The Nutrition Transition and the Double Burden of Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan African Countries: How Do These Countries Compare with the Recommended LANCET COMMISSION Global Diet?.
Background: Over the last two decades, many sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have undergone dietary and nutrition transitions fuelled by rapid urbanisation, economic development, and globalisation. The aim of the current study was to examine outcomes of the nutrition transition and the epidemiologic transition in SSA countries in terms of food intake, health, and socioeconomic and […]
Activated carbon from almond shells using an eco-compatible method: screening, optimization, characterization, and adsorption performance testing.
Activated carbon as a low-cost adsorbent prepared from almond shells using H3PO4 as a chemical activator and room vacuum pyrolysis as a physical activator, which is considered to be an eco-compatible preparation process. Experimental design methodology was used to study and optimize the effects of eight preparation parameters on I2 adsorption expressed by the iodine […]
Biology, Genetic Diversity, and Conservation of Wild Bees in Tree Fruit Orchards.
Different species of bees provide essential ecosystem services by pollinating various agricultural crops, including tree fruits. Many fruits and nuts depend on insect pollination, primarily by wild and managed bees. In different geographical regions where orchard crops are grown, fruit growers rely on wild bees in the farmscape and use orchard bees as alternative pollinators. […]
Development of Low-Cost Porous Carbons through Alkali Activation of Crop Waste for CO2 Capture.
To achieve the “double carbon” (carbon peak and carbon neutrality) target, low-cost CO2 capture at large CO2 emission points is of great importance, during which the development of low-cost CO2 sorbents will play a key role. Here, we chose peanut shells (P) from crop waste as the raw material and KOH and K2CO3 as activators […]
Developing a culturally acceptable peanut nutrition bar with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal using response surface methodology.
To increase farm income and food security, a collaboration was made with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal to develop a culturally acceptable peanut nutrition bar using healthy indigenous and local ingredients and feasible manufacturing methods. This study aimed to use response surface methodology to optimize the bar’s formulation and characterize the texture, nutrient profile, […]
Crop rotation increases root biomass and promotes the correlation of soil dissolved carbon with the microbial community in the rhizosphere.
As essential approaches for conservation agricultural practices, straw residue retention and crop rotation have been widely used in the Mollisols of Northeast China. Soil organic carbon, root development and microbial community are important indicators representing soil, crop and microbiota, respectively, and these factors work together to influence soil fertility and crop productivity. Studying their changes […]
Environmental, nutritional and social assessment of nuts.
Nuts are considered an important protein source in sustainable dietary patterns but are seldom studied in detail. Here a multi-criteria decision analysis was used to rank 10 nuts and seeds against 11 environmental, nutritional, and social criteria and provide greater insight into the sustainability impacts of this food group. Weights were defined based on correlation […]
Microplastics reduce nitrogen uptake in peanut plants by damaging root cells and impairing soil nitrogen cycling.
Microplastic (MP) pollution severely impairs the sustainable development of modern agriculture. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of MP contaminants on nutrient cycles in agroecosystems are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the impacts of two types of MPs, polypropylene (PP) and rubber crumb (RC), on nitrogen (N) transformation and N cycling in soil-peanut […]
Honey bees save energy in honey processing by dehydrating nectar before returning to the nest.
Honey bees process nectar into honey by active evaporation on the tongue and passive evaporation involving nest ventilation and fanning behaviour, as well as enzymatic action. The elimination of excess water from nectar carries considerable energetic costs. The concentration of the nectar load is assumed to remain constant during transport. However, some of this water […]
Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia).
Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) in the cashew agroforestry systems of East Timor (Southeast […]
Effects of cashew nutshell ash on the thermal and sustainability properties of cement concrete.
The present study valorizes cashew nutshell ash (CNA) and uses it at 5-20 wt. % of cement for concrete production. The concrete grades of 25-40 MPa were used as mix design proportions. The thermal and mechanical properties of the concrete samples were determined on day 28 of curing. Regression models were used to predict the […]
Preliminary Evaluation of the Application of Algae-Based Biostimulants on Almond.
To improve almond performance under water limitations, the use of algae-based biostimulants may become a useful tool to reduce drought stress. However, besides possible effects on plant behavior, changes in fruit characteristics must also be considered. In this work, a preliminary study on the effect of two levels of an Ascophyllum nodosum-based biostimulant in the […]
Growing health: global linkages between patterns of food supply, sustainability, and vulnerability to climate change.
Global food systems are developing rapidly, and have resulted in a large burden of disease and a high proportion of environmental resource use. We combined global data sources on food supply and trade, environmental footprints, burdens of disease, and vulnerability to climate change to explore patterns from 1990 to 2017. Four distinct patterns of food […]
The 2022 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: towards a climate resilient future.
In the past few decades, major public health advances have happened in Europe, with drastic decreases in premature mortality and a life expectancy increase of almost 9 years since 1980. European countries have some of the best health-care systems in the world. However, Europe is challenged with unprecedented and overlapping crises that are detrimental to […]
The State of Food and Agriculture 2022. Leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agrifood systems
Automation has been shaping world agriculture since the early twentieth century. Motorized mechanization has brought significant benefits in terms of improved productivity, reduced drudgery and more efficient allocation of labour, but also some negative environmental impacts. More recently, a new generation of digital agricultural automation technologies has appeared, with the potential to further enhance productivity, […]
Forest-based adaptation: transformational adaptation through forests and trees.
Forest-based adaptation is an ensemble of climate actions that employ forests and trees in support of climate change adaptation and resilience, including sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration, reforestation and afforestation. Forest-based adaptation can help address the gaps between current adaptation actions and the adaptation needed for reducing climate-related risks and impacts, while contributing […]
Water provisioning increases caged worker bee lifespan and caged worker bees are living half as long as observed 50 years ago.
The high loss rates of honey bee colonies drive research for solutions aimed to mitigate these losses. While honey bee colonies are superorganisms, experiments that measure the response to stressors often use caged individuals to allow for inference in a controlled setting. In an initial experiment, we showed that caged honey bees provisioned with various […]
Use of Hazelnut Perisperm as an Antioxidant for Production of Sustainable Biodegradable Active Films.
Utilization of food-waste-derived bioactive compounds with biodegradable polymers is an attractive strategy leading innovation in the food packaging sector and contributing to reduce the environmental concerns of plastic packaging disposal. In this field, this work is aimed to use hazelnut perisperm as an antioxidant agent in the production of biodegradable polymeric films for active packaging […]
Developing sustainable land-use patterns at watershed scale using nexus of soil, water, energy, and food.
Aside from the many services that soil provides, it also stores water and makes it available to crops, which is critical for food security. However, the necessity of further studies for overcoming the existing gap in relation to the role of soil in the water, energy, and food nexus system has been preoccupying the experts […]
The effect of nut growth limitation on triose phosphate utilization and down-regulation of photosynthesis in almond.
There is a controversy regarding when it is appropriate to apply the irrigation restriction in almond trees (Prunus dulcis Mill.) to save water without penalizing yield. We hypothesized that knowing when plants demand fewer photoassimilates would be a good indicator of less sensitivity of the crop to water deficit. One parameter that defines the photosynthetic […]
Grazing with trees – A silvopastoral approach to managing and restoring drylands
Trees in dryland forests and wooded areas provide key ecosystem services such as animal feed, timber, fruits and, regulation of soil and water cycles. Equally, the presence of livestock in dryland woody areas can also play an important role in the local ecosystem; not only are they a source of income for local communities, but […]
Halting deforestation from agricultural value chains: the role of governments.
This paper summarizes the current state of concepts and approaches for addressing deforestation in the trade, marketing, and production of agricultural commodities that have a disproportionate impact on forests at international, national, and landscape level. To date, predominant attention has been directed towards the role of the private sector and “consumer countries” that shape market […]
Laboratory study of water infiltration and evaporation in biochar-amended landfill covers under extreme climate.
Biochar has been used as an environment-friendly enhancer to improve the soil hydraulic properties. Previous studies focused on the effect of biochar addition for irrigation in agricultural soils. However, the understanding of the influence of biochar addition on water infiltration in compacted soils as used in landfill covers is limited. This study investigated the effects […]
The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels.
The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown is published as the world confronts profound and concurrent systemic shocks. Countries and health systems continue to contend with the health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a persistent fossil fuel overdependence has pushed the world into global energy and cost-of-living crises. […]
Study on performance of carbon source released from fruit shells and the effect on biological denitrification in the advanced treatment.
In order to solve the problem of shortage of carbon source for biological denitrification in advanced treatment of the effluent from secondary treatment of sewage, five kinds of fruit shells (pistachio shell, peanut shell, ginkgo shell, walnut shell and hazelnut shell) were preliminarily selected from eight kinds of fruit shells for experiments of static carbon […]
Physiological characterization of the wild almond Prunus arabica stem photosynthetic capability.
Leaves are the major plant tissue for transpiration and carbon fixation in deciduous trees. In harsh habitats, atmospheric CO2 assimilation via stem photosynthesis is common, providing extra carbon gain to cope with the detrimental conditions. We studied two almond species, the commercial Prunus dulcis cultivar “Um-el-Fahem” and the rare wild Prunus arabica. Our study revealed […]
Salinity of irrigation water selects distinct bacterial communities associated with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) root.
Saline water irrigation has been used in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) agriculture as an alternative to non-saline water due to water scarcity in hyper-arid environments. However, the knowledge pertaining to saline water irrigation impact on the root-associated bacterial communities of arid agroecosystems is scarce. In this study, we investigated the effect of irrigation sources […]
Effects of High-Pressure Carbon Dioxide on the Sensory and Chemical Properties of Dried Dates and Its Toxicity against Galleria mellonella (L.) and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner).
Abstract: The use of chemical pesticides can have many detrimental side effects, including environmental pollution, and be a threat to human health. Carbon dioxide (CO2) treatment, a relatively new method for storage pest management, can replace harmful chemicals. Dates, an important food worldwide, contains many minerals, fiber, and a variety of vitamins and are an […]
Seasonal variability in physiology and behavior affect the impact of fungicide exposure on honey bee
Honey bee pollination services are of tremendous agricultural and economic importance. Despite this, honey bees and other pollinators face ongoing perils, including population declines due to a variety of environmental stressors. Fungicides may be particularly insidious stressors for pollinators due to their environmental ubiquity and widespread approval for application during crop bloom. The mechanisms by […]
Adsorption of brilliant green dye onto activated carbon prepared from cashew nut shell by KOH activation: Studies on equilibrium isotherm.
Activated carbon from cashew nut shell via a potassium hydroxide (KOH) at 600 °C in an N2 atmosphere and their characteristics using FT-IR, XRD, SEM with EDS, and BET analysis was investigated. The cashew nut shell activated carbon obtained by KOH activation with a CNS/KOH ratio of 1:1 at 600 °C (N2 atmosphere) for 2 h had […]
The Use of Waste Hazelnut Shells as a Reinforcement in the Development of Green Biocomposites
Biodegradable Mater-Bi (MB) composites reinforced with hazelnut shell (HS) powder were prepared in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder followed by compression molding and injection molding. The effects of reinforcement on the morphology, static and dynamic mechanical properties, and thermal and rheological properties of MB/HS biocomposites were studied. Rheological tests showed that the incorporation of HS significantly […]
Novel combination artificial neural network models could not outperform individual models for weather-based cashew yield prediction.
Cashew is an important cash crop which is ecologically sensitive, making it vulnerable to climate change. So, the present study compares the performance of stepwise linear regression (SLR), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), elastic net, and artificial neural network (ANN) individually against the ANN model combined with SLR, LASSO, elastic net, and principal […]
State-led agricultural subsidies drive monoculture cultivar cashew expansion in northern Western Ghats, India.
Agricultural commodity production constitutes an important livelihood source for farmers but significantly contributes to tropical deforestation and biodiversity loss. While the socioecological effects of agricultural commodities such as palm oil, cocoa and coffee are well studied, the effects for commodities such as cashew (Anacardium occidentale) have received less attention. Global cultivated area for cashew increased […]
Assessing the sustainability index of part-time and full-time hazelnut farms in Giresun and Ordu Province, Turkey
The study’s primary purposes were to assess the sustainability of hazelnut farms and explore the effects of part-time and full-time farming types on sustainability in hazelnut production in the Giresun and Ordu Province of Turkey. One hundred fifty-two hazelnut farms were selected using the stratified sampling method, and data were collected by using face-to-face questionnaires. […]
Pecan agroforestry systems improve soil quality by stimulating enzyme activity.
Background: Forest and plantation intercropping are efficient agroforestry systems that optimize land use and promote agroforestry around the world. However, diverse agroforestry systems on the same upper-plantation differently affect the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Methods: The treatments for this study included a single cultivation (CK) pecan control and three agroforestry systems (pecan + Paeonia suffruticosa + Hemerocallis […]
Presence of activated carbon particles from waste walnut shell as a biosorbent in monoethanolamine (MEA) solution to enhance carbon dioxide absorption
Greenhouse effects are a natural phenomenon that plays a high role in shaping the climate system. In this research, MEA solution was used for CO2 capture in presence of activated carbon particles from waste walnut shells as a biosorbent. The process parameters including temperature, pressure, MEA concentration, and activated carbon were used in the central […]
Dryland irrigation increases accumulation rates of pedogenic carbonate and releases soil abiotic CO2
Agricultural fields in drylands are challenged globally by limited freshwater resources for irrigation and also by elevated soil salinity and sodicity. It is well known that pedogenic carbonate is less soluble than evaporate salts and commonly forms in natural drylands. However, few studies have evaluated how irrigation loads dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to agricultural fields, […]
Multipurpose plant species and circular economy: Corylus avellana L. as a study case.
Corylus avellana L. is one of the most cultivated species in the world. Mainly utilized with the purpose of obtaining food material, hazel trees cannot guarantee constant kernels productions given the threats related to pathogens and to adverse conditions, especially in a globalisation and global changes scenarios. This matter led us to consider the opportunity […]
Acute Toxicity of Fungicide-Insecticide-Adjuvant Combinations Applied to Almonds During Bloom on Adult Honey Bees.
Beekeepers report significant honey bee deaths during and after almond bloom. These losses pose a major problem for the California almond industry because of its dependence on honey bees as pollinators. This research aimed to determine if combinations of pesticides applied during almond bloom during daylight hours were a possible explanation for these losses. In […]
Effects of different artificial diets on commercial honey bee colony performance, health biomarkers, and gut microbiota.
Background: Honey bee colonies managed for agricultural pollination are highly dependent on human inputs, especially for disease control and supplemental nutrition. Hives are routinely fed artificial "pollen substitute" diets to compensate for insufficient nutritional forage in the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different artificial diets in a northern California, […]
Sustainable food systems and nutrition in the 21st century: a report from the 22nd annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium
Food systems are at the center of a brewing storm consisting of a rapidly changing climate, rising hunger and malnutrition, and significant social inequities. At the same time, there are vast opportunities to ensure that food systems produce healthy and safe food in equitable ways that promote environmental sustainability, especially if the world can come […]
Geographic information system-assisted site quality assessment for hazelnut cultivation using multi-criteria decision analysis in the Black Sea region, Turkey.
Developing land suitability models for strategically critical agricultural products to expand sustainable agricultural policies and sensitive agriculture management has become a significant trend. This study aims to improve a unique land suitability model for hazelnut cultivation by applying the criteria set (7 main criteria, 35 sub-criteria) including qualitative and quantitative reasons, integrated fuzzy analytic hierarchy […]
Expected global suitability of coffee, cashew and avocado due to climate change
Coffee, cashew and avocado are of high socio-economic importance in many tropical smallholder farming systems around the globe. As plantation crops with a long lifespan, their cultivation requires long-term planning. The evaluation of climate change impacts on their biophysical suitability is therefore essential for developing adaptation measures and selecting appropriate varieties or crops. In this […]
Postharvest processing of tree nuts: Current status and future prospects-A comprehensive review
Tree nuts are important economic crops and are consumed as healthy snacks worldwide. In recent years, the increasing needs for more efficient and effective postharvest processing technologies have been driven by the growing production, higher quality standards, stricter food safety requirements, development of new harvesting methods, and demand to achieve energy saving and carbon neutralization. […]
Expected global suitability of coffee, cashew and avocado due to climate change
Coffee, cashew and avocado are of high socio-economic importance in many tropical smallholder farming systems around the globe. As plantation crops with a long lifespan, their cultivation requires long-term planning. The evaluation of climate change impacts on their biophysical suitability is therefore essential for developing adaptation measures and selecting appropriate varieties or crops. In this […]