Waterlogged Areas Research Articles

Water Logging in South-Western Coastal Region of Bangladesh: Causes and Consequences and People’s Response

Aim: Since decades, a major part of south-western coastal region of Bangladesh is being affected by water logging – a problem related to climate change along with some manmade activities. Therefore, the study was conducted to assess the causes and consequences of this problem and highlights the responses of affected people to attract policy planners’ intention for taking proper intervention.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
 Methodology: Qualitative and quantitative techniques have been applied to collect and analyze both the primary and secondary sources of data from various waterlogged areas of south west Bangladesh.
 Results: There is no single or a few factors are responsible for creating water-logging problem rather it is a combination of several factors and their cumulative effects over time. It is revealed from the analysis of primary and secondary sources of information that death of Mathavanga River in the 20th century, execution of Coastal Embankment Project since 1960’s, withdrawing water flow to the Padma River through operating the Farakka barrage after independent of Bangladesh, improper management of rivers, faulty land-use by influential people in the areas, monsoon downpour etc are major causes of the problem. The silted up river systems in area could not drain monsoon rain that occurred even for a couple of days. The consequences brought to inundate hundred thousand hectares of cultivable land unsuitable for crop production. More than one million people are directly affected in the areas and the number is gradually increasing over the years. Water stagnancy around the settlement areas remains 6 to 9 months in a year and many places became permanently waterlogged. The affected people have no other way out but to live with water. The congested water is polluted with salinity, chemical effluents with heavy metals, household debris’s and related other pollutants. Source of safe drinking water is destroyed. Therefore incidences of waterborne and skin diseases are increased. People are living with greatest inhumanity as food, shelter, sanitation, communications, educations and other prime needs are tremendously challenged. Many people lost their occupations and became destitute, some altered their livelihood to much lower grades, and many of them are forced to migrate to city areas. The marooned people demanded to the authority to declare their places as an affected area and sought the government intervention to bring an end to the crisis through operating the Tidal River Management plan and excavating or re-excavating of associated rivers, channels and rivulets.
 Conclusion: The authority need to pay keen attention to the issue and should take proper initiative to mitigate the water-logging problem permanently to save people living in the south western coastal region of Bangladesh.

Mapping sea level rise impacts to identify climate change adaptation opportunities in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, USA

Salt marshes are at risk globally if they cannot keep pace with sea level rise. Along the United States Mid-Atlantic coast, high marsh has already declined, and is particularly vulnerable to future loss due to greater regional rates of relative sea level rise and limited capacity for both vertical accretion and landward migration. To support climate adaptation efforts in the region, we conducted a spatial overlay analysis to (1) assess interior ponding in the high tidal marsh zone caused by waterlogging, and (2) identify restoration opportunities where poor drainage is limiting natural recovery. Surface inundation has increased across over 14,000 ha of high marsh in the region, mostly along the eastern Chesapeake Bay and New Jersey coast. Within this waterlogged area, we identified 239 potential restoration sites (275 ha). Validation data indicate our analysis had relatively high accuracy in identifying potential restoration sites, with a true positive rate of 76% and a true negative rate of 96%. Widespread waterlogging emphasizes the need for climate adaptation efforts to restore and protect high marsh in the face of future change. Our recommended restoration strategy of connecting waterlogged sites to tidal creeks aligns with best practices by enabling drainage of high marsh to halt or even reverse ponding, improve recovery from future flooding events, and ultimately facilitate marsh migration with sea level rise.

Evaluation and planning of existing drainage project for reclamation of waterlogged area: a case study

Due to the flat topography and poor drainage condition, major parts of the Mahanadi delta command suffer from waterlogging problems. The sustainability of farm operations are highly affected by spatial and temporal rainfall variability. Thus, estimation of drainage design layout and identification of vulnerable area for waterlogging is the most vital operation for achieving maximum yield of paddy in cultivated land. This research investigation aimed to achieve an optimum level of soil moisture in the study area so that the yield of crops could be enhanced. Probability analysis of 25 years daily rainfall data was done to evaluate the appropriate drainage coefficient and runoff. Drainage coefficient for the study area was estimated to be 35.50 mm/day by SCS-Curve Number (CN) method, which was adopted for the design of surface drainage system with the 7 consecutive day storm and 10-year return period. The design discharge and peak discharge were evaluated to be 0.43 m3/s by SCS-CN method and 4.92 m3/s by the rational formula respectively, which were used for the design of the channel and the outlet structure, respectively. Standard procedures were adopted for the design of the channel as well as dimensions of the broad-crested drop spillway as outlet structure, respectively. The benefit-cost ratio of the new designed drainage system was found to be 2.48, which proved the new drainage system to be more efficient than the existing design.

Characteristics of consolidation settlements and sedimentary environments of the late Pleistocene–Holocene deposits in the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract. The report displays the characteristics of sedimentary environments, consolidation and consolidation settlements of the late Pleistocene–Holocene deposits in the Mekong Delta (MD) and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. The report furthermore discusses the influences of sedimentary environments on the consolidation properties and the resulting complex and large consolidation settlements. They cause land subsidence and uneven settlements of foundations in HCMC and the MD. They have especially combined with the unsuitable plans, land use like land fill in the lower land, rivers and ponds in the delta and increase in sea level by the global climatic change. As a result, it is very difficult to improve waterlogged areas in HCMC and the MD by the rain and tide waters. It is also not easy to propose a standard strategy for the management, planning and construction of these areas.

Periodic waterlogging consistently shapes agricultural soil microbiomes by promoting specific taxa

Periodic waterlogging of soils affects ecosystem services of agricultural fields such as reducing crop productivity. It also creates a highly dynamic habitat for soil organisms determined by drying-rewetting cycles and waterlogged phases. However, soil microbial diversity in periodically waterlogged agricultural fields is poorly studied. Using metabarcoding, we analyzed responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to periodic waterlogging in seven agricultural fields. Each field had a well-drained and a periodically waterlogged area and was cultivated with winter wheat or sugar beet, which allowed assessing crop-independent effects. Physico-chemical soil properties were similar between periodically waterlogged and drained areas, which contrasted with the unambiguous distinction of the water regimes based on soil microbial community structures. Furthermore, few OTUs drove community shifts and higher indicator values for periodic waterlogging were found at the OTU- as compared to the phylum-level. Among the bacterial OTUs 95 displayed a positive and 54 a negative response to periodic waterlogging, while the opposite trend was found for fungi, with 18 positively and 4 negatively responding OTUs. Bacterial OTUs, which responded positively to periodic waterlogging were derived from taxa with an anaerobic lifestyle and the strongest response was found for OTUs assigned to Anaerolineaceae. Therefore, limited oxygen availability was identified as the main constraining factor of soil microbial communities in periodically waterlogged agricultural fields. Finally, the comparison between soil properties and soil microbial communities in discriminating different soils, i.e., water regimes, and crops, underlines the potential of microbial metabarcoding for use in soil quality assessment by complementing soil physico-chemical analyses.

Identification of waterlogging in Eastern China induced by mining subsidence: A case study of Google Earth Engine time-series analysis applied to the Huainan coal field

Underground coal mining with high groundwater levels causes many environmental problems, one of the main ones being subsidence waterlogging. After the subsidence waterlogging, the land faces many problems, such as insufficient land development and difficult and costly land restoration. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the spatial range and temporal trajectory pattern of surface subsidence in a timely manner. When information about underground mining is lacking, it is difficult by using remote sensing alone to identify and distinguish (i) natural water, (ii) engineering water, and (iii) subsidence waterlogging. In this study, we used the Google Earth Engine platform to develop a method to detect subsidence waterlogging area and the disturbance year. The method includes pixel-based trajectory extraction and object-based water type recognition. First, LandTrendr is used to extract the change water (engineering water and subsidence waterlogging) pixels and its disturbance year. Then, the morphological method to further eliminate engineering water patches, so as to extract subsidence waterlogging. We selected the Panxie mining area in Huainan, China as the study area. Using 33 years of Landsat time-series data to generate values of the annual water frequency index, maps of the year of water accumulation caused by underground coal mining and the year of restoration during 1989–2016 are drawn with accuracies of 86.5% and 80.7%, respectively. The results show that from 1989 to 2016, the accumulated area of subsidence waterlogging was 7715.25 ha, accounting for 14.5% of the total area of the study area, of which 75.8% occurred from 2008 to 2016. Furthermore, the accumulated area of restoration was 207.18 ha, which occurred after 2007 and accounts for 2.7% of the total area of subsidence waterlogging. Based on the analysis results of the changes of waterlogging types, the best time window for restoration of the waterlogging area is 3y after water accumulation. The main innovation of this paper is to make use of the temporal heterogeneity (Number of year in patches, Y_num) and morphological index (Landscape shape index in patches, LSI) of the change water to distinguish engineering water and subsidence waterlogging.

An integrated approach of GIS and geoelectrical techniques for wastewater leakage investigations: Active constraint balancing and genetic algorithms application

Wastewater leakage problem associated with sewage treatment plants deterioration has become prominent. We develop and apply procedures of GIS and direct current resistivity (DCR) techniques to investigate the wastewater seepage appearance in a semiarid urban environment. In the first stage, all surface geological and structural information is manipulated using GIS to produce geomorphological and geological maps. Waterlogged sites resulting in land degradation are distinguished by monitoring land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) changes. In the second stage, the DCR method has been performed to characterize the subsurface layer distributions and structures considering the results of GIS and LU/LC mapping data. Because the geophysical inverse problem is usually ill-posed, the active constrain balancing (ACB) approach and genetic algorithms (GA) are applied to optimize the inversion results. In the presence of high conductive layers, the limitation of DCR imaging in detecting the subsurface structure is demonstrated from the synthetic data. Moreover, we demonstrate that the joint use of GA with structure-based model (SBM) is helpful in recognition of subsurface layer distributions with non-smooth interfaces. However, ACB approach is more practical for lateral heterogeneities determination within the same rock unit than SBM with GA approach. The results indicate that the waterlogged areas and wastewater migration pathways are mainly controlled by the drainage networks and subsurface structures. Notably, the integrated approach allows us to assess geotechnical problems and to propose a suitable location for wastewater discharge management. Finally, the study can be considered as a scientific basis for desert urbanization and rational urban development planning.

Assessment of changes in land use, land cover, and land surface temperature in the mangrove forest of Sundarbans, northeast coast of India

This paper investigates the impacts of changing land use–land cover on the land surface temperature (LST) and normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) distribution in the Indian part of the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve by utilizing remote sensing and geographical information system. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) and Operational Land Imager images of the year 2000, 2010 and 2017, respectively, were used to assess the essential indicators for regional environmental health employing appropriate calibrations and corrections. It was observed that there has been a marked reduction in the areas of plantation, mangrove swamp, mangrove forests and agricultural land since 2000. In contrast, an increase in sand beach, waterlogged areas, mudflat, river, and agriculture area was observed. The mean NDVI values for mangrove forests and plantation have decreased from 0.441 to 0.229 and 0.266 to 0.195, respectively, while river, aquaculture, agricultural and open scrubs classes had higher values. The rate of increase in surface LST was highest over settlements, followed by sand beaches, mudflats, aquaculture, mangrove forest, river, plantations, waterlogged areas and agricultural field. LST showed a negative correlation with NDVI values probably due to the high rate of evapo-transpiration activities of the mangrove vegetations. All these above facts distinctly substantiates that there is an increase in open patches/non-vegetated cover and that the ecosystem is under constant stress.

Differences in Inventories of Waterlogged Territories in Soil Surveys of Different Years and in Land Management Documents

On soil maps and in land management documents, the excessively moistened areas of the earth surface are shown differently, and their areas on three different source maps (large-scale soil survey map, land cadaster map, and land management planning map) may differ by five times. According to current land legislation, soil maps should be used for cadastral valuation and cadastral division of arable land. It is supposed that the three sources of information on the land cover do not contradict one another. We analyzed the allocation of waterlogged lands on these source maps in order to find the reason for the existing discrepancies in the areas of waterlogged lands. Soil and land management materials from four rounds of the soil survey in 1937–1996 and remote sensing materials from 1968 to 2018 were analyzed. It was found that, until the third round of soil surveys, the concept of waterlogged area was the same for soil scientists, cadastral specialists, and land surveyors and meant the areas of limited use for arable farming because of the excessive atmospheric or ground moistening. Since the mid-1980s, soil scientists have ceased to consider waterlogging as a factor limiting land use, whereas land management specialists have not changed their approaches. In the cadastral division of land, the use of soil maps has become fragmentary; often, land plots are characterized as agreed with the owner. In 1958, the area of waterlogged soils on the soil map of Tambov oblast was 14%; all these lands had certain limitations of their use for arable farming. On the soil map of 1986, the area of waterlogged soils reached 65%, though only 6% of them were of limited use for arable farming. Independent retrospective monitoring methods applied by us to this territory indicated that limitations in the arable use of land related to the soil water regime are observed on about 16% of the territory of Tambov oblast. It is suggested that the allocation of waterlogged soils and lands should be unified on the basis on the technology of retrospective monitoring of soil and land covers.

EUCALYPTUS AND SENGON PLANTS FOR COAL MINING RECLAMATION IN BARITO EAST DISTRICT, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN PROVINCE

This study aims specifically to produce an analysis of the suitability of forest plantations on former coal mining land. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage is a general description of the research area and the second stage is the study of the suitability of forest plantations on former coal mining land. Eucalyptus was chosen because it is able to grow both on marginal lands and in swamps and water logging areas, able to adapt to soils with poor drainage, fire resistance and tolerance to soils with low to high salinity. This Sengon plant was chosen because it has the advantage of very fast growth, very diverse uses, and can grow on critical land.

Natural hazard assessment and mapping using remote sensing and QGIS tools for Mumbai city, India

Flooding and water logging possess severe hazards to human population in many parts of the world. Mumbai, the study area, is one of the cities in India and has been frequently affected by floods and landslides causing heavy loss of life and property. Enormous concretization and 150-year-old storm water drainage system of Mumbai have led to water logging and flood-like conditions which leads to natural hazard. The objective of this study is to identify the flood and landslide spots and to prepare the map by using GIS software. The study also consists of comparing potential of QGIS and Arc-GIS software in the form of data analysis and thematic map creation. From this study, it is clear that large-scale reshaping took place to complete the reclamation project which makes all those areas prone to various hazards. In assessment of flood and landslide spots, many significant points were revealed: the average elevation of Mumbai is 14 m, and also majority of the flood spots have an elevation range between 5 and 14 m. The analysis of the database generated in QGIS software also revealed that significant numbers of flood spots are mostly found in the reclamation zone and the landslide spots near base of hill. This study indicates that the current situation may trigger disastrous conditions in the future which need intervention from government bodies, institutions and NGOs to prepare proper disaster management plans to help mitigate this situation. To mitigate the problem of water logging, it is required to drain off the water into the ground. Pervious concrete is the best solution for it but for its implementation detailed database of the waterlogged area is required.

Socio-Economic and Medicinal Review of Eucalyptus Tree in the World

Now a day pollution is a great issue of the environment of the world and It is the voice of the world community to save the world from pollution because the industrial development has disturbed the ecosystem of the world and depleting the ozone. It has created the problem of global warming and increased the temperature which has changed the climate at different level of the world. According to world report about 25% forest land is required for ecosystem favorability. There are so many trees which are grown in the world. Among these trees Eucalyptus is very popular and which was first grown in Austrilia. This plant has many importances. Seeing to its importance the present study was arranged. The major objective was to review socio-economic and medicinal value of eucalyptus tree in the world. Total 22 articles were downloaded from the net and reviewed in depth. The result indicates that Eucalyptus tree has many socio economic and medicinal values in the world. Majority rural farmer grow this plant at those places which are unfertile and barren and have less value, so they level the land with the help of shawal and tractor. They planted trees of eucalyptus on their boundaries and crops on the plain land. They get more production of wood and crop and increase per ha yield. It is also noted in the review that price level is Rs.500 to Rs.1000 in Pakistan of per tree but the price fluctuation is existed in the world. The government sometimes grows this tree on the river on the road for decoration and beautification in the world. Now a day the Shesham tree has replaced by eucalyptus plant due to more white ants attacks in the irrigated area. Different distances are used for eucalyptus plant which produce different amount of wood in the world. The recommended distance are 1.5x1.5 square meters, 2.25x2.25 square meter and 3x3 square meters. The distance affect the diameter of the tree and amount of the wood. The less distance total amount of wood is more than the large distance but the diameter of the trunk is less of the less distance. Majority farmer grow this plant on the water logging area which squeeze the water from the water logging farm and after few years the water log has been removed. Similarly eucalyptus tree has medicinal value and Pharmacologist converted to this plant into medicine for different health disease control in the world. Oil is squeezed from its leaf and bark of the tree and leaves are boiled in the water and as a tea are used in the world. The well known diseases are blood pressure, diabetes, Arthritis, plague, Cough etc while it is also used for mosquitoes, termites and white ants control. Similarly this plant has also disadvantages in the world. Its squeezes the water from the earth and decrease the water table and disturbs the tube well system of the world. This plant needs more water so they compete with other plants in the area and affect the size of the plant. The root of this plant goes very deep which also affect the plain land of the farmer and sometime affect the growth of the other plants and decrease the production of the crop. This plant has many diseases. Among these diseases the well known disease is the leaf spot which is controlled by Heptachlor. On the basis of problems the study recommend that to grow mostly this plant on the water log area; Each government of the world should established a research station for uplifting this plant in the area; Heptachlor should be mixed in soil before planting in the world; Grow this plant in those area where the attack of termites and whites ants are more; Furniture industry should be developed in the area; Plantation skill training by forest department to farming community is required; Always care the poor people of the community because sometime they banned for cutting the wood for the purpose of the fuel; Discussion with community is required by project staff before starting any project in the area; Marketing system should be developed for eucalyptus tree selling in the area; Medical testing research laboratories should be established in the area for eucalyptus tree analysis; Pharmacy expert should be present in the project area for analysis of medicinal value; For project approval IRR, NPV and Benefit cost ratio should be checked for short and long run for project approval by project committee; Also care the destination of the future generation when planting the eucalyptus tree in the area. Testing of the plant of soil is necessary before plantation of eucalyptus plant in any area.

The vegetation of sands in the Chernihiv city (Ukraine)

The vegetation of the Chernihiv city sands (natural and technogenic origin) has rather high syntaxonomic diversity (17 associations and 5 initial communities) and the ruderal phytocoenoses prevail. Natural phytocenoses are represented to a small extent (Cyperetum flavescentis Koch 1926, Dichostylidi–Helochloetum alopecuroidis (Timar 1950) Pietsch 1973, Artemisia scoparia–Dianthus borbasii community, Kochietum arenariae Fijalk 1978). Synanthropic psammophytes species communities that are more resistant to anthropogenic influence, are formed under urban conditions. The ecological range of vegetation of sandy alluvia varies from xerophytic phytocoenoses in mineral-poor sand (Kochietum arenariae) to the communities, which indicate waterlogged areas with increased mineralization of water and saline bottom sediments (Typhetum laxmannii Nedulcu 1968). Itispossibletoobserve the adventization and apophization of sand vegetation, one of the indicators of which is the rupture of coenotic connections between the species of the community. These phenomena indicate that the process of synanthropization of the vegetation cover of the city keeps intensifying, and first of all, occurs in places of newly formed technogenic ecotopes.

Changes in the ground environment under the influence of fires in the territory of the State Natural Reserve «Olekminsky»

This paper discusses the chronology and cause of forest fires on the territory of the State Reserve “Olekminsky”. Forest fires on the territory of the reserve are low-level, caused by dry thunderstorms. The overgrowth of burnt areas occurs at the expense of specific groups of pyrophyte plants. For 2-3 years after the fires, Camenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop., Corydalis sibirica (L.) Pers., Plantago canescens Adams, Crepis tectorum L. and others were found. In waterlogged areas, Tephroseris palustris (L.) Reichenb appear and subsequently do not occur, and mosses: Marshantia polymorpha L., Ceratodon purpureum (Hedw.) Brid. It was found that the restoration of ground cover is mainly due to species characteristic only for intermediate stages: Lichens - Baeomyces carneus, Dibaeis baeomyces and Trapeliopsis granulosa, as well as Arctous erythrocarpa (Small) M. Ivanova, Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop., Calamagrostis obtusata Trin, Сarex spp., cereals and green mosses. More than 40 species of lichens participate in the formation of the ground cover of the studied larch forests, mainly bushy species of Cladonia, Stereocaulon, Peltigera. Forest fires of a natural nature occurring on the territory of the reserve are the main limiting factor affecting bio-resources and theirrestoration.

Teff (Eragrostis Abyssinica) and Teff Based Fermented Cereals: Review Article

Nutritional quality of food is the most important parameter for maintaining human health and complete physical well-being. Since nutritional well-being is the driving force for development and maximization of human genetic potential. Dietary quality of food should be taken into consideration for maintaining human health and fitness to solve the problem of deep rooted malnutrition. Diversification of food production must be encouraged both at national and household level with their increasing yields and techniques. Hence the aim of this review was to assess the opportunities of teff nutrient profiles and teff based fermented cereals. Teff is a reliable and low risk cereal that grows on a wider ecology under moisture stress and waterlogged areas with few plant diseases and grain storage pest problems. Processing of teff for different foods is usually done by traditional ways and is mostly limited to the household level. Processing of the grain for different commercial foods is needed to promote worldwide teff utilization. Teff grain nutrients are promising and it is also an excellent gluten free alternative for people with celiac disease and other gluten allergy. The search for new gluten-free brewing materials is still in its infancy and researchers in this field of study are continuously researching on the malting, mashing, fermentation conditions and other aspects of teff so as to use it as a raw material for gluten-free beer, functional beverages and other gluten-free foods. Teff flour is used extensively in Ethiopia to make injera, a soft flatbread prepared from slightly fermented batter, and the grains are also used in stews and porridges. Teff has increased in popularity as a gluten-free health food in developed countries and has potential as an alternative food crop. In some places the plant is also grown as forage or hay crop, and the stalks are commonly fed to livestock postharvest.

Оценка противопожарного потенциала лесных ландшафтов заповедного Прибайкалья с использованием данных тепловой инфракрасной съёмки (на примере территории Байкало-Ленского заповедника)

The article considers the experience of a comparative assessment of the fire potential fire-stop capability of different types of forests in the conditions of southern permafrost zone. The presented methodology is based on the processing of thermal infrared data from the Landsat TM satellite. On this basis, there were obtained surface temperatures for sites with different forest growing conditions and bioproduction characteristics. This approach has been tested on the example of modal landscapes of the Baikal-Lena State Nature Reserve, located in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory. The possibility of using surface temperatures to estimate the fire-fighting role of different types of forests is based on the equation of the heat balance of the earth’s surface. The thermal values obtained from the processing of thermal infrared images reflect the measure of the emission of sensible heat flux by the landscape. Near-surface temperatures vary by forest type. Forest types with the highest fire-fighting role are characterized by a higher moisture exchange potential and the lowest surface temperature values. It has been revealed that forests on permafrost have higher surface temperature values. Most fire vulnerable forest landscapes coincide with valleys of intermountain depressions, lowlands, bottom of bolsons, submontane uplands and smooth hillsides. Those have different degree of water-logged areas with islands of permafrost and low values of phytomass. Those nature complexes are more fire-dangerous in periods of long droughts due to lower transpiration potential and less influence on micro- and mesoclimat as compared with forest on unfrozen rocks. This technique has been tested in contrasting forest-growing areas of the boreal permafrost zone and can be applied in regions of Russia, Canada and the United States that are similar in terms of landscape and geographic characteristics. This approach can also be used to improve the fire safety systems in Russian forest reserves.

Assessment of water quality of Bhabadah water-logging area of Khulna Division

Assessment of water quality of Bhabadah water-logging area of Khulna Division

English

Avocado (Persia americana) a very important crop worldwide nutritionally and economically. In Kenya avocado does not thrive well in soils with high salinity, flooded or waterlogged areas. Survey was conducted around Lake Victoria Basin in Kenya to establish socioeconomic factors and flooding that affects its production. A sample of 400 households was interviewed using structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informants. Data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists. Objectives were to find how flood, human capital and other socioeconomic factors such as gender, age, farmer education affects avocado production in areas with saline soils and floods among other factors namely Busia, Muhoroni, Nyando and Rachuonyo counties in Kenya. Results indicated that the major impediments were water logging (76.2%), flooding (73.0%), soil fertility (62.5%) and soil salinity (42.9%), to agricultural development and affect the crop production. Farmers had limited access to information on avocado production and marketing 31.3%, and sourced information from fellow farmers. Majority of farmers owned indigenous or non-certified avocado trees; low fruits market prices also discouraged its production. Therefore, farmers should be sensitized on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, encourage majority of them to take samples of their plots for soil analysis. 65.5% expressed soil fertility problems in their farms yet 95.5% of them had not taken their plots for soil analysis. Increasing of human capital, farmer education, and extension services may contribute to farmer’s abilities to adopt new technologies for increased avocado production in these areas and may positively contribute to improved livelihood through nutrition, income generation of the stakeholders. Farmers should be encouraged to plant certified avocado seedlings tolerant to water logging and salinity. Key words: Avocado, climate change, Lake Victoria, Kenya, strategies.

ROLE OF FLOATING CULTIVATION ON RURAL LIVELIHOOD PRACTICE OF COASTAL BANGLADESH

The aim of the study is to find out the role of floating cultivation on livelihood practice of coastal people in Bangladesh. Floating cultivation, locally termed as vashomanchash, is an indigenous cropping technique that the farmers of the coastal belt are widely practicing in submerged land. This study is confined in Barishal district. Two unions namely Illuhar and Bishwarkandi from Banaripara Upazila of the district were selected as the study area. The sample size is 80 and all of them were purposively selected, who are engaged in floating cultivation in the study area. In measuring the role of floating cultivation on livelihood practice, Sustainable Livelihood Framework was used proposed by Ian Scoones (1998). In identifying the motivational factor to be engaged in floating cultivation, weighted mean index has been calculated. The study found that most of the surveyed farmers (60 percent) of the area learnt the floating cultivation technique as an indigenous practice. Half of the surveyed farmers opined that the land in the area remains submerged for 5-7 months a year. About one-third of the sampled farmers produce rice, while another one-third keep the land fallow when the water is drained out. The main reason for being engaged in floating cultivation, as identified by the farmers is that floating cultivation provides income during disaster when all other livelihood options are mostly unavailable. The cost incurred in a season is about BDT 1000 for10floating beds whereas the corresponding income is about BDT 2000 per month from 10 floating beds. This profitability induces the farmers to engage in floating cultivation. The sustainability of a livelihood can be measured by outcome variables like the capability of the livelihood in creation of man days, poverty reduction, adaptive capacity and the preservation of the natural resource base. Considering these outcome variables, it could be concluded that this indigenous practice of floating cultivation is creating man days during disaster and thus assuring certain and uninterrupted income for the rural people which ultimately might have notable impact on poverty reduction, specifically in disaster period. Accordingly, this practice of floating cultivation could be replicated in other waterlogged areas in the country.

МОНИТОРИНГ ЗАРАСТАНИЯ НЕИСПОЛЬЗУЕМЫХ СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННЫХ ЗЕМЕЛЬ НА ОСНОВЕ ГИС-ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ

The problem of overgrowing of fertile lands of the forest-steppe zone requires a scientific solution. In this regard, the article presents the use of technologies of geographic information systems in conjunction with field research to monitor the overgrowth of unused agricultural land. Two plots of agricultural land of Penza region with areas overgrown with weeds, young overgrown with woody vegetation and shrubs were selected. Space decoding was carried out based on the data of GPS coordinates, photos and satellite images of Landsat-8 in the spectrum of Near Infrared, Shortwave infrared, Blu. Methodological framework made recommendations for classification of Portland University. The area of distribution for 2013–2018 is defined, its speed which makes 2–3 hectares/year is calculated. Amendments to the interpretation of satellite images taking into account regional features are proposed. The Botanical composition of the undergrowth is presented, the type of soil (chernozems clay-illuvial and dark gray medium) and Geology is determined. Overgrowth, as a rule, is determined by the spread of Betula pendula R. and Pinus silvestris L. the Use of topographic index of waterlogging allowed to establish regularities of the composition of vegetation to local places of excess and lack of moisture. Thus, Alnus glutinosa L. and Salix caprea L. are found in waterlogged areas, elevated areas with pronounced aridity are occupied by Pinus silvestris L. and Picea abies L. In the conditions of weakening of anthropogenic factor dark gray medium-soils on sandy rocks of Cretaceous and Paleogene age are subject to water erosion and deflation. The interrelation between the development of processes of overgrowth and climate warming, when winters are warm and snowy, and summers are cool and humid, is shown.