Dryland adaptation in Northeast Brazil: Lessons from a community-based pilot project

Family farmers in Brazil’s semi-arid region (the Sertão) are highly vulnerable to climate change. In this context, the community-based Adapta Sertão (“adapt Sertão” or “adapt the Sertão”) pilot project aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity of such families in the region of Pintadas, State of Bahia, through integration of immediate livelihood needs with community empowerment and market-based incentives. This short paper discusses the project’s main components, its results and constraints since implementation in 2006. The project is found to have contributed to rural livelihood improvement of its beneficiaries, especially where related to local capacity building. However, the impacts of the strongest drought recorded in the last 50 years continue to affect beneficiaries. CBA in semiarid Brazil may thus need to interact more broadly with those public policies, plans and programs help reduce vulnerability to climatic, social, environmental and economic stressors in general, in order to help family farmers better to sustainably adapt to future climate change.Los agricultores familiares en la región semiárida de Brasil (Sertão) son muy vulnerables al cambio climático. En este contexto, el proyecto piloto basado en la comunidad Adapta Sertão («adaptar Sertão» o «adaptar la región de Sertão») está dirigido a fortalecer la capacidad de adaptación de dichas familias en la región de Pintadas, Estado de Bahía, a través de la integración de las necesidades de subsistencia inmediatas mediante capacitación de la comunidad e iniciativas basadas en el mercado. Este informe breve aborda los principales elementos del proyecto, sus resultados y limitaciones desde su implementación en 2006. Se ha descubierto que el proyecto ha contribuido a la mejora de las condiciones de subsistencia de sus beneficiarios en regiones rurales, en especial, en relación con la construcción de capacidades locales. No obstante, el impacto de la sequía más importante registrada en los últimos 50 años sigue afectando a los beneficiarios. De este modo, la CBA en la región semiárida de Brasil tendrá que interactuar en mayor profundidad con políticas, planes y programas para la reducción de la vulnerabilidad a factores de estrés climáticos, sociales, medioambientales y económicos en general, a fin de ayudar a los agricultores familiares a adaptarse de una forma más sostenible al cambio climático futuro.Les familles d'exploitants agricoles du Sertão, région semi-aride du Brésil, sont très vulnérables au changement climatique. Dans ce contexte, le projet pilote communautaire Adapta Sertão ("adapter le Sertão") vise à renforcer la capacité d'adaptation de ces familles dans la région de Pintadas, dans l'Etat de Bahia, par l'intégration des besoins de moyens de subsistance immédiats via l'autonomisation des communautés et des incitations commerciales. Ce court article expose les principaux éléments du projet, ses résultats et ses contraintes depuis sa mise en oeuvre en 2006. Ce projet a contribué à améliorer la vie rurale de ses bénéficiaires, en particulier concernant le développement des capacités locales. Toutefois, les conséquences de la plus forte sécheresse qu'ait connu le Brésil au cours de ces 50 dernières années, continuent d'affecter les bénéficiaires. L'adaptation communautaire dans les régions semi-arides du Brésil peut ainsi passer par une interaction à plus grande échelle avec ces politiques, plans et programmes publics visant à réduire la vulnérabilité aux facteurs de stress climatiques, sociaux, environnementaux et économiques en général, afin de faciliter l'adaptation des familles d'exploitants agricoles au changement climatique futur de manière durable

Hippocampal biomarkers of fear memory in an animal model of generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly prevalent and incapacitating. Here we used the Carioca High-Conditioned Freezing (CHF) rats, a previously validated animal model for GAD, to identify biomarkers and structural changes in the hippocampus that could be part of the underlying mechanisms of their high-anxiety profile. Spatial and fear memory was assessed in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. Serum corticosterone levels, immunofluorescence for glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the dentate gyrus (DG), and western blotting for hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were performed. Immunohistochemistry for markers of cell proliferation (bromodeoxiuridine/Ki-67), neuroblasts (doublecortin), and cell survival were undertaken in the DG, along with spine staining (Golgi) and dendritic arborization tracing. Hippocampal GABA release was assessed by neurochemical assay. Fear memory was higher among CHF rats whilst spatial learning was preserved. Serum corticosterone levels were increased, with decreased GR expression. No differences were observed in hippocampal cell proliferation/survival, but the number of newborn neurons was decreased, along with their number and length of tertiary dendrites. Increased expression of proBDNF and dendritic spines was observed; lower ratio of GABA release in the hippocampus was also verified. These findings suggest that generalized anxiety/fear could be associated with different hippocampal biomarkers, such as increased spine density, possibly as a compensatory mechanism for the decreased hippocampal number of neuroblasts and dendritic arborization triggered by high corticosterone. Disruption of GABAergic signaling and BDNF impairment are also proposed as part of the hippocampal mechanisms possibly underlying the anxious phenotype of this model

Dryland adaptation in Northeast Brazil: Lessons from a community-based pilot project

Family farmers in Brazil’s semi-arid region (the Sertão) are highly vulnerable to climate change. In this context, the community-based Adapta Sertão (“adapt Sertão” or “adapt the Sertão”) pilot project aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity of such families in the region of Pintadas, State of Bahia, through integration of immediate livelihood needs with community empowerment and market-based incentives. This short paper discusses the project’s main components, its results and constraints since implementation in 2006. The project is found to have contributed to rural livelihood improvement of its beneficiaries, especially where related to local capacity building. However, the impacts of the strongest drought recorded in the last 50 years continue to affect beneficiaries. CBA in semiarid Brazil may thus need to interact more broadly with those public policies, plans and programs help reduce vulnerability to climatic, social, environmental and economic stressors in general, in order to help family farmers better to sustainably adapt to future climate change