Maria Kernecker

Bio: Maria Kernecker is an academic researcher from McGill University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Riparian zone & Biodiversity. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 18 publications receiving 258 citations.

Global distribution of earthworm diversity

Abstract: Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We found that local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, displaying patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. However, high species dissimilarity across tropical locations may cause diversity across the entirety of the tropics to be higher than elsewhere. Climate variables were found to be more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat cover. These findings suggest that climate change may have serious implications for earthworm communities and for the functions they provide.

Experience versus expectation: farmers’ perceptions of smart farming technologies for cropping systems across Europe

Abstract: Technological innovations are changing mechanisation in agriculture. The most recent wave of innovations referred to as smart farming technologies (SFT), promise to improve farming by responding to economic, ecological, and social challenges and thereby sustainably develop agriculture throughout Europe. To better understand the relevance of ongoing technological progress for farming systems across Europe, 287 farmers were surveyed in 7 EU countries and in 4 cropping systems, alongside 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts from the agricultural knowledge and innovation system. Of the surveyed farmers, about 50% were SFT adopters and 50% were non-adopters. The number of adopters increased with farm size, and there were more adopters among arable cropping systems than in tree crops. Although all farmers broadly perceive SFT as useful to farming and generally expect SFT to continue to be so, when it comes to specific on-farm challenges, farmers are less convinced of SFT potential. Moreover, farmers’ perceptions of SFT vary according to SFT characteristics and farming context. Interestingly, both adopter and non-adopter groups are hesitant regarding SFT adoption, such that adopters are somewhat disillusioned about the SFT that they have experience with, and non-adopters because they are not convinced that the appropriate technologies are available and accessible. About 60% of all farmers surveyed have a number of suggestions for SFT to become more relevant to a broader range of farms. Both farmers and experts generally consider peer-to-peer communication as important sources of information and deplore a lack of impartial advice. Experts are generally more convinced of SFT advantages, and are positive regarding the long-term trends of technological development. The findings support previous findings on using farmers’ perceptions in innovation processes, and provide insight to the recent trends regarding SFT application to diverse cropping systems across Europe. This suggests that differences related to agricultural structures and farming systems across Europe have to be considered if SFT development and dissemination should be improved.

Smart farming technology innovations – Insights and reflections from the German Smart-AKIS hub

Abstract: Digitalisation in agriculture is considered the fourth revolution in farming, which is expressed by a broad range of available digital technologies and data applications. Politicians and experts assume that smart farming technologies (SFT) have a strong potential to enhance economic performance of farming and will contribute to agricultural sustainability as they may increase precision of inputs to crops and soils based on site-specific needs, and link these aspects to farm management systems. This paper explores farmers' and other stakeholders’ perceptions and attitudes towards SFT in Germany with a multi-actor approach. Quantitative and qualitative data show that while there are generally positive attitudes, farmers are less enthusiastic with regard to expected positive effects of SFT for the environment. Also, there is still a number of adoption barriers on the technology level as well as due to an unfavorable institutional and infrastructural environment. Although a multi-actor approach was practiced, close cooperation of practitioners with developers were not frequently observed nor could they be easily supported through action-research. Notwithstanding, through the multi-actor approach, a comprehensive situational picture of SFT appraisal was composed and, a general raise of awareness among the respective AKIS actors generated.

Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations

Abstract: Enduring sustainability challenges requires a new model of collective leadership that embraces critical reflection, inclusivity and care. Leadership collectives can support a move in academia from metrics to merits, from a focus on career to care, and enact a shift from disciplinary to inter- and trans-disciplinary research. Academic organisations need to reorient their training programs, work ethics and reward systems to encourage collective excellence and to allow space for future leaders to develop and enact a radically re-imagined vision of how to lead as a collective with care for people and the planet.

What drives adoption of smart farming technologies? Evidence from a cross-country study.

Abstract: Technological innovations are currently taking mechanisation in agriculture to another level, preoccupying farmers, technology providers, politicians and researchers working in the sector. This wave of innovations, often referred to as smart farming technologies (SFT), also fuels the more general debate in both research and society about how we want to produce food in the future. To better understand the underlying processes of the ongoing technological progress and its relevance to farming systems across Europe, here, we are exploring: (1) who are the farmers that adopt digital innovations, (2) what supporting factors and barriers do they perceive and within this context, (3) which actors and sources of information are supportive and how? Empirical data from a farmer survey conducted in France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and the United Kingdom indicate that practitioners have a differentiated perception of SFT potential to improve farm work and farm impact on the environment. Expert interviews reveal a (perceived) regional divergence in the current EU policies regarding investment in SFT and thereby simultaneously support and hindering the innovation and adoption process. Farmers and experts both deplore the lack of impartial advisory services were deplored, suggesting potential for this institution. In general, farmers throughout Europe identify similar barriers for the adoption of SFT, namely the cost of SFT, the lack of compatibility between devices and an improvable transformation of collected data into usable and accessible information. Farmer-to-farmer communication is one of the most important sources of information, across all countries included in the study.

Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010)

Abstract: For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. 10. Diagram showing the GMTED2010 layer extents (minimum and maximum latitude and longitude) are a result of the coordinate system inherited from the 1-arc-second SRTM

A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda

Abstract: While there is a lot of literature from a natural or technical sciences perspective on different forms of digitalization in agriculture (big data, internet of things, augmented reality, robotics, sensors, 3D printing, system integration, ubiquitous connectivity, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and blockchain among others), social science researchers have recently started investigating different aspects of digital agriculture in relation to farm production systems, value chains and food systems. This has led to a burgeoning but scattered social science body of literature. There is hence lack of overview of how this field of study is developing, and what are established, emerging, and new themes and topics. This is where this article aims to make a contribution, beyond introducing this special issue which presents seventeen articles dealing with social, economic and institutional dynamics of precision farming, digital agriculture, smart farming or agriculture 4.0. An exploratory literature review shows that five thematic clusters of extant social science literature on digitalization in agriculture can be identified: 1) Adoption, uses and adaptation of digital technologies on farm; 2) Effects of digitalization on farmer identity, farmer skills, and farm work; 3) Power, ownership, privacy and ethics in digitalizing agricultural production systems and value chains; 4) Digitalization and agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS); and 5) Economics and management of digitalized agricultural production systems and value chains. The main contributions of the special issue articles are mapped against these thematic clusters, revealing new insights on the link between digital agriculture and farm diversity, new economic, business and institutional arrangements both on-farm, in the value chain and food system, and in the innovation system, and emerging ways to ethically govern digital agriculture. Emerging lines of social science enquiry within these thematic clusters are identified and new lines are suggested to create a future research agenda on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0. Also, four potential new thematic social science clusters are also identified, which so far seem weakly developed: 1) Digital agriculture socio-cyber-physical-ecological systems conceptualizations; 2) Digital agriculture policy processes; 3) Digitally enabled agricultural transition pathways; and 4) Global geography of digital agriculture development. This future research agenda provides ample scope for future interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary science on precision farming, digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0.

The role of vegetation and litter in the nitrogen dynamics of riparian buffer zones in Europe

Abstract: Plant uptake and denitrification are considered to be the most important processes responsible for N retention and mitigation in riparian buffers. In many riparian buffers, however, nutrients taken up by plants remain in the system only temporarily and may be gradually released by mineralization later. Still, plants increase the residence time of nutrients considerably by reducing their mobility. We investigated the importance of plant N uptake and N immobilization in litter for N retention in riparian buffers. Nitrogen uptake in vegetation and N dynamics in litter were measured over a two-year period in a range of forested and herbaceous riparian buffers along a climatic gradient in Europe, receiving different loadings of N-enriched groundwater. Plant production, nitrogen uptake, and N retention were significantly higher in the forested buffer sites compared to the herbaceous buffer sites. However, in herbaceous buffers, periodic harvesting of herbaceous biomass contributed considerably to the N retention. No relationship between lateral N loading and plant productivity or N uptake was observed; this indicated that plant growth was not N-limited. In the winter period, decaying leaf litter had a small but significant role in N retention in a majority of the riparian ecosystems studied. Moreover, no responses to the climatic gradient were found. Generally, we can state that annual N retention in the vegetation and litter compartment is substantial, making up 13–99% of the total N mitigation.

Agriculture supply chain risks and COVID-19: mitigation strategies and implications for the practitioners

Abstract: The agricultural supply chains (ASCs) are exposed to unprecedented risks following COVID-19. It is necessary to investigate the impact of risks and to create resilient ASC organisations. In this st...