Nitrous oxide emissions from grazed grasslands: interactions between the N cycle and climate change — a New Zealand case study

In this article, we explore how Maori tribal organisations are responding to calls by other Indigenous peoples to become more sustainable in a time of climate change. From a close examination of tribal Environmental Management Plans, we move to a specific case study in the Bay of Plenty area, Ngati Kea/Ngati Tuara. Ultimately, we suggest that many tribal organisations are seeking to respond to climate change and transition to becoming producers of their own food and energy needs, and are often articulating these responses in relation to specific local resources and contexts. © 2014 New Zealand Geographical Society.

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Assessing the Potential Contribution of Pfumvudza Towards Climate Smart Agriculture in Zimbabwe: A Review

10.20944/preprints202101.0619.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Never Mujere

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Food Security ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Household Food ◽

Smart Agriculture ◽

The Impact

Concerns of food and environmental security have increased enormously in recent years due to the vagaries of climate change and variability. Efforts to promote food security and environmental sustainability often reinforce each other and enable farmers to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change and other stresses. Some of these efforts are based on appropriate technologies and practices that restore natural ecosystems and improve the resilience of farming systems, thus enhancing food security. Climate smart agriculture (CSA) principles, for example, translate into a number of locally-devised and applied practices that work simultaneously through contextualised crop-soil-water-nutrient-pest-ecosystem management at a variety of scales. The purpose of this paper is to review concisely the current state-of-the-art literature and ascertain the potential of the Pfumvudza concept to enhance household food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation as it is promoted in Zimbabwe. The study relied heavily on data from print and electronic media. Datasets pertaining to carbon, nitrous oxide and methane storage in soils and crop yield under zero tillage and conventional tillage were compiled. Findings show that, compared to conventional farming, Pfumvudza has great potential to contribute towards household food security and reducing carbon emissions if implemented following the stipulated recommendations. These include among others, adequate land preparation and timely planting and acquiring inputs. However, nitrous oxide emissions tend to increase with reduced tillage and, the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides is environmentally unfriendly.

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New Zealand Aid and Dairy Development in Sri Lanka

10.26686/wgtn.17144672.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jasmine Edwards

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Developing Countries ◽

New Zealand ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Development Policy ◽

Market Potential ◽

Dairy Consumption ◽

Dairy Development

<p>New Zealand’s aid investment in dairy development is seen, on the one hand, as a means to improve economic, health and food security issues in developing countries. Dairy development, further, is linked to New Zealand’s trade interests and supports industry expansion strategies that target the market potential in developing countries. On the other hand, it is argued that dairy consumption and production should be reduced to respond to climate change and potential negative health impacts in countries with traditionally low dairy consumption. The potential impacts of dairy development on sustainable development are complex, interconnected and contradictory. Moreover, local and gendered understandings of the impacts of dairy development are underrepresented in literature. Drawing on a sustainable livelihood approach and gender lens as a theoretical framework, this research explores smallholder farmers’ views through a case study of a New Zealand-funded aid project in Sri Lanka, the Wanni Dairy Project, which is increasing dairy production to improve rural livelihoods. In doing so, this thesis considers the multiple impacts of dairy development on sustainable livelihoods. In particular, it explores understandings of social, gender and environmental factors. Data was collected during five weeks of qualitative, case study research (using interviews, photovoice and observation methods) with female, conflict-affected farmers in Sri Lanka and stakeholders in dairy development. This thesis contends that better understandings of the impacts of dairy development and aid can be valuably informed by local perspectives. It highlights the inherent connectivity between social, environmental and economic factors of the Wanni Dairy Project, and areas of dissonance between local understandings of the impacts of dairy development and global discourse on sustainable development. Specifically, this thesis draws attention to the diverse impacts of increasing income, health factors, and cultural and religious factors; it highlights women’s independence, empowerment and agency, and ongoing inequities; and it addresses environmental impacts, climate change, and the implications of scale. This research, therefore, contributes to the information upon which development policy-makers and practitioners – government, development organisations and private sector actors – can base effective and sustainable development policy and practice.</p>

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Effect of plantain on nitrous oxide emissions and soil nitrification rate in pasture soil under a simulated urine patch in Canterbury, New Zealand

Journal of Soils and Sediments ◽

10.1007/s11368-019-02505-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 1468-1479 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andriy Podolyan ◽

Hong Jie Di ◽

Keith C. Cameron

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Nitrification Rate ◽

Soil Nitrification ◽

Pasture Soil ◽

Urine Patch

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Nitrous oxide emissions from rape field as affected by nitrogen fertilizer management: A case study in Central China

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.01.003 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 45 (9) ◽

pp. 1775-1779 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Shan Lin ◽

Javed Iqbal ◽

Ronggui Hu ◽

Jinshui Wu ◽

Jinsong Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽

Central China ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Fertilizer Management

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Edaphic and environmental controls of soil respiration and related soil processes under two contrasting manuka and kanuka shrubland stands in North Island, New Zealand

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr12248 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 390 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

C. B. Hedley ◽

S. M. Lambie ◽

J. L. Dando

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Soil Respiration ◽

Respiration Rate ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Volcanic Soil ◽

Mineral N ◽

Organic C ◽

Respiration Rates ◽

Environmental Controls

The conversion of marginal pastoral land in New Zealand to higher biomass shrubland consisting of manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) and kanuka (Kunzea ericoides var. ericoides) offers opportunity for carbon (C) sequestration, with potential co-benefits of soil erosion control. We therefore selected two areas with different soils in different climatic regions to investigate and compare soil respiration rates, methane and nitrous oxide emission profiles, and key carbon exchange processes controlling carbon sequestration. In addition, two shrubland stands of different ages were selected in each area, providing four sites in total. Regular (almost monthly) soil respiration measurements were made over a 2-year period, with less frequent methane and nitrous oxide flux measurements, and soil sampling once at the end of the study. The cooler, wetter volcanic soils had higher total organic C (6.39 ± 0.12% v. 5.51 ± 0.17%), soil C : nitrogen (N) ratios (20.55 ± 0.20 v. 18.45 ± 0.23), and slightly lower mineral N (3.30 ± 0.74 v. 4.89 ± 0.57 mg/kg) and microbial biomass C (1131 ± 108 v. 1502 ± 37 mg/kg) than the more drought-prone, stony, sedimentary soils. Mineral-N contents at all sites indicated N-limited ecosystems for allocation of below- and above-ground C. The estimated mean annual cumulative respiration rate recorded in the volcanic soil was 10.26 ± 7.45 t CO2-C/ha.year compared with 9.85 ± 8.63 t CO2-C/ha.year in the stony sedimentary soil for the 2 years of our study. Older shrubland stands had higher respiration rates than younger stands in both study areas. Methane oxidation was estimated to be higher in the volcanic soil (4.10 ± 2.13 kg CH4-C/ha.year) than the sedimentary soil sites (2.51 ± 2.48 kg CH4-C/ha.year). The measured natural background levels of nitrous oxide emissions from these shrubland soils ranged between negligible and 0.30 ± 0.20 kg N2O-N/ha.year. A strong climatic control (temperature and moisture) on gas fluxes was observed at all sites. Our sampling strategy at each of the four sites was to estimate the mean soil respiration rates (n = 25) from an 8 by 8 m sampling grid positioned into a representative location. Soil respiration rates were also measured (by additional, less frequent sampling) in two adjacent grids (1-m offset and 100-m distant grid) to test the validity of these representative mean values. The 1-m offset grid (n = 25) provided a statistically different soil respiration rate from the main grid (n = 25) in 25% of the 12 sampling events. The 100-m grid (n = 25) provided a statistically different respiration rate to the main grid in 38% of the 26 sampling events. These differences are attributed to the spatially variable and sporadic nature of gaseous emissions from soils. The grid analysis tested the prediction uncertainty and it provides evidence for strong spatial and temporal control by edaphic processes in micro-sites. A partial least-squares regression model was used to relate the 2009 annual cumulative soil respiration to site-specific edaphic characteristics, i.e. biomass, nutrient availability, porosity and bulk density, measured at the end of that year. The model explained ≥80% of the variance at three of the four sites.

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The effectiveness of dicyandiamide in reducing nitrous oxide emissions from a cattle-grazed, winter forage crop in Southland, New Zealand

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea07262 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 160 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

L. C. Smith ◽

C. A. M. de Klein ◽

R. M. Monaghan ◽

W. D. Catto

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Research Station ◽

Forage Crops ◽

N Losses ◽

Forage Crop ◽

Spring Period ◽

Simulated Grazing

A study was conducted in Southland, New Zealand to: (i) measure nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and nitrate (NO3–-N) leaching losses from a cattle-grazed, winter forage crop; and (ii) quantify the effect of dicyandiamide (DCD) in reducing these losses. Drainage losses were measured for 12 months (December 2005–November 2006) from a December-sown kale crop using 12 hydrologically isolated drainage plots at the Woodlands Research Station. N2O emissions were measured for 6 months (June–November) following simulated grazing of the crop in mid-June. N2O emissions from the bare ground following grazing of the crop amounted to 3.6 kg nitrogen (N)/ha for the winter–spring period. This figure is higher than that measured for pasture on the same soil type over a similar period. DCD application significantly reduced N2O emissions for the whole crop area by 25% over this period and reduced the N2O emission factor for urine by 54%. DCD application increased the length of time mineral N (0–10 cm soil depth) was maintained in the ammonium form and significantly reduced soil NO3–-N levels for 6 weeks following the simulated grazing. Annual NO3–-N losses in drainage under this winter forage crop were relatively high at 79 kg N/ha.year, with the majority of this (67%) being lost over the wet summer months (December–January rainfall 434 mm or 200% of normal) during crop growth. The application of DCD following the grazing resulted in a 47% decrease in NO3–-N leached over the winter–spring period (26 kg N/ha v. 14 kg N/ha) with this equating to a 29% decrease over the full 12-month measurement period. This study suggested that winter forage crops are major contributors to N losses from livestock farming systems in Southland and that DCD application following the grazing of such crops by cattle can significantly reduce N2O emissions and leaching N losses.

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