Mapping Land-Use/Land-Cover Change in a Critical Biodiversity Area of South Africa

Land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes have implications for the long-term outlook of environmental processes, especially in the face of factors such as climate change. These changes can have serious consequences for humans. In this study, remote sensing and geographic information system methods were used to investigate LULC changes in a critical biodiversity area (CBA) in the northern sections of Limpopo Province in South Africa from 1990 to 2018 using data obtained from the South African National Land Cover project. In 1990, the dominant land cover comprised thickets and dense bush, followed by woodland and built-up areas, covering proportions of 40, 24 and 18% of the total land-cover area, respectively. Bare and forest areas were the least dominant classes during this time. In 2018, the dominant land cover was woodland, followed by built-up areas, comprising 71 and 20% of the total area, respectively. Subsistence agriculture is a land-cover class with a relatively higher area compared to water bodies, wetlands and other classes. Between 1990 and 2018, significant changes in land-cover were noted for thickets and dense bush, woodland, water bodies, subsistence agriculture and built-up areas. Woodland increased by over 1000 hectares (ha) per year, while thickets decreased by over 900 ha per year. Interviews were conducted with local residents to determine what they thought were the drivers behind the observed changes. According to these interviews, the drivers included deforestation, agricultural activities in wetlands, sand and gravel mining, among others. The study’s outcomes are critical for future land-use planning exercises and the long-term conservation of this CBA, an area rich in biodiversity and a strategic water source for the communities.

Subsistence Agriculture as the Basis of Rural Livelihoods in Msinga Local Municipality, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT Subsistence agriculture is recognised as a livelihood contributing to food security for households in rural communities. The sustainable livelihood approach is employed in this study, based on its strength and optimistic orientation to grant rural people an opportunity to improve their environment, economic standing, and social development. Data were collected from 180 households using a questionnaire analysed with the SPSS software. The subsistence agriculture sector still lacks adequate governmental support for effective operations to enhance rural livelihoods. Assisting subsistence farmers should improve productivity. The study recommends that the local municipalities should establish a marketplace that would be used as a sales point for community members and local emerging farmers to ensure an effective distribution of agricultural products. This would play a significant role in solidifying the return of the rural economy by increasing farm productivity and complimenting market opportunities.

What the World Needs Now: Lifestyle Medicine for All Women

Over the last several centuries, economic progress has allowed millions of women to move from rural subsistence agriculture to urban, more economically prosperous lifestyles. This trend is set to continue, even accelerate in the next century. Due to changes in diet, activity, and lifestyle, non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, will continue to rise for women globally. At this time, we are uniquely positioned to anticipate this impact and empower women in both the developed and the developing world to learn from what has worked. Choosing the best approaches to nutrition, exercise, sleep, connectedness, substances, and stress can optimize women’s health span across the globe.

Clay mineralogy of soils from lower atrai basin of Bangladesh

The lower Atrai basin, the study area, lies in the Agroecological Zone-5 (AEZ-5) of Bangladesh. This study reveals the clay mineral composition of top soils of seven different soil series viz. Binsara, Taras, Jaonia, Hasnabad, Laskara, Manda and Mainam developed in the basin. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to identify and quantify the minerals. Results show that mica (41 to 59%) was the most dominant mineral among all soils except Laskara. In Laskara soils, the interstratified mica-vermiculite-smectite (41%) was the predominant mineral. Next to mica, kaolinite (10 to 12%) was found to be present in the Binsara, Taras 1, Jaonia, and Taras 2 soils. Chlorite (7 to 17%) was identified in all the soils and was found to be the second dominant mineral in the Manda and Mainam soils. In contrast, the interstratified mica-vermiculitesmectite (33%) was found to be the second dominant mineral in the Hasnabad soils. Small amounts of vermiculite mineral (1 to 13%) were identified in almost all the soils except Binsara. All the soils have interstratified mica-chlorite minerals (2 to 7%). A tiny amount of smectite (1%) was identified in Taras 1 soil. As far as the clay mineralogical composition is concerned, most studied soils were found at the initial stage of weathering, indicating the high potential to sustain low input subsistence agriculture. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(2): 293-306, 2021 (July)

CAMPESINATO E AGRICULTURA DE SUBSISTÊNCIA EM SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE: NOTAS PARA SE PENSAR DESENVOLVIMENTO E INCLUSÃO / Peasantry and subsistence agriculture in São Tomé and Príncipe: notes for thinking about development and inclusion / Campesinos y agricultura de subsistencia en Santo Tomé y Príncipe: notas para pensar sobre el desarrollo y la inclusión

Este trabalho é fruto de uma pesquisa de campo realizada na comunidade agrícola de Monte Café no país africano de São Tomé e Príncipe (STP). As atividades de campo foram realizadas nos primeiros meses de 2018 e as análises e aprofundamento bibliográfico se estenderam por 2018 e 2019. O objetivo do trabalho foi o de, a partir do estudo de caso apresentado, lançar luz à realidade concreta dos camponeses no país. Com o esgotamento do ciclo açucareiro, o café e o cacau assumiram uma posição de destaque, ainda no século XIX, destaque esse que se mantém até os dias atuais. Preso a uma economia agrária-exportadora, o país não logrou um processo de industrialização que pudesse alterar a dinâmica econômica recente. Ademais, a baixa capacidade estatal registrada após a independência do país contribuiu para que se estruturasse uma agricultura de subsistência integrada a um insipiente mercado como garantia de renda para a reprodução material dos agricultores. São Tomé e Príncipe é, nos dias atuais, um país agroexportador caraterizado por um baixo grau de desenvolvimento, notadamente no território rural, e isso por seu turno tem contribuído para que quase toda a população rural esteja em um nível de vida marcada pela pobreza. Como citar este artigo:SANTOS, Ayolse Andrade Pires dos; CARVALHO, Joelson Gonçalves de. Campesinato e agricultura de subsistência em São Tomé e Príncipe: notas para se pensar desenvolvimento e inclusão. Revista NERA, v. 24, n. 58, p. 168-188, mai.-ago., 2021.

Delineating Smallholder Maize Farms from Sentinel-1 Coupled with Sentinel-2 Data Using Machine Learning

Rural communities rely on smallholder maize farms for subsistence agriculture, the main driver of local economic activity and food security. However, their planted area estimates are unknown in most developing countries. This study explores the use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data to map smallholder maize farms. The random forest (RF), support vector (SVM) machine learning algorithms and model stacking (ST) were applied. Results show that the classification of combined Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data improved the RF, SVM and ST algorithms by 24.2%, 8.7%, and 9.1%, respectively, compared to the classification of Sentinel-1 data individually. Similarities in the estimated areas (7001.35 ± 1.2 ha for RF, 7926.03 ± 0.7 ha for SVM and 7099.59 ± 0.8 ha for ST) show that machine learning can estimate smallholder maize areas with high accuracies. The study concludes that the single-date Sentinel-1 data were insufficient to map smallholder maize farms. However, single-date Sentinel-1 combined with Sentinel-2 data were sufficient in mapping smallholder farms. These results can be used to support the generation and validation of national crop statistics, thus contributing to food security.