Strategies for Sustainable Rice Farming

Strategies for Sustainable Rice Farming LOW CARBON INITIATIVES: A RURAL APPRAISAL OF VARIOUS MITIGATIVE STRATEGIES USED BY RICE FARMERS AS A SCHEME FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA SAVANNA. INTRODUCTION Most of the warming that has occurred since mid-20th century is due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, human activities including modern agriculture contribute to the production GHGs and on the overall, about 14% of GHG emissions comes from the agricultural sector (IPCC, 1996). Several naturally produced and human produced GHGs trap heat. CO2, CH4, and N2O are long-lived in the atmosphere and are the major contributors to positive increases in radiative forces (IPCC, 1996). Agricultural activities are significant producers of CH4 and N2O, of the three main gases that are influenced by land management and that are responsible for the potential greenhouse effect, CH4 has the 2nd greatest climate forcing potential of 27% CAST, (1992) arising from enteric fermentation of farm animals and rice cultivation. BACKGROUND In Nigeria, rice is one of the major cereals grown for food, the cultivable land to rice lies under five major ecologies namely: rain fed upland, rain fed lowland, irrigated rice, deep water and tidal mangrove swamp (Olayemi, 1997). Although Nigeria is the largest rice producer in West Africa and 85% of the total production comes from the north FAO (2012), rice production still seeks an increase in yield to meet the budding population and reduce importation. According to Bello (2004), Nigeria has the potential to produce enough rice for its needs and even export but this is not achieved now because the technology, management practices and the efficiency with which farmers use resources influence productivity. JUSTIFICATION Self-sufficiency in rice production is the goal of the Nigerian government, this has prompted the government to find ways of boosting local rice production (Bello, 2004). Rice paddies have been identified as major CH4 source induced by human activities and Nigerian paddies are not left out. This poses a challenge as researchers are faced daily with the challenges of how to mitigate or adapt to climate change, increase adoption of low carbon practices in all sectors and ways to implement their findings in local and global context of sustainable resource management. Consequently, estimating CH4 emissions from rice paddies and evaluating the low carbon practices used by farmers has become a pressing issue for assessing GHG impacts from agroecosystems and development of mitigation options at local scales for sustainable resource management. Objectives: Spatio-temporal mapping of lands cultivated to rice from 1983 to 2013 in the study area. To compare the CH4 emissions from upland and lowland rice fields. Assess the understanding of climate change and various low carbon practices among rice farmers for environmental protection. Understand the challenges associated with the adoption of low carbon options for rice cultivation. METHODOLOGY To achieve the stated objectives, the study will involve Geo-spatial analysis, field measurements and socioeconomic survey. The study area: The study will be carried out in the savannah belt of Nigeria, Bida zone in Niger state will be selected for the study because of its long history of rice cultivation and its proximity to National Cereal Research Institute, where technologies for cereal cultivation emanate and are disseminated. The zone consists of three Local Government Areas (Lavun, Bida and Gbako) and has a total land area of 6, 181 km2. Geo-spatial analysis Data: Cloud free-Ortho-rectified Landsat images of the area for the years 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013 will be acquired from image vendors. Analysis: ArcGIS and IDIRSI geo-spatial tools will be used for the analysis of the Images. The images will be overlaid and an area of interest will be created from the overlay. Ground truthing will be done to aid supervised classification of the false and true composites of the area. The map of the dominant land use change of the area will be generated for each year. Accuracy assessment of the classification will be done, image differencing of the land cover maps will quantify the changes in land sizes cultivated to rice. Methane measurement: CH4 emission will be measured by using a portable methane gas meter (Gastech, Australia). Surface CH4 measurements from uplands and lowlands will be taken by inverting a 70mm diameter plastic funnel on the soil surface, the inlet tube of the CH4 meter will be connected to the funnel to read CH4 concentrations (Kartik and Nanjappa). Sampling procedure and Data collection A multistage sampling will be adopted for the study. First, two administrative wards will be randomly selected from each Local Government Area, for the second stage, two villages will be selected randomly from each selected ward and at the third stage, 20 rice farmers from each selected village will be randomly selected to give 80 farmers per Local Government Area and a total of 240 farmers from the zone. To allow for pre-testing and errors, 300 questionnaires will be printed. The sampling frame will focus on adult rice farmers who live in the communities and have been farming for over 25 years based on the assumption that these respondents will have adequate experiential knowledge about the subject matter. Primary data on the understanding of farmers about climate change, its effect on paddy farming, low carbon practices used and the challenges associated with the use of these practices will be collected by administering structured questionnaires to respondents in the study area. Statistical Analysis All data collected will be analyzed, using computer based Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and STATA. A multiple linear regression will be used to link socioeconomic factors with factors that influence land use. REFERENCES CAST, 1992. Preparing U.S. Agriculture for Global Climate Change. Task Force Report No. 119. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Ames, IA. Facts and Figures about Niger State, Assessed from http://www.nigerstate.gov.ng/epubl/Facts%20and%20Figures%20about%20Niger%20State1.pdf Kartik V. and Nanjappa A. Phytocapping: An Innovative Technique to Reduce Methane Emission from Landfills. Assessed from methaneflux paper (Environmental Research Journal).pdf Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 1996. Climate Change 1995. The Science of Climate Change. The Contribution of Working Group I to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, New York. Impact of Trade on Domestic Rice Production and the challenge of Self-sufficiency in Nigeria Assessed from www.warda.cgiar.org//RicePolicy/Chuma.E/Chuma.E.Nigeria.Pres.ppt. Olayemi, J.K 1997. The Nigerian Rice Industry: Performance, Problems and Prospects. A research report prepared for Food and Agricuktural Organisation, FAO; December 1997. UNCCS (United Nations Climate Change Secretariat), Emissions Summary for Nigeria, http://unfccc.int/files/ghg_data/ghg_data_unfccc/ghg_profiles/application/pdf/nga_ghg_profile.pdf WEBSITES USED www.ricenigeria.com EXPECTED RESULTS AND THE RELEVANCE OF MY PROJECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE The distinctiveness of this study is that it seeks to incorporate the experiences of rural farmers in understanding the challenges associated with adopting Low carbon initiatives at local scales. This project aims at: Describing the local perception of climatic vagaries in their environment Characterizing the prevalent land use patterns in recent times. Characterizing the various local conservation practices used by rice farmers for resource conservation. Describing the effects and constraints of adopting resource protection practices. The study would reveal the changes in land cover as mediated by increase in productivity over the past thirty years in the study area and the associated methane emissions. This would be helpful in the design sustainable resource conservation measures for climate protection. As well, the study will reveal the awareness level of the respondents’ on some facts about climate change and variability, its toll on rice farming and various measures used to adapt to these changes. Since considerable attention has not been given to measuring results from adaptation and mitigation activities, results from this study hopes to be a working tool for the Nigerian government in the development of a simple Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) plan that is more readily useable by farmers through capacity building and technology development or transfer. This study will also provide insight into local resource conservation strategies that can be improved upon for sustainable resource management. The dataset will therefore become a working tool for the government, legislators, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders for appropriate understanding on the trends of greenhouse gas emission from paddies in Bida zone for necessary policy formulation on strategies to reduce the emissions in order to improve ecological system conservation and mitigate global warming. Please explain how you intend to communicate the project results during and after the sponsorship period and which target groups you particularly want to address. (2,000 characters max. The ultimate foci of this study is to raise public awareness on the amount of greenhouse gases released from paddies, it also intends to assess the low carbon strategies used by farmers and the challenges associated with using them. The major target groups are the locals and government officials. Although, the communities have limited expertise at some stages of the study, I intend to work in partnership with them for their ability to suggest strategies that would facilitate data collection and ensure that the data collected are representative of the community during the study. This will be done by clearly explaining the purpose of the study to the community head, since he has a very good knowledge of the community and can help ensure that all factors required for the study is provided. The proximity of the National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) will be of great assistance during the study and dissemination of results. They will be helpful in providing previous research results and some experimental techniques that will be invaluable in the design of the survey. Usually, conveying research results requires wisdom to avoid rejection. Before communicating the research results to the entire community, results will discussed with the study team from NCRI and the community representatives. Also, since the FADAMA intervention programmes that serve as an intermediary between the government and the communities are common around the study area, assistance will be sought from the FADAMA facilitators during the study and when communicating the research results to the government to enhance acceptance for policy formulation. Timeline of the project, including milestones TIME FRAME (MONTHS) ACTIVITY 1-2 Arrival in Germany, Intensive German language course 3 Reconnaissance survey, acquisition of project materials and pretesting of questionnaire 4-6 Questionnaire administration and analysis. 7-10 Image acquisition, geospatial analysis and ground truthing 11-12 Preliminary write-up and corrections 13-14 Presentations and submission This study is expected to cover a one calendar year period, although this proposed duration is subject to modifications from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

purpose :: essays research papers fc

ABSTRACT The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether seedlings of the same kind will sprout faster under different controlled temperatures. The three controlled temperatures were 32Â °, 20Â ° , and 5Â ° degrees Celsius. The hypothesis will prove that the plant in the normal temperature range will sprout faster than the plants in the higher or lower temperatures. The procedure that was followed to support my hypothesis was to observe six germinating seeds in six separate pots. Two pots each were placed in three controlled temperature conditions. The seeds were of the same type. The same size pot was used, along with the same soil. A big hole was punched in each pot to allow for proper drainage. A measured amount of soil was put in the pots, and then one seed was placed in each pot and covered with soil. Each pot was saturated with water. An equal amount of sun, and water was provided daily over a twenty-day period. Two pots were put under a heating source to create a temperature higher than room temperature. These pots were labeled A and B. Two other pots were placed at the current room temperature of my house during winter months. These pots were labeled C and D. The last set of pots were labeled E and F and were placed in a cooler environment. The pots were observed and the data was recorded daily. The end result of this experiment was that the two plants that were placed under a heating source produced sprouts faster than the plants with no heating source. This proved my hypothesis to be false. The heating source provided a better growing environment than the normal and lower temperatures. BACKGROUND Most gardeners know not to plant seedlings until after the last winter frost. Some gardeners start planting early by starting their crop inside where the temperature doesn’t reach freezing. Is the best growing environment at room temperature? Would the seedling be affected if the temperature is a little colder or warmer. I always thought that normal temperatures produce normal healthy plants. A normal environment seems more stable and therefore the plant is more likely to grow quicker. If the environment is normal then the plant does not have the added stress of adapting to it’s environment. I think it would be helpful for gardeners to know which temperature a plant grows best in. A superior seedling will produce a superior crop.

Functions, Values, and Roles of the Nurse Practitioner Essay

I have read and understand the plagiarism policy as outlined in the syllabus and the sections in the catalog relating to Indiana Wesleyans Honest/Cheating policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I certify that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act/s, which could include expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University. Function, Values, and Roles of the Nurse Practitioner When contemplating the roles and values of the nurse practitioner it is necessary for the student to first exam the career path and scope of the nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have advanced education and training in a health care setting. They are practitioners with advanced degrees such as a Master of Science in nursing and are licensed as registered nurses who have practiced as a registered nurse for a minimum of at least two years. Most nurse practitioners early in their course work will identify a specialty area of nursing that they have an interest in doing research in. Determination of this specific area is usually influenced by what area of nursing the student has experience working in as a registered nurse. Other times, it is influenced by the illness of someone close to them or a family member. Cardiac health and transplantation is an area that this student wishes to pursue as a specialty area. My interest has been piqued by personal experience in this area with a family member. This student believes that this specialty area values the health and well-being of all mankind and that research is rewarded as a basis for providing new and upcoming trends in this specialty area. Through early detection and treatment of cardiac related illness, healthcare providers in this area strive to prevent diseases such as congestive heart failure from progressing to advanced stages requiring even further cardiac intervention. It is the belief of this student that to become a competent urse practitioner one must value wellness, enjoy the human race, and have the true desire to care for others. Race, socioeconomic status, and educational level of the client are not priorities when determining plans of care for patients. The nurse practitioner must remain non bias in her personal beliefs and put the needs of the patient first at all times. This ensures nonbiased holistic complete care is provided which is valued by all nurse practitioners and sought by all health care consumers. . Due to recent changes in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid coupled with the sky rocketing cost of health care many Americans are being forced to change the way they access health care. As the face of health care moves away from the traditional hospital setting to other sites within the community, the role and function of the nurse practitioner has moved to the forefront of the health care system. Nurse practitioners practice in a variety of settings that include community health centers, primary care clinics, hospital departments, physician offices, and walk in clinics. Accessibility to care is one criterion that has created popularity among the role of nurse practitioners. One area of interest among nurse practitioners that has become popular is the concept of family care specialization. Family care nurse practitioners value providing care to the entire family and are often viewed as the physicians of long ago. The care given by these practitioners is family based care, and not limited to one criterion such as age or gender, thus reminding people of how physicians practiced many years ago. Family nurse practitioners are licensed in the same way as other nurse practitioners but usually have a broader clientele base and work mainly in primary care clinics and not in specialty areas. Another quality the nurse practitioner must value is the ability to recognize the limits of their knowledge and expertise within their scope of practice. This recognition allows for collaboration with another health care provider to take place and ensures holistic problem focused healthcare is made available to all patients. When discussing society’s perception of the nurse practitioner, it is this student’s belief that there is an overall general acceptance in the role of the nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners have been made to earn the respect of their profession. During the early development of this career, nurse practitioners were originally viewed by some members of society as want to be physicians. This perception has changed within the last ten years and has mainly been influenced by the decrease in the number of general practice physicians. The increase in the number of baby boomers has also created the need for more medical providers thus helping to create further awareness and acceptance among the role of a nurse practitioner. Furthermore, recognition of nurse practitioners by third party insurances, in covering care provided by nurse practitioners, has also encouraged the use and popularity of nurse practitioners. When asked about society’s perception of the nurse practitioner, it is this student’s belief that there is an overall general acceptance of the role of the nurse practitioner. However, acceptance of this role in the medical field has not always been the norm. Nurse practitioners have been made to earn the respect of their profession and were originally viewed by some members of society as substitute doctors. It is this student’s belief this perception has changed within the last ten years due to the decrease in the number of available general practice physicians. The increase in the number of baby boomers requiring more medical attention has also created the need for more health care professionals thus promoting the role of the nurse practitioner. In conclusion, it is this student’s belief that nurse practitioners are competent medical professionals who value disease prevention, wellness, and patient education. All nurse practitioners strive to provide thorough patient care regardless of the area of specialty they practice and will remain strong advocates for change and stability in America’s health care system. Nurse practitioners have the ability to change the landscape of modern medicine and will continue to meet these challenges presented before them to ensure the continued growth and development of the practice of the nurse practitioner.

Lift Every Voice and Sing essays

Lift Every Voice and Sing essays "Lift Every Voice And Sing" is a high-spirited gospel song that was written by the famous black poet and civil rights leader, James Welden Johnson. Performed by Melba Moore and a few others, I downloaded a version of the song to play. Originally in honor to celebrate Lincoln's birthday, it was performed in a Florida school to children who were being educated in a segregated environment. I happen to think it also has something to do with Martin Luther King Jr. and the marches he led in order to overcome discrimination and prejudice. Indeed, this song can be considered uplifting and courageous to the people that think God has left them during their times of trial. Specifically, this message focuses on the hard times of African Americans, during segregation and slavery. The speaker is someone who is trying to be inspirational and uplifting to those who need it. The audience is not only concentrated on blacks that went through or viewed hate crimes, but also to anyone that has felt the t errible burden of intolerance and hatred. The writer of this song entitled it "Lift Every Voice And Sing" because of the fact that he's telling all blacks to do the very same thing. Blacks were told to be quiet when they were slaves; they were there for service. Moreover, blacks were to be seen, not heard, like children. James is telling blacks to speak up, not to be ignored, or disregarded. His plea is to empower the oppressed so that the world is forced to notice the beauty and integrity of you as a person, as a fellow human being. The first stanza and chorus of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" reads: Ring with the harmonies of liberty; Let it resound loud as the rolling sea In this stanza, James is advising blacks to let people know they're here. The lines "Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty;" (1.2-3) encourages blacks to make sure everyone hears what they have to say. It's also telling them that their words can teac...

National Missile Defense essays

National Missile Defense essays This article was very interesting, Im glad I picked it, because I was never even aware of the NMD and the topics that surround it. I remember hearing about the so called Star Wars defense system of the 1980s, but I never gave the topic a second thought. This article addresses how the system would operate, what it would cost and how it would affect our relationships with other countries, especially China and Russia. The NMD is a system that could be used to stop incoming ICBMs and other forms of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The idea has been tossed around within congress and between other government agencies; however, it is being looked at very seriously now. With the threat of rogue states acquiring WMD rising everyday the government has to consider the NMD as a necessary tool in homeland security. The Bush administration is very supportive of the NMD. However, it does have its problems. It will be a very expensive program to build, costing around 60 million dollars. Also it will not be operational for a few years. It is also difficult to know how effective it will be. The favored design of the NMD is the hit to kill missile, it is designed to smash into the incoming ICBM and destroy it. So far, the US has not been able to guarantee it will have a high success rate. The only way to truly see its effectiveness is to test it and it is very hard to simulate an ICBM attack. The idea of a NMD is also very controversial on the political table. Russia and China have already voiced their disapproval of the NMD. They say that it will cause the US to have to much leverage if nuclear war were to break out. The US is already the supreme super power in the military world. China and Russia feel that with our nuclear capabilities and the NMD the US would be too far advanced. The US is trying to be sensitive to other countries around the world because we do not want to disrupt r...

Science Meets Real Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Science Meets Real Life - Essay Example The scientific method is a process that gets used to form and test solutions to problems. It is gets used to create theories about how and why things work. It ought to reduce the influences of â€Å"faith† on the experimenter. This reduces bias or prejudice so as to make the process valid anywhere in the world. The scientific method presents us with two options. Working through the steps of the scientific problem and solving everyday problems with the scientific method. The scientific method can get used to solve any problem (Gauch, 2003). It follows five fundamental steps. They come in the following order; state the problem, research the problem, form a hypothesis, test the hypothesis and draw a conclusion from the data collected. These five key steps can get used to resolve problems that occur in everyday life. One should start by defining the problem. This is because a problem cannot be solved unless it gets understood first (Gauch, 2003). The problem is that the lights do not come on, and I need light to see around. The next thing I will do is to research the reason why the lights do not come on when I turn on the switch. I look at the possible reasons that can make the lights to no work. To solve the problem, I require a solution as to why the lights are not working. The possibilities are that; the power supply from the service provider is currently switched off so the problem is not within the house. The transformer that ensures power supply to my house may have blown up during the day due to overload. The switch that I may be used to put on the power may not be working. There might be a wiring problem. A tree may have fallen on the power line earlier and caused an interruption. This may also be a planned interruption that probably got announced on the news. After forming all my possibilities, I will proceed to eliminate the poor choices. The switch that I use to put the power on is a poor choice.

Sports Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sports Tourism - Essay Example Sport tourism can be classified in to three main categories. The first category is nostalgia sport tourism. In this category, people visit museums and halls of fame to view documented articles, trophies, and monuments of great sporting achievements. The second category is active sport tourism. This category includes activity holidays and active events. The third category is event sport tourism. This includes the active and passive participation in sporting events (Gibson, 1998). Gibson (1998, p. 49) further conceptualizes sport tourism to be in three distinct areas: traveling to take part in a sporting event; traveling to watch a sport; or travelling to celebrate, worship, or venerate a sport. More recent definitions of sport tourism suggest that it is more than a two -dimensional synergetic phenomenon. In a more intricate definition, sport tourism is a social, economic and cultural phenomenon that arises from the unique interaction of activity, people, and place (Weed and Bull, 2004 , p. 37). Weymouth and Portland as Sport Tourism Destinations Weymouth and Portland are located on the south coast of England. This area provides some of the best sailing waters in the UK. In addition, the area has facilities on land to complement the sailing activities that take place. Before the 2012 Olympic Games, the area already had world class facilities, but some enhancements were necessary to ensure that the facilities were suitable enough to host the sailing competition during the main Olympics and the Paralympics (London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 2012). Considering that sailing is both a competitive and leisure sporting event, there were several types of sport tourists expected to be in the area during the Olympic period. Gibson conceptualizes sport tourism to be in three distinct areas: travelling to take part; travelling to watch; or travelling to celebrate, worship or venerate a sport. From his conceptualization, the types of tourists that can and were attracte d to visit Weymouth and Portland during the Olympics can be derived. The first type of tourists that were attracted in the area are the participants (Gibson, 1998, p. 49). The Olympics bring together athletes and sportsmen from all over the world. Therefore, any sportsman that participated in the sailing competition in both the main Olympics and the Paralympics were tourists. Though their main agenda was to participate in the competition, the fact that they were foreigners makes them tourists by default. Also, the sailing competition was not taking place every single day during the games. The athletes, therefore, had some time to spare in between the races. During this spare time, they toured the area to get to explore its aesthetics and to appreciate the advancements that had been made in the area specifically for the sport. The second area of sport tourism is travelling to watch the sport (Gibson, 1998, p. 49). This was undoubtedly the area that produced the largest number of spor t tourists. People from around the world had travelled to London to specifically watch the games that were taking place there. Most of the tourists in Weymouth and Portland during this period had come as spectators to the sailing competition. Considering that they were not entirely caught up in watching the games either, they had some spare time. During this time, they either went to tour the area or participated in the sailing sport for leisure. This is in line with Gibson’s second category of sport tourism which includes activity holidays. Therefore, the agenda for this type of tourist was twofold. Primarily, their agenda was to