Repositorio Nacional

The milpa agroecosystem is an intercropping of maize, beans, squash and other crops, developed in Mesoamerica, and its adoption is widely variable across climates and regions. An example of particular interest is the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which holds highly diverse milpas, drawing on ancestral Mayan knowledge. Traditional milpas have been described as sustainable resource management models, based on long rotations within a slash-and-burn cycle in forest areas. Nevertheless, due to modernization and intensification processes, new variants of the approach have appeared. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of three milpa systems (traditional, continuous, and mechanized) in four case studies across the Peninsula, with emphasis on food self-sufficiency, social inclusion and adoption of innovations promoted by a development project. The Framework for the Evaluation of Agroecosystems using Indicators (MESMIS, for its Spanish acronym) was used for its flexible, participatory approach. A common group of indicators was developed despite regional differences between study cases, with a high level of farmer participation throughout the iterative process. The results show lower crop yields in traditional systems, but with lower inputs costs and pesticide use. In contrast, continuous milpas had higher value in terms of crop diversity, food security, social inclusion, and innovation adoption. Mechanized milpas had lower weed control costs. Profitability of cash crops and the proportion of forest were high in all systems. Highly adopted innovations across milpa types and study cases included spatial crop arrangement and the use of residues as mulches. However, most innovations are not adapted to local conditions, and do not address climate change. Further, women and youth participation is low, especially in traditional systems.

Milpa Intensification Processes Women and Youth Participation CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SUSTAINABILITY INTERCROPPING FOOD SECURITY INNOVATION SOCIAL INCLUSION AGROECOSYSTEMS CASE STUDIES

Colaboración y co-creación de conocimiento para una agricultura sostenible

Jelle Van Loon (2021, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS FOOD SECURITY CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

Climate change and agriculture: Adaptation strategies and mitigation opportunities for smallholder farmers in South Asia

Tek Sapkota (2022, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGIES CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT FOOD SECURITY FOOD SYSTEMS CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE SMALLHOLDERS

Near-real-time welfare and livelihood impacts of an active war: Evidence from Ethiopia

Kibrom Abay Guush Berhane Jordan Chamberlin Mehari Hiluf Abay (2023, [Artículo])

Ethiopia recently experienced a large-scale war that lasted for more than two years. Using unique High-Frequency Phone Survey (HFPS) data, which span several months before and after the outbreak of the war, this paper provides evidence on the immediate impacts of the conflict on households’ food security. We also assess potential mechanisms and evaluate impacts on proximate outcomes, including on livelihood activities and access to food markets. We use difference-in-differences and two-way fixed effects estimation to compare trends across affected and unaffected regions (households) and before and after the outbreak of the war. Seven months into the conflict, we find that the war was associated with a 37 percentage points increase in the probability of moderate to severe food insecurity. Using the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), we show that exposure to an additional battle leads to a 1 percentage point increase in the probability of moderate or severe food insecurity. The conflict was associated with significant reduction in access to food through supply chain disruptions and by curtailing non-farm livelihood activities. Non-farm and wage related activities were affected the most, whereas farming activities were relatively more resilient. Our estimates, which likely underestimate the true average effects on the population, constitute novel evidence on the near-real-time impacts of large-scale conflict. Our work highlights the potential of HFPS to monitor active and large-scale conflicts, especially in contexts where conventional data sources are not immediately available.

Phone Surveys CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA WAR CONFLICTS FOOD SECURITY LIVELIHOODS

La política pública contra la sequía en México: avances, necesidades y perspectivas

Felipe Arreguin Mario Lopez Perez DAVID ORTEGA GAUCIN OSCAR FIDENCIO IBAÑEZ HERNANDEZ (2016, [Artículo])

Se presentan las acciones que se generaron a partir de la sequía del periodo 2010-2012 en México, la cual fue el detonador para un cambio en la manera de atender este fenómeno, al pasar de la reacción frente a las emergencias hacia un modelo preventivo orientado a la gestión del riesgo. En ese contexto se formuló una política pública nacional al respecto, donde el Programa Nacional contra la Sequía se constituyó en el eje rector. Los fundamentos de este programa —prevención y mitigación— constituyen las bases sobre las cuales se busca mejorar la gestión versus las sequías y fortalecer las capacidades locales para afrontar sus impactos con estrategias adecuadas. Se discuten algunas líneas de acción emprendidas en esta política pública, y se señalan varios elementos que aún no se han implementado o es incipiente su realización.

Sequías Políticas públicas México INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA