Rangelands, Drylands & Pastoralism

Highly digestible forages are associated with an in vitro low-methane (CH4) rumen fermentation profile and thus the possibility of reducing CH4 emissions from forage-based systems. We aimed to assess the in vitro ruminal fermentation profile, including CH4 production, of the top stratum of Kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus - Hochst.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) has rapidly spread in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and has emerged as a major pest of maize and sorghum in the continent.

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of night blindness, total blindness, maternal and childhood mortality in developing countries. Drought, low soil nitrogen and Striga hermonthica parasitism are major constraints to maize production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

A hemiparasitic plant, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth and soil nitrogen stress are the key constraints to maize (Zea mays L.) productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, where commonly cultivated maize is the normal endosperm type that is deficient in provitamin A, tryptophan and lysine (PVATL).

Motivation: Power relations, and the politics shaping and reshaping them, are key to determining influence and outcomes in water governance. But current discourse on water governance tends to present decision-making as neutral and technical unaffected by political influences.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands emphasizes the “wise use” of wetlands by conserving the ecological character of wetlands while managing the socio-economic value these landscapes hold for different stakeholders. Reviewing the Convention obligations, resolutions, and guidelines through a feminist political ecology lens, we find them to be overtly simplistic and technocratic.

This chapter highlights the key dependences, linkages and challenges of water resources management. (Many of these issues discussed are revisited and illustrated in the following chapters.) The first part introduces surface and groundwater management in the terrestrial part of the water cycle.

Local commons are underutilized in resource management models, thus limiting the effectiveness of the commons concept. This study examined the actual situation of the local commons in Altanbulag soum, a suburb of Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia, where land degradation is a concern, using the case study method. Interviews using semi-structured questionnaires were conducted with pastoralists.