Platforms, Volume 2, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 2 articles

Nonpoint source pollutants primarily originate from agricultural areas, settlements, and contaminated lands. Soil erosion and deposition are the means of transportation of pollutants since soil particles not only absorb but also transport contaminants through the stream network. Nature-based solutions (NbSs) are quite popular around the world to mitigate soil erosion and deposition, which has accelerated due to climate change and other anthropogenic activities. To promote their adoption, we developed an online decision support system (DSS) to provide land and water managers and particularly stakeholders with the optimal NbSs and ecosystem-based approaches (EbAs) that could help protect watersheds, streams, and consequently seas from pollutants. This DSS incorporates a descriptive data management system to handle datasets (questions, answers/criteria, outputs/solutions) from various stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, urban planners, environmentalists) and other non-experts. The questions of the DSS are related to different characteristics (criteria) of the areas of interest for the NbS or EbA. The questions provide various answers (which serve as descriptive data) in order to weigh the criteria/characteristics and, ultimately, the proposed NbS. The NbSs of the DSS were recorded based on a bibliographic review and from stakeholders’ responses via forums, meetings, workshops, etc. The primary testing results by stakeholders showed that the online DSS has the potential to be used as a complementary service in the near future. Specifically, it can provide the optimal NbS based on the participants’ answers about the study area. This communication paper may act as an invitation to reach a greater audience of stakeholders for the improvement of the online DSS. Full article

Uganda’s aquaculture sub-sector is rapidly developing, contributing up to 22% of all fish produced in the country. However, the sub-sector still faces challenges related to limited access to extension services, production inputs, post-harvest handling facilities, disease incidences, value-addition skills and weak market linkages. Although there have been isolated interventions at different aquaculture value-chain nodes, the registered challenges continue to recur. To address prioritized issues in Uganda’s aquaculture sub-sector, nine zonal aquaculture innovation platforms were established based on the country’s nine agro-ecological zones. These platforms brought together different stakeholders to identify solutions to common problems in each aquaculture value-chain node. Each innovation platform consisted of fish farmers, hatchery operators, traders, extension workers, researchers, input dealers, local leaders, and financial institutions. During a series of zonal workshops, participants identified constraints to the aquaculture sub-sector in their respective zones. From the findings, there are technical knowledge gaps across the entire aquaculture value chain mainly affecting hatchery operators, input suppliers, and farmers. Therefore, there is need for coordinated interventions to enhance access to production technologies, innovations, knowledge, and skill transfer to promote gender-centered aquaculture development. Full article