Annex 2 : status of BIG adoption in Cavite

This Annex charts the number of schools participating in the larger project: Improving food and nutrition security in the Philippines through school interventions. It describes percentage adoption of Bio-Intensive Gardening (BIG) practices outlined and promoted in the school gardens initiative, activities such as: design of gardens, botanical insecticides, crop rotation, use of organic matter and fertilizer, composting, use of rain barrels, etc

Annex 9 : primers (crop museum primer)

This detailed brochure produced by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines, outlines practices for successful design and implementation of school gardens, applying the Integrated School Nutrition Model. DepEd promotes food security and economic stability through implementation of the school garden “Gulayan sa Paaralan Program” (GPP) to support poverty alleviation and hunger mitigation initiatives of the government. The GPP covers establishment of vegetable gardens, vegetable and tree nurseries, tree planting, propagation of medicinal plants, composting, school landscape aesthetic, vegetable development, crop museum, and related livelihood activities

Annex 5 : working paper on climate and nutrition smart gardens

This in-depth paper provides information on all aspects of the successful scaling up of school gardens in the Philippines. In 2017, the Department of Agriculture (DA) supported the Department of Education (DepEd) school gardens effort to provide technicians, gardening tools, seeds, organic fertilizers, and irrigation equipment. The departments are working together towards implementation of a now national school gardening program. Involvement of students, school staff, parents, and community volunteers are vital in sustaining school gardens, as manifested in 95.24% of the schools with well-maintained school gardens and established partnerships with numerous different stakeholders

Opportunities and constraints influencing the adoption of high-density and biodiverse fruit tree planting in Guinayangan, Quezon

The main purpose of this study was to generate evidence on the factors influencing the adoption of diversified fruit tree systems and to assess rural consumers’ views and preferences for local fruits in Guinayangan, Quezon. The Municipality of Guinayangan in Quezon Province was used as the study site because of prior work undertaken by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), in partnership with the Local Government Unit (LGU), specifically the Municipal Agriculture Office, to promote fruit trees. This paper presents the result of a study conducted among fruit growers and consumers. To determine the potential for promoting biodiverse fruit tree systems and to determine which fruits are most suitable for the region and likely to be profitable, a survey was conducted among producers and consumers in the study area. Fruit production is viewed as a profitable income generating livelihood and a viable strategy to promote climate smart agriculture and agrobiodiverse systems. Fruit tree growing is normally a secondary source of income in Guinayangan after coconut farming. Fruit trees are intercropped with coconut trees, allowing farmers to increase their overall yield by intensifying land use. A focus on fruit trees can help create economic spaces for women in coconut farming systems that are primarily male dominated. Furthermore, diversified fruit tree systems can help conserve agrobiodiversity while serving as a climate change adaptation mechanism. Biodiverse and high-density fruit tree systems are an important way to enhance the nutrition contributions of agriculture, thus serving as a form of nutrition sensitive agriculture

Increasing traditional vegetable consumption in Cavite, Philippines: Understanding consumer and market vendor preferences

The study conducted in Cavite province sheds light on the factors that influence the availability and accessibility of indigenous vegetables in urban and peri-urban markets. The study specifically looked at the perspectives of both market vendors and consumers in the two primary urban areas of Dasmariñas and Bacoor. One of the key findings of the study is that adult women predominantly make household decisions when it comes to buying vegetables. This suggests that targeting women consumers with information and education about indigenous vegetables could be an effective strategy for promoting their consumption. Nutrition, freshness, and price are the primary considerations for consumers when purchasing vegetables, and they perceive indigenous vegetables as nutritious and affordable. Vendors prioritize shelf life in addition to price, freshness, and nutrition when selecting indigenous vegetables to sell. The results highlight the importance of the supply chain for indigenous vegetables. In Cavite, it extends from the north to the south of Luzon. Understanding the dynamics of this supply chain is crucial for improving the availability and accessibility of indigenous vegetables in urban and peri-urban markets. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for promoting the consumption of indigenous vegetables in urban areas. By addressing the gaps in awareness and knowledge about these food plants and their growth requirements, improving the supply chain to meet consumer and vendor requirements, and improving women consumers’ access to education and information, we can work towards a future where these nutritious, locally-adapted, and culturally significant crops are widely known and available

A new satellite RNA is associated with natural infections of cucumber mosaic virus in succulent snap bean

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was consistently recovered from symptomatic snap bean plants during surveys conducted in 2007 and 2008 in central Wisconsin. A large proportion of these CMV-infected plants contained a single-stranded linear RNA molecule consisting of 339 nucleotides and sharing 90–94% sequence identity with other satellite (sat) RNAs of CMV. Comparison of this satRNA sequence with currently available CMV satRNA sequences suggests this to be a novel satRNA

Indigenous vegetables: consumer and market vendor preferences in Cavite, Philippines

Indigenous vegetables (IVs) are locally-adapted, nutritious and culturally significant crops, yet consumption of IVs is low- with dwindling numbers of people with knowledge about their multiple uses and benefits. Additionally, in urban areas such as the Cavite province in the Philippines, IVs are not easily found in markets- the place where most households acquire their vegetables from. Improving IV consumption requires concerted efforts both on the supply and demand side of the IV value chain, based on a clear understanding of consumer and market vendor preferences

MicroRNAs: exploring a new dimension in the pathogenesis of kidney cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common neoplasm of the adult kidney. The role of the von-Hippel-Lindeau (VHL) tumour suppressor gene is well established in RCC with a loss of VHL protein leading to accumulated hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) and the subsequent transcriptional activation of multiple downstream targets. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be differentially expressed in RCC and their role in RCC pathogenesis is emerging. This month, in BMC Medicine, Gleadle and colleagues show that certain miRNAs are regulated by VHL in either a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-dependent or HIF-independent manner in RCC. They also show that miRNA expression correlates with the survival of RCC patients

WNT signalling in prostate cancer

Genome sequencing and gene expression analyses of prostate tumours have highlighted the potential importance of genetic and epigenetic changes observed in WNT signalling pathway components in prostate tumours-particularly in the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. WNT signalling is also important in the prostate tumour microenvironment, in which WNT proteins secreted by the tumour stroma promote resistance to therapy, and in prostate cancer stem or progenitor cells, in which WNT-β-catenin signals promote self-renewal or expansion. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of inhibitors that target WNT receptor complexes at the cell membrane or that block the interaction of β-catenin with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 and the androgen receptor, in preventing prostate cancer progression. Some WNT signalling inhibitors are in phase I trials, but they have yet to be tested in patients with prostate cancer

Synapsis and Meiotic Recombination in Male Chinese Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)

The muntjacs (Muntiacus, Cervidae) have been extensively studied in terms of chromosomal and karyotypic evolution. However, little is known about their meiotic chromosomes particularly the recombination patterns of homologous chromosomes. We used immunostained surface spreads to visualise synaptonemal complexes (SCs), recombination foci and kinetochores with antibodies against marker proteins. As in other mammals pachytene was the longest stage of meiotic prophase. 39.4% of XY bivalents lacked MLH1 foci compared to less than 0.5% of autosomes. The average number of MLH1 foci per pachytene cell in M. reevesi was 29.8. The distribution of MLH1 foci differed from other mammals. On SCs with one focus, the distribution was more even in M. reevesi than in other mammals; for SCs that have two or more MLH1 foci, usually there was a larger peak in the sub-centromere region than other regions on SC in M. reevesi. Additionally, there was a lower level of interference between foci in M. reevesi than in mouse or human. These observations may suggest that the regulation of homologous recombination in M. reevesi is slightly different from other mammals and will improve our understanding of the regulation of meiotic recombination, with respect to recombination frequency and position