Cassava farming practices and their agricultural and environmental impacts: a systematic map protocol

Abstract

Background: Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a staple crop that is important for food security in the tropics. However, cassava farming can have severe environmental impacts, such as habitat destruction and soil degradation, if it is not carefully managed. Therefore, a wide range of agricultural and environmental outcomes should be considered when cassava farming practices are recommended as "good agricultural practices". We propose a systematic map of research on cassava farming practices and their impacts on yield, quality, profitability, soil, water, wildlife, pathogens, pests, weeds, and other agricultural and environmental outcomes. This map will improve our knowledge of the multifunctionality of cassava farming practices, by answering several questions: Which studies have measured the impacts of cassava farming practices on agricultural and/or environmental outcomes? Which practices and outcomes have been studied, in which countries, and when? Methods: We will search for studies of "cassava OR mandioca OR manihot OR manioc OR yuca" in four publication databases (AGRICOLA, AGRIS, Scopus, Web of Science), two repositories of grey literature (including publications from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, which have worked extensively on cassava), and the Conservation Evidence database. We will screen the search results using eligibility criteria that are transparently reported and consistently applied. We will not critically appraise the validity of the studies that are included in the map, because we see this map as a subject-wide evidence base that could be used for multiple methods of evidence synthesis, with different criteria for critical appraisal. We have developed a classification of agricultural practices and a classification of agri-environmental outcomes, and we will use these classifications ("taxonomies" or "terminological ontologies") when coding studies. We have developed a web application (http:// www.metad atase t.com) with drop-down menus for screening and coding. We will analyse the number of studies by practice, outcome, country, and year, and we will present the results as a searchable database with interactive geographical maps (an "evidence atlas") that will show knowledge gaps and knowledge clusters.

Management of UK priority invasive alien plants: a systematic review protocol

“…Our systematic review will make use of a new website for screening literature, extracting data, and presenting dynamic meta-analyses (http://www.metad atase t.com) [15]. We aim to use this website to host multiple systematic reviews, using the current systematic review as a proof-of-concept.…”

“…Although we did not engage directly with Defra, this protocol has been developed in response to their consultation on the management of priority invasive alien species in England and Wales. A previous systematic map protocol published in Environmental Evidence was used as the basis for this protocol [15].…”

Comparison of Fructose and Glycerol as Plasticizers in Cassava Bioplastic Production

“…Cassava (Manihot esculenta), or manioc, mandioca, and yuca, is a woody perennial in the family (Euphorbiaceae) is a staple crop in the tropics important for food security as stated by Shackelford et al [8].…”

“…According to Waisundara, the plant can be grown throughout the year and is known to exist under severe climates and soils that are not fertile [9]. Shackelford et al further adds that cassava also has a high yield of up to 60t/ha [8]. Because of these benefits, improvements in cassava quality, sustainability, and yield could be important for food security especially in Africa, where the projected population in 2050 is expected to double as explained by the United Nations (UN) [10].…”

Are farmers using cropping system intensification technologies experiencing poverty reduction in the Great Lakes Region of Africa?

“…This was due to decades of episodes of civil strikes, conflicts, wars, and political instability that devastated much of these countries’ physical, social, and human capital since the 1990s until 2005 (Sanginga, 2006; Vanlauwe, Astern, & Blaume, 2014). As a result, agricultural productivity remained very low and poverty became prevalent (Kintché et al, 2017; Shackelford et al, 2018; USAID, 2015). As the region started to emerge out of the protracted conflicts that had disrupted the agricultural system, and the political instability in the region subsided in the mid‐2000s, three independent CGIAR centers (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and Bioversity International) came together to revive the agricultural system by establishing a research and development project called the Consortium for Improving Agricultural‐based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA).…”