The global land rush and climate change

Climate change poses a serious global challenge in the face of rapidly increasing human demand for energy and food. A recent phenomenon in which climate change may play an important role is the acquisition of large tracts of land in the developing world by governments and corporations. In the target countries, where land is relatively inexpensive, the potential to increase crop yields is generally high and property rights are often poorly defined. By acquiring land, investors can realize large profits and countries can substantially alter the land and water resources under their control, thereby changing their outlook for meeting future demand. While the drivers, actors, and impacts involved with land deals have received substantial attention in the literature, we propose that climate change plays an important yet underappreciated role, both through its direct effects on agricultural production and through its influence on mitigative or adaptive policy decisions. Drawing from various literature sources as well as a new global database on reported land deals, we trace the evolution of the global land rush and highlight prominent examples in which the role of climate change is evident. We find that climate change—both historical and anticipated—interacts substantially with drivers of land acquisitions, having important implications for the resilience of communities in targeted areas. As a result of this synthesis, we ultimately contend that considerations of climate change should be integrated into future policy decisions relating to the large-scale land acquisitions

The Tragedy of the Grabbed Commons: Coercion and Dispossession in the Global Land Rush

Rural populations around the world rely on small-scale farming and other uses of land and natural resources, which are often governed by customary, traditional, and indigenous systems of common property. In recent years, large-scale land acquisitions have drastically expanded; it is unclear whether the commons are a preferential target of these acquisitions. Here we argue that the contemporary global “land rush” could be happening at the expense of common-property systems around the world. While there is evidence that common-property systems have developed traditional institutions of resource governance that make them robust with respect to endogenous forces (e.g., uses by community members), it is less clear how vulnerable these arrangements are to exogenous drivers of globalization and expansion of transnational land investments. In common-property systems, farmers and local users may be unable to defend their customary rights and successfully compete with external actors. We define the notion of “commons grabbing” and report on an exploratory study that applied meta-analytical methods, drawing from the recent literature on large-scale land acquisitions and land grabbing. Informed by political economy and political ecology approaches, we coded selected cases on the basis of acquisition mechanisms, claims and property rights, changes in production system, and coercive dynamics, and explored the interactions between the different variables using association tests and qualitative comparative analysis. We found that the majority of the cases included in this analysis (44 of 56) could be examples of commons grabbing

To what extent can agriculture be reshaped to address healthy and sustainable diets by boosting pulse production locally?

The consumption of unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable diets is a major societal challenge because of its impacts on human health and the environment. The adoption of micronutrient-rich diets with relatively low pressure on natural resources is an important development target at the intersection between sustainability and public health goals. Pulses are known for being rich in proteins and micronutrients, while having several environmental benefits. It is still unclear to what extent improving the nutritional content of diets by boosting pulse consumption can address health concerns associated with micronutrient deficiency without exacerbating environmental impacts. Here we evaluate to what extent environmentally sustainable, healthy diets can be achieved by increasing pulse production, while reducing the areas cultivated with cereals. To that end, taking as case studies two low/middle income countries (i.e., Pakistan and Nigeria) with high prevalence of nutritional diseases among children and women, we study different crop replacement scenarios that can boost pulse supply and comply with the micronutrient requirements suggested by the EAT-Lancet Commission. We find that in Nigeria the recommended pulse intake requirement can be met by increasing the domestic production of pulses, while saving 27% of water consumption. Conversely, in Pakistan the recommended levels of pulse intake are barely met because of the limited area suitable for pulse production. Overall, the current low yields of pulses and the limited availability of land suitable for pulse production are the main constraints to their supply in these two countries

The nexus between forest fragmentation in Africa and Ebola virus disease outbreaks

Tropical forests are undergoing land use change in many regions of the world, including the African continent. Human populations living close to forest margins fragmented and disturbed by deforestation may be particularly exposed to zoonotic infections because of the higher likelihood for humans to be in contact with disease reservoirs. Quantitative analysis of the nexus between deforestation and the emergence of Ebola virus disease (EVD), however, is still missing. Here we use land cover change data in conjunction with EVD outbreak records to investigate the association between recent (2004-2014) outbreaks in West and Central Africa, and patterns of land use change in the region. We show how in these EVD outbreaks the index cases in humans (i.e. spillover from wildlife reservoirs) occurred mostly in hotspots of forest fragmentation

The water-land-food nexus of first-generation biofuels

Recent energy security strategies, investment opportunities and energy policies have led to an escalation in biofuel consumption at the expenses of food crops and pastureland. To evaluate the important impacts of biofuels on food security, the food-energy nexus needs to be investigated in the context of its linkages with the overall human appropriation of land and water resources. Here we provide a global assessment of biofuel crop production, reconstruct global patterns of biofuel crop/oil trade and determine the associated displacement of water and land use. We find that bioethanol is mostly produced with domestic crops while 36% of biodiesel consumption relies on international trade, mainly from Southeast Asia. Altogether, biofuels rely on about 2-3% of the global water and land used for agriculture, which could feed about 30% of the malnourished population. We evaluate the food-energy tradeoff and the impact an increased reliance on biofuel would have on the number of people the planet can feed

European large-scale farmland investments and the land-water-energy-food nexus

The escalating human demand for food, water, energy, fibres and minerals have resulted in increasing commercial pressures on land and water resources, which are partly reflected by the recent increase in transnational land investments. Studies have shown that many of the land-water issues associated with land acquisitions are directly related to the areas of energy and food production. This paper explores the land-water-energy-food nexus in relation to large-scale farmland investments pursued by investors from European countries. The analysis is based on a “resource assessment approach” which evaluates the linkages between land acquisitions for agricultural (including both energy and food production) and forestry purposes, and the availability of land and water in the target countries. To that end, the water appropriated by agricultural and forestry productions is quantitatively assessed and its impact on water resource availability is analysed. The analysis is meant to provide useful information to investors from EU countries and policy makers on aspects of resource acquisition, scarcity, and access to promote responsible land investments in the target countries

Green roofs effects on the urban water cycle components

AbstractGreen roofs are emerging as an increasingly popular Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) technique for urban stormwater management. Indeed, they allow a significant reduction of peak flows and runoff volumes collected by drainage system, with consequent reduction of flooding events and pollution masses discharges by CSO. To estimate the imperviousness of a green roof and to evaluate its hydrological impact within an urban watershed, a bucket model was developed to simulate a rainfall-runoff relationship for a single green roof. The objective is modeling hydrological fluxes in relation to climate forcing, basic technology components and geometric characteristics of green roof systems

Oxidaciones en biología y farmacología. Integración de conocimientos sobre inmunidad, dieta y medicamentos

An innovative teaching experience in the field of natural sciences is reported. It was carried out with the seventh level pupils (12 to 13 years old) from a primary school depending on the Ministry of Education of Buenos Aires (Argentina). In several laboratory works, different knowledge impaired or generated by the University of Buenos Aires and other foreign institutions were communicated. Diverse information from different school and university disciplines was related in a way adapted to student features. In this manner, the school curricula was enriched with other contents and scopes. This activity belongs to the pedagogical series From University to School and relates three relevant university functions: teaching, research and extension of work to other social sectors.Se relata una experiencia didáctica innovadora en el área de las ciencias naturales. La misma fue llevada a cabo con alumnos de séptimo grado en una escuela primaria dependiente del Ministerio de Educación de Buenos Aires (Argentina). En varios trabajos prácticos de laboratorio, se difundieron e ilustraron conocimientos científicos impartidos o generados por la Universidad de Buenos Aires y otras instituciones extranjeras. Se relacionó información diversa proveniente de distintas disciplinas escolares y universitarias; por ende, se brindaron las nociones necesarias para comprenderla, en forma adecuada a las características de los alumnos. De esta forma, el currículo escolar se enriqueció en contenidos y enfoques. La actividad, perteneciente a la serie pedagógica “De la Universidad a la Escuela”, aplica tres funciones universitarias esenciales: docencia, investigación y extensión universitaria.Palabras clave: Divulgación científica; Comunicación y enseñanza de las ciencias experimentales; Innovación docente; Integración de conocimientos multidisciplinarios.Oxidations in biology and pharmacology. Integration of knowledge on immunity, diet and medicamentsAn innovative teaching experience in the field of natural sciences is reported. It was carried out with the seventh level pupils (12 to 13 years old) from a primary school depending on the Ministry of Education of Buenos Aires (Argentina). In several laboratory works, different knowledge impaired or generated by the University of Buenos Aires and other foreign institutions were communicated. Diverse information from different school and university disciplines was related in a way adapted to student features. In this manner, the school curricula was enriched with other contents and scopes. This activity belongs to the pedagogical series From University to School and relates three relevant university functions: teaching, research and extension of work to other social sectors.Keywords: Scientific communication; Teaching of experimental sciences; Innovative teaching; Integration of multi-disciplinary knowledge