Adoption of soil organic carbon-enhancing practices: A case of two watershed sites in Ethiopia.

This study aimed at identifying the factors that determine the decision to adopt and the intensity of adoption of soil organic carbon (SOC)-enhancing practices using two watershed sites in Ethiopia: Yiser (Amhara region) and Azugashube (Southern region). The study used survey data collected from 379 sample households drawn from four Kebele/village administrations at each watershed site. Multivariate and ordinary least squares regressions were used to identify the factors that determine the decision to adopt the SOC-enhancing practices and the factors that determine the extent of adoption of these practices, respectively. The study classified these various practices into three classes: soil and water conservation, agronomic, and agroforestry SOC-enhancing practices. We find that the decision to adopt soil and water conservation practices is negatively related to both the decision to adopt agronomic and to adopt agroforestry SOC-enhancing practices. On the contrary, we find that the decision to adopt agronomic and agroforestry practices is complementary. The study also identified diverse agroecological, farming system, institutional, and household characteristics that determine the decision to adopt and the intensity of adoption of the three SOCenhancing practices. Among the different variables, the study found location as a strong determinant of the type and intensity of adoption of the SOC practices

Climate vulnerability assessment for selected crops in Senegal

The Adaptation and Valorization of Entrepreneurship in Irrigated Agriculture (AVENIR) project aims to improve the socioeconomic well-being and resilience of farming households in the regions of Sedhiou and Tambacounda, Senegal. The project focuses on smallholder-irrigated systems through promotion of climate-adapted crops, smallholder irrigation and climate-smart agricultural technologies, particularly for women and young people. AVENIR seeks to promote crop diversification through the integration of rice, agroforestry,and horticulture. In the Tambacounda Region, in the Goudiry and Tambacounda Departments, the project will focus on activities along the rice and baobab value chains. In the Sédhiou Region, in the departments of Bounkiling and Goudomp, AVENIR will center on the rice, mango, and cashew value chains. Other crops prioritized for the two regions are ditakh, madd, onion,okra, and pepper. The Adaptation and Valorization of Entrepreneurship in Irrigated Agriculture (AVENIR) project aims to improve the socioeconomic well-being and resilience of farming households in the regions of Sedhiou and Tambacounda, Senegal. The project focuses on smallholder-irrigated systems through promotion of climate-adapted crops, smallholder irrigation and climate-smart agricultural technologies, particularly for women and young people. AVENIR seeks to promote crop diversification through the integration of rice, agroforestry,and horticulture. In the Tambacounda Region, in the Goudiry and Tambacounda Departments, the project will focus on activities along the rice and baobab value chains. In the Sédhiou Region, in the departments of Bounkiling and Goudomp, AVENIR will center on the rice, mango, and cashew value chains. Other crops prioritized for the two regions are ditakh, madd, onion,okra, and pepper. To produce a crop-specific vulnerability index and a final accumulative score, we combined the components of vulnerability using equal weighting. We also map the hotspots of climate change vulnerability and identify the underlying driving indicators. In Senegal, all the nine crops studied are most vulnerable in the southeastern regions, especially Tambacounda, Kaffrine, Sedhiou, Kolda, and Kedougou regions. More so, there is high vulnerability for baobab trees, ditakh, and madd to the north, and cashews, okra, mangoes, onions, peppers, and rice to the northeast. This study highlights how the adaptive capacity of the farming population can be enhanced by augmenting access to education and health care, improving nutrition, and developing infrastructure for marketing, transportation, and irrigation

Predicting the future climate-related prevalence and distribution of crop pests and diseases affecting major food crops in Zambia

Environmental factors determine the suitability of natural habitats for crop pests and often facilitate their proliferation and that of the crop diseases they carry. Crop pests and diseases damage food crops, significantly reducing yields for these commodities and threatening food security in developing, predominantly agricultural economies. Given its impact on environmental factors, climate change is an important determinant of crop pest and disease distribution. This study uses Targeting Tools, a climate suitability analysis and mapping toolkit, to explore the potential impact of climate change on select environmental factors linked to crop pest and associated diseases’ proliferation. Based on the existing literature, prediction modeling was performed on 21 key pests and diseases that impact the major food crops for Zambian consumption. Future changes in habitat suitability for these crop pests and diseases were mapped based on their optimal temperature and relative humidity conditions for proliferation. Results project that there will be an overall increased geographical spread of suitable habitats for crop pests (and as follows, crop diseases) that thrive in warmer environments. By the 2030s, crop pests and diseases will increasingly spread across Zambia, with a higher likelihood of occurrence projected under RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5. Crop pests and diseases that thrive in cooler environments will experience decreasing habitat suitability in the 2030s, but will transition to a slower decrease in the 2050s under RCPs 2.6 and 4.5. Overall crop pest and disease habitat suitability will continue to rise slowly in the 2050s; RCP 8.5 shows an increased habitat suitability for crop pests and diseases that thrive in warm environments, with a decreased likelihood of occurrence for crop pests and diseases that thrive in cooler environments. The results highlight the need for future-facing, long-term climate adaptation and mitigation measures that create less suitable microclimates for crop pests and diseases

Adaptation and Valorization of Entrepreneurship in Irrigated Agriculture (AVENIR) baseline study

The objective of the baseline study was to evaluate conditions in the Sedhiou and Tambacounda Regions of Senegal for the AVENIR project. The study entailed observation of key trends, a household survey, and analysis of the biophysical characteristics of the project area and challenges for agriculture. Thereby, the study identified key lessons learned and documented challenges for agriculture development

Does retail food diversity in urban food environments influence consumer diets?

The food environment influences consumer diets in significant yet underexplored ways. In this study, we assess the way in which the Nairobi urban food environment—availability, accessibility, affordability, desirability, convenience and marketing—influences the dietary choices and quality of poor urban consumers, by combining market-level diversity scores (MLDS) with household and individual data collected from resource-poor (slum) neighbourhoods in Nairobi, Kenya. We find that urban-poor settings are characterized by a variety of food retail venues, including informal markets such as kiosks, mom-and-pop shops and tabletop vendors, as well as modern retail outlets such as supermarkets. Most of these food outlets predominantly sell unhealthy, highly-processed and energy-dense foods rather than nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruits and animal products. Our analyses show that supermarkets have the highest MLDS, yet they do not significantly influence the diets of resource-poor households. However, a high MLDS among informal retail outlets has a positive association with diet quality; conversely, open-air markets have a negative association. The nutritional status of urban-poor consumers can be improved by promoting the diversification of healthy, nutritious foods across traditional retail outlets and improving accessibility of the outlets to consumers

Spatial estimation of flood residual water cultivation (FRWC) potential for food security in Sédhiou and Tambacounda regions of Sénégal

Nearly 90% of farming households in Senegal rely on rainfed agriculture; in recent years, climate change-induced disruptions to rainfall patterns and the ensuing depletion of water resources have had adverse effects on agricultural production, livelihoods, and food security. Recent studies recommend further assessment of the viability of and potential for Flood Residual Water Cultivation (FRWC) as an alternative growing strategy (i.e., to supplement or extend natural growing seasons). This study utilizes satellite imagery, GIS mapping, and crop analysis to identify areas with high potential for FRWC in Senegal's Sédhiou and Tambacounda regions, and recommends key crops that can be grown using FRWC and support food security. By calculating the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) values based on historical data for the rainy season (September) and the first dry month after the rainy season (November) over a 9-year period, areas with flooding potential were identified and mapped. To assess the crop-growing potential for these mapped areas, we used crop reference evapotranspiration (ET) and determined daily water requirements for the select crops included in our analyses. indicated suitable FRWC areas along river valleys in both regions, with specific locations identified along the Gambia River, the Senegal River in the Bakel Department, and low-lying plains near Kidira and Gourel Bouri. It was observed that regions closer to the Sahara Desert required more water for crop production due to higher temperatures and evapotranspiration rates. Our study identified a total potential FRWC area of 20.7 km² and recommends short-duration crops like okra, French beans, and drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum for FRWC. The integration of FRWC with climate-smart management practices can aid in climate adaptation and economic empowerment in the studied regions, and in Sub-Saharan Africa at large

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

Évaluation de la vulnérabilité climatique de certaines cultures au Sénégal

L’évaluation de la vulnérabilité des cultures sélectionnées au Sénégal est basée sur leur sensibilité au changement, leur exposition et leurs capacités d’adaptation. Le but ultime de cette étude est d’évaluer si le climat futur a un impact neutre, négatif ou positif (pas de changement/diminution/augmentation) sur la productivité des cultures, et d’identifier les régions préoccupantes et les opportunités d’adaptation au changement climatique. Nous avons utilisé les modèles écologiques Maxent dans le cadre des scénarios climatiques à émissions intermédiaires et élevées - Voies de concentration représentatives (RCP) 4.5 et 8.5, respectivement, pour évaluer la sensibilité de neuf cultures au changement climatique. Pour produire un indice de vulnérabilité spécifique à chaque culture et un score cumulatif final, nous avons combiné les composantes de la vulnérabilité en utilisant une pondération égale. Nous avons également cartographié les points chauds de la vulnérabilité au changement climatique et identifié les indicateurs moteurs sous-jacents. Par exemple, au Sénégal, nous avons constaté que les régions du Sud, de l’est et du Sud-Est sont les plus vulnérables, notamment les régions de Tambacounda, Kaffrine, Sédhiou, Kolda et Kédougou. Il existe une vulnérabilité élevée pour les baobabs et les cajous au nord, ainsi que pour les cajous, les ditakhs, les gombos, les oignons et le riz au nord-est. Cette étude montre comment la capacité d’adaptation des populations rurales peut être renforcée en augmentant l’accès à l’éducation et aux soins de santé, en améliorant la nutrition et en développant les infrastructures de commercialisation, de transport et d’irrigation