Rethinking study and management of agricultural systems for policy design

There is a concern that agriculture will no longer be able to meet, on a global scale, the growing demand for food. Facing such a challenge requires new patterns of thinking in the context of complexity and sustainability sciences. This paper, focused on the social dimension of the study and management of agricultural systems, suggests that rethinking the study of agricultural systems entails analyzing them as complex socio-ecological systems, as well as considering the differing thinking patterns of diverse stakeholders. The intersubjective nature of knowledge, as studied by different philosophical schools, needs to be better integrated into the study and management of agricultural systems than it is done so far, forcing us to accept that there are no simplistic solutions, and to seek a better understanding of the social dimension of agriculture. Different agriculture related problems require different policy and institutional approaches. Finally, the intersubjective nature of knowledge asks for the visualization of different framings and the power relations taking place in the decision-making process. Rethinking management of agricultural systems implies that policy making should be shaped by different principles: learning, flexibility, adaptation, scale-matching, participation, diversity enhancement and precaution hold the promise to significantly improve current standard management procedures.

Se_nos gener@ mujeres La construcción discursiva del pecho femenino en el ámbito médico

El objetivo de este artículo es reflexionar sobre el impacto de los mandatos de género en los cuerpos de las mujeres en el contexto biomédico. Exploramos cómo se construye discursivamente la mamoplastia en tres grupos de mujeres: que han padecido cáncer de pecho, trans y que se intervienen por motivos estéticos. Mediante el análisis del discurso estudiamos cómo profesionales de la salud especialistas en los tres casos elaboran la distinción entre ellos, cómo otorgan diferentes grados de legitimidad a la demanda y cómo justifican si su coste se debe cubrir públicamente. Resultado de este análisis detectamos que se establecen dos fronteras entre los cuerpos susceptibles de recibir esta intervención: una relativa a la necesidad y otra a la legitimidad de la demanda.

Remote collaborative multi-user informal learning experiences: design and evaluation

This paper presents a customizable system used to develop a collaborative multi-user problem solving game. It addresses the increasing demand for appealing informal learning experiences in museum-like settings. The system facilitates remote collaboration by allowing groups of learners tocommunicate through a videoconferencing system and by allowing them to simultaneously interact through a shared multi-touch interactive surface. A user study with 20 user groups indicates that the game facilitates collaboration between local and remote groups of learners. The videoconference and multitouch surface acted as communication channels, attracted students’ interest, facilitated engagement, and promoted inter- and intra-group collaboration—favoring intra-group collaboration. Our findings suggest that augmentingvideoconferencing systems with a shared multitouch space offers newpossibilities and scenarios for remote collaborative environments and collaborative learning.