nature of the farming landscape, with animals, plants, soil, and water in the farm environment, provides a wide range of opportunities for solutions that can bring about financial, environmental, and social change. Innovative technologies and advanced methods can help manage valuable soil, plant, and animal stocks, as well as providing early warnings for poor performance. This advanced support helps farmers to make timely and informed decisions, as well as changes in practice, in order to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of production.

Original research or review articles should cover recent or future farm-level developments.

Prof. Dr. Matt J. Bell
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • farm technologies
  • crop monitoring
  • livestock monitoring
  • nutrient management
  • smart farming
  • precision farming
  • Big Data
  • digital solutions
  • innovation
  • business management

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 1654 KiB  
Review
Crop Rotation and Diversification in China: Enhancing Sustainable Agriculture and Resilience
by Yuzhu Zou, Zhenshan Liu, Yan Chen, Yin Wang and Shijing Feng
Agriculture 2024, 14(9), 1465; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14091465 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1799
Abstract
Crop rotation and diversification (CRD) are crucial strategies in sustainable agriculture, offering multiple benefits to both farmers and the environment. By alternating crops or introducing diverse plant species, CRD practices improve soil fertility, reduce pest populations, and enhance nutrient availability. For example, legume-based [...] Read more.
Crop rotation and diversification (CRD) are crucial strategies in sustainable agriculture, offering multiple benefits to both farmers and the environment. By alternating crops or introducing diverse plant species, CRD practices improve soil fertility, reduce pest populations, and enhance nutrient availability. For example, legume-based rotations increase soil nitrogen levels through biological nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. Moreover, these practices promote more efficient water and nutrient use, reducing the reliance on synthetic fertilizers and minimizing the risk of pests and diseases. This review synthesizes findings from recent research on the role of CRD in enhancing sustainable agriculture and resilience, highlighting the potential contributions of these practices towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. Specific crop rotation systems, such as the cereal–legume rotation in temperate regions and the intercropping of maize with beans in tropical environments, are reviewed to provide a comprehensive understanding of their applicability in different agroecological contexts. The review also addresses the challenges related to implementing CRD practices, such as market demand and knowledge transfer, and suggests potential solutions to encourage broader adoption. Lastly, the potential environmental benefits, including carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, are discussed, highlighting the role of CRD in building resilient agricultural systems. Collectively, this review paper emphasizes the importance of CRD methods as sustainable agricultural practices and provides key insights for researchers and farmers to effectively integrate these practices into farming systems. Full article
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