Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.4
Journals
IJERPH
Special Issues
Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment...
ijerph-logo
Submit to IJERPH Review for IJERPH Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 58877

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Pier Paolo Miglietta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Interests: agricultural economics; management and policy; biosystem engineering; life cycle assessment; water resource management; environmental and natural resource economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Domenico Morrone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, Finance and Technology, LUM-“Giuseppe Degennaro” University, 70010 Casamassima, Italy
Interests: sustainability; green marketing; agrifood; energy; consumer behaviour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pierluigi Toma

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
Interests: efficiency; productivity; quantitative methods; econometrics; operational research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fields of nutrition, public health and sustainable agriculture have historically developed as distinct, non-overlapping disciplines. However, it is increasingly clear that public health dietary guidelines around diet cannot be met without a simultaneous focus on sustainable agriculture and food production.

Agricultural sustainability is essential for the continued viability of communities and territories. New innovations in agri-food production and land preservation are needed. Current approaches used for crop production, breeding, fisheries or silviculture need to be examined in the light of natural resource availability.

There is an urgent need for modifications in the primary sector firm management, so as to adapt to the changing socio-economic and climatic conditions, and to improve efficiency, productivity, and security. The aim, intended as a societal challenge, is to find a balance between the economic and managerial practices and the environmental, social and health needs.

This Special Issue seeks to demonstrate the important role that quantitative approaches can play for measuring sustainability. It is intended to propose strategies for approaching public health nutritional goals and thus enhance our ability to develop sustainable primary and food systems from environmental, economic and social perspectives.

Dr. Pier Paolo Miglietta
Dr. Domenico Morrone
Dr. Pierluigi Toma
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

  • Primary sector sustainability assessment and management
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Footprint assessment
  • Resource use efficiency
  • Agricultural productivity
  • Agricultural economics
  • Agri-food quality
  • Agricultural sustainable policy
  • Environmental research
  • Water-food-energy nexus
  • Quantitative tools
  • Operations management
  • Food and drink environments
  • Nutritional quality
  • Food safety
  • Agriculture and health: production linkage
  • Agrochemicals

Published Papers (13 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 2210 KiB  
Article
The Circular Model in Disposal with Municipal Waste. A Case Study of Slovakia
by Henrieta Pavolová, Roman Lacko, Zuzana Hajduová, Zuzana Šimková and Martin Rovňák
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(6), 1839; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17061839 - 12 Mar 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3016
Abstract
Mineral resources are life and driving force of the European Union. It is gaining awareness not only in the EU dependent on imports, but also in the world. In the context of the growing population and the growing demands of economies for natural [...] Read more.
Mineral resources are life and driving force of the European Union. It is gaining awareness not only in the EU dependent on imports, but also in the world. In the context of the growing population and the growing demands of economies for natural resources, this type of material management has a significant negative impact on the environment. The main aim of the study was to justify the model of circular economy on the national level, based on the disparities between the regions of Slovak republic. To meet the objective, mostly one-factor analysis was implemented. The circular model, which is based on the partial replacement of primary raw materials by secondary ones, should, on the one hand, limit the depletion of natural resources and, on the other hand, reduce the amount of waste produced. The presented work focuses on the issue of sustainable development, which is closely related to the circular economy, and then explains the circular economy model, including the differences from the linear arrangement and possible obstacles to its implementation for the specific conditions of the Slovak republic. From the results, it is clear that the proposed circular model would be helpful to improve the inefficiencies and disparities on the regional and national level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 961 KiB  
Article
The Links between Human Diets and Health and Climate Outcomes in the World’s Macro-Regions during the Last 50 Years
by Christian Fischer and Pier Paolo Miglietta
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(4), 1219; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17041219 - 13 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5712
Abstract
Globally, traditional food security fears have been supplemented by concerns about food system sustainability that link current agricultural production practices to damages of environmental ecosystems and the world’s climate, thus threatening the natural resource base of future generations. This paper aims at creating [...] Read more.
Globally, traditional food security fears have been supplemented by concerns about food system sustainability that link current agricultural production practices to damages of environmental ecosystems and the world’s climate, thus threatening the natural resource base of future generations. This paper aims at creating a better understanding of the evolution of diet sustainability from 1961 to 2013. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations were used to investigate the situation for the world as a whole as well as for its macro-regions Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. We define diet sustainability by (a) the share of daily per capita calorie intake derived from vegetable/plant products and (b) the variety of vegetable/plant products consumed, measured by the Simpson diversity index. Moreover, total calorie consumption is considered. Then the correlations between diet sustainability and (a) macro-regional life expectancy rates and (b) food system greenhouse gas emissions are calculated. The results show that diet sustainability has not changed much during the last 50 years. Moreover, the nexus between diets and health and climate outcomes is not fully evident at the macro-regional level. Therefore, Malthus 2.0, i.e., scientific food pessimism, should be avoided. In particular, the limitations of dietary contributions to human and planetary health ought to be more widely acknowledged. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 961 KiB  
Article
Effects of Biochar Application on Soil Organic Carbon Composition and Enzyme Activity in Paddy Soil under Water-Saving Irrigation
by Shihong Yang, Xi Chen, Zewei Jiang, Jie Ding, Xiao Sun and Junzeng Xu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(1), 333; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17010333 - 03 Jan 2020
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 4294
Abstract
Rice water-saving irrigation technology can remarkably reduce irrigation water input and maintain high yield; however, this technology can also accelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter in paddy fields. The spatial and temporal distributions of soil organic carbon (SOC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), [...] Read more.
Rice water-saving irrigation technology can remarkably reduce irrigation water input and maintain high yield; however, this technology can also accelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter in paddy fields. The spatial and temporal distributions of soil organic carbon (SOC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) under different water-carbon regulation scenarios were analyzed on the basis of field experiments in the Taihu Lake region in China to explore the effects of biochar application on SOC and its components in water-saving irrigation paddy fields. The response of soil catalase (CAT) and invertase (INV) to biochar application in water-saving irrigated rice fields was clarified. The results showed that water-saving irrigation reduced the SOC content by 5.7% to 13.3% but increased WSOC and SMBC contents by 13.8% to 26.1% and 0.9% to 11.1%, respectively, as compared with flooding irrigation. Nonflooding management promoted the oxidative decomposition of soil organic matter. Two years after straw biochar was added, paddy soil SOC content under water-saving irrigation was increased by 4.0% to 26.7%. The WSOC and SMBC contents were also increased by 4.0% to 52.4% and 7.0% to 40.8%, respectively. The high straw biochar addition rate exhibited great impact on SOC. Remarkable correlations among SOC, WSOC, and SMBC were observed, indicating that the addition of straw biochar improved soil labile C, such as WSOC and SMBC, which promoted SOC transformation and stability in paddy soil under water-saving irrigation. Soil CAT and INV were related to SOC conversion. In conclusion, the combination of water-saving irrigation and straw biochar addition was beneficial to the improvement of soil properties and fertility of paddy fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 599 KiB  
Article
Study of the Spatio-Temporal Differentiation of Factors Influencing Carbon Emission of the Planting Industry in Arid and Vulnerable Areas in Northwest China
by Yujie Huang, Yang Su, Ruiliang Li, Haiqing He, Haiyan Liu, Feng Li and Qin Shu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(1), 187; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17010187 - 26 Dec 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
Due to the importance of understanding the relationship between agricultural growth and environmental quality, we analyzed how high-quality agricultural development can affect carbon emissions in Northwest China. Based on the concept of the environmental Kuznets curve, this study uses provincial panel data from [...] Read more.
Due to the importance of understanding the relationship between agricultural growth and environmental quality, we analyzed how high-quality agricultural development can affect carbon emissions in Northwest China. Based on the concept of the environmental Kuznets curve, this study uses provincial panel data from 1993 to 2017 to make empirical analyses inflection point changes and spatio-temporal differences in agricultural carbon emissions. The highlights of our findings are as follows: (1) In Northwest China, there is an inverse N-shape curve, and the critical values are 3578 yuan/hm2 and 45,738 yuan/hm2, respectively. (2) For 2017, the agricultural economic intensity was 50,670 yuan/hm2, exceeding the critical value (high inflection point) of 45,738 yuan/hm2. (3) Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai have not reached the turning point. Having comparable climate, natural conditions, and overall environmental factors, these three provinces would reach the turning point at similar time periods. (4) The average value in agricultural carbon emission intensity in the region is 767.79 kg/hm2, and the order based on intensity is Xinjiang > Shaanxi > Ningxia > Gansu > Qinghai. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1502 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Agricultural Economy and Agricultural Pollution Using the Decoupling Index in Chengdu, China
by Sipan Li, Qunxi Gong and Shaolei Yang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(21), 4233; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16214233 - 31 Oct 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5666
Abstract
The development of the agricultural economy has brought the agricultural pollution, and agricultural pollution has restrained the growth of the agricultural economy and endangered public health. Since the Economic Reform opened up, China has promulgated many policies that have benefited farmers, developed the [...] Read more.
The development of the agricultural economy has brought the agricultural pollution, and agricultural pollution has restrained the growth of the agricultural economy and endangered public health. Since the Economic Reform opened up, China has promulgated many policies that have benefited farmers, developed the agricultural economy, and improved agricultural material levels. However, the growth in the agricultural economy has also resulted in significant environmental pollution from pesticides, agricultural fertilizers and agricultural plastic film. Agricultural pollution can affect public health, therefore it is necessary to study the relationship between agricultural economy and agricultural pollution. In this paper, the relationship between the agricultural economy and agricultural pollution is studied by using decoupling index method, taking Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China as an example, and verified by the data of 2008–2017 years of Chengdu. It was found that the decoupling index for pesticide use and per capita gross agricultural production showed “strong decoupling” ideal states in six years. From 2009–2017, the value of it increased from 0.065743–1.597385, and its decoupling state gradually transited to stable strong decoupling. The chemical fertilizer use was found to have a “strong decoupling” ideal state in five years. The value of it decreased from 1.028854–(−0.512702), while its state gradually changed to strong decoupling. However, agricultural plastic film only has one “strong decoupling” state with its value of decoupling index changed from −0.380824–(−0.250250). The increased use of plastic film has resulted in increased agricultural pollution. The research results show that growing with the development of Chengdu’s agricultural economy, the use of pesticides and fertilizers has been decreasing. Chengdu’s agricultural economy and agricultural pollution were found to have a healthy and coordinated development. The development of agricultural economy has not caused much damage to the agricultural environment. In addition, with the decline of agricultural pollution, public health problems will also be reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3155 KiB  
Article
Spatial-Temporal Characteristics of Agriculture Green Total Factor Productivity in China, 1998–2016: Based on More Sophisticated Calculations of Carbon Emissions
by Xiaocang Xu, Xiuquan Huang, Jun Huang, Xin Gao and Linhong Chen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(20), 3932; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16203932 - 16 Oct 2019
Cited by 85 | Viewed by 5165
Abstract
Environmental costs should be taken into account when measuring the achievements of China’s agricultural development, since the long-term extensive development of agriculture has caused huge environmental pollution. This study took agricultural carbon emissions as an undesired output to estimate the agricultural development efficiency [...] Read more.
Environmental costs should be taken into account when measuring the achievements of China’s agricultural development, since the long-term extensive development of agriculture has caused huge environmental pollution. This study took agricultural carbon emissions as an undesired output to estimate the agricultural development efficiency in 31 provinces of China from 1998 to 2016, based on the green total factor productivity, as assessed by the slacks-based measure directional distance function and constructing the global Malmquist–Luenberger index. We measured agricultural carbon emissions in terms of five aspects: agricultural materials, rice planting, soil, livestock and poultry farming, and straw burning, and then compared the green total factor productivity index and the total factor productivity index. The study came to the following conclusions: (1) the green technology efficiency change was smaller than the technology efficiency change at first, but the gap between them is narrowing with time, such that the former is now larger than the latter; (2) the green technology efficiency was in a declining state and the green technology progress was increasing, promoting the green total factor productivity growth, from 1998 to 2016; and (3) China’s agricultural green total factor productivity increased by 4.2% annually in the east, 3.4% annually in the central region, and 2.5% annually in the west. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 744 KiB  
Article
Post-Adversities Recovery and Profitability: The Case of Italian Farmers
by Donatella Porrini, Giulio Fusco and Pier Paolo Miglietta
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(17), 3189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16173189 - 01 Sep 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2537
Abstract
Insurance represents one of the main instruments, together with other risk management mechanisms, to face the adverse effects produced by natural calamity that, despite their growing intensity and the enormous costs, are still perceived as “exceptional”. Risk management is an important part of [...] Read more.
Insurance represents one of the main instruments, together with other risk management mechanisms, to face the adverse effects produced by natural calamity that, despite their growing intensity and the enormous costs, are still perceived as “exceptional”. Risk management is an important part of farming, and it is a concern for those governments which aim at achieving their agricultural policy targets. In this context, crop insurance can also represent a financial mitigation tool for farmers to face climate change consequences. This study is focused on the Italian case analyzing the evolution of public support and its effect on risk management policy in agriculture. Our research, based on panel data regressions, provides two different levels of analysis. The first one evaluates how the reimbursed value issued by insurance companies in favor of agricultural firms, as recovery from natural adversities, affects farmers’ profitability. The second one evaluates how the reimbursed value is used in farm management. The results of the analysis demonstrating the significance of insurance variables and their positive effect on the profitability of the farms, represent a strong advance in the farm risk management field Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 6571 KiB  
Article
Changes in Olive Urban Forests Infected by Xylella fastidiosa: Impact on Microclimate and Social Health
by Teodoro Semeraro, Elisa Gatto, Riccardo Buccolieri, Marzia Vergine, Zhi Gao, Luigi De Bellis and Andrea Luvisi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(15), 2642; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16152642 - 24 Jul 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4666
Abstract
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the impact of changes in olive urban forests affected by Xylella fastidiosa on ecosystem services. The focus is on microclimate and thermal comfort evaluated by two indices: the temperature of equivalent perception (TEP) and the [...] Read more.
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the impact of changes in olive urban forests affected by Xylella fastidiosa on ecosystem services. The focus is on microclimate and thermal comfort evaluated by two indices: the temperature of equivalent perception (TEP) and the predicted mean vote (PMV), which take into account both microclimate parameters and personal factors (heat resistance of clothing and human activity). The work has been carried out through (i) a qualitative analysis of the potential ecosystem services changes caused by temporary transition from olive groves to uncultivated soil, (ii) a study of the potential change of land use from monumental olive groves to other types of use, and (iii) a quantitative analysis on microclimate impact due to the loss of ecosystem services in two selected neighborhoods located in the Apulia region and chosen due to their proximity to the urban context. The analysis revealed that (i) direct effects on ecosystem services are principally linked with regulation functions and cultural services, (ii) a critical loss of cultural value of monumental olive groves occurred in the two neighborhoods, (iii) such a loss may lead to an increase of TEP and PMV, indicating a decrease of thermal comfort in the whole neighborhoods. Thus, it is necessary to plan the replanting policies of the use of the areas affected by X. fastidiosa not only in terms of agricultural planning but also in terms of landscape, urban planning, and human well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2193 KiB  
Article
Effects of Integrated Rice-Frog Farming on Paddy Field Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Kaikai Fang, Xiaomei Yi, Wei Dai, Hui Gao and Linkui Cao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(11), 1930; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16111930 - 31 May 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4721
Abstract
Integrated rice-frog farming (IRFF), as a mode of ecological farming, is fundamental in realizing sustainable development in agriculture. Yet its production of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains unclear. Here, a randomized plot field experiment was performed to study the GHG emissions for various [...] Read more.
Integrated rice-frog farming (IRFF), as a mode of ecological farming, is fundamental in realizing sustainable development in agriculture. Yet its production of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains unclear. Here, a randomized plot field experiment was performed to study the GHG emissions for various farming systems during the rice growing season. The farming systems included: conventional farming (CF), green integrated rice-frog farming (GIRF), and organic integrated rice-frog farming (OIRF). Results indicate that the cumulative methane (CH4) emissions from the whole growth period were divergent for the three farming systems, with OIRF having the highest value and CF having the lowest. For nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, the order is reversed. IRFF significantly increased the dissolved oxygen (DO), soil redox potential (Eh), total organic carbon (TOC) content, and soil C:N ratio, which is closely related to GHG emissions in rice fields. Additionally, the average emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from soils during rice growing seasons ranged from 2312.27 to 2589.62 kg ha−1 and showed no significant difference in the three treatments. Rice yield in the GIRF and OIRF were lower (2.0% and 16.7%) than the control. The CH4 emissions contributed to 83.0–96.8% of global warming potential (GWP). Compared to CF, the treatment of GIRF and OIRF increased the GWP by 41.3% and 98.2% during the whole growing period of rice, respectively. IRFF significantly increased greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI, 0.79 kg CO2-eq ha−1 grain yield), by 91.1% over the control. Compared to the OIRF, GIRF decreased the GHGI by approximately 39.4% (0.59 kg CO2-eq ha−1 grain yield), which was 44.2% higher than that of the control. The results of structural equation model showed that the contribution of fertilization to CH4 emissions in paddy fields was much greater than that of frog activity. Moreover, frog activity could decrease GWP by reducing CH4 emissions from rice fields. And while GIRF showed a slight increase in GHG emissions, it could still be considered as a good strategy for providing an environmentally-friendly option in maintaining crop yield in paddy fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1005 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with Leptospirosis in Domestic Cattle in Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand
by Nantawan Yatbantoong and Rattanawat Chaiyarat
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(6), 1042; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16061042 - 22 Mar 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3541
Abstract
Leptospirosis found in cattle (Bos taurus indicus) has potentially increased in economic impact. The objective was to investigate the factors associated with leptospirosis in cattle in the protected area. We investigated the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in cattle in Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary, [...] Read more.
Leptospirosis found in cattle (Bos taurus indicus) has potentially increased in economic impact. The objective was to investigate the factors associated with leptospirosis in cattle in the protected area. We investigated the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in cattle in Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Serum was collected to investigate the seroprevalence by agglutination test and their associated factors. From a total of 513 samples, antibodies against Leptospira were detected in 92.2% of samples. Within a total of 42 herds, the serovar with the highest prevalence was L interrogans serovar Tarassovi (92.9%). Most leptospirosis was found in medium-sized herds with the highest concentrations in cattle farms close to cities (52.4%, p < 0.05). Seroprevalence was associated with herd size, raising pattern in the dry and wet seasons, grazing distance, number of years that cattle were kept in the farm, the introduction of new cattle into the farm, and keeping some pets in the farm. The results of the study suggest that keeping cattle in larger herds, raising pattern and distance, keeping period, and introducing new cattle and having pets impart potential risk of increasing leptospirosis exposure. These results indicate that cattle are important hosts of Leptospira in Thailand and may act as sentinels of Leptospira infection for wildlife and people in the protected areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2368 KiB  
Article
Farmers’ Rural-To-Urban Migration, Influencing Factors and Development Framework: A Case Study of Sihe Village of Gansu, China
by Libang Ma, Meimei Chen, Xinglong Che and Fang Fang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 877; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16050877 - 10 Mar 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4495
Abstract
Farmers are the major participants in rural development process and their willingness to settle in urban areas directly affects the implementation of rural revitalization strategy. Based on Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework, we analyzed farmers’ willingness to settle in urban areas [...] Read more.
Farmers are the major participants in rural development process and their willingness to settle in urban areas directly affects the implementation of rural revitalization strategy. Based on Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework, we analyzed farmers’ willingness to settle in urban areas and its influencing factors by binary Logistic regression and cluster analysis of survey data of 190 rural households in Sihe village of Gansu Province of China. The results show that: (1) In Sihe village, farmers’ willingness to settle in urban areas was low in general and influenced by their neighbors’ decisions or behaviors. Households willing and unwilling to migrate to urban areas both presented significant spatial agglomeration. (2) The factors influencing farmers’ willingness to settle in urban areas were analyzed from six aspects: individual characteristics, family characteristics, residence characteristics, cognitive characteristics, institutions, and constraints. The main influencing factors were found to be age, occupation, number of non-agricultural workers in the family, household cultivated land area, annual household income, house building materials, degree of satisfaction with social pension, homestead and contracted land subsidies, income constraints, and other constraints. (3) Individual heterogeneity and difference in economic basis determined the difference in farmers’ willingness to settle in urban areas. Institutions and constraints played different roles in the migration willingness of different groups of farmers (Note: More details on the sample as well as further interpretation and discussion of the surveys are available in the associated research article (“Village-Scale Livelihood Change and the Response of Rural Settlement Land Use: Sihe Village of Tongwei County in Mid-Gansu Loess Hilly Region as an Example” (Ma, L.B.; Liu, S.C.; Niu, Y.W.; Chen, M.M., 2018)). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 6600 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Spatiotemporal Dynamics of CH4 Fluxes from Rice Paddies of Cold Region in Heilongjiang Province under Climate Change
by Tangzhe Nie, Zhongxue Zhang, Zhijuan Qi, Peng Chen, Zhongyi Sun and Xingchao Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 692; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16050692 - 26 Feb 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3409
Abstract
Paddy fields have become a major global anthropogenic CH4 emission source, and climate change affects CH4 emissions from paddy ecosystems by changing crop growth and the soil environment. It has been recognized that Heilongjiang Province has become an important source of [...] Read more.
Paddy fields have become a major global anthropogenic CH4 emission source, and climate change affects CH4 emissions from paddy ecosystems by changing crop growth and the soil environment. It has been recognized that Heilongjiang Province has become an important source of CH4 emission due to its dramatically increased rice planting area, while less attention has been paid to characterize the effects of climate change on the spatiotemporal dynamics of CH4 fluxes. In this study, we used the calibrated and validated Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG) model and DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model to simulate historical and future CH4 fluxes under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 of four global climate models (GCMs) in Heilongjiang Province. During 1960–2015, the average CH4 fluxes and climatic tendencies were 145.56 kg C/ha and 11.88 kg C/ha/(10a), respectively. Spatially, the CH4 fluxes showed a decreasing trend from west to east, and the climatic tendencies in the northern and western parts were higher. During 2021–2080, the annual average CH4 fluxes under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 were predicted to be 213.46 kg C/ha and 252.19 kg C/ha, respectively, and their spatial distributions were similar to the historical distribution. The average climatic tendencies were 13.40 kg C/ha/(10a) and 29.86 kg C/ha/(10a), respectively, which decreased from west to east. The simulation scenario analysis showed that atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature affected CH4 fluxes by changing soil organic carbon (SOC) content and plant biomass. This study indicated that a paddy ecosystem in a cold region is an important part of China’s greenhouse gas emission inventory in future scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2041 KiB  
Article
Effects of Biochar Amendment on CO2 Emissions from Paddy Fields under Water-Saving Irrigation
by Shihong Yang, Zewei Jiang, Xiao Sun, Jie Ding and Junzeng Xu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(11), 2580; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15112580 - 18 Nov 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4063
Abstract
The role of carbon pool of biochar as a method of long-term C sequestration in global warming mitigation is unclear. A two-year field study was conducted to investigate the seasonal variations of CO2 emissions from water-saving irrigation paddy fields in response to [...] Read more.
The role of carbon pool of biochar as a method of long-term C sequestration in global warming mitigation is unclear. A two-year field study was conducted to investigate the seasonal variations of CO2 emissions from water-saving irrigation paddy fields in response to biochar amendment and irrigation patterns. Three biochar treatments under water-saving irrigation and one biochar treatment under flooding irrigation were studied, and the application rates were 0, 20, 40, and 40 t ha−1 and labeled as CI + NB (controlled irrigation and none biochar added), CI + MB (controlled irrigation and medium biochar added), CI + HB (controlled irrigation and high biochar added), and FI + HB (flood irrigation and high biochar added), respectively. Results showed that biochar application at medium rates (20 t ha−1) decreased CO2 emissions by 1.64–8.83% in rice paddy fields under water-saving irrigation, compared with the non-amendment treatment. However, the CO2 emissions from paddy fields increased by 4.39–5.43% in the CI + HB treatment, compared with CI + NB. Furthermore, the mean CO2 emissions from paddy fields under water-saving irrigation decreased by 2.22% compared with flood irrigation under the same amount of biochar application (40 t ha−1). Biochar amendment increased rice yield and water use efficiency by 9.35–36.30% and 15.1–42.5%, respectively, when combined with water-saving irrigation. The CO2 emissions were reduced in the CI + MB treatment, which then increased rice yield. The CO2 emissions from paddy fields were positively correlated with temperature. The highest value of the temperature sensitivity coefficient (Q10) was derived for the CI + MB treatment. The Q10 was higher under water-saving irrigation compared with flooding irrigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Applications to Assess the Nexus between Agriculture, Environment and Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-13
Back to TopTop