Daten zum Projekt
Initiative: | Wissen für morgen – Kooperative Forschungsvorhaben im subsaharischen Afrika (beendet) |
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Ausschreibung: | Postdoctoral Fellowships "Resources, their Dynamics and Sustainability - Capacity-Development in Comparative and Integrated Approaches" |
Bewilligung: | 27.06.2018 |
Laufzeit: | 2 Jahre |
Projektinformationen
In phase 1 of the VW Africa initiative postdoctoral research, socio economic, biophysical and ecological drivers of particular aspects of biological diversity and productivity in the coffee-banana system of the Mt. Elgon region (MER) were established. A two-year extension to cement and build on findings from research of the previous period is envisaged. This is for a more in-depth assessment of the elevation-cropping system-microclimate-soil nexus. This is to finalise identification of problematic land use systems and flows where recommendations for corrective land-use strategies can be developed and disseminated. Particular to this study will be the determination of nutrient balances and carbon stocks in the coffee cropping systems in the MER, a gap of the previous phase. As such, the objectives of the extension will be to: 1) facilitate the two PhD students on the fellowship to complete research theses/publications and build career networks 2) To determine the partial nutrient balances and soil carbon stocks in prevailing cropping systems as nested into the altitude gradients in the MER, 3) To establish the role of soil organic carbon stocks on biomass and density of soil macrofauna in the different cropping systems at the different altitude gradients in the MER, and 4) Pilot stakeholder networks to enhance abundance and effectiveness of beneficial terrestrial and soil macrofauna in coffee-banana systems. The research hypotheses being tested are that: 1) Coffee fields that are regularly tilled to include seasonal crops have reduced soil carbon stocks, negative nutrient balances, and the lowest levels of soil macrofauna biomass and density, 2) Inclusion of shade trees and sustained usage of organic manures in such systems may restore the soil C and nutrients to appreciable levels and promote macrofauna abundance.
Projektbeteiligte
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Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stützel
Universität Hannover
Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Institut für Gartenbauliche Produktionssysteme
Abteilung Systemmodellierung Gemüsebau
Hannover
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Dr. Jeninah Karungi-Tumutegyereize
Makerere University Business School
School of Agricultural Sciences
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Kampala
Uganda