Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2018) | Viewed by 69561

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guangwei Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: integrated watershed science and management for sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: land data assimilation; application of remote sensing and GIS in hydrology; application of remote sensing and GIS in cryospheric research; integrated watershed study
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arid and semi-arid regions account for almost one-third of the total area of the world and arid zones are now home to over two billion people, accounting for 35% of the world's population. Additionally, more than 90% of dryland inhabitants are in the developing world and 70% in rural areas. Approximately half of the poorest people in the world live in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, the global sustainability could not be achieved without the sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions.

This Special Issue aims at combining papers of high quality to highlight the state-of-the-art in sustainability research for arid and semi-arid regions. It is not a simple collection of papers, but a well-designed assemblage of important recent contributions with regard to sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective is to present readers with a clear picture of what directions the research efforts should be oriented and how to move forward. Here, we would like to invite submission on the following (non-exhaustive list) topics:

New theory and cutting-age technology for sustainable development in arid zones
Innovative policy and planning for drylands
Integrated watershed science and management for arid and semi-arid regions
Comparative studies on environmental management practices between different arid regions
Culture and life style in relation to sustainability in arid regions

Prof. Dr. Guangwei Huang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

Arid and semi-arid regions
Water scarcity
Water reuse
Dryland agriculture
Multi-agent modeling
Application of remote sensing and GIS
Culture and life style

Published Papers (14 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Landscape Sustainability in the Loess Hilly Gully Region of the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Mizhi County in Shanxi Province, China

by Xiaoying Liang, Hui Jia, Hai Chen, Di Liu and Hang Zhang

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3300; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093300 - 15 Sep 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3099

Abstract

In general, specific indicators of landscape sustainability are missing. To spatially evaluate landscape sustainability and its change in a rural landscape, the authors combined ecological and social components to develop an indicator system and a model based on information entropy. Four types of information entropy, namely, landscape service capability, landscape service demand, landscape vulnerability and landscape adaptation, were calculated using year-based information entropy to analyze the spatial-temporal differentiation of a rural ecosystem. Combined with the landscape composition and configuration indicators, the spatial and temporal differentiation of landscape sustainability was analyzed, and the effect of landscape structure on landscape sustainability was explored. Based on survey data from Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, China from 2009 to 2014, the following results were obtained: (1) An analysis of entropy change could be used to evaluate landscape sustainability. (2) The carrying capacity of the complex ecosystem in the study area increased during the study period. (3) If the effect of landscape structure is not considered, then the landscape sustainability of the study area might be overestimated. Additionally, it was pointed out that the analysis of landscape sustainability through Boltzmann entropy also provides a new way to test and verify the research results in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2832 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Quantitative Assessment of Comprehensive Ecological Risk for a Loess Erosion Gully: A Case Study of Dujiashi Gully, Northern Shaanxi Province, China

by Di Liu, Xiaoying Liang, Hai Chen, Hang Zhang and Nanzhao Mao

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3239; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093239 - 11 Sep 2018

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 2934

Abstract

As a tool that can effectively support ecosystem management, ecological risk assessment is closely related to the sustainable development of ecosystems and human well-being and has become an active area of research in ecology, geography and other disciplines. Taking Dujiashi Gully for the study of gully loess erosion, a comprehensive risk assessment system for identifying risk probability, sensitivity and impairment was established. The spatial distribution of comprehensive ecological risk was analyzed, the ecological risk management categories were simultaneously delineated based on the risk dominant factor and the risk management strategies were formulated in loess regions. The results were as follows: (1) the spatial differences in comprehensive ecological risk were significantly different in the research area. The regions with extremely high and high risk were mainly located in gully areas and secondary erosion gullies, which are in 28.02% of study area. The extremely low-risk areas covered 1/3 of the study area and were mainly distributed to the northwest and south of the study area, where hills are widely spaced. (2) The combined analysis of ecological risk and terrain found that the elevation decreased first and then rose but the comprehensive ecological risk increased first and then decreased from north to south. Comprehensive ecological risk and terrain generally showed an inverse relationship. (3) The study area was divided into four types of risk management categories. Risk monitoring zones, habitat recovery zones, monitoring and recovery zones and natural regulation zones encompass 14.84%, 12.44%, 26.47% and 46.25% of the study area, respectively. According to four types of risk management categories, different risk reduction measures were designed to improve regional sustainable development capacity. Risk identification and risk management categories based on comprehensive ecological risk model can design a sustainable development path for social ecosystem and local farmers and provide a method for sustainable development for similar gully landscapes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2824 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling the Land Use Change in an Arid Oasis Constrained by Water Resources and Environmental Policy Change Using Cellular Automata Models

by Xiaoli Hu, Xin Li and Ling Lu

Sustainability 2018, 10(8), 2878; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082878 - 14 Aug 2018

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3661

Abstract

Land use and land cover change (LUCC) is an important issue in global environmental change and sustainable development, yet spatial simulation of LUCC remains challenging due to the land use system complexity. The cellular automata (CA) model plays a crucial role in simulating LUCC processes due to its powerful spatial computing power; however, the majority of current LUCC CA models are binary-state models that cannot provide more general information about the overall spatial pattern of LUCC. Moreover, the current LUCC CA models rarely consider background artificial irrigation in arid regions. Here, a multiple logistic-regression-based Markov cellular automata (MLRMCA) model and a multiple artificial-neural-network-based Markov cellular automata (MANNMCA) model were developed and applied to simulate complex land use evolutionary processes in an arid region oasis (Zhangye Oasis), constrained by water resources and environmental policy change, during the period 2000–2011. Results indicated that the MANNMCA model was superior to the MLRMCA model in simulated accuracy. Furthermore, combining the artificial neural network with CA more effectively captured the complex relationships between LUCC and a set of spatial driving variables. Although the MLRMCA model also showed some advantages, the MANNMCA model was more appropriate for simulating complex land use dynamics. The two integrated models were reliable, and could reflect the spatial evolution of regional LUCC. These models also have potential implications for land use planning and sustainable development in arid regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 3513 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrating Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test and Set Pair Analysis for Sustainable Development Evaluation from the View of Uncertainty Analysis

by Wenfei Luan, Ling Lu, Xin Li and Chunfeng Ma

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2435; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072435 - 12 Jul 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3678

Abstract

It is of importance but great difficulty to objectively and quantitatively evaluate the sustainable development level, especially in the weight determination process and uncertainty evaluation. The traditional weight determination methods hardly reflect the coupling effect (interaction) among the indices. More importantly, conventional evaluation methods seldom consider the uncertainties of the indices in the index system. Thus, it is indispensable to apply a more comprehensive approach to solve these defects. This paper presents a new method to evaluate the sustainable development level. The approach integrates the advantages of the Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (EFAST) and Set Pair Analysis (SPA) (called EFAST-SPA). The EFAST algorithm is used to determine the indices’ weight, and the SPA is employed to handle the uncertain relations in the evaluation system and to calculate the sustainable development level. A quantitative evaluation on the agricultural sustainable development in the middle reaches of Heihe river has been conducted using the EFAST-SPA method. The results have been compared with the traditional entropy method and it was concluded that EFAST-SPA and entropy are highly in line with the actual development status. In most cases, the EFAST-SPA method can describe the development levels more accurately, which reflects a higher reliability and application value of this proposed approach. Moreover, the presented method deepens the understanding of sustainable development evaluation from the view of uncertainty analysis inside the evaluation system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1730 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Oasis Sustainability Based on Emergy and Decomposition Analysis

by Ting Chang, Degang Yang, Jinwei Huo, Fuqiang Xia and Zhiping Zhang

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1856; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061856 - 03 Jun 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2956

Abstract

The human welfare and sustainability of oases have received wide attention because of the fragility of the ecological environment and the instability of these systems. In this study, the sustainability level and the driving forces of emergy utilization in the Hotan Prefecture (in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China) from 2005 to 2015 were evaluated using the emergy approach combined with the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. The emergy analysis showed that non-renewable resources (N) accounted for a large proportion of net emergy (U). The Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) continued to decline in the study period, implying increasing environmental stress. From a long-term perspective, the system’s development is not sustainable. According to the emergy analysis and the LMDI results, it is imperative to pursue the following aims: (1) increase the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and labor productivity, (2) improve the efficiency of state investment and aid fund utilization, (3) enhance the area’s sustainability level and economic independence, and (4) protect the area’s fragile ecological environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 800 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Harvesting Water for Living with Drought: Insights from the Brazilian Human Coexistence with Semi-Aridity Approach towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

by Diego Pereira Lindoso, Flávio Eiró, Marcel Bursztyn, Saulo Rodrigues-Filho and Stephanie Nasuti

Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030622 - 28 Feb 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6168

Abstract

The Semi-Arid region of Brazil (SAB) has been periodically affected by moderate to extreme droughts, jeopardizing livelihoods and severely impacting the life standards of millions of family farmers. In the early 1990s the Human Coexistence with Semi-Aridity (HCSA) emerged as a development approach. The debate on HCSA is limited to Brazilian literature but as a technological and a bottom-up governance experience, researches on the topic could add some insights to international debate on living with drought. The present paper adopts an historical perspective on HCSA before discussing the main HCSA’s rainwater-harvesting methods found in two case studies in the SAB as a local appropriate and advanced technological package for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Qualitative analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with key local stakeholders, 29 unstructured interviews with family farmers, and surveys in 499 family farms are used. The results show that regardless the highly adaptive potential, the technologies are adopted in differ rates among them and in between case studies chosen, influenced by non-technological factors and interacting the broader public policies context. Scaling up the HCSA’s technologies in the rural SAB is a development path towards the SDGs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 7785 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Three-Stage Data Envelopment Analysis of Agricultural Water Use Efficiency: A Case Study of the Heihe River Basin

by Guofeng Wang, Nan Lin, Xiaoxue Zhou, Zhihui Li and Xiangzheng Deng

Sustainability 2018, 10(2), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020568 - 24 Feb 2018

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4722

Abstract

Aiming to inspect the water use-related situation in the Heihe River Basin, we used a three-stage data envelopment analysis to examine agricultural water use efficiency (WUE) and related issues in the Heihe River Basin from 2004 to 2012. This method calculates technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE), and scale efficiency (SE). Results show that water use-related efficiency varies according to scale. TE and SE decreased in the study area, while PTE increased. This means that the effects of pure technology on improving overall technology are very limited, and scale adjustment is vitally important to the agricultural production area in the Heihe River Basin. The results provide recommendations for decision-makers to plan the efficient use of water resources in arid and semiarid areas; in addition, this method will contribute to calculations of water use-related efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Empirical Study on Sustainable Agriculture Land Use Right Transfer in the Heihe River Basin

by Ye Sun and Tomohiro Akiyama

Sustainability 2018, 10(2), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020450 - 09 Feb 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3407

Abstract

Agriculture land use right transfer (ALURT) is a new policy designed to meet the demand of the sustainable development of agriculture in China. In the Heihe river basin (HRB), ALURT has also recently been introduced to cope with the emerging challenges in agriculture. In this paper, we empirically study the long-term viability of this new policy in HRB using a sustainability assessment. We collect the documents of ALURT contracts, statistical data of ALURT performance, and conduct interviews with its users. The main finding is that the centralized institutional structure of ALURT in HRB compromises its long-term viability. In particular, the power imbalance under the regulation of the intermediate agency, which causes the dissatisfaction of the participants, is threatening the application of the ALURT policy in the long run. Therefore, we suggest that the role of the intermediate agency in ALURT needs to be redefined, to better serve the sustainable development of agriculture in HRB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13955 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Traditional Technological Approach and Social Technologies in the Brazilian Semiarid Region

by Letícia Wittlin Machado and Emilio Lèbre La Rovere

Sustainability 2018, 10(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010025 - 22 Dec 2017

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3545

Abstract

There are different technological approaches to deal with the social-ecological adversities found in the Brazilian Semiarid region (BSA). They vary according to the interpretation of what the roots of these adversities and the causes of the resulting vulnerability are. This paper analyses two technological approaches to the BSA, the first provided by the government through public policies and the other driven by civil society. It focuses on the initiatives promoted by each approach during the 20th and 21st centuries, and discusses how they have enhanced or reduced the sustainability of the Brazilian Semiarid region. This assessment is based on document analysis, fieldwork and open/semi-structured interviews. The traditional technological approach did not reduce the social-ecological vulnerability of the BSA system or increase resilience of family farmers and of the deciduous forest, the most vulnerable parties. It has boosted development from a classical development perspective, promoting macro-infrastructure and growth, but also contributed to keep the same pattern of dependence of farmers. Social technologies have been promoting the BSA sustainability and can have a long-lasting impact if extensively applied. While the traditional approach mostly benefits large landowners, social technologies benefit family farmers, the deciduous forest and the entire social-ecological system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

8925 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Evapotranspiration Data Assimilation Technique for Streamflow Estimates: A Case Study in a Semi-Arid Region

by Ying Zhang, Ling Zhang, Jinliang Hou, Juan Gu and Chunlin Huang

Sustainability 2017, 9(10), 1658; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101658 - 21 Sep 2017

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4835

Abstract

Streamflow estimates are substantially important as fresh water shortages increase in arid and semi-arid regions where evapotranspiration (ET) is a significant contribution to the water balance. In this regard, evapotranspiration data can be assimilated into a distributed hydrological model (SWAT, Soil and Water Assessment Tool) for improving streamflow estimates. The SWAT model has been widely used for streamflow estimations, but the applications combining SWAT and ET products were rare. Thus, this study aims to develop a SWAT-based evapotranspiration data assimilation system. In particular, SWAT is gridded at Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU) level to incorporate gridded ET products acquired from the remote sensing-based ETMonitor model. In the modeling case, Gridded SWAT (GSWAT) shows a good agreement of streamflow modeling with the original SWAT. Such a scant margin between them is due to the modeling domain mismatch caused by different HRU delineations. In the ET assimilation case, we carry out a synthetic data experiment to illustrate the state augmentation Direct Insertion (DI) method and a real data experiment for the upper Heihe River Basin. The results demonstrate the benefits of the ET assimilation for improving hydrologic processes representations. In the future, more remotely sensed data can be assimilated into the data assimilation system to provide more reliable hydrological predictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

5297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ancient Irrigation Canals Mapped from Corona Imageries and Their Implications in Juyan Oasis along the Silk Road

by Ningke Hu, Xin Li, Lei Luo and Liwei Zhang

Sustainability 2017, 9(7), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9071283 - 23 Jul 2017

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6215

Abstract

Historical records and archaeological discoveries have shown that prosperous agricultural activities developed in the ancient Juyan Oasis of northwestern China, an important oasis that once flourished on the ancient Silk Road. However, how the irrigation canals were distributed in historical time was unknown. Here, we identified and mapped the spatial distribution of ancient abandoned irrigation canals that were built using CORONA photographs and field inspections. This work found that ancient irrigation canals are large-scale and distributed throughout the desertified environment, with three hierarchical organization of first-, second-, and third-order irrigation canals (the total length of the first- and second-order-irrigation canals is dramatically more than 392 km). This study further indicates that ancient irrigation methods and modern irrigation systems in arid regions of China share the same basic irrigation design. New visual and fine-scale evidence and spatial distribution of irrigation canals are provided to illustrate the development of the ancient irrigated agriculture that occurred in the Juyan Oasis. This work is useful for readers who are interested in the construction and organization approaches of irrigation canals used in ancient irrigated agriculture in arid regions. It also has implications for how ancient people balance the relationships between human needs and the eco-environment using reasonable water management methods, especially for decision-making in the efficient usage of limited water resources in the arid inland river basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

3664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Soil Texture in the Heihe River Basin Based on Fuzzy Logic and Data Fusion

by Ling Lu, Chao Liu, Xin Li and Youhua Ran

Sustainability 2017, 9(7), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9071246 - 17 Jul 2017

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5006

Abstract

Mapping soil texture in a river basin is critically important for eco-hydrological studies and water resource management at the watershed scale. However, due to the scarcity of in situ observation of soil texture, it is very difficult to map the soil texture in high resolution using traditional methods. Here, we used an integrated method based on fuzzy logic theory and data fusion to map the soil texture in the Heihe River basin in an arid region of Northwest China, by combining in situ soil texture measurement data, environmental factors, a previous soil texture map, and other thematic maps. Considering the different landscape characteristics over the whole Heihe River basin, different mapping schemes have been used to extract the soil texture in the upstream, middle, and downstream areas of the Heihe River basin, respectively. The validation results indicate that the soil texture map achieved an accuracy of 69% for test data from the midstream area of the Heihe River basin, which represents a much higher accuracy than that of another existing soil map in the Heihe River basin. In addition, compared with the time-consuming and expensive traditional soil mapping method, this new method could ensure greater efficiency and a better representation of the explicitly spatial distribution of soil texture and can, therefore, satisfy the requirements of regional modeling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 337 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Agriculture in the Arabian/Persian Gulf Region Utilizing Marginal Water Resources: Making the Best of a Bad Situation

by J. Jed Brown, Probir Das and Mohammad Al-Saidi

Sustainability 2018, 10(5), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051364 - 27 Apr 2018

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 7027

Abstract

One way to encourage agricultural self-sufficiency in arid regions is to increase the productivity of conventional freshwater agriculture. Another way is to develop and implement novel strategies and technologies that do not deplete scarce freshwater. Here we describe several options for countries in the Gulf region to increase their agricultural production by taking advantage of a lesser used resource—marginal water. Marginal water can be treated sewage effluent, produced oilfield water, brackish groundwater or seawater. We describe how this resource can be used to grow salt-tolerant forage crops, microalgae and aquaculture crops. Policies needed to implement and/or scale-up such practices are also outlined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

2670 KiB

Open AccessReview

Status of Underutilised Crops in South Africa: Opportunities for Developing Research Capacity

by Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, Vimbayi G. P. Chimonyo and Albert T. Modi

Sustainability 2017, 9(9), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091569 - 06 Sep 2017

Cited by 71 | Viewed by 10695

Abstract

Underutilised crops represent an important component of agro-biodiversity with potential to contribute to climate change adaptation, food security and sovereignty in poor rural areas. However, despite emerging research interest, they continue to occupy the peripheries of mainstream agriculture. There is a need to consolidate the gains made and propose a coherent strategy for translating underutilised crops into mainstream agriculture. The status of underutilised crops in South Africa (past, present and on-going research) was reviewed with a view to identifying existing gaps, opportunities and challenges for developing future research capacity. The review confirmed that several underutilised crops are drought tolerant, adapted to low levels of water use and thus suitable for cultivation in most marginal production areas typical of semi-arid and arid cropping systems. In addition, several are nutrient dense and could be used to improve dietary diversity among poor rural people. These characteristics make them ideal for inclusion in climate change adaptation and promotion of food sovereignty. There is need for a paradigm shift away from practices that have promoted a few major crops to an agro-ecology based land use classification system that recognises diversity and strengthens food networks. There is a need to identify those underutilised crops that show the greatest potential for success and can be fitted into semi-arid and arid cropping systems and prioritise them for future research, development and innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology for Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions)

► Show Figures