Land use induced land cover changes and future scenarios in extent of Miombo woodland and Dambo ecosystems in the Copperbelt province of Zambia

The pattern of Miombo woodland conversion to other land uses and the attendant impacts on vital Miombo ecosystems such as dambos is not well understood. Using the Copperbelt province of Zambia as a case study, we assessed the spatio-temporal patterns of Miombo woodland and dambo conversion to other land uses between 1984 and 2016 and predicted the changes to 2050. The effects of land use land cover change (LULCC) on the extent of Miombo woodlands and dambos was determined by intersecting layers of croplands, settlements, plantations, grasslands and barelands on woodland and dambo pixels. Prediction of future LULCC was done using the land change modeller (LCM) in TerrSet. It was observed that in the period between 1984 and 2016, woodlands decreased by 17.9% while dambos increased by 4.9%. The two classes were predicted to lose 26.4% and 2.0%, respectively, by 2050. Conversion to cropland was the highest contributor to woodland loss, accounting for 57.5% of total loss by 2016, and projected to reach 67.6% by 2050. Similarly, establishment of cropland was shown to result into 53.5% (2016) and 58.9% (2050) of loss of dambos. Expansion of croplands caused a decline in woodlands and dambos. Therefore, sustainable agriculture should be adopted.Government of the Republic of Zambia and Southern African Science Service Centre on Climate Change Adaptive Land-use (SASSCAL).http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ajehj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

TEN Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN). &nbsp

The Transformative Engagement Network (TEN) Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN)

Effect of Application of Increasing Concentrations of Contaminated Water on the Different Fractions of Cu and Co in Sandy Loam and Clay Loam Soils

This study aimed to establish the fate of copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) in sandy loam and clay loam soils that had been irrigated with increasing concentrations of contaminated water. A sequential extraction procedure was used to determine the fractions of Cu and Co in these soils. The concentration of bioavailable Cu and Co on clay loam was 1.7 times that of sandy loam soil. Cu on sandy loam soil was largely in the organic > residual > exchangeable > water-soluble > carbonate fractions, whereas on clay loam soil the element was largely in organic > exchangeable > residual > carbonate > water-soluble fractions. Co was largely observed in the exchangeable, water-soluble, and carbonate fractions, but with no particular trend observed in both soil types. When crops are grown on sandy soils that have a low capacity to hold heavy metals, the resulting effect would be high uptake of the heavy metals in crop plants. Because the predominant forms of Cu and Co vary in soils, it is expected that the metals will behave differently in the soils

Gender Differential in Profitability and other Aspects of Smallholder Soybeans Production in Eastern Province, Zambia

Even though soyabeans production in Zambia is dominated by large farmers, getting increased yield to meet national requirements can only be achieved by increased participation of the teeming smallholders in soybeans cultivation. In the light of the recent increasing cultivation of soybeans by female farmers in the Eastern Province of Zambia, this study computed and compared profitability of male-owned and female-owned soyabeans farms. The specific objectives were to analyze gender dominance in cultivation activities, compare cost and returns, identify uses of profit and isolate factors affecting profit. The analytical tools used included descriptive statistics, Z-test and regression model. Summary statistics showed that 90.0% of male farmers was married while married female farmers constituted 73.3% of respondents. About 67.0% of male and 70.0% of female farmers attended and/or completed secondary school education. Male dominated land preparation (66.7%), produce transportation to market (65.0%) and weeding (56.7%) while females were dominant in planting (74.2%), shelling, (66.7%), bagging (71.7%) and marketing (82.0%). Quantity produced and profit were significantly higher for males while cost was higher for females. Male spent 57.7% of profit realised on purchase of household production assets like bicycles while female expended 63.3% of profit on foodstuffs consumed in the household. Expenditure by women was more household-centred compared with men. The variables influencing profit included formal education, extension visits, cost of transport, quantity of soybeans harvested and price. The major problems facing farmers included poor markets, low price and scarcity/high prices of inputs. It was concluded that men grew soybeans more profitably than women. It is recommended that extension services be tailored to women for enhanced profitability. Also, for its importance as a major protein source in the livestock industry, government needs to include soybeans among priority crops supported with inputs and purchased by the Food Reserves Agency to encourage increased cultivation and assure farmers of a ready market

Adapting to climate change in shifting landscapes of belief

Religious beliefs, an important element of culture, influence adaptation to climate change. Less understood is how changing beliefs shape the adaptive capacity of communities responding to climate change. In the last century sub-Saharan Africa has experienced a transformation in beliefs. Since 1900 Christians have increased 70-fold while in rural areas Traditional Beliefs and associated Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) continue to influence the lived practices of vulnerable rural communities. Using two case studies of rural communities in Malawi (Bolero) and Zambia (Monze) we explore how Christianity and Traditional beliefs (and associated TEK) co-exist and assess if, and how, holding multiple belief systems affects climate-sensitive livelihood practices of food production. In Bolero we observed a lack of tensions between belief systems with Traditional leaders and elders noting the flexibility of adhering to both belief systems. In Monze however, basing livelihood decisions on the practice of rain-rituals resulted in strong tensions. In both communities elders noted their concern of how changing beliefs affect adherence to TEK management practices. We find that culture and beliefs play an important role in adaptive capacity but are not static. In the context of changing beliefs, adaptive capacity will be influenced by how different belief systems co-exist and how epistemological and intergenerational frictions are negotiated. As climate services become the focus of research and government interventions in vulnerable regions, avoiding culturally and economically expensive mal-adaptation will require giving attention to the complexity and dynamism of changing religious landscapes

Cost Incurred and Margins Secured across the Value Chain for Beef in the Southern Province of Zambia

The Zambian beef industry can potentially contribute more to the nation’s development if value addition is better promoted in the agricultural sector. Effective promotion of value chain (VC) activities is achievable only with in-depth understanding of economic activities embedded in the beef VC. This was the main issue for this study which analyzed cost incurred and margins secured across the value chain for smallholder beef cattle production in 4 districts of the Southern Province against the backdrop of high final consumer price of beef in Zambia. The objectives of the study were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of players, identify their value addition activities and how they influence the value chain, map the beef VC with key actors, compute the costs added to retail price at each value chain node and explain how this influences the final consumer price. Net margin accruing to VC participants and the overall cost of producing a unit of beef were also computed. Empirical results showed that the majority of VC participants were males which were below 50 years of age, married and had basic education. The cattle rearing node was found to contribute the largest proportion (38%) of the marketing margin of USD2.97/kg of beef followed by trading node and retailing node (27% apiece) while the abattoir node accounted for a paltry 8%. The net margin earned was also highest at the cattle rearing node (USD0.77/kg) followed by trading (USD0.70/kg), retailing (USD0.66/kg) and abattoir node (USD0.22/kg). Prices of steak and mixed cuts were found to be more uniform in all the four districts. However, the prices of offals tended to parity only in urban areas but were significantly higher in the largely rural Namwala District. In all the districts, the prices of offals were found to be significantly lower than those of steak and mixed cuts. It is concluded that final consumer prices are mostly determined by cost incurred and margins added at cattle rearing, trading and retailing nodes. Lastly, differentiating beef into steak and mixed cuts does not yield any corresponding price differentiation. The study recommended raising the participation of females in some value chain nodes, stopping beef differentiation into steak and mixed cuts and lowering final consumer prices by implementing policies such as elimination of double levies by councils that can lead to cost reduction at beef cattle rearing, trading and retailing nodes

Climate change impacts on rainfed maize yields in Zambia under conventional and optimized crop management

Maize production in Zambia is characterized by significant yield gaps attributed to nutrient management and climate change threatens to widen these gaps unless agronomic management is optimized. Insights in the impacts of climate change on maize yields and the potential to mitigate negative impacts by crop management are currently lacking for Zambia. Using five Global Circulation models and the WOFOST crop model, we assessed climate change impacts on maize yields at a 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Impacts were assessed for the near future (2035-2066) and far future (2065-2096) in comparison with a reference period (1971-2001). The surface temperature and warm days (above 30 °C) are projected to increase strongly in the southern and western regions. Precipitation is expected to decline, except in the northern regions, whereas the number of wet days declines everywhere, shortening the growing season. The risk of crop failure in western and southern regions increases due to dry spells and heat stress, while crops in the northern regions will be threatened by flooding or waterlogging due to heavy precipitation. The simulated decline in the water-limited and water- and nutrient-limited maize yields varied from 15 to 20% in the near future and from 20 to 40% in the far future, mainly due to the expected temperature increases. Optimizing management by adjusting planting dates and maize variety selection can counteract these impacts by 6-29%. The existing gaps between water-limited and nutrient-limited maize yields are substantially larger than the expected yield decline due to climate change. Improved nutrient management is therefore crucial to boost maize production in Zambia

The Transformative Engagement Network (TEN) Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN)

The Transformative Engagement Network (TEN) Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN)