The development of sustainable cropping systems in the highlands of South-East Asia: general lessons for development projects

Hosted by 'Open Journal Systems'Soil conservation in the highlands of South-East Asia is essential for sustainable agro-environmental development. The effectiveness of soil conservation treatments developed in runoff plots was investigated in farmer-managed plots on a natural catchment. This was achieved by the development and scientific evaluation of modified and novel cropping practices in a representative highland catchment in Yunnan Province, China. Wang Jia Catchment covers 40.1 hectares near Kedu, in Xundian County, north-east Yunnan (25o28'N, 102o53'E). The initial project consisted of an evaluation of the effects of modified cropping practices on maize productivity and soil properties. This programme was extended to investigate ways of increasing the productivity of maize, wheat and soybean on fragile slopes in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. The approach incorporates modified and novel agronomic and soil conservation measures, with the evaluation of their agricultural, environmental and socio-economic impacts using multidisciplinary approaches. This European Union funded project involved an international research team from Belgium, China, Ireland, Thailand and the U.K. Five co-ordinated work packages were implemented. Involving: (1) Background agricultural and environmental assessment of Wang Jia Catchment. (2) Implementation and evaluation of modified and novel cropping systems for wheat, maize and soybean in the catchment. (3) Cost-benefit analyses of the socio-economic impacts of the changed cropping practices. (4) Comparative scientific evaluation of the cropping techniques in the highlands of northern Thailand. (5) Dissemination of project outcomes and establishment of training programmes for best practice in highland rural development. The lessons of the Project for promoting sustainable agro-environmental development in tropical and subtropical highlands include: (1) Recognizing the importance of both ‘north-south’ and ‘south-south’ co-operation in development projects, (2) Integrating local people as full partners in the research programme, (3) Matching the different ‘time horizons’ of the different stakeholders and (4) Developing multidisciplinary teams, including biophysical scientists and socio-economists

Agro-environmental Sustainability of the Yuanyang Rice Terraces of Yunnan Province, China

The Hani minority people of Yunnan Province (south-west China) have developed a complex and sustainable agro-environmental system of terraced rice paddy fields in Yuanyang (22°49'-23°19'N, 102°27-103°13'E). The Hani people have maintained this intricate and elaborate system for over 1,300 years, with some 3,000 terraces covering about 11,000 hectares. Hence, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Emperor awarded the Hani people the title of “Magic Mountain Sculptors” for “building their ladders to Heaven.” However, geographic isolation and proximity to the, until recently, politically-sensitive border with Vietnam, has meant the Yuanyang terraces have attracted scant scientific attention. If we can understand how this system is sustained, we can learn lessons which hopefully can be applied more generally. O povo de minoria Hani, da Província de Yunnan (sudoeste da China) desenvolveu um sistema complexo e sustentável agro-ambiental de arroz, plantado em terraços em Yuanyang ( 22°49'-23°19'N, 102°27-103°13'E). O povo de Hani tem mantido esse sistema intrincado e elaborado por mais de 1.300 anos, com aproximadamente 3.000 terraços cobrindo uma área de 11.000 hectares. Desta forma, durante a Dinastia Ming (1368-1644), o imperador deu ao povo de Hani o título de "Escultores da Montanha Mágica" por terem construído essas escadas para o céu. No entanto, o isolamento geográfico e a proximidade da então fronteira politicamente sensível, levou com que os terraços de Yuanyang tenha atraído a atenção científica. Se podemos compreender como esse sistema tem sido sustentável, podemos aprender lições as quais podem ser aplicadas de forma mais genérica

The Effects of Biogeotextiles on the Stabilization of Roadside Slopes in Lithuania.

Soil erosion, Water erosion, Soil conservation, Geotextiles, Geotextile mats, Roadside slopes, Vegetation cover, Biogeotextiles , Palm mat geotextiles - Borassus aethiopum - Mauritia flexuosa - Buriti mats - BORASSUS Project - LithuaniaBiogeotextiles constructed from the leaves of Borassus aethiopum and Mauritia flexuosa are investigated at the Kaltinėnai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Biogeotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope in Lithuania suggest biogeotextile mats are an effective and sustainable soil conservation technique. Biogeotextiles have a potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion. The investigations demonstrated that a cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses increased by 52.0–63.4% under cover of Borassus mats and by 18.6–28.2% under cover of Buriti mats. Over 2 years, the biogeotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 90.8% and 81.5% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 87.9% and 79.0%, respectively

Agro-environmental project duration and effectiveness in South-east Asia

Considerable emphasis has been placed on developing technologies for agricultural sustainability. Many bilateral projects are working to achieve this outcome. A desk review was conducted to study the importance of project duration for the effectiveness of sustainable agricultural projects. Longer-duration projects were successful in addressing more holistic issues than short projects. However, funding agencies tend to fund shorter-duration projects, so projects become progressively shorter. At the same time, the number of projects implemented each year is increasing. Despite the decrease in total development assistance, increases in project numbers, particularly since 1986, appear to be at the cost of project duration. Short project duration was one of the most cited reasons for not completing essential dissemination activities for wider adoption, whereas longer- duration projects were usually considered more successful in addressing more holistic issues. It is difficult to produce tangible outputs from agricultural and soil conservation projects within five years. Considering the slow changes in the system and in agricultural and environmental sustainability, the authors suggest that project developers should be advised to plan for a minimum of 5–10 years, depending on the nature of activities. It is time for funding agencies to reconsider their tendency to fund shorter-duration projects

Problems of drought and its management in Yobe State, Nigeria

Drought poses an enormous global threat to sustainable development and is expected to increase with global climate change. Drought and desertification are major problems in Yobe State (north-east Nigeria). This study investigates the main problems associated with drought in Yobe State. Qualitative methods were employed to investigate socio-economic impacts of drought via Focus Group Discussions (FDG). Farmers and officials from the State Ministry of the Environment were the discussants. Both groups confirmed the frequency and severity of drought in Yobe. However, farmers have practises that cause environmental degradation. Developing a viable and holistic approach to drought mitigation is crucial, to arresting and hopefully reversing environmental degradation. Understanding the causes and consequences of drought will help develop drought mitigation and management strategies. Currently, there is no proper drought mitigation and management framework in Yobe State. This paper introduces the socio-economic and environmental effects of drought and makes recommendations for mitigation and management strategies in Yobe State

Germination of Seeds of Selected Leguminous Tree Species Moistened with Varying Concentrations of Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil Water Extracts

The study investigates the germination of selected leguminous tree species (LTS) native to the forest ecosystem and oil producing areas of Nigeria. Germination experiments of 250 seeds from each of the selected members of the Fabaceae family: Bauhinia monandra (Kurz), Delonix regia (Boj. ex Hook.) Raf. and Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schum. & Thonn.) Taubert were conducted in petri dishes double-layered with Whatman No. 1 filter papers for 10 days and moistened with varying concentrations of crude oil contaminated soil water extracts (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ml), with a view to determining the ability of these plants to germinate and establish in soil polluted with crude oil. The mean percentage germination of each tree species was thus determined. All the LTS germinated, but germination was concentration dependent, as percentage germination decreased with increased oil concentrations. Evaluation of the initial growth responses and tolerances of these LTS in oil-polluted soil may provide useful information about the potential of these plant species for phytoremediation

Geochemical characterization of banana, buriti palm, jute and coir fibres for use as biogeotextiles for erosion control

Geochemical analysis of selected plant fibres used as geotextiles for erosion control was conducted to evaluate their geochemical composition and to determine the elements that could potentially be nutrients for plants or cause heavy metal contamination in soils. Analysis of the samples was performed using X-ray Diffraction and X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry. Results revealed that potassium concentrations varied from 3.63% in jute-mat (India)-50.73% in banana-leaf (São Romão, Brazil), with a mean of 27.17%. Similarly, calcium concentrations varied from 0.09% in banana-leaf (São Romão) –37.0% in banana-leaf/stem (Oleo, Brazil). Iron concentrations varied from 0.15% in banana-leaf/stem samples (Oleo) –4.47% in jute-cloth (India). Since banana-leaf/stem had the highest concentration of macro-nutrients, it is therefore proposed that banana-leaf has the highest potential for adding nutrients to the soil system when biodegraded. In addition, heavy metal analysis of the samples revealed that none of the fibres have high concentrations that may contaminate the soil upon decomposition

Malignant melanoma with osteosarcomatous differentiation in a lymph node metastasis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145523/1/cup13283.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145523/2/cup13283_am.pd