Appropriate technology for sustainable food security:

CONTENTS: Brief 1. Overview / Per Pinstrup-Andersen Brief 2. Farmer-Based Agro-Ecological Technology / Jules Pretty Brief 3. Conventional Research-Based Technology / Prabhu Pingali Brief 4. Modern Biotechnology / Calestous Juma Brief 5. Modern Technology for African Agriculture / Jennifer Thomson Brief 6. Information and Communcations Technologies / Nuimuddin Chowdhury Brief 7. GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing / Uwe Deichmann and Stanley Wood Brief 8. Alternative Energy Sources / R. K. Pachauri and Pooja Mehrotra Brief 9. Food Irradiation / Morton SatinTechnology., Technological innovations., Food security., Sustainability.,

The promises and challenges of biofuels for the poor in developing countries: IFPRI 2005-2006 Annual Report Essay

"In the past several years the changing world energy situation has generated intensive discussion about biofuels, much of it promising a source of environment-friendly energy that would also be a boon to the world's farmers. At the same time skeptics argue that biofuel production will threaten food supplies for the poor and fail to achieve the environmental benefits claimed. Based on the analyses below, we conclude that in order to make a difference in the lives of poor people as both energy producers and consumers, and to make strong environmental and economic contributions, biofuel technology needs further advancement, and investments and policies facilitating agricultural innovation and trade will have to be considered." from TextBiofuels, Poor Developing countries, Small farmers,

Impact of ocean acidification on the intestinal microbiota of the marine sea bream (Sparus aurata L.)

Within a scenario of increasing atmospheric CO2 and ocean acidification (OA), it is highly relevant to investigate its impacts not only on fish performance but also on fish intestinal microbiome and how that reflects on host performance and health. The main objective of this study was to establish if the intestinal microbiota of the sea bream (Sparus aurata) was affected by high level of CO2 in line with the predictions for this century. The bacterial communities of the intestinal fluid were characterized in animals kept at the present-day level of CO2 (400 μatm) and in animals switched to high CO2 (1200 μatm) for 1 month. Bacterial taxa identification was based on molecular methods, using the DNA coding for the 16S ribosomal RNA and primers targeting the regions V1-V3. Amplicons obtained from DNA samples of animals in the same tank were combined, cloned to obtain a bacterial DNA library, and the clones were sequenced. No significant differences were found between the two treatments for alpha diversity. However, beta diversity analysis revealed distinct dysbiosis in response to hypercapnia, with phylum Firmicutes absent from the bacterial communities of fish exposed to 1200 μatm CO2, whereas Proteobacteria relative abundance was increased at elevated CO2, due to the presence of Gammaproteobacteria (Vibrionaceae and Alteromonadaceae), a class not present in the control samples. This study provides a first glimpse at the impact of OA in fish intestinal microbiota and highlights potential downstream effects to the general condition of fishes under hypercapnia.Funding Agency Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology PTDC/MAR-BIO/3034/2014 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology UID/Multi/04326/2019 Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Polandinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cooling requirements fueled the collapse of a desert bird community from climate change.

Climate change threatens global biodiversity by increasing extinction risk, yet few studies have uncovered a physiological basis of climate-driven species declines. Maintaining a stable body temperature is a fundamental requirement for homeothermic animals, and water is a vital resource that facilitates thermoregulation through evaporative cooling, especially in hot environments. Here, we explore the potential for thermoregulatory costs to underlie the community collapse of birds in the Mojave Desert over the past century in response to climate change. The probability of persistence was lowest for species occupying the warmest and driest sites, which imposed the greatest cooling costs. We developed a general model of heat flux to evaluate whether water requirements for evaporative cooling contributed to species' declines by simulating thermoregulatory costs in the Mojave Desert for 50 bird species representing the range of observed declines. Bird species' declines were positively associated with climate-driven increases in water requirements for evaporative cooling and exacerbated by large body size, especially for species with animal-based diets. Species exhibiting reductions in body size across their range saved up to 14% in cooling costs and experienced less decline than species without size reductions, suggesting total cooling costs as a mechanism underlying Bergmann's rule. Reductions in body size, however, are unlikely to offset the 50 to 78% increase in cooling costs threatening desert birds from future climate change. As climate change spreads warm, dry conditions across the planet, water requirements are increasingly likely to drive population declines, providing a physiological basis for climate-driven extinctions

Prévention des crises en Afrique subsaharienne. Relever le défi de l'emploi : l'agriculture au centre

En Afrique subsaharienne, 330 millions de jeunes arriveront sur le marché du travail dans les quinze prochaines années. C'est la population actuelle des États-Unis. Cet afflux peut être porteur de développemen, sous réserve d'une croissance créatrice d'emplois. Sinon, des risques politiques majeurs sont à craindre pour l'Afrique et le reste du monde. Or les économies africaines restent majoritairement agricoles et la compétition internationale laisse peu de marges de manoeuvre pour une diversification économique rapide. Des emplois devront donc être créés massivement dans l'agriculture et le secteur rural, d'autant qu'environ 200 millions des nouveaux actifs vivront en zone rurale. Pour relever ce défi, et aussi celui de la sécurité alimentaire, il est urgent d'établir des priorités d'action dont l'objectif est de toucher le plus grand nombre. Il s'agit dès lors de privilégier les agricultures familiales, d'appuyer le développement des filières de produits vivriers, et d'accélérer la diversification rurale en renforçant les économies locales de façon durable

Bioenergy and agriculture: promises and challenges

Peter Hazell.Biofuels, Agricultural research, Development, Poor Developing countries,

Key Scientific Developments Since the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

Provides an overview of peer-reviewed research published between July 2006 and June 2009 on fossil fuel emissions; ocean acidification; projected sea level rises; rates of ice and permafrost melting and thawing, and the lasting impacts of global warming

Climate change oppression: media production as the practice of freedom

Communities most vulnerable to climate change must educate themselves on how to adapt to the new challenges they face. The use of participatory media, especially video, can be an effective tool for doing so, allowing users to incorporate indigenous knowledge and create an alternative to the dominant, objectifying narratives of conservation and development. Following the methodology of educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, a program in community-based media, with an emphasis on social and environmental action, has the potential to empower the world’s oppressed against the challenges of the coming decades