Benchmarking tilapia aquaculture systems in Egypt: characteristics, sustainability outcomes and entry points for sustainable aquatic food systems

The lack of robust and coherent data on Aquaculture Systems performance is a fundamental barrier to realizing AqFS transformation. In Egypt, fish production and aquatic food systems play a major role for the food security and nutrition of a large fraction of the population, as well as of the broader economy (FAO, 2020). Despite its success, the Egyptian tilapia sector faces multiple sustainability challenges at local and international level. General lack of robust information about the characteristics, performance and trade-offs of tilapia farming systems in the country that can inform policy decisions and investors on the requirements to achieve sustainable intensification, and thus how to enhance sustainability

DESENVOLVIMENTO, DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE RENDA E SISTEMA TRIBUTÁRIO BRASILEIRO: ALGUMAS INTER-RELAÇÕES

Entre os objetivos fundamentais da República Federativa do Brasil apresentados na Constituição Federal de 1988 tem-se a erradicação da pobreza e da marginalização, bem como a redução das desigualdades sociais e regionais. Sendo assim, este artigo objetiva discutir o desenvolvimento econômico como elemento fundamental e analisar os indicadores de produção, produção per capita e distribuição de renda para melhor compreensão do cenário brasileiro, objetiva-se, também, uma análise comparativa com a tributação em outros países. Como resultados verifica-se a alta tributação indireta, concentração da renda e um sistema que não contribuí para os objetivos propostos pela Constituição Federal. O método utilizado é o dedutivo, com revisão bibliográfica e análise de dados primários

Dairy cattle, livelihoods and resilience in Gaza Strip: a case study

As an effect of a protracted situation of conflict, the economy in Gaza Strip has largely developed through international humanitarian assistance. Over the time, the isolation of markets, widespread unemployment, and the economic crisis have caused a serious decline in the population living standards, with a high level of food insecurity. Today, the population in Gaza Strip has dramatically increased reaching an estimated 1.65 million in an area of only 360 km2 (PCBS). The rapid increase in urban population (3.2% of yearly growth rate), land scarcity and the challenge of food security have accelerated the phenomenon of urban agriculture. In Gaza Strip, despite many constraints, agriculture and related activities are still offering the opportunity of food, income and employment for the local population. By participating in activities related to projects of international cooperation promoting the dairy cattle sector we have investigated ways of breeding cattle and proposed a reflection on the sector, highlighting the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints. We have also explored the livelihoods of dairy cattle keepers and analysed related resilience and sustainability

Measuring the effects of transdisciplinary research: the case of a social farming project

Social farming (SF) is an innovative concept belonging to a grey zone occupied by agriculture, social, education and health sectors. It involves various private and public actors who work together to co-create and share new collective knowledge. SF initiatives also involve many policies and tools that need to be reframed in order to facilitate the evaluation of these practices. Research in SF includes the active role of researchers in medium-term initiatives, involving a large number of stakeholders.Thus an evaluation of SF practices is crucial in developing and planning future actions. The complex nature of SF has led to the use of a transdisciplinary approach for the evaluation of its initiatives.This paper explains the transdisciplinary process used in a SF project, describes the nature of the collaborative relationships between researchers and others stakeholders, and examines the factors that inhibit and facilitate this collaboration. The paper highlights the important effects the transdisciplinary approach could have on the future of SF, in terms of network building, the co-production of knowledge, and the development of innovative practices

Exploring the potential and constraints of smallholder aquaculture in marginalized saline areas in Pakistan

Pakistan is the sixth-most populous country in the world, with a population of approximately 225 million. More than 20% of the population lives below the national poverty level (World Bank, 2021). •Fishery and aquaculture have the potential to significantly reduce poverty and food insecurity in Pakistan (Rehman et al., 2019).•Pakistan ranks low in global aquaculture production (​FAO, 2022) -aquaculture produced 162,462 tons of fish in 2020. Over the past five years, the aquaculture sector has grown at a rate of approximately 1.5%.•Because of the arid and semi-arid climate, rainfall is scarce and irregular in most of the areas and contributes to salinity and waterlogging -salinity in the soil makes land unsuitable for growing crops: an opportunity for practicing “inland saline aquaculture” on lands not suitable for crop cultivation -11.1 million acres (4,49 million ha). •Despite the huge potential of saline aquaculture, the characteristics of the production systems in Pakistan are still unknown due to data deficiency, making it difficult to understand investment needs that will help in the sector's development

Exploring the Potential and Constraints of Smallholder Aquaculture in Marginalized Saline Areas in Pakistan

Aquaculture is still a relatively young activity in Pakistan, but there is immense potential for the sector to develop. Aquaculture has been identified as an alternative livelihood source for many rural farming households living in areas with brackish groundwater. Due to the arid and semi-arid climate of Pakistan, which results in scarce and irregular rainfall, several rural areas are affected by salinity and waterlogging. It is estimated that more than 6 million hectares of Pakistani soil are affected by salinity. Salinity in the soil has caused many lands to be unsuitable for growing crops, and thousands of hectares have been abandoned. As an alternative livelihood, aquaculture can be adopted on such saline lands that are not suitable for crop cultivation. However, there is still limited research and understanding of the constraints and development opportunities for small-holder saline aquaculture farmers in marginalized saline areas of Pakistan. Abstract accepted and presented at WAS2022 – published in the book of abstracts at pag 605

Social Farming in the Promotion of Social-Ecological Sustainability in Rural and Periurban Areas

Abstract: Rural areas are facing a spectrum of landscape changes and vulnerability as a consequence of financial and environmental crises. Innovative approaches are required to maintain the provision of social services and manage ecosystem services in these areas. We explore the capacity of social farming to create viable and sustainable rural and periurban areas according to a social-ecological perspective. We use the key elements of social-ecological systems under social farming practices to analyse (1) the role of local communities and non-formal institutions; (2) the involvement of target stakeholders; and (3) the explicit connection between agroecosystems and human wellbeing. To do so, we selected and described four cases of local social farming initiatives in terms of the key elements of social-ecological systems and conducted a literature review to provide an overview of the explicit impact of social farming on the quality of life. We found that social farming illustrates hybrid governance solutions beyond market instruments that could be applied for the governance of agroecosystems. It can also provide a range of other wellbeing and cultural ecosystem services to rural and urban inhabitants. Greater cooperation between social farming and ecosystem service science could rebound in rural landscape sustainability

Social farming and policies in Tuscany, between social innovation and path dependency

Social farming (SF) emerged in the latest ten years in Italy and in the EU as an innovative practice able to link multifunctional agriculture and innovative social services for both urban and rural areas. SF mobilises unexpected resources from agriculture in order to meet local emerging social and economic needs and can be easily analysed under the perspective of social innovation (SI). Stakeholders with multiple competences and narratives are engaged by activating a political game that might have fragmented results at diverse levels. The paper starting from the analysis of the Tuscany case − one of the Italian regions where the discussion aroundSF started for the first time − focuses on the triangulation among narratives, articulation in policy making, and results in terms of innovation in rural areas

Production system and challenges of saline aquaculture in Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan

IntroductionLack of data about saline aquaculture in Pakistan has curtailed informed policy and investment decision making resulting in undervaluation of and underinvestment in the sector. Therefore, saline aquaculture in Pakistan is today an underdeveloped sector despite its potential as an alternative livelihood for the country's rural farmers. This study represents one of the initial exploratory investigations into saline aquaculture systems in Pakistan, aiming to comprehend the existing sectoral landscape, production challenges, post-harvest constraints, and the associated capacity and investment needs.MethodsThe study employed purposive sampling to survey 121 low-income saline aquaculture farmers across five districts of Southern Punjab and Sindh provinces. The analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe results revealed that the saline aquaculture sector is predominantly male-centric, with agricultural land utilized for both agriculture and aquaculture purposes. Ponds, which usually serve multiple functions, focus primarily on carp production, but adherence to good management practices remains limited. Farmers face various challenges, including the high costs of feed and seeds, freshwater scarcity, inadequate technical knowledge, and marketing issues.Discussion and conclusionThis study serves as a foundational assessment, addressing data and information gaps crucial for supporting the sustainable development of saline aquaculture in Pakistan. To facilitate such development, the study recommends initiating programs to strengthen technical skills in saline aquaculture, together with the establishment of hatcheries and breeding stations for saline-tolerant species, aiming to reduce dependence on freshwater species in saline pond environments