Optimizing Agricultural Landscapes: Measures Towards Prosperity and Sustainability

Mueller, Lothar; Eulenstein, Frank; Mirschel, Wilfried; Schindler, Uwe; Sychev, Victor G.; Rukhovich, Olga V.; Шеуджен, А. Х.; Romanenkov, Vladimir; Lukin, S. M.; McKenzie, Blair M.; Jones, Michael; Dannowski, Ralf; Blum, Winfried E. H.; Salnjikov, Elmira; Saparov, Abdulla; Pachikin, Konstantin; Hennings, Volker; Scherber, Christoph; Hoffmann, Jörg; Antrop, Marc; Garibaldi, Lucas A.; Carella, Dulce Sol Gómez; Augstburger, Horacio Florian; Schwilch, Gudrun; Angelstam, Per; Manton, Michael; Dronin, N.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-67448-9_3

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 219 publications

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“…This can be achieved via, for instance, zero-acreage farming, vertical farming, farm to table programs, and urban community garden cultivation [72][73][74]. Also, the optimization of rural landscapes within a landscape governance planning framework ought to ensure the sensible utilization of fragile socio-economic and cultural livelihood systems of places still in their first generation (e.g., via place rewilding) and the establishment of farmland preservation programs in second generation places [75]. There is evidence that this might be starting to occur in Connecticut as the number of farms in operation appears to have increased from 4191 in 2002 to 4916 in 2007 [76] (p. 48).…”

Section: Conclusion and Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Granary to Arts Incubator: An Evolutionary Perspective on the Concept of Food for Thought

Lopes Balsas

2024

World

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Does our food for thought come virtually from the internet? When we take a long view, the instant stroke of a keyboard pales in comparison to the centuries-old evolution of real food harvesting and the generation and exchange of ideas, which have resulted in creative capital. The vernacular architecture of the agricultural built environment has almost dematerialized in its transition from the ancient pre-industrial era to the post-truth world, to become almost only an imagined concept. The symbology of the common threshing terrace of a Portuguese remote mountain village can now be found in multiple spaces of the urban realm, including in the metaphor of a community arts incubator’s modus operandi in Albany, New York (USA). How has the concept of food for thought developed and materialized? How has it evolved? And what are some of the expected ways it might be utilized in the future? The purpose of the paper is to trace the evolution of this concept and its elements via the BLC Framework. The methodology employs a time analysis of approximately three centuries to distinguish three distinct evolutionary phases: (i) the pre-industrial era, (ii) the industrial era, and (iii) the information-driven era. The key finding is an up-to-date discussion of the food for thought concept in two distinct geographical worlds and three-time eras, as well as a set of lessons learned according to a protest poem and a rock song. The results are presented in the form of five lessons learned with implications for public policy: the first two lessons pertain to issues of procedural justice as encapsulated in the anonymous ‘The Goose’ poem, while the last three result from a discussion of selected verses in Nick Cave’s ‘Fable of the Brown Ape’ rock song.

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Section: Conclusion and Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Granary to Arts Incubator: An Evolutionary Perspective on the Concept of Food for Thought

Lopes Balsas

2024

World

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“…The replication of sustainable, food quality, biodiversity-friendly agricultural production with chains close to the final consumer must be globally maintained, supported, and replicated. To support these sustainable agrarian systems, optimisation and the improvement of productivity and economy are needed in these rural territories, and technology-driven smart farm technologies can help to achieve these goals [27]. As suggested by Singh and Singh [28] combining traditional agriculture with modern sustainable farming can help prevent, mitigate, and adapt to climate change scenarios.…”

Section: Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Ecosystem Model for GIAHS: The Barroso Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral System

et al. 2022

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Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) territories are highly relevant to achieving sustainable lifestyles with human subsistence in balance with the ecosystem. The Barroso agro-sylvo-pastoral system is a clear example of this alignment between existing society, nature and natural resources, the environment, landscapes, and contextual heritage. Moreover, the sustainable use of existing natural resources, excellent environmental conditions, and breath-taking untouched landscapes represent a truly relevant factor towards the development of a region economy that is still greatly influenced by an engraved cultural, patrimonial, and agricultural heritage. Given the GIAHS classification attributed to that territory, the need arises to guarantee the existing environmental conditions. This context will allow the maintenance of the GIAHS classification, ensuring the quality of life in the region and stimulating its socio-economic development and overall sustainability. The present article describes a proposal for a digital ecosystem model aimed at the Barroso GIAHS, composed of four main functional hubs that actively interact with each other: smart environment, smart government, smart economy, and smart people. Based on wireless sensor networks, IoT, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and other technological solutions, this solution will allow real-time control of the territory’s environmental conditions and develop more efficient and well-supported management and governance.

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“…Agricultural landscapes are shaped by the demands and practices of agriculture for food or fiber and are caught within the tensions of global population demands and local ecosystem services [57]. Working landscape is a term that can be applied to agricultural landscapes emphasizing how the shaping of the landscape emerges from the everyday working practices in rural areas, including its connection to the food system.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies to Promote Sustainable Development: The Gendered Importance of Addressing Diminishing African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Resources in Northern Ghana’s Agro-Ecological Landscape

et al. 2022

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As the topic of gender and forests gains international attention through programs related to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, we focus on a case study of the African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) in the savannah landscape of northern Ghana. Although this tree holds high cultural significance for Dagomba women, it is unfortunately becoming scarcer in our study area near Tamale. We investigate the reasons for this decline in relation to the agricultural, ecological, and cultural landscape and discuss the gendered impacts of these changes. Research in these communities was conducted between 2018 and 2021 as part of a transdisciplinary action research approach to process underutilized species with women’s groups. The research started with a survey that included 27 women’s groups in 13 communities with 524 women participants. Out of a selected number of groups, our research team has worked more intensively with three women’s groups near Nyankpala, which selected for their processing focus the African Locust Bean, locally known as dawadawa. More than 45 group sessions were organized with seven groups in a collaborative learning process in 2019. Additionally, the three groups in Kpachi who chose to process the African Locust Bean sustained facilitation of group activities until the end of 2021. Specifically, on the topic of the decline of this tree, 19 semistructured interviews were conducted in August 2020 with 8 female farmers, 7 male farmers and 4 chiefs in the local governance system. Our results show the cultural significance of the African Locust Bean for women in the Dagomba culture as well as practical uses of all parts of the tree. Specifically, the seeds are used for making a fermented condiment and tea. Although seeds of the African Locust Bean are considered a women’s crop, their access to this tree is mediated by the local chiefs and often male land-users. Most farmers interviewed reported a reduction in trees in their fields. The reasons for the decrease can be summarized in six different categories, (1) aging tree populations, (2) challenge caring for saplings until maturity, (3) agricultural changes with increased mechanization and pesticide use, (4) over-use as a firewood resource, (5) usufruct rights between traditional chiefs, male land-owners, and women who should be granted access to the trees according to Dagomba cultural values, and (6) reduced water availability inhibits seed yield. In conclusion, there is an urgent need for action to protect and restore the African Locust Bean within northern Ghana’s savannah landscape to ensure continued access and benefits of the tree to women in the region.

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Optimizing Agricultural Landscapes: Measures Towards Prosperity and Sustainability

Cited by 4 publications

References 219 publications

From Granary to Arts Incubator: An Evolutionary Perspective on the Concept of Food for Thought

From Granary to Arts Incubator: An Evolutionary Perspective on the Concept of Food for Thought

Digital Ecosystem Model for GIAHS: The Barroso Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral System

Strategies to Promote Sustainable Development: The Gendered Importance of Addressing Diminishing African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Resources in Northern Ghana’s Agro-Ecological Landscape

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