Feed the future aquaculture project: annual report October 2011-Sept 2012

The Feed the Future Aquaculture project is a five year transformative investment in aquaculture focused on 20 southern districts in Barisal, Khulna and Dhaka divisions, Bangladesh. This report describes the achievements of FtF-Aquaculture project activities implemented during FY12. Some of the targets for production and associated income have not been achieved yet as a large share of the fish will be harvested after closing of the reporting period. However, on the basis of growth monitoring, indications are that production is on track to achieve the targets

2017 OFR demonstration site monitoring and analyses: Effects on soil hydrology and salinity, and potential implications on soil oxygen

On-farm recharge (OFR) is a practice that uses surface water to alleviate demand on and replenish groundwater supplies. It can take on two forms: in lieu recharge and direct recharge. In lieu recharge utilizes surface water supplies instead of groundwater to irrigate crops. Direct recharge applies water beyond the needs of the crop and replenishes the groundwater supply. ... The present study examined OFR with grapes, walnuts, and pistachios at six sites in the San Joaquin Valley, plus one additional site from a previous study, also in the San Joaquin Valley. Each site was comprised of a recharge plot that received direct recharge paired with a control plot with the same crop and soil characteristics, but meant to receive in lieu recharge (via the flood system) or drip application with groundwater. At the end of the 2017 recharge demonstration, however, three control plots had also received direct recharge from water applications that exceeded the crop’s water demand. At another site, both control and test plots had only received in lieu recharge due to limited surface water amounts or the host growers’ more conservative volume of water application. ... The present study only covers one season of recharge. Long-term effects of recharge are not described by the present study and will require further monitoring. Further study is needed of the dynamics of soil oxygen during and after recharge events. Similarly, the fate of the water after it infiltrates past the root zone is not always known and the rate at which recharged water will reach an aquifer is seldom known for deep aquifers. A method to predict the fate of water quickly and broadly would be quite helpful in developing an on-farm recharge strategy. The present study does not look at the effects of recharge on soil biological processes, such as microbial respiration and plant oxygen demand. Further study of the recharge tolerance of specific species and rootstocks, as well as the impact on plant disease, is crucial

Case studies of farm demonstration in Norway report 1: Promoting optimal soil culture

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Forever-Fit Summer Camp: The Impact of a 6-Week Summer Healthy Lifestyle Day Camp on Anthropometric, Cardiovascular, and Physical Fitness Measures in Youth With Obesity

Pediatric obesity is a public health concern with lifestyle intervention as the first-line treatment. Forever-Fit Summer Camp (FFSC) is a 6-week summer day program offering physical activity, nutrition education, and well-balanced meals to youth at low cost. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of this program that does not emphasize weight loss rather emphasizes healthy behaviors on body mass index, cardiovascular and physical fitness. Methods: The inclusion criteria were adolescents between 8 and 12 years and body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile. The data were collected at baseline and week 6 (wk-6) and was analyzed for 2013-2018 using paired-sample t tests. Results: The participants' (N = 179) average age was 10.6 ± 1.6 years with a majority of females (71%) and black race/ethnicity (70%). At wk-6, BMI and waist circumference decreased by 0.8 ± 0.7 kg/m2 and 1.0 ± 1.3 in, respectively. Resting heart rate, diastolic and systolic blood pressure decreased by 8.5 ± 11.0 bpm, 6.3 ± 8.8 mmHg, and 6.4 ± 10.1 mmHg, respectively. The number of pushups, curl-ups, and chair squats were higher by 5.8 ± 7.5, 6.7 ± 9.1, and 7.7 ± 8.5, respectively. Conclusion: The FFSC is efficacious for improving BMI, cardiovascular, and physical fitness in the short term. The effect of similar episodic efforts that implement healthy lifestyle modifications throughout the school year should be investigated

Case studies of farm demonstration in Norway report 2: Promoting berry production in plastic tunnels

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On-Farm Flood Capture and Recharge (OFFCR) at an Organic Almond Orchard, Recharge Rates and Soil Profile Responses Groundwater Recharge Project, 2016

Groundwater in much of California’s Central Valley (CV) has been critically over-drafted resulting in the implementation of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). As Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) work to comply with SGMA requirements and timelines, On-Farm Floodwater Capture and Recharge (OFFCR) is being studied to help increase recharge capacity. We implemented an OFFCR test on an organic almond orchard in the CV to assess achievable recharge rates attained through over-irrigation, and potential soil and water quality impacts. Irrigation water was applied via flood irrigation. We developed study sites and installed soil sensors for moisture and salinity monitoring, took post-irrigation deep cores to assess changes in soil and porewater nitrogen and salt concentrations through the vadose zone, and monitored agronomic practices, recharge loading and crop yields. These studies were conducted on three recharge treatments with three replicated stations for each: 1) Control at about 6 inches of flooded water to meet ET as typical for irrigation (Control treatment), 2) Low Flooding of about 12 inches per irrigation application (Mid treatment), and 3) High Flooding of about 24 inches per irrigation application (High treatment)

Wind Field Reconstruction from Nacelle-Mounted Lidars Short Range Measurements

Profiling nacelle lidars probe the wind at several heights and several distances upstream of the rotor. The development of such lidar systems is relatively recent, and it is still unclear how to condense the lidar raw measurements into useful wind field characteristics such as speed, direction, vertical and longitudinal gradients (wind shear). In this paper, we demonstrate an innovative method to estimate wind field characteristics using nacelle lidar measurements taken within the induction zone. Model-fitting wind field reconstruction techniques are applied to nacelle lidar measurements taken at multiple distances close to the rotor, where a wind model is combined with a simple induction model. The method allows robust determination of free-stream wind characteristics. The method was applied to experimental data obtained with two different types of nacelle lidar (five-beam Demonstrator and ZephIR Dual Mode). The reconstructed wind speed was within 0.5 % of the wind speed measured with a mast-top-mounted cup anemometer at 2.5 rotor diameters upstream of the turbine. The technique described in this paper overcomes measurement range limitations of the currently available nacelle lidar technology