DOI: 10.5194/hess-19-3505-2015
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-84938899592
论文题名: Qualitative soil moisture assessment in semi-arid Africa - The role of experience and training on inter-rater reliability
作者: Rinderer M ; , Komakech H ; C ; , Müller D ; , Wiesenberg G ; L ; B ; , Seibert J
刊名: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
ISSN: 10275606
出版年: 2015
卷: 19, 期: 8 起始页码: 3505
结束页码: 3516
语种: 英语
Scopus关键词: Agriculture
; Arid regions
; Brickmaking
; Cultivation
; Education
; Moisture
; Plants (botany)
; Productivity
; Reliability
; Seed
; Soils
; Students
; Water management
; Water resources
; Agricultural productivity
; Class assignments
; Classification scheme
; Functional relation
; Inter-rater reliabilities
; Moisture conditions
; Semi-arid environments
; Soil water deficit
; Soil moisture
; agricultural production
; classification
; environmental indicator
; farmers knowledge
; qualitative analysis
; resource allocation
; semiarid region
; soil management
; soil moisture
; student
; training
; water management
; wettability
; Arusha [Tanzania]
; Tanzania
英文摘要: Soil and water management is particularly relevant in semi-arid regions to enhance agricultural productivity. During periods of water scarcity, soil moisture differences are important indicators of the soil water deficit and are traditionally used for allocating water resources among farmers of a village community. Here we present a simple, inexpensive soil wetness classification scheme based on qualitative indicators which one can see or touch on the soil surface. It incorporates the local farmers' knowledge on the best soil moisture conditions for seeding and brick making in the semi-arid environment of the study site near Arusha, Tanzania. The scheme was tested twice in 2014 with farmers, students and experts (April: 40 persons, June: 25 persons) for inter-rater reliability, bias of individuals and functional relation between qualitative and quantitative soil moisture values. During the test in April farmers assigned the same wetness class in 46 % of all cases, while students and experts agreed on about 60 % of all cases. Students who had been trained in how to apply the method gained higher inter-rater reliability than their colleagues with only a basic introduction. When repeating the test in June, participants were given improved instructions, organized in small subgroups, which resulted in a higher inter-rater reliability among farmers. In 66 % of all classifications, farmers assigned the same wetness class and the spread of class assignments was smaller. This study demonstrates that a wetness classification scheme based on qualitative indicators is a robust tool and can be applied successfully regardless of experience in crop growing and education level when an in-depth introduction and training is provided. The use of a simple and clear layout of the assessment form is important for reliable wetness class assignments. © Author(s) 2015. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/78447
Appears in Collections: 气候变化事实与影响
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作者单位: Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland; Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC, United States; Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Recommended Citation:
Rinderer M,, Komakech H,C,et al. Qualitative soil moisture assessment in semi-arid Africa - The role of experience and training on inter-rater reliability[J]. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,2015-01-01,19(8)