Presentation at the 53rd annual meeting of ATBC in June 2016 in Montpellier.
Abstract
The landscape of Central Menabe in West Madagascar is characterised by dry deciduous forest, but deforestation puts pressure on this ecosystem. Subsistence slash-and-burn agriculture is considered to be one of the main drivers of deforestation. Its impact on the local ecosystem and livelihoods highlights the need for alternative and hopefully more sustainable cultivation. Research has proven that the inclusion of local knowledge in the design of an intervention seeking to bring about changes in farmers’ practices is useful. It reveals factors influencing farmers’ decisions that might have been otherwise overlooked by academics, yet might be crucial for changing the local stakeholders’ management practices.
This study is embedded in a larger project seeking to introduce a compost, made from local trees and combined with ashes in slash-and-burn cultivation, that would help maintaining soil fertility and therefore reducing the need for new land from the forest by the farmers. On the side of the soil analysis and field trials, we conducted a survey of the farmers’ local ecological knowledge on soil fertility and other soil properties relevant to yield.
This study relies on a set of repeated interviews with farmers from a village in the study area. The collected knowledge was recorded in a knowledge base according to the formal grammar of the ‘Agro-ecological knowledge toolkit’ software.
Based on the information gathered, we provide an insight into the nature of farmers’ knowledge and their perception of the ecological system they live in. This analysis allowed the identification of determining factors that drive their decisions. In spite of the importance of soil fertility, weed management appeared to be the more relevant factor urging farmers to shift their fields and clear new forest patches. As long as the dominating problem of weed management is not addressed, farmers will probably not adopt the compost as a novel technique to ensure longer cultivation periods on the same field.
Based on our findings, we argue that future research needs to widen its scope in order to integrate the needs, constraints and aspirations of the local actors, if changes in natural resource management are to be adopted in practice. The elicitation of local knowledge is a good place to begin.
The document discusses a project called Climate Change, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation (CCAPA) that trains small-scale farmers in Tanzania's Chamwino District on advocacy and climate-smart agricultural practices. Through workshops, over 280 farmers identified key issues around adopting these practices and formed an advocacy group. The farmers are calling on decision makers to integrate climate-smart technologies into village and district agricultural plans to improve livelihoods and food security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project aims to put small-scale farmers at the center of policies that support the adoption of sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
The document discusses a research project called CoForTips that was funded by several national funders as part of the 2012 BiodivERsA call for research proposals. It also mentions that the research was additionally supported by the CoForSet project, which was funded by the FRB 2013 call for research proposals on scenarios of biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa. The project explores coupling social and ecological drivers to examine alternative futures for the forests of the Congo Basin from 2000 to 2050.
Agriculture is a primary activity that involves growing crops and raising livestock. It requires significant amounts of water to produce common foods - 3 gallons for a serving of tomatoes, 6 gallons for french fries, and 1,300 gallons for a hamburger. There are different types of agriculture including subsistence farming where all outputs are consumed by the family, commercial farming where all outputs are sold in the market, and pastoral farming which is rearing animals. An agricultural system involves inputs like fertilizer and seeds which are processed through activities like plowing, sowing, and growing and eventually outputs are harvested.
CoPalCam - The Resilience of the Palm Oil Supply Chain in CameroonClaude Garcia
Participatory modeling, stakeholder engagement and capacity building through role playing games. Presented by E.Fauvelle at the ScenNet 2016 Conference in August, Montpellier. https://scennet2016.sciencesconf.org/
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
The document discusses a project called Climate Change, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation (CCAPA) that trains small-scale farmers in Tanzania's Chamwino District on advocacy and climate-smart agricultural practices. Through workshops, over 280 farmers identified key issues around adopting these practices and formed an advocacy group. The farmers are calling on decision makers to integrate climate-smart technologies into village and district agricultural plans to improve livelihoods and food security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project aims to put small-scale farmers at the center of policies that support the adoption of sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
The document discusses a research project called CoForTips that was funded by several national funders as part of the 2012 BiodivERsA call for research proposals. It also mentions that the research was additionally supported by the CoForSet project, which was funded by the FRB 2013 call for research proposals on scenarios of biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa. The project explores coupling social and ecological drivers to examine alternative futures for the forests of the Congo Basin from 2000 to 2050.
Agriculture is a primary activity that involves growing crops and raising livestock. It requires significant amounts of water to produce common foods - 3 gallons for a serving of tomatoes, 6 gallons for french fries, and 1,300 gallons for a hamburger. There are different types of agriculture including subsistence farming where all outputs are consumed by the family, commercial farming where all outputs are sold in the market, and pastoral farming which is rearing animals. An agricultural system involves inputs like fertilizer and seeds which are processed through activities like plowing, sowing, and growing and eventually outputs are harvested.
CoPalCam - The Resilience of the Palm Oil Supply Chain in CameroonClaude Garcia
Participatory modeling, stakeholder engagement and capacity building through role playing games. Presented by E.Fauvelle at the ScenNet 2016 Conference in August, Montpellier. https://scennet2016.sciencesconf.org/
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies.EpconLP
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies. With over 4000 installations worldwide, EPCON has been pioneering new techniques since 1977 that have become industry standards now. Founded in 1977, Epcon has grown from a one-man operation to a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative air pollution control technology and industrial heating equipment.
Kinetic studies on malachite green dye adsorption from aqueous solutions by A...Open Access Research Paper
Water polluted by dyestuffs compounds is a global threat to health and the environment; accordingly, we prepared a green novel sorbent chemical and Physical system from an algae, chitosan and chitosan nanoparticle and impregnated with algae with chitosan nanocomposite for the sorption of Malachite green dye from water. The algae with chitosan nanocomposite by a simple method and used as a recyclable and effective adsorbent for the removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions. Algae, chitosan, chitosan nanoparticle and algae with chitosan nanocomposite were characterized using different physicochemical methods. The functional groups and chemical compounds found in algae, chitosan, chitosan algae, chitosan nanoparticle, and chitosan nanoparticle with algae were identified using FTIR, SEM, and TGADTA/DTG techniques. The optimal adsorption conditions, different dosages, pH and Temperature the amount of algae with chitosan nanocomposite were determined. At optimized conditions and the batch equilibrium studies more than 99% of the dye was removed. The adsorption process data matched well kinetics showed that the reaction order for dye varied with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity of the algae with chitosan nanocomposite toward malachite green dye reached as high as 15.5mg/g, respectively. Finally, multiple times reusing of algae with chitosan nanocomposite and removing dye from a real wastewater has made it a promising and attractive option for further practical applications.
ENVIRONMENT~ Renewable Energy Sources and their future prospects.tiwarimanvi3129
This presentation is for us to know that how our Environment need Attention for protection of our natural resources which are depleted day by day that's why we need to take time and shift our attention to renewable energy sources instead of non-renewable sources which are better and Eco-friendly for our environment. these renewable energy sources are so helpful for our planet and for every living organism which depends on environment.
Microbial characterisation and identification, and potability of River Kuywa ...Open Access Research Paper
Water contamination is one of the major causes of water borne diseases worldwide. In Kenya, approximately 43% of people lack access to potable water due to human contamination. River Kuywa water is currently experiencing contamination due to human activities. Its water is widely used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and recreational purposes. This study aimed at characterizing bacteria and fungi in river Kuywa water. Water samples were randomly collected from four sites of the river: site A (Matisi), site B (Ngwelo), site C (Nzoia water pump) and site D (Chalicha), during the dry season (January-March 2018) and wet season (April-July 2018) and were transported to Maseno University Microbiology and plant pathology laboratory for analysis. The characterization and identification of bacteria and fungi were carried out using standard microbiological techniques. Nine bacterial genera and three fungi were identified from Kuywa river water. Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Shigella spp., Proteus spp. and Salmonella spp. Fungi were Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus complex and Penicillium species. Wet season recorded highest bacterial and fungal counts (6.61-7.66 and 3.83-6.75cfu/ml) respectively. The results indicated that the river Kuywa water is polluted and therefore unsafe for human consumption before treatment. It is therefore recommended that the communities to ensure that they boil water especially for drinking.
Evolving Lifecycles with High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) and 3-D...Joshua Orris
The incorporation of a 3DCSM and completion of HRSC provided a tool for enhanced, data-driven, decisions to support a change in remediation closure strategies. Currently, an approved pilot study has been obtained to shut-down the remediation systems (ISCO, P&T) and conduct a hydraulic study under non-pumping conditions. A separate micro-biological bench scale treatability study was competed that yielded positive results for an emerging innovative technology. As a result, a field pilot study has commenced with results expected in nine-twelve months. With the results of the hydraulic study, field pilot studies and an updated risk assessment leading site monitoring optimization cost lifecycle savings upwards of $15MM towards an alternatively evolved best available technology remediation closure strategy.
Optimizing Post Remediation Groundwater Performance with Enhanced Microbiolog...Joshua Orris
Results of geophysics and pneumatic injection pilot tests during 2003 – 2007 yielded significant positive results for injection delivery design and contaminant mass treatment, resulting in permanent shut-down of an existing groundwater Pump & Treat system.
Accessible source areas were subsequently removed (2011) by soil excavation and treated with the placement of Emulsified Vegetable Oil EVO and zero-valent iron ZVI to accelerate treatment of impacted groundwater in overburden and weathered fractured bedrock. Post pilot test and post remediation groundwater monitoring has included analyses of CVOCs, organic fatty acids, dissolved gases and QuantArray® -Chlor to quantify key microorganisms (e.g., Dehalococcoides, Dehalobacter, etc.) and functional genes (e.g., vinyl chloride reductase, methane monooxygenase, etc.) to assess potential for reductive dechlorination and aerobic cometabolism of CVOCs.
In 2022, the first commercial application of MetaArray™ was performed at the site. MetaArray™ utilizes statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis and multivariate analysis to provide evidence that reductive dechlorination is active or even that it is slowing. This creates actionable data allowing users to save money by making important site management decisions earlier.
The results of the MetaArray™ analysis’ support vector machine (SVM) identified groundwater monitoring wells with a 80% confidence that were characterized as either Limited for Reductive Decholorination or had a High Reductive Reduction Dechlorination potential. The results of MetaArray™ will be used to further optimize the site’s post remediation monitoring program for monitored natural attenuation.
Recycling and Disposal on SWM Raymond Einyu pptxRayLetai1
Increasing urbanization, rural–urban migration, rising standards of living, and rapid development associated with population growth have resulted in increased solid waste generation by industrial, domestic and other activities in Nairobi City. It has been noted in other contexts too that increasing population, changing consumption patterns, economic development, changing income, urbanization and industrialization all contribute to the increased generation of waste.
With the increasing urban population in Kenya, which is estimated to be growing at a rate higher than that of the country’s general population, waste generation and management is already a major challenge. The industrialization and urbanization process in the country, dominated by one major city – Nairobi, which has around four times the population of the next largest urban centre (Mombasa) – has witnessed an exponential increase in the generation of solid waste. It is projected that by 2030, about 50 per cent of the Kenyan population will be urban.
Aim:
A healthy, safe, secure and sustainable solid waste management system fit for a world – class city.
Improve and protect the public health of Nairobi residents and visitors.
Ecological health, diversity and productivity and maximize resource recovery through the participatory approach.
Goals:
Build awareness and capacity for source separation as essential components of sustainable waste management.
Build new environmentally sound infrastructure and systems for safe disposal of residual waste and replacing current dumpsites which should be commissioned.
Current solid waste management situation:
The status.
Solid waste generation rate is at 2240 tones / day
collection efficiently is at about 50%.
Actors i.e. city authorities, CBO’s , private firms and self-disposal
Current SWM Situation in Nairobi City:
Solid waste generation – collection – dumping
Good Practices:
• Separation – recycling – marketing.
• Open dumpsite dandora dump site through public education on source separation of waste, of which the situation can be reversed.
• Nairobi is one of the C40 cities in this respect , various actors in the solid waste management space have adopted a variety of technologies to reduce short lived climate pollutants including source separation , recycling , marketing of the recycled products.
• Through the network, it should expect to benefit from expertise of the different actors in the network in terms of applicable technologies and practices in reducing the short-lived climate pollutants.
Good practices:
Despite the dismal collection of solid waste in Nairobi city, there are practices and activities of informal actors (CBOs, CBO-SACCOs and yard shop operators) and other formal industrial actors on solid waste collection, recycling and waste reduction.
Practices and activities of these actor groups are viewed as innovations with the potential to change the way solid waste is handled.
CHALLENGES:
• Resource Allocation.
Climate Change All over the World .pptxsairaanwer024
Climate change refers to significant and lasting changes in the average weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It encompasses both global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. While climate change is a natural phenomenon, human activities, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, have accelerated its pace and intensity
Improving the viability of probiotics by encapsulation methods for developmen...Open Access Research Paper
The popularity of functional foods among scientists and common people has been increasing day by day. Awareness and modernization make the consumer think better regarding food and nutrition. Now a day’s individual knows very well about the relation between food consumption and disease prevalence. Humans have a diversity of microbes in the gut that together form the gut microflora. Probiotics are the health-promoting live microbial cells improve host health through gut and brain connection and fighting against harmful bacteria. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are the two bacterial genera which are considered to be probiotic. These good bacteria are facing challenges of viability. There are so many factors such as sensitivity to heat, pH, acidity, osmotic effect, mechanical shear, chemical components, freezing and storage time as well which affects the viability of probiotics in the dairy food matrix as well as in the gut. Multiple efforts have been done in the past and ongoing in present for these beneficial microbial population stability until their destination in the gut. One of a useful technique known as microencapsulation makes the probiotic effective in the diversified conditions and maintain these microbe’s community to the optimum level for achieving targeted benefits. Dairy products are found to be an ideal vehicle for probiotic incorporation. It has been seen that the encapsulated microbial cells show higher viability than the free cells in different processing and storage conditions as well as against bile salts in the gut. They make the food functional when incorporated, without affecting the product sensory characteristics.
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
Creative operations teams expect increased AI use in 2024. Currently, over half of tasks are not AI-enabled, but this is expected to decrease in the coming year. ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool currently. Business leaders are more actively exploring AI benefits than individual contributors. Most respondents do not believe AI will impact workforce size in 2024. However, some inhibitions still exist around AI accuracy and lack of understanding. Creatives primarily want to use AI to save time on mundane tasks and boost productivity.
Organizational culture includes values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits that influence employee behaviors and how people interpret those behaviors. It is important because culture can help or hinder a company's success. Some key aspects of Netflix's culture that help it achieve results include hiring smartly so every position has stars, focusing on attitude over just aptitude, and having a strict policy against peacocks, whiners, and jerks.
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies.EpconLP
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies. With over 4000 installations worldwide, EPCON has been pioneering new techniques since 1977 that have become industry standards now. Founded in 1977, Epcon has grown from a one-man operation to a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative air pollution control technology and industrial heating equipment.
Kinetic studies on malachite green dye adsorption from aqueous solutions by A...Open Access Research Paper
Water polluted by dyestuffs compounds is a global threat to health and the environment; accordingly, we prepared a green novel sorbent chemical and Physical system from an algae, chitosan and chitosan nanoparticle and impregnated with algae with chitosan nanocomposite for the sorption of Malachite green dye from water. The algae with chitosan nanocomposite by a simple method and used as a recyclable and effective adsorbent for the removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions. Algae, chitosan, chitosan nanoparticle and algae with chitosan nanocomposite were characterized using different physicochemical methods. The functional groups and chemical compounds found in algae, chitosan, chitosan algae, chitosan nanoparticle, and chitosan nanoparticle with algae were identified using FTIR, SEM, and TGADTA/DTG techniques. The optimal adsorption conditions, different dosages, pH and Temperature the amount of algae with chitosan nanocomposite were determined. At optimized conditions and the batch equilibrium studies more than 99% of the dye was removed. The adsorption process data matched well kinetics showed that the reaction order for dye varied with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity of the algae with chitosan nanocomposite toward malachite green dye reached as high as 15.5mg/g, respectively. Finally, multiple times reusing of algae with chitosan nanocomposite and removing dye from a real wastewater has made it a promising and attractive option for further practical applications.
ENVIRONMENT~ Renewable Energy Sources and their future prospects.tiwarimanvi3129
This presentation is for us to know that how our Environment need Attention for protection of our natural resources which are depleted day by day that's why we need to take time and shift our attention to renewable energy sources instead of non-renewable sources which are better and Eco-friendly for our environment. these renewable energy sources are so helpful for our planet and for every living organism which depends on environment.
Microbial characterisation and identification, and potability of River Kuywa ...Open Access Research Paper
Water contamination is one of the major causes of water borne diseases worldwide. In Kenya, approximately 43% of people lack access to potable water due to human contamination. River Kuywa water is currently experiencing contamination due to human activities. Its water is widely used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and recreational purposes. This study aimed at characterizing bacteria and fungi in river Kuywa water. Water samples were randomly collected from four sites of the river: site A (Matisi), site B (Ngwelo), site C (Nzoia water pump) and site D (Chalicha), during the dry season (January-March 2018) and wet season (April-July 2018) and were transported to Maseno University Microbiology and plant pathology laboratory for analysis. The characterization and identification of bacteria and fungi were carried out using standard microbiological techniques. Nine bacterial genera and three fungi were identified from Kuywa river water. Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Shigella spp., Proteus spp. and Salmonella spp. Fungi were Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus complex and Penicillium species. Wet season recorded highest bacterial and fungal counts (6.61-7.66 and 3.83-6.75cfu/ml) respectively. The results indicated that the river Kuywa water is polluted and therefore unsafe for human consumption before treatment. It is therefore recommended that the communities to ensure that they boil water especially for drinking.
Evolving Lifecycles with High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) and 3-D...Joshua Orris
The incorporation of a 3DCSM and completion of HRSC provided a tool for enhanced, data-driven, decisions to support a change in remediation closure strategies. Currently, an approved pilot study has been obtained to shut-down the remediation systems (ISCO, P&T) and conduct a hydraulic study under non-pumping conditions. A separate micro-biological bench scale treatability study was competed that yielded positive results for an emerging innovative technology. As a result, a field pilot study has commenced with results expected in nine-twelve months. With the results of the hydraulic study, field pilot studies and an updated risk assessment leading site monitoring optimization cost lifecycle savings upwards of $15MM towards an alternatively evolved best available technology remediation closure strategy.
Optimizing Post Remediation Groundwater Performance with Enhanced Microbiolog...Joshua Orris
Results of geophysics and pneumatic injection pilot tests during 2003 – 2007 yielded significant positive results for injection delivery design and contaminant mass treatment, resulting in permanent shut-down of an existing groundwater Pump & Treat system.
Accessible source areas were subsequently removed (2011) by soil excavation and treated with the placement of Emulsified Vegetable Oil EVO and zero-valent iron ZVI to accelerate treatment of impacted groundwater in overburden and weathered fractured bedrock. Post pilot test and post remediation groundwater monitoring has included analyses of CVOCs, organic fatty acids, dissolved gases and QuantArray® -Chlor to quantify key microorganisms (e.g., Dehalococcoides, Dehalobacter, etc.) and functional genes (e.g., vinyl chloride reductase, methane monooxygenase, etc.) to assess potential for reductive dechlorination and aerobic cometabolism of CVOCs.
In 2022, the first commercial application of MetaArray™ was performed at the site. MetaArray™ utilizes statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis and multivariate analysis to provide evidence that reductive dechlorination is active or even that it is slowing. This creates actionable data allowing users to save money by making important site management decisions earlier.
The results of the MetaArray™ analysis’ support vector machine (SVM) identified groundwater monitoring wells with a 80% confidence that were characterized as either Limited for Reductive Decholorination or had a High Reductive Reduction Dechlorination potential. The results of MetaArray™ will be used to further optimize the site’s post remediation monitoring program for monitored natural attenuation.
Recycling and Disposal on SWM Raymond Einyu pptxRayLetai1
Increasing urbanization, rural–urban migration, rising standards of living, and rapid development associated with population growth have resulted in increased solid waste generation by industrial, domestic and other activities in Nairobi City. It has been noted in other contexts too that increasing population, changing consumption patterns, economic development, changing income, urbanization and industrialization all contribute to the increased generation of waste.
With the increasing urban population in Kenya, which is estimated to be growing at a rate higher than that of the country’s general population, waste generation and management is already a major challenge. The industrialization and urbanization process in the country, dominated by one major city – Nairobi, which has around four times the population of the next largest urban centre (Mombasa) – has witnessed an exponential increase in the generation of solid waste. It is projected that by 2030, about 50 per cent of the Kenyan population will be urban.
Aim:
A healthy, safe, secure and sustainable solid waste management system fit for a world – class city.
Improve and protect the public health of Nairobi residents and visitors.
Ecological health, diversity and productivity and maximize resource recovery through the participatory approach.
Goals:
Build awareness and capacity for source separation as essential components of sustainable waste management.
Build new environmentally sound infrastructure and systems for safe disposal of residual waste and replacing current dumpsites which should be commissioned.
Current solid waste management situation:
The status.
Solid waste generation rate is at 2240 tones / day
collection efficiently is at about 50%.
Actors i.e. city authorities, CBO’s , private firms and self-disposal
Current SWM Situation in Nairobi City:
Solid waste generation – collection – dumping
Good Practices:
• Separation – recycling – marketing.
• Open dumpsite dandora dump site through public education on source separation of waste, of which the situation can be reversed.
• Nairobi is one of the C40 cities in this respect , various actors in the solid waste management space have adopted a variety of technologies to reduce short lived climate pollutants including source separation , recycling , marketing of the recycled products.
• Through the network, it should expect to benefit from expertise of the different actors in the network in terms of applicable technologies and practices in reducing the short-lived climate pollutants.
Good practices:
Despite the dismal collection of solid waste in Nairobi city, there are practices and activities of informal actors (CBOs, CBO-SACCOs and yard shop operators) and other formal industrial actors on solid waste collection, recycling and waste reduction.
Practices and activities of these actor groups are viewed as innovations with the potential to change the way solid waste is handled.
CHALLENGES:
• Resource Allocation.
Climate Change All over the World .pptxsairaanwer024
Climate change refers to significant and lasting changes in the average weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It encompasses both global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. While climate change is a natural phenomenon, human activities, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, have accelerated its pace and intensity
Improving the viability of probiotics by encapsulation methods for developmen...Open Access Research Paper
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ATBC 2016 - If soil fertility is not the problem, compost is not the solution
1. Explore local ecological knowledge to understand farmers’ behaviour in soil management in
Central Menabe, Madagascar
Céline Dillmann,
Swen Bos,
Justine Gay-des-
Combes,
Alexandre Buttler,
Claude Garcia
ATBC Montpellier
23 June 2016
2. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 2
3. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 3
Central Menabe – study area
(Ramohavelo et al, 2104)
4. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 4
Agriculture – main driver of deforestation
5. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 5
Cultivation cycle Forest
«Dead soil»
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
6. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 6
Agrifeu – what about compost? Forest
«Dead soil»
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
7. ||
Explore local ecological knowledge to understand farmers’ behavior
in soil management
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 7
Objective
8. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 8
Local ecological knowledge – does it matter?
9. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 9
Local Ecological Knowledge
≠ traditional
≠ cultural or indigenous
Empirical observations
10. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 10
Local ecological knowledge – how it works
Knowledge about soil fertility
and soil management
1 village
17 informants
40 interviews
38 hours
753 statements
552 formal terms
1 workshop
40 participants
Figure: Dixon, H., Doores, J., Joshi, L. & Sinclair, F. (2001). Agroecological knowledge toolkit for Windows: methodological guidelines,
computer software and manual for AKT5. School of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.
11. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 11
Soil fertility
Soil fertility
Crop
appearance
Soil temperature &
humidity
Tilling Fertiliser
Burning
Yield Weeds
Fallowing Weeds
12. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 12
Soil fertility
Soil fertility
Crop
appearance
Soil temperature &
humidity
Tilling Fertiliser
Burning
Yield Weeds
Fallowing Weeds
13. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 13
Statements
173: soil fertility is high if the soil humidity is high
277: an increase in duration of field cultivation causes a decrease in soil fertility
14. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 14
Cultivation cycle Forest
Dead soil
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
Yield +
Yield ++
Yield -
Weeds -
Weeds +
Weeds ++
15. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 15
Cultivation cycle Forest
Dead soil
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
Yield +
Yield ++
Yield -
Weeds -
Weeds +
Weeds ++
16. ||
outcompete crops
nasty to remove
tilling more difficult
burning weeding easier
few weeds on fresh field
field age ↑, bad weeds ↑
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 16
the problem with weeds
17. ||
outcompete crops
nasty to remove
tilling more difficult
burning weeding easier
few weeds on fresh field
field age ↑, bad weeds ↑
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 17
the problem with weeds
18. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 18
Is compost the missing link?
Forest
Dead soil
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
Yield +
Yield ++
Yield -
Weeds -
Weeds +
Weeds ++
?
19. ||
If soil fertility is not the problem…
compost is not the solution!
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 19
20. ||
If soil fertility is not the problem…
compost is not the solution!
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 20
Implementation not successful,
if solution does not address the right problem
If soil fertility is not the problem…
compost is not the solution!
21. || 23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 21
Combining local and scientific knowledge
Forest
Dead
soil
1. year
Fallow
2-3 years
Old fallow 20-30 years
30 years
mai
ze
Maize field
mai
ze
2.-3. year
Maize field
‘mok
a’
4.-6. year
Peanut field
Yield +
Yield ++
Yield -
Weeds -
Weeds +
Weeds ++
?
22. ||
understand system from farmers’
point of view
identify important drivers in
decision-making process
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 22
Local knowledge – can help to…
http://blog.mindjet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Business-Intelligence-Collaboration-The-Perfect-Pair.jpg
Local knowledge
Scientific understanding
23. ||
Integration of local
needs, constraints and
aspirations
is essential for
successful
implementation
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 23
Contacts: celine.dillmann@gmx.net“S53: …Integrating human needs with
ecosystem conservation”
24. ||
Ramohavelo, C., Sorg, J.-P., Buttler, A. & Reinhard, M. (2014). Recommandations pour une agriculture plus
écologique respectant les besoins socio-écono-miques locaux, région du Menabe Central, côte ouest de
Madagascar. Madagascar Conservation & Development, 9(1), 13-19.
23 June 2016Céline Dillmann - Forest Management and Development (ForDev) 24
References
Editor's Notes
Hi and welcome to this presentation. My name is Céline Dillmann and I have studied Environmental Sciences at ETH in Zürich. And for my master thesis I have worked with a research project, calles Agrifeu, in Madagascar and now I’d like to share with you…
Now I’d like to share with you, what we have learnt from exploring the local ecological knowledge of the farmers in Central Menabe.
So first of all, we were working in West Madagascar in the region of Central Menabe. The landscape is characterized by dry-decidious forest and slash-and-burn agriculture is the predominating cultivation technique in this area.
No need to say that agriculture is the main driver of deforestation in Central Menabe and that substantial area of forest is lost each year.
Here we see an old peanut field and a one year old maize field.
So people gain new cultivation land from the forest, then for a couple of years the field is cultivated and at a certain point the field is left fallow and eventually turns into forest again. Well, the problem is that only after a few years the field has degraded and people leave the field and gain a new land from the forest.
So the Agrifeu research project that I was working with had the idea that compost could increase the quality of the degraded soil and would maintain soil fertility and ensure longer cultivation on the same field or the re-cultivation of old fallow which is rarely happening at the moment. The underlying assumption was that the cycle of deforestation could be slowed down by that.
Another thing we compiled is a representation of the cultivation cycle based on the farmers’ information.
Well, here you see a representation of the cultivation cycle as I constructed it based on the farmers’ information. I’m not going to explain it in detail, but what we can see is that in the first year, we have lower yields than in the second year of cultivation. Farmers explain that due to the burning process when forest is transformed to a field and the resulting high soil temperatures. And then after a few years, the yield is decreasing.
So here we see a simple representation of the cultivation cycle. So people gain new cultivation land from the forest, then for a couple of years the field is cultivated and at a certain point the field is left fallow and eventually turns into forest again. Well, the problem is that only after a few years the field has degraded and people leave the field and gain a new land from the forest.
So the Agrifeu research project that I was working with had the idea that compost could increase the quality of the degraded soil and would maintain soil fertility and ensure longer cultivation on the same field or the re-cultivation of old fallow which is rarely happening at the moment. The underlying assumption was that the cycle of deforestation could be slowed down by that.
------------------------------
Another thing we compiled is a representation of the cultivation cycle based on the farmers’ information.
Well, here you see a representation of the cultivation cycle as I constructed it based on the farmers’ information. I’m not going to explain it in detail, but what we can see is that in the first year, we have lower yields than in the second year of cultivation. Farmers explain that due to the burning process when forest is transformed to a field and the resulting high soil temperatures. And then after a few years, the yield is decreasing.
So as part of this project, we wanted to include the local perspective and our objective was to explore local ecological knowledge to understand farmers’ behavior in soil management in the study area
You might think why does it matter to specifically explore local ecological knowledge?
Yet, various studies in the tropics but also in temperate climatic zones have shown that considering local knowledge is a well-approved way to involve the local population, particular in areas where the sustainability of the production system is a problem.
It could be shown that the consideration of local knowledge allows to identify knowedge gaps on both the local and scientific side, and allows to account for local constraints and needs. So far, this has not been done in our study area.
So when we talk about local ecological knowledge, we don’t mean traditional or indigeneous knowledge, but we are interested in the knowledge that comes from empirical observation. So an simple example to make the difference is that when in one year the crops yield is low, we are interested in explanations that rain was scarce in this year, or crops died because of insect attack, but we don’t want to hear that the neighbor has put a curse on the plants because he wanted to do ill to the farmer.
So how does that approach work. I will not go into details. Basically, the knowledge is elicitated in semi-structured inteviews during the compliation phase. The particularity about this approach is that only few informants are interviews, but the same are interviewed several times. This allows to get more detailed explanatory knowledge. During the whole process, a computer-based knowledge base is developed that allows to evaluate and analyse the knowledge during the process and afterwards.
So based on this huge amount of statements and information, we tried to synthesize this knowledge. The results that I’m going to present now is an aggregation of the information we got from all farmers.
So from the discussions with the farmers, we got a picture of what farmers perceive to be relevant within their ecological system.
We talked about soil fertility. - and how they assess the state of soil fertility. E.g.
We talked about the causes and effects of soil fertility, so factors that have an influence on soil fertility and how. For instance.
And then how soil fertility effects other factors such as.
But of course this is just an extract, including all variables the picture would show much denser.
So, with the farmers I talked about :
Assess soil fertility
Factors that influence soil fertility
Burning
Tilling
Weeds
Soil temperature
Soil humidity
Fallowing
fertilisers
What soil fertility itself influences
Yield
Weeds
Crop appearance
So when we come back to the cultivation cylce i showed in the beginning.
What we can see on this cycle is that in the first year, we have lower yields than in the second year of cultivation. Farmers explain that due to the burning process when forest is transformed to a field and the resulting high soil temperatures. And then after a few years, the yield is decreasing.
But what we can also see in this graph is that the the weeds apparently increase over the course of time.
So what we found out is that although soil fertility is certainly part of the problem, the main limiting factor for farmers is weed management.
Although weeds can also have a beneficial effect on the soil, farmers claim that weeds: are outcompeting crops, are nasty to remove, tilling is more difficult when there are a lot of weeds, weeds can also make the soil harder. They say that on a freshly cleared field less weeds are present and burnign makes subsequent weeding less demanding. Also, with an increase of field age, the bad weeds also increase in number.
So, cultivation on a freshly cleared field is attractive.
In this sense, there is the question, will farmers adopt compost as a new technology to ensure longer cultivation on the same field, as long as the dominating problem of weed management is unadressed?
Our findings suggest that they will probably not.
So actually the title of our this talk is: « if soil fertility is not the problem, compost is not the solution.
In other words, although soil fertility certainly is a relevant factor in the system, it is not the most important one to the local population. And implementing alternative management strategies probably will not be successful, if they do not address what local actors perceive to be the central problem
---
As a further step, the insights that we got from the local knowledge elicitation process now can be used for follow-up projects and make sure that these projects are taking into account the local perspective to find a solution. As a new working hypothesis we could formulate that finding ways to tackle the weed management problem and at the same time reducing soil fertility depletion, might reduce the need for new land from the forest.
------------
So to come back to the initial conclusion. Although soil fertility certainly is a relevant factor in the system, it is not the most important one to the local population. In this case, compost might not be the solution that is needed.
As a further step, the insights that we got from the local knowledge elicitation process now can be used for follow-up projects and make sure that these projects are taking into account the local perspective to find a solution. As a new working hypothesis we could formulate that finding ways to tackle the weed management problem and at the same time reducing soil fertility depletion, might reduce the need for new land from the forest.
As a further step, the insights that we got from the local knowledge elicitation process now can be used for follow-up projects and make sure that these projects are taking into account the local perspective to find a solution. As a new working hypothesis we could formulate that finding ways to tackle the weed management problem and at the same time reducing soil fertility depletion, might reduce the need for new land from the forest.
So, our findings show that integrating local ecological knowledge allows to understand the system from a farmers point of view and enabled to identify important drivers – namely weed management - in the decision-making process that might have been missed when we had only looked at the ecology of the production system.
As a conclusion we therefore argue that if changes in natural resource management, and in our example in a more sustainable production system, are to be adopted in practice, the integration of local needs and constraints are crucial. And by this we could exactly support the overall claim of today’s symposia.
And with this I’d like to thank you for your attention and I’m open to any question now or later