890 research outputs found
Contributions of a feminist perspective to the analysis of farm viability: the livelihoods reproduction framework
[EN] The agrarian question dealing with peasants' reproduction in adverse global conditions is a topic of deep debate closely linked to farm viability. Approaches that define viability in monetary terms cannot explain peasants' way of farming. Holistic approaches can better analyse this question but existing frameworks leave aside aspects of reproduction. Here, we revise sustainable livelihoods and resilience frameworks through a feminist lens and propose livelihoods reproduction to address some blind spots. We do so through a literature review and a case study of olive oil farms in Spain. Our analysis highlights the importance of household labour distribution for farm viability.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion: [Grant Number CSO2016-78827-R]; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades): [Grant Number PCI2018-093179]; and ARIMNet2 (ERA-NET no. 618127).Manuel, J.; Rivera-Ferre, MG.; López-I-Gelats, F. (2023). Contributions of a feminist perspective to the analysis of farm viability: the livelihoods reproduction framework. The Journal of Peasant Studies. 51(1):185-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2023.221050018521151
Regular sparse array direction of arrival estimation in one dimension
Traditionally regularly spaced antenna arrays follow the spatial Nyquist criterion to guarantee an unambiguous analysis. We present a novel technique that makes use of two sparse non-Nyquist regularly spaced antenna arrays, where one of the arrays is just a shifted version of the other. The method offers several advantages over the use of traditional dense Nyquist spaced arrays, while maintaining a comparable algorithmic complexity for the analysis. Among the advantages we mention: an improved resolution for the same number of receivers and reduced mutual coupling effects between the receivers, both due to the increased separation between the antennas. Because of a shared structured linear system of equations between the two arrays, as a consequence of the shift between the two, the analysis of both is automatically paired, thereby avoiding a computationally expensive matching step as is required in the use of so-called co-prime arrays. In addition, an easy validation step allows to automatically detect the precise number of incoming signals, which is usually considered a difficult issue. At the same time, the validation step improves the accuracy of the retrieved results and eliminates unreliable results in the case of noisy data. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated with respect to the influence of noise as well to the effect of mutual coupling
Re-framing the climate change debate in the livestock sector: mitigation and adaptation options
Livestock play a key role in the climate change debate. As with crop-based agriculture, the sector is both a net greenhouse gas emitter and vulnerable to climate change. At the same time, it is an essential food source for millions of people worldwide, with other functions apart from food security such as savings and insurance. By comparison with crop-based agriculture, the interactions of livestock and climate change have been much less studied. The debate around livestock is confusing due to the coexistence of multiple livestock farming systems with differing functions for humans, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission profiles and different characteristics and boundary issues in their measurement, which are often pooled together. Consequently, the diversity of livestock farming systems and their functions to human systems are poorly represented and the role of the livestock sector in the climate change debate has not been adequately addressed. In this article, building upon the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC 5AR) findings, we review recent literature on livestock and climate change so as better to include this diversity in the adaptation and mitigation debate around livestock systems. For comparative purposes we use the same categories of managerial, technical, behavioral and policy-related action to organize both mitigation and adaptation options. We conclude that different livestock systems provide different functions to different human systems and require different strategies, so they cannot readily be pooled together. We also observe that, for the different livestock systems, several win-win strategies exist that effectively tackle both mitigation and adaptation options as well as food security
The two-way relationship between food systems and the COVID19 pandemic: causes and consequences
[EN] CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most pressing challenges for humanity. The pandemic is affecting all aspects of human lives and livelihoods, including food. In this context, new research shows the nexus between agri-food systems and the spread of emergent infectious diseases (EID) such as the coronavirus disease while at the same time, shows how the COVID-19 pandemics has heavily impacted food systems.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work is to shed light and draw, through the case of COVID-19, the network of direct and indirect links and feedback loops between the globalised food system and pandemics.
METHODS: We conducted a literature review.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: As with climate change, food systems have a double relation with EID in general, and in particular with the present world health crisis linked to COVID-19. On the one hand, global agri-food systems, as currently organised, are a necessary step in the development of EID, through their impacts in land use changes, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and climate change. On the other hand, COVID-19 has had and is having impacts on all food systems at all scales. The review shows that all activities of the food system (from production to consumption) as well as all pillars of food security (availability, access, use, stability) have been affected. The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on food systems can be divided between direct impacts of the virus outbreak, and indirect impacts derived from the containment measures (e.g. lockdowns, mobility restrictions, shops closure) adopted at different levels (from local to global). While all food systems across the globe have been affected by the pandemic, it is argued that vulnerability is different for different types of food systems. Long food supply chains have been particularly affected by COVID-19 crisis, however, it is important to avoid universalization of impacts and responses as agri-food systems are characterised by a huge diversity and heterogeneity. The review concludes by pointing out that while the pandemic represents a challenge for the global food systems, this 'stress test' can be also seized as an opportunity to highlight vulnerabilities to be urgently addressed during the recovery period and speed up the transformation towards more sustainable and resilient food systems.
SIGNIFICANCE: A food systems approach is essential to have a broader picture of the relationship of agri-food systems with zoonosis and their centrality in the pandemics and the derived socio-economic consequences.Elisa OterosRozas was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (IJCI201734334) . Marina di Masso was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (IJCI-2016-30769) Federica Ravera was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RYC2018025958I) .Rivera-Ferre, MG.; Lopez-I-Gelats, F.; Ravera, F.; Oteros-Rozas, E.; Di Masso, M.; Binimelis, R.; El Bilali, H. (2021). The two-way relationship between food systems and the COVID19 pandemic: causes and consequences. Agricultural Systems. 191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.10313419
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