Farm School Research Articles

The Concept of Farming Schools and Branding Digital Agrotourism for Farmer Communities and Students English Department

The article gave an assistance to develop Farmer Schools Karangerjo and Students English Department of Universitas Ma’arif Lampung in order to improve skills and provide an understanding of agricultural management, namely the concept of agricultural mechanization. Hence, they can get access to learning about agricultural management for free and sustainably. Improving the skills and creativity of the farming community in building a roadmap for the digital marketing media movement. it would have an impact on the ability of farmer groups to recognize and utilize online digital media. The method used Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). This assistance has a significant impact on the solidarity of the farmer group community. From the various activities that have been carried out, some farmers have been creative in utilizing the vacant land yards around their yards for vegetable farming activities, in addition to the availability of a PVC pipe irrigation system, which was one of the outcomes of the agricultural mechanization concept. They also apply the concept of organic farming by preparing superior seeds that have been sown properly, from preparing the land to planting vegetable seeds. In addition, there was online digital media, namely Instagram, to improve the skills and creativity of the farming community in building a roadmap for the digital marketing media movement.
 Keywords: Farming School, Branding Digital, Digital Media Marketing

Effect of Soil Types and Sowing Methods on Growth and Yield of Some Varieties of Sesame (<i>sesamum indicum L.</i>) Grown in Dutse, Jigawa State

A field trial on the effect of soil types and sowing methods on growth and yield of some varieties of sesame ( sesamum indicum L.) was conducted at school farm Federal University Dutse Jigawa state (latitude 11.00̊ N to 13.00̊ N and longitude 8.00̊ E to 10.15̊ E) during the 2019 rainy season. The treatments used were three soil types (Clay, loam, sand) and two sowing methods (drilling and dibbling). Two varieties of sesame namely EX-Sudan and E8 were used. A split-split plot design was used. Result showed that the number of leaves, number of capsules per plant 1000 seed weight and seed yield per plant were significantly affected by sowing method with drilling method producing the highest seed yield per plant and variety had significant effect on number of leaves per plant, days to 50% flowering and maturity and seed yield per plant with EX-Sudan manifesting the highest yield per plant. The interaction between varieties were only significant on number of capsules/plant while between sowing method and variety was only significant on seed yield per plant. Interaction between variety and soil type showed that V1S1 (EX-Sudan and Loamy soil) had the highest influence on plant growth parameters while V2S2 (E8 and Sandy soil) had the lowest. The results indicated that drilling is the best sowing method, loamy soil is the best soil type for growing sesame while the variety EX-Sudan produced the highest seed yield and seed quality of sesame more than the E8 variety. Thus, farmers could be recommended to adopt these agronomic practices using EX-Sudan for increased sesame production in the Sudan savanna ecological zone of Nigeria.

Perception and Challenges of Students Towards the Learning of Agricultural Science at Public Senior High Schools in Berekum East Municipal

The purpose of the study was to determine the perception and challenges of public Senior High School students towards the learning of Agriculture in Berekum East Municipal of the Bono Region of Ghana. The study employed a quantitative approach and descriptive survey was the design. A sample size of one-hundred and thirty-seven (137) students were used. The respondents were selected through a simple random technique. A questionnaire was used to obtain information from the participants. The analyses of data were done using descriptive statistics. It was revealed that, most students perceive Agriculture as a difficult course of study and therefore do not want to study it at the senior high school level. Students also perceive that most Agricultural departments are not well resourced making the study of the course unrealistic. The students further perceive that there are limited career opportunities in studying Agriculture. The study also reached that there are numerous challenges faced by Agricultural departments such as lack of resource/research centres, lack of practice fields, inadequate teachers, and unavailability of teaching and learning materials. The conclusions drawn from the study were that, the perceptions of students towards the study of Agriculture was due to misinformation, lack of guidance and counselling and several perceived challenges of studying Agriculture. The study therefore recommended that, guidance and counselling units should be enforced in Senior high schools to offer career counselling and also, Agricultural departments in senior high schools should be well resourced and schools offering Agricultural science should have school farms or gardens for practical work.

Sustainable Production of Maize with Grass and Pigeon Pea Intercropping

This study aimed to assess the impact of intercropping pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan cv. Super N) with maize (Zea mays cv. AG 5055) and Paiaguás palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha cv. BRS Paiaguás) on grain yield, silage chemical composition, and post-harvest grazing forage. The experiment was conducted on the School Farm of Instituto Federal Goiano, Campus Iporá. The experiment treatments consisted of three cropping systems: pigeon pea and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (PPPG), maize and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (CPG), and maize, pigeon pea, and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (CPPPG), respectively. It was observed after the fermentation process that the PPPG silage promoted the lowest values of forage mass (FM) and a reduction in the dry matter (DM) concentration. The PPPG silage showed higher values of crude protein (75.28 g kg−1 DM), while the CPPPG silage showed proportionately higher values of total digestible nutrients (616.11 g kg−1 DM). The intercropping did not affect the corn grain productivity, thus obtaining an average value of 4.78 Mg ha-1. After the silage harvest, during the dry season, a similar forage availability was obtained between the treatments (3.73 Mg ha−1). All three cultivation strategies produced abundant forage for grazing, showing that integrated intercropping systems can mitigate the seasonality in tropical forage production.

Effect of Sulphur and Zinc Fertilization on Growth and Yield of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] under Nagaland Condition

Background: A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Research Farm of School and Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD), Nagaland University, during the Kharif season of 2017 and 2018 to study the effect of sulphur and zinc fertilization for biofortification in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) under Nagaland condition. Methods: The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 15 treatments combinations viz sulphur (0 kg ha-1, 20 kg ha-1 and 40 kg ha-1), zinc (0 kg ha-1, 5 kg ha-1, 10 kg ha-1, 15 kg ha-1, and 20 kg ha-1) replicated thrice. Result: The results obtained showed that the plant growth and yield attributes were significantly influenced by the treatment combination of S20Zn20. The application of 20 kg S ha-1 showed higher plant height, number of leaves and branches per plant, shoot dry weight, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), number of nodules and was found to be quite comparable with the treatment of 40 kg S ha-1. The zinc fertilization of 20 kg Zn ha-1 showed greater response by the plant and showed increased plant height, number of leaves and branches per plant, shoot dry weight, leaf area index (LAI) and number of nodules at par with 15 kg Zn ha-1. A higher number of pods (40.48 and 40.89), seed yield of (1.07 t ha-1 and 1.10 t ha-1) and stover yield (1.97 t ha-1 and 2.02 t ha-1) were observed in 20 kg S ha-1 and 20 kg Zn ha-1 fertilization respectively as compared to the other levels of treatments. However, the length of pods, number of seeds per pod, test weight and harvest index did not differ significantly by the treatments.

Effects of red guinea corn and soybean plants growing on diesel polluted soil on the total heterotrophic and diesel degrading microbes

Effect of red guinea corn and soybean plants growing on diesel-polluted soil on the total heterotrophic and diesel degrading microbes were studied. Soil sample was collected from the Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri school farm with the aid of a spade and transported to the preparation ground in clean plastic buckets where it was sun-dried for 3 days. 3kg each of the sun-dried loamy soil sample was weighed out in triplicates and each set was mixed with 30ml, 150ml and 300ml of diesel to obtain 1% (set 1), 5% (set 2) and 10% (set 3) pollutions, respectively, which were dispensed into perforated plastic buckets. Each of these polluted soil samples was planted with the seeds of Red Guinea Corn and Soybean plants. Controls were also set up. Each sample was set up in duplicates. During the first and second week of the plant’s growth, total heterotrophic count, total diesel-utilizing microbes, and rhizosphere enumeration were carried out. The results showed that the total heterotrophic count and the hydrocarbon-utilizing microbes increased with increasing concentration of the diesel oil mixture (10%>5%>1%) in both the polluted soil planted with Red Guinea Corn and Soybeans. Similarly, the rhizosphere effects on both diesel degrading microbes and total heterotrophic bacterial counts were found to have increased with increase in percentage of diesel concentrations for both plants. The microbial population and rhizosphere effects were more in the polluted samples than in unpolluted ones. This implied that by encouraging these plants to grow on diesel oil polluted soils, conditions for microbial degradation of the contaminants can be enhanced and can increase the microbiota of the soil.

Some Bioactive Nutrient Chemical Composition and Effect of Datura stramonium Leaf Extract on Body Weight Using Wistar Albino Rats

Some bioactive nutrient chemical composition and effect of Datura stramonium leaf extract on body weight using Wistar albino rats were investigated using standard methods. D. stramonium leaves were procured from Rhema University school farm and processed for further studies. Some amino acids observed in the sample were lysine (3.16±0.12 g/100g protein), threonine (2.27±0.14 g/100g protein), glutamic acid (10.94±0.15 g/100g protein), and proline (1.62±0.13 g/100g protein). The amino acid groups of the leaf sample showed a Total Acidic Amino Acid (TAAA) of 18.04 g/100g protein (32.19%), Total Neutral Amino Acid (TNAA) of 14.38 g/100g protein (25.66%) and Total Basic Amino Acid (TBAA) of 11.00 g/100g protein (19.63%). Lauric acid, stearic acid and linolenic acids were among the fatty acids observed in D. stramonium in this study. The leaf extract showed significantly (p<0.05) reduced effects on weight and some visceral organs in Wistar albino rats. These effects could be due to the presence of these bioactive compounds observed in the plant. This study has shown some bioactive nutrient chemical composition and effect of D. stramonium leaf extract on body weight using Wistar albino rats.

Influencia de los intervalos de corte en la calidad del heno de Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani en el Cerrado brasileño

The grass Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani is a hybrid high-quality, small-sized forage plant with intense tillering activity. This study was carried out to examine the potential of the grass Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani at different regrowth ages (49, 63, 77, and 91 d) for hay production, in the rainy period. The experiment was conducted at the Farm School of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil, between October 2015 and April 2016. The treatments corresponded to four regrowth ages, with four replicates, distributed into 9 m2 plots. Regrowth ages influenced the morphogenetic characteristics of the grass, except for leaf senescence and final leaf length. Green (9.6–17.6 t ha-1) and dry-matter (2.6–5.9 t ha-1) yields, hay yield (3.4-6.9 t ha-1), and proportions of stem (91.6–455.9 g kg-1) and senescent material (34.8–98.4 g kg-1) increased with the regrowth ages, while the proportion of leaves (837.7-402.1 g kg-1) and the leaf: stem ratio (15.9–0.9) decreased (P<0.05). The dry matter (881.7–852.8 g kg-1) and protein contents (81.2–47.6 g kg-1) of the hay decreased with the higher regrowth ages; however, the neutral detergent fibre (746.5–759.2 g kg-1) acid detergent fibre (519.8–567.7 g kg-1) and lignin (74.3–86.4 g kg-1) contents rose as the regrowth ages did. Nutrient digestibility decreased with the regrowth ages (P<0.05). Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani has the potential to produce of hay ha-1, better nutritive value and a high proportion of leaves in the regrowth interval of 49 to 63 d.

What Is a School Farm? Results of a Scoping Review.

As school farms become more prominent programs to teach food education, research is needed to support school farms' implementation and sustainability. This scoping review included 94 articles on school farms from three bibliometric databases covering broad international literature. Vocational agricultural training, animal husbandry, and crop production were common characteristics of school farms across 103 years of publications. Themes of sustainability, healthy eating, and food systems were more prominent in recent literature. Peer-reviewed studies (1985-2019) provided some empirical research showing school farms' impact on students. This review discusses school farms' structures and objectives as promising food education and production programming.

Appraising Effective Utilization of Instructional Materials for Teaching and Learning of Agricultural Science in Senior Secondary Schools in Gombe State, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to appraise the effective utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning of Agricultural Science in senior secondary schools in Gombe State, Nigeria. The study which was descriptive survey research was conducted in Gombe State and was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. The population of the study was 406 respondents involving 184 agricultural science teachers and 222 school administrators from the 74 senior secondary schools in Gombe State. The sample size of the study was 196 respondents determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size table. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. 0.84 reliability index was obtained from the trial test of QEUIMTLASSSS using Cronbach Alpha. Data collected for the study was analyzed using Mean statistics and t-test. Findings of the study revealed among others that Out of the 26 items listed, only 16 items namely: school farm, watering cans, plant lifters, planting hoes, etc. were functional for teaching and learning of Agricultural Science in secondary schools in Gombe State; while Instructional materials such as school farm, watering cans, plant lifters, and shovels were highly utilized for teaching and learning of Agricultural Science in Secondary Schools in Gombe State. It was recommended, Secondary Schools' administrators in Gombe State should reward teachers who form good habit of maintaining available instructional materials in the school; Ministry of Education in Gombe State should increase supervision of lessons and review teachers' workload in order for teacher to be able to examine their students' academic progress and performance as the use of instructional materials have significant effect on the students' academic performance.

Bio-efficacy of newer insecticides against gram pod borer Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Six insecticides namely Emamectin benzoat 5% SG, Spinetoram 11.7% SC, Spinosad 45.0% SC, Flubendiamide 48 % SC, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, Novaluron 10% EC were evaluated against Gram Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) larvae. The Gram Pod Borer (GPB) larval population was counted on five randomly selected plants, 24 hrs. before spray and at 3, 7 and 10 days after spray. The two-year experiment was conducted during Rabi 2018-19 and 2019-20 at the Rehti Farm of school of agriculture, Mhow, experimental field of Department of Entomology, BRAUSS, (MP). All the Chemical insecticides significantly reduced the GPB larval population. The Pooled GPB population varied from 2.23 to 2.57 larvae/ plant during Rabi season at one day prior to first spray. The population was significant lower with, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, followed by Spinetoram 11.7% SC, Spinosad 45.0% SC, Flubendiamide 48 % SC and Emamectin benzoat 5% SG these five insectiicdes are showing best management effects on the GPB larvae and pod damage .Novaluron 10% EC gave are least effective on larval population and pod damage. The highest chickpea grain yield (19.13q/ha) was obtained with Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC.

Evaluation the efficacy of bio pesticides against gram pod borer Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Evaluation of six insecticides viz., Azadiractin1% (1000ppm) Neem oil, Baeuveria bassiana 1% WP, Bacillus thuriengiensis var kurstaki 5% WP, Metarhizium anisopliae 1.0% WP, Verticillium lecanii 1.15% WP and Ha NPV 250 LE were evaluated against Gram Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) larvae. The Gram Pod Borer (GPB) larval population was counted on 5 randomly selected plants at 24 hr. before spray and at 3, 7 and 10 days after spray. The two-years experiment was conducted during Rabi 2018-19 and 2019-20 at the Rehti Farm of school of Agriculture, Mhow, experimental field of Department of Entomology, BRAUSS, (MP). All the biopesticides significantly reduced the GPB larval population. The Pooled GPB population varied from 2.30 to 2. 50 larvae/plant during Rabi season one day prior tothe first spray. The population was significantly lower with Bacillus thuriengiensis var kurstaki 5% WP, followed by Ha NPV 250 LE, Baeuveria bassiana 1% WP, Metarhizium anisopliae 1.0% WP and Azadiractina 1% (1000ppm) Neem oil, these five biopesticides are showing best management effects on the GPB larvae and pod damaging per cent and remain, and least effective treatment was Verticillium lecanii 1.15% WP. The maximum reduction of larval population and pod damaging per cent. In Rabi season, the highest chickpea grain yield was obtained with Bacillus thuriengiensis var kurstaki at 5% WP.

Enhancing Effectiveness of Farm School through Community Wall Magazine (CWM): A Field Experimental Study

A field experimental study was conducted in Aligarh District of Uttar Pradesh to assess the feasibility of enhancing the effectiveness of Farm Schools (FS) through Community Wall Magazine (CWM). Four treatments with two replications were taken in the study. Treatments were information sharing through CWM (T1), information sharing through FS (T2) and supporting information sharing through FS with CWM (T3). Treatment T0 was taken to eliminate the effect of extraneous variables. Before and after treatment score of gain in the knowledge level of farmers regarding paddy cultivation practices was measured with the help of a knowledge test developed for the study. Matching in terms of the general profile of the farmers under all the replications was ensured before exposure to the treatments. Total farmers under the study were 200. Through CWM 21.83 per cent enhancement in knowledge level regarding rice cultivation practices of the farmers was observed. Due to the effect of FS on rice, 47.18 per cent enhancement in knowledge level was observed. The FS on rice which were supported with the information sharing through CWM 61.02 per cent enhancement in the knowledge level of beneficiary farmers was observed.

Effect of Organic, Inorganic and Biofertilizers on growth and yield of Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.)

A field experiment entitled “Effect of Organic, Inorganic and Biofertilizer on growth and yield of Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) was conducted during Kharif season of 2022 at the experimental farm of School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with eleven treatments and three replications. The layout plan is as follows :T1 -Control, T2 -50% RDF, T3 - 100% RDF, T4 -50% RDF+5t FYM/ ha, T5 -50% RDF+7.5t FYM/ha, T6 -100% RDF+5t FYM/ha, T7 -100% RDF+7.5t FYM/ha, T8 -50% RDF+5t FYM/ha + Rhizobium, T9 -50% RDF+7.5t FYM/ha +Rhizobium, T10- 100% RDF+5t FYM/ha + Rhizobium, T11-100% RDF+7.5t FYM/ha +Rhizobium. Among the eleven treatments, T11-100% RDF+7.5t FYM/ha + Rhizobium showed significant impact on all the growth and yield parameters (Plant height, Number of branches/plant, Dry matter accumulation, Number of pods/ plant, Number of grains/pod, Seed yield, Stover yield, Harvest index) followed by T10- 100% RDF+5t FYM/ha + Rhizobium.

Cyclical Longitudinal Ethnography as an Innovative Design for Addressing Sexuality Education in South African Rural Farm Schools

Addressing Sexuality Education among learners in rural schools can be challenging when using traditional designs such as ethnography and phenomenology. This paper introduces Cyclical Longitudinal Ethnography as an innovative design for addressing Sexuality Education in South African rural farm schools. This design was developed as part of an engaged scholarship on HIV prevention in rural farm schools in Soutpansberg North Circuit, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The paper provides an overview of Sexuality Education at schools and the challenges thereof. It further provides the basics of ethnography and its limitation. The paper then introduces and describes cyclical ethnography as an alternative to original ethnography. The design allows researchers to still have a prolonged engagement with the community without gross disruption of other academic responsibilities such as tuition, academic citizenship, leadership, and administration. The design allows the researcher to visit the area several times over the years, enabling the researcher to observe variations of a phenomenon over time. The Cyclical nature of the design allows data collection, analysis, intervention, monitoring, and evaluation to be conducted iteratively. Though there are primary key informants, the findings could lead to other key informants, settings, and interventions which were not part of the initial plan and objectives. In this study, the target population was educators teaching Sexuality Education, but it ended up involving learners, parents, and community members. The Longitudinal nature of the design enables the researchers to see the impact of the interventions.

Marker-assisted pyramiding of southern leaf blight resistance QTLs qSLB3.1 and qSLB8.1 in maize (Zea mays)

Southern leaf blight (SLB) is one of the major diseases that cause substantial yield losses in maize (Zea mays L.) worldwide. Stacking broad-spectrum resistance genes/QTLs into prevalent cultivars is the prerequisite for durable disease resistance breeding programme. Therefore, a study was carried at the research farm and molecular biology laboratory of School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab during 2017–21 to introgress SLB resistance QTLs from two donors, viz. CM139 (qSLB3.1) and LM5 (qSLB8.1) into CM140 inbred using marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB). Crosses were made between CM139 × CM140 and LM5 × CM140 to generate two separate F1s. Each F1 was backcrossed twice to generate BC2F1 progenies. Foreground selection was performed at each step using linked flanking markers to each QTL and also evaluated for SLB resistance. The selected heterozygous BC2F1 plants from each cross were inter-crossed to combine qSLB3.1 and qSLB8.1 in the same genetic background. The F2 population was also evaluated phenotypically for SLB resistance and other morphological traits. A total of 18 plants were obtained having both the QTLs with homozygous donor alleles. The F2 plants having both QTLs and singly in the homozygous state were advanced to generate F3 progenies. The pyramided lines exhibited 29% lesser disease severity than the lines with either QTL. The present results indicated that additive effects of the QTLs for SLB resistance played an important role among these lines. To our best knowledge, this is the first report for the pyramiding of QTLs associated with SLB resistance. The pyramided lines would serve as potential donors in maize breeding programs.

Groundnut Response to Lime and Levels of Sulphur on Nutrient Content and Uptake

Background: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed and an important food crop of the world, ranking in 4th place as an important source of edible oil and as an important source of vegetable protein in 3rd place. However, the preferred pH for growing of groundnut is a pH of (6.5-7) which is slightly acidic or neutral. So for the crop to grow in a favorable soil pH, liming is required. Groundnut being an oilseed crop requires fertilization for high crop production. The farmers though aware of the fertilization in crops, are confined mostly in NPK fertilizers and negligence especially in sulphur fertilizer is common, however sulphur in oilseed crop is one of the key elements required to produce protein, oil and flavored compounds as well as to ensure quality. Methods: A field experiment was conducted in the Experimental Research Farm of School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD), Nagaland University during the kharif season 2018 entitled “Effect of lime and levels of sulphur in nutrient content and uptake by Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)”. The experimental design was split plot design with three replications. The main plot treatments consisted of two lime levels: L0: lime @ 0 t ha-1, L1: lime @ 3 t ha-1 and the sub- plot treatments consisted of five sulphur levels: S0: sulphur @ 0 kg ha-1, S1: sulphur @ 10 kg ha-1, S2: sulphur @ 20 kg ha-1, S3: sulphur @ 30 kg ha-1, S4: sulphur @ 40 kg ha-1. Result: The study showed that application of lime and sulphur, along with recommended dose of fertilizer NPK (20:60:40) showed increased yield and an increase in N, P, K and S content in groundnut, resulting in a significant increase in the uptake of N, P, K and S by plant.

Capacity development of Madurese female farmers in the implementation of integrated crop management in corn

Women as housewives have a big role in managing their family economy. This study aims to: 1. Analyze the level of awareness of gender equality among female corn farmers, 2. Analyze levels of knowledge, attitude, and skill of female farmers in terms of PTT in corn, 3. Analyze the empowerment process, results, and impacts obtained by female corn farmers from farming school. The study was conducted in three regencies of Madura, namely Bangkalan, Sampang, and Pamekasan. Data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative analysis to answer the first and second objectives, and PAR analysis to answer the third question. Based on the results of the study, women’s role is more dominant than men in several aspects. Some of them are activities in finance, post-harvest, and others. The majority of farmers adopt corn farming methods based on experiences from generations. Empowerment activities such as FGD and training have benefited female farmers.

Integrating climate information into decision making for building resilience: A case study on farming communities in Bihar, India

Effective utilization of available weather and climate information is important to develop efficient and sustainable agricultural production systems. National meteorological agencies supported by global and regional centers are trying to generate climate forecasts tailored to sector-specific operational applications for a wide range of potential users. However, the big challenge is to develop a mechanism that will effectively communicate the information in a language that could be easily understood at different levels to obtain the maximum benefits from the information they receive.The International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) was a research experiment aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural farmers in Bihar, India, by producing and providing them with tailored weather and climate information. Forecast Application for Risk Management in Agriculture (FARM) schools were conducted to improve the awareness of farmers about the need for climate information and climate adaptation interventions which was applied for Kharif crops in summer monsoon 2018. A communication mechanism was established with the support of local partners to disseminate the tailored forecast and advisories to farmers. Assessment results revealed that the climate information is strongly valued by farmers if provided through a mechanism that they trust. More vulnerable farmers have limited access and ability to use the information, thus capacity building efforts like FARM schools are immensely helpful. Farmers recognize the critical role of climate variability in determining livelihood outcomes and actively seek out information to manage variability. This intervention helped trained farmers to better adjust their farming decisions through enhanced uptake of weather and climate information.

Environmental impacts assessment of maize, soybean, and wheat production in the Southwest of São Paulo state: alternative scenarios for the substitution of chemical fertilization

Mineral fertilizers are highly impactful in the agricultural sector, and animal manure can be an alternative to mitigate its impacts. The goal of this research was to estimate the potential environmental impacts on the production of soybean, maize, and wheat at the Lagoa do Sino Farm School from the Federal University of Sao Carlos, contemplating the 2016/2017 cropping season and testing the replacement of 100%, 50%, and 30% of chemical fertilization by composted cow manure. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was the methodology used. The functional unit was one ton of each crop produced on farm. Impacts were also assessed for one hectare of production for each agricultural product investigated and the system boundary was a cradle-to-farm gate. Impacts were assessed using the CML 2000 world+ method for abiotic depletion, global warming, acidification, and eutrophication. Chemical fertilization was the main hotspot for all crops produced. Soybean showed a potential impact of 1489 MJ, 125 kg CO2 eq., 0.6 kg SO2 eq., and 0.4 kg PO4 eq.; the production of maize 1497 MJ, 197 kg CO2 eq., 1 kg SO2 eq., and 0.8 kg PO4 eq.; and the production of wheat 5863 MJ, 632 kg CO2 eq., 3.3 kg SO2 eq., and 2.4 kg PO4 eq. The 30% substitution scenario was the most efficient observed since there is an increase in fuel consumption if distribution of larger amounts of manure are needed. Enriching the manure and investing in fossil fuel substitution will improve the environmental profile of the crops produced under intensive systems in the Southwest state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.