Reduce Land Degradation Research Articles

The Effects of Organic Fertilizers and NPK on Growth and Yields of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata. L) in Kano Plains Kisumu, Kenya

Excessive use of inorganic mineral fertilizers as an agronomic practice has resulted in the depletion of soil organic matter of soils of many regions thereby rendering such soils infertile and unable to maintain sustainable production. The use of organic amendments provides the immediate strategy for compensating for soil carbon depletion thereby reducing land degradation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of six organic amendments on the growth and yield of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L) as compared to the conventional use of inorganic fertilizer NPK. The organic amendments were Boom Max, Ecoplanting, Evergrow, Dung slurry, Filter mud, and Market waste slurry applied to the soil at 8.33 t/ha against NPK (9:15:20) at 250 kg/ha. The experiment was laid in a RCBD. Data on growth and yields was collected on 10 tagged plants per plot. The results showed differences among treatments. Mature composts (Boom Max, Ecoplanting, and Evergow) resulted in a significantly (p< 0.05) higher germination percentage (53.49% on average) compared to that of Filter mud (41.50%) and the slurries (34.18% on average) while all the composts resulted in 25% higher number of branches on the average in season two as compared to the bio-slurries. In season three, Boom Max gave the highest germination percentage (41.02%) which was significantly higher than those of Evergrow (29.80 %), Filter mud and Dung slurry (27.18% on average) and NPK and Market waste slurry (5.64% on average) but not different from that of Ecoplanting. Five of the amendments had significantly better germination rates than NPK by an average of 20%. There were no significance differences (P≤0.05) in growth parameters between the mature composts and the NPK fertilizer, suggesting that the mature composts were equally efficient in nutrient supply to the crop as did the NPK fertilizer for plant growth. The application of organic amendments produced significant improvements in fresh leaf yields of the cowpea crop, with the highest yield recorded from the Boom Max applied plot (5781 kg on average), which was not different from others in seasons one and three but significantly different from that of NPK in season three. It can be concluded that depending on choice or type of amendment, organic manures are capable of producing similar or better results of crop growth and yields as the inorganic fertilizers.

Lessons Learned from Adopting Sustainable Agricultural Practices to Address Food Insecurity and Climate Change Risks: Opportunities, Constraints, and Limitations

Conventional agriculture has been blamed for its ecological and economic concerns. Consequently, sustainable agriculture has emerged as a feasible and viable alternative for addressing food insecurity and climate change risks, despite its low uptake and unmet expectations. This study examined the opportunities, challenges, and limitations of adopting sustainable agriculture. To do this, a questionnaire survey and group discussions were used to collect information from a random sample of households. The collected data were examined using the percentage, priority ranking, and content analysis. Farmers have mentioned several economic benefits and ecological viability of sustainable agriculture: enhanced soil fertility, improved vegetation coverage, reduced land degradation, generated employment, and increased water availability. These results have then led to increased agricultural productivity, reduced carbon emissions, and improved food security. However, it was found that lack of information, limited institutional support, labour shortages, and fragmented farmland are the major constraints to adopting sustainable agriculture. Other problems include an increased workload, waterlogging, sedimentation, loss of cultivated and grazing land, the spread of external predators, and the emergence of diseases and pests. All of these problems may prohibit farmers from fully accepting and implementing sustainable agriculture. Hence, it is imperative to organize on-the-spot demonstrations, information-sharing, and capacity building for farmers and extension workers in order to comprehend the attributes, benefits, and constraints of sustainable agriculture. Farmers should also be given technical and financial assistance to implement sustainable agricultural practices. It is imperative that policymakers and development actors must establish and empower local institutions to promote sustainable agriculture, in order to fully explot its potential benefits and expand its reach to areas that are prone to drought and water shortages.

Environmental Crisis in Public Administration Policy Perspective

The environmental crisis has developed into an international and national problem impacting every country, including Indonesia. Factors such as sea level rise, global warming, pollution, and unauthorized land use and reclamation influence this. Excessive land use for housing, agriculture, and other needs causes climate change and environmental degradation due to human activities such as deforestation. The agricultural production revolution policy also caused an ecological crisis. Incorporating the principles into public administration policies is expected to balance economic development, social justice, and environmental preservation. This is expected to have a good and sustainable effect on the environment in the long term. Managing human activities, reducing land degradation, and promoting sustainable development are necessary to overcome the environmental crisis.

Impact of Sustainable Land Management Program on the Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Semen Bench District, South West Ethiopia

The Sustainable Land Management Programme was launched in 2008 to address to reduce land degradation, improve land productivity, contribute significantly to adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, to protect of soil erosion, conserve to natural resources, and improve of smallholder farmers' standard of living. The overall objective of the study is to impact of a sustainable land management program in southwest Ethiopia's Semen Bench district on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The study used to cross-sectional survey study design. Two Kebeles were purposively selected based on participation and coverage of soil and water conservation practices implemented by sustainable land management program established in the study area. systematic sampling techniques was used to select 124 respondents from the Kebeles household heads. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent sample t-test. The study revealed significant differences in maize yield, taro and coffee yields. The results also showed a highly significant difference (p<0.05) in the mean total yearly income of adopter and non-adopter households, at 24,963.8±2783.12 and 14,927.9±2200.2 birr, respectively. It is determined that the implementation of a sustainable land management program enhances agricultural productivity and household income by conserving land resources. To improve household income, crop productivity, and land resource conservation, this study suggests that farmers be incentivized and supported to adopt integrated sustainable land management approaches.

Application of geospatial technology on land suitability analysis for wheat and maize farming: In a case of Guder sub-watershed North West Oromia, Ethiopia

Cereal crops like wheat and maize are crucial to providing food security in rural areas of Ethiopia. However, due to population growth, agricultural practices for these cereal crops have been expanded to vulnerable areas, and increasing land degradation. Geospatial technologies are essential for decision-making to reduce land degradation and ensure sustainable agriculture activities. In the Guder sub-watershed, Oromia regional state of Ethiopia, where land degradation has been a persistent issue, agricultural suitability study is crucial. This study is focused on the Guder sub-watershed, which aimed to analyze the land suitability based on ten controlling parameters, including elevation, slope, soil texture, soil depth, soil PH, soil drainage, proximity to the road, temperature, rainfall and land use/land cover, for the two most significant cereal crops (wheat and maize). All of these factors were weighted in accordance with the relative importance of each component for the appropriateness of wheat and maize land suitability using MCDA and AHP method, based on the recommendations of numerous writers and expert opinions. The findings of the study showed that 6 %, 50.58 %, 23.26 %, and 20.26 % of the total study area were highly, moderately, marginally and not suitable for wheat cultivation, respectively, whereas 5.1 %, 57.3 %, 17.3 %, and 20.3 % of the study area were highly, moderately, marginally and not suitable for cultivating maize crop respectively. This result support decision makers to develop land use planning thereby improve productivity and minimize land degradation.

Potentialities of Technosol-isolated PGPB consortium in promoting plant growth in lettuce seedlings

Abstract Background and aims Reducing land degradation and safeguarding agricultural productions ensures the provision of ecosystem services and economic welfare, as highlighted by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Among the promising solutions to tackle these issues, the study investigates the use of Technosol-isolated PGPB, as a novel approach for enhancing plant growth and the capability to cope with soil salinization. Methods Several bacteria have been isolated from a Technosol in Naples (Italy), selected to produce a consortium, based on their PGP features and tested on lettuce. The promotion of lettuce growth was evaluated both in soil (sterilized and not-sterilized Technosols) and in water agar media differing in NaCl concentrations, focusing on total polyphenols, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, soluble proteins, and sugars, which were evaluated on seedlings. Results Germination kinetics differed among treatments in both soil and artificial media setups. In the Technosol trial, the PGPB treated seeds were the quickest to emerge, showing a higher radical scavenging activity and lower soluble carbohydrate content. In the salinity trial, total soluble proteins were significantly higher in primed seeds at null saline cocentration. Conclusion Our results indicate that the PGPB application has a beneficial outcome on the Technosol but under saline stress produces an inhibitory or a costly effect on the biochemistry and germination kinetics. However, Technosol PGPBs employement may open new research scenarios on their potential application considering Nature-Based Solutions and/or plant growth in degraded environments.

Role of integrated farming systems in land degradation control and plant diversity enhancement: A case of northeast Thailand

While agriculture provides livelihood to rural poor, it has also been the reason of land degradation and biodiversity loss over time. Although the Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) are promoted to address these issues, their adoption among local farmers has been slow. The adoption is contextual affected by local conditions and factors. To understand the role of IFS in land degradation control and plant diversity enhancement, the objective of this study was to examine the determinants of farmers’ adoption of IFS practices and investigate the role of IFS in land degradation control and plant diversity enhancement on farmlands. Combining socioeconomic survey, econometrics, and ecological assessment techniques, the data representing different types of land degradation and sub-plot level plant diversity were collected using both farmer interviews and field measurements for two groups farmers, those who have adopted some sort of IFS, and other who have not. When compared with non-IFS as base category, the results indicated that education and income positively influenced IFS adoption with a marginal effect of 0.035 and 0.001, respectively, contrasting with the negative impact of landholding size with a marginal effect of -0.081. IFS adoption led to reduced land degradation of various forms as perceived by the farmers, particularly reduced soil acidification with marginal effect of 2.52, soil erosion (2.071), and enhanced plant diversity as shown by the indices, Shannon-Weiner – 1.94, Inverse Simpson – 6.14, species richness – 10.65 for IFS plots compared to 1.03, 2.28, 5.06, respectively for the non-IFS plots. The findings offer valuable insights for agricultural extension authorities and local farmers, emphasizing the benefits of IFS practices. The study also underscores not only the environment gains of IFS practices but also holds the potential for long-term economic and ecological benefits.

Environmental sustainability in high‐income countries: Does natural resource protection, financial inclusion, and energy innovation matters?

AbstractEnvironmental sustainability (ES) is critical for high‐income countries (HICs) because of their high ecological footprints. They are responsible for global environmental problems as they consume more natural resources, produce more output, and generate more greenhouse gases than other countries, which could have severe consequences for land degradation. In the context of resource conservation and land development policies, this study examined the impact of natural resource protection (i.e., land, water, and biodiversity), financial institution inclusion, financial market inclusion, and energy innovation (EI) on the enhancement of ES in 15 HICs from 1995 to 2020. The study applied Feasible GLS and Prais–Winsten regression to consider cross‐sectional dependence, autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, and slope heterogeneity problems for unbiased and robust findings along with 2nd generation cointegration tests and the JKS Granger non‐causality test. Natural resource protection, financial institution inclusion, financial market inclusion, and EI have positive effects on ES, along with green energy and environmental regulations. It was also found that an increase in real income negatively impacts ES, as it increases the use of natural resources and energy and generates more waste and pollution which further accelerates land degradation. Cointegration and causality also exist between variables of interest. This shows that protecting natural resources, increasing financial inclusion, and EI can be successful strategies for fostering a green transition, reducing environmental impacts, and embracing more sustainable practices and laws to meet development goals and develop sustainable land use policies. This study suggests that HICs should protect land, water, and biodiversity, promote green financing, digital payments, EI, energy diversification, and environmental protection to achieve ES which is critically important to reduce land degradation.

Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ About Choices of Sustainable Land Management Practices in West Wollega Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Background: Due attention has recently been given to the choices of sustainable land management practices (SLMPs) to reduce land degradation and improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers in developing countries. A rising number of people believe that Sustainable Land Management is an essential strategy for enhancing food security. For generations, Ethiopia has been regarded as a hotspot of land degradation, posing a severe threat to agricultural productivity leading to widespread rural poverty. Hence, this study aimed at identifying the determinants of smallholder farmers’ choice of SLMPs in the West Wollega zone, Oromia region of Ethiopia using the Multivariate Probit (MVP) model. 
 
 Results: Results of the MVP model show that the predicted probabilities of adopting organic fertilizer, area closure, soil and water conservation, crop rotation, and compost were 37.2, 35.3, 40.5, 38.3, and 38.5% respectively. The MVP model results also show that the five SLMPs are complementary and the probability that households choose all five SLMPs was 23% which is low. Further, results of the MVP model show that cooperative membership, model farmer contact, farm size, non-farm income, credit, farm experience, perceived soil erosion, social capital, livestock owned, farmland slope, NGO intervention, information access, and training have a significant positive influence while age, family size, and perceived input cost significantly and negatively impacted the choice of SLMPs by households in the study area. 
 
 Conclusions: The findings of the study confirm that socioeconomic, household, farm and institutional characteristics of the households have a significant impact on the choices of SLMPs and hence the need to focus on the above-mentioned factors to enhance the choices of SLMPs and reduce land degradation problem in the study area. The results also highlight the significance of environmentally-friendly policies, which include sustainable development, SLMPS plan determination, environmental permits, and incentive programs for managing the sustainability of land management performance in land-use policy within the local context.

Geospatial evaluation of the agricultural suitability and land use compatibility in Europe's temperate continental climate region

Land suitability assessment is used in conjunction with geographic information systems to spatially model diverse aspects of soil functions, having the potential to facilitate a sustainable increase in agricultural production, reduce land degradation, or aid humans in adapting to climate change. Compared to the existing datasets, this study provides a new higher resolution geospatial assessment of the agricultural land suitability for several crops and land uses in the temperate continental climate across Europe. To model the land suitability we used geospatial data depicting seventeen eco-pedological indicators (e.g. soil texture, pH, porosity, temperature, precipitation, slope). To evaluate how the land is utilized, the suitability maps have been spatially cross-tabulated with a crop map. Over the entire study area, wheat and barley showed significant suitable land in the southern part, potatoes, and sugar beet exhibited the highest extent of suitable land in the northern parts, while corn and sunflower exhibited a much lower extent of suitable land. Water table depth, precipitation, temperature, terrain slope, soil porosity, SOC, and topsoil texture emerged as the limiting factors for agricultural suitability in the study area. Our results show that the suitable arable land does not have space left for the expansion of crops, however, we have identified regions with extensive cultivation of wheat and corn on unsuitable land with the potential for cultivation of more suitable crops such as barley, sunflower, sugar beet, and potato. It seems that one action that can enhance agricultural practices in the study area is to better allocate each cultivated crop across more suitable lands.

Spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanism of slope cultivated land in karst mountainous areas of Southwest China—A case study of Puding County, Guizhou Province

AbstractSlope‐cultivated land (SCL) is essential for food security and ecological protection in Southwest China's karst mountainous areas (KMA). Constructing a unified conceptual framework to study SCL's spatiotemporal evolution characteristics thoroughly and driving mechanisms can comprehensively reveal the development of regional human–land relations and sustainable land use. Therefore, this article first constructs a conceptual framework for the spatiotemporal evolution of SCL in the KMA of Southwest China and carries out a case study in Puding County, a typical karst mountainous area, based on high‐resolution remote sensing images from 2004 to 2020 and the digital elevation model (DEM), to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of SCL in different topographic gradients and introduce the Geodetector further to explore the driving factors of SCL evolution. The results show that the SCL is evolving toward fragmentation, driven by socio‐economic factors. The active policy of the state encourages to abandon steep SCL with poor productivity in the KMA, and the abandonment of SCL in high altitude steep slope areas into woodland and grassland brings remarkable ecological benefits, while the evolution of SCL in low altitude gentle slope areas toward economic fruit forest generates significant obvious ecological‐economic win‐win benefits. The evolution of SCL in southwestern karst mountains has promoted regional ecological restoration and made an important contribution to the greening of the world by reducing land degradation (karstic rocky desertification, KRD). The present research results can provide ideas for the utilization, functional transformation, and ecologically sustainable development of similar mountainous SCL.

Drought‐tolerant succulent plants as an alternative crop under future global warming scenarios in sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractGlobally, we are facing an emerging climate crisis, with impacts to be notably felt in semiarid regions across the world. Cultivation of drought‐adapted succulent plants has been suggested as a nature‐based solution that could: (i) reduce land degradation, (ii) increase agricultural diversification and provide both economic and environmentally sustainable income through derived bioproducts and bioenergy, (iii) help mitigate atmospheric CO2 emissions and (iv) increase soil sequestration of CO2. Identifying where succulents can grow and thrive is an important prerequisite for the advent of a sustainable alternative ‘bioeconomy’. Here, we first explore the viability of succulent cultivation in Africa under future climate projections to 2100 using species distribution modelling to identify climatic parameters of greatest importance and regions of environmental suitability. Minimum temperatures and temperature variability are shown to be key controls in defining the theoretical distribution of three succulent species explored, and under both current and future SSP5 8.5 projections, the conditions required for the growth of at least one of the species are met in most parts of sub‐Saharan Africa. These results are supplemented with an analysis of potentially available land for alternative succulent crop cultivation. In total, up to 1.5 billion ha could be considered ecophysiologically suitable and available for succulent cultivation due to projected declines in rangeland biomass and yields of traditional crops. These findings may serve to highlight new opportunities for farmers, governments and key stakeholders in the agriculture and energy sectors to invest in sustainable bioeconomic alternatives that deliver on environmental, social and economic goals.

PROBLEMS OF LAND RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND MEASURES TO SOLVE THEM

The article highlights the main problems of China's land management in the context of sustainable development. Land resources on the planet are limited, and therefore the implementation of sustainable land use practices is the key to reducing land degradation and ensuring food security. Among the main problems of land management, we have identified the following: lack of a reliable land management system, lack of legal awareness and environmental awareness, lack of advanced land management technologies. Analyzing the main problems of land management in the context of sustainable development, we propose effective measures to address them. It is noted that these are: creation of a reliable land management system; regulation of the land use structure and high-quality land planning; strengthening of land supervision to promote efficient use of land resources. The rationalization of management for environmental protection and efficient use of natural resources can also be realized through the development of information technologies that set clear requirements for the production process. The proposed measures to increase the level of land use can be used as a guide.

Strategies and research issues for soil and water conservation in India: A comprehensive review

Despite years of study and substantial investment in remediation and prevention, soil erosion continues to be a major environmental problem with regard to land use in India and elsewhere around the world. Furthermore, changing climate and/or weather patterns are exacerbating the problem. Our objective was to review past and current soil conservation programmes in India to better understand how production-, environmental-, social-, economic- and policy-related issues have affected soil and water conservation and the incentives needed to address the most critical problems. We found that to achieve success in soil and water conservation policies, institutions and operations must be co-ordinated using a holistic approach. Watershed programmes have been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for bringing socio-economic change to different parts of India. Within both dryland and rainfed areas, watershed management has quietly revolutionized agriculture by aligning various sectors through technological soil and water conservation interventions and land-use diversification. Significant results associated with various watershed-scale soil and water conservation programmes and interventions that were effective for reducing land degradation and improving productivity in different parts of the country are discussed. It has been demonstrated that one of the best methods for bringing socio-economic change to various regions of India is through watershed programming. By bringing together multiple sectors through technological soil and water conservation treatments and land-use diversification in both dryland and rainfed areas, watershed management has subtly revolutionised agriculture. Significant outcomes related to numerous watershed-scale soil and water conservation interventions and programmes that were successful in decreasing land degradation and boosting productivity in various regions of the nation are discussed.

Assessment of Farmer’s Tree Preferences and Their Seasonal Frost Management Practices in Frost-Affected Highlands of Eastern Ethiopia

Deforestation, land degradation, and low survival of planted seedlings are serious problems in highland Ethiopia. To address these problems, different land management practices such as afforestation and conservation program have been implemented; however, the success to date limited due to environmental stress and insufficient post-planting care. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate farmer’s tree needs and their traditional knowledge of seasonal frost management practices in selected frost-affected highlands of Eastern, Ethiopia. A total of 111 households were randomly selected for interviews on farmer’s tree species preference, frost management practices, and the causes of seedling mortality in the study area. Furthermore, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results confirm that season frost (55.6%) followed by free grazing (22.2%), inappropriate species site match (11.1%), and inappropriate planting time (5.6%) were major causes of seedling mortality in the study area. Organic mulch, plant cover, smoking, watering, and manuring were seasonal frost management practices applied by farmer’s to enhance seedlings’ survival in the study areas. However, this indigenous knowledge should be encouraged by the government through improved research, and extension services, to enhance seedlings’ survival in the study areas as well as to introduce it in different frost-prone highlands of Ethiopia. Moreover, species such as Eucalyptus globulus’ Labill, Cupressus lusitanica Mill., Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl., Hagenia abyssinica a (Bruce) J.F.Gmel, and Podocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) Mirb. (syn. P. gracilior Pilg.), were suggested as frost-tolerant species in the study area. Therefore, it is recommended that planting these tree species through research and campaign is essential to reduce land degradation in the frost-affected highlands area of the country, particularly in the study area.

Biological soil crusts decrease infiltration but increase erosion resistance in a human-disturbed tropical dry forest.

Under continuous human disturbance, regeneration is the basis for biodiversity persistence and ecosystem service provision. In tropical dry forests, edaphic ecosystem engineering by biological soil crusts (biocrusts) could impact regeneration by influencing erosion control and soil water and nutrient fluxes, which impact landscape hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem functioning. This study investigated the effect of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts on water infiltration and aggregate stability in a human-modified landscape of the Caatinga dry forest (NE Brazil), a system characterized by high levels of forest degradation and increasing aridity. By trapping dust and swelling of cyanobacterial filaments, biocrusts can seal soil surfaces and slow down infiltration, which potentially induces erosion. To quantify hydraulic properties and erosion control, we used minidisc-infiltrometry, raindrop-simulation, and wet sieving at two sites with contrasting disturbance levels: an active cashew plantation and an abandoned field experiencing forest regeneration, both characterized by sandy soils. Under disturbance, biocrusts had a stronger negative impact on infiltration (reduction by 42% vs. 37% during regeneration), although biocrusts under regenerating conditions had the lowest absolute sorptivity (0.042 ± 0.02 cm s-1/2) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (0.0015 ± 0.0008 cm s-1), with a doubled water repellency. Biocrusts provided high soil aggregate stability although stability increased considerably with progression of biocrust succession (raindrop simulation disturbed: 0.19 ± 0.22 J vs. regenerating: 0.54 ± 0.22 J). The formation of stable aggregates by early successional biocrusts on sandy soils suggests protection of dry forest soils even on the worst land use/soil degradation scenario with a high soil erosion risk. Our results confirm that biocrusts covering bare interspaces between vascular plants in human-modified landscapes play an important role in surface water availability and erosion control. Biocrusts have the potential to reduce land degradation, but their associated ecosystem services like erosion protection, can be impaired by disturbance. Considering an average biocrust coverage of 8.1% of the Caatinga landscapes, further research should aim to quantify the contribution of biocrusts to forest recovery to fully understand the role they play in the functioning of this poorly explored ecosystem.

Experimental investigation and AI prediction modelling of ceramic waste powder concrete – An approach towards sustainable construction

The ceramic waste powder (CWP) is generated in the ceramic industry during the cutting and polishing stages. It is harmful to the environment and needs a massive area for disposal. Therefore, an alternative way is required to reduce the environmental pollution and landfill caused by CWP. The aim of the study is to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model for CWP concrete from the experimental results to save time and cost. Advancements in AI have made the estimation of concrete mechanical characteristics possible by employing Machine Learning (ML) approaches. In the current study, 60 concrete mixes with waste CWP are made as a partial replacement of cement by 10% and 20%. The plain concrete's ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) is taken as a reference. Furthermore, supervised ML techniques (i.e., Bagging, XG Boost, AdaBoost) and standalone (Decision tree) are employed to foresee the UPV of CWP concrete (CWPC). The prediction model's performance is evaluated using R2, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values, and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The k-fold cross-validation is used to validate the performance of the prediction model. The XG Boost model, with an R2 value of 0.95, performed better compared to Bagging, AdaBoost, and DT models. Among all ensemble and individual models, the XG Boost model performs better with higher R2 and lower RMSE (0.081 km/s) and MAE (0.063 km/s) values. Therefore, the CWPC, as a construction material, would reduce land degradation and water pollution. In addition, applying ML techniques for estimating concrete characteristics would have reduced the consumption of efforts, resources, and time of researchers in the construction sector.

Soil water erosion susceptibility assessment using deep learning algorithms

Accurate assessment of soil water erosion (SWE) susceptibility is critical for reducing land degradation and soil loss, and for mitigating the negative impacts of erosion on ecosystem services, water quality, flooding and infrastructure. Deep learning algorithms have been gaining attention in geoscience due to their high performance and flexibility. However, an understanding of the potential for these algorithms to provide fast, cheap, and accurate predictions of soil erosion susceptibility is lacking. This study provides the first quantification of this potential. Spatial predictions of susceptibility are made using three deep learning algorithms – Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) – for an Iranian catchment that has historically experienced severe water erosion. Through a comparison of their predictive performance and an analysis of the driving geo-environmental factors, the results reveal: (1) elevation was the most effective variable on SWE susceptibility; (2) all three developed models had good prediction performance, with RNN being marginally the most superior; (3) maps of SWE susceptibility revealed that almost 40 % of the catchment was highly or very highly susceptible to SWE and 20 % moderately susceptible, indicating the critical need for soil erosion control in this catchment. Through these algorithms, the soil erosion susceptibility of catchments can potentially be predicted accurately and with ease using readily available data. Thus, the results reveal that these models have great potential for use in data poor catchments, such as the one studied here, especially in developing nations where technical modeling skills and understanding of the erosion processes occurring in the catchment may be lacking.

Training on Making NPK Liquid Organic Fertilizer With The Application of Econobiotechnology

Policy reforms and research on agricultural ecology need to be intensified to reduce land degradation and the massive ecological and chemical impacts of soil chemical pollution. This is related to the increase in population that requires clothing, food, and welfare. Furthermore, although there has been a shift toward a form of agriculture with high-added value. This problem must be solved by diversifying efforts, applying ecology to agricultural cultivation land, and making breakthroughs in making organic fertilizers with various sources and environmentally friendly ways. This is rational and can be done by involving the industry, universities, and farmer groups who are smart and productive. Regarding farming diversification, The results obtained are by the solutions offered, farmers can make liquid organic fertilizers by utilizing water measuring 200 nm to 10 m of Micro-Nano-Bubbles (MNBs). This is following the concept and is the application of Econobiotechnology. Knowledge before participating in the training in making fertilizers Organic Liquid is 74%, while knowledge after attending training on making Liquid Organic Fertilizer is 91%. The interest in learning and making Liquid Organic Fertilizer is 40%.

Evaluating the applicability of the water erosion prediction project (WEPP) model to runoff and soil loss of sandstone reliefs in the Loess Plateau, China

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental issues, especially in vulnerable areas such as the Pisha sandstone regions located in the Loess Plateau (China). In these types of reliefs, long-term studies monitoring runoff and soil loss are scarce, and even more considering the efficiency of different soil management techniques applied to reduce land degradation. In this study, seven years (2014–2020) of in-situ measurements of surface runoff and soil loss for different land uses (forestland, shrubland, grassland, farmland, and bare land) in a Pisha Sandstone environment at the Loess Plateau were conducted. We applied the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model combining the large database with the precipitation regimes. Our results showed that runoff volume coming from observed and simulated data exhibited significant differences among them depending on the different vegetation types. Runoff and soil loss were different among diverse land use types as follows: farmland > grassland > shrubland > forestland. After conducting a calibration, we found satisfactorily simulated surface runoff and sediment yield based on precipitation regimes and land uses at sandstone reliefs. Simulation performance of surface runoff was better than sediment yield. The range of standard error of the model simulation for event and annual values of runoff were 4.71 mm and 12.19 mm, respectively. The standard error for event and annual values of soil loss were 4.19 t/hm2 and 21.86 t/hm2. In the calibration group, R2 of runoff and soil loss were 0.92 and 0.86 respectively, while Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E) reached 0.90 and 0.85, respectively. In the validation group, the R2 for both runoff and soil loss were 0.82 and 0.56, respectively. Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E) were 0.77 and 0.54 for the runoff and sediment yield. We concluded that using a detailed monitoring dataset, the WEPP model could accurately simulate and predict water erosion in the hillslopes of Pisha sandstone area.