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

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

Agroecology and systems analysis for sustainable agriculture

Santiago Lopez-Ridaura (2022, [Artículo])

Multi-Criteria Tradeoffs Synergies CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AGROECOLOGY INDICATORS SUSTAINABILITY FARMING SYSTEMS

Influencia de las fases lunares en fertilidad, tasa de preñez y partos de vacas mestizas en el trópico seco.

CANUTO MUÑOZ GARCIA ROSENDO CUICAS HUERTA JUAN GONZALEZ MALDONADO EFREN ESTRADA PAQUI ISIDRO JAUREGUI PLATA JULIO CESAR GOMEZ VARGAS (2023, [Artículo])

There is speculation about moon phases influencing animal reproductive performance. A study was carried out to shed light on the influence of moon phases on estrus presentation, pregnancy rate, calving presentation, and offspring sex in cows from the Mexican dry tropical region. The reproductive data of 580 crossbred cows from 2010 to 2021 was organized according to reproductive events (estrus presentation, gestation, calving presentation, and offspring sex) occurrence during moon phases (new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter). The data were analyzed by Chi-squared test and logistic regression. The full moon reduced the estrus presentation (p0.05). It is concluded that the full moon reduces estrus presentation in crossbred cows. Moon phases do not influence the gestation, calving presentation, and offspring sex.

estrus calving offspring sex CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS CIENCIAS VETERINARIAS FISIOLOGÍA ANIMAL

Cascading socio-environmental sustainability risks of agricultural export miracle in Peru

Azam Lashkari Masoud Irannezhad Urs Schulthess (2022, [Artículo])

Andean Trade Preference Act Alternative Development CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DEVELOPMENT GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY WATER SCARCITY