This preliminary mixed methods study utilized an online survey and phone interviews to examine the benefits, challenges and user experience of farmers utilizing hydroponic shipping container farms (HSCFs). Due to the novelty of this crop production method, and thus the relatively small number of commercial farmers adopting this technology, 12 commercial HSCF businesses, of 46 identified online and via social media, participated in this study. Because population size was small, and 11 of the 12 farms had been in business a very short amount of time (two years or less), the following results are preliminary. The results showed that HSCFs gave farmers the ability to produce locally, sustainably and in new areas. Seventy-five percent of the farmers (n = 9) strongly agreed or agreed that the HSCF helped their farm become more productive, did everything they expected it to do and was efficient. Most participants were satistifed (n = 8; 66.7%) with their HSCFs; one was very satisfied (8.3%), while others were neutral (n = 1; 8.3%) and dissatisfied (n = 2; 16.7%). Participant expectations were most met regarding incorporation of technology, reduced resource use and efficiency; however, 50.0% of the farmers (n = 6) disagreed or strongly disagreed that the HSCF was profitable. Some farmers reported that HSCFs are efficient in production, although their units were not as productive and profitable, nor as user friendly as they expected. Regarding HSCF challenges, power usage and startup costs were ranked most highly, while finding labor was the least challenging. Following phone interviews with three profitable farmers, it was revealed that their success was due to growing local food that was in demand by their community. While this study identified several challenges of HSCFs, this technology may have benefits, for example in areas with limited arable land and water resources, and may offer some farmers a way to be profitable, especially by tapping the growing consumer demand for local produce.

Cover crops can generate both on-farm and water-quality benefits. However, their use in Iowa remains subdued, partly due to implementation costs faced by farmers. We tested the hypothesis that monetary incentives through cost-share programs are effective at increasing the area of farmland planted to cover crops in Iowa, as opposed to the alternative in which the participants of cost-share programs would have planted the same cover-crop acreage in the absence of payment. We found that cost-share payments induced a 15 percentage-point expansion in cover-crop acreage beyond what would have been planted in the absence of payment, among farmers who participated in cost-share programs. The estimated additionality rate was 54%, suggesting at least half of cost-share expenditures funded cover-crop acreage that would not have been planted without payment. Furthermore, we estimated the public cost to reduce nitrogen loads to Iowa waterways via cover crop, beyond what would have occurred in the absence of cost-share programs, to be $1.72–$4.70 lb−1 N ($3.79–$10.36 kg−1 N). Farmers absorbed about 70% of those costs as private losses, and cost-share payments offset the remaining 30%. Although the additionality rate estimated in this study is less than what has been found in other states, the cost-share programs in Iowa have been relatively cost-effective, due to their lower payment rate.

In many US states, the power to regulate urban agriculture (UA) rests in local governments. Although there has been increased interest in UA, some local governments have been slow to adopt policies or ordinances to foster food production in urban areas or have actively sought to limit UA in their municipalities. To learn more about the disconnect between resident interest and local government policy, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension and Center for Public Issues Education conducted a statewide survey of local government stakeholders (LGS) to assess their attitudes toward UA, subjective knowledge of UA, perceived benefits of and barriers to the implementation of UA and educational needs. Responses were collected using 5-point semantic differential and Likert-type scales. Overall, respondents displayed positive attitudes and moderate knowledge of UA, and they identified a number of benefits of and barriers to implementing UA in their communities. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that lack of basic knowledge about UA is one difficulty in fostering UA. Despite being positively disposed toward UA, LGS may not fully understand how to effectively develop and implement policies to foster UA. This finding may also help explain reluctance to adopt local government policies to support UA. Efforts to provide LGS key information and enhance their knowledge of UA may support the development of UA activities.

Impeller mowing conditioners are commonly used to speed up the drying process on the field, making forage preservation (haying, ensiling) less dependent on weather conditions. However, the effects of this technique on the nutritive value of the forage and dairy cows' responses have not been investigated yet. Each half of two fields of grass-dominated swards, first regrowth, was cut either with or without the use of an impeller mowing conditioner (experimental hay and control hay, respectively). Ceteris paribus conditions were guaranteed by the same cutting and wilting times (roughly 48 h), number of teddings, field pickup technique and barn-drying method. At the beginning of the feeding trial, 19 lactating Holstein cows were allocated to one of two groups, one control (nine cows) and one experimental group (10 cows) and were fed the respective forage plus a fixed amount of concentrate [3.6 kg d−1; dry matter (DM) basis]. After a 14-d adaptation period, data were collected over 21 consecutive days. Covariate data of cows were collected prior to the experimental feeding period, over a time span of 9 d, and included in the statistical model. Results revealed that control and experimental hay showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in the nutrient profile. However, the magnitude of these differences was not enough to affect intakes of hay (18.4 ± 0.29 kg DM d−1), total dietary energy or chewing activity, but did lead to a decreased intake of water-soluble carbohydrates and an increased crude protein intake, thus affecting ruminal nitrogen balance (P < 0.01). This resulted in a higher milk urea content [23.3 vs 17.9 mg (100 mL)−1; P < 0.01] in cows fed the experimental hay, whereas other milk performance parameters remained unaffected. In conclusion, the use of the impeller mowing conditioner did not affect the overall forage utilization by cows when the diet contained about 16% concentrate (DM basis). As this is the first study dealing with the effects of an impeller mowing conditioner on cows' responses, future research should consider investigating the effects of mowing conditioners when cows are fed only forage or diets with lower concentrate amounts.

The current study assesses consumer preferences toward different production methods of clementines (Citrus clementina). Based on a survey of Italian urban individuals (N = 345), responsible for household food purchases, it investigates whether clementines produced by means of integrated farming system are perceived as a desirable alternative to organic and conventional fruits. A conjoint analysis was applied to estimate the mean relative importance of three different clementine attributes (namely, price, production method and presence of a geographical indication) and consumer utility attached to the different attribute levels. Results revealed price as the most important attribute; while only organic farming provided positive utility to consumers. Subsequently, the sample was clustered into four distinct market segments based on part-worth estimates, offering useful insights for practitioners and policy makers to design tailor-made interventions aimed at fostering sustainable clementines consumption.

Geographical indications (GIs) are valuable attributes that enhance the competitiveness of agri-food products, generate added value and revitalize rural environments. The aim of this work was to analyze the attributes spring fruit consumers associate with GIs when they decide to purchase these products. Moreover, the changes in these associations with the increasing distance between the region of production and the place of consumption were also evaluated. We specifically analyzed two GIs used for spring fruits: the protected geographical indication for Mountain Cherries from Alicante (Spain) and the protected designation of origin for Loquats from Callosa d'En Sarriá (Spain). Data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The results show the significant association in consumers' minds between the preference for GI fruit and the importance attributed to the place of production (origin). The association of different attributes with the GI fruit label is product dependent as the number of attributes associated in the case of cherries (origin, organic, color and variety) is higher than for loquats (origin and variety). Regarding the distance between the production area and the place of consumption, our findings suggest that the closer the consumer is to the GI area of influence, the more attributes they associate with these labels. In this regard, increasing the knowledge of the GI labels beyond their area of influence could boost the demand for these products as consumers would be aware of the different quality attributes concentrated in that label.

This study examined energy, greenhouse gas emission and ecological footprint analysis (EFA) of chickpea and lentil cultivation with different mechanization production systems. In lentil production, except for tillage operations, other operations are performed manually and the remaining straw is burned in the field; while in chickpea production, most of the agricultural operations are mechanized and residues are collected, baled and transferred to the warehouse for animal feed. In this paper, for the first time, some of the sustainability indicators are investigated and compared in two different legume production systems. Energy productivity and net energy for chickpea and lentil production were calculated at 0.036, 0.161 and 2373 and 5900 MJ per hectare, respectively. The CO2 emission and ecological carbon footprint were 173 kg CO2−eq and 0.15 global hectare for lentil and 484 and 0.87 for chickpea production. Totally, due to excessive consumption of diesel fuel and lack of proper management, the social cost of emission from straw baling in chickpea production (27.65 dollars per hectare) was higher than burning straw in lentil production (8.77). Multi-objective genetic algorithm results showed the potential of minimizing diesel fuel and fertilizer consumption and no chemical for chickpea production. Overall audition results of two different production systems revealed that traditional lentil production is more sustainable. Therefore, implementations of modern agricultural practices alone are not enough to achieve sustainability in agricultural production systems.

Interest in cover crops is increasing but information is limited on integrating them into crop rotations especially in the relatively short growing season on the northern Great Plains. A 3-yr research project, initiated in 2009 near Mandan, North Dakota, USA, evaluated (1) what impact cover crops may have on subsequent cash crops yields and (2) whether cover crop mixtures are more productive and provide additional benefits compared to cover crop monocultures. The study evaluated 18 different cover crop monocultures and mixtures that were seeded in August following dry pea (Pisum sativum L.). The following year, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L.) and field pea were seeded into the different cover crop treatments and a non-treated control. A lack of timely precipitation in 2009 resulted in a low cover crop yield of 17 g m2 compared to 100 and 77 g m2 in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Subsequent cash crop yield was not affected by late-seeded cover crops. Cool-season cover crop monocultures were more productive than warm-season monocultures and some mixtures in 2008 and 2010. Relative yield total did not differ from one in any cover crop mixture suggesting that overyielding did not occur. Species selection rather than species diversity was the most important contributor to cover crop yield. Cover crops can be grown following short-season cash crops in the northern Great Plains, but precipitation timing and species selection are critical.

With the adverse effects of climate change becoming more prominent, more effective strategies for reducing the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels are required for mitigating further climate change. Increasing use of renewable energy by farmers motivated to practice agroforestry is one natural solution for reducing those climate change impacts. Unfortunately, climate change mitigation through agroforestry has been inhibited by a lack of scientific validation. In this paper, we ascertain factors that motivate African cocoa farmers to use agroforestry practices for enhancing food production as well as for mitigating climate change. We analyzed data collected from 120 farmers from the Oyo state of Nigeria through descriptive and regression analysis statistical tools. We found that access to information (β = 0.23, t = 2.18) and extension service (β = 0.23, t = 2.27) was associated with greater willingness of farmers to participate in agroforestry whereas negative attitudes (β = −0.29, t = −3.21) were associated with a lower involvement of cocoa farmers in agroforestry practices. We conclude that effective climate change mitigation programs need to do more to motivate farmers to adopt agroforestry practices by increasing their understanding of the benefits to be derived from carbon markets and by providing them with the necessary tools for employing these practices for climate change mitigation and more sustainable food production.

This study explores the causal association between organic and inorganic fertilizer application and vegetable productivity in Ghana. Primary data were obtained from 300 pepper, cabbage and lettuce producers. To correct for self-selection bias and endogeneity, Heckman selection and three-stage least-squares models were estimated. More producers used inorganic fertilizers for pepper, cabbage and lettuce production than those who used organic fertilizers. Vegetable producers applied higher quantities of organic fertilizers (2830 kg) per acre than inorganic fertilizers (880 kg). Organic cabbage and lettuce producers recorded higher productivity than inorganic producers, but inorganic pepper producers had higher productivity than organic producers. However, vegetable producers who applied either organic or inorganic fertilizers, or both, recorded higher productivity than those who did not apply fertilizer. Factors that enhance the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers and vegetable productivity are education, farm size and production for export, land ownership, farmer association membership and perception about fertilizer price. Organic and inorganic fertilizer application improves vegetable productivity, and productivity promotes fertilizer application. Private agencies and government should subsidize fertilizers, improve producers' access to agricultural information, and train producers on productivity-enhancing agronomic practices.