Search results for "Hunger"
showing 10 items of 1353 documents
Innovation in Traditional Food Products
2016
International audience; Innovation is widely accepted as one of the keys to being successful. However, companies can innovate and still fail if markets fail to accept the innovation. In most cases, the acceptance of an innovation depends on the innovation itself and also on the product to which it is applied. In this chapter acceptance of different innovations in traditional food products is investigated, thus focusing on the definition of the "traditional" and "innovation" concepts from the consumer's perspective. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined to better understand and predict the possibilities of success when applying different generic and specific innovations in tra…
Climate change and reindeer management in Finland: Co-analysis of practitioner knowledge and meteorological data for better adaptation.
2020
Abstract We studied interannual variability and changes over time in selected climate indices in the reindeer management area (RMA) in northern Finland. We present together the knowledge possessed by reindeer herders with information from meteorological measurements over three decades. The practitioner knowledge was gathered via a survey questionnaire addressing herder observations of long-term changes (approximately during the past 30 years) in climatic conditions and their impacts on herding during the four seasons. A set of temperature-, precipitation- and snow-related indices relevant for herding within the RMA was derived from spatially interpolated daily meteorological data (1981–2010…
Are agricultural soils under a continental temperate climate susceptible to episodic reducing conditions and increased leaching of phosphorus?
2012
International audience; Soil science research has probably underestimated the significance that short-term, episodic cycles of reduction and oxidation has had on phosphorus (P) reactivity. Here, the effects of eleven pulsed reduction-oxidation (including wet-dry) cycles on soil P dynamics are compared for 12 soils having contrasting properties and all overfertilised with respect to P. The laboratory based incubation conditions attempted to simulate transient waterlogging of the soil profile and involved repeated sampling and analysis of both the solution and solid phase P forms. An initial increase in P concentration in solution that occurred up to and including the fourth full cycle was fo…
Runoff initiation, soil detachment and connectivity are enhanced as a consequence of vineyards plantations.
2017
[EN] Rainfall-induced soil erosion is a major threat, especially in agricultural soils. In the Mediterranean belt, vineyards are affected by high soil loss rates, leading to land degradation. Plantation of new vines is carried out after deep ploughing, use of heavy machinery, wheel traffic, and trampling. Those works result in soil physical properties changes and contribute to enhanced runoff rates and increased soil erosion rates. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the plantation of vineyards on soil hydrological and erosional response under low frequency - high magnitude rainfall events, the ones that under the Mediterranean climatic conditions trigger extreme soil ero…
An economic, perception and biophysical approach to the use of oat straw as mulch in Mediterranean rainfed agriculture land
2017
[EN] Soil erosion is a key cause of land degradation in agriculture lands; and it is a worldwide threat that must be solved by means of nature-based strategies to be able to achieve sustainability. The use of mulches can be a solution, but there is a lack of information on long-term effects of the use of straw. Furthermore, little is known about the perception of farmers and the economic cost on the implantation of straw as a conservation measure. Eight paired plots were selected in Sierra de Enguera on an agriculture field to determine the effect of straw cover on soil erosion. Four plots were tilled three times per year (Control) and four plots were not ploughed and 0.125 kg m(-2) y(-1) o…
Microstructural and associated chemical changes during the composting of a high temperature biochar: Mechanisms for nitrate, phosphate and other nutr…
2018
Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of the nutrient status of biochar and soils prior to its inclusion in particular agricultural systems. Pre-treatment of nutrient-reactive biochar, where nutrients are loaded into pores and onto surfaces, gives improved yield outcomes compared to untreated biochar. In this study we have used a wide selection of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to investigate the mechanisms of nutrient retention in a high temperature wood biochar, which had negative effects on Chenopodium quinoa above ground biomass yield when applied to the system without prior nutrient loading, but positive effects when applied after composting. We have compared non-co…
Islands of biogeodiversity in arid lands on a polygons map study: Detecting scale invariance patterns from natural resources maps.
2016
Many maps (geology, hydrology, soil, vegetation, etc.) are created to inventory natural resources. Each of these resources is mapped using a unique set of criteria, including scales and taxonomies. Past research indicates that comparing results of related maps (e.g., soil and geology maps) may aid in identifying mapping deficiencies. Therefore, this study was undertaken in Almeria Province, Spain to (i) compare the underlying map structures of soil and vegetation maps and (ii) investigate if a vegetation map can provide useful soil information that was not shown on a soil map. Soil and vegetation maps were imported into ArcGIS 10.1 for spatial analysis, and results then exported to Microsof…
Nutri-priming as an efficient means to improve the agronomic performance of molybdenum in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).
2019
International audience; Microelements play important roles in improving crop productivity and quality. Two traditional methods of providing micronutrients are soil and foliar application, yet the cost involved and phytotoxicity risks poses a major challenge in most global agricultural areas. Nutri-priming represents thus a very promising and viable alternative to ensure that the plants' requirements for micronutrients are met. This paper explores the Mo-priming effects on the germination, growth and yield components of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). In order to accomplishthis research objective, our study is divided in two phases. The first phase seeks to determine the effects of two …
Photoplethysmography for bovine heat detection: the preliminary results
2020
In this study, we applied photoplethysmography (PPG) as an alternative, convenient, and affordable method for bovine heat detection. Heat detection is an essential part of effective herd reproduction management. Currently, there are many different heat detection techniques, but they can be ineffective or impractical to use. Since heat affects local vulvar blood circulation (resulting in swelling and erythema), photoplethysmography could represent an affordable alternative to detect this bovine phenomenon. In this study, we enrolled 20 animals in heat and other stages of the bovine reproduction cycle. We analyzed the PPG signal in terms of baseline (DC component), power, kurtosis, and erythe…
Astrobiology of life on Earth
2021
Astrobiology is mistakenly regarded by some as a field confined to studies of life beyond Earth. Here, we consider life on Earth through an astrobiological lens. Whereas classical studies of microbiology historically focused on various anthropocentric sub-fields (such as fermented foods or commensals and pathogens of crop plants, livestock and humans), addressing key biological questions via astrobiological approaches can further our understanding of all life on Earth. We highlight potential implications of this approach through the articles in this Environmental Microbiology special issue ‘Ecophysiology of Extremophiles’. They report on the microbiology of places/processes including low-te…