Sustainable Agricultural Development: The Impact of New Technology on Farm Ecology

Dear colleagues,

Sustainable agriculture encompasses multiple principles and practices of agriculture and food systems. In the past few decades, with the enhancement of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation systems, agricultural machinery, and with the increase in land accessibility, the productivity of crops and livestock has been greatly developed; meanwhile, these enhancements also put tremendous pressure on natural resources and the environment. When considering the agricultural transition towards a more sustainable practice, new methods are needed, such as the incorporation of biological and ecological processes into food production, the reduction of the use of non-renewable inputs that are harmful to the environment or the health of farmers and consumers, and the maximization of farming experiences and technologies to jointly solve common agricultural and natural resource problems. The constant advancement of technology and the rapid development of information technology can further provide support to assist sustainable agricultural development. 

The content of this Special Issue will target the development of organic farming methods, the study of biological fertilizers or pesticides, the mechanisms of maintaining a sustainable agroecosystem, as well as the comparison of various farming methods to improve the agrobiodiversity, the improvement of agricultural facilities and food processing systems, and the development of energy-saving agricultural approaches. Agricultural studies related AI technology and the Agritalk system to remotely monitor the growth of crops and various environmental data to ensure the healthy growth of crops and increase crop production are particularly welcome.

This Special Issue hopes to provide cutting edge scientific tools and available technologies for assistance to scientists, farmers, policymakers, professors, and politicians who are interested in establishing eco-friendly agriculture, energy and food systems.

Submissions may include research articles, case studies, and research reviews.

Dr. Hsiaoling Lu
Prof. Dr. Chaur Tsuen Lo
Prof. Dr. Yuan-Hsiou Chang
Dr. Yu-Shin Nai
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

• biodiversity
• agroecosystem
• integrated pest management
• insect microbial control
• organic agriculture
• artificial intelligence in agriculture
• farming methods