scholarly journals Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity among Farmed Stocks of Oreochromis spp. (Perciformes, Cichlidae) in Madagascar

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Nicolas Hubert ◽  
Elodie Pepey ◽  
Jean-Michel Mortillaro ◽  
Dirk Steinke ◽  
Diana Edithe Andria-Mananjara ◽  
...  

The fast development of aquaculture over the past decades has made it the main source of fish protein and led to its integration into the global food system. Mostly originating from inland production systems, aquaculture has emerged as strategy to decrease malnutrition in low-income countries. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was introduced to Madagascar in the 1950s, and is now produced nationally at various scales. Aquaculture mostly relies on fry harvested from wild populations and grow-out in ponds for decades. It has recently been diversified by the introduction of several fast-growing strains. Little is known how local genetic diversity compares to recently introduced strains, although high and comparable levels of genetic diversity have previously been observed for both wild populations and local stocks. Our study compares DNA barcode genetic diversity among eight farms and several strains belonging to three species sampled. DNA-based lineage delimitation methods were applied and resulted in the detection of six well differentiated and highly divergent lineages. A comparison of DNA barcode records to sequences on the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) helped to trace the origin of several of them. Both haplotype and nucleotide diversity indices highlight high levels of mitochondrial genetic diversity, with several local strains displaying higher diversity than recently introduced strains. This allows for multiple options to maintain high levels of genetic diversity in broodstock and provides more options for selective breeding programs.

Author(s):  
Henry E. Alapiki ◽  
Luke A. Amadi

In recent decades, we have seen the rise of the sustainable food consumption field and its push for disciplinary space in development studies. This chapter turns to the original impetus of sustainable food consumption and the question of how neoliberal order can be reconciled with the need to save the ecology. Beyond the fundamental objectives, there is a need to assess the links between the global food system, as influenced by neoliberal order, and the signs that it leads to adversity for low-income countries. A review of relevant literature in the sustainable consumption field is explored using content analysis to examine links between neoliberal food consumption dynamics, the logic of global food politics, and the emerging terminological shifts from food consumption to food system. The world systems theory and the Marxian political ecology framework are used to show that sustainability is notable for emphasizing resource efficiency and equitability, which can be useful when sustainability challenges are matched with ecological policies. This chapter makes some policy recommendations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Macdiarmid ◽  
S. Whybrow

Climate change is threatening future global food and nutrition security. Limiting the increase in global temperature to 1·5 °C set out in The Paris Agreement (2015) while achieving nutrient security means overhauling the current food system to create one that can deliver healthy and sustainable diets. To attain this, it is critical to understand the implications for nutrition of actions to mitigate climate change as well as the impacts of climate change on food production and the nutrient composition of foods. It is widely recognised that livestock production has a much greater environmental burden than crop production, and therefore advice is to reduce meat consumption. This has triggered concern in some sectors about a lack of protein in diets, which hence is driving efforts to find protein replacements. However, in most high- and middle-income countries, protein intakes far exceed dietary requirements and it would even if all meat were removed from diets. Reduction in micronutrients should be given more attention when reducing meat. Simply eating less meat does not guarantee healthier or more sustainable diets. Climate change will also affect the type, amount and nutrient quality of food that can be produced. Studies have shown that increased temperature and elevated CO2 levels can reduce the nutrient density of some staple crops, which is of particular concern in low-income countries. Nutrition from a climate change perspective means considering the potential consequences of any climate action on food and nutrition security. In this paper, we discuss these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 999
Author(s):  
Maite M. Aldaya ◽  
Francisco C. Ibañez ◽  
Paula Domínguez-Lacueva ◽  
María Teresa Murillo-Arbizu ◽  
Mar Rubio-Varas ◽  
...  

Research coupling human nutrition and sustainability concerns is a rapidly developing field, which is essential to guide governments’ policies. This critical and comprehensive review analyzes indicators and approaches to “sustainable healthy diets” published in the literature since this discipline’s emergence a few years ago, identifying robust gauges and highlighting the flaws of the most commonly used models. The reviewed studies largely focus on one or two domains such as greenhouse gas emissions or water use, while overlooking potential impact shifts to other sectors or resources. The present study covers a comprehensive set of indicators from the health, environmental and socio-economic viewpoints. This assessment concludes that in order to identify the best food option in sustainability assessments and nutrition analysis of diets, some aspects such as the classification and disaggregation of food groups, the impacts of the rates of local food consumption and seasonality, preservation methods, agrobiodiversity and organic food and different production systems, together with consequences for low-income countries, require further analysis and consideration.


Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siemen van Berkum

AbstractRecent decades have seen food markets and value chains become increasingly global—a trend that creates challenges as well as opportunities for food systems. Positive trade effects on food security are not always self-evident in food deficit low-income countries. Moreover, whereas international trade may also be used to balance regional differences in climate change impacts and biodiversity, trade can exacerbate environmental challenges associated with food production, land use and climate change. This article argues that, for trade to drive inclusive and sustainable growth of nutritious food production in food deficit low-income countries, policies and investments in these countries must focus on three key priorities: 1) diversifying production and markets to increase resilience to external shocks; 2) enhancing competitiveness and improving market access for local farmers and SMEs, and 3) incorporating externalities in international trade. The latter requires collective international action.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Coulibaly ◽  
Chaldia O.A. Agossou ◽  
Félicien Akohoué ◽  
Mahamadou Sawadogo ◽  
Enoch G. Achigan-Dako

Pulses play important roles in providing proteins and essential amino-acids, and contribute to soils’ nutrients cycling in most smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These crops can be promoted to meet food and nutrition security goals in low-income countries. Here, we investigated the status of Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum, Fabaceae), a neglected pulse in West Africa. We explored its diversity, the production systems, the production constraints and farmers’ preferences in Burkina Faso and Ghana. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted in 39 villages with 86 respondents grouped in five sociolinguistic groups. Our results indicated that Macrotyloma geocarpum was produced in three cultivation systems: in the first system, farmers grew Kersting’s groundnut in fields, mostly on mounds or on ridges; in the second system, farmers grew it as field border; and in the third system, no clear tillage practice was identified. The main constraints of those farming systems included: difficulty to harvest, the lack of manpower and the damage due to high soil humidity at the reproductive stage. A total of 62 samples were collected and clustered in six landraces based on seed coat colors including cream, white mottled with black eye, white mottled with greyed orange eye, black, brown mottled, and brown. All six groups were found in the southern-Sudanian zone whereas only white mottled with black eye and black colors were found in the northern-Sudanian zone. The white mottled with black eye landrace was commonly known and widely grown by farmers. Farmers’ preferences were, however, influenced by sociolinguistic membership and the most preferred traits included high yielding, drought tolerance, and resistance against beetles. These findings offer an avenue to develop a relevant breeding research agenda for promoting Kersting’s groundnut in Burkina Faso and Ghana.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soojin Oh ◽  
Gareth Cave ◽  
Chungui Lu

It is necessary to develop a resilient food supply that will withstand unexpected future shocks and deliver the required amounts of nutrients to consumers. By increasing the sustainability of food and agriculture, the food system will be able to handle challenges such as climate change, declining agricultural resources, growing population/urbanization, pandemics, and recessions/shortages. Micronutrient deficiency, otherwise called hidden hunger, is one of the major malnutrition consequences worldwide, particularly in middle- or low- income countries. Unlike essential mineral or nutrient compounds, micronutrients could be less of a priority due to their small levels of requirement. However, insufficient micronutrients caused critical adverse health symptoms and are excessively vital for young children’s development. Therefore, there have been numerous attempts to enhance minerals and nutrients in food crops, including biofortification, food fortification, and supplementation. Based on several interventions involving micronutrients, modern technology, such as nanotechnology, can be applied to enhance sustainability and to reduce the food system’s environmental impact. Previous studies have addressed various strategies or interventions to mitigate major micronutrient deficiency including iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin A. Comparably small amounts of studies have addressed vitamin B12 deficiency and its fortification in food crops. Vitamin B12 deficiency causes serious adverse health effects, including in the nervous or blood systems, and occurs along with other micronutrient deficiencies, such as folate, iron, and zinc, worldwide, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. Mitigation for B12 deficiency has mainly focused on developing pharmacological and medical treatments such as vitamin B12 serum or supplements. Further studies are required to undertake a sustainable approach to fortify vitamin B12 in plant-based food sources for public health worldwide. This review paper highlights nanoparticle application as a promising technology for enhancing vitamin B12 without conventional genetic modification requirements. The nanoparticle can efficiently deliver the mineral/nutrient using coating techniques to targeted sites into the plant. This is mainly because nanoparticles have better solubility and permeability due to their nano size with high surface exposure. Vitamin B12-coated nanoparticles would be absorbed, translocated, and accumulated by the plant and eventually enhance the bioavailability in food crops. Furthermore, by reducing adverse environmental effects, such as leaching issues that mainly occur with conventional fertilizer usage, it would be possible to develop more sustainable food fortification.


2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gelaw ◽  
C. Pietsch ◽  
P. Mann ◽  
U.G. Liebert

Abstract Childhood morbidity and mortality of diarrhoeal diseases are high, particularly in low-income countries and noroviruses and sapoviruses are among the most frequent causes worldwide. Their epidemiology and diversity remain not well studied in many African countries. To assess the positivity rate and the diversity of sapoviruses and noroviruses in Northwest Ethiopia, during November 2015 and April 2016, a total of 450 faecal samples were collected from outpatient children aged <5 years who presented with diarrhoea. Samples were screened for noroviruses and sapoviruses by real-time RT-PCR. Partial VP1 genes were sequenced, genotyped and phylogenetically analysed. Norovirus and sapovirus stool positivity rate was 13.3% and 10.0%, respectively. Noroviruses included GII.4 (35%), GII.6 (20%), GII.17 (13.3%), GII.10 (10%), GII.2 (6.7%), GII.16 (5%), GII.7 (3.3%), GII.9, GII.13, GII.20 and GI.3 (1.7% each) strains. For sapoviruses, GI.1, GII.1 (20.0% each), GII.6 (13.3%), GI.2 (8.9%), GII.2 (11.1%), GV.1 (8.9%), GIV.1 (6.7%), GI.3 and GII.4 (2.2% each) genotypes were detected. This study demonstrates a high genetic diversity of noroviruses and sapoviruses in Northwest Ethiopia. The positivity rate in stool samples from young children with diarrhoea was high for both caliciviruses. Continued monitoring is recommended to identify trends in genetic diversity and seasonal variations.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1682
Author(s):  
Esnart Nyirenda Yohane ◽  
Hussein Shimelis ◽  
Mark Laing ◽  
Isack Mathew ◽  
Admire Shayanowako

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is an important source of grain protein for low-income countries such as Malawi. Knowledge of the genetic diversity in pigeonpea is essential for an effective breeding program. The study objective was to assess the genetic diversity among diverse pigeonpea accessions to select complementary and unique genotypes for breeding. Eighty-one pigeonpea accessions were evaluated in six environments in Malawi using a 9 × 9 alpha-lattice design with two replications. The cross-tabulation analysis revealed a significant genotype variation on plant growth, flower, and seed traits. The combined analysis of variance identified genotypes MWPLR 14, ICEAP 01170, ICEAP 871091, and ICEAP 01285 as early maturing varieties, while Kachangu, MWPLR 16, TZA 5582, No. 40, and MWPLR 14 were identified as high-yielding genotypes. The correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between grain yield and a hundred seed weight (HSWT) (r = 0.50, p < 0.01), suggesting the usefulness of this trait for selection. The nonlinear principal component analysis identified grain yield (GDY), days to 50% flowering (DTF), days to 75% maturity (DTM), number of pods per plant (NPP), number of racemes per plant (NRP), 100 seed weight (HSWT), leaf hairiness (LH), and number of seeds per pod (NSP) as the most discriminated traits among the test genotypes. The cluster analysis using morphological traits delineated the accessions into three clusters. The selected high-yielding and early-maturing genotypes may be recommended as parental lines for breeding and grain yield improvement in Malawi or similar agro-ecologies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 27-28
Author(s):  
Chinyere Ekine ◽  
Raphael Mrode ◽  
Karen Marshall ◽  
Mizeck Chagunda ◽  
Bridgit Muasa ◽  
...  

Abstract Infrastructure and institutional frameworks supporting sustainable phenotyping systems are lacking in most developing countries, which are characterized by subsistence agricultural systems with small, highly dispersed farms having few animals, which makes performance recording inefficient, unattractive and expensive. Nevertheless, capturing performance data in near real time using digital devices for livestock improvement is fast gaining ground in many emerging economies around the world because of technological advancements made in the use of information and communications technologies (ICT), mobile devices and a myriad of digital innovations. Several initiatives in developing countries have demonstrated that ICT models for livestock performance recording in small-holder farming systems coupled with appropriate feedback to farmers for improved management and decision making is sustainable. More work needs to be done in developing and designing simple, efficient, inexpensive, non-evasive and sturdy phenotyping devices to support the collection of a range of existing or new quantitative data relating to animal welfare, production, reproduction, product quality, feed efficiency, etc. on farms. Most suitable technologies will be those that will support routine data collection to be transmitted in real time/near real time, but can also function without the internet, and can be easily incorporated into genetic/genomic improvement programs with a community-based breeding program approach. Animal scientists will need to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists (software developers, engineers, programmers, etc.) to design these next generation of innovative technologies needed for phenotypic data collection. Efficient methods for data collection will generate a lot of data and will need trained scientists to transform this data into information needed for improving animal production systems. Application of these technologies will be critical in attracting youth into agriculture and thus ensure sustainable systems for phenomics in developing countries.


Author(s):  
Henry E. Alapiki ◽  
Luke A. Amadi

In recent decades, we have seen the rise of the sustainable food consumption field and its push for disciplinary space in development studies. This chapter turns to the original impetus of sustainable food consumption and the question of how neoliberal order can be reconciled with the need to save the ecology. Beyond the fundamental objectives, there is a need to assess the links between the global food system, as influenced by neoliberal order, and the signs that it leads to adversity for low-income countries. A review of relevant literature in the sustainable consumption field is explored using content analysis to examine links between neoliberal food consumption dynamics, the logic of global food politics, and the emerging terminological shifts from food consumption to food system. The world systems theory and the Marxian political ecology framework are used to show that sustainability is notable for emphasizing resource efficiency and equitability, which can be useful when sustainability challenges are matched with ecological policies. This chapter makes some policy recommendations.


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