Problems Faced and Strategies Adopted by Farmers for Adapting to Climate Change in Xai-Xai District, Gaza Province, Mozambique

This research aims to: Identify climate-related risks and challenges faced by Xai-Xai households (agriculture, livestock and forest resources); Describe their current coping strategies and needs; Recommend interventions that meet their needs and improve their livelihood resilience and adaptive capacity to climate variability

Information and Technology Transfer Needs of Agricultural Producers to cope with the Climate Changes

Research objectives Identify the information, knowledge and agricultural technology gaps (agriculture, livestock and natural resources) in the district of Chicualacuala communities that hamper a better response to the effects of climate change. Describe the potential barriers that may prevent the participation of beneficiaries in interventions of technologies dissemination, access and utilization of knowledge to be disseminated. Identify intervention strategies to address the information, knowledge and agricultural technologies gaps identified

Changes in carbon stocks in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantations induced by different water and nutrient availability

Changes in the carbon stocks under different soil water and nutrient conditions were studied in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. stands in a field experiment, at O ´ bidos (central Portugal). The treatments were irrigation plus a complete fertiliser solution to simulate ‘near optimal’ nutrition (IF), irrigation only (I), and fertilisers added to rain-fed plots (F). The control (C) received neither water nor fertilisers (except a small amount at planting). The production of biomass (aboveground), the litterfall and the soil chemical composition were evaluated regularly during the experiment. Root biomass was estimated at the end of the experiment. Carbon in biomass, litterfall and soil, increased significantly when water and/or nutrients were supplied, in comparison to the control. The amount of carbon accumulated in the system, 6 years after planting, was 8.22, 10.22, 11.23 and 13.76 kg C m 2 in the control, F, I and IF treatments, respectively. The increase of carbon in the system during the same period was 5.86, 7.86, 8.87 and 11.40 kg C m 2 in the control, F, I and IF treatments, respectively. This rise in carbon resulted from the accumulation of long-lived woody biomass, which represented between 77.7 (in IF) and 82.9% (in the control) of the total rise in carbon. Although water was the main limiting factor for biomass accumulation, the allocation of carbon to the soil was mainly related to nutrient supply, irrespective of water availability. The amount of carbon stored belowground, i.e. soil and forest floor, plus stumps and roots, reached 4.2, 4.7, 4.8 and 6.3 kg C m 2 in the control, F, I and IF treatments, respectively. The increase in C in the mineral soil regarding the initial state was, in the same order as above, 0.21, 0.75, 0.58 and 1.21 kg C m 2. These values were 3.6, 9.6, 6.6 and 10.6% of the C accumulated in the whole system, during the experimental period

Fine-root dynamics, soil moisture and soil carbon content in a Eucalyptus globulus plantation under different irrigation and fertilization regimes

The minirhizotron technique was used to study the temporal dynamics of fine-roots over a 10 month period in a Eucalyptus plantation in central Portugal.Four treatments were applied:a control without irrigation or fertilisation( C), fertilisation twice per year (F), irrigated without fertilisation( I), and irrigated and fertilised once each week with fertiliser in the irrigation water (IL). In I and IL a drip-tube system was used,and fertiliser rates were adjusted based on the estimated plant nutrient demand. Soil moisture content was measured during the same period at 5 cm depth intervals down to 90 cm depth.Soil carbon content was measured at planting,30 months after planting and54 months after planting.Interrelations between fine-root dynamics, soil moisture , and soil carbon content are discussed

Influence of soil and organic residue management on biomass and biodiversity of understory vegetation in a Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantation

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different options of soil preparation and management of harvesting debris on biodiversity and biomass of understory vegetation in plantations of Eucalyptus globulus of Central Portugal. The experiment consisted of six treatments in a replanted area and four treatments in a coppice area with five replicates, following a randomised block design. Surveys of vegetation were performed for 6 years. The proportion of soil cover by plant specieswas estimated and the Shannon–Wiener diversity and equitability indexes determined for each treatment and year. After the 2nd year, the understory vegetation was randomly sampled for above-ground biomass determination.Within the planted area, the removal of slash without soil preparation induced the highest number of species during the experimental period. A similar trend was observed in the coppice area, but less regularly. Significant differences in the proportion of soil cover only occurred within the planted area in the first year, when slash removal without soil preparation induced the highest understory cover. Species diversity was not clearly affected by treatments: significant differences only occurred occasionally and were apparently related to differences in the number of species. Therefore, differences in the equitability index between treatments never were significant. Removal of slash without soil disturbance and broadcast of slash over the soil usually shared the highest biodiversity. Differences between treatments in the amount of understory biomass were never statistically significant during the experimental period. Tendency for a negative influence of soil mobilisation on the amount of understory biomass was observed within the planted area, as well as a similar effect of the treatments consisting of broadcast of slash over the soil surface in the coppice area. In parallel to tree development and canopy closure biomass of that vegetation along the study period was reduced, especially in the planted area

Species richness and biomass of understory vegetation in a Eucalyptus globulus Labill. coppice as affected by slash management

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different slash management practices on understory biodiversity and biomass in Eucalyptus globulus coppices in Central Portugal. The experiment consisted of four treatments: (a) removal of slash (R), (b) broadcast over the soil (S), (c) as in S but concentrating woody residues between tree rows (W) and (d) incorporation of slash into soil by harrowing (I). Understory vegetation was surveyed during 1–6, 9, and 10 years, the proportion of soil cover by plant species estimated, and diversity and equitability indexes determined. Above ground understory biomass was sampled in years 2–6, 9, and 10. The highest number of species in most years occurred in plots where slash was removed. Differences between treatments in the proportion of plant soil cover were never significant, whereas differences in diversity index were only occasionally significant and apparently related to the number of species. Thus, differences in the equitability index were not significant. Understory biomass did not decrease during the rotation period, and was usually highest in R and I, and lowest in S, but not significantly different. At the end of the rotation period, understory biodiversity indices and biomass were apparently independent of slash treatment

Necessidades de Informação e Transferência de Tecnologias dos Produtores Agrários para Adaptação às Mudanças Climáticas no Distrito de Chicualacuala, Província de Gaza

Mozambique is considered one of the countries that will suffer significant negative effects of climate change, in particular droughts, floods and cyclones. The district of Chicualacuala, due to its geographical location, in an area with semi-arid characteristics, will suffer the consequences of cyclical droughts and floods, high temperatures and desertification. The population will be negatively affected by these phenomena, as their survival is dependent on farming and the exploitation of natural resources. On top of these factors, there is weak development of infrastructure and social services in the district. The main effects of climate change include: the reduction of agricultural productivity, loss of crops, decrease in the availability of pasture, reduction in the availability of water, higher incidences of disease and death of livestock, and land degradation. This could, therefore, lead to the reduction of household income, increased food and nutritional insecurity, and the increase in the number of cases of diseases such as malaria, cholera and diarrhea in this population

Necessidades de Informação e Transferência de Tecnologias dos Produtores Agrários para Adaptação às Mudanças Climáticas no Distrito de Xai -Xai, Província de Gaza

This research was conducted to analyse the problems, knowledge and needs of farming households’ – who are the beneficiaries of the project – in order to propose interventions that meet their needs. The research data collection was based on three strategies, namely: (i) household questionnaires; (ii) focus group discussions with groups of farmers’ association members (iii) semi-structured interviews targeted at community leaders, farmers’ association leaders and extension agents working in the four villages studied. In total 166 households were administered a questionnaire, four focus groups consisting of 04 to 12 people were organized; and 10 key informants were individually interviewed

Balanço de carbono no eucaliptal - Comparação entre o fluxo turbulento de CO2 e a estimativa do modelo CO2FIX V3.1

Congresso Florestal Nacional: a floresta e as gentes - Actas das comunicaçõesEste estudo teve como principal objectivo investigar a possibilidade de utilizar o modelo CO2FIX V3 na quantificação dos stocks e fluxos de carbono numa plantação de Eucalyptus globulus através da comparação das estimativas da PLE obtidas pela parametrização do modelo e pelas medições de fluxo turbulento de CO2 obtido pelo método das flutuações instantâneas, da respiração do solo e dados de inventário

A proposed methodology for the correction of the Leaf Area Index measured with a ceptometer for pinus and eucalyptus forests = Proposta de uma methodologia para a correcao do indice de area foliar medido pelo ceptometro em provoamentos de pinus e eucalyptus

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important parameter controlling many biological and physiological processes associated with vegetation on the Earth's surface, such as photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, carbon and nutrient cycle and rainfall interception. LAI can be measured indirectly by sunfleck ceptometers in an easy and non-destructive way but this practical methodology tends to underestimated when measured by these instruments. Trying to correct this underestimation, some previous studies heave proposed the multiplication of the observed LAI value by a constant correction factor. The assumption of this work is LAI obtained from the allometric equations are not so problematic and can be used as a reference LAI to develop a new methodology to correct the ceptometer one. This new methodology indicates that the bias (the difference between the ceptometer and the reference LAI) is estimated as a function of the basal area per unit ground area and that bias is summed to the measured value. This study has proved that while the measured Pinus LAI needs a correction, there is no need for that correction for the Eucalyptus LAI. However, even for this last specie the proposed methodology gives closer estimations to the real LAI values