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Estimation of individual crossbreeding effects and growth curve analysis for growth traits of Dorper x local crossbred sheep in Ethiopia
No full textGrowth data collected from 2011 to 2024 at Debre Birhan Agricultural Research Center sheep breeding station in Ethiopia was used to estimate crossbreeding parameters and describe the growth pattern of Dorper × Menz crossbred sheep. To estimate crossbreeding parameters, the coefficient of breed additive, heterosis and recombination effects in the lamb were fitted as covariates in the analysis. Growth curve model parameters were estimated using Levenberg-Marquardt’s iterative algorithm through the nonlinear regression (NLIN) procedure in SAS. Menz sheep were consistently lighter and gained lower weight than Dorper and their crosses. Relative to the mean value of Menz sheep, the Dorper additive contribution to the BWT, WWT, SMWT, YWT, ADG1, ADG2 and ADG3 of lambs were 47.4, 49.7, 53.4, 63.9, 49.7, 36.9 and 1.16% higher, respectively. The heterosis effects were significantly negative (P<0.05) for BWT, WWT, SMWT and ADG1, but positive (P<0.01) for YWT, ADG2 and ADG3. The estimates of the recombination loss were positive in all traits except for ADG2. The Brody model provided the best fit of growth curve in all lamb genotypes, males, females, single and twin. The present study confirmed that the breed differences, heterosis and recombination effects are important genetic factors affecting growth performance in the Dorper × Menz crossbreeding programs. Moreover, improvement of growth curve parameters could be possible through selection program and intervention of improved management during weaning to six months of age. Therefore, developing an improved management and selection strategy to achieve the desired shape of growth would be very important
D 7.3.3. A policy brief will be provided to the national representatives of the government
No full textThe main policy insights have been disseminated through policy briefsto the national representatives of the
government.
This internal report is part of the MountainHER project, which aims to ensure that the approach adopted by MountainHER is not only applicable to the communities directly targeted by the project, but also scalable to other communities across Mediterranean countries. The initiative operates within the framework of rural transformation, gender inclusion, and sustainable food systems, particularly in regions facing climatic and socio-economic challenges. This report specifically aims to demonstrate how the project’s policy insights have been disseminated to the national representatives of the government through policy briefs
Gendered perceptions on spatiotemporal rainfall and temperature variability among pastoral and agropastoral communities of west Guji and Borana zones, southern Ethiopia
No full textThe link between gender perceptions of climate variability and meteorological evidence was highly unnoticed in Ethiopia. This study analyzed gendered perceptions of spatiotemporal rainfall and temperature variability and trends in the west Guji and Borana zones of southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from 364 men- and women-headed households through survey, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs). Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze household survey data, which were compared with 35 years (1984–2018) of gridded rainfall and temperature data (4 × 4-km resolution) from the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute. Spatial-temporal climate variability was assessed using different indices, and trends were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator. The results revealed that both men- and women-headed differently perceived temperature, rainfall, and other climate variability indicators. Gender-specific perceptions were influenced by access to community affairs, cultural norms, extension services, farmland size, livestock holdings (TLU), education, and local climate knowledge. Annual rainfall variability was high Coefficient of Variation (CV) > 30%, with severe to extreme droughts confirmed by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) exceeded 20% in lowland and midland areas, indicating strong irregular rainfall distribution. The highest change in annual rainfall was observed, 0.70, 0.27, and 0.19 mm/year in lowland, midland and highland, respectively at a significance level of 5%. Temperature trends showed a significant increase in minimum temperature, contributing to nighttime warming and frequent droughts. The findings concluded that the perceptions of climate change in the study area varied by gender, causing heavily burden on women. Intersecting gender-specific perceptions in climate policy design is a pathway for sustainable climate responses, including culturally appropriate climate change communication, given the repeated Borana and Guji climate crisis due to variability and change
Smart Reproduction for Better Flocks: Innovative Practices for the Reproductive Management of Sheep and Goat Flocks in Tunisia
No full textThis report is about the development and the deployment of clean reproductive technologies and biotechnologies aiming at improving the productivity of sheep and goats under various production systems and contexts within the Mediterranean Landscape. These systems cover mixed, rainfed agro-pastoral systems, halophyte-based systems and more intensified forage-based systems in the North of Tunisia. The innovations are meant to be clean, green and ethical applications to monitor, assess and improve the reproductive performance of sheep and goats. The applications were co-designed, co-developed and co-implemented with national partners from both the research and the development systems
Comparative life cycle assessment of olive (Olea europaea L.) production under different agricultural systems: Environmental trade-offs and sustainability insights
No full textIntroduction: Olive cultivation is a major agroecosystem in the Mediterranean basin, yet the environmental performance of its production systems remains poorly quantified, particularly in North Africa where life cycle inventory (LCI) data are limited.
Methods: This study applied a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to eight representative olive production systems (traditional, integrated, and intensive). Primary data were obtained from field surveys and farm records, while secondary data from the Ecoinvent database were used for background processes. Environmental impacts were evaluated per hectare and per ton of olives for global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication and water consumption.
Results: Fertilization and soil management emerged as dominant hotspots across all assessed impact categories, with synthetic inputs contributing up to 576 kg CO 2 -eq/ha to global warming potential and driving nutrient related burdens. Water consumption ranged from 0.98 to 1767 m 3 /ha, primarily influenced by irrigation intensity. Overall global warming potential varied from 617 to 2583 kg CO 2 -eq/ha, reflecting substantial differences in input levels and resource-use efficiency among systems.
Discussion and conclusions: The results demonstrate that environmental performance is strongly shaped by fertilizer regimes, irrigation practices, and soil management. Precision nutrient management, optimized irrigation, reduced tillage and agroecological interventions could substantially reduce impacts. This study provides one of the first structured LCAs for Tunisian olive systems and offers essential evidence to support the development of robust regional LCI datasets for Mediterranean olive production
Sustainable Resource Management: Prioritizing Value Chains for Ecosystem Service Delivery
No full textThis presentation introduces a structured decision-support approach for prioritizing value chains using multi-criteria analysis. It begins by explaining the rationale for prioritization and the role of foundational data on value chains, followed by an introduction to the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method as a tool for systematic prioritization. The session presents the key steps and formulas of the TOPSIS approach, the development of a criteria-based scoring system, and the construction of a decision matrix to support transparent and consistent evaluation. Strategic scenarios are then developed and applied to demonstrate how prioritization outcomes vary under different assumptions. The presentation concludes by showcasing the decision-support tool and discussing prioritization results across three alternative scenarios, highlighting its usefulness for strategic planning and policy decision-making
How Ethiopia’s indigenous plant secures the future
No full textWhile climate change threatens across the country, Southern Ethiopian farmers have cultivated a solution: A drought-tolerant plant that stores both food and feed in its tissues year-round. The plant, enset, Ensete ventricosum, is referred to as the ‘false banana’, a nutrient bank, a cornerstone of climate-resilient farming for over 20 million people. When dry seasons limit the availability of other animal feed resources, enset continues to provide reliable and an ever-growing source of nutrition
التربة القوية: دليل الحفاظ على صحة التربة
No full textThis guide presents concise, practice-oriented guidance for managing soil health to sustain agricultural productivity, with a focus on conditions prevalent in Egypt. It describes soil as a living system composed of minerals, organic matter, water, air, and biological organisms, whose interaction determines soil fertility and productivity. The document distinguishes healthy soils—characterized by balanced water–air relations, adequate nutrient availability, and the capacity to regenerate fertility—from degraded soils affected by salinity, alkalinity, organic matter depletion, climate change, and improper farming practices. It highlights that many Egyptian soils, particularly in the Nile Delta and newly reclaimed areas, suffer from low organic matter and high salinity, which limit nutrient uptake and crop performance.
The guide outlines practical recommendations to restore and maintain soil health, including periodic soil analysis, balanced fertilization based on crop needs, proper soil preparation, and the addition of organic amendments and biofertilizers. It strongly promotes conservation agriculture practices—such as minimum tillage, residue retention, crop rotation, precise irrigation and fertilization, and integrated pest management—as cost-effective strategies to enhance soil fertility, improve productivity, and support long-term agricultural sustainability
5.2.1 b Marketability, Local Malt Production, and Feasibility of MountainHER Barley Value Chains: The Brigosa Case Study
No full textThe MountainHER project aims at strengthening agroecological cereal production systems in
mountain regions of Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Italy, and Croatia, with a focus on empowering
women-led cooperatives and building short, high-value barley and durum wheat value chains. Barley
is a foundational crop in mountain agroecosystems due to its exceptional resilience to drought, cold,
and marginal soils (Ceccarelli et al., 2010). At the same time, the expansion of the craft beer sector in
Europe—especially in Italy and Croatia—has increased demand for high-quality, identity-preserved
malts (Donadini & Porretta, 2017). Morocco relies heavily on imported malt (FAOSTAT, 2023), offering
substantial potential for local production.
In the present report we show the results of an evaluation of whether barley grown by mountain
communities under agroecology and conventional management can meet industrial malting standards
required by maltsters and breweries. Understanding genotype × management interactions is essential
for designing resilient and profitable barley-based value chains
Bundled sustainable agricultural practices as a pathway to economically, environmentally and socially inclusive development in Uzbekistan
No full textUzbekistan is reforming its agricultural sector while facing increasing pressure on land and water resources alongside persistent social inequalities in rural areas. Sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) are widely promoted as a solution, yet clear, nationally representative evidence on who adopts these practices, under which conditions, and with what economic, environmental, and social outcomes remains limited. This policy brief, based on a focused study, addresses this gap. It draws on data from the UzFarmBarometer survey of commercial farms in Andijan, Kashkadarya, Khorezm and Samarkand, provinces, examining four selected SAPs: crop rotation, manure application, drip irrigation, and land laser levelling. The brief synthesizes empirical findings of adoption patterns and impacts, and translates them into concrete messages for government agencies, research institutions, and international development agencies. Its aim is to support more effective and equitable SAP promotion by emphasizing portfolios of combined SAPs rather than isolated interventions targeting single technologies. It also highlights the importance of aligning support measures with farmers’ incentives and constraints and integrating environmental and gender objectives into policy design