Agricultural Settlement Research Articles

Basin characteristics, river morphology, and process in the Chure-Terai landscape

The study aims to illustrate the basin characteristics, river morphology and river processes in the Chure- terai Landscape. The basin and morphological variables used in the study were derived from the satellite imageries available on Google earth, digital elevation models, and relevant maps. The cross-section survey and hydrometric data, incorporated in the study were obtained from the secondary sources, reports, and documents. The Bakraha River basin is underlain by the rocks of the Siwalik group in the south. The rocks are highly deformed and fractured and have the steep and variable slope and are subject to strong seismic shaking. The network of drainage is dense, with the predominance of colluvial streams that receive sediments from slope failure and erosion. The steep profile of the river demonstrates the ability to transport a huge sediment load during a high flood. The climatic regime and daily annual extreme rainfall between 100-300mm can initiate shallow landslides to large and deep-seated landslides. Landslides very large, small to shallow types are quite numerous, which indicates terrain highly susceptible to slope failure and erosion. The forest cover is above 84% but largely has been degraded and interspersed by agricultural patches and settlements with population dependent on agriculture and livestock. The lower catchment has dominant agricultural land use. The role of riparian vegetation for bank protection and flood control is limited. In the hilly areas, the river reaches are mainly sinuous to straight controlled by bedrock and in Terai, the reaches are straight, wandering to meandering towards the south. River slope is very steep, up to 15.2% in hills and mild in the meandering reaches in Terai decreasing to 0.1%. In the straight reaches, sediments are mainly boulders, gravels, bedrocks and sands in the hill, while in meandering reaches in Terai, sediments are sand and silt. The discharge varies 200-734 cusec from upstream (close to outlet) to downstream, (16.5 km away). The estimated sediment load transport during extreme flood events highly varies. Potential sediment load decreases from straight to meandering reaches, with some fluctuations in certain locations, owing to change in local morphological conditions. Bank erosion, bend scour, confluence scour, and protrusion scours, and avulsions are the river processes, which provide a source of sediments to the river. Change in planform and cross-section view of the river morphology indicate the river is unstable and dynamic due to the frequent shifts between accretion to erosion processes.

Settle and Rule: The Evolution of the Israeli National Project

Settling in Palestine is an integral part of the national revival of the Jewish nation, which eventually led to the establishment of the state of Israel. This paper defines the Practical Zionism territorial strategy as a Settle and Rule mechanism that evolved through four periods of development, from the pre-state era to the post-state era: first, the agricultural settlements of the 1920s and 1930s (cultivate and rule); second, the 1950s’ industrial towns (industrialize and rule); third, the suburbs of the 1980s (suburbanize and rule) and; and fourth, the recent corporate-led development (financialize and rule). This paper argues that the national settlement mission transformed according to the changes in the modes of production and the interests of the ruling hegemony. Therefore, it focuses on four different national plans for the frontier area of the Galilee and analyses the layout of the proposed new settlements and the architecture of the housing units.

Caracterização do solo em comunidades agrícolas no Município de Sousa para fins de produtividade

The present work had the objective of performing a physical-chemical and mineralogical characterization of soils collected from three agricultural settlements located in the region of Sousa / PB in order to identify problems for planting and inadequate management in these areas. All the analysis were performed according to Teixeira et al. (2017), except the electrical conductivity analysis, which followed the methodology of Tedesco et al. (1995). Results showed that average and high values of Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium and Phosphorus were compared to the literature, which does not characterize a nutrient deficiency of these soils. It was also observed that most of the analyzed soils present an average alkalinity and that all have sodium traces. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that all soils are composed of quartz, feldspar, mica, smectite and albite.

Discusión del común multiescalar a partir del Territorio de los Pueblos Aislados

En las dos últimas décadas, la sociedad ecuatoriana ha tomado progresiva conciencia de los PueblosIndígenas en Aislamiento Tagaeri-Taromenane, los últimos pueblos que hasta el momento habitan enla Amazonía ecuatoriana sin ser asimilados, el mayor reto para la pluriculturalidad y pluriterritorialidadasumida en la Constitución de Ecuador de 2018. Sin embargo, la existencia de yacimientos petrolerosen el subsuelo de su territorio ha generado sucesivas ampliaciones de la frontera petrolera, incluyendo laconstrucción de un entramado de vías que ha propiciado una fuerte colonización agrícola. Este artículoprofundiza en la historia del reconocimiento de la territorialidad de los Pueblos en Aislamiento y la defensade la misma que se ha realizado desde la sociedad ecuatoriana, convirtiendo el Yasuní en un comúnterritorial que ha excedido sus fronteras espaciales.

Unit hydrograph method for curve number validation in hydrological modeling: case study of Welaran Watershed, Karangsambung, Kebumen

Unit hydrographs, which have long been used in hydrological analyses, assume or require evenly distributed rainfall as their input. In practice, such a requirement is met when the methods are applied to small watersheds. This study aim to validate the curve number in hydrological modelling used unit hydrograph. The Welaran Watershed in Karangsambung has an area of 11.6 km2. More than 50% of it is covered by rice fields, while the rest is by dry agricultural lands, multiple-species plantations, and settlements. This watershed has been installed with a stream gauge equipped with AWLR and ARR. Based on the automatically recorded flood and rainfall data, a hydrological analysis was performed to generate unit hydrographs. Baseflow (losses), separated from the hydrograph, was compared with a loss of water using the Curve Number (CN) method. CN was derived from a reference table containing land use (LU), soil hydrological group, andantecedent moisture condition (AMC).The CN of the study area was 67, which is the weighted value of the mapping unit. Insome rainfall-runoff events, the unit hydrograph approach yielded curve numbers varying between 23-82 for eight selected rainfall events. It indicates that many factors shape the diversification of rainfall-runoff interaction in a watershed, including the actual distribution of rain. Also, AMC seemed to be distributed according to not only the amount of previous rain but also other factors that need further study.

Phytoplankton and Water Quality of Three Small Lakes in Cibinong, West Java, Indonesia

In West Java small lakes, known as “Situ”, have many functions including flood control, irrigation, tourism, domestic water and fisheries. Lakes in urban area arevulnerable to anthropogenic impact and typically show elevated level of nitrate and phosphate which support eutrophication. Phytoplankton is sensitive to changes in aquatic ecosystems that arise from excessive eutrophication. This study is to determine the differences of phytoplankton composition and abundance and environmental factors three small lakes in Cibinong City. Two small lakes, Situ Cibuntu and Situ Lotus, receive water source which is coming from the streams flowing through agriculture and human settlement. The other lake, Situ Dora, receive water source coming from the ground water. Phytoplankton was collected weekly in July 2018, while the nutrient (TN and TP) and water quality including temperature, pH, DO, conductivity and TDS were monitored from July to December 2018. There was different phytoplankton composition and abundance and water quality between situ receiving water which flow through agriculture and settlement and groundwater. Phytoplankton composition of Situ Cibuntu and Situ Lotus was dominated by the group of Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta with the average of phytoplankton abundance were 50967 and 16700 cells. L−1and the chlorophyll-a concentration were 21.451 and 6.591 µg.L−1 respectively. Phytoplankton composition of Situ Dora was dominated by the group of Chlorophyta with the lowest of phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll-awere5858 cell. L−1 and 4.072 µg.L−1 respectively. The highest nutrient and species number of phytoplankton was recorded in Lake Cibuntu. Water quality of Situ Dora was also characterized by the low value of pH, nutrient (TP and TN). It is highlighted that water source enter into the lake determine status of water quality and characteristic of phytoplankton in urban small lake.

‘The Native is the Producer of the Future’: Improving Peasants’ Food Production in Southern Malawi, 1859–1939

Since the late 1850s, Malawi has seen various attempts by missionaries, settler farmers and administrators to transform peasant agriculture in the face of ecological, political and economic challenges. However, attempts to improve peasants’ food production have received little attention in the Malawian and regional historiography. Here I explore the interventions that the colonial state and other European actors made to improve peasants’ food production in southern Malawi from 1859 to 1939. I argue that, while colonialism disrupted rural livelihoods, it brought with it efforts to improve the practices by which peasants produced foodstuffs. The success of these efforts, however, was mixed and largely limited by the derogatory beliefs that colonial officials developed about African practices and the state’s inability to take into account local context and history. In particular, negative attitudes towards African producers undermined the legitimacy and acceptability of the interventions among the peasants during the period under study.

Impact of mining on the floristic association of gold mined sites in Southwest Nigeria

BackgroundOccurrences in land use, human activities and climate change have both direct and indirect influences on the environment. Of interest for this study is mining; a common activity in developing countries such as Nigeria which is endowed with over 34 solid minerals. The gold mining sites in the Southwest region of the country is predominantly by Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). Though the benefits are known, its induced consequences are enormous. To understand its extent of floristic diversity, identification of functional plants and plant species surviving on the mined sites (despite its characterized mining and alteration level); this study compared the floristic composition of an abandoned mining site (Site 1), an active mining site (Site 2) and an undisturbed vegetation sites (Control) of similar vegetation zone.ResultsA total of 54, 28 and 37 species belonging to 31, 20 and 23 families were found on Site 1, Site 2 and the control site, respectively. It shows that the floristic composition of all the sites has been altered due to its past intense agricultural colonization and human activities, but severe on Site 1 and 2 due to mining. Lots of the identified species are functional species and stand as ecological indicators. Species such as Acanthus montanus and Icacina trichantha found on the Control sites are native and significance but species such as Capsicum frutescens and Crassocephalum crepidioides on Site 2 are due to human inference while most species on Site 1 shows both original and altered floristic composition (e.g. Adenia venenata and Grewia flavescens).ConclusionsApart from the on-going farming activities, ASM activities such as pollution, deforestation and exposure of the forest soils to direct sunlight has greatly stressed and disturbed the floristic composition, species richness, life form patterns, of the mined sites as well as introduction of non-native plant species. It is therefore necessary to develop effective approaches and policies to curb these illegal ASM activities, empower the community (especially youths), stabilize the economy and establish sustainable development strategies with adequate reclamation measures.

Impact of revegetation of the Loess Plateau of China on the regional growing season water balance

Abstract. To resolve a series of ecological and environmental problems over the Loess Plateau, the “Grain for Green Program” (GFGP) was initiated at the end of 1990s. Following the conversion of croplands and bare land on hillslopes to forests, the Loess Plateau has displayed a significant greening trend, which has resulted in soil erosion being reduced. However, the GFGP has also affected the hydrology of the Loess Plateau, which has raised questions regarding whether the GFGP should be continued in the future. We investigated the impact of revegetation on the hydrology of the Loess Plateau using relatively high-resolution simulations and multiple realizations with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Results suggest that revegetation since the launch of the GFGP has reduced runoff and soil moisture due to enhanced evapotranspiration. Further revegetation associated with the GFGP policy is likely to further increase evapotranspiration, and thereby reduce runoff and soil moisture. The increase in evapotranspiration is associated with biophysical changes, including deeper roots that deplete deep soil moisture stores. However, despite the increase in evapotranspiration, our results show no impact on rainfall. Our study cautions against further revegetation over the Loess Plateau given the reduction in water available for agriculture and human settlements and the lack of any significant compensation from rainfall.

DOMESTICATION, DEGENERATION, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1910s–1930s

AbstractThis article examines conflict between farmers and elephants in the Addo region in 1910s–1930s South Africa to explore the porosity of the concepts ‘wild’, ‘tame’, and ‘domestic’, and their relationship to race, degeneration, nature conservation, and colonialism. In the 1910s, settler farmers indicted the ‘Addo Elephants’, as ‘vicious’ thieves who raided crops and ‘hunted’ farmers. This view conflicted with a widespread perception of elephants as docile, sagacious, and worthy of protection. Seeking to reconcile these views, bureaucrats were divided between exterminating the animals, creating a game reserve, and drawing upon the expertise of Indianmahoutsto domesticate them. Ultimately, all three options were attempted: the population was decimated by hunter Phillip Jacobus Pretorius, an elephant reserve was created, the animals were tamed to ‘lose their fear of man’ and fed oranges. Despite the presence of tame elephants and artificial feeding, the reserve was publicized as a natural habitat, and a window onto the prehistoric. This was not paradoxical but provokes a need to rethink the relationship between wildness, tameness, and domesticity. These concepts were not implicitly opposed but existed on a spectrum paralleling imperialist hierarchies of civilization, race, and evolution, upon which tame elephants could still be considered wild.

Responses of reef bioindicators to recent temperature anomalies in distinct areas of the North Ari and Rasdhoo atolls (Maldives)

Abstract Assessments of reef sediments in the North Ari Atoll (Maldives) were conducted in 2015 and 2018 on reefs of three islands with different management strategies: community, resort, and uninhabited. Indices applied were the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring Index (FI) and the Sediment Constituents Index (SI). Both indices are based on shells or fragments of functional groups, which for the FI are foraminiferal shells and for the SI are sediment components. The FI is considered to be an indicator of water quality and the SI an indicator of water quality, community structure, and processes such as grazing and bioerosion. Both indices indicated that environmental deterioration occurred between 2015 and 2018, likely related to the intense temperature anomaly in March–June 2016 that caused widespread coral bleaching and mortality. Median FI declined from 5.1 to 4.0 overall, indicating that water quality still supports reef accretion, though the replacement of coral cover by algae and sponges likely provides more food sources for smaller, faster-growing foraminiferal species. The median SI values similarly declined from 3.8 to 3.0, reflecting a decrease in identifiable coral fragments and an increase in unidentifiable clasts, likely indicative of increased bioerosion. Although a minor component, molluscan fragments also increased by 25%, likely in response to more algal cover for grazers. In 2015, the FI and SI data indicated that the island management regime contributed to the reef health status. Uninhabited islands were associated with higher indices compared to resort and community islands. A clear distinction between management regimes was not observed in 2018, because a major decrease in FI (median: 4.9 in 2015, 2.9 in 2018) was recorded offshore from an agricultural settlement on the previously “uninhabited” island surveyed. These observations support the usefulness of these indices in reef assessment, and provide additional understanding that the FI can respond to a coral-mortality event that alters food sources in the benthic community.

Eco-hydrology and the effects on the national economy: case of the eastern region of Abakaliki Anticlinorium, Southeastern Nigeria

The area was mineralized, yet it is an agricultural settlement. Histories of water hardness and local migration of connate (saline) water exist across the region. This study investigated effects of these geogenic circumstances on the economy of the region and Nigeria. Geophysical and geochemical analyses were carried out for delineation of hydrological structures relevant to groundwater movement and pollution status, respectively. Results revealed silty–sandy shale sandwiched between 60 and 100 Ω-m at the fourth geoelectric layer. This layer marks depths to water table from 7.0 to 12.0 m and formed aquitard as medium of regional stance for groundwater percolation. The aquitards confined localized resistivity anomalies of ≤ 60 Ω-m and was interpreted as various aquifers. Isolated peaks of hydraulic head up to 85 m around north-western and south-eastern ends of NW–SE-trending local water divide indicated areas of water table crops where conjunctive hydrological interaction exists between surface water and groundwater resources; each flushes dissolved elements from the calcareous sediments into the water resources. Consequently, configurations of pH, total dissolved solutes (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and total hardness ranged as: 6.97–7.96, 20–1399 mg/l, 30–2100 μs/cm and 8–160 mg/l, respectively. Localized concentrations of calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, sulphate, chloride, iron, manganese, zinc, lead, chromium and cobalt in mg/l ranged to pollution or alert levels as follows: 38–590, 5–89, 10–126, 30–460, 6–128, 0.01–1.74, 0.1–0.41, 0.001–0.13, 0/01–1.98, 0.011–0.56 and 0.05–0.22, respectively. The water is therefore hard and hence supports encrustations of fittings for water supplies. Consequently, screens’ slot sizes were clogged, resulting in incessant boreholes failures in the region. Heavy metals are polluting from identifiable loading sources, possibly, due to the proximity of associated lodes. These pollution(s) caused the exceedance of TDS (as reflected in EC) above the saline borderline and hence the salinity and sodium hazards that hampered crop growth, mainly cereal foods. It also endangered biodiversity of adjoining downstream regions.

Toponymy, Pioneership, and the Politics of Ethnic Hierarchies in the Spatial Organization of British Colonial Nairobi

Toponyms, along with other urban symbols, were used as a tool of control over space in many African countries during the colonial period. This strategy was epitomized by the British, who applied it in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya from the late 1800s. This paper shows that toponymy in colonial Nairobi was an imposition of British political references, urban nomenclature, as well as the replication of a British spatial idyll on the urban landscape of Nairobi. In early colonial Nairobi, the population was mainly composed of three main groups: British, Asians, and Africans. Although the Africans formed the bulk of the population, they were the least represented, socially, economically and politically. Ironically, he British, who were the least in population held the political and economic power, and they applied it vigorously in shaping the identity of the city. The Asians were neither as powerful as the British, nor were they considered to be at the low level of the native Africans. This was the deliberate hierarchical structure that was instituted by the colonial government, where the level of urban citizenship depended on ethnic affiliation. Consequently, this structure was reflected in the toponymy and spatial organization of the newly founded city with little consideration to its pre-colonial status. Streets, buildings and other spaces such as parks were predominantly named after the British monarchy, colonial administrators, settler farmers, and businessmen, as well as prominent Asian personalities. In this paper, historical references such as maps, letter correspondences, monographs, and newspaper archives have been used as evidence to prove that toponyms in colonial Nairobi were the spatial signifiers that reflected the political, ideological and ethnic hierarchies and inequalities of the time.

Forest cover change detection using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing techniques: a spatio-temporal study on Komto Protected forest priority area, East Wollega Zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundForest plays an important role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration. Komto Forest is one of the remnant natural forests found in Guto Gida district of East Wollega zone, Ethiopia, has been supporting the local community for construction, energy and household furniture. Currently, influenced by land use land cover change (LULCC), this forest has been declining at an alarming rate. Detecting LULCC and understanding the driving forces has important for supporting decision making processes. We examine variation in forest cover dynamics over the period 1991–2012 using Landsat TM image of 1991, ETM + of 2002 and OLI-TIRS of 2019.ResultsThe LULCC detection results show that a dramatic increase of agricultural land from (24.78%) in 1991 to (33.5%) in 2019 with annual expansion rate (23.68%) per annum, where forest cover declined by 20.1% in 1991 and 37.38% in 2019 with annual decreasing rate of 4.18% per annum. Our finding indicates the increment of agricultural land, grassland, and settlement, while the dense and open forest cover shows a declining trend. The declining of forest coverage is likely to cause unpleasant environment and affects human wellbeing.ConclusionsThe massive declined in forest cover change are often associated with agricultural expansion in the periphery of the forest. Timber exploitation and charcoal production are other problems that contribute for the declining of forest coverage. Overall, our results suggest the need of participatory forest management and public awareness creation to sustain the Komto remnant forest.

Consideration of Qualitative Changes in Agricultural Settlements Due to Land Consolidation

Consideration of Qualitative Changes in Agricultural Settlements Due to Land Consolidation

Análise ambiental do desmatamento em área de assentamento rural no Cerrado (Mato Grosso, Brasil)

The study aimed to analyze the spatial and temporal variation of the ‘Cerrado’ vegetation cover of the Carimã Agricultural Settlement in Rondonópolis (State of Mato Grosso) employing the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index). In 22 years, about 18.2% of the vegetation was removed. In 1995, before the settlement, the vegetation represented 34.4%; in 2017 it remained 18% of the total area. This process has led to major transformations in the region and even in local populations, especially concerning the different land uses and occupations. The suppression of vegetation was linked to uses for agriculture and tourism, with exploration practices that may have contributed to the loss of the Cerrado ecosystem functions

Tracing population movements in ancient East Asia through the linguistics and archaeology of textile production.

Archaeolinguistics, a field which combines language reconstruction and archaeology as a source of information on human prehistory, has much to offer to deepen our understanding of the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Northeast Asia. So far, integrated comparative analyses of words and tools for textile production are completely lacking for the Northeast Asian Neolithic and Bronze Age. To remedy this situation, here we integrate linguistic and archaeological evidence of textile production, with the aim of shedding light on ancient population movements in Northeast China, the Russian Far East, Korea and Japan. We show that the transition to more sophisticated textile technology in these regions can be associated not only with the adoption of millet agriculture but also with the spread of the languages of the so-called 'Transeurasian' family. In this way, our research provides indirect support for the Language/Farming Dispersal Hypothesis, which posits that language expansion from the Neolithic onwards was often associated with agricultural colonization.

Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Change using Geo-informatics in Catchment of Burhi Gandak River, Bihar

Land use/land cover (LULC) information is essential for proper management, planning and monitoring of natural resources of any region. The present study delineated the catchment of a part-length of Burhi Gandak river falling under Samastipur district of Bihar, estimated its area and LULC change over a period of ten years (2008-2018) using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. LULC mappings were done by supervised classification technique using GIS. Overall accuracy of image classification processes was 79.07 % and 75 %, whereas Kappa coefficients were found to be 0.71 and 0.68 for the year 2008 and 2018, respectively. Over the 10-year period, the area under agricultural land increased by 3,329 ha (6.51 %), settlement increased by 4,554 ha (58.20 %), and wasteland (barren and sand) increased by 685 ha (34.05 %); while natural vegetation cover reduced by 6,523 ha (33.58 %) and water bodies reduced by 2,045 ha (54.23 %). Hence, a significant portion of land under natural vegetation and water bodies in the catchment had been converted into either agricultural land or settlement (e.g. buildings) during the period. This change might affect the ecosystem of the area.

Landscape approaches to the evolution of the Byzantine/Medieval village-community in Greece

The Greek landscape preserves a wide diversity of settlements of different character, which were established or developed especially during the later Post-Medieval and Early Modern periods (17th–19th centuries). Early studies in Post-Medieval and traditional rural settlements, with specific reference to Greece, have made a distinction between permanent and temporary ones. Temporary agricultural and pastoral settlements usually comprised 40–50 καλύβια or seasonal habitations, while permanent ones comprised clustered villages and hamlets of a compact or loose layout, such as the çiftlik or commercial farm estates. These rural settlement types appeared in mainland Greece in the 17th–18th centuries, and were used for the production of cash-crops to feed the growing demand for raw materials by rising industrial and capitalist states in Western Europe. Thus, past studies have primarily focused on the general appearance of rural settlements, on the economic forces that shaped their history in pre-modern Greece (and Cyprus), or, more recently, on aspects of their abandonment and post-abandonment formation processes and material change.

Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Change using Geo-informatics in Catchment of Burhi Gandak River, Bihar

Land use/land cover (LULC) information is essential for proper management, planning and monitoring of natural resources of any region. The present study delineated the catchment of a part-length of Burhi Gandak river falling under Samastipur district of Bihar, estimated its area and LULC change over a period of ten years (2008-2018) using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. LULC mappings were done by supervised classification technique using GIS. Overall accuracy of image classification processes was 79.07 % and 75 %, whereas Kappa coefficients were found to be 0.71 and 0.68 for the year 2008 and 2018, respectively. Over the 10-year period, the area under agricultural land increased by 3,329 ha (6.51 %), settlement increased by 4,554 ha (58.20 %), and wasteland (barren and sand) increased by 685 ha (34.05 %); while natural vegetation cover reduced by 6,523 ha (33.58 %) and water bodies reduced by 2,045 ha (54.23 %). Hence, a significant portion of land under natural vegetation and water bodies in the catchment had been converted into either agricultural land or settlement (e.g. buildings) during the period. This change might affect the ecosystem of the area.