Agro-hydrological modelling of regional irrigation water demand

The irrigation sector accounts for over 70% of the total freshwater consumption in the world. Therefore, e cient management of irrigation water is essential to ensure water, food, energy and environmental securities in a sustainable manner; these securities are grand challenges of the 21st century. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the simulation of irrigation water demand at the catchment scale in order to develop improved tools for conducting quantitative planning and climate change studies. Irrigation water demand is mostly driven by soil moisture. It is a state variable which is used to trigger the irrigation in hydrological models. In this study, a hydrolgical model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT) is evaluated for reliably simulating the spatial and temporal patterns of soil moisture at a catchment scale. The SWAT simulated soil moisture was compared with the indirect estimates of soil moisture from Landsat and Time-domain re ectometry (TDR). The results showed that the SWAT simulated soil moisture was comparable with the soil moisture estimated from Landsat and TDR. Secondly, the applicability of the SWAT model was tested for simulating stream ow, evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation water demand for four di erent agro-climatic zones (Mediterranean, Subtropical monsoon, Humid, and Tropical). Two di erent irrigation scheduling techniques were used to simulate irrigation namely, soil water de cit and plant water demand. It was seen from the results that the SWAT simulated irrigation amounts under soil moisture irrigation scheduling technique were close to the irrigation statistics provided by the state. However, the irrigation amounts simulated under the plant water demand irrigation scheduling technique were underestimated. Additionally, the two reanalysis data were also used to check the data uncertainty in simulating irrigation water demand. SWAT model code was modi ed by incorporating modi ed root density distribution function and dynamic stress factor. The modi ed model was used to simulate irrigation and crop yield. It was tested against the irrigation and crop yield simulated by Soil Water Atmosphere Plant (SWAP) model and eld data (Hamerstorf, Lower Saxony, Germany). It was then validated for di erent catchments (Germany, India and Vietnam). The results showed that the SWAT simulated irrigation water demand in case of plant water demand is comparable with the amount simulated by the model under soil water de cit irrigation scheduling technique. This dissertation not only bridges the gap between the scales of soil moisture determination but also establishes a close connection with the actual observations and modelled soil moisture and irrigation amounts at the eld, regional and global studies in agricultural water management. Additionally, the studies about simulating irrigation water requirement in data-scarce areas must address data uncertainty when using reanalysis data. It was found that rainfall is not always the dominant variable in irrigation simulation. Therefore, it is worth checking and bias correct the other climate variables

Consequences of climate change on resilience of the food production system in Marchfeld, Vienna Region

Das Konzept der Resilienz gewinnt an Akzeptanz und wird zunehmend in sozial-ökologischen Studien angewendet um die Anpassungsfähigkeit, die Pufferfähigkeit und die Lernfähigkeit der im System befindlichen Akteure unter sich ändernden Rahmenbedingungen zu analysieren. Im Rahmen des interdisziplinären Forschungsprojektes „Klimawandel und regionale Nachhaltigkeit“ zwischen der Universität Wien, Department für Ernährungswissenschaften und der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Institut für Regional- und Umweltwirtschaft wurde die Resilienz des landwirtschaftlichen Kleinproduktionsgebietes Marchfeld in Hinblick auf den Klimawandel untersucht. Dabei wurde das integrative Nachhaltigkeitsmodell EASEY verwendet, welches ehemals für die Nachhaltigkeitsleistung börsennotierter Unternehmen entwickelt wurde. Mittels umfassender Literaturrecherche zur Lebensmittelwirtschaft im Marchfeld und auf der Basis von regelmäßig durchgeführten Gruppendiskussionen innerhalb der Forschungsgruppe wurde das EASEY Modell grundlegend an die Bedürfnisse regionaler Untersuchungen angepasst. In dieser Diplomarbeit wurde näher auf die drei Dimensionen „Prozesse“, „Anspruchsgruppen“ und „Ziele“ des EASEY Modells eingegangen und die Bezugsquellen konkretisiert. In weiterer Folge wurde ein neuer Satz von wirtschaftlichen, sozialen und ökologischen Indikatoren entwickelt, der auf die bereits vorhandenen Indikatoren des EASEY Modells zurückgreift, diese jedoch passend zur Bedarfslage durch Indikatoren aus der lokalen Datenrecherche sowie mit verhaltensbezogenen Indikatoren aus der Literatur ergänzt. Anschließend konnte die Situation der Marchfelder Lebensmittelwirtschaft anhand des Datensatzes beleuchtet und mit passenden Daten für Österreich verglichen werden. Die Ergebnisse weisen deutlich darauf hin, dass die Lebensmittelproduktion im Marchfeld profitabel, innovativ gestaltet und den wirtschaftlichen, gesellschaftlichen und ökologischen Herausforderungen gewachsen ist. Daher und aufgrund der bereits durchgeführten Anpassungsmaßnahmen (nicht zuletzt der beinahe flächendeckend vorhandenen Bewässerungssysteme) kann die Region hinsichtlich des Klimawandels derzeit als weitgehend resilient bezeichnet werden.The concept of resilience is increasingly being used to assess sustainability of social-ecological systems in case of disturbances or threats with the focus on adaptability, buffer capacity and self-organisation. In the context of an interdisciplinary research project “Climate Change and Regional Sustainability” between the University of Vienna, Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Institute for Regional- and Environmental Economics and Management, resilience of food production area Marchfeld with respect to climate change was analyzed by means of the integrative model EASEY, which was formerly developed to visualize sustainability performance of companies quoted on the stock exchanges. Via comprehensive literature research on the food system Marchfeld and frequently conducted group discussions within the project staff, the EASEY model was basically adjusted for regional assessments. Within this thesis, the single dimensions of EASEY, namely process-, stakeholder- and goal dimension were put in concrete terms. Further, a new set of economic, social and ecological indicators was developed, based on already existing indicators of EASEY, behaviour-based indicators from literature- which allow less precise metrics but comprehensive analysis – and indicators, derived from data research. By means of these indicators, situation in Marchfeld was compared with condition in Austria and then resilience of the food production area Marchfeld evaluated. Results clearly indicate that agricultural food production in Marchfeld is characterised by innovative, adaptive and profitable land-use management and can widely be termed resilient in case of climate change due to the possibility of irrigation and attributes mentioned before

The Fusarium Mycotoxins in Finnish Cereal Grains : How to Control and Manage the Risk

The central goal of grain cultivation is the production of high-quality food or feed-related raw materials for the processing industry. Management of Fusarium mycotoxins in Finnish cereal grains have a direct impact on human and animal health, and the confidence in a safe and healthy domestic cereals and cereal products. Fusarium fungi and head blight have always emerged in Finland after rainy and poor summer weather conditions. During the 1960s and 1970s the spectrum of Fusarium species and the ability of the fungi to produce mycotoxins in domestic grain were subject to extensive investigation. The summer of 1987 was again very rainy and cold, and there was abundant and even visible occurrence of Fusarium head blight in grains. A decade passed, and another very rainy and cold summer was encountered in 1998. The last straw of the risk of mycotoxins in magnitude was the summers 2012 and 2013. Even up to a quarter and a fifth of domestic oats in grain trading, respectively, were not accepted for food use because of DON concentrations exceeded the EU limit. The aims of the present study were to produce updated information of Fusarium species, and to define the changes in Fusarium mycotoxins in Finnish cereal grains in the years 1987-2014. Another important aims were to determine the basis of the toxin contents and agronomic factors behind the studied samples how to control and manage the Fusarium mycotoxin risk, and to predict by modeling the magnitude of the mycotoxin risk. According to the results, the most common Fusarium species in Finnish cereal grains were F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae. When compared to previous studies from the 1970s and 1980s to the present day in Finland, a clear conclusion was drawn that during these years F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae have come strongly into the picture. The number of exceptionally high DON concentrations and also the contents and positive findings of T-2 and HT-2 toxins have increased in Finland. The following important control and management factors were emphasized: pay attention to the quality of seed and seed dressing; rotation - repeated cultivation of cereals is not recommended; careful timing of harvest and harvest drying - moisture content < 14 %; introduction of rapid test methods and sorting technology at farm level, and last but not least, minimize the risks of toxins by cultivation. Industrial sorting and dehulling reduced the DON, T-2+HT-2 and 3-AcDON levels in oat samples by 75–91%, 87 %, and 67–91%, respectively. In the near future, increased collaboration among farmers, researchers, the grain processing industry and consumers is needed. Especially, there is a significant need to increase the competitiveness and cost-effectiveness of grain farming in the specialization of national and international markets, and make producers committed to the production of quality grains, novel utilization of by-products and recycling of nutrients. Among the cereals investigated, oats is the most susceptible to Fusarium infestation and the production of Fusarium mycotoxins in Finland. The market is eagerly looking for new high-yielding varieties capable of preventing Fusarium infestation and having low levels of mycotoxins.Viljan alkutuotannon tärkein tavoite on korkealaatuisen raaka-aineen tuottaminen elintarvike- ja rehuteollisuuden, kotieläintuotannon sekä muiden loppukäyttäjien tarpeisiin. Viljojen hometoksiinien hallinnalla varmistetaan kuluttajien ja eläinten hyvinvointi sekä luottamus turvalliseen ja terveelliseen kotimaiseen viljaan ja viljatuotteisiin. Fusarium -sienet ja punahomeet ovat Suomessa nousseet esiin aina sateisten ja kosteiden sääolosuhteiden jälkeen. 1960- ja 1970 -luvuilla havaittiin, että punahomeet heikentävät jyvien kehitystä, alentavat itävyyttä, aiheuttavat tyvitauteja ja tähkäfusarioosia. Vuosi 1987 oli hyvin sateinen ja kylmä kesä ja punahometta esiintyi viljoissa runsaasti. Kului vuosikymmen, ja koettiin jälleen erittäin sateinen ja kylmä kesä vuonna 1998. Sateinen kesä 2012 oli myös hyvin poikkeuksellinen. Toksiinitasot kohosivat ja kaurasadosta neljännes ei viljan vastaanotossa täyttänyt elintarvikeviljalle säädettyjä suurimpia sallittuja DON-pitoisuuksia. Vuosi 2013 oli lähes yhtä huono hometoksiinien osalta; viidennes kauraeristä ei täyttänyt DONin osalta elintarvikeviljalle säädettyjä enimmäispitoisuuksia. Tämä nosti riskin hallinnan työkalut erityiseen tarkkailuun. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa ajantasainen tieto suomalaisen viljan Fusarium - sienten lajikirjosta, sekä selvittää viljojen hometoksiinien pitoisuuksien muutokset aikavälillä 1987– 2014. Lisäksi erityisenä tavoitteena oli tutkia miten hometoksiinien muodostumista viljoissa voidaan estää ja hallita eri viljelyteknisillä toimenpiteillä ja mallintamalla. Yleisimmät Fusarium -sienet suomalaisessa viljassa olivat F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides ja F. langsethiae. Kun verrataan näitä tuloksia Fusarium -lajikirjoon 1970-luvulla ja 1980-luvulla, niin selkeästi F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides ja F. langsethiae ovat nousseet vahvoiksi Fusarium -toksiinien tuottajiksi 2000 -luvulla. Nämä muutokset näkyvät myös korkeiden DON -toksinipitoisuuksien määrän - ja T-2+HT-2 toksiinien pitoisuustasojen kasvussa sekä positiivisten löydösten lisääntymisessä. Tärkeimmät riskinhallinnan työkalut ovat siemenen kunnostus ja peittaus, viljelykierto, puintiajankohdan valinta, ja puidun sadon nopea ja huolellinen kuivatus alle 14 %:iin; pikamittausten ja lajittelun käyttöönotto tilatasolla sekä panostaminen elinvoimaisen ja satoisan kasvuston aikaansaamiseksi. Lajittelulla ja kuorinnalla kauranäytteiden DON-, T-2+HT-2- ja 3- AcDON-pitoisuudet alenivat 75–91 %, 87 % ja 67–91 % vastaavassa järjestyksessä. Merkittävä tarve on lisätä viljan viljelijöiden kilpailukykyä ja kustannustehokkuutta erikoistuvilla kansallisilla ja kansainvälisillä markkinoilla sekä sitouttaa viljelijät laatuviljan tuotantoon, sivuvirtojen uuteen hyödyntämiseen ja ravinteiden kierrätykseen. Kaikista tutkituista viljanäytteistä kaura oli herkin Fusarium -sienten tartunnalle ja Fusarium -toksiinien muodostumiselle. Tulevaisuuden viljamarkkinat odottavat herkeämättä uusia satoisia Fusarium - kestäviä lajikkeita.Siirretty Doriast

Changing Deserts

Deserts – vast, empty places where time appears to stand still. The very word conjures images of endless seas of sand, blistering heat and a virtual absence of life. However, deserts encompass a large variety of landscapes and life beyond our stereotypes. As well as magnificent Saharan dunes under blazing sun, the desert concept encompasses the intensely cold winters of the Gobi, the snow-covered expanse of Antarctica and the rock-strewn drylands of Pakistan. Deserts are environments in perpetual flux and home to peoples as diverse as their surroundings, peoples who grapple with a broad spectrum of cultural, political and environmental issues as they wrest livelihoods from marginal lands. The cultures, environments and histories of deserts, while fundamentally entangled, are rarely studied as part of a network. To bring different disciplines together, the 1st Oxford Interdisciplinary Deserts Conference in March 2010 brought together a wide range of researchers from backgrounds as varied as physics, history, archaeology anthropology, geology and geography. This volume draws on the diversity of papers presented to give an overview of current research in deserts and drylands. Readers are invited to explore the wide range of desert environments and peoples and the ever-evolving challenges they face

Farm household adaptation to climate shocks in Senegal: A microeconometric analysis of strategies and welfare impacts

Households management of climate risks using traditional measures is not only costly but also leads to maladaptation. This research explores the impact of various risk management strategies employed by Senegalese farm households on multiple welfare outcomes such, agriculture incomes and dispersions around income, technical efficiency, and food security

Changing Deserts

Deserts – vast, empty places where time appears to stand still. The very word conjures images of endless seas of sand, blistering heat and a virtual absence of life. However, deserts encompass a large variety of landscapes and life beyond our stereotypes. As well as magnificent Saharan dunes under blazing sun, the desert concept encompasses the intensely cold winters of the Gobi, the snow-covered expanse of Antarctica and the rock-strewn drylands of Pakistan. Deserts are environments in perpetual flux and home to peoples as diverse as their surroundings, peoples who grapple with a broad spectrum of cultural, political and environmental issues as they wrest livelihoods from marginal lands. The cultures, environments and histories of deserts, while fundamentally entangled, are rarely studied as part of a network. To bring different disciplines together, the 1st Oxford Interdisciplinary Deserts Conference in March 2010 brought together a wide range of researchers from backgrounds as varied as physics, history, archaeology anthropology, geology and geography. This volume draws on the diversity of papers presented to give an overview of current research in deserts and drylands. Readers are invited to explore the wide range of desert environments and peoples and the ever-evolving challenges they face

When the Wells Ran Dry: A Treadmill Analysis of Political Capitalism and Environmental Degradation in the Minqin Oasis

My dissertation is a case study examining how changes in land tenure and taxation policies created underdevelopment in the region worst affected by desertification in China: the Minqin oasis in the Gansu province. I argue that the tragedy of the commons occurred due to the significant decline in institutional credibility of land tenure in the oasis, driven by central-local tensions embedded in a tax farming system. My dissertation discusses the concepts of political capitalism and its application to the changing roles of the communist state on resource management during the collective and tax reform eras in China. I first examined the environmental history of the oasis, showing the intricate yet repetitive pattern of interactions between the state extraction policy and the ecology of the oasis from the 14th century to the communist collective era. I then used Weber’s analysis of center-periphery relations to dissect the treadmill of production in a politically-oriented capitalist regime. I show that the institutional disarray in the 1980s created a fiscal crisis that pushed the central government to decentralize public goods provisions. Under constant pressure to increase tax revenues, the unitary bureaucracy intensified the collection of unregulated fees and levies from farmers. They also encouraged cash-cropping in massive land reclamation projects by contracting the rights for use of wastelands and the groundwater underneath. Local state agents prohibited the traditional customs of water-sharing among villagers and operated higher tax rates in mutually cultivated areas as compared to privately reclaimed areas. The disruption of productive relations reduced the institutional credibility of land rights among the peasantry and, together with the ever-increasing need to accumulate capital for industrialized farming, created the homo economicus and corporatist state in the ecological catastrophe. In conclusion, I discuss how the case study of Minqin adds to the vibrant literature about the treadmill of accumulation theory in environmental sociology, and the impact of institutional transformation in post-socialist societies on nature is also discussed. The data came from an 18 month-long ethnography, 157 oral history interviews conducted with three generations of peasants living in the Minqin oasis, and 7,237 policy documents gathered from provincial and county record offices in northwestern China. Data gathering was completed in 2013