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Recent Submissions
Monitoring of Soil Moisture Influenced by Crop Choice and Management Practice in Morocco’s Rainfed Drylands Using Sentinel-1 SAR Timeseries Data
Date: 2025-01-01
Type: Thesis
Status: Open access
Soil moisture is essential for the long term viability of rainfed agriculture, especially in semi-arid regions like Morocco where about 80% of farmland relies on rainfall. Climate change and poor agriculture practice puts soil moisture content at risk, negatively impacting crop yields and food security. This study used Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to monitor soil moisture, which varies based on the type of crops grown, and the tillage systems used in Morocco’s rainfed agriculture regions, using a change detection method. The study utilized the Dual- Polarization Radar Vegetation Index (DpRVIc) to effectively mitigate the influence of vegetation, and estimate accurate soil moisture in no-tillage and conventional tillage systems over three consecutive cropping period from December 2018 to December 2021. The model showed strong performance, with a correlation coefficient (r) equals to 0.75 and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.095 m3 m−3, confirming model effectiveness in the study area. The study further reveled that, average soil moisture was consistently higher in NT equals to (0.152 m3 m−3) than under CT (0.130 m3 m−3). The study also preformed 2-way ANOVA statistical analysis to further investigate the importance of the interaction between tillage systems and the crop types and how it influence the dynamics of soil moisture. The result indicated an F(3,568) = 48.94, p < 0.001, underscoring proper selection of crops under NT practice, can significantly increase the level of soil moisture. As a result, choosing crops strategically can help retain soil moisture and ultimately enhance water efficiency and crop productivity in no-tillage system.
Adoption and Impacts of an Improved Wheat Technology Package in Egypt
Author(s): Bishaw, Zewdie; Imtiaz, Muhammad; Dessalegn, Bezaiet; Yigezu, Yigezu
Date: 2025-12-12
Type: Working Paper
Status: Timeless limited access
This study aimed to provide an analysis of the adoption and impacts of agricultural technologies on Egyptian smallholders. The double hurdle and instrumental variables regression models were applied to a large nationally representative sample survey of over 1,200 households to identify the factors that affect farmers’ adoption decision and impacts, respectively. Model results showed that the degree of adoption of one or more or all components of the technology package was higher in the governorates affiliated with the project than in the other governorates, which clearly reflects the effectiveness of the dissemination methods used as well as the technology package provided to farmers. The high adoption in the second year also indicates the momentum gained. The results also indicated that the typical adopter of improved wheat varieties obtained 359 kg and 1770 EGP more yield and income per fedan than non-adopters while adoption of crop rotation led to gains of 306 kg yield and 1310 EGP income per fedan. Likewise, adoption of raised bed technology increased farmers’ yield and net income by about 229 kg and 1180 EGP per fedan, respectively. Among all combinations of the different technology components, adoption of all three components of the technology package led to yield and income gains of about 481 kg and 2360 EGP per fedan, respectively, which indicates complementarity between the components. Policy and institutional implications of our results is that Egypt can benefit more from investing more on technology development, enhancing the seed sector efficiency, and adoption of more effective agricultural extension service delivery systems.
Consolidated Responses to the Governance Assessment Tool
Author(s): Nidkazza, Zakaria
Date: 2025-12-23
Type: Internal Report
Status: Open access
Consolidated Responses to the Governance Assessment Tool for Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Italy, Croatia.
D4.1.3 Each cooperative incorporates the preferred revision of governance practices
Author(s): Nidkazza, Zakaria
Date: 2025-12-23
Type: Internal Report
Status: Open access
This report presents a governance maturity assessment conducted using a structured analytical framework covering six core dimensions, based on 28 standardized parameters.
Using crowd sourcing and geopositioned images to document near real time rangeland condition
Author(s): Louhaichi, Mounir; Cardoso Arango, Juan Andres; Kassam, Shinan; Hassan, Sawsan (XII International Rangeland Congress, 2025-07-22)
Date: 2025-07-22
Type: Conference Paper
Status: Open access
Monitoring rangeland vegetation is essential for sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Traditional vegetation monitoring methods often require extensive fieldwork, which can be time-consuming and costly. Crowdsourcing, which leverages the collective power of a large number of volunteers, offers a promising alternative. This study examines the effectiveness of using crowdsourcing to collect geopositioned images for monitoring rangeland vegetation. By engaging herders and pastoralists with smartphones featuring built-in GPS capabilities, a substantial dataset of geotagged photographs from diverse rangelands was amassed. These images were transferred to a central repository when an internet connection was available, ensuring continuous data flow from even the most remote areas. Subsequently, the images were analysed using advanced image processing and machine learning techniques to assess vegetation and ground cover in near real time. Preliminary results indicate that our protocol can provide high spatial and temporal resolution imagery, which complements traditional monitoring methods by offering more immediate and detailed insights. These images also serve as ground truth for supervised classification of large-scale remote sensing satellite scenes. Additionally, this approach enables sampling of inaccessible remote areas while promoting community engagement and environmental awareness among pastoral communities. The necessary steps for implementation are discussed, along with examples from various locations. The findings highlight the potential of crowdsourcing as a cost-effective and scalable tool for rangeland monitoring and management, showcasing its ability to enhance both data quality and stakeholder participation.