Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2022
Authors
Randika K. Makumbura Miyuru Gunathilake Jayanga T. Samarasinghe Remegio Confesor Nitin Muttil Upaka RathnayakeAbstract
Hydrologic models are indispensable tools for water resource planning and management. Accurate model predictions are critical for better water resource development and management decisions. Single-site model calibration and calibrating a watershed model at the watershed outlet are commonly adopted strategies. In the present study, for the first time, a multi-site calibration for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the Kelani River Basin with a catchment area of about 2340 km2 was carried out. The SWAT model was calibrated at five streamflow gauging stations, Deraniyagala, Kithulgala, Holombuwa, Glencourse, and Hanwella, with drainage areas of 183, 383, 155, 1463, and 1782 km2, respectively, using three distinct calibration strategies. These strategies were, utilizing (1) data from downstream and (2) data from upstream, both categorized here as single-site calibration, and (3) data from downstream and upstream (multi-site calibration). Considering the performance of the model during the calibration period, which was examined using the statistical indices R2 and NSE, the model performance at Holombuwa was upgraded from “good” to “very good” with the multi-site calibration technique. Simultaneously, the PBIAS at Hanwella and Kithulgala improved from “unsatisfactory” to “satisfactory” and “satisfactory” to “good” model performance, while the RSR improved from “good” to “very good” model performance at Deraniyagala, indicating the innovative multi-site calibration approach demonstrated a significant improvement in the results. Hence, this study will provide valuable insights for hydrological modelers to determine the most appropriate calibration strategy for their large-scale watersheds, considering the spatial variation of the watershed characteristics, thereby reducing the uncertainty in hydrologic predictions.
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of the current climate crisis, major sources of GHG emissions, and impacts from the agriculture sector contributing to global warming. Further, the chapter discusses the challenges in reducing GHG emissions from the agriculture sector. Major changes in the agriculture sector would be required if the impact due to climate change is to be limited to 1.5°C target. According to the authors, overcoming the challenges to reduce GHG emissions in the agriculture sector will require specific technological, investment, and policy solutions suitable for different agro-ecological and socio-economic settings. These solutions must be designed and implemented at different scales, both for developed and developing countries, for large- and small-scale farms, and should be sustainable, environmentally, socially, and economically. The chapter discusses the major challenges of the current farming systems, followed by a review of design approaches and pathways for a transition towards sustainable CNRFS. Towards the end, the chapter provides a brief outline of the book and justification.
Authors
Daniel Kpienbaareh R. Bezner Kerr Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong Daniel Amoak Katja Poveda Sekhar Udaya Nagothu Cassandra Vogel Aaron Iverson Mehreteab Tesfai Isaac Luginaah Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter Jinfei Wang Georg Küstner Stephanie Enloe Vera Mayer Laifolo Dakishoni Esther Lupafya Lizzie Shumba Timothy Chunga Penjani Kanyimbo Petros Munthali Tinkani Gondwe Innocent Mhoni Mwapi Mkandawire Tapiwa Mkandawire Pressings Moyo Yolice TemboAbstract
How can agroecological research methods effectively engage smallholder farmers, who provide over half of the world’s food supply, and whose farm management activities have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services? This question is highly relevant in Malawi where the research took place, but in other low-income countries in Africa with mostly agrarian populations, in which multi-scalar processes drive high food insecurity, alongside declining biodiversity, worsening land degradation and climate change. We analyse an innovative transdisciplinary agroecological approach that attempts to bridge the science-practice-policy gap by examining the potential of agro-ecological measures to enhance functional biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study involves a longitudinal, case-control and participatory research design in a region where thousands of farmers have experimented with agroecological practices, e.g., legume intercropping, composting, and botanical sprays. Innovative transdisciplinary agroecological research activities involved farmer participatory research, ecological monitoring and field experiments, social science methods (both qualitative and quantitative), participatory methodologies (public participatory Geographic Information Systems - PPGIS and scenario planning and testing) and stakeholder engagement to foster science-policy linkages. We discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of this novel transdisciplinary and participatory approach about pluralism, decolonial and translational ecological research to foster sustainability and climate resilience of tropical farming systems.
Authors
Stepan Marval Petr Fučík Natalja Čerkasova Christoph Schürz Michael Strauch Felix Witing Mikołaj Piniewski Svajunas Plunge Csilla Farkas Sinja Weiland Dominika Krzeminska Tatenda LemannAbstract
This report introduces a framework and scale specific guidelines for the parameterization of Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM) in modelling approaches. More specifically, it provides a detailed translation of NSWRM into parameters and design approaches for the application in the SWAT+ (catchment scale) and SWAP (field-scale) models, which were selected as the main modelling tools in the OPTAIN project. This document can also be considered as an extension of the well-known Conservation Practice Modelling Guide for SWAT and APEX (Waidler et al., 2011), which is frequently used by the SWAT modelling community for testing the effectiveness of conservation practices. However, besides of conservation practices, the report focuses mainly on NSWRMs, and how they can be implemented in SWAT+, the new and restructured version of SWAT. Analogously, the NSWRM parameters are also described for the SWAP model, which is addressing the field-scale. Compared to previous NSWRM modelling approaches, this methodology enables the setting of NSWRM parameters in the two selected models to improve the description of the related hydrological and hydrochemical processes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Bente Føreid Anne Falk Øgaard Linn Solli Gjermund Bahr Johan Johansen Trine Eggen Øistein VetheAbstract
Answers to survey asking for suggestions for new products in EU's new regulation for fertilisers. Fish sludge is suggested as material in compost and digestate, and a summary with references is provided.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
2021
Authors
Miro Jacob Peter Maenhout Simone Verzandvoort Greet Ruysschaert Sigbert Huber Bettina Schwarzl Bruno Huygebaert Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe Eloïse Mason Anna Jacobs Stella Sonnenburg Axel Don Lilian O’Sullivan David Wall Raimonds Kasparinskis Oļģerts Nikodemus Imants Kukuļs Ivo Vinogradovs Baiba Dirnēna Kristīne Afanasjeva Kristaps Auziņš Žydrė Kadžiulienė Frederik Bøe Jannes Stolte Kamilla Skaalsveen Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Daniel Rasse Grzegorz Siebielec Fátima Calouro Ana Marta Paz Cristina Sempiterno Maria da Encarnação Marcelo Pedro Jordão Michal Sviček Kristína Buchová Vladimír Hutár Rok Mihelič Sara Mavsar Borut Vrščaj Klara Rekič Helena Grčman Benjamin Sanchez Lena Engström Noemi Peter Olivier Heller Gina Garland Peter Weisskopf Wieke Vervuurt Janjo de Haan Sevinc Madenoglu Hesna Ozcan Dario Fornara Elaine Groom Jill Mellon Suzanne Higgins Rachael Ramsey Alex Higgins Lisa BlackAbstract
Deliverable 2.5. This report contributes to the EJP SOIL roadmap for climate-smart sustainable agricultural soil management and research by identifying current policy targets and realizations and setting soil service aspirational goals by 2050 at the regional/national (Chapter 2) and European scale (Chapter 3). At both scales, the report is based on a desk study of current agricultural soil related policies, followed by a stakeholder consultation. Twenty countries/regions have contributed to the regional/national analyses and 347 different stakeholders have provided their views on soil policy. The policy analysis demonstrates that large differences exist between the number of policy targets per soil challenge. In general, the soil challenge ‘Maintaining/increasing soil organic carbon’ can be considered as the most important soil challenge taking into account both the policies of the participating countries and of the EU level. This soil challenge not only has (one of) the largest share(s) of quantitative and qualitative targets, but also has a large share of the targets for which an indicator and monitoring is in progress or existing. At the EU level, ‘Avoiding contamination’ is also particularly high addressed in policy documents. In the participating countries, other very important soil challenges in policy are ‘Enhance nutrient retention/use efficiency’, ‘Avoid soil erosion’ and ‘Avoid soil contamination’. These soil challenges comprise a large share of soil- and agricultural soil specific targets. However, despite the large number of policy targets, identified by the participating EJP SOIL countries, there is still a shared need for appropriate clear (quantified) policy targets with a specific time horizon, well-defined indicators and a monitoring systems. Similar results are found at the EU level. Policy targets addressing soil challenges are mostly not expressed in quantitative terms and indicators for monitoring policy targets with references to soil challenges were identified for less than half of the cases. From the stakeholder consultations, it becomes clear that for all soil challenges there is still a way to go before future aspirational goals will be met. Generally, when averaging between all countries, the gap between current policy targets and realizations is for most soil challenges considered between large and halfway in reaching the current policy targets and for most soil challenges current policy targets are regarded almost- to- far from being futureproof. In the prioritization of soil challenges, stakeholders at the regional/country and European level, clearly marked maintaining/increasing SOC as the most relevant soil challenge in the upcoming decades. The stakeholders explain the key role of maintaining/increasing soil organic carbon through the multiple interactions with other soil challenges and for climate change mitigation. At the EU level, the second highest ranked prioritization is soil sealing, due to its irreversible nature. This is, however, not reflected at the country level, potentially due to a misinterpretation of soil sealing as compaction by part of the stakeholders. At the country level, enhancing soil nutrient retention/use efficiency was ranked 2nd in the prioritization exercise. Generally, there is an urgency for policy updates, because the current policy is considered unable to tackle the prominent soil challenges. In the report, also the soil related management practices to achieve the aspirational goals have been identified, both in the policy analysis and in the stakeholder consultation. The most prominent differences between policy and stakeholders, is in the emphasis on the use of buffer strips and small landscape elements in policy, while measures in this category are less highly ranked by the stakeholders. On the other hand, conservation agriculture, agro-ecological farming, precision agriculture, incorporation ........
Authors
Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern Arezoo Taghizadeh-toosi Maria Knadel, Trine Nørgaard Emmanuel Arthur Johannes Lund Jensen Mansonia Pulido-Moncada Chiara de Notaris Lars J. Munkholm Julia Fohrafellner Julia Miloczki Erich Inselsbacher Martina Kasper Maarten De Boever Peter Maenhout Brieuc Hardy Lenka Pavlů Mansonia Pulido-Moncada Arezoo TaghizadehToosi Mika Tutunen Nils Borchard Eloïse Mason Daria Seitz Axel Don Peter Laszlo Béla Pirkó Eszter Tóth Lilian O’Sullivan David Wall Sergio Pellegrini Raimonds Kasparinskis Žydrė Kadžiulienė Wieke Vervuurt Frederik Bøe Kamilla Skaalsveen Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Jannes Stolte Grzegorz Siebielec Nádia Castanheira Corina Carranca Maria Gonçalves Michal Sviček Rok Mihelič Sara Mavsar Benjamin Sanchez Diego Intrigliolo Katharina Meurer Olivier Heller Sevinc Madenoglu Dario Fornara Alex Higgins Suzanne Higgins Jill MellonEditors
Lars J. MunkholmAbstract
No abstract has been registered