Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Determinants of Farmers’ Adoption Decisions in the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia
Agriculture is a sector that is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change while contributing to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. Therefore, applying Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices (referee hereafter as CSA technologies) that can sustainably boost productivity, improve resilience, and lower GHG emissions are crucial for a climate resilient agriculture. This study sought to identify the CSA technologies used by farmers and assess adoption levels and factors that influence them.
A process guide for the development of a mixed-methods research tool for measuring and understanding intra-household decision making
Numerous approaches have been developed by researchers for measuring intra-household decision making. Most use quantitative surveys that often rely on a standard set of questions that inquire about who contributes to key household decisions or women’s abilities to participate in these decisions. Such questions have been criticized for focusing too much on the identity of the decision maker and less on understanding why and how decisions get made within the household and on the multiple facets of women’s roles in decision-making processes1.
Improving phosphorus acquisition efficiency through modification of root growth responses to phosphate starvation in legumes
Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for plant growth and development, and it is an integral part of the major organic components, including nucleic acids, proteins and phospholipids. Although total P is abundant in most soils, a large amount of P is not easily absorbed by plants. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is the plant-available P, which is generally immobile and of low availability in soils. Hence, Pi starvation is a major constraint limiting plant growth and productivity.
Landscape management innovations in Ghana by CGIAR and IWMI
Most social-ecological landscapes are under threat due to poor resource management compounded by the impacts of climate change. The international Water Management Institute (IWMI) employs an inclusive landscape management approach for scaling innovations to transform food systems in degraded landscapes. This video highlights such innovations being deployed in Ghana through the #ONECGIAR Initiative on Transforming Food Systems in West and Central Africa (TAFS-WCA).
Global actions for Sustainable Rangelands and Pastoralism to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality
This presentation focuses on the global actions required to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) through sustainable rangelands and pastoralism, aligning with the International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) and its sub-working group on LDN. The challenges and threats to rangelands are outlined, emphasizing the climatic and anthropogenic pressures leading to natural resource degradation, productivity losses, and land-related conflicts.
Direct seeded rice: What are the benefits, potential and suitability in Haryana, India?
Rice is one of the most widely grown cereal crops in India, providing primary nutrition as well as key livelihood and economic value – $23.3 billion in 2020. It is a water-intensive crop, however, and requires 1,000–2,000 millimeters of irrigation per cropping cycle, contributing to almost 40% of freshwater withdrawals in India. Most irrigation water is abstracted from groundwater, which relies on pumping that has led to a significant decline in the groundwater table in many places. Shifts in cultivation practices and management may foster greater sustainability.
Future scenarios of fish supply and demand for food and nutrition security in Bangladesh: An analysis with the AsiaFish model
Bangladesh has made significant progress in social and economic development in recent years, but micronutrient deficiencies and poor dietary diversity remain a significant challenge. This paper developed five scenarios to explore futures of fish supply-demand in Bangladesh using the AsiaFish model, with special emphasis on the role of fish in macronutrient and micronutrient supply to address the nation's malnutrition and nutrition security challenges. A business-as-usual (BAU) scenario followed historical trends for exogenous variables used in the model.
The carbon footprint of young-beef cattle finishing systems in the Eastern Plains of the Orinoco River Basin of Colombia
Introduction: Previous research has shown increased productivity amongst sown grass pastures compared to native savanna pastures by year-round grazing for fattening of adult and young Brahman (Bos indicus)-bred cattle in the well-drained native savanna ecosystem of the Colombian OrinoquÃa. But there is limited information on the carbon footprint (CF) of commercial young-Brahman heifers and steers reared throughout life on well-managed Brachiaria decumbens Stapf pastures.
Seeds that give revisited: Participatory plant breeding and rural revitilization
In 2003, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada published “Seed that give. Participatory plant breeding,†synthesizing the achievements and lessons learned of the first 10 (pioneering) years of participatory plant breeding (PPB), a concept first tabled at an international workshop in Wageningen, the Netherlands, in 1994. IDRC was one of the early and most fervent supporters of PPB. See: https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.648982/publication.html