A Combined Analysis of Sociological and Farm Management Factors Affecting Household Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change in Rural Burundi

A scalable approach to improve CSA targeting practices among smallholder farmers

With climate change, population growth, and land degradation exerting mounting pressures on agricultural systems in developing countries, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies have been prioritized as a means to strengthen smallholder farmers' resilience. However, precise targeting methodologies remain a challenge. This study employs a comprehensive approach, integrating Socio-economic, and Biophysical (SEBP), and the Five Capitals Model analyses encompassing human, social, physical, natural, and financial capital. The study employs factor analysis for mixed data (FAMD), cluster analysis using partitioning around the medoids (PAM) and univariate and bivariate techniques to identify and classify distinct typologies of smallholder farming systems in Senegal's Tambacounda and Sedhiou regions in 2020. A probit regression model gauges CSA adoption probability, to better focus CSA efforts. Results underscore the pivotal role of SEBP factors in shaping distinct farmer typologies, enabling precise CSA targeting. Geographical distribution patterns of these typologies reveal non-random clustering, particularly in specific regions. Four farmer typologies emerge: Cluster 1 (Sedhiou, low-income, high climate challenges), Cluster 2 (Sedhiou and Tambacounda, low-to middle-income, moderate climatic challenges), Cluster 3 (Tambacounda, high income, favorable climate), and Cluster 4 (Tambacounda, low income, severe climate challenges). Technology mismatches emerge between farmers' SEBP profiles and capital assets, prompting the identification of relevant technologies for soil fertility restoration and increased output. These findings highlight the importance of implementing CSAs in accordance with specific requirements, such as enhancing soil fertility, yield, and nutritional quality. A contextual understanding of local agricultural dynamics is likewise necessary for optimizing intervention strategies, according to the study.

Clustering climate and management practices to define environmental challenges affecting gastrointestinal parasitism in Katahdin sheep

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) negatively affect the performance and well-being of sheep. Due to anthelmintic resistance, GIN are difficult to control leading producers to choose breeds that can exhibit resistance to parasitism. An example is Katahdin sheep. Katahdins are raised in various climates and management systems in the United States. These environmental factors can be combined to form eco-management groupings or clusters. We hypothesized that GIN challenge varies predictably based on the characteristics of these environmental clusters. Forty Katahdin producers from across the United States were surveyed for management information, with body weights (BW), fecal egg counts (FEC), and FAMACHA scores (FAM) available from 17 of the 40 flocks. The performance data included 3,426 lambs evaluated around 90 d of age. Management and climate data were combined into clusters using multiple correspondence and principal component (PC) analysis. Performance data were aligned with their corresponding cluster. Depending on the trait, eco-management cluster, birth-rearing type, sex, and, as a covariate, dam age, were fitted as systematic effects with ANOVA. Clusters also were formed based on climate or management data alone. When compared with fitting the eco-management clusters, they defined less variation in each of the traits based on Akaike and Bayesian information criterion, and adjusted r2 values. To further examine variation defined by eco-management clusters, residuals from an ANOVA model excluding eco-management cluster were retained, and their correlation with PC loadings calculated. All PC loadings were included as potential independent variables and tested for significance using backward stepwise regression. The PC loadings with a correlation |≥0.49| explained significant variation in each trait and were included in the final models chosen; adjusted r2 values for BW, FEC, and FAM were 0.90, 0.81, and 0.97, respectively. When analyzing GIN challenge, eco-management clusters corresponding with hotter temperatures and greater rainfall, and with pasture-born lambs, suffered greater parasitism. Conversely, the eco-management clusters with lambs turned out to pasture at older ages benefited from reduced parasitism. Through the formation of eco-management clusters, an environmental variable can be defined to study interactions of genotypes to their environment, providing a potentially useful tool for identifying parasite-resistant sheep.

Assessing Waterborne Disease Vulnerabilities in the Blocks of Kalahandi District of Odisha, India

Background:

Outbreaks of waterborne diseases caused by the contamination of water in the rural and tribal regions have become an area of prime concern in the research arena. The impact and intensity of waterborne diseases are expected to increase in these socioeconomic backward regions.

Objective:

The purpose of the study is to calculate the waterborne disease vulnerability index (DVI) for 13 blocks of the Kalahandi district of Odisha. Diarrhea and typhoid are two major diseases prevailing in each block of the district.

Materials and Methods:

Livelihood vulnerability index has been applied with some modifications to calculate the DVI for each block. In the DVI calculation, diseases are taken as an indicator for the exposure section. The sensitivity and adaptive capacity sections are categorized into two subcomponents to study the vulnerability of each block.

Results:

We have observed uneven distribution of diarrhea and typhoid among the blocks of Kalahandi. The result indicates that vulnerable populations and infrastructure play an important role in enhancing vulnerability whereas educational and health-care capacity reduces its impact. We have found that more than 50% of blocks in the district are categorized in moderate to high vulnerable zones.

Conclusion:

This study is done to understand the relationship between disease exposure, related vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. It is unique in the way the indicators have been chosen in the proposed method for the calculation of DVI and will have a higher degree of practical applicability.

Analysis of Smallholders’ Livelihood Vulnerability to Drought across Agroecology and Farm Typology in the Upper Awash Sub-Basin, Ethiopia

Assessing the magnitude of smallholder farmers’ livelihood vulnerability to drought is an initial step in identifying the causal factors and proposing interventions that mitigate the impacts of drought. This study aimed to assess smallholders’ livelihood vulnerability to the drought in the upper Awash sub-basin, Ethiopia. Household (HH) and climate data were used for indicators related to sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity that define vulnerability to drought. The vulnerability of farmers’ livelihood to drought was compared among the studies agroecological zone (AEZ) and farm typologies. The result illustrated a diverse magnitude of vulnerability index (VI) ranging from −1.956 to −4.253 for AEZ. The highest magnitude of VI was estimated for livelihood in the lowland AEZ, while the lowest magnitude of VI was estimated in midland AEZ. This could be accounted for by the fact that lowland farmers shown the highest exposure (0.432) and sensitivity (0.420) and the lowest adaptive capacity (0.288). A closer look at farmers’ livelihood typology, in each of the AEZ, showed substantial diversity of farmers’ livelihood vulnerability to drought, implying potential aggregations at AEZ. Accordingly, the vulnerability index for livestock and on-farm-income-based livelihood and marginal and off-farm-income-based livelihood typologies were higher than the intensive-irrigation-farming-based smallholders’ livelihood typology. Based on the result, we concluded that procedures for smallholders’ livelihood resilience-building efforts should better target AEZ to prioritize the focus region and farmers’ livelihood typology to tailor technologies to farms. Although the result emphasizes the importance of irrigation-based livelihood strategy, the overall enhancement of farmers adaptive capacity needs to focus on action areas such as reducing the sensitivity and exposure of the households, improving farmers usage of technologies, diversify farmers’ livelihood options, and, hence, long-term wealth accumulation to strengthen farmers’ adaptive capacity toward drought impacts.

Rural Households’ Livelihood Strategy Choice and Livelihood Diversity of Main Ethnic Minorities in Chongqing, China

Rural household livelihood research of ethnic minorities is urgent to the development of ethnic areas in China and achieve the world poverty reduction goal. To improve ethnic rural household livelihood, it is fundamental to figure out what are the types, characteristics as well as impact factors of their livelihood strategies. In the study, we explored the household livelihood strategy choices and livelihood diversity of the main ethnic minorities (Tujia and Miao) in Chongqing, as well as how livelihood capitals impact livelihood strategy through methods of clustering, livelihood diversity index and multiple logistic regression under the framework of sustainable livelihood approach. The results show that: (1) Full-time job, both full-time and part-time job, part-time agriculture, part-time job and subsidized livelihood strategy are livelihood strategies adopted by Tujia and Miao rural households in Chongqing, China. (2) The characteristics of the identified livelihood strategies are diversified and various in natural, financial, human and finance capital. (3) A number of livelihood capitals impact the way that household choose their livelihood strategies, but the livelihood capitals have no significant impact on the livelihood diversity. By detailed analysis of the characteristic of rural ethnic household livelihood strategy, especial livelihood diversity, the research enriched sustainable livelihood literature and provided useful information for policymakers and practitioners in designing effective programs for regional sustainable development and ecological protection.

Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Assessment for Sustainable Management

Research on complex socio-environmental systems (also known as socio-ecological systems) has a long tradition in scientific considerations [...]