TY - THES A1 - Höft, Mattis T1 - Influence of humic acids on nutrient use efficiency of three phosphorus sources in a sandy soil N2 - A pot trial was conducted under greenhouse conditions to assess the effect of humic acid (HA) application in combination with rock phosphate (RP) on the plant phosphorus (P) nutrient use efficiency (NUE), in comparison to the performance of struvite (ST) and triple superphosphate (TSP) amended plants. A sandy soil, exhibiting a low P content, was used in combination with a lignite derived, liquid humic acid product, with a HA content of 4.8 %. Nine groups of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were set up as experimental plants, in replications of six, each containing 4.5 kg air dry soil with a P supply of 27 mg P kg-1 soil, causing P deficiency during the experiment. HA was applied at rates of 1, 30 and 100 mg kg-1 soil, directly to the soil as coated RP or as foliar application. Aboveground biomass was harvested biweekly, five times in total. Amendment performance was evaluated by analysing plant biomass, soil pH, plant phosphorus-, carbon-, nitrogen-, iron-, zinc-, manganese- and boron contents. The label doses of 1 mg kg-1 soil as well as 100-fold increases in HA concentration didn’t result in a significant difference in plant shoot or root growth and P NUE compared to untreated plants. Positive trends were displayed at higher foliar application rates. Plant tissue micronutrient concentrations of HA treated samples were generally lower and partly significantly lower than the control. The detected effects were accredited to the hormone-like influence of HA on plants’ metabolism and the ability to alter soil conditions. The lack of calcium in ST amended samples resulted in better plant P availability, significantly higher P uptake and better shoot biomass development. Trends show that ST could be applied in combination with HA to further increase plants P NUE in the future. KW - Humic acid KW - Phosphorus KW - Struvite KW - Rock phosphate KW - Triple superphosphate Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-2978 ER - TY - THES A1 - Martin, Alina T1 - Long-term effects after a short learning event: Evaluation of the effectivity of an ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) module on the importance of pollinating insects N2 - In order to design a fairer and more sustainable planet, the United Nations have agreed on the Agenda 2030 and the corresponding 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) campaign. In order to assess the effectivity of this widely funded campaign, evaluation is in order. While usually larger projects and programs are evaluated, this thesis focuses on whether a short one-time education event can also create long-term learning effects. For a two-hour module on insect and pollinator diversity and their economic importance and conservation, evaluation was performed using empirical questionnaires with statistical analysis as well as participatory evaluation methodology. Statistical analysis shows that knowledge, skills and motivation increase strongly directly after the event, but for some part lower significantly after three weeks’ time. Participatory interviews reflect very different developments in the participants, with some only having an increased awareness of the topic but others having implemented conservation measures and networking in their daily lives. Overall, the evaluation shows that long-term effects of short events are only partly observable and different depending on the participating person. There is, however, a potential for further education and activism whose importance should not be underestimated. Accordingly, even though longer programs are surely more effective in creating long-term learning effects and activism, short events can be very efficient as a gateway into many sustainability topics and should be part of ESD. KW - ESD KW - BNE KW - Pollinators Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-18347 ER - TY - THES A1 - Kalyanam, Thanmai Sai T1 - The Environmental Impact of Urban Agricultural Technologies Determined Using Life Cycle Assessment Method – A Systematic Review N2 - Urban Agriculture (UA) is identified as a sustainable solution to address urban food security challenges compounded by the exponential increase in urban population. Moreover, UA largely mitigates the negative impacts associated with conventional agriculture systems such as soil degradation, high resource usage, crop sensitivity towards climate change, and high fertilizer usage. UA is often complimented for its significant potential for producing higher yield nevertheless, for extensive use of UA, an in-depth understand- ing of its environmental impacts is required. For any UA methodology, environmental performance acts as a promising factor in promoting agriculture sustainability. This study performs critical analyses of available literature on UA techniques using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA provides a comprehensive understanding of UA’s environmental footprint across different stages of its life cycle. LCA facilitates the quantification of eco- logical impacts associated with various UA approaches, including vertical farming, roof- top farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. This study utilizes a systematic review methodology, incorporating the PRISMA model, to conduct a comprehensive data collection process aimed at identifying the LCA of diverse UA methods and their associated impacts. The review addresses the following questions: How does LCA help in quantifying the environmental impacts of UA? What is the environmental performance of different UA techniques? The findings demonstrated that nearly every form of UA exhibited a notable advantage in yield, and efficiency in water usage and land usage. Specifically, aeroponics stands out for its superior performance in yield and water usage efficiency, albeit with elevated energy demands. Hydroponics and aquaponics showcase advantages in reduced water usage and fertilizer requirements. Vertical farms, due to their structural and Controlled Environment (CE) prerequisites, present as energy-intensive systems with higher Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In contrast, rooftop farms, making use of under-utilised urban spaces, emerge as a balanced system with moderate energy consumption and GHG emissions. The environmental impact of UA techniques varies based on factors such as structure, operational components, crop selection, and the integration of innovative technologies, resulting in diverse outcomes when compared to conventional soil-based farms. This review recommended an extensive LCA of UA techniques, innovation to existing methodologies, urban reforms, and increased awareness about UA. Y1 - 2024 ER - TY - THES A1 - Hötger, Marvin T1 - Evaluation of the potential of a silphie supply chain for fiber production and CO2 binding in East-Westphalia Lip N2 - The present thesis focuses on the potential of the alternative fiber plant Silphie (Silphium perfoliatum) in East Westphalia-Lippe. To assess its potential, three expert interviews were conducted in the beginning with the key stakeholders of a Silphie supply chain. These stakeholders included the fiber producer OutNature, the seed distributor Donau-Silphie, and the CO2 certification company Positerra. Through these interviews, the necessary conditions for establishing a Silphie cultivation region for paper production were determined. Subsequently, the attitudes of local farmers towards cultivation and further use of the plant were surveyed. Additionally, the potential for CO2 sequestration of Silphie was assessed and compared with the opinions of the farmers. The results from the interviews and the survey were used to identify patterns using explorative data analysis and descriptive statistics methods, enabling the prioritization of potential farmers in the future. The evaluation of the methods revealed an interest in cultivation and fiber production under certain conditions. The most important prerequisites include profitability, secured take-off agreements, and the suitability of using the plant as fodder. Consequently, farmers with a larger farm size who cultivate silage maize for biogas production are most willing to grow Silphie. By geographically mapping potential Silphie areas, two preferred catchment areas were identified where the chance for a cultivation region is favorable due to existing infrastructure and farmer interest. Furthermore, a comparison of the required environmental conditions with those present in OWL was conducted and mostly deemed accurate. Based on these findings and the development of further utilization possibilities for Silphie, this thesis serves as a motivation for additional studies aimed at increasing the potential of Silphie in OWL. KW - Silphie KW - fiber plant KW - carbon sequestration KW - agricultural supply chain KW - East Westphalia Lip Y1 - 2024 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Whitney, Cory W. A1 - Huth, Axel A1 - Kehlenbeck, Katja A1 - Hammer, Karl A1 - Gebauer, Jens T1 - Field Guide to Common Homegarden Crops of Southwestern Uganda N2 - Uganda’s homegardens are highly diverse small-scale farming systems. They provide the majority of the food consumed by local people and preserve a large number of traditional crops. This booklet provides a guide to common crops found in southwestern Uganda’s homegardens. It features descriptions and uses for 68 crops divided into four sections according to crop type (annual crops, perennial herbaceous crops, shrubs and trees). Crops are ranked according to their ethnobotanical importance. Each section begins with the most important crop. Each page has four photos of the crop and includes the most common local names (in Runyankole and Luganda), as well as the common English and botanical names. Additional information on the uses and occurrences is provided as well. We hope that this booklet will be of interest to a broad community of people interested in sustainable agriculture, food systems and food security issues: e.g. both Ugandan and international academics, non-government and government actors. KW - Uganda KW - Agroforestry KW - Africa KW - Agrobiodiversity KW - Plant genetic resources KW - Homegarden KW - Uganda KW - Agroforestry KW - Agrobiodiversity KW - Plant genetic resources Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-4510 ER - TY - THES A1 - Tantihachai, Jittawadee T1 - Market Participation of Maize Farmers Who Adopted Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) under the Mega Farm Project in the North of Thailand N2 - The attempt to integrate Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) into the procurement standards of maize supply chain has been led by the Thai Feed Mills Association since 2015 to mitigate environmental impacts of maize production in the North of Thailand. Maize production was condemned by researchers and civil society as one of the culprits of deforestation and haze crisis. Up to now, maize in compliance with GAP in the North of Thailand is mostly produced as part of the Mega Farm Project and limited to a handful of farmers and planted areas. With rather unclear and unpromising circumstances, this study aims to examine the progress of GAP implementation and the market participation of farmers who adopted GAP. By using qualitative and quantitative research methods, it tried to find the reasons for the slow progress and limited coverage of GAP maize production. The results show that market incentives, institutional support, and farmers’ resource endowment are key determinants of GAP adoption and market opportunities. Although the government’s support under the Mega Farm Project has made GAP adoption accessible, affordable and achievable, the stagnation in GAP implementation and adoption is caused by a lack of market incentives, enforcement of regulations, engagement of the private sector, and government’s resources. Farmers’ market participation as a result of GAP adoption has not substantially changed over time. Their market access and prices received remained the same. Their market opportunities have not significantly been enhanced owing to the lack of market incentives for sustainable maize production, insufficient institutional support on harvest and post-harvest management, and farmers’ limited capacity to upgrade and reach an economy of scale. KW - Sustainable KW - Supply chain KW - Agriculture KW - Upgrading KW - Environment KW - Sustainable KW - Good agricultural practices KW - Market participation KW - Supply chain KW - Maize Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-14848 ER -