Aspectos culturales de la elaboración de un postre tradicional, denominado panchón, en el municipio de Aller, Principado de Asturias, España

Persiste en el municipio de Aller (Principado de Asturias) un postre tradicional realizado a base de harina de escanda (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta). Su elaboración, aunque va transformándose con el tiempo, es muy peculiar, pues se hace en el hogar (lar, llar, tsar), cociéndose la masa protegida por unas capas aislantes de naturaleza vegetal, bajo brasas. Su forma tradicional de consumo es comunal, durante los días de fiesta patronales.It persists in the municipality of Aller (Principality of Asturias) the elaboration of a traditional dessert made of spelt (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta), their elaboration, although it goes transforming with the time, it is very peculiar, because it is made in the traditional stone cooker, cooking the very covered mass, low embers. Their traditional form of consumption is communal

"Tertius gaudens" : germplasm exchange networks and agroecological knowledge among home gardeners in the Iberian Peninsula

Background: The idea that knowledge flows through social networks is implicit in research on traditional knowledge, but researchers have paid scant attention to the role of social networks in shaping its distribution. We bridge those two bodies of research and investigate a) the structure of network of exchange of plant propagation material (germplasm) and b) the relation between a person's centrality in such network and his/her agroecological knowledge. Methods: We study 10 networks of germplasm exchange (n = 363) in mountain regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a survey. Results: The networks display some structural characteristics (i.e., decentralization, presence of external actors) that could enhance the flow of knowledge and germplasm but also some characteristics that do not favor such flow (i.e., low density and fragmentation). We also find that a measure that captures the number of contacts of an individual in the germplasm exchange network is associated with the person's agroecological knowledge. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of social relations in the construction of traditional knowledge

Las reformas cubanas de los noventa ¿alternativa a la hegemonía neoliberal en América Latina? Promesas y realidad

16 p., tablas -- Post-print del artículo publicado en Society and Natural Resources. Versión revisada y corregida.Because of its potential role in providing ecosystem services and private benefits (food security), the concern about the loss of agrobiodiversity has grown. We explore the links between agrobiodiversity and farm financial benefits in small-scale agroecosystems. We measured crop diversity in a subsistence-oriented agricultural production system: home gardens (n = 250) in the Iberian Peninsula. We calculated the imputed market value of home gardens' edible crops and estimated the association between agrobiodiversity and home gardens' gross financial value. Temperate home gardens harbor levels of agrobiodiversity comparable to those of tropical home gardens. Data suggest that an increase in crop diversity is associated with an increase in the gross financial value generated by home gardens. Our findings suggest that in non-commercially oriented agricultural systems, there is a positive link between agrobiodiversity and financial benefits, highlighting the contribution of agrobiodiversity to the provision of private benefits.Peer Reviewe