Enduring sustainability challenges requires a new model of collective leadership that embraces critical reflection, inclusivity and care. Leadership collectives can support a move in academia from metrics to merits, from a focus on career to care, and enact a shift from disciplinary to inter- and trans-disciplinary research. Academic organisations need to reorient their training programs, work ethics and reward systems to encourage collective excellence and to allow space for future leaders to develop and enact a radically re-imagined vision of how to lead as a collective with care for people and the planet.
The paper offers insights into the acceptability of ethical issues in poultry production and how this situation provides an opportunity to transform the prevailing system into a more sustainable one. The survey among German consumers reveals that killing day-old chicks is a well-known practice and is rated as "very problematic". In contrast, dual-purpose chickens are mostly unknown but are considered a positive alternative to killing day-old chicks (after the concept has been explained). Consumer clusters were identified regarding purchasing criteria for dual-purpose chickens, purchasing routines and socioeconomic factors. Three of the five clusters-the perfectionists, idealists, and realists-turned out to be potential buyers. To develop a suitable marketing strategy, it is recommended that the added value of dual-purpose chickens be comprehensibly communicated. From a multi-level perspective, rearing dual-purpose chickens has a competitive disadvantage compared to system-compliant alternatives (in-ovo sexing, "lay hen brothers"). Through increasing external pressure, the different alternatives can jointly contribute to a regime shift.
Agricultural crop production depends upon judicious use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to sustain yields. Globally, the N recovery rate by crops is about 60%, meaning that the rest of the N applied to agroecosystems is transformed to forms that are not available for crop uptake or are lost to the environment. Considering that part of the soil N supplied to crops comes from biological N 2 fixation and mineralization of soil organic N, quantifying these contributions could reduce our reliance on exogenous N inputs. This review examined how the microbially mediated reactions of N mineralization and nitrification contribute to the soil N supply, and biotic controls on these reactions in the soil food web. Potential N mineralization by heterotrophic bacteria and fungi can exceed 10% of the total soil N per year, and ammonium released by mineralization is rapidly transformed to nitrate through the action of chemoautotrophic ammonia oxidizers (bacteria and archaea) followed by heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic nitrifiers (bacteria and fungi). Predation of these microorganisms , primarily by soil microfauna, accounts for additional release of ammonium, estimated at 32-38% of the annual N mineralization. Soil meso-and macro-fauna also contribute to N mineralization and nitrification by accelerating the decomposition of organic substrates and modifying the soil habitat in ways that favour microbial activity. Tillage, application of organic amendments and improving soil drainage in humid temperate regions should favour N mineralization and nitrification processes in soil food web, whereas agrochemical use is expected to have a negligible effect. In summary, the soil food web contribution to N mineralization needs to be included in the soil N supply concept, which requires the development of field-based measurements and models of the soil N supply.
Biodiversity conservation and agricultural production have been largely framed as separate goals for landscapes in the discourse on land use. Although there is an increasing tendency to move away from this dichotomy in theory, the tendency is perpetuated by the spatially explicit approaches used in research and management practice.
Transition zones (TZ) have previously been defined as areas where two adjacent fields or patches interact, and so they occur abundantly throughout agricultural landscapes. Biodiversity patterns in TZ have been extensively studied, but their relationship to yield patterns and social–ecological dimensions has been largely neglected.
Focusing on European, temperate agricultural landscapes, we outline three areas of research and management that together demonstrate how TZ might be used to facilitate an integrated landscape approach: (i) plant and animal species’ use and response to boundaries and the resulting effects on yield, for a deeper understanding of how landscape structure shapes quantity and quality of TZ; (ii) local knowledge on field or patch‐level management and its interactions with biodiversity and yield in TZ, and (iii) conflict prevention and collaborative management across land‐use boundaries.
ABSTRACT. Rural development shaped by global pressures aims to improve livelihoods and market access in remote communities. However, rural development measures can alter landscapes, and change the embedded natural resources and access to them. In Mexico, rural women and their livelihoods are frequently most affected by changes in water resources. This study focused on women in Coatitilán, a small community (population 255) in the mountains of Veracruz, Mexico. A road construction project blocked the main pipe that distributes water throughout the community. Also, river water was unusable for women living downstream of a trout cultivation project. Participant observation and interviews were used to determine how women in Coatitilán dealt with limited water access and reduced quality. Women's local knowledge of the landscape highlighted the location of water springs that had previously been used infrequently, and underlined the importance of vegetation in controlling water resources. Women's local knowledge of climate demonstrated local expressions for weather, and highlighted the importance of prayer for dealing with unforeseen events. Kinship provided several women with access to water from privately owned springs. This study shows that women in Coatitilán adapted their water management by relying on their local knowledge of landscape and climate, and on social networks. These results suggest that women's local knowledge could play an important role in planning development projects, and it helps women adapt to abrupt changes.
Biodiversity loss in European agricultural landscapes is progressing rapidly despite a growing number of conservation efforts. One of the reasons for this is that farmers do not have enough decision‐making power and do not receive adequate advice to tailor conservation measures to local conditions and regional biodiversity targets.
In this paper, we therefore address the potential and practical implementation of co‐designing conservation measures through close collaboration between farmers and other stakeholders (e.g. other practitioners, conservation experts, agricultural advisors, scientists and policymakers).
Based on interviews with four researchers from ongoing European co‐design projects, one national and one European farmers’ organizations, we discuss the challenges and provide recommendations for co‐design in the context of biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes.
Our aim is to reach scientists, practitioners and local decision makers working on innovative and locally adapted conservation efforts.
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