Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This study considered the application of two exogenous enzymes, xylanase (XYL) and cellulase (CELL), and maguey extract (ME), (applying 1 ml per kg as fresh matter) and a control (without additive) in four maize silage varieties (San Diego, Cacahuacintle, P-1832 and Victoria), to investigate their effect on the chemical composition (CC), gas production (GP) and in vitro ruminal fermentation. The GP was measured at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation. Dry matter disappearance (DMD), organic matter disappearance (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME), and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were determined after 96 h of incubation. Data were analyzed using a completely randomized design with a 4×4 factorial arrangement with three replications. The CC showed a significant effect (P<0.05) for varieties with the exception of organic matter (OM), and the inclusion of additives increased the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP). A significant effect (P<0.01) was observed for the varieties in the GP parameters and ruminal fermentation. The addition of XYL, CEL and ME promoted dry matter degradation and increased energy availability, with increased in vitro gas production.

Agroecology, as a science, practice, and social movement, has been posed as a potential pathway to revitalize global food systems through a shift towards social and ecological justice. Complex and diversified agroecological systems vary widely globally and have been poorly characterized by traditional agronomic assessments that often focus narrowly on income and yield over other socioecological dimensions such as farmer and worker well-being, dietary diversity, environmental impacts and biodiversity conservation. In response, we propose an approach to the digital monitoring and assessment of agroecological practices that acknowledges and respects diverse contexts and improves power dynamics by centering on the agency and biocultural knowledge of diverse farmers and communities. We describe a community-university partnership designed to develop a farmer-driven, open-access, and open-source digital tool for agroecological monitoring and certification. The farmer-scientist research team aims to chart a course for researchers to investigate how trade-offs among productive, sociocultural, economic, and/or environmental indicators might be minimized to enhance overall system sustainability across diverse contexts globally while also providing tools of use to agroecological farmers and their organizations, who can then autonomously capture (some of) the benefits of the digital agricultural revolution without ceding data sovereignty.

Seven potential controversial topics in agroecology are presented and discussed from a European perspective comparing the position of Agroecology Europe (AEEU) obtained from an iterative, participatory approach with members and compared with published literature, including views from other parts of the world. The seven controversial topics as follows: i) use of agrochemicals; ii) small-scale and peasant farming versus larger farms; iii) technological innovations in agriculture and precision farming; iv) biotechnology and genetic engineering in agriculture; v) local and short food circuits; vi) social justice; vii) gender perspective. The analysis shows that there are diverse points of view related to geographical area and sociopolitical contexts. However, there are several convergences in the ambition to redesign farming and food systems, as a lever acting on several topics, and in considering agroecology with a holistic, participatory, multiactor approach for the needed transition.

Nitrogen fertilization, in addition to increasing biomass production, can also positively influence the chemical composition of a forage plant. The aim of this research was to evaluate the yield and chemical composition of Megathyrsus maximus cv. Massai grass under five nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 mg N dm-3 soil, equivalent to 0, 300, 600, 900 and 1,200 kg ha-1 year-1, respectively) and during growth cycles (establishment and regrowth cycles) in a greenhouse. A completely randomized design with split-plot arrangement was adopted in which the five nitrogen levels were the plots and the cycles were the subplots. The total forage biomass increased with the nitrogen fertilization levels in the three growth cycles (28.4 g pot-1, 32.0 g pot-1 and 29.8 g pot-1 for establishment, regrowth 1 and regrowth 2, respectively, at the level of 600 mg N dm-3), and it was reduced from establishment to regrowth at lower N levels. The dry matter content was not affected by the N levels. However, this content presented higher values at the regrowth cycle in comparison to the establishment cycle. The crude protein (CP) content increased (7.0% CP at the level of 600 mg N dm-3), while the neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and hemicellulose (HEM) contents all decreased at higher N levels, with the highest CP content being observed at the establishment, and the opposite occurring for NDF, ADF and HEM. Nitrogen fertilization provides positive responses on yield and chemical composition of massai grass.

Agroecology initiatives were first implemented within Central and Eastern Europe in Hungary in the 1980s in response to the environmental and ecological problems of intensive, agrochemical-based agricultural technology. The agroecology sector has grown substantially ever since and is currently facing its second boom, yet Hungary’s level of organic farming remains substantially below the average level in the European Union (EU) and in the Visegrad Group countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). This review summarizes early and recent agroecology developments in Hungary in the context of the region and the EU in a broader sense, mainly regarding scientific research and policy aspects. The 10-fold growth of the organic agriculture sector in Hungary over the last two decades brings Hungary somewhat closer to the average EU level and is discussed in relation to the regulating legal environment, i.e., the EU’s harmonized Rural Development Program. In addition, the European Green Deal envisions a reduction in pesticide use by 50% by 2030 and supports agroecology to reduce excess fertilization, increase organic farming and reverse biodiversity loss. Hungary pursues these goals through, among others means, the transnational joint initiative of the Visegrad countries, BIOEAST. The environmental risks jeopardizing agroecology are summarized in a systematic context, covering not only agricultural organic microcontaminants but also agricultural biotechnology products and issues in energy utilization efficacy. Related past and current research projects, as well as Hungary’s involvement in the international advancement of agroecology, are outlined.

A través de este ensayo fotográfico se pretende mostrar algunos resultados de la investigación sobre el terreno llevada a cabo dentro del marco de una tesis doctoral, durante los meses de julio a septiembre de 2014 en Ceuta, además de Melilla y localidades cercanas a la frontera hispano-marroquí. Como se verá, los enclaves marítimos de Ceuta y Melilla han ocupado otrora una posición geoestratégica esencial en el Mediterráneo. Actualmente, su función de fronteras externas de Europa en el continente africano se ha reforzado mediante la securitización de la región fronteriza para contener las amenazas relacionadas con las actividades criminales y la migración transmediterránea “no deseada”, aunque ha acabado afectando también al comercio “atípico” o contrabando con Marruecos.

O objetivo do texto é promover um diálogo com o artigo (El Pueblo evangélico: construccion hegemônica, disputas minoritárias y reaccion conservadora) de Joanildo Burity. Ao valorizar positivamente as hipóteses do artigo, relativas ao crescimento evangélico no Brasil, busca dialogar com essas a partir de uma perspectiva antropológica. Com esse intuito, explora questões relativas ao espraiamento da cultura evangélica, a sua heterogeneidade e suas afinidades com práticas culturais periféricas. Convida o leitor a considerar a importância do militarismo que se desenvolve nos centros urbanos brasileiros como sendo em parte responsável pelo papel de mediação das igrejas evangélicas e, em consequência, como importante para a sua construção hegemônica. Sugere, também, que refletir sobre as relações de gênero pode contribuir para melhor entender as formas políticas hoje assumidas pelo projeto populista de construção do país como nação evangélica.

El siguiente artículo procura reaccionar al estudio de Joanildo Burity sobre la construcción de la “política evangélica” desde las nociones de pueblo y lógica populista desarrolladas por Laclau, con el objetivo de destacar la relevancia de su aporte en la resignificación de algunas matrices de análisis sobre la identidad evangélica y su relación con el espacio público. Para ello, se complementará la propuesta de Burity con el uso de otras categorías dentro del propio andamiaje laclausiano, complementando con los aportes de la producción desde el Cono Sur en torno al campo evangélico.

Desde el retorno de la democracia, el mundo evangélico chileno ha experimentado importantes cambios, tales como la reconsideración de sus relaciones con el régimen militar, aumento de nivel socio-económico y educacional, consolidación de su estatus como actor reconocido en la vida político-social del país. Al mismo tiempo, el campo religioso chileno se encuentra en permanente proceso de diversificación, desinstitucionalización e individualización, dando lugar a múltiples formas no tradicionales de expresar las creencias: movimientos intradenominacionales, centros de estudios cristianos, “cristianos sin religión”. Pese a que últimamente el sector evangélico más conservador ha sido especialmente activo en la política nacional, las nuevas formas de cristianismo no católico y sus vínculos con los intereses y necesidades de la población demuestran que sus características e identidades van más allá de la división habitual de actores sociales en derecha e izquierda, y requieren elaborar un aparato conceptual más amplio.

Recovering the historical conditions that configure it, in this text I address the emergence of the evangelical political subject in Mexico from the analytical proposal of Joanildo Burity in his article The Evangelical People: Hegemonic Construction, Minority Disputes, and Conservative Reaction. Making use of his approach on the populist moment, I sustain that this emergency only acquires its full meaning in the interactions with the political field and in relation to the state of their relations and I reflect on the articulation of evangelicals and politics against feminism as antagonist.