As the world's population increases every day, so does their need for food. Most of the world's population lives in urban centres away from food production sites. To reduce food dependence, the urban population turns to food production within the city, urban agriculture (UA). Attention to urban agriculture has increased rapidly during the last couple of decades. Enthusiasm for UA is growing on an international and domestic level, also with the scholar community. Still, there are policy makers that struggle to implement UA with city planning. Over time, various forms of agriculture production in the city have evolved, divided into three main categories: urban agriculture, peri-urban agriculture, and urban farms. In addition to its multiple impacts (economic and ecological), UA has a significant holistic approach. It appears differently depending on the context. Some of the social effects of urban agriculture can be: fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and social inclusion, education, and preservation of cultural heritage. There are many examples of urban agriculture in the world, often with an economic or environmental role as the primary one. However, in this paper, firstly, we analyse various social aspects, and secondly, we present examples from Croatia, where the primary purposes are social benefits.

This study investigated the impact of conventional ploughing (CT), minimum multitiller tillage (MT), and reduced loosening tillage (RT), with and without straw mulch on Fluvisol properties and crop yields in Croatia over three years (2019–2021). While conservation tillage practices are well studied in arid regions, our study addresses the unique challenges and benefits of these practices in humid conditions. Plots treated with straw mulch (2.75 t/ha) showed significant improvements in soil physical properties compared to bare plots. Penetration resistance (PR) decreased under 3-year mulch application in all tillage systems, with a reduction of up to 28% compared to bare plots. Water-holding capacity (WHC) was significantly higher in mulched MT (52.4%) than in bare CT (41.6%). Aggregate stability increased by 15–20% under mulch, with the highest stability in MT plots. Soil organic matter (SOM) peaked in mulched MT in 2021, reaching 4.5%, compared to 3.6% in bare CT. Yield results varied by crop: soybean yield was unaffected by tillage treatment but increased by 21% under mulch in MT; maize yield was highest in RT without mulch (13.95 t/ha); and spring wheat yield significantly improved in mulched MT (3.83 t/ha), compared to bare plots (1.75 t/ha). These findings highlight the synergistic benefits of non-inversion tillage and straw mulch in enhancing soil quality and crop yields, offering a sustainable management strategy for Central European agroecosystems.

Soil tillage management can have positive and negative short-term effect on agroecosystem. Therefore, searching for optimal tillage management is crucial for the maintenance and improvement of soil functions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and reduced tillage (RT) on Fluvisols in humid environments (Croatia). Under each treatment, subplots with and without straw were applied. The impact was assessed on physical soil properties and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) yield. Soil bulk density was significantly lower in RT with straw when compared to the other treatments. Straw significantly effected bulk density at 10-20 cm depth. Penetration resistance did not exceed the value of 2.5 MPa on any treatment, it was also significantly reduced on covered plots in Autumn. Soil water content showed higher values in straw treatments at MT and RT. Water stable aggregates percentage were high at straw plots and at MT and RT in addition to CT. Moreover, soybean grain yield was higher in straw plots at RT and MT. It can be recognized in the aspect of short-term results that the MT and RT is an advisable alternative for CT due to its positive impact on soil physical condition and grain yield.

Soja se uzgaja na 121 milijuna hektara te predstavlja četvrtu najzastupljeniju ratarsku kulturu u svijetu, dok u Hrvatskoj po zastupljenosti površina zauzima treće mjesto. U promatranom razdoblju od 2009 do 2019 uzgajala se u prosjeku na 65.068 ha uz prosječni prinos zrna od 2.6 t ha-1. Najveći prinos ostvaren je 2018. godine (245 188 t), a iste godine postignut je i najveći prinos zrna (3.18 t ha-1). Proizvodnju soje u Hrvatskoj karakterizira pozitivan trend u porastu površina čemu su pridonijele stabilne i visoke cijene sirovina i otkupa te sustav poticaja i potpora, dok su na porast prosječnog prinosa zrna najviše utjecali primijenjena tehnologija i znanje proizvođača te izbor kvalitetnog sortimenta. Soja sa 80 milijuna HRK vrijednosti izvoza koliko je ostvareno u 2020. predstavlja jedan od najznačajnijih izvoznih proizvoda RH. U 2020. soju je sijalo 9.864 korisnika u sustavu potpora i to na 84.302 ha što je 8.5 ha soje po korisniku. Sjemenska proizvodnja također bilježi konstantan porast, a u uzgoju je najzastupljeniji rani do srednje rani domaći sortiment Poljoprivrednog instituta Osijek te talijanski rani sortiment. Mogućnost postrne sjetve, sposobnost fiksacije dušika u plodoredu, te sigurnost otkupa NON – GM sortimenta idu u prilog mogućnosti intenzivnijeg povećanja površina i prinosa zrna soje u Hrvatskoj.

The application of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to the agriculture sector has been greatly increased in the last decade. The ICT technologies have become an essential part of any business. Using Internet on mobile devices can prove to be essential in agriculture production. A new generation of mobile devices are lower in price and more user-friendly. This paper provides an overview of software applications that are created in Croatia and are mostly in the Croatian language. They are divided into groups of agriculture related applications; agriculture management information apps; agriculture information resource apps; agriculture calculator apps; agriculture news apps, weather apps. The research shows the agri-apps are still in its infancy and we can say that it reflects the state of agriculture in Croatia. Apps are a promising solution for farmers enabling them quick and trustworthy access to information. At the moment, further analyses are needed for scientific proof and improvement of a product

Due to strong globalization and industrialization, water has become a scarce resource. One industry that uses a lot of water and generates a large amount of wastewater is the textile industry. According to the Best Available Techniques reference document, pressure-driven membrane processes have been declared the best methods for the treatment and reuse of textile wastewater. Such processes generate a certain amount of solid waste in addition to excellent permeate quality. This book chapter provides a critical overview of pressure-driven membrane processes (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the treatment of textile wastewater. Finally, this chapter covers the treatment and disposal of retentate and MBR sludge.