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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Agricultural Intensification: Have Sown Pastures Damaged The Environment?, John G. Mcivor, C. K. Mcdonald, Neil D. Macleod, Ken C. Hodgkinson
Agricultural Intensification: Have Sown Pastures Damaged The Environment?, John G. Mcivor, C. K. Mcdonald, Neil D. Macleod, Ken C. Hodgkinson
IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)
Concerns are growing about the impact of agriculture on the environment. Particular concerns have been expressed about the impacts of intensive agriculture (e.g. cropping involving fertiliser, pesticides, limited germplasm, fuels, etc) on biodiversity, and both on-site (e.g. soil health and fertility) and off-site resources (e.g. pesticide contamination). Less intensive agriculture (e.g. sown pastures) can also have undesirable impacts. In the woodlands of eastern Australia sown pasture development has been associated with loss of native vegetation and wildlife habitat, accelerated soil acidification, salinisation and poor tree health (McIntyre et al., 2002). Based on this, there have been calls to restrict …
Glm+ Delivers Improved Natural Resource Management And Production Outcomes To Extensive Grazing Properties In The Savannas Of Semi-Arid North Queensland, Australia, Joe W. Rolfe, K. Shaw
Glm+ Delivers Improved Natural Resource Management And Production Outcomes To Extensive Grazing Properties In The Savannas Of Semi-Arid North Queensland, Australia, Joe W. Rolfe, K. Shaw
IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)
Native pastures are the main feed resource on extensive cattle grazing properties (each usually >25,000 ha) in the savannas of semi-arid north Australia and it is widely accepted that condition of many important land types is declining. A wealth of resource information is publicly available but it is usually complex in nature, diffuse and not presented in terms readily understood by land managers. Extension agencies have also moved towards information delivery using group processes that are not readily accepted by remote land managers. The GLM+ program uses concepts and tools from the Grazing Land Management (GLM) workshop (Chilcott et al. …
State And Transition Models In Space And Time – Using Stms To Understand Broad Patterns Of Ecosystem Change In Iceland, I. C. Barrio, D. S. Hik, T. A. Mulloy, J. Thorsson, K. Svavarsdóttir, B. Marteinsdóttir, I. S. Jónsdóttir
State And Transition Models In Space And Time – Using Stms To Understand Broad Patterns Of Ecosystem Change In Iceland, I. C. Barrio, D. S. Hik, T. A. Mulloy, J. Thorsson, K. Svavarsdóttir, B. Marteinsdóttir, I. S. Jónsdóttir
IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)
Managing ecological systems sustainably requires a deep understanding of ecosystem structure and the processes driving their dynamics. Conceptual models can lead to improved management, by providing a framework for organizing knowledge about a system and identifying the causal agents of change. We developed state-and-transition models (STMs) to describe landscape changes in Iceland over three historical periods with different human influence, from pre-settlement to present days. Our models identified the set of possible states, transitions and thresholds in these ecosystems and their changes over time. To illustrate the use of these models for predicting and improving management interventions, we applied our …
Global Pattern And Change Of Cropland Soil Organic Carbon During 1901-2010: Roles Of Climate, Atmospheric Chemistry, Land Use And Management, Wei Ren, Kamaljit Banger, Bo Tao, Jia Yang, Yawen Huang, Hanqin Tian
Global Pattern And Change Of Cropland Soil Organic Carbon During 1901-2010: Roles Of Climate, Atmospheric Chemistry, Land Use And Management, Wei Ren, Kamaljit Banger, Bo Tao, Jia Yang, Yawen Huang, Hanqin Tian
Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications
Soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands is a key property of soil quality for ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability, and also plays a central role in the global carbon (C) budget. When managed sustainably, soils may play a critical role in mitigating climate change by sequestering C and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. However, the magnitude and spatio-temporal patterns of global cropland SOC are far from well constrained due to high land surface heterogeneity, complicated mechanisms, and multiple influencing factors. Here, we use a process-based agroecosystem model (DLEM-Ag) in combination with diverse spatially-explicit gridded environmental data to …
Conservation Farming And Changing Climate: More Beneficial Than Conventional Methods For Degraded Ugandan Soils, Drake N. Mubiru, Jalia Namakula, James Lwasa, Godfrey A. Otim, Joselyn Kashagama, Milly Nakafeero, William Nanyeenya, Mark S. Coyne
Conservation Farming And Changing Climate: More Beneficial Than Conventional Methods For Degraded Ugandan Soils, Drake N. Mubiru, Jalia Namakula, James Lwasa, Godfrey A. Otim, Joselyn Kashagama, Milly Nakafeero, William Nanyeenya, Mark S. Coyne
Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications
The extent of land affected by degradation in Uganda ranges from 20% in relatively flat and vegetation-covered areas to 90% in the eastern and southwestern highlands. Land degradation has adversely affected smallholder agro-ecosystems including direct damage and loss of critical ecosystem services such as agricultural land/soil and biodiversity. This study evaluated the extent of bare grounds in Nakasongola, one of the districts in the Cattle Corridor of Uganda and the yield responses of maize (Zea mays) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to different tillage methods in the district. Bare ground was determined by a supervised multi-band …
Importance Of Livestock Production From Grasslands For National And Local Food And Nutritional Security In Developing Countries, Iain A. Wright
Importance Of Livestock Production From Grasslands For National And Local Food And Nutritional Security In Developing Countries, Iain A. Wright
IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)
Grazing lands cover more than a quarter of the world’s land surface, often on land that is unsuitable for other forms of use. Despite the perception that productivity is inherently low, the contribution of grasslands in food security in developing countries is significant. However the challenges of spatial and temporal variability of primary productivity need to be managed and mobility of livestock is key to this. Appropriate land management and governance arrangements are essential for facilitating this mobility and for creating the circumstances in which technical options for reducing variability and risk in livestock keeping can be deployed and to …