MELSpace (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning)
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5.2.1 a Determine flavor mixtures and malt performances of cultivars and practices
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
Genotype by environment interaction effect on yield and forage quality of native panic grasses: AMMI, GGE biplot and correlation analysis
No full textFeed scarcity during the dry season is common in Ethiopia. The potential of existing indigenous grasses can be harnessed and optimized for inclusion in livestock diets. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance, stability, and genotype × environment interaction (GEI) for dry matter yield (DMY) and crude protein yield (CPY) and key parameters correlations of four panic grass: Chano (Panicum maximum Jack (PMJ), Panicum virgatum (PV), Gardula (Dichanthelium latifolium (DL), and Degungiziya (Panicum maximum) as standard check (DG(SC))) genotypes across seven diverse environments. The experiment was conducted at Argubatenao (AT), Chanomile (CM), Humbo (HM), and Lemu (LM) in the South and Central Ethiopia region during 2022 and 2023 (seven environments: AT2022, AT2023, CM2022, CM2023, HM2022, HM2023, and LM2023). Experimental field was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Data was analyzed using Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and Genotype and Genotype × Environment (GGE) biplot analyses with Pearson’s correlation analysis. DMY and CPY including additional forage quality traits of native panicum grasses, and their responses in different environments, were analyzed. The mean DMY performance of the genotypes ranged from 7.75 to 13.99 t/ha, while environmental variation was ranged from 1.37 to 15.42 t/ha. Genotype PMJ outperformed all other genotypes across all testing environments, showing a yield advantage of 21.5% over the mean DMY and 44.6% over check variety (DG). AMMI and GGE biplots provided high yielding genotype (PMJ) with wider adaptations in mega environments of AT2022, AT2023, CM2022, CM2023, and HM2022. The correlation analysis also revealed a strong positive relationship of DMY and CPY with tiller number, plant height, and leaf width, while DMY showed a negative association with IVOMD. DL demonstrated moderate stability across all environments for CP%, IVOMD, and ME. Hence, cultivation of PMJ and DL recommended across suitable environments and variety release in discriminative environments. Further research should include a larger pool of genotypes and more detailed environments to refine selection accuracy and animal testing and molecular or genomic tools could be integrated to strengthen breeding efforts
Stepwise Calibration & Field Application of Our Sci Reflectometer for Soil Organic Carbon Monitoring and Advisory Services in Moroccan Drylands
No full textThis report describes calibration and validation of affordable, fine-scale hand-held Our Sci-Reflectometer, a soil organic carbon monitoring device and generating actionable advisory for improving soil organic carbon in Dryland soil in Morocco. This describes an end-to-end workflow for rapid, geo-referenced monitoring of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Moroccan dryland croplands using the Our Sci-Reflectometer integrated with the SurveyStack Kit mobile application. The workflow converts discrete-wavelength soil reflectance measurements (10 LEDs spanning 365–940 nm) and embedded environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, pressure) into (i) SOC predictions, (ii) SOC status classes, and (iii) field-level, actionable soil-health recommendations displayed immediately to farmers/extension staff
Integrated Bundled Solution for Mungbean in Uzbekistan
No full textMungbean is increasingly used in Uzbekistan as a shortseason pulse to fit after wheat or between irrigations, because it fixes N, has good export demand, and can mature in 65–80 days. From your sheet, national rainfed/partly irrigated areas reach 2.0– 2.5 t/ha under good management, but most farmers stay around 1.5
t/ha because they sow late (hot, dry soil), don’t inoculate or balance P/K, let weeds grow in the first 3–4 weeks, and sometimes miss 1–2 irrigations during flowering/pod-fill. The crop is also sensitive to heat and drought and to Ascochyta/leaf spots + sucking insects. So the package must secure: early sowing on moisture, good seed +
inoculation, early weed control, 2–3 light irrigations, and 1–2 foliar/ biofertilizer sprays
Performance of Durum Wheat Varieties in Intercropping Systems with Almond Trees
No full textAgroforestry represents a key pillar of sustainable agriculture in Morocco, with strong potential to enhance both crop productivity and system resilience. Identifying durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) varieties with superior adaptability to tree–crop interactions is essential for optimizing resource-use efficiency in such systems. This study evaluated the agronomic and biochemical performance of six durum wheat varieties, Hamadi, Karim, Kyperounda (2777), Land, and Nachit in the first year; and Hamadi, Karim, Cocorit, and Nachit in the second year, under sunny (SN) and shaded (SH) microenvironments within almond-based agroforestry, as well as under monoculture conditions (MC). A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates was used. In the first year, the shaded environment favored the performance of Nachit, which achieved the highest yield (1,389 kg ha⁻¹), 36% higher than Karim (964 kg ha⁻¹), confirming its strong shade tolerance. Under sunny conditions, Kyperounda (2777) outyielded Nachit by 31% (940 vs. 688 kg ha⁻¹), indicating better adaptation to high-light environments. During the second year, Cocorit slightly outperformed Nachit under shaded conditions (1,230 vs. 1,125 kg ha⁻¹, +9%), whereas Nachit achieved the highest yield under sunny conditions (1,480 kg ha⁻¹), 12% above Cocorit. In monoculture plots, Cocorit performed substantially better than both Karim and Nachit by 32% and 67%, respectively, suggesting that Nachit is more suited to agroforestry systems than to high-light, full-sun monocropping. These findings underscore Nachit’s resilience and highlight its notable shade tolerance, supporting its suitability for integration into almond-based agroforestry systems. Although differences in proline and soluble sugar contents were not statistically significant, proline levels were higher under sunny conditions in the first year, indicating increased stress likely contributing to reduced yield. In contrast, during the second year, higher proline accumulation occurred under shaded conditions, reflecting increased stress associated with that year’s climatic conditions. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of context-specific varietal selection and highlights the strong genotype × microenvironment interaction in almond–wheat systems. The results also emphasize the value of expanding research across contrasting soil types, rainfall regimes, and tree management practices to better understand varietal plasticity and optimize agroforestry performance in diverse Moroccan agroecosystems
Seed networks are essential for strategic and sustainable food production: the ICARDA experience
No full textThis presentation was delivered at the Summer School on Seed Systems and Sustainable Agriculture, as part of the launch event for the Tunisian National Network (TNN), organized by the Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Tunisia, from 16–18 October 2025. It highlights how ICARDA established seed networks, which are critical for strategic and sustainable food production, especially under climate and resource constraints. ICARDA’s experience demonstrates that coordinated seed systems enhance access to resilient crop varieties, strengthen genetic diversity, and accelerate adoption by smallholder farmers. These insights underscore that investing in inclusive seed networks is essential for resilient food systems and long-term food security
D 4.2.3 ITALY MOUNTAINHer Policy Brief
No full textITALY’S MOUNTAIN REGIONS AT A CROSSROADS: AGROECOLOGY, EQUITY, AND MOUNTAIN COOPERATIVES
A policy roadmap for revitalizing rural economies and advancing gender equality through cooperative innovation
D.4.2.3 Algeria MOUNTAINHer Policy Brief
No full textFROM SEASON TO STABILITY: ADVANCING WOMEN-LED COOPERATIVES IN ALGERIA’S MOUNTAIN REGIONS
Overcoming legal gaps, gender Inequity, and addressing seasonal employment, Training Gaps, and Market Access to Empower Rural Women
Policy brief addressed at each national government with the list of identified hindering policies and possible solutions
No full textPolicy brief addressed at each national government with the list of identified hindering policies and possible solutions for Morocco, Tunisia, Alegeria, Lebanon, Croatia and Ital
Modeling soil erosion and sediment yield under climate change: a comparison of RUSLE and MUSLE integrated with SDR using variable soil data resolutions.
No full textClimate change exacerbates soil erosion by intensifying extreme events, which weaken soil structure and increase surface runoff. In developing countries, resource limitations constrain mitigation efforts, accelerating land degradation, reducing agricultural productivity, and increasing reservoir sedimentation. The accuracy of erosion modeling under these conditions is also influenced by the resolution of input data, particularly soil data, which affects spatial representation and predictive reliability. The semi-arid Bouregreg Watershed in northwestern Morocco faces severe erosion-driven degradation, underscoring the need for advanced modeling for effective assessment and mitigation. The study first compared the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) using the high-resolution INRA soil dataset (1:50,000). RUSLE with INRA data (RUSLEINRA) was then compared to RUSLE with the global FAO soil map (1:1,000,000) (RUSLEFAO). RUSLEINRA yielded more accurate estimates, with average soil loss for the period 09/01/2016–08/31/2021 of 15.56 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, versus 10.24 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for RUSLEFAO, while MUSLEINRA estimated 11.40 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Sediment yield (SY) was calculated using a modified Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) of 20.62% and validated against observations at the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (SMBA) dam, showing strong alignment with RUSLEINRA. The study also projects erosion and SY for the period 09/01/2021–12/31/2040 under SSP126 and SSP585 scenarios, with future soil loss estimated between 31.54 and 37.04 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, indicating a climate-driven increase. These findings highlight the urgent need for effective soil conservation and watershed management, offering key insights for decision-makers addressing reservoir sustainability, sediment control, and erosion in semi-arid regions