Response of selected indigenous dryland agroforestry tree species to salinity and implications for soil fertility management

Salt tolerant plants are known to remove excess soluble salts from the soil and thus may be used in land reclamation. We studied the responses of the trees, Balinites aegyptiaca L. (Zygophyllaceae), as well as the Fabaceae, Acacia tortilis (Forssk) Hayne, and Tamarindus indica L. to salinity. Three experiments were conducted on: germination, in the laboratory; seedling performance in a lath house; and, the impact of the tree species on soil productivity in the field in Afar regional state along the Awash river, eastern Ethiopia. Mixtures of salts, composed of chlorides and sulfates were tested at different concentrations in both germination and lath house experiments in randomized complete block designs. Seedling root collar diameter and height were measured every two weeks. Soil samples were collected from randomly selected pots to examine the effect of salinity on soil properties. The effects of trees on in situ soil productivity was studied by collecting 72 soil samples at different distances from the tree and different soil depths. The soil productivity index was calculated. The study revealed that germination percentage and rate decreased significantly with increasing salt concentrations. The effects of the three tree species on soil properties were significantly different at 12.2 dS m -1 salinity level compared to the control. A. tortilis was the least salt-sensitive. Balancing the key requirements of adequate germination and growth and the ability to reduce the salt concentration of the soil solution, B. aegyptiaca is the species with the most potential. Therefore, the study suggests to use B. aegyptiaca as agroforestry trees in the form of parkland in arid and semi-arid areas where salinity problems are prominent

The potential and uptake of remote sensing in insurance: A review

Global insurance markets are vast and diverse, and may offer many opportunities for remote sensing. To date, however, few operational applications of remote sensing for insurance exist. Papers claiming potential application of remote sensing typically stress the technical possibilities, without considering its contribution to customer value for the insured or to the profitability of the insurance industry. Based on a systematic search of available literature, this review investigates the potential and actual support of remote sensing to the insurance industry. The review reveals that research on remote sensing in classical claim-based insurance described in the literature revolve around crop damage and flood and fire risk assessment. Surprisingly, the use of remote sensing in claim-based insurance appears to be instigated by government rather than the insurance industry. In contrast, insurance companies are offering various index insurance products that are based on remote sensing. For example, remotely sensed index insurance for rangelands and livestock are operational, while various applications in crop index insurance are being considered or under development. The paper discusses these differences and concludes that there is particular scope for application of remote sensing by the insurance industry in index insurance because (1) indices can be constructed that correlate well with what is insured; (2) these indices can be delivered at low cost; and (3) it opens up new markets that are not served by claim-based insurance. The paper finally suggests that limited adoption of remote sensing in insurance results from a lack of mutual understanding and calls for greater cooperation between the insurance industry and the remote sensing community

Data on how tree planting and management practices influence tree seedling survival in Kenya and Ethiopia

Understanding which trees farmers prefer, what determines their survival and enhancing farmer knowledge of tree management is key to increasing tree cover in agricultural landscapes. This article presents data on tree seedling survival under different tree planting and management practices in Kenya and Ethiopia. Data were collected from 1600 households across three Counties in Kenya and 173 households across four Woredas in Ethiopia, using a structured questionnaire which was administered through the Open Data Kit. Data on seedling survival were collected at least six months after tree seedlings were planted. To understand how planting and management practices influence tree planting across the different socioeconomic and biophysical contexts, both household level and individual tree level data were collected. Household level data included socio-economic and biophysical characteristics of the households while tree specific data included when the tree seedling was planted, where it was planted, the management practices employed and whether surviving. The datasets described in this article help understand which options confer the best chance survival for the planted seedlings and in which socio-economic and biophysical contexts they are most successful. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.

Ethiopia climate-smart agriculture roadmap

This roadmap is developed based on a context analysis of Ethiopian agriculture. The roadmap aims to strengthen the role of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in addressing vulnerabilities facing the agriculture sector under changing climatic conditions by institutionalizing climate-smart agriculture. The roadmap is largely informed by the overarching country Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy; review of scientific literature; sectoral documents on Ethiopian agriculture and climate-smart agriculture; and related reports from government, development partners, scientific publications, expert comments on the draft and inputs obtained from several senior experts on two presentations made during climate-smart agriculture platform meetings conducted in May and November 2019

Insufficient evidence of Jatropha curcas L. invasiveness: experimental observations in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Biofuel plants such as Jatropha curcas L. have potential to support the livelihoods of rural communities and contribute to sustainable rural development in Africa, if risks and uncertainties are minimized. Yet recent papers have warned of the risk of biological invasions in such tropical regions as a consequence of the introduction of exotic biofuel crops. We investigated the seed dispersal risk and invasiveness potential of both J. curcas monoculture plantations and live fences into adjacent cultivated and uncultivated land use systems in Sissili province, Burkina Faso. Invasiveness potential was assessed through (i) detecting evidence of natural regeneration in perimeters around J. curcas plantations and live fences, (ii) assessing seed dispersal mechanisms and (iii) assessing seedling establishment potential through in situ direct seed sowing. Spontaneous regeneration around the plantation perimeters of the three sites was very low. Individual seedling density around J. curcas live fences was less than 0.01 m-2 in all sites. Seventy percent of the seedlings were found close to the live fence and most of them derived from the same year (96%), which indicates low seed-bank longevity and seedling survival. Jatropha curcas can be dispersed by small mammals and arthropods, particularly rodents and ants. In some sites, such as in Onliassan, high secondary seed dispersal by animals (up to 98%) was recorded. There were highly significant differences in germination rates between seeds at the soil surface (11%) and those buried artificially at 1-2 cm depth (64%). In conclusion, we failed to find convincing evidence of the spreading of J. curcas or any significant impact on the surrounding environment