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Recent Submissions
The water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus in North Africa dryland farming: a multi-criteria analysis of climate-resilient innovations in Morocco
Author(s): Kertolli, Emirjona; Prosperi, Paolo; Harbouze, Rachid; Moussadek, Rachid; Echchgadda, Ghizlane; Belhouchette, Hatem (SpringerOpen (part of Springer Nature))
Date: 2024-09-05
Type: Journal Article
Status: Open access
Smallholder farmers, who mostly engage in low-value agriculture in the drylands of Northern Africa, were the first to have felt the effects of climate change, with threats to their livelihoods and food security. The increasing costs of agricultural production, poor water and energy infrastructure, loss of agricultural land due to urban expansion, fragmented resource management, and unsustainable management practices all contribute to this vulnerability to climate change. This highlights the urgent need for innovative practices in farming systems. Within the framework of the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus, this paper explores innovative practices in dryland farming systems, by assessing their impact on water, energy, food, and ecosystem through stakeholder perception. In this work, we aim to present a systems approach for assessing the resilience of the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus in arid and semiarid regions. By using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, the study—which focuses on the Fès–Meknès region in Morocco—involves local actors to help researchers identify the key variables in order to assist farmers in their adaptation to climate change. The findings revealed different priorities between farmers and other stakeholders regarding the adoption of agricultural innovations. Farmers prioritize innovations that guarantee higher profitability and more market opportunities, such as integrating olive trees with cereal crops, by highlighting the importance of sustainable income sources. Meanwhile, stakeholders, such as researchers, engineers, government officials, and agribusiness entrepreneurs, prioritize innovations that emphasize high water use efficiency, which is crucial for the resilience of dryland farming areas: for instance, rainwater harvesting or the use of drought-resistant crop varieties that directly address the need for water conservation. But in doing so they are overlooking broader aspects within the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus.
Farmer to farmer exchange visit - an effective way of scaling agroecological innovations
Author(s): M'hamed, Hatem Cheikh; Rudiger, Udo
Date: 2024-10-22
Type: Video
Status: Open access
The video shows farmers of six different farmer organizations and NARES partners exchanging about technologies like mixed forages, compost, olive, sulla and carob tree production.
Rural women reviving forgotten crops
Author(s): Najjar, Dina; Amoak, Daniel (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA))
Date: 2024-10-14
Type: Blog
Status: Open access
Despite their vital contribution to agriculture, rural women frequently face significant barriers to accessing essential resources, including land, credit, and agricultural services. Yet they are vital to sustaining agri-food systems, particularly in the Global South. On International Day of Rural Women, we honor rural women for their invaluable contributions to advancing agriculture in the face of accelerating climate change.
Evaluation of genetic diversity using SSR markers and link with drought response of Azerbaijani durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes
Author(s): Mammadova, Ruhangiz; Amri, Ahmed; Akparov, Zeynal; Alo, Fida; Sheikhzamanova, Fatma; Abbasov, Mehraj; Amrahov, Nurlan; Hajiyev, Elchin; Alizade, Shader (Springer (part of Springer Nature) (Springer Open Choice Hybrid Journals))
Date: 2024-06-03
Type: Journal Article
Status: Timeless limited access
Genetic diversity of 45 genotypes were shown in the list of genotypes Azerbaijani durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes were screened using simple sequence repeats (SSRs). These accessions were collected from various bioclimatic regions of Azerbaijan. Out of the used 22 primers, 13 primers showed polymorphism and were selected for the analyses. Among the genotypes under study, 31 alleles were detected. The highest number of alleles was detected in locus gwm 335 (on chromosome 5B) and on locus gwm 445 (on chromosome 2A) with 5 and 4 alleles, respectively. The lowest number of alleles was found in locus gwm 617 with only 1 allele. For A, B, and D genomes, the total number of alleles detected was 14, 15, and 2, respectively. PIC value between studied SSR markers was 0.912 and this result shows high genetic diversity between Azerbaijani durum wheat genotypes. Therefore, these primers can be recommended for studying the genetic diversity of Azerbaijani durum wheat accessions. The genetic structure of the genotypes was analyzed and the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) dendrogram revealed five major clusters using Nei genetic distance index. The results revealed that SSR markers can efficiently evaluate genetic variation in the wheat samples. Based on the previous characterization of the drought response of these genotypes, links could be established between the SSR markers and drought tolerance. If some of the SSR markers are confirmed for their association with drought tolerance, then, they can be used as markers for the identification of drought-tolerant cultivars needed to enhance wheat productivity for farmers dealing with harsh conditions.
Genetic diversity analysis of Azerbaijani bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes with simple sequence repeat markers linked to drought tolerance
Author(s): Mammadova, Ruhangiz; Akparov, Zeynal; Amri, Ahmed; Bakhsh, Allah; Alo, Fida; Alizade, Shader; Amrahov, Nurlan; Yunisova, Firuza (Springer (part of Springer Nature) (Springer Open Choice Hybrid Journals))
Date: 2024-04-21
Type: Journal Article
Status: Timeless limited access
Water stress causes large agricultural losses worldwide and deteriorates its quality. Drought tolerance in plants is a complex trait governed by multigenes and infleunce of various environmental factors affecting the expression of these genes. Thus this complexity necessitates the application of new molecular methods to identify and develop drought tolerant genotypes. The present study was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity of 45 Azerbaijani wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) core collection genotypes utilizing simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers associated with drought tolerance. Our results showed that nine primers out of twelve showed polymorphism. Maximum number of alleles were detected for WMC177 marker (on chromosome 2A), WMC 264 (on chromosome 3A) and WMC219 (on chromosome 4A) with 5, 5 and 4 alleles, respectively. The lowest alleles were determined for WMC219 marker (chromosome 4A) with only one allele. The total number of the detected alleles on A and D genome was 18 and 11 respectively. The maximum number of unique bands (3) was scored with pimer WMC 177. Seven genotypes (cv Gobustan, and Gizil bugda, landrace 6262, and research materials 6170, 6286, 6296 and 6293) possessed unique bands. Based on polymorphism analysis of the wheat genotypes by SSR markers, drought tolerant genotypes for utilization in breeding programs were selected.