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Context: Pastoral and agro-pastoral (PAP) systems in East Africa face a range of challenges including increased climate variability. Various measures have been proposed to improve the resilience of pastoral/agro-pastoral (PAP) systems to drought. However, identifying the most effective measure for a given system and location is complicated, and tools are required to appraise measures on a consistent basis.Objective: This paper develops a model of a PAP system and uses it to assess the effects of four measures (Index-based livestock insurance, IBLI; Commercial destocking with an early warning system, EWS; Rangeland restoration, RR; Fodder planting, FP) on the resilience of the PAP system. It also quantifies the greenhouse gas (GHG) effects of the measures, thereby identifying potential trade-offs and synergies between the policy objectives of resilience and climate smart agriculture (CSA).Methods: A dynamic model of the Borena pastoral cattle system was developed to undertake the analysis. At its core is a herd model that calculates the changes in cattle population over time. Feed availability and drought occurrence affect fertility and mortality rates, which in turn determine the population and (meat and milk) production. A suite of indicators covering the three dimensions of CSA (increasing productivity, enhancing resilience and reducing GHG emissions) were developed, and used to compare the situation with and without measures.Results and discussions: Destocking with an early warning system provides the biggest increases (relative to the no measure situation) in production and profit, due to the way it changes the herd size and structure. It maintains a larger herd than any of the other measures, and a greater proportion of the herd are adult females. Fodder planting and rangeland restoration provide moderate increases in production and profit. Index-based livestock insurance provides a moderate increase in protein production, but has no effect on profit, as it is

Net soil carbon sequestration on agricultural lands could offset 4% of annual global human-induced GHG emissions over the rest of the century and make an important contribution to meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. To harness this potential of the agricultural sector to positively contribute to the sustainability agenda, a package of policies is needed to enhance global soil carbon stocks. Such a package would include regulations to prevent the loss of soil carbon, knowledge transfer policies to promote “win-win” solutions, and additional incentives delivered via market-based policies. The latter will need to be supported by innovative contracting solutions to address concerns about the non-permanence of carbon stocks and to reduce transaction costs.

Vineyards are usually cultivated in soils characterised by low soil organic carbon (SOC) content and have high risks of soil erosion and degradation. Increasing SOC stocks in these cropping systems has the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation through SOC sequestration and to enhance soil quality. We conducted a meta-analysis and compared the SOC stock response ratio, the SOC stock rate of change, and the SOC sequestration rate in vineyards under different SOC sequestration (SCS) practices relative to conventional management. SCS practices included organic amendments (OA), biochar amendments (BC), returning pruning residues to the soil (PR), no-tillage (NT), cover cropping (CC), and several combinations of these practices. The average SOC sequestration rate of SCS management was 7.53 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1 to a 30-cm soil depth. The highest SOC sequestration rate (11.06 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) was achieved under a combination of OA+NT and the lowest (2.82 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) was observed under PR treatments. Field experiments performed in particularly hot and dry bioclimatic zones were associated with lower SOC sequestration rates relative to those performed in more temperate areas. The high SOC sequestration rates obtained for many SCS practices, and the large land area dedicated to viticulture worldwide (7.45 Mha), imply that the adoption of SCS practices in vineyards can contribute to the global efforts to offset atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations via SOC sequestration to mitigate climate change.

The implementation of soil organic carbon sequestration (SCS) practices on agricultural land has the potential to help to mitigate climate change at the global level. However, our understanding of the extent to which viticultural soils can contribute to this global effort remains limited. In this study, we used a random forest regression to predict the change in soil organic carbon stocks in vineyards of Western Europe under five SCS practices: organic amendments (OA), cover cropping (CC), organic amendments and no-tillage (OA+NT), no-tillage and cover cropping (NT+CC), and a combination of organic amendments, no-tillage and cover cropping (OA+NT+CC). The abatement rate of each SCS practice was modelled and mapped for six countries in Western Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany and Austria. Overall, the highest abatement rate was reached under OA+NT+CC (8.29 ​Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1), whereas the lowest was observed under CC (7.03 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1). Results showed major differences in abatement rates at the regional and national level. Despite these differences, the adoption of SCS practices was associated with a high abatement potential in the six countries and should be encouraged in the viticulture sector as a way to offset greenhouse gas emissions via soil carbon sequestration.

Measurements and simulations of thermal neutron attenuation by printed circuit boards are compared. Attenuation coefficients in typical epoxy-resin/glass-fibre substrate material can be as high as 2 cm-1, corresponding to 27% attenuation by 1.6 mm of substrate. Attenuation is attributed to neutron scattering off hydrogen in the resin acting in synergy with absorption by boron in the glass; this effect is substantially greater than that estimated from absorption by boron alone. Design of thermal neutron detector assemblies should take this attenuation into account and may require board thickness to be minimised or specialised substrate materials to be used.

Vineyards are usually cultivated in soils characterised by low soil organic carbon (SOC) content and have high risks of soil erosion and degradation. Increasing SOC stocks in these cropping systems has the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation through SOC sequestration and to enhance soil quality. We conducted a meta-analysis and compared the SOC stock response ratio, the SOC stock rate of change, and the SOC sequestration rate in vineyards under different SOC sequestration (SCS) practices relative to conventional management. SCS practices included organic amendments (OA), biochar amendments (BC), returning pruning residues to the soil (PR), no-tillage (NT), cover cropping (CC), and several combinations of these practices. The average SOC sequestration rate of SCS management was 7.53 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1 to a 30-cm soil depth. The highest SOC sequestration rate (11.06 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) was achieved under a combination of OA+NT and the lowest (2.82 Mg CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) was observed under PR treatments. Field experiments performed in particularly hot and dry bioclimatic zones were associated with lower SOC sequestration rates relative to those performed in more temperate areas. The high SOC sequestration rates obtained for many SCS practices, and the large land area dedicated to viticulture worldwide (7.45 Mha), imply that the adoption of SCS practices in vineyards can contribute to the global efforts to offset atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations via SOC sequestration to mitigate climate change.

To limit warming to well below 2°C, most scenario projections rely on greenhouse gas removal technologies (GGRTs); one such GGRT uses soil carbon sequestration (SCS) in agricultural land. In addition to their role in mitigating climate change, SCS practices play a role in delivering agroecosystem resilience, climate change adaptability and food security. Environmental heterogeneity and differences in agricultural practices challenge the practical implementation of SCS, and our analysis addresses the associated knowledge gap. Previous assessments have focused on global potentials, but there is a need among policymakers to operationalise SCS. Here, we assess a range of practices already proposed to deliver SCS, and distil these into a subset of specific measures. We provide a multidisciplinary summary of the barriers and potential incentives towards practical implementation of these measures. First, we identify specific practices with potential for both a positive impact on SCS at farm level and an uptake rate compatible with global impact. These focus on: (a) optimising crop primary productivity (e.g. nutrient optimisation, pH management, irrigation); (b) reducing soil disturbance and managing soil physical properties (e.g. improved rotations, minimum till); (c) minimising deliberate removal of C or lateral transport via erosion processes (e.g. support measures, bare fallow reduction); (d) addition of C produced outside the system (e.g. organic manure amendments, biochar addition); (e) provision of additional C inputs within the cropping system (e.g. agroforestry, cover cropping). We then consider economic and non‐cost barriers and incentives for land managers implementing these measures, along with the potential externalised impacts of implementation. This offers a framework and reference point for holistic assessment of the impacts of SCS. Finally, we summarise and discuss the ability of extant scientific approaches to quantify the technical potential and externali