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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...