Farming System最新文献

Degraded salt-affected lands are reported to occupy 1257 million hectares worldwide, representing about 8.5% of land area in 118 countries along with a large area lying barren in arid and semi-arid regions due to lack of good-quality water for irrigation because of saline underground aquifers. Several long-term field experiments carried out in different countries have shown that combining salt-tolerant multipurpose trees with forage grasses, arable and under-explored crops (including aromatic and medicinal plants) using suitable technologies can contribute to a significant improvement in agricultural production without applying costly amendments in sodic lands and sub-surface drainage systems in saline-waterlogged soils. The objective of this review is to discuss salinity constraints to crop production, technological interventions for the tree–based systems, and site-specific systems for enhancing productivity and ecosystem services. Salt-tolerant multi-purpose trees, grasses, high-value halophytes, and commercial crops provide numerous provisioning services including food, fodder, fuelwood, bio-energy, cash crops, and medicinal plants. Bioamelioration of sodic soils, diversity of AM fungi, nutrient cycling, variable litter decomposition rates, and carbon sequestration contribute to enhanced regulatory services. The AM fungal association with fertiliser trees like Prosopis cineraria, and salt-tolerant grasses of sodic soils enhances nutrient cycling. The soil microbial biomass carbon and soil enzyme activities serve as a good indicator of the bio-amelioration of salty lands. Carbon (C) sequestration rates in trees and mallees in South Australia are reported to be 1.73–3.8 ​Mg ​C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹; C stock in soil (6.839–27.09 ​Mg ​C ha⁻¹) and soil micro-aggregates increased in tree-based systems in north-west India. Soil inorganic C formed 50–78% of total soil C stock in the traditional agroforestry systems in arid regions. The inorganic C stock in semi-reclaimed sodic soil was 157.3 ​Mg ​C ha⁻¹ in a 25-year-old Grevillea robusta plantation.

Evolution of agriculture and the attendant increase in food production has increased the world human population from 2 to 20 Million (M) about 8000 BCE to 8 Billion (B) in 2022. The rise in population, along with increase in its demands and growing affluence with as strong impact on planetary processes as any geologic force, has led to the naming of this era as “Anthropocene”. Global land area under agriculture, 1.5 ​B ​ha under cropland and 3.77 ​B ​ha under grazing land and covering ∼40% of Earth's surface under managed ecosystems, has drastically transformed the planet Earth with strong perturbations of the biogeochemical cycling of water, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and other elements and the attendant global warming, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, decreased renewability and increased eutrophication of water. Thus, returning some land to nature by eco-intensification of agro-ecosystems, would be a prudent strategy to strengthen planetary processes, adapt and mitigate anthropogenic climate change, improve water quality and renewability, strengthen biodiversity, and advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations albeit beyond 2030. In addition to reducing food waste and consuming more plant-based diet, adopting appropriate and site-specific farming systems can play an important role in saving land for nature. However, as is the case with other scientific issues, eco-intensification for sparing land is also a debatable issue. Nonetheless, the overall strategy is to “produce more from less” by using nature-positive agriculture which can protect ecologically-sensitive natural vegetation, reverse degradation trends, restore degraded soils and deserted ecosystems, and return ∼50% (2.5 ​B ​ha) of land area used for agriculture in 2020s (∼5 ​B ​ha) to nature by 2100 through adoption of innovative farming systems designed for restoration of soil health and re-carbonization of the terrestrial biosphere.

A farming system is a comprehensive technology system affecting agricultural production and its long-term development. Efficient farming systems can fully exploit and utilize limited resources, promote the all-round development of agriculture, and ensure the continuous increase of crop production. Here, we reviewed the development stages and characteristics of the farming system research in China, and identified the opportunities and challenges in the future. Since the 1950s, China’s farming system research has experienced three stages: slow starting, boosting, and exploring sustainable development. The latest stage explores ways to combine agricultural intensification and sustainability to satisfy the increasing demands for food and the importance of environmental protection. It is highlighted that the link between intensification and sustainability is not entirely opposition or complementary. Sustainable intensification is a viable farming system that meets China’s present and future needs. To foster a collaborative and mutually beneficial approach, principles of sustainable intensification should be adhered to, i.e., the interaction between intensification and sustainability, strengthening the macro-investment in agriculture, and optimizing the structure and function of the farming system regarding the time and local conditions. Therefore, it is important to coordinate the relationship between intensification and sustainability at an appropriate scale to improve the function of farming systems.