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Research Article
Temporal Dynamics of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) in Semi-Arid Gadarif Region, Sudan (1985–2024)
Ensaf Abdalla Ibrahim Ahmed
,
Muna Mahjoub Mohamed Ahmed*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
93-103
Received:
19 May 2026
Accepted:
28 May 2026
Published:
10 August 2026
Abstract: Monitoring vegetation and hydrological dynamics in semi-arid ecosystems is critical for understanding responses to climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. This study employs multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery (1985–2024) to examine spatiotemporal changes in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) across three ecologically distinct localities—Al-Kayari, Alidedat, and Elsefia—within the Gadarif State, eastern Sudan. Image processing and spectral index computation were performed using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and ArcGIS Pro v3.4.0. NDVI analysis revealed a progressive increase in healthy vegetation cover (NDVI ≥ 0.3) in Elsefia (approximately 63 km2 by 2024) and Alidedat (approximately 105 km2 by 2024), indicating a positive greening trend over the study period. Conversely, Al-Kayari maintained comparatively drier conditions with persistently sparse vegetation. Parallel NDWI analysis demonstrated enhanced surface moisture and expanded flooded vegetation zones in Elsefia and Alidedat since the mid-1990s, while Al-Kayari continued to exhibit relatively low moisture availability. Pearson correlation analysis between NDVI and NDWI yielded a moderate positive coefficient (r = 0.63, R2 = 0.40, p < 0.001), confirming coupled vegetation–moisture dynamics. These findings suggest a partial ecological recovery consistent with documented Sahel re-greening, potentially driven by rainfall variability, land use shifts, and hydrological feedbacks. The results provide a quantitative baseline for evidence-based land management, drought early warning, and climate adaptation planning in the semi-arid Gadarif region.
Abstract: Monitoring vegetation and hydrological dynamics in semi-arid ecosystems is critical for understanding responses to climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. This study employs multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery (1985–2024) to examine spatiotemporal changes in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference W...
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Research Article
Food Security Under Pressure: Land Use Patterns and Sustainability in the IGAD Region
Mansoor Ali*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
104-113
Received:
22 May 2026
Accepted:
2 June 2026
Published:
10 August 2026
Abstract: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region in the Horn of Africa faces persistent food insecurity despite significant agricultural potential, largely due to unsustainable land use patterns, rapid population growth, climate variability, and land degradation. This study examines the relationship among land-use dynamics, agricultural productivity, and food security across IGAD member states from 2010 to 2020. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining quantitative analysis of secondary data from FAO, World Bank, UN agencies, and IGAD reports with qualitative assessment of policy and institutional frameworks. Findings reveal that although total cropland and cereal production have increased across most countries, per capita cropland availability has declined, indicating rising demographic pressure on limited land resources. Ethiopia and South Sudan show notable improvements in cereal yields and production efficiency, while Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea continue to experience persistent deficits due to climatic shocks, limited arable land, and weak agricultural systems. Land conversion from forests and rangelands to cropland has improved short-term food supply but raised concerns about long-term environmental sustainability, soil fertility loss, and ecosystem degradation. Overall, the region remains in a fragile state of near food balance, with significant intra-regional disparities. The study concludes that sustainable land management, strengthened land governance, climate-smart agriculture, and regional cooperation are essential to achieving long-term food security and sustainability in the IGAD region.
Abstract: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region in the Horn of Africa faces persistent food insecurity despite significant agricultural potential, largely due to unsustainable land use patterns, rapid population growth, climate variability, and land degradation. This study examines the relationship among land-use dynamics, agricultural...
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Research Article
Assessment of Preferences and Support for the Country's Fishing Industry
Sergeyev Leonid Ivanovich*,
Sergeev Dmitry Leonidovich
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
114-124
Received:
8 January 2026
Accepted:
2 February 2026
Published:
11 August 2026
Abstract: The content of a number of studies in the field of state support for agriculture and fisheries is analyzed. A methodological approach is proposed to assess the impact of fisheries support on the reduction of the equilibrium price with an increase in the volume of products produced. The axonometry of the dependence of production volume on a complex change in preferences for the manufacturer and the buyer of products is investigated. The main set of areas of support for the activities of the RHC is considered according to various classification criteria for the allocation of financial and other resources and organizational measures to ensure the necessary development of the industry. The dynamics of VBR production, federal budget expenditures on Rosrybolovstvo, and the cost of federal support for 2015-2026 are analyzed. A polynomial curve line of the second degree of dependence of the volume of VBR production on the federal budget expenditures for Rosrybolovstvo based on materials for 2015-2026 has been constructed. It was revealed that the federal budget expenditures increased faster than the production of UBR increased. The macro-econometric trend has shown an increase in the catch of RBF with an increase in the cost of production (in terms of federal budget expenditures on agricultural production), which requires special study of the corresponding dynamic proportions to increase the efficiency of using the country's budget expenditures.
Abstract: The content of a number of studies in the field of state support for agriculture and fisheries is analyzed. A methodological approach is proposed to assess the impact of fisheries support on the reduction of the equilibrium price with an increase in the volume of products produced. The axonometry of the dependence of production volume on a complex ...
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Research Article
Regional Coordination of Electricity Pricing, Cross-Border Interconnection and Shared Storage for the West African Power Pool
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
125-139
Received:
27 August 2026
Accepted:
5 September 2026
Published:
20 September 2026
Abstract: National electricity-planning frameworks are increasingly constrained by their inability to internalise cross-border complementarities in renewable resources, demand profiles and flexibility needs. This paper evaluates whether a regionally coordinated dynamic-pricing mechanism, combined with cross-border interconnection and shared energy storage, can improve the economic and environmental performance of an interconnected power system in West Africa. A multi-period, multi-country optimisation framework is formulated for five ECOWAS member states (Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, The Gambia and Guinea) and applied to three configurations: an isolated national system, a statically priced regional interconnection, and a fully coordinated regional system combining dynamic pricing with shared storage. Because each configuration relaxes the decision space of the previous one, a monotonic cost improvement is expected by construction, so results are read as evidence on the magnitude of that improvement rather than as an independent test of each mechanism. Within this scope, the coordinated configuration reaches, by 2050, an average cost of 45.86 FCFA/kWh and a renewable share of 68.46% without modelled subsidies. A central finding, less directly implied by the scenario structure, is that these gains are not accompanied by larger cross-border flows: exchange volumes fall from roughly 5,000 MWh/day under static interconnection to about 850 MWh/day once shared storage is activated, indicating that temporal flexibility can substitute, in part, for spatial flexibility. Thermal emissions are also lower than under static interconnection, though not comparable to the isolated case owing to differing system boundaries. As the storage and pricing mechanisms have not yet been decomposed and no sensitivity analysis has been run, these results are exploratory rather than confirmatory. With that caveat, they support treating regional electricity pricing as a coordination instrument for interconnection and storage policy, discussed alongside the institutional conditions - harmonised rules, transparent burden-sharing, and consumer protection - required within the WAPP/EEEOA framework.
Abstract: National electricity-planning frameworks are increasingly constrained by their inability to internalise cross-border complementarities in renewable resources, demand profiles and flexibility needs. This paper evaluates whether a regionally coordinated dynamic-pricing mechanism, combined with cross-border interconnection and shared energy storage, c...
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