Salinization is a major cause of soil degradation that affects several million hectares of agricultural land, threatening food security and the sustainability of agricultural systems worldwide. Nevertheless, despite the negative impact of salinity, salt-affected land also provides several important ecosystem services, from providing habitats and nurseries for numerous species to sustainable food production. This opinion paper, written in the framework of the EU COST Action CA22144 SUSTAIN on the sustainable use of salt-affected land, therefore, focuses on the potential of halophytes and saline agriculture to transform and restore key functions of these salt-affected and marginal lands. As the current knowledge on sustainable saline agriculture upscaling is fragmented, we highlight (i) the research gaps in halophyte and salinity research and (ii) the main barriers and potentials of saline agriculture for addressing food security and environmental sustainability in terms of population growth and climate change.

This study assesses the current status of dairy cattle farming in Burdur province, an important region for milk production in Turkey. The study involved 677 enterprises and found that the mean number of cattle per farm was 11.3 and the number of milk cows per farm was 5.9. The estimated amount of concentrated feed consumed was 7.0 ± 2.3 kg/cattle/day; forage consumption was 9.1 ± 5.2 kg/cattle/day; the weaning age for calves was 87.4 ± 13.2 days; average milk yield was 18.7 ± 5.0 l/day; average drying-off time was 6.7 ± 0.5 months; and average age of first insemination was 17.0 ± 1.0 months. Of the 677 enterprises studied, 27.2% used free-stall barns, 20.9% used closed free-stall barns, and 51.9% used tie-stall barns. The mean size of tie-stall barns was 78 ± 51 m². Milking was performed using portable milking machines in most enterprises (93%). Nearly all (96%) enterprises lacked any form-based recording system and received no regular veterinary treatment. This study provides important new survey data on dairy cattle breeding in Turkey.