Agricultural productivity in rural areas is severely affected by climate variability, and this elevates the vulnerability of rural households to food insecurity. This study examines the socioeconomic vulnerability of farmers who are susceptible to droughts in the five agricultural-based regions of Gadaref, Eastern Sudan. A survey was carried out in 500 households to collect data on socioeconomic and livelihood indicators. The data analyzed from these indicators were used to generate the three components of drought vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The analysis revealed that the regions deemed to be most vulnerable to both drought and climate variability were also projected to have the most vulnerable communities. The most exposed farming communities of Alfaw, Algadaref and Alfushqa regions showed a relatively low capacity for adaptation. Moreover, the study determined that vulnerability to drought and variability is associated with social and economic development in the Gadaref region. The results show that highly vulnerable regions are characterized by features such as low levels of productivity, elevated levels of financing, low crop diversity, agriculture as the primary income source and a low level of agricultural insurance. This research shows the importance of diversified livelihoods in building resilience against hazards linked to climate change.
Understanding the effects of irrigation regime and soil texture on potassium-use efficiency (KUE) of rice (Oryza sativa. L) is essential for improving rice productivity. In this regard, experiments were conducted from July to October in 2016 and 2017 by using a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement with four replications. The rice plants were grown in three soils, with clay contents of 40%, 50%, and 60%, which were marked as S (40%), S (50%), and S (60%), respectively. For each soil type, irrigation regimes, namely, R (F, S100%), R (F, S90%), and R (F, S70%), were established by setting the lower limit of irrigation to 100%, 90%, and 70% of saturated soil water content, respectively, and the upper limit of irrigation with 30 mm of flooding water above the soil surface for all irrigation regimes. Results showed that the responses of the roots and shoots and the potassium accumulation (KA) and KUE of rice were significantly affected by the water regime and soil texture. In the same irrigation regime, increasing the soil clay content improved the K utilization of rice. Under the same soil type, R (F, S100%) was the optimal water management practice for growing rice. The R (F, S100%) S (60%) treatment presented the highest KUE, which was 56.4% in 2016 and 68.1% in 2017. The R (F, S70%) S (40%) treatment showed the lowest KUE, which was 13.8% in 2016 and 14.9% in 2017. These results enrich knowledge regarding the relationship among soil, water, and rice, and provide valuable insights on the effect of irrigation regime and soil texture on the KA and KUE of rice.
Abstract:Despite the recent interest in biochar and digestate as soil amendments for improving soil quality and increasing crop production, there is inadequate knowledge of the effect of the combination of biochar and digestate, particularly under saline irrigation conditions. A pot experiment with Chinese melon was conducted in a greenhouse, biochar (5%) and digestate (500 mL/pot) were used with and without the recommended mineral NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertilizer dose (120-150-150 Kg ha −1 ). The plants were irrigated with tap water (SL0) and 2 dS/m (SL1) NaCl solution. The growth, photosynthesis rate, water use efficiency (WUE) and yield of Chinese melon were affected positively when biochar was combined with digestate amendment, particularly under saline irrigation water with and without mineral NPK fertilizer. The maximum yield under normal water was obtained by digestate (SL0: 218.87 t ha −1 ) and biochar amendment combined with digestate (SL1: 118.8 t ha −1 ) under saline water. The maximum WUE values were noticed with the biochar and digestate combination under all water treatments (SL0: 32.2 t ha −1 mm −1 and SL1: 19.6 t ha −1 mm −1 ). It was concluded that digestate alone was more effective than the use of biochar, particularly with normal water. The combination of biochar with digestate had a significant effect on the Chinese melon growth, photosynthesis rate, water use efficiency and yield under saline irrigation, and it can be used as an alternative fertilizer for mineral NPK fertilizer.
North Darfur of Sudan is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and endures frequent droughts due to water shortages and high summer temperatures. Monitoring and understanding drought characteristics are essential for integrated drought risk mitigation and prevetion of land degradation. This study evaluates drought conditions in North Darfur by analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of drought using three drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index, Vegetation Condition Index, and Soil Moisture Content Index) and their combined drought index (CDI) from 2004 to 2013. Biophysical and socioeconomic indicators are further used to measure vulnerability to drought risk and its three components (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) through a comprehensive risk assessment framework. The results show that most of North Darfur has experienced prolonged droughts during the study period, especially from 2007 to 2011. There is also a significant correlation between the monsoon season CDI and annual crop yield anomaly. The results confirm the validity of the CDI index, which provides a comprehensive description of the drought situation by combing four drought indices quantifying different drought aspects. The vulnerability results show that the majority of this region is highly exposed and sensitive to drought risks. In particular, the northern zone of the region is highly vulnerable, which is categorized by less‐crop diversity, higher land degradation, frequent droughts, and high‐poverty levels. This study provides valuable information for coping with climate change‐induced drought risk in this region and demonstrates that there is still a large room for enhancing the adaptation capacity in this region.
This study aims to offer a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of policies and institutional arrangements on irrigation management performance. The case study, the Gezira Scheme, has witnessed a significant decrease in water management performance during recent decades. This situation led to several institutional changes in order to put the system on the right path. The main organizations involved in water management at the scheme are the Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources (MOIWR), the Sudan Gezira Board (SGB), and the Water Users Associations (WUAs). Different combinations from these organizations were founded to manage the irrigation system. The evaluation of these organizations is based on the data of water supply and cultivated areas from 1970 to 2015. The measured data were compared with two methods: the empirical water order method (Indent) that considers the design criteria of the scheme, and the Crop Water Requirement (CWR) method. Results show that the MOIWR period was the most efficient era, with an average water surplus of 12% compared with the Indent value, while the most critical period (SGB & WUAs) occurred when the water supply increased by 80%. The other periods of the Irrigation Water Corporation (IWC), (SGB & MOIWR), and (WUAs & MOIWR) had witnessed an increase in water supply by 29%, 63%, and 67% respectively. Through these institutional changes, the percentage of excessive water supply jumped from 12% to 80%. Finally, the study provides general recommendations associated with institutional arrangements and policy adoption to improve irrigation system performance.
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