Characterization of Small-Scale Farmers and Assessment of Their Access to Crop Production Information in Selected Counties of Kenya

Small-scale farming accounts for 78% of total agricultural production in Kenya and contributes to 23.5% of the country’s GDP. Their crop production activities are mostly rainfed subsistence with any surplus being sold to bring in some income. Timely decisions on farm practices such as farm preparation and planting are critical determinants of the seasonal outcomes. In Kenya, most small-scale farmers have no reliable source of information that would help them make timely and accurate decisions. County governments have extension officers who are mandated with giving farmers advisory services to farmers but they are not able to reach most farmers due to facilitation constraints. The mode and format of sharing information is also critical since it’s important to ensure that it’s timely, well-understood and usable. This study sought to assess access to geospatial derived and other crop production information by farmers in four selected counties of Kenya. Specific objectives were to determine the profile of small-scale farmers in terms of age, education and farm size;to determine the type of information that is made available to them by County and Sub-County extension officers including the format and mode of provision;and to determine if the information provided was useful in terms of accuracy, timeliness and adequacy. The results indicated that over 80% of the farmers were over 35 years of age and over 56% were male. Majority had attained primary education (34%) or secondary education (29%) and most farmers in all the counties grew maize (71%). Notably, fellow farmers were a source of information (71%) with the frequency of sharing information being mostly seasonal (37%) and when information was available (43%). Over 66% of interviewed farmers indicating that they faced challenges while using provided information. The results from the study are insightful and helpful in determining effective ways of providing farmers with useful information to ensure maximum benefits.

Kenyan Counties Geospatial Data Knowledge to Monitor Crop Production

Climate change effects have had negative effects on most farmers, both small and large-scale, with weather patterns increasingly becoming unpredictable, such that farmers are unable to plan well for their farming, resulting in reduced harvests and sometimes losses for farmers. Better availability of information such as weather patterns, suitable crops, nutrient requirements based on soil types and conditions would greatly alleviate these challenges. While geospatial information is being developed and improved continuously by researchers, its accessibility and use by the counties has not been established and cannot be identified as contributing to better crop production outcomes. The aim of this study, therefore, was to assess the awareness and status of geospatial data availability and use for crop production, and the level of the relevant capacities, both human and infrastructural, in selected Counties of Kenya. A survey was conducted in the four counties of Vihiga, Kilifi, Wajir and Nyeri and key informant interviews were conducted with both management and technical County Agricultural Officers, as well as sub-county agricultural extension officers. From the results of the survey, out of the four counties, only one has adequate infrastructure in terms of hard-ware, software and connectivity to conduct useful geospatial data acquisition and processing. While most indicated awareness of the existence of geospatial data, limited resources, low skills and knowledge have restricted any meaningful sourcing of and access to data, with only 38% moderately or highly skilled in acquisition, 48% in processing and 57% in interpretation and use of geospatial data. The study concludes that moderate skills and capacities available within the counties have considerable potential to make use the available geospatial data to inform farmers accordingly and improve their farming outcomes.

Changes in Rainfall and Temperature and Its Impact on Crop Production in Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone

Rainfall and temperature are the important variables that are often used to trace climate variability and change. A Perception study and analysis of climatic data were conducted to assess the changes in rainfall and temperature and their impact on crop production in Moyamba district, Sierra Leone. For the perception study, 400 farmers were randomly selected from Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) in 4 chiefdoms and 30 Agricultural Extension Workers (AWEs) in the Moyamba district were purposely selected as respondents. Descriptive statistics and Kendall’s test of concordance was used to analyze the data collected from the farmers and AEWs. Data for the analysis of variability and trends of rainfall and temperature from 1991 to 2020 were obtained from the Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency and Njala University and grouped into monthly, seasonal and annual time series. Regression analyses were used to determine the statistical values and trend lines for the seasonal and annual time series data. The Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s Slope Estimator were used to analyze the significance and magnitude of the trends respectively. The results of both studies show evidence of climate change in the Moyamba district. A substantial number of farmers and AEWs perceived a decrease in the annual rainfall amount, length of the rainy season, a late start and end of the rainy season, an increase in the temperature during the day and night, and a shortened harmattan period over the last 30 years. Analysis of the meteorological data shows evidence of variability in the seasonal and annual distribution of rainfall and temperature, a decreasing and non-significant trend in the rainy season and annual rainfall and an increasing and significant trend in seasonal and annual temperature from 1991 to 2020. However, the observed changes in rainfall and temperature by the farmers and AEWs partially agree with the results of the analyzed meteorological data. The majority of the farmers perceived that;adverse weather conditions have negatively affected crop production in the district. Droughts, high temperatures, and irregular rainfall are the three major adverse weather events that farmers perceived to have contributed to a substantial loss in the yields of the major crops cultivated in the district. In response to the negative effects of adverse weather events, a substantial number of farmers take no action due to their lack of knowledge, technical or financial capacity to implement climate-sensitive agricultural (CSA) practices. Even though few farmers are practicing some CSA practices on their farms, there is an urgent need to build the capacity of farmers and AEWs to adapt to and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The most priority support needed by farmers is the provision of climate-resilient crop varieties whilst the AEWs need training on CSA practices.

Vulnerability assessment of crop production to climate change across Northwest China during 1995–2014

Crop production vulnerability to climate change in Northwest China depends upon multiple socio-ecological factors.Knowledge regarding the specific indicators and methods suitable for assessing crop production vulnerability is limited that address spatiotemporal variations across large and diverse zones.We propose an integrated assessment framework to quantify the vulnerability of crop production derived from crop yield sensitivity,exposure,and adaptive consequences across 338 counties in Northwest China during 1995–2014.Maps on these indices were generated using climatic and socioeconomic data with spatial mapping method.Different clusters of crop production vulnerability were then identified by a k-means cluster method to assess the heterogeneity of vulnerability at a regional scale.Results show that the vulnerability of crop production in 338 counties varies significantly in both geographical and socioeconomic aspects,specifically,vulnerability indicators are generally higher in Minhe,Menyuan,Hualong,and Ledu,and Xayar had the lowest value of vulnerability.This indicates that adaptation strategies for regional crop production need to focus on several levels,from the improvement of adaptive ability to crop yield fluctuation by promoting irrigation agriculture and optimizing limited water resources in typical arid areas,to agriculture-related financial policies incentivizing the capital investment and technology upgrade of crop production on traditional farming regions.This study provides convincing evidence that the factors related to socioeconomic policies are particularly alarming when a crop’s risk is compared to precipitation fluctuations.We recommend these findings be used to facilitate regional agriculture planning to reduce crop production vulnerability and ensure sustainable food security in specific regions.

Systematic Synthesis of Impacts of Climate Change on China's Crop Production System

Global climate change is real and already taking place. The most recent Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergov- ernmental Panel on Climate Change （IPCC AR5） stated that global land and ocean surface temperature increased by 0.85℃ over the period of 1880 to 2012 （IPCC Climate Change 2013）. China is among the most affected countries by global climate change.

Research Progress on the Growth-Promoting Effect of Plant Biostimulants on Crops

A Plant Biostimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants to enhance nutrition efficiency,abioticstress tolerance,and/or crop quality traits,regardless of its nutrient content.The application of Plant biostimulants(PBs)in production can reduce the application of traditional pesticides and chemical fertilizers and improvethe quality and yield of crops,which is conducive to the sustainable development of agriculture.An in-depthunderstanding of the mechanism and effect of various PBs is very important for how to apply PBs reasonablyand effectively in the practice of crop production.This paper summarizes the main classification of PBs;Thegrowth promotion mechanism of PBs was analyzed from four aspects:improving soil physical and chemical properties,enhancing crop nutrient absorption capacity,photosynthesis capacity,and abiotic stress tolerance;At thesame time,the effects of PBs application on seed germination,seedling vigor,crop yield,and quality were summarized;Finally,how to continue to explore and study the use and mechanism of PBs in the future is analyzedand prospected,to better guide the application of PBs in crop production in the future.

Microplastic Can Decrease Enzyme Activities and Microbes in Soil

An in vitro study was conducted to investigate the impacts of microplastics on enzyme activities and soil bacteria. The study included four different treatments of microplastics including a control. Different levels of microplastics were applied to the soil ranging from 0% to 5%, to assess the impacts of microplastics on soil enzymes and subsequent soil bacteria. After 30 days of incubation, the soil samples were collected and growth parameters of bacteria were assessed. Activities of β-glucosidase, urease and dehydrogenase enzymes were also determined. Our results showed that the presence of microplastics in the soil significantly reduced bacterial population together with bacterial strains. The activities of β-glucosidase, urease and dehydrogenase enzymes were reduced significantly to approximately 32%, 40% and 50% in microplastics treated soils respectively. Concentration of microplastic has a role to play towards this direction;the higher the concentration of microplastic the greater is the impact on enzymes and soil bacteria. The present study on the microbial soil health vis-à-vis microplastic application indicates that the material can have negative effect on the soil bacterial population of and thus ultimately may jeopardize soil health and crop production.

Development and evaluation of low-altitude remote sensing systems for crop production management

Precision agriculture accounts for within-field variability for targeted treatment rather than uniform treatment of an entire field.It is built on agricultural mechanization and state-of-the-art technologies of geographical information systems(GIS),global positioning systems(GPS)and remote sensing,and is used to monitor soil,crop growth,weed infestation,insects,diseases,and water status in farm fields to provide data and information to guide agricultural management practices.Precision agriculture began with mapping of crop fields at different scales to support agricultural planning and decision making.With the development of variable-rate technology,precision agriculture focuses more on tactical actions in controlling variable-rate seeding,fertilizer and pesticide application,and irrigation in real-time or within the crop season instead of mapping a field in one crop season to make decisions for the next crop season.With the development of aerial variable-rate systems,low-altitude airborne systems can provide high-resolution data for prescription variable-rate operations.Airborne systems for multispectral imaging using a number of imaging sensors(cameras)were developed.Unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)provide a unique platform for remote sensing of crop fields at slow speeds and low-altitudes,and they are efficient and more flexible than manned agricultural airplanes,which often cannot provide images at both low altitude and low speed for capture of high-quality images.UAVs are also more universal in their applicability than agricultural aircraft since the latter are used only in specific regions.This study presents the low-altitude remote sensing systems developed for detection of crop stress caused by multiple factors.UAVs,as a special platform,were discussed for crop sensing based on the researchers'studies.

Overview of emerging technologies in sprinkler irrigation to optimize crop production

Water saving is an essential part of sprinkler irrigation owing to the impact of climate change and rising energy costs.This review highlights the technologies that are emerging in sprinkler irrigation to optimize crop production.While there have been notable advances in irrigation,the continued progress has occurred by the combination of current status with the postulation of new ideas such as conversion of high-pressure sprinkler to low-pressure ones,incorporation of smart controllers in sprinkler irrigation systems.To enhance the adoption of these technologies,research on the dispersion device is needed to improve the performance of impact sprinklers to efficiently operate at low-pressure conditions.It is also important to study how water savings estimates based on water use,irrigated area,longevity of saving,and level of wasteful irrigation prior to the retrofit obtained from field trials can be extrapolated to other areas with different conditions.Research in the development of optimized method for irrigation scheduling is necessary.This review emphasizes that the status of technologies should be considered a continuum,building on earlier knowledge and progress,and hopefully leading toward optimized crop production in sprinkler irrigated areas.

Optimized Deep Learning Methods for Crop Yield Prediction

Crop yield has been predicted using environmental,land,water,and crop characteristics in a prospective research design.When it comes to predicting crop production,there are a number of factors to consider,including weather con-ditions,soil qualities,water levels and the location of the farm.A broad variety of algorithms based on deep learning are used to extract useful crops for forecasting.The combination of data mining and deep learning creates a whole crop yield pre-diction system that is able to connect raw data to predicted crop yields.The sug-gested study uses a Discrete Deep belief network with Visual Geometry Group(VGG)Net classification method over the tweak chick swarm optimization approach to estimate agricultural production.The Network’s successively stacked layers were fed the data parameters.Based on the input parameters,a crop produc-tion prediction environment is constructed using the network architecture.Using the tweak chick swarm optimization technique,the best characteristics of input data are preprocessed,and the optimal output is used as input for the classification process.Discrete Deep belief network with the Visual Geometry Group Net clas-sifier is used to classify the data and forecast agricultural production.The sug-gested model correctly predicts crop output with 97 percent accuracy,exceeding existing models by maintaining the baseline data distribution.

Evaluation on Explicit Dominance of Production and Development of Crops Based on Theory of Comparative Advantage——A Case Study of Wengyuan County

This article offers an overview of crop production in Wengyuan County:the growing area of rice is the biggest followed by sugarcane and the growing area of mulberry,Sanhua plum and Jiuxian peach is small;the annual output of sugarcane is the biggest followed by rice,the annual output of mulberry ranks NO.3,and the output of Sanhua plum and Jiuxian peach is the lowest,but the annual output of them is very close.In accordance with evaluation indicator system concerning explicit dominance of production and development of crops,coupled with data analysis,we determine the explicit dominance of the main crops in Wengyuan County.The results show that the normalized explicit dominance of rice,sugarcane,mulberry,Sanhua plum and Jiuxian peach in Wengyuan County is 0.23,0.94,0.33,0.22 and 0.46,respectively;in Wengyuan County,the sugarcane is fit to expand the scale,the mulberry and Jiuxian peach are relatively fit to expand the scale,and the rice and Sanhua plum are not fit to expand the scale.

Multiple cropping and soil fertility in sustainable production of paddy fields

Multiple cropping has been popularized on morethan two thirds of the total area of paddy fields inSouth China.It demands more nutrients due tohigher cropping index.Therefore,how to keepmoderately higher yields of multiple crops and to

Multiple pollutants from crop and livestock production in the Yangtze River: status and challenges

The rapid increase in the proportion of cash crops and livestock production in the Yangtze River Basin has led to commensurate increases in fertilizer and pesticide inputs. Excessive application of chemical fertilizer, organophosphorus pesticides and inappropriate disposal of agricultural waste induced water pollution and potentially threaten Agriculture Green Development(AGD). To ensure food security and the food supply capacity of the Yangtze River Basin, it is important to balance green and development, while ensuring the quality of water bodies. Multiple pollutants affect the transfer, adsorption, photolysis and degradation of each other throughout the soil-plant-water system. This paper considers the impact of multi-pollutants on the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles especially for crops, which are related to achieving food security and AGD. It presents prospective on theory, modeling and multi-pollutant control in the Yangtze River Basin for AGD that are of potential value for other developing regions.

Studies on GIS Based Tracing and Traceability of Safe Crop Product in China

The safety of safe crop products （SCP） is critical to maintain people＇s health and living standard. With the global efforts on the improvement of the traceability of food products, it is inevitable to establish corresponding traceability systems to monitor the safety of crop products in China. In this article, the supply chain pattern of SCP in China has been analyzed and its spatial characters have been described in detail. The study deals with on how to relate traceability technology with GIS, and on how to trace and retrace the safety of SCP using the function of excellent spatial representation, spatial locating, and spatial analysis provided in GIS, which has been discussed from several aspects, such as coding technique of traceability information, transferring technique of traceability information, spatialization of traceability information, and application integration of traceability system. A pilot study was carried out to present the basic functions of the system, which provided an efficient and credible way to trace and retrace the safety of SCP in a real supply chain. An innovative idea has been brought forward for how to establish an efficient, credible, applied traceability system of SCP.

Applying Technique Assembly to Raise the Production Level of Mechanized Agriculture

On the basis of accomplishment obtained in the course of mechanized crop production owing to the progress of science and technology,the authors propose further in this paper the target and prineiples of technique assembly in agricultural production.A typical high yield model of technique assembly for soybean and wheat production is given as an example.

摩天大厦型作物工厂——保障城市食物快速增长需求的作物高效生产系统

Vertical farming systems,such as sky farms,are a potential type of agricultural system for stable and effective food production.Here,we highlight the potential of the sky farm,denoted as the“skyscraper crop factory”(SCF),for cereal crop production and discuss some nascent technologies that would be applied in this production system.SCFs are ideal crop-production systems for increasing the effective arable area for crops and ensuring food security in times of crises that cause a shock in global trade.They can also provide food in urban areas to meet producers’and consumers’demands for the increased nutrition,taste,and safe production of cereal crops.Moreover,as their use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions,SCFs could be a sustainable addition to conventional agricultural crop production.

Effects of different organic fertilizers on nitrous oxide and methane emissions from double-cropping rice fields

Rice fields are a major source of greenhouse gases,such as nitrous oxide (N_(2)O) and methane (CH_(4)).Organic fertilizers may potentially replace inorganic fertilizers to meet the nitrogen requirement for rice growth;however,the simultaneous effects of organic fertilizers on N_(2)O and CH_(4)emissions and crop yield in paddy fields remain poorly understood and quantified.In this study,experimental plots were established in conventional double-cropping paddy fields in the Pearl River Delta,China,including an unfertilized control and five fertilizer treatments with fresh organic fertilizer (FOF),successively composted organic fertilizer (SOF),chemically composted organic fertilizer (COF),COF supplemented with inorganic fertilizer (COIF),and chemical fertilizers (CFs)(TFOF,TSOF,TCOF,TCOIF,and TCF,respectively).Paddy field soils behaved simultaneously as an N_(2)O sink (cumulative N_(2)O emission:-196 to-381 g N ha^(-1)) and as a CH_(4)source (cumulative CH_(4)emission:719 to 2 178 kg ha^(-1)).Compared to CFs,the effects of organic fertilizers on N_(2)O emission were not significant.In contrast,total annual CH_(4)emission increased by 157%,132%,125%,and 37%in TFOF,TCOF,TSOF,and TCOIF,respectively,compared to TCF.In TCOIF,rice yield was maintained,while CH_(4)emission was not significantly increased from the paddy fields characterized by a prolonged flood period.An important next step is to extend these field-based measurements to larger rice cultivation areas to quantify the regional and national-scale impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and to help determine the optimum practice for fertilizer use.

Effects of organic fertilizers produced using different techniques on rice grain yield and ammonia volatilization in double-cropping rice fields

Ammonia(NH_(3)) volatilization from rice fields contributes to poor air quality and indicates low nitrogen use efficiency. Although organic fertilizers can meet the nitrogen requirement for rice growth, the simultaneous effects of organic fertilizers on NH_(3) volatilization and rice yield in paddy fields are poorly understood and quantified. To address this gap in our knowledge, experimental field plots were established in a conventional double-cropping paddy field in the Pearl River Delta region, southern China. Five fertilizer treatments were used besides the control with no fertilizer: fresh organic fertilizer, successively composted organic fertilizer, chemically composted organic fertilizer, mixture of chemically composted organic fertilizer with inorganic fertilizer, and chemical fertilizer. Ammonia volatilization was measured using a batch-type airflow enclosure method. No significant differences in grain yield were observed among organic and chemical fertilizer treatments. However, compared with chemical fertilizer, chemically composted organic fertilizer and successively composted organic fertilizer significantly decreased total NH_(3) volatilization by 70% and 68%, respectively. The ammonium-nitrogen concentration in field surface water correlated strongly(P < 0.01) and positively with NH_(3) volatilization across fertilization treatments. Our findings demonstrate that chemically composted organic fertilizer can sustain rice yield while reducing NH_(3) volatilization. An important future step is to promote these field measurements to similar rice cultivation areas to quantify the regional-and national-scale impact on air quality and nitrogen deposition in sensitive areas, and to design and implement better fertilizer management practices.

Salt stress responses in foxtail millet:Physiological and molecular regulation

Foxtail millet(Setaria italica L.),a member of the Paniceae family,is a temperate and tropical grass species that is widely cultivated on the Eurasian continent.It is Chinese in origin and possesses a small genome,short growth cycle,and strong natural abiotic stress resistance.Elucidating the mechanism of millet tolerance to salt stress is becoming increasingly important with increasing soil salinization limiting crop productivity.The responses and mechanisms of tolerance to salt stress from other model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice,were compared with those from foxtail millet to summarize current research on responses to salt stress.Numerous processes are involved in these processes,including physiological reactions,sensing,signaling,and control at the transcriptional,post-transcriptional,and epigenetic levels.To increase crop productivity and agricultural sustainability,a variety of technologies can be used to investigate how salt tolerance is mediated by physiological and molecular processes in foxtail millet.

Silicon and Nitric Oxide-Mediated Regulation of Growth Attributes, Metabolites and Antioxidant Defense System of Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) under Arsenic Stress

Arsenic(As)contaminated food chains have emerged as a serious public concern for humans and animals and are known to affect the cultivation of edible crops throughout the world.Therefore,the present study was designed to investigate the individual as well as the combined effects of exogenous silicon(Si)and sodium nitroprusside(SNP),a nitric oxide(NO)donor,on plant growth,metabolites,and antioxidant defense systems of radish(Raphanus sativus L.)plants under three different concentrations of As stress,i.e.,0.3,0.5,and 0.7 mM in a pot experiment.The results showed that As stress reduced the growth parameters of radish plants by increasing the level of oxidative stress markers,i.e.,malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide.However,foliar application of Si(2 mM)and pretreatment with SNP(100μM)alone as well as in combination with Si improved the plant growth parameters,i.e.,root length,fresh and dry weight of plants under As stress.Furthermore,As stress also reduced protein,and metabolites contents(flavonoids,phenolic and anthocyanin).Activities of antioxidative enzymes such as catalase(CAT),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),guaiacol peroxidase(POD),and polyphenol oxidase(PPO),as well as the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants(glutathione and ascorbic acid)decreased under As stress.In most of the parameters in radish,As III concentration showed maximum reduction,as compared to As I and II concentrations.However,the individual and combined application of Si and NO significantly alleviated the As-mediated oxidative stress in radish plants by increasing the protein,and metabolites content.Enhancement in the activities of CAT,APX,POD and PPO enzymes were recorded.Contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid were also enhanced in response to co-application of Si and NO under As stress.Results obtained were more pronounced when Si and NO were applied in combination under As stress,as compared to their individual application.In short,the current study highlights that Si and NO synergistically regulate plant growth through lowering the As-mediated oxidative stress by upregulating the metabolites content,activity of antioxidative enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants in radish plants.