A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network.

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazônia Sustentável, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.

[Integrating society and nature in the struggle against hunger in the 21st century]. / Integrar sociedade e natureza na luta contra a fome no século XXI.

Understanding the contemporary world requires a naturalist view, wherein the work of Josué de Castro is one of the most important expressions: taking a comprehensive approach to social life and reproduction of the natural environment that supports it - including the nature of humans themselves, their bodies - is the cornerstone of the geographic method practiced in Geografia da Fome [The Geography of Hunger]. This method is important for studying regions where hunger severely afflicts the populations, and also offers an important key for interpreting the food problems that are forecast for the 21st century, when the world population is expected to increase by nearly 50%. The food production challenges in the coming years--and which this article discusses briefly--cannot be solved with the techniques that characterized the so-called Green Revolution. Rather, they require a more refined understanding of the links between the social and ecological systems, an interface in which the work of Josué de Castro provides fundamental inspiration.

Integrar sociedade e natureza na luta contra a fome no século XXI / Integrating society and nature in the struggle against hunger in the 21st century

A compreensão do mundo contemporâneo exige um olhar naturalista do qual a obra de Josué de Castro é uma das mais importantes expressões: pensar de maneira articulada a vida social e a reprodução do ambiente natural em que se apóia - incluindo aí a natureza do próprio homem, seu corpo - é a pedra de toque do método geográfico praticado em Geografia da Fome. Esse método é importante não apenas para estudar aquelas regiões onde a fome se abate severamente sobre a vida da população, mas oferece uma importante chave de leitura dos problemas alimentares que se anunciam para o século XXI, quando a população mundial deverá ter um aumento de quase 50 por cento. Os desafios produtivos dos próximos anos - que este artigo procura expor de maneira sumária - não poderão ser enfrentados com base nas técnicas que caracterizaram a Revolução Verde. Eles exigem uma compreensão refinada dos vínculos entre sistemas sociais e sistemas ecológicos, para a qual a obra de Josué de Castro é uma inspiração fundamental.

Understanding the contemporary world requires a naturalist view, wherein the work of Josué de Castro is one of the most important expressions: taking a comprehensive approach to social life and reproduction of the natural environment that supports it - including the nature of humans themselves, their bodies - is the cornerstone of the geographic method practiced in Geografia da Fome [The Geography of Hunger]. This method is important for studying regions where hunger severely afflicts the populations, and also offers an important key for interpreting the food problems that are forecast for the 21st century, when the world population is expected to increase by nearly 50 percent. The food production challenges in the coming years - and which this article discusses briefly - cannot be solved with the techniques that characterized the so-called Green Revolution. Rather, they require a more refined understanding of the links between the social and ecological systems, an interface in which the work of Josué de Castro provides fundamental inspiration.

Fome e assalariados rurais / Famine and rural salaried workers

Utiliza três exemplos, três estudos de casos, baseados numa pesquisa que analisa as transformaçöes e as mudanças nos padröes de consumo dos trabalhadores assalariados rurais, para demonstrar que as terras utilizadas no Brasil têm produzido miséria e escassez. Examina o que era o trabalho de campo nesses três casos, antes da década de 60, para responder à questäo de como a transformaçäo na oferta de alimentos repercutiu sobre a vida social no campo.

Fome e assalariados rurais / Famine and rural salaried workers

Utiliza três exemplos, três estudos de casos, baseados numa pesquisa que analisa as transformaçöes e as mudanças nos padröes de consumo dos trabalhadores assalariados rurais, para demonstrar que as terras utilizadas no Brasil têm produzido miséria e escassez. Examina o que era o trabalho de campo nesses três casos, antes da década de 60, para responder à questäo de como a transformaçäo na oferta de alimentos repercutiu sobre a vida social no campo.(AU)