The vegetation in constructed wetlands (CWs) plays an important role in wastewater treatment. Popularly, the common emergent plants in CWs have been vegetation of natural wetlands. However, there are ornamental flowering plants that have some physiological characteristics similar to the plants of natural wetlands that can stimulate the removal of pollutants in wastewater treatments; such importance in CWs is described here. A literature survey of 87 CWs from 21 countries showed that the four most commonly used flowering ornamental vegetation genera were Canna, Iris, Heliconia and Zantedeschia. In terms of geographical location, Canna spp. is commonly found in Asia, Zantedeschia spp. is frequent in Mexico (a country in North America), Iris is most commonly used in Asia, Europe and North America, and species of the Heliconia genus are commonly used in Asia and parts of the Americas (Mexico, Central and South America). This review also compares the use of ornamental plants versus natural wetland plants and systems without plants for removing pollutants (organic matter, nitrogen, nitrogen and phosphorous compounds). The removal efficiency was similar between flowering ornamental and natural wetland plants. However, pollutant removal was better when using ornamental plants than in unplanted CWs. The use of ornamental flowering plants in CWs is an excellent option, and efforts should be made to increase the adoption of these system types and use them in domiciliary, rural and urban areas.

The effects of Canna indica (P1), Pontederia sagittata (P2), and Spathiphyllum wallisii (P3) growing in different filter media materials (12 using porous river rock and 12 using tepezyl) on the seasonal removal of pollutants of wastewater using fill-and-drain constructed wetlands (FD-CWs) were investigated during 12 months. Three units of every media were planted with one plant of P1, P2, and P3, and three were kept unplanted. C. indica was the plant with higher growth than the other species, in both filter media. The species with more flower production were: C. indica > P. sagittate > S. wallisii. Reflecting similarly in the biomass of the plants, C. indica and P. sagittata showed more quantity of aerial and below ground biomass productivity than S. wallisii. With respect to the removal efficiency, both porous media were efficient in terms of pollutant removal performance (p > 0.05). However, removal efficiency showed a dependence on ornamental plants. The higher removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrates (NO3−-N), ammonium (NH4+-N), and phosphates (PO4−3-P) oscillated between 81% to 83%, 80% to 84%, 61% to 69%, 61% to 68%, 65% to 71%, 62% to 68%, and 66% to 69%, respectively, in P1 and P2, removals 15% to 30% higher than P3. The removal in planted microcosms was significantly higher than the unplanted control units (p = 0.023). Nitrogen and phosphorous compounds were highly removed (60%–80%) because in typical CWs, such pollutant removals are usually smaller, indicating the importance of FD-CWs on wastewater treatments using porous river rock and tepezyl as porous filter media. (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), (NO3−-N), (NH4+-N), (TKN), and (PO4−3-P).

Sustainable development implies the proper use of natural resources, such as water resources, but the environmental, economic, and social benefits should also be considered. In the water sector, for example, sanitation is one of the challenges that arise in rural localities. However, issues related to it may be solved with the use of constructed wetlands (CWs), which may allow the cultivation of ornamental plants with phytoremediation properties. Through a content analysis, the environmental, economic, and social potential of ornamental species used in Mexico for phytoremediation in CWs is documented in this study. The environmental potential of the plants was considered based on their phytoremediation properties. The economic potential was determined from research articles and from the National Agri-Food Information System. The social potential was analyzed considering the ornamental and artisanal use of the plants. In total, 21 species of phytoremediation plants were identified. Anthurium andreanum and Zantedeschia aethiopica stand out for their commercial value, reported in 2018 to be 272,875 and 30,318 USD, respectively, at the national level. The social potential was identified by the ornamental or artisanal use for flower arrangements and weaving. This study reveals that the use of CWs with ornamental vegetation is a sustainable option to clean wastewater, reuse water, and generate economic incentives. Thus, it is essential to provide the community with adequate training for the management of CWs in those sites that lack treatment systems.

Los Circuitos Cortos de Comercialización (CCC) son formas de circulación de productos agroalimentarios que tienen como finalidad el acercamiento de productores y consumidores, la promoción del comercio justo y el acceso a alimentos locales. El estudio de los CCC es un área del conocimiento en desarrollo. El objetivo de la investigación es realizar un análisis bibliométrico sobre la evolución y el estado actual de la investigación científica internacional de los CCC e identificar las tendencias y oportunidades de investigación específicamente en Latinoamérica. Para ello, se realizó un análisis bibliométrico, mediante las bases de datos Dimensions y Redalyc, durante el periodo 2000 al 2021 y se procesaron en el software VOSwiever. Los resultados arrojan un total de 253 documentos y se determina que Europa representa el 67% de la investigación sobre CCC; no obstante, en América del Norte y América Latina se observa una creciente producción de investigaciones, principalmente en estudios de caso, las cuales representan el 25%. Las áreas del conocimiento donde hay mayores estudios son las ciencias sociales, la administración y la economía. Se concluye que Covid-19, seguridad alimentaria y políticas agroalimentarias son áreas de oportunidad para la investigación vinculada a los Circuitos Cortos de Comercialización en Latinoamérica.

Objetivo. Esta investigación identifica las principales características de las redes agroalimentarias europeas como una aproximación de experiencias para la construcción del diseño de políticas públicas en México en el sector. Metodología. Se realizó un análisis cualitativo a partir de información de 14 redes y clústeres europeos relacionados con el desarrollo rural y el sector agroalimentario, asimismo se recurrió a publicaciones, informes y páginas web de las redes. Hallazgos. Se identifican acciones colaborativas entre las redes agroalimentarias europeas y la sociedad, principalmente del sector primario mediante eventos, reuniones, jornadas, charlas, encuentros con los distintos actores de la red y otras redes. Originalidad. Las organizaciones rurales europeas presentan trabajo colaborativo basado en la transdisciplinariedad y la innovación sostenible. Conclusiones y limitaciones. Las políticas públicas para la transferencia del conocimiento y tecnológica en el campo mexicano deben convertirse de una innovación lineal hacia la promoción del modelo de innovación interactivo o en red.