Las plantas silvestres alimenticias son un componente esencial de la dieta de la población rural en distintas partes del mundo, teniendo un rol importante en su seguridad alimentaria y diversidad nutricional. Dada la alarmante disminución de los bosques, la colecta de estas especies ocurre cada vez más en ecosistemas antropogénicos, donde las comunidades activamente las manejan para asegurar su disponibilidad y acceso.

This Research Report chronicles the evolution of thinking on water productivity in the research agenda of IWMI and in the broader irrigation literature over the past 20 years. It describes the origins of the concept and the methodological developments, its operationalization through applied research, and some lessons learned over the two decades of research.

First published 2017

In Montane Southeast Asia, deforestation and unsuitable combinations of crops and agricultural practices degrade soils at an unprecedented rate. Typically, smallholder farmers gain income from “available” land by replacing fallow or secondary forest by perennial crops. We aimed to understand how these practices increase or reduce soil erosion. Ten land uses were monitored in Northern Laos during the 2015 monsoon, using local farmers' fields. Experiments included plots of the conventional system (food crops and fallow), and land uses corresponding to new market opportunities (e.g.

Studies on the enabling factors for household food security (HFS) most often used simplified econometric models looking into the links with a selected set of variables. In this research, a livelihood approach of HFS was used and aimed at determining the most significant livelihood assets for HFS in dryland agricultural systems. Elements of the five livelihood assets were assessed through questionnaire surveys with a random sample of 180 households, and six focus group discussions in three communities along the rural-urban continuum, in Southern Mali.

Development partners and public investors assume that spate irrigation reduces household poverty and malnutrition. This article examines whether the poverty profiles of smallholder farmers and the nutritional outcomes of their children have improved as a result of using spate irrigation. The study areas were in two regional states in Ethiopia. Twenty-five users each, both from traditional and modern spate irrigation schemes, and an equal number of non-users responded to a structured questionnaire.

The agriculture sector is the backbone of Ethiopia’s economy and livelihoods. Yet, heavy reliance on rain-fed systems has made the sector particularly vulnerable to variability in rainfall and temperature. Climate change may decrease national gross domestic product (GDP) by 8–10% by 2050, but adaptation action in agriculture could cut climate shock-related losses by half. • Climate risk management interventions and long-term adaptation actions need to match localized vulnerabilities and impacts.

Nuestra especie entró en grupos pequeños al continente americano a través de Beringia hace 20-15 000 años. Compartió con Siberia Oriental el chamanismo y con él la búsqueda de plantas y hongos alucinógenos y, como consecuencia, el conocimiento detallado de la flora y el continuo interés por experimentar. Al entrar en el interior del continente americano, nuestra especie contribuyó –por la caza continua– a la extinción de su megafauna.