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Agriculture
Special Issues
Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems in Changing Environments
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Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems in Changing Environments

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2019) | Viewed by 15447

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Andrei Jean Vasile

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Economic Sciences, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, 100680 Ploiesti, Romania
Interests: sustainable development; open economy macroeconomics; resource productivity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ignacio De los Ríos Carmenado

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Guest Editor
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: project management; organizational competences; rural development; sustainable management; sustainability competencies; working with people; sustainability governance; sustainable development planning; project-based governance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Drago Cvijanovic

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Guest Editor
Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism in Vrnjacka Banja, University of Kragujevac, Serbia
Interests: agricultural marketing and management; agricultural business; rural tourism; sustainable agriculture
Prof. Dr. Teodor Sedlarski

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Guest Editor
Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: sustainable growth; green economics; investments; employment; macroeconomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Responsible investment in agriculture and food systems is essential for enhancing food security and nutrition and supporting the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. Responsible investment makes a significant contribution to enhancing sustainable livelihoods, particularly for smallholders and members of marginalized and vulnerable groups, creating decent work for all agricultural and food workers, eradicating poverty, fostering social and gender equality, promoting social participation and inclusiveness, increasing economic growth, and therefore achieving green development.

Agriculture and food systems encompass the entire range of activities involved in the production, processing, marketing, retail, consumption, and disposal of goods that originate from agriculture, including food and non-food products, livestock, pastoralism, fisheries including aquaculture, and forestry; and the inputs needed and the outputs generated at each of these steps. Food systems also involve a wide range of stakeholders, people, and institutions, as well as the socio-political, economic, technological, and natural environment in which these activities take place. 

Addressing the four dimensions of food security and nutrition—availability, access, stability, and utilization—requires a significant increase in responsible investment in agriculture and food systems. Responsible investment in agriculture and food systems refers to the creation of productive assets and capital formation, which may comprise physical, human, or intangible capital.

Investing in agriculture and food systems can produce multiplier effects for complementary sectors, such as service or manufacturing industries, thus further contributing to food security and nutrition and overall economic development. Without accompanying investments in public goods and services, such as infrastructure or a reinforced capacity for local government to deliver public services, many investments in agriculture and food systems would not be possible.

The viability of investments in agriculture and food systems is also dependent on well-functioning ecosystems and sustainable use of natural resources. The value of safety and health in generating productive agriculture and food systems is important and investing successfully means taking a holistic approach in terms of human, animal, environmental, and overall public health. Responsible investment entails respect for gender equality, age, and non-discrimination and requires reliable, coherent transparent law and regulations.

The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provide added value through a multi-stakeholder, holistic, and consensus-driven approach, which fosters global ownership and application.

This Special Issue aims to discuss strategy frameworks from a responsible investment in agriculture and food systems perspective, and from overall sustainable economic development.

Assoc. Prof. Andrei Jean Vasile
Prof. Dr. Ignacio de los Ríos Carmenado
Prof. Dr. Drago Cvijanovic
Assoc. Prof. Teodor Sedlarski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Agricultural investments
  • Agricultural systems
  • Conservation agriculture
  • Diversification
  • Ecological agriculture
  • Ecological intensification
  • Environmental influences on production and products
  • Food systems
  • Resilience
  • Responsible investment
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Ecological/Organic agriculture
  • Social learning
  • Working with people

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1397 KiB  
Article
Response of the Durum Wheat Cultivar Um Qais (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) to Salinity
by Luma Hamdi, Ayman Suleiman, Gerrit Hoogenboom and Vakhtang Shelia
Agriculture 2019, 9(7), 135; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture9070135 - 30 Jun 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3891
Abstract
The threat of land degradation by salinization in Jordan has been increasing over the last decades. Therefore, information about the response of local cultivars to salinity is needed to help farmers choose the most productive cultivars for areas with salt-affected soils. A recently [...] Read more.
The threat of land degradation by salinization in Jordan has been increasing over the last decades. Therefore, information about the response of local cultivars to salinity is needed to help farmers choose the most productive cultivars for areas with salt-affected soils. A recently released durum wheat cultivar Um Qais (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) has shown to be productive under normal conditions but to date there are no known studies on its tolerance to salinity. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the response of Um Qais cultivar to salinity. A field experiment was carried out in the Jordan Valley, which is known for its hot, dry climate during the summer and low rainfall and moderate temperature during the winter. Three water salinity levels (S): S1 (2 dS m−1), S2 (4 dS m−1), and S3 (8 dS m−1) with three irrigation amounts (R) (control = 120% (R1), 100% (R2), and 70% (R3)) were used in the field. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using four levels of saline water (S): S1 (0.65 dS m−1), S2 (4 dS m−1), S3 (8 dS m−1), and S4 (10 dS m−1). In both experiments, the leaf area index (LAI) and canopy height were measured during three growth stages, tillering, flag leaf, and maturity. The number of grains, grain yield, and above-ground biomass were measured after harvesting while soil salinity and pH were measured every three weeks during the growing season. The results showed that the maximum reduction in yield was of the 28% in the field experiment when the average soil salinity was of 6.8 ± 1.1 (standard error) dS m−1 at the middle stages of the season. Significant changes were shown in the treatments of the field experiments for maximum LAI, number of grains, and aboveground biomass, but not for plant height. For the greenhouse treatments, about 60% of the maximum grain yield was obtained when the average soil salinity was 9.94 ± 1.89 dS m−1 at the middle stage. Grain yield was the most sensitive parameter to the increase in soil salinity during the season. According to the findings of both experiments, Um Qais can be cultivated in moderately saline soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems in Changing Environments)
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10 pages, 642 KiB  
Article
Current Situation and Sustainable Development of Rice Cultivation and Production in Afghanistan
by Kifayatullah Kakar, Tran Dang Xuan, Mohammad Ismael Haqani, Ramin Rayee, Imran Khan Wafa, Saidajan Abdiani and Hoang-Dung Tran
Agriculture 2019, 9(3), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture9030049 - 07 Mar 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 10857
Abstract
Poverty is a critical issue that is stagnating the development of Afghanistan. In 2007, more than 42% of the population of the country was reported as being below the poverty line, but until 2014, 78.2% of households even in the urban areas were [...] Read more.
Poverty is a critical issue that is stagnating the development of Afghanistan. In 2007, more than 42% of the population of the country was reported as being below the poverty line, but until 2014, 78.2% of households even in the urban areas were still dealing with food shortages. The agriculture sector is the backbone of the country’s economy and contributes as the key sector to the revival of the well-being of people in Afghanistan. Rice is the second staple crop after wheat and plays a key role in food security, nutrition, and caloric intake. However, Afghan farmers have suffered from the low quality of grains and yield which has resulted in the serious malnutrition which is occurring in the country. Insufficient breeding techniques for new rice cultivars with high yield and acceptable quality, mismanagement of agronomical practices, and unprogressive milling and processing thus can satisfy only 50% of the country’s demand. Accordingly, Afghanistan has been compelled to import a huge annual amount of milled rice from Pakistan, India, and Iran. Although active efforts have been made by the government, research institutes, and international collaboration on rice research, production, and agricultural credits during the last 10 years, the deficit of milled rice in Afghanistan in 2018 is estimated to be 270,250 metric tons. This paper highlights the current situation of rice production in Afghanistan and suggests solutions for food security and sustainability in rice production to promote farmers’ income, consequently strengthening the country’s economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems in Changing Environments)
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