| 1. |
- Almered Olsson, Gunilla, 1951, et al.
(författare)
-
Food systems sustainability: For whom and by whom? – An examination of different 'food system change' viewpoints
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Development Research Conference 2018: “Rethinking development”, 22–23 August 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The United Nations identifies the food crisis as one of the primary overarching challenges facing the international community. Different stakeholders in the food system have widely different perspectives and interests, and challenging structural issues, such as the power differentials among them, remain largely unexamined. These challenges make rational discourse among food system actors from different disciplines, sectors and levels difficult. These challenges can often prevent them from working together effectively to find innovative ways to respond to food security challenges. This means that finding solutions to intractable and stuck issues, such as the food crisis often stall, not at implementation, but at the point of problem identification. Food system sustainability means very different things to different food system actors. These differences in no way undermine or discount the work carried out by these players. However, making these differences explicit is an essential activity that would serve to deepen theoretical and normative project outcomes. Would the impact and reach of different food projects differ if these differences were made explicit? The purpose of this initial part of a wider food system research project is not to search for difference or divergence, with the aim of critique, but rather to argue that by making these differences explicit, the overall food system project engagement will be made more robust, more inclusive and more encompassing. This paper starts with some discussion on the different food system perspectives, across scales, regions and sectors but focuses primarily on the design of processes used to understand these divergent and at times contradictory views of what a sustainable food system may be. This paper draws on ongoing work within the Mistra Urban Futures project, using the food system projects in cities as diverse as Cape Town, Manchester, Gothenburg and Kisumu as sites for this enquiry.
|
|
| 2. |
- Benavent-Celma, Clara, et al.
(författare)
-
Current practices and emerging possibilities for reducing the spread of oomycete pathogens in terrestrial and aquatic production systems in the European Union
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Fungal Biology Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1749-4613 .- 1878-0253. ; 40, s. 19-36
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diseases caused by oomycete pathogens are a global threat to forestry, agriculture and aquaculture. Because of their complex life cycles, characterised by dormant resting structures that enable their survival for years under hostile environmental conditions, reducing the spread of oomycetes is a challenging task. In this review, we present an overview of this challenge, starting from the need to understand the natural and anthropogenic dispersal pathways of these pathogens. Focusing on the European Union, we explore current legislation that forms a backbone for biosecurity protocols against the spread of oomycetes through trade and transport. We discuss the options for prevention, containment and long-term management of oomycetes in different production settings, emphasising the importance of prevention as the most cost-efficient strategy to reduce the spread of these pathogens. Finally, we highlight some of the new and emerging technologies and strategies as potential tools in the integrated pest management of animal and plant diseases caused by oomycetes. We emphasise the urgency of actions to halt the global spread of these pathogens.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ahsan, Murshidul, et al.
(författare)
-
Handling and Welfare of Bovine Livestock at Local Abattoirs in Bangladesh
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1088-8705 .- 1532-7604. ; 17:4, s. 340-353
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) allows rope casting and the tying of legs for nonhuman animals laughter without stunning. Thehandling and welfare of bovine livestock (Bosindicus and Bubalus bubalis) were studied in 8 local abattoirs in 5 districts of Bangladesh. A totalof 302 animals were evaluated. At the local abattoirs, approximately 1/3 of the cattle and water buffalo were eithere maciated orinjured/sick. The size and vigor of the animals determined the casting method. Small and weak animals were cast on concrete floors by lifting a foreleg followed by pushing, or simply by twisting the head of the animal and then binding the legs with rope. Vigorous animals such as buffalo were castusing ropes and human force. Bleeding was slow and flaying was sometimes initiated before the animals were unconscious. Pulling and tearing of the trachea and pouring of water into the exposed trache a shortly after cutting were also observed in some cases.The over all animal handling was unnecessarily rough and he OIE standards were not implemented. Animals are subjected to considerable mistreatment, and there is an urgent need for the training nde ducation of the staff in a battoirs concerning humanes laughtering practices as well as a need to build moderns laughtering plants in Bangladesh.
|
|
| 4. |
- Jensen, Anna M, et al.
(författare)
-
Shrubs protect oak seedlings against ungulate browsing in temperate broadleaved forests of conservation interest: A field experiment
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 266, s. 187-193
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many oak-rich temperate broadleaved forests of conservation value, high ungulate browsing pressure restricts oak regeneration. We examined the protection of oak (Quercus sp.) seedlings from browsing provided by naturally occurring shrubs in 10 forests across southern Sweden over 3 years. We planted oak seedlings in four plots in each forest; two with naturally regenerated shrubs and two with no shrubs. Ungulate browsers were excluded from two plots at each site, one with and one without shrubs. Fencing provided the best protection against ungulate browsers for the seedlings. The probability of a seedling being browsed (browsing frequency) was approximately 20% units lower for individuals growing among shrubs than for individuals growing in the absence of shrubs. When browsing did occur, the intensity (measured as a reduction in height growth) was significantly lower for seedlings in shrubs. Regression analyses showed that browsing frequency increased on seedlings in tall shrubs, and decreased on seedlings that had been browsed previously. Browsing intensity decreased if the seedling grew in tall and dense shrubs. Browsing frequency and intensity increased on oak seedlings that over topped the shrub canopy. Increased abundance of the prickled Rubus idaeus and Rubus fruticosus coll. in plots with shrubs did not affect browsing frequency and intensity. Two and a half years after planting, oak seedling mortality increased by the presence of shrubs. Although shrubs restricted oak seedling growth, we conclude that shrubs initially facilitated oak regeneration by concealment, and subsequently by numeric dilution. Shrubs may be used to reduce browsing damages if long-term evaluation indicates a net positive outcome for oak survival and growth.
|
|
| 5. |
- Axelsson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
-
The genetic consequences of dog breed formation-Accumulation of deleterious genetic variation and fixation of mutations associated with myxomatous mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels
- 2021
-
Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 17:9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Selective breeding for desirable traits in strictly controlled populations has generated an extraordinary diversity in canine morphology and behaviour, but has also led to loss of genetic variation and random entrapment of disease alleles. As a consequence, specific diseases are now prevalent in certain breeds, but whether the recent breeding practice led to an overall increase in genetic load remains unclear. Here we generate whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from 20 dogs per breed from eight breeds and document a similar to 10% rise in the number of derived alleles per genome at evolutionarily conserved sites in the heavily bottlenecked cavalier King Charles spaniel breed (cKCs) relative to in most breeds studied here. Our finding represents the first clear indication of a relative increase in levels of deleterious genetic variation in a specific breed, arguing that recent breeding practices probably were associated with an accumulation of genetic load in dogs. We then use the WGS data to identify candidate risk alleles for the most common cause for veterinary care in cKCs-the heart disease myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). We verify a potential link to MMVD for candidate variants near the heart specific NEBL gene in a dachshund population and show that two of the NEBL candidate variants have regulatory potential in heartderived cell lines and are associated with reduced NEBL isoform nebulette expression in papillary muscle (but not in mitral valve, nor in left ventricular wall). Alleles linked to reduced nebulette expression may hence predispose cKCs and other breeds to MMVD via loss of papillary muscle integrity.
|
|
| 6. |
- Chodkowska-Miszczuk, Justyna, et al.
(författare)
-
Biogas enterprises: A chance or a challenge for rural development?
- 2018
-
Ingår i: 5th Nordic Conference for Rural Research: “Challenged ruralities: Nordic welfare states under pressure”, 14–16 May, 2018, Vingsted, Denmark. - Copenhagen : University of Copenhagen – Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management. - 9788779037922
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper addresses the question whether biogas plants (businesses based on renewable energy) often marketed as a great opportunity for rural development can at the same time pose a hidden challenge. Departing from the concept of embeddedness of enterprises in the local environment, our objective is realized with the help of two models of biogas plants. In the first model, biogas plants operate as an integral part of agricultural farms (biogas on-farm model); in the second model, they operate as independent companies established through investments by external entrepreneurs (biogas off-farm model). The two models have proven to affect the economies of particular biogas enterprises very differently. In the first model, the support of existing agricultural farms is of great importance as those usually are important for local stakeholders. In the second model, biogas plants that emerge as new external investments must build interactions with local entities from scratch. From an economic point of view, the lack of functioning mechanisms in this sense may influence further directions of development for many rural areas traditionally associated with agriculture.
|
|
| 7. |
- Ebitu, Larmbert, et al.
(författare)
-
Citizen science for sustainable agriculture : A systematic literature review
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Land use policy. - : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 103
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Farmers as volunteers in research could potentially provide a rich resource for exploring sustainable agricultural research questions. To discern emerging patterns in citizen science-based studies on topics with relevance for sustainable agriculture and reveal salient challenges and opportunities for conducting such studies, we conducted a literature review of 27 articles from the period 2004–2019 of 250 publications screened from Google Scholar. These articles were thematically grouped under the topics: Soil health, climate adaptation, pest/pathogen monitoring, invasive species, inputs and outputs and pollination. Participants’ characteristics, motivations, study design and project outcomes in the reviewed articles were summarized and discussed. Both observational and experimental studies were represented in the articles, while emerging trends point towards field experimentation and ‘Large-N′ trials by lay farmers. Crowdsourcing lends itself to projects where the main role of the public is local visual observations and reporting, such as in pest/pathogen monitoring. Challenges included methodological issues such as validation procedures, but above all motivation, recruitment, and retention of volunteers. Despite the importance of participatory approaches for deeper citizen involvement for sustainability transitions and for the quality of knowledge outcomes, the role of citizens was overall restricted to data collection. Several of the methodologies proposed would be difficult to implement in low-income countries, and relatively few studies pertained to agricultural concerns of the global South. To lend value to farmers' time, we recommend projects relevant to livelihoods, health issues or local farming problems, accompanied by well-structured data feedback protocols, routing study results back to farmers.
|
|
| 8. |
- Witzell, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
-
Does temperature regime govern the establishment of Heterobasidion annosum in Scandinavia?
- 2011
-
Ingår i: International journal of biometeorology. - : Springer. - 0020-7128 .- 1432-1254. ; 55:3, s. 275-284
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We explored the reasons underlying the biogeographic distribution patterns of the economically important, wood-rotting basidiomycete Heterobasidion annosum in Sweden. Despite the commonness of suitable host trees, Heterobasidion annosum has not been recorded in the north of Sweden, whereas its relative, H. parviporum, is present throughout the country. To test the hypothesis that H. annosum has not spread to the north because of the effect of climate, mainly differences in the general temperature regime, we inoculated Norway spruce stumps and standing trees with H. annosum and H. parviporum at six field sites, three in the south and three in the north of Sweden. Three strains of both species were used in random combinations, so that each selected stump and tree was inoculated with both species at the same time. At 2 and 10 months after the inoculations, we compared the frequencies of detection of H. annosum and H. parviporum colonies at different distances from inoculation points in the stumps and in trees. The H. annosum colonies were detected only infrequently on disks cut from the inoculated stumps (0-4% of re-isolations) in both areas, whereas H. parviporum was detected much more frequently (26-47% of re-isolations). In standing trees, colonies belonging to H. annosum could be detected up to 210 cm (south) and 80 cm (north) and those belonging to H. parviporum up to 210 cm (south) and 140 cm (north) above the inoculation points. Our results suggest that difference in temperature regime does not provide an explanation for the distribution limit of H. annosum.
|
|
| 9. |
- Jourdain, Elsa, et al.
(författare)
-
Influenza Virus in a Natural Host, the Mallard : Experimental Infection Data
- 2010
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wild waterfowl, particularly dabbling ducks such as mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), are considered the main reservoir of low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs). They carry viruses that may evolve and become highly pathogenic for poultry or zoonotic. Understanding the ecology of LPAIVs in these natural hosts is therefore essential. We assessed the clinical response, viral shedding and antibody production of juvenile mallards after intra-esophageal inoculation of two LPAIV subtypes previously isolated from wild congeners. Six ducks, equipped with data loggers that continually monitored body temperature, heart rate and activity, were successively inoculated with an H7N7 LPAI isolate (day 0), the same H7N7 isolate again (day 21) and an H5N2 LPAI isolate (day 35). After the first H7N7 inoculation, the ducks remained alert with no modification of heart rate or activity. However, body temperature transiently increased in four individuals, suggesting that LPAIV strains may have minor clinical effects on their natural hosts. The excretion patterns observed after both reinoculations differed strongly from those observed after the primary H7N7 inoculation, suggesting that not only homosubtypic but also heterosubtypic immunity exist. Our study suggests that LPAI infection has minor clinically measurable effects on mallards and that mallard ducks are able to mount immunological responses protective against heterologous infections. Because the transmission dynamics of LPAIVs in wild populations is greatly influenced by individual susceptibility and herd immunity, these findings are of high importance. Our study also shows the relevance of using telemetry to monitor disease in animals.
|
|
| 10. |
- Järhult, Josef D., et al.
(författare)
-
Environmental levels of the antiviral oseltamivir induce development of resistance mutation H274Y in influenza A/H1N1 virus in mallards
- 2011
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) is the most widely used drug against influenza infections and is extensively stockpiled worldwide as part of pandemic preparedness plans. However, resistance is a growing problem and in 2008-2009, seasonal human influenza A/H1N1 virus strains in most parts of the world carried the mutation H274Y in the neuraminidase gene which causes resistance to the drug. The active metabolite of oseltamivir, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), is poorly degraded in sewage treatment plants and surface water and has been detected in aquatic environments where the natural influenza reservoir, dabbling ducks, can be exposed to the substance. To assess if resistance can develop under these circumstances, we infected mallards with influenza A/H1N1 virus and exposed the birds to 80 ng/L, 1 µg/L and 80 µg/L of OC through their sole water source. By sequencing the neuraminidase gene from fecal samples, we found that H274Y occurred at 1 µg/L of OC and rapidly dominated the viral population at 80 µg/L. IC₅₀ for OC was increased from 2-4 nM in wild-type viruses to 400-700 nM in H274Y mutants as measured by a neuraminidase inhibition assay. This is consistent with the decrease in sensitivity to OC that has been noted among human clinical isolates carrying H274Y. Environmental OC levels have been measured to 58-293 ng/L during seasonal outbreaks and are expected to reach µg/L-levels during pandemics. Thus, resistance could be induced in influenza viruses circulating among wild ducks. As influenza viruses can cross species barriers, oseltamivir resistance could spread to human-adapted strains with pandemic potential disabling oseltamivir, a cornerstone in pandemic preparedness planning. We propose surveillance in wild birds as a measure to understand the resistance situation in nature and to monitor it over time. Strategies to lower environmental levels of OC include improved sewage treatment and, more importantly, a prudent use of antivirals.
|
|
