Does access to improved grain storage technology increase farmers' welfare? Experimental evidence from maize farming in Ethiopia

Hugo De Groote Bart Minten (2024, [Artículo])

Seasonal price variability for cereals is two to three times higher in Africa than on the international reference market. Seasonality is even more pronounced when access to appropriate storage and opportunities for price arbitrage are limited. As smallholder farmers typically sell their production after harvest, when prices are low, this leads to lower incomes as well as higher food insecurity during the lean season, when prices are high. One solution to reduce seasonal stress is the use of improved storage technologies. Using data from a randomised controlled trial, in a major maize-growing region of Western Ethiopia, we study the impact of hermetic bags, a technology that protects stored grain against insect pests, so that the grain can be stored longer. Despite considerable price seasonality—maize prices in the lean season are 36% higher than after harvesting—we find no evidence that hermetic bags improve welfare, except that access to these bags allowed for a marginally longer storage period of maize intended for sale by 2 weeks. But this did not translate into measurable welfare gains as we found no changes in any of our welfare outcome indicators. This ‘near-null’ effect is due to the fact that maize storage losses in our study region are relatively lower than previous studies suggested—around 10% of the quantity stored—likely because of the widespread use of an alternative to protect maize during storage, for example a cheap but highly toxic fumigant. These findings are important for policies that seek to promote improved storage technologies in these settings.

Hermetic Storage Randomised Controlled Trial CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA STORAGE PILOT FARMS SEASONALITY WELFARE MAIZE

Transpiration of a tropical dry deciduous forest in Yucatan, Mexico

EVELYN RAQUEL SALAS ACOSTA José Luis Andrade Torres Jorge Perera ROBERTH ARMANDO US SANTAMARIA bernardo figueroa-espinoza Jorge M. Uuh-Sonda EDUARDO CEJUDO ESPINOSA (2022, [Artículo])

The study of forest hydrology and its relationships with climate requires accurate estimates of water inputs, outputs, and changes in reservoirs. Evapotranspiration is frequently the least studied component when addressing the water cycle; thus, it is important to obtain direct measurements of evaporation and transpiration. This study measured transpiration in a tropical dry deciduous forest in Yucatán (Mexico) using the thermal dissipation method (Granier-type sensors) in representative species of this vegetation type. We estimated stand transpiration and its relationship with allometry, diameter-at-breast-height categories, and previously published equations. We found that transpiration changes over time, being higher in the rainy season. Estimated daily transpiration ranged from 0.562 to 0.690 kg m–2 d–1 in the late dry season (April–May) and from 0.686 to 1.29 kg m–2 d–1 in the late rainy season (September–October), accounting for up to 51% of total evapotranspiration in the rainy season. These daily estimates are consistent with previous reports for tropical dry forests and other vegetation types. We found that transpiration was not species-specific; diameter at breast height (DBH) was a reliable way of estimating transpiration because water use was directly related to allometry. Direct measurement of transpiration would increase our ability to accurately estimate water availability and assess the responses of vegetation to climate change. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

SAP FLUX SEASONALITY STAND TRANSPIRATION EVAPOTRANSPIRATION DRY DECIDUOUS FOREST BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Calibrated multi-model ensemble seasonal prediction of Bangladesh summer monsoon rainfall

Nachiketa Acharya Carlo Montes Timothy Joseph Krupnik (2023, [Artículo])

Bangladesh summer monsoon rainfall (BSMR), typically from June through September (JJAS), represents the main source of water for multiple sectors. However, its high spatial and interannual variability makes the seasonal prediction of BSMR crucial for building resilience to natural disasters and for food security in a climate-risk-prone country. This study describes the development and implementation of an objective system for the seasonal forecasting of BSMR, recently adopted by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). The approach is based on the use of a calibrated multi-model ensemble (CMME) of seven state-of-the-art general circulation models (GCMs) from the North American Multi-Model Ensemble project. The lead-1 (initial conditions of May for forecasting JJAS total rainfall) hindcasts (spanning 1982–2010) and forecasts (spanning 2011–2018) of seasonal total rainfall for the JJAS season from these seven GCMs were used. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA) regression is used to calibrate the raw GCMs outputs against observations, which are then combined with equal weight to generate final CMME predictions. Results show, compared to individual calibrated GCMs and uncalibrated MME, that the CCA-based calibration generates significant improvements over individual raw GCM in terms of the magnitude of systematic errors, Spearman's correlation coefficients, and generalised discrimination scores over most of Bangladesh areas, especially in the northern part of the country. Since October 2019, the BMD has been issuing real-time seasonal rainfall forecasts using this new forecast system.

Multi-Model Ensemble Seasonal Forecasting CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE SERVICES FORECASTING MONSOONS

Segunda etapa del estudio para restituir y mejorar la capacidad de conducción, mediante un manejo adecuado del aire y optimización del funcionamiento hidráulico, en las líneas 1 y 2 del Sistema Cutzamala

RODRIGO ULISES SANTOS TELLEZ Velitchko Tzatchkov OSCAR JESUS LLAGUNO GUILBERTO José Manuel Rodríguez Varela JOSE CARLOS MARTINEZ PEREZ (2018, [Documento de trabajo])

El objetivo principal de este estudio fue identificar la razón de la disminución de la capacidad de conducción de la línea 1 y 2 y proponer alternativas para recuperar dicha capacidad. Los tramos de TSI-TP y TP-TASJ operan por debajo de su capacidad de conducción y tienen una parte operando como canal. El “cuello de botella” está en el tramo TO5-TSI en el cual se puede presentar alguna de las siguientes situaciones: aire atrapado; obstrucciones físicas en la tubería; alta rugosidad de las paredes de la conducción.

Redes de distribución de agua Válvulas de aireación Operación y mantenimiento Modelos matemáticos INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Planting rice at monsoon onset could mitigate the impact of temperature stress on rice–wheat systems of Bihar, India

Carlo Montes Anton Urfels Eunjin Han Balwinder-Singh (2023, [Artículo])

Rainy Season TIMESAT APSIM Agricultural Production Systems Simulator Climate Adaptation CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA RICE WHEAT MONSOONS WET SEASON CROP MODELLING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

Hybrid solar-geothermal energy absorption air-conditioning system operating with NaOH-H20 - Las Tres Vírgenes (Baja California Sur), "La Reforma" case

YURIDIANA ROCIO GALINDO LUNA EFRAIN GOMEZ ARIAS Rosenberg Romero EDUARDO VENEGAS REYES MOISES MONTIEL GONZALEZ HELENE EMMI KARIN UNLAND WEISS ANTONIO GONZALEZ FERNANDEZ JORGE DIAZ SALGADO (2018, [Artículo])

Solar and geothermal energies are considered cleaner and more useful energy sources that can be used to avoid the negative environmental impacts caused by burning fossil fuels. Several works have reported air-conditioning systems that use solar energy coupled to geothermal renewable energy as a thermal source. In this study, an Absorption Air-Conditioning System (AACS) used sodium hydroxide-water (NaOH-H2O) instead of lithium bromide-water to reduce the cost. Low enthalpy geothermal heat was derived from two shallow wells, 50 and 55 m deep. These wells are of interest due to the thermal recovery (temperature vs. time) of 56.2 _C that was possible at the maximum depth, which can be used for the first stage of the process. These wells were coupled with solar energy as a geothermal energy application for direct uses such as air-conditioning systems. We studied the performance of an absorption cooling system operating with a NaOH-H2O mixture and using a parabolic trough plant coupled with a low enthalpy geothermal heat system as a hybrid heat source, as an alternative process that can help reduce operating costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

Aire acondicionado Energía geotérmica INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Seasonal patterns in rice and wheat residue burning and surface PM2.5 concentration in northern India

Carlo Montes Tek Sapkota Balwinder-Singh (2022, [Artículo])

Biomass Burning Emission Inventory Active Fires CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AIR QUALITY BIOMASS BURNING EMISSION FIRES

Combination of linkage and association mapping with genomic prediction to infer QTL regions associated with gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight resistance in tropical maize

David Berger Yoseph Beyene Collins Juma Suresh L.M. Manje Gowda (2023, [Artículo])

Gray Leaf Spot Northern Corn Leaf Blight CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE LEAF SPOTS QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI ASSOCIATION MAPPING GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES

Metodología predictiva para el análisis de asiento trasero en pruebas de anclaje de cinturón de seguridad

Predictive methodology for rear seat analysis in seat belt anchorage testings

José Guadalupe Velasco Ortega GIOVANNI VIDAL FLORES (2023, [Artículo])

Se presenta una metodología a seguir para el análisis de un asiento trasero durante la prueba de anclaje del cinturón de seguridad, establecida en la norma FMVSS 210 por sus siglas en ingles Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Es importante destacar que el cinturón de seguridad reduce el riesgo de lesiones, y en caso de colisión, el cinturón ayuda a distribuir la fuerza del impacto en una superficie más grande es decir la estructura metálica del asiento, lo que se busca es minimizar el riesgo de lesiones graves. La metodología propuesta tiene el fin de predecir el desempeño como función del desplazamiento de la estructura metálica mediante el uso del elemento finito (FEM). En esta metodología, se analiza la menor cantidad de elementos que compone la estructura del asiento con el propósito de reducir el tiempo del análisis, considerando solo los elementos y componentes que tienen mayor efecto con el desempeño del cinturón de seguridad, generando el análisis más rápido y eficiente. Al contrastar los resultados obtenidos a través del análisis mediante elemento finito con las pruebas reales se determinó que el método FEM es eficaz para predecir los puntos débiles de la estructura metálica que influyen en el desplazamiento y/o deformación del asiento durante la prueba.

A methodology is presented for analysis of a rear seat during the Safety Belt Anchorage test established in FMVSS 210 [1], which stands for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It is important to note that the safety belt reduces the risk of injury, and in the event of a collision, the belt helps distribute the force of the impact over a larger surface area, namely the metal structure of the seat. The goal is to minimize the risk of serious injuries. The goal of proposed methodology is to predict the performance as a function of displacement of the metal structure by using Finite Element Method (FEM). In this methodology, the minimum number of elements that make up the seat structure is analyzed in order to reduce analysis time, considering only the elements that play and have effect on the performance of the safety belt, thus generating a faster and more efficient analysis. By comparing the results obtained through Finite Element Method with the actual test, it was determined that the FEM method is effective in predicting the weak points of the metal structure that influence the displacement and/or deformation of the seat during the test.

FVMSS 210 Método de elemento finito Asiento trasero Prueba de anclaje Cinturón de seguridad Finite element method Rear seat Anchorage test Seat belt INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS

Sustainable urban mobility: An alternative for air pollution in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area

José Antonio Olivares Mendoza Clemente Hernandez-Rodriguez Luz Alicia Jimenez Portugal (2023, [Artículo, Artículo])

The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether the low-carbon transport strategy (subway, rapid transit bus system -Macrobús-, trolleybus, and shared bicycles) implemented in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (AMG) from 2000 to 2019 improves air quality. Sustainable urban mobility is the movement of people in cities in a way that generates the least impact on the environment. We analyze three actions of government intervention in the same sense. This is the first study for Guadalajara, the third-largest city in Mexico. We use robust Newey-West estimators and endogenously model pollution disruptions using the Bai Perron approach. Our results suggest that this type of public transport reduces SO2, NO2, O3, and CO, though we find an increase in PM10. We also identified that when the service of the first line of the Bus Rapid Transit was consolidated CO, O3 and PM10 decreased. In addition, the improvement in the connectivity of the bus network with the subway means that only NO2 diminished. Finally, the entry into operation of the shared bicycle program reduced PM10, while increasing O3 and in SO2. In short, sustainable urban mobility is an alternative to making the transit of people efficient, while mitigating air pollution in the AMG.

Contaminación del aire Transporte urbano Bicicletas compartidas Autobuses de tránsito rápido Metro CIENCIAS SOCIALES CIENCIAS SOCIALES Air pollution Urban transport Bus Rapid Transit