This Excel file includes the location (lat, lon) of 196 CGIAR research stations in 54 countries, ... more This Excel file includes the location (lat, lon) of 196 CGIAR research stations in 54 countries, managed by 10 Centers/Alliance. Data was collected in July 2020.
The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Food... more The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) data product provides cropland extent data of the globe for nominal year 2015 at 30 meter resolution. The monitoring of global cropland extent is critical for policymaking and provides important baseline data that are used in many agricultural cropland studies pertaining to water sustainability and food security. The GFSAD30 Validation (GFSAD30VAL) data product provides a thorough and independent accuracy assessment and validation of the cropland extent products produced for each of the seven regions. Each GFSAD30VAL shapefile contains information on sample locations, presence of cropland or no cropland, and the zones that were randomly selected for accuracy assessment across the globe.
Land degradation and the associated soil acidity are critical challenge for crop production in Et... more Land degradation and the associated soil acidity are critical challenge for crop production in Ethiopian highlands. Since liming is expensive, farmers have developed an alternative agroforestry system by integrating Acacia decurrens into their landscapes. The expansion rate of this system was assessed over the last three decades. The effects of the agroforestry system and charcoal-making kiln sites on soil properties were investigated for over five years compared to the adjacent croplands. Soil samples were collected from A. decurrens plantations, kiln sites, and adjacent croplands at 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil depths. In the last 30 years, the plantation and croplands increased by 8% and 17.5%, respectively, compared to the land-use system in 1993, mainly at the expense of grassland and abandoned land. The main incentive for expansion of A. decurrens plantations was farmers’ income generated from charcoal making. This intervention also improved soil properties with a significantly positive effect on soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and available Bray phosphorus (Bray-P) compared to the adjacent croplands. Results revealed that the SOC content in year 2 increased significantly (1.3–1.7 times) under A. decurrens plantation compared to adjacent crop fields. Moreover, soil pH increased by one unit on charcoal-making fields, which was equivalent to application of 4–5 t lime ha −1 , while SOC increased by ~ 10% on kiln sites compared to the control. Charcoal making kiln spots increased available soil phosphorus by 112% compared to the adjacent non-kiln sites. The Bray- P was strongly and significantly ( P < 0.05) correlated (r = 0.75) with soil pH. We conclude that integrating A. decurrens- based agroforestry practices would improve livelihoods by restoring degraded lands, improving income generation and carbon sequestration.
Polymeric materials play an essential and ubiquitous role in modern societies, but they are inevi... more Polymeric materials play an essential and ubiquitous role in modern societies, but they are inevitably damaged during service, which can lead to compromised performance or even direct failure. The sensitive detection and dynamic monitoring of the health states of polymers is thus crucial to increase their reliability, safety, and lifetime. Herein, a facile fluorescence-based approach that can achieve the nondestructive, on-site, real-time, full-field, and sensitive visualization and monitoring of damaging-healing processes of polymers is demonstrated. By embedding novel UV-blocking microcapsules containing a diisocyanate solution of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) into a polymer matrix, the damaged regions of the composite show turn-on fluorescence and dual signal changes in both fluorescence intensity and fluorescence color can be observed during the healing processes. The invisible information of the static health states and dynamic healing processes can be direc...
The majority Indian rural households depend for their livelihoods on the productivity of the farm... more The majority Indian rural households depend for their livelihoods on the productivity of the farming systems. Almost universally, the yield gap between potential and achieved productivity is large, water and nutrient use efficiency is low and land degradation can be widely observed (Lobell et al. 2009, Conklin & Stilwell 2007). Also in the States of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh livelihoods of around 65% of the rural population depend on agriculture and related activities. A large share of them are smallholder farmers with often low and unstable crop and livestock productivity. At the same time, land degradation is a major concern also driven by changing cropping patterns. Overall, there has been a steady decline in the area under water efficient crops like groundnut, pigeon pea and other millets. The area under rice and cotton has increased in the recent decades mainly owing to the (over)exploitation of groundwater. Besides, there is indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and ...
This briefing note summarizes the key findings of the “Scaling up climate-smart agriculture in th... more This briefing note summarizes the key findings of the “Scaling up climate-smart agriculture in the Telangana State” project, carried out by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and partners, between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017. This project was carried out with the financial support of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Partners involved in the execution of this project were: the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD); the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI); the CGIAR Research Program on Climate change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU); Department of Agriculture, Government of Telangana and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-...
Rice productivity and sustainability are continually threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly... more Rice productivity and sustainability are continually threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly in the era of global climate change. In severe cases, 100% yield loss can be experienced due solely to abiotic stresses, such as drought. The situation may become worse due to climate change that may multiply the frequency and severity of such abiotic stresses. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop improved varieties that are more resilient to abiotic stresses. This study examines the net economic benefit and potential economic impacts of developing and disseminating a drought tolerant rice variety in South Asia. Drought is one of the most destructive abiotic stresses that not only causes major rice yield losses in South Asia, but also in other parts of Asia and Africa. Using the ORYZA2000 crop simulation model, we demonstrate that the new variety can provide yield gains in South Asia both when there is no change in the climate and also under the different climate scenarios projecte...
The South Asian dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems have been exhibiting considerable agricul... more The South Asian dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems have been exhibiting considerable agricultural production system changes. In fact, today, there are scientific consensus that this nature of agricultural production system enables it to capture market, technologies and environmental opportunities. Pressing concerns are, however, adverse environmental trade-offs that these changes are experiencing and therefore the challenges toward a resilient agricultural production system. This is particularly important in arid and semi-arid ecosystems which are resources constrained and thus more vulnerable: for example to climate change. To stimulate and revive a debate in agricultural research circles, this paper demonstrates the magnitude of major changes, their drivers and environmental implications in context to agricultural production systems in drylands of South Asia. As an example we selected districts representing different dryland agricultural production systems in western Rajastha...
Climate change has resulted in food insecurity for the majority of farming communities in the Sud... more Climate change has resulted in food insecurity for the majority of farming communities in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali. In this paper, we present a methodology for scaling climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies such as Contour Bunding (CB), Microdosing (MD), Intercropping (IC), Zaï pits, and Adapted crop Variety (AV) treatments, and evaluated their contribution to smallholder households’ food self-sufficiency. We used the participatory technology selection method and on-farm demonstration in order to tackle farm-related constraints. The study found that there has been a major shift in the spatial distribution of land use/land cover (LULC) classes between 2016 and 2020. About 25% of the areas changed from other land use/land cover to cropland. Crop yields obtained from CSA-treated fields were significantly higher than yields from farmers’ practice (FP). The application of CSA technologies resulted in millet yield increases by 51%, 35%, and 23% with contour bunding (CB), mic...
A study conducted in two wards of Tharaka Nithi subcounty in Kenya documented the impact of using... more A study conducted in two wards of Tharaka Nithi subcounty in Kenya documented the impact of using photovoice as a learning tool to build awareness about diets in order to influence behavior change, as well as a method to measure dietary intake. After a year's nutrition awareness drive using Smart Food branding, in the intervention area, a total of 60 participants from intervention and control areas were identified for the photovoice exercise. The analysis showed household and women's dietary diversity scores to be higher in the intervention group by 35% and 45%, respectively. An estimate of nutrient intake revealed a higher intake of calories, protein, calcium, iron and zinc ranging from 70% to 205% in the intervention group. Qualitative feedback on the photovoice approach reflected increased nutrition awareness and behavior change. Results showed the efficacy of the approach in evaluating diets while simultaneously improving participants' realization of what they were consuming using images captured and a one-on-one discussion with nutritionists. The improvement in dietary diversity scores reflected the effectiveness of this creative participatory and branded approach in imparting a strong message on and enthusiasm for learning about nutrition, resulting in behavior change.
Afar in Ethiopia is a drought prone area characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and suff... more Afar in Ethiopia is a drought prone area characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and suffering from flash flood emerging from adjacent mountains. We introduced a flood barrier, water spreading weirs (WSWs) in 2015 to convert floods to a productive use and assessed its effect in 2016 and 2017. WSWs resulted in deposition of sediments where sand deposition was higher in the upside of upstream weir whereas silt and clay deposition was prominent at the central location between the two weirs. There was a moisture gradient across farming fields with volumetric water content (VWC) at 20 cm depth varying between 10 and 22% depending on the relative position/distance of fields from the WSWs, consequently, effecting significant difference in yield between fields. There was a positive relationship between VWC made available by WSWs at planting and the yield (P < 0.001, r = 0.76) and biomass productivity (P < 0.005, r = 0.46). WSWs created differing farming zone following soil moi...
This Excel file includes the location (lat, lon) of 196 CGIAR research stations in 54 countries, ... more This Excel file includes the location (lat, lon) of 196 CGIAR research stations in 54 countries, managed by 10 Centers/Alliance. Data was collected in July 2020.
The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Food... more The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) data product provides cropland extent data of the globe for nominal year 2015 at 30 meter resolution. The monitoring of global cropland extent is critical for policymaking and provides important baseline data that are used in many agricultural cropland studies pertaining to water sustainability and food security. The GFSAD30 Validation (GFSAD30VAL) data product provides a thorough and independent accuracy assessment and validation of the cropland extent products produced for each of the seven regions. Each GFSAD30VAL shapefile contains information on sample locations, presence of cropland or no cropland, and the zones that were randomly selected for accuracy assessment across the globe.
Land degradation and the associated soil acidity are critical challenge for crop production in Et... more Land degradation and the associated soil acidity are critical challenge for crop production in Ethiopian highlands. Since liming is expensive, farmers have developed an alternative agroforestry system by integrating Acacia decurrens into their landscapes. The expansion rate of this system was assessed over the last three decades. The effects of the agroforestry system and charcoal-making kiln sites on soil properties were investigated for over five years compared to the adjacent croplands. Soil samples were collected from A. decurrens plantations, kiln sites, and adjacent croplands at 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil depths. In the last 30 years, the plantation and croplands increased by 8% and 17.5%, respectively, compared to the land-use system in 1993, mainly at the expense of grassland and abandoned land. The main incentive for expansion of A. decurrens plantations was farmers’ income generated from charcoal making. This intervention also improved soil properties with a significantly positive effect on soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and available Bray phosphorus (Bray-P) compared to the adjacent croplands. Results revealed that the SOC content in year 2 increased significantly (1.3–1.7 times) under A. decurrens plantation compared to adjacent crop fields. Moreover, soil pH increased by one unit on charcoal-making fields, which was equivalent to application of 4–5 t lime ha −1 , while SOC increased by ~ 10% on kiln sites compared to the control. Charcoal making kiln spots increased available soil phosphorus by 112% compared to the adjacent non-kiln sites. The Bray- P was strongly and significantly ( P < 0.05) correlated (r = 0.75) with soil pH. We conclude that integrating A. decurrens- based agroforestry practices would improve livelihoods by restoring degraded lands, improving income generation and carbon sequestration.
Polymeric materials play an essential and ubiquitous role in modern societies, but they are inevi... more Polymeric materials play an essential and ubiquitous role in modern societies, but they are inevitably damaged during service, which can lead to compromised performance or even direct failure. The sensitive detection and dynamic monitoring of the health states of polymers is thus crucial to increase their reliability, safety, and lifetime. Herein, a facile fluorescence-based approach that can achieve the nondestructive, on-site, real-time, full-field, and sensitive visualization and monitoring of damaging-healing processes of polymers is demonstrated. By embedding novel UV-blocking microcapsules containing a diisocyanate solution of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) into a polymer matrix, the damaged regions of the composite show turn-on fluorescence and dual signal changes in both fluorescence intensity and fluorescence color can be observed during the healing processes. The invisible information of the static health states and dynamic healing processes can be direc...
The majority Indian rural households depend for their livelihoods on the productivity of the farm... more The majority Indian rural households depend for their livelihoods on the productivity of the farming systems. Almost universally, the yield gap between potential and achieved productivity is large, water and nutrient use efficiency is low and land degradation can be widely observed (Lobell et al. 2009, Conklin & Stilwell 2007). Also in the States of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh livelihoods of around 65% of the rural population depend on agriculture and related activities. A large share of them are smallholder farmers with often low and unstable crop and livestock productivity. At the same time, land degradation is a major concern also driven by changing cropping patterns. Overall, there has been a steady decline in the area under water efficient crops like groundnut, pigeon pea and other millets. The area under rice and cotton has increased in the recent decades mainly owing to the (over)exploitation of groundwater. Besides, there is indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and ...
This briefing note summarizes the key findings of the “Scaling up climate-smart agriculture in th... more This briefing note summarizes the key findings of the “Scaling up climate-smart agriculture in the Telangana State” project, carried out by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and partners, between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017. This project was carried out with the financial support of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Partners involved in the execution of this project were: the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD); the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI); the CGIAR Research Program on Climate change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU); Department of Agriculture, Government of Telangana and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-...
Rice productivity and sustainability are continually threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly... more Rice productivity and sustainability are continually threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly in the era of global climate change. In severe cases, 100% yield loss can be experienced due solely to abiotic stresses, such as drought. The situation may become worse due to climate change that may multiply the frequency and severity of such abiotic stresses. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop improved varieties that are more resilient to abiotic stresses. This study examines the net economic benefit and potential economic impacts of developing and disseminating a drought tolerant rice variety in South Asia. Drought is one of the most destructive abiotic stresses that not only causes major rice yield losses in South Asia, but also in other parts of Asia and Africa. Using the ORYZA2000 crop simulation model, we demonstrate that the new variety can provide yield gains in South Asia both when there is no change in the climate and also under the different climate scenarios projecte...
The South Asian dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems have been exhibiting considerable agricul... more The South Asian dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems have been exhibiting considerable agricultural production system changes. In fact, today, there are scientific consensus that this nature of agricultural production system enables it to capture market, technologies and environmental opportunities. Pressing concerns are, however, adverse environmental trade-offs that these changes are experiencing and therefore the challenges toward a resilient agricultural production system. This is particularly important in arid and semi-arid ecosystems which are resources constrained and thus more vulnerable: for example to climate change. To stimulate and revive a debate in agricultural research circles, this paper demonstrates the magnitude of major changes, their drivers and environmental implications in context to agricultural production systems in drylands of South Asia. As an example we selected districts representing different dryland agricultural production systems in western Rajastha...
Climate change has resulted in food insecurity for the majority of farming communities in the Sud... more Climate change has resulted in food insecurity for the majority of farming communities in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali. In this paper, we present a methodology for scaling climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies such as Contour Bunding (CB), Microdosing (MD), Intercropping (IC), Zaï pits, and Adapted crop Variety (AV) treatments, and evaluated their contribution to smallholder households’ food self-sufficiency. We used the participatory technology selection method and on-farm demonstration in order to tackle farm-related constraints. The study found that there has been a major shift in the spatial distribution of land use/land cover (LULC) classes between 2016 and 2020. About 25% of the areas changed from other land use/land cover to cropland. Crop yields obtained from CSA-treated fields were significantly higher than yields from farmers’ practice (FP). The application of CSA technologies resulted in millet yield increases by 51%, 35%, and 23% with contour bunding (CB), mic...
A study conducted in two wards of Tharaka Nithi subcounty in Kenya documented the impact of using... more A study conducted in two wards of Tharaka Nithi subcounty in Kenya documented the impact of using photovoice as a learning tool to build awareness about diets in order to influence behavior change, as well as a method to measure dietary intake. After a year's nutrition awareness drive using Smart Food branding, in the intervention area, a total of 60 participants from intervention and control areas were identified for the photovoice exercise. The analysis showed household and women's dietary diversity scores to be higher in the intervention group by 35% and 45%, respectively. An estimate of nutrient intake revealed a higher intake of calories, protein, calcium, iron and zinc ranging from 70% to 205% in the intervention group. Qualitative feedback on the photovoice approach reflected increased nutrition awareness and behavior change. Results showed the efficacy of the approach in evaluating diets while simultaneously improving participants' realization of what they were consuming using images captured and a one-on-one discussion with nutritionists. The improvement in dietary diversity scores reflected the effectiveness of this creative participatory and branded approach in imparting a strong message on and enthusiasm for learning about nutrition, resulting in behavior change.
Afar in Ethiopia is a drought prone area characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and suff... more Afar in Ethiopia is a drought prone area characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and suffering from flash flood emerging from adjacent mountains. We introduced a flood barrier, water spreading weirs (WSWs) in 2015 to convert floods to a productive use and assessed its effect in 2016 and 2017. WSWs resulted in deposition of sediments where sand deposition was higher in the upside of upstream weir whereas silt and clay deposition was prominent at the central location between the two weirs. There was a moisture gradient across farming fields with volumetric water content (VWC) at 20 cm depth varying between 10 and 22% depending on the relative position/distance of fields from the WSWs, consequently, effecting significant difference in yield between fields. There was a positive relationship between VWC made available by WSWs at planting and the yield (P < 0.001, r = 0.76) and biomass productivity (P < 0.005, r = 0.46). WSWs created differing farming zone following soil moi...
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