Methodological Guide to Co-design Climate-smart Options with Family Farmers

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) seeks to improve productivity for the achievement of food security (pillar 1: Productivity), to develop a better ability to adapt (pillar 2: Adaptation), and to limit greenhouse gas emissions (pillar 3: Mitigation). Technical and organizational innovations are needed to find synergies among those three pillars. Innovation (its creation and its operation) is a social phenomenon. Many studies worldwide have shown that promoting a sustainable change and innovation within organizations has to be analyzed and implemented with stakeholders. Thus, the ability of local actors to tackle climate change and mitigate its effects will depend on their ability to innovate and mobilize material and non-material resources, to articulate links among national policies, not only between themselves, but also undertaking actions at the local level. To support stakeholders in the development of responses to this challenge, we propose the development of open innovation platforms, in which all local actors may participate. These platforms are virtual, physical, or physico-virtual spaces to learn, jointly conceive, and transform different situations; they are generated by individuals with different origins, different backgrounds and interests (Pali and Swaans, 2013).The purpose of this manual is to provide a seven-step methodology to allow family farmers to co-build and adopt CSA options to tackle climate change in an open innovation platfor

Integración de género en políticas de agricultura, seguridad alimentaria y cambio climático: el caso de Guatemala

La integración de la perspectiva de género en las políticas es fundamental para alcanzar objetivos de desarrollo nacionales y abordar retos como el cambio climático (CC) y la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición (SAN). Dentro del proyecto CCAFS FP1 LAM, analizamos en qué medida el género está incluido en las políticas de CC y SAN de Guatemala. Utilizamos la metodología desarrollada en el informe "Gender integration in agriculture, food security and climate change policy: a framework proposal" (Integración de la perspectiva de género en laagricultura, la seguridad alimentaria y las políticas sobre el cambio climático: una propuesta marco); la cual incluye análisis de narrativas y de documentos. Resultados muestran que a pesar de que Guatemala ha firmado múltiples compromisos internacionales en temas de género, son poco mencionado en documentes de políticas. A nivel de gobierno, se han creado unidades sectoriales, así como una secretaria presidencial de género que tienen pocas capacidades. Existen políticas de género, pero poco se incluye del tema dentro de las políticas sectoriales. A nivel de ciclo de política (de la elaboración al monitoreo y evaluación), si las mujeres con reconocidas como una población más vulnerable, son poco incluida en políticas de SAN y CC. Existen múltiples barreras, ubicadas a diferentes niveles que explica a la falta de integración de género en el ciclo de políticas. Actores entrevistados identificaron más barreras que soluciones frente a esta situación. Las barreras que logran más consenso entre los actores entrevistados se relacionan con (1) racismo, machismo, conservatismo, (2) la falta de presupuesto público y (3) la falta de sensibilización. Contra narrativas permiten ver motivaciones de actores que no tienen interés en hacer avanzar el tema de género en el país.The integration of the gender perspective into policies is essential to achieve national development goals and address challenges such as climate change (CC) and food security and nutrition (SAN). Within the CCAFS FP1 LAM project, we analyze to what extent gender is included in the CC and SAN policies of Guatemala. We use the methodology developed in the report "Gender integration in agriculture, food security and climate change policy: a framework proposal"; which includes analysis of narratives and documents. Results show that although Guatemala has signed multiple international commitments on gender issues, they are little mentioned in policy documents. At the government level, sectoral units have been created, as well as a gender presidential secretary who has few capacities. There are gender policies, but little is included in the topic within sectoral policies. At the policy cycle level (from development to monitoring and evaluation), if women were recognized as a more vulnerable population, are little included in SAN and CC policies. There are multiple barriers, located at different levels that explain the lack of gender integration in the policy cycle. The actors interviewed identified more barriers than solutions to this situation. The barriers that achieve the most consensus among the interviewed actors are related to (1) racism, sexism, conservatism, (2) lack of public budget and (3) lack of awareness. Against narratives, they allow seeing motivations of actors who have no interest in advancing the gender issue in the country

Integración de género en políticas de agricultura, seguridad alimentaria y cambio climático: el caso de Guatemala

La integración de la perspectiva de género en las políticas es fundamental para alcanzar objetivos de desarrollo nacionales y abordar retos como el cambio climático (CC) y la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición (SAN). Dentro del proyecto CCAFS FP1 LAM, analizamos en qué medida el género está incluido en las políticas de CC y SAN de Guatemala. Utilizamos la metodología desarrollada en el informe "Gender integration in agriculture, food security and climate change policy: a framework proposal" (Integración de la perspectiva de género en laagricultura, la seguridad alimentaria y las políticas sobre el cambio climático: una propuesta marco); la cual incluye análisis de narrativas y de documentos. Resultados muestran que a pesar de que Guatemala ha firmado múltiples compromisos internacionales en temas de género, son poco mencionado en documentes de políticas. A nivel de gobierno, se han creado unidades sectoriales, así como una secretaria presidencial de género que tienen pocas capacidades. Existen políticas de género, pero poco se incluye del tema dentro de las políticas sectoriales. A nivel de ciclo de política (de la elaboración al monitoreo y evaluación), si las mujeres con reconocidas como una población más vulnerable, son poco incluida en políticas de SAN y CC. Existen múltiples barreras, ubicadas a diferentes niveles que explica a la falta de integración de género en el ciclo de políticas. Actores entrevistados identificaron más barreras que soluciones frente a esta situación. Las barreras que logran más consenso entre los actores entrevistados se relacionan con (1) racismo, machismo, conservatismo, (2) la falta de presupuesto público y (3) la falta de sensibilización. Contra narrativas permiten ver motivaciones de actores que no tienen interés en hacer avanzar el tema de género en el país.The integration of the gender perspective into policies is essential to achieve national development goals and address challenges such as climate change (CC) and food security and nutrition (SAN). Within the CCAFS FP1 LAM project, we analyze to what extent gender is included in the CC and SAN policies of Guatemala. We use the methodology developed in the report "Gender integration in agriculture, food security and climate change policy: a framework proposal"; which includes analysis of narratives and documents. Results show that although Guatemala has signed multiple international commitments on gender issues, they are little mentioned in policy documents. At the government level, sectoral units have been created, as well as a gender presidential secretary who has few capacities. There are gender policies, but little is included in the topic within sectoral policies. At the policy cycle level (from development to monitoring and evaluation), if women were recognized as a more vulnerable population, are little included in SAN and CC policies. There are multiple barriers, located at different levels that explain the lack of gender integration in the policy cycle. The actors interviewed identified more barriers than solutions to this situation. The barriers that achieve the most consensus among the interviewed actors are related to (1) racism, sexism, conservatism, (2) lack of public budget and (3) lack of awareness. Against narratives, they allow seeing motivations of actors who have no interest in advancing the gender issue in the country

We Trust You! A Multilevel-Multireferent Model Based on Organizational Trust to Explain Performance

This study tests organizational trust as the psychosocial mechanism that explains how healthy organizational practices and team resources predict multilevel performance in organizations and teams, respectively. In our methodology, we collect data in a sample of 890 employees from 177 teams and their immediate supervisors from 31 Spanish companies. Our results from the multilevel analysis show two independent processes predicting organizational performance (return on assets, ROA) and performance ratings by immediate supervisors, operating at the organizational and team levels, respectively. We have found evidence for a theoretical and functional quasiisomorphism. First, based on social exchange theory, we found evidence for our prediction that when organizations implement healthy practices and teams provide resources, employees trust their top managers (vertical trust) and coworkers (horizontal trust) and try to reciprocate these benefits by improving their performance. Second, (relationships among) constructs are similar at different levels of analysis, which may inform HRM officers and managers about which type of practices and resources can help to enhance trust and improve performance in organizations. The present study contributes to the scarce research on the role of trust at collective (i.e., organizational and team) levels as a psychological mechanism that explains how organizational practices and team resources are linked to organizational performance

Co-designing climate-smart farming systems with local stakeholders: A methodological framework for achieving large-scale change

The literature is increasing on how to prioritize climate-smart options with stakeholders but relatively few examples exist on how to co-design climate-smart farming systems with them, in particular with smallholder farmers. This article presents a methodological framework to co-design climate-smart farming systems with local stakeholders (farmers, scientists, NGOs) so that large-scale change can be achieved. This framework is based on the lessons learned during a research project conducted in Honduras and Colombia from 2015 to 2017. Seven phases are suggested to engage a process of co-conception of climate-smart farming systems that might enable implementation at scale: (1) “exploration of the initial situation,” which identifies local stakeholders potentially interested in being involved in the process, existing farming systems, and specific constraints to the implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA); (2) “co-definition of an innovation platform,” which defines the structure and the rules of functioning for a platform favoring the involvement of local stakeholders in the process; (3) “shared diagnosis,” which defines the main challenges to be solved by the innovation platform; (4) “identification and ex ante assessment of new farming systems,” which assess the potential performances of solutions prioritized by the members of the innovation platform under CSA pillars; (5) “experimentation,” which tests the prioritized solutions on-farm; (6) “assessment of the co-design process of climate-smart farming systems,” which validates the ability of the process to reach its initial objectives, particularly in terms of new farming systems but also in terms of capacity building; and (7) “definition of strategies for scaling up/out,” which addresses the scaling of the co-design process. For each phase, specific tools or methodologies are used: focus groups, social network analysis, theory of change, life-cycle assessment, and on-farm experiments. Each phase is illustrated with results obtained in Colombia or Honduras

Persistent Organic Pollutants in a marine bivalve on the Marennes-Oléron Bay and the Gironde Estuary (French Atlantic coast) -Part 1: Bioaccumulation

International audienceThe aim of this study was to determine 1) the relevance of using the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas as a sentinel organism, at a juvenile stage, for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and persistent organic pollutant (polychlorobiphenyls, PCBs, polybromodimethylethers, PBDEs, and organochlorine pesticides, OCPs) contamination, 2) the potential levels of chemical organic contamination in the Marennes-Oleron Bay, and their potential sources 3) the potential influence of physiological or environmental factors on contaminant body burdens in oysters. To this end, juvenile oysters purchased from a oyster hatchery were transplanted to a reference site, in Bouin, and to different transplantation sites in the Marennes-Oléron Bay, the first oyster production area in France, and in the Gironde Estuary, the biggest estuary in Occidental Europe. Transplantations were done during summer and winter. Whole oyster soft tissues from each site were analyzed for PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs and OCPs. Results obtained with a transplantation period of 3 months suggest that the C. gigas, at the juvenile stage, is a relevant sentinel organism for short-term contamination for these contaminants. In addition, no significant effects of physiological factors on contaminant body burdens were observed. A principal component analysis performed with chemical body burdens allowed them to be separated into three groups: 1) the reference site, 2) Les Palles (LP) and Boyard (BOY) in winter and 3) all the other sites. The group of LP and BOY was clearly defined by the levels of PAHs and OCPs, suggesting higher levels of contamination of these chemical compounds on these sites, potentially due to local contamination sources. In addition, no relevant effects of physiological or environmental factors on contaminant body burdens were observed. Results suggest also a predominance of contaminants related to agricultural activities along the Marennes-Oléron Bay, and therefore, further studies on the presence of pesticides in this region should be considered

A neoproterozoic age for the chromitite and gabbro of the Tapo Ultramafic Massif, Eastern Cordillera, Central Peru, and its tectonic implications

The ultramafic-mafic rocks of the Tapo Complex are exposed in the Eastern Cordillera of the Central Peruvian Andes. This complex is composed of serpentinised peridotites and metabasites with some podiform chromitite lenses and chromite disseminations and overlies the sandstones, conglomerates, and tuffs of the Carboniferous Ambo Group. The metagabbros and amphibolites showa tholeiitic affiliation and a flat REE spider diagram, with a slight LREE depletion and a positive Eu anomaly suggesting magmatic accumulation of plagioclase, in an ocean ridge or ocean island environment. Sm-Nd isotopic analyses were performed on chromite as well as on whole rock from the gabbro. All samples yielded an Sm-Nd isochrone age of718 ± 47 Ma with an initial 143Nd/l44Nd of0.51213 ± 0.00005. The Nd (718 Ma) values calculated for both chromite and gabbro are in close agreement, around 8.0, implying that they were formed at the same time from the same mantelic magma source. Furthermore a K-Ar age on amphibole of 448 ± 26 Ma was obtained, interpreted as the cooling age of a younger orogenic event. These rocks represent slices of oceanic crust (from a dismembered ophiolitic complex), metamorphosed and later overthrust on upper Palaeozoic continental formations

The impact of protozoa addition on the survivability of <i>Bacillus</i> inoculants and soil microbiome dynamics

Protists’ selective predation of bacterial cells is an important regulator of soil microbiomes, which might influence the success of bacterial releases in soils. For instance, the survival and activity of introduced bacteria can be affected by selective grazing on resident communities or the inoculant, but this remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impact of the introduction in the soil of two protozoa species, Rosculus terrestris ECOP02 and/or Cerocomonas lenta ECOP01, on the survival of the inoculants Bacillus mycoides M2E15 (BM) or B. pumilus ECOB02 (BP). We also evaluated the impact of bacterial inoculation with or without protozoan addition on the abundance and diversity of native soil bacterial and protist communities. While the addition of both protozoa decreased the survival of BM, their presence contrarily increased the BP abundance. Protists’ selective predation governs the establishment of these bacterial inoculants via modifying the soil microbiome structure and the total bacterial abundance. In the BP experiment, the presence of the introduced protozoa altered the soil community structures and decreased soil bacterial abundance at the end of the experiment, favouring the invader survival. Meanwhile, the introduced protozoa did not modify the soil community structures in the BM experiment and reduced the BM + Protozoa inoculants’ effect on total soil bacterial abundance. Our study reinforces the view that, provided added protozoa do not feed preferentially on bacterial inoculants, their predatory behaviour can be used to steer the soil microbiome to improve the success of bacterial inoculations by reducing resource competition with the resident soil microbial communities