Geospatial Analysis for Irrigated Land Assessment, Modeling and Mapping

Assessment of irrigated lands by conventional means of survey requires a great deal of time, but the application of geospatial analysis using remote sensing data and GIS techniques minimize time consuming and offer the possibility rapid production of maps and models. This paper gave an overview of the techniques and methods in use at different scales. The presence of salt in the soils and its variation may be because of rise in water table and the difference in elevation in irrigated lands. The combined application of conventional methods with remote sensing and geographical information system techniques in detecting these problems in irrigated lands were examined. Different salinity indexes coupled with ground truthing with the proven results in assessing such problems were also examined thereby depicting indexes as good indicator of soil salinity and water logging, which may influence decision on reclamation of degraded land for proper agricultural land management. Irrigation and drainage managers, planners, farmers, and government agencies for smart agriculture can use models and maps generated through geospatial analysis

Use of Geoinformatics Techniques for the Assessment and Mapping of Soil Salinity: Concepts and Applications

Irrigated agriculture has a major impact on the environment, especially soil degradation. Soil salinity is a critical environmental problem, which has great impact on soil fertility and overall agricultural productivity. Since, soil salinity processes are highly dynamic, the methods of detecting soil salinity hazards should also be dynamic. Remote sensing data are modern tools that provide information on variation over time essential for environmental monitoring and change detection, as they also help in the reduction of conventional time-consuming and expensive field sampling methods, which is the traditional method of monitoring and assessment. This chapter thus reviewed the concepts and applications of remote sensing, GIS-assisted spatial analysis and modelling of the salinity issue in irrigation fields. Generally, compared to the labour, time and money invested in field work devoted to collecting soil salinity data and analysis, the availability and ease of acquiring satellite imagery data and analysis made this concept very attractive and efficient

Performance Evaluation of a Developed Fuzzy-Based Model for

Soil degradation is a phenomenon that has always had an adverse effect on productivity of soil. It occurs when soil loses its quality as a result of human activities resulting from improper use usually for agricultural, industrial or urban purposes. Right from the beginning of human existence, soil has played a major part in human survival by being the backbone of Agriculture. But over the years, man’s activities on the soil such as farming, use of fertilizers, deforestation, bush burning, etc. have all had adverse effect on the soil. Erosion has invariably led to degradation of the soil nutrients hence a necessity to monitor the rate and state of soil’s degradation in order to take adequate measures it. In order to achieve this, fuzzy model was used to predict the degradation after some factors have been quantified. Fuzzy model as an artificial intelligence technique has proven to be useful approach for addressing problems associated with simulating complex processes and environment in variety of Earth science disciplines. The model used was Fuzzy Based Dynamic Soil Erosion Model (FuDSEM). The model was used with different parameters and data to help its predictive ability. The results obtained from the output using the FuDSEM model shows that the area has low runoff potential. The results show that Fuzzy Logic model is reasonably accurate in predicting reliability of farm tractors. The fuel system was observed to be the most reliable of the tractor systems

A community survey of the pattern and determinants of household sources of energy for cooking in rural and urban south western, Nigeria

Introduction:The use of solid fuels for cooking is associated with indoor pollution and lung diseases. The objective of the study was to determine the pattern and determinants of household sources of energy for cooking in rural and urban South Western, Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study of households in urban (Ado-Ekiti) and rural (Ido-Ekiti) local council areas from April to July 2010. Female respondents in the households were interviewed by trained interviewers using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 670 households participated in the study. Majority of rural dwellers used single source of energy for cooking (55.6%) and urban dwellers used multiple source of energy (57.8%). Solid fuel use (SFU) was higher in rural (29.6%) than in urban areas (21.7%). Kerosene was the most common primary source of energy for cooking in both urban and rural areas (59.0% vs.66.6%) followed by gas (17.8%) and charcoal (6.6%) in the urban areas, and firewood (21.6%) and charcoal (7.1%) in the rural areas. The use of solid fuel was strongly associated with lack of ownership of dwellings and larger household size in urban areas, and lower level of education and lower level of wealth in the rural areas. Kerosene was associated with higher level of husband education and modern housing in urban areas and younger age and indoor cooking in rural areas. Gas was associated with high income and modern housing in the urban areas and high level of wealth in rural areas. Electricity was associated with high level of education, availability of electricity and old age in urban and rural areas respectively. Conclusion: The use of solid fuel is high in rural areas, there is a need to reduce poverty and improve the use of cleaner source of cooking energy particularly in rural areas and improve lung health. Pan African Medical Journal 2012; 12:

Mapping and modeling of irrigation induced salinity of Vaal-Harts irrigation scheme in South Africa.

D. Tech. Engineering: Civil.Aims to map and model the salinity trends in Vaal Harts irrigation schemes in Jan Kempdorp, Northern Cape Province of South Africa using Landsat SRS, GIS computational tools (IDRIS and ERDAS). The resulted maps and models will aid the effective management of salinity problem and thereby minimizing its occurrence in the future through planning and policy formulation, on the irrigation scheme within the context of environmental sustainability

Application of Nonparametric Trend Technique for Estimation of Onset and Cessation of Rainfall

The importance of adequate analysis of climatological data cannot be overemphasized as it helps in making vital decision relevant to agricultural practices. Thus, this study gave an overview on nonparametric trend technique for determination of the onset and cessation of rainfall changes over agroecological zones. The rainfall analysis technique reviewed in this study is useful for making decisions at the farm and regional levels and for establishing agroclimatic maps and models for any nation. The study helped to provide baseline information needed for accurate agroclimatic (rainfall) data analysis to enhance agriculture and therefore help farmers in proper planning before and during the growing seasons

River Ona Discharge Modeling using GIS and Logarithmic Transformation Model

Climate unpredictability and change in climatic parameters have direct influence on environment and human existence. A negative change in the climate, always have its corresponding dysfunctional impacts on man and the ecosystem globally or locally leading to flooding, poor agricultural yields, famine, and even death at some stages.Goal and objectives:Knowledge and information on the climatic variation parameters in an environment is very vital for environmental study assessment and proper planning. Therefore, evaluating the effect of weather variability on discharge of Ona River in Ibadan cannot be under-estimated.Methodology:A methodology to evaluate river discharge exclusively from remotely sensed data was developed. Water surface width and maximum channel width measured from satellite images of Ona River was coupled with channel slope data obtained from topographic maps created using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) were used to estimate the discharge. Landsat images were acquired for the years 1990, 2000 and 2015, which were used to determine anthropogenic activities. SRTM and Quick bird were used to model environmental changes and effects on the discharge of Ona River. The weather change effects on water discharge from Ona River in Ibadan was examined in three phases; site observation and data collection which was done in 2015 to get weather and discharge data of Ona River for each month, model simulation of temperature to determine discharge was done using regression model analysis.Results:The rainfall distribution is being revealed to have strong effect on the discharge rate (R2 = 0.77) and that of temperature on discharge rate of Ona River (R2 = 0.80). In 2015, the influence of rainfall on discharge rate was stronger (R2 = 0.85) while the discharge was 2.88m3/s. The monthly temperature-discharge gives a negative relationship (R2=0.55). There is strong negative relationship between vegetation and rainfall, -0.7. It has been projected that in 2028, the discharge rate will be reduced to 2.17 m3/s. There is evidence of dynamic responses of rivers to precipitation rate, which implied a significant response between rainfall and discharge and the negative effect of anthropogenic activities on rivers. This result can be used to predict the discharge of rivers given weather and environmental factors

Knowledge and Willingness to Utilize Hepatitis B Preventive Measures among Pregnant Women in Ado-Ekiti, Southwest, Nigeria

Introduction. Mother-to-child transmission remains an important mode of transmission of hepatitis B infection particularly in endemic areas. The knowledge and practices of pregnant women about mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may influence the uptake of strategies to reduce mother-to-child transmission of infection. Objectives. This study assessed the knowledge and willingness to uptake hepatitis B virus infection preventive services among pregnant women in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study that involved 373 pregnant women at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and Maternal Child Specialist Clinics, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, practices, and perceptions about MTCT of hepatitis B infection. Results. Only 52.5% (196) of the respondents had good knowledge, although the majority 290 (77.7%) had heard of hepatitis B infection prior to the survey. Only 147 (39.4%) of the respondents had ever had hepatitis B screening. More persons with professional jobs had good knowledge about hepatitis B infection compared with other occupations (p<0.001). However, more respondents aged 30–34 years had poor knowledge about hepatitis B infection compared with other age groups (p=0.045). Respondents with good knowledge about hepatitis B infection were willing to uptake hepatitis B infection prevention services (p<0.001) Conclusion. This study showed that respondents with professional jobs had good knowledge about hepatitis B infection and those who had good knowledge about the infection were willing to utilize hepatitis B preventive measures. Awareness of MTCT of HBV did not translate into good practice as only few respondents had screened for hepatitis B. There is a need to intensify education about modes of transmission of hepatitis B infection with an emphasis on promoting good preventive practices