Agricultural Systems最新文献

{"title":"Soil health investment and financial performance of crop farms","authors":"Delide Joseph ,&nbsp;Cesar Guareschi ,&nbsp;Jennifer Ifft ,&nbsp;Mathew Sanderson ,&nbsp;Megan Hughes ,&nbsp;Charles Rice","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil health investments are promoted for their environmental benefits, but evidence on their financial returns for producers remains limited and mixed. This study examines the relationship between soil health practice adoption and farm profitability, while comparing three classification methods used to measure soil health investment intensity. We combine survey-reported soil health practice data with detailed financial records from 438 Kansas commercial crop farms. Three classification strategies are evaluated: (1) an expert-informed agronomic score grounded in regenerative principles, (2) a rule-based threshold system, and (3) a data-driven k-means clustering approach. We estimate ordinary least squares regressions linking these classifications to the net farm income ratio, controlling for farm and weather variables. Additional analyses explore yield and cost mechanisms, and robustness checks include ordered logit models and continuous treatment of adoption intensity. Only the agronomic score classification shows a statistically significant and positive association with profitability (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05): farms in the high-adoption group earned a 5.6 percentage point higher net farm income ratio than those in the low-adoption group. Other methods showed no significant relationship. The classification method influenced which farms were labeled high adopters, with only 10% consistent across all methods. Soil health practice adoption is modestly associated with improved financial outcomes, but results depend heavily on how adoption is measured. Expert-informed, context-sensitive classification approaches appear more predictive of profitability than rule-based or data-driven alternatives. Directly comparing classification methods to measure soil health investment intensity demonstrates how methodological choices can influence research findings on economic and policy relevance. The study provides actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers designing sustainability incentives or certification programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104601"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145683397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The relationship between herbicide resistance and the use of integrated weed management: Is it simply reactive?","authors":"Md. Monirul Islam ,&nbsp;Rick Llewellyn ,&nbsp;Marta Monjardino","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Herbicide resistance (HR) has been a major management challenge and ongoing threat in cropping regions over several decades, particularly in the time since the widespread adoption of no-tillage cropping systems. Despite extensive and severe development of resistance in Australian cropping regions, growers have been able to maintain control of new weed populations by introducing new herbicides and non-herbicide practices. These integrated weed management (IWM) practices have helped farming systems maintain productivity and adapt to changing environmental and agronomic conditions. Earlier studies found that the adoption of these alternative practices was associated with a reaction to the initial development of forms of HR on a farm. Practices include those classified as harvest weed seed control (HWSC) that kill potentially herbicide resistant weed seeds and reduce overall weed seedbank populations without increasing HR selection pressure. A largely unexplored aspect of the socioeconomics of HR management is whether the initial ‘reactive’ adoption of IWM has a ‘preventative’ effect on the further spread or proliferation of resistance development to other herbicides and in other weed species.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>To gain a deeper understanding of the farm-scale factors determining the presence of HR, the adoption of IWM practices, and the relationship between IWM use and HR status, we focus on whether initial reactive adoption of IWM has a preventative effect on further resistance development.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Data from 602 broadacre grain growers across 13 agroecological zones of Australia were analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic regressions to assess the extent of IWM practice adoption, while Ordered Logit models were used to capture the diversity of IWM practice use, including HWSC strategies.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Notably, we found that adoption of IWM (including HWSC) was higher in the Western and Southern regions, most likely where HWSC practices can offer greater control on the most common resistant weed types, such as annual ryegrass. There was no evidence to support the argument that IWM use on farms is associated with reduced herbicide use, but there was considerable evidence to show that early forms of HR development on farms have led to the use of IWM practices, such as HWSC, that have the potential to reduce the seed set of weeds with potential new forms of resistance. The extent of HR was the only consistently highly significant variable to explain IWM use.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>These results have the capacity to pre-emptively identify sustainable weed management scenarios in various regional farming systems and future contexts, including where earlier ‘reactive’ adoption of resistance management practices may now be offering ‘proactive’ benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104602"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145683341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Segmenting PGS smallholders for assessing the digital adoption: Scaling climate-smart agricultural waste management in Eastern Thailand","authors":"Eain Dray Aung ,&nbsp;Nophea Sasaki ,&nbsp;Takuji W. Tsusaka","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies in low- and middle-income countries remains uneven despite the rapid spread of mobile-based solutions. In Thailand, open-field burning of agricultural residues continues to drive greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and rural health risks. Digital innovations such as KaseChar—a prototype mobile application—offer potential to promote sustainable residue management; however, smallholder readiness and adoption barriers remain poorly understood.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study aims to analyze smallholder farmers' behavioral readiness to adopt KaseChar by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with behavioral segmentation to identify heterogeneous adoption profiles and their determinants.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>Data were collected from 150 Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) farmers in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, using household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. K-means clustering based on TAM constructs (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intention), socio-demographic traits, and digital access variables identified farmer segments. Probit regression models assessed financial, demographic, and institutional drivers of adoption likelihood.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Four behavioral segments emerged—Digitally Confident Adopters (28 %), Skeptical Traditionalists (22 %), Cost-Conscious Opportunists (25 %), and Socially Influenced Learners (25 %). Higher waste management costs significantly increased adoption probability, while older age reduced it. Social influence, peer networks, and access to training enhanced adoption intentions, whereas high data costs and low digital literacy constrained uptake. These results suggest that one-size-fits-all digital strategies risk excluding vulnerable groups; instead, precision interventions tailored to behavioral segments can promote inclusive digital transitions.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>By combining behavioral segmentation with TAM, this study advances understanding of smallholder heterogeneity in digital agriculture adoption. Findings from KaseChar demonstrate how differentiated extension strategies, economic incentives, and peer-led training can strengthen climate-smart transitions and accelerate progress toward Thailand's Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104594"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Greenhouse gas abatement costs of Norwegian dairy farms","authors":"Lennart Kokemohr ,&nbsp;Klaus Mittenzwei ,&nbsp;Till Kuhn","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The Norwegian Government agreed with the leading farmers' unions to include the agricultural sector in the national effort to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The parties agreed to abate 5 million t CO₂eq in 2021–2030. Emissions shall be mitigated by reducing food waste, dietary change, and farm-level abatement measures. Among these, the farmers' unions agreed to pursue mitigation efforts at the farm level.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This paper contributes to the current debate by calculating marginal farm-level abatement cost curves of seven typical Norwegian dairy farms.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Dairy farms are chosen due to their contribution to the sectors' emissions. The farm-level optimization model FarmDyn is adapted to Norwegian conditions to represent local prices, yields, endowments, policies, regulations, emission calculation, and abatement technology. The model is applied to seven representative dairy farms, identified by K-medoid clustering from the Farm Accountancy Data Network.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Conclusions</h3><div>The results show that up to 14 % of farm-level emissions can be mitigated at costs below the carbon tax level proposed by the Norwegian government (2000 NOK per t CO₂eq). Further mitigation efforts are bound to high costs. The preferred abatement measures include optimizing feeding to increase the share of concentrates, thereby reducing enteric fermentation emissions by up to 21 %. Replacing regular diesel with biodiesel and utilizing advanced manure application technology can reduce total emissions by up to 3 %. Ultimately, farms reduce their herds to mitigate further emissions, resulting in a decrease of up to 11 % and 68 % in revenues from sold milk and bull beef, respectively. This begins on farms with high stocking densities, due to their limited ability to optimize feeding.</div><div>Due to high farm-level abatement costs, mitigation targets conflict with other policy goals, namely, securing farm income and maintaining production. Compensation could address the loss in income, but the reduction in production requires further action. Given the limited reduction potential for farm-level abatement at competitive costs, we suggest that dietary change and food waste reduction must achieve a significant share of the envisioned abatement target.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This study provides insights into the economic feasibility of farm-level GHG mitigation by quantifying marginal abatement cost curves for Norwegian dairy farms. We highlight the financial constraints farmers could face in meeting national targets and showcase promising mitigation measures. Finally, we contribute to the current debate by demonstrating that achieving emission reductions at farm-level may compromise other policy objectives, underscoring the importance of balancing sustainability and economic viability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104592"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145645544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Explaining global variation in life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soybeans and soybean meal: a systematic review","authors":"Nathaniel P. Springer ,&nbsp;Pedro E. Urriola ,&nbsp;Rylie E.O. Pelton ,&nbsp;Aurup Ratan Dhar ,&nbsp;Jennifer Schmitt ,&nbsp;Gerald C. Shurson","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104559","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Accurate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) estimates of feed ingredients are essential for formulating low environmental impact diets for sustainable food animal production. Numerous studies have been conducted to estimate life cycle environmental impacts of soybeans and soybean meal, but these estimates are highly variable within specific LCA impact categories.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review, summarize greenhouse gas (GHG) estimates, and identify factors causing variability in those LCA estimates for soybeans and soybean meal.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>A systematic literature search for relevant publications and databases was conducted. LCA data from 27 studies and databases for soybeans and 22 LCA studies and databases for soybean meal produced in 30 countries were evaluated and summarized. Methodologies used to calculate these estimates were compared and critically reviewed.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>A wide range in GHG emissions estimates were observed for soybeans (−11.4 to 22.0 kg CO₂e kg⁻¹) and soybean meal (0.25 to 6.50 kg CO₂e kg⁻¹). Differences in GHG emissions estimates were due to differences in geographical scale and heterogeneity, land use change, farming practices, allocation factors, exclusion of biogenic carbon, impact characterization methods, and attributional versus consequential LCA modeling approaches.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>LCA methods with higher resolution in geography and farming practices provide more precise estimates of LCA impact hotspots across impact categories. Continued methodological development and alignment of downscaling and uncertainty approaches will make such estimates more useful for industry stakeholders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104559"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pioneering sustainability in cattle ranching: Colombia’s silvo-pastoral systems as a model for scaling across the tropics","authors":"Stefan Burkart,&nbsp;Sandoval Yate,&nbsp;Danny Fernando","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Colombia’s cattle sector is both a vital economic pillar and a major contributor to deforestation, land degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions. To address these challenges, silvo-pastoral systems (SPS) – which integrate trees, forage, and livestock – have emerged as a sustainable alternative offering environmental and socio-economic benefits.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This article evaluates the potential of SPS to transform Colombia’s cattle industry into a sustainable, inclusive, and financially viable sector. It investigates the economic, environmental, and social benefits of SPS, explores innovative financing mechanisms, assesses the regulatory landscape, and examines market trends to guide investment and policy strategies.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>A systematic literature review was conducted, focusing on studies published between 2000 and 2025. The review synthesized 185 relevant documents, including peer-reviewed articles, institutional reports, and government policies. Analysis covered SPS adoption dynamics, scaling strategies, financial modeling, and investment cases, guided by frameworks on technology diffusion, scaling innovation, and sustainable finance.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>SPS significantly enhance productivity and profitability, with potential returns exceeding 20% IRR and diversified income from timber, fruit, and carbon credits. Environmentally, they sequester carbon, reduce methane emissions, and restore degraded ecosystems. Socially, they support smallholders, women, and displaced populations while improving food security. Yet, adoption remains constrained by insecure land tenure, limited financing, and institutional gaps. Effective scaling requires blended finance, enabling policies, and coordinated public-private action.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>Colombia’s SPS experience offers a scalable model for sustainable cattle ranching across the tropics. The findings support investors, policymakers, and practitioners seeking climate-smart, inclusive agricultural development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104599"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145645619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regenerative practices reduce global warming impact and intensity of maize systems in north-central Italy","authors":"Tommaso Tadiello ,&nbsp;Diego Armando Arellano Vazquez ,&nbsp;Neville Millar ,&nbsp;Mariarita Cammarata ,&nbsp;Giampaolo Oliviero ,&nbsp;Prateek Sharma ,&nbsp;Michela Gallo ,&nbsp;Adriana Del Borghi ,&nbsp;Bruno Basso","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104587","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Agriculture significantly contributes to global climate warming, accounting for up to one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One of the key strategies to mitigate these emissions is through adopting regenerative agricultural practices. This study quantified the global warming impact (GWI) and its intensity (GWI-I) associated with conventional and regenerative maize production systems in Emilia Romagna in the center of the Po Valley region, Italy. Using detailed field-level producer data and a hybrid quantification framework that combines process-based crop modeling with carbon footprint analysis, we compared a business-as-usual (BAU) management scenario—characterized by intensive tillage, frequent irrigation, and high agrochemical inputs—with six regenerative strategies. Results from the 16 measured sites over four years (2019–2022) showed an average GWI of 5594 kg CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-eq ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; yr&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; under BAU, primarily driven by GHG emissions from soil organic carbon (SOC) loss and synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs. When scaled regionally, regenerative practices substantially reduced GWI and GWI-I, with reductions ranging from 35 % to 87 % compared to BAU. The most climate mitigating management scenario involved a combination of no-tillage, diversified crop rotation, and N rate reduction. These practices enhanced SOC gain by 0.38 Mg C ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; yr&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;, reduced nitrous oxide (N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O) emissions by 35 %, while maintaining crop yields. Our findings highlight that adopting regenerative agricultural practices offers climate mitigation potential without sacrificing productivity.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, responsible for up to one-third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is an urgent need to identify scalable strategies that mitigate these emissions without compromising productivity. Regenerative agriculture has emerged as a promising solution, but field-scale data combined with robust modeling approaches are needed to assess its effectiveness.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;To quantify the global warming impact (GWI) and its intensity (GWI-I) of conventional (business-as-usual, BAU) versus regenerative maize management practices in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, while identifying the best scenarios that offer the greatest climate mitigation potential without reducing crop yield.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We applied a hybrid quantification framework that integrated field-level measurements, carbon footprint (CF) life cycle assessment (LCA) based, and process-based crop modeling (CSM) to evaluate GWI and GWI-I under BAU and six regenerative management scenarios. Data from 16 maize fields over four years (2019–2022) were collected and regionally upscaled to 3509 maize fields using soil datasets. Scenarios included variations in tillage, crop rotation, cover c","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104587"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145645545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emergence of cross-level poverty traps in agricultural innovations systems: Environmental impacts and sustainable interventions","authors":"Udita Sanga ,&nbsp;Sonja Radosavljevic ,&nbsp;Maja Schlüter","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104596","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;CONTEXT&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Poverty can result from complex social-ecological interactions where persistent feedback loops create resistant, unsustainable states. In dryland regions, agricultural innovations intended to break poverty traps can often neglect long-term environmental consequences, leading to a reinforcing cycle of degradation and poverty.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;OBJECTIVE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study investigates how cross-level dynamics in agricultural innovation systems generate and sustain poverty traps. We ask: (i) How do poverty traps emerge in agricultural innovation systems? (ii) What characterizes agents experiencing these traps? (iii) How can traps be avoided or overcome?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;METHODS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We combine dynamical systems modeling (DSM) and agent-based modeling (ABM) to analyze poverty trap emergence. DSM uses bifurcation analysis to reveal system-level dynamics under two innovation scenarios: low-impact (“gentle”) and high-impact (“strong”). ABM simulates these scenarios, tracking agent attributes across runs and mapping them onto DSM parameter space to identify producers and innovators in poor or non-poor states. Comparing agent outcomes with DSM parameter space identifies characteristics of poor and non-poor states. Together, DSM captures system dynamics while ABM reflects heterogeneity, enabling targeted interventions to escape poverty traps.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Under gentle innovations, poverty and well-being depend on thresholds in innovation efficiency, funding, and desire: below thresholds, poverty is inevitable, at intermediate levels, outcomes depend on farmers' initial conditions and above thresholds, all reach well-being. Strong innovations carry higher ecological risks, with traps arising whenever thresholds are unmet. Low efficiency traps all farmers with fragile bistability and oscillating well-being at higher efficiencies. Low innovation funding and desire creates poor equilibria with stable well-being at higher levels. Improving innovation efficiency, through stronger knowledge efficiency (understanding producers' needs), greater innovation demand, and higher capital efficiency (better use of resources), increases the effectiveness of innovations and enables producers to escape poverty traps. Similarly, increasing innovation funding and demand for low-environmental-impact agricultural technologies supports pathways out of poverty by simultaneously improving income, ecological indicators, and crop production.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;SIGNIFICANCE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study highlights the critical role of agricultural innovation in shaping poverty trap dynamics and environmental outcomes. By focusing on cross-level interactions between micro-level producers and meso-level innovators, the study demonstrates how these interactions can create or sustain poverty traps. It emphasizes the importance of ecological feedback for understanding the long-term effects of interventions aimed at reducin","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"233 ","pages":"Article 104596"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145645546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A meta-analysis on the impact of trees on yield of intercrops in alley-cropping systems of temperate climates","authors":"Anna Panozzo ,&nbsp;Paul Quataert ,&nbsp;Tom De Swaef ,&nbsp;Paul Pardon ,&nbsp;Teofilo Vamerali ,&nbsp;Kris Verheyen ,&nbsp;Bert Reubens","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104578","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104578","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>The environmental benefits of agroforestry have been highlighted worldwide, although improved intercrop productivity has been clearly demonstrated only in the tropics.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE AND METHODS</h3><div>This meta-analysis aimed at summarizing knowledge from 18 trials on grain yield of arable intercrops in alley-cropping systems of temperate climates, within a mixed-effect model framework.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>A general negative impact of trees on crop grain yield was documented, with an average reduction by 30 % compared to full sun, across the whole inter-row of wheat, barley, soybean and maize. Key findings included: (i) distance from trees is the major driver of the grain yield response, with increasing impact in the vicinity of the tree row, (ii) significance of crop phenology and species choice, with lower impact on winter vs. summer crops; (iii) tree age is the only relevant variable of the woody component, with increasing impact with aging; and (iv) available rainfall and potential evapotranspiration are key moderators, with a less detrimental or positive impact of trees under low rainfall and high evapotranspiration. This study also describes the implications of some tree design and management practices: (i) branchless tree rows allows for halving the alley width where crop yield is negatively affected by the tree line compared to a hedgerow, (ii) crop yield recovers at distances (D) from the tree row at which D/tree heigh approaches 1, this suggesting the interrow should be at least twice the maximum height of trees, (iii) intercrop should be varied across the tree cycle, by cultivating high shade-tolerant species/varieties when the tree age is &gt;8 years.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This meta-analysis underscores the need for further empirical studies on other intercrops and within climatic zones where limited data is currently available.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 104578"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145611873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sowing the seeds for international cooperation: The Dutch diamond in action","authors":"Melle Leenstra ,&nbsp;Fleur Kilwinger","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>The Netherlands has a long-standing presence and influence in the international seed sector. Through partnership initiatives, diverse stakeholders are committed to leveraging Dutch know-how and fostering international cooperation to transform the seed sector in African countries. This effort is viewed as a key contribution of the Netherlands to global food and nutrition security rooted in the collaborative model known as the “Dutch diamond,” which brings together research, policy, business, and civil society. However, international cooperation is ultimately a human endeavour, where policy priorities, funding decisions, and staffing are influenced by both human agency and external circumstances.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This paper examines narratives surrounding Dutch international cooperation in the seed sector with a focus on the human factor, such as personal ambitions, motivations, values, experiences, opportunity, social ties and serendipity.</div></div><div><h3>METHOD</h3><div>Based on key informant interviews, this paper traces the life histories of nine key actors who have driven cooperation in Dutch efforts for international seed sector development. These actors were purposively selected due to their central, influential, and connective roles. Using concepts of Actor Network Theory we analysed the interviews to describe how these key actors became part of the Dutch seed sector development network, how they were shaped by this network, and how they shaped it.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND DISCUSSION</h3><div>Our findings show that change in international seed sector development emerged through a dynamic interplay of serendipitous encounters and deliberate interventions. Beyond more formalized collaboration structures, friendship, trust, and mutual understanding—often built through shared experiences and knowledge exchange—played an important role in translating seed system approaches. Alumni acted as boundary-spanning actors, moving knowledge between policy, research, and practice. Together, these dynamics illustrate how bonding and bridging enabled the adaptation and circulation of seed system development approaches across diverse contexts.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study contributes to wider debates on innovation and international development cooperation by showing how seed sector development approaches and networks are shaped. While the findings reflect a Dutch perspective, they underline the importance of engaging African viewpoints and knowledge systems to move toward more equitable forms of cooperation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 104571"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}