http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/54 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:35:43 GMT 2026-07-21T20:35:43Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1278 Growth and Yield Response of Tomato Cultivars to Nitrogen Fertilizer and Organic Amendments and Modelling Climate Impact Sanneh, Lamin Tomato production in The Gambia is ranked second after onion in terms of production acreage and highly consumed. An agronomic trial was conducted in 2021 and 2022 at Horticulture unit in Yundum. The main objective was to enhance tomato production in The Gambia through determination of effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers as well as model climate impact on the performance of Mongal F1 and Thorgal F1 tomato varieties. The design of the experiment was split-plot design with three replications and four treatments such as Leucaena leaves, Poultry bedding, Nitrogen fertilizer and Leucaena leaves + Poultry bedding. Constant increase in temperature, wind and decrease in rainfall, an unpredictable rainfall pattern and prolonged drought are effects causing severe dropping of flowers and rotting of tomato fruits. Use of synthetic pesticide, planting of trees and fertilizers are use as adaptation strategies. Mongal F1 tomato variety had performed better than Thorgal F1. Poultry bedding and Leucaena leaves has increased soil fertility than Leucaena leaves + poultry bedding and Nitrogen. Response to growth and yield, Leucaena leaves and poultry bedding performed better than Nitrogen and Leucaena leaves +poultry bedding. The results from DSSAT (CROPGRO) model shows the existence of climate change such as unpredictable and erratic rainfall, higher temperatures etc. The model indicated that, highest amount of rainfall was recorded in September, and the lowest was in July, contrary both temperature’s solar radiations were very high in July and declined in September. In addition, days after start of simulations for tomato growth, and yield, treatments did not impacted well due to their longterm effects. A Policy brief, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1278 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1277 Resilience capacity-building of smallholder farmers facing climate change risks: The value of practicing climate-smart agriculture techniques on groundnut and sorghum. Ouedraogo, Harouna; Diallo, Yacouba; Hien, Edmond; Yameogo, Louis P.; Nehren, Udo In Burkina Faso, agriculture is facing three major constraints. Firstly, the extreme events of climate change such as drought spells and temperature increases. Secondly, soil erosion and low soil fertility. Third, the weak use of organic and chemical fertilizers because of its unavailability, its pricey and the poor income of the farmers. The improvement of soil, mitigation and adaptation of climate change variability is needed to build strong resilience capacity of smallholder farmers. This paper focuses on three objectives. First to analyse the key determinants of indigenous zaï and stone rows practices adoption. Afterwards to determine the influence of zaï, stone rows, ridge tillage, and zaï combined with stone rows on soil health and the performance of groundnut and sorghum yields, and eventually to propose possible policy responses. A thesis, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1277 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1261 Integrating Climate Information into Meningitis Preparedness in West Africa: Insights from Saharan Dust and Large-Scale Atmospheric Drivers Diouf, Diarra; Akinbobola, Ademola; Martín-Rey, Marta; Rodríguez-Fonseca, Belén; Diouf, Ibrahima; Dione, Cheikh; Gaye, Amadou T. Saharan dust and BM incidence are strongly correlated. Peaks in PM10 concentrations, low humidity, and high temperature precede meningitis outbreaks by 2 to 4 weeks, especially in the Sahelian zone.  ENSO influence West African dust variability through modulation of synoptic systems. During El Niño, weakened Azores High and reduced pressure gradients lead to lower dust activity. During La Niña or positive NAO phases, the Azores High strengthens, intensifying dust transport. In addition, due to the Siberian High enhancing the north-south pressure gradient during winter, Harmattan wind strength increases and promotes dry, dusty airflow over the region.  Predictive models using climate and environmental variables provide early warning with 2–3 weeks lead time. Machine learning models like Machine learning models like XGBoost in Nigeria, CatBoost in Burkina Faso) highlight vaccination, RH, and meridional wind as the most influential predictors across countries. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree in West African Climate Systems Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1261 2025-06-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1246 Rice husk briquette as a sustainable energy solution and climate change mitigation strategy in Nigeria Yunusa, Usman The findings show that fuel briquettes with optimum quality for domestic use (Figure 2) can be produced under low pressure using the hydraulic piston press. Similarly, potato peel and African locust bean husk and pulp have shown good performance as binders in comparison to cassava starch. Hence, validating their use in fuel briquette production, especially when employing low-pressure machines. The briquettes developed have energy content between 13.54 to 18.74 MJ/kg (Figure 3), conforming with the European Norm (ENplus) limit of 16.56 MJ/kg and the ISO 17225-7 (2021) limit of 14.5 MJ/kg. The findings further prove that the briquettes have adequate energy densities and can be considered a cooking energy source (Muazu & Stegemann, 2017). Figure 3 shows the result of the environmental impact assessment. From the findings, producing and using rice husk briquette has more environmental benefits than charcoal. This implies a climate change mitigation potential of 33.3% and a land use impact reduction of 99.6% for briquette produced and used in place of charcoal. For example, 50% of the rice husk generated in Nigeria (i.e., around 1.2 million tonnes) can yield about 1.6 million tonnes of fuel briquettes. This quantity of briquette can sustainably serve a many households relying on charcoal and fuelwood in the country and can mitigate climate change by 261 million kg CO2 eq per year. The findings therefore prove that fuel briquette has the potential to mitigate climate change A Policy brief submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Land Use Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/1246 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z