Browsing by Author "Falagán Sama, Natalia"

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    1-Methylcyclopropene maintains postharvest quality in Norwegian apple fruit
    (Sage, 2019-12-26) Falagán Sama, Natalia; Terry, Leon A
    Norwegian fruit production is mostly destined for the local market and can suffer from poor-quality retention during storage. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is an inhibitor of ethylene perception used to maintain the physical and functional quality of pome fruit. Extensive work has been carried out on the effect of 1-MCP on apples, but not on cultivars grown in Norway. In this work, the potential of 1-MCP application (0.625 ml l −1 for 24 h at 0 ± 1℃) for ripening control of the apple cultivars ‘Aroma’, ‘Red Gravenstein’, and ‘Summered’ was studied during 1 and 1.5 months of cold storage; both scenarios were followed by five days of shelf life. The application of 1-MCP reduced softening by an average of 12% in ‘Aroma’, ‘Red Gravenstein’, and ‘Summered’ apples when cold stored for both 1 and 1.5 months as compared to control. External colour remained similar to initial values in 1-MCP fruit when compared to control apples, which presented a significant skin darkening. This indicated a delay in the ripening process. 1-MCP treatment did not affect total soluble solids content. ‘Aroma’ samples treated with 1-MCP showed a low sucrose hydrolysis, indicating a slower ripening process. This work confirms that 1-MCP postharvest treatment shows great potential for maintenance of apple cvs. in Norway during cold storage and shelf life.
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    Ecosystem service delivery by urban agriculture and green infrastructure – a systematic review
    (Elsevier, 2022-02-11) Evans, Daniel L.; Falagán Sama, Natalia; Hardman, C. A.; Kourmpetli, Sofia; Liu, L.; Mead, B. R.; Davies, J. A. C.
    The ability for urban ecosystems to deliver provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services is vital for the health, sustainability, and resilience of urban environments. The increasing pressures being placed on urban environments by global climate change and the need to create sustainable food systems contributes to rising interest in green infrastructure and urban agriculture solutions. Yet, few studies have systematically assessed the ecosystem service provision of urban agriculture and green infrastructure in parallel. In this systematic review of 157 peer-reviewed journal articles, we synthesize the benefits and disbenefits of implementing various forms of urban agriculture and green infrastructure for the delivery of ecosystem services in urban areas. While both provide a diverse variety of ecosystem services, our review suggests that some services are provided more prevalently when green infrastructure is solely adopted (e.g., Local Climate and Air Quality Regulation), while other services are best delivered when green infrastructure is combined with urban agriculture (e.g., Biological Control and Maintenance of Genetic Diversity). Our data also show that ecosystem service delivery is partly modulated by the spaces in which urban growing takes place. Community Gardens, Green Spaces, Allotments, and Parks are found to be most conducive for diverse service provision, although it is also clear that some growing spaces have not been studied as frequently in urban ecosystem service research. We conclude by highlighting some key research gaps and priorities for urban ecosystem service research, including a stronger focus on under-represented services and growing spaces, the need for more systematic data collection, and the value of incorporating ecosystem service assessments into wider suitability and cost-benefit analyses.
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    Growing your own in times of crisis: the role of home food growing in perceived food insecurity and well-being during the early COVID-19 lockdown
    (Emerald, 2021-05-04) Mead, Bethan R.; Davies, Jessica A. C.; Falagán Sama, Natalia; Kourmpetli, Sofia; Liu, Lingxuan; Hardman, Charlotte A.
    Household food insecurity and poor well-being have increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting lockdown measures. Home food growing has been associated with improved food access and well-being, but it is unknown what role it plays during food supply crises and lockdown. It is also unclear how home food growing and social restrictions may affect opinions about growing food in urban areas (i.e., urban agriculture [UA]). A cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the UK national lockdown in March-April 2020 to measure home food growing, perceived food insecurity, well-being, and opinions of UA. The participants were 477 UK-based adults (369 female, mean age 39.57 years ± 13.36); 152 participants were engaged in home food growing prior to the pandemic. Responses were compared to data collected from a separate sample of participants before the pandemic (N = 583) to explore potential shifts in opinions about UA. Participants who engaged in home food growing had lower levels of food insecurity (U ­= 19894.50, z = -3.649, p<.001, r = -.167) and higher well-being (U = 19566.50, z = -3.666, p<.001, r = -.168) than those not engaged in home food growing. Perceived food insecurity partially mediated the relationship between home food growing and well-being; home food growing was associated with less food insecurity, which in turn was associated with better well-being. There were no differences in opinions of UA compared to the sample of participants from before the pandemic. Home food growing may have had a protective effect over perceived food security and well-being in the early stages the pandemic. Opinions of UA were positive and unchanged compared to data collected pre-pandemic. Policies that support home food growing and access to suitable growing spaces and resources may be beneficial for food system resilience and well-being.
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    Potential of urban green spaces for supporting horticultural production: a national scale analysis
    (IOP, 2022-01-14) Walsh, Lael E.; Mead, Bethan R.; Hardman, Charlotte A.; Evans, Daniel L.; Liu, Lingxuan; Falagán Sama, Natalia; Kourmpetli, Sofia; Davies, Jess
    As urban areas and land-use constraints grow, there is increasing interest in utilizing urban spaces for food production. Several studies have uncovered significant potential for urban growing to supplement production of fruit and vegetables, focusing on one or two cities as case studies, whilst others have assessed the global scale potential. Here, we provide a national-scale analysis of the horticultural production potential of urban green spaces, which is a relevant scale for agri-food and urban development policy making using Great Britain (GB) as a case study. Urban green spaces available for horticultural production across GB are identified and potential yields quantified based on three production options. The distribution of urban green spaces within 26 urban towns and cities across GB are then examined to understand the productive potential compared to their total extent and populations. Urban green spaces in GB, at their upper limit, have the capacity to support production that is 8× greater than current domestic production of fruit and vegetables. This amounts to 38% of current domestic production and imports combined, or >400% if exotic fruits and vegetables less suited to GB growing conditions are excluded. Most urban green spaces nationally are found to fall within a small number of categories, with private residential gardens and amenity spaces making up the majority of space. By examining towns and cities across GB in further detail, we find that the area of green space does not vary greatly between urban conurbations of different sizes, and all are found to have substantial potential to meet the dietary needs of the local urban population. This study highlights that national policies can be suitably developed to support urban agriculture and that making use of urban green spaces for food production could help to enhance the resilience of the national-scale food system to shocks in import pathways, or disruptions to domestic production and distribution.
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    Towards net zero in agriculture: future challenges and opportunities for arable, livestock and protected cropping systems in the UK
    (SAGE, 2023-06-12) Sakrabani, Ruben; Garnett, Kenisha; Knox, Jerry W.; Rickson, R. Jane; Pawlett, Mark; Falagán Sama, Natalia; Girkin, Nicholas T.; Cain, Michelle; Alamar, M. Carmen; Burgess, Paul; Harris, Jim A.; Patchigolla, Kumar; Sandars, Daniel; Graves, Anil; Hannam, Jacqueline A.; Simmons, Robert
    The agricultural sector faces multiple challenges linked to increased climate uncertainty, causing severe shocks including increased frequency of extreme weather events, new pest and disease risks, soil degradation, and pre and postharvest food losses. This situation is further exacerbated by geopolitical instability and volatility in energy prices impacting on fertiliser supplies and production costs. Net zero strategies are vital to achieve both food security and address negative environmental impacts. This perspective paper reviews and assesses the most viable options (actions) to achieve net zero with a focus on the arable/livestock and protected cropping sectors in the UK. The methodology was based on a synthesis of relevant literature, coupled with expert opinions using the holistic PESTLE (Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental) approach to categorise actions, leading to formulation of a roadmap to achieve net zero. The PESTLE analysis indicated that there are technically and economically viable actions available which need to be prioritised depending on the ease of their implementation within the two crop sectors investigated. These actions include (i) policy changes that are better aligned to net zero; (ii) circular economy approaches; (iii) connectivity and accessibility of information; (iv) increased resilience to shocks; (v) changing diets, nutrition and lifestyles; (vi) target setting and attainment; and (vii) farm economics and livelihoods. The outputs can be used by stakeholders and decision makers to inform policy and drive meaningful changes in global food and environmental security.