Mulheres camponesas em feiras agroecológicas : uma oportunidade de empoderamento

63 páginas.Trabajo Fin de Máster en Agroecología: un enfoque para la sustentabilidad rural. Tutoras: Dra. Dª. Emma Siliprandi ; Dra. Dª. Irene García Roces. O presente trabalho pretende evidenciar, a partir de uma perspectiva feminista centrada nas relações de gênero, os fatores que interferem e dialogam no processo de participação das mulheres camponesas em feiras agroecológicas, e como estes podem contribuir com o seu empoderamento. Tendo em vista que as feiras agroecológicas são uma proposta de construção de espaços alternativos de comercialização e de relações, se investigou como e em que medida podem constituir um instrumento de estabelecimento de novos equilíbrios nas relações de gênero, no contexto rural do Nordeste do Brasil, em que as mulheres são invisibilizadas e menosprezadas. Para isso, se analisaram trabalhos prévios sobre feiras agroecológicas e foi realizado um trabalho de campo com entrevistas a mulheres agricultoras no caso concreto do Espaço Agroecológico da Várzea, em Recife, Brasil. A análise foi estruturada no confronto e paralelismo entre a experiência direta das mulheres do EAV e os relatos e resultados das outras pesquisas levantadas pela revisão bibliográfica, sempre dialogando com a fundamentação teórica, baseada nas teorias feministas (economia feminista, teoria dos cuidados, ecofeminismo) em constante articulação com as propostas agroecológicas. Os resultados expõem os possíveis caminhos explorados com as mulheres camponesas para entender, por um lado, em que medida a participação em uma feira como a da Várzea pode contribuir para a visibilização do trabalho das mulheres e, por outro, até que ponto isso se constitui como uma oportunidade de empoderamento para elas.The present work shows, from a feminist perspective centered on gender relations, the factors that interfere and dialogue in the process of participation of peasant women in agroecological fairs, and how these can contribute to their empowerment. Considering that the agroecological fairs are a proposal for the construction of alternative spaces for commercialization and relationships, we investigated how and to what extent they can be an instrument for establishing new balances in gender relations in the rural context of Northeastern Brazil, where women are invisible and undervalued. For this, previous researches on agroecological fairs have been analyzed and fieldwork was conducted interviewing women in the specific case of the Espaço Agroecológico da Várzea (EAV), in Recife, Brazil. The analysis was based on the confrontation and parallelism between the direct experience of the women of the EAV and the reports and results of other research raised by the literature review, always dialoguing with the theoretical basis, based on feminist theories (feminist economy, theory of care, ecofeminism) constantly joint with agroecological proposals. The results expose the possible paths explored with the peasant women to understand, on the one hand, to what extent the participation in a fair like the EAV can contribute to the visibility of women's work and, on the other hand, to what extent this constitutes an opportunity for their empowerment

Could cattle ranching and soybean cultivation be sustainable? A systematic review and a meta-analysis for the Amazon

Tropical forests are being destroyed to make space for agricultural activities with the assumption that they are required to feed the growing global population. Consequently, more sustainable practices are needed to guarantee food security and environmental protection of highly threatened natural biodiversity hotspots like the Amazon rainforest. Cattle ranching and soybean cultivation are by far the greater drivers of land use change and deforestation in the Amazon region. We performed a systematic review of papers related to these two main drivers and a meta-analysis on the effects of sustainable practices on different ecosystem services. The results of the review highlight a large concern about the negative impacts of cattle ranching and soybean crops on the ecosystem dynamics and functionality of the Amazon biome, in addition to the clear relationship with deforestation. Another relevant finding is the large gap in empirical research concerning the effects of sustainable practices on different ecosystem services. Such a gap is evident since only 13 studies from the initial database met the requirements for a meta-analysis. Of the 171 comparisons between the ecosystem services provided in conventional land-uses and those adopting sustainable practices, the overall model indicated a non-significant effect, although the results were heterogeneous. Crop yield and herbage biomass were negatively affected, while livestock productivity, soil organic carbon, soil fertility and woody biomass were positively affected. Also, the six sustainable practices evaluated showed different outcomes, from a predominance of positive effects in silvopastoral systems, to a predominance of negative effects on agrosilvicultural systems. Our systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that cattle ranching and soybean cultivation can indeed be conducted in a more sustainable way, enhancing the provision of ecosystem services while avoiding deforestation. In turn, our results also highlight the lack of empirical data and the need to standardize the methodologies used to deeply assess the effects of such practices. In conclusion, we suggest a way to advance research into the real effects of sustainable practices aimed at reducing the negative impacts of cattle ranching and soybean crops in the Amazon

The role of stereotactic body radiation therapy in oligometastatic colorectal cancer

Rationale: Regorafenib is the new standard third-line therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the reported 1-year overall survival rate does not exceed 25%. Patient concerns: A 55-year-old man affected by mCRC, treated with regorafenib combined with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), showing a durable response. Interventions: After 6 months of regorafenib, a PET/CT scan revealed a focal uptake in a solid lung nodule which was treated with SBRT, whereas continuing regorafenib administration. Fourteen months later, the patient had further progression in a parasternal lymph node, but treatment with regorafenib was continued. The regorafenib-associated side effects, such us the hand-foot syndrome, were favorable managed by reducing the dose from 160 to 120 mg/day. Outcomes: Patient-reported outcome was characterized by a progression-free survival of approximately 3 years. Lessons: in presence of oligometastatic progression, a local SBRT while retaining the same systemic therapy may be a better multidisciplinary approach. Moreover, disease progression is no longer an absolute contraindication for continuing the regorafenib treatment

ANTIMONY ACCUMULATION RISK IN LETTUCE GROWN IN BRAZILIAN URBAN GARDENS

More than 80% of the Brazilian population inhabits urban areas. Diffused poverty and the lack of fresh vegetables have generated malnutrition and unbalanced diets. Thus, the interest in growing food locally, in urban allotments and community gardens, has increased. However, urban agriculture may present some risks caused by the urban pollution. Road traffic is considered the biggest source of heavy metals in urban areas. Hence, the objective of the study was the assessment of the accumulation of heavy metals in an urban garden in the city of Recife, at different distances from a road with high traffic burden. The results showed that the distance from the street decreased the accumulation of many potentially toxic elements. Furthermore, the human health risk was estimated, revealing that greater danger was associated with the accumulation of antimony. Concentration of other elements in the leaf tissues were within previously reported thresholds

Foreste a tavola: i consumi alimentari inducono la crescente deforestazione tropicale e sub-tropicale anche in Italia.

L'agricoltura costituisce da sempre una grande minaccia per gli ecosistemi naturali del nostro pianeta,e non solo in quanto attività umana essenziale per la produzione di cibo. Attualmente, in particolarenella regione tropicale e sub-tropicale, le attività agricole sono fattori di pressione cruciali per il mantenimentodei cicli di vita di ecosistemi essenziali per la biosfera, complessi e resilienti, come le foreste. Lesocietà contemporanee, essenzialmente urbane e sempre più disconnesse dai processi naturali ed ecologici,tendono a dimenticare, o semplicemente non considerare, le responsabilità di queste pressioni insostenibili.Tra le maggiori cause di deforestazione, quattro commodities rivestono un ruolo centrale:allevamento di bovini da carne, coltivazione della soia, produzione di olio di palma ed estrazione dilegname. I processi di produzione, trasformazione, trasporto e consumo di questi prodotti sono causa didegrado forestale e deforestazione come conseguenza diretta dell'espansione della frontiera agricola. Laletteratura scientifica recente dà sempre maggiore importanza al ruolo della deforestazione come unodei principali drivers del superamento dei planetary boundaries e alle connessioni economico-commercialie geo-ecologiche esistenti tra luoghi distanti del pianeta rispetto alla produzione, al consumoalimentare e al loro impatto ambientale e sociale. Il presente lavoro, basato su una ricerca bibliograficacondotta attraverso parole chiave inerenti i lavori scientifici sviluppati sull'argomento nell'ultimo ventennio,vuole contribuire all'approfondimento di tali connessioni e delle loro conseguenze, per far crescere laconsapevolezza dei cittadini e della stessa comunità scientifica. La revisione sistematica della letteraturarealizzata contribuisce a inquadrare le responsabilità "nascoste" nel consumo di molti prodotti alimentariche sono causa di scomparsa o degrado di ecosistemi naturali importantissimi per il pianeta, rafforzandola necessità di un cambiamento di paradigma per interrompere il circolo vizioso delle dinamicheurbano-rurale e nord-sud, ormai consolidate a livello globale

GeMS/GSAOI performances from a user perspective

Ground-based near-IR imagers assisted by Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) systems are the technological frontier to obtain high-quality stellar photometry in crowded fields at the highest possible spatial resolution. The Gemini MCAO System (GeMS) feeding the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) is the only facility of this kind currently available to the Community. We used a set of images obtained in the J and Ks bands of the central regions of two Galactic bulge globular clusters (Liller 1 and NGC 6624) with GeMS/GSAOI, under significantly different atmospheric conditions. We characterized the performances of the system in terms of efficiency and uniformity of the Point Spread Function (PSF) over the field of view with varying seeing, airmass and tip-tilt star asterisms. We also compared the PSF performances of GeMS/GSAOI with the HST/ACS ones in the F606W and F814W bands