Colombian agriculture under multiple exposures: a review and research agenda

We adopt the multiple exposures framework to review the existing literature on the impacts of climate change, trade liberalization, and violent conflict on Colombian agriculture. These stressors act simultaneously but policies address them separately, overlooking the root causes of vulnerability. We find that the expected impacts of the single stressors have been relatively well documented, but that limited research has been dedicated to the observed effects of these three stressors and to their interactions. We propose a research agenda in three themes: trade-offs; social mechanisms; and governance. This agenda can inform not only agricultural adaptation but also debate on the alternative agricultural development models

Nutritional Evaluation of Tropical Forage Grass Alone and Grass-Legume Diets to Reduce in vitro Methane Production

Forage grass nutritional quality directly affects animal feed intake, productivity, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions. This study evaluated the nutritional quality, in vitro enteric CH4 emission potential, and optimization of diets based on two widely grown tropical forage grasses either alone or mixed with legumes. The grasses Urochloa hybrid cv. Cayman (UHC) and U. brizantha cv. Toledo (UBT), which typically have low concentrations of crude protein (CP), were incubated in vitro either alone or mixed with the legumes Canavalia brasiliensis (CB) and Leucaena diversifolia (LD), which have higher CP concentrations. Substitution of 30% of the grass dry matter (DM) with CB or LD did not affect gas production or DM degradability. After 96h of incubation, accumulated CH4 was 87.3mg CH4 g−1 DM and 107.7mg CH4 g−1 DM for the grasses alone (UHC and UBT, respectively), and 100.7mg CH4 g−1 DM and 113.2mg CH4 g−1 DM for combined diets (70% grass, 15% CB, and 15% LD). Diets that combined legumes (CB or LC) and grass (UHC or UBT) had higher CP contents, gross, and metabolizable energy (GE, ME, respectively) densities, as well as lower concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). The ME and nutritional variables such as NFD, tannins (T), and CP showed a positive correlation with in vitro net gas production, while ruminal digestibility was affected by CP, ADL, T, and GE. Optimal ratios of components for ruminant diets to reduce rumen net gas production and increase protein content were found with mixtures consisting of 60% grass (either UHC or UBT), 30% CB, and 10% LD. However, this ratio did not result in a decrease in CH4 production

Micro-topography associated to forest edges

Forest edges are often defined as the discontinuity between the forest habitat and an adjacent open habitat, thus they are based on a clear difference in the structure of the dominant vegetation. However, beside this very general definition, in the field we can observe a large diversity of edges, with often different kinds of micro-topography features: bank, ditch, stone wall, path, etc. As these elements are rather common in many temperate forest edges, it seems important to start to characterize them more clearly and with consistency. From a set of observations in south-western France, we build a first typology of the micro-topographic elements associated to forest edges. For each of them we describe the process, natural or human induced, at their origin, and according to the literature available, we identify some of their key ecological roles. Banks, generated by the differential erosion between forest and crops along slopes, are especially analyzed since they are the most common micro-topographic element in our region. It offers many micro-habitat conditions in the soil used by a wide range of species, notably by several bee species. More research is required to study in details the importance of such micro-topographic elements

Mapeo científico en la búsqueda de información. Caso de estudio: enfermedades infecciosas en bovinos

The steps to be followed in a scientific mapping process on a research topic are proposed using tools that allow identifying different relationships and performing analyses between articles, taking the topic of infectious bovine diseases as a case study. The employed methodology is based on six steps that go from information retrieval through systematic literature review to the visualization of the results by means of the SciMAT scientific map analysis tool, mainly using the keywords, the H index, and the occurrence of the terms in the text. As a result, it is found that studies on infectious bovine diseases have focused on subtopics such as disease outbreaks, the treatments used, prevention models, and analysis of laboratory samples. On the other hand, it is indicated that further studies are needed on the use of computer tools or the development of applications that use modern techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to support the analysis, control, and eradication of infectious bovine diseases.Se plantean los pasos a seguir para realizar un mapeo científico sobre un tema de investigación utilizando herramientas que permitan identificar diferentes relaciones y análisis entre artículos, tomando como caso de estudio el tema de enfermedades infecciosas bovinas. La metodología utilizada se basa en seis pasos que van desde la recuperación de información por medio de la revisión sistemática de literatura hasta la visualización de los resultados por medio de la herramienta de análisis de mapas científicos SciMAT, empleando principalmente las palabras clave, el índice H y la ocurrencia de los términos en el texto. Se encuentra como resultado que los estudios sobre enfermedades infecciosas bovinas se han centrado en subtemas como brotes de la enfermedad, tratamientos utilizados, modelos de prevención y análisis de muestras de laboratorio. Por otro lado, se denota que hace falta realizar estudios sobre el uso de herramientas informáticas o el desarrollo de aplicaciones que utilicen técnicas modernas como inteligencia artificial y machine learning como apoyo al análisis, el control y la erradicación de enfermedades infecciosas bovinas

Using remote sensing and ecosystem accounting to assess changes in ecosystems, with an illustration for the Orinoco river basin

A further step in understanding the connections between ecosystems and the economy has been the development of ecosystem accounting. Ecosystem accounting assess changes on ecosystems and ecosystem services using cartographical and statistic information. However, such information is often non-existent or scarce, inaccessible and expensive. Remote sensing provides timely data over large coverages and can be a useful source of spatially explicit data at relatively low cost. This thesis shows the use of MODIS land surface products to support ecosystem accounting in the assessment of unsustainable changes in ecosystems. Examples of how the MODIS products can be used to populate the extent, condition and capacity accounts have been demonstrated in the chapters of this thesis. Moreover, examples of how ecosystem accounting can be combined with other multidisciplinary quantitative frameworks and on how ecosystem accounting can be applied in the assessment of human-managed ecosystems have been also provided. The potential use of the moderate resolution sensor VIIRS and the high-resolution sensors on board the Landsat 8 and Sentinel satellites as a source of spatially explicit information to populate accounts was recognized in the synthesis chapter. Moreover, the potential use of other MODIS products such as the atmosphere, cryosphere and ocean products to expand the assessment of other ecological areas such as the atmosphere and the sea were identified in the synthesis chapter.</p

Implementation of the Climate-Smart village approach

Climate change is affecting global population and agriculture. Through climate-smart agriculture practices in climate-smart villages, it promotes adaptation, builds resilience to climatic stresses and ensures food security. This research thesis aims to support the planning and decision-making processes to promote and scale out climate-smart agriculture among smallholder farmers in Colombia. The research thesis analyzed the data from a Gender-sensitive Smart Household Monitoring instrument to assess climate-smart agriculture performance and outcomes in Cauca climate-smart village. Data was analyzed through different indicators tracked at household level disaggregated by gender and examines the Climate-smart agriculture adoption and dis-adoption trends and related factors (financial, technical/operational and social) that enable its implementation. The study found that climate-smart practices related to water and ensure food security during the year are the most preferred. This study highlights the importance of climate informatics services to promote a higher adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, this study give a recommendation to improve the surveys to future monitoring instruments to address correctly smallholder farmers and practitioners to scale out climate-smart agriculture

Public health implications of colombian diaspora : market density as an indicator for food insecurities.

Food security is outlined as the universal capacity to procure safe food goods in a diurnal modus consistent with biological load and lifestyle. Therefore, food insecurity is the failure of these processes, which can predictably lead to anthropometric deviations, reduced educational attainment, and other deleterious public health disruptions. It is thereby crucial to reveal novel approaches in predicting food insecurities, and to elucidate if subsisting mechanisms either frustrate or fortify these conditions. Colombia is a developing country suffering from an internal conflict that has displaced over 5.2 million residents. This humanitarian crisis characteristically exacerbates established food insecurities, which extends over 41% of the total population, or 19.2 million inhabitants. Hencetofore, no study has attempted to couple market distribution to the reported food security status of Bogota� D.C., a megalopolis of 8.7 million residents, of which, more than 5.8 million remain currently food insecure. It was then hypothesized that market density could reliably infer sustenance anxieties athwart the 20 localities of Bogota�. Our results revealed an orthogonal relationship between market distribution and varying levels of food insecurities throughout Bogota�, foisting poverty as a primary antecedent to hunger