The designing of strategies/protocols for the improvement and enhancement of agricultural output is of utmost importance. Green revolution brings tremendous changes in the field of agriculture and farmer’s life. However, green revolution, similar to other scientific methods, has some drawbacks on sustainability of agriculture. Excessive uses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the crop field not only deteriorate the quality of soil but also largely degrade the quality of groundwater and thereby the available mineral nutrients. Biofertilizer being a mixture of growth-specific nutrients could be a boon for the agro-industry which could be helpful in enhanced crop production, while on other side it either protects or maintains the environmental conditions. Commercial production of biofertilizers and their easy availability in the market could change the life of farmers as well as agricultural sectors. Scientific advancement for the production of biofertilizer brought impressive attractions because of their involvement in food production and maintaining environmental protection. The government should motivate farmers to use fertilizers of natural origin instead of synthetic ones that could have beneficial impact on the society, environment, and lands. The present chapter focuses on the agricultural as well as societal benefits of using biofertilizers and intervenes to set efforts at the commercial level for the production of biofertilizers with applied functions.

Biofertilizers and Their Role in Sustainable Agriculture

The Tropical Andes, a vast region spanning over 1,540,000 km2 from Western Venezuela to Northern Chile and Argentina, faces huge challenges. Among these are a rapid demographic change and an increasing demand of agricultural goods to satisfy the needs of both rural and urban population. Unfortunately, crop production in this mountainous region is severely constrained by adverse natural factors, among which low soil fertility and cold climates occupy the top positions in the ranking. Considering that agriculture intensification, following the traditional approaches that made possible the Green Revolution, may cause further disruption and degradation of Andean agroecosystems, new strategies are being explored by researchers and farmers to deal with that dilemma. It has been proposed that partial replacement of agrochemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) with bioinoculants – products formulated with living microorganisms with plant-promoting abilities – is one of the measures that might allow to intensify even more agriculture in the Andes, without seriously affecting the environment or threatening human health. In order to maximize profits following this approach, it is imperative to study in depth the microbial diversity present in the Andean ecosystems, to select microbes exhibiting the best plant growth-promoting traits, and optimal performances in the rhizosphere of crops. Here we review some of the recent advances concerning the description of the microbes colonizing the rhizosphere of some important Andean crops; we further highlight important local and regional experiences showing that the development of efficient bioinoculants may certainly contribute to intensify agriculture in the Tropical Andes and, subsequently, to create better life conditions for the Andean small farmers and their families.

Potential for Developing Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropical Andes by Making Use of Native Microbial Resources

The paper begins by analysing the antecedents of the transformations now being faced by the Latin American Science and Technology Policy (STP). A parallel with the STPs of advanced countries is drawn in order to make explicit some aspects that have barely reached the notice of the Latin American research community. Based on a forecasting approach, which implies introducing in science and technology (S&T) decision-making, satisfaction of social demands, the paper suggests some of the implications of this scenario. Besides many other requisites, now hardly feasible for the reorientation of STP, the paper emphasises the importance of a viable and unilateral first step: the resignification of the research community.

Latin American Science And Technology Policy: New Scenarios And The Research Community

Background and Aims. An excessive and prolonged use of fertilizers undermines soils’ quality and, consequently, that of the crops they support, thus reducing the content of organic matter and generating environmental damages and problems to human health. Therefore, the use of biofertilizers such as cyanobacteria becomes a promising alternative. However, it is not always possible to generalize these fertilizers’ applicability, because microorganisms may be impacted by the physical and chemical variations of their environment. We will describe the action mechanisms or the characteristics of cyanobacteria involved in plant growth promotion for different crops in situ through a systematic review of scientific literature. Methods. A comprehensive search for original articles in two different databases, ScienceDirect and Scopus, was performed. We included in our search documents published from 2009 to 2018. After the screening process and the addition of gray literature publications, we obtained 23 articles for theoretical analysis. Results. The studies were distributed mainly in Asia and part of Africa, without any important temporal variation. They also showed a tendency to describe the use of cyanobacteria genera such as Anabaena sp., Nostoc sp., and Calothrix sp., besides mechanisms as N2 fixation, phosphate solubilization, phytohormone production, bioactive compounds excretion, and symbiotic associations, mainly on rice, wheat and corn crops. Conclusions. Cyanobacteria fertilizers used in situ are a widespread strategy, mainly in cereal crops. Their use is predominant in countries where cereal crops make an important contribution to their national economy. The great variety of mechanisms and characteristics of cyanobacteria used to promote plant growth in the field demonstrate the dramatic influence that physical, chemical, and biological variables have in their development.

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Action Mechanisms of Plant Growth Promoting Cyanobacteria in Crops In Situ: A Systematic Review of Literature

DOI: 10.14254/2071789X.2020/13-1/14 ABSTRACT. The paper focuses on important and topical issues of agricultural economy development within the paradigm of sustainable development and reorientation towards a low-carbon economy. The main purpose of this study is to identify the contemporary challenges in the field of environmental protection in rural areas of Poland. Specially designed survey of a large representative sample (random sampling) of Polish agricultural producers has been used. The study is based on the results of quantitative research (questionnaire surveys) carried out among 1101 agricultural holdings and a qualitative research carried out among 24 experts (professional agri-environmental advisors). The research shows that the main challenges in the investigated material and spatial scope include lowaltitude emissions and the issues associated with waste sorting. There was a significant variation in responses, taking into account the locations of agricultural holdings as well as characteristics of the respondents and farms. Independent experts indicated and assessed environmental threats in rural areas and classified the activities and implementations in the scope of pro-environmental innovation that may reduce the negative impact of agriculture on the natural environment in rural areas of Poland.

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María del Carmen del-Valle-Rivera

Papers

Rural development and environmental protection through the use of biofertilizers in agriculture: An alternative for underdeveloped countries?