Ecosystem services and adaptation for agriculture and food security: analysis of two decades (1991–2011) of financing by the Global Environment Facility

Investing in global environmental and adaptation benefits in the context of agriculture and food security initiatives can play an important role in promoting sustainable intensification. This is a priority for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), created in 1992 with a mandate to serve as financial mechanism of several multilateral environmental agreements. To demonstrate the nature and extent of GEF financing, we conducted an assessment of the entire portfolio over a period of two decades (1991–2011) to identify projects with direct links to agriculture and food security. A cohort of 192 projects and programs were identified and used as a basis for analyzing trends in GEF financing. The projects and programs together accounted for a total GEF financing of US$1,086.8 million, and attracted an additional US$6,343.5 million from other sources. The value-added of GEF financing for ecosystem services and resilience in production systems was demonstrated through a diversity of interventions in the projects and programs that utilized US$810.6 million of the total financing. The interventions fall into the following four main categories in accordance with priorities of the GEF: sustainable land management (US$179.3 million), management of agrobiodiversity (US$113.4 million), sustainable fisheries and water resource management (US$379.8 million), and climate change adaptation (US$138.1 million). By aligning GEF priorities with global aspirations for sustainable intensification of production systems, the study shows that it is possible to help developing countries tackle food insecurity while generating global environmental benefits for a healthy and resilient planet.

The role of organic farming for food security: local nexus with a global view

A convergence of factors has made food security one of the most important global issues. It has been the core concept of the Milan Expo 2015, whose title, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, embodied the challenge to provide the world’s growing population with a sustainable, secure supply of safe, nutritious, and affordable high-quality food using less land with lower inputs. Meeting the food security agenda using current agricultural production techniques cannot be achieved without serious degradation to the environment, including soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change. Organic farming is seen as a solution to the challenge of sustainable food production, as it provides more nutritious food, with less or no pesticide residues and lower use of inputs. A limit of organic farming is its restricted capability of producing food compared to conventional agriculture, thus being an inefficient approach to food production and to food security. The authors maintain, on the basis of a scientific literature review, that organic soils tend to retain the physical, chemical and biological properties over the long term, while maintaining stable levels of productivity and thereby ensuring long-term food production and safety. Furthermore, the productivity gap of organic crops may be worked out by further investment in research and in particular into diversification techniques. Moreover, strong scientific evidence indicates that organic agricultural systems deliver greater ecosystem services and social benefits.

Perception of quality in certified organic pineapples by farmers in Kayunga district, Central Uganda: Implications for food security

In East Africa, Uganda is one of the major producers of organic pineapples for export. These pineapples are mainly produced in central Uganda and have to meet stringent quality standards before they can be allowed on international markets. These quality standards may put considerable strain on farmers and may not be wholly representative of their quality interpretation. The aim of this paper is therefore, to determine the Ugandan organic pineapple farmers’ quality perception, the activities they carry out in order to attain that quality and challenges (production, postharvest & marketing) faced on the same. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out among 28 organic pineapple farmers in Kayunga district, central Uganda. Findings suggest that quality of organic pineapples is mainly perceived in terms of product attributes particularly appearance followed by food security provision. Certification plays a minor role in what farmers describe as organic quality. High production input costs (labour and coffee husks) coupled with a stagnant premium are some of the major challenges faced by farmers in attaining organic quality. The paper argues that currently there are concealed negative food security effects embroiled in these pineapple schemes. It is recommended that the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU) works with all relevant stakeholders to have the farmer premium price raised and an official organic policy enacted.

Evaluating the probability and the impact of a failure in GMPLS based networks

In this paper, we define a new scheme to develop and evaluate protection strategies for building reliable GMPLS networks. This is based on what we have called the network protection degree (NPD). The NPD consists of an a priori evaluation, the failure sensibility degree (FSD), which provides the failure probability, and an a posteriori evaluation, the failure impact degree (FID), which determines the impact on the network in case of failure, in terms of packet loss and recovery time. Having mathematical formulated these components, experimental results demonstrate the benefits of the utilization of the NPD, when used to enhance some current QoS routing algorithms in order to offer a certain degree of protection

Adding QoS protection in order to enhance MPLS QoS routing

In this paper, a method for enhancing current QoS routing methods by means of QoS protection is presented. In an MPLS network, the segments (links) to be protected are predefined and an LSP request involves, apart from establishing a working path, creating a specific type of backup path (local, reverse or global). Different QoS parameters, such as network load balancing, resource optimization and minimization of LSP request rejection should be considered. QoS protection is defined as a function of QoS parameters, such as packet loss, restoration time, and resource optimization. A framework to add QoS protection to many of the current QoS routing algorithms is introduced. A backup decision module to select the most suitable protection method is formulated and different case studies are analyzed

Manejo de cardiomiopatia chagasica : revisión sistemática (1996-2010)

La cardiomiopatía chagásica es la más importante y severa manifestación de la enfermedad crónica, los pacientes pueden cursar con falla cardiaca, arritmias, bloqueos cardiacos, tromboembolismo y muerte súbita. El diagnóstico es tardío, debido a que se confunden con cardiopatías de otra etiología y el manejo se realiza con base en guías y protocolos dirigidos hacia el tratamiento de falla cardiaca de origen no chagásico. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática y tuvo como objetivo responder a las siguientes Preguntas clínicas: PREGUNTA 1. ¿El manejo actual para la cardiomiopatía chagásica (betabloqueadores, IECA, ARA II, Diuréticos, Inhibidores de la fosfodiesterasa, Estatinas, antiagragantes plaquetarios) que es extrapolado del manejo de falla cardiaca de origen no chagásico tiene impacto en la calidad de vida, sobrevida, seguridad, estancia hospitalaria y disminución del número de hospitalizaciones, mejoría de síntomas, de los pacientes adultos con cardiopatía chagásica?. PREGUNTA 2. ¿En pacientes con cardiomiopatía chagásica el uso de fármacos tripanocidas mejora la sobrevida, calidad de vida, estancia hospitalaria, disminución del número de hospitalizaciones, y resolución de síntomas? PREGUNTA 3. ¿En pacientes con cardiomiopatía chagásica el uso de cardiodesfibriladores mejora la sobrevida, calidad de vida, estancia hospitalaria, disminución del número de hospitalizaciones, y resolución de síntomas? PREGUNTA 4. ¿En pacientes con cardiomiopatía chagásica el uso de marcapasos mejora la sobrevida, calidad de vida, estancia hospitalaria, disminución del número de hospitalizaciones, y resolución de síntomas? PREGUNTA 5. ¿En pacientes con cardiomiopatía chagásica el uso de trasplante de corazón mejora la sobrevida, calidad de vida, estancia hospitalaria, disminución del número de hospitalizaciones, y resolución de síntomas? Se realizaron búsquedas en: MEDLINE, Colaboración Cochrane, Trip database, y otras importantes bases de datos desde 1996 hasta 2010, limitando la búsqueda. Los estudios se seleccionaron de acuerdo a criterios de pertinencia PICO y se evaluó la calidad, usando la metodología recomendada en Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Resultados: Se encontraron 21 estudios, que incluyen revisiones sistemáticas, ensayos clínicos controlados y aleatorizados, ensayos clínicos, cohortes y, casos y controles. Estos estudios cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Discusión: En esta revisión sistemática se presenta un consolidado de la evidencia disponible acerca de la eficacia de las siguientes intervenciones: Betabloqueadores, IECAS, PDE, Digoxina, nitroderivados, cardiodesfibriladores, marcapasos y trasplante de corazón, en pacientes con cardiopatía chagásica; los estudios encontrados en su mayoría son de baja evidencia.

COMP6049 Approaching Surveys - Purpose, Paradigms Protocols and Pragmatics

An introduction for students intending to design and conduct a survey. This is the prelude to a practical group activity.

Collection: Security Group 15 The Pyjamas INFO2009 0910

student created resource collection, poster, slide set, ref list

INFO2009 Group 6 - Data Security & the Data Protection Act

Content related to the second INFO2009 assignment for Group 6's radio interview on data security and the DPA

INFO2009 Group 21 - A Poster and set of Resources on Computer Security

This contains a poster advertising the resources. The resource is a profile folder on five topics, as well as a website, a quiz, and an interactive game.

Interviews And Focus Groups: Purpose Paradigms Protocols and Pragmatics

Introduction to interview data, how it is used and how and why it might be collected

Privacy and Security - background grey literature online

Background reading for coursework to prepare a technical report as part of the orientation phase. These items are business documents (i.e. grey literature) which might be read as a prelude or complement to finding information in peer reviewed academic publications. grey literature links and articles to be used in preparation of technical report. See also overview guidance document for this assignment http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/8017/

INFO2009 Group 17 - Team Scopophobia - Security

This is the INFO2009 project for group 17 Our topic is Security. Our resource is a website that contains links to different questionnaires we created to help educate people in various subtopics of Security