Optimising contributions of goat farming to household economic success and food security in three production systems in Ethiopia

The study aims to analyse factors affecting contributions of goat farming to household economic success and food security in three goat production systems of Ethiopia. A study was conducted in three districts of Ethiopia representing arid agro-pastoral (AAP), semi-arid agro-pastoral (SAAP) and highland mixed crop-livestock (HMCL) systems involving 180 goat keeping households. Gross margin (GM) and net benefit (NB1 and NB2) were used as indicators of economic success of goat keeping. NB1 includes in-kind benefits of goats (consumption and manure), while NB2 additionally constitutes intangible benefits (insurance and finance). Household dietary diversity score (HDDS) was used as a proxy indicator of food security. GM was significantly affected by an off-take rate and flock size interaction (P<0.001). The increment of GM due to increased off-take rate was more prominent for farmers with bigger flocks. Interaction between flock size and production system significantly (P<0.001) affected both NB1 and NB2. The increment of NB1 and NB2 by keeping larger flocks was higher in AAP system, due to higher in-kind and intangible benefits of goats in this system. Effect of goat flock size as a predictor of household dietary diversity was not significant (P>0.05). Nevertheless, a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) was observed between GM from goats and HDDS in AAP system, indicating the indirect role of goat production for food security. The study indicated that extent of utilising tangible and intangible benefits of goats varied among production systems and these differences should be given adequate attention in designing genetic improvement programs.

Developing a desertification indicator system for a small Mediterranean catchment: a case study from the Serra de Rodes, Alt Empordà, Catalunya, NE Spain

La desertificació és un problema de degradació de sòls de gran importància en regions àrides, semi-àrides i sub-humides, amb serioses conseqüències ambientals, socials i econòmiques com a resultat de l'impacte d'activitats humanes en combinació amb condicions físiques i medi ambientals desfavorables (UNEP, 1994). L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi va ser el desenvolupament d'una metodologia simple per tal de poder avaluar de forma precisa l'estat i l'evolució de la desertificació a escala local, a través de la creació d'un model anomenat sistema d'indicators de desertificació (DIS). En aquest mateix context, un dels dos objectius específics d'aquesta recerca es va centrar en l'estudi dels factors més importants de degradació de sòls a escala de parcel.la, comportant un extens treball de camp, analisi de laboratori i la corresponent interpretació i discussió dels resultats obtinguts. El segon objectiu específic es va basar en el desenvolupament i aplicació del DIS. L'àrea d'estudi seleccionada va ser la conca de la Serra de Rodes, un ambient típic Mediterràni inclòs en el Parc Natural del Cap de Creus, NE Espanya, el qual ha estat progressivament abandonat pels agricultors durant el segle passat. Actualment, els incendis forestals així com el canvi d'ús del sòl i especialment l'abandonament de terres són considerats els problemes ambientals més importants a l'àrea d'estudi (Dunjó et al., 2003). En primer lloc, es va realitzar l'estudi dels processos i causes de la degradació dels sòls a l'àrea d'interés. En base a aquest coneixement, es va dur a terme la identificació i selecció dels indicadors de desertificació més rellevants. Finalment, els indicadors de desertificació seleccionats a escala de conca, incloent l'erosió del sòl i l'escolament superficial, es van integrar en un model espaial de procés. Ja que el sòl és considerat el principal indicador dels processos d'erosió, segons la FAO/UNEP/UNESCO (1979), tant el paisatge original així com els dos escenaris d'ús del sòl desenvolupats, un centrat en el cas hipotétic del pas d'un incendi forestal, i l'altre un paisatge completament cultivat, poden ser ambients classificats sota baixa o moderada degradació. En comparació amb l'escenari original, els dos escenaris creats van revelar uns valors més elevats d'erosió i escolament superficial, i en particular l'escenari cultivat. Per tant, aquests dos hipotètic escenaris no semblen ser una alternativa sostenible vàlida als processos de degradació que es donen a l'àrea d'estudi. No obstant, un ampli ventall d'escenaris alternatius poden ser desenvolupats amb el DIS, tinguent en compte les polítiques d'especial interés per la regió de manera que puguin contribuir a determinar les conseqüències potencials de desertificació derivades d'aquestes polítiques aplicades en aquest escenari tan complexe espaialment. En conclusió, el model desenvolupat sembla ser un sistema força acurat per la identificació de riscs presents i futurs, així com per programar efectivament mesures per combatre la desertificació a escala de conca. No obstant, aquesta primera versió del model presenta varies limitacions i la necessitat de realitzar més recerca en cas de voler desenvolupar una versió futura i millor del DIS.

Evaluating the century C model using long-term fertilizer trials in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India

The GEFSOC Project developed a system for estimating soil carbon (C) stocks and changes at the national and sub-national scale. As part of the development of the system, the Century ecosystem model was evaluated for its ability to simulate soil organic C (SOC) changes in environmental conditions in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India (IGP). Two long-term fertilizer trials (LTFT), with all necessary parameters needed to run Century, were used for this purpose: a jute (Corchorus capsularis L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) trial at Barrackpore, West Bengal, and a rice-wheat trial at Ludhiana, Punjab. The trials represent two contrasting climates of the IGP, viz. semi-arid, dry with mean annual rainfall (MAR) of < 800 mm and humid with > 1600 turn. Both trials involved several different treatments with different organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs. In general, the model tended to overestimate treatment effects by approximately 15%. At the semi-arid site, modelled data simulated actual data reasonably well for all treatments, with the control and chemical N + farm yard manure showing the best agreement (RMSE = 7). At the humid site, Century performed less well. This could have been due to a range of factors including site history. During the study, Century was calibrated to simulate crop yields for the two sites considered using data from across the Indian IGP. However, further adjustments may improve model performance at these sites and others in the IGP. The availability of more longterm experimental data sets (especially those involving flooded lowland rice and triple cropping systems from the IGP) for testing and validation is critical to the application of the model's predictive capabilities for this area of the Indian sub-continent. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrochemical variations and contaminant load in the Rio Tinto (Spain) during flood events

The aim of this work is to study the hydrochemical variations during flood events in the Rio Tinto, SW Spain. Three separate rainfall/flood events were monitored in October 2004 following the dry season. In general, concentrations markedly increased following the first event (Fe from 99 to 1130 mg/L; Q(max) = 0.78 m(3)/s) while dissolved loads peaked in the second event (Fe = 7.5 kg/s, Cu = 0.83 kg/s, Zn = 0.82 kg/s; Q(max) = 77 m(3)/s) and discharge in the third event (Q(max) = 127 m(3)/s). This pattern reflects a progressive depletion of metals and sulphate stored in the dry summer as soluble evaporitic salt minerals and concentrated pore fluids, with dilution by freshwater becoming increasingly dominant as the month progressed. Variations in relative concentrations were attributed to oxyhydroxysulphate Fe precipitation, to relative changes in the sources of acid mine drainage (e.g. salt minerals, mine tunnels, spoil heaps etc.) and to differences in the rainfall distributions along the catchment. The contaminant load carried by the river during October 2004 was enormous, totalling some 770 t of Fe, 420 t of Al, 100 t of Cu, 100 t of Zn and 71 t of Mn. This represents the largest recorded example of this flush-out process in an acid mine drainage setting. Approximately 1000 times more water and 1408 200 times more dissolved elements were carried by the river during October 2004 than during the dry, low-flow conditions of September 2004, highlighting the key role of flood Events in the annual pollutant transport budget of semi-arid and and systems and the need to monitor these events in detail in order to accurately quantify pollutant transport. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of two soil carbon models using two Kenyan long term experimental datasets

RothC and Century are two of the most widely used soil organic matter (SOM) models. However there are few examples of specific parameterisation of these models for environmental conditions in East Africa. The aim of this study was therefore, to evaluate the ability of RothC and the Century to estimate changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) resulting from varying land use/management practices for the climate and soil conditions found in Kenya. The study used climate, soils and crop data from a long term experiment (1976-2001) carried out at The Kabete site at The Kenya National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL, located in a semi-humid region) and data from a 13 year experiment carried out in Machang'a (Embu District, located in a semi-arid region). The NARL experiment included various fertiliser (0, 60 and 120 kg of N and P2O5 ha(-1)), farmyard manure (FYM - 5 and 10 t ha(-1)) and plant residue treatments, in a variety of combinations. The Machang'a experiment involved a fertiliser (51 kg N ha(-1)) and a FYM (0, 5 and 10 t ha(-1)) treatment with both monocropping and intercropping. At Kabete both models showed a fair to good fit to measured data, although Century simulations for treatments with high levels of FYM were better than those without. At the Machang'a site with monocrops, both models showed a fair to good fit to measured data for all treatments. However, the fit of both models (especially RothC) to measured data for intercropping treatments at Machang'a was much poorer. Further model development for intercrop systems is recommended. Both models can be useful tools in soil C Predictions, provided time series of measured soil C and crop production data are available for validating model performance against local or regional agricultural crops. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of gypsum in the reactions of phosphate with soils

The aim of this study was to examine the mechanisms by which gypsum increases the sorption of fertilizer-P in soils of and and semi-arid regions. Either gypsum or soil (Usher from the UK; pH 7.8, 7% organic matter, 21% CaCO3: Yasouj from Iran; pH 8.2, 1.4% OM, 18% CaCO3: Ghanimeh from Saudi Arabia; pH 7.8, 1% OM, 26% CaCO3, 13% gypsum) was shaken for 24 It with KH2PO4 solutions in 10 mM CaCl2. With gypsum, grinding increased sorption by a factor of about 3, and increase in pH from 5.6 to 7.5 greatly increased sorption. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and EDX quantitative analysis showed that small crystals of gypsum disappeared and roughly spherical particles of dicalcium phosphate (DCPD) were formed. Analysis of equilibrium Solutions showed, using GEOCHEM, that octa-calcium phosphate (OCP) coated the DCPD. For the soils, sorption was in the order Ghanimeh > Yasouj > Usher. Removal of gypsum from Ghanimeh reduced sorption, with precipitated gypsum having a greater effect than gypsum mixed physically with the soil. Addition to Usher had no effect. SEM and EDX could not be used in the soil matrix, but solubility analysis again showed that solutions were close to equilibrium with OCP. Usher was unresponsive to added gypsum, presumably because of its small sorption capacity and high organic matter content. In Ghanimeh and Yasouj soils, gypsum increased sorption by being a source of readily available Ca2+ (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heat tolerance in groundnut

Tolerance to high soil and air temperature during the reproductive phase is an important component of adaptation to and and semi-arid cropping environments in groundnut. Between 10 and 22 genotypes were screened for tolerance to high air and soil temperature in controlled environments. To assess tolerance to high soil temperature, 10 genotypes were grown from start of podding to harvest at ambient (28 degrees) and high (38 degreesC) soil temperatures, and crop growth rate (CGR), pod growth rate (PGR) and partitioning (ratio PGR:CGR) measured. To assess tolerance to high air temperature during two key stages-microsporogenesis (3-6 days before flowering, DBF) and flowering, fruit-set was measured in two experiments. In the first experiment, 12 genotypes were exposed to short (3-6 days) episodes of high (38 degreesC) day air temperature at 6 DBF and at flowering. In the second experiment, 22 genotypes were exposed to 40 degreesC day air temperature for I day at 6 DBF, 3 DBF or at flowering. Cellular membrane thermostability (relative injury, RI) was also measured in these 22 genotypes. There was considerable variation among genotypes in response to high temperature, whether assessed by growth rates, fruit-set or RI. Pod weight at high soil temperature was associated with variation in CGR rather than partitioning. Flowering was more sensitive to high air temperature than microsporogenesis. Genotypes tolerant to high air temperature at microsporogenesis were not necessarily tolerant at flowering, and nor was tolerance correlated with RI. Six genotypes (796, 55-437, ICG 1236, ICGV 86021, lCGV 87281 and ICGV 92121) were identified as heat tolerant based on their performance in all tests. These experiments have shown that groundnut genotypes can be easily screened for reproductive tolerance to high air and soil temperature and that several sources of heat tolerance are available in groundnut germplasm. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical composition and in vitro fermentation of tannin-rich tree fruits

Dry and mature tree fruits are a potential source of protein for goats in the semi-arid areas of southern Africa, but their chemical composition and feeding value is largely unknown. This study presents the chemical composition and in vitro fermentation of indehiscent whole fruits and separated seed and hull fractions from Acacia nilotica, Acacia erubescens, Acacia sieberiana, Acacia erioloba, Piliostigma thonningii and Dichrostachys cinerea trees. Results indicate that the N contents of whole fruits ranged between 13.5 g/kg DM (A. nilotica) and 27.1 g/kg DM (A. erubescens). Seeds had a higher N content than hulls for all tree species. A. nilotica, D. cinerea and P thonningii fruits had high levels of extractable phenolics (758, 458 and 299 g/kg DM, respectively). Soluble phenolics (SPh) and ytterbium precipitable phenolics (YbPh) levels were negatively correlated to in vitro gas production but positively correlated to in vitro organic matter degradability (iOMD). Partition factors for whole fruits at 48 h ranged between 3.6 mg/ml for A. erioloba and 7.8 mg/ml for A. nilotica. Seeds of A. erioloba, A. erubescens and P thonningii were consistently fermented more efficiently throughout the incubation period compared to their whole fruits or hulls. Estimating in vitro degradability of phenolic-rich substrates through filtration procedures can give erroneous results due to the loss of soluble phenolics, which are not necessarily degradable. The feeding value of fruits from D. cinerea and A. nilotica tree species may be reduced due to the presence of high levels of phenolics. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tanniniferous Dichrostachys cinerea fruits do not require detoxification for goat nutrition: in sacco and in vivo evaluations

This study investigated the potential of Dichrostachys cinerea fruits as a protein supplement in semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe. The tanniniferous fruits were treated with aqueous solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Both treatments increased the soluble fraction, rate of degradation and effective degradability (ED) of nitrogen (N) in sacco. The PEG effects were higher than the NaOH effects (e.g. a 25% vs. 6% increase in effective N degradabilities, respectively). Five treatments were evaluated in a N-balance trial using Matebele goats: ground, PEG- or NaOH-treated D. cinerea fruits, a commercial protein supplement (CPS) and no supplement. Animals offered ground fruits or CPS retained most N (3.7 or 4.1 g N/day, respectively), while those offered NaOH- or PEG-treated fruits retained significantly less N (2.7 or 1.0 g/day, respectively). Unsupplemented animals were in negative N balance (-2.4 g/day). PEG treatment deactivated the tannins more than the NaOH treatment. PEG treatment resulted in excessive protein degradation in the rumen leading to high urine N loss. It is concluded that the D. cinerea fruits were beneficial for goat N-nutrition and that the tannins did not require inactivation. D. cinerea fruits can, therefore, replace the expensive commercial protein supplement. It is also suggested that the collection and grinding of fruits could be used as a management tool to control bush encroachment. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response of plant-pollinator communities to fire: changes in diversity, abundance and floral reward structure

Globally, plant-pollinator communities are subject to a diverse array of perturbations and in many temperate and semi-arid systems fire is a dominant structuring force. We present a novel and highly integrated approach, which quantifies, in parallel, the response to fire of pollinator communities, floral communities and floral reward structure. Mt Carmel, Israel is a recognised bee-flower biodiversity hotspot, and using a chronosequence of habitats with differing post-fire ages, we follow the changes in plant-pollinator community organisation from immediately following a burn until full regeneration of vegetation. Initially, fire has a catastrophic effect on these communities, however, recovery is rapid with a peak in diversity of both flowers and bees in the first 2 years post-fire, followed by a steady decline over the next 50 years. The regeneration of floral communities is closely matched by that of their principal pollinators. At the community level we quantify, per unit area of habitat, key parameters of nectar and pollen forage known to be of importance in structuring pollinator communities. Nectar Volume, nectar water content, nectar concentration and the diversity of nectar foraging niches are all greatest immediately following fire with a steady decrease as regeneration proceeds. Temporal changes in energy availability for nectar, pollen, total energy (nectar + pollen) and relative importance of pollen to nectar energy show a similar general decline with site age, however, the pattern is less clear owing to the highly patchy distribution of floral resources. Changes in floral reward structure reflect the general shift from annuals (generally low-reward open access flowers) to perennials (mostly high-reward and restricted access flowers) as post-fire regeneration ensues. The impact of fire on floral communities and their associated rewards have clear implications for pollinator community structure and we discuss this and the role of other disturbance factors on these systems.

The effect of drying and urea treatment on nutritional and anti-nutritional components of browses collected during wet and dry seasons

Fibre, crude protein and tannin concentrations were measured in browse species from the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil during the dry and wet seasons. The effects of oven-, sun- and shade-drying and of urea treatment were also determined. Crude protein (CP) content varied from 103 to 161 g/kg dry matter (DM) and the browses had similar CP content in the two seasons (during 2002) (102-161 and 107-153 g/kg DM in the wet and dry seasons, respectively). Total tannin concentrations ranged from 13 to 201 g/kg DM amongst the browses and were higher in the dry season. A 30-d treatment with urea reduced extractable tannins significantly (P < 0.05). The urea treatment was also most effective at reducing the in vitro effects of tannins compared to the other drying treatments. This was demonstrated by measuring the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on gas production. Addition of PEG increased gas production of oven- (81.4%), sun- (78.5%) and shade-dried (76.7%) samples much more compared to urea treated samples (10.9%). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Power, nature and neoliberalism: the political ecology of water in Chile

Since the 1990s, international water sector reforms have centred heavily on economic and market approaches. In regard to water resources management, tradable water rights have been promoted, often supported by the neoliberal model adopted in Chile. Chile's 1981 Water Code was reformed to comprise a system of water rights that could be freely traded with few restrictions. International financial institutions have embraced the Chilean model, claiming that it results in more efficient water use, and potentially fosters social and environmental benefits. However, in Chile the Water Code is deeply contested. It has been criticised for being too permissive and has produced a number of problems in practice. Moreover, attempts to modify it have become the focus of a lengthy polemic debate. This paper employs a political ecology perspective to explore the socio-environmental outcomes of water management in Chile, drawing on a case study of agriculture in the semi-arid Norte Chico. The case illustrates how large-scale farmers exert greater control over water, while peasant farmers have increasingly less access. I argue that these outcomes are facilitated by the mode of water management implemented within the framework of the Water Code. Through this preliminary examination of social equity and the environmental aspects of water resources management in Chile, I suggest that the omission of these issues from the international debates on water rights markets is a cause for concern.

A new method for the determination of Holocene palaeohydrology

This paper describes a new method for the assessment of palaeohydrology through the Holocene. A palaeoclimate model was linked with a hydrological model, using a weather generator to correct bias in the rainfall estimates, to simulate the changes in the flood frequency and the groundwater response through the late Pleistocene and Holocene for the Wadi Faynan in southern Jordan, a site considered internationally important due to its rich archaeological heritage spanning the Pleistocene and Holocene. This is the first study to describe the hydrological functioning of the Wadi Faynan, a meso-scale (241 km2) semi-arid catchment, setting this description within the framework of contemporary archaeological investigations. Historic meteorological records were collated and supplemented with new hydrological and water quality data. The modelled outcomes indicate that environmental changes, such as deforestation, had a major impact on the local water cycle and this amplified the effect of the prevailing climate on the flow regime. The results also show that increased rainfall alone does not necessarily imply better conditions for farming and highlight the importance of groundwater. The discussion focuses on the utility of the method and the importance of the local hydrology to the sustained settlement of the Wadi Faynan through pre-history and history.

Spatio-temporal surface soil heat flux estimates from satellite data: results for the AMMA experiment at the Fakara (Niger) supersite

This paper describes a method that employs Earth Observation (EO) data to calculate spatiotemporal estimates of soil heat flux, G, using a physically-based method (the Analytical Method). The method involves a harmonic analysis of land surface temperature (LST) data. It also requires an estimate of near-surface soil thermal inertia; this property depends on soil textural composition and varies as a function of soil moisture content. The EO data needed to drive the model equations, and the ground-based data required to provide verification of the method, were obtained over the Fakara domain within the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) program. LST estimates (3 km × 3 km, one image 15 min−1) were derived from MSG-SEVIRI data. Soil moisture estimates were obtained from ENVISAT-ASAR data, while estimates of leaf area index, LAI, (to calculate the effect of the canopy on G, largely due to radiation extinction) were obtained from SPOT-HRV images. The variation of these variables over the Fakara domain, and implications for values of G derived from them, were discussed. Results showed that this method provides reliable large-scale spatiotemporal estimates of G. Variations in G could largely be explained by the variability in the model input variables. Furthermore, it was shown that this method is relatively insensitive to model parameters related to the vegetation or soil texture. However, the strong sensitivity of thermal inertia to soil moisture content at low values of relative saturation (<0.2) means that in arid or semi-arid climates accurate estimates of surface soil moisture content are of utmost importance, if reliable estimates of G are to be obtained. This method has the potential to improve large-scale evaporation estimates, to aid land surface model prediction and to advance research that aims to explain failure in energy balance closure of meteorological field studies.