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Sustainability
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Sustainable Farming through Building Soil Health and Climate-Smart Innovations
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Sustainable Farming through Building Soil Health and Climate-Smart Innovations

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 6561

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tilahun Amede

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics, Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Interests: soil fertility; sustainability; innovation; resilience; environment; landscape management; agricultural development
Prof. Dr. Sieglinde Snapp

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University | MSU, East Lansing, MI, USA
Interests: sustainable soils; digital soil mapping; proximal sensors; ICT; participatory research; nutrient management; crop diversity; adaptation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of a changing climate, dwindling natural resources, and increasing social and economic inequalities, concerns for healthier and sustainable food systems have been gaining momentum, particularly as scientific evidence becomes more available. The environmental degradation and concomitant decline of food security in Africa and some parts of Asia are becoming major global concerns. In this regard, agroecological principles that play multiple roles in productivity and profitability while minimizing the climate risks of small-scale farmers are increasingly seen as viable options for building the resilience of food systems to climate change, environmental degradation, and socio-economic shocks and stresses. The issue of climate change has been extensively researched and discussed in the literature, although positive change towards integrated and sustainable food systems is a work in progress. Moreover, there is limited evidence on the types of innovation, technologies, practices, and policy incentives required to promote and institutionalize climate-smart sustainable farming principles, which should be tailored to differing farming systems.

This Special Issue will focus on recent advancements, innovations, and practices that could enhance sustainable farming, with a particular focus on the following areas:

  • Multi-functional landscapes that meet environmental, economic, and social goals;
  • Innovations in sustainability and resilience practices for farming systems in marginal areas;
  • Climate-smart agricultural practices for managing changing climates;
  • Soil-carbon enhancement strategies and management practices;
  • Soil nutrient and contaminant management;
  • Innovation for last-mile delivery of climate-smart innovations.

Dr. Tilahun Amede
Prof. Dr. Sieglinde Snapp
Guest Editors

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

  • productivity
  • soil health
  • landscapes
  • resilience
  • innovations
  • drivers
  • contaminants
  • last-mile delivery

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4114 KiB  
Article
Effect of Aerated Irrigation on the Growth and Rhizosphere Soil Fungal Community Structure of Greenhouse Grape Seedlings
by Huanhuan Zhang, Jinshan Xi, Qi Lv, Junwu Wang, Kun Yu and Fengyun Zhao
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12719; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912719 - 6 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1512
Abstract
Conventional irrigation methods decrease greenhouse soil aeration, which leads to restricted root growth and reduced soil fungal abundance in greenhouse grapes. In this study, aerated irrigation equipment was used to investigate the effects of aerated irrigation on the biomass accumulation, root growth, and [...] Read more.
Conventional irrigation methods decrease greenhouse soil aeration, which leads to restricted root growth and reduced soil fungal abundance in greenhouse grapes. In this study, aerated irrigation equipment was used to investigate the effects of aerated irrigation on the biomass accumulation, root growth, and soil fungal community structure of grape seedlings. The results show that aerated irrigation significantly increased the root length, root surface area, root volume, and number of root tips by 38.5%, 32.1%, 62.1%, and 23.4%, respectively, at a soil depth of 20–40 cm (p ≤ 0.05). The chao1 index and ACE index of fungi at different soil depths under aerated irrigation were higher than those without aerated treatment; aerated irrigation changed the relative abundance of dominant fungi in rhizosphere soil. At a soil depth of 20–40 cm, aerated irrigation increased the abundance of Fusarium by 42.2%. Aerated irrigation also contributed to the abundance of the beneficial fungal genera Mortierella, Cladosporium, and Glomus. At a soil depth of 0–20 cm, the abundance of Mortierella in the soil that received aerated treatment was 180.6% higher than in the control treatment. These findings suggest that aerated irrigation is a promising strategy for the promotion of grape root growth and biomass accumulation, and it can also increase the abundance of some beneficial fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Farming through Building Soil Health and Climate-Smart Innovations)
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22 pages, 8672 KiB  
Article
Economic Viability of Smallholder Agriculture in the Savannah and Transitional Zones of Ghana: Implications of Farm Output Commercialization and Farm Diversification
by William Adzawla, Prem S. Bindraban, Williams K. Atakora, Oumou Camara and Amadou Gouzaye
Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11548; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811548 - 15 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
Smallholder agriculture remains the heart of Ghana’s food crop production and crucial to meet the zero-hunger target. Unfortunately, rural households continue to see no significant improvement in their livelihoods, as poverty and food insecurity remain high in these areas. This has raised concerns [...] Read more.
Smallholder agriculture remains the heart of Ghana’s food crop production and crucial to meet the zero-hunger target. Unfortunately, rural households continue to see no significant improvement in their livelihoods, as poverty and food insecurity remain high in these areas. This has raised concerns about the economic viability of smallholder agriculture in Ghana. We estimated propensity score matching on a sample of 581 farmers to determine the economic viability of the smallholder farmers and the impact of farm output commercialization and off-farm diversification on their food security and welfare status. Large-scale (>2 ha) maize production led to 8% more yield and 96% more income than small-scale (≤2 ha) production. At observed mean levels, large-scale farmers performed better in most of the livelihood outcomes. The impact of diversification and commercialization on livelihood outcomes was mixed, based on the scale of production. For small-scale farmers, diversification reduced per capita consumption expenditure, while commercialization improved food security, consumption expenditure, and income. For large-scale farmers, diversification improved yield and food security, while commercialization improved fertilizer application rate and income but reduced yield. Although small-scale farmers are not necessarily doomed, the heterogeneity of farmers’ production scale should be considered in the design of rural agricultural policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Farming through Building Soil Health and Climate-Smart Innovations)
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18 pages, 1614 KiB  
Article
From Learning Plot to Main Field: Scaling-Out Soil Health Innovations in Malawi
by Frank Tchuwa, Kate Wellard, John Morton, Daimon Kambewa, Daniso Mkweu and Wezi Mhango
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031532 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2222
Abstract
Farmer-centred approaches are applied to engage smallholder farmers in agricultural research and development with the purpose of identifying and scaling out context specific innovations. Understanding the underlying processes that influence the decision of smallholder farmers to scale-out innovations is, therefore, paramount to effective [...] Read more.
Farmer-centred approaches are applied to engage smallholder farmers in agricultural research and development with the purpose of identifying and scaling out context specific innovations. Understanding the underlying processes that influence the decision of smallholder farmers to scale-out innovations is, therefore, paramount to effective farmer-led research and development programmes. This study analysed how smallholder farmers in rural Malawi were involved in evaluating soil health management options as well as how they scaled-out the lessons from the learning plots to their main farms. Data were collected through observations and face-to-face interviews in 109 learning plots and 197 main fields managed by farmers who participated in interventions that applied farmer-centred approaches. The findings reveal that farmers’ capacity to engage in systematic experimentation depended on their knowledge of basic research principles and their social capital (bridging and bonding). Farmers observing and interacting in the learning plots formed different perceptions about the performance of the tested options. The variations in the perceptions were associated with biophysical (plot characteristics) and socioeconomic factors (time of planting). Likewise, variations were observed in the way farmers scaled-out the tested options. Whilst some farmers integrated many different options (>3), others applied few options in their main fields (<3). The majority of farmers adapted the options to suit their contexts. Farmers’ decision to scale-out options was associated with their perceived benefits of the options, gender, and wealth status. The study findings have implications for research and development programmes that use farmer-centred approaches to push for adoption of blanket recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Farming through Building Soil Health and Climate-Smart Innovations)
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