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Résumé Depuis la fin des années 1970, la production extensive de bétail dans les hauts plateaux de l'est du Maroc, en particulier de petits ruminants, est gravement menacée par le changement climatique (CC). Les impacts négatifs comprennent la réduction de la production fourragère et de la disponibilité en eau des pâturages, l'augmentation de la pauvreté et des inégalités et la dégradation accrue des pâturages. Différentes catégories de pasteurs ont adopté différentes combinaisons de stratégies d'adaptation, mais les facteurs influençant l'adoption n'ont pas été étudiés à ce jour. Cet article vise à identifier les perceptions des éleveurs sur le CC, à analyser les réponses adaptatives des différentes catégories de richesse et à déterminer les facteurs affectant l'adoption de mesures d'adaptation. Les tests de Mann-Kendall, Pettitt et Buishand et l'indice de précipitation standardisé ont été utilisés pour analyser les données climatiques. Les données sur l'adaptation ont été examinées à l'aide du test d'homogénéité du chi carré, du test de Kruskal-Wallis et de la régression logistique binaire. Les tendances climatiques observées corroboraient parfaitement les perceptions des éleveurs concernant les changements importants de leur climat local depuis les années 1970 : une diminution considérable des précipitations annuelles et une augmentation de la température et de la fréquence des sécheresses et des vents violents. Il y avait des différences significatives (Chi carré=7,603, p = 0,022, df=2) entre les petits, moyens et grands éleveurs dans l'adoption fréquente de stratégies d'adaptation, en particulier entre les petits et les grands éleveurs (U statistique=16 000, p = 0,009). La répartition de la plupart des mesures d'adaptation différait également considérablement entre ces deux groupes. Les éleveurs les plus riches ont adopté un plus grand éventail de stratégies, tandis que les éleveurs les plus pauvres ont des portefeuilles d'adaptation moins diversifiés et sont plus susceptibles d'adopter des stratégies moins avantageuses telles que le travail occasionnel. L'adoption de pratiques d'adaptation a été influencée de manière significative par l'équipement, le niveau d'éducation, la taille du ménage, la taille du troupeau, la formation reçue, les perceptions du CC et le cadre agroécologique. Les interventions publiques visant à améliorer la capacité d'adaptation des éleveurs dans les pâturages arides du Maroc devraient être orientées vers la prise en compte de ces déterminants et devraient donner la priorité aux petits éleveurs. Resumen Desde finales de la década de 1970, la producción ganadera extensiva en las altas mesetas del este de Marruecos, particularmente de pequeños rumiantes, se ha visto seriamente amenazada por el cambio climático (CC). Los impactos negativos incluyen la reducción de la producción de forraje de pastizales y la disponibilidad de agua, el aumento de la pobreza y la desigualdad, y el aumento de la degradación de los pastizales. Las diferentes categorías de pastores han adoptado diferentes combinaciones de estrategias de adaptación, pero hasta la fecha no se han investigado los factores que influyen en la adopción. Este documento tiene como objetivo identificar las percepciones de los pastores sobre el CC, analizar las respuestas adaptativas de las diferentes categorías de riqueza y determinar los factores que afectan la adopción de medidas de adaptación. Para analizar los datos climáticos se utilizaron las pruebas de Mann-Kendall, Pettitt y Buishand y el índice de precipitación estandarizado. Los datos sobre la adaptación se examinaron utilizando la prueba de homogeneidad de chi-cuadrado, la prueba de Kruskal-Wallis y la regresión logística binaria. Las tendencias climáticas observadas corroboraron perfectamente las percepciones de los pastores sobre los cambios significativos en su clima local desde la década de 1970: una disminución considerable de las precipitaciones anuales y un aumento de la temperatura y la frecuencia de las sequías y los fuertes vientos. Hubo diferencias significativas (Chi cuadrado=7.603, p = 0.022, df=2) entre pastores pequeños, medianos y grandes en la frecuencia de adopción de estrategias de adaptación, especialmente entre pastores pequeños y grandes (estadística U =16.000, p = 0.009). La distribución de la mayoría de las acciones de adaptación también difirió significativamente entre estos dos grupos. Los pastores más ricos han adoptado una mayor variedad de estrategias, mientras que los pastores más pobres tienen carteras de adaptación menos diversas y es más probable que adopten estrategias menos ventajosas, como el trabajo ocasional. La adopción de prácticas de adaptación estuvo significativamente influenciada por el equipo, el nivel educativo, el tamaño del hogar, el tamaño del rebaño, la capacitación recibida, las percepciones del CC y el entorno agroecológico. Las intervenciones públicas para mejorar la capacidad de adaptación de los pastores en los áridos pastizales de Marruecos deben orientarse a abordar estos determinantes y dar prioridad a los pastores en pequeña escala. Abstract Since the late 1970s, extensive livestock production in the high plateaus of Eastern Morocco, particularly of small ruminants, has been seriously threatened by climate change (CC). Negative impacts include reduction in rangeland forage production and water availability, increased poverty and inequality, and increased degradation of rangelands. Different categories of pastoralists have adopted different combinations of adaptation strategies, but the factors influencing adoption have not to date been investigated. This paper aims to identify the perceptions of pastoralists on CC, to analyze the adaptive responses of different wealth categories, and to determine the factors affecting the adoption of adaptation measures. The Mann-Kendall, Pettitt and Buishand tests and the standardized precipitation index were used to analyze the climate data. Data on adaptation were examined using the chi-square homogeneity test, Kruskal-Wallis test and binary logistic regression. The observed climate trends perfectly corroborated pastoralists' perceptions of significant changes in their local climate since the 1970s: a considerable decrease in annual rainfall and an increase in temperature and frequency of droughts and high winds. There were significant differences (Chi square=7.603, p = 0.022, df=2) between small, medium and large pastoralists in the frequency adoption of adaptation strategies, especially between small and large pastoralists (U statistic=16.000, p = 0.009). The distribution of most adaptation actions also differed significantly between these two groups. Wealthier pastoralists have adopted a greater range of strategies, while poorer pastoralists have less diverse adaptation portfolios, and are more likely to adopt less advantageous strategies such as casual labor. The adoption of adaptation practices was significantly influenced by equipment, educational level, household size, herd size, training received, CC perceptions and agroecological setting. Public interventions to improve the adaptive capacity of pastoralists in Morocco's arid rangelands should be geared towards addressing these determinants and should prioritise small-scale pastoralists. الملخص منذ أواخر السبعينيات، أصبح الإنتاج الحيواني المكثف في الهضاب العالية في شرق المغرب، وخاصة الحيوانات المجترة الصغيرة، مهددًا بشكل خطير بسبب تغير المناخ (CC). وتشمل الآثار السلبية انخفاض إنتاج علف المراعي وتوافر المياه، وزيادة الفقر وعدم المساواة، وزيادة تدهور المراعي. اعتمدت فئات مختلفة من الرعاة مجموعات مختلفة من استراتيجيات التكيف، ولكن لم يتم التحقيق في العوامل التي تؤثر على التبني حتى الآن. تهدف هذه الورقة إلى تحديد تصورات الرعاة حول تغير المناخ، وتحليل الاستجابات التكيفية لفئات الثروة المختلفة، وتحديد العوامل التي تؤثر على اعتماد تدابير التكيف. تم استخدام اختبارات Mann - Kendall و Pettitt و Buishand ومؤشر هطول الأمطار الموحد لتحليل البيانات المناخية. تم فحص البيانات المتعلقة بالتكيف باستخدام اختبار تجانس مربع كاي، واختبار كروسكال واليس والانحدار اللوجستي الثنائي. أكدت الاتجاهات المناخية المرصودة تمامًا تصورات الرعاة للتغيرات الكبيرة في مناخهم المحلي منذ السبعينيات: انخفاض كبير في هطول الأمطار السنوي وزيادة في درجة الحرارة وتواتر الجفاف والرياح العاتية. كانت هناك اختلافات كبيرة (مربع تشي = 7.603، p = 0.022، df=2) بين الرعاة الصغار والمتوسطين والكبار في تواتر اعتماد استراتيجيات التكيف، وخاصة بين الرعاة الصغار والكبار (U statistic=16.000، p = 0.009). كما اختلف توزيع معظم إجراءات التكيف بشكل كبير بين هاتين المجموعتين. اعتمد الرعاة الأكثر ثراءً مجموعة أكبر من الاستراتيجيات، في حين أن الرعاة الأكثر فقراً لديهم محافظ تكيف أقل تنوعًا، ومن المرجح أن يتبنوا استراتيجيات أقل فائدة مثل العمل العرضي. تأثر اعتماد ممارسات التكيف بشكل كبير بالمعدات والمستوى التعليمي وحجم الأسرة وحجم القطيع والتدريب المتلقى وتصورات المجتمع المدني والبيئة الزراعية الإيكولوجية. يجب توجيه التدخلات العامة لتحسين القدرة التكيفية للرعاة في المراعي القاحلة في المغرب نحو معالجة هذه المحددات ويجب أن تعطي الأولوية للرعاة على نطاق صغير.

This paper explores the monitoring and evaluation system of the Millennium Villages Project in Potou, rural Senegal. It specifically focuses on the first evaluation report undertaken in 2009 after three years of intervention to assess the impacts of the project on communities in Potou. Theory of change, causal attribution, scaling-up, use of evaluation, and learning are the key issues that are addressed throughout the paper. Interviews with beneficiaries and project staff as well as the analysis of the project’s evaluation report revealed that the project has created many positive impacts in the communities of Potou. However, unintended negative results have been observed in the sectors of education, health, and agriculture. Given the weaknesses that have been identified in the evaluation method, this paper suggests some strategies to strengthen the methodology of future evaluations, thus allowing for distinct attribution of the impacts to the project. Consilience, No 9 (2013): Issue Nine: 2013

Ce papier présente un modèle de simulation pour prédire la performance d’un système photovoltaïque (PV) fonctionnant dans les conditions météorologiques du site d’installation. Les systèmes photovoltaïques individuels sont largement utilisés dans les applications des sources d’énergie renouvelables et il est important d’avoir une capacité à évaluer la performance des systèmes installés. Les équations mathématiques développées pour la modélisation de la performance du générateur PV sont basées sur la caractéristique courant – tension des modules. Le modèle de simulation a été validé à partir des données expérimentales d’un système individuel de 1,2 kWc installé à Nouakchott, Mauritanie. Les résultats du modèle de simulation ont été comparés aux résultats expérimentaux dans les mêmes conditions de fonctionnement et d’environnement climatique. Un bon accord a été observé et le coefficient de corrélation varie de 88 % à 99 %, considéré comme satisfaisant. Le modèle de simulation développé peut être utilisé, non seulement pour analyser la performance d’un système PV, mais aussi pour dimensionner le système PV le plus adaptable pour l’alimentation des différentes charges électriques pour n’importe quelle localité spécifiée, pourvu que les données météorologiques locales soient disponibles.

We integrate long-term observations of rainfall and repeat, large-scale, nationwide household surveys of nutrition and socio-economic status to assess the vulnerability of food security to climate in Senegal. We use a mixed methods approach and a vulnerability framework to explain how it is that food security is on average lower, and more variable year-to-year, in the climatologically wetter south and east of the country than in the drier western center and north. We find that it is sensitivity to climate that explains the spatial variation in food security, while exposure explains its temporal variation, but only where sensitivity is high. While households in the western center and north, geographically closer to the political and economic center of action, are less dependent on livelihoods based on climate-sensitive activities, notably agriculture, these activities still dominate in the more remote, landlocked and at times conflict-ridden south and east, where sensitivity to the vagaries of rainfall persists. As they work to strengthen the resilience of climate-sensitive activities, food security and climate-risk management projects and policies should move beyond simplistic, deterministic assumptions about how climate affects food security outcomes, and invest in livelihood diversification to increase rural income and reduce vulnerability of food security to climate.

IntroductionThe increase in vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is among the expected change in futur climate, and understanding its effect on crop growth is of much significance for breeeding programs. Three groups (G1,G2 and G3) of pearl millet germplasm, originating from regions with different rainfall intensities, were grown in the field during period of high and low VPDs. The groups G1,G2 and G3 were respectively from Guinean (rainfall above 1000 mm), Soudanian (rainfall between 600 mm and 900 mm), and Sahelian zones (rainfall between 600 and 300 mm) of Africa. The objective was to assess if there was any growth response difference among the germplasm groups.MethodFour trials were conducted, two in the dry season of 2019 (Ds19) and 2020 (Ds20) with avarage VPDs of 3.62 kPa and 2.92 kPa, respectively, and two in the rainy season of 2019 (Rs19) and 2020 (Rs20) with avaerage VPDs of 1.14 kPa and 0.61 kPa, respectively.ResultsIn order to avoid possible confounding effects of radiation on millet growth and yield, data were normalized by the quantity of light received during each season. After this normalization, leaf area and grain yield decreased in the highest-VPD seasons whereas tiller number decreased only in Ds19 (one high VPD season). The comparison of the three germplasm groups indicates that G3 the germplasm group from Sahelian regions showed greater tolerance to high VPD than G1 and G2.DiscussionGermplasm from the G3 group could be a good material for developing tolerant germplasm to future climate that is bound to have high VPD.

Locusts and other migratory grasshoppers are transboundary pests. Monitoring and control, therefore, involve a complex system made up of social, ecological, and technological factors. Researchers and those involved in active management are calling for more integration between these siloed but often interrelated sectors. In this paper, we bring together 38 coauthors from six continents and 34 unique organizations, representing much of the social-ecological-technological system (SETS) related to grasshopper and locust management and research around the globe, to introduce current topics of interest and review recent advancements. Together, the paper explores the relationships, strengths, and weaknesses of the organizations responsible for the management of major locust-affected regions. The authors cover topics spanning humanities, social science, and the history of locust biological research and offer insights and approaches for the future of collaborative sustainable locust management. These perspectives will help support sustainable locust management, which still faces immense challenges such as fluctuations in funding, focus, isolated agendas, trust, communication, transparency, pesticide use, and environmental and human health standards. Arizona State University launched the Global Locust Initiative (GLI) in 2018 as a response to some of these challenges. The GLI welcomes individuals with interests in locusts and grasshoppers, transboundary pests, integrated pest management, landscape-level processes, food security, and/or cross-sectoral initiatives.

South Africa's narrow-reef mining operations are facing challenges such as volatile commodity prices, operational cost increases in excess of inflation, health and safety issues, and depletion of less geologically complex reserves. These challenges have resulted in declining production profiles for many mining companies. Data collected and modelled from South Africa's three principal gold mining companies, AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Sibanye Gold, indicates that 592 Mt of mineable gold resources remain, with up to 496 Mt of potential reserves available if miners adopt mechanized systems. These resources have the potential to extend the life of gold mining operations beyond the year 2045. A similar situation exists in the platinum sector, where 360 Mt of production can be exploited with the application of non-conventional mining methods. During investigations as part of the Phakisa initiative, it was noted that current industry challenges require solutions that are specific to the South African tabular mining environment. These solutions include increasing local mining research and development capacity, encouragement of local equipment manufacturing and associated procurement, and technology and skills transfer. Owing to the magnitude of the changes required to establish a sustainable mining industry, stakeholders agreed to a collaborative approach through a public-private partnership. This paper seeks to provide a background to the Mining Phakisa initiative and the drivers behind collaboration of various stakeholders to ensure sustainability of the South African deep-level mining industry. The collaboration drivers are discussed by highlighting challenges in South Africa in relation to mining.