Addressing the intertwined challenges of food security and climate vulnerability requires robust and regionally tailored strategies for staple crops such as common beans. Although adjusting sowing dates is a key adaptive practice, spatio-temporal climate variability complicates the identification of optimal planting windows. This study integrates crop modeling with Functional Data Analysis (FDA) to quantify sowing-date-dependent yield losses for rainfed common beans across Central-Southern Brazil. The CSM-CROPGRO-Dry Bean model, driven by long-term climate data (1980–2016), soil properties, and management practices, was used to simulate yields for the BRS Estilo cultivar. FDA was subsequently applied to cluster yield-loss curves across municipalities and growing seasons, generating representative regional risk profiles. The results reveal clear spatial patterns. During the wet season, earlier sowing minimizes losses in Goiás, Minas Gerais, and western Paraná, whereas later sowing is beneficial in São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and eastern Paraná. In the dry season, earlier sowing consistently reduces losses across most regions. These patterns are primarily driven by water deficits and suboptimal temperatures during critical phenological phases. The resulting spatio-temporal sowing calendar provides an evidence-based decision-support tool to help farmers mitigate climatic risks. Moreover, it offers a scientific foundation for policymakers to refine sustainable management practices, improve crop insurance design, and enhance agricultural resilience and productivity under increasing climate uncertainty.

Drought poses a major challenge for global agriculture, demanding strategies that improve crop resilience while safeguarding water and nutrient resources. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)-based biostimulants offer a sustainable approach to enhance resource-use efficiency under water-limited conditions. This study evaluated two commercial PGPR biostimulants applied to maize (Zea mays L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings grown under well-watered (80% field capacity) and water-stressed (40% field capacity) conditions. Both products improved plant growth and physiological performance, although responses were crop-specific. Inoculated tomato seedlings accumulated up to 35% more shoot biomass under optimal watering (1.6 g in non-inoculated seedlings compared with 2.5 g in inoculated seedlings), whereas maize maintained biomass production under drought, consistent with its higher intrinsic water-use efficiency, showing increases of approximately 50% (well-watered: 0.5 g versus 0.8 g; water-stressed: 0.3 g versus 0.7 g in non-inoculated and inoculated seedlings, respectively). Biostimulant application enhanced the acquisition and internal utilization of essential mineral resources, increasing leaf concentrations of (i) the macronutrients P (up to 300%), K (up to 70%), Mg (up to 220%), and Ca (up to 85%), and (ii) the micronutrients B (up to 400%), Fe (up to 260%), Mn (up to 240%), and Zn (up to 180%). Maximum nutrient increases were consistently observed in water-stressed maize seedlings inoculated with biostimulant 2. Antioxidant activities, particularly ascorbate peroxidase and catalase, increased by 20–40%, indicating more effective mitigation of oxidative stress. Principal component analysis revealed coordinated adjustments among growth, nutrient-use efficiency, and physiological traits in inoculated plants. Overall, PGPR-based biostimulants improved early drought tolerance and resource-use efficiency, supporting their potential as sustainable tools for climate-resilient agriculture. Field-scale studies remain necessary to confirm long-term agronomic benefits.

Rapid urban growth in many Global South cities strains waste systems and slows the shift to circular economy (CE) practice. Colombo, Sri Lanka, exemplifies this challenge, where overstretched state-led services coexist with neighborhood groups, NGOs, and informal collectors driving circular activities. This study adopts a layered social network diagnostic framework to examine how community-based waste management networks operate and how they might be reshaped to enable a city-wide CE. Using survey and interview data from 185 actors, information-sharing, collaboration, and resource-exchange networks are analyzed separately and in combination. The results reveal three principal findings: (i) Social-capital forms operate largely in parallel, with limited conversion between information, collaboration, and material exchange; (ii) the network exhibits “thin bridges and thick clusters,” in which a small number of NGO hubs mediate most cross-cluster connectivity; (iii) layers operate with mismatched coordination logics, producing gaps between awareness, collective action, and resource mobilization. As a result, ideas circulate widely but rarely translate into joint projects, local teams coordinate effectively yet remain isolated, and material flows depend on a narrow and fragile logistics spine. By diagnosing these structural misalignments, this study demonstrates a key novelty: scalable circular economy adoption depends not only on technology and policy but also on the design and alignment of underlying coordination networks.

This study examines the social factors shaping solar energy transitioning in Zambia’s mining sector, a key contributor to the national resource economy. It focuses on how policies, incentive systems, communication channels, training and skills development, and stakeholder engagement and partnership influence the sector’s readiness to adopt solar energy and support more reliable operations. A quantitative design was used, with a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 192 respondents from mining companies, regulatory bodies, energy suppliers and local authorities. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability tests and hierarchical regression. The results show that stakeholder engagement and partnership and incentive systems are the strongest predictors of transition intentions, underscoring their role in improving energy security and supporting sustainable production. Policies, communication and training had weaker effects, indicating the need for stronger institutional coordination and targeted capacity building. Overall, the findings illustrate how social conditions shape renewable energy adoption and contribute to more resilient mining activities.

Climate change brings considerable danger to India’s economic progress, with the agricultural sector and farmers’ livelihoods being particularly vulnerable. Himachal Pradesh is especially susceptible owing to its reliance on climate-sensitive economic activities and limited capacity to adapt to climate variability. Strengthening adaptation strategies in Himachal Pradesh is crucial for fortifying the resilience of communities reliant on environmental resources for their sustenance and economic well-being. This study examines the extent of adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices (CSAPs), identifies the factors influencing their uptake, and assesses their impact on the livelihood vulnerability of farm households in the temperate region of Himachal Pradesh. Using a multistage random sampling framework, data were collected from 432 farm households through primary surveys and secondary sources. The analysis employs descriptive statistics, a composite livelihood vulnerability index, and Ordinal Logistic and Multiple Linear Regression models. Results show higher adoption of low-cost practices such as composting, fruit-based agroforestry, crop–livestock integration, and mulching, while capital-intensive practices like micro-irrigation were limited due to financial constraints. Adoption is positively influenced by education, extension access, farming experience, financial resources, and climate information exposure. Importantly, CSAPs adoption is found to significantly reduce livelihood vulnerability, indicating enhanced resilience and reduced exposure to climate-induced risks among farm households. The findings highlight climate-smart agriculture as an effective adaptation strategy and underscore the need for policies that strengthen extension services, improve access to credit, and promote affordable climate-smart technologies to enhance resilience in vulnerable hill regions.

This paper presents an innovative concept for the musealization of everyday public space through the use of natural stone cladding as an in situ palaeontological exhibition. Polished slabs of Holy Cross Mts marble, widely used as flooring in public buildings, contain abundant and well-preserved Devonian marine fossils, offering a unique opportunity to revitalize public engagement with palaeontology and geoheritage. The proposed exhibition transforms passers-by into active observers by integrating authentic fossil material directly into daily circulation routes, thereby emphasizing the educational and geotouristic potential of ordinary architectural elements. The case study focuses on the main hall of the University of the National Education Commission (Kraków, Poland), where over 1000 m2 of fossil-bearing limestone flooring is used as a continuous exhibition surface. The target audience includes students of Earth sciences, zoology, biological sciences, pedagogy, social sciences, and humanities, for whom the exhibition serves as both an educational supplement and a geotouristic experience. The scientific, educational, and touristic value of the proposed exhibition was assessed using a modified geoheritage valorization method and compared with established palaeontological collections in Kraków and Kielce. The expert valuation method used in the article enables a comparison of the described collection with other similar places on Earth, making its application universal and global. The results demonstrate that polished stone cladding can function as a valuable geoheritage asset of regional and global significance, offering an accessible, low-cost, and sustainable model for disseminating palaeontological knowledge within public space.

This study presents the results of an analysis of public perceptions of flood safety and river valley management in southeastern Poland. The aim of the study was to identify sociodemographic and spatial factors influencing preferences for two distinct river valley management models: the traditional, technical model (a strategy to move water away from people, MWAfP), and the ecosystem-based model (leaving space for the river, LSfR). A diagnostic survey was employed using a custom-designed questionnaire completed by 563 respondents residing in southeastern Poland. The research tool enabled the identification of flood risk perceptions and attitudes toward retention and flood control solutions. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and exploratory analysis was conducted to identify clusters of respondents and to test for differences between groups. Correlation analysis between items was performed, and a model of determinants of river valley management strategy selection was calculated using logistic regression. The results enabled the identification of three dominant perception clusters, reflecting diverse approaches to hydrological safety and environmental adaptation. The calculated logistic regression model includes a number of factors, among which significant determinants of the LSfR strategy selection include level of education, belief in the need to slow water runoff from the catchment, and support for the cultivation of permanent meadows in floodplains. The applied methodological approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of the social determinants of flood risk perception and supports the development of adaptive water management strategies in flood-prone areas.

Viticulture in insular and volcanic environments faces mounting pressures from land abandonment, limited mechanization, and climate-related stress on soil and water resources. This study develops an integrated framework combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and soil diagnostics to evaluate the environmental and agronomic performance of vineyards on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Fifteen representative vineyards located between 100 and 1000 m a.s.l. within the Tacoronte–Acentejo Denomination of Origin were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method and the Ecoinvent 3.8 database. The average carbon footprint reached 1.40 kg CO2-eq kg−1 of grapes, with diesel use for field access and transport contributing over 50% of total impacts and 64% of human toxicity. Copper-based fungicides accounted for ~11% of impacts, underscoring their environmental persistence. Soil analyses revealed widespread Ca/Mg imbalances and sporadic K deficiencies, while organic matter and pH levels were generally adequate. Importantly, vineyards with balanced nutrient ratios exhibited both higher yields and lower environmental burdens, suggesting that improved soil health can enhance eco-efficiency, primarily by supporting higher yields under similar input regimes. Targeted strategies—such as magnesium supplementation, reduced copper inputs, and low-carbon mobility practices—can therefore mitigate emissions while improving productivity. The proposed LCA–soil integration provides a replicable model for sustainable resource management and climate-resilient viticulture in other fragile and topographically constrained agricultural systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the reliability of global supply chains, the availability of selected products including food, food prices, food purchase and consumption behaviour. The aim of this study is to identify potential differences in food waste levels and behaviours in Germany during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic periods. The data are based on two highly representative household diary studies on food waste with sample sizes of over 6500 participants each. This study uses descriptive statistics as well as a mixed model approach to examine food waste amounts per product group, disposal reason and life cycle category and compare the survey year 2020 with the years 2016/17. A linear mixed model is applied to examine the effects of the pandemic and lockdown phases on the development of food waste amounts in 2020. The results show that total and unavoidable food waste increased significantly in the 2020 pandemic period compared to the same period in the 2016/17 survey, while avoidable food waste decreased. This suggests an improvement of food management skills while, at the same time, food consumption, and therefore also food waste, shifted from outside to inside the home. Also, the composition of product groups was affected by altered consumption patterns during the pandemic. The results are relevant to the post-pandemic period, as they raise the question of whether a deceleration in everyday life is a prerequisite for adopting more sustainable food behaviours and developing appropriate planning, storage and handling. Policies should therefore focus on encouraging citizens to engage with the issue, prioritise it and develop an interest in food management. Future research should focus on the ways in which behaviours that reduce food waste can be encouraged, as well as on the long-term effects of food supply chain disruptions and events altering everyday life in households in relation to food waste.

Analysis of tree vegetation recovery on abandoned agricultural lands is one of the key tasks in landscape research. This study considered the factors of forest cover of postagrogenic lands typical of the Central Russian forest-steppe. We applied a combination of geoinformation and statistical methods to analyze the relationship between climatic, geomorphological, and soil factors and the forest cover of abandoned agricultural lands. The results of this study showed varying strengths of the relationship between the climatic factors of the warm and cold seasons and the afforestation rate of postagrogenic lands. In the flat terrain region, warm-season climatic variables have a major effect on forest cover. Among the climatic factors, the precipitation of the warmest quarter and the hydrothermal coefficient show the strongest direct correlation with the forest cover of the abandoned agricultural lands. The accumulated temperature over the period with values above 10 °C and the average temperature of the warmest quarter show the strongest inverse correlation with forest cover. It has been established that soil type has a significant impact on the rate of abandoned lands afforestation. Forest cover on even-aged abandoned agricultural lands on gray forest soils (Haplic Phaeozems) is, on average, twice that of chernozem soils. The variation in forest cover is higher on abandoned croplands located on Chernozem. We analyzed forest cover as a variable dependent on various environmental conditions and proposed a number of multivariate regression models that estimate forest cover as a response to a combination of climatic, geomorphological, and soil conditions. As a result, the influence of various factors on the afforestation rate of postagrogenic lands was quantitatively shown.