Groundwater is a critical support system for agriculture, domestic and industrial consumption in India, but escalating depletion and climatic stresses underscore the need for scientifically robust groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) mapping. In response to the aggravating water security issues in India, this study presents a critical and systematic-methodical review of research articles focused on GWPZ mapping. The primary goal of this research is to integrate input parameters, modeling techniques and validation methods to produce an evidence-based framework for selecting appropriate and effective GWPZ mapping strategies. Six prominent thematic categories – topography, geology, hydrology, climate, land cover and aquifer properties – seem to be inevitably predominant in different physiographic zones. Methodological tendencies suggest a shift from conventional Multi-Criteria Decision-Making models, that is, Analytical Hierarchy Process and Frequency Ratio, toward sophisticated machine learning techniques like Random Forests, Support Vector Machine and Extreme Gradient Boosting. Validation practices are dominated by a high incidence of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and area under the curve metrics, with occasional addition of precision, recall, F1-score and root mean square error. Across the studies reviewed, field-derived data, well yield, groundwater depth, aquifer thickness and resistivity surveys remain critical for ground-truthing model results. Our view is that even though Indian GWPZ research has taken significant methodological strides, regional data heterogeneity, aquifer complexity and climatic variability issues continue to pose a key challenge in GWPZ mapping. We suggest future strategies involving high-resolution datasets, three-dimensional subsurface modeling, climate-resilient algorithms and more diversified validation frameworks. Through this critical synthesis, the article presents an integrated guide to support planners select cost-effective mapping techniques, inform policymakers on strategic investments and data collection priorities and direct researchers toward the most critical scientific gaps in India’s increasingly dynamic hydro-environmental context.

Using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model that differentiates cropping activities and labour by sex and includes household home production, this study examines the effects of rainfall variability in Burkina Faso from both a macroeconomic perspective and a gender lens. The simulation of the annual rainfall pattern observed in the country over the past decade highlights its broad economic effects and confirms the greater sensitivity of female-led cropping activities. It also underscores the differential impacts on female and male workers in the labour market and within households, revealing the interactions between the non-market and market spheres of the economy when a rainfall shock occurs. Nevertheless, additional simulations suggest that promoting water management systems or more water-stress-resistant crop varieties could help mitigate the effects of rainfall variability and that targeted measures to support female farmers could effectively reduce their specific vulnerability.

This article concerns the economy of one of the few fortified settlements of the Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age on the northern coast of the Black Sea, the Uch-Bash settlement, and its satellite settlement, Sakharna Holovka, in the Inkerman Valley in south-western Crimea. Archaeological excavations from the 1950s onwards have yielded much information on the cultivation of plants from the settlement, including charred grains and their impressions on pottery, tools for harvesting and processing the crops, storage containers, and other objects. Data were also obtained on the crops that were grown in the Inkerman Valley. Together, this evidence shows that the production of cereals was a major aspect of its economy at the turn of the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.

National genebanks offer diverse collections of locally adapted crops which can support farmers’ climate resilience, nutritional security and economic innovations, yet are often overlooked in climate adaptation strategies. Across much of the world, national genebanks are unknown to farmers, or poorly connected for varietal exchange. This paper examines the impacts of establishing ‘Germplasm User Groups’ (GUGs) across five African countries to connect farmers with genebanks as rapid responders to local agricultural challenges. GUGs conducted farmer participatory research to evaluate genebank materials and establish pathways for the exchange of knowledge and crop diversity in farming communities. Drawing on surveys and interviews from over 1,600 smallholders, we found GUGs increase farmer understanding of genebanks, improve access to crop diversity and increase farmer exchanges with national genebanks. As well as material exchange, smallholders welcome the learning opportunities from GUGs to address local farming challenges. On average, GUG members share genebank seed with four other farmers, demonstrating the potential spillover effects of this model for sharing crop diversity. We close with recommendations to improve the working of GUGs and offer guidance for other countries looking to adopt the system as a rapid approach strategy to build local resilience in the face of climate change.

Indicators of environmental impact can be used to inform the production, promotion and consumption of sustainable diets. Most environmental impacts associated with food production occur on farm; thus, sustainable diets are reliant on sustainable agricultural practices. In this paper, we review the current use of environmental indicators and metrics from global to local scales and highlight the need for locally relevant definitions to inform sustainable diets. Using Australia as a case study, we show that the diversity of food production systems is accompanied by a diversity of environmental issues, including climate change, land scarcity, nutrient pollution, water scarcity and biodiversity loss, each uniquely affecting different systems. However, while global datasets and indicators provide a consistent basis for estimating impacts and enabling country and food product comparisons, they often fail to capture the nuances of food production at national and sub-national scales. For example, land use may be a poor indicator of biodiversity loss when grazing a natural, low-input rangeland. Similarly, water use is only relevant where there is competition for the resource and eutrophication only where there is an adjacent water system to pollute. Thus, reporting frameworks used to inform sustainable diets need to be based on indicators that consider the context of local systems to demonstrate the clear linkage and how specific farming systems can drive sustainable diets. The development of provenance and traceability systems means the tools are already available to track impacts at a regional, or even individual farm, level.

Between the fifth and first century BC, calendars that compiled astronomical and meteorological information, known as parapēgmata, came to be used throughout the Greek-speaking world. In the course of the Hellenistic period, numerous such almanacs attributed to scientific authorities who operated in different regions were circulating, some of which emphasized distinct atmospheric phenomena. By ca. 100 BC at the latest, individuals and communities began combining astrometeorological parapēgmata to produce their own, including inscribed public versions. I argue that politically active citizens and doctors would have benefited from the use of these calendars within the context of the Hellenistic polis because weather was believed to have a direct impact on the collective food supply and health of communities and such documents were perceived as an invaluable tool for anticipating important atmospheric changes, determining when meteorological thresholds were crossed and building consensus for communal action taken in response.

The integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into agriculture has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance resource efficiency and enable precision farming. UAVs are used for various agricultural tasks, including monitoring, mapping and spraying of pesticides, providing detailed data that support targeted and sustainable practices. However, effective deployment of UAVs in these applications faces complex control challenges. This paper presents a comprehensive review of UAVs in agricultural applications, highlighting the sophisticated control strategies required to address these challenges. Key obstacles, such as modelling inaccuracies, unstable centre of gravity (COG) due to shifting payloads, fluid sloshing within pesticide tanks and external disturbances like wind, are identified and analysed. The review delves into advanced control methodologies, with particular focus on adaptive algorithms, backstepping control and machine learning-enhanced systems, which collectively enhance UAV stability and responsiveness in dynamic agricultural environments. Through an in-depth examination of flight dynamics, stability control and payload adaptability, this paper highlights how UAVs can achieve precise and reliable operation despite environmental and operational complexities. The insights drawn from this review underscore the importance of integrating adaptive control frameworks and real-time sensor data processing, enabling UAVs to autonomously adjust to changing conditions and ensuring optimal performance in agriculture. Future research directions are proposed, advocating for the development of control systems that enhance UAV resilience, accuracy and sustainability. By addressing these control challenges, UAVs have the potential to significantly advance precision agriculture, offering practical and environmental benefits crucial to sustaining global food production demands.

This study presents a series of new radiocarbon dates and the first stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements of C3 cereal grains from Roman Iron Age (1–400 AD) archaeobotanical assemblages in Lithuania, southeastern Baltic region. These data are complemented by stable isotope measurements of faunal remains to assess local environmental conditions and evaluate human impact on the landscape through agricultural practices. The δ15N and δ13C values indicate that agriculture during this period relied heavily on intensive manuring and cultivation in open, well-irrigated landscapes. The results also reveal diverse cultivation strategies across sites, with isotopic differences between rye and barley suggesting the possible use of an infield–outfield cultivation system. Radiocarbon dates indicate that these agricultural innovations may have started as early as the 1st to mid-2nd century AD with the introduction of rye, however the evidence points to a gradual and uneven adoption rather than a rapid uniform shift.