Soil acidity and the decline in organic matter content of the soil are among the major yield-limiting factors in the northwest highlands of Ethiopia. Therefore, a 4 × 4 factorial field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design in two dry seasons, under irrigation at the Koga Irrigation Scheme, in northwestern Ethiopia to examine the effect of carbonized rice husk application timing (CRHT) and soil amendments (SAs) on water use efficiency, lodging, and yield of tef. Treatments were four SAs: without SA (control), compost (10 t ha−1), lime (2.5 ton ha−1), and 10 t ha−1 compost + 2.5 t ha−1 lime (CL); four CRHT: control (no application), whole rate during sowing (CRHT2), equal splitting during sowing and tillering (CRHT3), and whole rate during tillering (CRHT4), with a total of 16 treatment combinations, replicated four times. The pooled mean ANOVA results showed that the SA significantly influenced lodging index (p < 0.01), leaf area index (p < 0.001), and aboveground biomass yield (p < 0.01), but not water use efficiency, plant height, panicle length, and number of plants per square meter (p > 0.05). The CRHT only significantly (p < 0.05) influenced chlorophyll content. The effect of lime on grain, aboveground biomass, and straw yield parameters was statistically similar to the application of compost. Compost and CL showed significantly increased sensitivity of tef to lodging, which ranged from 46.2% to 65.9%, compared with lime and control treatments. In conclusion, the application of CL significantly improved tef grain, aboveground biomass, and straw yields by 12.1%, 14.5%, and 15.2%, compared with lime, 12.3%, 9.3%, and 8.4%, respectively, from the control treatment.

A sustainable pathway for valorizing the growing volume of lignin-rich organic feedstocks (LRFs) in emerging economies is to convert them into biochar to sequester carbon and improve soil fertility. However, biochar derived from such LRF may not always show favorable outcomes during soil application. Their interaction with the soil–plant–microbial ecosystem is very complex, and comparative investigations with other common types of biochars are lacking. This study investigated the impact of walnut shell biochar (WSB) and wood chip biochar (WCB) on soil biological properties and crop yield during the growth of Solanum lycopersicum L., and compared them with those of plant waste biochar (PWB) derived from agricultural plant residues. Among biochar variants, only PWB (1% w/w) has increased tomato yield compared to unamended soil. It also showed better carbon mineralization that stemmed from its higher degradability, lower carbon content, and higher H/C ratio. In contrast, WSB showed a relatively higher hydrophobicity, carbonization, and aromaticity that reduced its accessibility to soil microorganisms. Despite these characteristics and higher ash content, WSB did not lower soil enzyme and microbial activity, unlike WCB. At the same time, WSB did not improve crop yield. Mixing WSB (3% w/w) with soil has slightly enhanced the soil carbon stabilization. The high carbon recalcitrance of LRF may necessitate longer aging in soil compared with PWB to showcase any measurable (short/long) benefits to crop yield and soil characteristics.

Diversifying the simplified landscape of corn and soybeans in the Midwest is an emerging priority in both the public and private sectors to reap a suite of climate, social, agronomic, and economic benefits. However, little research has documented the perspectives of farmers, the primary stakeholders in diversification efforts. This preliminary report uses newly collected survey data (n = 725) from farmers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa to provide descriptive statistics and tests to understand what farmers in the region think about agricultural diversification, including their perspectives on its benefits, barriers, and opportunities. For the purposes of the study, we define diversification as extended rotations, perennials, horticulture, grazed livestock, and agroforestry practices. We find that a majority or plurality of farmers in the sample believe that diversified systems are superior to non-diversified systems at achieving a range of environmental, agronomic, and economic goals, although many farmers are still forming opinions. Farmers believe that primarily economic barriers stand in the way of diversification, including the lack of affordable land, low short-term returns on investment, and lack of labor. Farmers identified key opportunities to increase diversification through developing processing capacity for local meat and specialty crops, increasing demand for diversified products, and providing more information on returns on investment of diversified systems. Different interventions, however, may be needed to support farmers who are already diversified compared to non-diversified farmers. Building on these initial results, future studies using these data will develop more detailed analyses and recommendations for policymakers, the private sector, and agricultural organizations to support diversification.

Consumer demand for pastured poultry continues to increase, but production is challenged by high feed costs. Increasing poultry use of pasture resources, including pasture plants and insects, could help offset feed costs, but few studies describe management strategies to increase poultry pasture use. Here, we introduced broiler chickens (broilers hereafter) to cover crop pastures over three growing seasons and assessed the impact of stocking density, sex, short-term feed restriction, and breed on diet diversity. Throughout each experiment, we quantified pasture use by measuring the diet richness of pasture plants and arthropods through DNA metabarcoding of broiler excreta. We found that pastured broilers consumed many cover crop and weed plant families, but the diet richness of insects was unexpectedly low. Lower stocking density increased diet richness across all 3 years of the study. A short-term feed restriction increased diet richness compared to an unrestricted feed treatment. For fast-growing broilers, individuals with greater weight gain consumed the greatest diversity of diet items; however, the opposite pattern was observed for slow-growing broilers. As expected from anecdotal evidence, slow-growing broilers tended to have higher diet richness compared to fast-growing broilers. Despite increased diet richness, stocking density and short-term feed restriction did not increase the feed-use efficiency (weight gain/feed consumed) of broilers. Further, slow-growing broilers had lower feed-use efficiency compared to fast-growing broilers. This study marks the first application of DNA metabarcoding to elucidate the dietary composition of pasture-raised broilers. Future research should expand on optimal rates of access to pasture, supplemental feed, and breed selection to maximize the cost-effectiveness of pastured poultry production.

Drought is a major challenge to maize-producing households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) impacting productivity, food security, and rural farm household welfare. Drought-tolerant maize varieties (DTMVs) are improved yield-enhancing technologies that can build resilience to climate change in the majority of SSA, but they are poorly adopted. This study assesses farmers' preferences for various attributes of DTMVs and the implicit value they are willing to place on them based on a discrete choice experiment using primary data consisting of 320 maize farm households in northern Nigeria. We estimate farmers' preference heterogeneity using maximum simulated likelihood of a mixed logit model in preference and price space. The results show common preferences for drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, and yield attributes. It further shows strong disutility for non-resistance to Striga attribute. We also find the role of gender, institutional and social influence significant in valuing DTMVs attributes. Understanding the market-preferred attributes of DTMVs can provide guidance on policies to promote adoption of DTMVs.

In the US, technical assistance for farmers has historically been an important aspect of farm support, yet there are questions about whether such technical assistance is available for organic producers. Research examining technical assistance for organic farmers is scant, but the small body of literature suggests that organic farmers prefer getting support for their operations from other farmers. We examine organic farmer and technical assistance provider views to better understand the current state of agricultural outreach and extension for organic farmers and ranchers. The mixed methods study used surveys and farmer focus groups to gather data. Four key findings are (1) many, but not all, organic farmers believe that technical assistance providers may lack necessary organic expertise, (2) organic farmers prefer learning from other farmers, (3) non-land grant providers have a key role in supporting organic farmers, and (4) little support is available for nonproduction aspects such as marketing and access to farm programs. The findings of this study deepen the understanding of organic farmers needs for technical assistance, as well as understand the capacity of providers to meet their needs. We suggest that technical assistance would be improved if TA providers adopted a collaborative approach by working more closely with organic farmers. Furthermore, TA providers may be better able to serve organic farmers by organizing region or crop-specific organic centers that work with farmers around the nation.

The adoption of anaerobic digesters (ADs) and technologies stacked with them (AD+) has the potential to offer benefits to dairy producers and the environment. Production of biochar, hydrochar, and bioplastics can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offer economic benefits to farmers through the sale of value-added products, reduce the need for fertilizer purchases, and promote a circular economy for dairy producers. We use a diffusion of innovations framework augmented to include economic, environmental, social, and regulatory considerations in addition to the operational aspects of the technologies. We conducted interviews with 21 participants representing for-profit, not-for-profit, governmental, and community service agencies in Idaho, the third-largest U.S. dairy state. Semi-structured interviews explored participants’ experiences with and perceptions of how relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, trialability, environmental, economic, and social factors may facilitate or hinder the adoption of AD and three related emerging AD+ technologies. Interviews were analyzed using inductive coding and thematic analysis. Results show that participants were familiar with the need to address dairy manure waste and were interested in the potential benefits to farm revenue and the environment. However, the same factors associated with the relatively low adoption of AD in Idaho may also hinder the adoption of newer AD+ technologies. These include a lack of observability and trialability, installation and maintenance costs, access to technology, uncertain environmental impacts, unrealized economic benefits to dairy producers, and regulatory burden.

Improvements to agricultural sustainability are required to maintain productivity in the face of ongoing global challenges, and growers need multiple kinds of support to adopt new sustainability practices and transform cropping systems. Farms are socio-ecological systems, and developing such systems requires tandem changes to human and nonhuman systems. This study evaluates agricultural sustainability practices and perception in the Oregon hazelnut industry, a small, intensified, and rapidly growing orchard production system in the United States. Using a mixed methods approach based on participant observation and an online survey of hazelnut growers in the spring of 2023, we found that growers were widely receptive to the sustainability messaging of industry groups and had widespread adoption of certain sustainability practices including disease-resistant tree varieties and changes in pesticide use, among other practices promoted by researchers. Larger hazelnut growers were more likely to adopt the sustainability practices in our survey, especially certain pest management practices. Growers with older hazelnut orchards turned to more sources of information but also perceived more barriers to implementing new sustainability practices than growers with younger orchards. Growers voiced different opinions about sustainability costs, with some growers expressing economic concerns about sustainability practices and others recognizing the financial benefits of sustainability practices. Differences in the perceived importance of short- and long-term benefits framed some of these concerns about the costs and benefits of sustainability practices. We argue that successful sustainability outreach will address both the short-term economic benefits of certain practices and the long-term sustainability benefits. Growers widely recognize the importance of sustainability, but more messaging about the multiple benefits of sustainability practices can better address both environmental and economic concerns.

Cover crops are an important management tool for organic vegetable farmers, but selection of individual cover crop species can lead to a tradeoff between agroecosystem services provisioned. In contrast, cover crop mixtures may provide multiple ecosystem services simultaneously, known as multifunctionality. This study evaluated the performance of browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa; BTM), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum; BW), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata; CP), and sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea; SH) in monocultures, two three-way mixtures (3-CP = browntop millet, buckwheat, and cowpea; 3-SH = browntop millet, buckwheat, and sunnhemp), and a four-way mixture containing all evaluated cover crop species (4-W). An autumn cabbage vegetable crop (Brassica oleracea var. Caraflex) was grown following cover crop termination. To evaluate the cover crop treatments and explore the applicability of some tenets of biodiversity theory to cover crop mixtures, we monitored the ecosystem services of weed suppression, inorganic nitrogen provisioning, vegetable yield, and habitat for microorganisms. Overall, the cover crop mixtures evaluated were able to combine the benefits of the individual species in the mixture and provision the sought ecosystem services, although they did not exceed the performance of the best monocultures. Weed suppression was similar between mixtures and the top performing monoculture, BTM in 2022 and BW in 2023. The high productivity of browntop millet in mixtures, accounting for on average 74% of 3-CP biomass and 56% of 4-W biomass, when seeded at 20% and 25% its full rate, respectively, likely drove weed suppression in mixtures. In 2022, cabbage yield following 3-SH and 4-W was similar to the legume monocultures. Due to the suppression of cowpea in 3-CP from interspecific competition, 3-CP plots had a lower cabbage yield than the legume monocultures and were similar to BTM and Control. Soil microbial biomass, used to measure habitat for microorganisms, was 18% higher following mixtures compared to monocultures in the first year, although no differences were found in the second year. The seeding rate proportions used in the three-way mixtures, 60% of the legume full rate and 20% of the full rate of both browntop millet and buckwheat, achieved the target of a C:N ratio ≤30:1 and can be recommended when based on appropriate seeding rates for a given area. Tailoring future cover crop mixture research to questions of seeding rate thresholds and interspecific competition will improve complementarity and the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services in mixtures, offering valuable, practical guidance to growers.

Worldwide, voluntary agri-environmental programs encourage farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices. However, the impact of program design on farmers’ participation and long-term practice persistence is unclear. Toward improving program effectiveness, this study illustrates the value of a tailored practice-specific approach to agri-environmental program design. We present a case study of programs promoting cover crops, a conservation practice that can improve soil health and reduce nutrient pollution, drawing from five focus groups with farmers (n = 20) and program administrators (n = 14) in the U.S. Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana). Participants perceived cover crop programs to best support farmers is characterized by flexibility and minimal transaction costs. Participants suggested a more data-driven approach to program design particularly for understanding the farm-level economic implications of cover crop use. Integrating financial planning and participatory research components alongside traditional financial incentives and technical assistance were proposed as valuable strategies to enhance program design and broaden the appeal of conservation practices like cover crops.

Potato production typically entails both greater soil disturbance and higher profits than alternative crops in the regions in which they are grown. This article provides an analysis of economically relevant outcomes from soil health practice trials conducted in potato production systems in four locations across the continental United States from 2019 to 2022. We compare revenue and profit estimates over several soil health-related practices: rotation duration, chemical fumigation, mustard biofumigation, and application of organic amendments. We find that longer rotations are positively correlated with revenues and profits. This finding is robust across a range of tests and several regression specifications, although we do observe some variation across locations. While in our data, 3-year rotations consistently produced better economic outcomes than 2-year rotations, over time periods longer than the 4 years in this study, at least some of the gains associated with longer rotations will be offset by the implied decreased frequency of potato years. We did not find consistent evidence of differences in revenue or profits corresponding to chemical fumigation, mustard biofumigation, or the application of organic amendments.

Corn (Zea mays L.) is an important crop that contributes to global food security, but understanding how farm management practices and soil health affect corn grain nutrient analysis and therefore human health is lacking. Leveraging Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial—a long-term field experiment established in 1981 in Kutztown, PA, USA—this study was conducted to assess the impact of different agricultural management systems on corn grain nutrient profiles in a long-term trial that has resulted in differences in soil health indicators between treatments as a result of long-term management. The main plot factor was two tillage practices (intensive and reduced) and the subplot factor was four cropping systems (non-diversified conventional [nCNV], diversified conventional [dCNV], legume-based organic [ORG-LEG], and manure-based organic [ORG-MNR]). Generally, the levels of amino acids, vitamins, and protein in corn grain were greatest in the ORG-MNR system, followed by the ORG-LEG and dCNV systems, and finally the nCNV system. It is important to consider that the observed difference between the organic and conventionally grown grain could be due to variations in corn hybrids that were used in those systems. However, nutrient composition of corn differed within cropping systems but between management practices (diversified crop rotation and cover cropping) which also contributed to differences in soil health indicators (soil compaction, soil protein, and organic C levels) that may also influence grain nutrient concentrations. With the exception of methionine, nutrient concentration in corn grain was not affected by different tillage regimes. These findings provide novel information on corn grain nutritional quality of organic and conventional cropping systems after long-term management and give insights into how system-specific components affect nutrient composition of corn grain.

In rural China, male offspring are traditionally regarded as the primary heirs of household assets, particularly land. This study examines the impact of offspring gender composition on long-term agricultural investment behavior, using commercial organic fertilizer application as an example of a strategic long-term investment in farmland. Based on cross-sectional data from 4090 rice farming households across 10 cities (counties) in Hubei province, collected between 2021 and 2023, this analysis identifies three key findings. First, the absence of male offspring significantly reduces long-term agricultural investments, a result that remains robust even when addressing potential endogeneity biases using instrumental variable techniques. Second, households without male heirs exhibit stronger present-oriented preferences and diminished social capital, which further hinder long-term agricultural investments. Third, the negative impact of not having male offspring is more pronounced when the current agricultural decision-maker is male and when land marketization is underdeveloped. These findings underscore the complex interplay between gender norms and agricultural behavior, revealing significant socioeconomic implications of inheritance practices. The study provides insights into addressing these challenges by emphasizing the importance of promoting gender equality and advancing land marketization to enhance equitable land use and support long-term agricultural investment.

There is growing interest in producing more beef from cattle raised in pasture-based systems, rather than grain-finishing feedlot systems in the USA. Given the availability of high-quality forage, pastureland, and markets in the northeastern USA, an expansion of beef production in the region contributes to a gradual shift toward grass-based finishing systems. However, the existing capacity of slaughter and processing facilities in the region is not sufficient to meet the service demand as grass-finished beef cattle production expands. This article examines slaughter and processing bottleneck problems under three scenarios of grass-finished beef production expansion. Through modeling the optimal utilization and expansion of currently existing plant capacity in the region, this study identifies capacity expansion solutions to overcome the emerging bottleneck problems. The plant utilization and expansion problem is formulated as an optimization model with the objective of minimizing total costs associated with cattle assembly, slaughter, processing, and distribution. Our results suggest that slaughter bottlenecks in New York State coincide with underutilized slaughter capacity in New England. Reducing plant numbers while increasing plant utilization rates or expanding the capacity of the remaining plants, would likely lead to greater cost savings.

The EAT-Lancet Commission recommends increasing the consumption of nut trees worldwide as part of a sustainable diet. Integrating more nut tree species in urban gardening initiatives could provide members access to locally grown nuts and provide ecosystem services to urban landscapes. This study investigated the reported presence and diversity of nut tree species in urban community gardens, as well as the motivations and challenges for adopting and expanding those trees. Based on an online survey with 111 responding projects from the urban community gardening network in Germany as our case study, we found that nut tree species exist in almost half of all responding projects surveyed, albeit in a few numbers of individual trees and producing low yields. Projects are motivated by the provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services they provide, such as the nutritional value of nuts, the provision of food for animals, and the potential for education of members about agroforestry and nut use. Yet projects are hindered by limited space, local laws and regulations, and the interaction of nut trees with other species in the garden. Although only 50% of projects plan to incorporate more nut tree species in the future, most recognize the importance of nuts as part of a healthy diet. Governmental leadership is necessary to secure long-term contracts for urban gardens, so that more nut trees can be planted, and city residents can exploit the benefits of the ecosystem services they provide.

Despite its recent history as a controlled substance, hemp holds promise in contributing to more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems in the United States. Due to reclassification in the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp grown for fiber, grain, and cannabidiol has become an intriguing new crop for many farmers. However, the introduction of hemp into an established agricultural landscape has been met with challenges. This qualitative study explores the experiences of 15 first-year hemp producers in Nebraska, United States. The producers in this study describe the complexities they encountered, including navigating stringent state and federal regulations, securing insurance and loans, and overcoming the public and political stigma associated with cannabis. Additionally, gaps in research and development have contributed to producers' difficulties in accessing credible information, high production costs, and labor shortages. Lastly, farmers expressed having a lack of control options to combat the presence of weeds and insects. Based on these findings, we conclude that, although challenges are to be expected with any new crop, many of the issues encountered by the farmers in the study could be overcome or lessened by research, agricultural extension, and government support. We recommend continued research in hemp production, both in crop production and processing, along with dissemination of meaningful results, to aid producers in building their knowledge base. Additionally, government agencies that oversee hemp production could improve accessibility through revisions to regulations and financial resources for producers.

One hundred percent pasture-fed beef production has been suggested as a promising approach for sustainable ruminant farming, due to the potential benefits that can accrue across a range of sustainability domains. This study aimed to investigate the impacts across the four domains of sustainability of a wholesale switch from conventional to 100% pasture-fed beef production in the UK. We used fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) as a method for extracting knowledge from multiple stakeholders to create representative systems models of both conventional and pasture-based beef production systems. We then conducted a scenario analysis to assess how a switch to a pasture-fed system could affect components of sustainability in the UK beef sector. The FCMs indicated that vegetation quality, grass use efficiency, and soil health were central components of the pasture-fed approach, while economic and regulatory aspects, and climate change targets were more central to mainstream production approaches. The most marked changes under the 100% conversion scenario were an increase in income from subsidies (27.3%) in line with ‘public money for public goods’, a decrease in ability to export beef (unless advice to reduce consumption of animal protein is followed) (23.5%), a decrease in land used for farming vs other uses (e.g., natural capital) (11.23%), and a decrease in the use of feed from agricultural co/byproducts (7.5%), freeing up these feed sources for more sustainable monogastric production. Therefore, the mapping and scenario analysis suggests that while upscaling the pasture-fed approach may reduce productivity, it would likely increase public goods provision and reduce feed–food competition in the UK.