In the tropics, the water potential of a region cannot be adequately assessed from precipitation alone due to the seasonal character of rainfall and even more so owing to the changing climate scenario. It is therefore necessary that in any agro-climatological program, there must be a clear understanding of the actual amount of water that evaporates and transpires (AET), and the amount of water that would evaporate and transpire if water were always readily available (PET). This could be done through the method of the water balance. The present work examines the water budget of parts of the Imo river basin and its implications for improved crop production through supplementary irrigation schedules. It was observed, that the study area is already facing moisture-stress. This is because even during rainy months supplementary irrigation is required to compensate for the occasionally moisture deficit due to increased evapotranspiration. The study showed that cultivation of maize, rice and tomatoes can be carried out on an all-year round basis under a scientific irrigation scheme. Thus the study provided farmers with guideline on the period and quantity of water required for supplementary irrigation, a development which will prevents wilting of plants before the application of needed water.

The projected increase in demand for food, water, and energy owing to systemic shocks has heightened the need for innovative solutions and integrated resource governance. The Agrovoltaics for Mali and Gambia (APV MaGa) Project, focuses on sustainable electricity production through agrovoltaics' triple land-use system and is leveraged with digital technologies. The project addresses The Gambia’s high food importation gap, growing dependency on fossil fuels for electricity generation, and high electricity tariffs. However, the nascence of agrovoltaics presents a new energy dimension that calls for increased coordination of sectoral policy and management, a domain of WEF nexus governance detached mainly from governance practice. Thus, a policy and institutional foresight of the potential implications of agrovoltaics’ integration is warranted, since Gambia’s decision-making for land, water, energy, and agriculture remains mainly sectoral. A qualitative research design was adopted, using a sample of twenty-eight key informative interviews, policy document analysis, and grey literature. Research findings show that the existing policy frameworks such as ‘Feed-in tariffs for excess RE, renewable energy funds, and capital subsidies can practically accommodate the frame of the agrovoltaics. However, clarification is required on the siting aspect of solar panels within the compartmentalized land policy structures. Institutionally, the Ministry of Energy’s nexus platform allows for technical coordination of agrovoltaics projects. However weak institutional harmonization, technical/financial incapacities, and overriding national interests due to sectoral bias present challenges. Therefore, harmonizing sectoral divergent policy provisions, interests, and prioritization of sustainability concerns will foster the pertinent integration of agrovoltaics for fast expansion.

Water yam (Dioscorea alata), also known as winged yam, is one of the most economically significant yam species, serving as a staple food crop in tropical and subtropical regions. Its widespread cultivation is due to its favorable agronomic characteristics, including high yield, improved tuber storability, and significant nutritional and health benefits. Despite these advantages, water yam often remains underutilized due to consumer biases towards its traditional food product quality, particularly for pounded yam preparations. In this study, we evaluated fifty-eight improved genotypes of water yams grown across three locations to assess their potential to produce superior food qualities comparable to the widely consumed white yams (D. rotundata). Seven white yams, including popular landraces, were used to set thresholds for desirable food quality. Through standardized analysis, yam samples were assessed for their biochemical composition and culinary and sensory texture attributes. The results revealed varying ranges of dry matter (DM), starch, sugar, protein, crude fiber (CF), fat, and amylose, spanning from 20.35 to 35.95 g/100 g, 42.81 to 83.31 g/100 g, 4.76 to 6.95 g/100 g, 4.33 to 6.62 g/100 g, 1.55 to 3.89 g/100 g, 0.32 to 0.53 g/100 g, and 29.27 to 38.52 g/100 g, respectively. The mean values (±SD) were found to be 29.85 ± 4.0 g/100 g (DM), 67.90 ± 44g/100 g (starch), 5.82 ± 0.64 g/100 g (sugar), 6.31 ± 1.31 g/100 g (protein), 2.14 ± 0.57 g/100 g (crude fiber), 0.44 ± 0.08 (fat), and 33 ± 16.43 g/100 g (amylose). Significant effects (p < 0.001) of the planting environments and genotypes on the biochemical composition of the yam samples were observed, except for the sugar content. Furthermore, specific water yam genotypes, such as TDa 0900354, TDa 9801174, TDa 1401619, TDa 1400301, TDa 140091, TDa 0100029, TDa 1100793, TDa 1401249, TDa 1100242, and TDa 1401276, exhibited biochemical properties and culinary and sensory textural attributes akin to the improved white yam genotypes and their landrace counterparts. These findings underscore the potential for promoting selected water yam genotypes to diversify food options and reduce reliance on a limited array of crops, particularly in traditional food-insecure regions of tropical Africa.