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Journal Article
Food security / Resilience / Agrobiodiversity / Climate change / Climate-smart agriculture / Underutilized species / Crop modelling
Record No:H052691
Crop modelling - underutilized crops for climate-smart agrifood systems. Editorial
Food security / Resilience / Agrobiodiversity / Climate change / Climate-smart agriculture / Underutilized species / Crop modelling
Record No:H052691
Report
Indexes / Indicators / Heterogeneity / Time series analysis / Tools / Hydrological modelling / Drainage area / Land cover / Catchment areas / Ecological factors / Habitats / Aquatic ecosystems / Runoff / Stream flow / Rivers / Water stress / Water resources / Freshwater / Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation / Sustainable Development Goals / Assessment / Comparisons / Databases / Hydrological data / Information systems / Estimation / Environmental flows
Record No:H052596
Towards the harmonization of global environmental flow estimates: comparing the Global Environmental Flow Information System (GEFIS) with country data
The source of data used to estimate the e-flow requirement in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 6.4.2 (level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources) is the Global Environmental Flow Information System (GEFIS), an online tool produced and managed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). In addition to the GEFIS estimate, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as the custodians of the SDG indicator, encourages countries to put forward their locally determined e-flow estimates, especially if it differs from the GEFIS estimate. To date, however, only a few countries have taken up this opportunity. The aim of this report is to compare e-flows estimated by GEFIS with independent e-flow assessments performed at the local level to gauge the level of agreement between the two sets of estimates. We compared e-flow estimates from GEFIS to local e-flow estimates at 533 river sites.
Indexes / Indicators / Heterogeneity / Time series analysis / Tools / Hydrological modelling / Drainage area / Land cover / Catchment areas / Ecological factors / Habitats / Aquatic ecosystems / Runoff / Stream flow / Rivers / Water stress / Water resources / Freshwater / Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation / Sustainable Development Goals / Assessment / Comparisons / Databases / Hydrological data / Information systems / Estimation / Environmental flows
Record No:H052596
Journal Article
Water policies / Solar powered irrigation systems / Gender
Record No:H052566
Can water, energy, and food policies in support of solar irrigation enable gender transformative changes? Evidence from policy analysis in Bangladesh and Nepal
Solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) are emerging as a popular technology to address water, energy, and climate change challenges in South Asia while enhancing livelihoods and food security. SIPs are deemed to be a women-friendly renewable energy technology (RET) due to their design, operating system, and safety. While the gender dimensions of natural resources are well documented, the extent to which the water, energy, and food (WEF) policies—including policies to promote SIP technologies in the countries of South Asia—conceptualize and operationalize gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) is not well understood. Therefore, in this study, we reviewed 39 WEF sectoral policies of Bangladesh and Nepal by adopting a gender-transformative analysis approach to rank the policies on a continuum ranging from a scale of 0–3 (denoting gender-unaware, gender-aware, gender-responsive, and gendertransformative). We found that the governments in both countries commit to gender equality and women’s advancement in their WEF sector policies, institutions, and decision-making by ensuring gender and justice principles in their constitutions and national development frameworks. However, these higher-level aspirational principles are not always operationalized in the WEF sector policies. We found that the WEF policies are aware of the need to include GESI and social equity in sectoral programming, yet operational rules for their implementation often fail to challenge structural barriers. Such barriers hinder women and marginalized groups from participating in and benefiting from WEF policies, including the deployment of SIP technologies. This calls for a transformation not only in project implementation but also in the policymaking processes of WEF sectors in the South Asian region.
Water policies / Solar powered irrigation systems / Gender
Record No:H052566
Journal Article
Water scarcity / Sustainable Development Goals / Freshwater ecosystems / Hydrological modelling / Water management / Water resources / Environmental flows
Record No:H052567
Limited comparability of global and local estimates of environmental flow requirements to sustain river ecosystems
Environmental flows (e-flows) are a central element of sustainable water resource management to mitigate the detrimental impacts of hydrological alteration on freshwater ecosystems and their benefits to people. Many nations strive to protect e-flows through policy, and thousands of local-scale e-flows assessments have been conducted globally, leveraging data and knowledge to quantify how much water must be provided to river ecosystems, and when, to keep them healthy. However, e-flows assessments and implementation are geographically uneven and cover a small fraction of rivers worldwide. This hinders globally consistent target-setting, monitoring and evaluation for international agreements to curb water scarcity and biodiversity loss. Therefore, dozens of models have been developed over the past two decades to estimate the e-flows requirements of rivers seamlessly across basins and administrative boundaries at a global scale. There has been little effort, however, to benchmark these models against locally derived e-flows estimates, which may limit confidence in the relevance of global estimates. The aim of this study was to assess whether current global methods reflect e-flows estimates used on the ground, by comparing global and local estimates for 1194 sites across 25 countries. We found that while global approaches broadly approximate the bulk volume of water that should be precautionarily provided to sustain aquatic ecosystems at the scale of large basins or countries, they explain a remarkably negligible 0%–1% of the global variability in locally derived estimates of the percentage of river flow that must be protected at a given site. Even when comparing assessments for individual countries, thus controlling for differences in local assessment methods among jurisdictions, global e-flows estimates only marginally compared (R 2 0.31) to local estimates. Such a disconnect between global and local assessments of e-flows requirements limits the credibility of global estimates and associated targets for water use. To accelerate the global implementation of e-flows requires further concerted effort to compile and draw from the thousands of existing local e-flows assessments worldwide for developing a new generation of global models and bridging the gap from local to global scales.
Water scarcity / Sustainable Development Goals / Freshwater ecosystems / Hydrological modelling / Water management / Water resources / Environmental flows
Record No:H052567
Journal Article
Groundwater / Water scarcity / Water shortages / Salinity / Farmers / Environmental factors
Record No:H052571
Farmers on the front line: perceptions, practices and discrepancies from the Aral Sea's Karakalpakstan and Khorezm regions
Undesirable changes in surface water and groundwater resources and land quality for biophysical and institutional reasons will further endanger the livelihoods of people in Central Asia. The farmersapos; understanding of these problems and the adaptation and solution strategies they opt for are the critical variables in devising relevant policies. Our findings captured significant disparities between farmer-perceived water shortages and officially documented water availability, as well as soil salinity discrepancies. Farmersapos; coping strategies, including crop alterations and water-saving measures, often lead to tradeoffs, such as reduced crop yields. The study highlights the need to consider farmer perceptions and practices along with official data when designing policies. Effective policymaking must consider this dynamic interplay and the multifaceted challenges faced by farmers in these vulnerable Aral Sea regions.
Groundwater / Water scarcity / Water shortages / Salinity / Farmers / Environmental factors
Record No:H052571
Journal Article
Pumps / Groundwater / Farmer-led irrigation / Smallholders / Barriers / Poverty alleviation / Energy security / Irrigation development / Solar powered irrigation systems
Record No:H052554
Barriers to the uptake of solar-powered irrigation by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review
Irrigation expansion is critical for agricultural and rural development, food and nutrition security, and climate change adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Lack of accessible energy for irrigation development due to limited off- and on-grid infrastructure and the resulting dependence on costly fuel-based irrigation have been key inhibiting factors for irrigation expansion in the region. Off-grid solar-powered irrigation pumps (SIPs) can overcome many of the energy access and other challenges in the region, but their uptake has been slow. Given the nascent development of the solar irrigation sector in SSA, this paper combines a review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature with key informant interviews to identify systemic barriers to the adoption and growth of solar-powered irrigation. We identify uncovered risks, lack of incentives, and lack of capacity as the key factors limiting the adoption of solar-powered irrigation. Moreover, despite significant global cost reductions, solar-powered irrigation systems remain costly in SSA due to limited market development and geographical constraints. Lack of regulation and low investment in building local institutions and value chains further affect uptake and inhibit leveraging the energy transition for ensuring food security and agriculture-led poverty alleviation in SSA. We propose a move away from thinking of SIPs as “silver bullets” and towards a systems approach and the design of context-specific solutions to address risks, incentives and capacity challenges.
Pumps / Groundwater / Farmer-led irrigation / Smallholders / Barriers / Poverty alleviation / Energy security / Irrigation development / Solar powered irrigation systems
Record No:H052554
Journal Article
Efficiency / Crop production / Water storage / Agricultural water management
Record No:H052572
Technical and allocative efficiency of crop production using different storage and water-lifting technologies in Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia
Assessing the efficiency gains, in terms of crop production and productivity, of using agricultural water management is critical to understanding the comparative advantage of using different storage and water-lifting technologies in irrigation development. This study aims to compare the efficiency differences among irrigation farmers using various water-lifting technologies and among users of various technology suites in the Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Cross-sectional data collected from 320 randomly selected smallholder farmers, considering the 2019/2020 production season, were used to analyse a one-step Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier function. The results of the study revealed the existence of technical and allocative efficiency differences between gravity and fuel pump users. Factors that positively determine the level of technical efficiency scores are gender, age, education status, technology type and extension contact. Irrigation experience, access to credit, training and technology type positively affected allocative efficiency, while the distance to the irrigation water source had a negative effect. The findings have important implications for agricultural policy and practice as improving efficiency through the adoption of fuel-powered water-lifting technology could further improve overall agricultural productivity. Designing small-scale friendly business models and promoting irrigation extension services, among others, is critical for scaling successful water management technologies.
Efficiency / Crop production / Water storage / Agricultural water management
Record No:H052572
Journal Article
Integration / Trade / Vulnerability / Models / Social sanctions
Record No:H052559
Do sanctions affect the environment? The role of trade integration
Environmental degradation is one of the potentially unforeseen consequences of sanctions, yet few studies have investigated how sanctions affect the environment. For instance, by restricting the acquisition of more efficient technologies, sanctions can strain natural resources and erode environmental performance. Therefore, this study investigates the moderating effects of trade integration on the underlying links between several types of sanctions (i.e., military, arms, trade, financial, and travel) and the environmental quality of the target country. A rich dyadic dataset consisting of 214 sender countries/states, 135 target countries/states, and 28,532 country pairs is used for the empirical analysis. A multi-way panel fixed effects model is employed for the empirical analysis. This approach allows us to control for the unobserved sender and target country-specific as well as time-specific characteristics that might affect environmental performance. The results show that most sanctions result in the deterioration of the environmental quality. In contrast, trade sanctions promote the environmental quality of the target country. We also find that sanctions adversely impact the ecological aspect of the environment while positively influencing the climate change aspect of environmental quality. The results also show that greater bilateral trade interdependence between the sender and the target country helps to mitigate the adverse impacts of most sanctions. The findings of this study suggest that the real effects of sanctions on environmental quality cannot be empirically disentangled if several types of sanctions are clubbed under the umbrella of ‘sanctions’ and captured using a single dummy variable, as is often done in the extant literature. Policies that encourage greater economic integration, such as trade liberalization with multiple countries, can be used strategically by a country to reduce threats of being sanctioned or vulnerabilities to the negative effects of sanctions on the environment.
Integration / Trade / Vulnerability / Models / Social sanctions
Record No:H052559
Journal Article
Water reuse / Irrigation water / Drainage water / Wastewater / Water availability / Reclamation / Deserts
Record No:H052556
‘Squeezing Out’ the Nile Delta’s drainage water to irrigate Egypt’s desert land
Egypt’s quota of Nile River water has been constant since the 1950s, despite the continual agricultural land expansion. To facilitate land reclamation, Egypt has reallocated Nile water from downstream users, mostly smallholders in the ‘old lands’ of the Delta. As water demands have grown, more attention has gone to the reuse of waste/drainage water as a reliable source for irrigated agriculture in the “old lands”. Recently, new mega plants for drainage water treatment have been built to promote reclamation of ‘new lands’ in desert-front governorates located outside the Nile Delta. Through these plants and the related water conveyance infrastructure, drainage water from the ‘old lands’ is now being collected, treated, and reallocated to these newly reclaimed areas. This article scrutinizes this transformation of access to drainage water, examining who benefits and what implications it holds for smallholder farmers in the old lands. The analysis suggests that waste/drainage water reclamation schemes do not tap into unused water but actually risk depriving smallholders in the Nile Delta of water access. It argues that more attention should be given to existing informal reuse arrangements and that smallholders’ access to water is guaranteed in light of new drainage water reuse projects.
Water reuse / Irrigation water / Drainage water / Wastewater / Water availability / Reclamation / Deserts
Record No:H052556
Journal Article
Customary tenure / Water tenure / Water law / Equity / Water allocation / Water resources
Record No:H052564
Principles and legal tools for equitable water resource allocation: prioritization in South Africa
South Africa’s legally binding National Water Resource Strategy specifies a people-oriented prioritization for the equitable allocation of the nation’s public trust of surface and groundwater resources. This article analyses how the Inkomati–Usuthu Catchment Management Agency seeks to operationalize the three highest priorities in the Sabie Sub Catchment: the Basic Human Needs Reserve for domestic and constitutionally based productive water uses; customary water tenure in former homelands prioritized over the upstream commercial forestry and large-scale farming and the downstream Kruger National Park; and priority General Authorizations overcoming administrative injustices of current licensing. These highest priorities imply curtailment of the lowest priority, high-impact economic uses.
Customary tenure / Water tenure / Water law / Equity / Water allocation / Water resources
Record No:H052564
Journal Article
Forecasting / Rainfall / Drought / Flooding / Extreme weather events / Climate change
Record No:H052557
Hydrologic extremes in a changing climate: a review of extremes in East Africa
Purpose: Eastern Africa has a complex hydroclimate and socio-economic context, making it vulnerable to climate change-induced hydrological extremes. This review presents recent research on drivers and typologies of extremes across different geographies and highlights challenges and improvements in forecasting hydrological extremes at various timescales.; Recent Findings: Droughts and floods remain the major challenges of the region. Recently, frequent alterations between droughts and floods have been a common occurrence and concern. Research underlines the heterogeneity of extremes and the impact of climate change as increased intensity and duration of extremes. Moreover, the importance of local and antecedent conditions in changing the characteristics of extremes is emphasized.; Summary: A better understanding of these drivers and how they interact is required. Observational and modeling tools must capture these relationships and extremes on short timescales. Although there are improvements in forecasting these extremes, providing relevant information beyond meteorological variables requires further research.
Forecasting / Rainfall / Drought / Flooding / Extreme weather events / Climate change
Record No:H052557
Journal Article
Climatic zones / Livelihoods / Indicators / Climate change / Local communities / Indigenous peoples
Record No:H052568
Indigenous peoples and local communities report ongoing and widespread climate change impacts on local social-ecological systems
The effects of climate change depend on specific local circumstances, posing a challenge for worldwide research to comprehensively encompass the diverse impacts on various local social-ecological systems. Here we use a place-specific but cross-culturally comparable protocol to document climate change indicators and impacts as locally experienced and analyze their distribution. We collected first-hand data in 48 sites inhabited by Indigenous Peoples and local communities and covering all climate zones and nature-dependent livelihoods. We documented 1,661 site-agreed reports of change corresponding to 369 indicators. Reports of change vary according to climate zone and livelihood activity. We provide compelling evidence that climate change impacts on Indigenous Peoples and local communities are ongoing, tangible, widespread, and affect multiple elements of their social-ecological systems. Beyond potentially informing contextualized adaptation plans, our results show that local reports could help identify economic and non-economic loss and damage related to climate change impacts suffered by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Climatic zones / Livelihoods / Indicators / Climate change / Local communities / Indigenous peoples
Record No:H052568
Journal Article
Sociocultural environment / Local knowledge / Livelihoods / Local communities / Indigenous peoples / Climate change impacts
Record No:H052569
Local studies provide a global perspective of the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples and local communities
Indigenous Peoples and local communities with nature-dependent livelihoods are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, but their experience, knowledge and needs receive inadequate attention in climate research and policy. Here, we discuss three key findings of a collaborative research consortium arising from the Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts project. First, reports of environmental change by Indigenous Peoples and local communities provide holistic, relational, placed-based, culturally-grounded and multi-causal understandings of change, largely focused on processes and elements that are relevant to local livelihoods and cultures. These reports demonstrate that the impacts of climate change intersect with and exacerbate historical effects of socioeconomic and political marginalization. Second, drawing on rich bodies of inter-generational knowledge, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have developed context-specific responses to environmental change grounded in local resources and strategies that often absorb the impacts of multiple drivers of change. Indigenous Peoples and local communities adjust in diverse ways to impacts on their livelihoods, but the adoption of responses often comes at a significant cost due to economic, political, and socio-cultural barriers operating at societal, community, household, and individual levels. Finally, divergent understandings of change challenge generalizations in research examining the human dimensions of climate change. Evidence from Indigenous and local knowledge systems is context-dependent and not always aligned with scientific evidence. Exploring divergent understandings of the concept of change derived from different knowledge systems can yield new insights which may help prioritize research and policy actions to address local needs and priorities.
Sociocultural environment / Local knowledge / Livelihoods / Local communities / Indigenous peoples / Climate change impacts
Record No:H052569
Books / Monograph
Case studies / COVID-19 / Production systems / Agriculture / Women / Gender norms / Policies / Resilience / Climate change adaptation / Awareness / Infectious diseases / Sanitation / Human health / Environmental health / Composting / Organic wastes / Faecal sludge / Sewage sludge / Wastewater treatment plants / Technology / Waste management / Innovation / Nexus approaches / Food systems / Energy / Water management / Business models / Reuse / Resource recovery / Water supply / Environmental engineering / Sustainable Development Goals / Sustainability / Transformation / Socioeconomic aspects / Circular economy
Record No:H052573
Circular and transformative economy: advances towards sustainable socio-economic transformation
The main aim of this book is to illustrate circular models for sustainable resource management. It highlights the benefits of transformative approaches in integrating, simplifying, and facilitating understanding of complex systems and transforming systems towards greater sustainability while achieving multiple social, economic, and environmental outcomes. It provides pathways towards strategic policy decisions on socio-economic transformation supported by case studies.; Features:; Discusses exploration of a transitional path to the circular economy, explored from the point of view of waste and technology.; Explains transformational change towards sustainable-socio ecological interactions.; Reviews provision of pathways towards sustainability through scenario development.; Provides assessment of progress towards Sustainable Development Goals.; Presents cross-sectoral and multicentric approaches towards circularity.; This book is aimed at researchers and professionals in water and environmental engineering, circular economy, sustainability, and environmental studies.
Case studies / COVID-19 / Production systems / Agriculture / Women / Gender norms / Policies / Resilience / Climate change adaptation / Awareness / Infectious diseases / Sanitation / Human health / Environmental health / Composting / Organic wastes / Faecal sludge / Sewage sludge / Wastewater treatment plants / Technology / Waste management / Innovation / Nexus approaches / Food systems / Energy / Water management / Business models / Reuse / Resource recovery / Water supply / Environmental engineering / Sustainable Development Goals / Sustainability / Transformation / Socioeconomic aspects / Circular economy
Record No:H052573
Journal Article
Datasets / Models / Land cover / Land use / Agricultural water management / Frameworks / Rainfed farming / Irrigated farming / Remote sensing / Farmland
Record No:H052552
A framework for disaggregating remote-sensing cropland into rainfed and irrigated classes at continental scale
Agriculture consumes the largest share of freshwater globally; therefore, distinguishing between rainfed and irrigated croplands is essential for agricultural water management and food security. In this study, a framework incorporating the Budyko model was used to differentiate between rainfed and irrigated cropland areas in Africa for eight remote sensing landcover products and a high-confidence cropland map (HCCM). The HCCM was generated for calibration and validation of the crop partitioning framework as an alternative to individual cropland masks which exhibit high disagreement. The accuracy of the framework in partitioning the HCCM was evaluated using an independent validation dataset, yielding an overall accuracy rate of 73 %. The findings of this study indicate that out of the total area covered by the HCCM (2.36 million km2 ), about 461,000 km2 (19 %) is irrigated cropland. The partitioning framework was applied on eight landcover products, and the extent of irrigated areas varied between 19 % and 30 % of the total cropland area. The framework demonstrated high precision and specificity scores, indicating its effectiveness in correctly identifying irrigated areas while minimizing the misclassification of rainfed areas as irrigated. This study provides an enhanced understanding of rainfed and irrigation patterns across Africa, supporting efforts towards achieving sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. Consequently, the approach outlined expands on the suite of remote sensing landcover products that can be used for agricultural water studies in Africa by enabling the extraction of irrigated and rainfed cropland data from landcover products that do not have disaggregated cropland classes.
Datasets / Models / Land cover / Land use / Agricultural water management / Frameworks / Rainfed farming / Irrigated farming / Remote sensing / Farmland
Record No:H052552
Journal Article
Carbon / Water use / Emission reduction / Pumps / Solar powered irrigation systems / Groundwater irrigation
Record No:H052565
Risks from solar-powered groundwater irrigation
Carbon / Water use / Emission reduction / Pumps / Solar powered irrigation systems / Groundwater irrigation
Record No:H052565
Journal Article
Household surveys / Communities / Vulnerability / Flooding / Strategies / attitudes / Farmersapos / Climate change adaptation
Record No:H052555
Assessing adaptive capacity of climate-vulnerable farming communities in flood-prone areas: insights from a household survey in South Punjab, Pakistan
Climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural systems worldwide. In Pakistan, an agrarian country where the majority of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods, the impacts of climate change can be particularly devastating. Understanding the adaptive capacity of farmers is crucial in order to identify effective strategies for coping with the impacts of climate change. This study aimed to assess the adaptive capacity of farmers in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, two flood-prone districts of South Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected in October 2022 from 448 farmers through multistage stratified random sampling, and multivariate regression and bivariate probit models were used to analyze the likelihood of farmers adopting certain joint strategies and the impact of socioeconomic factors on their decision-making. Results indicated that concern for climate change and knowledge of market value of crops were significant determinants for farmers adopting joint strategies, while farmers with more experience and alternate sources of income were less likely to do so. Increased irrigation was a top strategy used despite its potential negative environmental impacts. Findings highlight the need for a holistic approach to climate adaptation that considers complex social, economic, and environmental factors and appreciates the complex decision-making process that farmers undergo. Understanding the local context is key to developing effective interventions to support climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods in agricultural communities.
Household surveys / Communities / Vulnerability / Flooding / Strategies / attitudes / Farmersapos / Climate change adaptation
Record No:H052555
Journal Article
Common lands / Grazing lands / Semiarid zones / Exclosures
Record No:H052560
Evaluation of exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes in the semi-arid highlands of northwestern Ethiopia
Land degradation is a severe environmental problem in the northern and northwestern Ethiopian highlands. As a response to increasing land degradation, rehabilitation of degraded grazing lands through exclosures (exclusion of farmers and domestic animals) has been undertaken. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 11 and 8-year exclosures in improving degraded landscapes in the Karita-Wuha and Dengora watersheds. It was assumed that the conditions on communal grazing lands at the time of the investigation corresponded to those at the establishment of exclosures. Vegetation was inventoried, and soil samples were collected and analyzed in 14 and 21 sampling sites selected from exclosures and communal grazing lands in Dengora and Karita-Wuha watersheds, respectively. Sampling plots (20 × 20 m) were established for soil sampling. In the two land uses, 10x10 m and 5x5 m sub-plots were used to survey trees and bushes/shrubs, respectively. Richness, diversity, evenness, and aboveground biomass (AGB) were evaluated using measurements from the vegetation inventory. Organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (AP) and their stocks were used as soil nutrient indicators. The result showed that exclosures aided in restoring vegetation in both watersheds and soil nutrient parameters in the Dengora watershed compared with communal grazing lands. In the Karita-Wuha watershed, there was significantly higher OC, TN, and their stocks in communal grazing land than exclosures (t-test, p lt; 0.05). These results are generally attributed to the fact that communal grazing lands were significantly degraded before exclosure and have yet to recover. As a result, exclosures of Dengora and Karita-Wuha watersheds were limited in restoring degraded landscapes. There have been differences in the effectiveness of lt; 11- and gt; 11-year exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes in the literature. The effectiveness of various aged exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes is likely variable and dependent on local biophysical parameters and land use systems.
Common lands / Grazing lands / Semiarid zones / Exclosures
Record No:H052560
Journal Article
Deltas / Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer / Landsat / Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation / Goal 13 Climate action / Goal 15 Life on land / Goal 2 Zero hunger / Sustainable Development Goals / Food security / Remote sensing / Bibliometric analysis / Earth observation satellites / Mapping / Rice
Record No:H052473
Earth observation-based rice mapping studies in Vietnamese Mekong Delta compared to global context: a bibliometric analysis
A bibliometric study on mapping the rice cropping systems in VMD is crucial for understanding the trend of EO-based rice mapping and how remote sensing technologies are essential to address the food security issue in the region. This article presents an overview of Earth observation (EO)-based rice mapping strategies since 1979, prioritizing the scope of data, approaches, and techniques derived from 3700 research articles worldwide and contrasting them with the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). Various quantitative analyses were conducted through bibliometric analysis using the VOS viewer and Scopus database. Optical images, particularly the Landsat (~16%) and MODIS (~12%) time series datasets, were the most commonly utilized globally. MODIS data (~31%) had the highest share in the VMD context, followed by Landsat data (~19%), while Sentinel series (~13% for global and ~16% for VMD) data became more popular in recent years. Research on rice mapping using UAVs has been gradually creeping into rice mapping research globally, but a gap is yet to be filled in the VMD. The most widely used approaches for rice mapping globally were Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Principal Component Analysis. Spectral indices like EVI, NDVI, and RVI were commonly used for rice mapping and monitoring. The findings underscore the critical role of EO-based rice mapping studies in the VMD in addressing sustainability and food security challenges.
Deltas / Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer / Landsat / Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation / Goal 13 Climate action / Goal 15 Life on land / Goal 2 Zero hunger / Sustainable Development Goals / Food security / Remote sensing / Bibliometric analysis / Earth observation satellites / Mapping / Rice
Record No:H052473
Journal Article
Equity / Financing / Sustainability / Groundwater / Nexus approaches / Energy / Business models / Pumps / Solar powered irrigation systems
Record No:H052476
Unleashing the potential of solar irrigation in Bangladesh: key lessons from different implementation models
The transition to solar-powered irrigation in South Asia offers an opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependency on expensive diesel. However, appropriate institutional and financial models are required to scale up this technology. Three different solar irrigation pump (SIP) implementation modalities coexist in Bangladesh, providing a good opportunity to evaluate and gain insightful knowledge on the solarization process. These conclusions are also applicable to neighboring countries dealing with comparable problems. The three models are (i) community-managed SIP model, (ii) individual ownership model, and (iii) fee-for-service model. In this article, we argue that the fee-for-service model involving a market-based approach and public-private partnership is the most promising in terms of addressing two main challenges in solarization, i.e. high capex financing requirement and generation of sufficient demand. In terms of achieving equity in SIP access and groundwater sustainability, all three models have their respective pros and cons. However, the financial sustainability of SIPs is under threat due to the significant project costs. It is imperative to expedite the integration of SIPs with the national power grid while implementing supportive government policies. This includes enhancing buy-back tariffs and introducing net-metering options to ensure long-term sustainability.
Equity / Financing / Sustainability / Groundwater / Nexus approaches / Energy / Business models / Pumps / Solar powered irrigation systems
Record No:H052476
Journal Article
Bibliometric analysis / SADC countries / Weather hazards / Extreme weather events / Community involvement / Climate change adaptation / Early warning systems / Disaster risk reduction / Climate resilience
Record No:H052487
Climate risks resilience development: a bibliometric analysis of climate-related early warning systems in Southern Africa
Early warning systems (EWS) facilitate societies’ preparedness and effective response capabilities to climate risks. Climate risks embody hazards, exposure, and vulnerability associated with a particular geographical area. Building an effective EWS requires consideration of the factors above to help people with coping mechanisms. The objective of this paper is to propose an approach that can enhance EWSs and ensure an effective climate risk resilience development. The paper focuses on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and highlights the issues with EWS, identifying weaknesses and characteristics of EWS to help in climate risk adaptation strategies. The SADC region was chosen as the context because it is a climate variability and change hotspot with many vulnerable populations residing in rural communities. Trending themes on building climate risk resilience were uncovered through scientific mapping and network analysis of published articles from 2008 to 2022. This paper contributes to on-going research on building climate risks resilience through early warning systems to identify hidden trends and emerging technologies from articles in order to enhance the operationalization and design of EWS. This review provides insight into technological interventions for assessing climate risks to build preparedness and resilience. From the review analysis, it is determined that there exists a plethora of evidence to support the argument that involving communities in the co-designing of EWS would improve risk knowledge, anticipation, and preparedness. Additionally, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies provide effective tools to address existing EWS’ weaknesses, such as lack of real-time data collection and automation. However, 4IR technology is still at a nascent stage in EWS applications in Africa. Furthermore, policy across societies, institutions, and technology industries ought to be coordinated and integrated to develop a strategy toward implementing climate resilient-based EWS to facilitate the operations of disaster risk managers. The Social, Institutional, and Technology model can potentially increase communities’ resilience; therefore, it is recommended to develop EWS.
Bibliometric analysis / SADC countries / Weather hazards / Extreme weather events / Community involvement / Climate change adaptation / Early warning systems / Disaster risk reduction / Climate resilience
Record No:H052487
Journal Article
Modelling / Crop yield / Land use / Environmental monitoring / Ecosystem services / Sediment / Erosion / Soil loss / Highlands / Water conservation / Soil conservation
Record No:H052323
A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling
Soil and water conservation have been traditionally part of farming practices for thousands of years. Despite massive efforts to implement modern soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) in the Ethiopian Highlands, soil erosion increased after the 1970s when social and political events led to a remarkable change in land use. This review aims to critically analyze the impact of conservation practices on soil loss and crop yield and highlight research and modeling gaps. In doing so, 120 published articles on experimental and simulated soil losses in the Ethiopian Highlands were retrieved from the refereed literature. We found that most published experimental studies evaluating SWCPs lasted less than five years in areas of less than 100 ha. Most modeling studies were over short periods, too; some models simulated soil loss over large areas. The literature analysis for these short-term experimental studies showed that SWCP decreased soil loss on individual sites and increased crop yield in semi-arid regions. Simulated sediment concentration increased as a function of watershed size, while observed soil losses did not follow this trend. Moreover, the decrease in soil loss due to the soil and water conservation practices on small plots was also greatly overestimated. Consequently, past research and current modeling techniques are inconclusive on the effectiveness of SWCPs in large catchments over periods exceeding five years and those with active gullies. Additional long-term experimental studies in catchments are required to evaluate whether SWCPs can decrease sediment loads.
Modelling / Crop yield / Land use / Environmental monitoring / Ecosystem services / Sediment / Erosion / Soil loss / Highlands / Water conservation / Soil conservation
Record No:H052323
Journal Article
Spatial distribution / Trends / Discharge / Temperature / Precipitation / Parameters / Climate change / River basins / Indicators / Hydrological factors / Extreme weather events
Record No:H052322
Hydro-climatic extremes in a medium range river basin in western Nepal: learning from analysis of observed data
Hydro-climatic extremes, such as floods and droughts, are influenced by climate change and climate variability, significantly affecting natural ecosystems, human lives, and livelihood. It is crucial to advance the understanding of long-term trends of hydro-climatic extremes for effective water resource planning and management. We analyzed 25 climatic extremes-related indices and 33 hydrologic extremes-related indices in a medium-range river basin in western Nepal, the Babai River Basin. We used RClimDex and Indicators for Hydrologic Alterations to analyze extreme climatic and hydrologic parameters. We computed monotonic trends to evaluate temporal changes in extreme events. The results show a positive trend of total precipitation at Kusum (+ 2.2 mm/year) and Bargadaha (+ 17.7 mm/year) stations and a negative trend at Gulariya (- 5.7 mm/year), Nayabasti (- 7.0 mm/year), Luwamjula (- 5.9 mm/year), and Ghorai (- 18.5 mm/year) stations. Similarly, we observe that almost all temperature extreme indices have a rising trend except the percentage of the days when the maximum temperature is less than the 10th percentile index at Rani Jaruwa station, located at a low elevation. Notably, the cold day temperature index falls at 0.13 days per year. Overall, the hydrologic alteration value shows moderate variability and reduction in the median flow for the second half. The findings of this study indicate that the study area is subjected to a reduced flow regime with a medium degree of variability.
Spatial distribution / Trends / Discharge / Temperature / Precipitation / Parameters / Climate change / River basins / Indicators / Hydrological factors / Extreme weather events
Record No:H052322
Journal Article
Climate change / Risk assessment / Bacteria / Microbial communities / Wastewater treatment plants / Groundwater / Sediment / Health hazards / Environmental factors / Modelling / Water quality / Gene transfer / Aquatic environment / Antibiotic resistance
Record No:H052253
Fate and transport modelling for evaluating antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments: current knowledge and research priorities
Antibiotics have revolutionised medicine in the last century and enabled the prevention of bacterial infections that were previously deemed untreatable. However, in parallel, bacteria have increasingly developed resistance to antibiotics through various mechanisms. When resistant bacteria find their way into terrestrial and aquatic environments, animal and human exposures increase, e.g., via polluted soil, food, and water, and health risks multiply. Understanding the fate and transport of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and the transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments is critical for evaluating and mitigating the risks of resistant-induced infections. The conceptual understanding of sources and pathways of antibiotics, ARB, and ARGs from society to the water environments is essential for setting the scene and developing an appropriate framework for modelling. Various factors and processes associated with hydrology, ecology, and climate change can significantly affect the fate and transport of ARB and ARGs in natural environments. This article reviews current knowledge, research gaps, and priorities for developing water quality models to assess the fate and transport of ARB and ARGs. The paper also provides inputs on future research needs, especially the need for new predictive models to guide risk assessment on AR transmission and spread in aquatic environments.
Climate change / Risk assessment / Bacteria / Microbial communities / Wastewater treatment plants / Groundwater / Sediment / Health hazards / Environmental factors / Modelling / Water quality / Gene transfer / Aquatic environment / Antibiotic resistance
Record No:H052253
Journal Article
Models / Projections / Water availability / Artificial recharge / Energy balance / Water management / Water resources / Irrigation efficiency / Irrigation systems / River basins / Groundwater recharge / Climate change / Water conservation
Record No:H052239
Quantifying future water-saving potential under climate change and groundwater recharge scenarios in Lower Chenab Canal, Indus River Basin
Quantifying water-saving potential (WSP) is crucial for sustainable water resource management in canal command areas and river basins. Previous studies have partially or fully ignored the importance of groundwater in WSP assessments, particularly in irrigated areas. This study is aimed at quantifying WSP in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) command area of the Indus River Basin, Pakistan, under various scenarios of future climate change and groundwater recharge. These quantifications are conducted using an empirical model based on the Budyko theory. The model was forced using observed, remote sensing, and CMIP6 future climate data for two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) and their ensembles (cold-dry, cold-wet, warm-dry, and warm-wet) for possible futures. The results showed that the average WSP in the LCC command area was 466 48 mm/year during the historical period (2001–2020). The WSP is projected to decrease by – 68 3% under the warm-dry ensemble scenario (SSP245 and SSP585) and – 48 13% under the ensembled cold-wet scenario by 2100. The results also demonstrated that WSP could be increased by up to 70 9% by artificially recharging 20% of the abstracted groundwater per year in the LCC command area by the late twenty-first century. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting artificial groundwater recharge to enhance the WSP and sustainably manage water resources in the LCC command area. Policymakers should consider these findings when deciding on water resource management in the Indus River Basin.
Models / Projections / Water availability / Artificial recharge / Energy balance / Water management / Water resources / Irrigation efficiency / Irrigation systems / River basins / Groundwater recharge / Climate change / Water conservation
Record No:H052239
Report
Policies / Governance / Knowledge sharing / Training / Capacity development / Stakeholders / Business models / Reuse / Resource recovery / Briquettes / Organic wastes / Waste management / Value chains / Innovation / Bioeconomy / Circular economy
Record No:H052599
Circular Bioeconomy Innovation Hub: the case of Ghana. Annual report 2023
In response to the escalating waste management challenges triggered by rapid urbanization and its effects on resource use and the environment a Circular Bioeconomy Innovation Hub (CBE-IH) has been set-up in Ghana, under the leadership and facilitation of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with the support of CGIAR Initiatives Resilient Cities and Nature Positive Solutions. Operating within the organic waste to resource value chain, the CBE-IH operates on co-ownership principles with 16 stakeholders from the public and private sectors, research institutions, NGOs, and the education sector. With jointly defined objectives and workplan, the co-owners have joined forces, contributing resources for co-design and co-implementation to achieve shared impact.; Beyond being a showcase of circular bioeconomy innovations, the CBE-IH serves as a one-stop-shop for training, advisory, demonstration, and research. It unites key stakeholders in the circular bioeconomy space for accelerated progress aimed at nurturing and advancing the development of new and accessible innovations. To achieve this, five strategic operational areas have been defined for activity development and implementation. These areas aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of circular bioeconomy value chain actors, improve competencies, nurturing change champions, integrating circular concepts into school curricula, and promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders.; Fueling these initiatives is a resource pooling strategy from co-owners, where the hub has amassed an array of resources, including training centers with associated expertise, meeting venues, and demonstration sites. This strategy has culminated in the formation of a team comprising 41 trainers. These trainers possess cross-cutting expertise in 12 specialized areas central to the circular bioeconomy domain, encompassing everything from product development and production to business and financial model development, green financing strategies, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, quality management, health and safety, innovation scaling, and gender diversity and inclusion. But what sets the CBE-IH apart is delivery training beyond virtual platforms. The hubapos;s innovative approach extends to practical, hands-on sessions conducted at its 7 quot;living labsquot; across the country, hosted by co-owning circular economy businesses. These living labs provide practical settings, facilitating hands-on training on the transformation of organic waste into safe compost, co-compost (with fecal sludge), briquettes, biochar, biogas, black soldier fly cultivation for animal feed, and innovative ventures like aquaculture in symbiosis with wastewater treatment plants.; Despite launching in mid-2023, the CBE-IH has already facilitated knowledge transfer training for representatives from five institutions in the operationalization of a 1000-ton/year non-carbonized briquette machine. Additionally, resource recove
Policies / Governance / Knowledge sharing / Training / Capacity development / Stakeholders / Business models / Reuse / Resource recovery / Briquettes / Organic wastes / Waste management / Value chains / Innovation / Bioeconomy / Circular economy
Record No:H052599
Report
Value chains / Technical aid / Innovation / Agribusiness / Agrifood systems
Record No:H052597
CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator: kick-off and onboarding workshop - complementary report on reflections on the accelerator and technical assistance design and implementation, Kigali, Rwanda, 22-24 February 2023
Food system accelerators are programs that support agribusinesses in scaling their innovations to address the challenges and opportunities in food and agriculture systems. They typically provide a combination of technical assistance, mentoring, networking, and access to finance to help agribusinesses grow and achieve positive social and environmental impact.; Food system accelerators are emerging as a promising approach to foster climate-smart innovation and transformation in agri-food systems, especially in developing regions where climate change, population growth, food insecurity, and malnutrition pose serious threats. Climate-smart innovation can enhance the efficiency, resilience, transparency, and inclusiveness of agri-food value chains, as well as improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and consumers.; However, scaling climate-smart innovations in agri-food systems is not easy. It requires a deep understanding of the complex and dynamic context of agri-food systems, as well as the needs and preferences of different actors and stakeholders. It also requires collaboration and coordination among various actors, such as researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, extension agents, and end-users. Moreover, it requires overcoming various barriers and risks, such as lack of infrastructure, skills, data, regulation, trust, and financing.; To address these challenges, food system accelerators leverage the expertise and network of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR has a portfolio of innovations that span various domains of agri-food systems, such as crop improvement, livestock production, natural resource management, nutrition, gender, policy, and markets. CGIAR also has a strong presence and partnership in many developing countries where agri-food systems face the most pressing problems.; One example of a food system accelerator is the CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator Programme (FSA), launched in partnership with 2SCALE in 2022. The FSA aims to support at least 30 agribusinesses in East and Southern Africa by 2024 with scaled-up climate-smart innovations that support diversification, intensification, and risk management of maize mixed systems. The FSA provides tailor-made support to selected agribusinesses under four priority innovation themes: mechanization and irrigation, conservation agriculture, nutrition-sensitive climate-smart agriculture, and agricultural risk management. The FSA also offers de-risking grants and matchmaking with private investors for follow-on capital.; In February 2023, CGIAR FSA organized the initiation workshop for the first successful group of startup businesses at Norrsken House, Kigali, Rwanda.; This report has its focus on participants’ reflections on the food system accelerator process and the way forward.
Value chains / Technical aid / Innovation / Agribusiness / Agrifood systems
Record No:H052597
Report
Stakeholders / Sustainable Development Goals / Resilience / Food security / Water management / Communities / Refugees / Peacebuilding / Stability / Migration / Conflicts / Fragility
Record No:H052598
Stability-and-peace accelerator: concept note
For the 1.5 billion people living in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings (FCAs), livelihood challenges and rising food, fertilizer, and input prices are compounded by climate change, unsustainable resource consumption, poor governance, and weak social cohesion. Economic disruptions, such as those caused by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, are sparking the risk of food and nutrition crises and poverty and conflict traps. Global hunger, remained relatively unchanged from 2021 to 2022 but is still far above pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels, affecting around 9.2 percent of the world population in 2022 compared with 7.9 percent in 2019. It is estimated that between 691 and 783 million people in the world faced hunger in 2022. Considering the midrange (about 735 million), 122 million more people faced hunger in 2022 than in 2019, before the global pandemic.; The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, research-for-development organization, with offices in 15 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 55 countries. For over three decades, our research results have led to changes in water management that have contributed to social and economic development. IWMI’s vision is a water-secure world. IWMI targets water and land management challenges faced by poor communities in developing countries, and through this contributes towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of reducing poverty and hunger and maintaining a sustainable environment.; Based on evidence and knowledge drawn from our science, innovative technologies and testing of business models, IWMI works with governments, policymakers, farmers, civil society, water managers, development partners and businesses to solve water problems and scale up solutions. Through partnerships, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth.; IWMI’s value proposition is unique. It rests on a track record of more than 30 years of rigorous, solutions-oriented water management research, built on long term partnerships at local, country and regional levels, and a sustained field presence across Africa and Asia. IWMI brings a robust and growing track record in implementing evidence-based agribusiness accelerator programs targeted at scaling agrifood system innovations in Africa. IWMI has pioneered and expanded methods around science-driven business acceleration and scaling in multilateral projects as well as the OneCG portfolio (AICCRA, Ukama Ustawi, WE4F) and is adapting the end-to-end methodology to scale CGIAR research innovation, tools and knowledge through private sector innovators in a humanitarian, development and peace context.; IWMI is also a Research Center of CGIAR, the world’s largest agri
Stakeholders / Sustainable Development Goals / Resilience / Food security / Water management / Communities / Refugees / Peacebuilding / Stability / Migration / Conflicts / Fragility
Record No:H052598
Report
Training / Conservation agriculture / Strategies / Innovation scaling / Inclusion / Gender
Record No:H052595
Responsible gender scaling strategies for mechanized conservation agriculture innovation packages in Zimbabwe. Highlights from the GenderUp Workshop, Harare, Zimbabwe, 8 August 2023
The Ukama Ustawi Initiative WP5 (Empower amp; Engage) facilitated a GenderUp workshop in collaboration with Wageningen University and UC Davis in Harare, Zimbabwe at the Monomotapa Hotel on August 8, 2023. The workshop was a follow-up to the WP1 innovation scaling readiness workshop on Mechanized Conservation Agriculture (CA) that took place in June 2023. The workshop brought together the Ukama Ustawi WP1 team (on mechanized CA) and stakeholders engaged in CA from the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO, USAID, Community Technology Development Trust, researchers, and Canadian Food Grains Bank/ Tearfund in Zimbabwe to scale the use of mechanized CA from a gender lens. Presentations were done by WP1 on mechanized CA led by Dr. Blessing Mhlanga from CIMMYT and from WP5 by Dr Everisto Mapedza (IWMI). Dr Ojong Enokenwa Baa from WP5 (IWMI) facilitated the GenderUp session. The main objective was to provide scaling partners and stakeholders with a conversational method for designing responsible scaling strategies in a particular context where they operate using the GenderUp strategy.
Training / Conservation agriculture / Strategies / Innovation scaling / Inclusion / Gender
Record No:H052595
Report
Policies / Bibliometric analysis / Frameworks / Sustainability / Climate change mitigation / Reservoirs / Hydropower / Estimation / Greenhouse gas emissions
Record No:H052593
The greenhouse gas emissions estimates of hydropower reservoirs in Vietnam using G-res Tool: bridging climate change mitigation with sustainability frameworks
Quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hydropower reservoirs is linked with national and international sustainability objectives. Deploying scalable and effective cloud-based technologies improves the accessibility, reproducibility, and timeliness of the quantification process. This novel strategy promotes global sustainability in the hydropower industry while making it easier to comply with environmental regulations. It can promote informed decision-making, increase transparency, and expedite the transition to clean energy sources. Considering the use of cloud computing in GHG quantification can support global efforts to mitigate climate change and advance the development of hydropower systems into more sustainable global infrastructure. Earth Observation (EO) data with cloud computing facilities such as Google Earth Engine (GEE) and G-res (an online tool by the International Hydropower Association) can help fill in the missing data gaps and calculate GHG emissions from hydropower reservoirs in Vietnam following IPCC recommendations for estimating GHG emissions. Seven hydropower reservoirs (Ban Ve, Binh Dien, Ho Ham Thuan, Ho Hoa Binh, Ho Song Hinh, Thac Ba and Yali) from different parts of Vietnam were selected as test cases for calculating GHG emissions using the G-res tool. The initial results from the analysis show that the Binh Dien reservoir reports the highest GHG aerial emission rate per year, while the lowest has been observed for the Thac Ba reservoir. Similarly, the highest emission rate has been observed for the Ban Ve reservoir, while the lowest has been recorded for the Thac Ba reservoir. The initial results reported here provide an understanding of GHG emissions from the hydropower reservoirs (test cases) and are needed to be verified with the respective reservoir authorities for actual emissions.
Policies / Bibliometric analysis / Frameworks / Sustainability / Climate change mitigation / Reservoirs / Hydropower / Estimation / Greenhouse gas emissions
Record No:H052593
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