Related developments

Optimising the use of water for drip irrigation in Burkina Faso

Wireless sensor technology, adapted to local climatic conditions, which alerts small producers in the semi-arid regions of Burkina Faso on the best time to irrigate, according to the plants’ needs, have been developed and tested. This new technology is based on low-cost wireless weather stations that automatically broadcast reliable data and has resulted in higher yields and water saving. Hydrometeorological measures are made available to local users in real time through the mobile telephone network and the Climaps website. The technology was developed in an R&D project of the Cooperation & Development Centre (CODEV) of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in partnership with the start-up Sensorscope.    (EPFL, 15/12/2014)

7/03/2015

Optimising the use of water for drip irrigation in Burkina Faso

This article describes the application of wireless sensor technology, adapted to local climatic conditions, to alert small producers in the semi-arid regions of Burkina Faso on the best time to irrigate, according to the plants’ needs, resulting in higher yields and water saving. This new technology is based on low-cost wireless weather stations that automatically broadcast reliable data. Hydrometeorological measures are made available to local users in real time through the mobile telephone network and the Climaps website. The technology was developed in a R&D project of the Cooperation & Development Centre (CODEV) of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in partnership with the start-up Sensorscope.  (EPFL, 15/12/2014)

22/02/2015

Optimising the use of water for drip irrigation in Burkina Faso

This article describes the application of wireless sensor technology, adapted to local climatic conditions, to alert small producers in the semi-arid regions of Burkina Faso on the best time to irrigate, according to the plants’ needs, resulting in higher yields and water saving. This new technology is based on low-cost wireless weather stations that automatically broadcast reliable data. Hydrometeorological measures are made available to local users in real time through the mobile telephone network and the Climaps website. The technology was developed in a R&D project of the Cooperation & Development Centre (CODEV) of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in partnership with the start-up Sensorscope. (EPFL, 15/12/2014)

5/02/2015

Earth observation based assessment of the water production and water consumption of Nile basin agro-ecosystems

The development of open-access Earth Observation databases, especially for information related to actual evapotranspiration, is urgently needed. Scientists from IWMI, UNESCO, Delft Technical University, and the EROS Centre explain how Earth Observation data in the public domain can be used to estimate net water production (rainfall (P) > evapotranspiration (ET)) and net water consumption (ET > P) of Nile Basin agro-ecosystems. Measurements of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Second Generation Meteosat (MSG), Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and various altimeters are used. The paper is part of the Remote Sensing Special Issue 'Earth Observation for Water Resource Management in Africa ' and the fluxes, flows and storage changes presented form the basis for a global framework for describing monthly and annual water accounts in ungauged river basins.    (Remote Sensing, 24/10/2014)

31/12/2014

Changing water availability during the African maize-growing season, 1979–2010

Lyndon D. Estes of Princeton University, USA, and colleagues have used a new bias-corrected meteorological dataset to analyze changes in precipitation, potential evapotranspiration and water availability in 20 African countries between 1979 and 2010, and the factors driving changes. With this dataset, they have filled a gap in understanding how global climate change is impacting African agriculture. The found that maize-growing areas in Southern Africa, particularly South Africa, benefitted from increased water availability due in large part to falling demand driven primarily by declining net radiation, increasing vapour pressure and falling temperatures (with no effect from changing wind speed), with smaller increases in supply. The Sahelian countries and Ethiopia experienced strong increases in water availability driven primarily by increased rainfall, with little change or small reductions in demand. However, intra-seasonal variability of water supply increased in West and East Africa. Only a small number of countries, mostly in or near East Africa, experienced declines in water availability due to decreased rainfall, but exacerbated by increasing demand. Much of the reduced water availability in East Africa occurred during the more sensitive middle part of the maize-growing season, suggesting negative    consequences for maize production.    http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/9/7/075005    See also Princeton Journal Watch, Molly Sharlach’s blog, of 21/07/2014   

2/09/2014

Good practices in small-scale irrigation in the Sahel

This new handbook on small-scale irrigation in the Sahel, published by GIZ Germany, describes many successful planning approaches, and implemented infrastructure and agronomic practices that could be used for investments in conservation, processing and marketing programmes. The handbook summarizes 44 good practices that have been made available by a dozen institutions in Mali, including the Ministry of Rural Development, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, IFAD, Canadian Cooperation, Afrique Verte, BORNEfonden and programmes funded by GIZ and KfW.   (Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, 13/03/2014)

2/09/2014

New water-hunting power of plant roots discovered

Using an advanced form of X-ray imaging, researchers from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with several international research groups, discovered that the presence of even small amounts of water can influence the structure of plant roots in soil. The degree of root branching determines the efficiency of water uptake and acquisition of nutrients by plants. Any new understanding of the regulation of root branching is of vital importance, and this finding could open up new ways of improving the water and nutrient foraging qualities of important food crops and hence could significantly improve crop yields.     (University of Nottingham website, 3/06/2014)

25/08/2014

Data collected by satellites can accurately measure underground water

In a development that could revolutionize the management of precious groundwater around the world, Stanford researchers Jessica Reeves, Rosemary Knight, Howard Zebker and Peter Kitanidis have pioneered the use of satellites to accurately measure levels of water stored hundreds of feet below ground. Their findings were published recently in Water Resources Research. Until now, the only way a water manager could gather data about the state of water tables in a watershed was to drill monitoring wells. In their novel approach, the scientists used Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to monitor changes in the elevation of Earth's surface. With this technology they could measure groundwater levels across vast areas without using lots of on-the-ground monitors. InSAR data could play a vital role in measuring seasonal changes in groundwater supply and help determine levels for sustainable water use.   (Stanford University, 17/06/2014)

28/07/2014

Adapting to climate change through land and water management in Eastern Africa

New research findings on agricultural water use and adaptation in Africa

Working with national partners in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, WorldFish, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the University of Osnabruck (Germany) have released the results of an analysis of climate change adaptation in food production in the Chinyanja Triangle in southern Africa. The project has identified a number of shifts in agricultural practices in response to climate-related changes. As weather becomes less predictable, local communities have embraced fish farming and small-scale irrigation. In response to reduced rainfall, farmers are increasing water storage and do not drain their ponds for longer periods of time. Communities endowed with a surplus of land have also begun to trade with communities with more water resources. While these changes have helped mitigate some of the effects of climate change, the researchers found that increases in irrigation and aquaculture are straining local water supplies. The project recommends that farmers plant trees along the rivers to increase shade cover, decrease evaporation, and reduce erosion. Other best practices include: distancing crops from the streams' banks to decrease siltation; creating ridges to slow run-off; and planting crops earlier to make use of residual moisture.    (IISD, 04/2014)  

30/06/2014

Integrated coastal management: lessons in capacity building and good governance

This issue published by START International (Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training) explores prevailing knowledge on the policy nexus between coastal management and coastal adaptation, with special emphasis on the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) framework in promoting the health of marine and coastal ecological systems. ICZM provides a framework for sustainably managing the coast by supporting spatial and sectoral integration and coordination of activities in the coastal space.  (START International, 19/02/2014)  

30/06/2014

The world celebrates World Water Day, 22 March 2014

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 47% of the population could be living under severe water stress by 2050. Modern irrigation practices, including centre pivot irrigation systems, can help improve crop productivity and yields. However, irrigation is also the source of excessive water depletion from aquifers, erosion, and soil degradation. More farmers are using innovative practices to utilize water more efficiently and in lesser quantities to produce more nutritious foods. Using rainwater harvesting, zai pits (a traditional land rehabilitation technology invented by farmers in Burkina Faso), micro-irrigation, bottle irrigation, gravity drip buckets, rotational grazing systems, and other water-saving practices can all help maintain or create sustainable agricultural landscapes. Consumers too can profoundly reduce water waste and consumption, through the food choices they make each day.   http://foodtank.com/news/2014/03/more-crop-per-drop   (Food Tank, 19/03/2014)

10/04/2014

Research reveals true value of cover crops to farmers, environment

A team of agronomists, entomologists, agro-ecologists, horticulturists and bio-geochemists from the Pennsylvania State University's College of Agricultural Sciences, led by Meagan Schipanski, has been developing a framework for considering a suite of ecosystem services that could be derived from agricultural land. The team quantified the benefits offered by cover crops across more than 10 ecosystem services. Benefits included increased carbon and nitrogen in soils, erosion prevention, more mycorrhizal colonisation – beneficial soil fungus that helps plants absorb nutrients – and weed suppression. By integrating a suite of ecosystem services into a unified analytical framework, the researchers highlighted the potential for cover crops to influence a wide array of ecosystem services. They estimated that cover crops increased eight of 11 ecosystem services. In addition, they demonstrated the importance of considering temporal dynamics when assessing management system effects on ecosystem services.  Editor’s note: Cover cropping has been practiced by smallholder farmers in developing countries for several years. This research confirms the reasoning for maintaining this practice.  http://news.psu.edu/story/308073/2014/03/18/research/research-reveals-true-value-cover-crops-farmers-environment  (Pennsylvania State University, 18/03/2014)

10/04/2014

Conservation agriculture: factors for its successful promotion in Sub-Saharan Africa

IFAD and the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Organisation (CCAFS) commissioned two studies with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) to identify supporting and hindering factors for the adoption of conservation agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. The first reviewed the effects of conservation agriculture on crop yields, identifying the agro-ecological and management conditions that favour positive crop responses. The second study, explored the merits of an assessment tool to predict the likelihood of conservation agriculture adoption in a given project region.   The key findings from the first study proved that the combination of the three main principles of conservation agriculture are not, in many situations, an option. For instance, no-tillage has to be associated with mulching to result in higher crop yield. Additionally, crop rotation has to be an integral component with farmers moving from continuous mono-cropping systems to the inclusion of different crop types and preferably vegetables. These two factors are, for many smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, the bottlenecks to adoption. Crop residues have several other competing uses on the farm, in particular as feed for livestock.    The second study explored the degree of accuracy of the qualitative expert assessment tool for conservation agriculture adoption (QAToCA). It discovered that the QAToCA tool can help in identification of the socio-ecological niches (e.g. preferences, prices, production objectives etc.) and specific sites for successful promotion of diverse CA practices and technologies.   http://ifad-un.blogspot.nl/2014/03/conservation-agriculture-factors-for.html   (IFAD social reporting blog, 25/03/2014)

28/03/2014

Assessing regional groundwater stress for nations

In this study, Tom Gleeson (McGill University, Canada) and Yoshihide Wada (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) analyze and interpret groundwater stress across whole nations using multiple data sources for the first time. They focus on two nations with the highest national groundwater abstraction rates in the world, the United States and India, and use recently developed groundwater footprints and multiple datasets of groundwater recharge and withdrawal derived from hydrologic models and data synthesis. The results indicate that the uncertainty is generally greater between datasets than within datasets and that much of the uncertainty is due to recharge estimates. Assessment of groundwater stress consistently across a nation and assessment of uncertainty using multiple datasets are critical for the development of a science-based rationale for policy and management, especially with regard to where and to what extent to focus limited research and management resources.     http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/4/044010/article    (Environmental Research Letters, 16/10/2013)   

27/02/2014

State of the art probe sheds light on soil moisture

South Africa could soon have a cluster of up to seven cosmic-ray moisture probes installed in agricultural, forestry and remote areas. These probes use cosmic-ray neutrons to deliver up-to-date readings of the moisture content of soil. Soil moisture is inversely related to the neutrons in the air above the soil surface. State of the art equipment using infrared analysers and three dimensional sonic anemometers will be used to complement the soil water cosmic-ray probe footprint for studies on the effects of soil moisture dynamics on plant water and carbon exchange. The probes have the potential to provide hydro-meteorologists with new methods of evaluating surface soil water. The continuous data streams linked to the new Cosmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System (COSMOS) continental-scale network will be of relevance to hydro-meteorologists interested in land-atmosphere interactions, ecologists interested in the impact of soil water on ecological status and evolution, remote sensing scientists for soil moisture calibration and validation, surface-water and groundwater modellers, and agricultural scientists interested in understanding and predicting the relationship between soil moisture and crop yield.   http://goo.gl/M6w7TA    (Farmer's Weekly, 30/01/2014)    

27/02/2014

Root traits contributing to plant productivity under drought

Louise H. Comas, US Depart. of Agriculture, Colorado and colleagues in the USA have identified a number of root traits associated with maintaining plant productivity under drought. These include small fine root diameters, long specific root length, and root length density. Small xylem diameters in targeted seminal roots appear to save soil water deep in the soil profile for use during crop maturation and result in improved yields. Capacity for deep root growth and large xylem diameters in deep roots may also improve root acquisition of water when ample water at depth is available. The authors believe a better understanding of root functional traits and how traits are related to plant productivity under different drought conditions is needed.   http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpls.2013.00442/abstract   (Front. Plant Sci., 5/11/2013)

17/12/2013

Shielded application technology reduces herbicide runoff in furrow-irrigated sugarcane plantations

Scientists from CSIRO, Australia, trialled a new technique for applying herbicides to raised beds of furrow irrigated sugarcane by using a specially adapted shielded sprayer. The technique minimises the likelihood of herbicides such as diuron, atrazine, ametryn and hexazinone coming into contact with irrigation water. The conventional application of herbicides in furrow-irrigated sugarcane production is to broadcast spray across the whole field using boom sprayers. By using shielded sprayers, runoff of highly soluble herbicides showed a 90% reduction.   http://www.csiro.au/Portals/Media/Herbicide-runoff-reduced-to-Great-Barrier-Reef.aspx  (CSIRO, 16/10/2013) 

10/12/2013

GIS offers valuable insight into water resource management

Through the use of GIS, all types of enterprise data related to water could be integrated into a single, authoritative data structure in which relationships and patterns can be discerned. GIS offers a common platform for managing water resources; agencies with different mandates can use an integrated system of local to regional scale to assess water quality, monitor flooding grounds and water table levels, or analyse runoff and rainfall patterns in agricultural landscapes.     (Water World, 05/06/2013)

2/07/2013

Wheat farmers’ innovative management of scarce water improves yields

Changing climate, drought and urban expansion threaten the yield of Australia’s wheat. But changes in cropping methods could address reduced water resources and lead to a jump in yield. Facing low autumn rain, farmers conserved as much summer rain in the subsoil as they could. They did so by meticulously controlling weeds and by retaining the stubble of the previous year’s crop as surface mulch.(CSIRO, 11/06/2013)

27/06/2013