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Land, Volume 5, Issue 1 (March 2016) – 6 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): As calls for bolstering ecosystem services from croplands have grown more insistent during the past two decades, the search for ways to foster these agriculture-sustaining services has become more urgent. In this context, we examine, by means of a meta-analysis, the argument that small-scale, mixed crop-livestock farming—a common livelihood among poor rural peoples—leads to environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. Mixed crop-livestock farms do exhibit more sustainable practices, but, contrary to predictions, a small scale of operation does not predict sustainability. Many smallholders use sustainable practices, but others practice a degrading, input-scarce agriculture. The link between mixed crop-livestock farming and sustainable agriculture argues for agricultural policies that promote mixed crop-livestock livelihoods. View the paper

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1065 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Smallholder, Mixed Crop-Livestock Livelihoods Encourage Sustainable Agricultural Practices? A Meta-Analysis

by Thomas K. Rudel, Oh-Jung Kwon, Birthe K. Paul, Maryline Boval, Idupulapati M. Rao, Diana Burbano, Megan McGroddy, Amy M. Lerner, Douglas White, Mario Cuchillo, Manuel Luna and Michael Peters

Land 2016, 5(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010006 - 6 Feb 2016

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 11168

Abstract

As calls for bolstering ecosystem services from croplands have grown more insistent during the past two decades, the search for ways to foster these agriculture-sustaining services has become more urgent. In this context we examine by means of a meta-analysis the argument, proposed by Robert McC. Netting, that small-scale, mixed crop-livestock farming, a common livelihood among poor rural peoples, leads to environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. As predicted, mixed crop-livestock farms exhibit more sustainable practices, but, contrary to predictions, a small scale of operation does not predict sustainability. Many smallholders on mixed crop-livestock farms use sustainable practices, but other smallholders practice a degrading, input-scarce agriculture. Some large farm operators use soil-conserving, minimum-tillage techniques while other large operators ignore soil-conserving techniques and practice an industrialized, high chemical input agriculture. The strength and pervasiveness of the link in the data between mixed crop-livestock farming and sustainable agricultural practices argues for agricultural policies that promote mixed crop-livestock livelihoods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changing Land Use, Changing Livelihoods)

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2008 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulating Littoral Trade: Modeling the Trade of Wine in the Bronze to Iron Age Transition in Southern France

by Stefani A. Crabtree

Land 2016, 5(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010005 - 5 Feb 2016

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6972

Abstract

The Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France is well known today for producing full-bodied red wines. Yet wine grapes are not native to France. Additionally, wine was not developed indigenously first. In the 7th century B.C. Etruscan merchants bringing wine landed on the shores of the Languedoc and established trade relationships with the native Gauls, later creating local viticulture, and laying the foundation for a strong cultural identity of French wine production and setting in motion a multi-billion dollar industry. This paper examines the first five centuries of wine consumption (from ~600 B.C. to ~100 B.C.), analyzing how preference of one type of luxury good over another created distinctive artifact patterns in the archaeological record. I create a simple agent-based model to examine how the trade of comestibles for wine led to a growing economy and a distinctive patterning of artifacts in the archaeological record of southern France. This model helps shed light on the processes that led to centuries of peaceable relationships with colonial merchants, and interacts with scholarly debate on why Etruscan amphorae are replaced by Greek amphorae so swiftly and completely. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agent-Based Modelling and Landscape Change)

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Redrawn from Py [<a href="#B2-land-05-00005" class="html-bibr">2</a>], curves of artifact percentages through time. (1) represents Etruscan amphorae, which make up almost 100% of the assemblage at that time. (2) represents archaic Greek amphorae, which have a small percentage of the assemblage. (3) represents Greek amphorae. Note that while Greek amphorae are the dominant form of wine vessels after 500 B.C. that amphorae of Etruscan type (1) are still present into the 3rd millennium B.C. (4) represents Roman amphorae, which are not examined in this paper. Full article ">Figure 2
Area of interest for this study. This study specifically examines the development of viticulture and trade in the Languedoc Roussillon region, but map includes surrounding areas of interest to this study. Here I show those cities that are specifically mentioned in this manuscript, as well as the three shipwrecks mentioned that show integration of ethnic identities. Full article ">Figure 3
Population response in the simulation, tied to the consumption of grain (grey lines). Solid lines denote the mean population for the scenario being examined, dotted lines denote one standard deviation of the mean above and below the mean. Scenarios a through e represented different trade rates examined in this simulation. Full article ">Figure 4
(a–j) Response of population and artifact type based on preference value, beginning with a preference of 0 (in favor of Etruscans) and ending at a preference value of 40 (almost equal preference, still in favor of Etruscans). Preference values are reported in the middle of each tile, corresponding to the values on the left and the right. Left side of tiled figure corresponds to population, while the right side corresponds to the artifact assemblage. Solid colored lines denote the mean, while dotted colored lines denote one standard deviation above and below the mean. Grey lines indicate overall variation of output in simulations. Full article ">Figure 5
(a–l) Response of population and artifact type based on preference value, beginning at preference of 50 (no preference for Greek or Etruscan wine) and ending at 100 (preference for Greek wine). Preference values are reported in the middle of each tile, corresponding to the values on the left and the right. Left side of tiled figure corresponds to population, while the right side corresponds to the artifact assemblage. Solid colored lines denote the mean, while dotted colored lines denote one standard deviation above and below the mean. Grey lines indicate overall variation of output in simulations. Full article ">Figure 5 Cont.
(a–l) Response of population and artifact type based on preference value, beginning at preference of 50 (no preference for Greek or Etruscan wine) and ending at 100 (preference for Greek wine). Preference values are reported in the middle of each tile, corresponding to the values on the left and the right. Left side of tiled figure corresponds to population, while the right side corresponds to the artifact assemblage. Solid colored lines denote the mean, while dotted colored lines denote one standard deviation above and below the mean. Grey lines indicate overall variation of output in simulations. Full article ">

1060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Potential of the Original Texas Land Survey for Mapping Historical Land and Vegetation Cover

by Indumathi Srinath and Andrew C. Millington

Land 2016, 5(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010004 - 4 Feb 2016

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6435

Abstract

This paper reports on research to evaluate the potential of Original Texas Land Survey (OTLS) to generate information that can be used to quantitatively map historical vegetation cover and analyse pertinent aspects of vegetation ecology. Research was conducted in Brazos County in east-central Texas. OTLS data are easy to acquire and convert to geo-referenced autecological information. Reconstructing and mapping vegetation and land cover, conducting vegetation- and species-site analyses with to soil-ecological maps, reconstructing vegetation assemblages and forest structure can be easily accomplished. Due to the irregular surveying framework used by OTLS, mapping gradational grassland-savannah ecotone boundaries is impracticable. Full article

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1917 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anthropogenic Influences in Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Mediterranean Forest Landscapes in Sicily

by Donato S. La Mela Veca, Sebastiano Cullotta, Sebastiano Sferlazza and Federico G. Maetzke

Land 2016, 5(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010003 - 26 Jan 2016

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 7031

Abstract

This paper analyzes and quantifies the land use/land cover changes of the main forest and semi-natural landscape types in Sicily between 1955 and 2012. We analyzed seven representative forest and shrubland landscapes in Sicily. These study areas were chosen for their importance in the Sicilian forest panorama. We carried out a diachronic survey on historical and current aerial photos; all the aerial images used to survey the land use/land cover changes were digitalized and georeferenced in the UTM WGS84 system. In order to classify land use, the Regional Forest Inventory 2010 legend was adopted for the more recent images, and the CORINE Land Cover III level used for the older, lower resolution images. This study quantifies forest landscape dynamics; our results show for almost all study areas an increase of forest cover and expansion, whereas a regressive dynamic is found in rural areas due to intensive agricultural and pasturage uses. Understanding the dynamics of forest landscapes could enhance the role of forestry policy as a tool for landscape management and regional planning. Full article

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Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract
Full article ">Figure 1
Geophysical map of Sicily with detail of the study areas. Full article ">Figure 2
Number of residents of the municipalities over which the study areas extend (Source: processing of data from ISTAT) [<a href="#B26-land-05-00003" class="html-bibr">26</a>]. Data for the six villages are plotted on the primary y-axis; data for the town (Caltagirone) are plotted on the secondary y-axis. Full article ">Figure 3
Dynamics of forest harvesting and products in Sicily (Source: processing of data from ISTAT) [<a href="#B26-land-05-00003" class="html-bibr">26</a>]. Full article ">Figure 4
Dynamics of land use (LU) change (%) in the seven study areas for the period 1955–2012. Full article ">Figure 5
Land use classifications for 1955 and 2012 of the most significant areas: Etna and Sicani-CS. Full article ">Figure 6
Dynamics of the land cover (LC) change classes (%) in the study areas from 1955 to 2012. Full article ">Figure 7
Distribution of “unvaried” and “degradation” areas for classes of desertification risk. Data not available for Pantelleria because the Desertification Risk Sensitivity Map of Sicily does not include the smaller islands. Full article ">

143 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Land in 2015

by Land Editorial Office

Land 2016, 5(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010002 - 23 Jan 2016

Viewed by 3765

Abstract

The editors of Land would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2015.[...] Full article

2830 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing and Governing Ecosystem Services Trade-Offs in Agrarian Landscapes: The Case of Biogas

by Christian Albert, Johannes Hermes, Felix Neuendorf, Christina Von Haaren and Michael Rode

Land 2016, 5(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/land5010001 - 22 Jan 2016

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6990

Abstract

This paper develops a method to explore how alternative scenarios of the expansion of maize production for biogas generation affect biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES). Our approach consists of four steps: (i) defining scenario targets and implementation of assumptions; (ii) simulating crop distributions across the landscape; (iii) assessing the ES impacts; and (iv) quantifying the impacts for a comparative trade-off analysis. The case study is the region of Hannover, Germany. One scenario assumes an increase of maize production in a little regulated governance system; two others reflect an increase of biogas production with either strict or flexible environmental regulation. We consider biodiversity and three ES: biogas generation, food production and the visual landscape. Our results show that the expansion of maize production results in predominantly negative impacts for other ES. However, positive effects can also be identified, i.e., when the introduction of maize leads to higher local crop diversity and, thus, a more attractive visual landscape. The scenario of little regulation portrays more negative impacts than the other scenarios. Targeted spatial planning, implementation and appropriate governance for steering maize production into less sensitive areas is crucial for minimizing trade-offs and exploiting synergies between bioenergy and other ES. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro(Eco)System Services—Supply and Demand from Fields to Society)

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