Pastoral Regions Research Articles

Indole-3-acetic acid improves periphyton's resistance to ultraviolet-B: From physiological-biochemical properties and bacteria community to livestock-polluted water purification

Livestock-polluted water is a pressing water environmental issue in plateau pastoral regions, necessitating the adoption of eco-friendly solutions. Despite periphyton being a promising alternative, its efficacy is limited by the prevalence of intense ultraviolet radiation, particularly ultraviolet-B (UVB), in these regions. Therefore, this study employs molecular tools and small-scale trials to explore the crucial role of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in modulating periphyton characteristics and mediating nutrient removal from livestock-polluted water under UVB exposure. The results revealed that IAA augments periphyton's resilience to UVB stress through several pathways, including increasing periphyton's biomass, producing more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and photosynthetic activity of periphyton. Moreover, IAA addition increased periphyton's bacterial diversity, reshaped bacterial community structure, enhanced community stability, and elevated the R2 value of neutral processes in bacterial assembly from 0.257 to 0.651 under UVB. Practically, an IAA concentration of 50 mg/L was recommended. Small-scale trials confirmed the effectiveness of IAA in assisting UVB-stressed periphyton to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock-polluted water, without the risk of nitrogen accumulation. These findings offer valuable insights into the protection of aquatic ecosystems in plateau pastoral regions based on periphyton property in an eco-friendly manner.

Grazing reduced greenhouse gas fluxes in Inner Mongolia grasslands: A meta-analysis

Grazing exerts a significant influence on greenhouse gases (GHGs) fluxes within temperate grasslands. While previous studies have explored the impact of varying grazing intensities on GHGs fluxes in meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe, there remains a knowledge gap regarding how grazing intensities affect GHGs fluxes across different grassland types and seasonal variations. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of Inner Mongolia grasslands involving 38 published reports and aggregating 143, 160, and 118 records for the CO2, CH4, and N2O, respectively. Our results demonstrated that grazing reduced annual mean CO2 emission, CH4 uptake, and N2O emission by 15.29%, 10.56%, and 24.73%, respectively (P < 0.05). Specifically, during the freeze-thaw period, grazing induced a decrease of 28.06% and 58.41% in CH4 uptake and N2O emissions, respectively, compared to ungrazed treatments (P < 0.05). Further dissecting the impact, we found that grazing reduced CO2 emissions in desert steppe, typical steppe, and meadow steppe by 20.28%, 15.54%, and 11.79%, respectively. In addition, grazing decreased CH4 uptake in typical steppe by 15.14% and decreased N2O emission in typical steppe, meadow steppe, and sown pasture by 20.25%, 24.18%, 52.91%, respectively. Crucially, the alteration in plant biomass due to grazing-induced changes underlying drivers that govern the responses of GHGs fluxes. These results furnish compelling evidence that grazing, particularly in non-growing season, holds the potential to mitigate grassland GHGs fluxes in temperate grasslands. Our results can deepen the understanding of the grazing effects on GHGs and offer valuable insights for refining grazing management strategies in pastoral regions.

Factors and challenges contributing to antimicrobial resistance in East African pastoral settings and importance of One Health approach

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is acknowledged as a One Health dilemma because resistant microbial and genes are swiftly appearing and spreading worldwide across humans, animals and the environment. Livestock owners in East African pastoral regions face significant financial and socio-economic challenges owing to animal diseases that can be particularly severe in remote areas, where communities rely solely on their livestock for subsistence. Unfortunately, providing veterinary services in these regions is challenging because of the inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. Consequently, pastoralists may resort to self-medicating their animals, often using antimicrobials in ways that can contribute to the emergence of AMR. Prolonged use, overuse, or misuse of antimicrobial drugs in both human and animal populations in low-income East African pastoral settings is a significant factor that contributes to the emergence of AMR in these regions. Similarly, a significant factor contributing to the spread of AMR in pastoral regions is the disregard for withdrawal periods by pastoralists, owing to a lack of awareness about AMR. Inadequate sanitation protocols and limited access to uncontaminated water sources are additional factors contributing to the dissemination of AMR pathogens in both animals and humans. This leads to critical public health concerns that hinder effective antimicrobial treatment, reduce animal productivity, and have economic consequences for pastoralists. Addressing the challenges associated with AMR requires a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach that can facilitate the coordinated surveillance and monitoring of AMR, promote the rational use of antimicrobials, advocate for alternative disease prevention and management strategies, and raise awareness among communities and healthcare professionals in pastoral areas about the emergence of AMR. The challenges and factors contributing to AMR in pastoral settings are complex; however, the One Health approach offers a promising strategy for reducing the risk of AMR. This review aims to present a comprehensive overview of the factors and challenges associated with AMR in pastoral settings, and proposes the adoption of a One Health approach as a solution to this pressing issue. One Health impact statement The review highlights that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in East African pastoral settings is a significant issue that contributes to the emergence and spread of AMR worldwide. Prolonged use, overuse, or misuse of antimicrobials in human and animal populations is a significant factor in the emergence of AMR in these settings. The challenges and factors contributing to AMR in pastoral settings are intricate and call for a multi-faceted approach that encourages rational use of antimicrobials, promotes alternative prevention and management methods, and enhances awareness among Eastern African pastoral communities. The article highlights the significance of adopting the One Health approach in mitigating the hazards of AMR in these settings.

Temporal and spatial variations of ecological security on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau integrating ecosystem health-risk-services framework

Ecological security is a critical guarantor of human security and indeed human survival and is closely associated with sustainable development. Yet exploration of ecological security assessment in alpine pastoral regions is lacking, and many studies have failed to perform validation analyses on ecological security assessment results, weakening the reliability of their assessment results. In this study, an ecosystem health-risk-services framework is developed to assess the ecological security of the Gannan alpine pastoral region (GAPR) on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020. Then, the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and high-resolution images are then introduced to verify and compare the results’ reliability. Our study results indicate: (1) The assessment framework can better reflect the actual ecological security state in GAPR, and the correlation coefficient (R2) of the comprehensive ecological security index (CESI) and RSEI is between 0.426 and 0.555 (p < 0.001). (2) The CESI value of GAPR shows a fluctuating and increasing trend from 2000 to 2020, with a spatial distribution pattern of high values in the south and low values in the north. The ecological security levels in GAPR are dominated by medium, medium-high and high security levels. (3) The centers of gravity of low and medium-low security levels show a northward movement trend, while that of medium-high and high security levels show a southward movement. Our framework provides a new perspective for ecological security assessment methods, which can be extended to other regions, and the results contribute useful references to decision-makers for socioeconomic development and eco-environmental protection in GAPR.

Investigating climate adaptation in semi-arid pastoral social-ecological system: A case in Hulun Buir, China

Covering 15% of the Earth's land surface and home to 14% of the global population, semi-arid pastoral regions are characterized by high climatic variability and ecological vulnerability. Inner Mongolia, especially, is one of the regions that are most affected by climate change. In this study, we develop an integrated GIS and agent-based model of semi-arid pastoral social-ecological system (SAPSES) to simulate system responses to various policy and climate situations, using the traditional pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, China, as a demonstration. Three herdsmen's adaptation strategy experiments and three adaptation policy experiments are designed, each of which is stress-tested under three climate scenarios SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 to simulate the policy-climate interactive effects on SAPSES. The results show that, under SSP1-2.6 scenario, it is more conducive to sustainable livelihood of pastoral households, improving economic benefits and reducing ecological risks. While under SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 scenarios, purchasing forage is not an effective way for herdsmen to adapt to climate disasters, which causes grassland degradation, increase ecological risk and reduce economic benefits of SAPSES. For assessing the adaptation policies, herdsman suffers the severest ecological loss and the highest bankruptcy rate under policy experiment a. Privatization, undergoes the medium ecological loss and medium bankruptcy rate under policy experiment b. Privatization with carrying capacity control and subsidy, and experiences the smallest loss and the lowest bankruptcy rate under policy experiment c. Common property management with carrying capacity control and subsidy. The results help inform more robust policy for building climate resilience in semi-arid grassland regions.

Use of subsidized insurance policy in climate adaptation strategies: the case of pastoral regions in China

ABSTRACT Insurance plays an important role in building rural livelihood resilience, in the context of climate change. Existing research examines the factors influencing insurance uptake and the effects of insurance adoption on informal risk-sharing strategies. This study, however, argues that insurance is an external policy intervention being introduced into a diversity of rural community adaptation strategies that are crucial components of resilient livelihood development. In this context, this study focuses on the case of subsidized livestock insurance in Tibetan pastoral regions with pooled cross-sectional data spanning three distinct time periods to explore how formal subsidized livestock insurance interacts with the diversity of adaptation strategies. Our findings first revealed a rising trend in subsidized livestock insurance adoption, accompanied by increased utilization of various on-pastoralism strategies, including custom-based and market-based approaches, and off-pastoralism strategies, such as increasing income sources. Second, our studies found a significant positive correlation between livestock insurance and the diversity index of market-based and off-pastoralism adaptation strategies, indicating a more complementary relationship. In addition, our studies discovered that the introduction of livestock insurance does not have an obvious correlation with custom-based strategies, dismissing the concerns of the potential displacement of informal custom-based adaptation strategies by subsidized livestock insurance. These results highlight that the subsidized livestock insurance policy is among many other adaptation strategies that rural communities have applied to respond to climate changes and build resilient livelihoods.

Assessment of malaria prevention knowledge, attitude, and practice and associated factors among households living in rural malaria-endemic areas in the Afar Pastoral Region of Ethiopia.

Malaria morbidity has reduced significantly in most regions of Ethiopia, but it is still a serious issue in the northeast, particularly in the Afar region. The study aimed to evaluate household heads' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward malaria prevention and its associated factors in rural Ada'ar woreda district in the Afar region. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 households living in Ada'ar woreda district. A systematic sampling technique was used to select households. A pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used to interview randomly selected adult household heads. Frequency and percentage were computed. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between independent and dependent variables. Statistical significance was considered to be a p-value <0.05. Nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of household heads had good knowledge of malaria prevention, and 46.9% had a positive attitude toward it. About 17.3 and 56.9% of study participants had good malaria prevention practices and good healthcare seeking behaviors, respectively. Illiterate (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.49-4.63) and low-income (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2-5.6) participants were more likely to have poor knowledge of malaria prevention (malaria signs and symptoms, malaria transmissions, and malaria prevention methods). Married participants (AOR = 2.52, 95% CI: 1.02-6.29) and illiterates (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.69-4.73) had negative attitudes toward malaria prevention. Household heads with poor knowledge of malaria prevention had 85% higher rates of practicing poor malaria prevention methods (regular bed nets used; AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.2-2.8). Young adults (18-25 years) were more likely to have poor healthcare seeking behaviors (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.73-7.1), while pastoralists had a lower likelihood (AOR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.28-0.8). Knowledge, attitude, and practices toward malaria prevention remain a problem in malaria-endemic rural areas of the Afar region of Ethiopia. There is a need for the implementation of interventions that will focus on increasing knowledge of malaria prevention and encouraging positive attitudes toward it, as well as promoting regular bed net usage and healthcare seeking behaviors.

Intergenerational altruism, pessimism bias on tenure insecurity, and sustainable land use: Evidence from household grassland management in China

This paper investigates the relationship between intergenerational altruism, pessimism bias, and grassland use among rural households in the pastoral region of northwest China. By designing a series of hypothetical questions, we develop measures of intergenerational altruism and pessimism bias, and examine their impact on actual grazing behavior. Our analysis reveals that households with weaker intergenerational altruism and stronger pessimism bias tend to increase their livestock scale without a corresponding increase in supplementary feeding, suggesting that our measures can serve as reliable predictors of grassland overuse. Furthermore, to investigate whether the grant of long-term land rights to rural households mitigates the negative impact of pessimism bias on grassland management, we employ panel data collected before and after a land reform in China. Our results demonstrate that the reform weakens the adverse effects of pessimism bias and promotes the sustainable use of grassland.

Palliative Treatment for the Management of Advanced Pelvic Hydatid Bone Disease.

Hydatid bone disease is a zoonotic parasitic infection that is caused primarily by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, and it continues to be a major public health concern in pastoral regions. The reconstruction of limb function after limb salvage surgery remains a challenge for clinicians. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical efficacy of palliative treatment of the management of advanced pelvic hydatid bone disease. From March 2005 to December 2018, medical records and images of patients with advanced pelvic hydatid bone disease treated with surgery combined with antiparasitic chemotherapy were evaluated retrospectively. The Enneking classification was applied to determine the location of the lesion, and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score system was used for outcome evaluation. Fifteen patients who met the criteria were included in this study, with a mean follow-up of 4.40 ± 1.76 years. All patients received treatment with surgery combined with antiparasitic chemotherapy. The mean number of surgical interventions per patient for pelvic cystic echinococcosis was 5.3 (range, 2-9 interventions per patient). Recurrence of pelvic hydatid bone disease occurred in 5 patients and was managed successfully through repeated debridement procedures. Palliative treatment with limb salvage surgery was an effective and practical approach to the management of advanced pelvic hydatid bone disease. Standard antiparasitic chemotherapy, which included albendazole at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day administered in two daily doses for 3 to 6 months, was also considered an essential part of the overall treatment strategy.

Factors Associated with Risky Sexual Behavior Among Reproductive-Age Men in Ethiopia: Evidence from Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey 2016.

Risky sexual behavior is defined as engaging in sexual activities that increase the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies, both of which are global public health issues, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to identify factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among sexually active men in Ethiopia. We analyzed data on 8, 103 men aged 15-59 years obtained from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with risky sexual behavior. Statistical significance was defined at a 95% confidence interval (CI) with a p-value less than 0.05. Overall, 13.6% (95% CI: 12.8-14.3) of men were engaged in risky sexual behavior. Men who were married (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.03) and residing in agrarian-dominated regions (AOR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.44-0.76) were less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. On the other hand, men who had alcohol-drinking habits (AOR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.99), and initiated sexual activity before the age of 18 (AOR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.26-1.99), those with primary education (AOR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.01-1.72) or secondary education (AOR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.20-2.26), and those who were Muslim (AOR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.32-2.60) or other religion followers (AOR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.44-2.76) were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Risky sexual behavior was significantly associated with marital status, geographic location, alcohol consumption, age of first sexual experience, religion, and educational level, which highlights the importance of encouraging men to avoid early sexual activities and to abstain from consuming alcohol. Moreover, a greater emphasis should be placed on initiatives that promote safer sexual behaviors, particularly targeting men living in pastoral regions, unmarried individuals, and Muslim religious followers.

Postpartum depression and associated factors in Afar Region, northeast Ethiopia

BackgroundTo effectively address the burden of postpartum depression (PPD), it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of its magnitude and the factors associated with it in the pastoral and hot region of the Afar Region. This will help identify the progress made thus far and highlight areas that require further attention to accelerate efforts toward reducing the impact of PPD. Notably, no previous study has examined the prevalence and associated factors of PPD specifically in pastoral communities within Ethiopia, including the Afar Region. Accordingly, we investigated the prevalence and associated factors of PPD among postpartum women in the Afar Region, Northeast Ethiopia. MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Awsi Rasu Zone of Afar Regional State from June to July 2021. The study employed a systematic random sampling method to select a total of 302 postpartum mothers who had visited the Expanded Program of Immunisation (EPI) clinics in public health facilities within the Awsi Rasu Zone of the Afar Region. The measurement of PPD was performed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Multivariable binary logistic regression modelling was used to investigate associations between sociodemographic, obstetric and health service, and psychosocial factors with PPD. ResultsThe overall prevalence of PPD was 37.4% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) from 32.0% to 43.0%. Postpartum women who attained high school education were associated with a lower odds of PPD compared to those who did not attain formal schooling (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.82). Postpartum women with a family history of mental illness (AOR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.24, 4.41), those who had trouble in infant feeding (AOR = 4.26; 95% CI: 2.32, 7.83), and those who experienced intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.09; 95% CI: 1.58, 6.04) were positively associated with PPD. ConclusionThe results of our study revealed that the prevalence of PPD in the Awsi Rasu Zone of the Afar Region is higher than both the national and global averages. The findings also highlighted the need for targeted interventions addressing the needs of pastoral postpartum women who experience various stressors, such as feeding difficulties and intimate partner violence.

Assessment of Extreme Heat Wave Magnitude in Present Climate in the Pastoral Region of Afar, Ethiopia

Assessment of Extreme Heat Wave Magnitude in Present Climate in the Pastoral Region of Afar, Ethiopia

Analysis of the Healthcare System in Romania: A Brief Review.

This manuscript provides a brief review and analysis of the healthcare system in Romania. This study aims to comprehensively analyse the healthcare system in Romania, evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, and impact on the population's access to quality healthcare services. Within the framework of the Romanian healthcare system, a multitude of pressing challenges endure. These encompass insufficient funding, shortages of medical personnel, and ineffectiveness in the provisioning of services. These impediments substantially hinder the accessibility of healthcare services, particularly in outlying and pastoral regions, thereby rendering the system susceptible and underserving certain demographics. Our investigation presents three hypotheses. The opening conjecture proposes that inadequate funding has a negative impact on the availability and standard of healthcare facilities in Romania. In addition, another hypothesis assumes that insufficient medical staff plays a considerable role in inequalities in access to and delivery of healthcare. Moreover, the existence of inadequacies in service provision serves as a significant barrier, obstructing the timely and efficient delivery of healthcare to those who need it. Our research encompasses a comprehensive analysis of key aspects of the Romanian healthcare system, ranging from healthcare infrastructure and financing mechanisms to service delivery and healthcare outcomes. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative data sources, including government reports, academic studies, and statistical data, we have endeavoured to provide an in-depth evaluation. The analysis encompasses various aspects, including healthcare infrastructure, financing mechanisms, service delivery, and healthcare outcomes. Romania has a mixed healthcare system with both public and private providers. The primary level of care is delivered by family doctors, while hospitals and specialised medical centres provide secondary and tertiary care services. This research underlines the criticality of significant alterations being implemented in the healthcare system of Romania to address the issues arising from insufficient funding, a shortage of medical personnel, and shortcomings in service delivery. It is vital to tackle the obstacles presented by insufficient funding, the dearth of healthcare staff, and inadequacies in service delivery to attain impartial and reachable healthcare. By implementing these essential transformations, Romania can pave the way towards a healthcare system that efficaciously caters to the diverse requirements of its populace and guarantees the provision of prompt and superior healthcare services.

Livelihood system approach to understanding household energy consumption behaviours of Tibetan pastoralists in China

Understanding of how rural livelihood systems embedded in different social‐ecological contexts affect household energy consumption behaviour is critical for facilitating rural energy transition. This study assesses the energy consumption level and structure for three different livelihood systems, including mobile livelihood (ML), semi‐settled livelihood (SSL) and settled livelihood (SL), from the pastoral regions of the Tibetan Plateau. Results show that the average household energy consumption in ML, SSL and SL systems is 9250.1, 14 714.3 and 7004.5 kgce, respectively. Although yak dung is the dominant energy source in the ML and SSL systems, commercial energy sources are extensively used. When rural herders are resettled into peri‐urban areas, commercial energy sources become dominant though the percentage of yak dung consumption remains high. Mobile livestock production strategies and the associated rangeland tenure regimes and cultural practices are key determinant household energy choice factors of the ML and SSL systems. Comparatively, the role of income is more impactful on fuel consumption patterns in the SL system. Accordingly, this study argues that utilising a livelihood system approach in understanding household energy consumption behaviour allows us to design energy policies and innovative and customised clean energy sources that better fit rural livelihood systems.

Prevalence and Determinants of Premarital Sexual Practice among Youths in Ethiopia: Based on the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey Data.

Premarital sexual practice becomes a common phenomenon among youths in Ethiopia. It is usually associated with unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. This study is aimed at assessing the magnitude and determinants of premarital sexual practice among Ethiopian youths. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all regions of Ethiopia from January 18 to June 27, 2016. A total of 7389 youths with the age range from 19 to 24 were included in the present study. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with premarital sex. A 95% CI and p value < 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance. The prevalence of premarital sexual practice was 10.8% (95% CI, 10%-11.5%). Being in the age group of 20-24 (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI (2.8, 4.6)), male sex (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI (1.3, 2.2)), employed (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI (1.03, 1.8)), from pastoral region (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI (1.3,2.4)), having mobile phone (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI, (1.3, 2.3)), ever use of internet (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI (1.3, 2.5)), ever drinking alcohol (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI (1.7, 2.5)), ever chewed khat (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI (1.6, 3.5), and ever tested for HIV (AOR = 1.3, 95% CI (1.1,1.6)) were statistically significant factors associated with premarital sex. For every 10 youths, at least one of them had sexual intercourse before they got married. Being in the age group of 20-24, male sex, employed, from a pastoral region, having a mobile phone, ever use of the internet, alcohol drinking, khat chewing, and ever tested for HIV were important factors affecting premarital sex. Thus, national sexual education and reproductive health behavior change interventions should give due attention to those groups. Furthermore, adequate education should be given about premarital sexual intercourse when youths come for HIV tests.

Impact of Land Ownership in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Rural Areas of Eastern Cape Province

Land is a principal and calamitous factor in agricultural production and the growth of livelihood prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land ownership is an indispensable resource for agrarian efficiency in the pastoral regions of South Africa. It leads to sustainable and feasible farming. However, the mainstream rural dwellers struggle to access and obtain land ownership, thus leading to low agricultural productivity. Therefore, the study seeks to investigate the effect of land tenure in enhancing agrarian efficiency in rural areas of Eastern Cape Province. The study used a cross-sectional research approach and a multi-stage sampling procedure. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 250 smallholder farmers. The analysis tools used were descriptive statistics, Logit regression, and Propensity Score Matching. Farmers were landowners, with 70% and 60% having small-sized farms, which they utilise for agricultural production. About 17% of the farmers did not utilise the land they own because of a lack of funds, water availability and farming equipment. The farmers' age, gender, years spent in school, members of farm organisations, access to extension services, household income, and hired permanent labour were socio-economic and institutional factors influencing land ownership. PSM results revealed that fully owned small-sized farms achieved high agricultural production than rented large-sized farms. The study concludes that full land ownership impacts agricultural productivity more than rented land. Hence, productivity is high. Therefore, the study recommends that the South African government and land reform policy must fast-track land redistribution among rural dwellers and farmers to enhance agricultural productivity.

Multi-temporal Landsat imagery and MSAVI index for monitoring rangeland degradation in arid ecosystem, case study of Biskra (southeast Algeria).

The Algerian Saharan rangelands are an arid ecosystem characterized by limited soil, water, and vegetation resources, which make it very susceptible to degradation. This research focuses on the diachronic assessment and multi-temporal mapping of the degradation of steppe vegetation in the south of Biskra during the period 1987-2019, using remote sensing data (MSAVI index), for extracting spatiotemporal data to monitor the rangeland vegetation dynamics. We examined demographic evolution, number of livestock, and land use from quantitative data. The results show that during this period, the landscape of the region changed considerably. The area of rangelands decreased from 19,939ha (1987) to 3605ha (2019), where 58% of the pre-existing vegetation was transformed into bare soil. This study confirmed that the rangeland vegetation health is closely related to climate, and its degradation is mainly due to the recurrence, duration, severity, and magnitude of drought events. Manmade activities were also a determinant factor of long-term degradation of the rangeland, such as the expansion of new land development areas that increased from 3754ha (1987) to 24,410ha (2019). This trend was found throughout the region, including predominantly pastoral regions such as Oumache and El Haouch, leading to overgrazing with a loss of about 2% of vegetation cover. All these factors have led to a severe and continuous degradation of pastoral resources in a vulnerable environment. The preservation of these limited resources requires appropriate management of the ecosystem and a rational exploitation of its vegetation, soil, and water resources.

Rebuilding rural community cooperative institutions and their role in herder adaptation to climate change

ABSTRACT Many studies have emphasized the importance of community-based natural resource management institutions in adapting to climate change and responding to the global shift towards individualized land tenure regimes. However, few have reported on the innovative institutions developed by some rural communities to rebuild community cooperation and rural adaptive capacity. This paper draws on four comparative cases from the Tibetan Plateau to assess how locally developed community cooperative institutions mediate herders’ access to markets and resources to foster adaptive capacity and adaptation in response to snow-related catastrophes. Results demonstrate that community cooperative institutions are more effective in improving adaptive capacity than the market-based adaptation strategies that are the predetermined outcome of individualized tenure regimes. When such cooperative institutions exist, community members are able to apply both household and community collective adaptation strategies, resulting in better livelihood outcomes. Community cooperative institutions effectively address individual needs and priorities by clarifying entitlements and market-based networks. They rebuild community collective action and cooperative business entities that improve herders’ ability to access resources and markets more equally by distributing benefits to all community members. This study concludes that following the establishment of individualized land tenure regimes, rebuilding community cooperation necessitates hybridization of property rights arrangements, reformed institutions, and social networks operating across levels of governance to facilitate interdependent interactions between collective and individual adaptation strategies. Such community cooperation offers new opportunities for improving adaptive capacity in pastoral regions and elsewhere.

A large forage gap in forage availability in traditional pastoral regions in China

A large forage gap in forage availability in traditional pastoral regions in China

Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China.

Increasing urbanization and affluence have led to changes in food consumption patterns. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers ensures food security but also leads to environmental pollution due to N losses, through processes such as acidification, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. To clarify whether changes in food consumption patterns could increase N losses and to explore sustainable food system pathways, this study integrated the Chinese Food System Dashboard and the Nutrient Flows in Food Chains, Environment and Resources Use model to quantify and compare the link between food consumption and N losses in different agricultural regions using a case study of Bayannur City in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2016. During the study period, Bayannur's food consumption pattern changed from a "high carbohydrate and pork pattern" to a "high fiber and herbivore pattern", which represents a shift from low to high N consumption. The per-capita food consumption decreased by 11.55% from 425.41 kg cap-1, whereas the per-capita N losses increased by 12.42% from 35.60 kg N cap-1. The average share of the plant-oriented and animal-oriented food supply in these losses was 53.39% and 46.61%, respectively. There were differences in the food consumption patterns and N losses in Bayannur's farming, farming-pastoral, and pastoral regions. The changes in N losses were most significant in the pastoral region. The N losses to the environment increased sharply by 112.33% from 22.75 g N cap-1 over the past 16 years. The low level of economic development in Bayannur resulted in a shift in the food consumption pattern to a high N consumption. Four measures to protect food security and reduce the food N cost were proposed: (1) increasing the wheat planting area and maintaining the existing corn one; (2) expanding the scale of high-quality alfalfa planting; (3) enhancing the area of oat grass and wheat replanting; and (4) using modern planting technology.