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Purpose and Objectives. To select highly adaptable watermelon starting material by the main indicators of the performance (yield and average marketable fruit weight). Materials and Methods. The watermelon collection was investigated: 101 cultivars and lines from 9 countries (55 accessions from Ukraine, 23 - from Russia, 8 - from China, 5 - from the USA, 3 - from Moldova, 2 - from Kazakhstan, Thailand and the Czech Republic each, and 1 - from Italy). A Ukrainian cultivar, Maks Plus, was taken as the check accession. The following parameters were calculated: Vi - general adaptive capacity (GAC), σ2SACi - specific adaptive capacity (SAC), Sgi - genotype stability, bi - regression coefficient of the genotype's response to changing conditions (plasticity), and GBVi – genotype breeding value. AV Kilchevskyi and LV Khotylyova’s method was applied to estimate the parameters of adaptive capacity and stability of the genotypes. The environmental plasticity coefficients (bi) were calculated according to SA Eberhart and WA Russel algorithm. Data were statistically processed, as BA Dospekhov recommended. Results and Discussion. The adaptive potential of the watermelon collection was evaluated for the following traits: total yield, marketable yield, and average marketable fruit weight. The variation amplitude (Am) of the "total yield" trait based on the averaged three-year data on the collection was 51.26; the variation range was 15.07 - 66.33 t/ha. In the check accession, Maks Plus, the mean total yield across the 3 years was 64.72 t/ha. For further work, we selected 31 collection accessions, basing on the total yield” trait. The adaptability parameters of the collection watermelon accessions for the "marketable yield" trait differed somewhat from those for the “total yield” trait. From the averaged three-year data, the variation amplitude (Am) of the "marketable yield" trait was 51.15 t/ha; the variation range of this trait was 13.19 - 64.34 t/ha. The variation amplitude of the "average marketable fruit weight" trait based on the averaged three-year data was 3.00 kg. The variation range of this trait was 0.99–3.99 kg. The average fruit weight in the sample across the 3 years was 2.14 kg. In the check cultivar, Maks Plus, the average fruit weight was 2.50 kg. For the breeding for the characteristics under investigation, accessions of practical value, with high values of the general adaptive capacity, stability, and genotype breeding value were selected. By the environmental plasticity coefficient bi, the collection watermelon accessions were categorized as low-, mid- and highly plastic in terms of the characteristics under investigation: intensive accessions with enhanced responses to growing conditions, accessions with moderate levels of the environmental plasticity, and highly plastic accessions, which slightly respond to changes in growing conditions.

Problem Definition: Problem Definition: We develop a framework to plan capacity for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) typically consisting of three stages. The problem is to determine the capacity in each stage that efficiently covers possible daily patient demand and to coordinate the three stages of patient visits. The objective is to minimize the total cost incurred in satisfying the daily patient demand, where the total cost is defined as the sum of overtime cost and amortized construction cost for the three stages. Academic/Practical Relevance: Timely capacity adjustment is important for ASC practitioners, but related research is limited. We explicitly consider three sequential stages that are typical in ASCs: the pre-operative at holding room (HR), intra-operative at operating room (OR), and post-operative at post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Such ASCs can be modeled as a hybrid flow shop (HFS) in the scheduling literature. The interdependence of activities and uncertainties in patient-mix as well as their durations pose a significant challenge to manage the capacity of each activity and achieving a smooth patient flow. Methodology: In contrast to the traditional top-down approach to capacity planning, our approach contributes by proposing a bottom-up strategy based on optimization methods combined with analytics that are informed by operational-level archival patient data. Specifically, we use analytics tools to classify patients into groups, which reduces the complexity of the capacity planning problem and improves the model's practicality. Later, we develop several mathematical formulations and heuristics based on scheduling theory to derive the most cost-efficient capacity solution. Results: Given the trade-off between overtime cost and amortized capacity construction cost, this study relaxes the fixed capacity assumption of traditional HFS problems. Because of the computational complexity of the exact HFS model, we develop a heuristic that is straightforward and easy to implement to find cost-efficient capacities for the three stages. Our computational study examines how uncertain business parameters, e.g., patient-mix, service durations, overnight-stay probabilities, affect the capacity planning decision. Managerial implications: This study highlights the benefit of considering multiple stages together in capacity planning, rather than focusing solely on the operating rooms exclusively. We expect our approach to guide the more than 5,000 ASCs in the U.S., performing 23 million surgeries annually, to make appropriate investments that will improve ASC operations via capacity adjustment and patient scheduling.

Adaptation is crucial for addressing current and future climate change challenges in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and climate finance instruments, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can play a key role in increasing their adaptive capacity and supporting the integration of adaptation into policy and programmes. Few studies have analysed the linkages between climate finance, adaptation mainstreaming, and institutional adaptive capacity; however, assessments of the impacts of climate finance on adaptation and adaptive capacity, particularly at the institutional level, are still limited. This research assesses how climate finance may promote institutional change through the mainstreaming of adaptation policies at the national level, and may contribute to more institutional adaptive capacity. Through reviewing the documentation of approved Green Climate Fund Readiness Preparatory Support Grants, and through semi-structured interviews focusing on three Caribbean SIDS (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Haiti), this paper shows that the grants had a positive impact on several processes, though sometimes limited by the strength and role of the institutions in place. These results demonstrate that access to climate finance can create a window of opportunity for countries to accelerate institutional change and adaptation integration. However, further studies are needed to examine the complementary influence of the different climate finance flows (multilateral or bilateral), and their interplay with national institutional mechanisms.

To ensure sustainable seafood production for future generations, seafood businesses must be resilient in the face of future shocks and stresses. Recent research suggests that by increasing alignment with principles of circular economy such as eliminating waste and regenerating natural environments, seafood companies may be able to improve their general resilience (i.e. resilience to unforeseen disruptions). Research presented here empirically explores potential links between circular economy, risk mitigation and resilience through a survey and workshops with seafood businesses in the United Kingdom. We found that many of the seafood companies participating in our research are actively implementing a range of circular economy actions such as recycling materials and minimising the use of single-use plastics. When identifying specific risks, businesses tended to adopt short-term mitigation measures that were less likely than longer-term measures to be aligned with circular economy principles. While businesses felt confident about their ability to adapt to and survive future risks, a focus on short-term risk mitigation might reduce their capacity to plan for longer-term risks. An inability to identify and prepare for longer-term risks may also impede businesses’ ability to increase their resilience to unforeseen disruptions and lock companies into a reactive, rather than a capacity-building cycle of risk mitigation.

The future of urban-regional transport crucially depends on the ability of transport governance systems to adapt. Polycentric theory claims that the presence of polycentric attributes and conditions enables governance systems to learn and adapt. However, an analysis of the Dutch Brabant Accessibility Agenda shows that their presence says little about the adaptive capacity of transport governance systems because learning and adaptation are influenced by dependencies. To optimize the adaptive capacity of transport governance systems, it is therefore vital to acknowledge both the diverse ways in how they learn and adapt, and the dependencies that shape these processes.

Challenges in infrastructure planning require public infrastructure administrators, responsible for providing adequate infrastructure facilities, to be adaptive. These organizations evolve and interact with other organizations in a complex organizational landscape. This paper explores the contribution of inter-organizational communities of practice (CoPs) to collective learning and co-evolution of organizations in infrastructure planning. We conducted a case study of five inter-organizational CoPs in the domain of a typical public infrastructure administrator. The results suggest that inter-organizational CoPs enable, for example, policy and practice to co-evolve. Inter-organizational CoPs seem to provide a neutral ground where long-term sector benefits can overcome short-term organizational interests.

The objective of this study was to determine how to support actions to increase the resilience and adaptation of socio-ecological systems in the semiarid region of Bahia State, focusing on the Fundo de Pasto Communities (FPCs) of the Uauá municipality. Primary (semistructured interviews with decision-makers and community leaders) and secondary data sources were used. Five dimensions of analysis were selected to organize the primary data within a framework of adaptive capacity for climate change: territorial, socio-cultural, environmental, economic and politico-institutional. For approximately 200 years, FPCs have been communally occupying and using the Caatinga biome based on agrosilvopastoral systems. The results showed the communities’ resilience in dealing with climate stresses in both the territorial and socio-cultural dimensions. This includes processes of self-organization in associations and in networks, which facilitate the flow of knowledge and collective decision-making processes. The results also identified the environmental, economic and politico-institutional dimensions of the climate risks to FPCs, which could potentially limit their adaptive capacity. Resumo A pesquisa realizada entre 2017 e 2018 buscou produzir conhecimentos que subsidiem ações voltadas à resiliência e à adaptação de sistemas socioecológicos na região semiárida do estado da Bahia - Semiárido Baiano, com foco nas Comunidades de Fundo de Pasto (CFP) localizadas no município de Uauá. Utilizaram-se dados secundários e primários (entrevistas semiestruturadas com tomadores de decisão e lideranças comunitárias). Para a sistematização dos dados primários no marco de capacidades adaptativas para mudanças climáticas foram selecionadas cinco dimensões de análise: territorial, sociocultural, ambiental, econômica e político-institucional. As CFP ocupam e usam o bioma Caatinga há cerca de 200 anos de forma comunal, com base em sistemas agrossilvopastoris. Os resultados indicaram o caráter resiliente das comunidades para lidar com os estresses climáticos nas dimensões territorial e sociocultural, a partir de processos de auto-organização em associações e na organização em redes, por meio das quais fluem conhecimentos e são tomadas decisões coletivas. Os resultados também indicaram os riscos climáticos aos quais as CFP estão expostas nas dimensões ambiental, econômica e político-institucional, com potencial para limitar capacidades adaptativas.

IntroductionUnderstanding the adaptive capacity to current climate change of drought-sensitive tree species is mandatory, given their limited prospect of migration and adaptation as long-lived, sessile organisms. Knowledge about the molecular and eco-physiological mechanisms that control drought resilience is thus key, since water shortage appears as one of the main abiotic factors threatening forests ecosystems. However, our current background is scarce, especially in conifers, due to their huge and complex genomes.MethodsHere we investigated the eco-physiological and transcriptomic basis of drought response of the climate change-threatened conifer Cedrus atlantica. We studied C. atlantica seedlings from two locations with contrasting drought conditions to investigate a local adaptation. Seedlings were subjected to experimental drought conditions, and were monitored at immediate (24 hours) and extended (20 days) times. In addition, post-drought recovery was investigated, depicting two contrasting responses in both locations (drought resilient and non-resilient). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also studied to characterize the genomic basis of drought resilience and investigate a rapid local adaptation of C. atlantica.ResultsDe novo transcriptome assembly was performed for the first time in this species, providing differences in gene expression between the immediate and extended treatments, as well as among the post-drought recovery phenotypes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed a regulation of stomatal closing and photosynthetic activity during the immediate drought, consistent with an isohydric dynamic. During the extended drought, growth and flavonoid biosynthesis inhibition mechanisms prevailed, probably to increase root-to-shoot ratio and to limit the energy-intensive biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Drought sensitive individuals failed in metabolism and photosynthesis regulation under drought stress, and in limiting secondary metabolite production. Moreover, genomic differences (SNPs) were found between drought resilient and sensitive seedlings, and between the two studied locations, which were mostly related to transposable elements.DiscussionThis work provides novel insights into the transcriptomic basis of drought response of C. atlantica, a set of candidate genes mechanistically involved in its drought sensitivity and evidence of a rapid local adaptation. Our results may help guide conservation programs for this threatened conifer, contribute to advance drought-resilience research and shed light on trees’ adaptive potential to current climate change.

It is important to understand how residents in highly vulnerable natural and social environments, e.g., remote mountain villages, adapt to extreme climate shocks. Taking Shenmu Village in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, central Taiwan, as an example, this study examined the adaptive capacity of residents in this remote and mountainous area from the perspective of social capital and institutions. The empirical data for this study were collected from two sources: the Public Participation Geographic Information System Workshop and in-depth interviews with the residents of Shenmu Village. The results of the study reveal that the residents of Shenmu Village adopted agricultural adaptation strategies by switching crop types and utilizing diversified crop production spaces. Their adaptive capacities are based on mutual assistance and reciprocity, networks, local knowledge, mountain area and land management policies, and improvements in transportation and communication infrastructure in central Taiwan. This study can provide a reference for the sustainable development of remote mountain villages.

Background Rural and semi-rural areas are complex and dynamic social-ecological systems, many of which have experienced profound impacts from wildland fires, particularly this decade. Under uncertain climate change conditions, these areas require new adaptive strategies to support landscape and community resilience. While these areas vary widely, some patterns of local social context have become apparent through wildland fire research. These patterns can help decision-makers better understand what influences communities’ abilities to adapt to fire. We focused our study on a northwestern European Mediterranean context, where communities are adapting to wildland fire and other climate change impacts through varied programs and policies. This area is composed of diverse landscapes, cultures, histories, languages and governance structures, but it also shares fire-based learning networks and collaborations, providing a sound indicator of shared elements of social context. Our study analyzed local social contexts in rural areas of Spain, Italy and France and assessed how these may inform adaptive capacity to wildland fire. A two-step process achieved this: (1) a targeted literature review of local social context elements as they relate to wildland fire in Mediterranean Europe; and (2) conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 key experts in rural Mediterranean areas, including fire managers, foresters, local administrators and technicians. Results Results illustrate numerous shared patterns in rural social contexts that influence local fire adaptive capacity. Dynamic local relationships among residents, local fire knowledge and environmental movements, the role of fire managers and administrators, and embeddedness in broader sociopolitical trends all interconnect to influence local fire adaptive capacity. Some key elements of context can act as primary enablers or barriers to this process, such as the presence (or lack) of local fire knowledge, and the opportunity (or lack thereof) for sustainable local economic development. Results also demonstrate high diversity in terms of governance structures and development trajectories. Conclusions We argue the need for deepened empirical transdisciplinary research to connect fire and land management tailored to local characteristics. Centering these local perspectives and diverse cultural values is necessary to foster long term adaptive wildland fire management strategies in rural Mediterranean communities and globally.

'Evolvability' - the ability to undergo adaptive evolution - is a key concept for understanding and predicting the response of biological systems to environmental change. Evolvability has various facets and is applied in many ways, easily leading to misunderstandings among researchers. To clarify matters, we first categorize the mechanisms and organismal features underlying evolvability into determinants providing variation, determinants shaping the effect of variation on fitness, and determinants shaping the selection process. Second, we stress the importance of timescale when studying evolvability. Third, we distinguish between evolvability determinants with a broad and a narrow scope. Finally, we highlight two contrasting perspectives on evolvability: general evolvability and specific evolvability. We hope that this framework facilitates communication and guides future research.

Purpose The paper aims to propose and validate a scale for measuring adaptive capacity in organizations. Design / methodology / approach To propose the scale dimensions, the model by Stabler and Sydow (2002) was taken into account and to propose the indicators for each dimension, previous studies related to the theme were analyzed based on a systematic review on academic bases. For quantitative validation of the scale, an e-survey was adopted in 122 organizations in the Northwest Colonial region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using structural equation modeling (MEE) with the SmartPLS 3.2.8 software as support. Findings The results of the study demonstrate the articulation of the indicators of Flexible Organizational Structure and Innovative Management, Plurality and Multifunctionality of Teams and Information Systems and Market Analysis result in a scale in which several aspects related to the existence of the development of adaptive capacities in organizations can be analyzed. Research limitations / implications It is noteworthy that the sample considered for the analysis is based on a specific region, therefore, its results should be interpreted with caution. Practical implications The scale contributes to instrumenting the managers allowing the identification of weaknesses, relevant to the dimensions and indicators, so that the managers can guide their efforts. Originality / value This study shows itself to be prominent, since its measurement and validation of a scale based on the development of adaptive capacity will allow, in such a way, other studies and also new comparisons for the advancement of the subject. RESUMO Objetivo O estudo tem como objetivo a proposição e validação de uma escala de mensuração da capacidade adaptativa em organizações. Design / metodologia / abordagem Para proposição das dimensões da escala levou-se em consideração o modelo de Stabler e Sydow (2002) e para proposição dos indicadores de cada dimensão analisou-se estudos anteriores relacionados à temática com base em uma revisão sistemática em bases acadêmicas. Para validação quantitativa da escala adotou-se o e-survey em 122 organizações da região Noroeste Colonial do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, utilizando a modelagem de equações estruturais (MEE) com o software SmartPLS 3.2.8. Resultados Os resultados do estudo demonstram a articulação dos indicadores de Estrutura Organizacional Flexível e Gestão Inovadora, Pluralidade e Multifuncionalidades das Equipes e Sistemas de Informações e Análise de Mercado resultam em escala em que vários aspectos relacionados à existência do desenvolvimento de capacidades adaptativas em organizações podem ser analisados. Limitações / implicações da pesquisa Destaca-se que a amostra considerada para as análises se baseia em uma região específica, portanto, seus resultados devem ser interpretados com cautela. Implicações práticas A escala contribui para instrumentar os gestores permitindo a identificação de pontos fracos, pertinentes às dimensões e aos indicadores, de maneira que os gestores possam nortear seus esforços. Originalidade / valor Este estudo se mostra proeminente, uma vez que, a sua mensuração e validação de uma escala fundamentada no desenvolvimento da capacidade adaptativa permitirá de tal maneira novos estudos e também novas comparações para o avanço da temática.

This paper intended to ascertain the implications of agricultural social enterprise on the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to climatic stresses in the Kilolo District, Tanzania. The study used a sample of 90 households. Household questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGD), and key informant interviews were used to collect primary data for this study. Secondary data were collected through a review of literature relevant to this study. The content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data, whereas quantitative data were subjected to Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to analyse rainfall and temperature data trends of the study area. Findings revealed that the agricultural social enterprise found in the study area (i.e. One Acre Fund-OAF) enhanced the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers since the services it provided to its clients positively influenced the functioning of the determinants of adaptive capacity and consequently led to the increase of average maize production per acre by 54.5%. This study concludes that agricultural social enterprises such as OAF have the potential to enhance smallholder farmers’ adaptive capacity to climatic stresses, however other stakeholders should come together to support this cause. Keywords Climatic stresses; Adaptive capacity; Social enterprises; Social entrepreneurship

Resilience is a novel but promising concept in project management studies. Resilience thinking can help projects maintain their performance through flexible, systemic and context-specific approaches once faced with disruptive events. That said, the main goal of this paper is to advance an interdisciplinary understanding of project resilience by proposing a definition and a conceptual framework of this concept. To achieve this article's objectives, the literature on project risk management is first reviewed to identify current research effort and limitations of dealing with disruptions. Consecutively, the concept of resilience in its broader applicability is explored, where two dimensions are sieved; awareness and adaptive capacity. The literature on the new concept of project resilience is also scrutinized, where its novel nature, the lack of scientific studies to conceptualize it, and its significance to project management are demonstrated. These facts helped propose a definition and a conceptual framework of project resilience, where a set of relationships are instigated, which constitute a base line to perform further disquisitions to assess their validity. Implications for future contributions advocate conceptual exchanges with more advanced research fields (e.g. organizational resilience). These exchanges can assist in the development of indicators to evaluate the ability of projects to deal with disruptive events and enhance their resilience.

The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of adaptation. We reviewed and thematically synthesized 42 household-level studies published from 2000–2019 to explain how multiple processes interact to affect the effectiveness of adaptation. The findings show the positive impacts of adaptation in increasing crop yields and income, improving food security, and enhancing environmental protection. Not all adaptation strategies are effective, due partly to differences in sensitivity to climate problems, access to livelihood assets, diversification of adaptation strategies, and flexibility and cultural relevance of institutional support. For households with lower adaptive capacity, limited adaptation choices and reliance on climate-sensitive strategies fail to unshackle them from cyclical vulnerability. Improving adaptive capacity and facilitating diversified adaptation strategies are important to address the livelihood challenges of smallholder farmers. Understanding the complexities underlying the effectiveness of adaptation necessitates evaluation focusing on multidimensional livelihood outcomes to disentangle implications for sustainable livelihoods and socio-ecological resilience.

Innovations have the potential to help us address and overcome many of the challenges that agriculture is facing today. Yet, at the same time, they have the potential to create new, sometimes even more challenging, problems, especially when they are not governed in a sustainable way. Governing agricultural innovation sustainably requires understanding of all components that influence, and are influenced by, innovation processes, interactions across societal levels, and the normative and power dynamics that come together to shape the direction and outcomes of innovation processes. Hitherto, approaches to (agricultural) innovation and transition tend to specialize on a specific societal scale or sub-aspect of innovation or transition processes. In this article we aim to bring the strengths of some of the main approaches (Multi-Level Perspective, Agricultural Innovation Systems, Responsible Innovation, Innovation Management, Theory of Planned Behaviour) and insights from environmental governance literature together into a comprehensive framework. The framework describes seven key components and their interactions: macro context, governance system, immediate context, innovative and adaptive capacity of the actors, psychosocial factors, and the innovation process itself. Based on these, we present a subset of guiding questions that can be used diagnostically or for design purposes to support the sustainable governance of agricultural innovation processes.

Vulnerability assessment studies on climate change are a substantial tool for the implementation of adaptation strategies that allow us to know what threats systems and their components (species, natural resources, populations, territories, among others) do face on climate change conditions, what actions are caused by them that increase their own vulnerability, and what strategies are implemented to reduce this vulnerability. The popularity of this research at the international level has caused different discussions about methods, components, and variables. How does the vulnerability to climate change have been assessed in Mexico? The objective of this article is to present a review of vulnerability assessment studies on climate change in Mexico, paying particular attention to study subjects, concepts, components, methodologies, tools, and applications. The method consisted of a systematic search and review of articles published on international databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Scielo). A total of 57 articles were reviewed. The results identify knowledge gaps in research of vulnerability on climate change in Mexico. The conclusions can be used as a guide to understand the theoretical-conceptual framework of vulnerability and to conduct future research on subjects and areas which are less studied in Mexico

The COVID-19 pandemic and response has significantly disrupted fishery supply chains, creating shortages of essential foods and constraining livelihoods globally. Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) are responding to the pandemic in a variety of ways. Together, disruptions from and responses to COVID-19 illuminate existing vulnerabilities in the fish distribution paradigm and possible means of reducing system and actor sensitivity and exposure and increasing adaptive capacity. Integrating concepts from literature on supply chain disruptions, social-ecological systems, human wellbeing, vulnerability, and SSFs, we synthesize preliminary lessons from six case studies from Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Canada, and the United States. The SSF supply chains examined employ different distribution strategies and operate in different geographic, political, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Specifically, we ask (a) how resilient have different SSF supply chains been to COVID-19 impacts; (b) what do these initial outcomes indicate about the role of distribution strategies in determining the vulnerability of SSF supply chains to macroeconomic shocks; and (c) what key factors have shaped this vulnerability? Based on our findings, systemic changes that may reduce SSF vulnerability to future macroeconomic shocks include: diversification of distribution strategies, livelihoods, and products; development of local and domestic markets and distribution channels; reduced reliance on international markets; establishment of effective communication channels; and preparation for providing aid to directly assist supply chains and support consumer purchasing power.

Smallholder farmers’ capacities need to be strengthened to enable them to better withstand the upcoming impacts of climate change; these capacities not only include the responsive capacity, but also consider innovation, learning, and anticipation to be prepared for the projected impacts of a changing climate on the agriculture system. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of climate smart agriculture (CSA) innovations on building climate resilience capacity in smallholder agriculture systems. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted among a multi-stage sample of 424 smallholder farmers selected from five agroecosystems of the Upper Blue Nile Highlands in Ethiopia. The study used an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model to examine the impact of CSA innovations on building climate resilience capacity among smallholder farmers. The true average adoption effects of climate resilience capacity under actual and counterfactual conditions showed that different CSA innovations have different effects on the climate resilience capacity of households. Except for SWC adopters, all CSA innovations significantly increased the climate resilience capacity of households. However, improved variety, crop residue management, and SWC have more profound effects on the non-adopters than adopters, =if non-adopters had adopted these CSA innovations. Strong absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities through strong disaster and early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, a strong public agricultural extension system, a strong informal safety net, and social networks build a climate-resilient agriculture system among smallholder farmers. Thus, scaling up of CSA innovations may expand the benefit of CSA innovation on building the climate resilience capacities of households. Thus, strong risk management, disaster mitigation and early warning systems, adaptive strategies, information and training, informal safety nets, social networks, and infrastructure use may build the climate resilience capacity of smallholder farmers by facilitating the adoption of CSA innovation. Therefore, policies that strengthen good governance, social cohesion, disaster communication and early warning systems, input supply of drought-resistant varieties, climate smart extension service, and climate-resilient infrastructure are necessary.

After more than two decades of research on dynamic capabilities, it is quite unusual for empirical works to focus on their study applied to SMEs. Inside this context, our work tries to assess whether or not the dynamic capabilities (DC) of the SMEs positively influence their innovation capacity. The field study was conducted with the population of SMEs located in the city of Machala (Ecuador) and belonging to the trade sector, the sample comprising 109 companies. Our findings in this study show that not every dynamic capability is equally relevant in the Machala-based SMEs, given that while absorptive capacity and learning capacity have a positive and significant effect on innovation, adaptive capacity does not have a significant impact on the innovation processes of the firms under study.

California plans to substantially increase the use of prescribed fire to reduce risk of catastrophic wildfires. Although for a beneficial purpose, prescribed fire smoke may still pose a health concern, especially among sensitive populations. We sought to understand community health experience, adaptive capacity, and attitudes regarding wildland and prescribed fire smoke to inform public health guidance. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medically vulnerable persons in a rural, high fire risk county (N = 106, 76% > 65 years) regarding wildfire and prescribed smoke health effects; health protective actions; information needs; and support for fire management policies. Qualitative comments were reviewed for context and emerging themes. More than half (58%) of participants reported health impacts from wildfire smoke; 26% experienced impacts from prescribed fire smoke. Participants expressed strong support for prescribed fire, although also concerns about safety and smoke. Respondents reported taking actions to reduce smoke exposure (average 5 actions taken per person), but many (47%) lacked confidence that they could successfully protect their health. Persons who were satisfied with the information received tended to be more confident in their ability to protect their health compared to those who were not satisfied (61% vs. 35%). More information was desired on many topics, including notifications about prescribed fire, health protection and exposure reduction. As California expands use of prescribed fire, the need for effective health protective communication regarding smoke is increasingly vital. We recommend seeking solutions that strengthen community resilience and address equity for vulnerable populations.

The increase in frequency, severity, and duration of droughts poses as a serious issue to the management of forests in the Iberian Peninsula, with particular emphasis on the decline of forest growth and forest dieback. Hence, the adoption of adaptation and mitigation measures in forest ecosystems that are more vulnerable to drought is a pressing matter that needs to be addressed in the near future.This work aims at identifying the regions in the Iberian Peninsula where forest exhibit high vulnerability to drought conditions. To accomplish that, a vulnerability map is produced by considering three pillar components: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to drought. Exposure is estimated based on the multi-scalar drought index Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and aridity, while the remotely sensed Vegetation Health Index (VHI) and mean forested cover are used to assess the regions’ sensitivity to drought. Finally, elevation, water table depth, fire radiative energy, and annual solar irradiation are compiled as indicators to assess adaptive capacity. Principal component analysis was then applied to the three pillar components to identify the areas more vulnerable to drought. This approach allows for the identification of forested areas vulnerable to drought in terms of vulnerability classes automatically determined.Forests presented very high vulnerability in eastern Spain, and central Portugal. Within the most vulnerable vegetation communities, mosaic tree and shrub types revealed to be extremely vulnerable to droughts in the Iberian Peninsula, followed by needle-leaved forests (in Central Portugal, and Northeast Iberia). This work highlights the regions and primary vegetation communities to which the effort of adapting and mitigating drought consequences should be utterly enforced by the responsible authorities.

Genetic diversity among and within populations of all species is necessary for people and nature to survive and thrive in a changing world. Over the past three years, commitments for conserving genetic diversity have become more ambitious and specific under the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). This Perspective article comments on how goals and targets of the GBF have evolved, the improvements that are still needed, lessons learned from this process, and connections between goals and targets and the actions and reporting that will be needed to maintain, protect, manage and monitor genetic diversity. It is possible and necessary that the GBF strives to maintain genetic diversity within and among populations of all species, to restore genetic connectivity, and to develop national genetic conservation strategies, and to report on these using proposed, feasible indicators. ispartof: CONSERVATION GENETICS vol:24 issue:2 pages:181-191 ispartof: location:Netherlands status: published

Climate-related variability in crop production and market price variability affect food and income security of Uganda's rural households. We used household surveys from two contrasting sites in Uganda to quantify the relationships between crop production variability, adaptation strategies and household resource characteristics. Variability of production was large for all crops with almost doubling of yields under good conditions and halving of yields in bad years. Ex-post adaptation strategies were common, and the most frequent were relying on off-farm income, selling livestock, and reducing food consumption. Using off-farm income or selling livestock to compensate for crop damage were not feasible for 25–50% of the population. Few households applied ex-ante adaptation strategies, and those who did used strategies that required little financial investment, such as switching crops. The restricted application of ex-ante adaptation strategies and the fact that major ex-post adaptation strategies were inaccessible for large parts of the population is alarming considering that climate change studies show that weather variability and extreme weather events are expected to worsen and to jeopardize crop production. Interventions must aim to reduce households’ sensitivity to variability in crop production and prices by increased preparedness to shocks, strengthening the asset base, and diversifying the livelihood portfolio. Social protection programmes are important for the poor who have no means to cushion effects from climate or price variability.

This study uses a case from northern Bangladesh to explore the factors determining adaptive capacity to flood through the lens of Sustainable Livelihood Analysis (SLA) by adopting an amended Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). The thesis argues that understanding capital interactions and the reason behind them is critical for adaptive capacity development. The multitudes of ways capital can interact present vital concerns for methodological selection. 20 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 20 villages as a part of the qualitative methodology. The study's findings show that financial capital was crucial because of its fungibility nature and ability to convert to other forms of capital. The contribution of financial capital to the development of adaptive capacity lead to the five pathways by which households reduce flood vulnerability by building their adaptive capacity. Among the different types of social capital, bonding capital contributed more during the flood onset by supporting each other to protect their persons and property. Bridging capital occurred during the survival period by providing coping opportunities. Finally, linking capital was crucial in flood recovery through relief and subsidy. In addition, households combine the three forms of social capital, which means interaction happens between them, and it was found to be vital in flood management. Human capital, as the role of women, was very important in the form of education level, knowledge and skill in household management, ability to work as a labour force and take care of family health and disabled members helped households in flood adaptation. Women were also found to be an important contributor to accessing social and financial capital. To make best use of resources, policymakers should consider how strengthening individual forms of capital can generate other capital forms and provide those specific resources to households and communities to make them more resilient to floods.

This research assesses the adaptive capacity of farmers in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta's floodplains (VMD) with respect to hydrological changes. Currently, climate change and socio-economic developments induce extreme- and diminishing floods, which in turn increase farmers' vulnerability. This research assesses farmers' adaptive capacity to hydrological changes using two prevalent farming systems: high dykes featuring triple-crop rice farming and low dykes where fields are left fallow during the flood season. We examine (1) farmers' perceptions on a changing flood regime and their current vulnerabilities and (2) farmers' adaptive capacity through five sustainability capitals. Methods include a literature review and qualitative interviews with farmers. Results show that extreme floods are becoming less frequent and damaging, depending on arrival time, depth, residence time, and flow velocity. In extreme floods, farmers' adaptive capacity is generally strong, and only low dyke farmers experience damage. As for diminishing floods, which is an emerging phenomenon, the overall adaptive capacity of farmers is remarkably weaker and varies between high- and low dyke farmers. Financial capital is lower for low dyke farmers due to their double-crop rice system, and natural capital is low for both farmer groups due to a decrease in soil- and water quality, affecting yields and increasing investment costs. Farmers also struggle with an unstable rice market due to strong fluctuating prices for seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs. We conclude that both high- and low dyke farmers have to cope with new challenges, including fluctuating flood patterns and the depletion of natural resources. Increasing farmers resilience should focus on exploring better crop varieties, adjusting crop calendars, and shifting to less water-intensive crops.

How populations of aquatic fauna persist in extreme desert environments is an enigma. Individuals often breed and disperse during favorable conditions. Theory predicts that adaptive capacity should be low in small populations, such as in desert fishes. We integrated satellite-derived surface water data and population genomic diversity from 20,294 single-nucleotide polymorphisms across 344 individuals to understand metapopulation persistence of the desert rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida tatei) in central Australia. Desert rainbowfish showed very small effective population sizes, especially at peripheral populations, and low connectivity between river catchments. Yet, there was no evidence of population-level inbreeding and a signal of possible adaptive divergence associated with aridity was detected. Candidate genes for local adaptation included functions related to environmental cues and stressful conditions. Eco-evolutionary modeling showed that positive selection in refugial subpopulations combined with connectivity during flood periods can enable retention of adaptive diversity. Our study suggests that adaptive variation can be maintained in small populations and integrate with neutral metapopulation processes to allow persistence in the desert.

Camping is an outdoor accommodation and type of recreation that is susceptible to weather and climate change. Camping—in addition to the relationships camping shares with weather— remains understudied despite the subsectors’ salient economic impact and high participation rate. The observable effects of non-meteorological/climatological (e.g., pandemic) is also a topic that has received limited attention. Accordingly, we introduce the Camping-Weather-Disaster (CWD) framework to examine the concurrent impact of weather and the COVID-19 disaster on post-disaster camping trip plans among leisure travelers in the 48 contiguous United States (n = 2442). Extending the Construal Level Theory, the CWD framework considers traveler construal (i.e., understanding) of a disaster and psychological distance (i.e., mental frame of reference) from a disaster alongside empirically observable state-level weather and COVID-19 cases. Results demonstrate that (1) concrete construal about timing and distance of travel is positively related to post-disaster camping trip plans; (2) weather is a significant predictor of post-disaster camping trip plans where there are regionally fewer COVID-19 cases; and (3) state-level COVID-19 cases are the most salient predictor of post-disaster camping trip plans where there are regionally more COVID-19 cases. Although the study context is camping, the CWD framework can be applied to other subsectors of tourism to build understanding and adaptive capacity to future natural conditions and disasters.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has created havoc all across the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India since its beginning on 30th January 2020. As of 1st January 2021, India has recorded 10,305,788 cases and 149,218 deaths from this deadly pandemic. It has been observed through the data; across states and UTs, the trend and pattern of this disease are not similar at all. There are many reasons for these dissimilarities which are categorized into indicators to assess the vulnerability in this study. We have examined vulnerabilities in 28 states and 8 UTs of India. Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) has been applied with certain modifications to calculate the Vulnerability Index (VI). The figure resulting from the vulnerability assessment corresponds that the factors involved in the three-section exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity had a significant impact on deciding the vulnerability of the population. The result identified the states and UTs which are more vulnerable and need more attention from the government and policymakers. The proposed method of study is unique in its sense as vulnerability index calculation is purely based on a secondary source of data and therefore has an expectation of a higher degree of practical application.

Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin have been suppressed for over 60 years primarily by migration barriers and lamprey-specific pesticides. Improving control outcomes by supplementing barriers and pesticides with additional control strategies has been a long-standing objective of managers and stakeholders, but progress towards this objective has been limited. We developed an adaptive management implementation framework and applied it to this objective. The framework consists of a set of adaptive management implementation goals (develop effective monitoring practices, develop effective participatory process, and conduct management experiments), a set of aspirational targets hypothesized to be related to Sea Lamprey Control Program adaptive capacity (multi-level political and social organization, creation of safe-to-fail decision making arenas, and effective use of multi-criteria decision analysis), and a feedback loop linking adaptive capacity and progress towards adaptive management implementation goals. Progress towards improving sea lamprey control outcomes by integrating supplemental control strategy into the Sea Lamprey Control Program may be possible through adaptive management implementation.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have disrupted global systems that support the health, food and nutrition security, and livelihoods of billions of people. These disruptions have likewise affected the small-scale fishery (SSF) sector, disrupting SSF supply chains and exposing weaknesses in the global seafood distribution system. To inform future development of adaptive capacity and resilience in the sector, it is important to understand how supply chain actors are responding in the face of a macroeconomic shock. Comparing across seven SSF case studies in four countries, we explore how actors are responding to COVID-19 disruptions, identify constraints to adaptive responses, and describe patterns of disruption and response across cases. In all cases examined, actors shifted focus to local and regional distribution channels and particularly drew on flexibility, organization, and learning to re-purpose pre-existing networks and use technology to their advantage. Key constraints to reaching domestic consumers included domestic restrictions on movement and labor, reduced spending power amongst domestic consumers, and lack of existing distribution channels. In addition, the lack of recognition of SSFs as essential food-producers and inequities in access to technology hampered efforts to continue local seafood supply. We suggest that the initial impacts from COVID-19 highlight the risks in of over-reliance on global trade networks. The SSFs that were able to change strategies most successfully had local organizations and connections in place that they leveraged in innovative ways. As such, supporting local and domestic networks and flexible organizations within the supply chain may help build resilience in the face of future macroeconomic shocks. Importantly, bolstering financial wellbeing and security within the domestic market both before and during such large-scale disruptions is crucial for supporting ongoing supply chain operations and continued food provision during macroeconomic crises.

The unprecedented rate of environmental change in the Anthropocene poses evolutionary challenges for wild populations globally. Active human-mediated interventions are being increasingly considered to accelerate natural adaptive processes. Where experimentation is challenging, evolutionary models can evaluate how species may fare under future climate, elucidate which evolutionary processes are critical to rapid adaptation, and how active interventions may influence fitness trajectories of organisms. Here we use polygenic metapopulation adaptation models to quantify the relative importance (effect sizes) of different eco-evolutionary parameters on the rates of adaptation in wild populations i) without active interventions, and ii) under a subset of active interventions. We demonstrate that genetic diversity (heterozygosity, He), population connectivity and the effect size of additive genetic variance are the primary drivers of natural adaptation rates. We quantify the effect sizes of these parameters on population fitness across three proposed assisted evolution scenarios and identify critical thresholds for intervention effectiveness and implementation. Specifically, the interventions tested here were most effective at low levels of genetic diversity in target populations (He < 0.2) and when timed during a cold-to-warm phase of an ENSO-like oscillation. Beneficial levels of connectivity were highly dependent on desired outcomes for the meta-population. We also present a global meta-analysis of genetic diversity in tropical reef-building corals as a case study of how thresholds derived from evolutionary models can be used to guide decision making by managers. We find genetic diversity to be highly variable by coral taxon and region, highlighting how thresholds from evolutionary models can be used in conjunction with empirical data to assess intervention needs and priorities. Quantitatively characterizing these key thresholds should provide managers, conservationists, and practitioners with a starting point for evaluating the necessity, risks and benefits of genetic interventions of wild species with large populations sizes. Finally, we highlight the critical knowledge and data gaps to produce the next suite of applied models for conservation management decision-support.

Solar energy is planned to undergo large-scale deployment along with Thailand’s transformation to a carbon neutral society in 2050. In the course of energy transformation planning, the issue of energy infrastructure adaptation to climate change has often been left out. This study aims to identify climate-related risks and countermeasures taken in solar power plants in Thailand using thematic analysis with self-administered observations and structured interviews in order to propose points of consideration during long-term energy planning to ensure climate adaptation capacity. The analysis pointed out that floods and storms were perceived as major climate events affecting solar power plants in Thailand, followed by lightning and fires. Several countermeasures were taken, including hard countermeasures that require extensive investment. Following policy recommendations were derived from the climate-proofing investment scenario study. Policy support in terms of enabling regulations or financial incentives is needed for implementation of climate-proofing countermeasures. Public and private sectors need to secure sufficient budget for fast recovery after severe climate incidents. Measures must be taken to facilitate selection of climate-resilient sites by improving conditions of power purchase agreement or assisting winning bidders in enhancing climate adaptability of their sites. These issues should be considered during Thailand’s long-term energy planning.

The health of student youth is largely determined by the level of functional capabilities of the organism, which depends on the level of motor activity, that is the total number of movements that a person performs in a given period of time. The purpose of the work is to establish the features of the relationship between the characteristics of adaptive capacity, functional status and level of development of psychophysiological functions and criteria for motor activity of students. The research was conducted on the basis of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, where 385 students (200 young girls and 185 young boys) were supervised, who, taking into account the peculiarities of the distribution of different levels of motor activity, were divided into 3 comparison groups – with potentially low, medium and potentially high levels of motor activity. The values of daily energy consumption, number of locomotions and duration of the dynamic component in the daily budget were used as the leading criteria of hygienic assessment of students’ motor activity. Functional features and adaptive capabilities of the organism were determined using conventional methods. The analysis of the obtained results involved the use of a standard application package of multidimensional statistical analysis “Statistica 6.1 for Windows”. The results of studies conducted on the basis of correlation analysis procedures indicate the fact that the largest number of correlations between the characteristics of psychophysiological functions and the leading characteristics of health and indicators of academic performance in professionally oriented disciplines studied are recorded in girls, and boys who belonged to the group with an average level of physical activity (daily energy expenditure of 9000-11000 kJ in young girls and 11000-13500 kJ in young boys). The use of cluster analysis procedures during the prognostic assessment of indicators of health and academic performance in professionally-oriented disciplines, made it possible to identify 3 clusters of the studied characteristics of the functional state of students, which have the most pronounced effect on their values: visual-motor speed cluster (indicators of the latent period of simple and differentiated visual-motor response), visual-sensory cluster (indicators of critical fusion of light flickers and efficiency of work performed) and integrative-coordination cluster (a number of indicators that reflect the properties of major nervous processes, characteristics coordination of movements, indicators of attention functions, etc.). Using factor analysis procedures, it determined that both young girls and young boys have the most positive impact on academic performance in vocational disciplines such factors as “functional state of the visual sensory system”, “functional state of coordination” and “functional state of higher nervous activity”.

The paper aims to identify major strategies applied by small-scale farm households to adapt to climate change and determine factors that affect their choice of adaptation strategies. A logistic regression model and a multivariate probit model were applied to a set of primary data collected from a survey of 290 farm households in two mountainous provinces of Northeastern Vietnam. Results show that farm households combined various strategies in response to the impacts of climate hazards. Changes in farm activities and livelihood diversification were the two most widely used adaptation strategies. Farm households’ choice of adaptation strategies was influenced by a set of complex factors related to demographic characteristics, economic well-being, access to resources, and perception. Age and farming experience negatively affected farm households’ adaptation. Meanwhile, access to resources, savings, extension services, membership of associations, access to information, and perception had a significantly positive effect on the adoption of adaptation strategies. Social-economic barriers restricted female-headed and ethnic minority households from taking up adaptation measures that required new technologies, updated knowledge, or resources. It is essential to issue policies and implement projects to enhance adaptive capacity and facilitating the adaptation process for farm households in mountainous areas, taking into account the barriers and disadvantages of female and ethnic minority farmers.

Individuals threatened by environmental risks may choose migration as a survival or adaptation strategy. However, various factors such as attachment to place may encourage immobility despite disaster risks. Since the collapse of the USSR, residents of Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains have faced significant political and socioeconomic difficulties and been exposed to environmental hazards such as floods, rockslides, landslides, and avalanches. These hazards put human security, infrastructure, food security, and accessibility to mountainous areas at risk and call into question aspirations to remain. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in the Bartang Valley, this article addresses immobility in a context of changes and risks. The concept of place attachment is used to explore people-place relationships, voluntary immobility and in-situ adaptation. Results show that place attachment is shaped by cultural, socioeconomic, ecological, and historical variables and that the relationship between place attachment and mobility is complex. The strong place attachment of the Bartangis influences immobility aspirations, short-distance displacements, and return after international out-migration. Findings suggest a mutually reinforcing relation between place attachment, immobility aspirations, and adaptive capacity to disasters, which points to a need for more attention to voluntary immobility and people-place relationships within environmental mobilities research.

Purpose This paper aims to understand the perception of smallholder farmers on climate change, identify major livestock related climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies and their determinants in selected neighboring districts of Tigray and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach A total of 416 household heads were involved in a questionnaire survey using a multistage sampling approach. To understand the socio-economic factors that influence farmers’ perception on climate change (CC) and/or variability, a binary logit model was used. Multinomial logit model was used to identify the determinants of smallholder farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies. Findings Milk reduction, weight loss, feed shortage and frequent animal disease outbreak were indicated as major impacts of CC on livestock production. About 86.2% of the farmers’ exercise CCA measures where livestock health care and management (25%), followed by livelihood diversification (21.5%) and shifting and diversification of livestock species (20.9%) were the top three adaptation measures implemented. Education, knowledge on CCA strategies, access to veterinary service and extension, market access, annual income, non-farm income, total livestock unit, sex of household head and household size were the major determinant factors to farmers’ choice of CCA. Research limitations/implications Concerned authorities working in CC related sectors should give due attention to improve smallholder farmers’ access to extension and veterinary services, market access and climate information to enhance their adaptive capacity to CC impacts. In addition, incorporating climate change awareness trainings into the existing extension packages is crucial to enhance the awareness of farmers on climate change and implement appropriate adaptation strategies. Moreover, it is very essential to provide appropriate herd management and marketing strategy based on the production system to avoid the significant price reduction during drought periods. Practical implications Concerned authorities working in CC related sectors should give due attention to improve smallholder farmers’ access to extension and veterinary services, market access and climate information to enhance their adaptive capacity to CC impacts. In addition, incorporating climate change awareness trainings into the existing extension packages is crucial to implement appropriate adaptation strategies. Moreover, it is very essential to provide appropriate herd management and marketing strategy based on the production system to avoid the significant price reduction during drought periods. Originality/value This research is focused on smallholder crop-livestock farmers, livestock-based CCASs and presents the determinant factors to their choice of adaptation.

This study examined the vulnerability and responses of smallholder farmers to climate change effects in Semiarid Areas of Bahi and Kongwa Districts. A total of 366 household heads were involved in this study. The study employed questionnaire, interviews and documentary review as data collection techniques. Archival data for temperature, rainfall and crop yields were collected for trend analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data, content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Simple linear trend analysis and Mann Kendall were used to establish trends. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers in the study area have noted reduced rainfall, increased temperature and reduced production as indicators of climate change. Results from archival data indicate insignificant decline of rainfall, significant increase of temperature and insignificant decline of crop yields at 5% significance level. As a response to these changes, smallholder farmers reported to use improved crop varieties, change planting dates, use intercropping, out-migrating and change land use practices. Several challenges were reported to hinder effective adaptation including inadequate capital, limited soft loans, limited weather information and deficient extension services. It is concluded that the climate is changing in the study area calling for strengthening farmers’ adaptive capacity. Keywords: Adaptive strategies, climate change effects, challenges, semiarid area, Tanzania.

Patient flow between the emergency department (ED) and hospital wards becomes problematic when bed availability is limited. To better understand the constraints that shape patient flow and everyday work in the ED, we applied Control Task Analysis (i.e. Contextual Activities Template, CAT) and Social Organisational Cooperation Analysis (SOCA) phases from the Cognitive Work Analysis framework to identify ways in which to optimise patient flow. The model and analysis were created through observations in the ED of clinicians (e.g. nurses, doctors), and professional staff (e.g. ward personnel, clerks). The CAT and SOCA-CAT models illustrate workspaces, patient journey phases, and patient volume within the department that are heavily loaded with tasks and human and non-human agents performing these tasks, while others are underutilised. The findings suggest that an ED's adaptive capacity could be strengthened through the integration of additional human and non-human agents allowing the redistribution of clinical and non-clinical tasks.

Crop diversity underpins the productivity, resilience, and adaptive capacity of agriculture. Loss of this diversity, termed crop genetic erosion, is therefore concerning. While alarms regarding evident declines in crop diversity have been raised for over a century, the magnitude, trajectory, drivers, and significance of these losses remain insufficiently understood. We outline the various definitions, measurements, scales, and sources of information on crop genetic erosion. We then provide a synthesis of evidence regarding changes in the diversity of traditional crop landraces on farms, modern crop cultivars in agriculture, crop wild relatives in their natural habitats, and crop genetic resources held in conservation repositories. This evidence indicates that marked losses, but also maintenance and increases in diversity, have occurred in all these contexts, the extent depending on species, taxonomic and geographic scale, and region, as well as analytical approach. We discuss steps needed to further advance knowledge around the agricultural and societal significance, as well as conservation implications, of crop genetic erosion. Finally, we propose actions to mitigate, stem, and reverse further losses of crop diversity.

Usaha mikro dan kecil (UMK) paling rentan terhadap dampak pandemi Covid-19. Banyak UMK di Kabupaten Sumedang yang kurang adaptif ketika terjadi pembatasan sosial sehingga mengalami penurunan omzet bahkan sebagian lainnya menutup usaha. Diperlukan kebijakan yang tepat dari pemerintah Kabupaten Sumedang untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut, salah satunya melalui analisis kerentanan sehingga dapat diketahui daerah mana yang paling rawan pandemi Covid-19, terutama dari aspek sosial ekonomi terkait UMK. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kuantitatif berbasis spasial dengan teknik skoring pada setiap variabel penentu dalam analisis kerentanan yang diadopsi dari Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Data yang digunakan adalah Potensi Desa (potensi desa) tahun 2018 dan 2019 serta beberapa data pendukung dari instansi terkait. Hasil analisis kerentanan menunjukkan bahwa terdapat satu kecamatan dengan tingkat kerentanan yang sangat tinggi yaitu Kecamatan Jatinangor, dikarenakan banyaknya UMK dan sebagian besar mata pencaharian penduduknya dari sektor-sektor yang terkena dampak restriksi sosial akibat Pandemi Covid-19 seperti industri, perdagangan dan jasa. Upaya yang dapat dilakukan untuk meningkatkan ketahanan terhadap pandemi Covid-19 di tingkat daerah adalah dengan meningkatkan kapasitas adaptif, terutama mendorong kegiatan perekonomian di tingkat desa melalui peningkatan unit usaha dan skala usaha Badan Usaha Milik Desa, perluasan jangkauan sinyal internet, dan mendorong perluasan dari jaringan layanan pengiriman barang.

PurposeThis qualitative research aimed to explore the relationship between adaptive dynamic capabilities and resident loyalty formation among African-ethnic restaurants (AERs) during COVID-19 in East Africa.Design/methodology/approachAnchored on the dynamic capabilities perspective, the study uses eight case studies to obtain data based on restaurant owner-managers' lived experiences.FindingsThe paper presents six factors: (1) sensory quality promise, (2) service personalization declaration, (3) openness of technology adoption, (4) healthy food and safety assurance, (5) authenticity pledge and (6) diversity provision as prerequisites for resident loyalty formation. The findings suggest adaptive capacity as an appropriate alternative for stimulating resident loyalty formation during difficult times.Practical implicationsThe findings help managers in formulating strategies that facilitate residents' display of willingness to revisit and/or recommend others. The local restaurants can now keep modifying and adjusting their practices and processes so as to exhibit the ability to handle customer unique demands during difficult times.Originality/valueThrough this work, a model of adaptive capabilities as enablers of resident loyalty formation is proposed, hence contributing the existing body of knowledge.

Adolescents with burn injury are vulnerable to psychosocial dysfunction because of the complex nature of their neurobiological, cognitive, and interpersonal changes that occur during this developmental stage. Physical differences in appearance also make these adolescents prone to peer bullying and at further risk for social functioning challenges. These social functioning challenges may involve underlying difficulties with cognitive functions needed to support adaptive social functioning and can present as social isolation, inappropriate social behaviors, or social anxiety. Promoting social participation is a recognized intervention to support positive mental health and is necessary for identity formation during transition into adulthood. This guideline describes assessment and intervention for adolescents with burn injury to improve adaptive capacities and facilitate social participation. Assessment of social-cognitive skills, resilience, and behavioral indicators of adaptive social functioning are discussed. A cognitive-approach to intervention is also described. The goal of this guideline is to enable occupational therapists to provide psychosocial assessment and intervention to adolescents with burn injury. We hope that this guideline is an impetus for evidence-based practice on the role occupational therapists can contribute to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and provide more comprehensive patient care for this population.

Objectives Research on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among older adults has primarily focused on relatively acute virus outcomes, but it is likely financial hardships during this time have eroded the adaptive capacity of older adults. It is also possible these impacts vary by race and ethnicity. We examine changes in psychological resilience (PR) among older adults before and during the pandemic to determine whether financial hardships and other stressors have altered this resource for White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Method Using the COVID-19 module released by the Health and Retirement Study (n = 735), we examined changes in PR between 2016 and 2020 related to financial hardships during COVID-19. We tested interactions to determine whether the effects were patterned by race and ethnicity. Results Consistent with previous literature, resilience was relatively stable during this time on average. Financial hardship during COVID-19 diminished resilience, but this effect was concentrated primarily among White Americans. Discussion The results suggest that PR is a relatively stable resource in later life, even during the pandemic. However, this resource may be affected in the face of specific challenges in later life. Policies related to financial hardship during the pandemic should be seen as supporting the capacity for older adults to adapt to current as well as future challenges.

Aim. The aim of the study was to diagnose and study the severity of impaired adaptive capacity in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus using the method of assessment of time intervals. Material and methods. The study included 54 adolescents, aged 14 to 18 years. 27 adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus, who were urgently hospitalized in the intensive care unit in a serious condition, constituted the study group, the other 27 adolescents who were hospitalized for planned surgical intervention constituted the control group (conditionally healthy children). The diagnosis of type I diabetes mellitus was confirmed by clinical and laboratory data (hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, impaired level of consciousness (deafening-sore). Study protocol: psychophysiological testing in adolescents was performed using the original «Rhythm» program, which presented patients with a reference sequence of sound signals and pauses between them, after which the patients played back the sound sequence using a personal computer. Adolescents in the study group were tested after diabetic ketoacidosis had subsided, glycemia had stabilized, and the level of consciousness had normalized (3–5 days after admission). The control group was tested upon admission to thehospital for planned treatment. Significance of the total index of deviations from the specified reference was determined using Student’s t-criterion. Results and discussion. Significant adaptation disorders were detected both in the study group and in the control group. However, in children with diabetes mellitus these disorders were more pronounced due to a greater shortening of the total duration of the cycle, as well as a greater aggregate index of deviations from the duration of set signals and pauses as compared to the «reference standard». Conclusion. The findings support the hypothesis that impaired adaptation mechanisms as a manifestation of desynchronization of biological rhythms may lie in the mechanism of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus development.

Research shows that community-based adaptation (CBA) can empower grassroots agents to determine their preferred responses to climate change. After two decades of practice, recent analysis is highlighting that CBA has its limits, which we argue is in part because it is predicated on an idea of ‘the communal’ as being local, static, and spatially distinct. We investigate the relationship between the nature of community and the successful implementation of CBA through an ethnographic longitudinal study in Namdrik in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. We show that the Namdrik community is best understood as a spatially dynamic network of actors whose sense of shared purpose and capacity to act varies over time in response to demographic, economic and political circumstances. These processes at times weaken the shared commitment necessary for collective action on adaptation, especially as the material support and leadership that initiated CBA in Namdrik has waned. In such circumstances, the success of CBA is spatiotemporally contingent, and depends heavily on the persistence of factors that sustain shared commitment to the task, which most often means ongoing financial and technical support for activities and for community leaders.

The Central Himalayan region is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change and characterized by regional climatic conditions. The livelihood of the mountain communities across the Himalaya is at risk owing to the consequences of variable precipitation patterns. There exists limited empirical research on precipitation variability due to inadequate hydro-meteorological stations at highaltitude regions. The study uses a novel methodology which integrates precipitation variability with resource sensitivity over the three verticals of Central Himalaya: Himadri, Himachal and Shivaliks and across four major river basins: Yamuna, Upper Ganga, Ghaghar and Ramganga. The magnitude of the significant precipitation trends was estimated through time series analysis at a 95% confidence interval. To assess the sensitivity of natural resources (forest, water and land) and human resources, fourteen mountain-specific indicators were identified which captured resource index using data standardization and principal component analysis. Sen’s slope and Resource index were plotted in a 2D Cartesian coordinate to draw precipitation-resource quadrants with their effective coverage area: High Precipitation and Scarce Resources (35.92%); Low Precipitation and Abundant Resources (30.10%); Low Precipitation and Scarce Resources (22.33%) and High Precipitation and Abundant Resources (11.65%). This helped in developing quadrant-specific adaptation strategies under regional variability of precipitation. The methodology and the research findings will certainly assist water experts, resource managers and policy makers to strengthen adaptive capacity and improve the resilience of vulnerable communities across Himalaya.

The independent and synergic impacts of climatic change and capitalist expansion may render pastoral social-ecological systems extinct. Climatic change compromises rangelands, while economic development fosters conversion of pastoral land into territories for capitalist expansion. Pastoralists’ institutions regulate decision-making to socio-environmental change and shape adaptive responses, enabling mobile livestock rearing for using multiple grazing areas, and households’ diverse income sources. These institutions are characterized by flexibility, such as mixed individual-collective water and land tenure regimes. However, capitalist-led reduction of land-based resources, the push for privatization and commodification of land and livestock hinder flexibility, and undermine pastoralists’ institutions for decision-making; ultimately creating challenges for pastoralists’ adaptive capacity. Research on the compound effects of the expanding global economy and climate change on pastoral social-ecological systems is needed to inform efforts constraining unregulated capitalist expansion, and policies for water and land security. Research, practice, and policies will improve pastoral social-ecological systems adaptability and resilience.