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Water management optimization in agriculture: a digital model development
No full textWater scarcity is one of 21st century’s most pressing global issues. The anthropogenic pressure and climate change will be the main drivers of freshwater depletion in the coming decades. According to the FAO, the amount of water needed to support all human activities will be 20–30% higher by 2050. A closer look reveals how agriculture is a major contributor to water scarcity, with irrigation accounting for 70% of global water use. In this framework, the development of effective water management approaches is a key solution to turn the tide and change current patterns. Despite that, there still exists a gap in the scientific literature in the development and validation of innovative water management strategies using advanced technologies. This study aims to address this gap by developing a digital model of a real irrigation network able to accurately predict the water distribution across the network at different operating conditions. A living lab was used for the experimental activities, where a low-power wide-area network was used to acquire data from the system. For modeling purposes, the integration of the 1-D and 3-D simulation was leveraged to fluid-dynamically characterize all the components involved. The numerical model resulted to be accurate in predicting both pressure and velocity patterns (determination coefficient higher than 93%). The proposed model could be considered a starting point for the implementation of a digital twin to support agricultural water management in both the design and management of an irrigation network by defining the correct network configuration and detect anomalous conditions
Commercialization and dietary diversity of Rwandan smallholder farmers: A focus on women and youth headed households
No full textUsing a household dietary diversity score as a proxy for household access to nutritious foods, this paper assesses the relationship between commercialization and nutritional outcomes of Rwandan smallholder farmers, with a particular emphasis on women and youth headed households. The results indicate that commercialization has a strong, positive effect on household dietary diversity but mixed results between sub-categories of households. For instance, male-headed households have higher overall dietary diversity compared to female-headed ones, but much of that variation can be explained by higher asset ownership and income. However, relative to male headed households, female headed households appear to respond to increasing levels of commercialization by consuming more diverse foods, an insight that could be useful for targeted interventions. Importantly, youth-headed households exhibit greater household dietary diversity than those households headed by older individuals, despite having both lower levels of assets and crop commercialization. General determinants that positively influence household dietary diversity include the level of commercialization, household non-farm assets, market access, education of the household head, the presence of children under five in the household, irrigation use, land size, and livestock holdings. The goal of this research is to enable policy makers to better identify the drivers of household dietary consumption, particularly among more vulnerable households, and how to encourage a more diverse diet for better nutritional outcomes
Nutrition and diets: Research and action, looking back to move forward
No full textThe last half-century has seen major changes in the nature of malnutrition around the world, as well as in our understanding of its manifestations and key drivers, the people most affected, and the policies and programs developed to address it. This chapter reviews the evolution of nutrition in both policy and programming, with particular attention to agriculture, food systems, and multisectoral approaches, before looking to future directions for nutrition policy, programming, and research.
Book link: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17410
Molecular detection and typing of pathogenic Leptospira species from livestock and small mammals in Uganda
No full textLeptospira are bacteria that cause leptospirosis in both humans and animals. Human Leptospira infections in Uganda are suspected to arise from animal–human interactions. From a nationwide survey to determine Leptospira prevalence and circulating sequence types in Uganda, we tested 2030 livestock kidney samples, and 117 small mammals (rodents and shrews) using real-time PCR targeting the lipL32 gene. Pathogenic Leptospira species were detected in 45 livestock samples but not in the small mammals. The prevalence was 6.12% in sheep, 4.25% in cattle, 2.08% in goats, and 0.46% in pigs. Sequence typing revealed that Leptospira borgpetersenii, Leptospira kirschneri, and Leptospira interrogans are widespread across Uganda, with 13 novel sequence types identified. These findings enhance the East African MLST database and support the hypothesis that domesticated animals may be a source of human leptospirosis in Uganda, highlighting the need for increased awareness among those in close contact with livestock
Persistent food insecurity from policy failures in Malawi
No full textEven in the era of globalization, several countries in Africa continue to face chronic and persistent food insecurity. Malawi is one such country. Following a weather shock in 2001, Malawi suffered severe food crises during 2001/02 and again during 2003/04. The main causes of these crises were both natural and manmade. Although poor rainfall resulted in low agricultural productivity, inefficient government policies exacerbated the crises. The reduction in per capita food availability due to low production led to a dramatic increase in food prices. The rapid increase in prices, combined with low purchasing power of a large section of the Malawian population, adversely affected household food access. The government’s erroneous food price policies added to the crises, thwarting the efficient functioning of food markets and resulting in starvation-related deaths in some districts. Maize is the dominant food crop in Malawi, and its yield is highly sensitive to weather variations. Several programs and policies have attempted to increase the productivity of maize and help consumers gain better access to food. Yet misguided policies and their inconsistent implementation remain a major impediment to achieving food security for all Malawians. This case study illustrates this proposition with two policy examples. The first example shows that although Malawi’s Starter Pack Program—free distribution of hybrid maize seeds and fertilizers in small packs to smallholder farmers—initially improved food security, premature scaling down of the program to a targeted program during the low-rainfall period of 2001/02 resulted in food crisis. The second example shows how government intervention to subsidize maize prices through parastatal outlets kept maize prices artificially low. This action led to poor incentives for private traders to import food during the periods of food deficit and thereby contributed to the food crisis. Several policy responses can address production and market failures and help in avoiding future food crises. These responses include developing small-scale irrigation systems, increasing smallholder access to modern inputs, and improving market infrastructure and trade. Social safety nets to smooth consumption shocks and provide income opportunities during crisis periods are also important. Consistent and well-informed policies can help reduce the impact of future food crises. The challenge to Malawian policy makers is to design, sequence, and implement such policies and programs. Your assignment is to develop a set of policy recommendations that will prevent future food crises in Malawi
Impact measurement and tracking in a climate context. Curriculum for a self-paced learning program
No full textThis report presents a curriculum for an e-learning programme that is set to be a game-changer, offering agribusinesses a structured collection of expert-led insights, practical tools, and real-world applications to help them effectively measure, track, and
communicate their impact. Whether you are an expert looking to contribute to the Masterclass’s development, a researcher eager to engage with practical tools, or an agribusiness seeking to enhance your impact measurement capabilities, this report offers valuable insights. Let’s dive into the exciting offerings by exploring the curriculum presented in the following pages
