A polycentric food sovereignty approach to climate resilience in the Philippines

Enhancing climate resilience in agrarian communities requires improving the underlying socioecological conditions for farmers to engage in adaptation and mitigation strategies, alongside collaborative and redistributive community development to reduce vulnerabilities. To overcome barriers to climate resilience in the Philippines, a grassroots farmer-led organization comprised of resource-poor smallholders, scientists, and nongovernmental organizations have organized a polycentric network over the past 30 years to implement food sovereignty initiatives. We explore the extent to which the network’s decentralized and farmer-led organizational structure; programming and services; promotion of diversified, organic, and agroecological farming systems; and political organizing and advocacy create broadly accessible and diverse pathways for resource-poor smallholders to build climate resilience. We find that the Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura’s (Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Development) polycentric governance approach directly addresses the root causes of vulnerability, particularly in working to reclaim farmer rights and control over resources, connecting local and global struggles, and revitalizing agrobiodiversity and place-based knowledge.

Hydrogeogenic fluoride in groundwater and dental fluorosis in Thai agrarian communities: a prevalence survey and case–control study

Background Dental fluorosis can be a disease of social inequity in access to safe drinking water. This dental public health issue becomes prominent in socially disadvantaged agrarian communities in fluoride endemic areas where the standard irrigation system is unavailable and groundwater containing natural fluoride is the major drinking water source. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in children and to evaluate its association with fluoride in groundwater in the aforementioned setting in Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 289 children in Nakhon Pathom Province was conducted in 2015. Children with very mild to severe fluorosis were regarded as ‘cases’ while their counterparts were ‘controls’ for a subsequent case–control study. Records of fluoride concentrations in groundwater used for household supply corresponding to resident and number of years by age of each child during 2008–2015 were retrieved. Other exposure variables were measured using a questionnaire. Prevalence ratio (PR), a measure indicating the relative effect of different levels of fluoride on dental fluorosis, was obtained from Poisson regression with robust standard error. Result There were 157 children with very mild to moderate dental fluorosis (54.3% prevalence). The univariable analysis revealed that the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children with fluoride concentrations in water sources of 0.7–1.49 (index category 1) and ≥ 1.5 ppm (index category 2) was 1.62 (95% CI; 0.78, 3.34) and 2.75 (95% CI; 1.42, 5.31) times the prevalence among those with fluoride < 0.7 ppm (referent category). After adjusting for all covariates, the adjusted prevalence ratios in both index categories were 1.64 (95% CI; 0.24, 11.24) and 2.85 (95% CI; 0.44, 18.52) which were close to their corresponding crude estimates. Since the magnitude of confounding, measured by (PRcrude–PRadjusted)/PRadjusted, were less than 10% for both index categories; this indicated the limited confounding effect of all covariates. Conclusions In fluoride endemic areas, groundwater containing natural fluoride utilized for household consumption resulted in high dental fluorosis prevalence, particularly in the groundwater with fluoride concentrations of ≥ 1.5 ppm.

Acute Pancreatitis Following Organophosphate Compound Poisoning: A Case Report

Organophosphate compounds are chemicals containing central phosphate molecules with alkyl or aromatic substituent’s. They occur in diverse forms and are used as pesticides, herbicides, nerve agents, etc. Organophosphate compounds are frequently used as pesticides in agrarian communities all across the world. South Asian countries such as Nepal use vast quantities of Organophosphate compounds for pest control in agriculture. Therefore, accidental and suicidal ingestion of Organophosphate compound poisoning has been common especially among the agricultural rural communities. Apart from muscarinic, nicotinic and central nervous system effects in rare instances, Organophosphate compounds are known to cause pancreatitis.

Efektivitas Komunikasi Penyuluh Pertanian dalam Program Jaringan Irigasi Air Dangkal di Kecamatan Cepu, Kabupaten Blora

Water management for agriculture through the development of surface irrigation and ground water has been carried out by agrarian communities to produce food. Mismanagement on water resources has possibility in causing damage to the ecological system, leading to the inability of nature to support human existence. In 2019, Cepu District received assistance namely Surface Irrigational System program and thereby this program was assisted by extension agents. To what extent the agricultural extension workers had communicated effectively in assisting this program and supporting environmentally friendly water management is an interesting discussion. This study aimed at determining the communication effectiveness of agricultural extension workers in assisting Surface Irrigational System program in Cepu District, Blora Regency and giving recommendation to improve the communication effectiveness between agricultural extension workers and farmers in conducting the program. Technically, this research used qualitative and quantitative method in descriptive design. The results indicated that extension agents who assisted the Surface Irrigational System program performed effective communication (74,01%) as they were able to improve farmers' networks and connectivity, provide farmers with easier and cheaper access to extension services; conduct regular farmers meetings; deliver programs or subsidies that motivate farmers; mobilize farmers to support agricultural activities; and develop participatory activities.

A Remote Surveillance System for the Detection of Farmland Invasion by Cattle in Sub-Saharan African Country

Farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria mainly involves disputes over land between agrarian communities and nomadic Fulani herdsmen resulting to loss of farmlands and crops, which consequently affects the nation's economy. Engagement of local security operatives in stopping this menace of the herders have proved abortive. Hence, this work proposes a farmland surveillance-alert system using unmanned aerial vehicles for the detection of cattle presence on farmlands as a solution to curbing the problem of farm invasion and destruction. The technique modifies CNN-YOLOV2 architecture, the outcome was accessed with DJI phantom 4 captured 656 images for the detection of cattle invasion. The system on detecting cattle presence above a threshold level sends SMS to farmer’s designated number. The system achieved an average confidence score of 0.92 for the test dataset and 0.72 on real-life data. Hence, it can be employed to mitigate incessant farm invasion and destruction problem and in other surveillance systems. Keywords: convolutional neural network, unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance, mean average confidence score, yolov2, short messaging service.

Collective Rural Women Access, Use, and Control Over Communal Land in Mexico: A Post-capitalist Feminist Political Ecology Approach

Rural women's access to land is fundamental for their individual and household well-being, equity, and empowerment. In Mexico, the agrarian reform of 1992 and customary gendered rights shaped land use, access, and control. Rural women's access to collective land is relevant since social property—ejido and agrarian communities—represents 52% of the national territory. As an expression of the collective organization, commons were also performed to use and control communal land and biophysical resources collectively. This paper examines the collective peasant women's bargaining process to access, use, and control communal land. The post-capitalist feminist political ecology approach allowed us to distinguish and analyze gendered strategies employed by a cooperative led by women at different levels—household, community, and government—to access and use communal land and biophysical resources by the process of commons—commoning. Rural women's collective efforts are located in Hidalgo, central Mexico. Firstly, the Agrarian Reform modifications related to gender equality issues are investigated, followed by examining rural women's socioeconomic conditions. The case study permitted us to identify and analyze critical factors that enhanced long-term agreements to control communal land beyond the Agrarian Law scope by the commoning examination. The collective rural women's strategies to use communal land improved well-being based on gendered peasant knowledge, organization, and stakeholder support. Nevertheless, the strategies increased women's burden and reinforced the existing gendered norms such as female altruism. Furthermore, the need to discuss the bargaining process over communal land concerning a diversity of commons is argued: knowledge, social, and biophysical, in which gender and care are critical variables.

Socio – Economic Impacts of Prolonged Little Dry Season (August Break) in a Climatic Changed Era in Agrarian Communities of Anambra River Basin, Anambra State, Nigeria

The food supply and demand situation for the 2020 fiscal year concerning the main seasonal crops in Nigeria was unpredictable due to the effect of Covid-19 pandemic. Federal and state governments laid much emphasis as a result on agriculture, especially crop production in order to produce food enough to ameliorate hunger, which is one of the negative effects of Covid-19. Nigeria been a rain fed dependent agricultural nation, follows the dictate of weather and other weather elements in her agricultural activities. With climate change and the effect of Little Dry Season, there was a reduction in rainfall in mid-July through August 2020. Rice and Maize which are among the staple foods in Nigeria requires about 750mm to 1200mm of rainfall to thrive. The mean monthly rainfall recorded in our study area (part of Anambra River Basin) consisting of Ayamelum, Anambra West, Anambra East, Oyi and Dunukofia local government areas are 21.15mm and 3.25mm for July, 2020 and August, 2020 respectively. As a result of the shortage of rainfall in these two months, the farmers and the authors observed these negative outcomes which are early maturity of crops; early harvesting of crops as well as poor yields for early season crops. While during the late season planting, farming was affected by the hardening of the ground as a result of absence of rainfall; undissolved fertilizers in farm lands; partial germination of scattered seedlings; Ant, Birds and Rodent infestation and stunted growth. Base on our observation, it was concluded that yields and harvest would be poor and subsequently there would be shortage of food and price hike in food items. The paper recommends for the revitalization of the moribund irrigation facility in Omor, Ayamelum local government area to provide for the shortfall in moisture that is likely to occur in the absence of rainfall.

Interdisciplinary Water Development in the Peruvian Highlands: The Case for Including the Coproduction of Knowledge in Socio-Hydrology

Agrarian communities in the Peruvian Andes depend on local water resources that are threatened by both a changing climate and changes in the socio-politics of water allocation. A community’s local autonomy over water resources and its capacity to plan for a sustainable and secure water future depends, in part, on integrated local environmental knowledge (ILEK), which leverages and blends traditional and western scientific approaches to knowledge production. Over the course of a two-year collaborative water development project with the agrarian district of Zurite, we designed and implemented an applied model of socio-hydrology focused on the coproduction of knowledge among scientists, local knowledge-holders and students. Our approach leveraged knowledge across academic disciplines and cultures, trained students to be valued producers of knowledge, and, most importantly, integrated the needs and concerns of the community. The result is a community-based ILEK that informs sustainable land and water management and has the potential to increase local autonomy over water resources. Furthermore, the direct link between interdisciplinary water science and community benefits empowered students to pursue careers in water development. The long-term benefits of our approach support the inclusion of knowledge coproduction among scholars, students and, in particular, community members, in applied studies of socio-hydrology.

Hydrogeogenic fluoride in groundwater and dental fluorosis occurrence in agrarian communities: a prevalence survey and case-control study

Background: Dental fluorosis can be a disease of social inequity in access to safe drinking water. This dental public health issue becomes prominent in the socially disadvantaged agrarian communities in fluoride endemic areas where the standard irrigation system is unavailable and groundwater containing natural fluoride is the major drinking water source. This study aimed to determine prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in children and to evaluate its association with fluoride in groundwater in the aforementioned setting in Thailand.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 289 children in Nakhon Pathom Province was conducted in 2015. Children with very mild to severe fluorosis were regarded as ‘cases’ while their counterparts were ‘controls’ for a subsequent case-control study. Records of fluoride concentrations in groundwater used for household supply corresponding to resident and number of years by age of each child during 2008 to 2015 were retrieved. Other exposure variables were measured using a questionnaire. Poisson regression with robust standard error was employed to estimate the dental fluorosis prevalence ratio (PR) comparing different levels of fluoride exposure.Result: There were 157 children with very mild to moderate dental fluorosis (54.3% prevalence). The univariable analysis revealed that the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children with fluoride concentrations in water sources of 0.7-1.49 (index category 1) and ≥ 1.5 ppm (index category 2) was 1.62 (95% CI; 0.78, 3.34) and 2.75 (95% CI; 1.42, 5.31) times the prevalence among those with fluoride < 0.7 ppm (referent category). After adjusting for all covariates, the adjusted prevalence ratios in both index categories were 1.64 (95% CI; 0.24, 11.24) and 2.85 (95% CI; 0.44, 18.52) which were close to their corresponding crude estimates. Since the magnitude of confounding, measured by (PRcrude – PRadjusted)/PRadjusted, were less than 10% for both index categories; this indicated the limited confounding effect of all covariates.Conclusions: In fluoride endemic areas, groundwater containing natural fluoride utilized for household consumption resulted in high dental fluorosis prevalence, particularly in the groundwater with fluoride concentrations of ≥ 1.5 ppm.