Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation Research Papers/Topics

Evaluation of Strategic Options for Enhancing Community Resilience to Drought in Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract In Kenya, Arid and semi-arid Lands are more affected by drought due to their fragile ecosystems, unfavourable climate, and historical marginalization. Kitui County is one of the counties that have been hit hard by protracted droughts over the past decades. This study aimed at addressing the increasing global, regional, and national attention on building community resilience to disasters. The overall objective of the study was to evaluate the strategic options for enhancing community...

Examining the Influence of Strategic Land Rehabilitation on Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (A Case of Kilome – Kenyaland Reclamation)

Abstract This study sought to To examine the influence of land rehabilitation on sustainable economic development in Kilome, specifically studying how entrepreneurial attributes, entrepreneurial value of Kilome area resources, potential entrepreneurial initiatives and entrepreneurial systems influence sustainable economic development. Existing local empirical studies did not establish this role. Four hypotheses were investigated using a census survey of data obtained from ten (10) Community ...

Strategies for Mitigating Flood Risks in Western Region, Kenya

Abstract The focus on strategies for mitigating flood risks is to identify which measures have been put in place to reduce flood risk using nature-based affordable approaches. It has been observed that there is a continuous increase in floods all over the world, in developed and developing countries, as a result of climate change. Floods have affected millions of people worldwide, leading to environmental, physical, economic, and social losses and reducing the growth of the nation. Disaster ...

Integrating Indigenous Abaluhya Worldview with Western Scientific Approaches in Communicating Climate Change Related to Conservation of Kakamega Forest

Abstract Communicating climate change remains an integral aspect of the quest to manage the impacts of climate change. Communicating climate change largely takes the western scientific approach without much consideration of African traditional knowledge. Communicating climate change has not elicited the desired response from the community that lives adjacent to Kakamega Forest. Abaluhyia people have had ways of conserving their forests, which ensured their posterity. The study aimed to asses...

Transdisciplinary Research: Collaborative Leadership and Empowerment Towards Sustainability of Push–Pull Technology

Abstract: A transdisciplinary research approach requires that different scientists with their discipline-specific theories, concepts and methods find ways to work together with other societal players to address a real-life problem. In this study, the push–pull technology (PPT) was used as a boundary object to enable interactions among stakeholders across science-practice boundaries engaged in the control of stemborer pest in maize crops in Bako Tibe, Jimma Arjo and Yayu Woredas in Ethiopia...

Prioritization of invasive alien species with the potential to threaten agriculture and biodiversity in Kenya through horizon scanning

Abstract: Invasive alien species (IAS) rank among the most significant drivers of species extinction and ecosystem degradation resulting in significant impacts on socio-economic development. The recent exponential spread of IAS in most of Africa is attributed to poor border biosecurity due to porous borders that have failed to prevent initial introductions. In addition, countries lack adequate information about potential invasions and have limited capacity to reduce the risk of invasions. Ho...

The case for integrated pest management in Africa: transition from a pesticide-based approach

Abstract: Pest management in major cropping systems has long been dominated by chemical pesticides in Africa. Smallholder farmers have perceived pesticides as insurance to protect their crops. Consumers are less aware of pesticide-related food-safety issues, and markets providing economic incentives to producers who adopt alternatives to pesticides have been slow to emerge. Hence, overuse of pesticides has been constantly increasing. Although African countries have a number of pesticide-rela...

Sustainable Intensification of Vegetable production using the Cereal ‘Push-pull technology’: benefits and one Health Implications

Abstract: One health’ (OH) is a cross-sectoral approach that addresses human, plant, animal, and environmental health problems. The initiative stems from recognition of the convoluted linkages among global health risks and the need for coherent multipronged countermeasures. For agriculture, environmental degradation and biodiversity depletion wrought by heavy reliance on inorganic inputs to meet the needs of the ever-growing human population, are a matter of societal concern. Agroecologica...

Fragmented landscapes affect honey bee colony strength at diverse spatial scales in agroecological landscapes in Kenya

Abstract: Landscape fragmentation and habitat loss at multiple scales directly affect species abundance, diversity, and productivity. There is a paucity of information about the effect of the landscape structure and diversity on honey bee colony strength in Africa. Here, we present new insights into the relationship between landscape metrics such as patch size, shape, connectivity, composition, and configuration and honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony strength characteristics. Remote-sensing-b...

Food Security and its Challenges

The right to adequate food is a universal human right that is realized when all people have physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or the means for its procurement, without discrimination of any kind (FAO, United Nations). However, in a rapidly growing population, finite resources, environmental damage, climate change, and global inequality makes this an incredibly complex issue.

Robotic Instrument to Extract Worm Eggs from Soil

The soybean cyst nematode is a major contributor to decreased soybean yields every year, and this pest is hard to identify since there are no visible signs of sickness. The only way to detect the nematode is to extract cysts from soil, extract the eggs, and count them. To help alleviate this problem, a robotic instrument has been created to perform the tasks of the conventional manual extraction method. The instrument is managed by a touchscreen software, and its performance is evaluated usin...

Assessment of Aboveground Insects Associated Within Farm Fields of Musanze District: Abundance and Diversity

Natural pollination and the physical impairments on plant leaves, as well as plant diseases are indicators of the presence of aboveground insects. However, there is less evidence to describe the presence of such insects in Rwanda. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the abundance of the aboveground insect species in Musanze district, in the Northern part of Rwanda. Insect traps were laid in agricultural fields ten sectors of Musanze district; Busogo, Cyuve, Gacaca, Gataraga, K...

EFFECT OF BIO FERTILIZER IN ADDITION WITH PHOSPHORUS ON THE GROWTH OF MAIZE

Pot experiments were carried out in the green house of the Soil Science Department, Faculty of Crop Production, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam in 2017 summer season to determine the effects of different levels of bio fertilizer and single super phosphate (SSP) on maize. The experiments were based on three replications. The treatments used consist of three levels of bio fertilizer (0, 1.5 and 3 gram per pot), three levels of single super phosphate (SSP) (1, 1 and 1 gram per pot) a...