Working paper

The participatory market chain approach: Stimulating pro-poor market-chain innovation

Innovation in the food and agriculture sector is frequently short-circuited by a lack of trust and communication between actors in the market chain. To overcome these problems and stimulate innovation, the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) brings together small farmers, market agents, and service providers for an intense process of facilitated interaction. The PMCA uses a flexible...

Measured and modelled sublimation on the tropical Glaciar Artesonraju, Peru
Sublimation plays a decisive role in the surface energy balance of tropical glaciers. During the dry season low specific humidity and high surface roughness favour the direct transition from ice to vapour and drastically reduce the energy available for melting. However, field measurements are scarce and little is known about the performance of sublimation parametrisations in glacier mass balance...
Quasi-3-D resistivity imaging - mapping of heterogeneous frozen ground conditions using electrical resistivity tomography

Up to now an efficient 3-D geophysical mapping of the subsurface in mountainous environments with rough terrain has not been possible. A merging approach of several closely spaced 2-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys to build up a quasi-3-D model of the electrical resistivity is presented herein as a practical compromise for inferring subsurface characteristics and lithology....

High resolution modelling of snow transport in complex terrain using simulated wind fields

Snow transport is one of the most dominant processes influencing the snow cover accumulation and ablation in high alpine mountain environments. Hence, the spatial and temporal variability of the snow cover is significantly modified with respective consequences on the total amount of water in the snow pack, on the temporal dynamics of the runoff and on the energy balance of the...

Mountain glaciers of NE Asia in the near future: A projection based on climate-glacier systems' interaction
In this study the authors consider contrasting continental (Orulgan, Suntar-Khayata and Chersky ranges located in the Pole of Cold area at the contact of Atlantic and Pacific influences) and maritime (Kamchatka under the Pacific influence) Russian glacier systems. Their purpose is to present a simple method for the projection of change of the main parameters of these glacier...
Role of glaciers in watershed hydrology: 'Himalayan catchment' perspective
A large number of Himalayan glacier catchments are under the influence of humid climate with snowfall in winter (November-April) and South-West monsoon in summer (June–September) dominating the regional hydrology. Such catchments are defined as "Himalayan catchment", where the glacier melt water contributes to the river flow during the period of annual high...
Spatial and temporal variability of snow depth and SWE in a small mountain catchment
The spatio-temporal variability of the mountain snow cover determines the avalanche danger, snow water storage, permafrost distribution and the local distribution of fauna and flora. Using a new type of terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), which is particularly suited for measurements of snow covered surfaces, snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE) and melt rates have been...
Accessing biodiversity and sharing the benefits: Lessons from implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity

Modern developments in biotechnology and the continuing expansion of global trade have allowed society to gain greater access to, and to derive benefits from, the world’s biological and genetic diversity. Eleven years ago the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force, with a goal of ensuring that in the process of obtaining and sharing such benefits, society would...

Practical approaches on community based disaster management planning: Mainstreaming livelihood centred approaches to disaster risk reduction

Many countries and communities are vulnerable to natural disasters related to their location and geophysical context; while the risk of technological disasters exists everywhere. Disaster risk reduction is one of the great challenges of development. Disaster risks can be minimised and losses substantially reduced by enabling local bodies such as Unions, VDCs and Municipalities to undertake...

Farmers’ local knowledge associated with the production, utilization and diversity of ricebean (Vigna umbellata) in Nepal

This document contains information on farmers’ indigenous knowledge and practices associated with the ricebean (Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi, previously Phaseolus calcaratus) in potential ricebean growing areas of Nepal. Ricebean is a potentially valuable but underutilised multipurpose grain legume for farmers in the marginal hill areas of Nepal. It is a traditional crop that...

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