Climate change and agriculture in Burkina Faso

The impacts of climate change (CC) are expected to be higher in developing countries (e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa). However, these impacts will depend on agriculture development and resilience. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted relationships between CC and agriculture in Burkina Faso (BF). A search performed in March 2020 on the Web of Science yielded 1,820 documents and 217 of them were included in the systematic review. The paper provides an overview on both bibliometrics (e.g. journals, authors, institutions) and topics addressed in the literature viz. agriculture subsectors, climate trends in BF, agriculture and CC mitigation (e.g. agriculture-related emissions, soil carbon sequestration), impacts of CC on agriculture (e.g. natural resources, crop suitability, yields, food security) as well as adaptation strategies. BF is experiencing CC as evidenced by warming and an increase in the occurrence of climate extremes. The literature focuses on crops, while animal husbandry and, especially, fisheries are often overlooked. Moreover, most of the documents deal with CC adaptation by the Burkinabe farmers, pastoralists and rural populations. Analysed adaptation options include conservation agriculture and climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, crop diversification, intensification, livelihoods diversification and migration. However, the focus is mainly on agricultural and individual responses, while livelihoods strategies such as diversification and migration are less frequently addressed. Further research is needed on the dual relation between agriculture and CC to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Research results are crucial to inform policies aimed at CC mitigation and/or adaptation in rural BF

Exploring the Serbian consumer attitude towards agro-food products with ethical values: organic, fair-trade and typical/traditional products

The new Millennium has seen a renewed and intensified interest in issues of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This has been partly driven by a wave of concern about conduct and governance of business and partly reflects a growing interest amongst consumers, policy makers and businesses, in forms of production and consumption that are more sustainable and more ethically oriented. This is typified by growth in demand of products encompassing ethical values such as organic and Fair Trade products. However, research knowledge base about consumers and their behaviour and attitude from an ethical perspective is relatively weak. Consumer attitude to foods is mainly influenced by concerns (e.g. food safety, human health, environmental impact) and commodity attributes (e.g. quality, taste, freshness and packaging). The objective of this paper is to get an insight on Serbian consumer attitude towards agro-food products with ethical values (AFPEV) namely organic, Fair Trade and typical/traditional products. This paper is based on the literature and an online self-administered questionnaire, carried out from December 2010 through June 2011 with 104 Serbian adult consumers, dealing with understanding of and knowledge about AFP and relationships with ethical values; AFPEV buying frequency; main criteria and reasons for buying AFPEV; opinion about AFPEV price and consumer willingness to pay; potential impacts on animal health and welfare as well environmental, economic social and civic impacts of buying AFPEV; purchasing channels; and main sources of information about AFPEV. Serbian consumers have a good knowledge about AFPEV that are bought by 98% of the sample. Most of the respondents relate ethical values to the respect of environment (73.5%) and organic production (49.0%). The main reasons for buying AFPEV are quality (35%), organic certification (17%), and taste (15%). Price seems less important. The main sources of information about AFPEV are mass media, newspapers and magazines (summing up 46%). However, the majority of Serbian consumers prefer to get information directly from the supply chain actors mainly sellers and/or producers. AFPEV are bought mainly from the specialized shops (34%) and supermarkets (26%) to achieve personal satisfaction, for health, safety, natural resources conservation, and environment protection. Consumers do not always buy sustainable products as consequences of environmental concern or to benefit the community or due to personal beliefs but mainly to give priority to health. Ethical factors are important in some cases, but they may be overstated. Results indicated that most Serbian consumers perceived that AFPEV as healthier and portray a positive attitude towards AFPEV thus showing a high willingness to pay higher prices. Serbian consumers seem to have a positive attitude towards organic, fair trade and typical products due to the sustainable benefits that they can bring about. Therefore, institutional and domestic market conditions should be improved for insuring long-term market development and information campaigns should be organised to increase Serbian consumers’ awareness and consciousness and to strengthen their positive attitude towards AFPEV

Analyse des protéines du tégument par virométrie en flux et protéomique des capsides nucléaires du Virus Herpès Simplex de type 1 (VHS-1)

Le virus herpès simplex de type 1 (VHS-1) est un agent infectieux hautement contagieux qui constitue un véritable problème de santé mondiale causant de nombreuses pathologies allant de l'herpès labial jusqu’aux plus graves comme l'encéphalite et les complications chez les nouveau-nés. Le virus comporte 4 composants structurels distincts : un génome viral d’ADN double brin linéaire englobé dans une capside icosaèdrale de 125 nm, une couche de protéine appelée tégument, et une enveloppe lipidique dérivée de l'hôte dans laquelle les glycoprotéines virales sont ancrées. Le tégument est un réseau très dense et très complexe comprenant des milliers de copies de protéines de différentes tailles qui relient structurellement l'enveloppe virale à la capside. Ces protéines multifonctionnelles remplissent plusieurs fonctions importantes tout au long du cycle viral. Elles sont impliquées dans le transport des capsides entrantes jusqu’aux pores nucléaires, la maturation et la sortie des particules virales nouvellement formées ainsi que l'acquisition de l'enveloppe finale. Les protéines du tégument ont été largement étudiées dans le but de déterminer leurs rôles dans l'infection et la virulence. Cependant, étant limitées par les techniques conventionnelles, toutes ces études considèrent que l'ensemble de la population virale est responsable du phénotype de l'infection sans tenir compte de l'hétérogénéité possible des protéines tégumentaires entre les particules virales et son impact sur l'infectiosité. Après la fusion de l'enveloppe virale avec la membrane plasmique conduisant à l'entrée du virus, le génome viral est livré au noyau, où il se réplique afin d’amorcer l'assemblage des nouvelles capsides. À ce stade, quatre espèces distinctes de capsides non enveloppées sont présentes. Les procapsides thermodynamiquement instables, les capsides A et B qui ne parviennent pas à incorporer correctement le génome viral, et les capsides C qui incorporent le génome viral et formeront finalement des virions enveloppés matures. Ces capsides peuvent être distinguées les unes des autres sur la base de leurs composition (ADN et protéines) ainsi que de leur apparence en microscopie électronique. Les capsides A et B sont considérées comme abortives et seuls les C-capsides matures peuvent traverser les deux membranes nucléaires par un mécanisme d'enveloppement / dé-enveloppement et sont finalement réenveloppées dans le TGN. L'acquisition de la couche de tégument est supposée se faire de façon séquentielle du noyau au TGN en passant par le cytoplasme. Cette acquisition est favorisée par un réseau très complexe d’interactions protéiques impliquant la capside et les protéines du tégument. Cependant, la séquence exacte d’addition de ces protéines est encore mal définie. Dans le premier article présenté dans cette thèse et qui a été publié dans Journal of Virology, nous avons analysé la teneur en protéines tégumentaires des particules individuelles du virus de l'herpès simplex 1 en utilisant une approche innovatrice de cytométrie en flux que nous avons développée en laboratoire. Nos données confirment que si certaines protéines virales sont incorporées en quantités contrôlées, d'autres varient considérablement. Ces résultats nous ont également permis de mettre en évidence l’existence d’une corrélation entre l'abondance de protéines tégumentaires spécifiques et l’infectiosité du virus. Dans le deuxième article, l’emploi de la virométrie en flux nous a également permis non seulement d’analyser les capsides nucléaires, mais aussi d’enrichir la pureté des capsides C. Et pour la première fois, on a été capable d’analyser trois types de capsides nucléaires (A, B et C) par spectrométrie de masse et de déterminer leur composition protéique globale. Ceci appuie fortement la doctrine selon laquelle l’acquisition du tégument démarre hâtivement au niveau du noyau et soutient l’implication probable de ces protéines dans l’enveloppement primaire des capsides. Nous avons également découvert la présence de protéines de l’hôte associées aux capsides.Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a highly contagious infectious agent that constitutes a real global health problem and can cause many pathologies ranging from cold sores to encephalitis and systemic disease in newborns. The virus is composed of 4 distinct structural components: a linear double-stranded DNA viral genome encompassed within a 125 nm icosahedral capsid, a layer of protein called the tegument, and a host-derived lipid envelope in which the viral glycoproteins are anchored. The tegument is a very dense and very complex network comprising thousands of proteins of different sizes that structurally bridge the viral envelope to the capsid. These multifunctional proteins perform several important functions throughout the viral cycle. They are involved in transport and targeting of incoming capsids to nuclear pores, maturation and egress of newly made viral particles, and the acquisition of the final envelope. Tegument proteins have been extensively studied to determine their roles in infection and virulence. However, being limited by conventional techniques, all these studies consider the entire viral population to be responsible for the infectious phenotype without considering the possible heterogeneity of specific tegument proteins among viral particles and its effect on infectivity. Following fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane leading to entry of the virus, the viral genome is delivered to the nucleus, where it replicates and leads to the assembly of new capsids. Here, four distinct nonenveloped capsid species are present. The thermodynamically unstable procapsids, the A‐capsids that fail to properly incorporate the viral genome, the B‐capsids that also lack viral DNA and the C‐capsids that incorporate the viral genome and ultimately form mature enveloped virions. Those capsids can be distinguished from each other based on their composition (DNA and proteins) contents and their appearance in electron microscopy. A- and B-capsids are considered to be abortive and only mature C-capsids can travel across the two nuclear membranes by an envelopment/de‐envelopment mechanism and are ultimately re‐enveloped in the TGN. The acquisition of the tegument layer is believed to be sequential from the nucleus to the TGN via the cytoplasm. This acquisition is favored by a very complex network of protein interactions involving the capsid and the proteins of the tegument. However, the exact sequence of addition of these proteins is still poorly defined. The first paper presented in this thesis has been published in Journal of Virology. Here, we analyzed the protein content of individual herpes simplex virus 1 particles using an innovative flow cytometry approach we developed in the laboratory. Our data confirm that while some viral proteins are incorporated in controlled amounts, others vary substantially. We also highlighted the correlation between the abundance of specific tegument proteins and the infectivity of the virions. In the second paper, the use of flow virometry enabled us not only to analyze the nuclear capsids, but also to increase the purity of C-capsids. And for the first time, we were able to analyze three types of nuclear capsids (A, B and C) by mass spectrometry and determine their overall protein composition. These observations strongly support the hypothesis that acquisition of the tegument proteins starts early at the nucleus and support the likely involvement of these proteins in the primary envelopment of the capsids. We also noted the presence of host proteins associated with capsids

Indicators of tourism development of the Serbian danube region

Protected natural area in the Danube region covers 107,200 hectares and includes two national parks, two nature parks, one place of outstanding natural beauty, five special natural reserves, twenty-five nature monuments, and two sites of international significance included in the Ramsar list. However, only 140 immovable and 374 movable cultural objects are officially registered. There are 31 cultural objects of exceptional importance and national significance and 89 objects of great importance and regional significance. The objects with this status are protected by the state. Two sites are on the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage list. This paper discusses the potential of tourism industry in the Serbian Danube Region and the prospects of its further development. We outline the current state of tourism industry and describe the geographical location of the region, its natural and anthropogenic resources, and accommodation capacities. We analyse such data as the number of tourists and the number of overnight stays by municipalities in 2016, and the average length of stay. The indicators used are the functionality coefficient, the capacity utilization and the intensity of functionality. The conclusion is drawn that the tourism potential of the Serbian Danube Region is not fully realized and that its development should be at a much higher level, given the increasingly important role of the region as a major tourist destination in Serbia

Transition towards sustainability in agriculture and food systems: Role of information and communication technologies

Food sustainability transitions refer to transformation processes necessary to move towards sustainable food systems. Digitization is one of the most important ongoing transformation processes in global agriculture and food chains. The review paper explores the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to transition towards sustainability along the food chain (production, processing, distribution, consumption). A particular attention is devoted to precision agriculture as a food production model that integrates many ICTs. ICTs can contribute to agro-food sustainability transition by increasing resource productivity, reducing inefficiencies, decreasing management costs, and improving food chain coordination. The paper also explores some drawbacks of ICTs as well as the factors limiting their uptake in agriculture. Keywords: Sustainability transitions, ICT, Agriculture digitization, Food supply chain, Food processing, Distribution, Consumptio

TERRITORIAL GOVERNANCE IN RURAL BOSNIA: THE ROLE OF LOCAL INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN SARAJEVO\uad OMANIJA REGION

Rural economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is getting more diversified and it is slowly moving out from the traditional dependency on the agricultural sector. Although national and municipal budgets are still mainly focused on direct support to production, the number of organizations engaged in rural governance is rapidly growing and their role in policy design and delivery is getting increasingly important. The aim of this paper is to analyze the network and the coordination capacity of local agro-rural organisations operating in Sarajevo-Romanija region (SRr, BiH) and the level of inclusion of local community members' in these organizations. A set of policies and instruments to improve local institutions coordination is also proposed and discussed. Methodologically the paper is based on an extended desk research, on a number of interviews with sectoral experts and local administrators and on a field survey focusing on 35 households in seven municipalities of SRr

Periodicities in the emplacement of large igneous provinces through the Phanerozoic: Relations to ocean chemistry and marine biodiversity evolution

AbstractLarge igneous provinces (LIPs) are considered a relevant cause for mass extinctions of marine life throughout Earth’s history. Their flood basalts and associated intrusions can cause significant release of SO4 and CO2 and consequently, cause major environmental disruptions. Here, we reconstruct the long-term periodic pattern of LIP emplacement and its impact on ocean chemistry and biodiversity from δ34Ssulfate of the last 520 Ma under particular consideration of the preservation limits of LIP records. A combination of cross-wavelet and other time-series analysis methods has been applied to quantify a potential chain of linkage between LIP emplacement periodicity, geochemical changes and the Phanerozoic marine genera record. We suggest a mantle plume cyclicity represented by LIP volumes (V) of V=−(350–770)×103km3sin(2πt/170Ma)+(300–650)×103km3sin(2πt/64.5Ma+2.3) for t=time in Ma. A shift from the 64.5Ma to a weaker ∼28–35Ma LIP cyclicity during the Jurassic contributes together with probably independent changes in the marine sulfur cycle to less ocean anoxia, and a general stabilization of ocean chemistry and increasing marine biodiversity throughout the last ∼135Ma. The LIP cycle pattern is coherent with marine biodiversity fluctuations corresponding to a reduction of marine biodiversity of ∼120genera/Ma at ∼600×103km3 LIP eruption volume. The 62–65Ma LIP cycle pattern as well as excursion in δ34Ssulfate and marine genera reduction suggest a not-yet identified found LIP event at ∼440–450Ma

Analysing the socio-technical transition to conservation agriculture in Uganda through the lens of the multi-level perspective

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) is based on three principles, namely minimum tillage, crop rotations and maintaining a soil cover. The research used the multi-Level perspective on socio-technical transitions to analyse the dynamics of CA in Uganda. The analysis of the CA niche is structured along the socio-technical regimes and explores the impact of the transition. Data were gathered from Alebtong, Dokolo and Lira districts in mid-Northern Uganda. The results indicate a steady transition towards CA that can be supported to eventually scale up. The legitimisation process of CA transition involved wider implementation by farmers on their fields, validation through adoption by the wider communities and at the national level. The process seeks policy and institutional promotion, more scientific publications of local research findings, validation by legal standards and judicial reasoning, raising civic awareness, stakeholder dialogue and mobilisation of political will to advance the purposes of CA in contrast to conventional agriculture. CA caused changes in practices, perceptions and motivation among the niche actors with respect to agricultural sustainability. However, scaling up could further be enhanced when market policies, credit and financial environment are reconciled

COMPREHENSIVE MODELING OF AFFECTING FACTORS ON THE ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES AMONG PADDY FARMERS IN NORTH OF IRAN

Peer reviewe

Prediction of chemical water quality used for drinking purposes based on artificial neural networks

The Groundwater resources generally have a good water quality and can be used for drinking purposes than water surfaces. However, the anthropogenic activities and climate change effects have been degrading the groundwater quality particularly in the arid and semi-arid areas. In addition, the monitoring of water quality in these regions is poor, as it is expensive and faces financial constraints, notably in rural areas. For this problem, we need to develop a new alternative that allows us to predict the water quality easily. Therefore, the solutions of this challenge would be to develop accurate and reliable models that would allow the prediction of chemical parameters commonly, used for evaluating the suitability of water for drinking uses. This study aims to develop Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) models for predicting the Total Dissolved Solid (TDS in mg/l), Total Hardness (TH), sulphate (SO42-) mg/l and Chloride (Cl-) mg/L parameters using Electrical Conductivity (EC), pH and Temperature as input variables. These models were developed based on the 42 samples collected and analyzed from Tanobart Groundwater in Morocco. Among the 42 samples, 30 samples were used for training of the models while the remaining data were used for the validation processes. The results showed that the ANN models are highly accurate for predicting the TDS, TH, Sulphate and of Chloride with coefficients of determination 0.962, 0.993, 0.986 and 0.957 for the TH, TDS, Sulphate and Chloride parameters respectively, for training processes. Also, the results during the calibration revealed a good accuracy for predicting theses parameters. Hence, these models can improve the water quality monitoring in rural areas to assess the chemical suitability of water for drinking purpose with low costs and in a short time.