Common guava (Psidium guajava L.) is valued for its fruit, which is a source of vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants. However, guava production faces salinity challenges globally. Salinity through sodium chloride (NaCl) – 0 mM (control), 10/20 mM (low), 20/40 mM (medium), and 40/80 mM (high) – supplied through a standard Hoagland nutrient solution to 10 genetically diverse guava accessions from Kenya was investigated. Leaf number and dry matter (DM) were significantly reduced at the medium and high salinity levels while root DM remained similar. Root water content increased with rising salinity levels, whereas leaf water content was significantly reduced at the high NaCl level. A decrease in the leaf potassium/sodium (K/Na) and calcium/sodium (Ca/Na) ratios with increasing salinity was observed, possibly due to the high accumulation of Na rather than to the replacement of K and Ca. Leaf phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S) decreased with increasing salinity. Leaf boron (B) and iron (Fe) were significantly reduced only at the high salinity level. Differences among the accessions relative to the accumulation of Na were observed and positively correlated with the DM. Thus, the ability to maintain more DM under salt stress could serve as an indicator for salinity tolerance in Kenyan guava.
Tag: Adaptation
Propensity to adapt to climate change: insights from pastoralist and agro-pastoralist households of Laikipia County, Kenya
Climate change is a reality in Africa’s drylands. Pastoralists are engaging and embracing a range of adaptive strategies to adjust to these changes. The socioeconomic factors driving them to engage in a portfolio of multiple adaptation strategies have not been adequately addressed in the existing literature. A multivariate probit model was used to analyze them as determinants of adaptive capacity that promotes or hinders adaptation to climate change. Adaptation is represented by uptake of multiple strategies (irrigation, livestock migration, fodder production, and improved livestock breeds) by households, a demonstration of a household’s ability to diversify and adapt to the effects of climate change. The household asset base, particularly social capital represented by government assistance, stands out as it positively influenced by the uptake of four out of five adaptation strategies; that is, irrigation, livestock manure, fodder production, and improved breeds. Information heavily supports the adaptation process as it influenced all the five adaptation strategies analyzed but has a heterogeneous effect, supporting households to either adopt or reject a strategy. Crop-based information positively determines uptake of yield-enhancing strategies while relevant information for livestock activities contributes to the uptake of livestock-based strategies. These findings suggest that mainstreaming agricultural innovations, building a household asset base, and facilitating access to agronomic and climatic information will enable dryland communities to better adapt to climate change.
Exploring farmers’ vulnerability and agrobiodiversity in perspective of adaptation in Southern Cameroon
Climate change is a global phenomenon that indiscriminately affects all sectors of the economy and social life-support systems. New trends in climate change will leave high impacts on rural populations, whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and natural resources, leaving them increasingly vulnerable. Agrobiodiversity management is a promising method of facilitating adaptation to climatic changes. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the vulnerability of farmers and assess agrobiodiversity in Southern Cameroon in the context of adaptation. Focus groups and surveys were conducted in 31 villages in Ayos and Bokito in Southern Cameroon. The vulnerability index was computed for selected indicators of different components of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity). Data analysis revealed that in the two communities, the majority of villages were moderately vulnerable to climate change. However, Bokito community appeared to be more vulnerable than Ayos community. Farmers adopted several climate adaptation strategies such as crop replacement, replanting, planting of trees, cultivation of crops in swampy areas, and the expansion of cocoa cultivation in savannahs. Rich agrobiodiversity was identified in both sites; however, Ayos was richer than Bokito for wild plants, wildlife, and fisheries resources. The Bokito community also had a higher dependence on agriculture. Sustainably managing the rich agrobiodiversity of the landscape can provide a critical method to build the resilience of farmers.
Adaptation in the Anthropocene: How we can support ecosystems to enable our response to change
Key messages
- Ecosystems provide people with services that enable adaptation to climate change, which we refer to here as ‘adaptation services’.
- But adaptation services do not flow automatically: some input from people is needed.
- We identified five types of mechanisms that support the production of adaptation services.
- These mechanisms are related to: (i) multifunctional and traditional ecosystem management, (ii) proactive management of transformed ecosystems, (iii) use of novel adaptation services, (iv) collective ecosystem management, and (v) appreciating, using and valuing adaptation services.
- Understanding these mechanisms can lead to an improved flow of adaptation services and more options for livelihoods and well-being under climate change.
- This InfoBrief summarizes the findings of a paper published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B (Lavorel et al. 2020).
Usual and unusual suspects: What network analysis can tell us about climate policy integration
Key messages
- Understanding adaptation-mitigation linkages helps identify co-benefits and reduce negative interactions between the two climate change domains.
- Barriers include working in institutional siloes and lack of information: adaptation actors are not well-informed about mitigation actions and vice-versa.
- Policy network analysis sheds light on adaptation-mitigation actor interactions and what can be done to improve them.
- It reveals both the usual and unusual suspects who can foster linkages between the two domains.
- This InfoBrief summarizes the findings of a climate change policy network analysis conducted in Peru and published in the journal Climate Policy (Locatelli et al. 2020).
Climate change policy networks: connecting adaptation and mitigation in multiplex networks in Peru
Increasing attention is being given to integrating adaptation and mitigation in climate change policies. Policy network analysis is a way to explore connections between adaptation and mitigation, and the opportunities or barriers to effective integration between these two policy subdomains. This study explores climate governance and policy networks by examining collaboration and information flows in national policy processes in Peru, a country with an active climate change policy domain. In contrast to most climate policy network analyses, this study distinguishes adaptation and mitigation subdomains through a multiplex approach. We used ERGM (Exponential Random Graph Models) to explain the existence of information flows and collaborations among 76 key actors in climate change policy in Peru. We identified actors who could connect adaptation and mitigation subdomains. Results show a concentration of influence in national government actors, particularly in the mitigation subdomain, and the isolation of actor groups that matter for policy implementation, such as the private sector or subnational actors. Results highlight the predominance of mitigation over adaptation and the existence of actors well positioned to broker relationships between the subdomains. The top brokers across subdomains were, however, not only actors with high centrality and brokerage roles in the subdomains, but also several ‘unusual key players’ that were not brokers in any of the two layers separately.
Agricultural lands key to mitigation and adaptation
Preliminary Reflections on the Nexus between Food Systems and Climate Change Responses in Central Africa
This study analyses the importance of understanding the nexus between food systems and climate change responses in Central Africa. Despite the diversity of agriculture in the region, climate-related challenges such as changing rainfall patterns and increasing natural disasters significantly impact food production and distribution. Climate change responses in the region have focused on improving food systems, including developing climate-resilient crops and agricultural practices, as well as local food storage and distribution systems. These efforts are essential to increasing the resilience of Central African food systems and addressing broader climate change mitigation and adaptation goals. However, significant challenges exist in ensuring that such responses are effectively implemented. These challenges include broader systemic issues related to governance, infrastructure, and trade. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that climate change responses consider the unique perspectives of different groups within society, such as female farmers and indigenous peoples. Warning systems for food security and basic climate information services are still at an early stage. This study aims to address these challenges by synthesising and analysing the existing literature. Ultimately, the goal is to better understand and address the nexus between food systems and climate change responses in Central Africa.
Land use and the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security
Land use and land-use change (including related policies) interact with climate and climate change (including related policies) in multiple ways. Land-use sectors are among the most affected by climate change. They are also a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, agriculture, forestry and other land use are the second source of GHG emissions after fossil fuel use and account globally for about 23 percent of total net anthropogenic GHG emissions. However, the land use sectors are not only part of the problem, but also part of the solution. They are key to adaptation. The global potential of land-based mitigation options is evaluated at about 30 percent of the global mitigation effort required in 2050 to meet the 1.5 °C target of the Paris Agreement.This publication, resulting from a collaboration between FAO and the Center for International Forestry Research, lead centre of the CGIAR research programme on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry, aims to recall those complex interactions and to explore the opportunities to enhance the role of land use under theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to advance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
خطوط توجيهية تكميلية — التصدي للحراجة والحراجة الزراعية في خطط التكيف الوطنية
ﯾﻘﺪم ھﺬا اﻟﻤﻨﺸﻮر ﺑﻌﻨﻮان ”اﻟﺘﺼﺪي ﻟﻠﺤﺮاﺟﺔ واﻟﺤﺮاﺟﺔ اﻟﺰراﻋﯿﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺧﻄﻂ اﻟﺘﻜﯿﻒ اﻟﻮطﻨﯿﺔ: اﻟﺨﻄﻮط اﻟﺘﻮﺟﯿﮭﯿﺔ اﻟﺘﻜﻤﯿﻠﯿﺔ“ إرﺷﺎدات ﺗﻘﻨﯿﺔ ﺑﺸﺄن دﻣﺞ اﻟﻐﺎﺑﺎت واﻟﺤﺮاﺟﺔ اﻟﺰراﻋﯿﺔ واﻷﺷﺠﺎر ﻓﻲ ﺻﯿﺎﻏﺔ ﺧﻄﻂ اﻟﺘﻜﯿﻒ اﻟﻮطﻨﯿﺔ وﺗﻨﻔﯿﺬھﺎ. ﻛﻤﺎ ﯾﺴﻌﻰ إﻟﻰ إﺣﺎطﺔ ﺻﺎﻧﻌﻲ اﻟﺴﯿﺎﺳﺎت واﻟﻤﻮظﻔﯿﻦ اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﯿﯿﻦ اﻟﻤﺴﺆوﻟﯿﻦ ﺑﺎﻟﻮﺿﻊ اﻟﺨﺎص ﺑﺨﻄﺔ اﻟﺘﻜﯿﻒ اﻟﻮطﻨﯿﺔ وﻋﻤﻠﯿﺎﺗﮭﺎ، وﻛﺬﻟﻚ أﺻﺤﺎب اﻟﻤﺼﻠﺤﺔ اﻟﻤﻌﻨﯿﯿﻦ ﺑﺎﻟﻐﺎﺑﺎت واﻟﺠﮭﺎت اﻟﻔﺎﻋﻠﺔ اﻷﺧﺮى اﻟﻤﻌﻨﯿﺔ، ﺑﺸﺄن اﺣﺘﯿﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﻐﺎﺑﺎت واﻟﺤﺮاﺟﺔ اﻟﺰراﻋﯿﺔ ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ ﺗﺤﻘﯿﻖ اﻟﺘﻜﯿﻒ، وإﻣﻜﺎﻧﺎﺗﮭﺎ ﻟﺪﻋﻢ ﺗﻜﯿﻒ اﻟﻘﻄﺎﻋﺎت واﻟﻘﻄﺎﻋﺎت اﻟﻔﺮﻋﯿﺔ واﻷﻧﺸﻄﺔ اﻷﺧﺮى.
يحشد المنشور مجموعة المعارف الحالية المتعلقة بإدارة الغابات وتقييمات لقابلية التأثر والتكيف مع تغير المناخ، بناءً على خبرة منظمة الأغذية والزراعة وبرنامج البحوث بشأن الغابات والأشجار والحراجة الزراعية التابع للفريق الاستشاري المعنى بالبحوث الزراعية الدولية. بغية تلبية احتياجات البلدان بشكل فعال، يعتمد المنشور أيضًا على إجراء تحليل لخطط التكيف الوطنية المنشورة بالفعل والوثائق المماثلة التي أعدتها البلدان المتقدمة أو السلطات دون الوطنية.