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Recent Submissions
- A tool for optimizing the water, energy, food and ecosystem service nexus amidst diverse stakeholder interestsAuthor(s): Verbist, Joren; Yigezu, Yigezu; Akramkhanov, Akmal (Taylor and Francis Group)Date: 2026-03-03Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Open accessClimate change and population growth are intensifying pressures on agricultural resources, underscoring the need to optimize the water–energy–food–ecosystem (WEFE) nexus. This study applies the Stakeholder WEFE efficiency evaluation tool (SWEET) in Uzbekistan through key informant interviews with representatives from governmental departments managing water, energy, food and environmental sectors. Results reveal divergence and convergence of priorities across departments and sectors, respectively around soil cover, fuel consumption and food crop production. Non-food crops were however consistently deprioritized. SWEET supports the identification of shared priorities and potentially conflicting interests, thereby helping prevent rebound effects and building coherent WEFE governance.
- Malnutrition and violent conflict in a heating world: A mediation analysis on the climate–conflict nexus in Nigeria Get access ArrowAuthor(s): Belli, Anna; Villa, Victor; Mastrorillo, Marina; Scognamillo, Antonio; Song, Chun; Ignaciuk, Adriana; Pacillo, Grazia (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2025-11-12)Date: 2025-05-12Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Timeless limited accessClimate variability is increasingly gaining recognition as a factor exacerbating risks to peace in Africa, particularly in contexts characterized by weak institutions and fragile agri-food systems. Existing literature has highlighted the intricate indirect pathways that can lead to increasing conflicts following a climatic shock, including reduced agricultural yields, increased food insecurity, and other socio-economic channels that are highly context-specific as well as difficult to quantify. This study investigates the nexus between climate variability (proxied by temperature anomalies) and violent conflicts as mediated by child acute malnutrition in Nigeria. Starting from previous quantitative analyses that implicitly assumed the existence of a singular transmission pathway linking climate variability to conflict, this study employs a structural equation model that accommodates the presence of multiple, albeit unobserved, mediating factors. In doing so, it pioneers the use of children’s nutritional indicators as mediating factors to capture the multidimensional nature of the climate–conflict relationship. The novel approach proposed for this analysis increases the accuracy of estimating the indirect impacts of climate variability on conflict, as mediated by child nutritional outcomes, and contributes to the literature linked to the humanitarian, development and peace nexus. From a policy perspective, our findings aim to inform and support identifying policies and interventions aimed at mitigating the threat posed by climate variability to human security through the nutrition channel.
- Adjusted Crop Coefficient for Wheat Using Energy Balance Systems in North Nile Delta of EgyptAuthor(s): Saffan, M.Mohye; Belal, Abdelaziz; Omar, Mohie; Mosaad, Alaa (The National Information and Documentation Centre (NIDOC) affiliated to Academy of Scientific Research and Technology(ASRT), 2025-06-22)Date: 2025-06-22Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Open accessAccurate crop coefficient (Kc) is essential for optimizing irrigation water use as well as enlargement water productivity in agriculture. This study aims to update the Kc values for wheat in the North Nile Delta, Egypt, using an energy balance (EB) system powered by Campbell Scientific instrumentations. Field experiments were conducted during three consecutive wheat-growing seasons of 2022/23,2023/24 and 2024/25 at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, covering an area of 4.2 hectares. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) was measured using energy balance techniques, and Kc values were derived by comparing ETa with reference evapotranspiration (ETo) from FAO Penman Monteith approach. Results showed that FAO-56 Kc values tend to underestimate Kc during the initial (ini) and late-season (end) growth stages, while slightly overestimating mid-season Kc. The obtained Kc values for wheat were: 0.43–0.68 (Kc ini), 0.75–1.02 (Kc dev), 0.94–1.11 (Kc mid), and 0.4–0.64 (Kc end), differing from FAO-56 values. The findings suggest that local calibration of Kc is necessary for precise irrigation scheduling, enhancement water management efficiency, and consequently sustainable wheat production under water-scarce conditions.
- Data Management Plan (DMP) for the Consortium for Red Palm Weevil Control (C4RPWC)Author(s): Bartolini, Pietro (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA))Date: 2025-08-01Type: ManualStatus: Timeless limited accessData Management Plan (DMP) for the Consortium for Red Palm Weevil Control (C4RPWC)
- Genetic mapping and validation of QTL for whitefly resistance in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)Author(s): Bohorquez-Chaux, Adriana; Becerra Lopez-Lavalle, Luis Augusto; Barrera‑Enriquez, Vianey Barrera; Gómez‑Jiménez, María Isabel; Sanchez‑Sarria, Camilo E.; Delgado, Luis Fernando; Zhang, Xiaofei; Gimode, Winnie (Springer nature link, 2025-06-24)Date: 2025-06-24Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Open accessWhitefly species pose a major threat to cassava production in tropical regions causing direct plant damage and transmitting viruses that lead to devastating cassava diseases. Aleurotrachelus socialis whitefly is one of the pests that affect cassava in South America. Developing resistant cassava varieties is the most sustainable control strategy for managing whiteflies. This study aimed to map the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to A. socialis and develop molecular markers to facilitate marker-assisted selection. An F2 cassava population (N = 183) was generated by selfing a highly resistant F1 derived from a cross between ECU72 (resistant) and COL2246 (susceptible) landraces. Phenotyping was performed using an efficient glasshouse screening method and high throughput image analysis of infested leaves (Nymphstar). We identified QTL on chromosomes 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 14, with a stable and highly significant QTL on chromosome 8 (MeF2WFly8.1), explaining 35.44% of the phenotypic variation. To enable efficient selection, high-throughput KASP markers were developed and validated across diverse genetic backgrounds. Three SNPs displayed the highest association with whitefly resistance, with Chr08_6483145 as the most effective marker for selection in diverse backgrounds. These markers are provided for improving the efficiency of whitefly resistance breeding in the global cassava community.