Research@Lincoln

Research@Lincoln is an open access institutional repository collecting the research produced by Lincoln University staff and students. You may also be interested in Data@Lincoln or Lincoln University Living Heritage.

Students wishing to submit a thesis or dissertation should see the Depositing theses and dissertations guide.

Recent Submissions

  • ItemOpen Access
    A systematic scoping literature review into temperate food forests: An overview of the current knowledge and a research agenda
    (Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2025-12) Knook, Jorie; O’Connor, CTO; Tangiora, Hiraina; Pragg, B
    Food forestry might be a sustainable complement to agricultural systems in the temperate biome. These systems need to address ongoing challenges, such as biodiversity decline, water quality issues, and greenhouse gas emissions. However, while examples of temperate food forestry exist, a comprehensive overview of literature is lacking, limiting insight into how to grow and maintain these forests, as well as the potential of these forests in addressing environmental and social challenges. This study conducts a systematic scoping literature review to collate the existing knowledge on temperate food forestry. Topics addressed in this paper include the challenges and benefits of food forestry, the different phases of establishment, and the integration of Indigenous knowledge. The paper concludes with a research agenda, highlighting the need for more research into mature food forests, including harvesting practices and revenue models; more research in temperate climates in the southern hemisphere, including South America, Australia and New Zealand; and a stronger focus on the integration of Indigenous knowledge in food forestry to address agricultural challenges.
  • ItemRestricted
    A scoping review of (dis-)incentives for animal welfare-improving farming practices
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025-11) Woolley, T; Pailler, S; McFadden, J; Raff, Z; Raszap Skorbiansky, Sharon; Kuruc, K
    Public interest in improving farm animal welfare has increased in recent years, but research on implementation of on-farm enhanced welfare practices lags behind. This review examines the incentives and barriers to adoption of animal welfare-improving farming practices from the perspective of key stakeholders: farmers and other animal product producers. We perform a machine-learning aided scoping review of the academic literature studying how different rearing practices influence economic outcomes for producers, providing direct evidence on the (dis-)incentives of adopting the practices studied. This allows us to (1) identify existing consensus and (2) highlight research gaps on the economic factors related to adoption of (or lack of) welfare-improved practices. Operating costs emerge as a near-universal disincentive for welfare-improving practices. Conversely, improved indoor environment shows potential benefits for animal health and productivity, suggesting the possibility of interventions that have only negligible impacts on overall profits. These takeaways are drawn from a relatively sparse literature, underscoring important research gaps. Addressing these gaps can inform evidence-based policies that align practice with public expectations for farm animal welfare while being cognizant of producer constraints and incentives.
  • ItemRestricted
    Not all thin markets are alike: The case of organic and non-genetically engineered corn and soybeans
    (Wiley-Blackwell, 2021-02) Raszap Skorbiansky, Sharon; Adjemian, MK
    We use time series methods to explore the relationship between prices for two different niche versions of feed corn and soybeans, and their conventional counterparts. Whereas organic versions are linearly cointegrated, and their premia are high and stable, non-GE products – which are nonlinearly cointegrated – exhibit narrower premia that are subject to collapse. Because organics are also non-GE, these differences point to the value of a well-recognised and enforced USDA organic label and/or the importance consumers place on the non-GE attributes of organic products.
  • ItemRestricted
    Cow's milk still leads in the United States: The case of cow's, almond, and soy milk
    (Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2022-03) Raszap Skorbiansky, Sharon; Saavoss, M; Stewart, H
    While cow's milk and plant-based milk are often hypothesized to be substitutes, much remains unknown about the impacts that plant-based milks have on the retail price for cow's milk, if any. We explore the individual retail price relationship between two plant-based milks, almond and soy, with cow's milk. If the markets are cointegrated, and shocks in the plant-based markets affect the cow's milk market, it can add volatility to cow's milk prices, which could have implications for costs and benefits of the USDA Dairy Margin Coverage Program and price calculations by the Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO). However, while we find evidence that plant-based milk prices react to shocks in cow's milk prices, we do not find evidence that cow's milk prices respond to changes in plant-based milk prices.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Biosecurity risks from weeds in crop seed lots imported into Canada: Prevalence, trends, and herbicide resistance
    (Pensoft Publishers, 2025-11) Rubenstein, Jesse M; Hulme, Philip; Buddenhagen, Christopher E; Rolston, M Philip; Hampton, John
    The international crop seed trade is a major pathway for the unintentional introduction of non-native invasive plant species and herbicide-resistant weeds, posing biosecurity threats to agriculture and ecosystems. However, published studies examining weed contaminants in crop seed remain scarce. To address this, we analysed Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitoring data for 2,080 randomly sampled crop seed lots imported from the United States of America (USA) between 2007 and 2019. Both nations are major players in the global seed trade, making them key biosecurity case studies. We reported 262 contaminant species: 70% were introduced in Canada, 23% were native, and 7% had not been previously recorded (absent) in Canada. General weeds (not also imported as crops) comprised 63% of contaminant species; the remaining species were classified as seed of another crop. CFIA-classified noxious weeds (Classes 1–5) made up 12% of the contaminant species. Most contaminants were associated with only one or two crop species. There was a decline in general and noxious weeds, and noxious weeds were reported significantly less than non-noxious weeds over the study period. Entry-prohibited species (Class 1) were rare, limited to four records of Cuscuta spp. We identified 14 general weed species currently absent from Canada, notably the frequently reported Trifolium vesiculosum, along with Galium parisiense, Torilis nodosa, and Trifolium hirtum, all established in climatically similar regions of the USA, as well as Bromus catharticus and Euphorbia aleppica, identified as environmental and agricultural threats. Eight additional species, such as Apera spica-venti, currently limited to one Canadian province, pose a potential domestic spread risk. Reported Class 2 CFIA noxious weeds, including Cirsium arvense, Convolvulus arvensis, and Elymus repens, are of concern as their ecological range is not fully realised in Canada. Chenopodium album was the most widespread general weed detected across crop species. Contaminants with a known history of herbicide resistance in the USA but not in Canada increased significantly over time (e.g., Sorghum halepense, Poa annua), while those resistant in one Canadian province (Bromus tectorum) risk further spread in Canada. The introduction of new resistance is of concern when a contaminant species is reported in a crop type in Canada and documented as herbicide-resistant in the same crop type in the USA (Poa annua in forage and turf seed lots). Regulatory concerns include importing crops that are also classified as noxious or problematic weeds (Bromus tectorum, Poa annua), permitting contaminants absent from Canada in seed lots, and the dual classification of species that are native but also entry-prohibited (Cuscuta campestris). Our study highlights that expanded global seed trade necessitates ongoing seed lot monitoring, risk assessment, and adaptive regulations to help safeguard agriculture and biodiversity without hindering trade.
Show more

Communities in Research@Lincoln

Select a community to browse its collections.