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Unrelenting catastrophic droughts and successive failed rainy seasons in the Greater Horn of Africa

December, 2022
Global

â–ª The Greater Horn of Africa (GHoA) is one of the world's most negatively impacted regions by climatic extremes and changes affecting millions, including farmers and livestock keepers.
â–ª Addressing the impacts of devastating extreme weather events, climate variabilities, and changes in GHoA require, among other things, strengthening Climate Information Services (CIS), including in terms of Anticipatory Action, Early Warning Systems (EWS), and preparedness and early action for climate-resilient development.

Evolution of fungal and non-fungal eukaryotic communities in response to thermophilic co-composting of various nitrogen-rich green feedstocks

December, 2022
Tanzania

Thermophilic composting is a promising soil and waste management approach involving diverse micro and macro-organisms, including eukaryotes. Due to sub-optimal amounts of nutrients in manure, supplemental feedstock materials such as Lantana camara, and Tithonia diversifolia twigs are used in composting. These materials have, however, been reported to have antimicrobial activity in in-vitro experiments. Furthermore, the phytochemical analysis has shown differences in their complexities, thus possibly requiring various periods to break down.

Assessment of FEAST (Feed Assessment Tool): Analysis on how it affects user Knowledge, attitudes, practices and subsequent livestock feeding strategies

December, 2022
United Kingdom

The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) is a research for action tool that asses the availability and utilisation of local feed resources with the aim of creating context specific feed interventions. It is a tool that is more inclined towards pushing for participatory methods in agricultural research for development, while incorporating the increased use of technology in the developing world.

Climate change, income sources, crop mix, and input use decisions: Evidence from Nigeria

December, 2022
Nigeria

This paper combines panel data from nationally representative household-level surveys in Nigeria with long-term satellite-based spatial data on temperature and precipitation using geo-referenced information related to households. It aims to quantify the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity, income shares, crop mix, and input use decisions. We measure climate change in harmful degree days, growing degree days, and changes in precipitation using long-term (30 year) changes in temperature and precipitation anomalies during the crop calendars.

Economic benefits of sustainable, forage-based cattle systems in Colombia and Nicaragua

December, 2022

Forage-based cattle systems play a key role in rural economies of developing countries in terms of food security and poverty alleviation, particularly in tropical Latin America. However, they are often related to being a major cause of negative environmental impacts by contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and the reduction of biodiversity. Significant resources have been allocated to research and development in forage material improvement, including selection and breeding.

Effects of mid-season drainage on iron toxicity, rice yield, and water productivity in irrigated systems in the derived savannah agroecological zone of West Africa

December, 2022

Context: Increasing rice yield is crucial for meeting the demand of the fast-growing population in sub-Saharan Africa. Mid-season drainage can reduce iron toxicity, which is one of the major constraints to rice production in this region, and increase rice yield and water productivity. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of mid-season drainage on iron toxicity, rice yield, and water productivity and identify the factors that favor rice yield in the fields with mid-season drainage relative to continuous flooding.

Using participatory GIS and collaborative management approaches to enhance local actors’ participation in rangeland management: the case of Vulindlela, South Africa

December, 2022
South Africa

Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) is an empowering tool for the enhancement of local communities’ participation in the planning and management of natural resources. The inadequate involvement of local stakeholders in rangeland planning and management has been of great concern. Discussions on the role of PGIS and collaborative management approaches in promoting local involvement in rangeland management has not been clearly understood due to the scarcity of literature.

Constraints and opportunities for groundwater irrigation arising from hydrologic shifts in the Iullemmeden Basin, South-western Niger

December, 2022
Niger

Land-use-change-induced increases in shallow groundwater levels across parts of the Sahel in recent years have coincided with expanded use of groundwater for irrigation. This study was conducted to assess the potential linkages and livelihood implications based on a field survey of nine villages building on previous hydrological studies. The results show that irrigators lack effective means of production and mostly rely on manual methods. Borehole usage is more profitable and reliable than shallower wells.

Climate variability indices for ecological and crop models in R: the climatrends package

December, 2022
Global

Abiotic factors play an important role in most ecological and crop systems that depend on
certain levels of temperature, light and precipitation to initiate important physiological events
(Schulze et al., 2019). Understanding how these factors drive the physiological processes is
a key approach to provide recommendations for adaptation and biodiversity conservation in
applied ecology studies. The package climatrends aims to provide the methods in R (R Core
Team, 2020) to compute precipitation and temperature indices that serve as input for climate