PERCORSI DI SCRITTURA PER COMUNICARE, INVENTARE, IMPARARE. ATTIVITÀ DIDATTICHE E PROVE DI VERIFICA DALLA SCUOLA PRIMARIA AL BIENNIO DELLA SCUOLA SECONDARIA DI SECONDO GRADO

Da una ricerca condotta inizialmente nell’ambito dell’IRRE Lombardia, e successivamente ripresa e aggiornata alla luce dei più recenti documenti per la scuola primaria e secondaria, nascono questi percorsi di scrittura destinati alla scuola dell’obbligo e guidati dall’idea che saper scrivere, in quanto strumento essenziale per l’esercizio di una cittadinanza consapevole, sia una competenza da introdurre, fondare e praticare fin dai primi anni di scuola, perché ciascuno possa poi svilupparla per tutto il corso della vita.L’ipotesi curricolare si articola in tre filoni “verticali”, dal primo al decimo anno di scolarità, orientati rispetto ad uno scopo: scrivere per comunicare, scrivere per inventare, scrivere per imparare. Il curricolo si struttura in unità di apprendimento, in cui la scrittura viene sviluppata in situazioni significative e per lo più autentiche, con attività via via più complesse in ragione del livello scolare e in modo integrato alle altre abilità d’uso della lingua.In questa proposta tipologie e forme testuali vengono analizzate e utilizzate come strumenti efficaci per raggiungere un risultato comunicativo e non come dispositivi per esercitazioni tecniche e/o decontestualizzate.Al termine dei tre percorsi complessivi si sono predisposte delle prove di verifica, strutturate per livelli di scolarizzazione, in modo da poter testare, per gli allievi, le competenze specifiche dichiarate per i tre filoni e in modo da poter offrire all’insegnante una visione articolata dello sviluppo dell’abilità di scrittura negli anni e rispetto a scopi e testi differenziati.Using writing to communicate, invent, learnFrom a study conducted initially within IRRE Lombardia which was subsequently resumed and updated in the light of the most recent documents for primary and secondary school, these experiences in writing at school are guided by the idea that knowing how to write is an essential tool for becoming aware citizens. This skill needs to be introduced, established and practiced starting from the first years at school, so that people can continue to develop it throughout life.The proposed curriculum is divided into three "vertical" segments, from first to tenth grade, each one aimed at a single purpose: writing to communicate, writing to invent, writing to learn. The curriculum is structured in learning units where writing is developed in authentic, meaningful situations, with more and more complex activities based on the academic level and in an integrated manner with the other language skills.In this proposal, textual types and forms are analyzed and used as effective tools to achieve communication results rather than as devices for technical and/or decontextualized exercises.Upon completion of the three experiences, verification tests structured according to level were administered in order to test the specific competence in each of the three areas. This offers the teacher an articulated vision of the development of the ability to write over the years, with regard to different texts and purposes

Potencial y productividad de las praderas de riego en el sur de España

La superficie de cultivos permanentes forrajeros en el sur de España está en continuo aumento. Se presentan en este trabajo los primeros resultados de varios ensayos de campo con alfalfa y praderas de regadío, así como algunos datos de productividad a escala de explotación.Las variedades de alfalfa de escaso reposo invernal (Medicago sativa) parecen ser las especies más productivas bajo riego, con producciones medias anuales de alrededor de 20 t. M.S./Ha. y velocidad de crecimiento en verano por encima de 100 Kg. M.S./Ha./'día.Se ha comparado la producción de materia verde estimada mediante corte de diversas mezclas de riego, mostrándose la alfalfa Moapa y la festuca alta Manade la asociación más productiva.Entre las gramíneas subtropicales, el Cloris gayana var. Pioneer ha mostrado una buena adaptación a la zona, produciendo más de 16 toneladas M.S./Ha. asociado con una leguminosa templada. La productividad neta de las praderas estimada por producción animal se ha calculado en más de 7600 y 9.600 U.F./Ha. para praderas de uno y dos años, respectivamente.Se concluye sobre la necesidad de realizar un mayor trabajo de investigación en orden a mejorar todas las técnicas de manejo de estas praderas. (Sección 4ª. Presidente Dr. A. Van Slycken

Potencial y necesidades nutritivas de las praderas en varios suelos del suroeste español

Las condiciones climáticas son el principal factor que limita la producción de los pastos en el Suroeste, pero el potencial productivo de las praderas de secano está en muchos casos reducido por la escasa fertilidad de sus suelos.Las necesidades de fósforo, potasio y micro elementos han sido estudiadas en las tierras pardas meridionales, suelos de terraza diluvial, suelos salinos y suelos margosos.En la fase de establecimiento se requieren cantidades elevadas de fósforo para aumentar el nivel de fósforo en el suelo. Las dosis de mantenimiento para unas producciones medias de 4.000 Kg. M.S./Ha. se estiman en unos 30 a 40 Kg. P2 O5 /Ha. y año.La mayoría de los suelos de la zona están bien provistos de potasio, sin embargo se consideran necesarias pequeñas aportaciones de potasa en algunos tipos de suelos de las tierras pardas meridionales.En los suelos de terraza diluvial se han obtenido importantes respuestas, 100 al 200 %, a la aportación de S, Fe y Zn. En las tierras pardas meridionales se han producido respuestas del 17 al 50 % a la dolomita y ligeras respuestas al molibdeno. (Sección 2ª. Presidente: Dr. J. Caputa

On the Ground or in the Air? A Methodological Experiment on Crop Residue Cover Measurement in Ethiopia

Maintaining permanent coverage of the soil using crop residues is an important and commonly recommended practice in conservation agriculture. Measuring this practice is an essential step in improving knowledge about the adoption and impact of conservation agriculture. Different data collection methods can be implemented to capture the field level crop residue coverage for a given plot, each with its own implications for the survey budget, implementation speed, and respondent and interviewer burden. This study tests six alternative methods of crop residue coverage measurement among the same sample of rural households in Ethiopia. The relative accuracy of these methods is compared against a benchmark, the line-transect method. The alternative methods compared against the benchmark include: (i) interviewee (respondent) estimation; (ii) enumerator estimation visiting the field; (iii) interviewee with visual-aid without visiting the field; (iv) enumerator with visual-aid visiting the field; (v) field picture collected with a drone and analyzed with image-processing methods; and (vi) satellite picture of the field analyzed with remote sensing methods. Results of the methodological experiment show that survey-based methods tend to underestimate field residue cover. When quantitative data on cover are needed, the best estimates are provided by visual-aid protocols. For categorical analysis (such as greater than 30 percent cover or not), visual-aid protocols and remote sensing methods perform equally well. Among survey-based methods, the strongest correlates of measurement errors are total farm size, field size, distance, and slope. The results deliver a ranking of measurement options that can inform survey practitioners and researchers. This work is a part of the SIAC (2013-2016) program to develop robust methods to routinely track adoption of CGIAR research outcomes. You can find a bit more information on the collaboration with LSMS-ISA here (http://impact.cgiar.org/methods/lsms-isa). This research was supported by ISPC-SPIA under the grant “Strengthening Impact Assessment in the CGIAR (SIAC).” (https://cas.cgiar.org/spia/news/strengthening-impact-assessment-cgiar-siac-2013-2016

Varietal identification in household surveys: results from three household-based methods against the benchmark of DNA fingerprinting in southern Ethiopia

Accurate crop varietal identification is the backbone of any high-quality assessment of outcomes and impacts. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties have important nutritional differences, and there is a strong interest to identify nutritionally superior varieties for dissemination. In agricultural household surveys, such information is often collected based on the farmer's self-report. In this article, we present the results of a data capture experiment on sweet potato varietal identification in southern Ethiopia. Three household-based methods of identifying varietal adoption are tested against the benchmark of DNA fingerprinting: (A) Elicitation from farmers with basic questions for the most widely planted variety; (B) Farmer elicitation on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes by showing a visual-aid protocol; and (C) Enumerator recording observations on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes using a visual-aid protocol and visiting the field. In total, 20% of farmers identified a variety as improved when in fact it was local and 19% identified a variety as local when it was in fact improved. The variety names given by farmers delivered inconsistent and inaccurate varietal identities. Visual-aid protocols employed in methods B and C were better than those in method A, but greatly underestimated the adoption estimates given by the DNA fingerprinting method. Our results suggest that estimating the adoption of improved varieties with methods based on farmer self-reports is questionable and point towards a wider use of DNA fingerprinting in adoption and impact assessments

Varietal Identification in Household Surveys: Results from an Experiment Using DNA Fingerprinting of Sweet Potato Leaves in Southern Ethiopia

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties have important nutritional differences and there is strong interest to identify nutritionally superior varieties for dissemination. In agricultural household surveys, this information is often collected based on the farmer's self-report. However, recent evidence has demonstrated the inherent difficulties in correctly identifying varieties from self-report information. This study examines the accuracy of self-report information on varietal identification from a data capture experiment on sweet potato varieties in southern Ethiopia. Three household-based methods of identifying varietal adoption are tested against the benchmark of DNA fingerprinting: (A) elicitation from farmers with basic questions for the most widely planted variety; (B) farmer elicitation on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes by showing a visual-aid protocol; and (C) enumerator recording observations on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes using a visual-aid protocol and visiting the field. The reference being the DNA fingerprinting, about 30 percent of improved varieties were identified as local or non-improved, and 20 percent of farmers identified a variety as local when it was in fact improved. The variety names given by farmers delivered inconsistent and fuzzy varietal identities. The visual-aid protocols employed in methods B and C were better than method A, but still way below the adoption estimates given by the DNA fingerprinting method. The findings suggest that estimating the adoption of improved varieties with methods based on farmer self-reports is questionable, and point toward a wider use of DNA fingerprinting, likely to become the gold standard for crop varietal identification. This work is a part of the SIAC (2013-2016) program to develop robust methods to routinely track adoption of CGIAR research outcomes. You can find a bit more information on the collaboration with LSMS-ISA here (http://impact.cgiar.org/methods/lsms-isa). This research was supported by ISPC-SPIA under the grant “Strengthening Impact Assessment in the CGIAR (SIAC).” (https://cas.cgiar.org/spia/news/strengthening-impact-assessment-cgiar-siac-2013-2016

A large-scale dataset of barley, maize and sorghum variety identification using dna fingerprinting in Ethiopia

The data described in this paper were part of a large-scale nationally representative household survey, the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey (ESS 2018/19). Grain samples of barley, maize and sorghum were collected in six regions in Ethiopia. Variety identification was assessed by matching samples to a reference library composed of released improved materials, using approximately 50,000 markers from DArTseq platforms. This data were part of a study documenting the reach of CGIAR-related germplasms in Ethiopia. These objective measures of crop varietal adoption, unique in the public domain, can be analyzed along with a large set of variables related to agro-ecologies, household characteristics and plot management practices, available in the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey 2018/19

Addressing gaps in data on drinking water quality through data integration and machine learning: evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract Monitoring access to safely managed drinking water services requires information on water quality. An increasing number of countries have integrated water quality testing in household surveys however it is not anticipated that such tests will be included in all future surveys. Using water testing data from the 2016 Ethiopia Socio-Economic Survey (ESS) we developed predictive models to identify households using contaminated (≥1 E. coli per 100 mL) drinking water sources based on common machine learning classification algorithms. These models were then applied to the 2013–2014 and 2018–2019 waves of the ESS that did not include water testing. The highest performing model achieved good accuracy (88.5%; 95% CI 86.3%, 90.6%) and discrimination (AUC 0.91; 95% CI 0.89, 0.94). The use of demographic, socioeconomic, and geospatial variables provided comparable results to that of the full features model whereas a model based exclusively on water source type performed poorly. Drinking water quality at the point of collection can be predicted from demographic, socioeconomic, and geospatial variables that are often available in household surveys