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This paper is an ethnographic investigation of Moroccan rural-urban migration, specifically focusing on labour migrants from the village of Matat in the region of Asni in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The economic, spatial, and structural constraints that bring about migrants' uncertain trajectories, insecurities, and risks are investigated in how they affect the migrants' aspirations, projects, and decisions related to creating and sustaining a family. While the entire region is affected by socio-spatial relegation, Matat occupies a marginalised position even within the area of Asni due to its geographic location, pushing people to search for work far from Asni. This tans local mobility creates a mismatch between different lived realities and zones of aspiration. Moreover, the transition from subsistence farming to commercial and wage labour results in uneven consequences for the different households in the douar (the village). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of the food resource potential of early Polynesian populations focus exclusively on agricultural potential, and specifically starchy staples, despite the importance of marine resources to the Polynesians. To more accurately estimate total precontact food resource availability, we characterized the terrestrial and near-shore marine environments of four Polynesian islands: Moʻorea, Maupiti, Mangareva and Taravai. We estimate the agricultural potential of each island after a consideration of the ecological factors related to productivity. We also estimate the productivity of the near-shore marine environment as a function of surface area. Using a range of fish yield scenarios from Pacific subsistence systems we scale relative measures of faunal food biomass derived from local archaeological excavations to generate absolute biomass estimates. We convert our estimates of agricultural and fished/foraged food potential into a maximum population size based on calorie availability. Moʻorea's fertile valleys and wetlands would potentially generate sufficient food energy, mostly from starchy staples, to support a considerable population, many times larger than the other islands. In the most likely fish yield scenario Moʻorea gets only 0.4% of its calories from marine sources, while the others range from 7–18%. These relative inputs reflect the vast superiority in productivity (in terms of calories per km2) of agricultural vs near-shore marine zones. We also find that population size on islands with smaller fringing reefs, such as Moʻorea, may have been limited by a lack of fish protein. Moʻorea's maximum population is approximately halved when diet breadth is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Slash-and-burn agriculture generates landscape mosaics composed of different land uses. Ecological theory postulates that in these mosaics, the structure of species assemblages depends on both local- and landscape-scale factors, but their relative role remains poorly known. Objectives: Understanding the relative importance of local and landscape variables for bird assemblages in landscape mosaics of the Mayan tropical forest, Mexico. Methods: We evaluated the effect of two local variables (land use type and tree basal area) and two landscape variables (old-growth forest cover and human proximity) on bird abundance and diversity, separately assessing forest and non-forest birds. As species extirpation may accelerate when forest loss exceeds certain limits (extinction thresholds), we assessed forest loss effects with linear and nonlinear models. Results: We recorded 1867 birds from 118 species in four land-use types (old-growth forest, secondary forest, burned lands, and agricultural lands). Land-use type and surrounding old-growth forest cover better predicted bird abundance and diversity than tree basal area and human proximity. Agricultural lands showed the lowest abundance and diversity of forest species, but the highest abundance and diversity of non-forest species. We found no support for the extinction threshold hypothesis. Yet, independently of the land use, old-growth forest loss decreased the diversity of forest species and increased the abundance and diversity of non-forest species. Human proximity also decreased total bird abundance, especially because of the loss of forest species. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the key role played by old-growth forests for preserving bird assemblages in landscape mosaics exposed to slash-and-burn agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we ask: why do people in rural agrarian communities facing increasing migration pressures from changing climatic conditions, stay? We aim to understand why people stay, who stays, what are the impacts of migration on those who stay, and what are their needs for adaptation? We study a population of people who do not migrate from Himalayan communities of Uttarakhand, India, despite their livelihoods being already severely disrupted by climate change climate change and high outmigration has led to abandoned so-called 'ghost villages'. Semi-structured interviews (n = 72) were held with affected communities, experts, and policymakers. Results show that motivations for immobility are shaped by place attachment; place-based resource advantages; social milieu; dependence on subsistence agriculture and gender roles. We find that immobility experiences are differentiated by gender, age and in situ resources. Those who stay are negatively impacted by migration via loss of labour in agriculture, changes in population size and composition, loss of community, in addition to the negative impacts of climate change. Our results are likely relevant on a global scale, to other subsistence smallholder communities who stay despite increasing climate risks. These populations will need gender-sensitive support to adapt in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was based on an analysis of the agricultural, socioeconomic and food production situation in Colta canton, Chimborazo province, Ecuador, focusing on the Puruhá indigenous community. Despite its high agricultural and livestock productivity, the region faces a worrying rate of poverty and malnutrition. The agricultural system, characterized by smallholdings and subsistence agriculture, reflects limited access to technology and technical assistance. Questionnaires identified four distinct production systems, each with its own socioeconomic dynamics. Food consumption patterns reveal a preference for low-nutrient foods, influenced by the mother's level of education. Despite contributing significantly to regional production, the paradox persists: high malnutrition rates in an apparently prosperous area. The need for comprehensive strategies that address both production and equitable access to nutritious food, along with local economic development and improvement of basic social services, to effectively combat poverty and malnutrition in rural areas is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of indicators allows measuring the variables of sustainability, and facilitates decision making. The objective of this study was to evaluate two types of management of the corn agroecosystem: polycrop (PcS) and monocrop (McS). Fourteen indicators were assessed through the MESMIS methodology taking into consideration the 2019-2020 cultivation cycle. A survey was applied to a random sample of n=65 peasants. As a result of the assessment, the PcS obtained 68 percentage points, and the McS obtained 60. In addition, the PcS obtained higher yield, with an average of 1.8 tons per hectare (t ha-1) as product of crop association. Likewise, the PcS stood out in grass and corn grain harvested, equivalent use of land, agroecological practices index, agrobiodiversity index, and independence of external inputs. Family livestock production is an important characteristic of the agroecosystem in the zone and the McS generated higher revenues derived from this activity, with an average of $30,434.30 annually. The proportion of permanent jobs among peasant families was 45% (PcS) and 48% (McS) and the innovation level was low in both cases. It is concluded that the PcS has greater tendency toward sustainable management, which highlights the importance of revaluing this type of agroecosystems, whose productive potential strengthens food sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensity Analysis (IA) of land use and land cover change (LULCC) is important to support policy and practice. We applied IA to analyse LULCC in Sironko catchment, Uganda. Results show that agricultural land, forest, and wetland reduced by 8%; 32%; and 20% between 1986-2000. Between 2000-2016, forest, wetland, and built-up areas increased by 84%, 5%, and 57%. Active gainers between 1986-2000 were bare land, built-up areas, grassland and woodland. Between 2000-2016, bare lands and woodlands were the active losers. Transition to agricultural land in both intervals suggests that subsistence agriculture is fuelling deforestation and wetland encroachment in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional economic activity is one of the important elements in the Orang Asli community's way of life to secure food for a living and at the same time sustaining their customs and belief systems. However, as the global economy is revolving and becoming money-based economy, the Orang Asli community is facing a great threat. Hence, this study aims to observe the Orang Asli especially the Semelai and Semai communities' traditional economic activity and challenges in sustaining their traditional activities. Therefore, the data collection method used is survey and in-depth interview. This study finds that both Semelai and Semai community practices the same economic activity which is cash-crop economic activity and self-sufficiency. Both subgroups do have few similarities and also differences in values and belief system especially involving the traditional agriculture activity. In fact, they are at risk of food insecurity. Hence, this paper highlights the importance of preserving the traditional economic activity so the community able to gain equal access to food supplies and reclaim their rights as Orang Asli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though benefiting from a high potential, agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo only reaches low performances and yields. In South-Kivu, small scale family farms are frequently scattered due to inheritance systems that give a share to all children. So, land becomes a scarce resource in a densely populated area. The socioeconomic and political elites benefit from this situation and accumulate land resources, while the churches are the heirs of former colonial concessions. Unfortunately, the land belonging to the large landowners is not valorized; it is often hired to small-scale farmers with less than 0.5 ha. These farmers use low quantities of inputs and are oriented towards subsistence agriculture. To valorize the high agricultural potential of this area, the solution is perhaps not a land reform and the distribution of plots to small-scale farmers, but to make agriculture more profitable and a wealth producer for the whole community. To do so, the archdiocese certainly has a role to play. The vision of religious authorities is that the priests should be real entrepreneurs and support all local initiatives which could be profitable for large groups of citizens. During workshops organized in 2021, people in charge of the parishes reported the agricultural activities which are already organized and the new opportunities they identified, proving that a bottomup peasant movement could enhance rural development. Future agricultural practices should lead to sustainable agriculture, with high yields and better income for the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the influence of temporary international labor migration on rural dynamics in Nepal, revealing that households with migrants are 50% more likely to leave agricultural land fallow. Topics include the promotion of agricultural intensification technologies and livelihood diversification, with potential implications for increased food insecurity stemming from land fallowing, despite possible improvements through agricultural intensification.

Subsistence agriculture—the cultivation of subsistence cereals including millets, oilseeds, and pulses is the major occupation and source of livelihood of people of the Garhwal region. Over time, the production and yield of subsistence agriculture have reduced drastically. This study examines the practices of subsistence agriculture, the major drivers of declining agriculture, and its implications on the livelihood of marginal farmers. Data were gathered from eight villages of four districts, using a household-level survey. A total of 376 households inhabit these villages. We have surveyed 207 households (55%), who were fully engaged in practicing subsistence agriculture, purposively. A structured questionnaire was constructed and the questions were asked from the heads of households on the area, production, and productivity of the principal crops during 2000–2020. Data were analyzed using statistical methods. This study depicted that traditional agriculture has been declining, as a 50% decrease in the area, production, and productivity of crops was noticed during the last 20 years. The decrease was noted mainly due to climate change, extreme geo-hydrological disasters, crops damaged by wildlife, increasing population, decreasing landholdings, low soil fertility, low output from arable land, mono-cropping, and a lack of use of modern technology. The exodus out-migration, land abandonment, and livelihood insecurity were noticed as the implications of declining subsistence agriculture.

Discovery of the world’s largest known peat deposit in the Central African Basin creates a need for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to undertake a realistic national assessment of peat carbon. In the study described here we determined physicochemical properties of the Buhandanda and Lushala peat deposits, located in Sud-Kivu Province, to gain insights about their structure and functioning and provide a first estimate of C stocks. A change of land use (to seasonal subsistence agriculture) operating in the last few decades has dramatically modified the vegetation, which was originally dominated by mesophilic forest species. Several peat properties (pH, organic matter content, porosity, dry matter, ash and fibre contents) increased with depth in the peat profile, although some (nitrogen, nitrate, phosphate content and air-filled porosity) decreased and others (bulk density, solids density, C/N) showed no trend. The C densities of peat at the two sites were 68.60 and 60.64 kg m-3, our estimates of mean (± SD) peat thickness were 324 ± 139 and 212 ± 109 cm, and total C storage was 0.136 and 0.023 Mt, for Buhandanda and Lushala, respectively. The range of calibrated radiocarbon dates for a 200 cm deep core collected from Lushala was 648–2005 cal. AD, with a high modern carbon fraction (F14C) near the surface (at depths of 15 cm and 80 cm). Overall, our results indicated that carbon accumulation has declined at these two sites owing to the reduction in litter flux associated with land use change. Using the average C densities and peat thicknesses measured at Lushala and Buhandanda, we estimated that the total C storage in Sud-Kivu peatlands is approximately 1.23 Mt.

Peasant agriculture and its agrobiodiversity systems are at a juncture in which two global processes impose significant challenges for their sustainability: climate change and the expansion of agricultural biotechnology supported by a regimen of intellectual property rights over plant genetic resources. In this article, I explore some potential risks these global processes impose on peasant agriculture, particularly on their seed systems. We analyze how, in response, peasant communities have increasingly mobilized around two converging political agendas, seed sovereignty and climate justice. In addition to the political achievements confronting some of the great biotechnology and corporate developments in the context of climate change, community peasant actions implemented to protect and defend their seeds directly contribute to reaffirming peasant seeds as part of peoples' commons and preserving the diversity of the plant genetic resources hold in their hands, which may be vital for the adaptation of peasant food systems to future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to describe and analyze the productive characteristics and the corresponding environmental impact of the small and medium extensive cattle ranching practiced by colonists-mestizos and settlers belonging to the Shuar ethnic group in the Morona canton, located in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is undisputable that there are forms of extensive livestock farming that are more sustainable than others, but we believe that the volume of land cleared is a problem that must be addressed. This production system is based on the movement of cattle between pastures on a farm due, among other things, to the low nutritional potential of the gramalote grass. This activity generates deforestation in large extensions of land. Among the factors that accentuate such levels of deforestation are, on the one hand, the larger size of the agricultural units and the need to compensate for the loss in the nutritional potential of the pastures and, on the other hand, the chrematistic perception of the forests. Extensive livestock farming, especially among the colonists, has shown a great capacity for resilience over the last forty years. This is despite fluctuations in urban demand for meat and its environmental impact on the forest. Cattle ranchers in the region have maintained cattle ranching as an important source of income, a capitalization mechanism, a viable activity in a context of relative labor scarcity, and as a means of obtaining social status in a frontier context. In short, as a way of reproducing their family economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciencias de la Salud is the property of Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Discovery of the world's largest known peat deposit in the Central African Basin creates a need for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to undertake a realistic national assessment of peat carbon. In the study described here we determined physicochemical properties of the Buhandanda and Lushala peat deposits, located in Sud-Kivu Province, to gain insights about their structure and functioning and provide a first estimate of C stocks. A change of land use (to seasonal subsistence agriculture) operating in the last few decades has dramatically modified the vegetation, which was originally dominated by mesophilic forest species. Several peat properties (pH, organic matter content, porosity, dry matter, ash and fibre contents) increased with depth in the peat profile, although some (nitrogen, nitrate, phosphate content and air-filled porosity) decreased and others (bulk density, solids density, C/N) showed no trend. The C densities of peat at the two sites were 68.60 and 60.64 kg m-3, our estimates of mean (± SD) peat thickness were 324 ± 139 and 212 ± 109 cm, and total C storage was 0.136 and 0.023 Mt, for Buhandanda and Lushala, respectively. The range of calibrated radiocarbon dates for a 200 cm deep core collected from Lushala was 648-2005 cal. AD, with a high modern carbon fraction (F14C) near the surface (at depths of 15 cm and 80 cm). Overall, our results indicated that carbon accumulation has declined at these two sites owing to the reduction in litter flux associated with land use change. Using the average C densities and peat thicknesses measured at Buhandanda and Lushala, we estimated that the total C storage in Sud-Kivu peatlands is approximately 1.23 Mt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsistence agriculture—the cultivation of subsistence cereals including millets, oilseeds, and pulses is the major occupation and source of livelihood of people of the Garhwal region. Over time, the production and yield of subsistence agriculture have reduced drastically. This study examines the practices of subsistence agriculture, the major drivers of declining agriculture, and its implications on the livelihood of marginal farmers. Data were gathered from eight villages of four districts, using a household-level survey. A total of 376 households inhabit these villages. We have surveyed 207 households (55%), who were fully engaged in practicing subsistence agriculture, purposively. A structured questionnaire was constructed and the questions were asked from the heads of households on the area, production, and productivity of the principal crops during 2000–2020. Data were analyzed using statistical methods. This study depicted that traditional agriculture has been declining, as a 50% decrease in the area, production, and productivity of crops was noticed during the last 20 years. The decrease was noted mainly due to climate change, extreme geo-hydrological disasters, crops damaged by wildlife, increasing population, decreasing landholdings, low soil fertility, low output from arable land, mono-cropping, and a lack of use of modern technology. The exodus out-migration, land abandonment, and livelihood insecurity were noticed as the implications of declining subsistence agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Agriculturae Slovenica is the property of Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study assessed agricultural commercialization and rural infrastructure development of smallholder cassava farmers in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Nigeria with cross-sectional data collected from 352 smallholder cassava farmers. Crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to compute each farmer’s CCI and categorized into four levels while ordered logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of agricultural commercialization of cassava farmers in the study areas. Availability of some important rural infrastructures were assessed across cassava farmers’ commercialization levels. The results revealed that 13.1 % of cassava farmers did not participate in the sale of cassava roots while 86.9 % of them participated actively in the output market. The mean and maximum CCI in the study areas was 59.1 and 95.5 respectively. The results also showed that less than 40 % and 20 % of cassava farmers in all commercialization levels had access to electricity and piped water respectively. The ordered logit regression analysis indicated that age, transport cost, cassava marketing experience, and distance to market were among the determinants of agricultural commercialization. Therefore, stakeholders should expedite policy actions capable of promoting rural infrastructure development that will enhance agricultural production, marketing and improve the quality of life of rural farming communities.

Nicaraguan campesinos partially resist the commoditisation of labour through different ways of valuing, pricing and prioritising their work. Resistance is enabled by everyday practices, moral ideologies and social norms regarding labour exchange. Moral norms simultaneously enable safety nets for emergencies and the destitute, and allow people to participate in capitalist labour markets with a degree of autonomy. However, these moral economies disguise class and gender conflicts. This article breaks down the idea that market exchanges are only profit-seeking and gift-giving is solely the product of mutuality: labour exchanges are a contested battlefield, where exploiters can portray themselves as helpers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to deter elephants from entering crop fields and human settlements in Africa have used various barriers (e.g. electric fences, chilli fences, beehive fences or plant barriers), situated on or very near the boundaries of fields or villages, with rather variable success. We explored a very simple new barrier concept based upon re-arranging the layout of foreign stimuli already known to arouse suspicion and fear among elephants. Deterrence involved deploying unnaturally scented objects on and across their pathways of habitual movement leading to crop field clusters. Elephants are suspicious of unpleasant olfactory stimuli, like string or cloth saturated with pungent-smelling chilli oil, old engine oil, or creosote and dislike ‘chilli smoke’. Foreign visual items like plastic bottles, reflective metal strips and cow bells possibly reinforced suspicion of these unpleasant scents and influenced the deterrent effect. These flimsy items deployed over very short distances merely acted as a bluff to ‘problem elephants’ that people were actively trying to impede their progress, and the vast majority chose to turn back or deviate substantially. Thus we coined the term a ‘soft virtual boundary’. We demonstrate that placing virtual boundaries away from village and agricultural lands, forces elephants to encounter them upon leaving their daytime refuges, while still in natural habitat. The suspicion and fear generated here considerably reduces elephants’ determination to proceed onwards to risk crop raiding. When multiple, small virtual boundaries are strategically moved around at intervals, a ‘virtual fence dynamic’ delivers an enduring deterrent effect. In ten study areas in two countries over seven years this technique led to considerable and consistent reductions in crop damage levels of up to 95% in places. Because these methods (i) completely rely on local knowledge, (ii) were exceptionally low cost and (iii) demonstrated rapid results, the ‘buy-in’ from affected communities of small-scale subsistence farmers was immediate and very enthusiastic. So this strategy has the potential to remove the most intractable stumbling block to the sustainability of human-elephant conflict mitigation efforts in smallholder agriculture – reliance upon conservation donor funding for very costly and problematic mitigation measures like fencing, compensation schemes and elephant translocations.

Agriculture plays a vital role in African countries, driving economic growth, employment, and non-agricultural sector improvements. However, persistent food insecurity and poverty among smallholder families raise concerns. Land fragmentation compounds these issues, limiting agricultural productivity and pushing farmers towards off-farm activities, despite Africa's potential agricultural markets. The study's focus is Donomadé, a remote village in southern Togo. This study pursues a dual objective. Firstly, it investigates how household characteristics, including family size and resource availability, influence farmers' resource management decisions. Secondly, the research employs serious games to comprehend farmers' livelihood strategy choices within constrained real-world-like conditions. The iterative and participatory Companion Modelling (ComMod) approach was utilized for the co-design and co-development of a serious game. This involved close collaboration with a local research team from the University of Lomé, a local NGO, and Donomadé village farmers. Various farming systems were characterized, and collective insights into Donomadé's agricultural dynamics were gathered through surveys, interviews, and workshops. Regardless of their in-game roles, farmers prioritize fulfilling basic family needs, such as food security and education instead of investing in agriculture. The study underscores the significance of household composition and resource availability when designing technology interventions or support mechanisms for farmers. Aligning interventions with farmers' overarching goals and challenges can enhance technology adoption. Furthermore, addressing food security remains crucial for sustainable development, as it not only improves human welfare and alleviates hunger but also forms the foundation for comprehensive solutions in the face of climate change, resource constraints, and population growth. This research highlights that heavy investment in agriculture is not the priority for many farmers in southern Togo, despite it being their main source of sustenance and income. Addressing immediate family needs, especially food security, education, and housing, takes precedence over long-term agricultural investments. Given the persistent challenge of food security amidst global uncertainties, addressing these priorities is paramount to stimulate more significant interest in agricultural investment. [Display omitted] • In-game household structure has an impact on the decisions players make. • Regardless of their household structure, players prioritize fulfilling their basic needs before any other investments. • In the context of food insecurity, long-term investment in agricultural innovation is not a priority for farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Andes, the diversification of economic activities among the peasant population is common practice. However, it is not a uniform strategy: as new employment and economic possibilities have emerged, the disparity of pluriactive strategies has multiplied. Based on a particular case study (Amantaní Island, Lake Titicaca), where community‐based tourism has developed strongly, we will compare the resilience of these strategies. The COVID‐19 pandemic, which paralysed economic activities, highlighted that the least vulnerable pluriactive strategies were those that included subsistence agriculture. In fact, this is something that the peasant population itself perceives: although the role of this type of agriculture in the family economy is decreasing, most households still invest time and capital to increase their family's agricultural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the African continent efforts to intensify agriculture have been limited to specific commodities, locations or particular production schemes. The causes for the widespread failure to overcome low land and labor productivity while maintaining ecosystem services have often be analyzed but remain poorly understood. A social-ecological system approach may help to better understand the complex nature of ecological disadvantages, postcolonial structures, limited connect between producers and consumer markets, low off-farm livelihood opportunities, partial underpopulation and lacking experience with the concept of sustainable production as a major impediment for sustainable intensification of the agricultural sector. Nevertheless, recent success stories in agro-pastoral systems as well as urban vegetable and animal production and associated value chains in West Africa, and in intensive mixed-cropping systems of the Great Lakes Region show the potential of stakeholder-driven agricultural intensification. Proper interpretation of these cases may provide lessons for a more widespread eco-intensification of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.

The increasing complexity of food insecurity, malnutrition, and chronic poverty faced by Sub-Saharan Africa warrants urgent categorisation and tracking of household food security along both temporal and spatial dimensions. This will help to effectively target, monitor and evaluate population-level programs and specific interventions aimed at addressing food insecurity. Traditional longitudinal analysis does not address the dynamics of inter- and intrahousehold heterogeneities within the seasonal and spatial context of household-level food security. This study is the first to overcome such limitations by adopting a multi-group piecewise latent growth curve model in the analysis of the food security situation in a statistically representative sample of 601 households involved in subsistence and cut-flower commercial agriculture, around Lake Naivasha. We considered food security as a latent concept, which manifests as food security outcomes in our primary longitudinal dataset from March 2018 to January 2019. Our analysis highlights the temporal and spatial dynamics of food security and advances new evidence on inter- and intrahousehold heterogeneities in food security across different seasons for the subsistence and commercial farming clusters. These heterogeneities were demonstrated primarily during the hunger season from March to June, and persisted in both the clusters and across months, albeit with different intensities. Moreover, our results indicate the importance of commercial agriculture in achieving food security in the hunger season. Our study suggests the need of a multidisciplinary approach to food security and the introduction of well-coordinated interventions for the development of subsistence and commercial agriculture considering the seasonal and cluster-level specificities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Valencian region located in the mountainous hinterland of Castellon, Alcalaten has undergone a series of general changes over the eight centuries considered in the present study. These changes have resulted in different types of landscapes --from those impacted by animal husbandry in early centuries and by agriculture during the 19th and part of the 20th centuries to the current environmental diversification that has produced three kinds of very different landscapes throughout the region. This article seeks to account for the modes and reasons behind such landscape evolution. To a large extent, this assessment helps not only to understand general aspects of Castellon's interior regions, but also to foster awareness of their situation in moments like the current one, marked by lingering uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Native maize and the milpa are used by peasants as tools of resistance in the context of conflict. • Social relations of cooperation and seed exchange are essential for agrobiodiversity reproduction. • Agrobiodiversity plays a key role in grassroots development projects in rural communities. • Civil societies can mitigate the negative impacts of conflict on agrobiodiversity. • The EZLN has transformed subsistence agriculture and agrobiodiversity into political practice. Violent conflicts are frequently associated with detrimental or neutral effects on economic, social, and environmental development; by extension, one might expect similar effects on agrobiodiversity. However, as this study suggests, the impacts of conflicts are not necessarily all negative or neutral. Indeed, conflicts may also create favorable political conditions for the implementation of community-driven agrobiodiversity management. Drawing on ethnographic research in the indigenous central region of Chiapas, Mexico, where the insurgent Zapatista movement (EZLN) has a strong influence, we examine the impact of the agrarian conflict between this indigenous movement and the Mexican government on the development of agrobiodiversity conservation initiatives. Two research questions guide this paper: (1) What has been the impact of the conflict on communities' subsistence agriculture and seed sovereignty? and (2) To what extent has the local seed sovereignty movement—an outgrowth of the Zapatista conflict—influenced agrobiodiversity conservation? Our findings suggest that the conflict has led to the implementation of grassroots agroecology and food and seed sovereignty projects that could ultimately strengthen agrobiodiversity in the communities under the influence of the Zapatista movement. We suggest that these projects highlight two elements essential for long-term agrobiodiversity conservation: first, the strategic relationship between agrobiodiversity conservation and these communities' food security and seed sovereignty, particularly in the context of conflict; and second, the central role that peasant communities play in the preservation, reproduction, and evolution of agrobiodiversity. We conclude that the overall long-term impact of the Zapatista conflict on local agrobiodiversity has in fact been positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Since 2006, the Rwandan government has been implementing policies to modernise the agricultural sector in a top-down manner. Small-scale subsistence farmers, making up the vast majority of Rwandans, are compelled to leave their traditional farming behind, form co-operatives and take up 'modern' farming techniques based on irrigation and state-approved crops. For my interlocutors in a Rwandan village, this policy resulted in reduced crop yields, difficulties in putting food on the table and a visible degradation of their lives. Yet people complied. They did not rise up in protest. They sought to meet the authorities' demands. Although 'government authoritarianism' explains much of the lack of open resistance, Rwandans had their own ideas, values and practices which at times overlapped with oppressive state projects and ended up supporting the state's agricultural modernization scheme. Here, compliance is part of how villagers wanted to project themselves to others and to themselves and how they pursued their aspirations for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore impacts of a demonstration garden-based agricultural intervention on agricultural knowledge, practices and production, food security and preschool child diet diversity of subsistence farming households.Design: Observational study of households new to the intervention or participating for 1 or 5 years. Variables measured were agricultural techniques learned from the intervention and used, agricultural production, household food insecurity (FIS) and child diet diversity (DDS), over one agricultural cycle (during land preparation, growing and harvest months).Setting: Fifteen rural subsistence farming communities in Panama.Participants: Households participating in intervention (n 237) with minimum one preschool child.Results: After 1 year, participants had more learned and applied techniques, more staple crops produced and lower FIS and higher DDS during land preparation and growing months compared with those new to the intervention. After 5 years, participants grew more maize, chickens and types of crops and had higher DDS during growing months and, where demonstration gardens persisted, used more learned techniques and children ate more vitamin A-rich foods. Variables associated with DDS varied seasonally: during land preparation, higher DDS was associated with higher household durable asset-based wealth; during growing months, with greater diversity of vegetables planted and lower FIS; during harvest, with older caregivers, caregivers working less in agriculture, more diverse crops and receiving food from demonstration gardens.Conclusions: The intervention improved food production, food security and diets. Sustained demonstration gardens were important for continued use of new agricultural techniques and improved diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The population of Guangaje, Ecuador is highly vulnerable to cyclical shifts in agricultural production. Current planting and harvesting cycles indicate the likelihood of close to 10 months of food insecurity and increased climatic variability has exacerbated food security issues by extending already existing periods of seasonal hunger. This degree of food vulnerability may help explain the population’s poor nutritional outcomes and lack of dietary diversity. Declining agricultural production has resulted in increased migration as households try to cover expenses. Although temporary migration enables families to meet immediate consumption needs, it shrinks on-farm labor capacity, which may negatively impact future harvests and reduce the quantity and diversity of household food consumption. Greater crop diversity, water retention and irrigation systems, and climate-adapted crops have the potential to decrease the impact of seasonality and increased climate variability on food and livelihood security. However, more research is needed to better understand the best approach and potential implications of these strategies.

Conserving crop diversity is promoted for global food system stability and creating local benefits like improved farmer nutrition, incomes and adaptive capacities. However, little is known about how farmers make decisions shaping crop diversity, and how conservation efforts can be aligned with farmers' goals. This study examines how interacting values, rules and knowledge shape decisions of subsistence farmers in central India. Findings suggest that farmers' values play a central role in shaping crop diversity. Their culinary and health preferences for consuming various self-cultivated crops primarily drive portfolio decisions. Farmers are hesitant to invest in commercial agricultural because of unreliable returns. Furthermore, they prefer to control water availability and land quality as means of coping with environmental change, rather than resorting to crop diversification. Finally, a rich understanding of local crop diversity dynamics questions the ethics of expecting marginal farmers to shoulder the burden of conservation for global gain, suggesting ex-situ strategies are appropriate where in-situ practices are not autonomously selected. Overall, the analysis demonstrates the importance of understanding farmer-level decision-making for wider crop diversity conservation debates.

Introduction. In the municipality of El Peñol, Antioquia, the incursion of small and medium producers to the agricultural export market of gulupa (Passifflora edulis Sims) is currently a recognized reality. Subject which, assumed as a case study, contributes to the understanding of a particular phenomenon: the movement of traditional-local farmers towards production for the international market, an issue addressed by this research. Objective. Identify and analyze the causes and consequences of the incursion of small and medium producers from El Peñol, Antioquia, to the agricultural export market of the gulupa. Materials and methods. The research was qualitative and focused on analyzing the multiple narratives presented by the local actors, associated with the gulupa crops about the causes and consequences of the phenomenon studied. The information was collected through in-depth interviews, subsequently analyzing its content. Results. Among the causes of the global market incursion, the advantages offered by the crop are highlighted due to the instability of the prices of traditional products, the prior knowledge of the gulupa and the opportunity to move towards a cleaner agriculture. Among the consequences are the improvement of family socioeconomic conditions, the reaffirmation of the agricultural vocation of small and medium producers and the high dependence on intermediation carried out by agro-exporting companies. Conclusions. The causes and consequences of productive change have a multidimensional and ambivalent character, a situation that leads to explore the phenomenon beyond its economic dimension, while simultaneously presenting simultaneously its benefits and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 and its associated disease control measures have greatly altered everyday life. The burden of these challenges has fallen disproportionately on women. Drawing on qualitative inquiry in agrarian north India and Nepal, this research note analyzes how South Asian COVID-19 lockdowns have affected women's labor responsibilities in sometimes surprising ways. We find increased responsibilities for caregiving within the household, substantial stress in responding to food insecurity, and growing expectations to fulfill public roles in disease response measures. However, we also find that the return of male migrants and youth has, in some cases, reduced women's farming responsibilities and created opportunities for household togetherness at a time of great uncertainty. We conclude that more research is needed to examine the nuanced aspects of COVID-19's gendered labor impacts to create comprehensive policy responses to address the multiple and sometimes conflicting effects the lockdown has had on agrarian women's informal labor and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]