Drought Impact and Adaptation Strategies in the Mid-Hill Farming System of Western Nepal

Climate-induced drought hazard has been emerging as one of the major challenges in the mid-hill farming system and rural livelihood in Nepal. Drought stress, in combination with century-long socio-political issues such as unequal social structure, gender discrimination, and marginalization of poor and disadvantaged groups have made smallholders more vulnerable in society. Climate changes are exacerbating issues within an already vulnerable society. Therefore, a review study on the impact of drought on the rain-fed hill farming system, and the potential adaptation measures, was carried out in the mid-hill region of western Nepal. Both agricultural impacts such as depletion of traditional varieties of crops, crop-specific diseases, low production, lack of water for irrigation; and non-agricultural impacts such as changing rural livelihood patterns, and social conflict due to agriculture and water issues were identified as major impacts. Some of the agricultural adaptation measures viz. the promotion of climate smart agriculture practices, crop diversification, and agroforestry practices seem to have been more effective in the region. At the same time, small-scale structural water harvesting measures, for instance, rainwater harvesting, conservation ponds, and irrigation channels, drip water irrigation, and an early warning system for drought events could also be an advantage in this context. Nonetheless, there are several adaptation barriers including ecological and physical constraints, human and information resource-shortages, and social barriers to adaptation. Therefore, local site-specific adaptation measures should be developed, and implemented, to increase the adaptive capacity of smallholders, and enhance the farming system in the face of the climate-induced drought scenario.

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Determinants of the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices by Small-Scale Farming Households in King Cetshwayo District Municipality, South Africa

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12010195 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Victor O. Abegunde ◽

Melusi Sibanda ◽

Ajuruchukwu Obi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Educational Status ◽

Farming System ◽

Farm Income ◽

Small Scale ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Small Scale Farmers ◽

The Impact

Agriculture, particularly small-scale farming, is both a contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a victim of the effects of climate change. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) offers a unique opportunity to adapt to the effects of climate change while at the same time mitigating GHG emissions. The low response to the adoption of CSA among small-scale farmers raises questions as to the factors influencing its adoption in the small-scale farming system. With the aid of a close-ended questionnaire, structured interviews were conducted and formed the basis on which data were generated from 327 small-scale farmers selected through random sampling. Descriptive statistics, Composite Score Index and a Generalized Ordered Logit Regression (gologit) model were employed for the analysis. The majority (56.6%) of the sampled farmers fell in the medium category of users of CSA practices, while the lowest proportion (17.7%) of the sampled farmers fell in the high category. The use of organic manure, crop rotation and crop diversification were the most popular CSA practices among the sampled farmers. Educational status, farm income, farming experience, size of farmland, contact with agricultural extension, exposure to media, agricultural production activity, membership of an agricultural association or group and the perception of the impact of climate change were found to be statistically significant and positively correlated with the level of CSA adoption. Furthermore, off-farm income and distance of farm to homestead were statistically significant but negatively correlated with the CSA level of adoption. This paper argues that climate change-related education through improved extension contact and exposure to mass media can strengthen integrated farm activities that bolster farm income. Additionally, farmer associations or groups should be given adequate attention to facilitate CSA adoption as a means to climate change mitigation and resilience.

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Impact of irrigated and non-irrigated cropping systems on soil physicochemical properties in a small-scale irrigation farming system in Eastern Uganda

Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science ◽

10.26832/24566632.2021.060308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 313-319

Author(s):

Issa Kaduyu ◽

Patrick Musinguzi

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Farming System ◽

Small Scale ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Mean Values ◽

The Impact ◽

Small Scale Irrigation ◽

Eastern Uganda ◽

Irrigated Soils

This study evaluated the impact of irrigation and cropping on soil physicochemical properties at Kyekide small scale irrigation farm in Jinja district, eastern Uganda. Treatments included Land-use systems under perennial and annual cropping with and without irrigation for over 20 years. The hypothesis was that there were insignificant differences in physicochemical properties of the soil under irrigated and non-irrigated cropping systems. Soil physical properties except hydraulic conductivity was not significantly different with irrigation and cropping. The pH of the soils ranged from moderately acidic to neutral pH (5.17-7.40), with irrigated soils tending to be more neutral than non-irrigated soils. SOM content was higher in the irrigated soils and perennial soils than in the non-irrigated and annual soils. The soils were moderately deficient in N and severely deficient in P (mean values =0.175% N and 1.183mg kg-1 P) compared with the critical of 0.2% and 15 mg kg-1, respectively. Irrigated soils had a significantly higher Na+ content than non-irrigated soils, with a mean value of 2.985cmol/kg. The K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ contents were higher in irrigated and perennial soils than non-irrigated and annual soils. The study suggested monitoring the soils under an irrigation scheme to prevent degradation due to increased salt accumulation or chemical fertility decline. Overall, monitoring of soil quality is vital in irrigation schemes to monitor the impacts of water on the environment.

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Influence of tied-ridge-furrow with inorganic fertilizer on grain yield across semiarid regions of Asia and Africa: A meta-analysis

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11904 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11904

Author(s):

Erastus Mak-Mensah ◽

Peter Bilson Obour ◽

Qi Wang

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Effect Size ◽

Rainwater Harvesting ◽

Small Scale ◽

Fertilizer Treatment ◽

Grain Yields ◽

Semiarid Areas ◽

Sorghum Grain ◽

The Impact

Background In semiarid areas, low productivity of crops has been attributed to lack of appropriate soil moisture conservation practices since droughts and soil erosion are rampant in most areas of this region. Consequently, ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting is widely used in these regions across the globe. Despite ridge-furrow being widely practiced, tied-ridge-furrow has not been extensively adopted by small-scale farmers in semi-arid regions. Consequently, the effectiveness of tied-ridge-furrow as a viable method of increasing crop yield has received less attention. Methodology For large-scale implementation, a detailed assessment of how ridge furrow, tied–ridge-furrow with fertilizer, tied-ridge-furrow with mulching and tied-ridge-furrow without mulching or fertilizer influence crop yield in different agro-environments under varying climatic conditions is needed. This study used the PRISMA guidelines to determine the impact of tied-ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting technique with mulching or fertilizer on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) grain yields. Results Sorghum grain yield increased by 17% greater in tied-ridge-furrow without mulching or fertilizer in comparison to flat planting. This may be due to increase in soil organic carbon in the region (9 g kg−1). Grain yield of millet significantly increased by 20–40% in Africa from 18 study observations in tied-ridge-furrow with fertilizer application as compared to tied-ridge-furrow without mulching or fertilizer treatments. This might be due to the significant increase in total nitrogen by 13–42% in the soil at <50 mg kg−1 quantity which had an effect size of 469.14 [65.60, 872.67]. In terms of soil texture, grain yield of millet and sorghum significantly increased in heavy textured soils (clay loam, silt clay, and clay soils) with an effect size of 469.14 [65.60, 872.67] compared to light and medium-textured soils of zero effect sizes. Millet and sorghum grain yields in tied-ridge-furrow with mulching, on the other hand, were not significantly different from those in flat planting. This may be due to the mulching materials used in those tests. Conclusion In view of yields of sorghum and millet increased significantly by 32% and 17% in tied-ridge-furrow without mulching or fertilizer treatment compared to flat planting and tied-ridge-furrow with fertilizer treatment compared with tied-ridge-furrow without mulching or fertilizer treatment, respectively, this study recommend the use of fertilizers in a tied-ridge-furrow system to increase grain yield in semiarid areas compared to flat planting. Again, the study recommends more research on tied-ridge-furrow systems with other organic mulches and fertilizers in semiarid areas.

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Can Values of Honesty, Hard Work, Loyalty and Discipline Predict Entrepreneurial Orientation of Muslim Owner Managers?

Journal of Emerging Economies and Islamic Research ◽

10.24191/jeeir.v3i1.9049 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 31 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rohani Mohd ◽

Badrul Hisham Kamaruddin ◽

Khulida Kirana Yahya ◽

Elias Sanidas

Keyword(s):

Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Hard Work ◽

Small Scale ◽

Sampling Frame ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Learning Institutions ◽

Innovative Orientation ◽

The Impact ◽

True Values

The purpose of the present study is twofold: first, to investigate the true values of Muslim owner managers; second, to examine the impact of these values on entrepreneurial orientations of Muslim small-scale entrepreneurs. 850 Muslim owner managers were selected randomly using the sampling frame provided by MajlisAmanah Rakyat Malaysia (MARA). 162 completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed. For this paper only two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientations were analyzed: proactive orientation and innovative orientation. Interestingly, the findings revealed that Muslim businessmen/women are honest, loyal, disciplined and hard working. Loyalty and honesty are positively related to proactive orientation, while discipline and hard-work are positively related to innovative orientation. The findings provide implications for existing relevant theories, policy makers, practitioners and learning institutions.

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Land Subsidence Estimation for Aquifer Drainage Induced by Underground Mining

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14154658 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 4658

Author(s):

Artur Guzy ◽

Wojciech T. Witkowski

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Land Subsidence ◽

Field Data ◽

Underground Mining ◽

Small Scale ◽

Aquifer System ◽

Maximum Value ◽

The Impact ◽

Method Model ◽

Impact Of Mining

Land subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal induced by mining is a relatively unknown phenomenon. This is primarily due to the small scale of such movements compared to the land subsidence caused by deposit extraction. Nonetheless, the environmental impact of drainage-related land subsidence remains underestimated. The research was carried out in the “Bogdanka” coal mine in Poland. First, the historical impact of mining on land subsidence and groundwater head changes was investigated. The outcomes of these studies were used to construct the influence method model. With field data, our model was successfully calibrated and validated. Finally, it was used for land subsidence estimation for 2030. As per the findings, the field of mining exploitation has the greatest land subsidence. In 2014, the maximum value of the phenomenon was 0.313 cm. However, this value will reach 0.364 m by 2030. The spatial extent of land subsidence caused by mining-induced drainage extends up to 20 km beyond the mining area’s boundaries. The presented model provided land subsidence patterns without the need for a complex numerical subsidence model. As a result, the method presented can be effectively used for land subsidence regulation plans considering the impact of mining on the aquifer system.

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Foreign investment in emerging legal medicinal cannabis markets: the Jamaica case study

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-021-00687-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marta Rychert ◽

Machel Anthony Emanuel ◽

Chris Wilkins

Keyword(s):

Civil Society ◽

Foreign Investment ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Production Quality ◽

Small Scale ◽

Organic Cultivation ◽

Enhanced Production ◽

Political Interference ◽

Medicinal Cannabis ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The establishment of a legal market for medicinal cannabis under the Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act 2015 has positioned Jamaica at the forefront of cannabis law reform in the developing world. Many local cannabis businesses have attracted investment from overseas, including from Canada, US and Europe. Aim To explore the opportunities and risks of foreign investment in an emerging domestic legal cannabis market in a developing country. Methods Thematic analysis of semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 22 key informants (KIs) from the Jamaican government, local cannabis industry, academia and civil society, and field observations of legal and illegal cannabis cultivators. Results KIs from the Jamaican public agencies and domestic cannabis entrepreneurs saw foreign investment as an essential source of capital to finance the start-up costs of legal cannabis businesses. Local cannabis entrepreneurs prioritised investors with the greatest financial resources, brand reputation and export networks. They also considered how allied an investor was with their business vision (e.g., organic cultivation, medical vs. recreational). The key benefits of partnering with a foreign investor included transfer of technical knowledge and financial capital, which enhanced production, quality assurance and seed-to-sale tracking. Some KIs expressed concern over investors’ focus on increasing production efficiency and scale at the expense of funding research and development (R&D) and clinical trials. KIs from the local industry, government agencies and civil society highlighted the risks of ‘predatory’ shareholder agreements and domestic political interference. Concerns were raised about the impact of foreign investment on the diversity of the domestic cannabis sector in Jamaica, including the commitment to transition traditional illegal small-scale cannabis cultivators to the legal sector. Conclusion While foreign investment has facilitated the commercialisation of the cannabis sector in Jamaica, regulatory measures are also needed to protect the domestic industry and support the transition of small-scale illegal cultivators to the legal regime. Foreign investments may alter the economic, social and political determinants of health in transitioning from illegal to legal cannabis market economy.

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A Model-Based Tool for Assessing the Impact of Land Use Change Scenarios on Flood Risk in Small-Scale River Systems—Part 1: Pre-Processing of Scenario Based Flood Characteristics for the Current State of Land Use

Hydrology ◽

10.3390/hydrology8030102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 102

Author(s):

Frauke Kachholz ◽

Jens Tränckner

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Flow ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Small Rivers ◽

Small Scale ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Ungauged Catchments ◽

Model Based ◽

Current State ◽

The Impact

Land use changes influence the water balance and often increase surface runoff. The resulting impacts on river flow, water level, and flood should be identified beforehand in the phase of spatial planning. In two consecutive papers, we develop a model-based decision support system for quantifying the hydrological and stream hydraulic impacts of land use changes. Part 1 presents the semi-automatic set-up of physically based hydrological and hydraulic models on the basis of geodata analysis for the current state. Appropriate hydrological model parameters for ungauged catchments are derived by a transfer from a calibrated model. In the regarded lowland river basins, parameters of surface and groundwater inflow turned out to be particularly important. While the calibration delivers very good to good model results for flow (Evol =2.4%, R = 0.84, NSE = 0.84), the model performance is good to satisfactory (Evol = −9.6%, R = 0.88, NSE = 0.59) in a different river system parametrized with the transfer procedure. After transferring the concept to a larger area with various small rivers, the current state is analyzed by running simulations based on statistical rainfall scenarios. Results include watercourse section-specific capacities and excess volumes in case of flooding. The developed approach can relatively quickly generate physically reliable and spatially high-resolution results. Part 2 builds on the data generated in part 1 and presents the subsequent approach to assess hydrologic/hydrodynamic impacts of potential land use changes.

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Whole-genome sequencing from the New Zealand Saccharomyces cerevisiae population reveals the genomic impacts of novel microbial range expansion

G3 Genes|Genome|Genetics ◽

10.1093/g3journal/jkaa027 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Higgins ◽

Cooper A Grace ◽

Soon A Lee ◽

Matthew R Goddard

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

New Zealand ◽

Whole Genome Sequencing ◽

Genome Sequencing ◽

Range Expansion ◽

Copy Number ◽

Small Scale ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Copy Number Changes ◽

The Impact

Abstract Saccharomyces cerevisiae is extensively utilized for commercial fermentation, and is also an important biological model; however, its ecology has only recently begun to be understood. Through the use of whole-genome sequencing, the species has been characterized into a number of distinct subpopulations, defined by geographical ranges and industrial uses. Here, the whole-genome sequences of 104 New Zealand (NZ) S. cerevisiae strains, including 52 novel genomes, are analyzed alongside 450 published sequences derived from various global locations. The impact of S. cerevisiae novel range expansion into NZ was investigated and these analyses reveal the positioning of NZ strains as a subgroup to the predominantly European/wine clade. A number of genomic differences with the European group correlate with range expansion into NZ, including 18 highly enriched single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and novel Ty1/2 insertions. While it is not possible to categorically determine if any genetic differences are due to stochastic process or the operations of natural selection, we suggest that the observation of NZ-specific copy number increases of four sugar transporter genes in the HXT family may reasonably represent an adaptation in the NZ S. cerevisiae subpopulation, and this correlates with the observations of copy number changes during adaptation in small-scale experimental evolution studies.

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Organic Farming Increases the Technical Efficiency of Olive Farms in Italy

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 209

Author(s):

Maria Raimondo ◽

Francesco Caracciolo ◽

Concetta Nazzaro ◽

Giuseppe Marotta

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Stochastic Frontier ◽

Farming System ◽

Positive Role ◽

Conventional Agriculture ◽

Direct Sales ◽

Organic Farming System ◽

The Impact

While there is growing recognition of the positive role played by organic farming in the reduction of the negative externalities due to conventional agriculture, there is uncertainty about the effect of the latter on the economic performance of the farms. In this scenario, the present paper aims at investigating the effect of organic farming on technical efficiency in Italian olive farms. A cross-section dataset was analyzed through the stochastic frontier function, where the adoption of organic farming was explicitly modeled. Then, to obtain an unbiased estimate of the impact of organic farming on technical efficiency, a propensity score matching method was implemented. The findings reveal that organic farming increases technical efficiency in Italian olive farms by approximately 10%. The highest impact of organic farming is observed in small farms. As for the propensity to become organic, we found that the production and the direct sales of a higher quality of gross marketable output, as well as the intensity of labor and machines, increase the probability to adopt organic farming. Conversely, farm localization, the availability of family labor, and financial capital discourage conversion to the organic farming system.

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Effect of the Assimilation Frequency of Radar Reflectivity on Rain Storm Prediction by Using WRF-3DVAR

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13112103 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2103

Author(s):

Yuchen Liu ◽

Jia Liu ◽

Chuanzhe Li ◽

Fuliang Yu ◽

Wei Wang

Keyword(s):

Data Assimilation ◽

Northern China ◽

Horizontal Resolution ◽

Radar Reflectivity ◽

Small Scale ◽

Time Interval ◽

Outer Domain ◽

Storm Prediction ◽

The Impact ◽

Assimilation Time

An attempt was made to evaluate the impact of assimilating Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) reflectivity together with Global Telecommunication System (GTS) data in the three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system of the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model on rain storm prediction in Daqinghe basin of northern China. The aim of this study was to explore the potential effects of data assimilation frequency and to evaluate the outputs from different domain resolutions in improving the meso-scale NWP rainfall products. In this study, four numerical experiments (no assimilation, 1 and 6 h assimilation time interval with DWR and GTS at 1 km horizontal resolution, 6 h assimilation time interval with radar reflectivity, and GTS data at 3 km horizontal resolution) are carried out to evaluate the impact of data assimilation on prediction of convective rain storms. The results show that the assimilation of radar reflectivity and GTS data collectively enhanced the performance of the WRF-3DVAR system over the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of northern China. It is indicated by the experimental results that the rapid update assimilation has a positive impact on the prediction of the location, tendency, and development of rain storms associated with the study area. In order to explore the influence of data assimilation in the outer domain on the output of the inner domain, the rainfall outputs of 3 and 1 km resolution are compared. The results show that the data assimilation in the outer domain has a positive effect on the output of the inner domain. Since the 3DVAR system is able to analyze certain small-scale and convective-scale features through the incorporation of radar observations, hourly assimilation time interval does not always significantly improve precipitation forecasts because of the inaccurate radar reflectivity observations. Therefore, before data assimilation, the validity of assimilation data should be judged as far as possible in advance, which can not only improve the prediction accuracy, but also improve the assimilation efficiency.

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