Challenges and opportunities to the African agriculture and food systems

Reduction in the proportion of undernourished people worldwide has been achieved despite global population increase. However, the achievement of reducing undernourishment globally was uneven; sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in particular has the least progress. In SSA, agriculture is only slowly changing with actual well below potential yields. Failures in agricultural policies, weak institutions, and poor governance are the root of growth stagnation. Agriculture contributes a significant share to the SSA economy and a majority of the population derives their livelihood from this sector. It is justifiable to assume that for sustainable growth of the African economy, significant investment and creative innovation in agriculture are needed. However, several factors such as growth of the farming population, loss of soil fertility, climate change, water scarcity, post-harvest losses, and limited market access could challenge such expectation. On the other hand, new policy reforms and initiatives, and appropriate investment that directly or indirectly support agricultural innovation and growth are emerging. This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities to advance agricultural growth and food systems in Africa and makes recommendations for solutions.Keywords: Africa, food systems, agriculture, agricultural research, agricultural investmen

Rich Information in the Acoustic Signals from Feeding and Grazing in Ruminants

Because of their impact on productivity and the environment, feeding behaviour, ingestion and rumination are critical to understand intake in grazing ruminants. Many systems, mainly mechanical, have been developed to measure ingestive behaviour. However, these systems have problems, including mechanical failure and the inability to distinguish between the complex jaw movements of prehension and ingestion (Laca et al., 1994). The sounds generated by these behaviours are rich in information that holds potential not only to distinguish and count behaviours, but also identify aspects of the nature of the foods ingested

Resource heterogeneity and foraging behaviour of cattle across spatial scales

BackgroundUnderstanding the mechanisms that influence grazing selectivity in patchy environments is vital to promote sustainable production and conservation of cultivated and natural grasslands. To better understand how patch size and spatial dynamics influence selectivity in cattle, we examined grazing selectivity under 9 different treatments by offering alfalfa and fescue in patches of 3 sizes spaced with 1, 4, and 8 m between patches along an alley. We hypothesized that (1) selectivity is driven by preference for the forage species that maximizes forage intake over feeding scales ranging from single bites to patches along grazing paths, (2) that increasing patch size enhances selectivity for the preferred species, and that (3) increasing distances between patches restricts selectivity because of the aggregation of scale-specific behaviours across foraging scales.ResultsCows preferred and selected alfalfa, the species that yielded greater short-term intake rates (P < 0.0001) and greater daily intake potential. Selectivity was not affected by patch arrangement, but it was scale dependent. Selectivity tended to emerge at the scale of feeding stations and became strongly significant at the bite scale, because of differences in bite mass between plant species. Greater distance between patches resulted in longer patch residence time and faster speed of travel but lower overall intake rate, consistent with maximization of intake rate. Larger patches resulted in greater residence time and higher intake rate.ConclusionWe conclude that patch size and spacing affect components of intake rate and, to a lesser extent, the selectivity of livestock at lower hierarchies of the grazing process, particularly by enticing livestock to make more even use of the available species as patches are spaced further apart. Thus, modifications in the spatial pattern of plant patches along with reductions in the temporal and spatial allocation of grazing may offer opportunities to improve uniformity of grazing by livestock and help sustain biodiversity and stability of plant communities

Global Grazinglands and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes

Grazinglands, vegetated land that is grazed or has the potential to be grazed by wild and/or domestic ungulates, occupy about half of the world’s surface, provide livelihoods to almost one billion people, and constitute a major component of the global carbon stock and cycle. Grazinglands have significant potential for mitigation of climate change in the short term, and management practices that lead to mitigation are fairly well known. However, the degree to which this mitigation potential is realized pivots on our ability to design cost-effective protocols to promote the implementation of such management practices. In order to create efficient protocols we need a deeper and more precise knowledge of the processes and factors that affect greenhouse gas (GHG; mainly CO2, N2O, and CH4) fluxes and carbon (C) stocks in grazinglands. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Appendix B. Statistical correction factors for dung search efficiencies.

Statistical correction factors for dung search efficiencies

Appendix A. Spatial distribution of research sites and burn plots.

Spatial distribution of research sites and burn plots

Appendix C. Calibration development for plant quality analysis using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS).

Calibration development for plant quality analysis using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS)

Resource heterogeneity and foraging behaviour of cattle across spatial scales.

BackgroundUnderstanding the mechanisms that influence grazing selectivity in patchy environments is vital to promote sustainable production and conservation of cultivated and natural grasslands. To better understand how patch size and spatial dynamics influence selectivity in cattle, we examined grazing selectivity under 9 different treatments by offering alfalfa and fescue in patches of 3 sizes spaced with 1, 4, and 8 m between patches along an alley. We hypothesized that (1) selectivity is driven by preference for the forage species that maximizes forage intake over feeding scales ranging from single bites to patches along grazing paths, (2) that increasing patch size enhances selectivity for the preferred species, and that (3) increasing distances between patches restricts selectivity because of the aggregation of scale-specific behaviours across foraging scales.ResultsCows preferred and selected alfalfa, the species that yielded greater short-term intake rates (P < 0.0001) and greater daily intake potential. Selectivity was not affected by patch arrangement, but it was scale dependent. Selectivity tended to emerge at the scale of feeding stations and became strongly significant at the bite scale, because of differences in bite mass between plant species. Greater distance between patches resulted in longer patch residence time and faster speed of travel but lower overall intake rate, consistent with maximization of intake rate. Larger patches resulted in greater residence time and higher intake rate.ConclusionWe conclude that patch size and spacing affect components of intake rate and, to a lesser extent, the selectivity of livestock at lower hierarchies of the grazing process, particularly by enticing livestock to make more even use of the available species as patches are spaced further apart. Thus, modifications in the spatial pattern of plant patches along with reductions in the temporal and spatial allocation of grazing may offer opportunities to improve uniformity of grazing by livestock and help sustain biodiversity and stability of plant communities

Scaling up of Site Carbon Dynamics to Predict the Carbon Dynamics in Kazakhstan, Central Asia

Climate and management determine whether rangelands are net carbon sources or carbon sinks. Regional carbon dynamics of the Kazakh Steppe has not previously been documented. The objective of this study is to quantify the regional carbon flux dynamics of these extensive steppes