Climate-Smart Agricultural Value Chains: Risks and Perspectives

Extreme weather is causing significant problems for smallholder farmers and others who depend on agricultural value chains in developing countries. Although value-chain analysis can help untangle the complex relationships within agricultural systems, it often has failed to take into account the effects of climate change. Climate-change assessments, meanwhile, often focus on the production node while neglecting other components of the value chain. In response to these shortcomings, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with the Government of Kenya, developed the climate risk profiles (CRP) approach. Using a case study from Nyandarua County in Kenya, we illustrate how this approach (i) supports identification of major climate risks and their impacts on the value chain, (ii) identifies adaptation interventions, and (iii) promotes the mainstreaming of climate-change considerations into development planning at the subnational level. Our results show that the magnitude of a climate risk varies across value chains. At the input and production stage, strategies for supporting climate-smart value chains include the following: improving access to input markets, supporting diversification and value addition, provision of climate-smart production technologies, dissemination of climate information services, and making financial and insurance services available. At the harvesting, processing and marketing stages, useful interventions would include strengthening farmer organization, investing in climate-proofed infrastructure including roads and facilities for storage, processing and improving access to output markets. Finally, climate-change adaptation along the value chain would be improved by strengthening existing institutions, exploring public-private partnerships and adopting coherent local policies

Late Quaternary palaeoecology of Ballona Lagoon in southern California

Los ambientes costeros del Cuaternario, incluyendo a los estuarios, son de gran importancia para los arqueólogos, geólogos y paleoecólogos debido a los dramáticos cambios en la geografía costera que afectan seriamente la adaptación humana y el uso de los recursos. Los estuarios son afectados principalmente por agentes climáticos y geológicos tales como tectonismo, subsidencia y cambios en el nivel del mar tanto isostáticos como eustáticos. En el presente estudio de la Laguna de Ballona, localizada en el área metropolitana de Los |00C3|?ngeles, California, documentamos la reconstrucción ambiental del estuario que la formó. Los estuarios se caracterizan por una rica biota que incluye una diversidad de peces, ostrácodos, moluscos, foraminíferos, organismos silíceos (diatomeas y silicoflagelados), así como residuos de vegetación representada por los palinomorfos. Analizamos los ostrácodos y palinomorfos en combinación con análisis estratigráficos y geocronométricos del área de estudio. El objetivo central del estudio fue delinear los bordes de la laguna y documentar su migración en el tiempo. La identificación de los bordes de la laguna fue importante para determinar la forma y razones de cambio de uso del área a través del tiempo por los pobladores prehistóricos Quaternary coastal environments, including estuaries, are significant to archaeologists, geologists, and palaeoecologists because dramatic changes in geographic settings have strongly affected human land use and adaptation. Estuaries are mainly affected by climate and geologic agents like tectonism, subsidence, and isostatic and eustatic sea level changes. This study of Ballona Lagoon, California, located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, presents the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of an estuary. Estuaries are characterized by diverse assemblages of fishes, ostracodes, molluscs, foraminifers, siliceous organisms (diatoms and silicoflagellates), and traces of vegetation represented by palynomorphs. Ostracode and pollen analyses were conducted in combination with stratigraphic and geochronometric analyses. A central goal of this study was to delineate the lagoon edge and to document how it migrated through time. The location of the lagoon edge was important in determining how and why prehistoric land-use patterns shifted through time

Editorial "The Interdisciplinary Nature of SOIL"

The holistic study of soils requires an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, chemists, geologists, and physicists amongst others, something that has been true from the earliest days of the field. This approach has been strengthened and reinforced as current research continues to use experts trained in both soil science and related fields and by the wide array of issues impacting the world's biosphere that require an in-depth understanding of soils. Of fundamental importance amongst these issues are biodiversity, biofuels/energy security, climate change, ecosystem services, food security, human health, land degradation, and water security, each representing a critical challenge for research. In order to establish a benchmark for the type of research we seek to highlight in each issue of SOIL, here in this editorial, we outline the interdisciplinary nature of soil science research that we are seeking for in SOIL, with a focus on the myriad ways soil science can be used to expand investigation into a more holistic and therefore richer approach to soil research. In addition, we provide a selection of invited review papers in the first issue of SOIL that address the study of soils and the ways in which soil investigations are essential to other related fields. We hope that both this editorial and the first issue will serve as examples of the kinds of topics we would like to see published in SOIL and will stimulate excitement among our readers and authors to participate in this new venture

Editorial: "The Interdisciplinary Nature of SOIL"

The holistic study of soils requires an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, chemists, geologists, and physicists amongst others, something that has been true from the earliest days of the field. This approach has been strengthened and reinforced as current research continues to use experts trained in both soil science and related fields and by the wide array of issues impacting the world's biosphere that require an in-depth understanding of soils. Of fundamental importance amongst these issues are biodiversity, biofuels/energy security, climate change, ecosystem services, food security, human health, land degradation, and water security, each representing a critical challenge for research. In order to establish a benchmark for the type of research we seek to highlight in each issue of SOIL, here in this editorial, we outline the interdisciplinary nature of soil science research that we are seeking for in SOIL, with a focus on the myriad ways soil science can be used to expand investigation into a more holistic and therefore richer approach to soil research. In addition, we provide a selection of invited review papers in the first issue of SOIL that address the study of soils and the ways in which soil investigations are essential to other related fields. We hope that both this editorial and the first issue will serve as examples of the kinds of topics we would like to see published in SOIL and will stimulate excitement among our readers and authors to participate in this new venture

Long-term impact of rainfed agricultural land abandonment on soil erosion in the Western Mediterranean basin

[EN] Land abandonment is widespread in the Mediterranean mountains. The impact of agricultural abandonment results in a shift in ecosystem evolution due to changes in soil erosion, but little is known about long-term soil and water losses. This paper uses 11 years of measurements in two paired plots (abandoned vs control) with four subplots to determine how soil and water losses evolved after abandonment within an agricultural parcel. For two years (2004¿2005) both plots were under tillage, and after 2006 one plot was abandoned. The monitored plots measured runoff and sediment concentration after each rainfall event.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 603498 (RECARE project), POST-FIRE Project (CGL2013-47862-C2-1 and 2-R) and POSTFIRE_CARE Project (CGL2016-75178-C2-2-R) sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Cerda, A.; Rodrigo Comino, J.; Novara, A.; Brevik, E.; Reza, A.; Pulido, M.; Giménez Morera, A.... (2018). Long-term impact of rainfed agricultural land abandonment on soil erosion in the Western Mediterranean basin. Progress in Physical Geography. 42(2):202-219. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133318758521S20221942

Yield Response of Mediterranean Rangelands under a Changing Climate

International audienceUnderstanding the Mediterranean rangelands degradation trends is a key element of mitigating their vulnerability and enhancing their resilience. Climate change and its inherent effects on mean temperature and the precipitation variability can regulate the magnitude, frequency and duration of droughts and aridity with a profound effect on ecosystem productivity. Here we investigate the effects of climate change to project the development of vegetation in the Mediterranean rangelands by (i) estimating the relative Standardized Precipitation Index and a modification of the United Nations Environment Programme Aridity Index to classify climate variability, and (ii) modelling vegetation response to climate using the Food and Agriculture Organisation crop–water production function. Climate model data are obtained from nine general circulation models under Relative Concentration Pathways 2.6 and 8.5 of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. After correcting climate model data for biases, results for two 40‐year future study periods are compared with the baseline period 1961–2000 within a domain that includes the European Mediterranean. We show that a gradual but robust increase of aridity and drought frequency is estimated for most of the Mediterranean region, impacting rangeland vegetation yields. Projected drought and aridity disturbances may well represent permanent shifts to a warmer and more frequently dry status. This alternative stability of climatic pressure lies outside the limits of ecosystem resilience and may indicate that in some cases vegetation will either adapt to the new conditions or be succeeded by more water‐stress tolerant species. Results raise concerns about the fate of the Mediterranean rangelands and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd