Andrea Vityi

Bio: Andrea Vityi is an academic researcher from University of West Hungary. The author has contributed to research in topics: Agroforestry & Agriculture. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 7 publications receiving 81 citations.

How is agroforestry perceived in Europe? An assessment of positive and negative aspects by stakeholders

Abstract: Whilst the benefits of agroforestry are widely recognised in tropical latitudes few studies have assessed how agroforestry is perceived in temperate latitudes. This study evaluates how stakeholders and key actors including farmers, landowners, agricultural advisors, researchers and environmentalists perceive the implementation and expansion of agroforestry in Europe. Meetings were held with 30 stakeholder groups covering different agroforestry systems in 2014 in eleven EU countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom). In total 344 valid responses were received to a questionnaire where stakeholders were asked to rank the positive and negative aspects of implementing agroforestry in their region. Improved biodiversity and wildlife habitats, animal health and welfare, and landscape aesthetics were seen as the main positive aspects of agroforestry. By contrast, increased labour, complexity of work, management costs and administrative burden were seen as the most important negative aspects. Overall, improving the environmental value of agriculture was seen as the main benefit of agroforestry, whilst management and socio-economic issues were seen as the greatest barriers. The great variability in the opportunities and barriers of the systems suggests enhanced adoption of agroforestry across Europe will be most likely to occur with specific initiatives for each type of system.

Typical MSW odor abatement using sludge derived carbon prepared by activation with Fenton’s reagent and NaClO

Abstract: Sludge derived carbon (SBC) is a potential resource from sewage sludge disposal, and chemical pre-treatment is a necessary activation method for the improvement of the SBC quality. Two novel activators, i.e. Fenton and NaClO, were introduced to produce SBC precursors through the destruction of cell wall barriers and heterogeneous structures in sludge. High quality SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO were produced, with the BET having increased from 38 m2 g−1 in the control group to 253 m2 g−1 and 423 m2 g−1, respectively. The micro-porosity volume increased from 6% to 42% and 46% in the SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO, respectively, with the corresponding saturation adsorption capacity increasing from 33.1 mg g−1 to 71.5 mg g−1 and 67.8 mg g−1 based on Langmuir isotherms using methylene blue. The adsorption processes of the typical odorants H2S and NH3 were also tested using the SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO, which could reduce the landfill volume and odor emissions simultaneously, and around 2.1 mg g−1 and 0.68–2.24 mg g−1 of NH3 and H2S were adsorbed under different dosages. SBC could be a promising adsorption carrier and supporting substance for soil cover in landfills.

Determinant of farmers’ participation and biodiversity status in the program of agroforestry rehabilitation in Sudan

Abstract: Abstract. Hemida M, Mulyana B, Vityi A. 2022. Determinant of farmers’ participation and biodiversity status in the program of agroforestry rehabilitation in Sudan. Biodiversitas 23: 5638-5645. The agroforestry Rehabilitation Program (ARP) was launched in Nabag Reserve Forest (NRF), Sudan, to rehabilitate the forest cover and improve livelihoods for communities around the forest. To enhance the efficacy of such rehabilitation programs, it is crucial to understand the impact of various factors on community perception of participation in forest rehabilitation. The objectives of this study were to (i) examine the factors that influence farmers’ perceptions of their involvement in the program and (ii) assess the biodiversity of trees and crop species in the program. Data was gathered through a survey that included personal interviews with 200 farmers who participated in the program. A total of 250 circular sample plots were established randomly to achieve the second objective. The results showed that extension services, farming experience, family members, educational level, land size, and gum Arabic production positively influence farmers’ perceptions. The study findings identified nine tree species and five crop species in NRF. The dominant tree species were Acacia senegal and Balanites aegyptiaca which represented 62.8% and 12.4 % of the total species, respectively. At the same time, groundnut and watermelon were identified as favorite crops cultivated by farmers. Furthermore, the non-rehabilitated area has shown better value in richness, heterogeneity, and evenness than the rehabilitated areas.

Plant species as indicator of ancient woodland in northwestern Germany

Abstract: . 315 isolated semi-natural and natural stands in NW Germany were investigated floristically, 285 stands of ancient woodlands and 30 recent ones. In the study area nearly all semi-natural and natural ancient woodlands are found on mesotrophic or eutrophic sites and can be assigned to the Fagetalia. 54 selected herbaceous and five woody Fagetalia-species have been tested in their association to ancient woodlands. 21 of the 59 selected plant species show a highly significant association to ancient woodlands and seven species show a weak significance. 31 plant species are not significantly correlated with ancient woodland sites, but 25 of them have a low frequency. The result shows that investigations of the historical ecology can help to understand floristic composition of present-day woodlands. Restriction of many woodland species to ancient woodlands, especially rare species, emphasizes the importance of woodlands with a long continuous history for the preservation of endangered species. Irrespective of ecological conditions, the restriction of plant species to ancient woodlands seems to be mainly caused by their low ability to colonize recent woodlands, especially isolated stands. Differences in the association to ancient woodlands between European countries are assumed to be a function of both time and degree of isolation of woodlands, of the dispersal mode of the plant species and of the availability of suitable habitats.

Visible Light Driven Organic Pollutants Degradation with Hydrothermally Carbonized Sewage Sludge and Oxalate Via Molecular Oxygen Activation

Abstract: Converting sewage sludge into functional environmental materials has become an attractive sewage sludge disposal route. In this study, we synthesize a sewage sludge-based material via a facile one-pot hydrothermal carbonization method and construct a visible light molecular oxygen activation system with hydrothermally carbonized sewage sludge (HTC-S) and oxalate to degrade various organic pollutants. It was found that iron species of HTC-S could chelate with oxalate to generate H2O2 via molecular oxygen activation under visible light, and also promote the H2O2 decomposition to produce •OH for the fast organic pollutants degradation. Taking sulfadimidine as the example, the apparent degradation rate of HTC-S/oxalate system was almost 5–20 times that of iron oxides/oxalate system. This outstanding degradation performance was attributed to the presence of iron-containing clay minerals in HTC-S, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements and Mossbauer spectrometry. In the oxalate solution, these iron-cont...

Agroforestry is paying off – Economic evaluation of ecosystem services in European landscapes with and without agroforestry systems

Abstract: The study assessed the economic performance of marketable ecosystem services (ES) (biomass production) and non-marketable ecosystem services and dis-services (groundwater, nutrient loss, soil loss, carbon sequestration, pollination deficit) in 11 contrasting European landscapes dominated by agroforestry land use compared to business as usual agricultural practice. The productivity and profitability of the farming activities and the associated ES were quantified using environmental modelling and economic valuation. After accounting for labour and machinery costs the financial value of the outputs of Mediterranean agroforestry systems tended to be greater than the corresponding agricultural system; but in Atlantic and Continental regions the agricultural system tended to be more profitable. However, when economic values for the associated ES were included, the relative profitability of agroforestry increased. Agroforestry landscapes: (i) were associated to reduced externalities of pollution from nutrient and soil losses, and (ii) generated additional benefits from carbon capture and storage and thus generated an overall higher economic gain. Our findings underline how a market system that includes the values of broader ES would result in land use change favouring multifunctional agroforestry. Imposing penalties for dis-services or payments for services would reflect their real world prices and would make agroforestry a more financially profitable system.