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Abstract: With the increasing concern about climate change and its impacts on agriculture, understanding the dynamics of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study aims to assess the impact of agriculture on GHG within the EU and to examine how climate-smart agricultural practices can affect these emissions. The research investigates the complex relationship between agricultural activities and GHG emissions within the European Union during the period of 2017–2022 using structural equation modeling based on data from Eurostat and the European Commission. Furthermore, the study examines the influence of the digital economy on labor productivity in agriculture, recognizing the pivotal role of digital technologies in fostering climate-smart agricultural practices. The findings unveil significant positive influences encompassing the digital economy, agricultural productivity, agricultural output, and GHG emissions, underscoring the imperative of integrating climate-smart methodologies into agricultural frameworks. However, the influence of digital technologies is not significant as a result of opposing forces. Digital technologies exert positive indirect influences by increasing agricultural productivity and agricultural output, while they have negative influences by improving production processes through automation and precision agriculture. Digitalization and climate-smart agricultural practices have a significant potential to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the agricultural sector, contributing to food security and environmental protection by reducing GHG emissions. This study highlights the EU’s potential to achieve its environmental objectives through the reduction of GHG emissions and the enhancement of resilience within the agricultural sector, emphasizing the necessity of adopting climate-smart strategies.
Abstract: The aim of this review was to provide an overview of existing farming practices and technologies in Europe by assessing their contribution to climate-smart agricultural (CSA) outcomes. Following the PRISMA protocol, 110 final selected studies were scrutinized. Altogether 74 different practices and technologies were identified. Using an inductive approach, the identified practices and technologies were categorized, and their potential contribution towards contextualized CSA outcomes—productivity, resilience, GHG mitigation, biodiversity improvement, animal welfare support, water and energy use efficiency—was assessed. Among CSA farming practices, this review highlighted legume-based cover crops, crop rotation, intercropping, and crop diversification as having promising potential to achieve CSA outcomes. Among CSA technologies, precision fertilization, crop protection, and irrigation showed promising potential. Moreover, pasture grazing, legume-based feed additives, improved forage production and holistic husbandry management with precision technologies were identified as promising contributors to CSA outcomes. The review emphasizes that the utilization of smart farming technologies and practices in crop and livestock production systems could positively contribute to achieving one or more outcomes. Overall, the GHG mitigation and farm productivity improvement outcomes were relatively well covered in the reviewed literature. Improvements in biodiversity, water and energy use efficiency, and animal welfare outcomes are not well demonstrated within the identified studies.
Abstract: The adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a critical component in the transition to a more sustainable food system. However, the transition calls for significant changes in the food production system, in which stakeholders in the supply chain should work collaboratively. So far, most studies have focused on the perceptions of one actor, the farmer, on implementation of CSA practices. This study aims to include also other stakeholders’ perceptions on drivers and barriers to CSA implementation in the primary production for five European food supply chains. Data were collected from stakeholders using a semi-structured interview guide, including farmers, producers and manufacturers, advisory service providers, advocacy institutions, policy officers, researchers, and consultants. The top three drivers to foster the adoption of CSA practices within the five food supply chains touched on economic, institutional and policy, as well as personal and psychological factors. Similarly, the top three barriers limiting adoption of CSA practices were seen to be economic, technology-related aspects, and institutional and policy factors. According to the stakeholders, addressing these barriers requires financial support, policy changes, and capacity-building efforts to make these practices attractive especially to farmers. They also emphasized that improved coordination among stakeholders, incentives for sustainable practices and customized strategies for communicating and disseminating CSA information can help catalyse effective understanding and implementation of CSA practices.
Abstract: Climate change is a constant threat to global food security. In Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), extended dry spells, heavy rainfall, flooding, and tropical storms have driven a large percentage of the population to a severe food crisis. Climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) is a potential comprehensive solution whose adoption can mitigate climate change and its ramifications on the state of food security in the region. CSA combines innovation, the use of technology, extensive research, stakeholder involvement, and data to increase food production, optimize resource allocation and utilization, and enhance the region's ability to feed its population. The adoption of CSA has succeeded in increasing agricultural productivity in several parts of SSA and will help towards the building of resilience food systems across the region amid constant and unpredictable climate change and its far‐reaching impacts in the region. For the sustained and universal adoption of CSA within the region, there is a need for more stakeholder involvement in its development and adaptation to the needs of specific communities. Furthermore, it is necessary to leverage the positive impact of the approach by expanding its scope beyond climate change mitigation to prevention and control, and ultimately help in achieving the United Nations SDG 2 and 13.
Abstract: In this paper we examine whether there are significant gender differences in the adoption of climate‐smart agricultural (CSA) practices in sub‐Saharan Africa. Using individual‐level data from four sites in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal, our empirical analysis provides robust evidence that men have a higher likelihood of adopting high‐return CSA practices including modern chemical fertiliser, improved high‐yielding varieties and drought/pest tolerant livestock practices. In contrast, women tend to have a higher likelihood of adopting low‐risk and low‐return traditional CSA practices such as water harvesting, crop covering, rangeland management and pest management. Our subsample analysis shows significant heterogeneity in the gender gap across countries. The results of the decomposition of the observed gender gap show that personal values and norms, access to weather and production information and farm characteristics are important factors that explain the gender differential in the likelihood of CSA adoption. Our findings imply that equalising access to key resources such as plots of land, information and decision making power will be crucial to close the gender gap in the adoption of CSA practices. This is particularly important given the differential impacts of climate change between men and women in sub‐Saharan Africa.has shown that improving soil properties using land use systems leads to an increase in soil nutrients.
Abstract: Women face severe gender-specific constraints and have minimal part in the farm decision-making systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This leads to additional barriers in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. This paper contributes to the gender debate by focusing on intra-household gender dynamics that influence the adaptive capacities of small-holder farmers. Using a multi-country approach, and considering Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania as case studies, an endogenous-switching poisson regression model was conducted to (i) assess factors influencing the probability of women's engagement in agricultural technology decision-making; (ii) ascertain the effect of women's participation in farm decision-making on climate-smart agriculture adoption. The findings indicate a degree of complexity in women's roles within their communities and family contexts. While in Malawi women participating in the farm decision-making process positively affects CSA adoption, in the other countries their role remains marginal or negatively related with farm sustainability. Such women's empowerment is indeed influenced by the existence of social, regulatory, and cultural elements that uniquely define the considered countries. Context-specific policies that prioritize rural-women, youths, and other marginalized groups can enhance CSA adoption and thereby contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals such as gender equality, climate action and zero hunger in developing contexts.
Abstract: Climate change and extreme weather threaten food security and farmers’ livelihoods in several regions, and are increasingly affecting production. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approaches, which attempt to strike a balance between food security, climate change resilience, and agricultural carbon emissions, have achieved significant results in many parts of the world but are still in urgent need of replication in China. In this study, we developed a protector–victim–perpetrator (PVP) analytical framework to analyse the complex links between climate change and agricultural production for the first time and constructed the first climate-smart agriculture development index (CSADI) in China through a modified GPCA-EWM methodology. The evaluation results showed that the CSA development level in most provinces and regions in China continuously improved from 2010 to 2020 but that the overall level was still low, with only four provinces and regions reaching a highly distinct level. The development level of climate-smart agriculture in China was constrained by the insufficient adaptation of agriculture to climate change, the overreliance of most regions on the innate advantages brought about by resource endowment, and the lack of acquired management and protection. Food security was often negatively correlated with agricultural carbon emissions, but the potential for reducing carbon emissions was quite limited, with ecological degradation and livestock overload in Tibet being of particular concern. In summary, mitigating agricultural carbon emissions by improving adaptability, drawing a bottom line for natural resource protection, popularising climate-smart agricultural technologies, and cross-regional integrated ecological management will help enhance the development of climate-smart agriculture in China.
Abstract: The paper attempts to examine the factors that influence climate-smart adaptation (CSA) strategies. The study used binary logit and multivariate probit models to understand the dynamics and factors of agricultural households’ behavioural decisions on CSA strategies. Based on the results of the binary logit model, the study indicated that factors such as access to extension services and training, gender, educational level, land ownership, access to irrigation, access to credit and crop damage level positively and significantly influenced farmers’ decisions to use CSA strategies. Similarly, the results of the multivariate probit model reveal that factors such as educational level, access to extension services and training, and land ownership had significant impacts on the adoption of the majority of CSA strategies. To improve the intensity of CSA strategies, the study recommends expanding training and extension services to farming masses, the expansion of irrigation facilities and weather information at the farm level.
Abstract: Tropical climate-smart agriculture could be a cost-effective and scalable nature-based solution toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades. Nevertheless, the lack of integrated on-farm CO2, CH4, and N2O flux measurements remains a barrier to including these systems in certification programs and the carbon (C) market. This systematic literature review critically examines field-measured GHG emission studies within climate-smart agri-systems in Brazil, aiming to: (i) integrate GHG-measured data, (ii) explore geographical representativeness and connections between organizations and authors, (iii) analyze distributions of studied GHG molecules, climate-smart system types, and productive components, (iv) conduct a meta-analysis on the adoption of climate-smart agriculture, and (v) identify methodological and scope gaps, providing insights for future research directions. The systems considered include no-till, well-managed pasture, integrated crop-livestock, and integration with trees (i.e., crop-forestry, livestock-forestry, crop-livestock-forestry, and multistrata agroforestry). Out of 1200 papers mentioning GHGs and climate-smart systems, 74 contained reliable on-farm flux measurements. Most authors were Brazilians affiliated with Embrapa and public Universities. Studies concentrated on the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, with scarce data for other biomes. Over half of the trials assessed individual GHG molecules and only one climate-smart system. Urochloa spp. and Avena spp. were the most studied forage genera, while soybeans and corn dominated annual crops. Eucalyptus spp. and beef cattle were common trees and animals. No-till, integrated crop-livestock, and agricultural integrations involving trees showed soil C–CH4 influx from 0.8 to 1.0 kg ha−1 y−1. Transitioning from pasture monoculture to integrated systems decreased N–N2O emissions by up to 1.63 kg ha−1 y−1. Converting extensive grazed land to intensified-integrated systems reduced animal CH4 intensity, with cuts of up to 122 g CH4 per kg of average daily weight gain. Future research must urgently address methodological issues, such as de-standardization (e.g., 8–10 flux units found per GHG molecule) and the absence of crucial ancillary variables. In conclusion, adopting diversified climate-smart agri-systems shows potential to mitigate GHG emissions, but caution is advised when extrapolating our numerical findings due to limited data across Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions. We urge scientists to prioritize frequent on-farm measurements of all three GHGs (CO2, N2O, and CH4) along with agroecosystem C sequestration across multiple climate-smart systems, enabling reliable and comparable net GHG flux calculations to identify the most sustainable option. Advancing and standardizing GHG measurements in Brazil offer an opportunity to enhance GHGs inventory accuracy, calibrate models, and promote policies and investments that expand refined tropical climate-smart agriculture.
Abstract: To ensure climate-resilient food and other production systems, countries must adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate-change. Adopting climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) will significantly contribute to such adaptation and mitigation. In global, regional, and African contexts, Ethiopia represents a useful case study from which much can be learned. Therefore, the fourfold objectives of this Ethiopia-focused review were to i) synthesize adoption studies of more than seven CSAPs; ii) examine their adoption status, including gender considerations, socioeconomic benefits, and constraints to CSAP adoption; iii) identify gaps in the current CSAPs adoption literature, and iv) highlight future CSAP research and policy directions. Following a systematic literature review procedure, 100 articles published between 2001 and 2021 on adoption of CSAPs in Ethiopia were reviewed. Although all the publications were about the highlands of Ethiopia, over 80% came from the regions of Amhara, Oromiya, and South Nations and Nationalities. The most-adopted practice was soil and water conservation (SWC), with a mean adoption rate of 61.5%, followed by integrated soil fertility management, and agroforestry with mean adoption rates of 56.5% and 48.8%, respectively. Gender analysis was integrated in the studies at varying levels, including in all improved livestock management initiatives; just over half the SWC initiatives; and over 75% of the remaining five practices. Quantified socioeconomic benefits were reported in only 46 papers. Greater farm income; increased land productivity; higher yields; increased food availability; and reduced household poverty were among the reported benefits of adopters compared to their counterparts. Among the aggregated constraints, socioeconomic factors and knowledge/awareness were ranked the two highest, followed by labor shortage and limited market access. The study highlighted research gaps, especially a lack of national-scale studies and studies focusing on drought-prone regions. Additionally, 37% and 46% of the studies respectively, didn’t consider i) gender, and ii) analysis of socioeconomic benefits of CSAP adoption. This Ethiopian review reveals a need to fill research gaps in methodologies and practices, and at all levels in all regions, particularly in drought-prone regions. It identifies those CSAPs which could contribute more to addressing climate change, and emphasizes the need for greater gender inclusion. Policy-related actions should i) boost CSAP-related knowledge; ii) support optimizing their socioeconomic benefits; iii) address labor shortages; iv) improve access to irrigation, markets; credit, and farmers’ social organizations; and v) strengthen land tenure. In future, deploying remote-sensing technology, artificial intelligence and modelling approaches, and implementing Agricultural Weather Index-Based Insurance may also support CSAPs adoption.
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