Prevalence and risk distribution of schistosomiasis among adults in Madagascar: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The goal to eliminate the parasitic disease of poverty schistosomiasis as a public health problem is aligned with the 2030 United Nations agenda for sustainable development goals, including universal health coverage (UHC). Current control strategies focus on school-aged children, systematically neglecting adults. We aimed at providing evidence for the need of shifting the paradigm of schistosomiasis control programs from targeted to generalized approaches as key element for both the elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem and the promotion of UHC.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study performed between March 2020 and January 2021 at three primary health care centers in Andina, Tsiroanomandidy and Ankazomborona in Madagascar, we determined prevalence and risk factors for schistosomiasis by a semi-quantitative PCR assay from specimens collected from 1482 adult participants. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed to evaluate odd ratios.

RESULTS

The highest prevalence of S. mansoni, S. haematobium and co-infection of both species was 59.5%, 61.3% and 3.3%, in Andina and Ankazomborona respectively. Higher prevalence was observed among males (52.4%) and main contributors to the family income (68.1%). Not working as a farmer and higher age were found to be protective factors for infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide evidence that adults are a high-risk group for schistosomiasis. Our data suggests that, for ensuring basic health as a human right, current public health strategies for schistosomiasis prevention and control need to be re-addressed towards more context specific, holistic and integrated approaches.

The effects of heat exposure on tropical farm workers in Malaysia: six-month physiological health monitoring

Farmers in tropical countries have been impacted by slow-onset heat stress. By comparing the nature of farming activities performed by conventional farmworkers and agroecological farmers, this study examined the changes in physiological health in responses to heat exposure through a six-month longitudinal study. Throughout the six-month follow-up period, the heat stress index (HSI), physiological strain indices (PSI), and physiological health parameters (BMI, blood glucose level, blood cholesterol level, uric acid level) were measured and repeated every two-month. Physiological parameters were recorded twice daily, before and during their first lunch break. This study found that slow-onset heat stress affects farmers differently. The health of agroecological farmers is more resistant to slow-onset extreme temperatures. Pre-existing metabolic health effects from pesticide exposure make conventional farmers more susceptible to extreme temperatures, delaying their bodies' adaptation to rising temperatures.

Modelling the impacts of climate change on cereal crop production in East Africa: evidence from heterogeneous panel cointegration analysis

Climate change has become an issue of concern for sustainable agriculture production. East African nations are heavily reliant on the agriculture sector, which accounts for a substantial amount of their gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. Due to climatic fluctuations, the output of the sector became very unpredictable. Hence, this study investigates the effects of climate change on cereal crop production in nine East African nations between 1990 and 2018. The study implemented pooled mean group (PMG) approach to examine the long-run and short-run dynamic impacts of the varying climatic circumstances on the output of cereal crops. The results reveal that rainfall and carbon emissions have favourable and significant long-run effects on cereal crop output, even though their short-run impacts are negligible. Additionally, cultivated land area and rural population have a constructive role in enhancing agricultural output both in the long-run and short-run. However, average temperatures have negative repercussions on cereal crop production in the long-run and short-run, even though the magnitude of sensitivity is greater in the short-run. Dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) validated the robustness of the long-run findings of the PMG technique. Besides, the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality outcomes indicate that cereal crop output has a bidirectional causality with temperature, carbon emissions, and cropped area. The study further demonstrated unidirectional causation from rural population to cereal crop yield. The study recommends that East African policymakers improve the quality of farm inputs, the adoption of climate-resilient farming practices, the development of water retention facilities and the establishment of crop diversification initiatives.

An Epidemiological Study to Investigate Links between Atmospheric Pollution from Farming and SARS-CoV-2 Mortality

Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide has been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. We hypothesized that long-term exposure to farming-related air pollutants might predispose to an increased risk of COVID-19-related death. To test this hypothesis, we performed an ecological study of five Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily), linking all-cause mortality by province (administrative entities within regions) to data on atmospheric concentrations of particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and ammonia (NH₃), which are mainly produced by agricultural activities. The study outcome was change in all-cause mortality during March-April 2020 compared with March-April 2015-2019 (period). We estimated all-cause mortality rate ratios (MRRs) by multivariate negative binomial regression models adjusting for air temperature, humidity, international import-export, gross domestic product and population density. We documented a 6.9% excess in MRR (proxy for COVID-19 mortality) for each tonne/km² increase in NH₃ emissions, explained by the interaction of the period variable with NH₃ exposure, considering all pollutants together. Despite the limitations of the ecological design of the study, following the precautionary principle, we recommend the implementation of public health measures to limit environmental NH₃ exposure, particularly while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Future studies are needed to investigate any causal link between COVID-19 and farming-related pollution.

More pests but less pesticide applications: Ambivalent effect of landscape complexity on conservation biological control

In agricultural landscapes, the amount and organization of crops and semi-natural habitats (SNH) have the potential to promote a bundle of ecosystem services due to their influence on ecological community at multiple spatio-temporal scales. SNH are relatively undisturbed and are often source of complementary resources and refuges, therefore supporting more diverse and abundant natural pest enemies. However, the nexus of SNH proportion and organization with pest suppression is not trivial. It is thus crucial to understand how the behavior of pest and natural enemy species, the underlying landscape structure, and their interaction, may influence conservation biological control (CBC). Here, we develop a generative stochastic landscape model to simulate realistic agricultural landscape compositions and configurations of fields and linear elements. Generated landscapes are used as spatial support over which we simulate a spatially explicit predator-prey dynamic model. We find that increased SNH presence boosts predator populations by sustaining high predator density that regulates and keeps pest density below the pesticide application threshold. However, predator presence over all the landscape helps to stabilize the pest population by keeping it under this threshold, which tends to increase pest density at the landscape scale. In addition, the joint effect of SNH presence and predator dispersal ability among hedge and field interface results in a stronger pest regulation, which also limits pest growth. Considering properties of both fields and linear elements, such as local structure and geometric features, provides deeper insights for pest regulation; for example, hedge presence at crop field boundaries clearly strengthens CBC. Our results highlight that the integration of species behaviors and traits with landscape structure at multiple scales is necessary to provide useful insights for CBC.

In the agricultural context, the loss of semi-natural surfaces often results in high pest abundance requiring elevated pesticide loads. Habitat heterogeneity resulting from the agricultural intermixing of arable fields and semi-natural areas is key to allow organism fluxes across agro-ecological interfaces by influencing ecological processes. Semi-natural habitats (SNH) are often restricted to linear structures, such as hedgerows, but they play an important role by hosting a large number of species. However, the effect of hedgerows is controversial, as it could result in a positive, ineffective or negative effect for CBC. Usually, the impacts of landscape structure on pest population dynamics and resulting CBC are assessed through field experiments with a specific focus, which cannot be generalized, lack flexibility and are limited by the need to manipulate relatively large landscapes. Here, we tackle the challenge to investigate the controversial role of semi-natural habitats for CBC by presenting a simulation-based approach, which allows us to characterize the joint influence of landscape structure and species traits on CBC service. Our study corroborates that spatial heterogeneity, species traits and their interactions are fundamental for CBC. We show that hedge presence alone is not sufficient to lead to strong pest reduction, but hedge-based predators help to maintain the pest density under the pesticide threshold. Instead, SNH presence coupled with appropriate predator traits leads to stronger decrease of pest population. Moreover, we highlight an important scaling effect of SNH, which at the local scale has an even more important impact on CBC as local properties are considered.

Preliminary Study on Survey and Population Dynamic of the Terrestrial Snail Monacha obstructa (Pfeiffer) (Hygromiidae, Mollusca) at Crop Fields in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Monacha obstructa</i> has a serious harmful impact as agricultural pest infested field crops, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants nurseries in multiple Egyptian governorates. The objective of this research was estimating the population dynamic of the terrestrial gastropod species <i>Monacha obstructa</i> (Pfeiffer) (Hygromiidae) on two economic crop fields and its correlation with temperature degree and relative humidity, the level of infestation on other economic crops had been estimated as well. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> This study was conducted in three sites in Fayoum governorate, 1) Forkous village at Tamiya District, 2) Dar Ramadsite including the Experimental farm and research station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum District and 3) Feedimeen village at Sannoris District. The distribution and population dynamics of <i>Monacha obstructa</i> were assessed as one of dominant species on two field crops Egyptian clover <i>Trifolium alexandrinum </i>L. and wheat <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L. at Forkous village, Tamiya District and Dar Ramad site, Fayoum District, during two successive seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. <b>Results:</b> Majority of the examined crops in the sites were found with heavy infestation of this species, while the two species <i>Cochlicella acuta</i> (Müller) (Geomitridae) and <i>Massylaea vermiculata </i>(Müller) (Helicidae) recorded in December, 2017 and in January, 2018, respectively, on mango trees in Feedimeen at Sannoris district for only one time. High density of <i>M. obstructa</i> recorded on Egyptian clover more than wheat at Forkous village and Dar Ramad site for the both seasons in this study. <b>Conclusion:</b> Results concluded that <i>Monacha obstructa</i> has a serious harmful impact as agricultural pest infested field crops, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants nurseries in Forkous village and Dar Ramad site, respectively.

Shift of bacterial communities in heavy metal-contaminated agricultural land during a remediation process

Anthropogenic activities accompanied by heavy metal waste threaten the environment. Heavy metal pollution alters the soil microbial community composition, and the microorganisms that adapt to this stress increase in abundance. The remediation process of contaminated soil not only reduces the concentration of heavy metals but also alters the bacterial communities. High-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing techniques were applied to understand the changes in soil microbial communities. Using the remediation approach of the soil mixing, the concentrations of heavy metals in the contaminated areas were diluted and the soil environment was changed. The change of soil environment as a disturbance contributed to the alteration of microbial diversity of the remediated areas. The pH and heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) were the most influential factors driving the changes in community structure. The bacterial community structure was significantly different among sample areas. The decrease of heavy metals in soil may be the important factors that changed the microbial composition. This study provides the better understanding of the changes in composition of microbial communities affected by the remediation process in heavy metal-contaminated soil.

Farm diversification as a potential success factor for small-scale farmers constrained by COVID-related lockdown. Contributions from a survey conducted in four European countries during the first wave of COVID-19

This paper explores to what extent product and marketing channel diversification contributed to the economic success of small-scale agricultural producers involved in short food supply chains after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted between April and July 2020 in four countries of the European Union–Estonia, Hungary, Portugal and Romania,–resulting in a relatively large sample of farmers (N = 421). The analysis was built on a semi-nonparametric approach. Approximately 19 percent of small-scale producers were able to increase sales during the first wave of the pandemic, although country-level variation was significant. Fruits and vegetables were by far the most popular products. The importance of specific channels varied across countries, but farm gate sales were among the most important marketing channels both before and during the first wave. The importance of channels that were based on digital resources and home delivery increased. Our evidence indicates that diversification was a strategy that paid off, both in terms of marketing channels and different product categories. However, the impact appears to be nonlinear; the initial advantage generated by diversification rapidly tapered off, either temporarily (in the case of products), or permanently (in the case of marketing channels). Later research may clarify whether these findings are generalizable in other socio-economic contexts, as well as in a non-COVID situation.

Air quality-related health damages of food

Agriculture is a major contributor to air pollution, the largest environmental risk factor for mortality in the United States and worldwide. It is largely unknown, however, how individual foods or entire diets affect human health via poor air quality. We show how food production negatively impacts human health by increasing atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and we identify ways to reduce these negative impacts of agriculture. We quantify the air quality-related health damages attributable to 95 agricultural commodities and 67 final food products, which encompass >99% of agricultural production in the United States. Agricultural production in the United States results in 17,900 annual air quality-related deaths, 15,900 of which are from food production. Of those, 80% are attributable to animal-based foods, both directly from animal production and indirectly from growing animal feed. On-farm interventions can reduce PM2.5-related mortality by 50%, including improved livestock waste management and fertilizer application practices that reduce emissions of ammonia, a secondary PM2.5 precursor, and improved crop and animal production practices that reduce primary PM2.5 emissions from tillage, field burning, livestock dust, and machinery. Dietary shifts toward more plant-based foods that maintain protein intake and other nutritional needs could reduce agricultural air quality-related mortality by 68 to 83%. In sum, improved livestock and fertilization practices, and dietary shifts could greatly decrease the health impacts of agriculture caused by its contribution to reduced air quality.

ERA5-based global assessment of irrigation requirement and validation

While only 20% of harvested lands are actually irrigated, 40% of global agricultural production originates from irrigated areas. Therefore, assessing irrigation requirements is essential for the development of effective water-related policies for an efficient management of water resources. Moreover, global-scale analyses are becoming increasingly relevant, motivated by globalized production and international trade of food as well as by the need of common strategies to address climate change.

In this study, a comprehensive model to estimate crop growth and irrigation requirements of 26 main crops at global scale is presented. The model computes a soil water balance using daily precipitation and reference evapotranspiration based on a high-resolution ERA5 reanalysis dataset from the European Copernicus Program. The irrigation requirement, defined as the minimum water volume to avoid water stress, is computed for year 2000 at the resolution of 5 arc-min (or 0.0833°) and aggregated at different spatial and temporal scales for relevant analyses.

The estimated global irrigation requirements for 962 km³ is described in detail, also in relation to the spatial variability and to the monthly variation of the requirements. A focus on different areas of the world (California, Northern Italy and India) highlights the wealth of information provided by the model in different climatic conditions.

National data of irrigation withdrawals have been used for an extensive comparison with model results. A crop-specific validation has also been made for the State of California, comparing model results with local data of irrigation volume and independent estimates of crop water use. In both cases, we found a good agreement between model results and real data.

What empowerment indicators are important for food consumption for women? Evidence from 5 sub-Sahara African countries

This paper draws on data from five sub-Sahara African countries; Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique consisting of 10,041 married women who were cohabitating with a male spouse. The study aim was to investigate the relationship between women's empowerment and women's dietary diversity and consumption of different food items. Women's empowerment was measured using the indicators in the five domains of Women's Empowerment in Agriculture index (WEAI) and women's dietary diversity and food consumption was examined using the women's dietary diversity score (WDDS) measure. OLS and LPM regressions were used and analyses were confirmed using marginal effects from Poisson and logistic regressions. Results suggest that three out of the 10 WEAI indicators of empowerment showed different magnitude and direction in significant associations with improved WDDS and varied associations were found in three out of the five countries examined. In addition, the three significant empowerment indicators were associated with the consumption of different food groups in three out of the five countries examined suggesting that diverse food groups account for the association between the WEAI and WDDS. Improved autonomy, and input in production were associated with improved likelihoods of consumption of dairy products, and fruits and vegetables including vitamin A-rich produce. Empowerment in public speaking was associated with improved consumption of other fruits and vegetables including vitamin A-rich produce. The varied nature of empowerment indicators towards improving women's dietary diversity and food consumption suggests that different empowerment strategies might confer different benefits towards the consumption of different food groups. Further, findings imply that interventions that seek to empower women should tailor their strategies on existing contextual factors that impact on women.

Farming System for Nutrition-a pathway to dietary diversity: Evidence from India

Farming is the main livelihood of a majority of people in India. The country is also home to a large population of undernourished people. This indicates potential for mainstreaming the nutrition dimension in the farming system to impact on nutrition outcomes. A Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) study was conducted in two agro-ecologically different locations from 2013-2018, to explore the feasibility of nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions. The baseline survey in 2013-2014 revealed that the population in the study area was largely undernourished and that household diets were cereal-dominated. The FSN model was designed in consultation with community members, to increase availability of nutrient-dense cereals and pulses, by enhancing production and crop diversification at the farm level, promoting cultivation of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables in nutrition gardens and supporting interventions to promote access to animal foods. Nutrition awareness initiatives were undertaken to build capacity at the local level and translate production diversity to consumption diversity. An endline survey was conducted in 2017 (July-October), following three years of intervention. Crop, vegetable and animal food production and food consumption was compared with the baseline data. There was evidence of higher production and consumption of nutrient rich foods, improved household dietary diversity; and understanding and acceptance of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. The number of items consumed under each food group, frequency of consumption of food and average per capita intake of nutrient-rich foods were found to have improved. The results provide evidence regarding feasibility of location-specific FSN models to promote sustainable and healthy diets, using locally available plant and animal food resources, to address nutrition deficiencies in farm families.

Reconstructing dynamics of foodborne disease outbreaks in the US cattle market from monitoring data

Conventional empirical studies of foodborne-disease outbreaks (FDOs) in agricultural markets are linear-stochastic formulations hardwiring a world in which markets self-correct in response to external random shocks including FDOs. These formulations were unequipped to establish whether FDOs cause market reaction, or whether markets endogenously propagate outbreaks. We applied nonlinear time series analysis (NLTS) to reconstruct annual dynamics of FDOs in US cattle markets from CDC outbreak data, live cattle futures market prices, and USDA cattle inventories from 1967–2018, and used reconstructed dynamics to detect causality. Reconstructed deterministic nonlinear market dynamics are endogenously unstable—not self-correcting, and cattle inventories drive futures prices and FDOs attributed to beef in temporal patterns linked to a multi-decadal cattle cycle undetected in daily/weekly price movements investigated previously. Benchmarking real-world dynamics with NLTS offers more informative and credible empirical modeling at the convergence of natural and economic sciences.

The effect of urbanization on agricultural water consumption and production: the extended positive mathematical programming approach

One of the most important factors in the agricultural sector is the supply of water. There are numerous factors affecting the supply of water in the agricultural sector. One of these factors is urban development. After the agricultural and industrial revolution, urban revolution is one of the most important issues in the economic development of countries. Urban development has two implications for agricultural water use; this both increases the demand for agricultural crops and the consumption of water in the household sector, which both lead to a reduction in available water in the agricultural sector. Therefore, determination of the impact of urbanization on water consumption in agriculture is necessary. In this study, we have examined the extended positive mathematical programming method on the agricultural sector of Qazvin Province. The results of the study showed that 1% increase in urbanization would reduce water consumption in agriculture by 0.639 mm³ compared to the base year. Also, household water consumption will reach 92.92-761.9 mm³ in base year. On the other hand, the cultivated area and the production of some irrigated crops (wheat, barley, rapeseed, sunflower, other oilseeds, alfalfa) will decrease to 86.36 hectare and 346.6 tons. In the indirect effect of increasing urbanization, per each percentage urbanization, the household water consumption will decrease by 2.19 mm³, and after a 20-year horizon, the total capacity of the Taleghan Dam will be allocated to Tehran's household water,. So that, 288 mm³ of agricultural water will be reduced, and it will reduce the cultivated area for 28,250 (ha). Also, farmers' gross profits will be 10.5 percent lower than the base year which is a threat for Qazvin plain farming. Solutions were proposed to reduce the negative effects of the urban development phenomenon, including the use of modern irrigation systems in the agricultural sector will significantly increase irrigation efficiency. So that only 1% increase in irrigation efficiency can completely neutralize the direct and indirect negative impacts of urbanization on a 12-year mid-term horizon.

Interactive Web-based Data Visualization and Analysis Tool for Synthetizing on-farm Research Networks Data

The on-farm research network concept enables a group of farmers to test new agricultural management practices under local conditions with support from local researchers or agronomists. Different on-farm trials based on the same experimental design are conducted over several years and sites to test the effectiveness of different innovative management practices aimed at increasing crop productivity and profitability. As a larger amount of historical trial data are being accumulated, data of all the trials require analyses and summarization. Summaries of on-farm trials are usually presented to farmers as individual field reports, which are not optimal for the dissemination of results and decision making. A more practical communication method is needed to enhance result communication and decision making. R Shiny is a new rapidly developing technology for turning R data analyses into interactive web applications. For the first time for on-farm research networks, we developed and launched an interactive web tool called ISOFAST using R Shiny. ISOFAST simultaneously reports all trial results about the same management practice to simplify interpretation of multi-site and multi-year summaries. We used a random-effects model to synthetize treatment differences at both the individual trial and network levels and generate new knowledge for farmers and agronomists. The friendly interface enables users to explore trial summaries, access model outputs, and perform economic analysis at their fingertips. This paper describes a case-study to illustrate how to use the tool and make agronomic management decisions based on the on-farm trial data. We also provided technical details and guidance for developing a similar interactive visualization tool customized for on-farm research network. ISOFAST is currently available at https://analytics.iasoybeans.com/cool-apps/ISOFAST/.

Understanding the relationship between land use and land cover and malaria in Nepal

Malaria is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) change have been found to affect the transmission of malaria in other regions, but no study has examined such relationships in Nepal. Therefore, this study has three aims: first, to analyze the spatial and temporal trend of Malaria Incidence Rate (MIR) between 1999 and 2015, second to assess LULC change between 2000 and 2010, and finally to understand the relationship between LULC and malaria in Nepal. The land cover types examined are forest, water bodies, agriculture, grassland, shrubland, barren areas, built-up areas, and rice paddies. The temporal trend of MIR and the relationship between MIR and LULC were evaluated using Poisson and negative binomial regression. Forest, water bodies, and built-up area increased in Nepal by 0.8%, 8.2%, and 28.4% respectively, while other LULC variables decreased between 2000 and 2010. MIR decreased significantly in 21 districts; however, four districts, namely Pyuthan, Kaski, Rupandehi, and Siraha, had a significantly increasing MIR trend between 1999 and 2015. MIR was positively related to water bodies and rice paddies during 2001, 2002, and 2003 but negatively related to grassland during 2010. However, there was no relationship between LULC and MIR during 2000, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This information will be helpful for public health officials to increase control efforts in those districts and in areas near water bodies and rice paddies to aid in their effort to eliminate malaria from Nepal.

Spatial-Temporal Characteristics in Grain Production and Its Influencing Factors in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain from 1995 to 2018

The Huang-Huai-Hai Plain is the major crop-producing region in China. Based on the climate and socio-economic data from 1995 to 2018, we analyzed the spatial-temporal characteristics in grain production and its influencing factors by using exploratory spatial data analysis, a gravity center model, a spatial panel data model, and a geographically weighted regression model. The results indicated the following: (1) The grain production of eastern and southern areas was higher, while that of western and northern areas was lower; (2) The grain production center in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain shifted from the southeast to northwest in Tai'an, and was distributed stably at the border between Jining and Tai'an; (3) The global spatial autocorrelation experienced a changing process of "decline-growth-decline", and the area of hot and cold spots was gradually reduced and stabilized, which indicated that the polarization of grain production in local areas gradually weakened and the spatial difference gradually decreased in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain; (4) The impact of socio-economic factors has been continuously enhanced while the role of climate factors in grain production has been gradually weakened. The ratio of the effective irrigated area, the amount of fertilizer applied per unit sown area, and the average per capita annual income of rural residents were conducive to the increase in grain production in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain; however, the effect of the annual precipitation on grain production has become weaker. More importantly, the association between the three factors and grain production was found to be spatially heterogeneous at the local geographic level.

The environmental impacts of palm oil in context

Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires balancing demands on land between agriculture (SDG 2) and biodiversity (SDG 15). The production of vegetable oils and, in particular, palm oil, illustrates these competing demands and trade-offs. Palm oil accounts for ~40% of the current global annual demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed and fuel (210 Mt), but planted oil palm covers less than 5-5.5% of the total global oil crop area (approximately 425 Mha) due to oil palm's relatively high yields. Recent oil palm expansion in forested regions of Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, where >90% of global palm oil is produced, has led to substantial concern around oil palm's role in deforestation. Oil palm expansion's direct contribution to regional tropical deforestation varies widely, ranging from an estimated 3% in West Africa to 50% in Malaysian Borneo. Oil palm is also implicated in peatland draining and burning in Southeast Asia. Documented negative environmental impacts from such expansion include biodiversity declines, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. However, oil palm generally produces more oil per area than other oil crops, is often economically viable in sites unsuitable for most other crops and generates considerable wealth for at least some actors. Global demand for vegetable oils is projected to increase by 46% by 2050. Meeting this demand through additional expansion of oil palm versus other vegetable oil crops will lead to substantial differential effects on biodiversity, food security, climate change, land degradation and livelihoods. Our Review highlights that although substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the relationship between the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts of oil palm, and the scope, stringency and effectiveness of initiatives to address these, there has been little research into the impacts and trade-offs of other vegetable oil crops. Greater research attention needs to be given to investigating the impacts of palm oil production compared to alternatives for the trade-offs to be assessed at a global scale.

The environmental impacts of palm oil in context

Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires balancing demands on land between agriculture (SDG 2) and biodiversity (SDG 15). The production of vegetable oils and, in particular, palm oil, illustrates these competing demands and trade-offs. Palm oil accounts for ~40% of the current global annual demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed and fuel (210 Mt), but planted oil palm covers less than 5-5.5% of the total global oil crop area (approximately 425 Mha) due to oil palm's relatively high yields. Recent oil palm expansion in forested regions of Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, where >90% of global palm oil is produced, has led to substantial concern around oil palm's role in deforestation. Oil palm expansion's direct contribution to regional tropical deforestation varies widely, ranging from an estimated 3% in West Africa to 50% in Malaysian Borneo. Oil palm is also implicated in peatland draining and burning in Southeast Asia. Documented negative environmental impacts from such expansion include biodiversity declines, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. However, oil palm generally produces more oil per area than other oil crops, is often economically viable in sites unsuitable for most other crops and generates considerable wealth for at least some actors. Global demand for vegetable oils is projected to increase by 46% by 2050. Meeting this demand through additional expansion of oil palm versus other vegetable oil crops will lead to substantial differential effects on biodiversity, food security, climate change, land degradation and livelihoods. Our Review highlights that although substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the relationship between the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts of oil palm, and the scope, stringency and effectiveness of initiatives to address these, there has been little research into the impacts and trade-offs of other vegetable oil crops. Greater research attention needs to be given to investigating the impacts of palm oil production compared to alternatives for the trade-offs to be assessed at a global scale.

Species-independent analytical tools for next-generation agriculture

Innovative approaches are urgently required to alleviate the growing pressure on agriculture to meet the rising demand for food. A key challenge for plant biology is to bridge the notable knowledge gap between our detailed understanding of model plants grown under laboratory conditions and the agriculturally important crops cultivated in fields or production facilities. This Perspective highlights the recent development of new analytical tools that are rapid and non-destructive and provide tissue-, cell- or organelle-specific information on living plants in real time, with the potential to extend across multiple species in field applications. We evaluate the utility of engineered plant nanosensors and portable Raman spectroscopy to detect biotic and abiotic stresses, monitor plant hormonal signalling as well as characterize the soil, phytobiome and crop health in a non- or minimally invasive manner. We propose leveraging these tools to bridge the aforementioned fundamental gap with new synthesis and integration of expertise from plant biology, engineering and data science. Lastly, we assess the economic potential and discuss implementation strategies that will ensure the acceptance and successful integration of these modern tools in future farming practices in traditional as well as urban agriculture.

Safety climate at agricultural cooperatives

INTRODUCTION

This study identifies determinants of safety climate at agricultural cooperatives.

METHODS

An extensive survey was designed to build upon past research done in collaboration with DuPont (Risch et al., 2014). In 2014 and 2015, the survey was administered to 1930 employees at 14 different agricultural cooperatives with 154 locations. Injury incidence data were also collected from each location to better understand the overall health and safety environment in this sector. An ordered probit model is used to identify variables that are associated with better safety climates.

RESULTS

Safety system components such as discipline programs, inspection programs, modified duty programs, off-the-job safety training programs, and recognition programs are positively related to individual safety climate for both managerial employees and nonmanagerial employees. Variables representing an employee's agricultural background, distance between their workplace and childhood home, and formal education are not associated with managerial safety climate. However, agricultural background and childhood home distance are associated with nonmanagerial safety climate.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving occupational health and safety is a priority for many agricultural cooperatives. Lower safety climate emerges as nonmanagerial employees have more experience with production agriculture and work nearer to their home community. Practical applications: Employees of agricultural cooperatives face a host of health and safety challenges that are likely to persist into the future. The safety system components associated with safety climate indicate that continuous feedback is important for improving occupational health and safety. Occupational health and safety programming should also acknowledge that many employees have experiences that influence their attitudes and behaviors.

Sociodemographic characteristics and exposure patterns of pesticide-related cases reported to a poison service center in Brazil between 2012 and 2016

Pesticide poisoning is a significant public health problem responsible for an estimated three million poisoning cases per year and more than 250,000 deaths, most of which occur in underdeveloped countries. We evaluated pesticide exposure cases reported to a toxicological service center in Brazil, between 2012 and 2016. There were 3211 cases of pesticide exposure, with a high prevalence in adults aged 20-39 years (41.2%). Attempted suicide was the leading cause of pesticide cases (48%). Occupational exposure to pesticides of agricultural use was more frequently observed among men. Accidental exposure and attempted suicide were more frequently observed in urban areas while occupational exposure was more prevalent in rural areas. A higher exposure rate was observed among men in counties with higher agricultural activities. Establishing prevalence and cause of pesticide exposure is important to provide subsidy for evidence-based interventions in the field.

Evaluation and diagnosis of obstacles to land-based ecological security in resource-based cities: A case study of Xingtai city

To provide a theoretical basis for sustainable land resource utilization and a reference for areas with similar natural conditions, an evaluation index for land-based ecological security was constructed based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model and the improved analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) and entropy methods, and the land-based ecological security status of Xingtai city from 2006 to 2017 was evaluated. Then, the obstacles to land-based ecological security were diagnosed. The results show that the values of the comprehensive evaluation index of land-based ecological security were 0.28–0.66 in the period from 2006 to 2017. The value of the index of land-based ecological security was low in the first seven years and gradually improved in the last five years of the study period. However, the overall situation was grave, and the ecological security conditions were poor. The main obstacles to land-based ecological security were the usage of pesticides, investment in environmental pollution treatments, the degree of machine cultivation, the rate of cultivation and the usage of fertilizer in Xingtai city. Based on the results of the land-based ecological security evaluation and the main obstacles identified in Xingtai city, this paper proposes management strategies and suggestions for improving land-based ecological security in Xingtai city. The specific proposals are as follows: vigorously develop green agriculture, increase investment in environmental pollution control, increase input in science and technology, and strengthen supervision and management of land use.

Pesticide handling practices and self-reported morbidity symptoms among farmers

Amid growing concern about the adverse effects of pesticides, a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate farmers' knowledge on pesticides handling. Results of in-depth surveys (n = 217) with field observations revealed that participants had a mean 18 years of farming experience and knapsack-sprays were used for spraying. About 99% were not using any personal-protective-equipments during mixing, loading, application operations. Over 80% reentered the treated farms within two-days of application without following safety protocols and 39% admitted unsafe disposal of empty containers of pesticides. Statistical-analysis revealed a significant association between participant's pesticide handling practices and self-reported morbidity symptoms (p < 0.05). Despite awareness of toxicity, participants were mishandling the pesticides. Training on safe handling practices and incentives in form of personal-protective-equipments could be productive to ensure safety at work.

Finding the Edges of Problems: Social Media as an Exploratory Research Tool

Social media use in public health and other health related research applications has seen a rapid increase in recent years. However, there has been very limited utilization of this growing digital sector in agricultural injury research. Social media offers immense potential in gathering informal data, both text and images, converting them into knowledge, which can open up avenues for research, policy, and practice. There are a number of ways social media data can be utilized in agricultural injury research. This paper touches on the adoption of these data sources in health research and discusses the use of social media as an exploratory research tool that can peer into and identify the edges of potential health and safety problems.

Household storage, surplus and supra-household storage in prehistoric and protohistoric societies of the Western Mediterranean

The objective of this paper is to assess foodstuff storage throughout Recent Prehistory (5600-50 BCE) from the standpoint of the three different types (household, surplus and supra-household) identified in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The volumetric data of the underground silos serves as a proxy to evaluate the link between them and the agricultural systems and technological changes. The study also assesses the ability, and specifically, the will of the ancient communities of the northeastern Iberia to generate domestic and extra-domestic surpluses.

Agricultural Food Production Diversity and Dietary Diversity among Female Small Holder Farmers in a Region of the Ecuadorian Andes Experiencing Nutrition Transition

Some rural areas of Ecuador, including the Imbabura Province of the Andes Highlands, are experiencing a double burden of malnutrition where micronutrient deficiencies persist at the same time obesity is increasing as many traditional home-grown foods are being replaced with more commercially prepared convenience foods. Thus, the relationships among agricultural food production diversity (FPD), dietary diversity (DD), and household food insecurity (HFI) of the rural small holder farmers need further study. Therefore, we examined these associations in small holder farmers residing in this Province in the Andes Highlands (elevation > 2500 m). Non-pregnant maternal home managers (n = 558, x age = 44.1, SD = 16.5 y) were interviewed regarding the number of different agricultural food crops cultivated and domestic animals raised in their family farm plots. DD was determined using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women Score (MDD-W) based on the number of 10 different food groups consumed, and household food insecurity (HFI) was determined using the 8-item Household Food Insecurity Experience Scale. The women reported consuming an average of 53% of their total food from what they cultivated or raised. Women with higher DD [MMD-W score ≥ 5 food groups (79% of total sample)] were on farms that cultivated a greater variety of crops (x = 8.7 vs. 6.7), raised more animals (x = 17.9 vs. 12.7, p < 0.05), and reported lower HFI and significantly higher intakes of energy, protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin A (all p < 0.05). Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that FPD was only modestly related to DD, which together with years of education, per capita family income, and HFI accounted for 26% of DD variance. In rural areas of the Imbabura Province, small holder farmers still rely heavily on consumption of self-cultivated foods, but greater diversity of crops grown in family farm plots is only weakly associated with greater DD and lower HFI among the female caretakers.

Rainfall and child weight in Uganda

We combine data from the 2006 and 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (UDHS) with rainfall data and two waves of the Ugandan National Household Survey (UNHS) to study patterns in child weight, as measured by weight-for-height z scores (WHZ), among 3492 rural children below age 5 in Uganda. We focus on rainfall as a nutrition driver along agriculture and disease pathways. We find a positive and significant association between crop yield and WHZ, but the magnitude of this association diminishes as we control for covariates, especially the use of productivity-enhancing agricultural inputs. We find diarrheal disease to have a negative and significant association with WHZ, and modifying effects of social and environmental factors along the disease pathway. Contemporaneous rainfall is associated with a lower likelihood of diarrheal disease in areas with excess rainfall and a higher likelihood of diarrheal disease in rainfall deficit areas. Our findings reinforce calls for targeted and situation-sensitive policies to promote child nutrition.

Appréciation des interventions de lutte contre la malnutrition maternelle par la population à Madagascar

INTRODUCTION

Madagascar has adopted strategies to fight against maternal malnutrition, but the evaluation of their implementation is not effective.Purpose of research: The present study aims to describe beneficiary appreciation of interventions to fight maternal malnutrition and to identify their expectations.

METHOD

A qualitative study was conducted in the Amoron&#8217;i Mania region, Madagascar. The study included mothers of children under 5, pregnant women, and other family members and community members (fathers, grandmothers, matrons and community workers). Six focus groups and 16&#160;individual interviews were conducted to collect the data. The thematic analysis was used.

RESULTS

Food supplementation, improved production of agriculture and livestock, and nutrition education, operated by NGOs, are the best-known interventions. The health centers were not mentioned as interveners and their interventions were ignored. The effectiveness of the intervention is generally judged on the benefits perceived by the beneficiaries. Interveners working on a project basis were assessed as unsustainable. Two main problems were mentioned: first, the insufficiency of agricultural production resulting in the inaccessibility of the ingredients required for the nutrition education, and second the low coverage of the interventions. The improvement of agricultural production is the main suggestion mentioned to fight against maternal undernutrition.

CONCLUSIONS

Beneficiaries thought that existing interventions in the region are insufficient to address the problem of malnutrition among mothers.

Risk factors associated among respiratory health and banana farming

Pesticides cause risks to the respiratory health of banana farming workers. To investigate the prevalence of ventilatory dysfunction in workers and characteristics of work in banana production in a region of the Ribeira Valley, Brazil. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic, work and health data was applied, as well as spirometry. The data were statistically analyzed with participants divided into two groups (presence or absence of ventilatory dysfunction). The majority were males, low schooling, mean age 39.6 years and 13.8 years of working time in banana farming. The prevalence of moderate obstructive disorder (10.0%), mild obstructive disorder (13.3%) and mild mixed disorder (3.3%) were observed. Obstructive disorders predominated, with decreased FEV1 and FEV1/FVC, in addition to being correlated with working time in banana farming. It was concluded that one-third of the workers had some type of ventilatory dysfunction and there was a relationship with work in banana farming.

Drivers of land-use changes in societies with decreasing populations: A comparison of the factors affecting farmland abandonment in a food production area in Japan

The extraordinary population growth of the 20^th century will subside in the 21^st century, followed by depopulation, constituting the first population decline phase in human history in Japan and other developed countries. The drivers of land-use change during the population decline phase are expected to differ from those of the population growth phase; however, research on land-use drivers during the decline phase is limited. Identifying these drivers is necessary to develop effective management plans for biodiversity and ecosystem services in the decline phase. First, we calculated the probability of farmland abandonment in Hokkaido, a Japanese food production area, from 1973–2009 and divided the period into the population growth phase (1978–1997) and the decline phase (1997–2009). We examined various geographical and social factors that were assumed to alter the land use during these two phases. Geographical and social conditions are key factors in determining the probability of farmland abandonment, but their influences varied between the two phases. The farmlands located on geographically uncultivable sites, such as marginal, underproductive, narrow, and steep land, were abandoned during these phases; however, social conditions, such as the distance from densely inhabited districts (DIDs) and the population, exerted opposite effects during these two phases. Farmland abandonment occurred near DIDs (i.e., urban areas) during the population growth phase, whereas farmland abandonment occurred far from DIDs and sparsely populated farmlands during the decline phase. Farmland abandonment was strongly affected by government policy during the population growth phase, but the policy weakened during the decline phase, which triggered farmland abandonment throughout Hokkaido. The geographical and social drivers found in the present study may provide new insights for other developed countries experiencing depopulation problems.

Medico-administrative data combined with agricultural practices data to retrospectively estimate pesticide use by agricultural workers

This work is part of a global project aiming to use medico-administrative big data from the whole French agricultural population (~3 millions), collected through their mandatory health insurance system (Mutualité Sociale Agricole), to highlight associations between chronic diseases and agricultural activities. At the request of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), our objective was to estimate which pesticides were probably used by each agricultural worker, in order to include this information in our analyses and search for association with diseases. We selected five databases to achieve this objective: the Graphical Land Parcel Registration (RPG), the French Agricultural Census, "Cultivation Practice" surveys from the Agriculture ministry, the MATPHYTO crop-exposure matrix and the Compilation of Phytosanitary Indexes from the French Public Health Agency. A geographical grid was designed to use geographical location while maintaining worker anonymity, dividing France into square tracts of variable surface each containing a minimum of 1500 agricultural workers. We developed an automated algorithm to predict each individual potential exposure by crossing her/his occupational activity, the geographical grid and the RPG to deduce cultivation practices and use it as a gateway to estimate pesticides use. This approach allowed drawing, from administrative data, a list of substances potentially used by each agricultural worker throughout France. Results of the algorithm are illustrated at collective level (descriptive statistics for the whole population), as well as at individual level (some workers taken as examples). The generalization of this method in other national contexts is discussed. By linking this information with the health insurance databases, this approach could contribute to the agricultural workers health surveillance.

BOD load analysis and management improvement for the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand

The loads of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the Chao Phraya River Basin (CPRB), Thailand were analyzed in terms of how they were generated (BOD_gen), stocked in the environment (BOD_en-stock), and discharged into the Chao Phraya River (BOD_CPR) using material flow analysis. BOD_gen from the industrial sector was the highest; however, BOD_en-stock and BOD_CPR from this point source were not significantly higher than those from the domestic sector. BOD_gen, BOD_en-stock, and BOD_CPR from swine farming and aquaculture across the river basin were lower than those from the domestic and industrial sectors. Of the total 251,884 tons per year (t/year) BOD_CPR, 49,614 t/year were in the upper river section, 35,976 t/year in the middle river section, and 166,294 t/year in the lower river section. These amounts were more than the carrying capacities of the relevant river sections (i.e., 7230 t/year, 18,380 t/year, and 37,851 t/year of the BOD loads for the upper, middle, and lower river sections, respectively). The first priority in BOD reduction in the CPRB should emphasize domestic wastewater by increasing wastewater treatment efficiency and onsite installations of wastewater treatment systems, while the second should be on paddy fields and other nonpoint sources. Specific best management practices may be considered, e.g., creating constructed wetlands or preserving riverbank vegetation as natural swales to alleviate BOD discharge from agricultural activities into water sources.

Sewage sludge application as a vehicle for microplastics in eastern Spanish agricultural soils

Microplastic pollution is becoming a major challenge with the growing use of plastic. In recent years, research about microplastic pollution in the environment has become a field of study with increased interest, with ever expanding findings on sources, sinks and pathways of microplastics. Wastewater treatment plants effectively remove microplastics from wastewater and concentrate them in sewage sludge which is often used to fertilise agricultural fields. Despite this, quantification of microplastic pollution in agricultural fields through the application of sewage sludge is largely unknown. In light of this issue, four wastewater treatment plants and 16 agricultural fields (0-8 sewage sludge applications of 20-22 tons ha^-1 per application), located in the east of Spain, were sampled. Microplastics were extracted using a floatation and filtration method, making a distinction between light density microplastics (ρ < 1 g cm^-3) and heavy density microplastics (ρ > 1 g cm^-3). Sewage sludge, on average, had a light density plastic load of 18,000 ± 15,940 microplastics kg^-1 and a heavy density plastic load of 32,070 ± 19,080 microplastics kg^-1. Soils without addition of sewage sludge had an average light density plastic load of 930 ± 740 microplastics kg^-1 and a heavy density plastic load of 1100 ± 570 microplastics kg^-1. Soils with addition of sewage sludge had an average light density plastic load of 2130 ± 950 microplastics kg^-1 and a heavy density plastic load of 3060 ± 1680 microplastics kg^-1. On average, soils' plastic loads increased by 280 light density microplastics kg^-1 and 430 heavy density microplastics kg^-1 with each successive application of sewage sludge, indicating that sewage sludge application results in accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils.

Pollution status of major rivers in an agricultural belt in Eastern Nigeria

The physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses of four rivers namely: Ajali, Obinna, Karawa and Adada in Ezeagu and Uzo-uwani Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Enugu State, South-eastern Nigeria, were carried out to evaluate their suitability for consumption. Water samples from Ajali River were taken from a point where the river receives brewery effluents and other two points that were impacted by non-point pollution sources. A total of 54 water samples were collected during the dry season, early rainy season and rainy season proper for 2 years. For each trip, nine samples were collected from three sampling points in Ajali and two each in Adada, Obinna and Karawa. The water quality index (WQI) was calculated using the arithmetic index method. Significant seasonal and spatial variations (p < 0.05) were evident for sulphate, phosphate, sodium, magnesium, pH, total alkalinity, nitrate and total dissolved solids. Mean values of WQI were 71.75 ± 16.07 57.26 ± 5.39, 60.47 ± 13.12, and 66.75 ± 15.30 for Adada, Obinna, Karawa and Ajali, respectively.

Sugarcane production and climate trends in Paraíba state (Brazil)

Statistical surveys to detect trends in time series are fundamental tools to evaluate farming dynamics of sugarcane and of adaptation plans for possible impacts caused by climate change. This work analyzed the influence of climate change in the cultivation of sugarcane in the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), in order to investigate what are the consequences of temperature increase, air humidity level, and changes in the precipitation regime forecasted for the region in sugarcane farming. Data of temperature, total precipitation, and relative humidity of six meteorological stations kept by the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) spread across the state of Paraíba and data from the area of sugarcane harvesting from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Mann-Kendall trend test was employed in order to analyze the existence of trends in each station, separately. The results pointed trends of significant increase in temperature for the stations of Campina Grande, João Pessoa, Monteiro, Patos, and Sousa. The stations of Areia, Campina Grande, and João Pessoa obtained significant precipitation trends. Regarding relative humidity, the stations of João Pessoa, Monteiro, and Patos presented significant decreasing trends, while Sousa showed significant increase trends. The results suggest that these trends may be increasing sugarcane production close to the coast of the region and decreasing production inland.

[Co-benefits of health promotion on global warming - The example of food and mobility]

Global warming is considered by most scientists as one of the greatest public health threats of the 21st century. Some individual behaviours and consumption habits related to the food and mobility sectors are responsible for a high amount of CO2 emissions, the main greenhouse gas. Thus, some messages promoted by health professionals will have an impact on the fight against the epidemic of lifestyle-related chronic diseases but will also have an environmental co-benefit. With a population increasingly aware of current environmental issues, environmental considerations could be an additional motivating factor for patients when promoting a healthier diet or physical activity.

Drudgery reduction, physical activity and energy requirements in rural livelihoods

Low and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa have been witnessing a process of rural transformation, characterised by rising agricultural productivity, commercialisation of agriculture, improved infrastructure and access to services, over several decades. However, there is little empirical evidence on how this transformation process has affected the patterns and intensity of physical activity and time use in rural livelihoods. The lack of empirical evidence can be attributed to the constraints in accurate measurement of physical activity and energy expenditure in the context of free-living populations. Using wearable accelerometry devices, we develop robust energy expenditure profiles for men and women in rural households for two case studies in India and Ghana. An innovative feature of this study is the integration of data on energy expenditure (derived from accelerometers) with data on time-use, which has hitherto not been feasible in observational studies of rural populations. Using the data on physical activity, energy expenditure and time use from the case studies, we examine the impact of drudgery reduction- the substitution of less intense for more intense activities - on energy requirements for men and women in rural households. Our results show that drudgery reduction can have large effects on human energy (calorie) requirements, with an hour of drudgery reduction reducing energy requirements by 11-22 % for men and 13-17 % for women in Ghana and India. There are significant gender differences in energy expenditure patterns and drudgery reduction effects vary by socio-demographic characteristics and endowments of households. Our results suggest that drudgery reduction can offer rural households an important route to improved nutritional status. At the same time, drudgery reduction can lead to increased incidence of overweight and obesity for some segments of the population. The design of development interventions needs to explicitly consider the effects on nutrition and well-being through the energy expenditure dimension.

Content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil in a multi-annual fertilisation regime

The study assessed changes in the total 16 PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) content of soil which occurred in 1998-2009, during a multi-annual, manure-mineral and mineral fertilisation experiment, carried out in Bałcyny near Ostróda (Poland), according to a design unchanged since 1986 The study focused on the impact of multi-annual, diversified mineral fertilisation (N, P, K, Mg and Ca) compared to manure applied every two years at a dose of 40 t/ha. The four plants used in the crop rotation included sugar beet, spring barley, maize and spring wheat. The content of the total 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was significantly higher in the manure-fertilised soil than in the soil fertilised with mineral fertilisers only. Under the regular manure fertilisation conditions, liming of the soil significantly increased the total 16 PAH content, and the lowest dose of nitrogen significantly decreased its PAH content. The lowest nitrogen dose had an opposite effect in the soil fertilised with mineral fertilisers only, where it caused a significant increase in the content of the PAHs. However, the increased doses of nitrogen also resulted in an increase in the PAH content in the soil fertilised with manure and without this fertiliser.

Biochar efficacy for reducing heavy metals uptake by Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) and spinach (Spinaccia oleracea) to minimize human health risk

Environmentally friendly and cost-effective techniques are required to reclaim land degraded during mining activities. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in vegetables grown on contaminated soils can increase human health risks. The potential effects of hardwood biochar (HWB) was assessed for chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb) bioavailability in mine-contaminated soils and their subsequently bioaccumulation in crops and associated health risk. HWB was applied to chromium-manganese mine contaminated soils at the rate of 3% to investigate the efficiency of HWB for the second crop in crop rotation technique. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) and spinach (Spinaccia oleracea) were grown as second crop in the same pots which were already used for rice cultivation as first crop (without adding further amendments). Application of HWB decreased the concentrations of Cr, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Pb in cilantro by 25.5%, 37.1%, 42.5%, 34.3%, and 36.2%, respectively as compared to control. In spinach, the reduction in concentrations of Cr was 75.0%, Zn 24.1%, Cu 70.1%, Mn 78.0%, and Pb 50.5% as compared to control. HWB significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the HMs uptake in spinach cultivated in the amended soils as compared to the spinach in control. Bioaccumulation factor results also indicate that HWB decreased the bioaccumulation of selected HMs in cilantro and spinach, thus reducing health risks. Results of the study clearly demonstrate that the use of HWB can significantly reduce HMs in vegetables, associated health risk and improve food quality, therefore can be used as soil amendment for reclamation of mine-degraded soils.

LCA of tomato greenhouse production using spatially differentiated life cycle impact assessment indicators: an Albanian case study

The increasing attention to agricultural exports and sustainability issues is driving a surge of interest in the life cycle assessment (LCAs) of greenhouse crop production in Albania. Meanwhile, most of the reported agricultural LCAs tend to be generic without considering regionalized environmental sensitivities. In this study, ReCiPe 2016, covering 18 midpoint indicators and 3 endpoint indicators was used to generate a full-fledged cradle-to-farm gate LCA of greenhouse tomatoes in a typical Albanian farm including spatial differentiation and indicators not covered by contemporary LCAs. The most important midpoint categories per 1 ha identified from foreground-background analysis were global warming (2660.4 kg CO₂-eq), stratospheric ozone depletion (0.0308 kg CFC11-eq), particulate matter formation (7.99 kg PM2.5-eq), human health and ecosystem ozone formation (8.47 and 14.95 kg NO_x-eq), water consumption (2293.23 m³), and terrestrial acidification (42.28 kg SO₂-eq). The application of spatial differentiation resulted in higher impacts with about 21% for particulate matter formation, 12% for human health ozone formation, 134% for ecosystem ozone formation, 19% for terrestrial acidification, and 13% for water consumption. The impacts primarily originated from nitrogen-based fertilizer emissions and diesel fuel with the origin of the impact from nitrous oxide (N₂O), ammonia volatilization (NH₃), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Water consumption was dominated by irrigation water use. Overall, at the endpoint level, 9% and 24% less cumulative damage to human health and ecosystem quality were calculated with respect to the site-generic analysis primarily from the cause-and-effect chain of water consumption (mainly lower water stress index). This affirms the importance of regional considerations in LCA calculations to reflect the impacts accordingly (i.e., the magnitude of impacts, the most relevant midpoint categories, and their relevance on endpoint level) and increase the possibility of making correct conclusions and sub-optimizations, i.e., increase the discriminating power of LCA.

How indebted farmers perceive and address financial risk in environmentally degraded areas in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the recent uncontrolled growth of industries near farmland and unplanned urbanization made the agricultural sector the most vulnerable and a massive threat to the food security of the country. Agricultural farms near to industrial zones face high production costs (poor air-water-soil quality, high labor cost) and low-profit margin (poor crop yield and crop loss due to frequent natural hazards). The government policy in this matter is not proper due to a lack of information. As a consequence, many of these farm owners adopt agricultural credit by themselves to manage the production cost. Basically, credit itself creates some other financial risks and the farmers needed to adopt different measures to handle these financial risks. In-depth research on this matter is important to improve the situation by providing relevant information that policymakers can plan an efficient policy framework. However, previous literature has overlooked this area of research. In this study, the researcher collected data on 400 rice farmers (debtors) from six different districts in greater Dhaka division (most degraded area in Bangladesh) and adopted probit model to analyze the influential factors affecting farmers' financial risk management adoption decision and to identify the correlations between these decisions. The empirical findings indicate that education, access to technologies, household income, savings, and distance from the industrial areas are the major factors that affect farmer's adoption choice and most of the farmers are risk-averse. Moreover, the adoption choice of one risk management tool may motivate farmers to adopt another.

The Water Footprint of Diets: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Agricultural water requirements differ between foods. Population-level dietary preferences are therefore a major determinant of agricultural water use. The "water footprint" (WF) represents the volume of water consumed in the production of food items, separated by water source; blue WF represents ground and surface water use, and green WF represents rain water use. We systematically searched for published studies using the WF to assess the water use of diets. We used the available evidence to quantify the WF of diets in different countries, and grouped diets in patterns according to study definition. "Average" patterns equated to those currently consumed, whereas "healthy" patterns included those recommended in national dietary guidelines. We searched 7 online databases and identified 41 eligible studies that reported the dietary green WF, blue WF, or total WF (green plus blue) (1964 estimates for 176 countries). The available evidence suggests that, on average, European (170 estimates) and Oceanian (18 estimates) dietary patterns have the highest green WFs (median per capita: 2999 L/d and 2924 L/d, respectively), whereas Asian dietary patterns (98 estimates) have the highest blue WFs (median: 382 L/d per capita). Foods of animal origin are major contributors to the green WFs of diets, whereas cereals, fruits, nuts, and oils are major contributors to the blue WF of diets. "Healthy" dietary patterns (425 estimates) had green WFs that were 5.9% (95% CI: -7.7, -4.0) lower than those of "average" dietary patterns, but they did not differ in their blue WFs. Our review suggests that changes toward healthier diets could reduce total water use of agriculture, but would not affect blue water use. Rapid dietary change and increasing water security concerns underscore the need for a better understanding of the amount and type of water used in food production to make informed policy decisions.

Evidence and impact of map error on land use and land cover dynamics in Ashi River watershed using intensity analysis

Previously, applications of intensity analysis (IA) on land use and land cover change (LULCC) studies have focused on deviations from uniform intensity (UI) and failed to quantify the reasons behind these deviations. This study presents the application of IA with hypothetical errors that could explain non-uniform LULCC in the context of IA at four-time points. LULCC in the Ashi watershed was examined using Landsat images from 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2014 showing the classes: Urban, water, agriculture, close canopy, open canopy and other vegetation. Matrices were created to statistically examine LULCC using IA. The results reveal that the seeming LULCC intensities are not uniform with respect to the interval, category and transition levels of IA. Error analysis indicates that, hypothetical errors in 13%, 19% and 11.2% of the 2000, 2010 and 2014 maps respectively could account for all differences between the observed gain intensities and the UI; while errors in 12%, 21%, and 11% of the 1990, 2000 and 2010 maps respectively could account for all differences between the observed loss intensities and the UI. A hypothetical error in 0.6% and 1.6% of the 1990 map; 1.5% and 4% of the 2000 map; 1.2% and 2.1% of the 2010 map could explain divergences from uniform transitions given URB gain and AGR gain during 1990-2000, 2000-2010 and 2010-2014 respectively. Evidence for a specific deviation from the relevant hypothesized UI is either strong or weak depending on the size of these errors. We recommend that users of IA concept consider assessing their map errors, since limited ground information on past time point data exist. These errors will indicate strength of evidence for deviations and reveals patterns that increase researcher's insight on LULCC processes.

Biomechanical factors during common agricultural activities: Results of on-farm exposure assessments using direct measurement methods

Agricultural work is associated with increased risk of adverse musculoskeletal health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to quantify exposure to biomechanical factors among a sample (n = 55) of farmers in the Midwest region of the U.S. while they performed a variety of routine agricultural activities, and to compare exposure levels between these activities. Surface electromyography was used to estimate activity levels of the erector spinae, upper trapezius, forearm flexor, and forearm extensor muscle groups. Simultaneously, inertial sensors were used to measure kinematics of the trunk, upper arm, and wrist. In general, lower muscle activity levels, less extreme postures, and slower movement speeds were observed during activities that involved primarily the use of agricultural machinery in comparison to manual activities, suggesting a potential advantage of mechanization relative to musculoskeletal health. Median wrist movement speeds exceeding recently proposed exposure thresholds were also observed during many manual activities, such as milking animals and repairing equipment. Upper arm postures and movement speeds did not appear to confer excessive risk for shoulder-related outcomes (on the whole), but interpretation of the results is limited by a sampling approach that may not have captured the full extent of exposure variation. Not surprisingly, substantial variation in exposure levels were observed within each agricultural activity, which is related to substantial variation in the equipment, tools, and work practices used by participants. Ultimately, the results of this study contribute to an emerging literature in which the physical demands of routine agricultural work have been described on the basis of sensor-based measurements rather than more common self-report or observation-based approaches.

Agronomic or contentious land change? A longitudinal analysis from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

Since 1984, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in the Brazilian Amazon due to land conflicts stemming from unequal distribution of land, land tenure insecurity, and lawlessness. During this same period, the region experienced almost complete deforestation (< 8% forest cover by 2010). Land conflict exacts a human toll, but it also affects agents’ decisions about land use, the subject of this article. Using a property-level panel dataset covering the period of redemocratization in Brazil (1984) until the privatization of long-term leases in the Eastern Amazon (2010), we show that deforestation is affected by land conflict, particularly in cases of expropriation of property for agrarian reform settlement formation and when that conflict involves fatalities. Deforestation on agrarian reform settlements is much greater when soils are poor for agriculture and when the land has been the object of past conflict. Deforestation and conflict are episodic, and both agronomic drivers and contentious drivers of land change are active in the region. Ultimately, the outcome of these processes of contentious and agronomic land change is substantial deforestation, regardless of who was in possession and control of the land.

Government policy and agricultural production: a scoping review to inform research and policy on healthy agricultural commodities

Unhealthy foods and tobacco remain the leading causes of non-communicable disease (NCDs). These are key agricultural commodities for many countries, and NCD prevention policy needs to consider how to influence production towards healthier options. There has been little scholarship to bridge the agriculture with the public health literature that seeks to address the supply of healthy commodities. This scoping review synthesizes the literature on government agricultural policy and production in order to 1) present a typology of policies used to influence agricultural production, 2) to provide a preliminary overview of the ways that impact is assessed in this literature, and 3) to bring this literature into conversation with the literature on food and tobacco supply.This review analyzes the literature on government agricultural policy and production. Articles written in English and published between January 1997 and April 2018 (20-year range) were included. Only quantitative evaluations were included. Studies that collected qualitative data to supplement the quantitative analysis were also included. One hundred and three articles were included for data extraction. The following information was extracted: article details (e.g., author, title, journal), policy details (e.g., policy tools, goals, context), methods used to evaluate the policy (e.g., outcomes evaluated, sample size, limitations), and study findings. Fifty four studies examined the impact of policy on agricultural production. The remaining articles assessed land allocation (n = 25) (e.g., crop diversification, acreage expansion), efficiency (n = 23), rates of employment including on- and off-farm employment (n = 18), and farm income (n = 17) among others. Input supports, output supports and technical support had an impact on production, income and other outcomes. Although there were important exceptions, largely attributed to farm level allocation of labour or resources. Financial supports were most commonly evaluated including cash subsidies, credit, and tax benefits. This type of support resulted in an equal number of studies reporting increased production as those with no effects.This review provides initial extrapolative insights from the general literature on the impact of government policies on agricultural production. This review can inform dialogue between the health and agricultural sector and evaluative research on policy for alternatives to tobacco production and unhealthy food supply.

Health and Occupational Injury Experienced by Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina, USA

Children as young as 10 years old are hired to work on farms in the United States (U.S.). These children are largely Latinx. Using interview data collected from 202 North Carolina Latinx child farmworkers in 2017, this analysis documents the heath characteristics and occupational injuries of Latinx child farmworkers and delineates characteristics associated with their health and occupational injuries. Latinx child farmworkers include girls (37.6%) and boys (62.4%), aged 10 to 17 years, with 17.8% being migrant farmworkers. Three-quarters reported receiving medical and dental care in the past year. Respiratory (15.8%) and vision (20.3%) problems were prevalent. Girls more than boys, and younger more than older children had greater health service utilization. Occupational injuries were common, with 26.2% reporting a traumatic injury, 44.1% a dermatological injury, 42.6% a musculoskeletal injury, and 45.5% heat-related illness in the past year. Age increased the odds of reporting work injuries and heat-related illness, and being a non-migrant reduced the odds of reporting work injuries. These results emphasize the need for greater documentation of child farmworker occupational health and safety. They underscore the need to change occupational safety policy to ensure that children working in agriculture have the same protections as those working in all other U.S. industries.