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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.

The 2015-2019 Government Programme bearing the overarching theme “Achieving Meaningful Change” and inspired by “innovative socialism” is to transform Mauritius into an environmentally sustainable, economically vibrant and modern country with enhanced infrastructure, global connectivity, an empowered labour force and a good of quality of life for one and all.

Mauritius is faced today with the triple challenge of coping with a high budget deficit; adapting to the erosion of preferences in respect of sugar and textiles in a situation where the balance of trade is negative; and facilitating the emergence of new poles of development.

  These challenges have to be viewed against the background of the triple shock facing Mauritius, namely the 36% reduction of the sugar price brought by the reform of the EU Sugar Regime; the continually rising oil prices; and the dismantling of the Multifibre Agreement and the WTO negotiations on Non Agricultural Market Access which would adversely impact on the Textile and Clothing and Fisheries sectors.

The sugar sector will have to face lower sugar prices and fiercer competitors, having unlimited access, at the same time. The textile sector, which has already lost 1/4 of its labour force in the last three years, will not only face competition from China but also the drop in the tariff protection in preferential markets with further adverse social and economic consequences. While tourism is a very promising sector, it is quite fragile given its dependence on extraneous factors namely international events including the spread of new viruses and social peace and harmony. Moreover, the tourism sector depends on the positive externalities of the sugar industry: soil conservation and the prevention of silt deposit in lagoons, greenery and aesthetic effects of cane plantations.

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.

This report covers activities implemented in 2017 under the five thematic areas of the CCARDESA Revised Medium Term Operational Plan of CCARDESA (2015-2018).

Under the Thematic Area for Farmer Empowerment and Market Access, CCARDESA Secretariat initiated a review of agricultural policies and extension strategies of countries in the region to assess the extent to which countries have mainstreamed climate change adaptation into their policies and strategies. Based on observed gaps, some Member States such as Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe were engaged to facilitate their mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into their national policy and agricultural programmes

Drought tolerance mechanisms of three taro landraces (Dumbe Lomfula (DL), KwaNgwanase (KW) and Umbumbulu (UM)) were evaluated under field conditions Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, over two summer seasons. Taro was slow to emerge (~ 49 days) and showed significant differences between landraces with respect to final emergence with DL never achieving a good crop stand. Growth (plant height, leaf number and LAI), VGI, SC and CCI were significantly lower under rainfed (RF) than irrigated conditions. RF conditions resulted in significantly lower biomass, HI, and final yield of taro landraces compared to irrigated conditions. The UM landrace avoided drought through increased stomatal regulation, lowering chlorophyll content, smaller canopy size and reduced growth period. It is concluded that among the three landraces, UM is suitable for production under water stress conditions, because it exhibited drought avoidance and escape mechanisms.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L.) is an underutilised African legume that fits the same ecological niche as Arachis hypogea. It is still cultivated using landraces and little is known about their seed quality. The current study evaluated seed quality characteristics (viability and vigour) of a local landrace on the basis of seed coat and speckling colour (plain red, plain cream, black speckles and brown speckles). Standard germination and electrolyte conductivity (EC) tests were used to evaluate viability and vigour. Seed imbibition rate was evaluated using two imbibition methods (seed-testing water bath and seed soaking). For each method, seeds were weighed at intervals and their water activity determined. Electron microscopy was used to determine seed coat thickness. There were highly significant differences (P < 0.001) among landrace selections with respect to germination, EC as well as imbibition and water activity. Black-speckled landraces had the highest germination (87%) and the plain cream landrace selections had the lowest final germination (67%). Brown-speckled and plain cream seeds had the highest (1 400 µs g-1) and lowest EC (36 µs g-1), respectively. Imbibition rate and water activity showed much fluctuation. Electron microscopy revealed that brown-speckled seeds had the thickest (116 µm) and plain cream seeds had the thinnest (107.9 µm) seed coats. The study concluded that seed quality in bambara groundnut was associated with seed coat and speckling colour.