Socio-technological responses to COVID-19 in Mexico: Spin-offs, repositories and 3D printing

Max Matus (2023, [Artículo, Artículo])

The objective of the article is to analyze two sociotechnical initiatives, one citizen and the other governmental, that were configured in Mexico as a response to the shortage and hoarding of medical devices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The citizen response analyzed is the coronavirus_maker_mx movement, while the governmental initiative under scrutiny are the Gätsy and Ehecátl 4T ventilators developed under the coordination of the National Council on Science and Technology. The methodology used involved online tracking of coronavirus_maker groups, open interviews with community members, and review of second-hand sources in the case of the government initiative. By unraveling the networks of actors that were behind the design and production or printing of devices to address COVID-19, we conclude that the cases analyzed represent different models of technological development that invite us to think about some alternatives for the promotion of "sovereign" technology in Mexico.

Impresión 3D manufactura aditiva makers ciencia abierta CIENCIAS SOCIALES CIENCIAS SOCIALES 3D printing additive manufacture open science

Datación de sedimentos recientes utilizando isótopos radioactivos en el río Verde, en el estado de Oaxaca, México

Dating of recent sediments using radioactive isotopes in the Rio Verde, Oaxaca state, Mexico

José Alfredo González Verdugo EDITH ROSALBA SALCEDO SANCHEZ MARIA JOSELINA CLEMENCIA ESPINOZA AYALA MANUEL MARTINEZ MORALES (2013, [Artículo])

Con objeto de conocer la evolución de los procesos sedimentarios en la parte baja del río Verde, Oaxaca, se realizaron mediciones en dos núcleos de sedimentos. El fechado y determinación de la tasa de sedimentación, se realizó utilizando los isótopos radioactivos Plomo-210 y Cesio-137, que sirven como indicadores de períodos de deposición de los últimos 100 años. La velocidad de sedimentación en el Río Verde obtenida por medio del isótopo Pb -210 es 0.69 a 0.89 cm/año. Por otro lado, la velocidad de sedimentación en la zona de estudio mediante el isótopo Cs-137 es del orden de 0.61 cm/año y 0.87 cm/año. El método de Cesio-137 proporciona marcadores distintivos de eventos, mientras que el método de Plomo-210 proporciona pendientes de concentración, que al aplicarse de manera conjunta proporcionan una validación de ambos métodos. En este estudio, los dos métodos coinciden en los valores de sedimentación para la zona del Río Verde. Los resultados de este trabajo permiten conocer la dinámica de los procesos de transporte de sedimentos en la zona, información que resulta útil para la planeación de obras hidráulicas y estimación de los impactos ambientales, así como la implementación de las medidas de mitigación correspondientes.

Sedimentación Datación Isótopos radiactivos Marcadores Morfología de ríos CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA

Carbon credits from agriculture

A G ADEETH CARIAPPA (2023, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CARBON AGRICULTURE CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION POLICIES

International Winter Wheat nurseries data: Facultative and Winter Wheat Observation Nurseries and International Winter Wheat yield trials for semi-arid and irrigated conditions

Mesut KESER fatih ozdemir Pietro Bartolini (2022, [Artículo])

Germplasm Exchange International Nurseries Multi-Locations CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA WINTER WHEAT BREEDING GERMPLASM YIELDS DATA

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

Implementing the nature's contributions framework: A case study based on farm typologies in small-scale agroecosystems from the Mexico highlands

Laura Alicia Rodríguez-Bustos natalia palacios rojas (2023, [Artículo])

Small-Scale Agriculture MasAgro CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE POLICIES AGROECOSYSTEMS SMALL SCALE FARMING

Chapter 14. Seed systems to support rapid adoption of improved varieties in wheat

arun joshi Hans-Joachim Braun (2022, [Capítulo de libro])

Improved Seed CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SEEDS SEED SYSTEMS POLICIES TRAINING

Dead level contour technical design parameters required for sustainable crop production in semiarid areas of Zimbabwe

Menas Wuta Isaiah Nyagumbo (2021, [Artículo])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE DRY SPELLS RAINWATER HARVESTING CROP PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

High Throughput-Phenotyping at CIMMYT: Experiences and needs

Francisco Pinto (2021, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA BREEDING PROGRAMMES GENETIC GAIN CROSS-BREEDING TECHNOLOGY YIELD POTENTIAL FIELD EXPERIMENTATION

Behavior of private retailers in a regulated input market: An empirical analysis of the fertilizer subsidy policy in Nepal

Shriniwas Gautam Dyutiman Choudhary Dil Bahadur Rahut (2022, [Artículo])

The private sector in Nepal participates in the regulated import and distribution of three types of subsidized fertilizer. However, almost 55% of the agrovets (family-owned microenterprises) that retail agricultural inputs do not comply. Many farmers rely on the fertilizer purchased through these agrovets, including subsidized ones. There is no private sector importer of the three types of fertilizer covered by the subsidy program, which indicates that the agrovets either acquire these through leakage in the government distribution system or through illegal cross-border trade from India, both of which are considered legal noncompliance. We discern the determinants for this noncompliant behavior of agrovets using logistic regression. The results from logistic regression suggest that the agrovets that are more likely to comply are registered, have membership in business associations, and have a higher number of competitors. Those with diversified business portfolios and covering a greater number of districts are less likely to comply. Key informants, consisting of both public and private sector stakeholders, were solicited for their views on solving this noncompliant behavior. The private sector unanimously asserts the need for deregulation of fertilizer imports and the participation of agrovets in the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer. In contrast, the public sector is skeptical of the ability and trustworthiness of the private sector in the import and distribution of quality fertilizer. We propose a middle ground to mitigate private sector noncompliance and suggest a policy revisit to increase the fertilizer supply and distribution efficiency.

Fertilizer Subsidy Policy Input Retailers CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA FERTILIZERS POLICIES MARKET REGULATIONS