Research@Lincoln

Recent Submissions

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    Conservation agriculture and sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in Pacific countries
    Hofmann, R
    This presentation discusses key outcomes of a recent collaboration in the Pacific region. The project partners included the University of Melbourne, the University of the South Pacific, The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Samoa Farmers Association, MORDI Tonga Trust, and Lincoln University. The project aimed at exploring the opportunities for using Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification (CASI) practices in smallholder farming systems as an adaptive and potentially transformational climate change response in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The project involved the evaluation of research, technological, social, and policy interventions required for future implementation and scaling of these more regenerative agri-food systems. The study was done for four farming systems in Samoa and Tonga and recommended various synergetic CASI interventions for each system, such as testing the best genetic materials (crops and livestock) with nutrient cycling to improve soil health, incorporating legumes as rotational cover crops during the fallow period, and implementing no-till/minimum till practice with the best crop genetic materials. The study concluded that CASI has the potential to provide substantial and multiple benefits to farming systems in PICs, including increases in productivity, financial, environmental, social and gender outcomes, as well as increased resilience to climate change and reductions in greenhouse gas emissiveness. The project also provided several recommendations for future work, such as directing additional resources to the field validation for implementing CASI in PICs, utilizing new partnerships and networks formed in the project, and closely aligning the learnings of this and further projects with agricultural education and with training providers in the Pacific Islands region.
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    Implications of the climate commission’s proposed pathways for sheep breeders
    (New Zealand Sheep Breeders' Association, 2021) Rennie, Hamish
    Sheep breeders, as with farmers generally, have been feeling the pressure from environmental regulations. There is much more to come! Here I will briefly highlight some implications from the report of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) for sheep breeders.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Spatial agroecology: modelling multiple ecosystem services in periurban landscapes : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
    (Lincoln University, 2024) Morris, Richard Minton
    Urban growth and agricultural intensification share a common trait of reducing landscapes' capacity of producing the critical ecosystem services (ES) on which they depend. The objective of the work described in this thesis was to develop a spatially explicit ES-based design method for the configuration of landscapes to generate regulating ES. Literature review, which is described in Chapter 2, identified a nexus of four research fields - Ecological Urbanism, Landscape Ecology, ES science and agroecology - as an unexplored framework for this ES-based design approach. The method used in this work is described in Chapter 3, where a key flaw in current ES modelling tools forms the basis for a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based conceptual model, ESMAX. Present models are characterised by 'the biophysical gap', an oversight of spatial interactions between ES-supplying landscape components. This inhibits their application to spatial design i.e., the configuration of those components to enhance ES performance. ESMAX is structured around the fundamental natural phenomena of distance-decay as exhibited by all regulating ES, enabling an original method of quantifying and visualising regulating ES produced by different configurations of landscape components. The results of Chapter 3 conceptually validated the model and provided the data for Chapter 4, which proposed a model for assessing landscape multifunctionality (or simultaneous supply of multiple ES) from different landscape configurations. Importantly, the results for different configuration options generate a solution space with which to negotiate specific ES demands and specific contextual spatial constraints. Chapter 5 applied ESMAX and the solution space in an agricultural context. This spatial agroecological approach determined that different configurations of the same total area of trees in a 1 ha paddock produce markedly different levels of ES performance, and that this approach may be useful in supporting an adaptive transition from conventional agriculture to agroecologically based farming systems. Chapter 6 applied spatial agroecology to a 190 ha periurban development site, demonstrating how the same apportioned area of agroecological systems, when subdivided and distributed differently across the site, has a significant bearing on multiple ES production. This suggests that urgent consideration should be given not only to placing trees on farm, but how trees should be placed on farm. Similarly, it supports not only the integration of agriculture with urban systems, but the specific spatial design of agroecological systems to address the regulating ES demands of the urban system. The spatial agricultural approach outlined in this thesis highlights the potential for agroecology in the Anthropocene as a spatially effective source of multiple regulating ES to surrounding communities at various scales.
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    Through the AI thinking space: An autoethnographic tale of unexpected insight
    (University of Piraeus, International Strategic Management Association, 2024) Jeremiah, Faith
    Purpose: Throughout history, storytelling has been a cornerstone of human experience. Our ancestors told tales around their fires that became the bedrock of entire cultures. Beyond mere entertainment, these stories were crucial in imparting essential cultural values, wisdom, and a sense of collective identity. They served as a medium for passing down knowledge and strengthening communal bonds, blending reality with imagination to expand the realms of possibility. This age-old tradition is not just about recounting events; it is a way of making sense of the world, interpreting the past, and envisioning what the future might hold. In the same spirit, I present to you my narrative, not just as a recounting of events, but as a journey of sensemaking. It’s a story captured in real-time, reflecting my experiences with collective real and artificial insights as I navigate extensive engagement with ChatGTP4. Design/Methodology/Approach: In a quiet corner of an academic's mind, a dialogue began – not with a colleague, nor a book, but with an AI named ChatGPT4. This narrative unfolds over several months, during which each textual exchange could catalyze a surge in creative thought and higher-order thinking. Findings: As a reflective interface, ChatGPT4 reveals oblivious habitual patterns, that were obstructing the next level of creative and advanced thinking. This autoethnographic narrative, a blend of technology and introspection, weaves a story that transcends conventional research, portraying AI as an analytical tool allied with the unintended quest for cognitive insight. Practical Implications: The scholar, initially the conductor of queries and task setting, unwittingly becomes a student of their own mental landscape, resulting from inquisitions into their extensive textual communication. Originality/Value: This approach is crucial as it extends traditional ethnographic focus from solely human societies to the complex dynamics of digital communities, including AI entities.
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    Recent advances of recycling proteins from seafood by-products: Industrial applications, challenges, and breakthroughs
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2024-07) Zhang, J; Ahmmed, MK; Regenstein, JM; Wu, H
    Background: The exploration of unconventional sources of animal protein, driven by the increasing global demand, has brought the seafood industry into focus. Despite being high in protein, seafood by-products are often underutilized. Utilizing these by-products is important for meeting global protein demands and aligns with sustainable development goals. Therefore, the industrial application of seafood by-product proteins is important. Scope and approach: This review critically assesses techniques for extracting proteins from seafood by-products, categorizing them based on their working principles according to protein properties. The challenges faced by these techniques in industrial applications is evaluated. Additionally, the review delves into the industrial applications of recovered proteins in the food, animal feed, medical, and cosmetics industries, discussing both challenges and breakthroughs. Key findings and conclusions: The increasing global protein demand has shifted the focus of recycling seafood by-products from non-food to food applications. While conventional methods such as enzymatic hydrolysis continue to be used, there is a growing interest in more eco-friendly technologies. Despite facing challenges in quality assurance, technology transfer, financial constraints, market acceptance, and regulatory concerns, these proteins show promise for broad industrial applications in food, animal feed, medical, and cosmetic products. Technological innovations and integrated biorefineries represent major breakthroughs in this field. To further advance, it is important to bridge the gap between laboratory research and production-scale operations and improve communication between researchers and industry stakeholders. By scaling up to industrial-level production, these proteins could enhance the value of the seafood industry and contribute to resource sustainability.