Sekhar Udaya Nagothu

Senior Research Scientist

(+47) 990 15 621
nagothu.udayasekhar@nibio.no

Place
Ås O43

Visiting address
Oluf Thesens vei 43, 1433 Ås

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Agroforestry practices improve soil health which in turn improves crop nutrient concentrations and quality. This study examined how the agroforestry tree Gliricidia sepium intercropped with soybean, groundnuts, or maize affects crop nutrient compositions. The study was conducted in five Zambian chiefdoms for three crop-growing seasons (2019–2022) on 13 farmer-led demonstration trial sites. Seven treatments were tested that included maize, soybean, and groundnut plots with and without Gliricidia interventions. Grain samples were analyzed for crop nutrient contents using standard laboratory methods. Results showed that the treatments significantly (P < 0.05) improved maize nutritional properties except for crude fiber, total carbohydrate, and metabolizable energy. G. sepium intercropping with maize and soybean decreased the antinutritional contents and displayed better functional qualities. All elemental mineral components (except potassium, calcium, and sodium) were higher in the Gliricidia + maize intercrop than in the control treatment. The Gliricidia+soybean intercrop had lower mean mineral concentrations than the control (soybean only) except for Mg, Cu, and Zn. The Giliricidia+groundnut intercrop significantly increased groundnut mineral components except for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Iron. It can be concluded that G. sepium intercropped with maize, soybean, and groundnuts significantly improved the crops’ nutritional quality.

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Introduction: Conventional rice production techniques are less economical and more vulnerable to sustainable utilization of farm resources as well as significantly contributed GHGs to atmosphere. Methods: In order to assess the best rice production system for coastal areas, six rice production techniques were evaluated, including SRI-AWD (system of rice intensification with alternate wetting and drying (AWD)), DSR-CF (direct seeded rice with continuous flooding (CF)), DSR-AWD (direct seeded rice with AWD), TPR-CF (transplanted rice with CF), TPR-AWD (transplanted rice with AWD), and FPR-CF (farmer practice with CF). The performance of these technologies was assessed using indicators such as rice productivity, energy balance, GWP (global warming potential), soil health indicators, and profitability. Finally, using these indicators, a climate smartness index (CSI) was calculated. Results and discussion: Rice grown with SRI-AWD method had 54.8 % higher CSI over FPR-CF, and also give 24.5 to 28.3% higher CSI for DSR and TPR as well. There evaluations based on the climate smartness index can provide cleaner and more sustainable rice production and can be used as guiding principle for policy makers.

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Chapter 8 provides a comprehensive review of literature pertaining to agroecological (AE) farming approaches/practices and knowledge driven from stakeholders’ and scientific studies. The review identifies the major drivers, barriers, gaps, and opportunities of AE practices in the context of African farming systems. The chapter presents the best combinations of AE practices as alternative approaches to the current unsustainable farming practices. Experiences from Zambia and other countries where selected AE practices are being implemented by farmers with the support of diverse stakeholders are shared in the chapter. Further, key ecological, social, and economic indicators developed in the countries are also discussed. The chapter analyses how the AE practices contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions and at the same time address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), e.g., SDG 2 (food and nutrition security), SDG 12 (sustainable food production and consumption), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 15 (life on land).

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This chapter presents an overview of the current climate crisis, major sources of GHG emissions, and impacts from the agriculture sector contributing to global warming. Further, the chapter discusses the challenges in reducing GHG emissions from the agriculture sector. Major changes in the agriculture sector would be required if the impact due to climate change is to be limited to 1.5°C target. According to the authors, overcoming the challenges to reduce GHG emissions in the agriculture sector will require specific technological, investment, and policy solutions suitable for different agro-ecological and socio-economic settings. These solutions must be designed and implemented at different scales, both for developed and developing countries, for large- and small-scale farms, and should be sustainable, environmentally, socially, and economically. The chapter discusses the major challenges of the current farming systems, followed by a review of design approaches and pathways for a transition towards sustainable CNRFS. Towards the end, the chapter provides a brief outline of the book and justification.

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This book presents evidence-based research on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems and further provides innovative and practical solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impact of climate change.Intensive farming systems are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to global warming and the acceleration of climate change. As paddy rice farming is one of the largest contributors, and environmentally damaging farming systems, it will be a particular focus of this book. The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions needs to be urgently addressed to achieve the 2°C target adopted by COP21 and the 2015 Paris Agreement, but this is not possible if local and national level innovations are not accompanied by international level cooperation, mutual learning and sharing of knowledge and technologies. This book, therefore, brings together international collaborative research experiences on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems compiled by leading scientists and experts from Europe, Asia and Africa. The chapters present evidence-based research and innovative solutions that can be applied or upscaled in different farming systems and regions across the world. Chapters also present models and technologies that can be used for practical implementation at the systemic level and advance the state of the art knowledge on carbon-neutral farming. Combining theory and practice, this interdisciplinary book provides guidance which can inform and increase cooperation between researchers from various countries on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems. Most importantly, the volume provides recommendations which can be put into practice by those working in the agricultural industry, especially in developing countries, where they are attempting to promote climate-neutral and resilient farming systems. The book will be of great interest to students and academics of sustainable agriculture, food security, climate mitigation and sustainable development, in addition to policymakers and practitioners working in these areas.

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Chapter 6 provides a summary of research findings from the case studies in India that showed significant benefits of another climate-smart rice system, namely the direct seeded rice (DSR), which shows positive outcomes compared to puddled transplanted rice in terms of (i) higher water productivity, (ii) reduction in labour and production costs, and (iii) lower methane emissions. However, there are some challenges for adopting DSR which include poor weed control, need for specific water and nutrient management, availability of suitable varieties for DSR, increased damage by soil pathogens and nutrient disorders, especially N and micronutrients. Possible solutions to overcome these challenges that will make it easier for adoption by farmers will be analysed in this chapter. Field data/evidence from India and other previous studies under both dry and wet conditions were presented to support the solutions. The options for scaling up DSR combined by need-based farmer trainings, accessibility to good quality seeds, availability and use of drum seeders and selective herbicides were discussed.

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This chapter provides a comprehensive review of various integrated pest management (IPM) measures in combination with bio-based interventions, and physical and cultural practices that provide proven benefits for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate mitigation. The chapter illustrates the importance of digital technologies that represent another line of promising solutions to counter the environmental costs of crop production systems and enhance climate neutrality. Such solutions include precision farming with threshold-based and spatially targeted application of pesticides. A key factor to bridge gaps between scientific knowledge and practical implementation of IPM measures is the continuous involvement, training, and co-design of solutions with farmers’ communities and other stakeholders.

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In Chapter 2, the authors focus on the importance of precision-based soil and nutrient management practices tested on rice farms in the eastern part of India and the potential for reducing GHG emissions. This is highly relevant for countries such as India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Thailand with large areas under rice production, where the use of excess amounts of fertilizer and chemicals, especially nitrogen fertilizer, is a serious problem for the environment and health of people. The chapter shows the importance and benefits from the use of tools ranging from the simple leaf colour chart to innovative digital tools and their relevance to improve nutrient use efficiency. The chapter towards the end provides guidelines/models and policy recommendations for upscaling precision soil and nutrient management in rice systems and other related food crops.

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How can agroecological research methods effectively engage smallholder farmers, who provide over half of the world’s food supply, and whose farm management activities have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services? This question is highly relevant in Malawi where the research took place, but in other low-income countries in Africa with mostly agrarian populations, in which multi-scalar processes drive high food insecurity, alongside declining biodiversity, worsening land degradation and climate change. We analyse an innovative transdisciplinary agroecological approach that attempts to bridge the science-practice-policy gap by examining the potential of agro-ecological measures to enhance functional biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study involves a longitudinal, case-control and participatory research design in a region where thousands of farmers have experimented with agroecological practices, e.g., legume intercropping, composting, and botanical sprays. Innovative transdisciplinary agroecological research activities involved farmer participatory research, ecological monitoring and field experiments, social science methods (both qualitative and quantitative), participatory methodologies (public participatory Geographic Information Systems - PPGIS and scenario planning and testing) and stakeholder engagement to foster science-policy linkages. We discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of this novel transdisciplinary and participatory approach about pluralism, decolonial and translational ecological research to foster sustainability and climate resilience of tropical farming systems.

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Chapter 9 begins with a brief introduction followed by a conceptual framework showing the linkages and interactions between different institutional, market, and policy factors affecting adoption of climate-neutral and resilient farming systems in the agriculture sector. The chapter then discusses the barriers for adoption, which operate at various levels in the value chains (VCs). The role played by stakeholders (VC actors, farmers’ group, research, government agencies, and donors) in the farmers’ adoption and the dynamics and partnerships to be developed between different VC actors for upscaling CNRFS is analyzed. Experiences from case studies in Africa (Kenya and Rwanda) are shared, demonstrating how strategies to overcome weaknesses and adoption barriers in the selected value chain together with the support of multi-actor partnerships. Toward the end, some concluding remarks and policy recommendations for upscaling CNRFS are provided.

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The final chapter in the book summarizes the main messages from the preceding chapters. It analyses the diverse views of the bioeconomy concept and supports the view that sustainable bioeconomy development has the potential to change the way we produce and consume natural resources while reducing the negative impacts on the environment. However, there are always risks associated with any new paradigm, hence, it is necessary to ensure transparency in the process, consider the interests of the most vulnerable groups and introduce genuine stakeholder management from the start. Whether, and to what extent, bioeconomy can contribute to the SDGs is a debatable issue. However, several case studies in the book do support the idea that bioeconomy can help in achieving several SDGs. The chapter also highlights the importance of sustainability indicators, including ecological (i.e., the local ecological footprint, total organic carbon, soil nitrogen, transport of minerals from land to rivers and oceans and other ecosystem services), economic and social sustainability indices in the context of bioeconomy development. Their measurement and monitoring are essential to ensure that we are on the sustainable development path. The chapter suggests possible measures to overcome constraints or risks associated with bioeconomy and proposes the necessary conditions required for sustainable bioeconomy development.

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This chapter focuses on ocean-land interactions and the potential for bioeconomy that offers unique opportunities to feed the increasing human population. Oceans can provide a circular bioeconomy by using increased CO2, and dissolved nutrients (P, N, Fe and other elements) in the water, leached from land-based activities. Estimates show that CO2 capture by seaweed cultivation alone can range from 1,500 to 3,000 tons per square kilometre. Ocean photosynthetic production provides more food and energy for human consumption without external inputs. This will contribute to sustainable development by providing food security and will aid the recovery of degraded ecosystems, thus directly contributing to the SDG 2 (reducing hunger) and SDG 14 (protecting life below water). Nevertheless, increasing food production from the oceans has its associated risks if the proper conditions are not met. Hence, proper coastal land use management is important as it continuously affects the nutrient flows, which in turn can lead to more serious changes in carbonate chemistry and ocean acidification. Genuine and stable partnerships, therefore, are necessary to share responsibility for environmental stewardship and to manage marine and coastal ecosystems sustainably. The chapter suggests the need for financial incentives to encourage research and innovations, support farmers associations and establish common platforms to share data and knowledge on oceans for better environmental management.

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This chapter provides a comprehensive literature review of sustainable bioeconomy development, with a focus on the definition, concepts, potential and risks involved. Countries differ on how they view bioeconomy, with some putting emphasis on sustainability and ecosystem services, while others focus on economic growth as the main goal. The literature review shows that bioeconomy is a rather new concept, at times its goals are conflicting, and its objectives are opposing. Hence, the lack of a common bioeconomy agenda and understanding across the globe will be one of the main constraints to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, bioeconomy brings the sustainable development discussions back onto the policy agenda, at both the national and international levels. There are sceptics who do not support this argument and claim that bioeconomy and SDGs do not go together and this is the agenda set by some industrialized countries and the corporate sector to suit their own interests. As the impacts of bioeconomy spread beyond country borders, a common agenda is necessary to keep the balance between the economic, environmental and social objectives. Experience of bioeconomy so far is limited and hence future development must be based on the strictly responsible, accountable and sustainable use of natural resources.

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This book examines the bioeconomy concept, analysing the opportunities it can generate, the constraints and the potential benefits for society. The main objective of bioeconomy is to promote economic development, by creating jobs and enhancing the sustainable utilization of bio-resources. A primary driver of bioeconomy strategy, therefore, is the need to respond to the growing population's food and economic requirements. While today research and literature related to bioeconomy are limited, this book presents a unique collection of perspectives on the complex dimensions of the bioeconomy debate. Drawing on the experiences from Europe, Asia and Africa, it presents an international overview. The chapters address a wide range of issues, including coastal-land interactions, ecosystem services, food production, rural development, agriculture, forest management and bioenergy. As a whole, the volume outlines what role bioeconomy can play in contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without compromising on the ecological sustainability and equitable distribution of benefits. The book concludes by providing recommendations for developing bioeconomy in respective sectors (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, renewable energy) and directions for planning future bioeconomy programmes and strategies. The Bioeconomy Approach will be of great interest to students and scholars of ecological economics, development economics and environmental economics, as well as policy-makers and practitioners involved in sustainable development.

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This chapter highlights the challenges in the agriculture sector in Africa and shows that the current systems are not productive, but are linear, dependent on fossil fuels, and even depleting natural resources. The chapter reviews the potential of sustainable intensification of agriculture with an emphasis on diversified cropping systems and value chain enhancement as an option to promote the bio-based economy in the rural regions of Africa. The chapter uses data and experiences from an ongoing programme in Malawi (www.innovafrica.eu), where maize-legume cropping systems were adopted by smallholders. There is great potential to apply the 3Rs principle of the bio-based economy (i.e., reduce, reuse and recycle) in the farming systems at the production, post-production, marketing and processing stages of the value chain. To sum up, the sustainable intensification approach, inclusive of value chain development, appears to be a promising option for smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa, which can improve productivity, increase farmers’ income, encourage gender mainstreaming and at the same time reduce environmental impacts.

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Farmers, researchers and policy-makers are increasingly concerned about the potential impacts of climate change. Researchers are using various climate models to assess the impacts and identifying relevant alternative adaptation strategies to mitigate climate change. In India, rice is the major cereal crop grown and is influenced due to climate change and variability, inadequate water supply, labour shortage and methane emissions from rice ecosystems. This necessitates adoption action and upscaling of key adaption strategies like direct seeded rice (DSR) using validated data from rice growing areas in India. The study used experimental data of 2010–2014 and field survey data of DSR and non-DSR farmers collected during 2014. Results show that DSR method has incurred less tillage and labour costs by eluding puddling and transplantation by labour. Large-scale adoption of DSR was observed during 2012–2015 in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. This was mainly due to the delayed monsoon and water supply, reduction in cost of cultivation, capacity building of stakeholders and their active involvement in awareness and training programmes. The study has demonstrated that integrated extension approach in technology dissemination and scaling-out through stakeholder integration is crucial. However, a mission mode framework is needed for technology upscaling at system level.

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Climate change adversely affects the determinants of agriculture. Adaptation serves as an important strategy to reduce the adverse effects of climate change (variability) and vulnerability of the people. Adaptation through an innovation programme was implemented for 4 years during 2012–2016 to improve the adaptive capacity in agriculture and the water sectors through capacity building and implementation in the Krishna River Basin, India. Primary data were collected from 178 farm households of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project command area covering both adopters and non‐adopters of water‐saving interventions from the study area. The double difference method was used to analyse the impact of adaptation through capacity building and implementation. The water‐saving interventions include alternate wetting and drying (AWD) in rice, a modified system of rice intensification (MSRI) and direct seeding of rice (DSR). The capacity building and water saving increased crop yields by 0.96, 0.93 and 0.77 t ha−1 through AWD, MSRI and DSR respectively. The three practices have increased farmers’ income and decreased the cost of cultivation in DSR by Rs.11 000 (US$169) ha−1. The methods can be more focused in canal commands on a larger scale for equal distribution of water to all the head, middle and tail‐end regions.

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Climate change characterized by global warming has become a hotspot of research in recent years for water resources, agriculture,ecology and other disciplines. In India, studies have shown an increasing trend in surface temperature, with decreasing trends inrainfall. Farmers are also more affected by the climate variability which has a serious influence on their production and income.The climate change and adaptation (ClimaAdapt) programme was implemented from 2012 to 2016 to build farm-level capacitiesand enhance the adaptive capacity of the agricultural and water sectors in the Krishna basin of Andhra Pradesh and Telanganastates. Water-saving interventions such as direct seeded rice, a modified system of rice intensification and alternate wetting anddrying (AWD) of rice were implemented in a cluster approach and enhanced water productivity. The training and implementationprogrammes increased the adaptation and awareness of farmers. Water measurements were carried out by usingflumes andultrasonic sensors. The area under direct seeded rice has increased to 64% in the study district and 77% of the trained farmersare adopting the practice. Capacity building, implementation and science–policy linkages are the key pillars of the programmeto improve the adaptive capacity and scaling-up of water management practices.

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Saving water in irrigated agriculture is a high priority in areas with scarce water resources and impacted by climate change. This paper presents results of measurements on water Productivity (WP) under alternative rice growing practices such as alternating wetting and drying,direct seeded rice, modified systems of rice intensification and conventional paddy rice (NI)in two selected districts (Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and Nalgonda in Telangana, India). Under alternative practices, the yields varied from 5.72 to 6.11 t/ha compared with 4.71 t/ha under paddy rice. The average water application varied from 991 to 1494 mm under alternative practices while average application in conventional paddy rice was 2242 mm. Higher yield and lower water application led to an increase in WP varying from 0.45 to 0.59 kg/m3 under alternative practices compared with 0.22 kg/m3 under conventional paddy rice. The measurements showed that less water can be used to produce more crop under alternative rice growing practices. The results are important for water-scarce areas, providing useful information to policy makers, farmers, agricultural departments and water management boards in devising future climate-smart adaptation and mitigation strategies.

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Several studies focus on the effects of climate variability on female and male gender relations as perceived through various biophysical and socio-economic aspects. More emphasis is given on the impacts of extreme weather events on rural communities of less developed regions. The results are often interpreted in a qualitative manner through policy measures that may reduce gender inequalities. However, the interpretation of the qualitative results to more crisp and measurable outputs is often not attained while the validation of the findings is rarely ensured. The current study suggests a gender-differentiated impact framework based on qualitative and quantitative components for the assessment of climate variability effects on rural communities in South India. Fifteen villages mostly practicing rice farming in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states were selected as representative drought-prone case studies. The study results advocate that the qualitative outcomes were validated from the quantitative approach but for a few cases which could be attributed to methodological and case-specific differentiations. Policy recommendations are made on common gender trainings in water-resistant crops and livestock activities for the alleviation of drought impact and abatement of gender inequalities. Also, entrepreneurship workshops for women could enhance gender balance and diverse family income from the current sole dependence on farming revenues. Regional climate adaptation programs could be better implemented when the specific features and capacities of local communities are taken into consideration.

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Bangladesh often suffers from droughts and floods that cause substantial harm to households and communities. The frequency of such events is expected to increase with climate change. Assessing the vulnerability to climate change is a promising evaluation tool that can assist in identifying and improving adaptation strategies at various geographical scales. In this paper, we examine the vulnerability status of two regions in Bangladesh, one in the north, which is frequently impacted by severe droughts, and one in the south, which is exposed to regular flooding, high water, and salinity. We evaluate the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of each region using demographic, agro-economic, infrastructural, and biophysical indicators. We consider information obtained in a literature review, interviews with local experts, household surveys, and field visits in the study areas. We use principal components analysis to assess vulnerability to climate change between and within the north and south regions. The flood-prone, saline region in the south appears less vulnerable to climate change the northern drought prone areas, although further validation is needed.

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Climate change and variability associated with natural hazards such as flooding, storms, droughts, increasing temperature, sea level rise and salinity have been a continuous threat to the life and property of Vietnamese society in the past and will continue to do so in the future in not addressed properly. A majority are smallholders, highly vulnerable and without the capacity to invest much in adaptation. Thus any new adaptation measures have to be simple, low cost, help in reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), and easily adaptable. This manual draws lessons from selected mitigation and adaptation measures evaluated in the project. The manual examines three key aspects needed to scale-up and replicate the measures at the provincial level. The first is the institutional structures, including inputs needed, farmer and stakeholder capacity at the commune, district and provincial levels, barriers to scaling-up, and how to address them. Secondly, how demonstrating effective climate-resilient technologies on farmer fields, closely involving farmers, can provide good results for scaling-up. Third, the impacts of policies to enhance enabling environments for scaling-up. There is a need to prioritize short-term and long-term measures for scaling-up. It is important to generate funds to support the scaling-up, both from state and private sources. Active stakeholder integration is a necessary factor where the authorities, farmers, scientists, civil society and industry are working closely in the process. Knowledge transfer has to be done both through linear and non-linear extension models that will be more effective in providing timely and complete knowledge to farmers and stakeholders. […]

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A total of 967 students (males and females) from four secondary schools in Vysocina region of Czechia were interviewed via 24‐question Likert‐type questionnaire to assess student’s environmental awareness and perceptions. The generalized linear models were used to test if (and to what extent) student perceptions related to environment are/ or not influenced by various factors including gender, age, place of residence, educational level, and specialization. The results showed that students’ age, place of residence, education level and their specialization did not significantly affect (p<0.05) their environmental perceptions. However, gender appeared to be statistically significant (p<0.05) influencing student environmental perceptions and also showed linkages to basic environmental education, attitudes and engagement of students in science-related activities. Our results strongly support the need for more environmental education, awareness campaigns in the schools and engaging students in outdoor environment related activities. Future research should include detail environmental surveys targeting school students across Czechia.

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The objective of this study is to better understand socio-economic and gender-differentiated impacts and perceptions of climate change in rice farms in Southern Viet Nam. Focus group discussions and a household survey of both male and female farmers in 160 households were conducted in four villages of Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces. These coastal provinces are located at the mouth of the Mekong delta in southern Viet Nam, an area highly at risk of climate variability and climate change causing exacerbating problems of saline intrusion and drought episodes. The survey found that the farm households heavily relied on rice for their livelihood, and that rice contributed to 79 % of the farmer’s total income. In the last 10 years, 95 % of the Soc Trang households and 89 % of the Tra Vinh province had experienced damage to their livelihoods due to salinity and/or drought. The residents in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh province are mostly Khmer ethnic, followed by Kinh (Vietnamese) people. Most of the households are rice farmers, having their own lands. Husbands are generally the household heads and the landowners, and they little education, but in general more educated than women. Both male and female farmers perceived the existence of climate change and variability and recognized its adverse impacts on crop production, animal husbandry, and fishing, as well as other household activities. Low crop yields, and even occasionally total crop losses were rated as the major impacts, leading to increased debt and food insecurity. Farmers coping strategies included change of rice varieties; leave land fallow during severe drought; change of the cropping pattern; more cash crops; and off-farm work. Women not only did the same tasks as men in farming traditionally but also contributed to seed preparation, replanting, hand weeding, removing off types, drying and sacking. Womens’ workload inn recent years increased more than that of men due to climate variation. It was found that male farmers are more likely than female farmers to adopt technologies that can reduce vulnerability to climate change. These technologies included the use of stress-tolerant crop varieties; planting of early, medium or late varieties to avoid crop loss to variations in presence of drought/salinity; pest and disease management techniques; and development and use of crop varieties resistant to pests and diseases. Both female and male farmers had equal access to credit and money loans in the periods of extreme weather events. Moreover, female farmers tend to spend less money, and they stored food to cover basic needs, while male farmers are used to seek wage labor or migrate. The respondents, especially women, reported a lack of adequate extension and technical information about how to cope with agriculture under climate variability. Thus, in situations of salinity and drought, rice farmers reverted to traditional practices with low rice yield outputs, and the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) varied from 1.2 to 1.6 only. Given the important role of women in rice production , rural extension should not ignore women farmers in the development of the extension programs related to agriculture adaptation and climate change. Moreover, mitigation measures should address the needs of both men and women, and ethnic people living in the areas affected by climate change. Any new adaptation measures have to be simple, help in reducing GHGs, low cost and easily adaptable, since majority of farmers are small or marginal landholders with little education and low investment capacity and the government does not have adequate resources.

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Video: How should India and other countries adapt their agricultural practices to a changing climate? In a new film, researchers explain how they go about in the ClimaAdapt project when developing new rice growing technologies and undertaking capacity building of farmers.

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The three year multidisciplinary ClimaViet project (July 2013 to June 2016) implemented jointly by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) and the Norwegian Institute for Agriculture and Environmental Research (Bioforsk) is focusing mainly on the future climate change impacts on rice production in Vietnam with financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway. As a first step, the project has reviewed the current studies and programs related to climate change and agriculture taken by other agencies in Vietnam. The existing climate scenarios were downscaled and the climate impacts on seasonality in rainfall leading to droughts and salinity in coastal areas on rice production were assessed. Potential measures leading to improved rice cropping systems and improved nutrient use efficiency are being pilottested in the three study areas located in Nam Dinh, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces. The results are expected to contribute to sustained productivity and climate change mitigation. Towards the end, the project will develop the institutional and policy guidelines required to adopt the potential measures identified and tested in the project. The project involves stakeholders at the provincial and national level (VAAS, MARD, MONRE and other relevant stakeholders) for better uptake of results.

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The effects of climate change are unequally distributed between female and male gender in agrarian communities, particularly in developing countries. The agrarian regions of South India offer some representative examples where extreme events such as drought and floods influence gender inequalities. The current study assesses the potential effects of climate change as reflected through weather extremes to gender in agricultural communities of Andhra Pradesh state in South India. The findings signify that no major existent inequalities could be found in the study areas. There is though some uncertainty on the income contribution of males and females in a household and the economic independency of female gender. All the more, a different attitude between men and women was confirmed towards the concerns and initiatives to be undertaken mainly against droughts events. This differentiation could be the cause for the creation of future inequalities because the unilateral decisions seem to provoke unequal access to natural, social and economic resources.

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ClimaRice II has explored the potential for climate adaptation and mitigation through online dissemination of pest risk forecasts to rice farmers. Weather-driven mathematical models incorporating scientific insights on the biological responses of plant pests to climate can be linked to automatic weather station networks to provide pest risk forecasting / forewarning / early warning to rice farmers

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Impact of climate change is likely to have serious influences on agriculture and water sectors and eventually on the food security and livelihoods of a large section of the rural population in developing countries. To improve the adaptive capacity of the agriculture and water sectors in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, ClimaAdapt Programme (Adaptation to climate change: An integrated science--‐stakeholder--‐policy approach to develop Adaptation framework for Water and Agriculture sectors in Tamil Nadu and Andhra pradesh states in India) is undertaken in selected pockets of Krishna (Left canal (DC4) and right canal of Nagarjuna Sagar (DC 21) in Andhra Pradesh) and Cauvery (Kalingarayan canal basin at Erode district and Ponnaniar reservoir basin at Thiruchirapalli district, Tamil Nadu) river basins. The first and foremost need of the project is developing climate and hydrological scenarios for identifying and upscaling appropriate adaptation technologies. From ClimaRice (a feeder project to ClimaAdapt), climate scenarios for the current and future were developed by International Pacific Research Centre (IPRC), Hawaii. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore and International Water Management institute (IWMI), Hyderabad in coordination with Indian institute of Technology (Madras), Chennai developed the hydrological scenarios. In the current study, these scenarios were extracted for the ClimaAdapt programme regions and presented for the impact assessment and development of adaptation strategies for managing the changing climate.

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Access to sufficient quantities of water of acceptable quality is a basic need for human beings and a pre-requisite to sustain and develop human welfare. In cases of limited availability, the allocation of water between different sectors can result in conflicts of interests. In this study, a modified version of the Building Block Methodology (BBM) was demonstrated for allocation of waters between different sectors. The methodology is a workshop-based tool for assessing water allocation between competing sectors that requires extensive stakeholder involvement. The tool was demonstrated for allocation of water in the Sri Ram Sagar water reservoir in the Godavari Basin, Andhra Pradesh, India. In this multipurpose reservoir, water is used for irrigation, drinking water supply and hydropower production. Possible water allocation regimes were developed under present hydrological conditions (normal and dry years) and under future climate change, characterized by more rain in the rainy season, more frequent droughts in the dry season and accelerated siltation of the reservoir, thus reducing the storage capacity. The feedback from the stakeholders (mainly water managers representing the various sectors) showed that the modified version of the BBM was a practical and useful tool in water allocation, which means that it may be a viable tool for application also elsewhere.

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This Technical brief is a short summary of the results obtained from the laboratory and field trials conducted by Climarice project team, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India to evaluate the potentials of microbial inoculants (biofertilizers) such as Blue Green Algae, Azolla and Phosphobacteria in minimizing the impacts of climate change in rice cultivation by nutrient supplementation, methane emission reduction and carbon sequestration. Cyanobacteria (Blue green algae) as a biofertilizer for rice in supplementing nitrogen is highly promising as the rice field ecosystem provides congenial environment for this self supporting diazotroph. Azolla is a floating water fern that also fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Azolla and Cyanobacteria have been identified as eco-friendly natural nitrogen fixers in the rice field ecosystem. A judicious use of these blue green algae could provide entire rice acreage of India as much nitrogen as obtained from 15-17 lakh tonnes of urea. Cyanobacterial nitrogen fixation helps to minimize the over dependence of chemicals, in particular, urea in rice farming and also enhances the use efficiency of nitrogen by releasing ammonia constantly to the rice crop.

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Adapting to changing climate is essential for individuals and communities to sustain their livelihoods. Improving adaptive capacity at various levels is essential, and this can be done by strengthening ongoing initiatives, introducing new measures, training and capacity building. One of the main focus areas of the Climarice projects is to train the farmers on implementing various adaptation technologies that would increase the water and nutrient use efficiencies at field level. Climarice project scientists have identified various technologies such as usage of biofertilizers such as blue green algae and azolla to improve the nutrient use efficiency in paddy cultivation, application of green manures to enhance soil organic matter content, introduction of short duration rice cultivar during delayed monsoon, cultivation of alternate crops for income generation, System of Rice intensification for enhancing water and grain productivity, usage of bio control agents such as Trichoderma and Pseudomonas for eco friendly management of pest and diseases etc.,. For the successful implementation of these technologies at field level, the farmers have to be given with training and exposure visits. ClimaRice project scientists have undertaken many capacity building programmes to farmers of Cauvery basin on various adaptation technologies and these programmes have created confidence among the farmers. Many farmers who have attended the training programmes are following the technologies with great interest. A summary of the training programmes and their impact are furnished in this report.

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Approximately 70% of shrimp consumed globally is farmed. India is ranked among the top five shrimp farming countries globally, and occurs mainly in the eastern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh (AP). More than 90% of the farms are less than 2 ha and are farmer owned, operated and managed. The objective of this study was to increase our understanding of climatic and socio-economic factors influencing this sector, through a survey of 300 shrimp farmers in AP in 2009/10. The farming communities were divisible into two groups: members of a society/cooperative and those operating individually. The latter were large scale adopting more intensive practices. The average production cost was Indian Rupees (IRS) 80,186 ha-1 and net income in summer and winter was IRS 221,901 and IRS 141,715, respectively. The mean technical efficiency estimated using Stochastic frontier function was 7% and 54%. The present study attempts to explain the difference in efficiencies using socio-economic and climatic variables, the latter being a novel approach. Among socio-economic variables, farming experience and membership in society were found to have a significant influence to improve technical and economic efficiencies. Further improvements in identifiable facets of the practices and a consequent increase in technical efficiency will make the sector less vulnerable to climatic change impacts.

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Abstract

This Technical brief is a short summary of the results obtained from the field trials conducted at Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India to understand the Pest dynamics at elevated temperature. Among the major food crops, rice (Oryza sativa L.) forms the stable food for more than half of the world’s population. Among various constrains in rice production, losses due to pest is a major concern. Climate change resulting in increased temperature could impact crop insect pest populations in several complex ways. Although some climate change temperature effects might tend to depress insect populations, most researchers seem to agree that warmer temperatures in temperate climates will result in more types and higher populations of insects. Hence, it is important to understand the population growth of the important insect pests such as yellow stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas) and brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) of rice. The results revealed that there was an inverse correlation between temperature and total life span, developmental time and also fecundity. However there was a positive correlation between temperature and net reproductive rate and development rate.

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Abstract

This Technical brief is a short summary of the results obtained from the field trials conducted at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Trichy, India during Rabi (2010-2011) to evaluate the role of photosynthetic diazotrophs in reducing methane flux from rice soil ecosystem as a part of climarice project. Global warming induced by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is a matter of great environmental concern. Methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbon are the GHGs which have strong infrared absorption bands and trap part of the thermal radiation from the earth surface. Rice fields have to be considered as a significant source of greenhouse gases and rice field eco systems account for about 60 Tg methane per year or about 12 per cent of the global annual methane emission. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of blue green algae and azolla in minimizing methane flux at source in paddy field ecosystem. In the present study, combined application of organics and blue green algae not only recorded higher yield, but also found to emit less methane in paddy cultivation than the application of organics alone.

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Abstract

Farmers attempt to develop a different environment for rice under System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method by which the rice plants can exhibit their full potential. Major principles of SRI includes perfect land levelling, lower seed rate, transplanting young seedlings of 12 days old, single seedling / hill with wider spacing (25 x 25 cm), careful water management (applying a minimum of water during vegetative growth and at later stages maintaining only one inch water) and weed management using cono weeder thrice in the vegetative stage. Researchers and farmers’ experience in the Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu from ClimaRice have shown that yields of rice could be increased considerably (18–27%) with reduced water consumption (22- 25%) and less expenditure, just by following SRI method of cultivation. Thus it is beneficial for small and marginal farmers under changing climatic conditions.

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Abstract

Use of participatory stakeholder engagement processes could be important to reduce the risk of potential conflicts in managing contaminated sites. Most stakeholder engagement techniques are qualitative in nature and require experienced facilitators. This study proposes a multicriteria involvement process to enhance transparency and stakeholder participation and applies it to a contaminated sediment management case study for Bergen Harbor, Norway. The suggested multicriteria involvement process builds on the quantitative principles of multicriteria decision analysis and also incorporates group interaction and learning through qualitative participatory methods. Three different advisory groups consisting of local residents, local stakeholders, and nonresident sediment experts were invited to participate in a stakeholder engagement process to provide consensual comparative advice on sediment remediation alternatives. In order for stakeholders or residents to be able to embrace a complex decision such as selection of remediation alternatives, the involvement process with lateral learning, combined with multicriteria decision analysis providing structure, robustness and transparent documentation was preferable. In addition, a multicriteria involvement process resulted in consistent ranking of remediation alternatives across residents, stakeholder, and experts, relative to individual intuitive ranking without the multicriteria involvement process.

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Division of Food Production and Society

HealthyFoodAfrica


Improving access to nutritious food is a systemic challenge. In order to foster healthier diets, it is necessary to go beyond expanding the diversity of products on the supply side, or raising awareness on the demand side. HealthyFoodAfrica aims to increase the resilience of food systems, and to link food production to nutrition performance, thereby increasing the range and quality of food products for a healthy diet. To achieve this, it engages with farmers, food processors, retailers, civil society organisations (CSOs), policymakers and local experts, and helps them create, and test, innovative technologies, practices and governance arrangements that contribute to a more sustainable, resilient and healthy food system for all.

Active Updated: 23.08.2023
End: dec 2025
Start: jun 2020
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Division of Environment and Natural Resources

CANALLS Agroecological practices for sustainable transition


Agroecology covers all activities and actors involved in food systems. It also places the well-being of people (producers and consumers of crops and products) at its core. The EU-funded CANALLS project will focus on the agroecological zones and diverse farming systems in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa. It will explore the complex environmental, social and economic challenges, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. Moreover, it will advance agroecological transitions in these regions through multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology Living Labs at eight sites in four countries. The focus will be on crops such as cocoa, coffee and cassava, which are vital for subsistence and economic development.

Active Updated: 30.01.2024
End: dec 2026
Start: jan 2023