The Economic Reality of Underutilised Crops for Climate Resilience, Food Security and Nutrition: Assessing Finger Millet Productivity in India

In spite of the considerable potential contribution of neglected and underutilised crops to climate resilience, food security and nutrition; widespread adoption of these crops remains a challenge. Uptake is inhibited by poor economic performance due to low yields, compounded further by various social factors. Using farm survey data and aggregated time-series data from four states in southern India, this study examines factors influencing productivity in finger millet cultivation. A farm-level yield gap analysis is complemented by an analysis of total factor productivity (TFP) growth between 1999 and 2014 to better understand the role of research and innovation. Results suggest that there is considerable potential for improved growing practices to achieve better yields, but also education levels and technical support emerge as crucial factors for boosting finger millet productivity. The TFP analysis indicates a moderate level of growth, with a high variability and conflicting trends between states, suggesting a need to invest more in research and development, extension and infrastructure. Sustained productivity gains will require research efforts that respond to the needs expressed by farmers and that finger millet forms part of an overall strategy for sustainable intensification

Eine Erhebung zur Parasitenkontrolle auf biologisch wirtschaftenden Schaf- und Ziegenbetrieben in der Schweiz

To determine the current control measures for strointestinal nematodes (GIN) on Swiss organic small ruminant farms, a phone questionnaire was developed and conducted. The survey also aimed to assess the understanding and implementation of possible alternative GIN control options. In total, 52 meat sheep and 58 dairy goat farm questionnaires were completed, and it was found that in general, farmers were aware of the potential benefit of an adequate grazing management to reduce GIN infection. However, practical realisation was often limiting. On average it was stated that adult meat sheep and dairy goats were drenched 1.5 and 1.3 times per animal and year, respectively, whilst lambs and kids were treated 1.6 and 1.3 times per animal and year, respectively. Sixteen percent of the interviewed organic goat farmers and 10% of the organic meat sheep farmers stated that they have confirmed anthelmintic resistance on their properties

Opportunities for farming in alpine countries – pathways to truly grassland-based beef and milk production in Austria and Switzerland

Farming in the alpine countries of Austria and Switzerland fulfils important economic, socio-cultural and ecological functions for society. However, even though both Austria and Switzerland have increasingly focused their agricultural policy towards ecology, in both countries negative environmental impacts of agriculture still have to be reduced massively

Nutztierhaltung in den Alpenländern: Wege zu einer graslandbasierten Milch- und Fleischproduktion

Die Landwirtschaft erfüllt für die Gesellschaft wichtige wirtschaftliche, soziokulturelle und ökologische Funktionen. Gleichwohl hat sie starke negative Auswirkungen auf den Zustand der Ökosysteme. Daran konnte auch die Ökologisierung der Agrarpolitik seit Anfang der 1990er Jahre nicht prinzipiell etwas ändern. Aufgrund der großen Bedeutung von Grünland für die Landwirtschaft in der Schweiz (60 % der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzfläche) und Österreich (40 %) ist die Rolle der Wiederkäuer für eine ökologisch nachhaltige Agrar- und Ernährungspolitik besonders wichtig. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben wir analysiert, inwieweit standortgerechte, graslandbasierte regenerative Milch- und Rindfleischsysteme, die den Wettbewerb zwischen Lebens- und Futtermittelproduktion minimieren, zu einer ökologisch nachhaltigen Landnutzung beitragen können, ohne dabei die regionalen Ökosystemgrenzen zu überschreiten (Stolze et al. 2019)

Legume-based crop rotations as a strategy to mitigate fluctuations in fertilizer prices? A case study on bread wheat genotypes in northern Spain using life cycle and economic assessment

\ua9 2024 The AuthorsToday\u27s agricultural production is heavily dependent on synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer. Its energy-intensive production and use are associated with a number of environmental burdens, such as global warming and marine eutrophication. Furthermore, fertilizer prices are subject to high volatility and have been rising steadily for years. One strategy to reduce the dependence on synthetic N fertilizer is to include legumes in the crop rotation, but it is important that this practice is economically viable to be adopted by farmers. Through gross margin analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA), we quantified the economic and environmental impacts of introducing grain legumes into rainfed bread wheat rotations in northern Spain. The analysis covered the full two-year sequences of barley-wheat, rapeseed-wheat and vetch-wheat. We further investigated the effect of four different bread wheat genotypes on the environmental and economic performance. In this case study, replacing synthetic N fertilizer with legume-fixed N in a two-year cropping rotation decreased most of the analysed environmental impacts. Modelled greenhouse gas emissions were 24 % lower for vetch-wheat compared to barley-wheat and 11 % lower compared to rapeseed-wheat. Despite higher wheat yield, the vetch-wheat rotation had an 18 % lower gross margin than the rapeseed rotation and a 1 % higher gross margin than the barley rotation. The sensitivity analysis showed that only when fertilizer and wheat grain prices were more than doubled, that the legume rotation became more profitable than the other rotations. Consequently, farmers would require a financial incentive to include legumes in crop rotations and reduce environmental impacts

The role of diversity and circularity to enhance the resilience of organic pig producers in Europe

This paper investigates how pig housing relates to diversity and circularity of farms and how this influences the capacity of European organic pig producers to cope with economic, legislation, labour and climate-related shocks. It identifies resilience strategies of pig producers in Europe by analysing resilience capacity and attributes to different shocks, namely input and output price shocks, disease outbreaks, climate change, legislation change and labour fluctuations. Based on narratives of 18 pig producers, this paper finds three resilience strategies: an efficiency-based strategy, a nutrient substitution strategy and a farm diversification strategy. Non-resiliency is mostly found among the producers with an all-year outdoor production system following the nutrient substitution strategy related to low feed self-sufficiency. The producers follow an efficiency-based strategy when they cannot accumulate reserves sufficient to cope with shocks. Non-resilience among the farm diversification strategy is related to direct marketing that is labour intensive requires the ability to pay decent wages. To increase the resilience of pig producers in Europe, policies should recognise that these different strategies exist and tailor policies differently for different types of producers

Extended T-systems

We use the theory of q-characters to establish a number of short exact sequences in the category of finite-dimensional representations of the quantum affine groups of types A and B. That allows us to introduce a set of 3-term recurrence relations which contains the celebrated T-system as a special case.Comment: 36 pages, latex; v2: version to appear in Selecta Mathematic

Combination of gefitinib and methotrexate to treat tubal ectopic pregnancy (GEM3): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Tubal ectopic pregnancies can cause substantial morbidity or even death. Current treatment is with methotrexate or surgery. Methotrexate treatment fails in approximately 30% of women who subsequently require rescue surgery. Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, might improve the effects of methotrexate. We assessed the efficacy of oral gefitinib with methotrexate, versus methotrexate alone, to treat tubal ectopic pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial across 50 UK hospitals. Participants diagnosed with tubal ectopic pregnancy were administered a single dose of intramuscular methotrexate (50 mg/m2) and randomised (1:1 ratio) to 7 days of additional oral gefitinib (250 mg daily) or placebo. The primary outcome, analysed by intention to treat, was surgical intervention to resolve the ectopic pregnancy. Secondary outcomes included time to resolution of ectopic pregnancy and serious adverse events. This trial is registered at the ISRCTN registry, ISCRTN 67795930. FINDINGS: Between Nov 2, 2016, and Oct 6, 2021, 328 participants were allocated to methotrexate and gefitinib (n=165) or methotrexate and placebo (n=163). Three participants in the placebo group withdrew. Surgical intervention occurred in 50 (30%) of 165 participants in the gefitinib group and in 47 (29%) of 160 participants in the placebo group (adjusted risk ratio 1·15, 95% CI 0·85 to 1·58; adjusted risk difference -0·01, 95% CI -0·10 to 0·09; p=0·37). Without surgical intervention, median time to resolution was 28·0 days in the gefitinib group and 28·0 days in the placebo group (subdistribution hazard ratio 1·03, 95% CI 0·75 to 1·40). Serious adverse events occurred in five (3%) of 165 participants in the gefitinib group and in six (4%) of 162 participants in the placebo group. Diarrhoea and rash were more common in the gefitinib group. INTERPRETATION: In women with a tubal ectopic pregnancy, adding oral gefitinib to parenteral methotrexate does not offer clinical benefit over methotrexate and increases minor adverse reactions. FUNDING: National Institute of Health Research