Agricultural Research Knowledgehttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/1872024-03-19T13:49:52Z2024-03-19T13:49:52ZCactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica): A Versatile and Sustainable Crop for Food, Fuel, Fodder, and Fertilizerhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/691962024-03-18T20:09:12ZCactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica): A Versatile and Sustainable Crop for Food, Fuel, Fodder, and Fertilizer
The review was presented at the International Conference On Feeding the Future through Sustainable Eco-friendly Innovations in Rangeland, Forages, and Animal Sciences in Bangalore, India. This presentation explored the potential of Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a versatile and sustainable crop in arid and semi-arid regions. It highlighted its role in food production, biofuel generation, livestock feed, and soil improvement. The review emphasized cactus pear's adaptability to regions with limited water resources and its nutritional value. Challenges such as labor-intensive harvesting and post-harvest losses were noted, along with its potential for biofuel production and biofertilizer use. The abstract concluded that collaborative research was crucial to fully realize cactus pear's potential for sustainable agriculture in arid regions.
It is not the cow, it is the howhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/691952024-03-18T19:46:47ZIt is not the cow, it is the how
The research was presented at the International Conference on Feeding the Future through Sustainable Eco-friendly Innovations in Rangeland, Forages, and Animal Sciences in Bangalore, India: Worldwide, rangelands encompass over 50% of the Earth's land area. For millennia, pastoralism has served as an adaptive strategy on these lands, enabling pastoral communities to navigate fluctuating and unpredictable climates. This ancient practice remains the most effective approach to maintaining the equilibrium of rangeland ecosystems, benefiting both humanity and the natural world. The aim of this abstract is to highlight the benefits of opportunistic grazing.
The study identified primary challenges and provided a roadmap for restoring degraded silvopastoral systems in a semi-arid region. It explored a state-owned silvopastoral site in a semi-arid Tunisia region, highlighting challenges such as the lack of effective collaboration among departments and stakeholders and the detrimental effect of prolonged livestock exclusion on the ecosystem. Interventions involved erosion mitigation, afforestation with native species, and promoting multi-stakeholder engagement and supportive policies. The study underscores the importance of collaborative strategies in revitalizing degraded ecosystems.
A Roadmap for Sustainable Silvopastoral System Restorationhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/691942024-03-18T19:44:21ZA Roadmap for Sustainable Silvopastoral System Restoration
The research was presented in the International Conference on Feeding the Future through Sustainable Eco-friendly Innovations in Rangeland, Forages, and Animal Sciences in Bangalore, India. The study identified the primary challenges and provided a roadmap for restoring degraded silvopastoral systems in a semi-arid region. The study explored a state-owned silvopastoral site in a semi-arid Tunisia region, highlighting challenges such as the lack of effective collaboration among departments and stakeholders and the detrimental effect of prolonged livestock exclusion on the ecosystem. Interventions involved erosion mitigation, afforestation with native species, and promoting multi-stakeholder engagement and supportive policies. The study underscored the importance of collaborative strategies in revitalizing degraded ecosystems.
Effects of Tillage Systems on the Physical Properties of Soils in a Semi-Arid Region of Moroccohttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/691932024-03-12T16:58:00ZEffects of Tillage Systems on the Physical Properties of Soils in a Semi-Arid Region of Morocco
Climate change, drought, erosion, water contamination resources, desertification, and loss of soil quality represent major environmental risks worldwide. Facing these risks is the most important issue for sustainable development. Conventional tillage (CT) practices seem to expose the soils of semi-arid regions, which are initially fragile, to degradation that is accentuated by the overuse of the environment. The benefits of conservation agriculture (CA) could mitigate the degradation of natural resources, particularly soils. The adaptation and transfer of the no-till (NT) system with mulch open new perspectives for the development of agriculture in semi-arid regions. The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of conservation agriculture, especially no-till (NT) system, on the physical properties of soil (structural stability (SS), bulk density (BD), gravimetric water content (θg), and soil organic matter (SOM)) compared to conventional tillage (CT). The main changes associated with the transition from a CT system to an NT system were evaluated at the experimental site, Merchouch (M13), which is typified by vertisol soil, and at the Ain Sbit (AS7) site, which is characterized by isohumic soil. Under a no-till system, most of the physical properties of the soil were improved in both sites, with a clear difference in the M13 site. Structural stability under NT showed a significant increase in both sites (fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW), and wet stirring (WS) improved by 88, 43, and 83% at the M13 site, respectively, against, 16, 23, and 7%, respectively, at the AS7 site). On the other hand, the SOM increased from 2.0 to 2.6% (an improvement of 28%) at AS7 and from 1.2% to 1.9% (an improvement of 52%) at M13. This research demonstrated that conservation agriculture, especially NT, improves the soil physical quality in both medium and long terms, confirming its suitability for the climatic and edaphic constraints of semi-arid areas in Morocco as well as in other parts of the world.