Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network ( Rede Amazônia Sustentável , RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.
Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions, and many of them are, in general, nationally and internationally active in respect of matters related to sustainable development. But there is a paucity of research which examines their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level, i.e. in the places they are situated. This paper addresses this need, by reporting on a qualitative study deploying a Matrix, which allows an analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives of a set of 22 universities in industrialised and developing countries. Recommendations to enhance their role are provided, including the importance of pursuing partnerships and joint initiatives, understanding the need of local communities, and making their know-how more widely available. The scientific value of this research is related to the understanding of how the interaction between universities and local communities happens and by shedding light to this topic, it supports universities to improve their own actions. Its implications are twofold: it demonstrates the potential of universities as local players, and outlines the range of activities they may engage with, and which may allow them to act as pillars to local sustainability initiatives.
This paper analyzes the potential effects of climate change on Brazilian agriculture by considering irrigation as an adaptive strategy. Investigations were performed to determine how climatic variability influences irrigation and whether this adaptive measure actually reduces producers' vulnerability to climate change. We used a simultaneous equations model with endogenous switching to account for the heterogeneity in the decision of whether to use adaptive measures. We compared the expected land values under the actual and counterfactual cases of farm households that either adapt or do not adapt to climate change. Simulation results show that irrigation can be an effective tool for counteracting the harmful effects of climate change. The income of farmers tends to increase on lands where irrigation technologies are practiced. These conclusions confirm the need to invest in adaptation strategies to prepare Brazil for coping with the adverse effects of global climate change.
The agriculture sector has historically been a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. Although the use of synthetic fertilizers is one of the most common widespread agricultural practices, over-fertilization can lead to negative economic and environmental consequences, such as high production costs, depletion of energy resources, and increased GHG emissions. Here, we provide an analysis to understand the evolution of cereal production and consumption of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in Brazil and to correlate N use efficiency (NUE) with economic and environmental losses as N2O emissions. Our results show that the increased consumption of N fertilizers is associated with a large decrease in NUE in recent years. The CO2 eq. of N2O emissions originating from N fertilization for cereal production were approximately 12 times higher in 2011 than in 1970, indicating that the inefficient use of N fertilizers is directly related to environmental losses. The projected N fertilizer forecasts are 2.09 and 2.37 million ton for 2015 and 2023, respectively. An increase of 0.02% per year in the projected NUE was predicted for the same time period. However, decreases in the projected CO2 eq. emissions for future years were not predicted. In a hypothetical scenario, a 2.39% increase in cereal NUE would lead to $ 21 million savings in N fertilizer costs. Thus, increases in NUE rates would lead not only to agronomic and environmental benefits but also to economic improvement.
Resumo: O presente artigo analisou o papel desempenhado pelos sistemas agroflorestais (SAF's) como medida adaptativa às mudanças climáticas no Brasil. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de efeito de tratamento (Propensity Score Matching), que permitiu identificar os principais determinantes do uso de SAF's e se municípios nos quais essa técnica é utilizada são menos vulneráveis às mudanças climáticas. Os resultados indicaram que variáveis socioeconômicas (propriedade da terra, opções de financiamento, acesso a informações e assistência técnica) e agronômicas (disponibilidade de recursos hídricos e qualidade do solo) influenciam a adoção de SAF's nos municípios brasileiros. As condições climáticas (temperatura e precipitação) também têm participação importante no emprego desses sistemas, o que confirma seu papel de estratégia adaptativa. Concluise também que os SAF's têm potencial de melhorar o desempenho agrícola brasileiro, já que o valor da terra tende a ser maior em municípios onde esses sistemas são utilizados. Desse modo, os SAF's podem tornar o setor agropecuário menos exposto aos efeitos negativos das mudanças climáticas, tanto no presente quanto em cenários futuros.
O principal objetivo deste artigo foi analisar se, dentre os pequenos agricultores brasileiros, aqueles que utilizam irrigação são menos vulneráveis que os produtores de sequeiro num contexto de mudanças climáticas. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de efeito de tratamento, por meio da técnica de Pareamento por Escore de Propensão, que permitiu identificar a adoção de irrigação e o retorno dos dois diferentes tipos de exploração agrícola simultaneamente. Foram utilizadas projeções de temperatura e precipitação para o período de 2010 a 2099, sob diferentes cenários climáticos, conforme o 4º relatório do Painel Intergovernamental de Mudanças Climáticas. Os resultados confirmaram a eficácia da irrigação como medida adaptativa. Para todos os períodos de simulação, espera-se que o valor médio da terra de pequenos produtores irrigantes seja aproximadamente o dobro do valor de sequeiro. Podese concluir que há necessidade da formulação de políticas públicas que busquem estratégias de combate aos efeitos do aquecimento global no setor, principalmente em vista da vulnerabilidade da pequena produção agrícola de sequeiro. Ademais, dada a comprovação da importância da irrigação como medida adaptativa, deve-se incentivar a expansão das políticas de crédito para a implementação dessa prática, principalmente para produtores menos capitalizados.
ResumoA violência contra as mulheres implica custos diretos e indiretos ao indivíduo, à família e à sociedade, atingindo principalmente as classes de baixa renda. Diante dessa realidade, o presente estudo procurou analisar como uma política pública de transferência de renda condicionada -Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) é capaz de influenciar tal fenô-meno. Os resultados encontrados apresentam evidências de que o PBF possui efeito de aumentar a violência contra a mulher. Ademais, aquelas domiciliadas no meio rural, com baixa escolaridade e com rendimentos relativamente menores aos do cônjuge são as que merecem maior atenção, uma vez que este grupo possui maior risco de sofrer violência. Como sugestão, as políticas públicas deveriam expandir a condicionalidade da saúde para a mulher por meio de ações educativas, como o acompanhamento da situação intrafamiliar, que é fornecido pela assistência social do Serviço de Proteção e Atendimento Integral à Família -PAIF. Palavras-ChaveAvaliação de Políticas Públicas. Programa Bolsa Família. Violência intrafamiliar. AbstractViolence against women involves direct and indirect costs to the individual, the family and society, affecting mainly the poor. Given this, the present study sought to examine how public policy of conditional cash transfers -Bolsa Família Program (BFP) is able to influence this phenomenon. The results indicate that the BFP has the effect of increasing violence against women. Thereby, those who live in rural areas with low education and lower earnings than the spouse are more likely to suffer physical abuse. It is believed
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