Towards intelligent and sustainable production systems with a zero-defect manufacturing approach in an Industry4.0 context

Goats contribute significantly to human nutrition, food security and income of resource-poor small farmers in Asia, Africa and beyond. Because of the high content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids in goat milk, it is beneficial for human health resulting in it being sold at premium prices of three to nine times the price of cow milk in countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Goats play a significant role in farming systems that directly impact on the capacity of rural farmers striving for the objective of sustainable food production systems. Increasing sustainable food production, particularly of animal proteins, presents major challenges to these small farms in the face of massive demands that are driven by rapid growth of human populations and increased availability of disposable income. In the last two decades, expanding market demand for goat milk has resulted in the establishment of commercial dairy goat farms in several newly developed South-east Asian countries. Major challenges to expanding production exist, and include ways to utilise the well-adapted features inherent in goats and their potential production to benefit the small and commercial farmers alike. Increasing the knowledge base is a priority to stimulate improved production systems and, increased the income of dairy goat farmers and other people involved in the industry. The recent establishment of the Asian-Australasian Dairy Goat Network supported jointly by FAO and Universiti Putra Malaysia, and national programs of participating countries, are committed to address these objectives and facilitate much-needed improvements to sustain dairy goat production systems in Asia and beyond.

Palm oil industry plays a vital role in Indonesia economy. The palm oil industry can also support sustainable development since it is based on renewable natural resources. The contribution to sustainable development is hampered if oil palm production system, especially of smallholder farmers is not sustainable. Smallholder farmers consist of almost half of the total of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. The sustainability of oil palm farming of smallholder farmers may influence significantly to the overall sustainability. The adoption of Indonesia sustainable palm oil production system by smallholder farmers may improve the sustainability of oil palm farming. This study aimed to find out if perceived environment-economic benefit differed between conventional and sustainable oil palm farmers and to uncover factors affecting the adoption of Indonesia sustainable oil palm production system. The respondents were selected using a purposive sampling method, comprising of 313 conventional smallholder farmers and 167 smallholder farmers implementing Indonesian sustainable palm oil production system. A structured-questionnaire used to gather data. Descriptive statistics and logic regressions were utilized to analyse the data. The results show that the perceived environment and economic benefit is higher for farmers adopting sustainable palm oil production than conventional farmers. Several factors which were the age of farmer, formal and non-formal education, income, total land managed, the involvement of farmer in a cooperative, and environmental management did not motivate farmers to adopt Indonesian sustainable palm oil production system. While the experience of the farmers, family size, main job, involvement in farmer‘s association, doing good cultivation practice, and plantation management influenced the adoption of Indonesian sustainable palm oil production.

During the last decade, several sustainable management practices have been proposed by researchers and extension services. For greenhouse production, three main factors should be considered to reduce environmental burdens: 1) waste management, 2) nutrient emission, and 3) fossil energy use. Organic waste represents a significant source of biomass production for protected crops. Wastes such as 4.5 t tomato leaf biomass ha-1 week-1 are usually discarded in sanitary landfills or directed to other waste management sites such as composting sites or accumulated near the production facility thus constituting a phytosanitary problem. When drainage water from producing greenhouse vegetables is not recycled, nutrient emission into the groundwater may represent a major environmental impact (up to 3000-4500 m3 per ha of tomato wasted nutritive solution containing 4-10 t of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus). Greenhouse culture production also uses a significant quantity of fossil fuel energy, in the form of heat (10-40% of production costs), CO2-enrichment, and fertilizers. Thus, management of significant quantities of organic solid and liquid waste produced by greenhouse crops as well as the use of renewable energy constitute a challenge that can be partly solved by more sustainable production systems. Our integrated closed-loop process recycles both solid and liquid organic waste, and converts the waste into renewable energy (CH4), CO2, and liquid and solid fertilizers. Organic waste products and drained water are then reintroduced into the irrigation system. This ensures minimal risks using biological processes such as anaerobic digestion and nitrifying bioreactor, artificial wetlands and passive bioreactors to reduce nutrient pollutants and sulfate content as well as risks associated to pathogens. The proposed integrated production system uses organic growing media or soil with organic fertilizers as well as liquid organic culture, and constitutes a sustainable organic production system achieving productivity levels as high as conventional growing systems.

Diversification of the traditional dryland cropping system in the central Great Plains (winter wheat [ Triticum aestivum L.]‐fallow) could lead to a more sustainable production system. Selection of suitable crops to rotate with winter wheat requires knowledge of productivity under a widely varying precipitation regime. The objectives of this study were to determine water use/yield relationships and likely average production levels for spring canola ( Brassica napus L.), crambe ( Crambe abyssinicia Hochst), and sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.), and to determine differences in oil concentration and soil water extraction patterns among these three crops. Canola, crambe, and sunflower were grown under a line‐source, gradient irrigation (GI) system to determine seed yield and oil concentration under a range of water use. Sunflower was also grown in several dryland rotations following a variety of crops, which resulted in a range of starting soil water conditions. Soil water extraction was monitored with a neutron probe and time‐domain reflectometry. All three crops exhibited linear responses of yield to water use. Sunflower was less responsive than canola and crambe, which had nearly identical water use/yield functions. Oil concentrations showed a trend for increasing oil content with increasing water use. Sunflower extracted water from lower soil depths than canola and crambe, which were similar in soil water extraction. Median yield levels predicted from long‐term precipitation records at Akron, CO, were 1130, 1180, and 1520 lb/acre for canola, crambe, and sunflower, respectively. All three crops are agronomically feasible oilseed crops for dryland rotations with winter wheat in the central Great Plains. Research Question The traditional wheat‐fallow cropping system of the central Great Plains is subject to the production problems of monoculture systems. Diversification through crop rotation could lead to a more sustainable and profitable production system. Selection of suitable crops to rotate with winter wheat requires knowledge of productivity under a range of water use. Crop water use varies widely due to year‐to‐year variability in precipitation and starting soil water content. Canola, crambe, and sunflower are oilseed crops that may have dryland production potential for the central Great Plains. The objectives of this study were to determine water use/yield relationships and likely average production levels for spring canola, crambe, and sunflower, and to determine differences in oil concentration and soil water extraction patterns among these three crops. Literature Summary Canola production in Alberta was about 900 lb/acre with 8 in. of water use, and increased by 135 lb/acre for each additional inch of water used. Canola yields in North Dakota have ranged from 200 to 2900 lb/acre. Reported oil concentrations for canola range from 28 to 44%. Crambe has been considered to be more drought tolerant than canola, with reported yields in North Dakota of 400 to nearly 3000 lb/acre and oil concentrations ranging from 24 to 32%. Sunflower yields in both Texas and Nebraska increased by about 155 lb/acre for every additional inch of seasonal water use. Sunflower oil concentrations reportedly range from 41 to 56%, and increase with water use. Sunflower has a deep root system capable of extracting water from as deep as 117 in., but most of the soil water extraction probably occurs above 78 in. Study Description Canola, crambe, and sunflower were grown near Akron, CO, under a line‐source, gradient irrigation system to determine seed yield and oil concentration under a range of water use. Sunflower was also grown in several dryland rotations following a variety of crops, which resulted in a range of starting soil water conditions. Water use was calculated by the water balance method using measurements of soil water extraction made with a neutron probe and time‐domain reflectometry. Seed yield and oil concentration were measured. Water use/yield production functions were developed by linear regression. Long‐term precipitation records were used with these production functions to determine long‐term yield distributions. Applied Questions What are the water use/yield production functions for spring canola, crambe, and sunflower for the central Great Plains? The water use/yield production functions are: canola Yield (lb/acre) = 175.2 × water use (in.) − 1090 crambe Yield (lb/acre) = 172.0 × water use (in.) − 1001 sunflower Yield (lb/acre) = 134.1 × water use (in.) − 628 What are the oil concentrations for canola, crambe, and sunflower, and does oil concentration change with water use? Oil concentrations generally increased with increased water use, and ranged from 37 to 44% for canola, 22 to 32% for crambe, and 43 to 49% for sunflower. Are there differences among the three crops in soil water extraction? Sunflower extracted more water from deeper in the soil profile than canola and crambe, which were similar to each other. Canola and crambe extracted 4 to 6.5 in. of soil water, while sunflower extracted nearly 8 in. Most of the soil water used by canola and crambe came from the 0 to 47 in. soil layer, compared with sunflower soil water extraction down to 71 in. What range of yields could be expected for canola, crambe, and sunflower production under dryland conditions in the central Great Plains? Using Akron long‐term precipitation data and the water use/yield production functions, median yields (and ranges) for canola, crambe, and sunflower in the central Great Plains would be 1130 lb/acre (510–2390), 1180 lb/acre (570–2420), and 1520 lb/acre (860–2200), respectively (Fig. ). Frequency distributions of canola, crambe, and sunflower yields predicted from water use/yield production functions and growing season precipitation record (1965–1997) at Akron, CO. image

A comprehensive discussion of grass species in the genus Cynodon is beyond the scope of this review. Such a comprehensive review has been published by Taliaferro et al. (2004). The primary focus of this review will be sustainable production practices for Cynodon grasslands. In this context, sustainable grassland production systems are defined as those that over the long term enhance environmental quality and the resource base of the system while providing human food needs in an economically viable manner and one that enhances the quality of life for both producers and consumers (Stewart et al., 1991). Preceding this discussion will be brief coverage of the taxonomy and morphology of Cynodon spp. and their contribution to production systems. The focus on sustainable systems will be organized around three main themes: nutrients, grazing management, and integrated crop-livestock systems.

Chinese consumer quality perception and preference of sustainable milk

Despite major efforts to change teachers’ practice through professional development activities, much remains as it always was. Our claim is that this rarely happens because significant change in how one teaches can only come about as a result of some realization about oneself as a teacher, and the resulting changes in identity. In recent years we have been studying the ways in which participation in collaborative action research (CAR) can result in changes in teachers’ ways of being. In this paper we report on a study of teachers engaged in CAR to improve their implementation of digital photography in their teaching. The whole group (n = 28) completed one cycle of action research as part of the evaluation of the program using empowerment evaluation methods. A subset (n = 5) chose to continue doing CAR. We used ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. In this paper we use cultural–historical activity theory to understand why our data suggest that there was little change in the teachers’ identity by the end of the first cycle of action research, while those who participated in both the initial action research and the CAR group had a change in their identities.

The article explores the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on sustainable consumption and production systems, with a focus on adaptive strategies of industrial enterprises and consumer behaviour. The study analyses how wartime conditions have caused significant changes in resource management, supply chain reconfiguration, and industrial efficiency. The research highlights a shift in consumption patterns towards essential goods, a reduction in energy consumption, and a prioritization of resource conservation. The war has led to increased industrial relocation, transformation of production processes, and a reassessment of sustainable development principles, including the traditional 3R model of ‘Reuse-Reduce-Recycle,’ supplemented by ‘Rethink.’ The findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of sustainable production and consumption strategies in crisis conditions, emphasizing innovative solutions for maintaining industrial operations and achieving sustainable development goals in extreme environments.

Balh Valley in the northwestern Himalayas in India is well known for cultivation of high-value cash crops and vegetables. The Indo-German Agricultural Project executed four decades ago in the valley has been the driving force for agrarian development in the valley, but crops are still grown under nutrient-starved conditions, giving low productivity compared to national averages. To demonstrate and disseminate the integrated nutrient management (INM) technology in the irrigated ecosystem of Balh Valley, efforts were funded by the Indian Farmers' Fertilizers Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) to develop sustainable crop production systems under cash crops and vegetables following an appropriate technology transfer model by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sundernagar, India. For effective technology transfer, field demonstrations, method demonstrations, farmers' training camps, field days, and numerous field conventions were organized in addition to extending soil testing, literature supply, promotional seed and fertilizer input supply, and training of agro-cooperative society personnel who deal with seed and fertilizer input supply in the region. The greater extension gaps in tomato–blackgram and potato–Kharif onion crop sequences indicated need for effective technology transfer tools for high adoption of technology in these production systems in the valley. Potato–Kharif onion cropping system using INM technology resulted in greater system productivity in terms of blackgram equivalent yield (76.7q ha−1) and gross (3,06,920 ha−1) and net returns (2,22,295 ha−1), followed by tomato–blackgram and green pea–okra production systems, respectively, using an appropriate technology transfer model. The study also revealed improvement in available nitrogen (N)–phosphorus (P)–potassium (K) and organic carbon (C) pool of the soils besides crop productivity and profitability in field trials under INM practices over farmers' practiced plots. Knowledge before the study about soil testing, dose and time of application of organics, chemical fertilizers, and their integrated use ranged from 9 to 41%, whereas knowledge increases after the study ranged between 55 to 88%. The INM technology adoption rate after 1 year of project completion ranged between 66 to 70%, whereas soil testing was done by only 35% of farmers. Thus, INM technology adoption rate was greater following the appropriate technology transfer model based on critical analyses of fertilizer use, existing production systems, and appropriate interventions for technology transfer. This comprehensive study under the IFFCO-KVK Collaborative Project attempts to highlight that an effective technology transfer model can play a key role in adoption of INM technology for sustainable production systems in the developing world, especially for resource- and knowledge-poor farmers of collateral socioagroeconomic environments of developing nations.

Our paper is motivated by one simple question: Why do so many action research efforts fail to persist over time? We approach this question, the problem of sustainability, building on a perspective on action research identifying the pivotal importance of networks. More precisely, local action research interventions need to be conceptualized and approached as but one element in a larger network of action in order to ensure sustainability. A vital aspect of our perspective is that local interventions depend heavily on the support of similar action research efforts in other locations. This is essential for the necessary processes of learning and experience sharing. We suggest that the scaling (i.e., spreading) of intervention is a prerequisite, not a luxury, for sustainable action research. Empirically, we base our analysis on an ongoing, large-scale action research project within the health care sector (called HISP) in a number of developing countries. HISP provides a fruitful occasion to investigate key criteria for our approach to action research, namely sustainability, scalability, and capacity to be politically relevant to the participants. We contribute to three discourses: (1) models of action research, (2) lessons for health information systems in developing countries, and (3) more generally, IS implementations that are dispersed, large-scale, and have scarce resources.

To face the challenges of a sustainable development, advanced capabilities are needed to fertilize sustainable corporate development on the level of operations management. Thus, this chapter describes the approach of participatory systems mapping (PSM) to fill knowledge gaps for required dynamic capabilities (DCs) in the field of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Accordingly, the approach’s ability to solve issues in complex systems is applied to the question of how logistics service providers (LSPs) can contribute to creating more sustainable production and consumption systems. The results derived from several workshops were mapped into a causal loop diagram (CLD) describing relevant variables and their causal relations. Finally, these relations are discussed in a broader SSCM context to promote further theory building.

Purpose The purpose of this action research study was to design, implement and evaluate interventions that enhanced the induction program for new teachers in a P-12 school district. At the outset, we hoped the study would provide new teacher support resulting in improved teaching practices, increased job satisfaction and/or increased teacher retention among the target population. With this in mind, our research question was: What structures and supports from a school-university partnership facilitate capacity-building among university teacher education faculty, school and district leaders, mentor teachers, and new teachers in the context of an induction program?Design/methodology/approach This study used an intervention-centered mode of action research methodology that aims to make systems-level change. This type of action research intends to solve real organizational problems with a focus on conducting “research in action” rather than “research about action” (Coghlan and Brannick, 2014, pp. 5–6). This approach necessitates that data collection and analysis are iterative processes, occurring throughout the research process, instead of solely at the end stages of the research process. Our action research process used Coghlan and Brannick’s (2014) action research cycle model. The cyclical four-step process includes constructing (verifying the problem in the local context), planning action, taking action and evaluating action. Facilitated by the interim director of a Professional development schools (PDS) partnership in the Southeastern United States, a team of co-researchers which included three university teacher education faculty and four school district administrators used action research methodology to create systemic change that enhanced the district’s induction program. We collected data through multiple qualitative methods, including surveys, focus groups, observations and interviews during the course of three action research cycles. These data and our theoretical framework (complex adaptive systems theory and social network theory) informed two major interventions that supported new teachers during the challenging first year of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.Findings The interventions and the research process were mutually beneficial for both institutions and contributed to professional learning and growth at the individual, group and system levels. The three major findings described include: (1) engaging in collaborative action research is mutually beneficial for both schools and universities; (2) induction programs benefit from university resources; (3) learning communities build all educators’ professional capacity.Research limitations/implications Our research recommendations are: (1) more research is needed on the benefits of school-university partnerships to induction programs; (2) school-university partnerships should leverage action research to improve systems; (3) within school-university partnerships, the connection between collaborative leadership and sustainability requires further research. One limitation was that this study was conducted in a single school-university partnership context involving a large public university and a mid-sized public school district that had a well-established partnership. More induction-centered research is needed in different types of school-university partnership contexts that have varying levels of longevity and partnership structures.Practical implications Our recommendations for practice include (1) school-university partnerships should leverage collaborative learning communities to catalyze individual, group and systems-level learning and change, and (2) school-university partnerships must prioritize induction support to strengthen the teaching profession.Originality/value Since Hunt’s (2014) literature review on induction support in PDS partnerships, very few empirical studies have been conducted in this research area. This study, which examined induction support in a PDS partnership over a two-year period, makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on induction teacher support in school-university partnership contexts. Facilitated by the interim director of a PDS partnership, a team of co-researchers, which included three university teacher education faculty and four school district administrators, used action research methodology to create systems-level supports that enhanced the district’s induction program.

Linguistic differences between patients and clinicians can result in ineffective and inequitable healthcare delivery. Medical students should therefore be facilitated to develop the requisite knowledge and skills to work effectively within language discordant clinical situations. This paper explores language interpreting processes in an undergraduate medical education programme. The study utilizes a constructivist paradigm incorporating an action research approach. Action Research Cycle 1 (ARC1) examines the use of interpreters during clinical examinations while Action Research Cycle 2 (ARC2) focuses on language translation technology. In Action Research Cycle 3 the data that was generated in ARC 1 and ARC 2 is reviewed in association with international literature to develop a framework for practice. This study demonstrates that language interpreting procedures should be based within a collaborative framework with students, interpreters and educators receiving appropriate educational preparation, predicated on a cross cultural approach to care.

In 2013 and 2014, a long-term trial (which was established in 2007) was conducted at the University Agricultural Centre in Pivola near Hoče. It included different production systems (conventional, integrated, organic, biodynamic), carried out in a field trial with oil pumpkins. The aim of the research was to analyse the effects of different production systems, varieties (hybrid and population variety) and years of production, on formation of oil pumpkin yields. The agricultural practice has been carried out in accordance with the applicable legislations and standards for the individual production system. When sowing, before fertilizing with nitrogen in early June and after the harvest, the amount of soil mineral nitrogen was monitored. We evaluated the number and weight of harvestable, unripe and decayed fruits, and yield of oil seed pumpkins and calculated the agronomic efficiency of the applied nutrients. The results showed that the year of production, the production system and the variety have a significant effect on some fruit characteristics and the yield of oil pumpkin seeds. The content of soil mineral nitrogen in May and September was significantly influenced by the production system and the year. In June, only the production system had a significant effect. The hybrid significantly increased the yields of oil pumpkin seeds in all production systems, even in the year that was less suitable for production. The agronomic efficiency of the applied nutrients in the biodynamic and organic production system is higher or equal than in the conventional production system, similarly, agronomic efficiency is higher in the hybrid compared to the oldest population variety efficiently. A comparable oil pumpkin yield can be expected in biodynamic and organic production, when proper nutrition and well carried out cultivation practices are combined with a new variety, when compared to less sustainable production systems, which often cause damage to the environment.

Comparative assessment of energy flow, carbon auditing and eco-efficiency of diverse tillage systems for cleaner and sustainable crop production in eastern India