MELSpace (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning)
Not a member yet
14195 research outputs found
Sort by
Youth Perceptions and Policy Pathways for Enhancing Youth Engagement in Advancing Agriculture and Promoting Agroecology in Marginal Rural Areas
No full textUnderstanding young people's perceptions of agri-food transformation towards a more sustainable trajectory is essential in developing countries. This comprehension is of paramount importance as it sheds light on the critical challenges faced, including the paucity of employment opportunities, barriers to entrepreneurship and leadership, and the broader prospects for the future of agri-food systems.
The present study examines the perceptions of youth regarding agriculture and agroecology in Tunisia in a semi-arid mixed landscape of cereals, trees and small ruminants, focusing on a case study in the village of Kesra, and highlights their potential role in transforming the agricultural sector. Firstly, agroecology, defined as an integrated approach that combines ecological, social, and economic dimensions, resonates with the aspirations of young people for autonomy, sustainability, and local development. A mixed-methods approach is employed, consisting of semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and a photovoice methodology, complemented by youth and gender-differentiated analysis of implicit and explicit statements. The findings of this study reveal a gendered, complementary vision of agroecology, wherein young men prioritize income generation and livestock, underscoring principles such as recycling and soil preservation. In contrast, young women focus on healthy food, nature, and circular practices, including tree cultivation. Secondly, respondents associate agroecology with ancestral knowledge, landscape beauty, and biodiversity, demonstrating a nostalgic connection to traditional practices perceived as sustainable. In this context, there is no distinction in terms of gender perspectives: rather, complementarities emerge that have the potential to reinforce a shared, robust agroecological vision. However, young people face numerous interconnected challenges, primarily limited access to land, inadequate funding, and weak institutional support which hinders their integration into agroecological pathways. Consequently, the revitalization of the agricultural sector through the involvement of youth in agroecology transition in marginal rural areas that are heavily dependent on agriculture such as Kesra, has the potential to contribute to community resilience, food security, and sustainable local development. To this end, policymakers must recognize the dual role of young people as both future producers and as innovators, leaders, and custodians of cultural and environmental heritage. The promotion of agroecology in this context is a response to both socio-economic needs and the urgent environmental challenges faced by the country, offering a pathway to inclusive rural revitalization
Determination of novel resistant sources of chickpea genotypes under multi‑environments against Ascochyta blight using GGE biplot analysis
No full textChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second largest pulse crop grown worldwide. Ascochyta blight (AB),
caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr. is the most devastating disease of the crop in most chickpeagrowing
areas worldwide. A collection of 200 Global Ascochyta Blight Reference Set in Chickpea
(GABRSC), comprising advanced breeding lines and released varieties, was evaluated along with a
susceptible check to AB over two consecutive years (2021-2002 and 2022-2023) under field conditions
in six countries (Lebanon, Morocco, Ethiopia, India, Tunisia, and Turkey). The experiment was
conducted in two replications using Alpha lattice design. Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML)
analysis revealed significant differences between genotypes (G), environments (E), and genotype x
environment interactions (GEI). The results reflected the most variation attributed to E (15.1%),
followed by G (59.4%), indicating that AB resistance is strongly influenced by genetics, making it a
promising trait for selection in breeding. However, GEI attibuted (25.5%) indicating that the genotype
performance was not consistent across all environments, however, the results identified 10 promising
genotypes (S0110227, S0110088, S160454, S100115, S0110028, M-2635, S0110075, S0110211,
S160483, and SE26IN) exhibiting stability with AB severity ≤4 (based on the 1–9 scale) across multiple
seasons and locations. The GGE biplot analysis explained 58.38% of the total variation. These resistant
genotypes would be valuable as stable donors of resistance in chickpea breeding programs aimed at
developing varieties resistant to Ascochyta blight
Sentinel-1 SAR Workflow for Estimating Soil Moisture
No full textSoil moisture is key for sustaining rainfed agriculture in Morocco, where most farmland depends on rainfall. Precipitation variation and poor agronomy practices are making this problem worse by reducing how much water the soil holds. This study used cloud-based Sentinel-1 SAR satellite data to track soil moisture and see how crop choice and farming practice change the availability of soil moisture. Sentinel-1 SAR scenes were pre-processed using Google Earth Engine. The main tool was the Dual-Polarization Radar Vegetation Index (DpRVIc), which makes it easier to measure soil moisture even when vegetation is present. A change detection method estimated the soil moisture variation in both agronomy practices over three growing seasons, confirmed by in-situ data from a nearby irrigated field. The soil moisture maps from SAR data well matched with seasonal wet and dry periods from the measured data. Details has been presented presented in Anwari (2025). This approach, combining remote sensing and practical field work, offers solid guidance for farmers and planners, making agriculture more resilient against unpredictable climate and supporting sustainable food security. The main goal of this technical report is to show a clear step-by-step process on how to estimate and monitor field scale soil moisture using Sentinel-1 GRD SAR data. This methodology implementing a modified Change Detection Approach (CDA), critically incorporating the SAR-derived Dual-Polarization Radar Vegetation Index (DpRVIc) to effectively reduce vegetation effects and enhance the precision of soil moisture estimation over vegetated soil surfaces Bhogapurapu et al (2022). The process utilizes Google Earth Engine for cloud-based SAR data preprocessing and deriving Dual-Polarization Radar Vegetation Index (DpRVIc), R for statistical calibration and analysis, and QGIS for soil moisture mapping. To implement this workflow, you can get the source code from here
Weed Management Reduces Wild Bee Diversity in Cherry Orchards of the Moroccan Middle Atlas
No full textPollinators are essential for the productivity of many fruit crops, yet their diversity and abundance can be strongly influenced by local management practices. This study investigates the impact of weed management on the abundance and diversity of wild bee communities in Moroccan cherry orchards (Ain Leuh, Middle Atlas). Using a sampling strategy combining pan traps in the orchard and netting on the cherry flowers and the weeds during the cherry bloom season, we found that weeded orchards had significantly higher bee abundance (i.e., number of specimens), while unweeded orchards supported greater species richness (i.e., number of species). Vegetation structure significantly influences bee activity and the performance of sampling techniques. Yellow pan traps contributed to collecting more individuals in weeded orchards, likely due to enhanced visual contrast in the absence of floral cues. Across all sites, the most observed flower visitors included species from the genera Andrena and Lasioglossum, known as important cherry pollinators. These findings highlight the ecological value of maintaining wildflower resources through reduced weed management intensity and suggest that enhancing floral complexity in orchards can support more diverse and abundant pollinator communities, with potential benefits for crop pollination services
Research for Development – Scaling Rhizobial Inoculation for Leguminous Forage Crops
No full textTo address Tunisia’s shortage of quality livestock feed, through CGIAR Research Initiative on Agroecology and the SWC@Scale-ProSol Project, ICARDA and national partners, the National Agronomic Research Institute (INRAT) and the Office of Livestock and Pasture (OEP), introduced rhizobial inoculation as an agroecological solution to boost the productivity of leguminous forage crops, particularly Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium). Trials in the Kef-Siliana transect showed that inoculating Sulla with Rhizobium sullae significantly increased plant emergence, biomass yield (by 66.3%), nitrogen content (by over 80%), and phosphorus uptake (by 21.75%), while eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. This innovation improves soil fertility and strengthens integrated crop-livestock systems. Supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the ProSol project, of which ICARDA was a partner, the establishment of Tunisia’s first rhizobial inoculum multiplication unit, led by OEP, marks a major step toward scaling this sustainable technology
Environmental factors are an important part of farmers' assessments of the value of agroecology
No full textThe need for transformation of food and agriculture systems to be aligned with sustainable development goals is widely acknowledged. Evidence from many parts of the world shows that agroecology, which considers the social and environmental performance of agricultural systems along with economic aspects, is helping farmers transition to sustainable agricultural systems. However, there are demands from national, regional and international food and agriculture planners and funders for evidence that agroecology can work at scale. Providing that evidence requires understanding how farmers use environmental factors when selecting agricultural practices, which is poorly documented. This study contributes to filling this gap by reporting how environmental factors are important in farmers’ decisions related to adopting agroecological practices. Qualitative and quantitative data from 239 key informants, a survey of 5025 farms, 85 focus group discussions with farmers and five participatory cross-benefit analyses in eleven case studies across eight African countries were used. We show that farmers use information on and perceptions of a wide range of environmental variables and processes when assessing the usefulness of agroecological practices. In most cases, farmers cited environmental factors more frequently than economic reasons for choosing to use agroecological practices. Most of the environmental factors articulated by farmers were components of the local or farm environment that were connected to their livelihood, including aspects of soils, water, microclimate, pests and diseases, other animals, and vegetation. Intrinsic and relational environmental values such as conservation of biodiversity, long-term maintenance of land quality and aesthetics were also important. These findings show first that providing data on environmental roles of agroecology will always be challenging because of the breadth of factors that are important. Secondly, viability or usefulness of an agroecological practice is not a characteristic of the practice alone, but also of the context in which it is used. Third, impact analyses of agroecological interventions cannot be confined to consideration of a few globally comparative indicators but need to include the context specific environmental factors that farmers care about
Genome-wide association studies for identification of stripe rust resistance loci in diverse wheat genotypes
No full textIntroduction: In North India, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. triticii (Pst), the causal agent of stripe rust, poses a significant challenge to wheat productivity. The frequent emergence of new virulent Pst strains has rendered many resistance genes ineffective. Hence, continuous identification and deployment of novel resistance genes are crucial for maintaining durable resistance and ensuring sustainable wheat cultivation.Materials and Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on 652 elite, diverse wheat genotypes using 1,938 DArTseq SNP markers. Field evaluations were performed at the adult plant stage across four locations—Hisar, Karnal, Gurdaspur, and Khudwani—under natural disease conditions. Marker–trait associations were identified using General Linear Model (GLM), Mixed Linear Model (MLM), and FarmCPU approaches, considering loci with –log₁₀(p) ≥ 3 as significant.Results: Analysis revealed 27 genomic regions significantly associated with stripe rust resistance across environments. Among these, four loci were located on chromosomes 2B and 6B, and three on 6A. Several loci corresponded to resistance-related genes, including NBS-LRR, F-box, LRR, protein kinase, Ser/Thr_kinase, Znf_RING-CH, E3-ubiquitin ligase, and ABC transporter genes, suggesting their potential role in rust resistance mechanisms.Discussion: The study identified novel genomic regions associated with Pst resistance, providing valuable resources for wheat improvement. The functional annotation of these loci highlights their involvement in plant defense pathways. Conversion of these loci into breeder-friendly molecular markers will facilitate marker-assisted selection (MAS) and accelerate the development of durable stripe rust-resistant wheat cultivars suited to North Indian agro-ecological conditions
Farmers Bulletin: Italy
No full textThis bulletin contains MOUNTAINHER'S advice for growing cereals in the Mountains with an Agroecological approach
From Field to Data: Hands-on Enumerator Training on the Dtreo Digital Livestock Performance Recording Tool for Sheep Finishing in Bonga-Ethiopia
No full textDtreo, the performance recording system, was developed and implemented for the ICARDA Community-Based Breeding Program in Ethiopia. This platform provides access to a continuous flow of quality performance data, enabling timely decision-making at different levels. The platform generates analytics and reports in real time, including visual, printable, and dataset formats.
It is also in use for crowdsourcing sheep fattening data. To overcome the limited and ineffective use the Dtreo tool by enumerators of the sheep fattening project, a refresher training was conducted for the enumerators to build their practical skills and confidence in using the tool, thus enabling more accurate, real-time recording and management of sheep finishing data in field settings data in Bong
Identification of chickpea genotypes resistant to Fusarium wilt in Morocco and Lebanon
No full textChickpea wilt, (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Ciceris) is a major limitation to chickpea productivity and production in many countries. Host plant resistance is the most durable and economical way to manage the disease. This work aimed to find new sources of resistance to Fusarium wilt disease evaluated using sick plots at Merchouch, Morocco, and Terbol, Lebanon in 2023–2024 growing seasons. Two hundred chickpea genotypes were evaluated, where susceptible check was repeated every ten rows. The effects of genotype (G), environment €, and GE interaction for percent Fusarium wilt incidence were highly significant, with the maximum variation caused by the genotype effect (66.9%) followed by GEI (16.3%) and no environment effect (0.01%). Five genotypes (S120158, S120039, T10, Beja2, and S0110195) were highly resistant to Fusarium wilt (<5% mean disease incidence), and twelve genotypes were resistant (<10%) across the two locations. The identified resistant sources will be useful to chickpea Fusarium wilt disease resistance breeding program