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Integration of climate information in farm-level adaptation decision is crucial to manage climate change induced risks. The Government of Kenya is mandated to manage and disseminate climate information to enhance adaptation to climate change. However, the use of climate information on farm-level adaptation has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to: identify the climate information accessed by farmers, establish the association between using climate information and the adaptation strategies adopted, examine the factors influencing adaptation decisions, find out how climate information were used and the benefits and constraints of using the information. Data was collected from 432 households randomly selected from semi-arid areas in Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties. The Multivariate probit model was used to analyse data. The results showed that farmers accessed short and medium-term forecasts; decadal forecasts and agrometeorological advisories. There was a significant association between using climate information and the climate change adaptation strategies adopted by the farmers. Demographic, socio-economic and institutional factors significantly influenced farmers' adaptation decisions. Farmers used the climate information for tactical, short-term farm operations. Benefits of using climate information were manifested in reduced crop loss, increased yield and farm revenue. However, farmers' use of climate information was constraint by economic and technical factors. The study recommends that the Government enforces policies that empowers farmers to access the requisite farm inputs and facilitate the provision of agrometeorological advisories to increase local-level utility of climate information. The Government should formulate and implement policies that strengthen the provision of timely, simplified and adequately actionable climate information that suit farmers' climate change adaptation needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural credit is the most significant factor in the Indian agricultural sector. The paper discusses the access of institutional credit to agriculture, and helps understand the challenges faced by the tribal farmers to obtain agricultural credit, and the determinants of institutional agricultural credit at households' (HHs) level in the backward region of Odi:sha. The study used primary data collected from 475 farm tribal HHs of Kalahandi, Bolangiri and Koraput (KBK) districts in Odisha. The study found that increasing agricultural credit is greater in indirect finance than direct finance; in the same manner, a greater amount of credit is disbursed for the short term than the long term. Collateral issues, less awareness due to less education among farmers, low density of financial institutions in village areas, lack of finance as per demand, diversifying the loans from productive purpose to consumption purpose, and non-repayment of loan due to crop loss are different constraints faced by the farmers in Odisha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a great deal of evidence has accumulated on the health risks and environmental impacts of some herbicides. Both conventional agriculture and agroecology are searching for alternatives to address the challenges posed by the consequences of herbicide use. In this search, peasant and indigenous agroecosystems have much to contribute since their crops evolved thousands of years ago together with diverse communities of weeds, and farmers have carried out sophisticated strategies to manage them. Through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, free lists, and botanical collection, we document a milpa design that integrates and manages spontaneous vegetation to take advantage of its presence and minimize risks of crop loss. The objective of this article is to critically contrast agroecological mechanisms in this milpa design which matches the prevention principle with a set of recommendations recognized as preventive in conventional weed science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unpredictable weather conditions due to climate change have resulted in significant changes in global weather patterns, affecting various sectors across the world; mostly the agriculture sector which got affected. This study focusses on the changing agricultural patterns caused by climate change and their severe effects on farmers' livelihoods in the Kishanganj District of Bihar. The purpose of this study is to look at the dynamic interaction between changing weather patterns and agricultural practices and the socioeconomic implications for the local farming community. This study intends (1) to explore farmers' perceptions and their experience of climate change towards agricultural practices, (2) to understand the adaptive techniques used by farmers in the Kishanganj district of Bihar in response to altering the agricultural patterns, (3) to assess the socioeconomic consequences of shifting agricultural patterns on farmers' lives. Through a comprehensive literature review and primary data collection, including in-depth interviews with local farmers, to discover variations in agricultural patterns, changing weather patterns, and changes in farming practices adopted by the farmers in response to unpredictable weather conditions. From the findings of this study, it is revealed that the agricultural sector in Kishanganj is extremely vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns, such as severe droughts, unseasonal rainfall, and temperature variations. The changing weather patterns have resulted in significant crop loss, which resulted in lower agricultural production, less income, and more debt for farmers' families. The negative effects of weather-related disruptions extend beyond economic factors, affecting both farmers' families and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has intensified food security challenges, especially in Africa, where a significant portion of produce is reliant on smallholder farmers in rainfed conditions. Prolonged flooding and droughts, driven by erratic weather patterns, have significantly elevated the risk of food scarcity. Floods, in particular, have been responsible for severe crop losses, raising concerns about increasing import costs if this issue is not mitigated. Africa is actively working to mitigate the impacts of flooding and enhance food security, although progress has been gradual. Developing flood-resilient varieties is a promising strategy to address this challenge. We explored various flood types common in the region and observed a scarcity of research on flood-resilient varieties, particularly those adapted for anaerobic germination and stagnant flooding. Conversely, varieties bred for flash flooding, such as FARO 66 and FARO 67, have seen limited distribution, primarily confined to a few West African countries, falling short of the intended impact. In contrast, deepwater tolerance research dates back to the early 1900s, but commercialization of the varieties remains limited, with scarce information regarding their cultivation, coverage, and performance. Newly developed varieties, such as Kolondieba 2 and Kadia 24, have received less attention, leaving many farmers dependent on locally adapted cultivars specific to particular areas. Remarkably, despite the limited information, both released and local stress-tolerant cultivars exhibit substantial survival rates and yield advantages. For instance, FARO 66 and FARO 67 have demonstrated 1–3  t/ha yield advantages over recurrent parents under flooding stress. Nonetheless, further efforts are required to address various forms of flooding. To this end, AfricaRice collaborates with National Rice Development Strategies, IRRI, and other partners to promote research and development. While improved flood-tolerant varieties remain limited in scope across Africa, the financial gains for farmers are significant when compared to susceptible cultivars. As the continent’s population continues to grow rapidly, there is untapped potential in African germplasms, making ongoing research and breeding strategies essential. Therefore, this review highlights the importance of intensifying efforts in screening and identifying flood-tolerant rice. Furthermore, it underscores the value of utilizing traditional flood-resilient cultivars in breeding to enhance the productivity of widely distributed and cultivated varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various diseases and pests cause serious damage to vegetable crops during the growing season and after harvesting. Growers attempt to minimize losses by protecting their crops, starting with seed and seedling treatments and followed by monitoring their stands. In many cases, synthetic pesticide treatments are applied. Integrated pest management is currently being employed to minimize the impact of pesticides upon human health and the environment. Over the last few years, "smart" approaches have been developed and adopted in practice to predict, detect, and quantify phytopathogen occurrence and contamination. Our review assesses the currently available ready-to-use tools and methodologies that operate via visual estimation, the detection of proteins and DNA/RNA sequences, and the utilization of brand-new innovative approaches, highlighting the availability of solutions that can be used by growers during the process of diagnosing pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sweet cherry plant (Prunus avium L.) is primarily self-incompatible, with so-called S-alleles responsible for the inability of flowers to be pollinated not only by their own pollen grains but also by pollen from other cherries having the same S-alleles. This characteristic has wide-ranging impacts on commercial growing, harvesting, and breeding. However, mutations in S-alleles as well as changes in the expression of M locus-encoded glutathione-S-transferase (MGST) can lead to complete or partial self-compatibility, simplifying orchard management and reducing possible crop losses. Knowledge of S-alleles is important for growers and breeders, but current determination methods are challenging, requiring several PCR runs. Here we present a system for the identification of multiple S-alleles and MGST promoter variants in one-tube PCR, with subsequent fragment analysis on a capillary genetic analyzer. The assay was shown to unequivocally determine three MGST alleles, 14 self-incompatible S-alleles, and all three known self-compatible S-alleles (S3′, S4′, S5′) in 55 combinations tested, and thus it is especially suitable for routine S-allele diagnostics and molecular marker-assisted breeding for self-compatible sweet cherries. In addition, we identified a previously unknown S-allele in the 'Techlovicka´ genotype (S54) and a new variant of the MGST promoter with an 8-bp deletion in the ´Kronio´ cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian agriculture is dependent on monsoons and arrival of monsoons is often associated with uncertainty. Failure of monsoons, production and marketing risks continue to play havoc with the interest of farmers. Crop insurance is one of the means to mitigate the production risk. The Government has launched various crop insurance schemes from time to time. A glimpse into the history of crop insurance in India reveals the bottlenecks that were faced at various points in time. Despite attempts to revamp the crop insurance schemes, farmers continue to be dissatisfied due to erratic crop loss assessments and delayed claim settlements. An in-depth analysis of the PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) crop insurance scheme has exposed the ground level realities associated with this scheme. The scheme has been successful in parts but a lot needs to be achieved in the near future. Technological interventions in crop cutting experiments and loss assessments will enable farmers to receive their claim settlements on time. The Government needs to take actions on war-footing to address the challenges in implementing crop insurance schemes. This research effort recommends building a greater level of farmer engagement with crop insurance schemes using technology as an effective conduit. However, attempt must also be made make the farmer self-reliant by providing opportunities to boost income levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to ascertain the causes and possible strategies to mitigate the problems of human–animal conflicts in the foothills of the Shiwaliks of the North-Western Himalayas, known as the Kandi region in the Punjab state of India. The main causes of 'crop raiding' were a reduction in grazing areas due to the impacts of deforestation, and reduced numbers of predatory carnivores, lantana infestation in the forests and the overexploitation of the forests for wild fruits. It was observed that neelgai and wild boars are the dominant species in the areas adjoining forests, while and stray cattle are dominant in areas outside forests. Traditional methods being adopted by the farmers for curbing these problems were not effective against most of these species. Classifying some animals as vermin, sterilizing monkeys, payment of compensation to affected farmers, strict implementation of wildlife laws and lantana eradication were suggested as the possible strategies for minimizing losses due to crop raiding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin has invaded NER India in 2018 and established already in many districts of lower Assam and is alarmingly spreading to new districts owing to the inadequate domestic quarantine. The pest has been detected for the first time in Biswanath district of Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam in May, 2019. Variation in speed of invasion has been noticed in different zones depending on the mode of dispersal of the pest. Rainfall had no impact on short-distance dispersal of the pest. However, rainfall-deficient months of 2018 and low rainfall days of 2019 had some impact on its arrival and establishment. The pest is likely to affect the coconut economy in future. Extensive survey in the NER India for assessing crop loss due to the invasion and enforcement of strict domestic quarantine in inter-state borders are the urgent need of the hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flacherie is a major bacterial disease causing >40% loss during Muga summer crops. For finding the root causes of the diseases, relationships were established between rearing and production data corresponding to land use/land cover, land surface temperature and meteorological parameters. Adverse affects were found in farms associated with anthropogenic activities, in contrast to forest cover which shows a negative trend. Muga disease early warning system, a mobilebased application and dashboard has been developed to predict rate of flacherie infestation at least 5-10 days in advance, for proper precautionary measures by the farmers to avoid disease outbreak and crop loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change can have a negative impact on agriculture and lead to significant crop losses and increasing food insecurity. Despite the growing body of research on farmers' adaptive behaviors to climate change, there remains a lack of comprehensive classification of influencing factors. In our systematic literature review comprising 87 articles, we identified 179 distinct drivers, categorized into socio-demographic characteristics, farm attributes, financial resources, situational influences, experiential aspects, and cognitive elements. Notably, cognitive drivers, such as beliefs about climate change consequences, were frequently cited (348 times), along with critical socio-demographic factors like age and education. Drawing from a case study of farmers in central Colombia, we illustrate how these factors interact. Through the lens of four exemplary farmer types, we observe that older farmers were less likely to adapt due to limited exposure to climate emergencies and higher age, whereas for others community relationships drove adaptive behaviors. High-income motivated adaptation, while direct experience with climate disasters increased adaptation willingness. Finally, the framework we have developed highlights the importance of understanding the complex interplay of different factors behind farmers' adaptation decisions, paving the way for the development of more localized and context-specific climate adaptation strategies. • 179 drivers of adaptive behavior to climate change were identified. • The behavioral drivers were systematized into 6 types and 22 categories. • The 3F-SEC framework was developed to present all the behavioral drivers. • Behavioral drivers have a complex interplay that is often difficult to isolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate data collection on the planting of pesticide-treated seeds (PTSs) is key to facilitate benefit vs. risk assessment of this practice. Only little is known on the awareness level of French arable farmers with regard to this practice. We carried out a questionnaire survey among French arable farmers practicing conventional farming in the Grand-Est region. A total of 153 answers were obtained. We found that, almost all (88%) respondents planted PTSs and that only 24% performed seed treatment by themselves. Over 70% of farmers experienced crop emergence losses but only 34% thought that it was due to biotic stresses. Most farmers (71%) were aware about the type of pesticides used on their seed but only 19% had a good knowledge about the active ingredients used for seed treatment. Solely 59% of the respondents systematically used protective equipments while treating seeds or handling PTSs. Only 50% of farmers thought that the planting of PTSs improves the crop establishment quality and yield. The awareness level of French farmers should be further improved, in terms of real risks vs. benefits of seed treatment and the planting of PTSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the causes and socio-economic effects of farmers-herders conflict in Nigeria with particular reference to Uzo-Uwani local Government Area of Enugu. The study was anchored on climate change theory and survey research design was adopted for the study. The primary data for the study was generated through structured questionnaire and indepth interview. Eight communities that were affected by the conflicts were purposively sampled. The study revealed that the immediate causes of the conflict were destruction of farmlands, contamination of streams by the herders' cattle and cattle rustling by farmers. The remote causes include competition for land and water resources and government ineffective environmental policy. The conflicts led to loss of lives, loss of houses and other properties and loss of crops, loss of cattle, reduction in food and animal production by both farmers and herder, displacement of farmers and herders and rise in tension and volatile inter-group relations amongst the farmers and herders. The study recommended that conflict resolution mechanism should be established in those communities that are prone to herders-farmers clashes, there should be an established database of Fulani herdsmen in order to identify the herders in every community across the country, there should be sensitization of the farmers and herdsmen on peaceful co-existence and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild boar are widespread mammals in the world that can cause serious economic damage to farmers. Using data from a survey of farmers in Sweden, this study provides estimates of the cost of wild boar (crop loss, machinery damage, protection) to farmers in Sweden. The results indicate that 39 per cent of respondents had experienced at least one of the three types of costs and that they report a wide range of damage values. Regression results from an instrumental variable Tobit model showed that costs are significantly increasing in wild boar abundance and landscape diversity, and decreasing in the share of grain production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased occupation of primate habitats by humans has forced primates into close contact with their settlements and crops. We conducted a survey with the island settlers on Great Nicobar Island to investigate the conflict between farmers and Nicobar long-tailed macaques. The conflict may have increased following the 2004 tsunami due to the co-dependency of people and macaques on coconuts and cultivated crops. Farmers considered the macaques to be the major cause of crop loss. Macaques foraged on crops more during the rainy season, and more at dawn and dusk. Indirect market-related reasons added to the economic hardship on the part of the settlers. Farmers with small landholdings perceived the loss to be greater than did the owners of larger holdings. Farmers with small landholdings and large families were more intolerant of the macaques. The farmers did not, however, suggest killing the macaques as a way to mitigate crop loss and overcome the conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]