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

According to Mexican official data, agricultural burning is the main cause for forest fires. However, seldom are farmers taken into account to participate in the preparation of related public policies. Over the last 100 years, Mexico has generated laws and public policies that, at least up until the 1980s, have removed farmers from the control and management of their forests, reconfigured land tenure and agricultural production, and discouraged traditional use of fire. A vision to suppress and combat forest fires dominated during this period. Currently, authorities are seeking to move towards a fire management vision, integrating ecological and social factors to understand and address fires; however, it is essential to assess the impact and consequences of a century of public policies on forest fires in the rural forest sector. Some of these consequences include the lack of integration between the forestry and agricultural sectors, the double role of the farmer as the affected party and the agent causing forest fires, and their role as a fire brigades and guardians of traditional fire knowledge.

Knowing the extent of burned areas in the tropics is vital due to their environmental impacts. The Colombian Orinoquía region is affected by a burning season every year and presents natural conditions for the development of considerable size fires. The goal of this study was to determine what size a fire needs to be in order to be considered large, as well as the characteristics of these fires in the study area. For such purpose, a methodology was developed and applied based on MODIS satellite images, which were used to analyze and identify burned footprints using available historical data. The threshold used to consider a burned footprint as a “large fire” (≥214 ha) was determined by adapting Pareto’s 80-20 principle applied to the time series available and the particular conditions of the study region. Further analysis was conducted to establish temporality of burned areas by identifying the large burned areas between 2000 and 2014. Results show that large fires last approximately three days and cover an average of approximately 625 hectares. The largest fires occurred in regions with the highest occurrence of fires over the years, specifically, in areas with flat topography and vegetation cover prone to burning.

Latino students, immigrants whether first or second generation, who have been raised in local excluded communities such as enclaves, find that integrating into the university community is a transition that goes beyond the academic challenge. Their cultural background and socioeconomic position differentiate them in a predominantly Caucasian middle-class sociocultural context. Studies show that attaining a sense of belonging to the university community is key to academic achievement and persistence, while the lack of this experience is associated with a statistically high Latino college desertion. Acknowledging that the lack of a sense of community on campus is a cause for desertion, researchers analyze here some of the elements that produce the experience of a sense of community in Latino students at Purdue University in Indiana, USA. Two instruments were applied to the interest group of volunteers: in-depth interviews to explore indicators such as community of origin, language used at home, and perception of college inclusion or exclusion, and a quantitative survey to analyze the “sense of belonging”. Results were combined with the grade point average in search for associations with academic persistence.

In the last decades in Argentina, especially in the Pampa region, there has been a significant decrease of agricultural farms and permanent workers, as well as an increase in the outsourcing of agricultural labor. In this context, contractors offering agricultural machinery services have become a key piece in the increase of production efficiency due to their ability to respond on a flexible and agile manner to technical changes and labor organization. Those demanding these services constitute a heterogeneous universe both in production, as well as in composition and technological requirements, which affects the way they relate with contractors. Significantly important among these groups are the “sowing pools”, which are enterprises based on the generation of economies of scale that operate large areas of land and prefer renting machinery. The general objective of this paper was to analyze the types of relationships between these enterprises and machinery contractors. A qualitative approach was used, and information was collected through semi-structured interviews.

Development has marked rural life in Latin America, particularly in Mexico, for over 50 years. Despite in the political discourse it “seeks to improve people’s living conditions”, development leaves poverty and marginalization in its path. San José de las Flores is an indigenous-mestizo community that has experienced development not only as a process of change to improve life, but also as an element that has redefined their social identity. Even though the objectives have been established, from a development point of view, the community is labeled as “poor and in need” and standards are set for them to follow to be developed. Using a qualitative methodology by combining field visits, in depth interviews, participant observation, and interaction with the community, the objective of this paper is to understand the role that social identity plays in development processes, as one of the elements that determines the outcome of projects with an undesirable social impact, emphasizing the gender perspective in this process.

The following document is part of the results of a research work entitled ‘’ Identities, life projects and community participation of young people in the Corregimiento of El Plateado, Municipality of Algeria Cauca -Colombia ‘’ conducted as a Master’s Thesis in Community Development Sustainable of the National University of Costa Rica, an exercise in which a characterization of youth and youth is carried out and an attempt is made to understand the meanings, obstacles and identify spaces in which young people build their life projects, as well as their forms and participation mechanisms; trying to make visible their capacity for collective action from some local scenarios such as Juventud Rebelde, the Community Action Boards, social organizations such as ASCAMTA, CNA, or actions from the young students; but at the same time, revealing limitations that hinder their real participation from the absence of a defined local identity, persecution of social leaders, little visibility of youth processes, predominance of an adult-centered culture, absence of clear support actions in government spaces local, among others. The document revolves around conceptual aspects related to the construction of collective social imaginary and youth participation, to then present meanings that are woven in some local spaces in which the subjects have an important collective action. In turn, the main obstacles that prevent or limit the development of a more determined task in collective spaces are identified and four scenarios are described from which young people are building that political subject that seeks to vindicate and make visible their capacity for organization.

Local products are one of the most outstanding indicators of identity, conveying the cultural, natural and rural authenticity of a destination. This sense of place is communicated to visitors and tourists through the narratives of local actors – for example, the sellers of local produce. This investigation is intended to analyze the meanings that these agents attach to Cassoleta cheese, a local artisanal food produced in the Spanish region of Valencia. The methodology used was based on five semi-structured interviews with local sellers conducted in the city of Castellón, the capital of the province, where there is a long tradition of producing this cheese. Results of this research offer insights into the narratives linked to Cassoleta cheese, which are predominantly based on its historical connection to the territory, its daily consumption by local inhabitants thanks to its versatility in the kitchen, and its appeal to tourists who seek artisanal products. This article provides a series of theoretical and practical implications; on the one hand, theoretical analysis may serve to broaden the field of study of culinary tourism and its relation to gastronomy as an element of cultural and rural identity. On the other hand, understanding local produce from the perspective of actors in the region can help promote a destination based on their authentic narratives.

This article is intended to describe the perspectives of consumers who attend the farmers’ market (FM) in Tibás, Santo Domingo, San Isidro and Barva in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica, based on surveys that were carried out in 2014 and 2015. The methodology was based on the dynamism and nature of the farmers’s market, allowing the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the variables that describes the consumer behavior. A general overview of the operation of FMs administered by Cantonal Agricultural Centers (CACs) was obtained, after which simple random sampling was used to select different FMs and consumers for further analysis. A statistical description of demographic and socioeconomic aspects of FM consumers is included in the analysis of the information obtained and in the synthesis of results. The study found that certain generalized problems are related to the lack of infrastructure, safety and food quality, among other issues. On the other hand, consumers say they buy legumes, greens and fruits as priority products. The FAs are rated by consumers as acceptable and the stands are rated as regular. Both the fairs and stands are in a vulnerable line of competitiveness suggesting to work in strategic areas aimed at strengthening the cultural and historical aspects preferred by consumers.

This paper is aimed at identifying the institutional arrangements developed by melon producers in Costa Rica to favor employees’ capabilities. In 2016, melon plantation was 5,008 hectares, with a total production of 152,416 metric tons and approximately 81% of the local production being exported to other countries. Data was analyzed using a mixed approach combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. A survey was applied to 16 melon producers, whose workforce is characterized by their low level of education and a great majority being Nicaraguan migrants. However, learning management is done through top-down strategies based on rules and coded procedures that hinder fast learning. In conclusion, the need for support structures stimulating basic collective actions that would reverse this situation by promoting human capabilities remains a pending task. There is also a need for adequate mechanisms to include socio-cultural factors, which are fundamental pillars for competitiveness.

Linked to the American economic crisis that erupted at the end of 2007, the Mezquital Valley has experienced a high migratory return. International migration had defined a fundamental part of this region’s economic dynamics since the end of the last century. The author raises the question of how the international migrants that returned from the United States to the Mezquital Valley are related to the farming activity. The author concludes there is an urgent need for a re-peasantization process forced by agriculture and local job market conditions.