Automated in-season rice crop mapping using Sentinel time-series data and Google Earth Engine: A case study in climate-risk prone Bangladesh

Mustafa Kamal Timothy Joseph Krupnik (2024, [Artículo])

High-resolution mapping of rice fields is crucial for understanding and managing rice cultivation in countries like Bangladesh, particularly in the face of climate change. Rice is a vital crop, cultivated in small scale farms that contributes significantly to the economy and food security in Bangladesh. Accurate mapping can facilitate improved rice production, the development of sustainable agricultural management policies, and formulation of strategies for adapting to climatic risks. To address the need for timely and accurate rice mapping, we developed a framework specifically designed for the diverse environmental conditions in Bangladesh. We utilized Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time-series data to identify transplantation and peak seasons and employed the multi-Otsu automatic thresholding approach to map rice during the peak season (April–May). We also compared the performance of a random forest (RF) classifier with the multi-Otsu approach using two different data combinations: D1, which utilizes data from the transplantation and peak seasons (D1 RF) and D2, which utilizes data from the transplantation to the harvest seasons (D2 RF). Our results demonstrated that the multi-Otsu approach achieved an overall classification accuracy (OCA) ranging from 61.18% to 94.43% across all crop zones. The D2 RF showed the highest mean OCA (92.15%) among the fourteen crop zones, followed by D1 RF (89.47%) and multi-Otsu (85.27%). Although the multi-Otsu approach had relatively lower OCA, it proved effective in accurately mapping rice areas prior to harvest, eliminating the need for training samples that can be challenging to obtain during the growing season. In-season rice area maps generated through this framework are crucial for timely decision-making regarding adaptive management in response to climatic stresses and forecasting area-wide productivity. The scalability of our framework across space and time makes it particularly suitable for addressing field data scarcity challenges in countries like Bangladesh and offers the potential for future operationalization.

Synthetic Aperture Radar Random Forest Boro Rice In-Season Maps CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SAR (RADAR) RICE FLOODING CLIMATE CHANGE

Using Sentinel-2 to track field-level tillage practices at regional scales in smallholder systems

Preeti Rao ML JAT Balwinder-Singh Deepak Bijarniya Urs Schulthess Rajbir Singh Meha Jain (2021, [Artículo])

Sentinel-2 Random Forest Google Earth Engine CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SATELLITES ZERO TILLAGE CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE SMALLHOLDERS

Preparation and characterization of strongly sulfonated acid block and random copolymer membranes for acetic acid esterification with 2-Propanol

Verónica Rosiles González Ronan Le Lagadec ARELLY PAULINA VARGUEZ CATZIM María Isabel de los Dolores Loría Bastarrachea Abigail Gonzalez Diaz EMANUEL HERNANDEZ NUÑEZ Manuel de Jesús Aguilar Vega MARIA ORTENCIA GONZALEZ DIAZ (2022, [Artículo])

In this paper, we report the synthesis of block and random copolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), with different AMPS feed ratios. These solution-processable copolymers with strongly sulfonated acid groups resulted in membranes with tunable ion exchange (IEC) and water absorption capacities. AFM images confirmed the microphase separation of PAMPS-b-PMMA-1:1 block copolymer membrane, annealed under the appropriate conditions. The resulting copolymers from the random combination of a 1:1 molar ratio of AMPS and MMA monomers are effective at enhancing the esterification conversion of acetic acid, when compared with a reaction catalyzed by PAMPS-b-PMMA block copolymers and the previously studied catalytic membranes. With the PAMPS-co-PMMA-1:1 membrane, the esterification reaction using acetic acid achieved 85% isopropyl acetate. These results are closely correlated with the increase in IEC (2.63 mmol H+ g−1 ) and the relationship between weight loss (20.3%) and swelling degree (68%) in 2-propanol. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

BLOCK COPOLYMERS RANDOM COPOLYMERS CATALYTIC MEMBRANES ESTERIFICATION ISOPROPYL ACETATE INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES

Does access to improved grain storage technology increase farmers' welfare? Experimental evidence from maize farming in Ethiopia

Hugo De Groote Bart Minten (2024, [Artículo])

Seasonal price variability for cereals is two to three times higher in Africa than on the international reference market. Seasonality is even more pronounced when access to appropriate storage and opportunities for price arbitrage are limited. As smallholder farmers typically sell their production after harvest, when prices are low, this leads to lower incomes as well as higher food insecurity during the lean season, when prices are high. One solution to reduce seasonal stress is the use of improved storage technologies. Using data from a randomised controlled trial, in a major maize-growing region of Western Ethiopia, we study the impact of hermetic bags, a technology that protects stored grain against insect pests, so that the grain can be stored longer. Despite considerable price seasonality—maize prices in the lean season are 36% higher than after harvesting—we find no evidence that hermetic bags improve welfare, except that access to these bags allowed for a marginally longer storage period of maize intended for sale by 2 weeks. But this did not translate into measurable welfare gains as we found no changes in any of our welfare outcome indicators. This ‘near-null’ effect is due to the fact that maize storage losses in our study region are relatively lower than previous studies suggested—around 10% of the quantity stored—likely because of the widespread use of an alternative to protect maize during storage, for example a cheap but highly toxic fumigant. These findings are important for policies that seek to promote improved storage technologies in these settings.

Hermetic Storage Randomised Controlled Trial CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA STORAGE PILOT FARMS SEASONALITY WELFARE MAIZE

Sustainable maize intensification through site-specific nutrient management advice: Experimental evidence from Nigeria

Miet Maertens Oyakhilomen Oyinbo Tahirou Abdoulaye Jordan Chamberlin (2023, [Artículo])

There is growing evidence on the impacts of site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) from Asia. The evidence for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where SSNM developments are more recent and where conditions concerning soil fertility and fertilizer use differ importantly from those in Asia, is extremely scarce. We evaluate a SSNM advisory tool that allows extension agents to generate fertilizer recommendations tailored to the specific situation of an individual farmer’s field, using a three-year randomized controlled trial with 792 smallholder farmers in the maize belt of northern Nigeria. Two treatment arms were implemented: T1 and T2 both provide SSNM information on nutrient use and management, but T2 provides additional information on maize price distributions and the associated variability of expected returns to fertilizer use. We estimate average and heterogenous intent-to-treat effects on agronomic, economic and environmental plot-level outcomes. We find that T1 and T2 lead to substantial increases (up to 116%) in the adoption of good fertilizer management practices and T2 leads to incremental increases (up to 18%) in nutrient application rates, yields and revenues. Both treatments improve low levels of nutrient use efficiency and reduce high levels of greenhouse gas emission intensity, after two years of treatment. Our findings underscore the possibility of a more gradual and sustainable intensification of smallholder agriculture in SSA, as compared with the Asian Green Revolution, through increased fertilizer use accompanied by improved fertilizer management.

Randomized Controlled Trial CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION GREEN REVOLUTION FERTILIZERS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Principles of field experimentation

Berhanu Tadesse Ertiro (2023, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA FIELD EXPERIMENTATION EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN RANDOMIZED BLOCK DESIGN LATTICE DESIGN PLANT BREEDING

Determinantes del comportamiento de queja del consumidor en México

Determinants of consumer complaint behavior in Mexico

IGNACIO JAVIER CRUZ RODRIGUEZ JAVIER GALAN FIGUEROA (2019, [Artículo])

El objetivo del trabajo es explicar los determinantes del comportamiento de queja del consumidor en los niveles socioeconómico y empresa. Para ello se acude a la metodología de datos de panel estático a fin de estimar el impacto de los determinantes de las quejas de los consumidores. Los resultados a nivel socioeconómico indican que las quejas se encuentran determinadas por el ingreso, las conciliaciones a favor de los consumidores y por la población residente en zonas urbanas. Mientras a nivel empresa los resultados muestran que tanto la cuota de mercado como el tamaño de la firma afectan positivamente las quejas. Se concluye que los resultados coinciden con la literatura revisada y que se puede esperar un aumento en el número de quejas presentadas por los consumidores.

This work aims to quantify the determinants of consumer complaint behavior in socioeconomic and business levels. For this purpose, the static panel data methodology is used in order to estimate the impact of consumer complaints both at the federal level of the Mexican Republic and at the level of the main companies that are considered leaders in their field. The results by the state indicate that the complaints are determined by income, reconciliations in favor of consumers and population residing in urban areas.While at the company level, the results show that both market share and company size positively affect consumer complaints. In conclusion, the results agree with the literature reviewed, and a rise in the number of complaints is possible.

HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA Datos de panel Efectos fijos y efectos aleatorios Satisfacción de los consumidores Quejas del consumidor Panel data models Fixed effects and random effects Consumer complaint