Lessons learnt from concern worldwide's conservation agriculture interventions in Malawi and Zambia, 2010-2018.

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a gateway technology intended to build both the productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers. Since 2010, the Ireland-based NGO Concern Worldwide has been promoting CA with extremely poor farmers in Malawi and Zambia. In the context of the specific regions within both countries, similar conditions of limited labour capacity, low financial capacity, poor soil health and constrained agriculture extension services were the primary barriers to the poorest farmers. Initial CA projects utilized broad, standardized approaches to CA with subsidized inputs that led to yield increases, but saw limited non-subsidized adoption. As a result, Concern has adapted its approaches to CA to better accommodate and embrace innovation by lead farmers, understanding different adoption strategies for follower farmers and working to improve input supply systems to meet farmers' needs. However, major constraints to adoption remain for the poorest and, going forward, CA projects will need to incorporate robust strategies for household financial stability such as the graduation model; fostering greater innovation by lead farmers within CA principles to meet local contexts; and integrating seed selection and saving for non-commercialized food crops to spur large-scale adoption of CA by the poorest farmers.

Indigenous Seeds, Seed Selection and Seed Bank for Sustainable Agriculture

Indigenous seeds are grown by the farmers over the years with a strong influence from local natural factors. Such seeds have a higher level of intrapopulation variations and the capacity of buffering the adverse factors. Understanding indigenous seeds along with their diversity are useful to diversify their uses, to assess conservation status, to know the factors making farming areas red zone, and to improve their performance. Selection is the simplest and most common method for the improvement of crop varieties. The variation must be created and maintained to impose selection. Different types of selection can be considered depending on the mode of reproduction of crops. Response to selection and correlated response are estimated to make the selection process more effective. Many different selection approaches can target either developing monomorphic or polymorphic varieties. There are five selection units and can be applied in five crop stages. Farmers’ criteria need to be considered during selection process. Based on the genotypic classes, there are three types of selection namely stabilizing selection, directional selection, and disruptive selection. The most simple and common selection methods are pure lines, mass selection, and class-bulking selection. Orthodox seeds in short, medium, and long-term storage facilities are conserved as a seed bank. Major types are household seed banks, community seed banks, national seeds, natural seed banks, and global seed banks. A seed bank is for assuring the availability of crop diversity for research, study, and production. The common works in seed banks are diversity collection, regeneration, characterization, multiplication, and distribution along with online database management.

A Local Extended Algorithm Combined with Degree and Clustering Coefficient to Optimize Overlapping Community Detection

Community structure is one of the most important characteristics of complex networks, which has important applications in sociology, biology, and computer science. The community detection method based on local expansion is one of the most adaptable overlapping community detection algorithms. However, due to the lack of effective seed selection and community optimization methods, the algorithm often gets community results with lower accuracy. In order to solve these problems, we propose a seed selection algorithm of fusion degree and clustering coefficient. The method calculates the weight value corresponding to degree and clustering coefficient by entropy weight method and then calculates the weight factor of nodes as the seed node selection order. Based on the seed selection algorithm, we design a local expansion strategy, which uses the strategy of optimizing adaptive function to expand the community. Finally, community merging and isolated node adjustment strategies are adopted to obtain the final community. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better community partitioning results than other state-of-the-art algorithms.

The Effect of Seed Location on Functional Connectivity: Evidence from an Image-Based Meta-Analysis

Default mode network (DMN) is the most involved network in the study of brain development and brain diseases. Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) is the most used method to study DMN, but different studies are inconsistent in the selection of seed. To evaluate the effect of different seed selection on rs-FC, we conducted an image-based meta-analysis (IBMA). We identified 59 coordinates of seed regions of interest (ROIs) within the default mode network (DMN) from 11 studies (retrieved from Web of Science and Pubmed) to calculate the functional connectivity; then, the uncorrected t maps were obtained from the statistical analyses. The IBMA was performed with the t maps. We demonstrate that the overlap of meta-analytic maps across different seeds’ ROIs within DMN is relatively low, which cautions us to be cautious with seeds’ selection. Future studies using the seed-based functional connectivity method should take the reproducibility of different seeds into account. The choice of seed may significantly affect the connectivity results.

Proses Implementasi Program Sekolah Lapangan Cabai Rawit (Capsicum frutescens L.)

<em>Chili field school is one of the efforts to increase human resources and increase the productivity of chili crops through the development of human resources. The field school is a learning medium that can shape the behavior of local chili farmers. The purpose of this study is to explain the implementation of the field school program which is seen from the behavior of farmers (knowledge, attitudes, skills). The research method uses explanatory methods. Determining the location of the study with the purposive method. Determination of informants using purposive sampling. Data collection is done by interviews, observation and documentation. Data analysis using interactive models Miles and Huberman. Test the validity of the data using source triangulation. The results showed that all farmers experienced behavioral changes related to the study of polybag breeding, seed selection, spacing and control of chili plant organisms. In the study of tillage and liquid organic fertilizer, behavior changes occur in the majority of farmers, while only a minority of farmers experience behavioral changes related to the study of vegetable pesticides.</em>

Direct Aulacaspis yasumatsui Infestation of Pre-Harvest Cycas Seeds Reduces Germination and Performance of Seedlings

The invasion of numerous countries by the armored scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi has caused widespread mortality of host Cycas species. Few studies have looked at reproductive biology responses of host plants to the herbivore. This study was conducted to determine the influence of direct Cycas seed integument infestation of A. yasumatsui on germination and seedling performance. An observational study in a Tinian ex situ Cycas micronesica K.D. Hill garden revealed that germination percentage was reduced two-thirds by heavy pre-harvest integument infestation, and more than half of the seedlings from infested seeds died in the nursery. Multi-year mortality of plants was six times greater for plants from habitats with infested seeds than for plants from minimally infested habitats. Stem height of nine-year-old plants from habitats with infested seeds was 64% of that of plants from habitats with un-infested seeds. A controlled study in a Philippine ex situ C. micronesica and Cycas edentata de Laub. garden corroborated these findings. Germination of infested seeds was about 30% of that for un-infested seeds. Seedling mortality in the nursery following experimental infestation of seed integuments with A. yasumatsui during seed maturation was about 50%, but was minimal for seedlings from un-infested seeds. These results indicate that limitations in regeneration and recruitment of host Cycas plants following A. yasumatsui herbivory may be partly due to the influence of direct seed infestations. Conservationists may use this new knowledge to improve in situ seed selection criteria and use prophylactic treatments to ensure lack of integument infestations for ex situ gardens.

Optimal Stochastic Computing Randomization

Stochastic computing (SC) is a probabilistic-based processing methodology that has emerged as an energy-efficient solution for implementing image processing and deep learning in hardware. The core of these systems relies on the selection of appropriate Random Number Generators (RNGs) to guarantee an acceptable accuracy. In this work, we demonstrate that classical Linear Feedback Shift Registers (LFSR) can be efficiently used for correlation-sensitive circuits if an appropriate seed selection is followed. For this purpose, we implement some basic SC operations along with a real image processing application, an edge detection circuit. Compared with the literature, the results show that the use of a single LFSR architecture with an appropriate seeding has the best accuracy. Compared to the second best method (Sobol) for 8-bit precision, our work performs 7.3 times better for the quadratic function; a 1.5 improvement factor is observed for the scaled addition; a 1.1 improvement for the multiplication; and a 1.3 factor for edge detection. Finally, we supply the polynomials and seeds that must be employed for different use cases, allowing the SC circuit designer to have a solid base for generating reliable bit-streams.

Determinants of Gender Division in Agricultural Works and Agrobiodiversity Management in Nepal

This study was designed to assess the access of Nepalese farmers to the training and extension service, gender division on agricultural work, and factors affecting agrobiodiversity management activities. A total of 2,817 respondents were interviewed at different locations throughout Nepal. The information was collected using the mWater surveyor. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done. The respondents having received training in agriculture were significantly higher among elite, educated, and agricultural households. Access to extension facilities was significantly determined by the type of household, ethnicity, occupation, and education of respondents. Male domination in the choice of crops, land preparation, and seed selection were significantly higher in male-headed households, marginalized groups, and agricultural households. However, females were more likely to be involved in seed sowing. The male domination in male-headed households were significantly higher for applying fertilizers, weeding, irrigation, and pest control. Among elite ethnic groups, domination of males was significantly higher for fertilizer application. The role of the male in agricultural households was significantly higher in all aspects. One unit increase in the area increased the likelihood of male involvement in irrigation by 30%. The males are likely to be more involved in harvesting, sales of products, and control of income. Elite and educated respondents coupled with access to training practiced more crop rotation compared to the rest. The likelihood of practicing intercropping and mixed cropping was influenced by extension facilities and training facilities. Elite groups and farmers with extension facilities tended to practice more agroforestry. So, the types of households, education, and ethnicity have a key role in the gender differentiation in agriculture operation. Moreover, training and extension facilities help a lot in the conservation and practice of agrobiodiversity. There is an urgent need in improving the women's role and overall management of the agricultural landscape.