Agrobiodiversity and food security: challenges and sustainable solutions

Objective: Agricultural biodiversity, also known as agrobiodiversity, encompasses the variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. This diversity is the result of millennia of selection, management, and domestication of species, which has allowed societies to adapt to different environmental and cultural conditions. However, in recent decades, the loss of agrobiodiversity, accelerated by industrial agriculture, the expansion of monocultures, and the reduction of varieties, has put global food security at risk. This diversity is crucial to ensuring the resilience of agricultural systems in the face of challenges such as climate change, emerging pests, and the depletion of natural resources. This paper examines the importance of conserving agricultural biodiversity from the perspective of food security. It emphasizes how agrobiodiversity not only contributes to the stability of food production but also improves human diets by diversifying crops and providing essential micronutrients. Design/Methodology/Approach: A search was conducted on the following scientific information platforms: Web of Science database and Google Scholar. A systematic search for publications related to agrobiodiversity systems was carried out in the WoS database and Google Scholar over the last 49 years (1975–2024). Results: Genetic erosion is particularly concerning because genetic diversity is essential for crops to face environmental challenges such as climate change, pests, and diseases. The loss of traditional varieties, which are selected by local farmers to adapt to specific conditions, increases agriculture's vulnerability to external disruptions. These landraces, having been cultivated in genetically diverse mosaics, offer protection against catastrophic losses in the event of crop failures due to extreme conditions or diseases.  Findings/Conclusions: Genetic diversity allows for the development of sustainable solutions to pests and diseases, reducing dependence on pesticides and promoting more environmentally friendly farming practices. However, challenges related to biodiversity conservation persist, making it essential to implement public policies that promote agrobiodiversity and address the socioeconomic issues that limit its adoption

Current perspectives on long-COVID: a brief review of understanding and management

Objective: Conduct a retrospective analysis of studies compiled in the literature on the current classification of Long-COVID. Design/methodology/approach: A search was conducted in medical information platforms using the keywords: COVID-19, Long COVID, COVID.19 sequelae, SARS-CoV 2, prolonged COVID. Articles published in the chronological period between 2020 and 2023 in both English and Spanish were used. Inclusion criteria were a maximum of five years since publication, review articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses or clinical practice guidelines. The exclusion criteria were that the articles exceeded the time limit, that they were opinion articles, case reports or trials. Results: There is no homogenized definition or standardized guidelines or norms for the diagnosis of Long-COVID, the epidemiological studies are not completely corroborated and there is a great disparity between the incidence rates estimated in the different research works, same case for treatment. Limitations on study/implications: The lack of homogeneity in the patterns of symptoms, classification and diagnosis by the literature and health officials. Findings/conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach is required, where clinical findings, laboratory and imaging studies are integrated, to homogenize information in search of adequate and timely Long-COVID diagnoses and effective treatments for the benefit of patients