Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainable agriculture'

This document includes three completed publications to represent Urban Agriculture as a ideal solution to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first publication (Weaver, 2017a) provided in Chapter Two examines the stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) modelling parameters for the current EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) as the first step to developing Urban Agriculture BMPs. The second publication (Weaver, 2015) provided in Chapter Three highlights how many high-rated scholars have identified agriculture as a critical driver for the planetary systems impacts we find with community development. The third publication (Weaver, 2017b) provided in Chapter Four breaks down a completely new definition for Urban Agriculture, as the foundational works disagree on meaning, resulting in an ambiguous definition. Together, these publications encourage engineers to model Sustainable Development options with green infrastructure (Weaver, 2017a), distinct from the Planetary Systems impacts of other contemporary options (Weaver, 2015), with a greater understanding of the social capital to engage stakeholders in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Weaver, 2017b).

Scientists widely accept that modern agriculture is unsustainable, but the best methods for addressing unsustainability are still contested (Constance, Konefal, and Hatanaka 2018). Grassroots sustainable agriculture communities have long participated in the exploration of solutions for agriculture unsustainability, and their momentum continues to grow in the technical age. Practitioners of grassroots sustainable agriculture use many information systems that were not originally built to support the design of agricultural systems. Based on ethnographic research with two grassroots sustainable agriculture communities, I show that participants’ personal and community values frequently clashed with those embedded in information systems, including ones used to look for and manage plant information. Furthermore, I demonstrate a range of information challenges that participants faced in the absence of tools designed to support their specific work. I argue that practitioners of grassroots sustainable agriculture need information systems tailored to their goals and values in order to productively address barriers to designing and building agroecosystems for their communities.

This dissertation provides an example of how to involve communities in the development of information technology artifacts and strengthen efforts to support sustainability via technological interventions. First, I engaged in two grassroots sustainable agriculture communities as a participant, experiencing their practices, values, and information challenges first hand. Then, I worked with the communities to create a plant database web application (SAGE Plant Database) that supports agroecosystem design in local contexts. Members of the communities participated in the design, development, and data population stages so that the SAGE Plant Database supports their design context and upholds their technological and holistic sustainability values. At the foundation of the database is a plant ontology grounded in the participants’ practice of designing agroecosystems. My comparative analysis of the design of the SAGE Plant Database to other databases demonstrates its relevance due to its emphasis on agroecological relationships among plants and between plants and the environment, the inclusion of ethnobotanical data, and the embedded community values. By engaging in this research, I seek to make progress towards transforming the technology-supported food system into one that furthers food security, food sovereignty, and holistic sustainability.

At the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change COP15 (2009) Brazil presented ambitious commitments or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), to reduce greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs) mitigation by 2020. At COP21 (2015), the country presented new commitments and a framework to achieve further mitigation targets by 2030 as so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Both NAMAs and INDCs focus on the land use change and agricultural sectors, but the INDCs include a commitment of zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. This research focuses on the contribution of the livestock sector to reducing GHGs through the adoption of sustainable intensification measures. A detailed linear programming model, called Economic Analysis of Greenhouse Gases for Livestock Emissions (EAGGLE), of beef production was developed to evaluate environmental trade-offs. The modelling encompasses pasture degradation and recovery processes, animal and deforestation emissions, soil organic carbon dynamics and upstream life-cycle inventory. The model was parameterized for the Brazilian Cerrado, Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes and further developed for farm-scale and regional-scale analysis. Different versions of the EAGGLE model was used to: (i) Evaluate the GHG mitigation potential and economic benefit of optimizing pasture management through the partitioning of initially uniform pasture area; (ii) to define abatement potential and cost-effectiveness of key mitigation measures applicable to the Brazilian Cerrado; (ii) to demonstrate the extent of cost-effective mitigation that can be delivered by the livestock sector as part of INDCs, and to show a result that underpins the national INDC target of zero deforestation; and (iv) to evaluate the consequences of reducing (or increasing) beef production on GHGs in the Cerrado. Counter-intuitively, a sensitivity analysis shows that reducing beef consumption could lead to higher GHG emissions, while increasing production could reduce total GHGs if livestock is decoupled from deforestation.

Today more than 200 million people are suffering from malnutrition in Africa, a major contributing factor to this is that Africa is the continent, by a large margin, that gets least yield per cultivated hectare. The relatively poor yield is not because Africa has no cultivable land but because of the prevailing agricultural practices. Orongo is a village in western Kenya, where large parts of agriculture are threatened by severe soil erosion problems and two-thirds of the inhabitants are totally dependent on agriculture for food and economic security. Today's agricultural practices have proved inadequate. Organic agriculture is not dependent on high-tech methods or expensive synthetic chemicals to provide a relatively good harvest and has therefore proved to have particularly good potential to increase the harvest of small-scale farmers living under poor circumstances. Organic agriculture relies entirely on natural processes that exist to increase soil fertility. The strengthening of these natural processes is the most important work in Organic agriculture with many long-lasting positive effects and a constant increase of soil fertility as a result. All the different components of organic agriculture have the potential to independently contribute to the desired development, decreased soil erosion and increased resistance of the local ecosystem are common consequences of organic agriculture components. There are many indications that Organic agriculture could provide a sustainable solution to the malnutrition problem in Orongo but to implement such modernization has globally proven difficult. The various components must all be adapted to the local biophysical circumstances, the local need and knowledge level of the farmers concerned. This document describes and analyzes these components from an Orongo perspective and looks at local cultural phenomena that must be considered. For a modernization to organic agriculture to be possible, a combined effort will be necessary, both to raise awareness of Organic agriculture through physical demonstration and classical learning but also provide economic security and incentives for farmers who want to change to Organic agriculture. It is also important to encourage entrepreneurship forces that can help to spread the different components of organic agriculture, components that on their own can contribute to a desired development.

Agriculture is perhaps the most outstanding issue and challenge for sustainability. To attain the ‘sustainable development’ goal requires urgent actions on three fronts - the ecological, the social and the economic. There is a looming crisis and possible calamity developing in this all-important sector that must be urgently addressed, as it impacts on the livelihoods of most of the world’s people and everyone else’s food needs. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/8351

L'urbanisme sostenible promou el desenvolupament d'estratègies amb l’objectiu de la sostenibilitat del territori. Una d'aquestes estratègies és l'agricultura urbana (AU). Específicament, els hivernacles en cobertes o terrats (RTGs) permeten el cultiu d'aliments a la ciutat sense comprometre superfície de sòl permeable. No obstant això, la investigació que abordi el seu comportament energètic i que brindi eines per a la quantificació i anàlisi de la seva viabilitat és limitada. A Amèrica Llatina i al Carib (ALC), l'estudi de la AU encara es troba en una etapa inicial, fet pel qual és necessari aprofundir i promoure el seu estudi. La present tesi doctoral pretén cobrir aquests àmbits d'estudi a través d'intentar donar resposta a les següents quatre preguntes: -Per als països desenvolupats (i) En quina mesura les eines urbanes, arquitectòniques, socials i sostenibles contribueixen a avaluar el potencial d'implementació de l'agricultura en terrats d'edificis existents en ciutats del sud d'Europa?, (ii) Pot la integració d'un hivernacle al terrat d'un edifici, aprofitant el seu intercanvi de fluxos tèrmics residuals, contribuir tecnològicament i arquitectònicament al desenvolupament de l'agricultura urbana?; -per als països en vies de desenvolupament (iii) Quin és el panorama actual de l'agricultura urbana als països en desenvolupament d'Amèrica Llatina i el Carib?, (iv) Quines són les implicacions de la planificació urbana i l'habitatge social en la promoció de l'agricultura urbana per a la sostenibilitat de la ciutat llatinoamericana de grandària mitjana? La tesi inclou un marc interdisciplinari. En cada línia de recerca estudiada s'han utilitzat materials i mètodes complementaris per a l'obtenció de dades específiques: sensors aerotransportats, sensors de temperatura i humitat de l'aire, diversos programaris, revisió documental, entrevistes i grups d'interès, entre d’altres. Els resultats van demostrar que un hivernacle integrat al terrat (iRTG) pot proporcionar temperatures dins del rang 14-26 °C, les quals són idònies per als sistemes tancats d'horticultura en zona mediterrània. A més es poden “reciclar” 341.93 kWh / m2 / any d'energia de calefacció de la resta de l'edifici. L'ús dels sensors aerotransportats (TASI 600 i Leica ALS50-II) per a la identificació de les característiques bàsiques dels terrats per a la implementació d'hivernacles, és viable i confiable. L'eina multicriteri per a la presa de decisions per a la implementació de RTGs va demostrar ser viable i objectiva, i l'ús d'un índex de sostenibilitat global minimitza la subjectivitat del procés i permet seleccionar l'alternativa més sostenible. L'estudi de la AU en ALC es desenvolupa en almenys 14 països, però el 86% de la recerca està centrada a Brasil, Cuba, Mèxic, Colòmbia i Argentina. La AU desenvolupa cinc funcions: ecològica-ambiental, social, productiva, urbana-política i econòmica. A més, és una mesura d'emergència enfront dels problemes socials i dels perills naturals, i està vinculada a l'habitatge social i al planejament urbà. Els barris d'habitatge social tenen característiques que els fan espais apropiats per al desenvolupament de l'agricultura vertical. La AU sol desenvolupar-se de forma tradicional dins dels límits del predi, a escala petita i de forma privada. El cultiu de fruites s'imposa (70%) enfront de les verdures i plantes aromàtiques (30%). Les futures línies de recerca a Europa haurien de centrar-se en l'anàlisi de la interconnexió bidireccional energètica entre el RTG i l'edifici, aprofundir (proves en laboratori) en la identificació de materials en cobertes usant sensors aerotransportats i analitzar la viabilitat de cobertes multipropósit en parcs industrials. En el cas de ALC, s'ha d'explorar les funcions menys desenvolupades de la UA (econòmica i urbana-política); treballar amb organitzacions comunitàries per a la quantificació del potencial de l'agricultura vertical i desenvolupar una base de dades de la UA en l'habitatge social.
El urbanismo sostenible promueve el desarrollo de estrategias en pro de una sostenibilidad del territorio. Una de estas estrategias es la agricultura urbana (AU). Específicamente, los invernaderos en la azotea (RTGs) permiten el cultivo de alimentos en la ciudad sin comprometer superficie de suelo permeable. Sin embargo, las investigaciones que aborden su comportamiento energético y que brinden herramientas para la cuantificación y análisis de su viabilidad son limitadas. En América Latina y el Caribe (ALC), el estudio de la AU aún se encuentra en una etapa inicial, por lo que es necesario profundizar y promover su estudio. La presente tesis doctoral pretende cubrir estos ámbitos de estudio a través de intentar dar respuesta a las siguientes cuatro preguntas: -Para los países desarrollados (i) ¿En qué medida las herramientas urbanas, arquitectónicas, sociales y sostenibles contribuyen a evaluar el potencial de implementación de la agricultura en azoteas de edificios existentes en ciudades del sur de Europa?, (ii) ¿Puede la integración de un invernadero en la azotea de un edificio, aprovechando su intercambio de flujos térmicos residuales, contribuir tecnológicamente y arquitectónicamente al desarrollo de la agricultura urbana?; -para los países en vías de desarrollo (iii) ¿Cuál es el panorama actual de la agricultura urbana en los países en desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe?, (iv) ¿Cuáles son las implicaciones de la planificación urbana y la vivienda social en la promoción de la agricultura urbana para la sostenibilidad de la ciudad latinoamericana de tamaño mediano? La tesis incluye un marco interdisciplinar de diversas disciplinas. Y en cada línea de investigación estudiada se han utilizado materiales y métodos complementarios para la obtención de datos específicos: sensores aerotransportados, sensores de temperatura y humedad del aire, diversos softwares, revisión documental, entrevistas, grupos de interés, y otras. Los resultados demostraron que un invernadero integrado en la azotea (iRTG) puede proporcionar temperaturas dentro del rango 14-26 °C, las cuales son idóneas para los sistemas cerrados de horticultura en zona mediterránea. Y se puede “reciclar” 341.93 kWh / m2 / año de energía de calefacción del resto del edificio. El uso de los sensores aerotransportados (TASI 600 y Leica ALS50-II) para la identificación de las características básicas de las azoteas para la implementación de invernaderos, es viable y confiable. La herramienta multicriterio para la toma de decisiones para la implementación de RTGs demostró ser viable y objetiva; y el uso de un índice de sostenibilidad global minimiza la subjetividad del proceso y permite seleccionar la alternativa más sostenible. El estudio de la AU en ALC se desarrolla en al menos 14 países, pero el 86% de la investigación se desarrolla en Brasil, Cuba, México, Colombia y Argentina. La AU desarrolla cinco funciones: ecológico-ambiental, social, productiva, urbano-política y económica. Además, es una medida de emergencia frente a los problemas sociales y los peligros naturales; y está vinculada a la vivienda social, y al planeamiento urbano. Los barrios de vivienda social tienen características que los hacen espacios apropiados para el desarrollo de la agricultura vertical. La AU suele desarrollarse de forma tradicional dentro de los límites del predio, a escala pequeña y de forma privada. El cultivo de frutas se impone (70%) frente a las verduras y plantas aromáticas (30%). Futuras investigaciones en Europa deberían centrarse en el análisis de la interconexión bidireccional energética entre el iRTG y el edificio; profundizar (pruebas en laboratorio) en la identificación de materiales en cubiertas usando sensores aerotransportados; analizar la viabilidad de cubiertas multipropósito en parques industriales. En el caso de ALC, se debe explorar las funciones menos desarrolladas de la UA (económica y político-urbana); trabajar con organizaciones comunitarias para la cuantificación el potencial de la agricultura vertical y desarrollar una base de datos de la UA en la vivienda social.
Sustainable urbanism promotes strategies for the sustainability of the territory. One of these strategies is urban agriculture (UA). Specifically, rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) are an alternative that in recent years has had a considerable rise in European compact cities, as they enable the cultivation of food in the city without compromising permeable soil surface. However, research that addresses their energy behavior and provides tools for the quantification and analysis of their viability is limited. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the study of UA is still in an initial stage, so it is necessary to deepen and promote its analysis. In this sense, the present doctoral thesis aims to cover these areas of study and answer the following four questions: -For developed countries (i) To what extent do urban-architectural, social and sustainable tools contribute to assess the potential for implementation of agriculture on roofs of existing buildings in Southern European cities?, (ii) Can the integration of a greenhouse into the rooftop of a building, taking advantage of its exchange of residual thermal flows, contribute technologically and architecturally to the development of urban agriculture? For developing countries (iii) What is the current state of urban agriculture in developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean? and (iv) What are the implications of urban planning and social housing in the promotion of urban agriculture for the sustainability of the medium-sized Latin American cities? This thesis includes an interdisciplinary framework that combines aspects of various disciplines. In each line of research studied, complementary materials and methods have been used to obtain specific data: TASI-600 and Leica ALS50-II airborne sensors, air humidity and temperature sensors, various software, document review, interviews and focus groups, among others. The results showed that an integrated rooftop greenhouse (iRTG) can provide temperatures within the range of 14-26 °C, which are ideal for closed horticultural systems in the Mediterranean area. Moreover, 341.93 kWh / m2 / year of heating energy can be "recycled" from the rest of the building. The use of airborne sensors (TASI 600 and Leica ALS50-II) for the identification of the basic characteristics of the roofs is viable and reliable. The multicriteria tool for decision making for the implementation of RTGs proved to be viable and objective; and the use of a global sustainability index minimizes the subjectivity of the process and allows selecting the most sustainable alternative. The study of UA in LAC is being developed in at least 14 countries, but 86% of the research is developed in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. UA develops five functions: ecological-environmental, social, productive, urban-political and economic. In addition, the UA is an emergency measure in the face of social problems and natural hazards. The UA in LAC is linked to social housing and urban planning; and social housing neighborhoods have characteristics that make them suitable spaces for the development of vertical agriculture. The UA is usually developed within the boundaries of private properties on a small scale and privately. Fruit cultivation is imposed (70%) against vegetables and aromatic plants (30%). Future research in Europe should focus on the analysis of the bidirectional energy interconnection between the iRTG and the building; deepening the identification of roof materials using airborne sensors through laboratory tests; analyzing the feasibility of multipurpose covers in industrial parks. In the case of LAC, on exploring the less developed functions of UA (economic and political-urban); working with LAC community organizations to quantify the potential of agriculture on the roof; and developing a database on the current development of UA in social housing.

Small-scale, conservation-based agrarianism provides a model for sustainable human habitation within heterogeneous landscapes. Thoreau's Transcendentalism and the historical roots of American Agrarianism are explored as influences for wilderness preservation and the New Agrarian movement. Idealizing a distant wilderness too often means overlooking the ecological and socio-economic environment where people live. Middle landscapes between nature and culture, or between wilderness and cities, can either increase or reduce ecological and social functioning within the landscape matrix. Managing middle landscapes by agrarian principles helps move both nature and culture towards ecological, economic, and social sustainability. This thesis ends with a discussion of agrarian themes, such as supporting decentralized local economies and increasing community connectivity, applied in urban, rural, and wilderness landscapes.

The promoter system of agriculture extension has been widely studied and accepted as a tool for agriculture development where local resources are scarce. Much development work has been done in Panama using the promoter model. In order to ascertain the local success of this model, promoters trained by World Vision were visited. The adoption of sustainable agriculture practices were measured in five communities where 7 promoters were trained and placed in Veraguas, Panama. Despite the long-term presence of World Vision and trained promoters, only six farmers have adopted at least one sustainable agriculture technique as a result of these extension efforts. Low adoption rates do not necessarily indicate project failure, but does indicate several barriers. These barriers are explored as well as reasons farmers gave for land use. Reasons for S/A use are also explored. Finally, recommendations for improving extension methods and future research are made.

This work explores the narratives associated with the benefits of sustainable urban agriculture areas in terms of adaptation to climate change in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area, South Africa. Urbanization and climate change are stressing urban areas in developing countries. Therefore, finding a development path towards "sustainable adaptation" remains a critical matter for humanity. Adaptation is sustainable only if it takes into consideration climate risks, while maximizing both social justice and environmental integrity. Urban agriculture is defined in this dissertation as the urban and peri-urban locations where agricultural practices, either the production of crops, livestock, or fish, utilize urban resources for the purpose of selling and consuming these goods produced locally, supporting the urban economy and providing a supply of food for urban citizens. Sustainable urban agriculture encompasses urban agricultural areas operating towards the satisfaction of human food, the preservation of environmental resources, the economic viability of agriculture and the enhancement of the quality of life of farmers, farm workers, and society. This research reviews the practices and views of urban agriculture stakeholders in Cape Town on sustainable urban agriculture to determine if the practices of urban agriculture could be a part of a sustainable adaptation strategy. The methods used to answer this question included a systematic review of studies on urban agriculture worldwide since 1980, and a review of the urban agriculture and adaptation to climate change policies which are implemented at the metropolitan level, all supported and tested through interviews with key informants. Non-Government Organization (NGO)-based community farming initiatives such as Oranjezicht City Farm, Abalimi Bezekhaya or the ERF 81, independent farmers, municipal and provincial government representatives were interviewed. A critical discourse analysis method was utilized to analyze the findings. The study found that the narratives at the metropolitan level, including the policies and the views of governmental representatives, remains focused on the food security contribution whereas the practitioners' narrative expressed an interest in the economic opportunities and social benefits that sustainable urban agriculture can bring, as stated by the literature on sustainable urban agriculture. The key practitioners and NGOs narratives suggest that sustainable urban agriculture is contributing to the adaptive capacity of the farmers as they are using practices such as permaculture or organic farming, which allow them to cope with the impacts of climate variability and climate change. If sustainable farming practices were emphasized instead of farming practices towards small-scale, home-based activity to improve households' food security, the adaptation framework at the municipal and provincial level would be aligned with practitioners and NGOs narratives and would contribute to the sustainable adaptation capacity of the city. The recent shift within the City of Cape Town towards the broad concept of resilience could bridge the gap between current policy and practices, and informants' narratives, but it remains too soon for this to be tested. This study concludes suggesting that the analysis of the informants' and literature's narratives on sustainable urban agriculture express potential to contribute to climate change adaptation and the reduction of vulnerability in Cape Town but alignment between policy and practitioners' needs, wants and actions needs to take place.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2000.
Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 216-227).
Three prominent national coalition efforts to promote sustainable agriculture are examined: the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Integrated Farm and Food Systems Network, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Research methods include participant observation, interviews, and a survey. Qualitative and quantitative results are presented. Findings are related to theories about advocacy coalitions, interest groups, negotiation strategies, and identity politics. Results show evidence of an identity group within the sustainable agriculture advocacy coalition. The presence of an identity group impedes the ability of sustainable agriculture advocates to make significant progress in the policy subsystem because participants focus on continuous internal coalition negotiations, avoid conflict that can clarify goals, and discount scientific data, relying instead on information generated through group dialogue. Recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the sustainable agriculture advocacy coalition are presented. Suggestions to augment the Advocacy Coalition Framework developed by Paul Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith are offered.
by Kathleen Ann Merrigan.
Ph.D.

In Mexico, corn (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop (59% of its agriculture land) and the primary source of sediment yield. This study looks for alternatives to maintain corn productivity by means of sustainable soil and water conservation practices at central Mexico. In order to understand broad tendencies between soil erosion and crop productivity in the region, the EPIC (Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator) model was applied in the Texcoco's district as follows:1) Calibrate the model using 352 experimental corn plots established between 1972 and 1992 in 36 rural communities.2) Validate the model on a spatial basis, using GIS tools, by means of historic corn yields.3) Identify the most vulnerable areas where corn productivity is being affected by soil erosion.4) Analyze the relationship between soil erosion and crop productivity, over a 100 years of simulation, comparing the Current Management (CM) and the Recommended Management (RM) by governmental institutions.5) Evaluate the most feasible soil and water conservation practices for the region.From the calibration process, it was concluded that the EPIC model, under a wide range of environmental conditions, simulates very good corn yield (r2 between 0.88 and 0.90), annual runoff (r2=0.98), and annual sediment production (r2=0.96).Base on the official environmental inputs available in the region, the EPIC model can assess only a moderately strong relationship (r2=0.58) between the official historical crop records and the simulated ones.Comparison between CM and RM shows that the average crop yield in the region can be increased by 32.6% if RM were followed. Under the CM, the loss of soil fertility in the district reduces corn productivity by 3% over a hundred years. At least 50.0% of the region's agricultural area needs soil conservation practices, mainly on areas with slopes over 5%. If it is decided to grow corn under conventional till in such areas it is recommended to construct bench terraces in order to maintain soil erosion below 20 t/ha/yr. Corn under no till, besides control erosion, can also increase grain productivity by at least 40% (0.6 t/ha) by combining contouring, mulching, and manures.

As we have come to depend on aquaculture to supplement natural fisheries, intensive culture methods have increased production. Accompanying environmental damage--non-point source pollution, loss of biodiversity and struggle for water--has offset food and financial gains. Problems surrounding food production are amplified in arid lands, as the potential of irrigated agriculture is weighed against the value of water. Through the following research, I studied integration of aquaculture and agriculture through multiple uses of water and nutrients, to reduce environmental impacts. When managed properly, integration can provide multiple cash crops, increased food and fiber production with reduced inputs. Integration allows for groundwater and nutrients in water and solid waste to be reused. Shrimp farms in Arizona use low-salinity ground water from aquifers for shrimp ponds and agricultural irrigation. On one of these farms, effluent is reused for irrigation of olive trees and other field crops. In Chapter 3, I described an experiment designed to quantify changes in the height of olive trees due to irrigation with shrimp effluent. Trees receiving effluent grew an average of 61.0 cm over the two-year experiment, 70.4 cm with fertilizer and 48.4 cm in the well water treatment. No negative effects due to effluent irrigation were found, while increases in water use efficiency were realized by producing two crops with the same irrigation water. Multiple uses of water are also possible in smaller scale agriculture systems. I performed a financial analysis of a small-scale aquaponics system, integrated hydroponics and aquaculture, in Chapter 4. Biological viability of such systems is clear. By building and managing this system for five months, I examined economic viability, by analyzing annual costs and revenue. Calculating net present value showed that the system was not financially viable unless labor costs were excluded. Financial returns were between 3,794 and 10,640 over six years. In five months, this system produced 181.4 kg of food, with fish feed, iron and water as the only inputs. This study showed potential for using small-scale aquaponics as a hobby, in schools, and as a tool for agricultural economics education, but not as a business opportunity.

Nowadays more than half of the world´s population lives in cities. Urbanization is viewed as the primary cause of many problems, but also as the primary stage for more sustainable development in the 21st century. But the increasing and ongoing urbanization changes the economic, social, environmental and political setup of cities and can have several negative impacts related to economic and social inequities and environmental damage. At the same time the global sustainability challenges intensifies. Especially cities need to become more sustainable; they need to abolish their dependence on the unsustainable management of resources like water, energy and food.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 2001.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-94). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to UO users. Address: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p1405201.

Requirements for the development of sustainable farm systems include the generation of site-specific management practices and heightened levels of awareness and empowerment within the farming community. The current model of technology development and transfer does not adequately facilitate the development of these characteristics. This study elaborates an alternative, participatory approach for agricultural extension, and presents the experiences of a group consisting of six farmers and a university co-research team, who employed this approach over a 17-month period to develop more ecologically sustainable farm systems.
The stages of a "process of development model" are: General Systems Description, Convergence, Implementation, Exchange, and Monitoring and Evaluation. This model is proposed as a means to expand the potential of participatory extension strategies to facilitate the development of sustainable agricultural systems. The primary implications of the participatory extension approach for the future roles of agricultural extension workers are outlined.

Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals: environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. A variety of philosophies, policies and practices have contributed to these goals. People in many different capacities, from farmers to consumers, have shared this vision and contributed to it. Despite the diversity of people and perspectives, the following themes commonly weave through definitions of sustainable agriculture. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/8150

Current global agricultural practices are recognized as unsustainable. The increase in overall human population as well as the global trend of rural to urban migration, partially as a result of historically and continual unsustainable agricultural practices, exacerbates the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger in developing countries. Furthermore, cities and regions in developed countries practice unsustainable food production, distribution and consumption patterns, and as a result, exceed their global ecological footprint (Rees 2009). Consequently, the world is facing a global food (FAO 2009) and water crisis (UN Sick Water 2010). Cities and Regions must learn to feed themselves to address local food insecurity as well as protect from the climate effects of increased urbanization, including the Urban Heat Island effect (UHIe) by optimizing and fully integrating the local ecosystem services of food, water and forest within a tightly woven compact urban form through the implementation of strategic urban and regional food system planning. Cities can mitigate climate change and reduce the UHIe, by implementing sustainable intensive urban agriculture approaches through policy and zoning interventions that include concepts such as intensively productive urban agriculture that includes green roofs, vertical farming and greenways as continuously productive and edible urban landscapes, referred to in this paper as continuously productive urban agriculture and forestation (CPUAF) in the private and public realm. A highly participative, adaptive systems approach is explored as the key to sustainability within an economic world order that included corporate social responsibility and social enterprise as the foundation for the integration of multiple synergies. An increasing body of evidence often links urban forestation with urban greenery initiatives, as a carbon sink to reduce UHI effects, to reduce GHG emissions and as a tool for urban beautification and place making (ISDR: 2009,109). Urban agriculture, through the production of local food is increasingly recognized as a means to reduce fossil fuel emissions by reducing transportation and production outputs, to provide a secure local food source, enhance biodiversity and educate the public regarding food source while fostering a sense of community, environmental awareness and stewardship. This thesis explores the links between intensive urban agriculture and forestation, and the relationship between climate change, and the UHI’s as an adaptation and mitigation process in global cities, implemented as a interconnected, integrated, holistic urban management approach that has a further benefit of providing food security and a sustainable and local urban food source.
Dissertation (MTRP)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Town and Regional Planning
unrestricted

The thesis takes into notice a rare case of integration of rooftop urban agriculture into sustainable development of urban areas. The current situation shows that the development of rooftop urban agriculture has not been adequately studied. This master thesis aims to enhance the understanding regarding planning opportunities and challenges for integration of rooftop urban farming in urban design and sustainable urban development with a focus on environmental benefits of its implementation. Furthermore, the thesis brings up a conceptual design programme «Malmö FIVE» that shows one of the ways how architects and urban planners could inspire city developers and municipalities to explore the ways of the redevelopment of the existing unused urban spaces into the new resilient environments.  The thesis based on a combination of literature review, analysis of planning materials, site visits, conducting interviews, discussions and attending seminars and lectures to answer the research questions. The research identified multiple challenges that can be encountered in the process of implementation of rooftop urban agriculture. The findings determined the importance of rooftop urban agriculture being approached from the strategic sustainability perspective to value its potential fully. Rooftop urban agriculture can provide significant environmental values thus have an essential role in the sustainable development of urban areas.

In the Western Australian agricultural region, an area of approximately 14 million hectares (70,000 square miles), widespread areas of native vegetation have been cleared and replaced with annual cropping systems, predominantly wheat. Only 1.3 million hectares (10%) of small and scattered native vegetation remnants remain. By 2000 16% of land in the region was at risk from soil salinity and was largely unproductive for commercial agriculture. A new hydrological equilibrium affecting 33% of the Western Australian agricultural region is predicted to be reached between 2050 and 2300. The starting premise of this dissertation is that normal disciplinary science was adopted as the dominant intellectual influence on natural resource management policy and thus natural resource degradation was treated as a problem for science, extracted from its social, economic and historical contexts. The second premise of this dissertation is that natural resource problems are not isolated scientific or technical problems, and are exacerbated by human failure to predict the complex inter-relationships among the social, ecological and economic systems. This dissertation initially provides an analytical narrative on the Western Australian agricultural region between 1889 and 2003 (114 years) with the main finding being that in the years pre-1970 a development-driven Western Australian Government was responsible for extensive land clearing for agriculture, often contrary to scientific advice. In the 1980s and 1990s the severity and extent of soil salinity and the prognosis of future negative trends in other natural resource indicators caused a rapid proliferation and evolution of Federal and State policies designed to 'solve the problem'. Nonetheless many natural resource problems remain intractable. The second part of the dissertation investigates the epistemology of the normal science paradigm as it was applied to natural resource management problems in the 20th century as a potentially contributing cause. The evolution of an alternative epistemology, post-normal science paradigm, is then examined for explicating our current understanding of 'reality'. A research framework was constructed which defines the post-normal science paradigm; the systemic approach; the bodies of theory-organisational, ecology, resilience and system dynamics theory; the social-ecological system perspective; and the methods-resilience analysis and system dynamics. This framework provides a novel way in which to gain a greater understanding of the fundamental or root causes of natural resource management problems. Using the case study of the Western Australian agricultural region a dynamic model was constructed based on descriptive information. An examination of the historical events and processes of the Western Australian agricultural region reveals that over a 114-year history it has evolved through two interactions of the adaptive cycle. Further investigation reveals these two cycles were synchronous with the second and third economic long-wave cycles or Kondratiev Cycles, that show the behaviour over time of the evolution of modern industrial societies. The model suggests that the reasons for the dynamic behaviour of the Western Australian agricultural region lie in the interaction of the three production growth drivers of the international commodity system, which have resulted in a pathological system, the 'Lock-in Trap'. Increased total commodity production, reinvestment and declining prices in real terms have tended to produce the unintended negative impacts of resource decline, environmental pollution and rural population decline. I suggest that the expansion of thresholds through the reinvestment in technology is a principle reason why there has not yet been a profound collapse of exploited renewable resources in the Western Australian agricultural region. Regional natural resource management strategies will need to take account of not only spatial cross-scale issues, in particular the linkages between the individual farmer and the international commodity system, but also the temporal variables, in particular the slowly emerging changes in ecological/physical variables, such as the hydrological cycle. This research can help to provide the information and heuristic metaphors to encourage natural resource policy makers to take long-term and whole system perspectives. It includes a powerful set of tools for communicating dynamic processes in an integrated method to inform policy and management decisions. The ideas in this interdisciplinary research are essential for making science relevant within a social and ecological context.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 67 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-51).

This study compares the energy utilization of two systems for producing cattle of desirable slaughter weight and grade from weanlings. Both systems produce beef cattle as a primary output; various types of baled hay are produced as a secondary output. One system uses generally accepted, "best management practices" while the other uses experimental, sustainable agriculture techniques. Since the adoption of new practices in agriculture often hinges on economics, an economic comparison is also presented.

Beef produced in the sustainable system required 32% less energy per kilogram than that produced in the conventional system. However, baled alfalfa produced in the sustainable system required 8% more energy per kilogram than the alfalfa grown in the conventional system. When all types of hay were considered, the sustainable system used 7% more energy to produce one kilogram of baled hay. To compare the energetics of the two systems on a whole farm basis, the amount of energy required to produce one dollar of return was calculated. The sustainable system required 12.4 megajoules to produce one dollar of return, while the conventional system required 17.1 megajoules to produce the same return. Although economic returns on beef and alfalfa production were comparable in the two systems studied, the conventional system showed greater returns on the whole farm, due to a greater export of baled hay.

Master of Science

The focus of this study is to explore and expand farmer learning processes in sustainable agriculture workplace contexts. It examines change oriented learning processes in the context of three sustainable agriculture practices. The study begins by discussing the history and emergence of environmental discourses and approaches; sustainable agriculture; and the histories of three kinds of sustainable agriculture practices: Permaculture, Organic Farming and Machobane Farming System. It also traces the evolution of agricultural extension approaches within the wider context of education for sustainable development. The main focus of the study is an exploration of how farmer learning can be mediated through an expansive learning process. The study methodology surfaces some of the contradictions in sustainable agriculture and learning activity systems that farmers encounter in learning and practising sustainable agriculture. It uses these contradictions as sources of expansive learning in and between the respective activity systems of farmers, sustainable agriculture facilitators, agricultural extension workers (conventional) and organic entrepreneurs. As shown in the study, the expansive learning processes result in the modelling, implementation and reviewing of solutions to contradictions being faced in the learning and practice of sustainable agriculture. The study also proposes a number of tools that can be adapted and used by development farmers and agricultural trainers to examine and expand learning as well as build farmer agency. The study was conducted in three case study sites in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe the study is located in Hwedza district in the St Margaret Primary School and community that learn, practise and facilitate the learning of Permaculture within the Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE). The second study site is in South Africa: Durban urban and peri-urban areas where a community of organic farmers, facilitators and entrepreneurs coordinate the marketing of their produce through Isidore Farm and Earth Mother Organic and support each other to learn and practise organic farming. The third study site is based in the Mafeteng and Mohale‟s Hoek districts of Lesotho where the focus was on farmers who learn and practise the Machobane Farming System (MFS) and are supported in this by the Rural Self Development Association (RSDA) and the Machobane Agricultural Development Foundation (MADF). Drawing on three sensitising concepts of dialectics, reflexivity and agency, the study worked with Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) underpinned by critical realism to reveal how farmer learning is mediated and expanded. The theory of practice/habitus also provided a useful theoretical lens with which to examine data generated. Using a two-phased, multiple embedded case study approach, the study worked within the broad framework of social learning. It used semi-structured individual and group interviews, observations and document analysis to explore learning processes and generate „mirror‟ data. This data was then used in Change Laboratory Workshops, within the Developmental Work Research methodology, where double stimulation and focus group discussions contributed to expanding learning processes. Drawing on critical realism the study used inductive, abductive and retroductive modes of inference to analyse data in each case study as well as across case studies. The findings of the study reveal that farmer learning is influenced by both intrinsic motives, such as identity, and extrinsic motives which are primarily associated with economic, ecological and health benefits. Farmers learn through scaffolding and mediating tools that link everyday and scientific knowledge. They also learn from fellow farmers through observation, practising and experimentation. Some of the issues that were raised in connection with farmer learning processes are: language; time to learn, practice and appropriate concepts; time to improve the natural resource base while at the same time improving income generation; and responses to climate change. The study also found that farmer learning and practice of sustainable agriculture in the case studies investigated, is influenced by past and current agricultural and educational policies; societal values and attitudes; social and cultural backgrounds; work affordances and gender relations; quality of training offered; poverty; and, HIV and AIDS. In the second phase of the study, which built on the problematic situations being encountered by research participants (sustainable agriculture farmers, sustainable agriculture facilitators, extension workers, and organic marketers) to surface contradictions, the main finding was that the expansive learning process has potential to enhance farmer learning and practice of sustainable agriculture. It does this by mobilising distributed cognition among participants as well as their preparedness to act. Through the expansive learning processes in each case study, research participants were able to question their practices, surface contradictions, model solutions and implement them, and thus build individual, collective and relational agency reflexively. Observation of this required micro-analysis of agentive talk and reflective talk. The study contributes in-depth insight into participatory research and learning processes, especially within the context of people-centred learning and innovation in the agricultural development arena. It provides empirical and explanatory insight into how change oriented social learning can emerge and be expanded in Education for Sustainable Development, explaining learning and change relationships in three sustainable agricultural practices. It also provides learning and extension tools to work with contradictions that arise from intentionality, experience, context and history in farming and training activity systems. Its key contribution lies in providing in-depth insight into mobilisation of human agency and reflexivity in change oriented sustainable agriculture learning and development, processes that are critical for responding to contemporary socio-ecological issues and risks.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicts that food supplies will need to increase by 70 percent by 2050. To cope with this, farmers and technologies must adapt to produce higher yields and do so in harsher conditions associated with climate change. The shifting view of ultraviolet radiation may be one of a system of management approaches that agriculture could sustainably adopt to improve crop production. While this technology sounds promising, whether or not farmers choose to adopt the technology, on what scale, or when, is often ambiguous. These decisions are dependent on social, economic, and biophysical factors that can be identified for UV radiation technology. This technology is not ready for full adoption, but there may be some feasible applications in higher value crops like fruit and vegetables.

Orientador: Filipe Pereira Giardini Bonfim
Banca: Vânia Christina Nascimento Porto
Banca: Nathalia de Souza Parreiras
Resumo: Os diferentes e inúmeros agroecossistemas do território nacional, onde as hortaliças são produzidas majoritariamente pelo sistema de cultivo convencional, têm-se modificado ao longo dos últimos anos, apresentando crescimento significativo de cultivos diferenciados com destaque para aqueles em ambiente protegido e sob sistema orgânico. O setor de hortaliças é um ramo do agronegócio em pleno crescimento e que movimenta em torno de 55 milhões de reais anualmente, em toda a sua cadeia, do campo ao varejo. Dentre os Estados da região Sudeste, São Paulo é o que possui o maior mercado de alimentos da América Latina, podendo-se inferir que o mesmo possa ocorrer com os orgânicos. Assim, objetivou-se neste estudo analisar a sustentabilidade de sistemas de produção de hortaliças em propriedades rurais de Botucatu e região, bem como caracterizar as unidades produtivas quanto aspectos econômicos, ecológicos e sociais. Os procedimentos metodológicos para elaboração da pesquisa durante todo o seu desenvolvimento até a sua concretização foi com base na pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo descritiva analítica, a qual possibilita a observação, o registro, a análise e correlaciona fatos ou fenômenos sem manipula-los. Para coleta de dados foi utilizado o método "bola de neve". O grupo amostral abrangido foi de 10 agricultores-produtores de hortaliças no município de Botucatu e região pela aplicação do formulário de manejo sustentável que consiste na classificação de quatro níveis distintos de sustenta... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The different and numerous agroecosystems of the national territory, where the vegetables are produced mainly by the system of conventional cultivation, have been modified during the last years, presenting significant growth of differentiated crops with highlight to those in protected environment and under organic system. The vegetable sector is a growing branch of agribusiness, which moves around 55 million reais annually, throughout its chain, from the field to the retail. Among the states of the Southeast, São Paulo has the largest food market in Latin America, and it can be inferred that the same may occur with organic foods. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the sustainability of vegetable production systems in rural properties of Botucatu and region, as well as to characterize the productive units as economic, ecological and social aspects. The methodological procedures for the elaboration of the research throughout its development until its implementation was based on the qualitative research, of the descriptive analytical type, which makes it possible to observe, record, analyze and correlate facts or phenomena without manipulating them. The "snowball" method was used for data collection. The sampled group consisted of 10 farmers-producers of vegetables in the city of Botucatu and region by the application of the sustainable management form that consists of 4 different levels of sustainability, being: a) from 0 to 20 unsustainable; b) 20 to 40 weak sustainability; c) 40 to 60 average sustainability and d) 60 to 80 strong sustainability. The data obtained showed that all the farmers visited are family-based and have a good diversity of plants in the field, which allows a good staggering of production and harvesting, facilitating the commercialization of the products presenting as a fundamental strategy for the permanence of work in the field. Another point that can be ...
Mestre

Botanical pesticides are agricultural pest management agents which are based on plant extracts. In modern times these have been used as alternatives to synthetic chemicals in organic pest management. The practice of using plant materials against field and storage pests however has a long history in many indigenous and traditional farming communities across the world. During February and March 2009 a field study was conducted in Babati district in Manyara region, Tanzania to investigate the local use of botanical pesticides. The results from the field study were subsequently analyzed and contextualized in Nicanor Perlas model The Seven Dimensions of Sustainable Agriculture which was used as a framework theory. The analysis indicates that there are a variety of thresholds for the use of botanical pesticides in sustainable agriculture in Babati district besides the more obvious practical aspects. The latter parts of the paper discuss the differences between reductionist and holistic, indigenous and scientific ways of achieving knowledge with regard to plant based pesticides. The study concludes that ecological pest management is a holistic method based on the synergy of a variety of farming practices. Indigenous knowledge which is holistic, site-specific and experience based has therefore much to offer modern endeavours to practice a more sustainable agriculture and pest management strategies which consider the welfare of both humanity and the environment.

The aim with this paper is to study the concept of sustainable agriculture. One angle of approach has also been to investigate the role of NGOs, where the organisation FARM-Africa is mostly studied. A field study in the Babati District is the base of the paper.

Sustainable agriculture is a concept with various definitions and is expressed in different ways. Ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane are some of the keywords within the concept of sustainable agriculture. Over the years, various technologies within the concept have been developed and have proven to be both environmentally friendly and productive, but few of these have been adopted by farmers. Scientists’ experience of agriculture often differs from that of farmers. To get the best result a collaboration between all parts in the society are needed. Participation has a long history within agriculture development. Recent studies have shown that participation is one way to success. People’s participation has therefore become one of the most common concepts within NGOs and also within government departments. Agriculture is an important issue for Tanzania and this is one reason why I have chosen to write about sustainable agriculture.

My study will show the general oppinion of sustainable agriculture among the interviewees and the general opinion of NGOs like FARM-Africa.

Coffee production focuses on two species of the plant, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, also known as Coffea robusta. This plant is a tropical cash crop that has a wide range of quality and production standards, and provides a unique means for the study of economic, agricultural, social, and ecological issues. Many works discuss groups of people who produce coffee as a cash crop, ranging from Verena Stolcke's (1988) monograph, which analyzed the Brazilian colonato system, closely linked to colonial slavery, to Daniel Jaffee's (2007) fieldwork in Oaxaca and discussion of democratically organized cooperatives, whose goals include organic and Fair Trade certification. The coffee industry has a rich and complex history that has played a vital role in the development of modern commerce. This work discusses research concerning the roles of Fair Trade, organic, and other third-party certifications on societies that produce and consume coffee. While some data from the Far East and Africa are included, the majority of published literature focuses on Central and South American producer nations, and their relationships with the consumers of the North, namely North America and Europe. Certification of organic, Fair Trade, and sustainable agriculture standards by third-party labelling institutions provides new niches for coffee producers to improve standards of living in developing nations, and offset the crisis imposed by wild market fluctuations related to deregulation. The majority of this work consists of literature review and discussion. The remainder pertains to the author's work experience at a specialty coffee retailer in Wichita, Kansas. This work concludes that the coffee industry acts as a part of the global economy, and changes in the production, trade, marketing, and consumption of this product can affect and be affected by cultural change at any point in economic exchange. Furthermore, it demonstrates that social and environmental responsibility in global commodity exchange benefits all members of that exchange and mitigates their ecological impacts, despite the critiques of Fair Trade and organic labelling initiatives.
Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology

There is evidence that the American agrifood system is a significant contributor to environmental, economic, social, and ethical-animal welfare damage to the earth and to society and is unsustainable, yet the worldview of a substantial percentage of the population conflicts with this assessment. A significant number of researchers, non-governmental organizations, and government entities assert that the detrimental effects of industrial agriculture must be addressed without delay and sustainable agricultural practices implemented. The transition from industrial to sustainable agriculture will not be a simple one. Attempting to change a worldview is not an easy task. A growing body of research in other disciplinary areas suggests that storytelling can serve as an effective method of fostering change. This mixed-methods study examines the role of storytelling in effecting positive change in worldview and attitudes toward sustainable agriculture. A review of the related literature revealed that no instrument was available to measure attitudes toward sustainable agriculture with consideration of economic, environmental, social, and ethical-animal welfare dimensions. The first objective of the study, therefore, was to design such an instrument. The instrument is called The Sustainable Agriculture Paradigm Scale and is used as a pre and post-test in the study. A number of open-ended questions were added to the post-test to solicit qualitative data. The study explores the effects of Story-based, that is, a told story and a read story, versus Information-based treatments, that is, a lecture and a read factsheet, on effecting positive change in attitudes toward sustainable agriculture. The qualitative data provides a secondary, supportive role exploring what characteristics of a story are associated with change. The hypothesis of the study is that Story-based treatments will be more effective in promoting positive change than will Information-based treatments. The findings of the study provide evidence supporting this hypothesis. The story characteristics found to be associated with positive change included: first-hand personal view, vivid description, and identification with the narrator.
Ph. D.

The subjection of soils to degradation directly and indirectly from rising world food demand and resultant intensified agricultural production, population growth, and climate change, demand that soils are better protected. The role of AD in addressing this challenge is examined using a pragmatic research paradigm and the questions: How can we raise awareness of AD in the UK? What factors motivate and hinder farmers towards adopting improved technology and sustainable agricultural practises? What is the perception of farmers about soils? To what extent does sustainable agriculture incorporate soil conservation in theory and practice? What role can legislation and policies play in AD adoption in the UK? The research was in two phases; qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative phase involved interviews with 21 AD stakeholder in the UK using electronic mail. The stakeholders who were divided into groups according to their expertise, were interviewed to explore their views on the areas of focus in the UK strategy and action plan regarding raising awareness of the technology, soil conservation, sustainable agriculture and sustainable development. Thematic analysis of interview data was carried out using MAXQDA 11 statistical software. The quantitative phase involved an online survey of 283 UK farmers aided by Yellow Pages directory for UK, Natural England directory, Twitter and electronic mail. Using SPSS 22.0 statistical software, the Chi square test was used to check for relationships between the variables measured at 95% confidence level (p < .05). Relationship strength was measured by means of Cramer’s V and Phi values. Answers to the 1st research question showed that: aligning AD with sustainable development goals, community AD and localism, small AD plants, provision of an available market for AD products, building UK skills and diversifying biogas use from AD are positive options for raising awareness of AD. Response to 2nd research question revealed: significant relationships between interests in agricultural technology and gender, level of education, and farm size; between knowledge of what AD is and gender, level of education and farm size; between interest in AD and age; between willingness to invest in AD if it improved soil properties and farm ownership; and between organic farming practice and age, farm type and farm size. Responding to the third research question, farmers’ describe soils in abstract, scientific, physical attribute and functional terms; awareness of soil benefits other than crop production was significantly related to age, and farm ownership; educational level was significantly related to familiarity with soil conservation, and opinion on whether soil should be protected like other natural resources. Findings regarding the 4th and 5th research questions showed: limited understanding of soil matters as a key challenge that has restricted the priority given to soil conservation, while level of education, knowledge of soil conservation and sustainable development and understanding of sustainable agriculture were also identified as influencing factors; digestate from AD is the main benefit viewed to contribute to soil conservation; finance, policy and legislation, low awareness and understanding, lack of feedstock and market, land use conflict and inefficiency of AD plants were identified as barriers to AD in the UK; promoting AD, providing finance, minimizing bureaucracy and simplification of AD systems are options for promoting AD adoption. This thesis also documents the implications of these findings for knowledge, policy and practice, and based on these recommendations are made, some of which are: better engagement of farmers in policy development for AD and soil management; use of small AD plants, demonstration, networking and training for AD adoption; promote soil conservation in theory and practice; and provision of enhanced support for owners, potential investors and farmers through incentives, simplified planning approval process, and available market for AD product.

Cette thèse étudie le mouvement de la Nouvelle Reconstruction Rurale (NRR) sous l'angle du développement durable, en prenant l'exemple concret du village de Sancha, une communauté rurale de la province du Guangxi en Chine. Initié en 2003, la NRR est un réseau national de projets de développement qui réunit des intellectuels, des étudiants et des organisations dont l'objectif estd'expérimenter différents modèles de développement agricole et rural en Chine. Comme alternative à l'industrialisation agricole, la NRR favorise la coopération entre les petits agriculteurs, le savoir-faire local et l'agro-écologie pour le développement durable de l'agriculture. Afin de comprendre ses caractéristiques institutionnelles, son fonctionnement et son impact, nous avons mené une enquête dans le village de Sancha pour collecter des données sur les comportements socio-économiques de petits exploitants agricoles, et proposé trois études de cas sur la NRR. Nos analyses empiriques suggèrent que la NRR a promu le développement de l'agriculture biologique dans le village. Les activités sociales sont efficaces pour la construction du réseau social via lequell'agriculture biologique a été diffusée rapidement. Néanmoins, sans la formation technique suffisante et continue, les paysans récemment convertis à l'agriculture biologique tendent à sur-utiliser l'azote et perdent leur avantage environnemental dans la riziculture. Pour améliorer la performance des petits paysans, l'apprentissage participatif social paraît utile mais limité car les petits agriculteurs sont plutôt tirés par la performance économique que par la protection environnementale. De ces résultats, nous recommandons un partenariat Etat-société civile qui combine les services d'extension agricole du gouvernement et la reconstruction rurale ascendante pour l'objectif commun d'une agriculture durable en Chine
This doctoral thesis studies the New Rural Reconstruction (NRR) movement from a sustainable development perspective, through a concrete case of Sancha village, a rural community in China's Guangxi province. Initiated in 2003, the NRR is a grassroots network of development projects which unites intellectuals, students and organizations to experiment with different models of agricultural and rural development in China. As an alternative to agricultural industrialization, the NRR favors the cooperation of smallholder farmers, local knowledge and agro-ecology for sustainable agricultural development. In order to understand the NRR's institutional characteristics, functioning and impact, we conducted a survey in Sancha village to collect data on smallholder farmers' socio-economic behavior and performed three in-depth NRR case studies. Our empirical analysis suggests that the NRR has promoted the development of organic farming in the village. Social activities are cost-effective for social network building where organic farming is diffused rapidly. Nevertheless, without sufficient, ongoing technical training, farmers newly converted to organic farming tend to overuse nitrogen and lose their environmental advantage in rice production. To improve the performance of smallholder farmers, participatory social learning appears useful but limited because smallholder farmers are interested in economic performance rather than environmental protection. On basis of these results, we recommend a state-civil society partnership which combines the government's agricultural extension services and bottom-up rural reconstruction for the commonobjective of sustainable agriculture in China

Literature on sustainable agriculture was examined using qualitative research methods to identify institutional barriers to the transition to sustainable agriculture, and solutions to overcome them. Information was also collected from different participants in the food and agriculture system by conducting interviews and workshops, and by soliciting comments on discussion papers of preliminary findings.
An explanatory scheme (or general theory) was developed to organize strategies for overcoming institutional barriers using an efficiency--substitution--redesign framework. Efficiency strategies involve minor changes to existing activities, resulting in more efficient resource use. Substitution strategies involve replacing one product, technique or activity with another. Redesign strategies require solutions and institutional activities that mimic ecological processes. Solutions consistent with each category are analyzed and discussed in the areas of research, education, technology transfer, government programs and regulations, taxation, safety nets, consumer activism, marketing and advertising, corporate legal status, and organizational design and management.