Feasibility of mitigation measures for agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the UK

This review is briefly contextualised as follows:
(1) Synthesising a novel, comprehensive, and searchable dataset on agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures whilst critiquing their feasibility of deployment (e.g., capital investment, operating costs etc.) as net-zero becomes a focal point for highly industrialised nations; to achieve this, the authors followed a strict standard operating procedure for systematic literature reviews.
(2) Providing an open-access, informative, and comprehensive dataset for agri-environment stakeholders and policymakers to identify the most promising mitigation measures and their potential contribution to a net-zero economy across all major agricultural activities with the geographic boundary being set in the UK.
Jebari, A., Pereyra-Goday, F., Kumar, A. et al. Feasibility of mitigation measures for agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. A systematic review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 44, 2 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00938-0

The future of digital agriculture through the lens of policy and law

Digital agriculture presents potential enhancements to sustainability across food systems. Researchers MacPherson et al. studied how digital technologies could be leveraged to achieve a diverse range of agricultural-related policy objectives in the future. They found that current polices have yet to acknowledge the full potential of these technologies. They conclude that future data ownership regimes will decide for which ends digital agriculture is being used.

MacPherson, J., Voglhuber-Slavinsky, A., Olbrisch, M. et al. Future agricultural systems and the role of digitalization for achieving sustainability goals. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 42, 70 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-022-00792-6

Important information

The Editorial Board wishes you all a happy and peaceful holiday season. and would like to inform you that starting December 22nd, most of the editors will be taking some time off. As a result, we will be slower to respond, with business resuming as usual in the second week of January.

Tools to improve farm sustainability assessments

Farm landscape
Copyright INRAE and Springer-Verlag

Assessing farm sustainability provides an overview of the various impacts that agriculture has on society. Scientists Chopin et al. recently reviewed 119 tools published to assess farm sustainability. They described 5 groups from stakeholder participation and models used, identified 7 sustainability frameworks utilizing 27 indicators about drivers, pressures or states of the system, but found a lack of impact indicators. They call on developing a novel sustainability framework taking account of agronomic productivity, governance and resilience of farming systems.

Analysis of wheat yield gaps in Ethiopia

Wheat field
Copyright Silva et al.

In Ethiopia, wheat yields must increase substantially to accommodate population and dietary changes. Scientists Vasco Silva et al. measured the influence of water, suboptimal inputs, crop management, and technology on yield gaps. They attributed 50% of the yield gap to a lack of technology. They estimated, however, that if more inputs were added and used more efficiently, fine-tuning current management practices could double yields and achieve wheat self-sufficiency without increasing crop area.

Collaborative advisory services help farmers to evolve in their practices

Picture copyright INRAE and Springer-Verlag

Farmer Field Schools are participatory advisory services, where farmers cultivate together small experimental plots and merge their understandings. Researchers Bakker et al. studied how such schools influence farmers. They observed that consultative Farmer Field Schools cause limited farmers’ changes in cropping practices. On the contrary, collaborative Farmer Field Schools encourage farmers to adapt their practices to real constraints encountered in their own fields. They initiate good processes for locally adapted cropping systems.

Understanding broomrapes – host plants’ interactions to manage them

Picture copyright Cartry et al.

Broomrapes are parasitic plants that feed on another plant for water and nutrients, causing eventually important crop losses. Scientists Cartry et al. recently reviewed all the possible interactions of broomrapes with surrounding organisms in an agricultural landscape. From the knowledge of these interactions, management methods targeting the weak point(s) of this parasitic weed, may be set to regulate – not eradicate – broomrape populations below a tolerance threshold compatible with the agroecological production of foodstuffs.

Premier pathways for intensification of African agriculture

Picture copyright Kuyah et al.

Smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa struggle to choose good agronomic sustainable intensification practices because they lack information on innovations. Researchers Kuyah et al. reviewed the innovative practices widely adopted by farmers in specific regions. Agroforestry, cereal-legume intercropping, conservation agriculture, doubled-up legume cropping, fertilizer micro-dosing, planting basins, and push-pull technology are key innovations able to provide multiple benefits, build synergies, increase resource use efficiencies, and reduce agricultural carbon footprints.

Ancient wheat species enable grain plus herbage utilization

Picture copyright Cadeddu et al.

High consumers’ demand for ancient wheats combined with low fertilization requirements make their farming adapted to marginal Mediterranean environments. Scientists Cadeddu et al. demonstrated that dual-purpose utilization of ancient wheats increases the sustainability of mixed cropping systems because herbage can be partly grazed by animals without penalizing grain yield. Sowing ancient wheats early enables good herbage yield and early flowering, which leads to satisfactory grain yield even under severe water stress.