Impact of best management practices on sustainable crop production and climate resilience in smallholder farming systems of South Asia

CONTEXT: A host of best water and soil management practices (BMPs) hold promise in addressing water scarcity and land degradation to enable sustainable crop intensification in smallholder farming systems.OBJECTIVE This study quantifies the effect of BMPs on crop productivity, income, water saving and water balance components and identifies gaps for future research.METHODS: This paper synthesizes the performance of BMPs and the existing data gap by reviewing 108 published studies from the Indian subcontinent which capture a diverse range of rainfall and cropping systems.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In situ conservation measures helped enhance crop yields by 200-1000 kg/ha, reduced cost of cultivation and enhanced incomes by US$ 10-200/ha/year. The BMPs were helpful in enabling annual water saving in the range of 50 mm to 300 mm by either conserving residual soil moisture or saving irrigation water resulting in enhanced water productivity. Interventions such as direct seeded rice and laser land leveling were found most effective in terms of water saving and in reducing cost of cultivation. On the other hand, ex situ rainwater harvesting interventions helped enhance groundwater recharge by harvesting an additional 50-150 mm of surface runoff which helped increase crop yields, led to sustainable crop intensification and strengthened the number of ecosystem services. Most of the published literature on in situ conservation measures are studies that were carried out at research stations, which show promise of sustainable intensification. However, greater efforts are needed to document learnings from farmer/community scale interventions for effective scaling up. There is also a gap in data availability that hampers a clear understanding of the impact of ex situ rainwater harvesting interventions and ecosystem trade-offs; moreover the data available covers short pe- riods and only covers an area of up to 10 km(2). We recommend the monitoring of long-term system-level impact indicators to realize the potential of ex situ rainwater harvesting interventions in a systems perspective and better grasp the ecosystem trade-offs.SIGNIFICANCE: More importantly, the review revealed the ample scope of integrating in situ and ex situ in- terventions to build system-level resilience in smallholder farming systems in order to accelerate progress to- wards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Seeking sustainable pathways for fostering agricultural transformation in peninsular India

Abstract: Sizable populations in developing countries in Asia and Africa live in dryland ecosystems, and agriculture in these areas faces major challenges including water scarcity, land degradation, poor infrastructure and insufficient access to markets. Natural resource management (NRM) interventions offer an important path to sustainable agricultural practices through increasing resource use efficiency, but true efficacy will only be achievable if these initiatives can be scaled up. This paper explores the impact of farm-scale NRM interventions undertaken in the state of Karnataka, India, between 2005 and 2020. NRM technologies such as soil health management, resource use efficiency and improved crop cultivars were demonstrated in more than 50 000 farmers’ fields. Participatory demonstrations and capacity building initiatives were effectively used to co-create innovations for rapid and wide dissemination, and NRM practices involving the soil-nutrient-crop-water continuum were the subject of large-scale demonstrations. The demonstration fields were divided into treated and control fields, and efforts were made to measure cost of cultivation, irrigation application and crop yield. The soil health management interventions helped to enhance crop yield by 10%–60% over the control plots. Technologies specific to resource conservation have helped to conserve soil moisture, reduce irrigation requirement by 50–300 mm and reduce the cost of cultivation by US$ 150 ha−1. Improved cereal, pulse and oil seed cultivars increased crop yield minimum by 15%. Although these results have a large variability, they consistently showed the effectiveness of integrating NRM practices with crop demonstrations. These results are ideal for sensitizing stakeholders and policymakers to the benefits of adopting science-based approaches to NRM interventions in order to bridge yield gaps and address land degradation, food insecurity and poverty in dryland regions in South Asia and globally

Seeking sustainable pathways for fostering agricultural transformation in peninsular India

Abstract: Sizable populations in developing countries in Asia and Africa live in dryland ecosystems, and agriculture in these areas faces major challenges including water scarcity, land degradation, poor infrastructure and insufficient access to markets. Natural resource management (NRM) interventions offer an important path to sustainable agricultural practices through increasing resource use efficiency, but true efficacy will only be achievable if these initiatives can be scaled up. This paper explores the impact of farm-scale NRM interventions undertaken in the state of Karnataka, India, between 2005 and 2020. NRM technologies such as soil health management, resource use efficiency and improved crop cultivars were demonstrated in more than 50 000 farmers’ fields. Participatory demonstrations and capacity building initiatives were effectively used to co-create innovations for rapid and wide dissemination, and NRM practices involving the soil-nutrient-crop-water continuum were the subject of large-scale demonstrations. The demonstration fields were divided into treated and control fields, and efforts were made to measure cost of cultivation, irrigation application and crop yield. The soil health management interventions helped to enhance crop yield by 10%–60% over the control plots. Technologies specific to resource conservation have helped to conserve soil moisture, reduce irrigation requirement by 50–300 mm and reduce the cost of cultivation by US$ 150 ha−1. Improved cereal, pulse and oil seed cultivars increased crop yield minimum by 15%. Although these results have a large variability, they consistently showed the effectiveness of integrating NRM practices with crop demonstrations. These results are ideal for sensitizing stakeholders and policymakers to the benefits of adopting science-based approaches to NRM interventions in order to bridge yield gaps and address land degradation, food insecurity and poverty in dryland regions in South Asia and globally

Traditional Rainwater Management (Haveli cultivation) for Building System Level Resilience in a Fragile Ecosystem of Bundelkhand Region, Central India

This article presents the evidence on how the traditional rainwater management system (haveli system) has contributed toward rehabilitating degraded landscapes and changing them into a productive form in Bundelkhand region of Central India. The haveli system was the lifeline of the region for water security for the last 300 years. Farmers (~1-5%) situated at the upstream of the landscape were harvesting surface runoff in their fields during monsoon by constructing earthen embankments along with provision to drain out water after receding of the monsoon. Farmers traditionally cultivated only during the post-monsoon period, using residual soil moisture along with supplemental irrigation from shallow dug wells. However, this system became defunct due to apathy and poor maintenance. The traditional design of the havelis were also often malfunctioning due to new rainfall patterns and storm events. Farmers are facing new need for haveli rejuvenation and the traditional design and knowledge calls for new innovations, particularly from research and external expertise. In this context, ICRISAT and consortium partners have introduced an innovative approach for haveli rejuvenation by constructing masonry core wall along with outlet at a suitable location. Totally 40 haveli structures were constructed between 2010 and 2021 across seven districts of Bundelkhand region. One of the pilot sites (i.e., Parasai-Sindh) was intensively monitored in order to capture the landscape hydrology, change in land use, cropping intensity and crop productivity, between 2011 and 2017. Out of 750 mm rainfall received during July and September, generated surface runoff is about 135 mm (18% of rainfall) on average. However, rainfall below 450 mm (dry years) rarely generates surplus water as most of the rainfall received in such years are absorbed within the vadose zone, whereas, wet years with over 900 mm rainfall, generate runoff of about 250-300 mm (~30-35%). Rejuvenation of the haveli system created an opportunity to harvest surface runoff within farmers' fields which helped to improve groundwater levels in shallow dug wells (additionally by 2-5 m hydraulic head) which remained available during the following years. This has increased cropping intensity-by converting about 20% of permanent fallow lands into productive agriculture lands-and ensured irrigation availability especially during the critical crop growth stage. This enhanced land and water use efficiency of the system and increased household net income by two to three folds as compared to the baseline status. This article further establishes the link between landscape rejuvenation through haveli system, groundwater resource availability, production system and household income in the fragile ecosystem of Central India. The results are helpful for various stakeholders so that they can take informed decisions on sustainable natural resource management

Impact of land use changes and management practices on groundwater resources in Kolar district, Southern India

Study region: This study analyzes the impact of land use changes on the hydrology of Kolar district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar receives on average 565 mm (σ = 130) rainfall during June to October and has a wide gap between its water supply and demand. Study focus: This research identifies the reasons and causes of the gap. A water balance model was successfully calibrated and validated against measurements of groundwater level, recharge and surface runoff. New hydrological insights for the region: The study revealed that between 1972 and 2011, there was a major shift from grass and rainfed crop lands to eucalyptus plantation and irrigated cultivation. About 17.7 % and 18 % of the district area converted into eucalyptus plantation and irrigated lands during this period, respectively. Eucalyptus plantations tended to cause large losses by ET leading to increase in soil moisture deficit and reduction in the recharge to groundwater and in surface runoff (approx. 30 %). The irrigation demand of the district increased from 57 mm (1972) to 140 mm (2011) which resulted in increased groundwater abstraction by 145 %. The expansion of the irrigated area is the major contributing factor for widening the demand-supply gap (62 %) of the freshwater availability. Results could help various stakeholders, including district and national authorities to develop the most suitable water management strategies in order to close the gap between water supply and demand

Modelling small-scale storage interventions in semi-arid India at the basin scale

There has been renewed interest in the performance, functionality, and sustainability of traditional small-scale storage interventions (check dams, farm bunds and tanks) used within semi-arid regions for the improvement of local water security and landscape preservation. The Central Groundwater Board of India is encouraging the construction of such interventions for the alleviation of water scarcity and to improve groundwater recharge. It is important for water resource management to understand the hydrological effect of these interventions at the basin scale. The quantification of small-scale interventions in hydrological modelling is often neglected, especially in large-scale modelling activities, as data availability is low and their hydrological functioning is uncertain. A version of the Global Water Availability Assessment (GWAVA) water resources model was developed to assess the impact of interventions on the water balance of the Cauvery Basin and two smaller sub-catchments. Model results demonstrate that farm bunds appear to have a negligible effect on the average annual simulated streamflow at the outlets of the two sub-catchments and the basin, whereas tanks and check dams have a more significant and time varying effect. The open water surface of the interventions contributed to an increase in evaporation losses across the catchment. The change in simulated groundwater storage with the inclusion of interventions was not as significant as catchment-scale literature and field studies suggest. The model adaption used in this study provides a step-change in the conceptualisation and quantification of the consequences of small-scale storage interventions in large- or basin-scale hydrological models

Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-centered computerized potassium regulation protocol in the intensive care unit - a before and after analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Potassium disorders can cause major complications and must be avoided in critically ill patients. Regulation of potassium in the intensive care unit (ICU) requires potassium administration with frequent blood potassium measurements and subsequent adjustments of the amount of potassium administrated. The use of a potassium replacement protocol can improve potassium regulation. For safety and efficiency, computerized protocols appear to be superior over paper protocols. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a computerized potassium regulation protocol in the ICU improved potassium regulation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In our surgical ICU (12 beds) and cardiothoracic ICU (14 beds) at a tertiary academic center, we implemented a nurse-centered computerized potassium protocol integrated with the pre-existent glucose control program called GRIP (Glucose Regulation in Intensive Care patients). Before implementation of the computerized protocol, potassium replacement was physician-driven. Potassium was delivered continuously either by central venous catheter or by gastric, duodenal or jejunal tube. After every potassium measurement, nurses received a recommendation for the potassium administration rate and the time to the next measurement. In this before-after study we evaluated potassium regulation with GRIP. The attitude of the nursing staff towards potassium regulation with computer support was measured with questionnaires.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The patient cohort consisted of 775 patients before and 1435 after the implementation of computerized potassium control. The number of patients with hypokalemia (<3.5 mmol/L) and hyperkalemia (>5.0 mmol/L) were recorded, as well as the time course of potassium levels after ICU admission. The incidence of hypokalemia and hyperkalemia was calculated. Median potassium-levels were similar in both study periods, but the level of potassium control improved: the incidence of hypokalemia decreased from 2.4% to 1.7% (P < 0.001) and hyperkalemia from 7.4% to 4.8% (P < 0.001). Nurses indicated that they considered computerized potassium control an improvement over previous practice.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Computerized potassium control, integrated with the nurse-centered GRIP program for glucose regulation, is effective and reduces the prevalence of hypo- and hyperkalemia in the ICU compared with physician-driven potassium regulation.</p

Do computerised clinical decision support systems for prescribing change practice? A systematic review of the literature (1990-2007)

Computerised clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are used widely to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. This systematic review evaluated the impact of CDSSs in targeting specific aspects of prescribing, namely initiating, monitoring and stopping therapy. We also examined the influence of clinical setting (institutional vs ambulatory care), system- or user-initiation of CDSS, multi-faceted vs stand alone CDSS interventions and clinical target on practice changes in line with the intent of the CDSS. We searched Medline, Embase and PsychINFO for publications from 1990-2007 detailing CDSS prescribing interventions. Pairs of independent reviewers extracted the key features and prescribing outcomes of methodologically adequate studies (experiments and strong quasi-experiments). 56 studies met our inclusion criteria, 38 addressing initiating, 23 monitoring and three stopping therapy. At the time of initiating therapy, CDSSs appear to be somewhat more effective after, rather than before, drug selection has occurred (7/12 versus 12/26 studies reporting statistically significant improvements in favour of CDSSs on = 50% of prescribing outcomes reported). CDSSs also appeared to be effective for monitoring therapy, particularly using laboratory test reminders (4/7 studies reporting significant improvements in favour of CDSSs on the majority of prescribing outcomes). None of the studies addressing stopping therapy demonstrated impacts in favour of CDSSs over comparators. The most consistently effective approaches used system-initiated advice to fine-tune existing therapy by making recommendations to improve patient safety, adjust the dose, duration or form of prescribed drugs or increase the laboratory testing rates for patients on long-term therapy. CDSSs appeared to perform better in institutional compared to ambulatory settings and when decision support was initiated automatically by the system as opposed to user initiation. CDSSs implemented with other strategies such as education were no more successful in improving prescribing than stand alone interventions. Cardiovascular disease was the most studied clinical target but few studies demonstrated significant improvements on the majority of prescribing outcomes. Our understanding of CDSS impacts on specific aspects of the prescribing process remains relatively limited. Future implementation should build on effective approaches including the use of system-initiated advice to address safety issues and improve the monitoring of therapy

The Impact of eHealth on the Quality and Safety of Health Care: A Systematic Overview

Aziz Sheikh and colleagues report the findings of their systematic overview that assessed the impact of eHealth solutions on the quality and safety of health care

Heart Valve Tissue Engineering: Concepts, Approaches, Progress, and Challenges

Potential applications of tissue engineering in regenerative medicine range from structural tissues to organs with complex function. This review focuses on the engineering of heart valve tissue, a goal which involves a unique combination of biological, engineering, and technological hurdles. We emphasize basic concepts, approaches and methods, progress made, and remaining challenges. To provide a framework for understanding the enabling scientific principles, we first examine the elements and features of normal heart valve functional structure, biomechanics, development, maturation, remodeling, and response to injury. Following a discussion of the fundamental principles of tissue engineering applicable to heart valves, we examine three approaches to achieving the goal of an engineered tissue heart valve: (1) cell seeding of biodegradable synthetic scaffolds, (2) cell seeding of processed tissue scaffolds, and (3) in-vivo repopulation by circulating endogenous cells of implanted substrates without prior in-vitro cell seeding. Lastly, we analyze challenges to the field and suggest future directions for both preclinical and translational (clinical) studies that will be needed to address key regulatory issues for safety and efficacy of the application of tissue engineering and regenerative approaches to heart valves. Although modest progress has been made toward the goal of a clinically useful tissue engineered heart valve, further success and ultimate human benefit will be dependent upon advances in biodegradable polymers and other scaffolds, cellular manipulation, strategies for rebuilding the extracellular matrix, and techniques to characterize and potentially non-invasively assess the speed and quality of tissue healing and remodeling