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Abstract Climate-smart agriculture can be used to build soil carbon stocks, decrease agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increase agronomic resilience to climate pressures. The US recently declared its commitment to include the agricultural sector as part of an overall climate-mitigation strategy, and with this comes the need for robust, scientifically valid tools for agricultural GHG flux measurements and modeling. If agriculture is to contribute significantly to climate mitigation, practice adoption should be incentivized on as much land area as possible and mitigation benefits should be accurately quantified. Process-based models are parameterized on data from a limited number of long-term agricultural experiments, which may not fully reflect outcomes on working farms. Space-for-time substitution, paired studies, and long-term monitoring of SOC stocks and GHG emissions on commercial farms using a variety of climate-smart management systems can validate findings from long-term agricultural experiments and provide data for process-based model improvements. Here, we describe a project that worked collaboratively with commercial producers in the Midwest to directly measure and model the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of their farms at the field scale. We describe this study, and several unexpected challenges encountered, to facilitate further on-farm data collection and the creation of a secure database of on-farm SOC stock measurements. 

Abstract BackgroundMalnutrition is prevalent throughout southwest Guatemala, where >40% of children suffer from chronic undernutrition. Evidence supports that assessing a community's awareness and readiness to address malnutrition is a critical first step in improving the success of a nutrition intervention program. The objective of this study was to apply the community readiness model (CRM) to assess community readiness to address childhood malnutrition in a rural southwest region of Guatemala. MethodsThirteen key respondents of varied social roles and demographics residing in the region were interviewed. Interview questions related to addressing malnutrition were from the following predefined dimensions: Community Efforts, Community Knowledge of Efforts, Leadership, Community Climate, Community Knowledge, and Resources for Efforts. Interview recordings and notes were analyzed and scored according to the CRM guidelines, and a standardized analysis was conducted. ResultsThe overall community readiness score was 4.26 (preplanning: awareness of the issue). Community Efforts had a total score of 5 (Preparation: preparing to take action on the issue). Community Knowledge of Efforts, Community Climate, Community Knowledge, and Resources for Efforts Dimensions each had a total score of 4 (Preplanning: awareness of the issue). The overall score for the Leadership dimension was 2 (Denial/resistance: belief that the problem does not exist within the community). These scores demonstrate clear recognition for action to address childhood malnutrition as a problem. However, efforts to combat childhood malnutrition are not yet focused nor detailed for community action. ConclusionsThis rural southwest region of Guatemala recognizes that childhood malnutrition is a problem. However, efforts to address malnutrition are not yet focused or detailed enough to have measurable impact in addressing this issue. For the region to advance the stage of community readiness, it is essential to enhance knowledge of dietary strategies aimed at improving nutrition for children and increase engagement from local leadership. 

IntroductionCurrent formulations of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children focus on nutrient density and quantity. Less attention is given to foods targeting gut microbiota metabolism and mucosal barrier functions. Heat-stabilised rice bran contains essential nutrients, prebiotics, vitamins and unique phytochemicals that have demonstrated favourable bioactivity to modulate gut microbiota composition and mucosal immunity. This study seeks to examine the impact of RUTF with rice bran on the microbiota during SAM treatment, recovery and post-treatment growth outcomes in Jember, Indonesia. Findings are expected to provide insights into rice bran as a novel food ingredient to improve SAM treatment outcomes. Methods and analysisA total of 200 children aged 6–59 months with uncomplicated SAM (weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ) <−3, or mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) <115 mm or having bilateral pitting oedema +/++) or approaching SAM (WHZ<−2.5) will be enrolled in a double-blinded, randomised controlled trial. Children in the active control arm will receive a locally produced RUTF; those in the intervention arm will receive the local RUTF with 5% rice bran. Children will receive daily RUTF treatment for 8 weeks and be monitored for 8 weeks of follow-up. Primary outcomes include the effectiveness of RUTF as measured by changes in weight, WHO growth z-scores, MUAC and morbidity. Secondary outcomes include modulation of the gut microbiome and dried blood spot metabolome, the percentage of children recovered at weeks 8 and 12, and malnutrition relapse at week 16. An intention-to-treat analysis will be conducted for each outcome. Ethics and disseminationThe findings of this trial will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at relevant conferences. Ethics approval obtained from the Medical and Health Research Ethical Committee at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Madain Yogyakarta Ref. No.: KE/FK/0546/EC/2022 and KE/FK/0703/EC/2023 and from Colorado State University IRB#1823, OHRP FWA00000647. Trial registration numberNCT05319717. 

Abstract Food security and the agricultural economy are both dependent on the temporal stability of crop yields. To this end, increasing crop diversity has been suggested as a means to stabilize agricultural yields amidst an ongoing decrease in cropping system diversity across the world. Although diversity confers stability in many natural ecosystems, in agricultural systems the relationship between crop diversity and yield stability is not yet well resolved across spatial scales. Here, we leveraged crop area, production, and price data from 1981 to 2020 to assess the relationship between crop diversity and the stability of both economic and caloric yields at the state level within the USA. We found that, after controlling for climatic instability and differences in irrigated area, crop diversity was positively associated with economic yield stability but negatively associated with caloric yield stability. Further, we found that crops with a propensity for increasing economic yield stability but reducing caloric yield stability were often found in the most diverse states. We propose that price responses to changes in production for high-value crops underly the positive relationship between diversity and economic yield stability. In contrast, spatial concentration of calorie-dense crops in low-diversity states contributes to the negative relationship between diversity and caloric yield stability. Our results suggest that the relationship between crop diversity and yield stability is not universal, but instead dependent on the spatial scale in question and the stability metric of interest. 

Abstract Wildfire smoke is frequently present over the U.S. during the agricultural growing season and will likely increase with climate change. Studies of smoke impacts have largely focused on air quality and human health; however, understanding smoke's impact on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is essential for predicting how smoke affects plant growth. We compare surface shortwave irradiance and diffuse fraction (DF) on smoke‐impacted and smoke‐free days from 2006 to 2020 using data from multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers at 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture UV‐B Monitoring and Research Program stations and smoke plume locations from operational satellite products. On average, 20% of growing season days are smoke‐impacted, but smoke prevalence increases over time (r = 0.60,p < 0.05). Smoke presence peaks in the mid to late growing season (i.e., July, August), particularly over the northern Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest. We find an increase in the distribution of PAR DF on smoke‐impacted days, with larger increases at lower cloud fractions. On clear‐sky days, daily average PAR DF increases by 10 percentage points when smoke is present. Spectral analysis of clear‐sky days shows smoke increases DF (average: +45%) and decreases total irradiance (average: −6%) across all six wavelengths measured from 368 to 870 nm. Optical depth measurements from ground and satellite observations both indicate that spectral DF increases and total spectral irradiance decreases with increasing smoke plume optical depth. Our analysis provides a foundation for understanding smoke's impact on PAR, which carries implications for agricultural crop productivity under a changing climate. 

Irrigation reduces crop vulnerability to drought and heat stress and thus is a promising climate change adaptation strategy. However, irrigation also produces greenhouse gas emissions through pump energy use. To assess potential conflicts between adaptive irrigation expansion and agricultural emissions mitigation efforts, we calculated county-level emissions from irrigation energy use in the US using fuel expenditures, prices, and emissions factors. Irrigation pump energy use produced 12.6 million metric tonnes CO2-e in the US in 2018 (90% CI: 10.4, 15.0), predominantly attributable to groundwater pumping. Groundwater reliance, irrigated area extent, water demand, fuel choice, and electrical grid emissions intensity drove spatial heterogeneity in emissions. Due to heavy reliance on electrical pumps, projected reductions in electrical grid emissions intensity are estimated to reduce pumping emissions by 46% by 2050, with further reductions possible through pump electrification. Quantification of irrigation-related emissions will enable targeted emissions reduction efforts and climate-smart irrigation expansion. 

Despite decades of resistance in the USA, agroecology is gaining momentum as a catalyst for food systems transformation, calling for coordinated action between science, practice and movement to dismantle the dominant industrial paradigm. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) pilot partners with low-income, energy-burdened communities experiencing either environmental justice challenges or direct economic impacts due to a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. In Alachua County, Florida, Communities LEAP partnered with the community-led Project EMPOWER (Energy Modernization for People, Opportunity, Work, Equity, and Renewables) to provide technical assistance in the areas of community engagement, solar power, weatherization and energy efficiency, green jobs, and fund development. This final report summarizes work accomplished during the Communities LEAP technical assistance and provides potential next steps for the EMPOWER team to consider as it continues pursuing its goal of a fair and equitable clean energy transition for Alachua County. 

This dataset was compiled to support socioeconomic analyses of counties in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico for the Permian Energy Development Lab (PEDL). The metrics in the dataset are organized into four categories: Socioeconomics, Health & Wellbeing, Jobs & Workforce, and Energy Infrastructure & Potential. The metrics originated from previously published datasets, including SLOPE, LEAD, Rural Atlas, EJScreen, and Census data.