Environmental Sustainability Analysis of Cashew Systems in North-east Brazil

This study aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the status and development prospects of the cashew farming systems in North-east Brazil, where thousands of small growers depend on cashew production. The smallholder units are important economic-social groups within rural areas in the north-eastern region. After the introduction of dwarf-precocious cashew, the resulting higher cashew yields in the north-eastern region brought about great expectations concerning the rural and regional development prospects due to the increasing income of growers. This study is an inquiry into the cashew sector, focusing on the states of Ceará and Piauí, main producers of cashew in Brazil. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the cashew farming systems, identifying the main aspects that affect the yields of the cashew farming systems. Specifically, this research main focuses were on: (i) general characteristics and classification of the cashew growers and their farming systems, specially the factors that affect the cashew nut productivity in both states; (ii) litter fall production and biomass partitioning of the common and dwarf-precocious types of cashew tree and; (iii) an accounting of inputs and outputs of environmental and economic contributions to the cashew farming systems. To collect all this data, 254 farmers were interviewed and an experiment of litter fall was conducted during 24 months at EMBRAPA-Pacajus, Ceará. The main results of this study were: (i) cashew farmers in the states of Ceará and Piauí had different characteristics and a cluster analysis helped to identify seven homogenous groups from the large number of cashew farming systems observed in this study; (ii) cashew nut production in North-east Brazil was variable across climatic, geographic and agronomic conditions; (iii) the common cashew tree had higher litter fall production. Additionally, the common type also showed better dynamic stability of litter fall production; (iv) the dwarf-precocious cashew tree demonstrated greater biomass production and accumulated more energy in terms of biomass partitioning. Beside this, higher cashew production was observed in the dwarf-precocious type; (v) the energetic assessment of inputs and outputs of farming systems is a viable tool to qualify and quantify the environmental and economic functioning of agricultural ecosystems. The environmental comparison becomes even more convincing when solar transformity is used as a common yardstick and; (vi) the homestead cashew farming system outyielded all other systems in terms of environmental performance and sustainability. The higher cashew yield of the Irrigated model could only be achieved at the expense of higher ELR (Emergy Load Ratio) and EER (Emergy Exchange Ratio).Umweltverträglichkeits-Analyse der Cashew-Anbausysteme im Nordosten Brasiliens Diese Studie zielt darauf ab, einen vollständigen Überblick über den Status und die Entwicklungsaussichten der Anbausysteme für Cashewbäume im Nordosten Brasiliens zu geben. Tausende von kleinen Landwirten sind vom Cashewanbau abhängig. Diese kleinen Bauern sind wichtige ökonomische Sozialgruppen innerhalb der ländlichen Gebiete im Nordosten. Nach der Einführung von schwachwachsenden Cashewbäumen eröffnen die zu erwartenden Ertragssteigerungen und die daraus resultierenden höheren Einkommen gesteigerte Erwartungen im Hinblick auf die landwirtschaftlichen und regionalen Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. Diese Studie analysiert das Cashew Anbausystem, besonders in den Staaten von Ceará und Piauí, den Hauptproduzenten der Cashewnuss in Brasilien. Die Hauptziele dieser Studie waren: (i) die Klassifizierung des Anbausystems für Cashewbäumen, insbesondere der Faktoren, die die Produktivität des Cashewbaumes beeinflussen; (ii) Vergleich von Blattfall und Biomasseproduktion zwischen den herkömmlichen und schwachwachsenden Cashewbäumen und; (iii) Bilanzierung von ökologischen und ökonomischen Einflussfaktorendes Cashewanbaumsystemes. In dieser Studie wurden 254 Landwirte befragt und ein Blattfallversuch in EMBRAPA-Pacajus, Ceará über 24 Monate durchgeführt. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse dieser Studie waren: (i) Es gab Unterschiede zwischen den Standorten, sowohl bei der Betriebsleitung und Betriebsstruktur als auch im Anbausystem. Mit Hilfe einer Blockanalyse konnten sieben homogene Gruppen gebildet werden; (ii) die Cashewnuss-Produktion im Nordosten Brasiliens schwankt entsprechend den klimatischen, geographischen und landwirtschaftlichen Bedingungen; (iii) der herkömmliche Cashewbaum weist höhere und stabilere Werte des Blattfalls auf; (iv) der schwachwachsende Cashewbaum produziert mehr Biomasse und zusätzlich konnte eine höhere Produktion von Cashewnüssen beobachtet werden; (v) die Energiebilanz der Anbausysteme ist eine geeignete Maßnahme zur Qualifizierung und Quantifizierung der ökologischen und ökonomischen Auswirkungen der landwirtschaftlichen Systeme. Dieser Vergleich wird sogar noch deutlicher wenn die "Transformity" als ein allgemeiner Maßstab verwendet wird und; (vi) das Modell "Familienbetrieb" hat die besten Ergebnisse im Bereich Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit. Die höhere Cashewnuss-Produktion des Modells "Bewässerung" konnte nur auf Kosten von höherem ELR (Emergy Lasts-Verhaltnis) und EER (Emergy Austausch-Verhältnis) erreicht werden

Investigation of a coastal wind farm at northeast Brazil using the WRF model

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica, Florianópolis, 2018.Dentre as fontes de energias renováveis, a eólica possui o maior crescimento no mundo, tornando-se uma importante fonte de energia mundial. Devido à sua natureza intermitente, os operadores do sistema elétrico normalmente utilizam modelos numéricos de previsão do tempo, e suas simulações do vento, para garantir o suprimento de energia e balanceamento de carga no sistema interligado nacional. Com o objetivo de contribuir para o crescimento da energia eólica no Brasil, este estudo avaliou e otimizou simulações do vento obtidas pelo modelo WRF na Usina Eólica de Pedra do Sal, assim como investigou previsões de energia eólica obtidas pela combinação do WRF e de redes neurais artificiais. A usina eólica de 18 MW está localizada na costa do Nordeste brasileiro, o que, devido a diferentes características na temperatura, rugosidade e superfície da terra/mar, introduz desafios adicionais na simulação do vento por modelos numéricos. Desta forma, o estudo englobou três resultados principais. Primeiro, uma análise de sensibilidade do modelo de camada limite planetária foi realizada nas simulações do WRF com um domínio, de 15 km de resolução de grade, para o mês de setembro de 2013. Os menores erros na simulação do vento foram obtidos utilizando a parametrização MYNN2 (RMSE de 2,12 m/s e Bias de -1,37 m/s). Segundo, os resultados do WRF foram interpolados em locais onshore e offshore, procedimento nomeado de abordagem de interpolação. Devido ao vento local ser influenciado pela proximidade do mar, os dados interpolados na localização offshore OFF-2 exibiram a melhor performance, resultando em RMSE de 1,69 m/s e Bias de -0,10 m/s. Isso representa uma redução de 20,2% do RMSE e 92,7% do Bias, quando comparado aos resultados obtidos no local usual de interpolação, a posição da torre anemométrica (ON-T). Terceiro, a abordagem de interpolação foi investigada na previsão de geração eólica com redes neurais, de setembro a dezembro de 2013. Dados das posições ON-T e OFF-2 serviram de entrada para duas redes neurais feedforward de três camadas. Para uma mesma arquitetura de 80 neurônios, as previsões de geração eólica de NN-OFF-2 resultaram em menores valores de RMSE e Bias, 7,7% e 7,4%, respectivamente, que as previsões de NN-ON-T. Em conclusão, a interpolação offshore dos resultados do WRF provou ser uma abordagem viável a ser implementada em previsões de vento e de geração eólica na Usina Eólica de Pedra do Sal, pois utiliza menor tempo de processamento, resulta em maior performance e menores valores de erros de previsão quando comparada a outras simulações.Among the renewable energy sources, wind energy has the fastest growth in the world and became an important source of energy worldwide. Due to its intermittent nature, energy system operators normally rely on numerical weather predictions, and their wind simulations, in order to ensure energy supply and load balancing in the system. Aiming to contribute to the wind energy growth in Brazil, this study evaluated and optimized wind simulations obtained by the WRF model in Pedra do Sal wind farm, as well as assessed wind power predictions obtained by the combination of WRF and artificial neural networks. The 18 MW wind farm is located on the northeast coast of Brazil, which, due to different thermal, roughness and surface features of land/sea, introduces additional challenges in the wind simulation by numerical models. The study covered three main results. First, a sensitivity analysis of the planetary boundary layer scheme was performed in one-domain WRF simulations, with 15 km of grid resolution, for September 2013. The lowest wind simulation errors were obtained using MYNN2 parameterization (RMSE of 2.12 m/s and Bias of -1.37 m/s). Second, the WRF results were interpolated in onshore and offshore locations, named as interpolation approach. Since the local wind is influenced by the proximity to the sea, the data interpolated at the offshore location OFF-2 displayed the best performance, showing a RMSE of 1.69 m/s and Bias of -0.10 m/s. This represents a reduction of 20.2% of the RMSE and 92.7% of the Bias when compared to results obtained at the usual interpolation location, the met mast position (ON-T). Third, the interpolation approach was investigated on the wind power prediction with neural networks, from September to December of 2013. ON-T and OFF-2 data were employed as input of two three-layers feedforward networks. For the same 80-neurons architecture, the wind power predictions of NN-OFF-2 showed lower RMSE and Bias, 7.7% and 7.4% respectively, than the NN-ON-T forecasts. In conclusion, the offshore interpolation of the WRF results proved to be a feasible approach to be implemented in wind speed and power predictions at the coastal Pedra do Sal wind farm, since it uses less computational time, achieves higher performance and lower prediction errors when compared to other simulations

Hydropower in Brazil through the lens of the water-energy nexus

Brazil’s high historical dependency on hydroelectricity, coupled with recent severe droughts in the Southeast and the Northeast, has unveiled water availability issues that affect the electricity sector. The relationship of water and energy and its importance is recognised in literature, but there is still scope for advancements regarding methods for the link between resources. By using the Water-Energy Nexus concept, this study suggests a model calculating evaporation and water consumption of hydropower, as well as performing a water budget analysis for individual reservoirs, states, and regions for the Brazil case study. The analysis is performed for 163 reservoirs for the time periods 2010-2016 and 2015-2049. The model was designed to overcome spatial and temporal issues that inhibit water models to be meaningfully linked to energy models. The time step for evaporation and water consumption is hourly, and daily for the water budget analysis, while political spatial boundaries are used, along with hydrological boundaries for estimating future projections of river flows. Detailed future climatic scenarios for the reservoirs were created to perform a future scenario analysis of the main hydropower system of Brazil. For every 1°C future increase in temperature, the average annual evaporation increase will be around 90mm. Seasonality is important since evaporation varies (69-151mm per month). Water footprint values increase in the future, reaching a high of 147-201 m3/MWh in the North. While, reservoir levels can periodically drop enough in the 2015-2049 timeframe, that electricity production will be impossible to even 30% of particular months in the Southeast and 35% in the Northeast. Furthermore, water availability through the use of capacity factors is proposed as a link with energy models, and an example is presented. Finally, results are discussed in order to offer insight regarding policy implications for the future of hydropower in Brazil and elsewhere

Carbon Capture and Storage

Climate change is one of the main threats to modern society. This phenomenon is associated with an increase in greenhouse gas (GHGs, mainly carbon dioxide—CO2) emissions due to anthropogenic activities. The main causes are the burning of fossil fuels and land use change (deforestation). Climate change impacts are associated with risks to basic needs (health, food security, and clean water), as well as risks to development (jobs, economic growth, and the cost of living). The processes involving CO2 capture and storage are gaining attention in the scientific community as an alternative for decreasing CO2 emissions, reducing its concentration in ambient air. The carbon capture and storage (CCS) methodologies comprise three steps: CO2 capture, CO2 transportation, and CO2 storage. Despite the high research activity within this topic, several technological, economic, and environmental issues as well as safety problems remain to be solved, such as the following needs: increase of CO2 capture efficiency, reduction of process costs, and verification of the environmental sustainability of CO2 storage

Contribution from brazilian postgraduate studies to sustainable development: Capes at Rio+20

190 p.The book Contribution from brazilian postgraduate studies to sustainable development: Capes at Rio+20, is published by the Foundation for the Coordination and Improvement of Higher Level or Education Personnel (Capes) and represents the Brazilian PostGraduation contribution to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio+20, at a time when Brazil commemorates the 60th anniversary of the creation of Capes. The publication is a synthesized version of the efforts made by Brazilian Institutions, within the National PostGraduation System (SNPG), and Capes in particular, to identify resources, potentials and challenges that need to be jointly addressed in order to create a coherent development standard in harmony with sustainable development ideals

Climate change resilient development of family farmers in the brazilian semiarid : an analysis of public policies and of the coexisting with the semiarid paradigm

The Brazilian Semiarid region comprises the poorest people in the country, and one of the two biomes most vulnerable to climate change in Brazil. Public policies have been focused on droughts, but a more organized and articulated civil society in the 1980´s started to seek alternatives to addressing the complex challenges in the region, focusing on more holistic solutions for human coexistence with the Semiarid conditions. This thesis analyses public policies during three historical periods and the civil society-led paradigm Convivência com o Semiárido (CSA, Coexisting with the Semiarid) to verify if they promoted resilience to climate change for family farmers. The research follows a theoretical framework of Social-Ecological Systems and Resilience Thinking, and uses document analysis, fieldwork and interviews. It was found that recent public policies have assisted family farmers to improve living conditions and face droughts impacts, but they have not substantially promoted climate change resilience. Therefore, achievements gained through public policies are at risk, as the changes in climate create new environmental and economic conditions. Concurrently, CSA increases family farmers` climate resilience by applying social technologies through a participatory approach, building local knowledge and promoting the sustainable use of resources. In accordance to resilience theory, CSA is a social process with the potential to drive transformational change, which can be sustained into the future. It only succeeds, however, when several activities are combined. It focuses on civil society rather than the government sphere as pivotal agent of transformation.A região semiárida brasileira abriga a população mais desfavorecida economicamente do país e um dos dois biomas mais vulneráveis às mudanças climáticas no Brasil. Políticas públicas para a região estiveram concentradas nas secas, porém, a sociedade civil começou a buscar alternativas para enfrentar os desafios complexos da região, focada em soluções mais holísticas para a convivência humana com as condições semiáridas a partir da década de 1980. Esta tese analisa as políticas públicas para o semiárido durante três períodos históricos e o paradigma liderado pela sociedade civil, Convivência com o Semiárido (CSA), para verificar se eles promoveram resiliência às mudanças climáticas para os agricultores familiares. A pesquisa segue um quadro teórico de sistemas sócioecológicos e resiliência, e tem como metodologia análise de documentos, trabalho de campo e entrevistas. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que as políticas públicas recentes contribuíram para a melhoria das condições de vida dos agricultores familiares e enfrentamento dos impactos das secas, mas não promoveram substancialmente resiliência às mudanças climáticas. Portanto, as conquistas obtidas através de políticas públicas estão em risco, uma vez que as mudanças no clima criam novas condições ambientais e econômicas. A CSA aumenta a resiliência climática dos agricultores familiares aplicando tecnologias sociais através de uma abordagem participativa, construindo conhecimento local e promovendo o uso sustentável dos recursos. No entanto, esses resultados apenas aparecem quando várias atividades são combinadas. A CSA foca na sociedade civil e não na esfera governamental como agente fundamental de transformação

Toward eco-efficient and circular industrial systems: ten years of advances in production management systems and a thematic framework

Environmental sustainability urgently needs to be embraced as a driver of development for society and industry. While researchers and practitioners herald numerous benefits when adopting eco-efficiency and circular economy approaches, these green solutions are yet to become pervasive principles for designing and operating industrial systems. This study reviews the last ten years of research contributions from the International Federation for Information Processing Working Group 5.7 (IFIP WG5.7) on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS) through its dedicated annual conference. A systematic literature review method was employed to map the APMS conference papers against eco-efficiency principles and to identify how these principles have been addressed by this research community. A cross-thematic analysis further describes the trends around dominant themes in production research. Finally, the paper concludes with an update on eco-efficiency principles applied to manufacturing and a proposed framework to consider more systematically the environmental implications of advances in production research

Alien plant species: environmental risks in agricultural and agro-forest landscapes under climate change

Alien plant species have been essential for farming and agro-forestry systems and for their supply of food, fiber, tannins, resins or wood from antiquity to the present. They also contributed to supporting functions and regulating services (water, soil, biodiversity) and to the design of landscapes with high cultural and scenic value. Some of those species were intentionally introduced, others arrived accidentally, and a small proportion escaped, naturalized and became invasive in natural ecosystems—these are known as invasive alien species (IAS). Here, invasive means that these species have some significant negative impact, either by spreading from human-controlled environments (e.g. fields, gardens) to natural ecosystems, where they can cause problems to native species, or to other production systems or urban areas, impacting on agricultural, forestry activities or human health. Socio-environmental impacts associated with plant invasions have been increasingly recognized worldwide and are expected to increase considerably under changing climate or land use. Early detection tools are key to anticipate IAS and to prevent and control their impacts. In this chapter, we focus on crop and non-crop alien plant species for which there is evidence or prediction of invasive behaviour and impacts. We provide insights on their history, patterns, risks, early detection, forecasting and management under climate change. Specifically, we start by providing a general overview on the history of alien plant species in agricultural and agroforestry systems worldwide. Then, we assess patterns, risks and impacts resulting from alien plants originally cultivated and that became invasive outside cultivation areas. Afterwards, we provide several considerations for managing the spread of invasive plant species in the landscape. Finally, we discuss challenges of alien plant invasions for agricultural and agroforest systems, in the light of climate change.Joana R. Vicente was supported by POPH/FSE and FCT (Post-Doc grant SFRH/BPD/84044/2012). Ana Sofia Vaz was supported by FSE/MEC and FCT (Ph.D. grant PD/ BD/52600/2014). Ana Isabel Queiroz supported by FCT—the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [UID/HIS/04209/2013 and IF/00222/2013/CP1166/CT0001]. This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006821) and National Funds (FCT/MEC, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Educação e Ciência) under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 UID/BIA/50027/201