Category: Carbon footprint
Climate change and agricultural workers in the Michoacán avocado industry: Opportunities and trade-offs in coupling plant and human health for sustainability
The rapidly expanding demand for avocado production places significant strain on agricultural communities and associated ecosystems. As temperature increases and water scarcity worsens, the avocado, a high-water demanding crop, faces declining yields and increased tree mortality. Deforestation, monoculture farming, and pesticide use further threaten interconnected landscapes, reducing biodiversity, degrading soil quality, and devaluing natural capital. Michoacán, Mexico, the largest producer of
Avocado drought stress alleviation through different soil amendments
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Under the uncertain scenario of water availability for irrigation, plants are often exposed to drought periods, which can negatively impact their vegetative growth and yield potential. To address this issue, various soil amendments including inorganic, organic, and biological treatments, have been investigated as solutions for mitigating water stress. However, comparative studies of different amendments are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of various soil amendments
Under the uncertain scenario of water availability for irrigation, plants are often exposed to drought periods, which can negatively impact their vegetative growth and yield potential. To address this issue, various soil amendments including inorganic, organic, and biological treatments, have been investigated as solutions for mitigating water stress. However, comparative studies of different amendments are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of various soil amendments
Accessible drone image processing for sustainable resource management of 3D tree-like crops using unsupervised algorithms
This study presents a novel AI-driven solution designed to enhance sustainable resource management and increase accessibility for farmers through visualized and digitalized tree information. The proposed methodology includes optimizing drone mapping for effective data coverage, capturing high-resolution imagery, and generating a 3D Point Cloud, with a particular emphasis on the integration of Weighted K-means, Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), and cluster separation
Avocado production in different biomes throughout Peru: do differing cultivation practices translate into differences in environmental impacts?
PURPOSE: Avocado production in Peru takes place in different biomes and under different agricultural systems (e.g., conventional, organic, or agroforestry). Therefore, it is important to understand differences in the environmental profile of avocado production within the diversity of these cultivation systems. Hence, the main objective of the study was to conduct a cradle-to-gate attributional Life Cycle Assessment of avocado production in Peru by small and medium-sized producers, under multiple
Risk assessment of pesticides used in the eastern Avocado Belt of Michoacan, Mexico: A survey and water monitoring approach
Pesticides use raises concerns regarding environmental sustainability, as pesticides are closely linked to the decline of biodiversity and adverse human health outcomes. This study proposed a holistic approach for assessing the potential risks posed by pesticides for human health and the environment in the eastern region of Michoacan, where extensive agricultural lands, especially corn and avocado fields, surround the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. We used a combination of qualitative (semi-structured
Identifying Optimal Zones for Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Cultivation in Iberian Peninsula: A Climate Suitability Analysis
In recent decades, the cultivation of avocados (Persea americana Mill) has expanded throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with most of the production occurring on the Southern Atlantic and Mediterranean Coast, as well as in the Canary Islands. This expansion is due to high demand and high prices, which have made the crop very attractive. However, climatic suitability criteria have not always been followed, putting sustainability at risk. Avocados originate from tropical and subtropical areas and have