Your search found 92 records
1 Brauch, H. G.; Spring, U. O.; Grin, J.; Mesjasz, C.; Kameri-Mbote, P.; Behera, N. C.; Chourou, B.; Krummenacher, H. (Eds.) 2009. Facing global environmental change: environmental, human, energy, food, health and water security concepts. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. 1586p. (Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace Vol. 4)
Environmental factors ; Climate change ; Globalization ; Ecosystems ; International relations ; Policy ; Natural resources ; Desertification ; Water security ; Case studies ; Models ; Natural disasters ; Refugees ; Social welfare ; Health ; HIV infections ; Energy management ; Energy demand ; Energy sources ; Economic aspects ; Food security ; Water resource management ; River basin management ; Non governmental organizations ; Gender ; Early warning systems / Africa / Botswana / Vietnam / Bangladesh / India / Arab Countries / Middle East / Turkey / Africa South of Sahara / Asia / USA / Russia / Belarus / Ukraine / Israel / Palestine / Japan / Mali / Nnile River Basin / Tigris River Basin / Senegal River Basin / Volta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 363.7 G000 BRA Record No: H043458)
(0.58 MB)
2 Prathapar, Sanmugam A.; Khan, M. M.; Mbaga, M. D. 2014. The potential of transforming Salalah into Oman’s vegetables basket. In Shahid, S. A.; Ahmed, M. (Eds.). Environmental cost and face of agriculture in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: fostering agriculture in the context of climate change. London, UK: Springer. 15p.
Vegetables ; Fruits ; Cereals ; Water availability ; Food security ; Environmental factors ; Soils / Oman / Salalah
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046397)
(0.27 MB)
Agriculture in the Sultanate of Oman is mostly small scale and is a part of the traditional way of life. The majority of the population benefit from agriculture, however little. The 67 % of the population was in households that had at least one crop or livestock holding where the output contributed to consumption or income. Since the year 2000, the Government spent Rial Omani (RO) 20.1 million on agriculture and fishery development, and another RO 39.4 million on water resources development. Furthermore, the government encourages farming by offering land, machinery, and extension services. However, during the period 2000 till 2007, crop production has in fact gone down. In other words, despite being a capital rich country, substantial investment in agriculture, it is increasingly becoming a food insecure country. An indepth analysis of Oman’s agricultural sub-sectors shows that, household sub-sector contributed 27 % of the total value. Primary crop production in Oman in 2005/07 was 486.872 metric tons of which contribution of fruits and vegetables were 353,072 metric tons and 102,606 respectively. In comparison, only 26,206 metric tons of cereals were produced. The value of production of cereals and vegetables were 7.8 and 17.6 million RO respectively. This comparison confirms that Omanis prefer producing high value vegetables to cereal crops. In addition to vegetables produced locally, Oman imported 148,345 metric tons during the same period. Therefore, it is interesting to explore, if vegetable production in Oman can be further increased, resulting in increased income and near self-sufficiency in vegetables. If Oman chooses to increase vegetable production, then it has to come from a major shift in its current land and water use practices, because almost all of its cultivable lands and available freshwater are fully utilized at present. In this chapter we explored if the Salalah region of Oman could be transformed into Oman’s vegetable basket, leading to self-sufficiency in its vegetable needs.
3 Damayanthi, M. K. N.; Gamage, D. 2006. Impact of the cease-fire agreement on socio-economic development in the villages adjacent to the conflict zone in Sri Lanka: a case study of three villages in the Anuradhapura District. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI). 61p. (HARTI Research Study 116)
Socioeconomic development ; Villages ; Agreements ; Conflict ; Social aspects ; Environmental factors ; Agricultural production ; Households ; Living standards ; Income ; Land use ; Food security ; Food consumption ; Rice ; Public services ; Labor ; Case studies / Sri Lanka / Anuradhapura / Medawachchiya / Thammannakulama / Mahakoongaskada / Pul Eliya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 338.9 G744 DAM Record No: H046404)
(0.52 MB)
4 Petropoulos, G. P. 2014. Remote sensing of energy fluxes and soil moisture content. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press. 506p.
Remote sensing ; Energy balance ; Soil moisture ; Soil properties ; Hydrology ; Models ; Climate change ; Heat ; Flooding ; Agroecosystems ; Spatial distribution ; Evapotranspiration ; Radar ; Satellite observation ; Environmental factors ; Land use ; Vegetation ; Measurement ; Case studies ; Solar radiation ; Water balance / Brazil
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 551.52530287 G000 PET Record No: H046471)
(0.44 MB)
5 Agropolis International. 2005. Water resources and management. Montpellier, France: Agropolis International. 55p. (Les dossiers d'Agropolis 3)
Water resources ; Water management ; Climate change ; Hydrology ; Environmental factors ; Contamination ; Aquaculture ; Natural resources ; Risks ; Wastewater treatment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G000 AGR Record No: H046484)
http://www.agropolis.org/pdf/dossier_eau/Dossier_Eau_Eng.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046484.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046484.pdf
(7.49 MB) (7.49 MB)
6 Buechler, S.; Hanson, A.-M. (Eds.) 2015. A political ecology of women, water and global environmental change. Oxon, UK: Routledge. 262p.
Political ecology ; Gender ; Women's participation ; Women in development ; Water resources ; Water management ; Environmental factors ; Globalization ; Partnerships ; Climate change ; Adaptation ; Water availability ; Water governance ; Watersheds ; Lakes ; Urban areas ; Rural settlement ; Mining ; Social aspects ; Violence ; Ethnic groups ; Riparian zones ; Sustainability ; Cultivation ; Irrigation methods ; Seaweeds ; Wastes / South Africa / USA / Brazil / Mexico / Egypt / Canada / Tajikistan / Lesotho / Los Angeles / Rayon / Sonora / Yucatan / Yukon Territory
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 305.42 G000 BUE Record No: H047093)
(0.30 MB)
7 Salbitano, F.; Borelli, S.; Sanesi, G. 2015. Urban forestry and agroforestry. In de Zeeuw, H.; Drechsel, Pay (Eds.). Cities and agriculture: developing resilient urban food systems. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.285-311.
Urbanization ; Forestry ; Agroforestry ; Ecosystem services ; Watersheds ; Climate change ; Public health ; Sustainability ; Environmental factors
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047263)
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Books/PDF/cities_and_agriculture-developing_resilient_urban_food_systems.pdf
http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/11.%20Urban%20forestry-min_1.pdf
http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/11.%20Urban%20forestry-min_1.pdf
(50.6 MB)
8 Yalew, S. G.; Mul, Marloes L.; van Griensven, A.; Teferi, E.; Priess, J.; Schweitzer, C.; van Der Zaag, P. 2016. Land-use change modelling in the Upper Blue Nile Basin. Environments, 3(3):1-16. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/environments3030021]
Land use ; Land cover change ; Environmental modelling ; Environmental factors ; River basins ; Catchment areas ; Socioeconomic environment ; Plantations ; Forest management ; Erosion ; Vegetation ; Grasslands / Ethiopia / Upper Blue Nile Basin / Abbay Basin / Jedeb Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047679)
(1.24 MB)
Land-use and land-cover changes are driving unprecedented changes in ecosystems and environmental processes at different scales. This study was aimed at identifying the potential land-use drivers in the Jedeb catchment of the Abbay basin by combining statistical analysis, field investigation and remote sensing. To do so, a land-use change model was calibrated and evaluated using the SITE (SImulation of Terrestrial Environment) modelling framework. SITE is cellular automata based multi-criteria decision analysis framework for simulating land-use conversion based on socio-economic and environmental factors. Past land-use trajectories (1986–2009) were evaluated using a reference Landsat-derived map (agreement of 84%). Results show that major land-use change drivers in the study area were population, slope, livestock and distances from various infrastructures (roads, markets and water). It was also found that farmers seem to increasingly prefer plantations of trees such as Eucalyptus by replacing croplands perhaps mainly due to declining crop yield, soil fertility and climate variability. Potential future trajectory of land-use change was also predicted under a business-as-usual scenario (2009–2025). Results show that agricultural land will continue to expand from 69.5% in 2009 to 77.5% in 2025 in the catchment albeit at a declining rate when compared with the period from 1986 to 2009. Plantation forest will also increase at a much higher rate, mainly at the expense of natural vegetation, agricultural land and grasslands. This study provides critical information to land-use planners and policy makers for a more effective and proactive management in this highland catchment.
9 Jayawardena, U. A.; Rohr, J. R.; Navaratne, A. N.; Amerasinghe, Priyanie H.; Rajakaruna, R. S. 2016. Combined effects of pesticides and trematode infections on hourglass tree frog Polypedates cruciger. Ecohealth, 13(1):111-22. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1103-2]
Pesticides ; Trematode infections ; Frogs ; Glyphosate ; Chlorpyrifos ; Dimethoate ; Malformations ; Propanil ; Environmental factors ; Chemical contamination ; Disease prevention ; Infectious diseases ; Mathematical models
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048101)
The impact of widespread and common environmental factors, such as chemical contaminants, on infectious disease risk in amphibians is particularly important because both chemical contaminants and infectious disease have been implicated in worldwide amphibian declines. Here we report on the lone and combined effects of exposure to parasitic cercariae (larval stage) of the digenetic trematode, Acanthostomum burminis, and four commonly used pesticides (insecticides: chlorpyrifos, dimethoate; herbicides: glyphosate, propanil) at ecologically relevant concentrations on the survival, growth, and development of the common hourglass tree frog, Polypedates cruciger Blyth 1852. There was no evidence of any pesticide-induced mortality on cercariae because all the cercariae successfully penetrated each tadpole host regardless of pesticide treatment. In isolation, both cercarial and pesticide exposure significantly decreased frog survival, development, and growth, and increased developmental malformations, such as scoliosis, kyphosis, and also edema and skin ulcers. The combination of cercariae and pesticides generally posed greater risk to frogs than either factor alone by decreasing survival or growth or increasing time to metamorphosis or malformations. The exception was that lone exposure to chlorpyrifos had higher mortality without than with cercariae. Consistent with mathematical models that suggest that stress should increase the impact of generalist parasites, the weight of the evidence from the field and laboratory suggests that ecologically relevant concentrations of agrochemicals generally increase the threat that trematodes pose to amphibians, highlighting the importance of elucidating interactions between anthropogenic activities and infectious disease in taxa of conservation concern.
10 Kabir, M. J.; Alauddin, M.; Crimp, S. 2017. Farm-level adaptation to climate change in western Bangladesh: an analysis of adaptation dynamics, profitability and risks. Land Use Policy, 64:212-224. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.026]
Climate change adaptation ; Farmers attitudes ; Strategies ; Risk analysis ; Cropping systems ; Sustainability ; Farm income ; Costs ; Profitability ; Nonfarm income ; Economic viability ; Budgets ; Environmental factors ; Drought ; Temperature ; Villages ; Case studies / Western Bangladesh / Durgapur
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048110)
(3.32 MB)
Using long-term district-level climate data and a case study from a drought-prone village in western Bangladesh, this research explored trends in climate change, and analysed farmers’ adaptation dynamics, profitability and risks. This is the first study of its kind for drought-prone areas in Bangladesh.
Farmers perceived climate changes included increases in temperature and decreases in rainfall which were as consistent with the trends of Chuadanga climate records. Farmers’ adaptation measures included changes in cropping systems, cropping calendars, crop varieties, agronomic practices, crop diversification and improved animal husbandry. Reducing environmental stress, ensuring self-sufficiency in staple crops (mainly rice) and other crop production practices, and enhancing economic viability of farm enterprises have underpinned these adaptations. Off-farm and non-farm wage employment, temporary migration, self-employment and educating children, constituted the core non-farm adaptation strategies.
Emerging cropping systems like maize/cucumber and maize/stem amaranth/rice were economically more viable than the traditional rice/rice and rice/maize systems. Despite some uncertainties, farming was preferred to off-farm work, generating higher returns to labour for all cropping systems. Limited access to stress-tolerant varieties, extension services and affordable agricultural credit, combined with high production costs, variability in crop yields and output prices, are the main barriers to adaptation. Stronger agricultural research and support services, affordable credit, community-focussed farming education and training are critically important for effective adaptation to climate change.
Farmers perceived climate changes included increases in temperature and decreases in rainfall which were as consistent with the trends of Chuadanga climate records. Farmers’ adaptation measures included changes in cropping systems, cropping calendars, crop varieties, agronomic practices, crop diversification and improved animal husbandry. Reducing environmental stress, ensuring self-sufficiency in staple crops (mainly rice) and other crop production practices, and enhancing economic viability of farm enterprises have underpinned these adaptations. Off-farm and non-farm wage employment, temporary migration, self-employment and educating children, constituted the core non-farm adaptation strategies.
Emerging cropping systems like maize/cucumber and maize/stem amaranth/rice were economically more viable than the traditional rice/rice and rice/maize systems. Despite some uncertainties, farming was preferred to off-farm work, generating higher returns to labour for all cropping systems. Limited access to stress-tolerant varieties, extension services and affordable agricultural credit, combined with high production costs, variability in crop yields and output prices, are the main barriers to adaptation. Stronger agricultural research and support services, affordable credit, community-focussed farming education and training are critically important for effective adaptation to climate change.
11 Buurman, J.; Santhanakrishnan, D. 2017. Opportunities and barriers in scaling up of 24/7 urban water supply: the case of Karnataka, India. Water Policy, 19(6):1189-1205. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2017.191]
Water supply ; Urban areas ; Water policy ; Pilot projects ; Project design ; Barriers ; Stakeholders ; Public-private cooperation ; Institutions ; Technology assessment ; Environmental factors ; Case studies / India / Karnataka Urban Water Sector Improvement Project
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048379)
(0.37 MB)
Scaling up pilot projects providing continuous water supply to households in Indian cities has proved challenging. This study identifies opportunities and barriers in scaling up, in order to derive recommendations for bridging the gap between testing policy innovations and bringing projects to scale. We analyse pilot design, required resources, and drivers of stakeholders, institutions and the environment for a case study in Karnataka and find a wide range of factors that affect adoption of 24/7 water supply. Upscaling should be tailor-made for each area, which requires space, scope and capacity to be created for local involvement.
12 Behling, I.; Bonifazi, E.; de Boer, F. 2017. Workbook for estimating operational GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissions. Version 11. London, UK: UK Water Industry Research Limited (UKWIR). 17p. + CD. (UKWIR Report Ref. No. 17/CL/01/25)
Greenhouse gases ; Industrial emission ; Estimation ; Environmental factors ; Energy generation ; Electricity generation ; Wastewater ; Natural gas ; Biogas ; Carbon credits ; Market research ; Guidelines / UK
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 363.73874 G000 BEH Record No: H048497)
(0.28 MB)
13 van der Gun, J.; Custodio, E. 2018. Governing extractable subsurface resources and subsurface space. In Villholth Karen G.; Lopez-Gunn, E.; Conti, K.; Garrido, A.; Van Der Gun, J. (Eds.). Advances in groundwater governance. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press. pp.389-408.
Groundwater management ; Water resources ; Human behaviour ; Environmental factors ; Legal aspects ; Financing ; Energy generation ; Mining ; Waste management
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H048558)
14 Lloyd, B. J.; Dennison, P. E. 2018. Evaluating the response of conventional and water harvesting farms to environmental variables using remote sensing. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 262:11-17. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.04.009]
Water harvesting ; Farming systems ; Conventional farming ; Remote sensing ; Satellite imagery ; Climate change ; Environmental factors ; Vegetation index ; Crop yield ; Models / Africa South of Sahara / Burkina Faso
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048826)
(0.97 MB)
The majority of people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) live in rural communities and practice subsistence farming. Variations in climate and other environmental factors affect the stability of local food production. This instability makes the adoption of efficient farming techniques critical in helping farmers achieve food, income, and livelihood security. Agricultural water conservation techniques called water harvesting are being implemented to increase crop yields in SSA. These techniques have been shown to increase water productivity, nutrients, and organic matter in the soil. This paper uses high-resolution imagery to identify and differentiate between farms using conventional and water-harvesting farm methods. An ordinary least-squares regression model was used to correlate seasonal maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values with environmental factors for the different farming methods. The results suggest that water harvesting farm techniques have higher crop yields and are less dependent on precipitation than conventional farming methods. The methodology presented in this paper can be used to map use of water harvesting over large areas and monitor associated differences in productivity.
15 McGill, B. M.; Altchenko, Yvan; Hamilton, S. K.; Kenabatho, P. K.; Sylvester, S. R.; Villholth, Karen G. 2019. Complex interactions between climate change, sanitation, and groundwater quality: a case study from Ramotswa, Botswana. Hydrogeology Journal, 27(3):997-1015. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-018-1901-4]
Climate change ; Sanitation ; Groundwater management ; Water quality ; Water supply ; Water security ; Drinking water ; Monitoring ; Wastewater treatment ; Water pollution ; Ecological factors ; Environmental factors ; Environmental protection ; Nitrates ; Denitrification ; Contamination ; Aquifers ; Rainfall ; Drought ; Pit latrines ; Faecal coliforms ; Caffeine ; Human wastes ; Case studies / Africa South of Sahara / Botswana / Ramotswa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049051)
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10040-018-1901-4.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049051.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049051.pdf
(1.98 MB)
Groundwater quantity and quality may be affected by climate change through intricate direct and indirect mechanisms. At the same time, population growth and rapid urbanization have made groundwater an increasingly important source of water for multiple uses around the world, including southern Africa. The present study investigates the coupled human and natural system (CHANS) linking climate, sanitation, and groundwater quality in Ramotswa, a rapidly growing peri-urban area in the semi-arid southeastern Botswana, which relies on the transboundary Ramotswa aquifer for water supply. Analysis of long-term rainfall records indicated that droughts like the one in 2013–2016 are increasing in likelihood in the area due to climate change. Key informant interviews showed that due to the drought, people increasingly used pit latrines rather than flush toilets. Nitrate, fecal coliforms, and caffeine analyses of Ramotswa groundwater revealed that human waste leaching from pit latrines is the likely source of nitrate pollution. The results in conjunction indicate critical indirect linkages between climate change, sanitation, groundwater quality, and water security in the area. Improved sanitation, groundwater protection and remediation, and local water treatment would enhance reliable access to water, de-couple the community from reliance on surface water and associated water shortage risks, and help prevent transboundary tension over the shared aquifer.
16 Robertson, S. M.; Lyra, D. A.; Mateo-Sagasta, Javier. 2019. Financial analysis of halophyte cultivation in a desert environment using different saline water resources for irrigation. In Hasanuzzaman, M.; Nahar, K.; Ozturk, M. (Eds.). Ecophysiology, abiotic stress responses and utilization of halophytes. Downtown Core, Singapore: Springer. pp.347-364. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3762-8_17]
Saline water ; Water resources ; Economic analysis ; Financial situation ; Halophytes ; Deserts ; Arid zones ; Arid soils ; Environmental factors ; Irrigation ; Farmers ; Desalination ; Agriculture ; Aquaculture ; Crop production ; Cost benefit analysis / Middle East / North Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049183)
Increase in salinity levels poses a threat to many hot and arid farming areas in the Middle East and North Africa region. In some cases, farmers install desalination units to produce freshwater to irrigate high-value crops. However, the produced reject brine is an environmental hazard since it is disposed off in the soil creating a vicious circle of salinity aggravation. The current work focuses on the financial aspect of using the reject brine, generated from reverse osmosis (RO) unit, to grow fish (Sparidentex hasta, sobaity sea bream) and halophytic species (Salicornia bigelovii, Distichlis spicata, and Sporobolus virginicus) for various uses in an integrated farming approach. Different water treatments (RO brine, RO brine mixed with groundwater, aquabrine, and aquabrine mixed with groundwater) were tested to evaluate their impact on halophytes’ growth and production. Irrigating with RO brine resulted in positive net returns for S. bigelovii, directed for fresh tips’ production, as well as for the grasses D. spicata and S. virginicus. However, more returns were obtained when RO brine passed through the aquaculture system where it got enriched with more nutrients due to fish waste. Irrigation with brine from the aquaculture system tripled S. bigelovii production (23.7 t/ha) and increased returns per ha of approximately US $76,000 over irrigating with RO brine directly, compared to the US $5571 and the US $1884 for D. spicata and S. virginicus, respectively. Halophytic crops constitute one of the very few sustainable options to improve food and nutrition security in salt-affected regions, contributing in lands’ rehabilitation and enhancing farming livelihood income. Halophytes also constitute an imperative component to consider for nutrient-dense production systems such as integrated agri-aquaculture systems (IAAS) implemented in desert environments, and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were explored through a SWOT analysis.
17 Merino-Saum, A.; Baldi, M. G.; Gunderson, I.; Oberle, B. 2018. Articulating natural resources and sustainable development goals through green economy indicators: a systematic analysis. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 139:90-103. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.07.007]
Natural resources ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Development indicators ; Economic indicators ; Frameworks ; Environmental factors ; Social aspects ; Institutions ; Resource management
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049323)
(2.96 MB)
Natural Resources are essential inputs for economic and social development. However, unsustainable resource use has led to environmental degradation and resource depletion, endangering the well-being of humanity and the environment. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a plan of action to address these issues. The Green Economy (GE) concept is described by various institutions as a vehicle to move towards sustainable resource management. This paper demonstrates the linkages between SDGs and Natural Resources though the systematic analysis of 494 GE indicators, derived from 12 distinct frameworks focusing on GE or on Green Growth. This articulation provides insights to gain an improved understanding of the links between SDGs and Natural Resources and interpret their inherent complexity. GE indicators focus unevenly on SDG, although each SDG is related to at least one resource category. Two complementary typologies were applied to the Materials subcategory to highlight additional characteristics, leading to the proposal of an adaptable analytical framework for the assessment of sustainability issues and GE transitions
18 Alamanos, A.; Latinopoulos, D.; Mylopoulos, N. 2020. A methodological framework for an easy and reliable estimation of the full cost of irrigation water. Water and Environment Journal, 11p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/wej.12556]
Irrigation water ; Water costs ; Cost recovery ; Estimation ; Techniques ; Policies ; Sustainability ; Water resources ; Water management ; Groundwater ; Water use ; Watersheds ; Environmental factors ; Economic aspects / Greece / Lake Karla Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049568)
(0.60 MB)
The requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 for the full water cost recovery have brought reactions and difficulties to their implementation, especially for irrigation water. We propose a systematic and objective methodology for the estimation of the cost of irrigation water. The application is made in a degraded Greek watershed, considering surface and groundwater resources. The main novelties of this study are: (i) the attempt to combine different approaches for the estimation of the “resource cost” of irrigation water, and (ii) the investigation of the potential interaction between resource and environmental cost in order to avoid the over-estimation of the full cost of water. The analysis shows that both resource and environmental costs can be high in degraded areas, and water policy is likely to affect these costs. Therefore, further analysis is needed on possible water pricing policies for recovering the full cost of irrigation water.
19 Mahendran, R.; Pathirana, S.; Piyatilake, I. T. S.; Perera, S. S. N.; Weerasinghe, M. C. 2020. Assessment of environmental variability on malaria transmission in a malaria-endemic rural dry zone locality of Sri Lanka: the wavelet approach. PLoS ONE, 15(2):e0228540. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228540]
Malaria ; Disease transmission ; Endemics ; Environmental factors ; Rural areas ; Arid zones ; Epidemiology ; Rivers ; Rain ; Humidity ; Models / Sri Lanka / Kataragama / Menik Ganga
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049856)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0228540&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049856.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049856.pdf
(3.19 MB) (3.19 MB)
Malaria is a global public health concern and its dynamic transmission is still a complex process. Malaria transmission largely depends on various factors, including demography, geography, vector dynamics, parasite reservoir, and climate. The dynamic behaviour of malaria transmission has been explained using various statistical and mathematical methods. Of them, wavelet analysis is a powerful mathematical technique used in analysing rapidly changing time-series to understand disease processes in a more holistic way. The current study is aimed at identifying the pattern of malaria transmission and its variability with environmental factors in Kataragama, a malaria-endemic dry zone locality of Sri Lanka, using a wavelet approach. Monthly environmental data including total rainfall and mean water flow of the “Menik Ganga” river; mean temperature, mean minimum and maximum temperatures and mean relative humidity; and malaria cases in the Kataragama Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area were obtained from the Department of Irrigation, Department of Meteorology and Malaria Research Unit (MRU) of University of Colombo, respectively, for the period 1990 to 2005. Wavelet theory was applied to analyze these monthly time series data. There were two significant periodicities in malaria cases during the period of 1992–1995 and 1999–2000. The cross-wavelet power spectrums revealed an anti-phase correlation of malaria cases with mean temperature, minimum temperature, and water flow of “Menik Ganga” river during the period 1991–1995, while the in-phase correlation with rainfall is noticeable only during 1991–1992. Relative humidity was similarly associated with malaria cases between 1991–1992. It appears that environmental variables have contributed to a higher incidence of malaria cases in Kataragama in different time periods between 1990 and 2005.
20 Kumara, T. M. K.; Kandpal, A.; Pal, S. 2020. A meta-analysis of economic and environmental benefits of conservation agriculture in South Asia. Journal of Environmental Management, 269:110773. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110773]
Conservation agriculture ; Economic value ; Environmental factors ; Climate change ; Cropping systems ; Water use ; Conventional tillage ; Soil texture ; Carbon sequestration ; Greenhouse gas emissions ; Emission reduction / South Asia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049916)
(0.68 MB)
Agriculture plays a key role in ensuring food and livelihood security in South Asia. However, this region is vulnerable to climate change which is likely to impact the livelihoods of millions of marginal and small holders. Agriculture is not only impacted by climate change but also one of the major contributor to global warming in South Asia. As compared to the traditional practices, Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices help mitigate the impact of climate change through a reduction in carbon emission and conservation of natural resources. In this article, a meta-analysis of the important studies was done for the impact of CA on carbon sequestration, water use, greenhouse gas emissions and cost and net returns. Carbon sequestration potential was found significantly higher in the CA practices (+16.30%) as compared to the conventional tillage. Inclusion of legumes, clay-rich soils, irrigation and presence of soil cover are the major drivers for higher carbon sequestration potential in the region. Additionally, a significant amount of water was also saved as CA practices led to relatively less consumption of water over the conventional tillage. Further, the adoption of CA based management practices resulted in a substantial reduction of CO2 (-4.28%) and CH4 (-25.67%) emissions both in aerobic and anaerobic soil conditions. However, the emission of NO2 and N2O–N gases were higher under the CA, +14.45 and + 5.20% respectively. Nevertheless, the emission of N2O–N was lesser in CA (-1.78%) under aerobic conditions whereas it is increased under anaerobic soil conditions (+12.15%). The adoption of CA practices resulted in higher returns and lower costs as compared to the conventional system. Although CA has significant environmental benefits, the study suggests judicious use of inorganic inputs under CA for managing the impact of climate change in South Asia. Therefore, CA is a sustainable agricultural practice that deserves outscaling in South Asia for mitigation and adaptation of climate change.
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