Do provisioning ecosystem services change along gradients of increasing agricultural production?

Ronju Ahammad Stephanie Tomscha Sarah Gergel Frédéric Baudron Jean-Yves Duriaux Chavarría Samson Foli Dominic Rowland Josh Van Vianen Terence Sunderland (2024, [Artículo])

Context: Increasing agricultural production shapes the flow of ecosystem services (ES), including provisioning services that support the livelihoods and nutrition of people in tropical developing countries. Although our broad understanding of the social-ecological consequences of agricultural intensification is growing, how it impacts provisioning ES is still unknown. Objectives: We examined the household use of provisioning ES across a gradient of increasing agricultural production in seven tropical countries (Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Zambia). We answered two overarching questions: (1) does the use of provisioning ES differ along gradients of agriculture production ranging from zones of subsistence to moderate and to high agriculture production? and (2) are there synergies and/or trade-offs within and among groups of ES within these zones? Methods: Using structured surveys, we asked 1900 households about their assets, livestock, crops, and collection of forest products. These questions allowed us to assess the number of provisioning ES households used, and whether the ES used are functionally substitutable (i.e., used similarly for nutrition, material, and energy). Finally, we explored synergies and trade-offs among household use of provisioning ES. Results: As agricultural production increased, provisioning ES declined both in total number and in different functional groups used. We found more severe decreases in ES for relatively poorer households. Within the functional groups of ES, synergistic relationships were more often found than trade-offs in all zones, including significant synergies among livestock products (dairy, eggs, meat) and fruits. Conclusions: Considering landscape context provides opportunities to enhance synergies among provisioning services for households, supporting resilient food systems and human well-being.

Agricultural Production Zones Agricultural Intensifcation Synergies and Trade-Offs Landscape Multifunctionality Social-Ecological Systems CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AGRICULTURE INTENSIFICATION ECOSYSTEM SERVICES LANDSCAPE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

LGBT+ media on the Internet: experiences of communication and information in Mexico

RAUL ANTHONY OLMEDO NERI (2023, [Artículo, Artículo])

Two digital LGBT+ media in Mexico are analyzed to understand the implications of their operation and their articulation with the informational and social needs of sex-gender populations. It starts from the communicational perspective to conceptualize these projects as exercises in technological appropriation but highlighting their empirical intersections with other analytical frameworks. Through the method of systematizing the experience, the trajectories of ANODIS and Seis Franjas Mx have been recovered; through semi-structured interviews conducted with their co-founders in February 2022, the reasons, horizons and challenges that these projects have faced are analyzed. The results show that the lack of LGBT+ content and representations in the media motivate the creation of these projects, which articulate a sense of collaboration and sociality with other users belonging to sex-gender communities. In addition, the people participating in these projects are part of the LGBT+ populations, becoming them producers and consumers of information that claim the gender-identity dimension in the content. Likewise, these initiatives are specified in the youth stage of their co-founders, which refers to rethinking the role of LGBT+ youth in the new forms of activism and socialization mediated by Internet. Finally, given the progressive formation of this area of ​​knowledge and the lack of consensus on its definition, it is proposed to name this interdisciplinary field of study as LGBT+ Communicational Studies, to show an epistemological perspective from communication and a Latin American ontological position.

Medios de comunicación Internet LGBT Jóvenes redes sociales de apoyo CIENCIAS SOCIALES CIENCIAS SOCIALES Media LGBT youth

Integrative transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals the mechanisms of light-induced pigmentation in purple waxy maize

XUECAI ZHANG Yunbi Xu Prasanna Boddupalli (2023, [Artículo])

Pigment Accumulation Light Response CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA ANTHOCYANINS LIGHT METABOLOMICS TRANSCRIPTOMICS WAXY MAIZE

Addressing agricultural labour issues is key to biodiversity-smart farming

Thomas Daum Frédéric Baudron Matin Qaim Ingo Grass (2023, [Artículo])

There is an urgent need for agricultural development strategies that reconcile agricultural production and biodiversity conservation. This is especially true in the Global South where population growth is rapid and much of the world's remaining biodiversity is located. Combining conceptual thoughts with empirical insights from case studies in Indonesia and Ethiopia, we argue that such strategies will have to pay more attention to agricultural labour dynamics. Farmers have a strong motivation to reduce the heavy toil associated with farming by adopting technologies that save labour but can negatively affect biodiversity. Labour constraints can also prevent farmers from adopting technologies that improve biodiversity but increase labour intensity. Without explicitly accounting for labour issues, conservation efforts can hardly be successful. We hence highlight the need for biodiversity-smart agriculture, that is farming practices or systems that reconcile biodiversity with land and labour productivity. Our empirical insights suggest that technological and institutional options to reconcile farmers' socio-economic goals and biodiversity conservation exist but that more needs to be done to implement such options at scale.

Land Sharing Trade-Offs CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION LABOUR SUSTAINABILITY

Agricultural value chains in Sudan: an annotated bibliography

Hugo De Groote Paswel Marenya (2023, [Libro])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS CASH CROPS FOOD CROPS LIVESTOCK SOCIOECONOMIC ASPECTS GENDER SOCIAL INCLUSION POSTHARVEST LOSSES BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Implementación de la metodología Lean Sigma en un proceso de ensamble de engranes y cadenas: Caso de estudio

Omar Celis Juan Alfonso Toscano Moctezuma (2022, [Artículo, Artículo])

RESUMEN

La metodología orientada a solución de problemas propuesta en este artículo de investigación tiene como objetivo actuar a la velocidad de Lean brindando resultados en al menos cuatro semanas. Las cinco fases de esta metodología son: identificar y medir el problema; encontrar las posibles causas que están generándolo; desarrollar una solución empleando herramientas de Lean o de Seis Sigma; una vez implementada la solución, verificarla con una corrida de comprobación y, finalmente, desarrollar un plan de control para asegurar que el estado alcanzado se mantenga en el mediano y largo plazos. Para comprobar la efectividad de la metodología Lean Sigma, se presenta un caso de aplicación en un proceso que no cumple con los requerimientos de entrega a tiempo. Por medio de herramientas Lean, como rebalanceo de la línea, takt time y just in time, se logró incrementar el porcentaje de entregas a tiempo de un 66 % a un 100 % y, a su vez, la productividad aumentó de 1.8 a 2.5 piezas/min*hombre y el lead time disminuyó de 26.07 a 17 segundos, equivalente a una mejora del 35 %. El problema fue resuelto en 24 días y la capacidad del proceso fue de un 2.6 a 3.4 sigma.

Lean Sigma Takt Time Lean Seis Sigma Solución de Problemas CIENCIAS SOCIALES; INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS SOCIALES INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Mining alleles for tar spot complex resistance from CIMMYT's maize Germplasm Bank

Martha Willcox Juan Burgueño Daniel Jeffers Zakaria Kehel Rosemary Shrestha Kelly Swarts Edward Buckler Sarah Hearne Charles Chen (2022, [Artículo])

Maize Landraces Maize Genetic Resources Allelic Diversity Rare Alleles Phenotypic Characterization Tropical Maize Phyllachora maydis CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE LANDRACES GENETIC RESOURCES ALLELES FOLIAR DISEASES CLIMATE CHANGE

Heat-tolerant maize for rainfed hot, dry environments in the lowland tropics: from breeding to improved seed delivery

Pervez Zaidi vinayan mt Sudha Nair Prakash Kuchanur Ayyanagouda Patil Atul Kulkarni Prasanna Boddupalli (2023, [Artículo])

Lowland Tropics CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE CHANGE DROUGHT HEAT STRESS LOWLAND MAIZE VAPOUR PRESSURE DEFICIT

The input reduction principle of agroecology is wrong when it comes to mineral fertilizer use in sub-Saharan Africa

Gatien Falconnier Marc Corbeels Frédéric Baudron Antoine Couëdel leonard rusinamhodzi bernard vanlauwe Ken Giller (2023, [Artículo])

Can farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) boost crop yields and improve food availability without using more mineral fertilizer? This question has been at the center of lively debates among the civil society, policy-makers, and in academic editorials. Proponents of the “yes” answer have put forward the “input reduction” principle of agroecology, i.e. by relying on agrobiodiversity, recycling and better efficiency, agroecological practices such as the use of legumes and manure can increase crop productivity without the need for more mineral fertilizer. We reviewed decades of scientific literature on nutrient balances in SSA, biological nitrogen fixation of tropical legumes, manure production and use in smallholder farming systems, and the environmental impact of mineral fertilizer. Our analyses show that more mineral fertilizer is needed in SSA for five reasons: (i) the starting point in SSA is that agricultural production is “agroecological” by default, that is, very low mineral fertilizer use, widespread mixed crop-livestock systems and large crop diversity including legumes, but leading to poor soil fertility as a result of widespread soil nutrient mining, (ii) the nitrogen needs of crops cannot be adequately met solely through biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and recycling of animal manure, (iii) other nutrients like phosphorus and potassium need to be replaced continuously, (iv) mineral fertilizers, if used appropriately, cause little harm to the environment, and (v) reducing the use of mineral fertilizers would hamper productivity gains and contribute indirectly to agricultural expansion and to deforestation. Yet, the agroecological principles directly related to soil fertility—recycling, efficiency, diversity—remain key in improving soil health and nutrient-use efficiency, and are critical to sustaining crop productivity in the long run. We argue for a nuanced position that acknowledges the critical need for more mineral fertilizers in SSA, in combination with the use of agroecological practices and adequate policy support.

Manure Crop Yields Smallholder Farming Systems Environmental Hazards CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION LEGUMES NUTRIENT BALANCE SOIL FERTILITY AGROECOLOGY YIELD INCREASES LITERATURE REVIEWS

Dime qué comes y te diré quién eres: la dieta de las plantas carnívoras

RODRIGO STEFANO DUNO Lilia Lorena Can Itza (2023, [Artículo])

El mundo de las plantas carnívoras es fascinante; este heterogéneo grupo de plantas con flores se ha estudiado desde todo punto de vista. Algunos científicos se han dedicado a la sistemática, otros a la anatomía y otros a la ecología, en particular a la interacción planta-animal. Sin duda, es uno de los grupos de plantas que más atención reciben ¿Sabes de qué se alimentan?

CARNIVORIA DROSERACEAE LENTIBULARIACEAE NEPENTHACEAE SARRACENIACEAE BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL