About this Research Topic
This Research Topic is part of the Options for Transition of Land Towards Intensive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems series:
Options for Transition of Land Towards Intensive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Among the Great Challenges for the 21st century, global food security, use of renewable raw materials and production of energy from biomass are important for the agricultural sector. Basic as well as applied science is required to reach sustainable increase in food production, novel products from agriculture and new perspectives for rural landscapes. Future land use must embrace efficient production and valorization of food and biomass for improved economic, environmental and social outcomes. At least 30 % of the agricultural soils worldwide need to be transformed to a state of higher quality. Accordingly, unlocking the potentials of marginal or neglected soils for productivity are high on the agenda. Specifically, recovery of soils from pollution, drought or other reasons for low productivity requires research on (a) identification of crucial soil components and processes (b) identification and assessment of plant species producing high biomass on marginal and/or contaminated soil, and (c) the optimum composition for compost and biogas production.
This Research Topic will combine cropping and soil amendment experiments, precision agricultural and crop modeling tools, experimental biomass conversion to energy, the assessment of greenhouse gas and nutrient emission and other environmental indicators, as well as socioeconomic models. Only a holistic approach will enable the identification of common traits and at the same time enable the development and dissemination of production chains for sustainable intensification which are adapted to the environmental and socio-economic diversity, and polluted sites including grassland, set aside land, brownfields, and otherwise marginal lands into sustainable agricultural production is a major issue. Within this frame a new generation of crops able to better adapt to climate extremes, soil heterogeneity and mitigate the climate change is envisaged. Implementing new biomass production systems coupled with biomass refining and low emission waste management systems may lead to strategies for a reduction of GHG emissions based on improved understanding of agricultural microbiota. Such an approach does not necessarily have to be in conflict with ecosystem conservation and the role of non-crop land for carbon sequestration. At the farm level, transitions are needed to circular farming systems following bioeconomy principles for integrated food and non-food production that better manage ecosystem sustainably, help to increase biodiversity and are better adapted to reducing carbon footprints through circular product chains. Furthermore, utilizing and developing models characterizing fluxes of matter, productivity and socio-economy will be ever so important to implement sustainable intensification of integrated food and non-food systems of agriculture.
This call is open for interdisciplinary papers on novel crop production systems, carbon sequestration in arable land, modelling sustainability and socioeconomics, as well as soil improvement by amendments and crop rotation schemes and on the ecology of marginal soils.
Options for Transition of Land Towards Intensive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Among the Great Challenges for the 21st century, global food security, use of renewable raw materials and production of energy from biomass are important for the agricultural sector. Basic as well as applied science is required to reach sustainable increase in food production, novel products from agriculture and new perspectives for rural landscapes. Future land use must embrace efficient production and valorization of food and biomass for improved economic, environmental and social outcomes. At least 30 % of the agricultural soils worldwide need to be transformed to a state of higher quality. Accordingly, unlocking the potentials of marginal or neglected soils for productivity are high on the agenda. Specifically, recovery of soils from pollution, drought or other reasons for low productivity requires research on (a) identification of crucial soil components and processes (b) identification and assessment of plant species producing high biomass on marginal and/or contaminated soil, and (c) the optimum composition for compost and biogas production.
This Research Topic will combine cropping and soil amendment experiments, precision agricultural and crop modeling tools, experimental biomass conversion to energy, the assessment of greenhouse gas and nutrient emission and other environmental indicators, as well as socioeconomic models. Only a holistic approach will enable the identification of common traits and at the same time enable the development and dissemination of production chains for sustainable intensification which are adapted to the environmental and socio-economic diversity, and polluted sites including grassland, set aside land, brownfields, and otherwise marginal lands into sustainable agricultural production is a major issue. Within this frame a new generation of crops able to better adapt to climate extremes, soil heterogeneity and mitigate the climate change is envisaged. Implementing new biomass production systems coupled with biomass refining and low emission waste management systems may lead to strategies for a reduction of GHG emissions based on improved understanding of agricultural microbiota. Such an approach does not necessarily have to be in conflict with ecosystem conservation and the role of non-crop land for carbon sequestration. At the farm level, transitions are needed to circular farming systems following bioeconomy principles for integrated food and non-food production that better manage ecosystem sustainably, help to increase biodiversity and are better adapted to reducing carbon footprints through circular product chains. Furthermore, utilizing and developing models characterizing fluxes of matter, productivity and socio-economy will be ever so important to implement sustainable intensification of integrated food and non-food systems of agriculture.
This call is open for interdisciplinary papers on novel crop production systems, carbon sequestration in arable land, modelling sustainability and socioeconomics, as well as soil improvement by amendments and crop rotation schemes and on the ecology of marginal soils.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
