| 1. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
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Ingår i: Food Security. - : Springer Nature. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525. ; 16, s. 989-1008
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Kihiu, E. N., et al.
(författare)
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Agricultural market access and dietary diversity in Kenya: Gender considerations towards improved household nutritional outcomes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Achieving food and nutritional security by all people at all times is a key development goal at the global, regional and national levels. To achieve access to sufficient safe food of acceptable quality at all times, gender mainstreaming in food and nutritional policies, programmes and projects is increasingly being recognized as important to the realization of this goal. In addition, access to well-functioning markets is likely to improve farmers profitability and their access to diverse nutritious foods. This paper avails evidence on the effect of gendered access to organized agricultural markets on household dietary diversity scores in Kenya using nationwide survey data. Using an inverse probability weighted treatment-effect estimator, we evaluate whether improving women's and men's access to well-functioning agricultural markets facilitates diet diversity among households. The analysis shows that while improving both women and men's agricultural commercialization through organised marketing systems improves the dietary diversity outcomes of households, the effect of women is double that of men. However, greater effects are achieved when both the female and male in the same household have access to well-functioning agricultural markets. Further, addressing human and socio-economic needs of households are also important in enhancing households' dietary diversity quality.
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| 4. |
- Naresh, R. K., et al.
(författare)
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Long-term application of agronomic management strategies effects on soil organic carbon, energy budgeting, and carbon footprint under rice–wheat cropping system
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the plains of western North India, traditional rice and wheat cropping systems (RWCS) consume a significant amount of energy and carbon. In order to assess the long-term energy budgets, ecological footprint, and greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutants from RWCS with residual management techniques, field research was conducted which consisted of fourteen treatments that combined various tillage techniques, fertilization methods, and whether or not straw return was present in randomized block design. By altering the formation of aggregates and the distribution of carbon within them, tillage techniques can affect the dynamics of organic carbon in soil and soil microbial activity. The stability of large macro-aggregates (> 2 mm), small macro-aggregates (2.0–2.25 mm), and micro-aggregates in the topsoil were improved by 35.18%, 33.52%, and 25.10%, respectively, over conventional tillage (0–20 cm) using tillage strategies for conservation methods (no-till in conjunction with straw return and organic fertilizers). The subsoil (20–40 cm) displayed the same pattern. In contrast to conventional tilling with no straw returns, macro-aggregates of all sizes and micro-aggregates increased by 24.52%, 28.48%, and 18.12%, respectively, when conservation tillage with organic and chemical fertilizers was used. The straw return (aggregate-associated C) also resulted in a significant increase in aggregate-associated carbon. When zero tillage was paired with straw return, chemical, and organic fertilizers, the topsoil's overall aggregate-associated C across all aggregate proportions increased. Conversely, conventional tillage, in contrast to conservation tillage, included straw return as well as chemical and organic fertilizers and had high aggregate-associated C in the subsurface. This study finds that tillage techniques could change the dynamics of microbial biomass in soils and organic soil carbon by altering the aggregate and distribution of C therein.
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| 5. |
- Singh, Vicky, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Different Tillage and Residue Management Options on Soil Water Transmission and Mechanical Behavior
- 2023
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Ingår i: Land. - : Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). - 2073-445X. ; 12:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the variability in the mechanical and hydrological soil characteristics resulting from diverse tillage and residue management practices is essential for evaluating the adoption of conservation strategies to preserve soil’s physical well-being. Zero-tillage techniques combined with residue retention or incorporation have gained widespread recognition for their capacity to conserve soil and water resources, reduce energy consumption, and enhance soil quality and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, the choice of tillage and residue management options may vary depending on the geographical locations and specific soil conditions. To assess the impacts of four distinct tillage and residue management approaches, a two-year experiment (2020–2021 and 2021–2022) was conducted: T1: conventional tillage followed by wheat sowing after the removal of rice straw (CT-RS); T2: zero tillage with wheat sowing using a Happy Seeder while retaining rice straw (ZT+RS); T3: conventional tillage followed by wheat sowing after rice straw incorporation using a reversible mouldboard plough (CT+RS); T4: minimum tillage with wheat sowing using a Super Seeder with rice straw incorporation (MT+RS); the effects were recorded on the physical soil properties. Our findings indicate that zero tillage combined with residue retention (T2) had a positive influence on various physical soil attributes. Notably, significant differences were observed among the tillage and residue management options, particularly in terms of the bulk density with T1 exhibiting the highest values and the lowest being in T2, whereas the soil penetration resistance was lowest in T3 compared to T1. In the case of T3, sandy loam and clay loam soils had the highest measured saturated hydraulic conductivity values, measuring 5.08 and 4.57 cm h−1 and 4.07 and 3.73 cm h−1, respectively. Furthermore, T2 (zero tillage with residue retention) demonstrated the highest mean weight diameter (MWD) and maximum water stable aggregate. These results collectively underscore the positive effects of adopting zero tillage and retaining residue (T2) on soil structure and quality, particularly concerning the mechanical and hydrological soil properties.
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| 6. |
- Singh, Vicky, et al.
(författare)
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Soil type and integrated nitrogen nutrient-rice straw residue management techniques affect soil microbes, enzyme activities and yield of wheat crop
- 2023
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 9:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sporadic burning of rice straw and the particulate air pollution caused consequently have created a pressing need for identification of practical environmentally sound in situ rice residue management methods. However, the agronomic interventions associated with the agri-inputs particularly the type of nitrogen fertilizer source must be worked out for these interventions. In a two-year field study performed at two different locations representing sandy loam and clay loam soil types, zero tillage with application of nitrophosphate (applied as basal dose through drilling) in combination with urea (applied at 1st irrigation + 3 foliar sprays of urea at weekly interval) significantly enhanced the grain and straw yield of wheat. The soil microbial viable cell counts and dehydrogenase and urease enzyme activities were also recorded to be highest in this treatment indicating the occurrence of higher living microbial population. The treatment × response variable Principle component analysis (PCA) biplot depicted relative variation among the residue management treatments/Nitrogen fertilizer sub-treatments and the enzyme activities as response variables. A variation in the soil organic content components was recognized through Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IRS) studies. Irrespective of the soil types under study, the FT-IR spectra exhibited presence of the aromatic carbon functional groups in residue incorporated treatments as compared to the no residue incorporation treatment.
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| 7. |
- Vishwakarma, Dinesh Kumar, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling of soil moisture movement and wetting behavior under point-source trickle irrigation
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The design and selection of ideal emitter discharge rates can be aided by accurate information regarding the wetted soil pattern under surface drip irrigation. The current field investigation was conducted in an apple orchard in SKUAST- Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, during 2017–2019. The objective of the experiment was to examine the movement of moisture over time and assess the extent of wetting in both horizontal and vertical directions under point source drip irrigation with discharge rates of 2, 4, and 8 L h−1. At 30, 60, and 120 min since the beginning of irrigation, a soil pit was dug across the length of the wetted area on the surface in order to measure the wetting pattern. For measuring the soil moisture movement and wetted soil width and depth, three replicas of soil samples were collected according to the treatment and the average value were considered. As a result, 54 different experiments were conducted, resulting in the digging of pits [3 emitter discharge rates × 3 application times × 3 replications × 2 (after application and 24 after application)]. This study utilized the Drip-Irriwater model to evaluate and validate the accuracy of predictions of wetting fronts and soil moisture dynamics in both orientations. Results showed that the modeled values were very close to the actual field values, with a mean absolute error of 0.018, a mean bias error of 0.0005, a mean absolute percentage error of 7.3, a root mean square error of 0.023, a Pearson coefficient of 0.951, a coefficient of correlation of 0.918, and a Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient of 0.887. The wetted width just after irrigation was measured at 14.65, 16.65, and 20.62 cm; 16.20, 20.25, and 23.90 cm; and 20.00, 24.50, and 28.81 cm in 2, 4, and 8 L h−1, at 30, 60, and 120 min, respectively, while the wetted depth was observed 13.10, 16.20, and 20.44 cm; 15.10, 21.50, and 26.00 cm; 19.40, 25.00, and 31.00 cm, respectively. As the flow rate from the emitter increased, the amount of moisture dissemination grew (both immediately and 24 h after irrigation). The soil moisture contents were observed 0.4300, 0.3808, 0.2298, 0.1604, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 just after irrigation in 2 L h−1 while 0.4300, 0.3841, 0.2385, 0.1607, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 4 L h−1 and 0.4300, 0.3852, 0.2417, 0.1608, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 8 L h−1 at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm soil depth in 30 min of application time. Similar distinct increments were found in 60, and 120 min of irrigation. The findings suggest that this simple model, which only requires soil, irrigation, and simulation parameters, is a valuable and practical tool for irrigation design. It provides information on soil wetting patterns and soil moisture distribution under a single emitter, which is important for effectively planning and designing a drip irrigation system. Investigating soil wetting patterns and moisture redistribution in the soil profile under point source drip irrigation helps promote efficient planning and design of a drip irrigation system.
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| 8. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Salome, et al.
(författare)
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Association between rural electrification and agricultural output: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2022
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Ingår i: World Development Perspectives. - : Elsevier. - 2452-2929 .- 2468-0532. ; 25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the association between rural electrification and agricultural output at the macro level using panel data on 43 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1990 to 2016. We employed Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) with time trend and country fixed effect in our econometrics estimation to address the potential serial correlation. Our study investigates the following; i) the association between rural electrification and agricultural output, measured as agricultural output per GDP and agricultural output per worker, ii) whether the relationship between rural electrification and agricultural output is conditional on institutional quality of a country, and iii) whether electrification enhances the marginal effect of factor inputs. We find a positive significant association between rural electrification and agricultural output. Also, our result shows that the relationship between electrification and agricultural output is conditional on the quality of institution and factor inputs of a country. With the exception of capital, the association between the interaction term of rural electrification and factor inputs (labour and land), and agricultural output is negative. However, we find a higher positive direct relationship between labour and agricultural output per GDP, implying a higher productivity for those labour who remain in the sector. Our results are heterogenous across population size quartiles sub-samples.
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| 9. |
- Asante, Felix A., et al.
(författare)
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Climate Change and Variability in Ghana: Stocktaking
- 2015
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Ingår i: Climate. - : MDPI. - 2225-1154. ; 3:1, s. 78-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper provides a holistic literature review of climate change and variability in Ghana by examining the impact and projections of climate change and variability in various sectors (agricultural, health and energy) and its implication on ecology, land use, poverty and welfare. The findings suggest that there is a projected high temperature and low rainfall in the years 2020, 2050 and 2080, and desertification is estimated to be proceeding at a rate of 20,000 hectares per annum. Sea-surface temperatures will increase in Ghana’s waters and this will have drastic effects on fishery. There will be a reduction in the suitability of weather within the current cocoa-growing areas in Ghana by 2050 and an increase evapotranspiration of the cocoa trees. Furthermore, rice and rooted crops (especially cassava) production are expected to be low. Hydropower generation is also at risk and there will be an increase in the incidence rate of measles, diarrheal cases, guinea worm infestation, malaria, cholera, cerebro-spinal meningitis and other water related diseases due to the current climate projections and variability. These negative impacts of climate change and variability worsens the plight of the poor, who are mostly women and children.
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| 10. |
- Bandura, Iryna, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of Raw Plant material and Substrate for Efficient production of Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotusostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm.)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Ochrana drevín a dreva 2016. - Zvolen : Technická univerzita vo Zvolene. - 9788022829298 ; , s. 27-33
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbial analysis of raw materials and substrate during all phases of thermal processing revealed the most efficient methods for industrial mushroom cultivation. The aerobic fermentation in the upper layer is preferable if using long term stored material. The oyster mushroom strain HK-35 was used for testing. An increase in biological efficiency with 37% was found for aerobic fermentation in comparison with stream processing. From evaluation of temperature influence during pasteurization phase, the biological efficiency increased with 11% for tested temperature treatment at 74±3°С in comparison to the standard at 63±3°С.
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