1,721,014 research outputs found
As drought hits, Zimbabweans are going hungry
No full textPeople in Bulawayo’s townships in Zimbabwe primarily survive on maize. Even so, the year 2019 has hit them particularly hard, with the drought drying up the supply of grain to the city. Prices of staple foods have gone up
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Goat restocking and pass on as a critical entry point to help vulnerable farmers
Full text linkIn risk prone farming areas like Marara District, goats are a profitable and resilient
source of income. A goat restocking and pass-on approach – providing goats
to extremely poor farmers who would then pass on the goats’ first offspring to
other farmers – was developed, thus enabling the farmers to participate in local
development pathways via goat farming.
Benefits were identified at different levels of participation. Selling goats
enables smallholder farmers with the means to pay for food, education, human
health and farm labor, enabling them to transition to a better livelihood. For
communities, an activity such as restocking strengthens their capacity to respond
to threats (drought, theft) by building a common knowledge base and developing
assets. Stakeholder networks bring goat market partners closer for cost-effective
collection and sale/purchase of goats
Re-designing smallholder farming futures for reduced vulnerability to climate change in semi-arid southern Africa
No full textNational and Regional Livestock Markets: Opportunities for Growth in SADC
Full text linkThe last forty years has seen a continuous rise in the demand for meat, milk, and other livestock products
worldwide. Fueled by trends such as increased urbanization, growing populations, and income growth in
the urban areas, it is clear that this demand will only continue to grow (Delgado et al., 1999).
Although decision makers in agriculture have traditionally focused on crop production, the growing
demand for livestock products makes a good case for improving the livestock sector. Gains made here will
ultimately benefit the many small-scale farmers who collectively own more than 80% of the livestock in
southern Africa (SADC RISDP, 2006)
Improving food security, nutrition and incomes: the contribution of small stock
Full text linkDespite years of work, the development indicators relating to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) often
disappoint. For example, the highest incidence of undernourishment in the world occurs in SSA
where one out of every three people suffers from chronic hunger (WDR, 2007). Per capita food
consumption in SSA is on the decline (Shapouri et al., 1999). Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in
the world where the number of rural poor is on the rise (WDR, 2007).
The majority (86%) of SSA’s combined population of 200 million relies on the agriculture sector.
Therefore, it is no surprise that we look to this sector to provide solutions to the issues of chronic
poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Improvements here have the possibility of impacting
millions. This brief looks at the contribution that livestock, small stock in particular, can make
towards achieving food and nutritional security and improving social wellbeing in southern Africa
New Methods to Assess Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation of Agricultural Production Systems: The experience of AgMIP’s Regional Integrated Assessments in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Full text linkThe climate change research community has recognized that new pathway and scenario concepts are needed to implement impact and vulnerability assessment that is logically consistent across global, regional and local scales. The most common challenge is that global models do not provide context-specific answers, while scientists and decision makers require data and information about climate change, vulnerability, adaptation, mitigation and impacts at the local scale. The Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) provides the link between global climate change projections and sector-specific and regional pathways and scenarios (Antle et al., 2015; Rosenzweig et al., 2013). AgMIP, through a trans-disciplinary process involving both scientists and stakeholders, is developing Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs) for agricultural systems at both global and regional scales. In addition to climate modeling, RAPs include bio-physical and socio-economic drivers, associated capabilities, challenges and opportunities. RAPs can then be translated as components of the AgMIP Regional Integrated Assessments (RIA) of climate vulnerability and impacts
Assisting smallholder farmers in mixed crop-livestock systems to understand the potential effects of technologies and climate change through participatory modeling
Full text linkSmallholder farming systems in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe are characterized by low production. This low production is not solely due to lack of technologies but also due to a lack of integrating a diversity of viewpoints belonging to local, expert and specialized stakeholders during technology development. Participatory approaches combined with computer-based modeling are increasingly being recognized as valuable approaches to jointly develop sustainable agricultural pathways. The paper discusses the application of this integrated and iterative process in developing and evaluating the impact of interventions aimed at improving food and feed production. The paper concludes that the process allows farmers to determine the impact of their decisions, evaluate new options and define realistic production and management options tailored to their particular circumstances. While in-turn scientists and other stakeholders learn more about the farmers’ decision-making process, input and managerial potentials as well as knowledge gaps
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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