Can Occurrence and Distribution of Ground Beetles (Carabidae) Be Influenced by the Coffee Farming System in the Mount Elgon Region of Uganda?

The Mount Elgon region of Uganda has coffee farmlands distributed along the slopes of the mountain, in a mosaic of differing crop combinations, and semi-natural vegetation. Thus, there are parcels of varying microclimate that create disparities in occurrence of key insect functional groups. The study quantified the occurrence of Carabidae in 72 coffee farmlands categorized by altitude: low (1400-1499 m.a.s.l), mid (1500-1679 m.a.s.l), and high (1680-2100 m.a.s.l); and farming system: coffee monocrop, coffee+annual crops, coffee+banana, and coffee+banana+shade trees. The results revealed highly significant effects of altitude, farming systems, and the interaction of the two on occurrence of three Carabidae genera (Anisodactylus, Chlaenius, and Harpalus.). The abundance of Harpalus spp. was higher at lower altitudes in coffee monocropped farming systems; Anisodactylus spp. were more abundant at higher altitudes in coffee+annual crop systems; and Chlaenius spp. were highest in the coffee+banana+shade tree system at mid altitudes. The belowground microclimate parameters of soil moisture, pH, EC; and the aboveground diversity of semi-natural vegetation explained some of the differences in occurrence of the different Carabidae genera. This distinctiveness in preference of different genera in the same family hinders collective recommendations but looks to a more pragmatic strategy in nurturing diversity on a holistic scale.

Bridging the gap: decomposing sources of gender yield gaps in Uganda groundnut production.

Female plot managers in Sub-Saharan Africa often realize significantly lower crop yields than their male counterparts. Even for legumes, which are often referred to as 'women's crops', yields are significantly lower. This study investigated the underlying causes of this gender yield gap in groundnut production. The analysis is based on survey data from 228 farm households from two groundnut growing regions in Uganda. We used the Blinder-Oaxaca model to decompose factors that contribute to this yield gap. Results show 63% and 44% gender yield gaps for improved and local varieties, respectively, with female plot managers realizing less than their male counterparts. Improved groundnut seeds increase female plot manager's yields but not the yields of male plot managers. Male advantage and female disadvantage combined account for more than 70% of the yield gap in both improved and local groundnut variety production and exceed pure productivity differences. Labor use differences between female and male plot managers and variety types explain the observed yield gap. Interventions and policies that increase women's access to productive inputs including improved seed will significantly contribute to closing the yield gap, and thereby increase crop production, food security, as well as women's incomes.