Climate change impacts food production systems, particularly in locations with large, vulnerable populations. Elevated greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as land cover/land use change (LCLUC), can influence regional climate dynamics. Biophysical factors such as topography, soil type, and seasonal rainfall can strongly affect crop yields. We used a regional climate model derived from the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) to compare the effects of projected future GHG and future LCLUC on spatial variability of crop yields in East Africa.

Increased adoption of climbing beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris check for this species in other resources L.) in Kabale district, south-western Uganda, has been limited by scarcity of staking materials, despite the crop's higher yield potential compared to bush bean types when grown on fertile soils. There is therefore need to explore other appropriate mechanisms such as intecropping, that could substitute use of stalks.

What policy lessons derive from the half-century of banana expansion in the coastal region? For that whole period bananas had a catalytic role in promoting coastal deforestation. At first, this was mostly through direct banana frontier expansion. Later the gradual settlement effects proved key. Modest credit subsidies, the large-scale construction and improvement of roads and ports, and a devalued exchange rate were probably the most important policies that contributed to the expansion of banana production, though they varied in importance during the different periods.

Se presenta informacion preliminar acerca del proceso y las causas de sucesion de sabanas de Trachypogon vestitus y de Paspalum pectinatum despues de quema y pastoreo, en Carimagua, Colombia. En varios expt. en los cuales se aplicaron diferentes tasas de carga a parcelas con y sin quema, se observo que la cobertura de plantas tendio a ser mayor en las parcelas con quema, a la mayor tasa de carga y al inicio y al final de la epoca seca. La quema y el pastoreo no afectaron el no. de plantas emergentes. Despues de la quema y con tasa de carga baja, T. vestitus predomino en la sabana de P.

Mediante un minisimulador de lluvia se evaluaron los cambios en pérdida de suelo y en algunas propiedades físicas asociadas con el movimiento del agua, en un Inceptisol (Dystric haplustepts) de la zona de reconversión del cultivo de trigo del departamento de Nariño, Colombia (75º 14Ž oeste, 0.5º 10Ž norte, 2.710 msnm, 79% HR, 12ºC). Los tratamientos fueron: Suelo no intervenido a 25% de pendiente (testigo), uso en pastura por 25 años, 25% de pendiente y uso agrícola rotación trigo-maíz (rt-m) de 25, 45 y 70 años de uso, cada uno de estos últimos a 12% y 25% de pendiente.