The parasitic weeds scourge in northern Zimbabwe: effects of soil degradation, hosts and food security implications to rural farmers

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Parasitic Weeds ◽  
Rural Farmers

Gender Analysis of Decision Making on Maternal Health Care among Rural Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for Food Security

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwatoyin J. Oluwasusi ◽  
Abolade O. Adeyemo ◽  
Funmilayo O. Bamigboye ◽  
Babatunde J. Olusipe
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Maternal Health Care ◽  
Safe Motherhood ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Males And Females

Safe childbirth is crucial to farmers’ productivity and food security as farm labour plays a pivotal role for farming in most rural communities. Analysing gender roles on maternal health care (MHC) decision is of major concern in ensuring safe motherhood and poverty reduction in rural homes. Therefore, this study analysed gender concerns of MHC among rural farmers. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 124 respondents for the study; data were collected using structured interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion, descriptive and inferential statistics. Respondents (χ = 29 years) were in their youthful and procreating stage with average family size of 4 members. Husbands (64.5%) mainly decided the MHC utilised for childbirth. More females (54.8%) belonged to cooperative society. About (56.5%) of males and females (53.2%), respectively were crop producers having average monthly earning of #19,000. Most predicating factors to MHC decision were family tradition ( χ= 2.21) and social capital (χ = 2.18). Males (61.3%) had high level of MHC decision unlike the females (54.8%) with low contribution to MHC decision. Monthly income (r=0.521), responsibility for decision making (r=0.668) were significantly related to respondents decision on MHC. There was a significant difference in the level of decision making between males and females (t=5.28, df =31). Hence, it is recommended that non-governmental organisation should collaborate with the government to aggressively sensitise rural communities on safe motherhood and men should sufficiently empower women to contribute and participate actively in decisions on maternal health care in rural families for sustainable food production and supply.

Soil Degradation: Food Security

2014 ◽  
pp. 419-423
Author(s):  
Michael A. Zoebisch ◽  
Eddy De Pauw
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Soil Degradation

Soil degradation and food security coupled with global climate change in northeastern China

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 562-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huili Gong ◽  
Dan Meng ◽  
Xiaojuan Li ◽  
Feng Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Northeastern China

Challenges for weed management in African rice systems in a changing climate

2011 ◽  
Vol 149 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. RODENBURG ◽  
H. MEINKE ◽  
D. E. JOHNSON
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Integrated Weed Management ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Mechanical Control ◽  
Parasitic Weeds ◽  
Management Approaches

SUMMARYGlobal changes including increases in temperature, atmospheric greenhouse gases, soil degradation and competition for land and water resources, will have multiple impacts on rice production systems in Africa. These changes will affect weed communities, and management approaches must be adapted to take this into account. Higher temperatures and limited water availability will generally advantage C4over C3plants (e.g. rice). Conversely, elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will improve the competitiveness of rice relative to C4weeds, which comprise many of the problem weeds of rice. Increased atmospheric CO2levels may also improve tolerance of rice against parasitic weeds, while prevalence of parasitic species may be amplified by soil degradation and more frequent droughts or floods. Elevated CO2levels tend to promote growth below-ground relative to above-ground, particularly in perennial (C3) species. This may render mechanical control of weeds within a cropping season less effective or even counterproductive. Increased CO2levels, rainfall and temperature may also reduce the effectiveness of chemical control, while the implementation of adaptation technologies, such as water-saving irrigation regimes, will have negative consequences for rice–weed competition. Rain-fed production systems are prevalent throughout Africa and these are likely to be most vulnerable to direct effects of climate change (e.g. higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns). Effective weed management strategies in these environments could encompass off-season tillage, the use of well-adapted cultivars (i.e. those with drought and heat tolerance, high weed competitiveness and parasitic weed resistance or tolerance) and rotations, intercropping or short, off-season fallows with weed-suppressive legumes including those that suppress parasitic weeds. In irrigated, non-flooded rice systems, weeds are expected to become more serious. Specifically, perennial rhizomatous C3weeds and species adapted to hydromorphic conditions are expected to increase in prevalence. By implementing an integrated weed management strategy primarily targeted at weed prevention, dependency on flood water, herbicides and mechanical control can be lessened. Off-season deep tillage, stale seed bed techniques, use of clean seeds and irrigation water, competitive cultivars, timely transplanting at optimum spacing and judicious fertilizer timings are suitable candidate components for such a strategy. Integrated, novel approaches must be developed to assist farmers in coping with the challenges of weed control in the future.

scholarly journals Cash Crops and Food Security: A Case of Tea Farmers in Burundi

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Pierre C. Bitama ◽  
Philippe Lebailly ◽  
Patrice Ndimanya ◽  
Philippe Burny
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tea Plant ◽  
Permanent Income ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
Natural Region ◽  
Cash Crops

Food security is a genuine challenge in developing countries. To combat food insecurity, various means and strategies are being mobilized. The promotion of cash crops in rural areas is one of the main strategies for improving food security. Accessibility to subsistence staples and stable living conditions for rural farmers are made possible by the relatively high and permanent income from cash crops. This paper addresses the issue of food security by discussing the power of tea crop incomes in a rural tea farming area in Burundi. A survey was conducted in 2019 among 120 smallholder tea farmers in two communes located in the Mugamba natural region of Burundi. The results show that the tea plant contributes significantly to food security for both tea farmers and non-tea farmers. By complementing other livelihood resources, tea incomes improve the food security of smallholder tea farmers. In addition, tea incomes ensure the resilience of smallholder tea farmers during lean seasons and against various shocks. Besides, the perennial nature of the tea plant provides a pension for smallholder tea farmers in their old age.

Rural farmers in an unequal world: Land rights and food security for sustainable well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 185-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayamol Charoenratana ◽  
Chika Shinohara
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Land Rights ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rural Farmers

scholarly journals Land Evaluation, Sustainable Land Management and Impacts of Climate Change in Agriculture; Ethiopia: Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (06) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohannes Habteyesus Yitagesu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Sustainable Land Management

Sustainable land management has emerged as an issue of major global concern. In many countries particularly in Ethiopia, the concern of suitable land management is because of the increasing population pressure on limited land resources, demanding for increased food production, the degradation of land and water resources accelerating rapidly. If the lands well suited for agriculture, it will follows further increases in production to meet the food demands of increasing populations, must come about by the more intensive use of existing agricultural lands. Climate & soil conditions, land use type and management, determine the production limit.To contest cited venomous effects of intensification, regard to environmental effects requires the development and implementation of technologies and policies, which will result in sustainable land management (Gisla-dottir and Stocking, 2005; Campbell and Hagmann, 2003). The major factors reason for low productivity include dependence on traditional farming techniques, soil degradation caused by overgrazing and deforestation, poor corresponding services such as extension, credit, marketing, infrastructure, and climatic factors such as drought and flood (Deressa, Hassan, & Ringler, 2011). In addition to the low soil fertility, soil degradation in Ethiopia; reduces soil productivity which results to food insecurity, economic losses and aggravates the recurrent droughts (Shiferaw & Holden, 1999; Mitiku et al., 2006). It has also increases vulnerability of people to the adverse effects of climate variability and change, by reducing soil organic carbon level and water holding capacity, which in turn decreases agricultural productivity and local resource assets (TerrAfrica, 2009; Nyssen et. al., 2003a; Hurni, 2000; Mitiku Haile,2006 & Daniel et al., 2015). Climate change causes wide-ranging effects on the environment, socioeconomic and associated sectors: water resources, agriculture and food security, human health, terrestrial ecosystems, and biodiversity (Belay Zerga & Getaneh Gebeyehu, 2016). Ethiopia is extremely vulnerable to climate related disasters including drought, heavy rains, floods, frost and heat waves which leads to a negative impacts on agriculture, food security, rural livelihoods, and economic development (NMA 2007). Planning of changes in land use requires a inclusive knowledge of the natural resources; a trustworthy estimate of what they are capable of producing, so that reliable predictions and recommendations can be made. Production potential, the conservation of soil and water resources for use by future generations requires consideration in planning land development. For these reasons sustainable land management is now getting considerable attention from development experts, policy makers and researchers. In long-term period, any utilization over its capability of the land will cause degradation and yield reduction. Therefore, to know the land production capacity and to allocate the land to the satisfactory and to the most profitable should be cared.

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