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Bambara groundnut is vital for food security due to its high nutritional content and resilience to environmental stresses. The objectives of the study were to determine associations among agronomic traits and nutrients in Bambara groundnut and identify traits influencing grain production in Bambara groundnut. Field experiments were conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Ukulinga Farm and Controlled Environment Facility (CEF) to assess agronomic performance and nutritional content. Nutritional content was evaluated using standard combustion procedures and electron microscopy. Correlation, regression, and path coefficient analyses revealed varying relationships among agronomic traits, nutrient content, and grain yield. The number of seeds (NS), healthy seeds (NHS), and plant height (PH) exhibited significant associations with grain yield. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), starch, magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and phosphorus (P), were the key predictors of grain yield productivity. Path coefficient analysis showed that NS, PH and magnesium, oxygen, and carbon contents positively affected grain yield. In conclusion, grain yield was influenced by multiple traits through different pathways that are complicated by the growing environment. Selecting taller genotypes with good agronomic traits and high nutrient content is recommended to develop high yielding Bambara groundnut cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Ethnopedological studies focus on agricultural soils resulting in undervaluation of non-agricultural soil materials during land classification. In this study, ethnographic and ethnopedologic methods were used to obtain local knowledge and gain in-depth understanding of non-agricultural soils, their mineralogical and elemental composition relating to application in geophagy, healing and cosmetic purposes in two villages in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In each village a questionnaire was administered to fifty randomly selected individuals from which ten knowledgeable volunteers (including eight geophagists from two villages) provided details on the selection criteria, the desired properties and why the soils performed the claimed role. Users based their selection on macromorphological features (e.g. colour, texture and location within the soil) and indigenous knowledge. Geophagic materials were mainly sourced from C horizons. They were mostly fine-grained with mica, kaolinite and quartz, and elements such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co) and lead (Pb). Natural pigments, such as iron oxides in highly weathered soils, were recognised as sunscreen materials. Although the mechanisms were not understood by users, laboratory analyses showed that the mineralogical and chemical properties of the soil materials played a crucial role. The sunscreen and healing capabilities of these soils were related to high contents of titanium (TiO2) and iron (Fe2O3) and the presence of kaolinite. Further appraisal of these soil materials is necessary for their conservation and inclusion in land classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underutilised crops represent an important component of agro-biodiversity with potential to contribute to climate change adaptation, food security and sovereignty in poor rural areas. However, despite emerging research interest, they continue to occupy the peripheries of mainstream agriculture. There is a need to consolidate the gains made and propose a coherent strategy for translating underutilised crops into mainstream agriculture. The status of underutilised crops in South Africa (past, present and on-going research) was reviewed with a view to identifying existing gaps, opportunities and challenges for developing future research capacity. The review confirmed that several underutilised crops are drought tolerant, adapted to low levels of water use and thus suitable for cultivation in most marginal production areas typical of semi-arid and arid cropping systems. In addition, several are nutrient dense and could be used to improve dietary diversity among poor rural people. These characteristics make them ideal for inclusion in climate change adaptation and promotion of food sovereignty. There is need for a paradigm shift away from practices that have promoted a few major crops to an agro-ecology based land use classification system that recognises diversity and strengthens food networks. There is a need to identify those underutilised crops that show the greatest potential for success and can be fitted into semi-arid and arid cropping systems and prioritise them for future research, development and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 70% of the population in the semi- and arid tropics reside in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Crop production is primarily focused on a few starchy staple crops. While this can ensure adequate calories, it inadvertently neglects the need for dietary diversity. Consequently, food and nutritional insecurity remains prevalent in the semi- and arid tropics. We reviewed the legume value chain with the aim to identify opportunities and challenges to unlocking their value and promoting them in the tropics. Several grain legumes are rich in proteins and micronutrients. They also possess adaptability to marginal environmental conditions such as drought and low input systems which typify rural landscapes. Adaptability to abiotic stresses such as drought makes them key to agriculture in areas that will receive less rainfall in the future. However, this potential was currently not being realized due to a range of challenges. Aspects related to their seed systems, production, post-harvest handling and marketing remain relatively under-researched. This was especially true for minor legumes. There is a need for trans-disciplinary research which will address the entire value chain, as has been done for major starchy crops. This could also unlock significant economic opportunities for marginalized groups such as women. This will unlock their value and allow them to contribute meaningfully to food and nutrition security as well as sustainable and resilient cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southern African Development Community's (SADC) water and energy sectors are under increasing pressure due to population growth and agricultural and industrial development. Climate change is also negatively impacting on the region's water and energy resources. As the majority of SADC's population lives in poverty, regional development and integration are underpinned by water and energy security as the watercourses in the region are transboundary in nature. This paper reviews the region's water and energy resources and recommends policies based on the water-energy nexus approach. This is achieved by reviewing literature on water and energy resources as well as policy issues. Water resources governance provides a strong case to create a waterenergy nexus platform to support regional planning and integration as SADC countries share similar climatic and hydrological conditions. However, there has been a gap between water and energy sector planning in terms of policy alignment and technical convergence. These challenges hinder national policies on delivering economic and social development goals, as well as constraining the regional goal of greater integration. Regional objectives on sustainable energy and access to clean water for all can only be achieved through the recognition of the water-energy nexus, championed in an integrated and sustainable manner. A coordinated regional water-energy nexus approach stimulates economic growth, alleviates poverty and reduces high unemployment rates. The shared nature of water and energy resources requires far more transboundary water-energy nexus studies to be done in the context of regional integration and policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing agricultural productivity has always been a prominent feature on the regional agenda due to a high incidence of food and nutrition insecurity. This review assessed the current status of irrigated agriculture in southern Africa from a water–energy–food (WEF) nexus perspective. Gaps and opportunities for improving irrigated agriculture within the context of the WEF nexus were also assessed in terms of the feasible limits to which they can be exploited. Southern Africa faces water scarcity, and climate projections show that member states will face increased physical and/or economic water scarcity by as early as 2025, which will have negative impacts on water, energy and food production. Recurrent droughts experienced across the region reaffirm the sensitive issues of food and energy insecurity as well as water scarcity. Projections of an increasing population within the region indicate increased water, energy and food demand. With agriculture already accounting for about 70% of water withdrawals, increasing the area under irrigation will place additional demand on already strained energy grids and scarce water resources. This poses the question—is increasing irrigated agriculture a solution to improving water access, food security and energy supply? While there are prospects for increasing the area under irrigation and subsequent improvement in agricultural productivity, adopting a WEF nexus approach in doing so would mitigate trade-offs and unintended consequences. Consideration of the WEF nexus in integrated resources planning and management eliminates the possibilities of transferring problems from one sector to other, as it manages synergies and trade-offs. While it is acknowledged that improving water productivity in irrigated agriculture could reduce water and energy use while increasing yield output, there is a need to decide how such savings would then be reallocated. Any intervention to increase the irrigated area should be done in the context of a WEF nexus analytical framework to guide policy and decision-making. Technical planning should evolve around the WEF nexus approach in setting targets, as WEF nexus indicators would reveal the performance and impact of proposed interventions on any of the three WEF nexus components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which provided evidence that a traditional approach to maize storage used by some subsistence farmers in South Africa has merit for agriculture and possibly germ-plasm preservation. Background of the study; Methods and results.