Climate change adaptation Archives - Page 2 of 289

Coupling of soil carbon and water dynamics in two agroforestry systems in Malawi

This study evaluated the effects of Gliricidia sepium-maize agroforestry systems on carbon dynamics, soil properties, and water fluxes in Malawi as a strategy for enhancing climate change adaptation and sustainable agricultural production. The research was conducted at two long-term experimental sites managed by World Agroforestry (ICRAF), representing agroforestry systems established for more than 10 and more than 30 years. Soil carbon content, organic matter stability, soil physical characteristics, hydraulic properties, soil moisture, matric potential, and responses to rainfall events were assessed and compared with maize monoculture systems. Results showed that the incorporation of Gliricidia sepium increased soil carbon stocks and enhanced carbon stabilization, particularly at sites with lower initial soil carbon content. While changes in basic soil physical properties such as porosity and bulk density were limited, agroforestry plots exhibited improved saturated hydraulic conductivity and greater soil water storage capacity. The agroforestry systems generally retained more water and provided protection against soil drying below the topsoil, likely through enhanced infiltration into deeper soil layers. The findings demonstrate that agroforestry impacts on water dynamics are strongly influenced by local soil conditions and require direct field-based measurements for accurate assessment. Overall, integrating Gliricidia sepium into maize production can improve nutrient cycling, enhance soil carbon sequestration, increase water-use efficiency, and support climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural systems in Malawi.

Understanding gendered aspirations, decision-making, and fruit tree preferences in Makueni County, Kenya

In Makueni County, Kenya, smallholder farmers face erratic rainfall, severe droughts, recurrent floods, and water scarcity due to climate change. Understanding farmers’ aspirations is therefore essential to ensuring that support is relevant and responsive. This study explored: (1) farmers’ aspirations for farm composition, particularly fruit tree species, and potential changes in response to market and climate shifts; (2) gender dynamics shaping fruit tree cultivation decisions; and (3) connections between cultivated species, aspirations, and decision-making across gender and age. Data collected via focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews revealed a shift towards fruit-tree-based livelihoods, ostensibly offering improved food and income security and reduced labour. However, this shift, dominated by a few exotic species, may reduce farm- and landscape-scale species diversity. Decision-making was strongly gendered: men dominated species selection and management and controlled large-scale sales of higher-value fruit, owing to land ownership, knowledge and cultural norms, while women held greater power over small-scale sales, lower-value species and the income these generated. To foster equitable, resilient farming systems, we recommend inclusive, gender-responsive fruit tree production and management training. Transforming gender relations to amplify women’s voices in species selection could diversify fruit tree portfolios and lead to more equitable and biodiverse farming systems.

Building climate-resilient value chains in arid and semi-arid regions: a VC-ARID approach for rangeland adaptation in Kenya

Climate change has adversely impacted nature-based value chains in the arid and semi-arid regions. The study investigates the impact of climate change on nature-based value chains in arid and semi-arid environments. With an emphasis on rangeland adaptation in Kenya, the study used the VC-ARID (Value Chains for Arid and Semi-Arid Regions) approach, designed to build climate-resilient value chains in arid and semi-arid regions. The findings reveal that climate change poses significant risks to nature-based value chains, including reduced water availability, increased temperature variability, and changes in precipitation patterns. The study identifies several challenges to value chain development, such as limited access to climate information, financial resources, and supportive policies. It underscores the urgent need to integrate climate resilience into value chain interventions to achieve poverty reduction and food security goals in arid and semi-arid regions. This calls for active collaboration and investment in climate information services, research, and extension services to enhance the adaptive capacity of value chain actors and promote sustainable development in vulnerable regions. Given that climate hazards and changes are context-specific, strategies for improving value chains’ sustainability must be customized to the unique ecological and socioeconomic setting in which the nature-based value chain operates. Consequently, to build value chains that are climate resilient, each actor along the chain must assess climate risks and manage the activities that make up the value chain adaptively.

Footprints of meteorology and air pollution on rice yield variation in the North Indian Plain; implications of future climate change scenarios

The global food system faces challenges from climate change and air pollution. Here, we examined their effects on rice yield in the North Indian plain (NIP), one of the principal rice-growing areas of the world. Combining satellite-based biophysical data products and spectral indices with soil moisture and fertilizer usage, we mapped high-resolution rice yield indiscriminately for both irrigated and rainfed systems in the NIP during the summer monsoon from 2004 to 2019. The footprints of meteorology and air pollution on the changing patterns of rice yield were isolated through multivariate linear models. The forced components of these models led to the estimation of relative yield change (RYC), the course of which was later simulated for the future climate change scenarios using CMIP6 data up to 2035. The largest effect on rice yield was estimated due to the variability of maximum temperature (−35 kg ha−1 to 212 kg ha−1) in the meteorological model, followed by aerosol loading (−80 kg ha−1 to 7 kg ha−1) in the air pollution model. The analysis of the RYC and its sensitivity using the CMIP6 climate change scenarios (SSP2 and SSP5) shows that among all agroclimatic regions, the Lower Gangetic Plain in the eastern NIP is resilient to the variability of meteorology and air pollution, while other agroclimatic regions – in the central and western NIP – show a remarkable reduction in their projected yields by 2035. The findings have serious implications for the supply chain and may increase pressure on the grain import due to climate change-driven future states of meteorology and air pollution.

Field and laboratory manual for unsupported 210Pb analyses

This manual provides a general conceptual framework for collecting and analyzing radionuclides related to the ²¹⁰Pb dating method in mangrove ecosystems. The ²¹⁰Pb radionuclide dating method applies alpha and/or gamma spectrometry. This guide outlines procedures for field sample collection, laboratory analyses and data analyses relating to these approaches.

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