Analyzing antifragility among smallholder farmers in Bihar, India: An assessment of farmers' vulnerability and the strengths of positive deviants

Roos Adelhart Toorop Santiago Lopez-Ridaura ML JAT Deepak Bijarniya Jeroen Groot (2023, [Artículo])

Farmers around the world are increasingly vulnerable: climate variability is identified as the primary stressor, but unfavorable biophysical circumstances and disturbances in the socioeconomic domain (labor dynamics and price volatility) also affect farm management and production. To deal with these disturbances, adaptations are recognized as essential. Antifragility acknowledges that adaptations and volatility are inherent characteristics of complex systems and abandons the idea of returning to the pre-disturbance system state. Instead, antifragility recognizes that disturbances can trigger reorganization, enabling selection and removal of weaker system features and allowing the system to evolve toward a better state. In this study, we assessed the vulnerability of different types of smallholder farms in Bihar, India, and explored the scope for more antifragile farming systems that can 'bounce back better' after disturbances. Accumulation of stocks, creation of optionality (i.e., having multiple options for innovation) and strengthening of farmer autonomy were identified as criteria for antifragility. We had focus group discussions with in total 92 farmers and found that most expressed themselves to be vulnerable: they experienced challenges but had limited adaptive capacity to change their situation. They mostly made short-term decisions to cope with or mitigate urgent challenges but did not engage in strategic planning driven by longer-term objectives. Instead, they waited for governmental support to improve their livelihoods. Despite being confronted with similar challenges, four positive deviant farmers showed to be more antifragile: their diverse farming systems were abundant in stocks and optionality, and the farmers were distinguished in terms of their autonomy, competence, and connectedness to peers, the community, and markets. To support antifragility among regular farmers, adaptations at policy level may be required, for example, by shifting from a top-down toward a bottom-up adaptation and innovation regime where initiative and cooperation are encouraged. With a more autonomous orientation, farmers' intrinsic motivation is expected to increase, enabling transitions at the farm level. In this way, connected systems can be developed which are socioeconomically and biophysically adaptive. When practices, knowledge, and skills are continuously developed, an antifragile system with ample stocks and optionality may evolve over time.

Autonomy Adaptive Capacity Smallholder Farmers CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA POLICIES SMALLHOLDERS AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Necessity as a driver in bending agricultural gender norms in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia

Pragya Timsina Emma Karki Brendan Brown (2023, [Artículo])

The majority of the farmers in the rural Global South continue to depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. Despite the fact that women account for almost half of the world's farmers, they face gender-specific challenges such as deeply rooted cultural and social norms that limit their access to land, assets, financial markets, agricultural training, and information. Using semi-structured interviews with farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains, this study investigates how necessity is becoming one of the major drivers in the bending of agricultural gender norms. The study investigates the connections between feminist political ecology and agricultural technology production frameworks in order to comprehend the implications of technology adoption and influences on gender norms in communities. Women's participation in agriculture was found to be heavily influenced by social and cultural barriers, and they were frequently subjected to social criticism for breaking the systemic gender norms. This paper emphasizes on the growing pattern of bending gender norms with recommendations for increasing women's participation and scope in future agriculture development initiatives through policies and interventions that emphasize gender equity.

Social Barriers Cultural Barriers Feminist Political Ecology CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA GENDER NORMS WOMEN FARMERS AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY

CCAFS Outcome Synthesis Report:

Mathieu Ouédraogo John Recha Maren Radeny Paresh Shirsath Peter Läderach Osana Bonilla-Findji (2021, [Documento de trabajo])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE INVESTMENT FARMING SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE

Pérdidas por intercepción de la vegetación y su efecto en la relación intensidad, duración y frecuencia (IDF) de la lluvia en una cuenca semiárida

ALVARO ALBERTO LOPEZ LAMBRAÑO CARLOS FUENTES RUIZ ENRIQUE GONZALEZ SOSA (2017, [Artículo])

Se cuantifica el componente hidrológico de la intercepción en vegetación semiárida y se evalúa el efecto en la relación

intensidad-duración-frecuencia de la precipitación. La intercepción se determina mediante la simulación de lluvias a diferentes intensidades sobre muestras con cubierta vegetal herbácea; se obtienen los componentes del balance hidrológico, como lámina precipitada, lámina escurrida, lámina almacenada en un espesor de suelo a un contenido de humedad inicial dado y lámina drenada. A partir de precipitaciones máximas, en 24 horas se obtienen las curvas intensidad-duración-frecuencia (IDF) de la precipitación para periodos de retorno de 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 y 100 años, estableciendo cuatro escenarios con diferentes cubiertas vegetales para evaluar el efecto del componente de la intercepción en dichas curvas.

Balance hídrico Modelación hidrológica Lluvias Simulación CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA

Modelación numérica de la circulación de la bahía de Todos Santos, B.C., México

Efraín Mateos Farfán Gabriela Colorado Ruiz (2017, [Documento de trabajo])

La modelación numérica fue la principal herramienta empleada en este trabajo. Para conocer la dinámica de la bahía de Todos Santos, se realizaron distintas corridas numéricas tanto del océano como de la atmósfera, con el modelo ROMS y WRF respectivamente. Para el caso de la modelación del océano, se incluyeron experimentos para conocer los efectos de baja frecuencia (viento sinóptico y Sistema de la Corriente de California) y altas frecuencias (mareas). En los experimentos realizados se encontró que las bajas frecuencias pueden generar variabilidad, en los campos de velocidad, de tres a cinco días a través de la propagación de una onda baroclínica que viaja desde la región de Punta Banda hasta la boca noroeste de la bahía. Para las altas frecuencias, se encontraron evidencias que la componente M2 de la marea es dominante en la región sur de la bahía, mientras que la brisa marina es importante en la región costera.

Hidrometeorología Modelación númerica CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA

Desarrollo de tecnologías para tratamiento de aguas residuales. Etapa 2: remoción de compuestos emergentes mediante procesos avanzados

Petia Mijaylova Nacheva (2020, [Documento de trabajo])

El objetivo del proyecto es evaluar la remoción de compuestos emergentes mediante la aplicación de procesos avanzados en el tratamiento de aguas residuales. Con el fin de alcanzar dicho objetivo se ha desarrollado e implementado una técnica analítica, la cual permite la determinación de microcontaminantes emergentes ácidos y neutros sin derivatización de las muestras. De igual forma, se ha elucidado la degradación de compuestos farmacéuticos en agua mediante oxidación fotocatalítica usando películas con estructura nanotubular de TiO2.

Tratamiento de aguas residuales Contaminantes emergentes Remoción de contaminantes Productos farmacéuticos y de cuidado personal INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Radiative transfer model inversion using high-resolution hyperspectral airborne imagery – Retrieving maize LAI to access biomass and grain yield

Ahmed Kayad Francelino Rodrigues Marco Sozzi Francesco Pirotti Francesco Marinello Urs Schulthess Bruno Gerard Marie Weiss (2022, [Artículo])

PROSAIL Vegetation Indices Field Variability Digital Farming CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA PRECISION AGRICULTURE MAIZE GRAIN YIELD BIOMASS VEGETATION VEGETATION INDEX

Optimizing nitrogen fertilizer and planting density levels for maize production under current climate conditions in Northwest Ethiopian midlands

Kindie Tesfaye Dereje Ademe Enyew Adgo (2023, [Artículo])

This study determined the most effective plating density (PD) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate for well-adapted BH540 medium-maturing maize cultivars for current climate condition in north west Ethiopia midlands. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT)-Crop Environment Resource Synthesis (CERES)-Maize model has been utilized to determine the appropriate PD and N-fertilizer rate. An experimental study of PD (55,555, 62500, and 76,900 plants ha−1) and N (138, 207, and 276 kg N ha−1) levels was conducted for 3 years at 4 distinct sites. The DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was calibrated using climate data from 1987 to 2018, physicochemical soil profiling data (wilting point, field capacity, saturation, saturated hydraulic conductivity, root growth factor, bulk density, soil texture, organic carbon, total nitrogen; and soil pH), and agronomic management data from the experiment. After calibration, the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was able to simulate the phenology and growth parameters of maize in the evaluation data set. The results from analysis of variance revealed that the maximum observed and simulated grain yield, biomass, and leaf area index were recorded from 276 kg N ha−1 and 76,900 plants ha−1 for the BH540 maize variety under the current climate condition. The application of 76,900 plants ha−1 combined with 276 kg N ha−1 significantly increased observed and simulated yield by 25% and 15%, respectively, compared with recommendation. Finally, future research on different N and PD levels in various agroecological zones with different varieties of mature maize types could be conducted for the current and future climate periods.

Maize Model Planting Density CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE MODELS SPACING NITROGEN FERTILIZERS YIELDS

An updated checklist of plant agrobiodiversity of northern Italy

Marco Canella Nicola Maria Giuseppe Ardenghi Graziano Rossi Filippo Guzzon (2022, [Artículo])

Ex Situ Conservation CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA ETHNOBOTANY LANDRACES ON-FARM CONSERVATION PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES

The contribution of strong and weak ties to resilience: The case of small-scale maize farming systems in Mexico

Tania Carolina Camacho Villa Ernesto Adair Zepeda Villarreal Julio Díaz-José Roberto Rendon-Medel Bram Govaerts (2023, [Artículo])

Social Network Analysis Farm Typologies Social Ties Strong Ties CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA INNOVATION NETWORKS PERSISTENCE SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS MAIZE FARMING SYSTEMS