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Integrated Soil Fertility Management for Sustainable Food Security: Evidence From Cameroon
No full textABSTRACT
The application of organic and mineral soil fertility amendments is widely promoted by agricultural practitioners to cope with land degradation and declining soil fertility, which pose serious threats to food security. However, the impact of the individual and combined use of organic and mineral soil fertility amendments on food security and nutrition is not fully understood. To inform evidence‐based policymaking, this study evaluates the individual and synergistic impacts of organic and mineral soil amendments as part of an integrated soil fertility management technology on food security and nutrition. We apply the multinomial endogenous switching regression and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to survey data collected from 768 farm households in Cameroon. Our results indicate that the combined use of organic and mineral soil amendments has the greatest positive association with household dietary diversity, followed by the individual use of organic and mineral soil amendments, respectively. We find that mineral soil amendments drive the consumption of meat, pulses and nuts, and roots and tubers, whereas organic soil amendments are associated with the consumption of most food groups except fruits and meat. The combined use of mineral and organic soil amendments favors the consumption of cereals, milk and dairy products, eggs, fruits, meat, pulses and nuts, and roots and tubers, highlighting the value of integrated soil fertility management. Our findings reaffirm the value of integrated soil fertility management for food security and nutrition and underscore the need for interventions to promote integrated soil fertility management practices in agrarian settings
(Ent)bindung als Urlaubsmotiv. Eine resonanztheoretische Analyse von Geburtsurlauben
No full textIn der Tourismusbranche wächst das Interesse an tiefgehenden Erfahrungen, die die Reisenden berühren und transformieren. In dem in Deutschland neuen Phänomen Geburtsurlaub wird dieses Bedürfnis addressiert. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Masterarbeit ist es, die Erfahrungen von Geburtsurlauber*innen resonanztheorethisch zu analysieren. Dazu wird die folgende Forschungsfrage gestellt: Inwiefern erleben Geburtsurlauber*innen während ihres Geburtsurlaubs Resonanzerfahrungen, und welche Merkmale zeichnen diese Erfahrungen aus?
Um die Forschungsfrage zu beantworten, wurde eine qualitative Studie mit explorativem Forschungsdesign zu dem Erlebnis Geburtsurlaub durchgeführt. Konkret wurde ein leitfadengestütztes Experteninterview mit der Hebamme Maresa Fiege, die den Geburtshof Gerswalde gegründet hat, geführt. Anschließend wurden die Erfahrungen von neun Geburtsurlauber*innen durch Narrative Interviews erfragt. Es wurde mittels einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse untersucht, welche Reisemotive die Geburtsurlauber*innen haben und welche Voraussetzungen und Merkmale die Erlebnisse erfüllen müssen, damit sie als Resonanzerfahrung identifiziert werden können. Die gefundenen Resonanzerfahrungen wurden durch die von Hartmut Rosa (2016) vorgeschlagenen Resonanzachsen kontextualisiert.
Die Geburtsurlauber*innen nennen neben dem primären Reisemotiv der Geburt auf dem Geburtshof die Motive Urlaub machen und Sicherheit. In allen Erzählungen zeigt sich, dass im Geburtsurlaub die Voraussetzungen für Resonanzerleben erfüllt werden. Alle Interviewpartner*innen berichten von Resonanzmomenten, in den meisten Fällen bezieht sich das Resonanzerleben auf die Geburt. Langfristig resonante Beziehungen bilden sich vor allem auf einer zwischenmenschlichen Ebene (Horizonale Resonanzachse) und in Verbindung mit der Natur (Vertikale Resonanzachse) aus. Zum Forschungsgegenstand Geburtsurlaub kann auf Grundlage dieser ersten Erkenntnisse weiterführende Forschung im Rahmen tourismuswissenschaftlicher, hebammenwissenschaftlicher und soziologischer Forschungen stattfinden.In the tourism industry, there is a growing interest in profound experiences that touch
and transform travelers. This need is addressed in the phenomenon of birth vacations,
which is new in Germany. The aim of this master’s thesis is to analyze the experiences of people who went on birth vacations in terms of resonance theory. To this end, the following research question is posed: To what extent do birth vacationers experience resonance experiences
during their birth vacation, and what are the characteristics of these experiences? In order to answer the research question, a qualitative study with an explorative research design was conducted on the birth vacation experience. Specifically, a guided expert interview was conducted with midwife Maresa Fiege, who founded Geburtshof Gerswalde. Subsequently, the experiences of nine birth vacationers were surveyed through narrative interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to investigate the travel motives of the birth vacationers and which requirements and characteristics the experiences must meet in order to be identified as a resonance experience. The resonance experiences found were contextualized using the resonance axes proposed by Hartmut Rosa (2016).
In addition to the primary travel motive of giving birth at the Geburtshof, the birth vacationers mention the motives of going on vacation and safety. All of the stories show that the prerequisites for experiencing resonance are fulfilled during the birth vacation. All interviewees reported moments of resonance, in most cases the experience of resonance related to the birth. LongWterm resonant relationships develop primarily on an interpersonal level (horizontal resonance axis) and in connection with nature (vertical resonance axis). On the basis of these initial findings, further research can be carried out on the subject of birth vacations in the context of tourism, midwifery and sociological research
Factors impacting the variability of post‐fire forest regeneration in central European pine plantations
No full textFire is increasingly posing a risk to forests and plantations, even in the temperate latitudes of central Europe. Little is known about fire ecology in this region, and therefore, appropriate approaches for the management and reforestation of burned sites are mostly lacking. In a Scots pine plantation region in Brandenburg (northeast Germany), the early tree regeneration of two nearby areas that burned 1 year apart was investigated. We observed that 3 years after the fire events, the forest in one study area showed a relatively high regeneration with a mean density of 7765 saplings/ha, clearly dominated by European aspen (93%); whereas the other study area showed a lower mean density of 5061 saplings/ha, dominated by Scots pine (71%) and aspen (15%). Three years after the fires, the difference in aspen density was 11‐fold between the two areas. We studied the effects of several variables about soil and environmental properties on the aspen establishment in these two study areas in the second and third years after the fire events. We found that the post‐fire aspen regeneration was influenced by several factors, including soil texture, soil disturbance from forest management, volume of deadwood, and browsing. We also discussed that weather conditions during seed production and germination might have played a role in the difference in aspen establishment between the two study areas. We concluded that the post‐fire forest regeneration potential in the study region is highly variable and could come under critical pressure as climate change progresses
Citizen scientists reliably count endangered Galápagos marine iguanas from drone images
No full textAbstract
Population surveys are essential for conservation, but are often resource-intensive. Modern technologies, like drones, facilitate data collection but increase the analysis burden. Citizen Science (CS) offers a solution by engaging non-specialists in data analysis. We evaluated CS for monitoring marine iguanas, focusing on volunteers’ accuracy in detecting and counting individuals in aerial images. During three phases of our Zooniverse project, over 13,000 volunteers contributed 1,375,201 classifications from 57,838 images; each classified up to 30 times. Using a Gold Standard dataset of expert counts from 4,345 images, we evaluated optimal aggregation methods for CS-inputs. Volunteers achieved 68–94% accuracy in detection, with more false negatives than false positives. The standard ‘majority vote’ aggregation approach (where the answer given by the majority of individual inputs is selected) produced less accuracy than when a minimum threshold of five volunteers (from the total independent classifications) was used. Image quality significantly influenced accuracy; by excluding suboptimal pilot-phase data, volunteer counts were 91–92% accurate. HDBSCAN clustering yielded the best results. We conclude that volunteers can accurately identify and count marine iguanas from drone images, though there is a tendency for undercounting. However, even CS-based data analysis remains relatively resource-intensive, underscoring the need to develop an automated approach
Beitrag zur Leistungsmessung bei der Evaluation einer mit RISE-DE an einer Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften erstellten Forschungsdatenstrategie
No full textDer Artikel enthält einen Vorschlag zur Evaluation einer mit RISE-DE Referenzmodell erstellten Forschungsdatenstrategie. In RISE-DE ist das „Handlungsfeld 9 Leistungsmessung“ zwar angedacht, aber ohne eine weitere Darstellung, wie diese Evaluation in der Praxis durchgeführt werden könnte. Dieses Defizit soll nun durch einen konkreten Vorschlag zur Vorgehensweise ausgeglichen werden. Nach einer Einordnung von Evaluationen im Rahmen einer Theorie zum Management, wird darauf eingegangen, dass eine Leistungsmessung im öffentlichen Dienst andere Kriterien als in Wirtschaftsunternehmen erfordert, da keine Gewinnmaximierung im Mittelpunkt steht. Der Fokus der Evaluation wird eher darauf gelegt, dass öffentliche Leistungen möglichst wirtschaftlich, effizient und wirkungsvoll
erbracht werden. Orientiert an der „Handreichung zur Entwicklung von Methoden für die Evaluation von Anpassungsstrategien“ von Kaiser und Kind (2019) zur Evaluation einer Strategie wird eine Vorgehensweise vorgestellt und anhand der Forschungsdatenstrategie der HNEE am Thema Schulungen beispielhaft erläutert. Die betrachtete
Forschungsdatenstrategie wurde 2023 im Rahmen der Landesinitiative Forschungsdatenmanagement in Brandenburg (FDM-BB) erstellt. Durch die Darstellung wird deutlich gemacht, dass die Anwendung der vorgestellten Methode konkrete Erkenntnisse, insbesondere durch Einbeziehung einer Umfeldanalyse und unabhängig der relativ kurzen Laufzeit der Strategie, ermöglicht. Die vorgeschlagene Methode zur Evaluation ließe sich durch leichte Modifikationen bei den Evaluationsfragen und Bewertungsrubriken auch auf Forschungsdatenstrategien, die nicht mit RISE-DE erstellt wurden, anwenden
Zrównoważony rozwój na osi Berlin-Szczecin. Publikacja konferencyjna do polsko-niemieckiej konferencji
No full textDas Diskussionspapier fasst die Ergebnisse und Beiträge der deutsch-polnische Konferenz „Nach-haltige Entwicklung auf der Achse Berlin-Szczecin“ am 23. und 24. September 2024 an der Universi-tät Stettin zusammen. Auf der Konferenz diskutierten rund 30 Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissen-schaftler aus beiden Ländern Forschungsergebnisse zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung in der Grenzregion. Sie präsentierten Analysen, Probleme, Konzepte und Lösungen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung entlang der bi-nationalen Entwicklungsachse Berlin-Szczecin zu den Themenfeldern: Ansätze für die regionale und ländliche Entwicklung, naturbezogene Perspektiven sowie Hand-lungsfelder und Sektoren grenzüberschreitender Regionalentwicklung. Abschließend wurden mög-liche Themen für wissenschaftliche Kooperationen zur Nachhaltige Entwicklung in der Grenzregion diskutiert und der Vorschlag für ein polnisch-deutsches Forschungszentrum zur Nachhaltigen Ent-wicklung der Europaregion Pomerania mit einem Fokus auf Kreislaufwirtschaft formuliert.Specjalistycza publikacja podsumowuje wyniki i wkład polsko-niemieckiej konferencji pt. „Zrównoważony rozwój na osi Berlin-Szczecin”, która odbyła się w dniach 23-24 września 2024 r. na Uniwersytecie Szczecińskim. Podczas konferencji około 30 naukowców z obu krajów omówiło wy-niki badań dotyczących zrównoważonego rozwoju w regionie przygranicznym. Przedstawili oni ana-lizy, problemy, koncepcje i rozwiązania dla zrównoważonego rozwoju wzdłuż dwunarodowej osi rozwoju Berlin-Szczecin w następujących tematach: Podejścia do rozwoju regionalnego i rozwoju obszarów wiejskich, perspektywy związane z przyrodą, a także obszary działania i sektory transgra-nicznego rozwoju regionalnego. Na koniec omówiono możliwe tematy współpracy naukowej w zakresie zrównoważonego rozwoju w regionie przygranicznym i sformułowano propozycję polsko-niemieckiego centrum badawczego na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju w europejskim regionie Pomorza z naciskiem na gospodarkę o obiegu zamkniętym
TreeGrid: A Spatial Planning Tool Integrating Tree Species Traits for Biodiversity Enhancement in Urban Landscapes
No full textUrbanization is causing biodiversity loss and harming city ecosystems. To address this issue at decision-making levels, we developed a planning tool for tree plantation in cities of the Northern Plains in India. This tool integrates tree data, spatial maps, and simulations representing a practical spatial decision support system for urban planners, city officials, environmentalists, and policymakers. It quantifies biodiversity potential, shade provision, carbon sequestration aspects, and cooling effects of trees in an urban setting. It employs artificial intelligence to predict areas with high potential for avian habitats. The results show that strategic tree planting can support wildlife, reduce heat, and enhance the connection between green areas
Modeling the impact of climate change on maize (Zea mays L.) production at the county scale in Kenya
No full textAbstract
Global climate change is projected to disproportionately impact cereal crop yields in developing regions, such as Kenya, due to increased vulnerability and limited adaptation capacity of the population. This study examines the current and projected influence of climate change on maize yields in two major maize-producing counties of Kenya. Utilizing the calibrated and evaluated DSSAT-CERES-Maize model (where DSSAT is Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer and CERES stands for Crop and Environment REsource Synthesis) for the H614 maize cultivar, we investigated the projected impact of climate change on maize production with reference to a baseline period (1984–2013). Simulations were conducted for the mid-century period (2041–2070) and end-of-century period (2071–2100) using projected climate data from regional climate models (RCMs) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs; 4.5 and 8.5) scenarios. Our findings indicate a substantial decline in maize yields, ranging from 7 to 20% for the mid-century period and between 22 and 41% for the end-of-century period, with increased temperature during critical growth phases identified as the primary driver. Spatial clustering and hotspot analysis reveal differential climate impacts across the region. In the end-of-century period, both scenarios revealed that the counties will be marked by hotspots and adaptation spots, areas where climate change adaptation should be intensified. The study underscores the urgency for tailored, location-specific adaptation measures such as maize-legume intercropping, drought-resistant crops, soil water conservation and optimum sowing to mitigate future yield losses and adapt maize production to climate change
Combining electromagnetic induction and satellite-based NDVI data for improved determination of management zones for sustainable crop production
No full textAbstract
Accurate delineation of management zones is essential for optimizing resource use and improving yield in precision agriculture. Electromagnetic induction (EMI) provides a rapid, non-invasive method to map soil variability, while the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained with remote sensing captures aboveground crop dynamics. Integrating these datasets may enhance management zone delineation but presents challenges in data harmonization and analysis. This study presents a workflow combining unsupervised classification (clustering) and statistical validation to delineate management zones using EMI and NDVI data in a single 70 ha field of the patchCROP experiment in Tempelberg, Germany. Three datasets were investigated: (1) EMI maps, (2) NDVI maps, and (3) a combined EMI–NDVI dataset. Historical yield data and soil samples were used to refine the clusters through statistical analysis. The results demonstrate that four EMI-based zones effectively captured subsurface soil heterogeneity, while three NDVI-based zones better represented yield variability. A combination of EMI and NDVI data resulted in three zones that provided a balanced representation of both subsurface and aboveground variability. The final EMI–NDVI-derived map demonstrates the potential of integrating multi-source datasets for field management. It provides actionable insights for precision agriculture, including optimized fertilization, irrigation, and targeted interventions, while also serving as a valuable resource for environmental modeling and soil surveying
Rethinking knowledge systems for agroforestry: Insights from the mental models of cacao farmers in Colombia
No full textAbstract
Agroforestry is a sustainable land-use strategy that requires better integration of diverse knowledge systems. This paper examines how formal knowledge systems for cacao agroforestry systems in Colombia are structured, and how farmers understand and manage these systems. We interviewed 42 actors involved in knowledge production and dissemination and worked with 18 farmers to create mental maps of their management practices. Our findings show that formal knowledge systems remain predominantly top-down and scientific-based, despite increasing recognition of local knowledge. Farmers’ mental models reflect this, showing reliance on external advice and simplified cause-and-effect thinking. When theoretically pooling farmers’ perspectives, we observe a more comprehensive understanding of agroforestry, suggesting that social learning can strengthen their independence and adaptive capacity. Moreover, farm management is shaped by context-dependent variables such as climate seasonality and market access, thus highlighting the importance of integrating farmers’ experiential knowledge into agroforestry design and dissemination for more sustainable, context-sensitive decision-making