Health in Action Program, Brazil: a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Health in Action Program was established in Brazil in 2010 to address the critical issues of health and nutrition among vulnerable children in the northeast and southeast regions of the country. By offering school-based nutrition education and increased access to nutritious foods from school gardens, the program has benefited more than 200,000 children aged 6 through 14 years in 430 schools and an additional 670,000 family and community members. The program is now expanding to reach an additional 260,000 students in 570 schools. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to perform a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis to identify Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs) and a suite of impact indicators in order to better understand and illustrate the impact of the program. METHODS: The analyses of the PIP and the suite of impact indicators were conducted in collaboration with INMED Brasil's program management and evaluation team and the international evaluation team of INMED Partnerships for Children. INMED presented the results at a seven-country Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13-14 September 2013, hosted by the Mondelez International Foundation, where it received feedback from evaluation experts. RESULTS: The PIP analysis enabled INMED to clarify the goals of the program, understand the ways in which program activities lead to stated goals, identify CCPs to monitor, and select achievable impact indicators, including changes in diet, physical activity, and knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: While the program had previously demonstrated benefits through internal impact evaluation, the PIP Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop led to the identification of potential improvements in program processes and activities, as well as corresponding evaluation methodologies.

Evaluación del rendimiento de dos variedades de albahaca (Ocimum basilicum) hasta la etapa comercial con relación a la biofertilización en carpas solar / Evaluation of the yield of two varieties of basil (Ocimum basilicum) up to the commercial stage in relation to biofertilization in solar tents

El presente trabajo de investigación titulado "Evaluación del rendimiento de dos variedades de albahaca (Ocimum basilicum) hasta la etapa comercial con relación a la biofertilización en carpas solar", se realizó en la Estación Experimental de Cota Cota perteneciente a la Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, ubicado en la provincia Murillo del Departamento de La Paz. Se plantea para el presente trabajo el siguiente objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de humus y té de humus de lombriz en el rendimiento de dos variedades de albahaca hasta la etapa comercial; sobre las propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo, bajo un ambiente protegido. También se analizó la relación Beneficio/Costo de ambas variedades. El diseño propuesto para evaluar dicha investigación fue Bloques completos al Azar, con dos factores, el Factor A = Variedades y el Factor B = Abonos orgánicos. La combinación de ambos factores fueron distribuidos al azar en 10 tratamientos y 3 repeticiones. La aplicación de los abonos orgánicos se realizó al momento del transplante por única vez y por planta, las dosis que se utilizaron fueron: 65 g/planta en nivel medio de humus de lombriz, 130 g/planta en nivel alto de humus de lombriz, 7,5 cc/planta en nivel medio de té de humus, 15 cc/planta en nivel alto de té de humus. La cosecha se efectuó a los 45 días; las variables de respuesta de la planta fueron: porcentaje de prendimiento, altura de la planta, largo y ancho de hojas, número de hojas, peso fresco, peso seco y rendimiento. En las propiedades físicas del suelo fueron: densidad aparente, porcentaje de porosidad y porcentaje de humedad volumétrica; en las propiedades químicas fue el contenido de Nitrógeno, Fosforo y Potasio y para finalizar la evaluación económica preliminar. Los abonos orgánicos beneficiaron aumentando la fertilidad del cultivo y la composición del suelo incrementando el contenido de macronutrientes en el área de estudio; con relación a las propiedades físicas pudimos observar que tuvo un avance de porosidad, densidad y humedad; demostrando la importancia que tuvo el implemento de humus y té de humus. Con relación al Beneficio/Costo se analizó por variedad y tratamiento, dando resultados óptimos, mostrándonos buena rentabilidad. (AU)

Agricultural biodiversity as a link between traditional food systems and contemporary development, social integrity and ecological health.

Traditional food systems offer a key link between the social and economic resilience of smallholder farmers and pastoralists and the sustainable food and nutrition security of global populations. This paper addresses issues related to socio-cultural diversity and the continuing complex engagement of traditional and modern communities with the plants and animals that sustain them. In light of some of the unhealthful consequences of the 'nutrition transition' to globalized modern diets, the authors define and propose a process for a more successful food system transition that balances agro-biodiversity and processed commodities to support diet diversity, health and social equity alongside sustainable economic growth. We review empirical research in support of practice and policy changes in agriculture, economic development and health domains as well as cross-sectoral and community-based innovation. High-value food crops within domestic and global value chains can be an entry point for smallholders' participation as contributors and beneficiaries of development, while sustainable small farms, as purveyors of environmental and public health services, diversify global options for long-term adaptation in the face of environmental uncertainty.

Suitability of the vegetation types in Mexico's Tamaulipas state for the siting of hazardous waste treatment plants.

A land suitability study was carried out by applying a multiple-criteria technique to 12 different vegetation types in Mexico's Tamaulipas state to help select potentially suitable sites for hazardous waste treatment plants. Species richness, spatial distribution, and uniqueness were selected as the criteria for estimating a vegetation type's suitability. Using the analytical hierarchy process, we ranked and mapped vegetation types, then compared the results with rankings of the same vegetation types based only on their number of endemic species. The suitabilities of the various vegetation types were ordered in more or less the same way by both methods, except in two cases for which the results were very different. The method proved to be a useful tool despite the availability of only partial (mostly qualitative) information; under such circumstances, expert experience can be incorporated in the evaluation process to a limited degree. The technique described in this paper has a high potential to aid decisions when many opinions and options must be considered simultaneously.

The use of neutron radiography in agriculture to improve the food quality.

The report presented in the 7th ONU's Conference (USA, 2001) about climatic changes that took place at the end of 2001 informs that, in less than 50 years, more than 45% of the world population will be suffering from lack of water. This fact occurs by the absence of management on water resources, mainly, in agriculture. As the excess as the lack of humidity in soil can change the harvest quality, causing physiologic anomalies in food and promoting soil diseases incidence caused by bacteria and fungus. In order to establish a larger control in the food quality, a study has been performed, through the neutron radiographic technique, that proposes the optimization of agricultural harvests in relation to the minimum quantity of water necessary for the plant to develop and, also, of the soil compactness. Thus, neutron radiographic images of the system root-soil can be produced so that each root will be evaluated for its ability to penetrate in the soil layers, having the advantage of not interfering in this system what it is not possible through the usual techniques yet. The initial tests using bean roots showed that the soil thickness, which involved the roots, resulted in low contrast images, what impeded their visualization with enough clearness so that their grow could not be observed. For this reason, it was opted to the gadolinium as a contrast agent so that we have been studying its transport through the roots.

Cultivation of the Edible mushroom Oudemansiella Canarii (Jungh.) HÖhn. in Lignocellulosic substrates

The edible mushroom Oudemansiella canarii (Jungh.) Höhn is common in the Brazilian territory, being found in different biomas, where they colonize several plant species. In this study, the O. canarii cultivation was evaluated in polypropilene bags containing sugar-cane bagasse (200 g) or eucalyptus sawdust (200 g) supplemented with wheat bran (50 g). The composts were sterilized at 121§C for 1 hour, after cooling they were inoculated with 3 g of spawn and then remained incubated at 25§C until the basidiomata primordia formation. The mushrooms, harvested after the pilei opening, presented varied sizes reaching 9 cm of diameter and 10 cm of height. The fresh mushrooms presented mild taste and soft consistency. When kept at 4§C, they maintained good appearance and good consistency for 7 days. In a period of 60 days, the largest basidiomata production was obtained in the compost with sugar-cane bagasse, showing greater productivity (4.47per cent ñ 1.34), biological efficiency (55.66per cent ñ 20.41) and compost consumption (38.78per cent ñ 4.59) averages. Wilcoxon's non-parametric statistical analysis used to compare the biomass production in the two composts, showed significant differences at 5 per cent significance level.

Spatial and temporal gene expression patterns occur during corm development.

We investigated gene expression patterns that occur during taro corm development. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis identified several different prevalent proteins that accumulate during corm development. Microsequencing studies indicated that some of these proteins are related to taste-modifying proteins, such as curculin and miraculin, and proteins found in other storage organs, such as sporamin and the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor. A curculin-encoding cDNA clone, designated as TC1, was identified that corresponds to a highly prevalent 1-kb corm mRNA. The TC1 mRNA accumulates during corm development, is more prevalent in corm apical than basal regions, and is either absent, or present at low concentrations, in other vegetative organs such as the leaf and root. In situ hybridization experiments showed that the TC1 mRNA is highly concentrated in corm storage parenchyma cells and is absent, or present in reduced concentrations, in other corm cells and tissues. Our results show that corm development is associated with the differentiation of specialized cells and tissues, and that these differentiation events are coupled with the temporal and spatial expression of corm-specific genes.

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis): ecological and social perspectives on an economic plant of the central Amazon basin.

Guaraná is considered an ideal crop for supplementing the incomes of small peasant farmers in the Amazon basin. A fast-growing perennial, guaraná can be planted in the midst of manioc crops, allowing the formation of extensive orchards in the place of regenerating scrub once the manioc has been harvested. Traditional forms of guaraná agriculture practised by the Saterê-Mawé Indians compare favourably with the plantation system favoured by government agronomists. Indigenous techniques of hand-processing guaraná are also shown to produce better quality in the finished product than those practices adopted by industrial concerns. A detailed comparison of two systems of production show the Indians' implicit concern to avoid oxidization of the phenolic compounds in the seed, since this leads to the guaraná becoming dark in colour, bitter in taste, and irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. The short-term medicinal effects of guaraná are commonly thought to result from a high content of caffeine and associated alkaloids, as well as from considerable amounts of tannin. Future research may well show that various saponins also play an important part in the drug's pharmacology, particularly with regard to its long-term influence as a general tonic and prophylactic.