Surgical measurement of the length of the large intestinal tract in Nigerian local dogs

This study aimed to determine the total large intestinal length (TLIL) and the lengths of its various segments in Nigerian local dogs. Six (6) adult autochthonous Nigerian local dogs were used for this study. The dogs were premedicated, intramuscularly, with atropine sulphate and xylazine hydrochloride. They were administered anaesthesia and maintained with Thiopentone sodium intravenously. Access to their abdominal cavity was obtained via a mid-ventral abdominal incision. The large intestine was exteriorized and measured from caecum to rectum. The crown-rump length (CRL) and caecum (C) were significantly longer (p<0.05) in the larger dogs (11–16 kg) compared to the smaller ones (5–10 kg). The colon and rectum (CR), TLIL and the ratio of crown-rump length to intestinal length (CRLT) did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between these two size-wise categories of dogs. The ratios of crown-rump length to weight (CRLW) and large intestinal length to weight (LILW) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the smaller dogs than in the larger ones. There was a strong correlation between the weight and the CRL (0.53) and between the weight and TLIL (0.66). The average TLIL was 48.3 cm in the larger dogs and 45.1 cm in the smaller ones. The average colon and rectum length was 37.7 cm in the larger dogs and 36.8 cm in the smaller ones. The average C length was 10.2 cm in the larger dogs and 8.3 cm in the smaller ones. The average CRL was 1.5 times the average TLIL in Nigerian local dogs. Conclusion: Body size does not affect the total length of the large intestine of Nigerian local dogs. However, the caecum is significantly longer in the bigger dogs

Conservation agriculture in the dry Mediterranean climate

The objective of this article is to review: (a) the concepts and principles that underpin Conservation Agriculture (CA) ecologically and operationally; (b) the potential benefits that can be harnessed through CA systems in the dry Mediterranean climates; (c) current status of adoption and spread of CA in the dry Mediterranean climate countries; and (d) opportunities for CA in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region. CA, comprising minimum mechanical soil disturbance and no-tillage seeding, organic mulch cover, and crop diversification is now practised on some 125 million ha, corresponding to about 9% of the global arable cropped land. Globally, the area under CA is spread across all continents and all agro-ecologies, including the dryland climates in the Mediterranean basin region as well as in the Mediterranean climates elsewhere in the world. Worldwide empirical and scientific evidence is available to show that significant productivity, economic, social and environmental benefits exist that can be harnessed through the adoption of CA principles for sustainable production intensification in the dry Mediterranean climates, including those in the CWANA region. The benefits include: fundamental change for the better in the sustainability of production systems and ecosystem services; higher stable yields and incomes; climate change adaptation and reduced vulnerability to the highly erratic rainfall distribution; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. CA has taken off globally and is now spreading in several Mediterranean climates outside the Mediterranean basin particularly in South America, South Africa and Australia. In the dry Mediterranean climates in the CWANA region, CA is perceived to be a powerful tool of land management but CA has not yet taken off. Research on CA in the CWANA region has shown that there are opportunities for CA adoption in rainfed and irrigated farming systems involving arable and perennial crops as well as livestock

Global achievements in soil and water conservation: The case of Conservation Agriculture

AbstractIn response to the dust bowls of the mid-thirties in the USA, soil and water conservation programmes involving reduced tillage were promoted to control land degradation, particularly soil erosion. The farming and land management practices that were considered to adequately address soil and water conservation objectives were based on no-till seeding and maintenance of soil mulch cover. This collection of practices led to what became known as conservation tillage, although no-till systems by definition avoid soil disturbance by no-till direct seeding, and maintain an organic mulch cover on the soil surface.This article is an overview of achievements in soil and water conservation on agricultural lands through the experience derived from the adoption and spread of Conservation Agriculture (CA) world-wide. CA is an agro-ecological approach to sustainable production intensification. It involves the application of three inter-linked principles that underpin agricultural production systems based on locally formulated practices: (i) permanent no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance, which in practice entails direct seeding through mulch into no-till soils; (ii) maintenance of soil cover with crop residues and green manure crops, particularly legumes; and (iii) diversified cropping system involving annuals and perennial in rotations, sequences and associations.In 2011, CA had spread over 125 million hectares (9% of the global cropped land) across all continents and most agro-ecologies, including small and large farms. In addition, there is a significant area of CA orchards in the Mediterranean countries. CA is now considered to be a practical agro-ecological approach to achieving sustainable agriculture intensification. It offers environmental, economic and social advantages that are not fully possible with tillage-based production systems, as well as improved productivity and resilience, and improved ecosystem services while minimizing the excessive use of agrochemicals, energy and heavy machinery. While there are challenges to the adoption of CA, there is also increasing interest from producers, the civil society, donors and private sector institutions to further promote and service the uptake and spread of CA globally

Overview of the Worldwide Spread of Conservation Agriculture

The global empirical evidence shows that farmer-led transformation of agricultural production systems based on Conservation Agriculture (CA) principles is already occurring and gathering momentum globally as a new paradigm for the 21st century. The data presented in this paper has been collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from several sources including estimates made by ministries of agriculture, by farmer organizations, and well-informed individuals in research or development organizations; they provide an overview of CA adoption and spread by country, as well as the extent of CA adoption by continent. CA systems, comprising no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance, organic mulch soil cover, and crop species diversification, in conjunction with other good practices of crop and production management, are now (in 2013) practiced globally on about 157 M ha, corresponding to about 11% of field cropland, in all continents and most land-based agricultural ecologies, including in the various temperate environments. This change constitutes a difference of some 47% globally since 2008/09 when the spread was recorded as 106 M ha. The current total of 157 M ha represents an increase in adoption of CA by more countries but the estimate is on the conservative side as the updated database does not capture all the CA cropland. While in 1973/74 CA systems covered only 2.8 M ha worldwide, the area had grown in 1999, to 45 M ha, and by 2003 the area had grown to 72 M ha. In the last 10 years CA cropland has expanded at an average rate of more than 8.3 M ha per year and since 2008/2009 at the rate of some 10 M ha per year, showing the increased interest of farmers and national governments in this alternate production concept and method. Adoption has been intense mainly in North and South America as well as in Australia and Asia, and more recently in Europe and Africa where the awareness of and support for CA is on the increase. The paper presents an update of the adoption of CA since 2008/09.Au vu des données empiriques mondiales, la transformation des systèmes de production agricole, qui s’appuient sur les principes de l’Agriculture de Conservation (AC), conduite par les agriculteurs eux-mêmes, est déjà engagée et s’impose peu à peu comme un nouveau modèle mondial pour le 21ème siècle. Les données de cet article ont été recueillies par l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’Alimentation et l’Agriculture (FAO) auprès de plusieurs sources et sont notamment issues d'études réalisées par des ministères de l'agriculture, des organisations d'agriculteurs et des experts d'organismes de recherche et développement ; elles donnent un aperçu par pays et par continent du niveau d’adoption et de progression de l’AC. Les pratiques de l’AC, qui englobent la perturbation mécanique minimale, voire aucune perturbation mécanique du sol, l’utilisation des paillis organiques et la diversification des espèces cultivées, associées à d’autres bonnes pratiques de gestion des cultures et de la production, sont aujourd’hui (en 2013) mises en œuvre sur près de 157 millions d’hectares, soit près de 11 % des terres cultivées, sur tous les continents et dans la plupart des écologies agricoles, notamment dans les divers environnements tempérés. Cette évolution représente un écart de près de 47 % au niveau mondial par rapport aux années 2008/09, où l'AC était pratiquée sur 106 millions d’hectares. Le chiffre actuel de 157 millions d’hectares reflète une adoption plus large de l'AC dans un nombre croissant de pays mais il s'agit là d'une estimation prudente, la base de données actualisée ne prenant pas en compte la totalité des terres cultivées en AC. Alors que l'AC couvrait seulement 2,8 M ha dans le monde en 1973/74, elle s'est étendue à 45 M ha en 1999 et 72 M ha en 2003. Au cours des dix dernières années, la surface de terres cultivées en AC s’est développée à un rythme moyen de plus de 8,3 M ha par an et d'environ 10 M ha par an depuis 2008/2009, illustrant l’intérêt croissant des agriculteurs et des gouvernements pour ce concept et ces méthodes de production alternatifs. L'adoption de l'AC a été particulièrement soutenue en Amérique du Nord et en Amérique du Sud, ainsi qu'en Australie et en Asie, et, plus récemment, en Europe et en Afrique, où la sensibilisation aux principes de l'AC et l’encouragement de leur adoption ne cessent d'augmenter. Cet article présente un état des lieux de l'adoption de l'AC depuis 2008/09.Las pruebas empíricas a nivel mundial muestran que la transformación de los sistemas de producción agrícola guiada por los agricultores y basada en los principios de la agricultura de conservación ya se está produciendo y está cobrando impulso en todo el mundo como un nuevo paradigma para el siglo XXI. Los datos presentados en este trabajo han sido obtenidos por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación de varias fuentes, entre las que se incluyen las estimaciones realizadas por ministerios de agricultura, organizaciones de agricultores y otros entendidos en la materia de organizaciones de investigación o desarrollo, y proporcionan una perspectiva general de la adopción y la propagación de la agricultura de conservación por país, así como el alcance de la adopción de la agricultura de conservación en los distintos continentes. Los sistemas de agricultura de conservación, que incluyen una perturbación mecánica mínima o nula de la tierra, el uso de una capa de mantillo natural y la diversificación de las especies de cultivo, en combinación con otras prácticas positivas de gestión de cultivos y de la producción, se utilizan actualmente (en 2013) a nivel mundial en unos 157 millones de hectáreas, lo que corresponde aproximadamente al 11 % de las tierras de cultivo, en todos los continentes y la mayoría de las agroecologías basadas en el suelo, incluidos los ambientes templados. Este cambio constituye una diferencia de aproximadamente el 47 % en todo el mundo desde los años 2008-2009 cuando la propagación era de 106 millones de hectáreas. La cifra total actual de 157 millones de hectáreas representa un aumento en la adopción de la agricultura de conservación por parte de más países si bien esta estimación es conservadora ya que la base de datos actualizada no abarca todas las tierras de cultivo en las que se practica la agricultura de conservación. Mientras en los años 1973-1974 los sistemas de agricultura de conservación ocupaban solo 2,8 millones de hectáreas en el mundo, esta extensión fue creciendo hasta alcanzar los 45 millones de hectáreas en 1999 y los 72 millones de hectáreas en 2003. En los últimos 10 años las tierras de cultivo en las que se practica la agricultura de conservación se han extendido a un ritmo medio de más de 8,3 millones de hectáreas por año y desde los años 2008-2009 a un ritmo de unos 10 millones de hectáreas por año, lo que demuestra el creciente interés de los agricultores y los gobiernos nacionales en este concepto y método de producción alternativa. La adopción ha sido especialmente importante en América del Norte y del Sur, así como en Australia y Asia, y más recientemente en Europa y África, donde la concienciación y el apoyo a la agricultura de conservación son cada vez mayores. Este trabajo presenta información actualizada sobre la adopción de la agricultura de conservación desde los años 2008-2009

Heraclitus, Seaford and Reversible Exchange

In this essay we identify a characteristic pattern of Heraclitus’ thought and language, the “figure of reversible exchange”. We suggest that this figure allows Heraclitus to propose an ontological structure consisting of two intersecting circuits of relations: a pre-temporal reversible exchange between Being and Becoming and between One and Many, and a temporal reversible exchange within the Many as the very process of Becoming. Against Richard Seaford’s interpretation of Heraclitus’ thought as a reflection of a new world-view predicated on universal exchange-value, the Heraclitus fragments will be read as suggesting that exchange-value emerges within rhythms of concrete, temporal use-value. We shall argue that this instantiates the wider relation Heraclitus proposes between Being and Becoming

The 5D Framework: A Clinical Primer for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation to Treat Clostridium difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection is the most common health care–associated infection in the United States. Recently, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as an effective and safe therapy for recurrent C difficile infection; however, despite rapid adoption there is no standardized clinical approach. Given the rapid adoption of FMT, in part because of stool banks, there is a need for a practical primer for clinicians to safely perform FMT. Accordingly, we aim to provide a simple approach entitled the 5D FMT framework to guide physicians. The 5D FMT framework includes: decision (selecting appropriate patient for FMT), donor (selection and screening), discussion (risk, benefits, alternatives), delivery (selecting appropriate modality for FMT administration), and discharge (counseling at discharge and follow-up). We aim to help clinicians take a simple but evidence-based approach to FMT to optimize efficacy and safety. This primer navigates how to decide whether a patient with C difficile infection is appropriate for FMT and how to select and screen stool donors, identify the ideal delivery modality, and provide follow-up care after FMT

Potential of Forage Legumes in Land-Use Intensification Towards Sustainable Crop-Livestock Production Systems in West Africa

Poverty, high population pressure on land-use, and the inability of maintaining fertility through traditional farming and land management practices are contributing to land degradation and decline in agricultural productivity in most West African countries. Improved farming practices and land management alternatives that can raise productivity and protect the agricultural resource base are urgently required to meet future food demands. It was in this context that the potential of forage legumes in crop-livestock systems in West Africa was examined by International Centre for Africa (ILCA). The ability of forage legumes to biologically fix nitrogen and provide livestock feed of good quality are potential benefits offered by adapted legume fallows compared to natural fallows used in traditional systems. These are important considerations in effective management of nutrients and soil fertility through crop-livestock systems. Previous work in West Africa has considered forage legumes mainly from a viewpoint of their potential contribution to livestock feed improvement; their potential contribution to soil management has not been systematically assessed. This joint International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/IIASA work addresses the potential of both

Global Assemblages, Resilience, and Earth Stewardship in the Anthropocene

In this paper, we argue that the Anthropocene is an epoch characterized not only by the anthropogenic dominance of the Earth\u27s ecosystems but also by new forms of environmental governance and institutions. Echoing the literature in political ecology, we call these new forms of environmental governance “global assemblages”. Socioecological changes associated with global assemblages disproportionately impact poorer nations and communities along the development continuum, or the “Global South”, and others who depend on natural resources for subsistence. Although global assemblages are powerful mechanisms of socioecological change, we show how transnational networks of grassroots organizations are able to resist their negative social and environmental impacts, and thus foster socioecological resilience

The Effect of Conservation Agriculture and Environmental Factors on CO2 Emissions in a Rainfed Crop Rotation

There are many factors involved in the release of CO2 emissions from the soil, such as the type of soil management, the soil organic matter, the soil temperature and moisture conditions, crop phenological stage, weather conditions, residue management, among others. This study aimed to analyse the influence of these factors and their interactions to determine the emissions by evaluating the environmental cost expressed as the kg of CO2 emitted per kg of production in each of the crops and seasons studied. For this purpose, a field trial was conducted on a farm in Seville (Spain). The study compared Conservation Agriculture, including its three principles (no-tillage, permanent soil cover, and crop rotations), with conventional tillage. Carbon dioxide emissions measured across the four seasons of the experiment showed an increase strongly influenced by rainfall during the vegetative period, in both soil management systems. The results of this study confirm that extreme events of precipitation away from the normal means, result in episodes of high CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This is very important because one of the consequences for future scenarios of climate change is precisely the increase of extreme episodes of precipitation and periods extremely dry, depending on the area considered. The total of emission values of the different plots of the study show how the soils under the conventional system (tillage) have been emitting 67% more than soils under the conventional agriculture system during the 2010/11 campaign and 25% for the last campaign where the most appreciable differences are observed

Summing up

This chapter is the concluding part of the book entitled 'Conservation Agriculture- Global Prospects and Challenges'. The chapter establishes that conservation agriculture-based farming systems appear to be the best available option for meeting future food security needs sustainably, while alleviating poverty and building livelihoods, and rehabilitating and enhancing ecosystem functions and service