Mobile and wearable computing in patagonian wilderness

Recent advances in mobile and wearable technology in the last few years have made the optimization of data collection processes possible in diverse fields. Users currently have access to small portable devices that are not only sensitive to their activity, but also to their interaction with their environment. These growing technological advances are in constant development , and have given way to the study and redesign of processes that can be tailored to fit any particular needs. Even users that are far from urbanization, without access to electricity can make use of these possibilities. These technologies can substantially improve their productivity, by allowing them to concentrate solely on their own tasks instead of on the interactions with the computational method used to support their activities. This study presents results and indicators relating to the application these tools within the field of Flora information retrieval, in areas far from urban centers.Instituto de Investigación en Informátic

Energy and economics of intensive animal production

An examination of support energy use within the major systems of animal production shows that substantial outputs occur as heat and excreta and, if these could be utilised, overall energetic efficiencies could be greatly changed. The main justification for energy accounting as more relebant than financial accounting in the longer term rests on the probability that the price of energy will rise more than the price of other resources. Whilst there are substantial differences between the support energy costs of production for different products, the differences between intensive and extensive systems producing the same product are not enormous. The more intensive systems tend to use more support energy, but also produce more product per unit of other resources, and their support energy costs tend to represent a higher proportion of total costs. © 1983

Botanical composition, production and nutrient status of an originally Lolium perenne-dominant cut grass sward receiving long-term manure applications

Effects of long-term applications (50, 100 and 200 m(3) ha(-1)y(-1)) of pig and cow slurries on yield, botanical composition and nutrient content of herbage of an original perennial ryegrass sward were assessed in a three-cut silage system and compared with unamended and fertilized controls in the 36th year of the experiment. Cow slurry at 50 m(3) ha(-1) produced similar annual herbage DM yield to 200 kg ha(-1) fertilizer N in 2006, whereas about 100 m(3) ha(-1) pig slurry were required to produce a similar amount of DM. The highest slurry application rate significantly influenced sward botanical composition without depressing DM yield. The principal invading species were creeping bent and meadow grasses (similar to findings at a previous assessment in 1981) except in the unamended control (which were common bent and Yorkshire fog). Perennial ryegrass remained a main species in plots receiving fertilizer (31 % annual DM yield) and low slurry rates (38 %) but declined to 3 % annual DM yield at the highest slurry rate where the ability of ryegrass to utilize slurry N and P may have been affected by chemically or physically induced deficiencies of other nutrients (e.g. Ca) or direct physical effects such as smothering

An integrated agro-ecosystem and livelihood systems approach for the poor and vulnerable in dry areas

More than 400 million people in the developing world depend on dryland agriculture for their livelihoods. Dryland agriculture involves a complex combination of productive components: staple crops, vegetables, livestock, trees and fish interacting principally with rangeland, cultivated areas and watercourses. Managing risk and enhancing productivity through diversification and sustainable intensification is critical to securing and improving rural livelihoods. The main biophysical constraints are natural resource limitations and degradation, particularly water scarcity and encroaching desertification. Social and economic limitations, such as poor access to markets and inputs, weak governance and lack of information about alternative production technologies also limit the options available to farmers. Past efforts to address these constraints by focusing on individual components have either not been successful or are now facing a declining rate of impact, indicating the need for new integrated approaches to research for development of dryland systems. This article outlines the characteristics of such an approach, integrating agro-ecosystem and livelihoods approaches and presents a range of empirical examples of its application in dryland contexts. The authors draw attention to new insights about the design of research required to accelerate impact by integrating across disciplines and scales