Popular and Solidarity Economy: Policies and Realities in the Local Context—The Case of the Agricultural Productive Associations of El Valle, Ecuador

The popular and solidarity economy (EPS) emerges as an alternative approach to poverty aligned with the principles of sustainable development; in this sense, some countries in the region have adopted policies for its growth and development, among them Ecuador. The experience of a rural community was shown; the objective of the study was to identify the factors that hinder the achievement of better efficiency indexes, regarding the implementation of policies at the local level, with respect to rural productive associations. The case of the agricultural productive associations located in the parish of El Valle, Cuenca, Ecuador, was studied. The type of research was mixed: quantitative to support the information extracted from the instruments applied and derive the pertinent analysis and qualitative to collect primary information from the actors involved in the study. We used the action research model through the use of surveys, interviews and focus groups. The key contribution of this work was to making visible and understanding the needs of the rural communities of the sector from their development perspectives, respecting their ancestral knowledge and articulating from the academy the private–public action for the generation of policies for governance, effective application of democracy and promotion of the technical and associative potential of the agroecological productive units. The results show regularities in terms of their socioeconomic situation, their mode of action and the impact caused on their productive dynamics by the atomized decisions of local actors in the exercise of governance. These fail to articulate the implementation of policies at the territorial level to the detriment of their effectiveness and efficiency and, therefore, do not bring about substantial changes in their levels of dependence and dynamics of productive activity—diagnostic components that will be used for the formulation of joint multilevel policies.

Amenagement des produits forestiers ligneux et non ligneux dans la region de l’Est-Cameroun : Cas de la station polyvalente de recherche agricole d’Abong Mbang

Les produits forestiers ligneux (PFL) et non ligneux (PFNL) jouent un rôle important pour le bien-être des populations au Cameroun. Malheureusement, elles font face à plusieurs menaces telle que l’exploitation commerciale de la ressource et l’exploitation anarchique de bois d’œuvre ; l’absence ou l’insuffisance de donnée scientifiques nécessaires pour les prises de décision d’aménagement. L’objectif de l’étude est d’identifier et d’évaluer la disponibilité des espèces végétales dans la forêt de la station polyvalente de recherche agricole d’Abong Mbang. Un inventaire d’aménagement a été effectué avec un taux de sondage de 5%. Il ressort de cette étude qu’il y une extrême diversité des PFL et PFNL dans la zone d’étude. Un total de 69 PFL (bois d’œuvre) et 18 PFNL sont utilisées dans la localité pour l’alimentation, la santé ou l’ornement. Les fruits et les feuilles sont généralement utilisés pour la consommation alors que les écorces sont à usage médicinale. Les connaissances ancestrales des populations locales sur cette ressource est approfondie et contribue à leur bien-être ont une des PFNL. Timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play an important role for the well-being of the populations in Cameroon. Unfortunately, they face several threats such as the commercial exploitation of the resource and the uncontrolled exploitation of timber; the lack or insufficiency of scientific data necessary for management decisions. The objective of the study is to identify and evaluate the availability of plant species in the forest of the Abong-Mbang Agricultural Research Station. A management inventory was conducted with a sampling rate of 5%. The study revealed that there is an extreme diversity of LFAs and NTFPs in the study area. A total of 69 LFWPs (timber) and 18 NTFPs are used in the locality for food, health or ornamental purposes. Fruits and leaves are generally used for consumption while barks are used for medicinal purposes. The ancestral knowledge of local populations on this resource is deep and contributes to their well-being have a NTFP.

Agriculturas más sostenibles en condiciones del semiárido: experiencias en el Estado Ceará, Nordeste del Brasil / / / \ \ \ More sustainable agriculture in semi-arid conditions: experiences in the State of Ceará, Northeast Brazil

Resumen: La agroindustria prometía la erradicación del hambre en el mundo, pero a pesar del aumento de la producción agrícola, cerca de mil millones de personas todavía pasan hambre y del otro lado mil millones padecen sobrepeso, con enfermedades crónicas. La pérdida de suelos, escasez y contaminación del agua, disminución de la biodiversidad y conflictos sociales son algunos de los fenómenos desastrosos alcanzados. Buscando soluciones, la agroecología propone principios para las agriculturas más sostenibles, con base en el conocimiento ancestral de los pueblos tradicionales e indígenas. Partimos de la hipótesis de que las agriculturas basadas en los principios agroecológicos sean más sostenibles cuando son construidos de forma democrática a partir de los territorios y se practica el manejo ecológico de los agroecosistemas. Los procesos de transiciones agroecológicas fueron investigados en el nordeste de Brasil, donde fue realizado un proyecto apoyado por la Comunidad europea durante cinco años. En este proceso las mujeres y jóvenes tienen un rol importante y decisivo en la difusión de conocimientos. Fueron realizadas evaluaciones y observaciones participativas identificando los avances en estos procesos. Se enseñan las posibilidades de producir alimentos de forma ecológica incluso en condiciones difíciles como en el semiárido. Palabras clave: Agroecología, Soberanía alimentaria, Agricultura campesina, Sistemas agroalimentarios. Abstract: The agroindustry promised to eradicate hunger in the world, but despite the increase in agricultural production, nearly one billion people still go hungry and on the other side one billion are overweight, with chronic diseases. The loss of soils, contamination of water and shortages, the reduction of biodiversity and social conflicts are some of the phenomena. In the search for solutions, agroecology proposes as a science principle for more sustainable agriculture, based on the ancestral knowledge of traditional and indigenous peoples. Our starting point is the hypothesis that agriculture, based on agroecological principles, is more sustainable when it is democratically constructed from the territories and practices ecological and systemic management of agro-ecosystems. The processes of agro-ecological transitions were investigated in the Northeast of Brazil, where a project supported by the European Community was carried out for five years. In this process, women and young people play an important and decisive role in the dissemination of knowledge. Participatory evaluations and observations have been carried out and progress in these processes has been identified. The possibilities of producing food in an environmentally friendly way, even under difficult conditions such as in the semi-arid region is being examined. Key words: Agroecology, Food sovereignty, Peasant agriculture, Foodsystems.

De acordo com o governador, a decisão vale para todos que estejam em condições físicas adequadas, mesmo os que ainda não tomaram a vacina contra a Covid-19

The industrial manufacturing of natural products for veterinary use represents a major weakness in the veterinary sector despite increased interest and the traditional ancestral knowledge that supports them. A cross-sectional, descriptive observational study was conducted to characterize the veterinary herbal products marketed worldwide during 2018 and 2019. A comprehensive thematic search limited to the 2018-2019 period was performed in the ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, ResearchGate, and Academic Search Complete databases. The investigation identified 487 products registered in the global market manufactured by 54 companies, led by India, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The market segments of animal production and phytomedicines were dominant with 73.7% and 53.0% of products, respectively. Cattle (22.2%), sheep-goats (16.2%), and canines (16.2%) were the most favored species. The most represented therapeutic indications were those intended to treat gastrointestinal disorders (30.47%), antimicrobials (16.66%), and antiparasitic agents (10.47%). The families Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Malvaceae, and Rutaceae stood out because of their frequent use, encompassing 35.0% of the 137 declared species. Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees and Withania somnifera (Lin) Dunal were the most important species. Oral formulations for internal use (72%) and liquids (51%) in 100 mL, 500 mL, and 1 L presentations showed the highest prevalence on the market. The global market for veterinary herbal products during the 2018-2019 period was relevant in the productive and medical animal sector. No differences were found between medicinal plant species used to formulate herbal products for human and animal use.

Design of a Technical-Artisanal Dike for Surface Water Storage and Artificial Recharge of the Manglaralto Coastal Aquifer. Santa Elena Parish, Ecuador

Manglaralto parish communities are supplied with drinking water extracted from shallow aquifers (associated with alluvial terraces) recharged by seasonal rivers. The companies responsible for extracting and distributing water are the Manglaralto Regional Drinking Water Administration Board (JAAPMAN, for its acronym in Spanish) and Olon Regional Board of Drinking Water (JRAPO, for its acronym in Spanish). However, due to population growth and tourism (floating population) of Manglaralto parish, water demand has increased. This has meant that, during the dry season, the water stored in these underground reservoirs is not enough to meet the growing demand. The case study presented is that of the Manglaralto community. The aim is to design, in a technical way, an artisanal dyke (tape) by performing geological-geotechnical studies that allow optimal surface storage and artificial recharge of aquifers for the provision of water to communities. The methodology is as follows: i) Analysis of the technical starting information, ii) Recognition of the study site and the choice of sampling sites, iii) Conducting laboratory tests and analysis of information obtained in the field, and iv) Technical design of the tape. According to laboratory results and the field data analysis, the design of a spillway dyke equipped with a dentellon was defined, which acts as a screen to block the subsurface flow. The rescue of ancestral knowledge, used as a solution to current problems in this coastal community, allows storing a volume of 4,641.88 m3 and an artificial recharge of 15%, with low costs and great social acceptance.

Ancestral leadership: Place-based intergenerational leadership

This article introduces the notion of ancestral leadership that emerges from intergenerational wisdom at the intersection of people, place and ancestral knowledge. Place is a key component of collective continuity in ancestral leadership that reinforces identity, belonging and intergenerational reciprocity. The findings show that places carry leadership legacies and require ongoing maintenance to ensure genealogies of leadership are available to future generations. Engagement with ancestral leadership and its practical application is not bound to tribal and cultural contexts. By knowing the place of someone’s ancestors as a lens into their leadership, one sees structures of accountability that extends beyond culturally bound contexts, and includes their leadership expressed in professional environments. The authors contribute to leadership theory by illuminating how ancestral legacies of leadership continue to inform contemporary generations of leadership and is transmitted intergenerationally within frameworks of genealogy.

La interculturalidad en la sociedad peruana y la formación del docente intercultural

Peru is recognized as a pluricultural and multilingual country, with more than 50 original ethnic groups (Andean-Amazonian), to which we would add Afro-Peruvians and international migrants. However, the country vision has been homogenous, around the European target and the Spanish cultural heritage, hiding cultural diversity. The relations between cultures have been asymmetric, expressed in discrimination, marginalization, exclusion, on the basis dominant-dominated opposition; majority-minority. Teachers have been trained in this vision of the country and have been oriented to transmit information from the Western world and European knowledge, without assessing ancestral knowledge of cultural groups existing in the country. Currently, we seek to change that paradigm and has incorporated the proposal of the intercultural approach for relations between cultures and also for education. The classrooms are now multicultural. The new national educational policy marks an unavoidable challenge: to create a new curricular model to train intercultural teachers, reinforcing in them didactics and competences, capable of valuing and recovering knowledge of cultural diversity, to fulfill the role of educating in interculturality and forming citizens intercultural in a double dimension: to respond to the country and to act in the context of globalization.