Browsing by Author "Massawe, B."

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    Bringing evidence to bear on negotiating ecosystem service and livelihood trade-offs in sustainable agricultural intensification in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Zambia as part of the SAIRLA program
    (Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2017-05) Massawe, B.; Johaness, N.; Winowiecki, L. A.; Neely, C.
    The Sustainable Intensification of Agricultural Research and Learning in Africa (SAIRLA) Programme is a UK Department for International Development-funded initiative that seeks to address one of the most intractable problems facing small-holder farmers in Africa - how to engage in the market economy and to deliver sustainable intensification of agriculture, that is, which avoids negative impacts on the environment. SAIRLA will generate new evidence to help women and poor African smallholder farmers develop environmentally and financially sustainable enterprises and boost productivity. The research will focus non-exclusively on 6 countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia), thus complementing other research efforts in these regions.
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    Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
    (Springer, 2015-11-02) Winowiecki, L.; Va°gen, T.; Massawe, B.; Jelinski, N. A.; Lyamchai, C.; Sayula, G.; Msoka, E.
    Land-use change continues at an alarming rate in sub-Saharan Africa adversely affecting ecosystem services provided by soil. These impacts are greatly understudied, especially in biodiversity rich mountains in East Africa. The objectives of this study were to: conduct a biophysical baseline of soil and land health; assess the effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon (SOC); and develop a map of SOC at high resolution to enable farm-scale targeting of management interventions. Biophysical field surveys were conducted in a 100 km2 landscape near Lushoto, Tanzania, with composite soil samples collected from 160 sampling plots. Soil erosion prevalence was scored, trees were counted, and current and historic land use was recorded at each plot. The results of the study showed a decline in SOC as a result of cultivation, with cultivated plots (n = 105) having mean topsoil OC of 30.6 g kg-1, while semi-natural plots (n = 55) had 71 g OC kg-1 in topsoil. Cultivated areas were also less variable in SOC than seminatural systems. Prediction models were developed for the mapping of SOC based on RapidEye remote sensing data for January 2014, with good model performance (RMSEPcal = 8.0 g kg-1; RMSEPval = 10.5 g kg-1) and a SOC map was generated for the study. Interventions will need to focus on practices that increase SOC in order to enhance productivity and resilience of the farming system, in general. The highresolution maps can be used to spatially target interventions as well as for monitoring of changes in SOC.