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Temporary and permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land due to natural and human-induced activities such as soil erosion, changing cropping practices and less use of organic matter (OM) has been the greatest challenge faced by mankind in recent years, particularly in the hills and mountains of Nepal. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of sustainable soil management practices to mitigate desertification process in the hills of Nepal.

Promotion of sustainable soil management (SSM) practices through a decentralised agriculture extension approach by involving all the stakeholders in a participatory way.

SSM practices mainly: OM management, fodder and forage promotion, increased biomass production systems, integrated plant nutrition systems, and bioengineering for soil and water conservation are identified as the most appropriate and relevant technologies in mitigating the desertification process without deteriorating land quality, particularly conserving the top-soils effectively and efficiently in the hills and mountains of the country.

This research is focus on the overall effect of SSM practices due to time and budget constraints. There is scope for doing research on the different aspects of SSM practices and the extent of their effect on different soil parameters (chemical, biological and physical).

SSM interventions clearly indicated that there is significant impact in increasing soil fertility, conserving fertile top-soils and mitigating physical, chemical and biologic desertification processes. These are possible through maintaining and improving the soil organic matter, which is the most important indicator for soil health. SSM practices have resulted in an increase of up to 30 per cent in crop yield compared to yields without SSM practices. This might be due to the improvement in SOC which improves soil texture, increases nutrient supply from organic source and conserves water quality, thus, improving soil quality.

This has created awareness among farmers. Hence, farmers are mitigating pH through increased use of organic manures, where there is less availability of agriculture lime and they are far from road access.

SSM practices significantly contributes to combat soil desertification in the hills of Nepal.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the critical factors associated with growing fertilizer usage culminating in contamination of soil/water in agriculturally intensive regions of Uttar Pradesh, India. The agriculture sector is seen as one of the major contributors in ensuring food security, however adoption of sustainable agriculture to protect water resources from contamination due to fertilizers and pesticides is becoming pressing to achieve long term environmental security.

A two staged study aimed at monitoring the soil quality status followed by stakeholder survey has been attempted. Attitude-behavior framework based on the theory of reasoned action has been tried to explain the fertilizer use behavior in the study. The results are analyzed through Analysis of variance.

Soil monitoring data showed nitrate and total nitrogen loadings beyond the permissible limit in the identified regions. A questionnaire aimed at determining farmer’s attitude toward fertilizer usage showed a significant influence of factors like net farm income, overall farm yield, extension services, farmer characteristics on one hand and risks associated with changing farming practices, costs of substitutes available, market-based instruments like subsidies and loans on the other. Divergent responses were observed with respect to farmer’s perceived risks from adopting to organic substitutes, linkages of fertilizer application with environmental degradation and the level of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

The study can be scaled up to study the inter-regional differences by benchmarking regional responses. It would be interesting to extend the work to find solutions from the farmers as alternative fertility management strategies. The items used in questionnaire are self-made; hence there is still a possibility of enhancing the robustness of scale by applying advanced statistical techniques.

Results of the study indicate excessive nitrogen loadings in farm soils which is an indicator of potential future nitrate contaminated zones or vulnerable zones emerging in agricultural intensive regions. Findings reinforce the role of education, knowledge transfer and awareness for long-term agricultural sustainability. The paper highlights the urgency for reorientation of the support system by the government and policymakers.

The paper attempts to understand the linkage between the agricultural productivity and the environmental implications followed by the reasons culminating in the agri-environmental imbalance. On-site monitoring study followed by assessment of reasons culminating in this scenario has not been attempted earlier and this paper contributes to understanding at dual level. This paper emphasizes on the insights of stakeholder which is instrumental in ensuring agricultural sustainability or otherwise. It takes the position that the farmer’s farm management behavior is strongly influenced by factors like food security and income, keeping environmental quality at second place. It also identifies the barriers for organic farming and other alternative systems as well as explores the economic, social, and philosophical aspects of sustainable agriculture.

This study aims to examine the extent to which farmers are aware of climate change and how they have modified their growing practices in response to perceived climate changes.

A logit model was used to explore farmers’ awareness and a binary logistic model was used to analyze their adaptive responses. Data from 335 farm households were collected from three provinces of Northwest Vietnam with different climate change vulnerability.

Farmers’ awareness of climate change was related significantly to household and farm characteristics. Farm experience, education level, location, tenancy status, soil fertility, access to credit, climate information, agricultural extension services, farmer groups, non-agriculture income, distance to market and house and climate change experience influence adaptation measure choices.

These findings suggest that investment strategies must promote adaptation to climate change by supporting technological and institutional methods, such as education, markets, credit and information.

This study is the first study that uses econometric models to analyze farmers’ perception effect and adaptation to climate change aspect in Northwest Vietnam

The adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) is important for sustaining Indian agriculture in the face of climate change. Despite considerable effort by both national and international agricultural organizations to promote CSAPs in India, adoption of these practices is low. This study aims to examine the elements that affect the likelihood and intensity of adoption of multiple CSAPs in Bihar, India.

The probability and intensity of adoption of CSAPs are analyzed using multivariate and ordered probit models, respectively.

The results show significant correlations between multiple CSAPs, indicating that their adoptions are interrelated, providing opportunities to exploit the complementarities. The results confirm that both the probability and intensity of adoption of CSAPs are affected by numerous factors, such as demographic characteristics, farm plot features, access to market, socio-economics, climate risks, access to extension services and training. Farmers who perceive high temperature as the major climate risk factor are more likely to adopt crop diversification and minimum tillage. Farmers are less likely to adopt site-specific nutrient management if faced with short winters; however, they are more likely to adopt minimum tillage in this case. Training on agricultural issues is found to have a positive impact on the likelihood and the intensity of CSAPs adoption.

The major policy recommendations coming from of our results are to strengthen local institutions (public extension services, etc.) and to provide more training on CSAPs.

By applying multivariate and ordered probit models, this paper provides some insights on the long-standing discussions on whether farmers adopt CSAPs in a piecemeal or in a composite way.

In this work we will discuss the suitability of carbon isotope analysis in plants for the assessment of environmental changes and their effects on crops and natural systems. For C₃ species, carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of plant tissues constitutes an integrated record of the miscellaneous climatic and physiological factors that affect carbon assimilation and/or stomatal conductance. Here we present a literature review on the relationship between different environmental parameters and δ¹³C in both herbaceous plants and trees, including some examples and case studies. We will also consider the applicability of some of these relationships in palaeoecological studies, as well as for the assessment of climate change dynamics and its implications. Major advantages and limitations of this technique are further discussed.

The major component of agriculture production includes the type of seed, soil, climatic conditions, irrigation pattern, fertilizer, weed control, and technology used. Soil is one of the prime elements in modern times for agriculture. Soil is also one of the primary and important factors for crop production. The available soil nutrient status and external applications of fertilizers decide the growth of crop productivity (Annoymous, 2017). The upcoming research question that needs to be addressed is What is the application of soil data on soil health management for sustaining agriculture? Driven by the need, the aim of the present study is (a) to explore the soil parameters of a district, (b) compare the values with the standards, and (c) pave a way for mapping the crops with suitability of soil health. This study will not only be beneficial for the district to take appropriate steps to improve the soil health but also would help in understanding the causal relationship among soil health parameters, cropping pattern, and crop productivity.

The recent high food price and volatility, as well as economic recession, have reversed the last decade's progress in reducing hunger and poverty. This aim of this paper is to conduct a factor and sequential typology analysis to identify groups of countries categorized according to five measures of food security.

The recent high food price and volatility, as well as economic recession, have reversed the last decade's progress in reducing hunger and poverty. This paper conducts a factor and sequential typology analysis to identify groups of countries categorized according to five measures of food security – consumption, production, imports, distribution, and agricultural potential – by using indicators from 175 countries. The analysis first identifies five distinct food security groups, measured by the levels of nutrient intake, and then further splits these groups based on indicators of food production, trade security, and agricultural potential.

The results suggest that the terms of “developing country” or “low income country” can be inaccurate in the discussion of food security because they are too general and can actually mask the extreme heterogeneity in different aspects of food security. The results also indicate that different responses are needed by different types of food‐insecure countries to address their unique food and economic challenges.

The typology of food security and linkage between agricultural potential and food security contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of different policy interventions under a country's unique conditions.

From the first emergence of civilizations based on agriculture, variations in the nature and productive capacity of the soil were recognized by farmers, and names, usually based on colour or texture, were given to distinctive varieties. In modern times the connection between soils and the rocks which provide their parent materials was generally recognized, and the earliest attempts to classify soils systematically had a geological or petrological basis. Most of these schemes, such as those proposed by Thaer and Fallou in Germany, suffered from their limited geographical scope, and little attention was paid to the effects on soil formation of climate, vegetation, and topography. Soil was conceived primarily as an inert material composed of variously constituted mineral particles mixed with varying quantities of plant residues, and the accent on soil as a material received further emphasis following the publication in 1840 of Liebig's ‘Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology’, which suggested that differences in soil fertility were largely determined by differences in chemical constitution.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the sustainable development thought is one good reason why Chinese civilization is continuously developing, and it can be used as a reference for the development of Chinese agriculture today.

The paper employs a historical analysis approach to examine the sustainable thoughts concerning Chinese traditional agriculture, including view of sancai, farming season, fertility, the nature of matters, recycling, and economization.

The results reveal that the nature of Chinese traditional agriculture is akin to ecological agriculture, which is precious heritage for China and the whole world.

The originality of this paper is that it confirms the fundamental reason of the continuous development of Chinese civilization which, based on organization of sustainable development thought, lies in traditional agriculture.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how farmers are reducing vulnerability of rain‐fed agriculture to drought through indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in the Atankwidi basin, north‐eastern Ghana.

This paper draws on combined qualitative and quantitative research methods and data. First, the paper draws on qualitative data generated from in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions from purposively sampled farmers in the Atankwidi basin. It also draws on a survey conducted on 131 systematically and randomly sampled households in three communities of the basin, namely Yua, Pungu and Mirigu.

The results show that farmers are planting multiple indigenous drought resilient crop varieties and employing different rounds of seeding and or staggering planting between multiple farms. They are also applying indigenous forms of organic manure, checking soil erosion through grass strips and stone terracing and adopting paddy farming for improving soil and water conservation towards enhancing plant adaptation to drought. The paper therefore, asserts that through conscientious effort, farmers are reducing vulnerability of rain‐fed agriculture to drought through indigenous knowledge systems of drought risk management.

The paper recommends that capacity for managing vulnerability to drought at the local level, including the Atankwidi basin, can be enhanced by incorporating IKS into District Development Planning (DDP) and giving priority to the strategic role of IKS in climate change adaptation planning.

This paper fulfills a need for researching the relevance of IKS for reducing vulnerability of rain‐fed agriculture to drought in particular, and enhancing adaptation to climate change in general in the quest for promoting Endogenous Development (ED) in Africa.