In recent decades, mean global temperatures have increased in parallel with a sharp rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, with apparent implications for precipitation patterns. The aim of the present work is to assess the sensitivity of different phenological stages of grapevine to temperature and to study the influence of other factors related to climate change (water availability and CO2 concentration) on this relationship. Grapevine phenological records from 9 plantings between 42.75°N and 46.03°N consisting of dates for budburst, flowering and fruit maturity were used. In addition, we used phenological data collected from 2 years of experiments with grapevine fruit-bearing cuttings with two grapevine varieties under two levels of water availability, two temperature regimes and two levels of CO2. Dormancy breaking and flowering were strongly dependent on spring temperature, while neither variation in temperature during the chilling period nor precipitation significantly affected budburst date. The time needed to reach fruit maturity diminished with increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation. Experiments under semi-controlled conditions revealed great sensitivity of berry development to both temperature and CO2. Water availability had significant interactions with both temperature and CO2; however, in general, water deficit delayed maturity when combined with other factors. Sensitivities to temperature and CO2 varied widely, but higher sensitivities appeared in the coolest year, particularly for the late ripening variety, ‘White Tempranillo’. The knowledge gained in whole plant physiology and multi stress approaches is crucial to predict the effects of climate change and to design mitigation and adaptation strategies allowing viticulture to cope with climate change.
Tag: Agroecology
Characterization of African eggplant accessions for morphological and yield parameters in the bimodal rainfall agroecology of Cameroon
Despite its good nutritional value, African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) has been overlooked by formal crop improvement programs. Diverse genetic material to initiate plant breeding in African eggplant is available but lacks characterization and trait evaluation. This study aims to characterize phenotypic variation in accessions of African eggplant and two related species (S. anguivi Lam. and S. macrocarpon L.), and assess their yield potential. Forty accessions were grown following a randomized complete block design. Data on 23 vegetative, inflorescence and fruit characters were collected using standard descriptors. Incidence of several insect pests and diseases also was rated. A cluster dendrogram divided the 40 accessions into four distinct taxonomic groups corresponding to S. aethiopicum Gilo Group, S. anguivi, S. aethiopicum Schum Group and S. aethiopicum Kumba Group. These groups differed in leaf size, number of days to flowering, fruit shape and size, and number of fruits per infructescence. The structure of the dendrogram did not reveal any relationship with the geographic distance between the origins of the accessions. The accessions differed significantly (PKLEINERDAN0.05) for all the parameters that were measured. Results indicated that accessions N13, Tengeru white, OAA, Ex-Ivory Coast, Oforiwa, AB2, Small oval, Heart shape and DB3 are candidates for future improvement of African eggplant in CameroonRSQUOs bimodal rainfall agroecology.
Prioritizing climate-smart livestock technologies in rural Tanzania: A minimum data approach
Crop-livestock production systems play an important role in the livelihoods of many rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) but are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Understanding which farming options will give the highest return on investment in light of climate change is critical information for decision-making. While there is continued investment in testing adaptation options using on-farm experiments, simulation models remain important tools for ‘ex-ante’ assessments of the impacts of proposed climate-smart agricultural technologies (CSA). This study used the Ruminant model and the Trade-offs Analysis model for Multi-Dimensional Impact Assessment (TOA-MD) to assess how improved livestock management options affect the three pillars of CSA: increased productivity, improved food security, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Our sample was stratified into: 1) households with local cow breeds (n = 28); 2) households with improved dairy cow breeds (n = 70); and 3) households without dairy cows (n = 66). Results showed that the predicted adoption rates for improved livestock feeding among households with improved dairy cows (stratum 2) were likely to be higher compared to households with only local cows (stratum 1). Both households with local cows and those with improved cows had increased income and food security. However, overall poverty reduction was only modest for households with local cows. Expected methane emissions intensity declined with adoption of improved livestock feeding strategies both in stratum 1 and stratum 2, and greater impacts were observed when households in stratum 2 received an additional improved cow breed. Providing a cow to households that were not keeping cows showed substantial economic gains. Additional research is, however, needed to understand why those farms currently do not have cows, which may determine if the predicted adoption rates are feasible.
Case study: Huong Khe district, Ha Tinh province, Viet Nam. Characterising agro-ecological zones with local knowledge
Local knowledge and active participation in research is increasingly encouraged, not the least for identifying sustainable adaptation options. However, despite that participatory mapping has advanced from sketches to informing digitalised maps since the 1990s this type of local knowledge is rarely included in agroecological zones (AEZ) mapping. For a new project on climate-smart agriculture and forestry local knowledge was incorporated to characterise agroecological zones in Huong Lien commune, Ha Tinh province, northcentral Viet Nam. The purpose was to determine adaptation options associated with particular agroecological zones. A GIS spatial database with land use, topography, NDVI was generated to derive an agroecological zones map and ground-truthed with the participation of local villagers through transect walks and SWOT analyses by land use type. The study shows that local participation is vital for ground-truthing maps, to fill in gaps when time series data is available and for marking out natural hazard areas. In this particular case, local perceptions of strengths and potential adaptation options associated with particular agroecozones was useful for revealing adaptation gaps. The classification rules for the AEZ need careful consideration, especially when the mapped areas are small, to make the maps useful beyond the study area. This may require more careful transect walks to identify nuances in forest quality for determining forest management. Methodology for inclusive local knowledge needs to be further developed. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/regions/southeast_asia/publications
Multidimensional Performance of Agroecology: Validation of Results of the TAPE Application in Selected Districts in Ethiopia
The Measuring Agroecology Performance (MAP) is a collaborative project whose focus is evidence generation on the multidimensional performance of agroecology through gathering and analyzing reliable and consistent data at the farm and territorial levels, as well as the agroecological levels of transitions, using the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE). ICRAF, through its respective country offices (Benin, Ethiopia, and Kenya) will be in charge of implementing TAPE, including conducting the survey, processing of data and provision of analysis reports and providing technical assistance to relevant national stakeholders. As part of this, CIFOR-ICRAF assessed the agroecological transition of smallholder’s farms in the context of the GIZ ProSoil/ProSiliece project in three Woredas (Hula, Sodo-Zuria, and Walmara) in Ethiopia using the FAO TAPE (Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation) methodology. The preliminary findings, while indicating the comparative agroecological transition levels of the ISFM practicing and non-practicing farms, demonstrated the multidimensional performance of agroecology.
Reconciling conservation and development requires enhanced integration and broader aims: A cross-continental assessment of landscape approaches
Expectations for agricultural landscapes in subtropical and tropical regions are high, aiming for conservation and development amid climate change, unfair trade, poverty, and environmental degradation. Landscape approaches (LAs) are gaining momentum as means to reconcile expectations, although they face multiple challenges, including unclear distinctions among LAs and stakeholder involvement. We studied 380 LAs from three continents via questionnaires with landscape managers (2012–2015 and 2021) and identified three LA types through cluster analysis: an “integrated” type with longer-term, multisectoral goals involving various stakeholders early in the design and two shorter-term types focused on sectoral priorities of preservation or production. Better-performing LAs are associated with longevity, inclusivity, and diversified investments across goals, notably those enabling social justice. International stakeholder analysis shows broad support for LAs but identifies gaps between support and LAs’ needs. The growing interest in LAs is promising. Yet, underpinning effective and lasting LAs that reconcile multiple expectations requires better support.
Low Impact of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Across Smallholder Fields in Malawi and Zambia
Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith), a serious pest of cereals from the Americas, has spread across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia since 2016, threatening the food security and incomes of millions of smallholder farmers. To measure the impact of S. frugiperda under different management approaches, we established on-farm trials across 12 landscapes (615−1,379 mm mean annual rainfall) in Malawi and Zambia during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. Here we present the results from our conventional tillage, monocrop maize, no pesticide treatment, which served to monitor the background S. frugiperda impact in the absence of control measures. Median plot-level S. frugiperda incidence ranged between 0.00 and 0.52 across landscapes. Considering severe leaf damage (Davis score ≥5), the proportion of affected plants varied between 0.00 and 0.30 at the plot scale, but only 3% of plots had ≥10% severely damaged plants. While incidence and damage severity varied substantially among sites and seasons, our models indicate that they were lower in high tree cover landscapes, in the late season scouting, and in the 2020/2021 season. Yield could not be predicted from S. frugiperda incidence or leaf damage. Our results suggest S. frugiperda impacts may have been overestimated at many sites across sub-Saharan Africa. S. frugiperda incidence and damage declined through the cropping season, indicating that natural mortality factors were limiting populations, and none of our plots were heavily impacted. Long-term S. frugiperda management should be based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles, including minimising the use of chemical pesticides to protect natural enemies.
Livestock practices, use of digital tools and co-design and flow of information: Brazil baseline assessment in the region of Novo Repartimento (Pará State, Brazil)
Aiming to evaluate the status of key agroecological and digital ecosystem aspects, this report presents a study on major livestock practices, the use of digital tools, and the flow of information that have been carried out among actors working in the region of Novo Repartimento, Anapú and Pacajá (Para-Brazil), whereby ATDT project plans to implement its year 2 activities (2023) in partnership with Solidaridad. This study was based on a previous assessment done by the Agroecological TRANSITIONS program’s Inclusive Digital Tools to Enable Climate-informed Agroecological Transitions (ATDT) Brazil implementation partner (Solidaridad) on farmer’s profile, the status of livestock practices adoption and use of digital tools of about 1,000 smallholders in the target region. A field activity was deployed to visit and interview a sample of Solidaridad’s extension agents (n=13) and farmers supported by Solidaridad (n=15) working in the region.
Key actions to develop inclusive digital resources for smallholder cattle ranchers in Brazil
The digitization of food systems is well underway. The digital ecosystem and its actors have increasing influence over how food is produced, what food people buy, and flows of information among farmers, supply chain actors and consumers. Efforts to transform food systems towards sustainability, including climate change resilience and mitigation, similarly rely on digital resources and offer the opportunity to scale up best practices rapidly at lost cost. Yet differences in digital participation among farmers risk exacerbating inequities, and top-down digital information can lack local relevance and disempower farmers, especially smallholders. In this context, the Agroecological Transitions Program’s (TRANSITIONS) Inclusive Digital Tools project (ATDT) supports the use of inclusive digital resources and citizen science to stimulate the beef cattle chain in Brazil to create, adapt and innovate production practices based on agroecological principles. This brief presents results of a stakeholder consultation carried out in October and November 2022 with the objective of understanding key areas, principles and priority actions to guide the development of inclusive digital resources for smallholder cattle ranchers in Brazil.
Engaging with stakeholders for initiating agroecological transition in Living Landscapes: Six guiding principles
In the Agroecology initiative, work package 1 (WP1) is responsible for ALL establishment. From the very beginning, during the initiative kick-off workshop in March 2022, the country leads of the seven countries in which the initiative operates agreed with WP1 coordination that the ALLs could not be established by applying a standard approach or methodology. Indeed, differences in the current state, trajectory, and human resources in terms of advancing agroecology and implementing multistakeholder approaches in each country need to be considered. Also, by its very design, the Agroecology Initiative intends to have strong national and local partners in each country, which are to contribute to developing the Initiative’s objectives and local implementation strategy. It was hence decided collectively that the ALL establishment could best be guided through the identification of common engagement principles that each country team could use flexibly to shape and guide its approach and related actions. In other words, considerations and principles presented in this guide may apply differently in each country and it is up to each country team to decide how to make use of them for achieving their objectives. Following this rationale, this document presents the six guiding principles that were eventually identified. After introducing each principle, the document presents generic steps and specific considerations or suggestions for their operationalization/implementation.