Agriculture (Switzerland)

Even more than 30 years after the introduction of precision farming technologies and studies of their benefits in terms of productivity gains and environmental improvements, adoption rates, especially for variable-rate technologies, are very low. In particular, in smallholder areas, farm managers are reluctant to adopt these technologies. Therefore, this study identifies factors that hinder or facilitate adoption from an economic perspective. Using a model-based sensitivity analysis with three farms of different sizes (11 ha, 57 ha and 303 ha), it is shown that larger farms have higher resilience to external factors due to economies of scale. In addition, it is clarified that the certainty of obtaining additional benefits with GPS guidance systems can explain the higher adoption rates in farming practice, although the additional benefits (per hectare and year) are much lower for this technology than for variable-rate technologies. Small farms (>30 ha) are by no means excluded from the use of digital technologies, as it is shown that the influence of learning costs on profitability is very low, low subsidies can lead to a drastic reduction in the minimum farm size and the presence of low-cost technologies is an efficient solution which allows small farms to participate in the digital transformation of agriculture.

Phosphorus (P) runoff from agricultural sources is a recognized environmental problem, particularly in regions draining into Lake Erie. This problem may well be exacerbated particularly through increased magnitude and frequency of extreme climatic events (e.g., excessive precipitation and droughts). On the physical sciences side, the recent extensive literature focuses on structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) which have the potential to mitigate both surface and sub-subsurface P losses. Modeling studies show that there is still a lack of adoption of these P-related voluntary BMPs by the farmers. At the same time, and while the social sciences side of the literature on structural BMPs adoption weakly affirms the latter, this paper argues that the literature on resilience and on agricultural innovation can better inform our understanding of the limited adoption of phosphorus related structural BMPs by farmers in the Lake Erie Basin.

The multi-level perspective (MLP) is a prominent transition framework. The MLP posits that transitions come about through interaction processes within and among three analytical levels: niches, socio-technical regimes and a socio-technical landscape. This systematic review provides an overview on the use of the MLP in research on agro-food sustainability transitions. In particular, it analyses the understanding, conceptualisation and operationalisation of niches, regimes and landscapes. Niches considered in the selected papers include agro-ecology, organic agriculture, permaculture, conservation agriculture, integrated farming, and alternative food networks. Regime refers to industrial, conventional agriculture. The researched regime is often not clearly described and its operationalisation is a matter of deliberation. Landscape level is generally overlooked; when it is considered it refers to international trends and developments. Many scholars highlight the inadequacy of transition pathways in the MLP for the agro-food sector. Moreover, transition impacts are rarely addressed and the research field generally overlooks the analysis of the sustainability of niches and, consequently, of transitions. Research on transitions in the agro-food sector borrows from the MLP its generalizability and poor empirical operationalisation of niche, regime and landscape concepts. Therefore, integrative conceptualisation and operationalisation of the MLP elements is required to accommodate the complexity of sustainability transition processes and the peculiarities of the agro-food system.

The progressive climate change has an impact on the quantity and quality of grapes. Among meteorological parameters, air temperature is believed to have a direct influence on grape yield and composition, as well as on the organoleptic characteristics of wines. Therefore, in this work three bioclimatic indices based on temperature have been considered, with the aim of classifying the climate in the winegrowing region of Apulia (southern Italy) based on historical periods of thirty years (1961–1990 and 1991–2022) and verifying its evolution in the future in relation to global warming under two different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5, by combining four global climate models. The results showed that the period 2021–2040 was almost unchanged compared to the last historical period of 1991–2022. The differences between the two SSPs became more pronounced as time progressed until the end of this century. By 2081–2100, SSP2–4.5, considered the most likely and mildest future scenario, demonstrated the existence of areas still suitable for quality viticulture, mainly in the higher altitudes of the Murgia plateau, the Gargano promontory and the Pre–Apennine area. In contrast, SSP5–8.5, described as “highly unlikely”, showed a dramatic shift of more than 90% of Apulia region to “too hot” classes to ensure the survival of viticulture for all the bioclimatic indices considered. These results suggest the winegrowers should consider short– and long–term solutions and adaptations in order to preserve the regional tradition and wine quality and to plan the Apulian viticulture for future scenarios.

The climate changes and increased drought frequency still more frequent in recent periods bring challenges to management with wheat straw remaining in the field after harvest and to its decomposition. The field experiment carried out in 2017–2019 in the Czech Republic aimed to evaluate winter wheat straw decomposition under different organic and mineral nitrogen fertilizing (urea, pig slurry and digestate with and without inhibitors of nitrification (IN)). Treatment Straw 1 with fertilizers was incorporated in soil each year the first day of experiment. The Straw 2 was placed on soil surface at the same day as Straw 1 and incorporated together with fertilizers after 3 weeks. The Straw 1 decomposition in N treatments varied between 25.8–40.1% and in controls between 21.5–33.1% in 2017–2019. The Straw 2 decomposition varied between 26.3–51.3% in N treatments and in controls between 22.4–40.6%. Higher straw decomposition in 2019 was related to more rainy weather. The drought observed mainly in 2018 led to the decrease of straw decomposition and to the highest contents of residual mineral nitrogen in soils. The limited efficiency of N fertilisers on straw decomposition under drought showed a necessity of revision of current strategy of N treatments and reduction of N doses adequately according the actual weather conditions.

The knowledge of important parameters for honey characterization is an increasing requirement of consumers and the honey industry. In this respect, differentiation between blossom honeys and some honeydew honeys is still an unresolved task. This study includes the results of physicochemical and melissopalynological analysis of 86 honey samples from north-western Spain. The relationship between the microscopic elements in honey, such as Metschnikowia cells and fungal spores from plant pathogens, together with their physicochemical parameters were analysed. A cluster analysis was performed to differentiate blossom honey samples from honeydew samples. Metschnikowia cells and certain fungal spores were found to be good variables to enable differentiation between blossom honeys and honeydew honeys.

COVID-19 has affected the functioning of food systems all over the world. This paper seeks to identify and analyse the economic, legal and institutional, as well as social effects of the pandemic’s outbreak on food systems, and the implications for the EU Farm to Fork Strategy whose main purpose is to put food systems on a sustainable path. Qualitative economic and social impact analysis was used to identify the above types of effect on the food system on a macroscale, using Poland as an example. Information was sourced from existing data and qualitative studies. Studies show that the consequences of the pandemic for individual elements of the food system in Poland in 2020 were related to numerous disruptions in functioning, leading to uncertainty, financial losses, and interrupted transactions. The crisis under analysis also revealed modifications in these actors’ behaviours in food markets, noticeable in changes in consumption patterns and in the ways demand for food was met. Nevertheless, an analysis of the gathered information and data testifies to the food system’s relative resistance to the effects of the pandemic, and also to the adaptive skills of the system’s entities, especially food producers and consumers. The paper’s discussion contains recommendations for public policies shaping the food system, pointing to actions that might reduce the negative effects of other potential exogenic crises in the future and aid the implementation of the Farm to Fork Strategy’s principles.