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To date, the local food system movement has focused primarily on the agri-food system. In our commentary, we suggest some ways of moving forward that may help ensure that research and discourse in the area of sustainable food systems more actively consider the role of small-scale fisheries. Specifically, we point to the need for a more integrated food system that includes both marine and freshwater fish as part of the food system, considers food and fisheries as complex and adaptive systems, and supports cross-sector policy-making for local food systems across agriculture and fisheries systems.

The sustainable use of common pool resources (CPRs) such as fisheries constitutes a major challenge for society. A large body of empirical studies conducted in discrete time indicates that resource users are able to prevent the ‘tragedy of the commons' under institutional arrangements that can promote cooperation. However, the variability exhibited by the human behaviour and the dynamic nature of renewable resources require continuous time experiments to fully explain the mechanisms underpinning the sustainable use of resources. We conducted CPR experiments in continuous time to investigate how the extraction behaviour of resource users changes in real-time in response to changes in resource availability under communication and no communication. We find that when communication is allowed, users adjust their extraction efforts based on knowledge of previous resource availability. In contrast, when communication is not allowed, users do not incorporate resource availability into their utility function. These results suggest that communication does not merely provide a forum for coordination but mediates a causal relationship between resource levels and extraction behaviour. Our findings may help the development of effective resource management policies.

The montado is a silvo pastoral system, and the dominant land-use in the region of Alentejo (Portugal). It bears high nature, socio-economic, and landscape values, shaping the strong cultural identity of the region. Despite these values, it has been under decay over the last decades, indicating the inefficiency of current governance strategies. In this paper, we argue how three main discourses can be found that underpin different governance strategies in the montado: The heritage discourse, the modern production discourse, and the land stewardship discourse. These discourses frame farmers’ decisions, though not always explicitly. The discourse analysis is grounded on an analysis of the relevant literature and research results from diverse projects, including an analysis of media representation of the montado since the 1990s, participatory observations, and 30 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Each of the three discourses identified are characterized in terms of key farming developments and defining elements, their time-scopes, the ways in which they are perceived by society, their measures of success, and underpinning institutions and power mechanisms. We argue that these discourses co-exist today, and this is a cause of increased tensions in montado governance strategies, hindering more effective and sustainable potential alternatives for the system.

Indonesia is among the largest fish-producing countries. The West Nusa Tenggara (WNT) region is one of the highest producers of fish in Indonesia. Hence, the levels of MP contamination in commercial fish should be assessed to ensure food safety, food security, and socio-economic sustainability. This study investigates MP contamination in commercial fish in one of the largest fish markets in the WNT region, the Bintaro fish market. Three commercial fish species were evaluated for MP contamination in this study, Nasso thynnoides, Auxis rochei, and Caesio teres. The highest number of MPs was detected in A. rochei (21.60 ± 8.70 MPs/100 g). The other pelagic fish species, N. thynnoides, also shown considerably high MP contamination (18.17 ± 7.93 MPs/100 g). On the other hand, the midwater fish Caesio teres showed the least MP contamination (7.07 MPs/100 g). In addition, most of the MPs detected in all three fish species were fiber MPs of small sizes (100–500 µm). Based on FTIR analyses, the MP samples from all three fish species mainly consisted of polyamide (PA), which is the polymer used to form fiber for textiles. These results potentially reveal the degree of microplastic pollution in not only coastal areas of WNT, but also Sulawesi and also East Nusa Tenggara (ENT) since the fish distributed at the Bintaro fish market came from these regions. Better solid waste management in Indonesia is needed to reduce plastic waste management, particularly household waste, which is the potential major source of fiber MPs.

This paper describes an environmental and economic assessment of plasma gasification, one of the viable candidates for the valorisation of refuse derived fuel from Enhanced Landfill Mining. The study is based on life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. Plasma gasification is benchmarked against conventional incineration, and the study indicates that the process could have significant impact on climate change, human toxicity, particulate matter formation, metal depletion and fossil depletion. Flue gas emission, oxygen usage and disposal of residues (plasmastone) are the major environmental burdens, while electricity production and metal recovery represent the major benefits. Reductions in burdens and improvements in benefits are found when the plasmastone is valorised in building materials instead of landfilling. The study indicates that the overall environmental performance of plasma gasification is better than incineration. The study confirms a trade-off between the environmental and economic performance of the discussed scenarios. Net electrical efficiency and investment cost of the plasma gasification process and the selling price of the products are the major economic drivers.

AbstractLivelihood diversification is increasingly central to policy advice and investments in rural development and fisheries management. For small‐scale fishing communities in low‐ to middle‐income countries, more diverse livelihoods are generally hypothesized to reduce fishing pressure and vulnerabilities to external shocks and adverse trends while enabling people to construct routes out of poverty. Yet, evidence of impacts from livelihood diversification in small‐scale fisheries remains sparse. Our examination of the peer‐reviewed literature found substantial differences in how livelihood diversification is pursued, and in the realized outcomes from the process of diversification. Studies describing diversified livelihoods were almost as likely to report that livelihoods were not improved or that outcomes were mixed (54% combined) as they were to report improved livelihood outcomes (45%). Furthermore, one of the main theoretical drivers behind the support for diversified livelihoods—ecological conservation benefits—was unexplored in over 70% of studies. Of the minority of studies that did explore ecological outcomes, most reported that ecological conditions had not improved. These findings indicate conceptual ambiguity around livelihood diversification and a lack of empirical evidence supporting its theoretical underpinnings. There remain important questions about the impacts of diversification on multidimensional poverty and ecological conservation. Future research on and investment in diversification should be both more deliberate of what diversification means and more rigorous in the evaluation of its impacts.

Le poisson est une source essentielle de revenus, de nourriture et de nutrition en Zambie, bien que contrairement au passé, la pêche de capture ne réponde plus à la demande nationale de poisson. Les pénuries d'approvisionnement ont créé une opportunité de développer le secteur de l'aquaculture en Zambie, qui est maintenant l'un des plus grands producteurs de poissons d'élevage (Tilapia spp.) sur le continent. Dans sa forme actuelle, le secteur de l'aquaculture présente une dichotomie. Il comprend, d'une part, un secteur des petits exploitants qui produit et fournit principalement sur les marchés locaux, et d'autre part, un secteur commercial en plein essor à plus grande échelle composé d'un petit nombre d'entreprises pionnières qui (re)façonnent la façon dont la chaîne de valeur approvisionne les marchés nationaux, principalement urbains. Un défi notable auquel est confronté le développement de la chaîne de valeur de l'aquaculture en Zambie est de veiller à ce que le secteur commercial à plus grande échelle puisse continuer à croître et à générer des avantages économiques pour le pays, tout en préservant simultanément une croissance inclusive et durable des systèmes de production des petits exploitants. Une étude approfondie de la chaîne de valeur de l'aquaculture à méthodes mixtes a été menée en Zambie en 2017 dans le but de fournir aux parties prenantes concernées des informations pertinentes sur la contribution de la chaîne de valeur à la croissance économique et à son inclusivité, ainsi que sur ses aspects de durabilité sociale et environnementale. Dans cet article, nous présentons quelques résultats clés de l'étude pour faire la lumière sur la façon dont la durabilité des systèmes de production des petits exploitants pourrait être améliorée tout en préservant la tendance à la croissance des grands producteurs de manière inclusive. L'étude a révélé que la chaîne de valeur contribue positivement à la croissance économique du pays. Les petits exploitants agricoles classés comme « semi-subsistants » et « commerciaux » font face à plusieurs contraintes à la production, bien que quelque peu différentes, influençant ainsi leur statut de « durabilité ». Les petits exploitants de semi-subsistance réalisent des marges bénéficiaires positives (mais négligeables), et leur système de production n'est pas durable sur le plan environnemental et la chaîne de valeur qui les soutient fonctionne de manière sous-optimale sur plusieurs marqueurs sociaux. Le système des petits exploitants « commerciaux » est plus viable économiquement et durable sur le plan environnemental. L'étude juxtapose ces résultats avec ceux de l'analyse de systèmes d'étangs et de cages plus grands pour indiquer un ensemble d'options clés que les organisations gouvernementales, de recherche et de développement pourraient envisager pour soutenir les petits exploitants agricoles et améliorer la durabilité du système de production des petits exploitants de semi-subsistance en particulier, sans négliger l'ensemble du système. El pescado es una fuente clave de ingresos, alimentos y nutrición en Zambia, aunque a diferencia del pasado, la pesca de captura ya no satisface la demanda nacional de pescado. La escasez de oferta creó una oportunidad para desarrollar el sector de la acuicultura en Zambia, que ahora es uno de los mayores productores de peces de cultivo (Tilapia spp.) en el continente. En su forma actual, el sector de la acuicultura exhibe una dicotomía. Comprende, por un lado, un sector de pequeños agricultores que produce y suministra principalmente dentro de los mercados locales, y por otro lado, un floreciente sector comercial a gran escala que consiste en un pequeño número de empresas líderes pioneras que están (re)configurando la forma en que la cadena de valor abastece a los mercados nacionales, principalmente urbanos. Un desafío notable que enfrenta el desarrollo de la cadena de valor de la acuicultura en Zambia es garantizar que el sector comercial a gran escala pueda seguir creciendo y generar beneficios económicos para el país, al tiempo que salvaguarda el crecimiento inclusivo y sostenible de los sistemas de producción de los pequeños agricultores. En 2017 se llevó a cabo en Zambia un estudio en profundidad de la cadena de valor de la acuicultura de métodos mixtos que tenía como objetivo proporcionar a las partes interesadas pertinentes información pertinente sobre la contribución de la cadena de valor al crecimiento económico y su inclusión, así como sus aspectos de sostenibilidad social y ambiental. En este artículo, presentamos algunos hallazgos clave del estudio para arrojar luz sobre cómo se podría mejorar la sostenibilidad de los sistemas de producción de los pequeños agricultores y, al mismo tiempo, preservar la tendencia de crecimiento de los productores más grandes de una manera inclusiva. El estudio encontró que la cadena de valor está contribuyendo positivamente al crecimiento económico del país. Los pequeños agricultores clasificados como "semisubsistentes" y "comerciales" enfrentan varias limitaciones a la producción, aunque algo diferentes, lo que influye en su estado de "sostenibilidad". Los pequeños agricultores de semisubsistencia logran márgenes de ganancia positivos (aunque insignificantes), y su sistema de producción no es ambientalmente sostenible y la cadena de valor que los respalda funciona de manera subóptima en varios marcadores sociales. El sistema de pequeños agricultores "comerciales" es más viable económicamente y ambientalmente sostenible. El estudio yuxtapone estos hallazgos con los del análisis de sistemas basados en estanques y jaulas más grandes para señalar un conjunto de opciones clave que las organizaciones gubernamentales, de investigación y desarrollo podrían considerar para apoyar a los pequeños agricultores y mejorar la sostenibilidad del sistema de producción de pequeños agricultores de semisubsistencia en particular, sin pasar por alto todo el sistema. Fish is a key source of income, food, and nutrition in Zambia, although unlike in the past, capture fisheries no longer meet the national demand for fish. Supply shortfalls created an opportunity to develop the aquaculture sector in Zambia, which is now one of the largest producers of farmed fish (Tilapia spp.) on the continent. In its present form, the aquaculture sector exhibits a dichotomy. It comprises, on the one hand, a smallholder sector that mainly produces for and supplies within local markets, and on the other hand, a burgeoning larger-scale commercial sector consisting of a small number of pioneering lead firms who are (re)shaping how the value chain supplies domestic, mainly urban, markets. A notable challenge confronting the development of the aquaculture value chain in Zambia is ensuring that the larger-scale commercial sector can continue to grow and generate economic benefits for the country, while simultaneously safeguarding inclusive and sustainable growth of smallholder production systems. An in-depth, mixed-methods aquaculture value chain study was carried out in Zambia in 2017 that aimed at providing relevant stakeholders with pertinent information on the value chain's contribution to economic growth and its inclusiveness, as well as its social and environmental sustainability aspects. In this article, we present some key findings from the study to shed light on how the sustainability of smallholder production systems could be enhanced while preserving the growth trend of larger producers in an inclusive way. The study found that the value chain is contributing positively towards economic growth in the country. Smallholder farmers classified as "semi-subsistence" and "commercial" face several albeit somewhat different constraints to production, thus influencing their "sustainability" status. Semi-subsistence smallholders achieve positive (yet negligible) profit margins, and their production system is not environmentally sustainable and the value chain that supports them performs sub-optimally on several social markers. The "commercial" smallholder system is more economically viable and environmentally sustainable. The study juxtaposes these findings with those from the analysis of larger pond and cage-based systems to point to a set of key options Government, research, and development organisations could consider to support smallholder farmers and enhance the sustainability of the semi-subsistence smallholder production system in particular, without overlooking the whole system. تعد الأسماك مصدرًا رئيسيًا للدخل والغذاء والتغذية في زامبيا، على الرغم من أنه على عكس الماضي، لم تعد مصائد الأسماك تلبي الطلب الوطني على الأسماك. خلق نقص العرض فرصة لتطوير قطاع الاستزراع المائي في زامبيا، التي تعد الآن واحدة من أكبر منتجي الأسماك المستزرعة (أنواع البلطي) في القارة. في شكله الحالي، يُظهر قطاع الاستزراع المائي انقسامًا. وهي تتألف، من ناحية، من قطاع أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة الذي ينتج بشكل أساسي للأسواق المحلية ويزودها، ومن ناحية أخرى، قطاع تجاري مزدهر على نطاق أوسع يتكون من عدد صغير من الشركات الرائدة الرائدة التي (تعيد)تشكيل كيفية تزويد سلسلة القيمة بالأسواق المحلية، الحضرية بشكل رئيسي. يتمثل أحد التحديات الملحوظة التي تواجه تطوير سلسلة قيمة تربية الأحياء المائية في زامبيا في ضمان استمرار القطاع التجاري على نطاق أوسع في النمو وتوليد فوائد اقتصادية للبلد، مع الحفاظ في الوقت نفسه على النمو الشامل والمستدام لأنظمة إنتاج أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة. أجريت دراسة متعمقة ومختلطة الطرائق لسلسلة قيمة تربية الأحياء المائية في زامبيا في عام 2017 تهدف إلى تزويد أصحاب المصلحة المعنيين بالمعلومات ذات الصلة بمساهمة سلسلة القيمة في النمو الاقتصادي وشموليتها، فضلاً عن جوانب الاستدامة الاجتماعية والبيئية. في هذه المقالة، نقدم بعض النتائج الرئيسية من الدراسة لتسليط الضوء على كيفية تعزيز استدامة أنظمة إنتاج أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة مع الحفاظ على اتجاه نمو كبار المنتجين بطريقة شاملة. وجدت الدراسة أن سلسلة القيمة تساهم بشكل إيجابي في النمو الاقتصادي في البلاد. يواجه صغار المزارعين المصنفين على أنهم "شبه معيشيين" و "تجاريين" العديد من القيود على الإنتاج وإن كانت مختلفة إلى حد ما، مما يؤثر على وضعهم "المستدام". يحقق أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة شبه الكفاف هوامش ربح إيجابية (وإن كانت ضئيلة)، ونظام إنتاجهم غير مستدام بيئيًا وتؤدي سلسلة القيمة التي تدعمهم أداءً دون المستوى الأمثل على العديد من العلامات الاجتماعية. نظام أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة "التجاري" أكثر جدوى من الناحية الاقتصادية وأكثر استدامة من الناحية البيئية. وتجمع الدراسة هذه النتائج مع تلك المستخلصة من تحليل النظم القائمة على الأحواض والأقفاص الأكبر للإشارة إلى مجموعة من الخيارات الرئيسية التي يمكن أن تنظر فيها المنظمات الحكومية والبحثية والإنمائية لدعم صغار المزارعين وتعزيز استدامة نظام إنتاج أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة شبه الكفاف على وجه الخصوص، دون إغفال النظام بأكمله.

Given the high annual water consumption for non-potable uses (1112.08 m3, 65%) of an industrial building with a large roof area (4638 m2) located in the Northeast of Portugal, this study aims to evaluate the technical and financial feasibility of a rainwater harvesting system for these uses, considering the existing conventional roof (scenario 1) and adapting a green roof to the existing roof (scenario 2). This evaluation was based on the impact of the two scenarios on the building’s water savings. Under scenarios 1 and 2, the expected water savings were 64.47% and 59.43%, respectively. Therefore, the expected reduction in the annual water bill was €3867.07 + VAT (scenario 1) and €3564.63 + VAT (scenario 2). For scenario 1, considering a reservoir with 70 m3 for non-potable purposes, such as washing the building’s floor and use in industrial machines, and an initial investment of €41,109.13 + VAT, the single payback will be 11.29 years. The single payback for scenario 2 largely exceeded the lifetime of the green roof. However, as they are considered interesting solutions to reduce the negative externalities of industrial settlements, financial incentives could be proposed for the implementation of the green roof in this typology of buildings.