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

A comprehensive account of SARS-CoV-2 genome structure, incurred mutations, lineages and COVID-19 vaccination program

Shailendra Sharma deepmala sehgal Apekshita Singh Shailendra Goel SoomNath Raina (2022, [Artículo])

Corona Viruses Genome Structure Novel Mutations Resistance to Vaccines SARS-CoV-2 CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA COVID-19 ANTIBODY FORMATION LIFE CYCLE VACCINATION VACCINES LINEAGE

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

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

Transcriptome mining provides insights into cell wall metabolism and fiber lignification in Agave tequilana Weber

Luis Fernando Maceda Lopez ELSA BEATRIZ GONGORA CASTILLO Enrique Ibarra-Laclette DALIA C. MORAN VELAZQUEZ AMARANTA GIRON RAMIREZ Matthieu Bourdon José Luis Villalpando Aguilar Gabriela Chavez-Calvillo Toomer John Tang Parastoo Azadi Jorge Manuel Santamaría Fernández Itzel López-Rosas Mercedes G Lopez June Simpson FULGENCIO ALATORRE COBOS (2022, [Artículo])

Resilience of growing in arid and semiarid regions and a high capacity of accumulating sugar-rich biomass with low lignin percentages have placed Agave species as an emerging bioen-ergy crop. Although transcriptome sequencing of fiber-producing agave species has been explored, molecular bases that control wall cell biogenesis and metabolism in agave species are still poorly understood. Here, through RNAseq data mining, we reconstructed the cellulose biosynthesis pathway and the phenylpropanoid route producing lignin monomers in A. tequilana, and evaluated their expression patterns in silico and experimentally. Most of the orthologs retrieved showed differential expression levels when they were analyzed in different tissues with contrasting cellulose and lignin accumulation. Phylogenetic and structural motif analyses of putative CESA and CAD proteins allowed to identify those potentially involved with secondary cell wall formation. RT-qPCR assays revealed enhanced expression levels of AtqCAD5 and AtqCESA7 in parenchyma cells associated with extraxylary fibers, suggesting a mechanism of formation of sclerenchyma fibers in Agave similar to that reported for xylem cells in model eudicots. Overall, our results provide a framework for un-derstanding molecular bases underlying cell wall biogenesis in Agave species studying mechanisms involving in leaf fiber development in monocots. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

AGAVE CELL WALLS LIGNOCELLULOSE CAD PROTEIN CESA PROTEIN SCLERENCHYMA BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA GENÉTICA GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS

LA PRÁCTICA DOCENTE INTERCULTURAL EN CONTEXTO URBANO: EL CASO DE LA ASIGNATURA DE LENGUA Y CULTURA MAPUCHE EN UNA ESCUELA DE SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Sofia Pilar Bravo Arias (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

“El año 2010 se crea en Chile el Sector de Lengua y Cultura Indígena, dentro del Programa de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (PEIB). Esto establece la impartición de una asignatura de Lengua y Cultura en todos los establecimientos públicos que tengan al menos un 20% de estudiantes indígenas, además de la creación de la figura del Educador Tradicional Indígena (ETI), quien está a cargo de impartirla. En la actualidad la ciudad de Santiago de Chile pertenece a la región con mayor población indígena (la gran mayoría mapuche), sin embargo, hay pocas nociones de cómo se aplica el PEIB en este contexto urbano superdiverso que supone nuevas interrogantes a la impartición de la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe centrada en los pueblos originarios. Desde la etnografía escolar se aborda focalizadamente –pero no únicamente- el caso de una escuela de la periferia de la ciudad en la que implementa la asignatura de Lengua y Cultura Mapuche. Se analiza la práctica docente intercultural de la Educadora Tradicional mapuche principal de esta escuela, esto implica problematizar la figura de ETI en la ciudad, la que posee una identidad urbana con más facilidades de integrarse en la escuela. Además, se aborda la inserción de ella y otros ETI en sus escuelas, y los impactos que genera su práctica en estas instituciones, las cuales se apropian de un discurso intercultural para dotar de identidad a su institución y establecer valores fundamentales de su proyecto educativo. Ya en el aula, podemos ver que la práctica docente intercultural de los ETI debe traducir y negociar interculturalmente entre las rígidas formas escolares y las formas mapuche, dando paso a la creación de nuevas prácticas escolares. Finalmente, a partir de la propia reflexividad docente y el “saber hacer” vemos cómo las convicciones y procesos identitarios permean la práctica”.

Mapuche - Lenguaje. Indios mapuche - Vida social y costumbres. Cultura mapuche. Prácticas Pedagógicas Interculturales. Formación docente - Chile - Santiago. Lengua y cultura mapuche. Tesis - Maestría en Antropología Social, Pacífico Sur. HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA LINGÜÍSTICA LINGÜÍSTICA APLICADA BILINGÜISMO BILINGÜISMO