EDITOR'S CHOICE: REVIEW: Trait matching of flower visitors and crops predicts fruit set better than trait diversity

Understanding the relationships between trait diversity, species diversity and ecosystem functioning is essential for sustainable management. For functions comprising two trophic levels, trait matching between interacting partners should also drive functioning. However, the predictive ability of trait diversity and matching is unclear for most functions, particularly for crop pollination, where interacting partners did not necessarily co-evolve. World-wide, we collected data on traits of flower visitors and crops, visitation rates to crop flowers per insect species and fruit set in 469 fields of 33 crop systems. Through hierarchical mixed-effects models, we tested whether flower visitor trait diversity and/or trait matching between flower visitors and crops improve the prediction of crop fruit set (functioning) beyond flower visitor species diversity and abundance. Flower visitor trait diversity was positively related to fruit set, but surprisingly did not explain more variation than flower visitor species diversity. The best prediction of fruit set was obtained by matching traits of flower visitors (body size and mouthpart length) and crops (nectar accessibility of flowers) in addition to flower visitor abundance, species richness and species evenness. Fruit set increased with species richness, and more so in assemblages with high evenness, indicating that additional species of flower visitors contribute more to crop pollination when species abundances are similar. Synthesis and applications. Despite contrasting floral traits for crops world-wide, only the abundance of a few pollinator species is commonly managed for greater yield. Our results suggest that the identification and enhancement of pollinator species with traits matching those of the focal crop, as well as the enhancement of pollinator richness and evenness, will increase crop yield beyond current practices. Furthermore, we show that field practitioners can predict and manage agroecosystems for pollination services based on knowledge of just a few traits that are known for a wide range of flower visitor species.

Ecological and social drivers of coffee pollination in Santander, Colombia

Bees and other insects provide pollination services that are key to determining the fruit set on coffee plantations. These pollination services are influenced by local ecology as well as human factors, both social and economic. To better understand these different factors, we assessed their effect on pollinators and coffee pollination services in Santander, Colombia. We quantified the effect of key ecological drivers on pollinator community composition, such as the method of farm management (either conventional or organic) and the surrounding landscape composition, specifically the proximity to forest. We found that ambient levels of pollination services provided by the local pollinator fauna (open pollination) accounted for a 10.5 ± 2.0% increase in final coffee fruit set, and that the various pollinators are affected differently by the differing factors. For example, our findings indicate that conventional farm management, using synthetic inputs, can promote pollinators, especially if they are in close proximity to natural forest fragments. This is particularly true for stingless bees. Honeybee visitation to coffee is also positively influenced by the conventional management of farms. Factors associated with greater numbers of stingless bees on farms include greater shade cover, lower tree densities, smaller numbers and types of trees in bloom, and younger coffee plantations. A forested landscape close to farms appears to enhance these factors, giving increased stability and resilience to the pollinating bees and insects. However we found that organic farms also support diverse pollinator communities, even if distant from forest fragments. The contribution of honeybees to pollination value (US$129.6/ha of coffee) is greater than that of stingless bees (US$16.5/ha of coffee). Since the method of farm management has a major impact on the numbers and types of pollinators attracted to farms, we have analysed the statistically significant social factors that influence farmers’ decisions on whether to adopt organic or conventional practices. These include the availability of technology, the type of landowner (whether married couples or individual owners), the number of years of farmers’ formal education, the role of institutions, membership of community organizations, farm size, coffee productivity and the number of coffee plots per farm. It is hoped that the use of our holistic approach, which combines investigation of the social as well as the ecological drivers of pollination, will help provide evidence to underpin the development of best practices for integrating the management of pollination into sustainable agricultural practices.

Environmentalities of urban climate governance in Maputo, Mozambique

Interest in the role that cities can play in climate change as sites of transformation has increased but research has been limited in its practical applications and there has been limited consideration of how policies and technologies play out. These challenges necessitate a re-thinking of existing notions of urban governance in order to account for the practices that emerge from governments and a plethora of other actors in the context of uncertainty. We understand these practices to constitute adaptive governance, underpinned by social learning guiding the actions of the multiplicity of actors. The aim here is to unpack how social learning for adaptive governance requires attention to competing understandings of risk and identity, and the multiplicity of mechanisms in which change occurs or is blocked in urban climate governance. We adopt a novel lens of 'environmentalities' which allows us to assess the historical and institutional context and power relations in the informal settlements of Maputo, Mozambique. Our findings highlight how environmental identities around urban adaptation to climate change are constituted in the social and physical divisions between the formal and informal settlements, whilst existing knowledge models prioritise dominant economic and political interests and lead to the construction of new environmental subjects. While the findings of this study are contextually distinct, the generalizable lessons are that governance of urban adaptation occurs and is solidified within a complex multiplicity of socioecological relations.

Dietary practices and nutritional status of 0-24-month-old children from Brazilian Amazonia

Objective: To assess the nutritional status and dietary practices of 0-24-month-old children living in Brazilian Amazonia. Design: Cross-sectional study. Information oil children`s dietary intakes was obtained from diet history data. Weight and length Were measured for anthropometric evaluation. Fe status Was assessed Using fasting venous blood samples; Hb, serum ferritin and soluble tranferrin receptor concentrations were measured. Setting: The towns of Assis Brasil and Acrelandia in the state of Acre, north-west Brazil. Subjects: A total of sixty-nine randomly selected 0-24-month-old children. Results: Of these children, 40.3 % were anaemic, 63.1% were Fe-deficient, 28.1% had Fe-deficiency anaemia and 11.6% were stunted. Breast-feeding was initiated by 97.1% of mother followed by early feeding with complementary foods. The dietary pattern reflected a high intake of carbohydrate-rich foods and cow`s milk, with irregular intakes Of fruit, Vegetables and meat. All infants and 92.3% of toddlers were at risk Of inadequate Fe intakes. Fe from animal foods contributed Oil average 0.5% and 14.3% to total dietary Fe intake among infants and toddlers, respectively. Conclusions: Poor nutritional status and inadequate feeding practices in this study population reinforce the importance of exclusive breast-feeding during the first 6 months of life. Greater emphasis is required to improve the bioavailability of dietary Fe during complementary feeding practices.

The connectivity paradox: Students’ use of technology as both help and hindrance, and the challenge of striking a balance.

While there is research supporting the use of technology in classrooms, there is also evidence that technology often disrupts student learning. Examples of technology use in classrooms by both teachers and students will be explored, including the benefits and risks of each to the learning process. Research findings on cognition, attention, and classroom technologies will inform strategies for best practices for classroom technology use.

Investimento gera custeio: metodologia para estimar impacto dos investimentos na despesa futura

O compromisso com a estabilidade macroeconômica e com a manutenção do equilíbrio fiscal do Estado, condicionado pela Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal, vem exigindo esforço permanente dos agentes públicos, especialistas e estudiosos das finanças públicas, no sentido do aprimoramento das práticas de planejamento e orçamento públicos, diante das limitações da capacidade do Estado de financiar indefinidamente o crescimento do gasto. Tais limitações tornam complexa a tarefa, a cargo dos formuladores de políticas públicas, de estabelecer prioridades na aplicação dos recursos orçamentários para atender às múltiplas demandas da sociedade. O equilíbrio das contas ajudou no processo de incremento de investimentos em projetos prioritários para a transformação da realidade social contemporânea. Garantir a plena consecução desses projetos, torna-se crucial para os governantes, na medida em que as gestões são cada vez mais cobradas pela sociedade. Os técnicos da Secretaria de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Regional de São Paulo, que respondem pelas ações de planejamento e orçamento do Estado, buscam o aperfeiçoamento dos instrumentos de planejamento, a fim de elaborar orçamentos que reflitam melhor às necessidades dos órgãos da administração estadual. Demonstram especial interesse na concepção de uma metodologia que, baseada em boas práticas, lhes permita medir e analisar a relação entre o aumento dos investimentos e seu impacto nas despesas de custeio, como forma de aprimorar a eficácia e a efetividade do orçamento do Estado. As tendências descritas e o método de análise desenvolvido pelo grupo vão ao encontro das expectativas estabelecidas pelo Termo de Referência proposto. A consolidação de uma metodologia acurada, dependerá da qualidade dos dados consolidados pelo governo e será plenamente satisfatória somente quando houver ferramentas para a medição do custeio dos programas e equipamentos públicos.

Practices in social media in the travel education business

Praticas na midia social se refere a vista ou a percepcao de uma marca nao so com base em suas ofertas e servicos, mas tambem sobre seus valores e cultura como percebido principalmente pelos consumidores. As organizacoes podem utilizer a imagem que é interessante e aceitavel para os clients. Nos ultimos anos, uma das formas que as organizacoes de forma consistente comercializar ou publicitar a sua marca envolve midias sociais. O ojetivo deste estudo é explorer quais sao as praticas de midia social no negocio de educacao de viagens. Para obter os dados, a pesquisadora entrevistou pessoas de seis empresas de educacao de viagens e cotejadas informacoes sobre o tema a partir de fonts primarias e secundarias existentes. O pesquisador conduziu a pesquisa para determiner praticas de marketing de midia social em que se aplicam nos sectores do turismo e educacao. Com base nos dados obtidos pelo pesquisador, as praticas de marketing de midia social incluem a utilizacao de plataformas de midia social com um alcance internacional generalizada tipo Facebook, Twitter, Instagram e YouTube. Outra estratégia é para postar constantemente as atualizações que não são apenas interessante, mas também informativo sobre os produtos e serviços oferecidos por uma marca ou organização. As empresas ou organizações devem também interagir com os clientes ou clientes on-line, a fim de manter os interesses deste último em ofertas e serviços da ex. O envolvimento do cliente é uma das razões por que os clientes optam por seguir as empresas on-line através da mídia social. A pesquisa também revela outras vantagens e benefícios da mídia social que constituem as melhores práticas, tais como a conversão de não-clientes para os clientes, o aumento da presença da mídia para aumentar a popularidade, a comunicação eficaz das metas e objetivos organizacionais, bem como a formação de um bom relacionamento com os clientes. As organizações também podem usar turístico criado conteúdo (TCC) e outros tipos de conteúdo para orientar a tomada de decisão no desenvolvimento do produto gerado pelo usuário.

Children's labour as a risky pathways to resilience: children's growth in contexts of poor resources

Nesse artigo, analisamos a questão do trabalho infantil como um fenômeno complexo, englobando fatores de risco por um lado e possíveis resultados positivos por outro. Baseados na teoria da resiliência e a partir de uma revisão de literatura, centrada em pesquisas que analisam a própria experiência de crianças sobre o trabalho desenvolvido, mostramos que quando inseridos em ecologias socialmente e fisicamente pobres em recursos, crianças associam sua experiência de trabalho como um caminho para assegurar recursos próprios para superação de adversidades. A compreensão de aspectos subjetivos da experiência de crianças trabalhadores nos permite considerar o trabalho como uma construção culturalmente embasada. Apesar da exploração de crianças não se configurar como o melhor para elas, há evidências de que elas usam quaisquer oportunidades disponíveis, incluindo o trabalho, para navegar em busca de recursos que necessitam e negociam por uma identidade associada à resiliência. Implicações para políticas públicas e intervenções também são discutidas.

Human rights and trafficking in persons in the Americas: summary and highlights of the Hemispheric Conference on International Migration

Includes bibliography

The strategies of multinational companies in 1990s Argentina

Includes bibliography

The status of biodiversity and bioprospecting efforts in the Caribbean subregion

Includes bibliography

Disability and mobility: interaction of two public policies for sustainable development

This issue of the FAL Bulletin analyses institutional alternatives and international best practices for the development of transportation services that explicitly include and integrate users with some type of disability.

Study on the vulnerability and resilience of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Caribbean Small Island Developing States are considered to be particularly vulnerable to external shocks that stem from changes in climate and the increase in frequency and magnitude of natural disasters. Quantification of the extent of vulnerability of these islands may be measured by the use of several indices including the Economic Vulnerability Index (EcVI), the Disaster Deficit Index (DDI), the Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The capacity to build resilience may be measured by the Economic Resilience Index (ERI). Of importance in the measurement of vulnerability and resilience is the impact on women and children. In order to reduce vulnerability and promote resilience, Caribbean SIDS are urged to develop adaptation strategies. Such strategies include the conduct of indepth studies on natural environmental impacts specifically in terms of biophysical and socio economic impacts. It is also necessary to review best practices in terms of preparedness, resilience building and climate change adaptation in other countries such as Cuba. Addressing vulnerability and building resilience requires appropriate information and data and priority should be given to addressing data gaps. It would also be expedient to classify vulnerability and resilience as regional public goods wherein one country’s benefit does not compromise another country’s ability to benefit. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that vulnerability is, in part, is a function of gender so that indicators need to be disaggregated to reflect the country-specific gendered socioeconomic situation.

An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the tourism sector in Jamaica

Climate change is a continuous process that began centuries ago. Today the pace of change has increased with greater rapidity because of global warming induced by anthropogenically generated greenhouse gases (GHG). Failure to effectively deal with the adverse outcomes can easily disrupt plans for sustainable economic development. Because of the failure of export agriculture over the last several decades, to provide the economic stimuli needed to promote economic growth and development, Jamaica, like many other island states in the Caribbean subregion, has come to rely on tourism as an instrument of transformation of the macro-economy. It is believed this shift in economic imperative would eventually provide the economic impetus needed to generate much needed growth and development. This assessment has shown that tourism is not only a leading earner of foreign exchange in Jamaica and a major creator of both direct and indirect jobs but, also, one of the principal contributors to the country‟s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The rapid expansion of the industry which occurred over the last several decades coupled with disregard for sound environmental practices has led to the destruction of coral reefs and the silting of wetlands. Because most of the industry is located along the coastal region it is extremely vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Failure to address the predictable environmental challenges of climate change, with some degree of immediacy, will not only undermine, but quickly and seriously impair the capacity of industry to stimulate and contribute to the process of economic development. To this end, it important that further development of industry be characterised by sound economic and social planning and proper environmental practices.

Report of the regional workshop on microdata documentation and dissemination (IHSN Toolkit)

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the World Bank, conducted a week-long Regional Workshop on Microdata Documentation and Dissemination. The workshop, which was funded by the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the Twenty-First Century (PARIS21) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was held at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre in Port of Spain, Trinidad, from 26 to 30 April 2010. The main objective of the workshop was to provide training to member States on the Microdata Management Toolkit. This toolkit was developed by International Household Surveys Networks (IHSN) to assist in the documentation, dissemination and preservation of household survey, census and microdata in accordance with international standards and best practices. The training was organized in response to numerous requests by directors of statistics in the region for the development of capacity in that area. It was specifically timed to meet the training needs of those offices ahead of the 2010 round of Population and Housing Censuses.