External drivers and internal control factors that determine the vulnerability and response capacity to drought of cattle producers in the Sierras Del Este region of Uruguay

Increased response and adaptation capacity are key elements for coping with climate threats. Cattle producers in the Sierras del Este region are one of several groups that are the most vulnerable to climate variability in Uruguay. Despite this commonality, it is a heterogeneous system, which suggests that strategies to respond to these events are divergent. The objective of this work is to identify and evaluate the vulnerability of cattle producers to drought and determine drought response strategies. A new approach is proposed and focuses on the identification of differential capacities to address the vulnerabilities. In addition, this approach seeks to define groups of similar producers of vulnerability since the design of public policies cannot be developed in isolation. For evaluation, we provided consultations with livestock producers and specialists from which we collected our data. Data was analysed using multivariate statistical analyses. Our results indicated that 69% of the system’s vulnerability variance can be explained by 4 components: the capacity for cattle management, the socio-economic capacity to handle drought, the capacity to generate alternatives to cattle feeding, and the commercial and financial flexibility of the producers. These findings also yielded response groups that, in turn, identified 7 producer groups with significant differences in the available and necessary capacities to respond to drought. This methodological strategy allowed the operationalization of the vulnerability and responsiveness concepts, and the identification of strategies for these events. Additionally, this strategy creates an understanding of the complexity of the system and the variables that contribute to it

Evaluación de la vulnerabilidad de productores ganaderos de las Sierras del Este en diferentes escenarios

Los productores ganaderos de las Sierras del Este son altamente vulnerables a la incidencia de forzantes externas, principalmente a los cambios en las precipitaciones que afectan la productividad del campo natural y la intensificación agraria que afecta el acceso a la tierra y a los suplementos alimenticios. La combinación de estas forzantes permite identificar seis escenarios con diferentes impactos sobre la actividad y los productores ganaderos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la incidencia de las principales forzantes sobre 35 productores ganaderos de las Sierras del Este, agrupados en seis grupos a partir de la similitud en sus capacidades para manejar la actividad ganadera, la capacidad socioeconómica, la capacidad de acceder a fuentes alternativas de alimentación para el ganado y de la flexibilidad comercial y financiera. Los principales resultados destacan que los productores más vulnerables en el escenario actual son en general los más vulnerables en todos los escenarios futuros considerados. Adicionalmente, se detectó un comportamiento no lineal entre los grupos de productores y sus valores de capacidad de respuesta, que fueron dependientes de cada contexto y pusieron en evidencia la necesidad de analizar la vulnerabilidad de los productores en función del escenario considerado. El abordaje propuesto, que puede ser implementado para diversos sistemas productivos y para diversas forzantes climáticas y económicas, resalta la importancia del trabajo con escenarios para el diseño y la implementación de políticas públicas

Methodology for inventory of wetlands

An automated methodology for the inventory of wetlands in Uruguay was designed, defining a specific technical criteria for their determination. It was necessary to use a combination of procedures and technological tools (Remote Sensing, Digital Photogrammetry, GIS) to process the available information. The following data has been considered: very low sloped terrains (out of a digital terrain model), soils with characteristical moisture behavior, basins and areas with hydrophile vegetation (using satellite images classification). All these variables have been combined in a categorization algorithm to produce specific thematic cartography

Campsurus violaceus (Ephemeroptera, Polymitarcyidae) in a subtropical reservoir: control factors and relationship with the macroinvertebrate community

Campsurus violaceus is a benthic species that play an important role in sediment bioturbation processes. We explored aspects of its basic biology and life-cycle in a subtropical lake (Laguna del Sauce, Uruguay). We elucidated the habitat preference of C. violaceus and evaluated if might foster a more diverse and abundant macroinvertebrate community. The population of C. violaceus showed univoltine behavior with nymphs all year around. The spatial distribution of Campsurus in the system was related with various sediment attributes, particularly granulometry. A clear positive relationship between abundance of C. violaceus and the associated macroinvertebrate community was found. This association could not be explained by the availability of basal resources, nor sediment preferences, but direct or indirect biotic interactions appeared to be importan

Fish but not macroinvertebrates promote trophic cascading effects in high density submersed plant experimental lake food webs in two contrasting climate regions

Predators play a key role in the functioning of shallow lakes. Differences between the response of temperate and subtropical systems to fish predation have been proposed, but experimental evidence is scarce. To elucidate cascading effects produced by predators in contrasting climatic zones, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in three pairs of lakes in Uruguay and Denmark. We used two typical planktivorous-omnivorous fish species (Jenynsia multidentata + Cnesterodon decemmaculatus and Gasterosteus aculeatus + Perca fluviatilis) and one littoral omnivorous-predatory macroinvertebrate (Palaemonetes argentinus and Gammarus lacustris), alone and combined, in numbers resembling natural densities. Fish predation on zooplankton increased phytoplankton biomass in both climate zones, whereas the effects of predatory macroinvertebrates on zooplankton and phytoplankton were not significant in either climate zone. Macroinvertebrates (that freely colonized the sampling devices) were diminished by fish in both climate areas; however, periphyton biomass did not vary among treatments. Our experiments demonstrated that fish affected the structure of both planktonic and littoral herbivorous communities in both climate regions, with a visible positive cascading effect on phytoplankton biomass, but no effects on periphyton. Altogether, fish impacts appeared to be a strong driver of turbid water conditions in shallow lakes regardless of climatic zone by indirectly contributing to increasing phytoplankton biomass

Cuencas Virtuales: bases para el diseño de un sistema nacional de monitoreo de recursos hídricos

El Uruguay transita cambios en el uso del suelo, la utilización de bienes y servicios provistos por la naturaleza, así como en los sistemas de gestión y gobernanza asociados. La expansión e intensificación de la agricultura y de las explotaciones forestales, junto a la intensificación ganadera durante los últimos 15 años, han condicionado importantes desafíos en la gestión del agua. Simultáneamente, la gestión de los recursos acuáticos procura superar la fragmentación en el análisis y toma de decisiones, avanzando hacia modelos más integrales, con mayor capacidad de aprendizaje y manejo de la incertidumbre. En este contexto, el proyecto procuró fortalecer los procesos de análisis y toma de decisión a través de la recopilación y construcción de bases de datos sobre atributos hidrológicos y de calidad del agua de estaciones de mues- treos localizados en el territorio nacional, así como diversas características de las cuencas de drenaje asociadas (tamaño de las cuencas, topografía, red de tributarios, tipo y usos del suelo, cobertura de pastizales y formaciones boscosas, vertidos puntuales, entre otros). Mediante la combinación de la teledetección, sistemas de información geográfico y técnicas estadísticas se identificaron los principales factores naturales y de origen antrópico que condicionan las diferencias espaciales observadas en atributos claves tanto de cantidad como de calidad. En este proceso se relevaron las principales fortalezas y debilidades del sistema de monitoreo actual, así como posibles estrategias de fortalecimiento en un escenario de cooperación interinstitucional e internivel de gobierno, combinando estrategias de descentralización y centralización, fomentando una estructura en red de capacidades de monitoreo, fiscalización y contralor distribuidas en el territorio. Los aportes del proyecto son insumos para un proceso de co-diseño de estrategias a definir en la red de actores del sistema actual de gobernanza del agua, proceso que se encuentra en pleno desarrollo.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

A Pipeline Strategy for Grain Crop Domestication

In the interest of diversifying the global food system, improving human nutrition, and making agriculture more sustainable, there have been many proposals to domesticate wild plants or complete the domestication of semidomesticated orphan crops. However, very few new crops have recently been fully domesticated. Many wild plants have traits limiting their production or consumption that could be costly and slow to change. Others may have fortuitous preadaptations that make them easier to develop or feasible as high-value, albeit low-yielding, crops. To increase success in contemporary domestication of new crops, we propose a pipeline approach, with attrition expected as species advance through the pipeline. We list criteria for ranking domestication candidates to help enrich the starting pool with more preadapted, promising species. We also discuss strategies for prioritizing initial research efforts once the candidates have been selected: developing higher value products and services from the crop, increasing yield potential, and focusing on overcoming undesirable traits. Finally, we present new-crop case studies that demonstrate that wild species’ limitations and potential (in agronomic culture, shattering, seed size, harvest, cleaning, hybridization, etc.) are often only revealed during the early phases of domestication. When nearly insurmountable barriers were reached in some species, they have been (at least temporarily) eliminated from the pipeline. Conversely, a few species have moved quickly through the pipeline as hurdles, such as low seed weight or low seed number per head, were rapidly overcome, leading to increased confidence, farmer collaboration, and program expansion.Fil: DeHaan, Lee R.. The Land Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Van Tassel, David L.. The Land Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Anderson, James A.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Asselin, Sean R.. University of Manitoba; CanadáFil: Barnes, Richard. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Baute, Gregory J.. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Cattani, Douglas J.. University of Manitoba; CanadáFil: Culman, Steve W.. Ohio State University; Estados UnidosFil: Dorn, Kevin M.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Hulke, Brent S.. United States Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Research Service; Estados UnidosFil: Kantar, Michael. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Larson, Steve. Forage and Range Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: David Marks, M.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Miller, Allison J.. Saint Louis University; Estados UnidosFil: Poland, Jesse. Kansas State University; Estados UnidosFil: Ravetta, Damián Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio; ArgentinaFil: Rude, Emily. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Ryan, Matthew R.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Wyse, Don. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Xiaofei. University of Minnesota; Estados Unido

Hélio Jaguaribe, Desarrollo económica y desarrollo político.

Beyhaut Gustave. Hélio Jaguaribe, Desarrollo económica y desarrollo político.. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 21ᵉ année, N. 6, 1966. pp. 1394-1395

Gilles Gozard, Demain, l'Amérique Latine.

Beyhaut Gustave. Gilles Gozard, Demain, l'Amérique Latine.. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 21ᵉ année, N. 6, 1966. pp. 1362-1363

La Integración de America latina. Experiencias y perspectivas. Édition préparée par Miguel S. Wionczek José A. Mayobre, Felipe Herrera, Carlos Sanz de Santamaria, Raul Prebisch, Hacia la integración acelerada de America latina.

Beyhaut Gustave. La Integración de America latina. Experiencias y perspectivas. Édition préparée par Miguel S. Wionczek José A. Mayobre, Felipe Herrera, Carlos Sanz de Santamaria, Raul Prebisch, Hacia la integración acelerada de America latina.. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 21ᵉ année, N. 6, 1966. pp. 1389-1390