Determination of the concentration of nutrients in the plant is key information for evaluating crop nutrient removal, nutrient use efficiency, fertilizer recommendations guidelines, and in turn for improving food security and reducing environmental footprints of crop production. Diffuse infrared (IR) reflectance spectroscopy is a powerful, rapid, cheap, and less pollutant analytical tool that could be substituted for traditional laboratory methods for the determination of the concentration of nutrients in plants. However, its accuracy for predicting the concentration of nutrients in rice plants is poorly known. This study aimed i) to determine macro- and micronutrients concentration that can be accurately predicted by near-infrared (NIR, 7498–4000 cm−1), mid-infrared (MIR, 4000–600 cm−1), or their combination (NIR-MIR, 7498–600 cm−1) spectra, ii) to identify the most suitable spectral range with the best prediction potential for the simultaneous analysis of nutrients concentrations in rice plants (straw and paddy) and iii) to assess the influence of agro-ecological zone and production system on nutrients concentrations in straw and paddy (unhulled grains) samples. Second-derivative spectra were fitted against plant laboratory reference data using partial least-squares regression (PLSR) to estimate six macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S) and seven micronutrients (Na, Fe, Mn, B, Cu, Mo, and Zn) concentration in paddy and rice straw samples collected at harvest from 1628 farmers’ fields in 20 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The modeling prediction potential was assessed by coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and ratio of performance to interquartile distance (RPIQ). Good prediction models (0.75 < R2 ≤ 0.95) were obtained for 7 nutrients concentrations consisting of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Cu. Satisfactory predictions (0.62 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.75) were obtained for S, Fe, and B. NIR, MIR, and combined NIR-MIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy demonstrated the best prediction potential for 3, 1, and 6 of these 10 well-predicted nutrients concentrations, respectively. All nutrients concentrations both in straw and paddy were moderate to highly variable (CV = 15–111%). Agro-ecological zone and production system had a significant impact on most nutrients concentrations both in rice straw and paddy. N, P, and K concentrations in rice in irrigated lowland (IL) fields were higher than in rainfed lowland (RL) and upland (RU). From the studied fields, 2%, 16%, and 16% of straw samples were deficient in N, P, and K, respectively. K deficiency occurred in all three production systems, whereas P deficiency mainly occurred in the rainfed upland systems. Overall, the combined NIR-MIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy has a good potential to be applied as an alternative method in the determination of macronutrient concentrations in rice plants. Further investigation on the relationships between soil attributes, rice productivity, and nutrients concentration data determined in this study is needed for providing fundamental information for site-specific soil management and fertilizer recommendations in SSA. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Tag: agriculture
Small scale agriculture continues to drive deforestation and degradation in fragmented forests in the Congo Basin (2015-2020)
The Central African region hosts the largest continuous tract of forest in Africa, regulating global climate while providing essential resources and livelihoods for millions of people and harbouring extensive biodiversity. Extractive industries, infrastructure development and industrial agriculture have often been cited as major threats to these forests and are expected to increase. A regional collaborative effort has produced the first systematically validated remote sensing assessment of deforestation and degradation drivers in six central African countries for the 2015–2020 time period. Multiple, overlapping drivers are assessed through visual interpretation and show that the rural complex, a combination of small-scale agriculture, villages, and roads contributes to the majority of observed deforestation and degradation. Industrial drivers such as mining and forestry are less common, although their impacts on carbon and biodiversity could be more permanent and significant than informal activities. Artisanal forestry is the only driver that is observed to be consistently increasing over the study period. Our assessment produces information relevant for climate change mitigation and land use planning which requires detailed information on multiple direct drivers to target specific activities and investments.
Women’s changing opportunities and aspirations amid male outmigration: Insights from Rural Kenya
This brief presents a study on the changing opportunity spaces of men and women in the drylands of eastern Kenya (Crossland et al., 2021). It sheds light on the dynamics of rural aspirations in relation to both gender and age within the themes of outmigration and feminisation of agriculture. Using a novel methodology combining short narratives with semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of aspirations and the wider socio-cultural context within which they are embedded and makes several recommendations for progressing aspirations research. The purpose of the research is to provide a better understanding of people’s current situations, desired trajectories and the influences that shape these aspirations, so that researchers and development actors might better tailor their support options to meet the needs of different user groups by matching technologies to their strategies and demands.
Translating climate-smart agriculture policies into action: A guidebook for operationalizing climate-smart agriculture into local action planning
Various countries have made significant progress in translating climate ambition into national action through legislation and policies addressing adaptation and mitigation. There is, however, a gap in the translation of national policies into local actions. Bridging this divide requires developing the capacity of technical officers and policymakers at multiple scales, including at the subnational and local community levels, to facilitate effective policy implementation. We organized sensitization and capacity-building workshops for subnational agricultural officers in Kenya against this backdrop. This guidebook details lessons and activities that will result in completed templates for CSA action plans or project concepts.
International policy opportunities for true cost accounting in food and agriculture
The international policy level with respect to True Cost Accounting (TCA) is relatively undeveloped but pivotal. Many of the current externalities in the global food systems stem from the embrace of “cheap food” as a political necessity for national governments; addressing the fallacy in this paradigm will require greater global recognition of the determinants of healthy diets for all. International trade in foodstuffs also merits global attention from the standpoint of costs and benefits of externalities. An emerging feature of global food systems is the existence of multiple, insidious forms of visible and invisible flows of natural resources and externalities, across borders and continents. Building on a growing understanding of TCA in food and agriculture, the concept has been brought forward in recent policy venues, which are featured here.
Expanding Opportunities: Scaling Up Gender and Social Inclusion in Climate-Resilient Agriculture – An Equality and Empowerment Approach
Limiting global warming to the 2°C target in the 2015 Paris Agreement, and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, will require large-scale expansion of climate-resilient approaches in food systems. Coordinated action is needed from global to local levels, with research, policy and investment, across private, public and civil society sectors. At the same time, these approaches need to address gender equality and social inclusion. More attention needs to be given to the factors that constrain change and innovation in the poorest and most vulnerable groups. Participatory approaches that embed equality, more equal power relations and social justice into the design and practice of climate-resilient agriculture are critical.
Training workshops on Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS)
To help farmers coping with the negative impact of climate change CORAF and ICRAF are collaborating with various partners including AGRHYMET, Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security research program (CCAFS), the University of Reading, national meteorological and hydrological Services, nationalresearch institutes and variousNGOsinmanyWestAfrican countriesto implement innovative approaches such as climate smart agriculture (CSA), climate smart village (CSV) and Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA). Since 2015, ICRAF has implemented PICSA approach in 8 West African countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Togo, and Senegal. PICSA is an innovative approach with the objective to help farmers taking adequate decisions based on current and historical climate and meteorological data specific to their localities, also considering the options of crops, livestock and farming and other relevant livelihood options for farmers. The implementation of PICSA approach requires historical climate data and forecast locally specific to the area where each farmer is living. However, it is known that in sub-Saharan zone, the meteorological network is not very dense. Many localities lack climate information data and even where it exists, the quality is often questioned. To remedy this, ENACTS (Enhancing National Climate Services) has been developed by the Institute for Research for Development and Society (IRI) to make it possible to establish a correlation between the few observed data that exist and those of satellite images, and from this correlation, extrapolate to generate data with acceptable qualities for sites where data are missing. Based at the university of Columbia, IRI collaborates with AGRHYMET for the development and scaling of the ENACTS approach in West Africa. Along the same line, ICRAF, CORAF and AGHRYMET have agreed to organize ENACTS-MERGING training that aims to build the capacity of meteorological agents so that they can benefit from the latest performances of the ENACTS approach and be able to produce historical climate data graphs useful for PICSA implementation. A total of 20 participants coming from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal attended the training workshop in Dakar, Senegal from June 28 to July 2, 2021. Mr. Bernard Minoungou from AGRHYMET was the main facilitator of this 5 days training workshop. Dr. Rija Faniriantsoa from IRI also followed the process and supported with one presentation on Introduction to Climate Data Tools (CDT).
Onto the Farm, into the Home: How Intrahousehold Gender Dynamics Shape Land Restoration in Eastern Kenya
While attention has been paid largely to forest restoration, meeting global land restoration pledges will require scaling-up restoration of ecosystem services on agricultural land. This paper contributes to the literature on restoration practice and agricultural technology adoption, by shifting the focus onto the farm and considering the role of intrahousehold dynamics in the uptake of farmland restoration practices. We examine the intrahousehold decisions and gender relations surrounding the trial of two on-farm restoration practices: tree planting and planting basins; with over 2,500 farmers in the eastern drylands of Kenya. Combining results from household surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, our findings reveal that decisions over the uptake of restoration practices, although usually initiated by women who attend agricultural workshops, are often discussed between husband and wife and that multiple social dimensions intersect to shape men’s and women’s interest in, contribution to, and benefit from different practices. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that these intrahousehold relations are, in turn, shaped by women’s participation in innovation processes and broader societal changes, particularly the outmigration of rural men. Based on these insights, we offer recommendations for improving the dissemination and uptake of on-farm restoration practices in eastern Kenya and achieving more inclusive and gender-equitable outcomes.
Agrivoltaics in East Africa: Opportunities and challenges
Agrivoltaic systems concommitently tackle food and energy security challenges on the same area of land, while also improving farmer livelihoods. Designed correctly, they can increase crop yields by reducing water and heat stresses; yield improvements depend on a range of factors including the available photosynthetically active radiation and the shade tolerance of the crop varieties. Several agrivoltaic pilot studies have been developed over the past decade, predominantly in the Global North, but there is an evidence gap in East Africa where the environmental conditions and livelihood challenges faced by agricultural communities mean there are potentially far greater benefits from agrivoltaic technology. In this paper, we discuss how the environmental conditions, electricity supply and access, farming systems, and political scenarios present opportunities and challenges for using agrivoltaic systems to address sustainable development goals in East Africa. We end by summarising what is required to support development of this technology in the region and realise the potential benefits. © 2021 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
A Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Initiative in Ethnic Communities of Northern Thailand: Local Perspectives and Future Prospects
Background: Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions can contribute to improved food security and household dietary diversity. As well as undertaking trials, contextual factors that influence sustainability need to be scoped. Objective: To explore locals’ views of an NSA initiative, designed to improve food security and reduce malnutrition in children younger than 5 years, scoping future prospects 6 months after the conclusion of the trial. Methods: The initiative that was formally trialed over 6 months (November 2014 to April 2015) entailed keeping hens and home gardens. It occurred in the ethnic hill tribes of northern Thailand. In November 2015, 20 in-depth interviews were undertaken with villagers who had been involved in the initiative. Dialogue occurred in Thai with assistance of a translator and was recorded, transcribed, and translated to English. A detailed thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Eggs produced by the hens were appreciated and fed to children, and the message of providing children with an egg a day was widely remembered. Subsequently, the hens ceased laying or died. The home gardens had seasonal scarcity of water. Less visible, but fundamental, women lacked time for these activities due to heavy burdens of farm labor. Conclusion: Keeping hens has potential to become a sustainable activity. Home gardens need water infrastructure to be viable. Women do not necessarily have spare capacity for such initiatives. The required labor needs deliberation by villagers. © The Author(s) 2021.