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JournalISSN: 1590-7198

Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development 

Istituto Agronomico per l'Oltremare (IAO)
About: Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Agriculture & Food security. It has an ISSN identifier of 1590-7198. Over the lifetime, 107 publications have been published receiving 712 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that man could have guided evolution in a different way and how participatory plant breeding can be developed into ‘evolutionary plant breeding’ to cope in a dynamic way with climate changes.
Abstract: This paper deals with changes in biodiversity during the course of evolution, plant domestication and plant breeding. It shows than man has had a strong influence on the progressive decrease of biodiversity, unconscious at first and deliberate in modern times. The decrease in biodiversity in the agricultures of the North causes a severe threat to food security and is in contrasts with the conservation of biodiversity which is part of the culture of several populations in the South. The concluding section of the paper shows that man could have guided evolution in a different way and shows an example of participatory plant breeding, a type of breeding which is done in collaboration with farmers and is based on selection for specific adaptation. Even though participatory plant breeding has been practiced for only about 20 years and by relatively few groups, the effects on both biodiversity and crop production are impressive. Eventually the paper shows how participatory plant breeding can be developed into ‘evolutionary plant breeding’ to cope in a dynamic way with climate changes.

55 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture in North African regions and especially on Tunisia country, where they predicted an average rise in annual temperatures, higher than the average expected for the planet.
Abstract: Global temperature is increasing and that the main cause is the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities. The economic costs alone will be very large: as extreme weather events such as droughts and floods become more destructive and frequent; communities, cities, and island nations are damaged or inundated as sea level rises; and agricultural output is disrupted. Impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity are also likely to be devastating. But what about Climate change impacts on water resources and agriculture in North African regions and especially on Tunisia country? North Africa is vulnerable to climate change impacts. Scenarios predict an average rise in annual temperatures, higher than the average expected for the planet. Heat waves would then be more numerous, longer and more intense. North Africa would be particularly affected by droughts that would be more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting. The projections also announce a drop of 4 to 27% in annual rainfall. The water deficit will be worsened by increased evaporation and coastal aquifers will become more salty. The sea level could rise by 23-47 cm. by the end of the 21st century. Many Mediterranean regions would then run a major risk of being submerged and eroded. In North Africa, rising temperatures associated with climate change are expected to decrease the land areas suitable for agriculture, shorten the length of growing seasons and reduce crop yields. In these countries, we estimate that a 1°C rise in temperature in a given year reduces economic growth in that year by about 1.1 points. The decrease in annual precipitation that is predicted for Northern Africa in the 21 st century will exacerbate these effects, particularly in semiarid and arid regions that rely on irrigation for crop growth. These effects of climate change are more dramatic for Tunisia country especially for water resources and arable cropland. The African countries face numerous environmental challenges and have to reconcile many conflicting priorities, from promoting economic diversification, ensuring water supply and food security, and furthering environmental protection and conservation to adapting to the impacts of global warming.

50 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: UAV overcomes the drawback of the ground based system, i.e. inaccessibility to muddy and very dense regions, and Hovering at a peak of 500 meter - 1000 meter is good enough to offer various advantageous in image acquisition such as high spatial and temporal resolution, full flexibility, low cost.
Abstract: Precision agriculture is a way to manage the crop yield resources like water, fertilizers, soil, seeds in order to increase production, quality, gain and reduce squander products so that the existing system become eco-friendly. The main target of precision agriculture is to match resources and execution according to the crop and climate to ameliorate the effects of Praxis. Global Positioning System, Geographic Information System, Remote sensing technologies and various sensors are used in Precision farming for identifying the variability in field and using different methods to deal with them. Satellite based remote sensing is used to study the variability in crop and ground but suffer from various disadvantageous such as prohibited use, high price, less revisiting them, poor resolution due to great height, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is other alternative option for application in precision farming. UAV overcomes the drawback of the ground based system, i.e. inaccessibility to muddy and very dense regions. Hovering at a peak of 500 meter - 1000 meter is good enough to offer various advantageous in image acquisition such as high spatial and temporal resolution, full flexibility, low cost. Recent studies of application of UAV in precision farming indicate advanced designing of UAV, enhancement in georeferencing and the mosaicking of image, analysis and extraction of information required for supplying a true end product to farmers. This paper also discusses the various platforms of UAV used in farming applications, its technical constraints, seclusion rites, reliability and safety.

37 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Italian regulation on conservation varieties will be analysed focusing on synergies and diversities, and in the light of the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, attention will turn to the regulations in order to verify how they correspond.
Abstract: European seed policies and legislation have contributed to fostering a system in which fewer varieties are traded in ever bigger markets in accordance with the law of economy of scale. Informal seed systems have been marginalised and perceived as outdated in a scenario in which the agricultural system was being modernised. In 1998, however, the European Union recognised the need to conserve agricultural genetic resources and created a catalogue specially for registering what it called ‘conservation varieties’. In June 2008 an EU Directive was issued regulating the agricultural species involved. So what is this ‘new’ category of variety. What impact will it have in supporting the informal conservation initiatives in agricultural biodiversity and making them legitimate? This article sets out to address these questions by analysing the concept of conservation variety from when the phrase was coined up to the recent European directive 62/2008. After describing and evaluating the impact that the directive may have, Italian regulation on conservation varieties will be analysed focusing on synergies and diversities. Lastly, in the light of the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, attention will turn to the regulations in order to verify how they correspond.

35 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose the concept of "peasant varieties" as a concept that encompasses the seed, the reproductive part of the plant linked to its terroir, and the variety, shaped by history and coevolved with farmers.
Abstract: The myth of technological progress in agriculture and then modern plant breeding have resulted in a separation of farming from breeding activities. Seed laws have also contributed to this outcome (e.g. by imposing strict rules for the entry of varieties in the official catalogue). Nowadays, some pioneers, among them farmers rejecting industrialized agriculture and more often practising organic agriculture, are proposing a different option. In Europe, since the beginning of this century, they have been organizing themselves in networks: the Reseau Semences Paysannes in France, the Red de Semillas in Spain and the Rete Semi Rurali in Italy. Their members are farmers, consumers and scientists working together in order to reconsider the scientific, technical and legal aspects of seed production. These new varieties are designated ‘peasant varieties’, a concept that encompasses two main aspects: the seed, the reproductive part of the plant linked to its terroir, and the variety, shaped by history and coevolved with farmers. Scientists working with these networks are developing participatory plant breeding projects, which aim to broaden agrobiodiversity by creating so called new peasant varieties. The basis of these projects comes from old local varieties and landraces conserved in seed banks. In Europe, the legal framework has evolved since the establishment of ‘conservation varieties’ by directive 98/95. The European research project Farm Seed Opportunities is under way to support new seed policies, in the light also of the different national contexts. The debate in Europe now offers a range of seed systems models. It is time to enlarge this debate to southern countries through the sharing of knowledge between farmers of the North and the South, aiming at conserving agrobiodiversity and promoting rural innovation.

34 citations

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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
20212
20201
20192
20182
201712
201611