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2014

Sustainable Agriculture

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Agriculture

Flax: Food And Fiber, Madeleine K. Charney Oct 2014

Flax: Food And Fiber, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Highlights the versatile and nutritious flax plant, now cultivated worldwide.

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Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson Aug 2014

Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Background: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) addresses the challenge of meeting the growing demand for food, fibre and fuel, despite the changing climate and fewer opportunities for agricultural expansion on additional lands. CSA focuses on contributing to economic development, poverty reduction and food security; maintaining and enhancing the productivity and resilience of natural and agricultural ecosystem functions, thus building natural capital; and reducing trade-offs involved in meeting these goals. Current gaps in knowledge, work within CSA, and agendas for interdisciplinary research and science-based actions identified at the 2013 Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture (Davis, CA, USA) are described here within three …

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Exploring Germplasm Diversity To Understand The Domestication Process In Cicer Spp. Using Snp And Dart Markers, Manish Roorkiwal, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Emily Warschefsky, Abhishek Rathore, Rajeev K. Varshney Jul 2014

Exploring Germplasm Diversity To Understand The Domestication Process In Cicer Spp. Using Snp And Dart Markers, Manish Roorkiwal, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Emily Warschefsky, Abhishek Rathore, Rajeev K. Varshney

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

To estimate genetic diversity within and between 10 interfertile Cicer species (94 genotypes) from the primary, secondary and tertiary gene pool, we analysed 5,257 DArT markers and 651 KASPar SNP markers. Based on successful allele calling in the tertiary gene pool, 2,763 DArT and 624 SNP markers that are polymorphic between genotypes from the gene pools were analyzed further. STRUCTURE analyses were consistent with 3 cultivated populations, representing kabuli, desi and pea-shaped seed types, with substantial admixture among these groups, while two wild populations were observed using DArT markers. AMOVA was used to partition variance among hierarchical sets of landraces …

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A Transformative Partnership Between Socially And Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, 1890 Land Grant Institutions, And Walmart, Walter A. Hill, Raymon Shange, Miles Robinson, Tasha M. Hargrove Apr 2014

A Transformative Partnership Between Socially And Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, 1890 Land Grant Institutions, And Walmart, Walter A. Hill, Raymon Shange, Miles Robinson, Tasha M. Hargrove

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Ensuring a sustainable future for socially and historically disadvantaged farmers (SHDFs) remains a central mission of many 1890 land grant universities. As major corporations adopt socially responsible and sustainable policies they are exploring new partnerships, including those with the aforementioned farmers and institutions. This article explores the opportunity presented by the partnership between Tuskegee University and Walmart during 2011, 2012, and 2013 that focused on assisting SHDFs to work together to expand their produce marketing opportunities to include large commercial retailers. This article provides perspective for the articles that follow in this issue of the Professional Agricultural Workers Journal (PAWJ). …

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Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic Jan 2014

Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been the phenomena of spruce dieback in Europe. Significant areas of spruce low mortality now cover both sides of the Polish southern border. We evaluated ecochemical parameters influencing the heavy dieback occurring in mature spruce stands in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Dolomite, magnesite and serpentinite fertilizers were applied to experimental plots located in 100-year-old stands in the autumn of 2008. The experimental plots were located in the mid-elevational forest zone (900-950 m) on two nappes of the flysch Carpathians: Magura (Ujsoły Forest District) and Silesian (Wisła Forest District). The saturation of the studied soils demonstrates …

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Shade Coffee: Update On A Disappearing Refuge For Biodiversity, Shalene Jha, Christopher M. Bacon, Stacy M. Philpott, V. Ernesto Méndez, Peter Läderach, Robert A. Rice Jan 2014

Shade Coffee: Update On A Disappearing Refuge For Biodiversity, Shalene Jha, Christopher M. Bacon, Stacy M. Philpott, V. Ernesto Méndez, Peter Läderach, Robert A. Rice

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

In the past three decades, coffee cultivation has gained widespread attention for its crucial role in supporting local and global biodiversity. In this synthetic Overview, we present newly gathered data that summarize how global patterns in coffee distribution and shade vegetation have changed and discuss implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods. Although overall cultivated coffee area has decreased by 8% since 1990, coffee production and agricultural intensification have increased in many places and shifted globally, with production expanding in Asia while contracting in Africa. Ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, climate regulation, and nutrient sequestration are generally greater …

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Synthesis And Review: Advancing Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Quantification, Lydia P. Olander, Eva Wollenberg, Francesco N. Tubiello, Martin Herold Jan 2014

Synthesis And Review: Advancing Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Quantification, Lydia P. Olander, Eva Wollenberg, Francesco N. Tubiello, Martin Herold

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Reducing emissions of agricultural greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as methane and nitrous oxide, and sequestering carbon in the soil or in living biomass can help reduce the impact of agriculture on climate change while improving productivity and reducing resource use. There is an increasing demand for improved, low cost quantification of GHGs in agriculture, whether for national reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), underpinning and stimulating improved practices, establishing crediting mechanisms, or supporting green products. This ERL focus issue highlights GHG quantification to call attention to our existing knowledge and opportunities for further progress. In …

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Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha Jan 2014

Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

This introduction to the special section on "Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes to Achieve Climate Change Mitigation" reviews external interventions to improve forest conditions and reduce deforestation, and by extension, influence carbon storage in agriculture-forest landscapes. The review is based on a careful survey of 123 cases of project-based and policy interventions to influence land use and forest cover outcomes. We propose that outcomes of interventions can be explained in terms of rights, incentives, and technologies related to land use and apply this framework to examine 12 types of interventions in agriculture-forest landscapes. The analysis of the identified 123 cases raises concerns …

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