Uso agrícola de composto de lixo: estudo da transferência de metal pesado no sistema solo-cana-de-açúcar.

Este estudo buscou avaliar uma solução agronômica para a destinação do lixo urbano com a utilização de sua compostagem na adubação da cana-de-açúcar. A utilização de composto de lixo (CL) altera a dinâmica de matéria orgânica do solo, tendo um impacto sobre seus processos físicos, químicos, mineralógicos e biológicos, podendo ser benéfica, pois constitui uma importante fonte de nutrientes, mas pode também causar problemas, em médio e longo ´prazos por conter metais pesados, que podem contaminar os solos e até entrar na cadeia alimentar.

Uso agrícola de composto de lixo: efeito do tempo de incubação solo/resíduo na disponibilidade de metal pesado.

O uso agrícola dos compostos de lixo (CL) urbano constitui a alternativa de maior visibilidade técnico-científica-econômica, pois estes são fontes de nutrientes e de matéria orgânica. Entretanto, é importante esclarecer que o uso do CL deve ser regulamentado, disciplinado e orientado tecnicamente por protocolos que definam a sua disposição final prevista em legislação, pois estes materiais podem conter metais pesados, que podem acumular-se nos alimentos e serem ingeridos pelo homem. Dentro desse contexto o trabalho buscou supror a deficiência de conhecimento relativo ao tempo que os metais pesados (Cádmio - Cd, Crômio - Cr, Cobalto- Co, Níquel - Ni e Chumbo - Pb), permanecem disponíveis nos solos após a adição do CL. A estração foi feita pelo método Mehlich-1, quando adicionado o CL incubado em cinco tipos de solos (Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo, Podzólico Vermelho-Amarelo, Brunizem, planossolo e TerraRoxa Estruturada) de duas profundidades (0-20 e 20-40 cm), utilizando-se quatro doses de CL (0, 25, 50 e 100 t ha -1, em base úmida) e quatro períodos de incubação: 16, 32, 64 e 150 dias. A maioria dos metais pesados teve sua disponibilidade reduzida nos primeiros tempos de incubalção, sendo esse efeito dependente da textura, pH e teor de matéria orgânica do solo. Os dados relativos aos teores totais de metais pesados evidenciaram que o uso continuado de composto de lixo, principalmente nas doses mais elevadas, e em especial para o Cd, pode resultar riscos de contaminação do ambiente pelo efeito cumulativo.

Modelo de balanço de nitrogênio para a cana-de-açúcar fase II - construção de modelo software STELLA.

A cultura da cana-de-açúcar vem sofrendo mudanças, de âmbitos tecnológicos e sociais, profundas nesta década, procurando se adaptar às demandas de produção com alta produtividade, competitividade e respeito ao meio ambiente. Apesar de o Brasil ser o maior produtor mundial de cana-de-açúcar, ainda pratica a queima da palha do canavial para facilitar a colheita, o que gera prejuízos econômicos, sociais e ambientais. Sem essa queima (Decreto n.° 42056 do Estado de SP), a cobertura do solo pela palhada irá provocar significativas mudanças no manejo da cultura e na dinâmica do nitrogênio. Dada a complexibilidade do ciclo de nitrogênio no solo, seus vários caminhos de transformação, e as variações climáticas, é difícil a determinação do melhor manejo do nitrogênio em sistemas de cultivo, pois não há análise de solo para apoiar o agricultor no seu manejo. Modelos de Simulação que descrevem as transformações do nitrogênio do solo podem prever valores e direcionar o melhor manejo do nitrogênio, tanto do ponto de vista da produtividade da cana como da qualidade ambiental. Assim, o modelo preliminar proposto na Fase I deste estudo em Relatório Técnico 22, da Embrapa informática Agropecuária, foi, nesta Fase II do projeto, ajustado com valores para solos tropicais e reconstruído no software de Simulação STELLA, agregando-se todo o conhecimento disponível em expressões matemáticas sobre esse assunto. Procedendo-se a simulação numérica em situações usuais, geraram-se como resultados, cenários que permitiram discussões técnicas sobre o melhoria do manejo do fertilizante nitrogenado. Concluiu-se que, apesar da complexa dinâmica do nitrogênio no sistema solo-planta e das dificuldades inerentes à medida de formas disponíveis de N, o modelo ajustado apresentou-se como uma alternativa para pesquisadores, técnicos e produtores no entendimento dos processos que envolvem o nitrogênio no sistema, auxiliando na busca por soluções para o melhor manejo de fertilizantes nitrogenados à cultura da cana-de-açúcar para manutenção de produtividades adequadas.

Monitoramento espaço-temporal da cana-de-açúcar a partir de índices espectrais de vegetação.

Para culturas agrícolas que abrangem grandes áreas, como é o caso da cana-de-açúcar no Brasil, técnicas de geoprocessamento aplicadas a imagens orbitais de alta resolução temporal apresentam grande potencial de mapear e monitorar os ciclos fenológicos/agronômicos das lavouras. Para essa finalidade, destaca-se o uso de séries temporais de índices espectrais de vegetação (IV) como NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) e EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) calculados a partir das imagens orbitais de reflectância. Este documento apresenta resultados de uma pesquisa que avaliou a utilização de um método de suavização de perfis temporais de IV e a posterior derivação de parâmetros do ciclo fenológico/agrícola de talhões de cana-de-açúcar, com o objetivo de monitorar e mapear áreas ocupadas por cana-de-açúcar e de distinguir áreas de cana-planta e cana-soca. Foram utilizadas séries temporais de NDVI e EVI do sensor MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) a bordo do satélite Terra referentes a uma região do Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo, densamente ocupada por cana-de-açúcar. Os resultados obtidos mostraram grande utilidade das séries temporais de IV do MODIS para monitorar o ciclo agronômico/fenológico de talhões de cana-de-açúcar. Foi possível acompanhar o desenvolvimento da cana-de-açúcar e identificar a ocorrência de cana-planta ou cana-soca para um determinado talhão. O cultivo de uma cultura de ciclo mais curto, ao fazer a reforma do talhão de cana-de-açúcar, também foi identificado nos perfis temporais. A metodologia desenvolvida para classificação de áreas de cana-de-açúcar obteve erro de comissão relativamente pequeno (<10%), mas ao custo de erro de emissão mais elevado (>40%). A classificação realizada para distinção entre áreas de cana-planta e cana-soca também apresentou resultados interessantes, com erro de emissão em torno de 4% e erro de comissão >30%.

Distribuição do sistema radicular da cana-de-açúcar em solo de tabuleiro costeiro submetido a três métodos de preparo de solo.

Objetiva avaliar a influencia do adensamento, coesão, e da compactação nas caracteriísticas do solo e, consequentemente, na distribuição do sistema radicular.

Otimização de estruturas de destilação azeotrópica com recurso a planeamento experimental

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Biológica

Food waste valorization through the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates by mixed microbial cultures

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Constraint-based modelling of mixed microbial populations: Application to polyhydroxyalkanoates production

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

The osmoadaptive response of the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae K1-V1116 during icewine fermentation

The adapted metabolic response of commercial wine yeast under prolonged exposure to concentrated solutes present in Icewine juice is not fully understood. Presently, there is no information regarding the transcriptomic changes in gene expression associated with the adaptive stress response ofwine yeast during Icewine fermentation compared to table wine fermentation. To understand how and why wine yeast respond differently at the genomic level and ultimately at the metabolic level during Icewine fermentation, the focus ofthis project was to identify and compare these differences in the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae KI-Vll16 using cDNA microarray technology during the first five days of fermentation. Significant differences in yeast gene expression patterns between fermentation conditions were correlated to differences in nutrient utilization and metabolite production. Sugar consumption, nitrogen usage and metabolite levels were measured using enzyme assays and HPLC. Also, a small subset of differentially expressed genes was verified using Northern analysis. The high osmotic stress experienced by wine yeast throughout Icewine fermentation elicited changes in cell growth and metabolism correlating to several fermentation difficulties, including reduced biomass accumulation and fermentation rate. Genes associated with carbohydrate and nitrogen transport and metabolism were expressed at lower levels in Icewine juice fermenting cells compared to dilute juice fermenting cells. Osmotic stress, not nutrient availability during Icewine fermentation appears to impede sugar and nitrogen utilization. Previous studies have established that glycerol and acetic acid production are increased in yeast during Icewine fermentation. A gene encoding for a glycerollW symporter (STL1) was found to be highly expressed up to 25-fold in the i Icewine juice condition using microarray and Northern analysis. Active glycerol transport by yeast under hyperosmotic conditions to increase cytosolic glycerol concentration may contribute to reduced cell growth observed in the Icewine juice condition. Additionally, genes encoding for two acetyl CoA synthetase isoforms (ACSl and ACS2) were found to be highly expressed, 19- and II-fold respectively, in dilute juice fermenting cells relative to the Icewine juice condition. Therefore, decreased conversion of acetate to acetyl-CoA may contribute to increased acetic acid production during Icewine fermentation. These results further help to explain the response of wine yeast as they adapt to Icewine juice fermentation. ii

Immigration et alimentation à Montréal aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles : essai d’interprétation à partir d’analyses isotopiques sur des populations archéologiques

Afin d’étudier l’influence de la migration sur l’alimentation à Montréal aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, 64 individus de la collection du cimetière Notre-Dame, daté de 1691 à 1796, ont fait l’objet d’analyses ostéologiques et isotopiques. Les analyses isotopiques ont portées sur le carbone (d13C) et l’azote (d15N) du collagène des os, ainsi que sur le d13C et l’oxygène (d18O) du carbonate de l’apatite des os et des dents (prémolaires et troisièmes molaires). Le d18O des dents a permis de définir approximativement trois régions d’origine (région de Montréal, région enrichie en 18O (i.e. Acadie, Louisiane, Nouvelle-Angleterre, France, Antilles et Afrique) et région appauvrie en 18O (intérieur des terres et plus au nord) pour 58 individus, et sept possibles parcours migratoire (N=27). Plus de la moitié de l’échantillon est composé d’individus possiblement natifs de Montréal (55 %). De plus, les résultats indiquent que les gens étaient peu mobiles avant l’âge de 16 ans. Toutefois, 12 individus ont entrepris des déplacements entre 7 et 16 ans, majoritairement d’un environnement enrichi vers Montréal (N=5) ou de Montréal vers une région appauvrie (N=5). L’âge de recrutement des mousses sur les navires, la traite de la fourrure, la coupe du bois et possiblement aussi l’esclavage pourraient expliquer cette « jeune » migration. Sur le plan alimentaire, les végétaux de type C3, la viande nourrie aux ressources C3 et le poisson faisaient partie du menu montréalais. Les plantes C4 (majoritairement maïs mais aussi sucre de canne [rhum]) étaient consommées en quantité variable. La question de l’influence de la migration sur l’alimentation n’a pu être explorée en profondeur en raison de contraintes liées à la contamination du d18O du carbonate des os. La combinaison des données ostéologiques et isotopiques à la distribution spatiale des sépultures, a permis d’étudier un aspect de l’archéologie funéraire à l’échelle individuelle (identité possible), sans toutefois fournir de résultats probants, à l’échelle du cimetière et de son organisation globale.

Influence Of Additives On The Drain Down Characteristics Of Stone Matrix Asphalt Mixtures

In Kerala highways, where traditional dense graded mixtures are used for the surface courses, major distress is due to moisture induced damages. Development of stabilized Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) mixtures for improved pavement performance has been the focus of research all over the world for the past few decades. Many successful attempts are made to stabilize SMA mixtures with synthetic fibres and polymers. India, being an agricultural economy produces fairly huge quantity of natural fibres such as coconut, sisal, banana, sugar cane, jute etc.. Now- a -days the disposal of waste plastics is a major concern for an eco- friendly sustainable environment. This paper focuses on the influence of additives like coir, sisal, banana fibres (natural fibres), waste plastics (waste material) and polypropylene (polymer) on the drain down characteristics of SMA mixtures. A preliminary investigation is conducted to characterize the materials used in this study. Drain down sensitivity tests are conducted to study the bleeding phenomena and drain down of SMA mixtures. Based on the drain down characteristics of the various stabilized mixtures it is inferred that the optimum fibre content is 0.3% by weight of mixture for all fibre mixtures irrespective of the type of fibre. For waste plastics and polypropylene stabilized SMA mixtures, the optimum additive contents are respectively 7% and 5% by weight of mixture. Due to the absorptive nature of fibres, fibre stabilizers are found to be more effective in reducing the drain down of the SMA mixture. The drain values for the waste plastics mix is within the required specification range. The coir fibre additive is the best among the fibres investigated. Sisal and banana fibre mixtures showed almost the same characteristics on stabilization.

Studies On Strength Characteristics Of Soil Mixed With Bio-Waste

Researches are always in quest for finding innovative methods for ground improvement using sustainable and environmental friendly solutions. Theproduction of large quantity of biowastes all over the world faces serious problems of handling and disposal. Coir pith is a biowaste from coir industry and sugarcane baggase is another biowaste obtained after extractingjuice from sugar cane. So the present study is an investigation into the effect of coir pith and sugarcane baggase on some geotechnical properties of red earth. The investigation includes study on variation of properties such as O.M.C, maximum dry density, C.B.R. values,unconfined compressive strength and permeability when these materials are included in soil. Several conclusions are arrived at, on the basis of the experiments conducted and it may be helpful for predicting the behavior of such soil matrix

Salinity-induced changes in the microbial use of sugarcane filter cake added to soil

Five laboratory incubation experiments were carried out to assess the salinity-induced changes in the microbial use of sugarcane filter cake added to soil. The first laboratory experiment was carried out to prove the hypothesis that the lower content of fungal biomass in a saline soil reduces the decomposition of a complex organic substrate in comparison to a non-saline soil under acidic conditions. Three different rates (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0%) of sugarcane filter cake were added to both soils and incubated for 63 days at 30°C. In the saline control soil without amendment, cumulative CO2 production was 70% greater than in the corresponding non-saline control soil, but the formation of inorganic N did not differ between these two soils. However, nitrification was inhibited in the saline soil. The increase in cumulative CO2 production by adding filter cake was similar in both soils, corresponding to 29% of the filter cake C at all three addition rates. Also the increases in microbial biomass C and biomass N were linearly related to the amount of filter cake added, but this increase was slightly higher for both properties in the saline soil. In contrast to microbial biomass, the absolute increase in ergosterol content in the saline soil was on average only half that in the non-saline soil and it showed also strong temporal changes during the incubation: A strong initial increase after adding the filter cake was followed by a rapid decline. The addition of filter cake led to immobilisation of inorganic N in both soils. This immobilisation was not expected, because the total C-to-total N ratio of the filter cake was below 13 and the organic C-to-organic N ratio in the 0.5 M K2SO4 extract of this material was even lower at 9.2. The immobilisation was considerably higher in the saline soil than in the non-saline soil. The N immobilisation capacity of sugarcane filter cake should be considered when this material is applied to arable sites at high rations. The second incubation experiment was carried out to examine the N immobilizing effect of sugarcane filter cake (C/N ratio of 12.4) and to investigate whether mixing it with compost (C/N ratio of 10.5) has any synergistic effects on C and N mineralization after incorporation into the soil. Approximately 19% of the compost C added and 37% of the filter cake C were evolved as CO2, assuming that the amendments had no effects on the decomposition of soil organic C. However, only 28% of the added filter cake was lost according to the total C and d13C values. Filter cake and compost contained initially significant concentrations of inorganic N, which was nearly completely immobilized between day 7 and 14 of the incubation in most cases. After day 14, N re-mineralization occurred at an average rate of 0.73 µg N g-1 soil d-1 in most amendment treatments, paralleling the N mineralization rate of the non-amended control without significant difference. No significant net N mineralization from the amendment N occurred in any of the amendment treatments in comparison to the control. The addition of compost and filter cake resulted in a linear increase in microbial biomass C with increasing amounts of C added. This increase was not affected by differences in substrate quality, especially the three times larger content of K2SO4 extractable organic C in the sugarcane filter cake. In most amendment treatments, microbial biomass C and biomass N increased until the end of the incubation. No synergistic effects could be observed in the mixture treatments of compost and sugarcane filter cake. The third 42-day incubation experiment was conducted to answer the questions whether the decomposition of sugarcane filter cake also result in immobilization of nitrogen in a saline alkaline soil and whether the mixing of sugarcane filter cake with glucose (adjusted to a C/N ratio of 12.5 with (NH4)2SO4) change its decomposition. The relative percentage CO2 evolved increased from 35% of the added C in the pure 0.5% filter cake treatment to 41% in the 0.5% filter cake +0.25% glucose treatment to 48% in the 0.5% filter cake +0.5% glucose treatment. The three different amendment treatments led to immediate increases in microbial biomass C and biomass N within 6 h that persisted only in the pure filter cake treatment until the end of the incubation. The fungal cell-membrane component ergosterol showed initially an over-proportionate increase in relation to microbial biomass C that fully disappeared at the end of the incubation. The cellulase activity showed a 5-fold increase after filter cake addition, which was not further increased by the additional glucose amendment. The cellulase activity showed an exponential decline to values around 4% of the initial value in all treatments. The amount of inorganic N immobilized from day 0 to day 14 increased with increasing amount of C added in comparison to the control treatment. Since day 14, the immobilized N was re-mineralized at rates between 1.31 and 1.51 µg N g-1 soil d-1 in the amendment treatments and was thus more than doubled in comparison with the control treatment. This means that the re-mineralization rate is independent from the actual size of the microbial residues pool and also independent from the size of the soil microbial biomass. Other unknown soil properties seem to form a soil-specific gate for the release of inorganic N. The fourth incubation experiment was carried out with the objective of assessing the effects of salt additions containing different anions (Cl-, SO42-, HCO3-) on the microbial use of sugarcane filter cake and dhancha leaves amended to inoculated sterile quartz sand. In the subsequent fifth experiment, the objective was to assess the effects of inoculum and temperature on the decomposition of sugar cane filter cake. In the fourth experiment, sugarcane filter cake led to significantly lower respiration rates, lower contents of extractable C and N, and lower contents of microbial biomass C and N than dhancha leaves, but to a higher respiratory quotient RQ and to a higher content of the fungal biomarker ergosterol. The RQ was significantly increased after salt addition, when comparing the average of all salinity treatments with the control. Differences in anion composition had no clear effects on the RQ values. In experiment 2, the rise in temperature from 20 to 40°C increased the CO2 production rate by a factor of 1.6, the O2 consumption rate by a factor of 1.9 and the ergosterol content by 60%. In contrast, the contents of microbial biomass N decreased by 60% and the RQ by 13%. The effects of the inoculation with a saline soil were in most cases negative and did not indicate a better adaptation of these organisms to salinity. The general effects of anion composition on microbial biomass and activity indices were small and inconsistent. Only the fraction of 0.5 M K2SO4 extractable C and N in non-fumigated soil was consistently increased in the 1.2 M NaHCO3 treatment of both experiments. In contrast to the small salinity effects, the quality of the substrate has overwhelming effects on microbial biomass and activity indices, especially on the fungal part of the microbial community.

Opportunities and constraints of peri-urban buffalo and dairy cattle systems in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

In the big cities of Pakistan, peri-urban dairy production plays an important role for household income generation and the supply of milk and meat to the urban population. On the other hand, milk production in general, and peri-urban dairy production in particular, faces numerous problems that have been well known for decades. Peri-urban dairy producers have been especially neglected by politicians as well as non-government-organizations (NGOs). Against this background, a study in Pakistan’s third largest city, Faisalabad (Punjab Province), was carried out with the aims of gathering basic information, determining major constraints and identifying options for improvements of the peri-urban milk production systems. For data collection, 145 peri-urban households (HH) engaged in dairy production were interviewed face to face using a structured and pretested questionnaire with an interpreter. For analyses, HH were classified into three wealth groups according to their own perception. Thus, 38 HH were poor, 95 HH well off and 12 HH rich (26.2%, 65.5% and 8.3%, respectively). The richer the respondents perceived their HH, the more frequently they were actually in possession of high value HH assets like phones, bank accounts, motorbikes, tractors and cars. Although there was no difference between the wealth groups with respect to the number of HH members (about 10, range: 1 to 23), the educational level of the HH heads differed significantly: on average, heads of poor HH had followed education for 3 years, compared to 6 years for well off HH and 8 years for rich HH. About 40% of the poor and well off HH also had off-farm incomes, while the percentage was much higher - two thirds (67%) - for the rich HH. The majority of the HH were landless (62%); the rest (55 HH) possessed agricultural land from 0.1 to 10.1 ha (average 2.8 ha), where they were growing green fodder: maize, sorghum and pearl millet in summer; berseem, sugar cane and wheat were grown in winter. Dairy animals accounted for about 60% of the herds; the number of dairy animals per HH ranged from 2 to 50 buffaloes (Nili-Ravi breed) and from 0 to 20 cows (mostly crossbred, also Sahiwal). About 37% (n=54) of the HH did not keep cattle. About three quarters of the dairy animals were lactating. The majority of the people taking care of the animals were family workers; 17.3% were hired labourers (exclusively male), employed by 11 rich and 32 well off HH; none of the poor HH employed workers, but the percentages were 33.7% for the well off and 91.7% for the rich HH. The total number of workers increased significantly with increasing wealth (poor: 2.0; well off:2.5; rich: 3.4). Overall, 69 female labourers were recorded, making up 16.8% of employed workers and one fourth of the HH’s own labourers. Apparently, their only duty was to clean the animals´ living areas; only one of them was also watering and showering the animals. Poor HH relied more on female workers than the other two groups: 27.1% of the workers of poor HH were women, but only 14.8% and 6.8% of the labour force of well off and rich HH were female. Two thirds (70%) of the HH sold milk to dhodis (middlemen) and one third (35%) to neighbours; three HH (2%) did doorstep delivery and one HH (1%) had its own shop. The 91 HH keeping both species usually sold mixed milk (97%). Clients for mixed and pure buffalo milk were dhodis (78%, respectively 59%) and neighbours (28%, respectively 47%). The highest milk prices per liter (Pakistani Rupees, 100 PKR @ 0.8 Euro) were paid by alternative clients (44 PKR; 4 HH), followed by neighbours (40 PKR, 50 HH); dhodis paid lower prices (36 PKR, 99 HH). Prices for pure buffalo and mixed milk did not differ significantly. However, HH obtaining the maximum price from the respective clients for the respective type of milk got between 20% (mixed milk, alternative clients) and 68% (mixed milk, dhodi) more than HH fetching the minimum price. Some HH (19%) reported 7% higher prices for the current summer than the preceding winter. Amount of milk sold and distance from the HH to the city center did not influence milk prices. Respondents usually named problems that directly affected their income and that were directly and constantly visible to them, such as high costs, little space and fodder shortages. Other constraints that are only influencing their income indirectly, e.g. the relatively low genetic potential of their animals due to neglected breeding as well as the short- and long-term health problems correlated with imbalanced feeding and insufficient health care, were rarely named. The same accounts for problems accompanying improper dung management (storage, disposal, burning instead of recycling) for the environment and human health. Most of the named problems are linked to each other and should be addressed within the context of the entire system. Therefore, further research should focus on systematic investigations and improvement options, taking a holistic and interdisciplinary approach instead of only working in single fields. Concerted efforts of dairy farmers, researchers, NGOs and political decision makers are necessary to create an economic, ecological and social framework that allows dairy production to serve the entire society. For this, different improvement options should be tested in terms of their impact on environment and income of the farmers, as well as feasibility and sustainability in the peri-urban zones of Faisalabad.

Diseño de un plan de mejoramiento para el sector panelero en el municipio de Santana - Boyacá

El siguiente trabajo de grado se desarrolla para el sector panelero en el municipio de Santana – Boyacá, ubicado en la Hoya del Río Suárez, lugar en donde la producción de panela constituye la actividad económica más importante de la región. El objetivo del trabajo es la formulación de una estrategia que permita el fortalecimiento de dicho sector, de tal manera que se pueda mejorar la situación actual del mismo. A lo largo del estudio se analizan diferentes factores que recaen en la situación actual del sector; después de utilizar las herramientas del Modelo Matricial y realizar diversas encuestas a paneleros y consumidores, se plantea y evalúa la alternativa que conlleve a la implementación de formas de cooperativismo como solución. Se define el cooperativismo como oportunidad de mejora, ya que por medio del trabajo en equipo y la consolidación de esfuerzos se conseguirían grandes beneficios para el sector; tales como: reconocimiento de marca, mejores condiciones laborales, estabilidad en precios y grandes oportunidades de innovación. La solución propuesta de unificar productores paneleros se compone del establecimiento de un fondo panelero, encargado de mantener precios estándar para los productores y protegerlos de la volatilidad que los caracteriza. La cooperativa organizaría a los productores, además de asegurar la comercialización e incentivar el consumo de panela en el municipio de Santana-Boyacá.