Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture
Almería horticulture in SE Spain hosts the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world and faces important environmental sustainability challenges. Microalgae-derived applications are efficient nature-based solutions as they are used for wastewater regeneration or as biostimulants and biopesti...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10835/14086 |
| _version_ | 1789406720414449664 |
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| author | Ruiz-Nieto, Ángela Gómez Serrano, Cintia Acién Fernández, Francisco Gabriel Castro Martínez, Antonio Jesús |
| author_facet | Ruiz-Nieto, Ángela Gómez Serrano, Cintia Acién Fernández, Francisco Gabriel Castro Martínez, Antonio Jesús |
| author_sort | Ruiz-Nieto, Ángela |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | Almería horticulture in SE Spain hosts the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world and faces important environmental sustainability challenges. Microalgae-derived applications are efficient nature-based solutions as they are used for wastewater regeneration or as biostimulants and biopesticides in agriculture. However, farmers’ knowledge and acceptance of microalgae-derived applications remain unknown, which is a major barrier to its commercialization. This study explores current farmers’ knowledge and acceptance of microalgae in Almería horticulture. Results revealed that there exists a significant lack of knowledge regarding the use of microalgae agricultural-based applications. Over sixty percent of farmers indicated that microalgae can have beneficial uses in agriculture, such as biostimulants or biofertilizers. However, although seventy percent of farmers expressed their willingness to use them, results also showed that only 32% of farmers using microalgae-derived applications have obtained satisfactory results. We call the urgent need for new communication strategies based on transdisciplinary approaches that increase farmers’ knowledge around the multiple microalgae-derived products and applications in agriculture. |
| format | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| id | oai:repositorio.ual.es:10835-14086 |
| institution | Universidad de Cuenca |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oai:repositorio.ual.es:10835-140862023-04-12T19:00:52Z Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture Ruiz-Nieto, Ángela Gómez Serrano, Cintia Acién Fernández, Francisco Gabriel Castro Martínez, Antonio Jesús microalgae agriculture biostimulant biofertilizer dryland ecosystem services Almería horticulture in SE Spain hosts the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world and faces important environmental sustainability challenges. Microalgae-derived applications are efficient nature-based solutions as they are used for wastewater regeneration or as biostimulants and biopesticides in agriculture. However, farmers’ knowledge and acceptance of microalgae-derived applications remain unknown, which is a major barrier to its commercialization. This study explores current farmers’ knowledge and acceptance of microalgae in Almería horticulture. Results revealed that there exists a significant lack of knowledge regarding the use of microalgae agricultural-based applications. Over sixty percent of farmers indicated that microalgae can have beneficial uses in agriculture, such as biostimulants or biofertilizers. However, although seventy percent of farmers expressed their willingness to use them, results also showed that only 32% of farmers using microalgae-derived applications have obtained satisfactory results. We call the urgent need for new communication strategies based on transdisciplinary approaches that increase farmers’ knowledge around the multiple microalgae-derived products and applications in agriculture. 2022-11-16T19:12:58Z 2022-11-16T19:12:58Z 2022-11-08 info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2073-4395 http://hdl.handle.net/10835/14086 10.3390/agronomy12112778 en https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/11/2778 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess MDPI |
| spellingShingle | microalgae agriculture biostimulant biofertilizer dryland ecosystem services Ruiz-Nieto, Ángela Gómez Serrano, Cintia Acién Fernández, Francisco Gabriel Castro Martínez, Antonio Jesús Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title | Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title_full | Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title_fullStr | Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title_short | Farmers’ Knowledge and Acceptance of Microalgae in Almería Greenhouse Horticulture |
| title_sort | farmers’ knowledge and acceptance of microalgae in almería greenhouse horticulture |
| topic | microalgae agriculture biostimulant biofertilizer dryland ecosystem services |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10835/14086 |
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