The Challenges of Agricultural Extension Amid Drought and COVID-19 Pandemic:Community-based Soybean SeedProduction Through Brainstorming and Participatory Action Development

One constraint of Thai soybean production is the volume of seeds used for cultivation in the dry season or after the rice season. PhuPha Man district, KhonKaenprovince, in Northeast Thailand, faces the same problem and can be solved by producing seeds during the rainy season for use in the dry season. The collaborative brainstorming to participatory action development employed in this community-based soybean production project involves four steps: (1) needs assessment, (2) planning, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation. From 2019-2020, a total of 40 farmers jointly participated in this project: 20 from the Non-Korm Sub-district and 20 from the Sawab Sub-district. They agreed to implement three missions: (1) Farmer group management. A Community-based Soybean Seed Production Center (CSSPC) was established in each area. Each CSSPC was responsible for determining the structure and role of management, including the implementation of disciplines. (2) Seed production management. During its implementation, a shortage of rainfall and drought occurred from September to October 2019, causing soybean production to decline. Moreover, product harvesting and project evaluation took place at the site during the COVID-19 pandemic from January to May 2020, influencing the ability of farmers and facilitators to work together on group activities which required delicate management of the monitoring, control, production, exchange, and learning to solve problems. (3) Seed purchasing and distribution management. Rainfall shortage and drought influenced the ability of the farmers to produce the required soybean seeds. Consequently, the CSSPC did not purchase the seeds and manage their distribution.Copyright © 2023, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Editorial

The declaration identifies five central pillars where tourism plays a significant role, namely, sustainable economic growth, social inclusiveness and equality, environmental protection and climate change, cultural diversity and heritage, mutual understanding and peace (UNWTO, 2017). Even though some progress has been noted to reduce global poverty levels, poverty remains one of the most enduring concerns of nations affecting both developing and developed countries (World Bank, 2020). Poverty is expected to rise further following the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that follows, with most countries being estimated to continue to experience the effects of the pandemic until 2030 (World Bank, 2020). [...]the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the food supply chains and caused a global economic slowdown, which profoundly impacts global food security (Aldao et al., 2021).

INCOME ANALYSIS ON BROILER CHICKEN FARMING IN PARTNERSHIP SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN TANRALILI DISTRICT, INDONESIA

This study was aimed to determine the income of farmers who carry out a partnership system during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lekopancing Village, Tanralili District, Maros Regency. The research was conducted on March to April 2021. The type of research used is descriptive quantitative. The sample in this study were farmers who partnered with the X’s company were 2 farmers, the Y’s company were 12 farmers and the Z’s company were 8 breeder. Data was collected through interviews with the help of a questionnaire as the research instrument. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted to the incomes of farmers who partnered with companies X, Y, and Z, other than that it influence price fluctuations. The income earned by farmers with partnership patterns on a business scale of 3000 tail is the highest breeder who partners with PT. Z was USD 1,564.63 and USD 0.52/tail/period. As for the business scale of 4000, the highest is PT. Y of USD 2,285.97 and USD 0.76/tail/period. © 2022. Online Journal of Animal and Feed Research. All Rights Reserved.

STUDY ON THE NEW MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR AGRICULTURAL FARMS IN ROMANIA, AS A RESULT OF THE ENERGY CRISIS FROM 2021-2022

In Romania, in 2020-2022, a series of events took place which led to the need to rethink and adapt the management of agricultural farms to the new conditions. It is about the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which overlapped with one of the driest agricultural years (2019-2020), but also about the energy crisis, that for agriculture meant the unprecedented price increase for inputs and technologies. Under these conditions, the cost of food has increased from the very first stage of the production process, namely obtaining the raw material. Analyzing the data provided by the Romanian Commodities Exchange, the upward trend in prices starting with January 2020 and lasted until February 2022 can be observed. For the main crops in Romania, namely wheat, corn and sunflower, trading prices increased with 26-73%. At the same time, there are significant increases in inputs, which in turn are caused by higher prices in the energy sector - 443% for natural gas and 194% for electricity. Petroleum products were no exception, with a doubling of the price between the beginning of 2020 and February 2022. All these have led farmers to look for new solutions in order to ensure, at least partially, the necessary fertilizers from natural sources, through crops that are able to bring nitrogen into the soil. Reducing costs per hectare by introducing legumes (especially soy) into crop rotation and merging technological works are only the first proposed solutions, and in the coming years more innovations will be implemented in agricultural management.

When Scent Becomes a Weapon—Plant Essential Oils as Potent Bioinsecticides

Crop protection still mostly relies on synthetic pesticides for crop pest control. However, the rationale for their continued use is shaded by the revealed adverse effects, such as relatively long environmental persistence that leads to water and soil contamination and retention of residues in food that brings high risks to human and animal health. As part of integrated pest management, biopesticides may provide crop protection, being eco-friendly and safe for humans and non-target organisms. Essential oils, complex mixtures of low-molecular-weight, highly volatile compounds, have been highlighted as major candidates for plant-derived bioinsecticides that are up to the sustainable biological standard. In this review, we screened the insecticidal activity of essential oils or their purified compounds, with focus given to their modes of action, along with the analyzed advantages and problems associated with their wider usage as plant-derived insecticides in agriculture.

Environmental Management Strategies in Kichwa Communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Unemployment in Ecuador's Amazonian communities has increased significantly during the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 disease, primarily from March to August 2020;as a result, the population has shifted its focus to agriculture. This economic sector is specifically directed towards the overexploitation of timber resources and the hunting of animals. This study proposes an Environmental Management Plan for three agricultural farms located in the San Pablo de Ushpayaco parish, Napo, Ecuador, which sell primarily organic products in local markets. The fieldwork included a historical analysis of the sector, the diagnosis of survival strategies, relevant environmental aspects, identification of actors, and interests regarding access to resources. Different problems include the inefficient use of water resources, poor land use management due to its overexploitation through monoculture practices, absence of sustainable agriculture and livestock practices, poor crop rotation, low application of organic fertilizers, and lack of inputs and resources were identified. Poor agricultural practices have led to low production yields and limited economic profit for farmers. This Environmental Management Plan focuses on the prevention, mitigation, and compensation of the environmental impacts caused by agriculture and therefore improving the quality of life of the communities in the study case.

The Emergence and Dissemination of Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Lebanon: Current Status and Challenges during the Economic Crisis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections and chronic airway diseases in non-clinical settings. P. aeruginosa is intrinsically resistant to a variety of antimicrobials and has the ability to acquire resistance to others, causing increasingly recalcitrant infections and elevating public health concerns. We reviewed the literature on multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa isolated from humans (nosocomial and community-associated), animals, and the environment in Lebanon, a country that has been suffering from a surge in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We identified 24 studies that described the epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of P. aeruginosa. Our analysis showed that the bacterium was predominant in lesions of patients on mechanical ventilation and in burn patients and those with diabetic foot infections and hematological malignancies. We also found that carbapenem resistance in P. aeruginosa isolates in Lebanon involved both enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms but depended predominantly on VIM-2 production (40.7%). Additionally, MDR P. aeruginosa was detected in animals, where a recent study reported the emergence of carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa in livestock in Lebanon. Notably, no studies evaluated the contribution of MDR P. aeruginosa in the environment to human infections. Taken together, our findings highlight the need for AMR surveillance programs and a national action plan to combat resistance in Lebanon.

Microbial diversity and the abundance of keystone species drive the response of soil multifunctionality to organic substitution and biochar amendment in a tea plantation

High nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs accelerate soil acidification and degradation in tea plantations, thus posing a threat to soil microbial diversity, species composition, and ecosystem service functions. The effects of organic fertilizer and biochar applications on improving soil fertility have been extensively studied on cropland;however, little is known about their effectiveness in promoting soil multifunctionality on rapidly expanding acidic soils in tea plantations. In this study, we conducted a two‐year field experiment in a subtropical tea plantation to investigate the effects of organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment on soil microbial communities and multifunctionality. The results showed that soil multifunctionality was enhanced in plots amended with organic fertilizer and biochar. Soil multifunctionality was significantly and positively correlated with alpha‐diversity of bacteria but not fungi. We also found that organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment improved soil multifunctionality by altering the abundance of keystone species. The abundance of keystone species classified as module hubs in the bacterial co‐occurrence network contributed significantly and positively to soil multifunctionality. In contrast, the keystone species categorized as module hubs in the fungal co‐occurrence network negatively affected soil multifunctionality. Soil pH was a key driver of soil microbial community composition, indicating that the increase in soil pH under organic fertilizer and biochar amendment had a crucial role in biological processes. These results suggest that organic substitution and biochar amendment are beneficial in preventing soil degradation and maintaining soil multifunctionality in subtropical tea plantations.

Regional Disparities and Influencing Factors of Eco-Efficiency of Arable Land Utilization in China

Eco-efficiency of arable land utilization (EALU) emphasizes efficient coordination between land use systems and ecosystems. It is therefore of great significance for agricultural sustainability based on the systematic assessment of EALU. This study took carbon emissions and non-point source pollution resulting from arable land utilization into the measurement system of EALU, and a super-SBM model, kernel density estimation and Tobit regression model were used to analyze regional differences and influencing factors of EALU for 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019. The results showed that there was an upward trend in EALU in China from 0.4393 in 2000 to 0.8929 in 2019, with an average annual growth rate of 4.01%. At the regional level, the EALU of three categories of grain functional areas generally maintains an increasing trend, with the highest average value of EALU in main grain marketing areas (MGMAs), followed by grain producing and marketing balance areas (GPMBAs) and main grain producing areas (MGPAs). There are obvious differences in EALU among provinces, and the number of provinces with high eco-efficiency has increased significantly, showing a spatial distribution pattern of “block” clustering. In terms of dynamic evolution, kernel density curves reflect the evolution of EALU in China and grain functional areas with different degrees of polarization characteristics. The results of Tobit regression show that natural conditions, financial support for agriculture, science and technology inputs, level of industrialization, agricultural mechanization, and the living standards of farmers are significant factors resulting in regional disparities of EALU. Therefore, this study proposes the implementation of differentiated arable land use/agricultural management strategies to improve the sustainable utilization of arable land.

Protecting Amazonia Should Focus on Protecting Indigenous, Traditional Peoples and Their Territories

Additionally, if deforestation alone was not enough, a severe drought in 2020 together with the COVID-19 pandemic has created a devastating synergism between forest loss, fires, which produce particulate air pollutants, and related health risks, endangering Amazonian Indigenous and traditional peoples [3]. According to a report just released by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation within Indigenous lands has reached 331.1 km2 in 2021 [2]. Combining a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) to map LULC with the Brazilian Biomass Burning Emission with Fire Radiative Power (3BEM_FRP) model, they estimated the dangerous particulate pollution (particles with a diameter less than 2.5 µm, PM2.5) produced by deforestation and fire. According to the authors, deforestation is an important driver of emissions in Amazonia but does not explain biomass burning alone.