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- Campbell, Bruce M., et al.
(författare)
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Agriculture production as a major driver of the Earth system exceeding planetary boundaries
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 22:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We explore the role of agriculture in destabilizing the Earth system at the planetary scale, through examining nine planetary boundaries, or safe limits: land-system change, freshwater use, biogeochemical flows, biosphere integrity, climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, and introduction of novel entities. Two planetary boundaries have been fully transgressed, i.e., are at high risk, biosphere integrity and biogeochemical flows, and agriculture has been the major driver of the transgression. Three are in a zone of uncertainty i.e., at increasing risk, with agriculture the major driver of two of those, land-system change and freshwater use, and a significant contributor to the third, climate change. Agriculture is also a significant or major contributor to change for many of those planetary boundaries still in the safe zone. To reduce the role of agriculture in transgressing planetary boundaries, many interventions will be needed, including those in broader food systems.
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| 3. |
- Ortiz Rios, Rodomiro Octavio
(författare)
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Food security in Amazonia : a report for Global Canopy Programme and International Center for Tropical Agriculture
- 2013
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, providing a wide array of ecosystem services that support human life and more than 2000 species of plants with nutritional and medicinal value. While the basin is among the least populated dense forests on Earth, it hosts around 39 million people and possesses an invaluable cultural richness: over 420 different indigenous groups who speak around 86 distinct languages (UNEP et al., 2009). However, despite this natural wealth, Amazonia’s ecosystems are continuously threatened by human interventions and changes in climate, severely impacting the food security of their population. This report provides an overview of Amazonia's food security and the associated threats in the region, such as land use change and climate change and variability. The aim of this research effort is twofold: first, it attempts to identify those regions and populations in the Amazon basin that need more attention when it comes to hunger alleviation and improvements in nutrition, given the food security status. Second, based on a thorough analysis of natural and man-driven threats to ecosystem service provision and how these are linked to food production, delivery and access in the region, to discuss various policy pathways that could guarantee social, economic and environmental sustainability in the Amazon. The study focuses on five countries that share territory in the Amazon basin, namely Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is based on literature review of current knowledge on the impacts of land use change and climate change on ecosystem services, linkages between ecosystem services and/or threats and food security, as well as on best-practices experiences to sustainably manage ecosystems and agricultural systems in the region. Data for the state of food security has been collected from national and United Nations’ statistics database. However, it is worthwhile mentioning that in large parts, this type of data has been inconsistent, not updated and not disaggregated per Department. Furthermore, we used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to estimate projected changes in temperature and precipitation in the Amazon basin, as well as to collect data on vegetation cover change (e.g. deforestation), by means of satellite imagery analysis. Section 2 begins with a brief overview of the definition of food security and some of the most commonly used indicators to measure it. Section 3 is dedicated to the methodology used for this study, including a discussion of the challenges related to data collection. Section 4 is dedicated to the analysis of linkages between ecosystem services and food security, both in general and in particular - for the Amazon region. In Section 5 we present an overview of agricultural production in the basin, attempting to link it with the state of food security for the Amazonian people. Section 6 expands the discussion on factors that affect the provision of ecosystem services and thus drive food insecurity, such as land use change and climate change and variability. In Section 7 we discuss in brief the different populations that are affected by these threats, while the last Section summarizes the findings and presents a variety of policy options that can minimize trade-offs between agricultural production, environmental sustainability and social development, based on suggestions identified in the literature. Short case studies or concrete examples from the region are provided throughout the entire report, in order to illustrate threats to food security, impacts of previous extreme climate events or sustainable options for producing food locally and achieving food security.
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| 4. |
- Ortiz Rios, Rodomiro Octavio
(författare)
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Gender and Trait Preferences for Banana Cultivation and Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review
- 2020
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Ingår i: Economic Botany. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0013-0001 .- 1874-9364. ; 74, s. 226-241
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gender and Trait Preferences for Banana Cultivation and Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review Understanding trait preferences of different actors in the banana value chain may facilitate the selection and adoption of new cultivars. We systematically reviewed the scholarly and gray literature on banana trait preferences, with specific attention to studies that document gender-differentiated traits. Of 44 publications reviewed, only four reported gender-specific trait preferences, indicating a significant gap in the literature. The review found that banana farmers, irrespective of gender, value similar characteristics that are related to production constraints, income enhancement, consumption, and cultural or ritual uses. Farmers (as producers, processors, and consumers) often prefer traditional cultivars because of their superior consumption attributes, even if new cultivars have better agronomic and host plant resistance characteristics. Potential differences between trait preferences of farmers and other actors in the value chain should be accounted for to enhance marketing potential. Gender-specific research along the banana value chain and engaging users at the initial stages of breeding can ensure that new cultivars are acceptable to users and may improve adoption. Interdisciplinary teamwork is essential for an efficient and effective breeding program.
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