Socioeconomic analysis of smallholder land management practices in rice-based production systems in Nigeria.

As urbanization and agriculture increase worldwide, habitats and food sources for wild pollinators are often fragmented or destroyed. As wild pollinators contribute both resilience and variety to agricultural fields, it is desirable to implement land management practices that preserve their well-being and ability to contribute to food production systems. This study evaluates continental Portugal for its change in suitability to host bee’s pollinator species (Apis mellifera) from 1990 to 2018. It uses the InVEST crop pollination modeling tool and CORINE Land Cover, as well as parameterization to produce pollinator abundance and supply maps. These are generalized to municipality boundaries to provide actionable insights to farmers and policymakers and strengthen land management practices. It finds that the potential for pollination services is growing, with averages of both pollinator abundance and supply indices improving by 8.76% across the continental territory in 28 years. The study results are validated using another pollination index derived from a study that is based on expert opinion and field sampling in a sub-region of Portugal. This method of aggregation of model results and comparison of the percent difference by administrative boundary has the potential to better inform both policymakers and farmers about the pollination potential on a local level, as well as inspire interventions for future productivity.

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Delineation of Land Management Units in Tropical South Deccan Plateau of India

Agropedology ◽

10.47114/j.agroped.2016.dec1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

Author(s):

V. Ramamurthy ◽

◽

K.M. Nair ◽

S.C. Ramesh Kumar ◽

S. Srinivas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Land Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Management Units ◽

Site Characteristics ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Deccan Plateau

Soils are highly variable spatially due to soil forming and processes. Spatial variation of soil properties cause uneven patterns in soil fertility and crop growth, and use efficiency of externally applied resources. Application of variable rates of inputs needs partitioning of land units into homogenous land and management units (LMU), for production benefits and to minimize the adverse environmental impacts. The soil and site characteristics namely texture, depth and gravelliness, land use and climate are integrated to identify land units. Crop based production systems varied in different land units, production systems were super imposed on the delineated land units in GIS to identify the LMUs. Methodology was tested in Mysore district of Karnataka, where in 12 LMUs identified and delineated at district level. To verify the methodology, performance of crops vis-à-vis management practices followed in different LMUs was compared to plan appropriate land management decisions for current and future land use to ensure its sustainability.

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Restoring Timbisha Shoshone Land Management Practices in Death Valley National Park

Ecological Restoration ◽

10.3368/er.21.4.302 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 302-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

C. S. Fowler ◽

P. Esteves ◽

G. Goad ◽

B. Helmer ◽

K. Watterson

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

National Park ◽

Management Practices ◽

Death Valley ◽

Death Valley National Park

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Forest Management In Mongolia – A Review Of Challenges And Lessons Learned With Special Reference To Degradation And Deforestation

GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY ◽

10.24057/2071-9388-2019-102 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 133-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alexander Gradel ◽

Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar ◽

Daniel Karthe ◽

Hoduck Kang

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Land Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Forest Health ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Special Focus ◽

Driven System ◽

The Status

The natural conditions, climate change and socio-economic challenges related to the transformation from a socialistic society towards a market-driven system make the implementation of sustainable land management practices in Mongolia especially complicated. Forests play an important role in land management. In addition to providing resources and ecosystem functions, Mongolian forests protect against land degradation.We conducted a literature review of the status of forest management in Mongolia and lessons learned, with special consideration to halting deforestation and degradation. We grouped our review into seven challenges relevant to developing regionally adapted forest management systems that both safeguard forest health and consider socio-economic needs. In our review, we found that current forest management in Mongolia is not always sustainable, and that some practices lack scientific grounding. An overwhelming number of sources noticed a decrease in forest area and quality during the last decades, although afforestation initiatives are reported to have increased. We found that they have had, with few exceptions, only limited success. During our review, however, we found a number of case studies that presented or proposed promising approaches to (re-)establishing and managing forests. These studies are further supported by a body of literature that examines how forest administration, and local participation can be modified to better support sustainable forestry. Based on our review, we conclude that it is necessary to integrate capacity development and forest research into holistic initiatives. A special focus should be given to the linkages between vegetation cover and the hydrological regime.

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Applying the Soil Water Assessment Tool to 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrjc.2014.012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 372-385

Author(s):

Shawn Burdett ◽

Michael Hulley ◽

Andy Smith

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Soil Water ◽

Land Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Quality Model ◽

Sediment Yields ◽

Soil Water Assessment Tool ◽

Water Assessment

A hydrologic and water quality model is sought to establish an approach to land management decisions for a Canadian Army training base. Training areas are subjected to high levels of persistent activity creating unique land cover and land-use disturbances. Deforestation, complex road networks, off-road manoeuvres, and vehicle stream crossings are among major anthropogenic activities observed to affect these landscapes. Expanding, preserving and improving the quality of these areas to host training activities for future generations is critical to maintain operational effectiveness. Inclusive to this objective is minimizing resultant environmental degradation, principally in the form of hydrologic fluctuations, excess erosion, and sedimentation of aquatic environments. Application of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was assessed for its ability to simulate hydrologic and water quality conditions observed in military landscapes at 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, New Brunswick. Despite some limitations, this model adequately simulated three partial years of daily watershed outflow (NSE = 0.47–0.79, R2 = 0.50–0.88) and adequately predicted suspended sediment yields during the observation periods (%d = 6–47%) for one highly disturbed sub-watershed in Gagetown. Further development of this model may help guide decisions to develop or decommission training areas, guide land management practices and prioritize select landscape mitigation efforts.

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Nitrate Leaching to a Shallow Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer as Influenced by Conventional No-Till and Low-Input Sustainable Grain Production Systems

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1993.0475 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 28 (3-5) ◽

pp. 691-700 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. P. Craig ◽

R. R. Weil

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽

Grain Production ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Mineral N ◽

Low Input ◽

No Till

In December, 1987, the states in the Chesapeake Bay region, along with the federal government, signed an agreement which called for a 40% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to the Bay by the year 2000. To accomplish this goal, major reductions in nutrient loadings associated with agricultural management practices were deemed necessary. The objective of this study was to determine if reducing fertilizer inputs to the NT system would result in a reduction in nitrogen contamination of groundwater. In this study, groundwater, soil, and percolate samples were collected from two cropping systems. The first system was a conventional no-till (NT) grain production system with a two-year rotation of corn/winter wheat/double crop soybean. The second system, denoted low-input sustainable agriculture (LISA), produced the same crops using a winter legume and relay-cropped soybeans into standing wheat to reduce nitrogen and herbicide inputs. Nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in groundwater were significantly lower under the LISA system. Over 80% of the NT groundwater samples had NO3-N concentrations greater than 10 mgl-1, compared to only 4% for the LISA cropping system. Significantly lower soil mineral N to a depth of 180 cm was also observed. The NT soil had nearly twice as much mineral N present in the 90-180 cm portion than the LISA cropping system.

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Legumes increase grassland productivity with no effect on nitrous oxide emissions

Plant and Soil ◽

10.1007/s11104-019-04338-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 446 (1-2) ◽

pp. 163-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Arlete S. Barneze ◽

Jeanette Whitaker ◽

Niall P. McNamara ◽

Nicholas J. Ostle

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

N Uptake ◽

Relative Proportion ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Mineral N ◽

Grassland Productivity

Abstract Aims Grasslands are important agricultural production systems, where ecosystem functioning is affected by land management practices. Grass-legume mixtures are commonly cultivated to increase grassland productivity while reducing the need for nitrogen (N) fertiliser. However, little is known about the effect of this increase in productivity on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in grass-legume mixtures. The aim of this study was to investigate interactions between the proportion of legumes in grass-legume mixtures and N-fertiliser addition on productivity and GHG emissions. We tested the hypotheses that an increase in the relative proportion of legumes would increase plant productivity and decrease GHG emissions, and the magnitude of these effects would be reduced by N-fertiliser addition. Methods This was tested in a controlled environment mesocosm experiment with one grass and one legume species grown in mixtures in different proportions, with or without N-fertiliser. The effects on N cycling processes were assessed by measurement of above- and below-ground biomass, shoot N uptake, soil physico-chemical properties and GHG emissions. Results Above-ground productivity and shoot N uptake were greater in legume-grass mixtures compared to grass or legume monocultures, in fertilised and unfertilised soils. However, we found no effect of legume proportion on N2O emissions, total soil N or mineral-N in fertilised or unfertilised soils. Conclusions This study shows that the inclusion of legumes in grass-legume mixtures positively affected productivity, however N cycle were in the short-term unaffected and mainly affected by nitrogen fertilisation. Legumes can be used in grassland management strategies to mitigate climate change by reducing crop demand for N-fertilisers.

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Analyzing Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Land Management Practices in Mecha Woreda, Northwestern Ethiopia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7007

Author(s):

Habtamu Nebere ◽

Degefa Tolossa ◽

Amare Bantider

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Land Management ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Quantitative Data ◽

Management Practices ◽

Short Term ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Household Heads ◽

The Impact

In Ethiopia, the practice of land management started three decades ago in order to address the problem of land degradation and to further boost agricultural production. However, the impact of land management practices in curbing land degradation problems and improving the productivity of the agricultural sector is insignificant. Various empirical works have previously identified the determinants of the adoption rate of land management practices. However, the sustainability of land management practices after adoption, and the various factors that control the sustainability of implemented land management practices, are not well addressed. This study analyzed the factors affecting the sustainability of land management practices after implementation in Mecha Woreda, northwestern Ethiopia. The study used 378 sample respondents, selected by a systematic random sampling technique. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were qualitatively and concurrently analyzed with the quantitative data. The sustained supply of fodder from the implemented land management practices, as well as improved cattle breed, increases the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. While lack of agreement in the community, lack of enforcing community bylaws, open cattle grazing, lack of benefits of implemented land management practices, acting as barrier for farming practices, poor participation of household heads during planning and decision-making processes, as well as the lack of short-term benefits, reduce the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. Thus, it is better to allow for the full participation of household heads in planning and decision-making processes to bring practical and visible results in land management practices. In addition, recognizing short-term benefits to compensate the land lost in constructing land management structures must be the strategy in land management practices. Finally, reducing the number of cattle and practicing stall feeding is helpful both for the sustainability of land management practices and the productivity of cattle. In line with this, fast-growing fodder grass species have to be introduced for household heads to grow on land management structures and communal grazing fields for stall feeding.

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Assessment of alternative land management practices using hydrological simulation and a decision support tool: Arborea agricultural region, Sardinia

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-11-1811-2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1811-1823 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

P. Cau ◽

C. Paniconi

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Land Management ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Management Practices ◽

Water Movement ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Hydrological Simulation ◽

Support Tool ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Quantifying the impact of land use on water supply and quality is a primary focus of environmental management. In this work we apply a semidistributed hydrological model (SWAT) to predict the impact of different land management practices on water and agricultural chemical yield over a long period of time for a study site situated in the Arborea region of central Sardinia, Italy. The physical processes associated with water movement, crop growth, and nutrient cycling are directly modeled by SWAT. The model simulations are used to identify indicators that reflect critical processes related to the integrity and sustainability of the ecosystem. Specifically we focus on stream quality and quantity indicators associated with anthropogenic and natural sources of pollution. A multicriteria decision support system is then used to develop the analysis matrix where water quality and quantity indicators for the rivers, lagoons, and soil are combined with socio-economic variables. The DSS is used to assess four options involving alternative watersheds designated for intensive agriculture and dairy farming and the use or not of treated wastewater for irrigation. Our analysis suggests that of the four options, the most widely acceptable consists in the transfer of intensive agricultural practices to the larger watershed, which is less vulnerable, in tandem with wastewater reuse, which rates highly due to water scarcity in this region of the Mediterranean. More generally, the work demonstrates how both qualitative and quantitative methods and information can assist decision making in complex settings.

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