{"id":5307,"date":"2026-06-22T05:49:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T05:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cognitionconferences.com\/agriculture\/?post_type=speaker&#038;p=5307"},"modified":"2026-06-22T05:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T05:49:26","slug":"stefania-toscano","status":"publish","type":"speaker","link":"https:\/\/cognitionconferences.com\/agriculture\/speaker\/stefania-toscano\/","title":{"rendered":"Stefania Toscano"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sustainable farming practices are increasingly recognized as essential components of climate-resilient agricultural systems under climate variability, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and growing pressure on natural resources. In this context, agroecological diversification offers a pathway to redesign cropping systems by integrating ecological processes into agricultural management, while maintaining productivity and reducing dependence on external inputs.<\/p>\n<p>Agroecological diversification relies on practices such as cover crops, intercropping, crop rotations, crop associations, reduced soil disturbance, organic amendments, and integrated nutrient and pest management. By acting on key ecological processes, these practices can enhance agroecosystem functioning and generate multiple ecosystem services, including soil protection, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, water regulation, weed suppression, biodiversity conservation, pollinator support, and resilience to drought and climate-related stressors.<\/p>\n<p>This perspective is particularly relevant for Mediterranean and semi-arid systems, where high temperatures, irregular rainfall, water scarcity, and soil organic matter depletion constrain productivity and sustainability. In these environments, sustainable practices must be adapted to local pedoclimatic conditions, farming objectives, and socio-economic feasibility. Although agroecological practices generate substantial benefits, they may also involve trade-offs, including competition for water, management complexity, yield variability, and the need for locally specific knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Sustainable farming should therefore be understood not as the adoption of isolated techniques, but as a system-based approach aimed at improving interactions among crops, soil, biodiversity, water, and management. Field-based evidence and translational research are essential to support farmers in selecting suitable combinations of practices and to bridge scientific innovation and on-farm implementation. Field trials and on-farm case studies conducted by the research group will be presented, demonstrating the practical applicability of these agroecological practices in Mediterranean environments and the achievable improvements in ecosystem services and climate resilience with manageable trade-offs.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, agroecological diversification can support the transition towards more resilient, low-input, and resource-efficient agricultural systems. By enhancing ecosystem services and climate adaptation, sustainable farming practices represent a pathway to reconcile agricultural productivity, environmental conservation, and sustainable rural livelihoods in a changing climate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5308,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"schedule":[5],"speaker-category":[6],"class_list":["post-5307","speaker","type-speaker","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","schedule-day-1","speaker-category-speakers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stefania Toscano | The University of Messina | Italy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cognitionconferences.com\/agriculture\/speaker\/stefania-toscano\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stefania Toscano | The University of Messina | Italy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Abstract Sustainable farming practices are increasingly recognized as essential components of climate-resilient agricultural systems under climate variability, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and growing pressure on natural resources. In this context, agroecological diversification offers a pathway to redesign cropping systems by integrating ecological processes into agricultural management, while maintaining productivity and reducing dependence on external inputs. 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