Characterizing and Understanding Rainfed Environments

Characterizing and Understanding Rainfed Environments

Author: T. P. Tuong

Publisher: Int. Rice Res. Inst.

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 479

ISBN-13: 971220152X

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Overview; Tools and methodologies for biophysical characterization; Biophysical characterization and mapping; Characterizing biotic stresses; Socioeconomic characterization; Integrating biophysical and socioeconomic characterization.


The Adaptive Water Resource Management Handbook

The Adaptive Water Resource Management Handbook

Author: Jaroslav Mysiak

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-13

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1134039506

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The complexity of current water resource management poses many challenges. Water managers need to solve a range of interrelated water dilemmas, such as balancing water quantity and quality, flooding, drought, maintaining biodiversity and ecological functions and services, in a context where human beliefs, actions and values play a central role. Furthermore, the growing uncertainties of global climate change and the long term implications of management actions make the problems even more difficult. This book explains the benefits, outcomes and lessons learned from adaptive water management (AWM). In essence AWM is a way of responding to uncertainty by designing policy measures which are provisional and incremental, subject to subsequent modification in response to environmental change and other variables. Included are illustrative case studies from seven river basins from across Europe, West Asia and Africa: the Elbe, Rhine, Guadiana, Tisza, Orange, Nile and Amudarya. These exemplify the key challenges of adaptive water management, especially when rivers cross national boundaries, creating additional problems of governance.


Yield gap analysis of field crops

Yield gap analysis of field crops

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2018-06-29

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13: 9251088136

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To feed a world population that will exceed 9 billion by 2050 requires an estimated 60% increase over current primary agricultural productivity. Closing the common and often large gap between actual and attainable crop yield is critical to achieve this goal. To close yield gaps in both small and large scale cropping systems worldwide we need (1) definitions and techniques to measure and model yield at different levels (actual, attainable, potential) and different scales in space (field, farm, region, global) and time (short and long term); (2) identification of the causes of gaps between yield levels; (3) management options to reduce the gaps where feasible and (4) policies to favour adoption of sustainable gap-closing solutions. The aim of this publication is to critically review the methods for yield gap analysis, hence addressing primarily the first of these four requirements, reporting a wide-ranging and well-referenced analysis of literature on current methods to assess productivity of crops and cropping systems.


Mapping Land Resource Potential and Agricultural Pressure in Papua New Guinea

Mapping Land Resource Potential and Agricultural Pressure in Papua New Guinea

Author: Luke W. Hanson

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13:

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This report outlines the development of new methods to assess land resource potential and agricultural pressure in Papua New Guinea. Land resource potential was derived through the classification of environmental data relevant to the growth and management of crops under village conditions. Parameters such as annual rainfall, rainfall seasonality, temperature, light, flooding, slope gradient and soil type were classified according to crop growth constraints. Information on land resource potential pressure is being used to guide and prioritise the research activities of the PNG National Agricultural Research Institute along with the rural development activities of international development donors and all levels of government within the country. While the work is specific to PNG, the methods presented are generic and applicable to most situations depending on data availability.