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    Undergraduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Climate Change and Critical Agrarian Studies

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    Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to humanity today and plays out as a cruel engine of myriad forms of injustice, violence and destruction. The effects of climate change from human-made emissions of greenhouse gases are devastating and accelerating; yet are uncertain and uneven both in terms of geography and socio-economic impacts. Emerging from the dynamics of capitalism since the industrial revolution — as well as industrialisation under state-led socialism — the consequences of climate change are especially profound for the countryside and its inhabitants. The book interrogates the narratives and strategies that frame climate change and examines the institutionalised responses in agrarian settings, highlighting what exclusions and inclusions result. It explores how different people — in relation to class and other co-constituted axes of social difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, age and occupation — are affected by climate change, as well as the climate adaptation and mitigation responses being implemented in rural areas. The book in turn explores how climate change – and the responses to it - affect processes of social differentiation, trajectories of accumulation and in turn agrarian politics. Finally, the book examines what strategies are required to confront climate change, and the underlying political-economic dynamics that cause it, reflecting on what this means for agrarian struggles across the world. The 26 chapters in this volume explore how the relationship between capitalism and climate change plays out in the rural world and, in particular, the way agrarian struggles connect with the huge challenge of climate change. Through a huge variety of case studies alongside more conceptual chapters, the book makes the often-missing connection between climate change and critical agrarian studies. The book argues that making the connection between climate and agrarian justice is crucial

    Undergraduate Catalog of Studies, 2022-2023

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    Land cover changes in the Upper Great Ruaha (Tanzania) and the Upper Awash (Ethiopia) river basins and their potential implications for groundwater resources

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    Over the past century, the world has experienced an unprecedented surge in population growth, accompanied by a significant increase in economic activity and fuelled by an intensive utilization of natural resources, including water. This phenomenon has brought about profound alterations in land cover and land use patterns across various regions. Knowledge of land use changes is key to unlocking an understanding of water use changes and associated impacts on water resources, and potential threats to sustainability. However, the pace and nature of land use transitions vary widely across the globe, shaped by a complex interplay of local, regional and global factors, making systematic assessments important. This report presents the results of a land cover change analysis conducted in two river basins in sub-Saharan Africa: the Upper Great Ruaha River Basin (UGRRB) in Tanzania and the Upper Awash River Basin (UARB) in Ethiopia. The spatio-temporal analysis spans a recent 15-20-year period up until 2015/16 and utilizes remote sensing imagery, secondary maps and ground truth information for the two end point times (resolution: 30 m). The basins are significantly different in terms of agricultural development and water resource use. UARB represents an area with emerging commercial farms, urban expansion and diminishing natural vegetation, whereas UGRRB still retains significant natural vegetation but is experiencing an increase in smallholder agriculture as well as intensive commercial irrigation potentially affecting fragile wetland systems. In UGRRB, surface water is the main source of irrigation water, while in UARB, groundwater resources are increasingly used for irrigation by smallholder farmers. The findings reveal a common overall trend in both basins that is similar to many low-income countries, illustrating an expansion of agricultural and irrigated areas and human settlements at the expense of natural land cover. The report presents a detailed systematic remote sensing-based methodology to quantify and compare land cover transitions in time and space with high resolution, within and between agricultural landscapes of larger basins. The study highlights that land cover changes in the basins follow diverse and unique trajectories, providing critical insights into evolving land use patterns. In its conclusion, the study underscores the profound implications of recent land use changes for groundwater resources within these agro-pastoral systems. Overall, the report highlights the importance of sustainable land management and integrated water resources management, and provides valuable insights into the complexities of land use change in these regions

    Ezhi-Nisidotamang Ininaatigoog Miinawaa Anishinaabeg Maamawibimaadiziyang (a Cultural, Ethnographic and Scientific Framework for Understanding Maple and Human Relations)

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    Ininaatigoog, Acer saccharum, or sugar maple trees have been around 66 million yearsproviding sustenance for thousands of years for those who utilize it1 . They provide food and shelter, supplying necessary provisions for all. For Indigenous people when ininaatigoog sap starts to run, it is a sign of springtime, a celebration of life. In Spring the Anishinaabeg, specifically the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa, go to their sugar camps, and start the rigorous process of harvesting the sap. In the past the Anishinaabeg moved from their winter camps into their spring sugar camps to transform the sap into maple sugar. Stories are told, and families enjoy mino-bimaadiziwin, the good life. This dissertation examines the relationship between sugar maples and humans, while examining multiple ways of communicating within a shared biome to provide a framework for integrating the experiences, messages, and knowledge of all members of the community. This framework allows all beings to have equal agency as they face the challenges of living within and stewarding their environment as climate change accelerates. This framework integrates contemporary global scientific practices, and Anishinaabe scientific traditions of observation - naanagadawaabandan (seeing data and things in the world), naanaagadawaabam (seeing living relationships). I focus on ininaatigoog and Anishinaabeg, 1 Bruce H.Tiffney, and Steven R. Manchester, “The Use of Geological and Paleontological Evidence in Evaluating Plant Phylogeographic Hypotheses in the Northern Hemisphere Tertiary,” International Journal of Plant Sciences 162, no. S6 (2001): S3–17. https://doi.org/10.1086/323880 (accessed July 15, 2022). iii looking at their history, culture, and the integrated idea of naanagadawaabandan combined with naanagadawaabam of the ininaatigoog as an example of how to utilize this framework. To accurately represent the ininaatigoog, and the Anishinaabeg, and the specific relationships of practitioners in this biome, I have used Ojibwemowin throughout the text. Chapter one discusses gaa-ezhiwebag (the history) of the ininaatigoog and Anishinaabeg in the Great Lakes watershed. Chapter two looks at the history of Anishinaabe iskigamizige (sugar bush practices). Chapter three examines ezhi-dibaadanawaa iskigamizigewaad (the way specific people talk about sugar bush practices) through an ethnographic look at eight iskigamizigan (sugar camps) in the western Great Lakes. Chapter four explains ezhinaanagadawendamowaad (the way people seek to understand) an Indigenous framework for scientific observation. My conclusion suggests the knowledge and ideas of this framework, based on the relationship between the ininaatigoog and humans, can be used to understand this and other biomes so we can all attain mino-bimaadiziwin (good life) and improve our relationship with our planet

    Sociodemographic, nutritional and health status factors associated with adherence to Mediterranean diet in an agricultural Moroccan adult's population

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    Background. Numerous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) on many chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the adherence of a rural population to the Mediterranean diet, to identify the sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants and to analyze the association between adherence to MD and CKD. Material and Methods. In a cross-sectional study, data on sociodemographic, lifestyle factors, clinical, biochemical parameters and diet were collected on a sample of 154 subjects. Adherence to MD was assessed according to a simplified MD score based on the daily frequency of intake of eight food groups (vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereal or potatoes, fish, red meat, dairy products and MUFA/SFA), using the sex specific sample medians as cut-offs. A value of 0 or 1 was assigned to consumption of each component according to its presumed detrimental or beneficial effect on health. Results. According to the simplified MD score, the study data show that high adherence (44.2%) to MD was characterized by intakes high in vegetables, fruits, fish, cereals, olive oil, and low in meat and moderate in dairy. Furthermore, several factors such as age, marital status, education level, and hypertension status were associated with the adherence to MD in the study population. The majority of subjects with CKD have poor adherence to the MD compared to non-CKD with a statistically insignificant difference. Conclusions. In Morocco, maintaining the traditional MD pattern play crucial role for public health. More research is needed in this area to precisely measure this association

    Effects of temperature and land-use change on soil organic matter dynamics in a permafrost-affected ecosystem

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    Subarctic ecosystems are among the regions on earth that experience the strongest impact by climate change. As a result of global warming, agricultural centers are shifting poleward into previously non-viable regions of subarctic forests. These subarctic ecosystems are among those predicted to be most strongly impacted by rising global temperatures. Additionally, because agriculture north of 60 degrees latitude has been historically limited, there are few studies which systematically examine the effect of converting subarctic forests for cropland or grassland use on soil carbon. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the effects of land-use change from boreal forest to cropland and grassland on the stocks and composition soil organic carbon. Therefore, three studies were conducted in the Canadian Yukon Territory. First, the effect of soil warming on stocks and fractions of the soil organic matter was quantified by using proximity to a geothermal spring in a subarctic ecosystem as a long-term warming experiment. In the second study, 18 sites covering forest soils as well as adjacent agricultural land were sampled to assess differences in soil organic matter. Included were sites with and without permafrost as well as farms of different age, selected to quantify the influence of permafrost and duration of agricultural use on soil carbon dynamics. The aim of the third study was to measure the effect of land-use change on soil temperature and litter decomposition. Tea bags and temperature sensors were buried in the topsoil (10 cm) and in the subsoil (50 cm) at the same sites as used for the second study and retrieved after two years. This work has shown that deforestation for the purpose of agriculture leads to soil warming and therefore to the loss of near-surface permafrost. Consequently, a large loss of soil organic carbon was observed. Furthermore, the results indicated that the loss of soil organic carbon could be minimised if deforestation is restricted to permafrost-free soils and if the deforestation technique is adapted to minimal disturbance of the topsoil.Subarktische Ökosysteme gehören zu den am stärksten vom Klimawandel betroffenen Region der Erde. Im Zuge der Erderwärmung lässt sich eine Verlagerung der landwirtschaftlichen Zentren in Richtung der Pole beobachten, die zu einer Ausbreitung der Landwirtschaft hinein in subarktische Waldregionen führt. Da Landwirtschaft in Regionen nördlich von 60°N bislang nur eine untergeordnete Rolle spielte, existieren kaum Studien, die den Effekt des Landnutzungswandel von Wald zu Acker und Wald zu Grünland auf den Bodenkohlenstoff systematisch erfasst haben. Ziel der Dissertation war es, die Auswirkungen des Landnutzungswandels von borealem Wald zu Acker und Grünland auf die Vorräte und die Zusammensetzung der organischen Bodensubstanz zu quantifizieren. Den Kern der Dissertation bilden drei Studien, die im kanadischen Yukon Territory durchgeführt wurden. Zunächst wurde der Effekt von Bodenerwärmung auf die Vorräte und Fraktionen der organischen Bodensubstanz quantifiziert, in dem eine geothermale Quelle als Langzeit-Erwärmungsexperiment genutzt wurde. Im Rahmen der zweiten Studie wurden an 18 Standorten sowohl Waldböden, als auch benachbarte landwirtschaftlich genutzte Flächen in Hinblick auf die organische Bodensubstanz beprobt. Im Zuge dessen wurden Flächen mit und ohne Permafrost und Farmen unterschiedlichen Alters ausgewählt, um den Einfluss des Permafrostes auf die Kohlenstoffdynamik zu berücksichtigen und um mögliche Einflüsse der Nutzungsdauer zu quantifizieren. Ziel der dritten Studie war es, den Effekt der Landnutzungsänderung auf die Bodentemperatur und den Streuabbau zu messen. Hierfür wurden an denselben Standorten wie in der zweiten Studie Teebeutel und Temperatursensoren im Oberboden (10 cm) und im Unterboden (50 cm) vergraben und nach zwei Jahren geborgen. Die vorliegende Arbeit hat insgesamt gezeigt, dass Entwaldung für die Etablierung landwirtschaftlicher Flächen zur Erwärmung und somit zum Verlust des oberflächennahen Permafrostes führt, was wiederum große Verluste des Bodenkohlenstoffes nach sich zieht. Ferner fanden sich Hinweise darauf, dass Verluste des Bodenkohlenstoffes durch die Beschränkung der Entwaldung auf permafrostfreie Flächen und durch angepasst Entwaldungstechniken minimiert werden können.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/Breaking the ice/401106790/E

    Vineyard soil management: new sustainable approaches

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    Questo progetto ha esplorato il ruolo chiave della gestione del suolo e dell'uso delle colture di copertura in viticoltura. Per primo viene qui riportato uno studio di quattro anni condotto in un vigneto a conduzione biologica di cv. Barbera in Italia nord-occidentale, in cui sono stati testati cinque trattamenti di gestione del suolo tra le file. Mentre il sottofila è stato mantenuto con una leggera lavorazione, i trattamenti di gestione dell'interfila sono stati i) inerbimento permanente, ii) lavorazione del terreno, iii) lavorazione alternata all’inerbimento permanente ogni due filari, iv) una variante di quest'ultimo trattamento, in cui la fila centrale lavorata è stata utilizzata per la coltivazione di una coltura di copertura (cover crop) temporanea terminata in primavera, e v) inerbimento temporaneo in cui il cotico è stato terminato dopo la vendemmia (metà ottobre) fino alla ripresa naturale della crescita a fine inverno (metà febbraio). Durante la sperimentazione sono stati eseguiti il profilo del suolo e la composizione fisico-chimica, le analisi floristiche, la crescita vegetativa, le componenti della resa, la maturità dell'uva alla vendemmia, lo scambio gassoso e il potenziale idrico fogliare a mezzogiorno e prima dell'alba. I trattamenti testati hanno fornito risposte diverse, evidenziando come la tecnica possa essere diversificata in base alle specifiche esigenze ambientali e produttive. L'alternanza di lavorazione del terreno e inerbimento permanente ogni due interfilari, ha determinato una riduzione della competizione proporzionale al grado di copertura del suolo, rendendo così possibile l'adattamento di protocolli operativi in grado di moderare gli effetti della competizione in base alla proporzione di superficie inerbita e lavorata. Sia il trattamento con l’inerbimento temporaneo che quello con la copertura alternata sono stati efficaci nel favorire la crescita vegetativa rispetto all'inerbimento spontaneo permanente, ottenendo le produzioni più elevate. In particolare, il primo ha portato a un aumento dell’azoto prontamente assimilabile (particolarmente interessante per alcune tipologie di vino) mentre il secondo, insieme a un'adeguata maturità tecnologica e fenolica, ha fatto registrare una significativa diminuzione dell'accumulo di K+ nel mosto. Si tratta di un dato interessante, poiché mitigare l'assorbimento di K nella vite e quindi ridurre il rischio di un eccessivo pH del mosto e del vino è una delle principali sfide poste dal cambiamento climatico. Inoltre, è stato descritto un nuovo sistema di camera chiusa, costruito su misura e a basso costo, per la misurazione dell'evapotraspirazione delle colture di copertura dei vigneti. Sono stati forniti dettagli sulla configurazione, la calibrazione e i dati operativi. La calibrazione della camera è stata eseguita sia come tassi di evaporazione istantanea in condizioni di laboratorio, sia come tassi di evapotraspirazione cumulata giornaliera eseguita all'esterno, in piccoli vasi seminati con diverse specie erbacee (ad esempio, Lotus corniculatus e Festuca arundinacea) o gestiti con una leggera lavorazione del terreno. Per le calibrazioni in laboratorio e all'aperto, è stata riscontrata una relazione lineare molto stretta tra i valori gravimetrici e quelli della camera; inoltre, è interessante notare che l'esecuzione della calibrazione in condizioni ambientali (anziché controllate) ha ridotto notevolmente le distorsioni della camera e ha fornito la migliore precisione. Pertanto, la camera si è dimostrata un metodo affidabile, efficiente e accurato per misurare l'evapotraspirazione su diverse scale temporali (istantanea e cumulativa giornaliera) in condizioni di suolo nudo e di colture seminate. Con l'obiettivo di identificare le colture di copertura per la gestione del suolo dei vigneti, l'ultima prova ha previsto la caratterizzazione di diverse specie in base ai loro tassi di evapotraspirazione, ai modelli di crescita delle radici e al potenziale di stabilità degli aggregati del suolo. Lo studio è stato condotto in Italia settentrionale, su terreno nudo (controllo) e su quindici specie erbacee coltivate in vasi tenuti all'aperto e classificate come graminacee, leguminose e tappezzanti. L'evapotraspirazione è stata valutata con un metodo gravimetrico e utilizzando la nuova camera chiusa portatile costruita su misura. Le misure sono state eseguite a partire da prima dello sfalcio e poi ripetute 2, 8, 17 e 25 giorni dopo. Sono stati misurati la biomassa secca fuori terra, la densità di lunghezza delle radici, il peso secco delle radici e la lunghezza della classe di diametro delle radici entro 0-20 cm di profondità. La selezione delle specie di cover crop da utilizzare nel vigneto si è basata principalmente sui tassi di utilizzo dell'acqua (cioè sulle misurazioni di evapotraspirazione) e sulla dinamica e l'estensione dei modelli di crescita delle radici. In particolare, tra le graminacee, la Festuca ovina si è distinta come quella con il minor consumo idrico, rendendola adatta a una copertura permanente dell'interfila. Mentre le tappezzanti hanno confermato il loro potenziale per l'inerbimento del sottofila, assicurando una rapida copertura del suolo, tassi di evapotraspirazione più bassi e una colonizzazione radicale poco profonda.This project explored the key role of floor management and cover crop use in viticulture. First reported, a four-year study conducted in an organically managed cv. Barbera vineyard in North-West Italy where five inter-row floor management treatments were tested. While under-trellis was maintained as lightly tilled, inter-row management treatments were i) permanent grass, ii) tillage, iii) alternate tillage and permanent grass every second mid-row, iv) a variant of this last treatment, where the tilled mid-row was used for growing a temporary winter cover crop terminated in spring, and v) temporary grass where the grass was disked post-harvest (mid-October) until natural growth resumption in late winter (mid-February). During the trial, soil profile and physicochemical composition, floristic analyses, vegetative growth, yield components, grape maturity at harvest, single leaf gas exchange as well as midday and pre-dawn leaf water potential were performed. Treatments tested provided different responses, highlighting how the technique can be diversified according to specific environmental and production needs. Alternation of tillage and permanent grass every second mid-row resulted in a reduction of the competition proportional to the degree of soil cover, thus making it possible to adjust operational protocols that can moderate the effects of competition according to the proportion of the grassed and tilled area. Both the temporary grass and the alternate tillage-cover crop treatments were effective in favoring vegetative growth compared to permanent spontaneous grassing, achieving the highest production. In particular, the first one led to an increased yeast available nitrogen (being particularly interesting for certain wine types) while the latter, together with an adequate technological and phenolic maturity, registered a significant decrease in K+ accumulation in the must. This is interesting as mitigating K uptake in the vine and thus lowering the risk of excessive must and wine pH is among the main challenges posed by climate change. Moreover, a new, custom-built, low-cost closed chamber system for vineyard cover crop evapotranspiration measurements was described here. Details for setup, calibration, and operational data were provided. Chamber calibration was performed either as instantaneous evaporation rates under laboratory conditions and daytime cumulative evapotranspiration rates performed outside in small pots sown with different cover crops (i.e., Lotus corniculatus and Festuca arundinacea) or managed with light tillage. A very close linear relationship between gravimetric vs chamber values were found for lab and outdoor calibration runs, and, interestingly, running calibration under ambient conditions (as opposed to controlled) greatly reduced chamber biases and provided the best accuracy. Hence, the chamber proved to be a reliable, efficient, and accurate way to measure evapotranspiration for a range of time scales (i.e., instantaneous and cumulated daily) under bare soil conditions and sown crops. Aimed at identifying cover crops for vineyard floor management, the last trial characterized several species according to their evapotranspiration rates, root growth patterns, and soil aggregate stability potential. The study was performed in Northern Italy, on bare soil (i.e., control) and fifteen cover crop species grown in pots kept outdoor and classified as grasses, legumes, and creeping plants. Evapotranspiration was assessed through a gravimetric method and using the new, custom-built closed portable chamber. Measures were performed starting before mowing and then repeated 2, 8, 17, and 25 days thereafter. Above-ground dry biomass, root length density, root dry weight and root diameter class length were measured, and mean weight diameter was calculated within 0-20 cm depth. The selection of cover crop species to be used in the vineyard was here mainly based on water use rates (i.e., evapotranspiration measurements) as well as the dynamic and extent of root growth patterns. In particular, among grasses, Festuca ovina stood out as the one with the lowest water use, making it suitable for a permanent inter-row covering. While, creeping plants confirmed their potential for under-vine grassing, assuring rapid soil coverage, lowest evapotranspiration rates, and shallow root colonization
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