The field methods employed in the soil health component of the AfSIS (Africa Soil Information Service) project are referred to as the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). This field guide outlines field protocols for measuring indicators of the “health” of an ecosystem, including vegetation cover, structure and floristic composition, historic land use, visible signs of soil degradation, and soil physical characteristics.

The Atankwidi Catchment, which lies in the White Volta Basin in West Africa, is intensively cultivated by locals for economic gains. During dry seasons, farmers irrigate their crops, chiefly tomatoes, using shallow groundwater harvested from shallow ponds they dig using simple tools like an axe, hoe, bucket and bowls. Recent expansion in cultivated areas has brought to the fore the need to estimate the volume of shallow groundwater stored in the catchment’s underlying aquifer and to what extent it can sustain the incremental growth in irrigated areas.

Once the conditions that led to the creation of the Société Civile des Terres du Larzac (SCTL) have been introduced, the companion modelling approach used with this group of farmers is presented. The agent-based model co-constructed with a group of researchers and technicians is then described, as well as the way it was used to confront scenarios developed by the SCTL to envision management options of the forest massif, with scenarios developed by the farmers to improve the current functioning of their farms

Once the conditions that led to the creation of the Société Civile des Terres du Larzac (SCTL) have been introduced, the companion modelling approach used with this group of farmers is presented. The agent-based model co-constructed with a group of researchers and technicians is then described, as well as the way it was used to confront scenarios developed by the SCTL to envision management options of the forest massif, with scenarios developed by the farmers to improve the current functioning of their farms

To date, scientific literature provided a vast amount of studies on Ecosystem Services (ES) underpinning their benefits to human well-being. Livestock grazing systems occupy a vast area of the terrestrial surface and are essential to the livelihood especially for vulnerable communities. Grazinglands are able to provide a wide array of ES depending on management practices and intensity. In this perspective and according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) framework, the paper reviews the methods and the approaches used in the analysis of the main ES provided by grazing systems.

Soil management in the Altillanura of Colombia’s Eastern Plains The strategies used for adequate soil management for the Altillanura (high plains with flat topography) of Colombia’s Eastern Plains are reviewed to establish modern, efficient, and sustainable livestock systems in this region. Advances in technology development within the technical and scientific cooperation agreement signed between Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and CIAT, as well as those of the Center’s Soils Project and several national institutions co-partners in the agreement.