Unknown

Climate change is one of the major challenges that are confronting developing countries. Rural women in Zimbabwe are one of the most hard hit populace groups. The study sought to investigate how rural women are affected by climate change in relation to their livelihoods. It also explores women’s perception of climate change and the effects of those perceptions on adapting to climate change. Emphasis is made on the effects of climate change on crop production, livestock production and water sources focusing on Tsholotsho District in Zimbabwe. The study used a qualitative approach to obtain data on the effects of climate change. One of the major findings of the study was that the impact of climate change undermines women’s livelihoods which are rain-fed thus leading to accelerated food insecurity problems and heightened impoverishment. The paper concludes that women in rural areas must be prioritized in development programming especially in agriculture to ameliorate impending and inevitable climate change induced food insecurity. 

The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) is a not-for-profit think-tank, consultancy and network of subscribing organisations specialising in regeneration, local economic development and local governance, which was founded in 1986.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.) is an indigenous crop that is available only as landraces in sub-Saharan Africa, although it has a great potential for food security. Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) and cucumber (Cucurbita pepo L.) are exotic crops that have similar food roles as bottle gourd. There is no information on the seed quality of bottle gourd landraces found in sub-Saharan Africa. It was hypothesised that the hybrid seeds of closely related species would have better seed quality than bottle gourd landraces. Three landraces of bottle gourd were compared with two pumpkin cultivars and one cucumber cultivar for germination capacity and associated parameters (mean germination time and germination velocity index) as well as seedling establishment. Results showed that the germination trend was similar for all varieties, but there was a significant (P<0.05) difference among them with respect to all parameters. There was no distinct evidence of differences in seed quality to permit separation of seeds by species. It was concluded that bottle gourd landrace seed quality is comparable to the hybrids of pumpkin and cucumber and the established recommendations for testing the seeds of hybrids can be used to test the landraces.

Water is the main factor affecting crop production in sub-Saharan Africa. It was hypothesized that intercropping sorghum (S) with either cowpea (C) or bottle gourd (B) would result in better productivity and water use efficiency (WUE). This was evaluated using a split-plot design with sub-plots arranged in a randomised complete block manner within the main plot, replicated thrice. Water regimes [full irrigation (FI), deficit irrigation (DI) and rainfed (RF)] were allocated to the main plots. Sub-plots comprised intercrop combinations, SS (sole), C (sole), B (sole), SC (intercrop) and SB (intercrop). Data collected included soil water content (SWC), plant height (PH)/vine length, leaf number (LN), tillering (T)/branching, leaf area index (LAI), relative leaf water content (RWC), stomatal conductance (gs) and chlorophyll content index (CCI) as well as biomass accumulation and partitioning. Yield and yield components, water use (WU) and WUE for grain (WUEg) were calculated at harvest. Land equivalent ratio (LER) was used to evaluate productivity of the intercrop. Sorghum canopy size decreased (P < 0.05) (−6.7%, −10.6%, −89% and −79% for PH, LN, T and LAI, respectively) with decreasing water availability. Sorghum growth and development were unaffected by intercropping. Intercropping sorghum with cowpea improved gs (23%) and CCI (6.56%) of sorghum under low water availability. Productivity of sorghum across varying water regimes and cropping systems was stable with final biomass, yield and harvest index of 2.4 t ha−1, 0.98 t ha−1 and 35%, respectively. Overall, LER showed a 46% increase in productivity across all intercrop systems. Intercropping marginally increased WU (5.64%). Improvements of WUEg were observed under SC and SB (54.65% and 46.98%, respectively) relative to SS. Intercropping sorghum with cowpea is recommended for semi-and arid environments since it promoted efficient use of water.

Farmers who still cultivate bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) rely on landraces and seed retained from previous harvests. Given that the crop is typically cultivated in semi-arid regions, seed quality of farmers’ retained seed might be compromised due to water stress experienced by maternal plants during production. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of water stress on maternal plants on subsequent seed quality of bambara groundnut. A single bambara groundnut landrace was characterised into four distinct selections based on seed coat and speckling colour. Initial seed quality (viability and vigour) was evaluated prior to planting seed in a field trial under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Final yield and yield components were determined at harvest. Thereafter, seed quality (viability and vigour) of progeny of different landrace selections was evaluated. Yield was lower under rainfed than irrigated conditions. Overall, subsequent seed quality showed improvement from initial seed quality of the original seedlot. Seed viability was higher in seeds produced under irrigated than rainfed conditions. Seed quality of bambara groundnut may be reduced underwater-limited production conditions. Seed enhancement practices such as priming may assist farmers to achieve better emergence. In the long term, seed production should be done under optimum conditions in order to achieve high-seed quality.

Three sweet potato cultivars (A40, A45 and 199062.1) were planted in three small-scale farms located under different agro-ecological zones of KwaZulu-Natal. The objective was to assess growth, physiological responses and yield of the sweet potato cultivars under low-input agricultural system and different environmental conditions. Sweet potato planted at Richards Bay (28°19'S; 32°06E), a coastal sandy soil location, recorded low stomatal conductance(SC; 102.2 m moles m−2 s−1) and chlorophyll content index (CCI; 29.4). This consequently resulted in reduced vine length, leaf number and branching of sweet potato plants. Environmental conditions in that location (Richards Bay) such as high evapotranspiration, high temperatures and low water retention capacity of sandy soils created drought stress condition. This caused reduction in photosynthetic activities and translocation to the harvestable plant parts. The other two locations (Deepdale at 28°01'S; 28°99'E and Umbumbulu at 29°98'S; 30°70'E) located further from the coast and characterized by clayey soils recorded higher SC and CCI. Branching and number of leaves were significantly influenced by locations and growing season while vine length varied with locations, indicating specific varietal adaptation. Biomass and storage root yield followed a similar trend as plant growth and physiology. Richards Bay recorded very low biomass and storage root yield (5.4 and 5.0 t ha−1) in both seasons while Deepdale recorded higher yields (42.0 t ha−1) during the first growing season. Yields reduced by 67% (13.6 t ha−1) in the second season. Storage root yields from Umbumbulu were stable in both growing seasons (29.4 and 28 t ha−1 during seasons one and two, respectively). Adding fertilizer only improved storage roots yield in Richards Bay, otherwise cultural practises were responsible for storage root yield increases in Deepdale and Umbumbulu. Orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivar A45 showed good environmental plasticity while cultivar 199062.1 responded well to fertilizer application. This indicated its suitability for use in food security programmes under low-input agriculture.

Amaranthus cruentus, Corchorus olitorius and Vigna unguiculata are traditional leafy vegetables with potential to improve nutritional security of vulnerable people. The promotion of these crops is partly hindered by the lack of agronomic information. The effect of plant spacing on growth, physiology and yield of these three leafy vegetables was evaluated under commercial-scale production at Roodeplaat, Pretoria over two summer seasons, 2011/12 and 2012/13. A randomised complete block design was used with plant density (100 000, 66 666 and 50 000 plants ha−1) as a factor. Chlorophyll content index (CCI), chlorophyll fluorescence, stomatal conductance, leaf number, leaf area index (LAI) and biomass were measured in situ. Planting at 100 000 plants ha−1 resulted in lower (P < 0.05) LAI, CCI and biomass per plant for A. cruentus and C. olitorius. Total yield of A. cruentus, C. olitorius andV. unguiculata was higher (P < 0.05) at 100 000 plants ha−1 relative to 50 000 and 66 666 plants ha−1. For A. cruentus and C. olitorius, higher leaf attributes (CCI, plant height, leaf number, biomass per plant and LAI) were obtained and this indicated that traditional leafy vegetables can be produced commercially under lower densities using a drip irrigation system. Using 66 666 plants ha−1 is suitable for commercial production of A. cruentus and C. olitorius, whereas 50 000 plants ha−1 may be recommended under low water availability. For V. unguiculata 100 000 plants ha−1 is recommended.

In Namibia, agriculture employs 30% of the labour force and contributes 7.5% to GDP. More than 60% of the farming is done by subsistence farmers. The sector is facing challenges such as low soil fertility and water shortage. To counter these challenges, sustainable land management practices are needed, but subsistence farmers face constraints in adopting these practices. Hence, this study was conducted to identify what practices the farmers are currently using and what constraints they are facing in adopting sustainable land management practices. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 farmers in the Oshikoto Region. The interviews were recorded, transcribed word for word and thematic analysis applied to the answers. The study showed that the farmers were using some sustainable practices such as manure and mould from termite hills as fertilizer. However, unsustainable practices such as tractor-drawn disk harrows and inorganic fertilizer were also used. The constraints that affectfarmers’ adoption of sustainable land management practices include climate characteristics,especially low and unpredictable rainfall; limited farmland size; lack of extension services and institutional support; labour shortages; and lack of finances and other resources. Based on these findings it is recommended that extension delivery to farmers in the study area must be strengthened, that projects combating climate change must be down streamed to subsistencefarmers, and that farmers should be encouraged and supported to use ‘easy to adopt’sustainable practices, e.g. crop rotation and ripping. It is also suggested that long-term weather forecasts should be made available to the farmers through the radio. This could have a significantly positive impact on the environment as well as on subsistence farmers’ situationand household food security.

This document describes the requirements to move dogs and cats out of or into Botswana successfully without putting the animals in distress.

The project mainstreams the climate risk considerations in the Land Rehabilitation Programme of Lesotho for improved ecosystem resilience and reduced vulnerability of livelihoods to climate shocks.