Fil: Rampazzi, Joaquin Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Luján; Argentina. | El tiempo de ayuno post nacimiento es una variable determinante en cuanto a la optimización de los logros buscados en toda explotación avícola. El proceso de alistamiento del pollito recién nacido (sexaje, vacunación y traslados) lleva 24 horas; permaneciendo sin recibir nutrientes, entre ellos agua, en ese período crítico de su desarrollo. Por lo antedicho se planteó realizar este estudio, cuyo objetivo fue evaluar el poliacrilato de sodio como alternativa para vehiculizar agua y nutrientes, con el fin de minimizar los efectos negativos del retraso al acceso de los mismos durante las primeras horas de vida. Fueron evaluadas distintas opciones para vehiculizar agua y diferentes nutrientes que sean fácil de obtener, que no generen exceso de agua al contacto y que no impacten fuertemente en el costo de la alimentación. El principal vehículo que se evaluó en los distintos tratamientos fue el poliacrilato de sodio (polímero que absorbe el agua y no es toxico). Los tratamientos fueron: T1: testigo sin acceso a agua y alimento, T2: poliacrilato de sodio y agua, T3: poliacrilato de sodio, agua, vitaminas y minerales y T4: poliacrilato de sodio, agua y molienda de maíz. Los tratamientos se suministraron en sus respectivas cajas de transporte, desde su nacimiento y por 24 hs. Cada tratamiento constato de 24 aves divididas en tres repeticiones. Pasadas las 24 hs, se suministró ad libitum agua de bebida y el mismo alimento a todos los tratamientos. Semanalmente fueron registrados los parámetros zootécnicos. A los 14 y 21 días de edad se tomaron muestras de órganos (hígado, intestino, estomago, bazo) a razón de 12 aves por tratamiento y se registró el peso de los órganos. Este estudio resalta la importancia de la alimentación posnatal temprana en el desarrollo de pollos parrilleros. La inclusión de poliacrilato de sodio (SAP) como vehículo de nutrientes mostró efectos beneficiosos en términos de peso acumulado y desarrollo morfológico en comparación con el tratamiento control. El tratamiento 4 (SAP + agua + molienda de maíz) resulto ser el más eficiente. Sin embargo, es importante tener en cuenta las posibles interacciones entre SAP y otros nutrientes, como se observó en el tratamiento con SAP y vitaminas y minerales. Investigaciones futuras podrían explorar más exhaustivamente las dosis y combinaciones óptimas de SAP con otros nutrientes para maximizar los beneficios en el desarrollo y rendimiento de las aves. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron que el poliacrilato de sodio es un vehículo que transfiere agua sin mojar a los pollitos, que reduce el impacto de la deshidratación en el periodo postnatal de 24 horas y genera una mejora en los parámetros productivos y del desarrollo morfológico sobre todo cuando se mezcla con carbohidratos complejos como la harina de maíz.

Culture-independent metagenomic sequencing of enriched agricultural water could expedite the detection and virulotyping of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). We previously determined the limits of a complete, closed metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) assembly and of a complete, fragmented MAG assembly for O157:H7 in enriched agricultural water using long reads (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford), which were 107 and 105 CFU/ml, respectively. However, the nanopore assemblies did not have enough accuracy to be used in Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) phylogenies and cannot be used for the precise identification of an outbreak STEC strain. The present study aimed to determine the limits of detection and assembly for STECs in enriched agricultural water by Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology alone, followed by establishing the limit of hybrid assembly with nanopore long-read sequencing using three different hybrid assemblers (SPAdes, Unicycler, and OPERA-MS). We also aimed to generate a genome with enough accuracy to be used in a SNP phylogeny. The classification of MiSeq and nanopore sequencing identified the same highly abundant species. Using the totality of the MiSeq output and a precision metagenomics approach in which the E. coli reads are binned before assembly, the limit of detection and assembly of STECs by MiSeq were determined to be 105 and 107 CFU/ml, respectively. While a complete, closed MAG could not be generated at any concentration, a complete, fragmented MAG was produced using the SPAdes assembler with an STEC concentration of at least 107 CFU/ml. At this concentration, hybrid assembled contigs aligned to the nanopore-assembled genome could be accurately placed in a neighbor-joining tree. The MiSeq limit of detection and assembly was less sensitive than nanopore sequencing, which was likely due to factors including the small starting material (50 vs. 1 μg) and the dilution of the library loaded on the cartridge. This pilot study demonstrates that MiSeq sequencing requires higher coverage in precision metagenomic samples; however, with sufficient concentration, STECs can be characterized and phylogeny can be accurately determined.

As we move closer to sustainability and improving adaptive methods, we're also focusing on addressing the current knowledge gaps, where the ongoing communication between science and policy emphasizes the dedication to convert knowledge into practical solutions. This work aligns with national goals and with the Green Generation Plan and offers a strong basis for sustainable farming practices. In addition, the WEFE nexus approach not only provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of water, energy, food and environment but also guides the integration of CA and agroecological principles, with the goal of promoting a more resilient and sustainable farming model for Morocco in order to cope also with climate change. Moreover, the suggested adaptation strategies, which were supported by the consortium (agriculture and water officials, experts, researchers, and farmers) offer a comprehensive framework for climate-resilient agriculture.

The water-energy-food nexus (WEF Nexus) is a research issue still in progress, especially in agriculture. In the context of climate change and biodiversity loss, the study of the sustainability of agricultural production becomes urgent. Several international types of research have focused on measuring sustainability attributes in agricultural systems, but they have yet to include the Nexus approach in their construction. Thus, based on the WEF Nexus, the study aimed to construct and measure sustainability attributes for livestock systems in the Brazilian Pampa. The construction of the indicators was based on the MESMIS methodology, divided into three dimensions: water, energy and food. In data collection, one hundred twenty-one farming systems were sampled in the Ibirapuitã river basin of the Pampa biome. As a result, the 37 WEF Nexus indicators were distributed to compose the sustainability attributes of adaptability, self-management, equity, stability, and productivity. The elements of the triad water, energy and food are used efficiently in the livestock systems of the Pampa biome to generate self-management and productivity. However, they are limited to fairly distributing the benefits and costs of managing their natural resources (equity). The food dimension contributes the least to the sustainability scores of the attributes. In contrast, the water dimension presents the most significant contribution, expressing the importance of managing water and soil resources for the welfare of society and success in livestock production.

This report will specifically focus on examining the intricate relationships among different stakeholders in Colombia's policy domains of food, water, and land. The emphasis will be on understanding the roles of various institutions and stake holders in these domains and their contributions to the policy process stages—design, implementation, and evaluation. The analysis aims to provide valuable insights into how these stakeholders interact within the institutional landscape, shedding light on the dynamics and effectiveness of policies shaping the realms of food, water, and land in Colombia.

In the environment, aquatic organisms are not only directly exposed to pollutants, but the effects can be exacerbated along the food chain. In this study, we investigated the effect of the food (water flea) on the secondary consumer (zebrafish) with the exposure diclofenac (DCF) Both organisms were exposed to an environmentally relevant concentrations (15 µg/L) of diclofenac for five days, and zebrafish were fed exposed and non-exposed water fleas, respectively. Metabolites of the water fleas were directly analyzed using HRMAS NMR, and for zebrafish, polar metabolite were extracted and analyzed using liquid NMR. Metabolic profiling was performed and statistically significant metabolites which affected by DCF exposure were identified. There were more than 20 metabolites with variable importance (VIP) score greater than 1.0 in comparisons in fish groups, and identified metabolites differed depending on the effect of exposure and the effect of food. Specifically, exposure to DCF significantly increased alanine and decreased NAD + in zebrafish, which means energy demand was increased. Additionally, the effects of exposed food decreased in guanosine, a neuroprotective metabolite, which explained that the neurometabolic pathway was perturbated by the feeding of exposed food. Our results which short-term exposed primary consumers to pollutants indirectly affected the metabolism of secondary consumers suggest that the long-term exposure further study remains to be investigated.

[EN]The effects of climate change, such as droughts and decreased rainfall, as well as population growth and globalization are aggravating the availability of water, energy and food. As a result, meeting the population's demand will be a major challenge in the near future. For this reason, assessing the situation of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is of great importance to know the vulnerabilities of the system and take actions to correct or improve them. The contribution of this work is the formulation of a composite index called the WEF-Waste index that includes 13 indicators, 4 of which are indicators to measure aspects of the water sector that include availability, independence, treatment and recycling; 3 energy indicators that include availability, independence and renewable energy; 4 food indicators that measure availability, food independence, ecological area planted and food waste; and 2 urban solid waste indicators that measure the level of separation and reuse. The WEF-Waste index was evaluated in Spain at the national level and in the 17 autonomous communities over a period of 10 years in order to focus on the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of the WEF nexus. Results show that the indicator with the lowest scores over the years was water availability, which indicates a very important water deficiency. On the other hand, high values in the water treatment indicator were obtained, showing that a high percentage of the water supplied to the network and used is processed in wastewater treatment plants. The WEF-Waste index has an improving trend from 2010 to 2014. However, by 2016 it suffered a decay and from that year to 2020, it again presented a positive trend in the scores of the communities. | CIC-UMNSH and CONACyT

Global water scarcity is becoming an increasingly pressing environmental concern. With FAO reports showing that 70% of water consumption is related to agriculture, and an additional 20% to industrial use, it is clear that the food industry needs to manage its water usage efficiently. Increased reuse and recycling of effluent water in food processing is an important part of this. However, several challenges related to product quality, logistics, legislation, and implementation prevent many companies from doing so. We present an analytical framework to minimize freshwater usage and maximize water reuse within the context of production planning. We identify several theoretical principles behind efficient water usage and combine these with insights from previous literature. The resulting framework is specifically aimed as the basis for easy-to-use analytical tools. Applying our framework to a cheese production case study with water recovered from whey, we demonstrate freshwater savings of over 67%. We also derive various insights to guide managers on setting the right targets for their water reuse planning. In general, the framework supports the identification of potential water savings achieved by short-term changes to production plans as well as long-term changes to water reuse infrastructure.

With 40% of the South African population experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity and climate change predicted to impact agriculture negatively, there is a future role for inland fisheries to help feed 60 million people. To support the expansion of inland fisheries, reducing the current postharvest losses of ~25% of fish requires improving the current preservation and storage techniques. This review aims to assess the potential benefits for Sub-Saharan Africa’s freshwater aquaculture and fisheries to utilise an emerging technology to reduce postharvest losses, using South Africa as a case study. We demonstrate the potential for plasma activated water (PAW) for preserving fresh fish. PAW offers non-thermal and non-toxic bacterial inactivation. Considered safe for human use, PAW is currently used in medical applications and has been investigated as a postharvest sanitiser for many fruits and vegetables, effectively increasing the shelf life of fresh food. The limited studies of PAW treatment of fresh fish show increased shelf life with some generally insignificant changes to quality. This novel treatment's success depends on the optimisation of application methods, including PAW-derived ice (PAWDI). To strengthen the value chain of the fresh fish industry, PAW/PAWDI could extend the shelf life of fish from origin to market. Investment in food supply chain development would preserve more harvested fish and improve the quality. Utilising solar power to produce PAW or PAWDI in situ potentially offers benefits for the small communities of inland fisheries to commercial production. This technology as well as changes to traditional preservation and transport chains could be utilised in other Sub-Saharan African nations. | The Australia Africa Universities Network. | https://link.springer.com/journal/12571 | hj2024 | Zoology and Entomology | SDG-02:Zero Hunger

The water-energy-food nexus (WEF Nexus) is a research issue still in progress, especially in agriculture. In the context of climate change and biodiversity loss, the study of the sustainability of agricultural production becomes urgent. Several international types of research have focused on measuring sustainability attributes in agricultural systems, but they have yet to include the Nexus approach in their construction. Thus, based on the WEF Nexus, the study aimed to construct and measure sustainability attributes for livestock systems in the Brazilian Pampa. The construction of the indicators was based on the MESMIS methodology, divided into three dimensions: water, energy and food. In data collection, one hundred twenty-one farming systems were sampled in the Ibirapuita ̃ river basin of the Pampa biome. As a result, the 37 WEF Nexus indicators were distributed to compose the sustainability attributes of adaptability, self-management, equity, stability, and productivity. The elements of the triad water, energy and food are used efficiently in the livestock systems of the Pampa biome to generate self- management and productivity. However, they are limited to fairly distributing the benefits and costs of man- aging their natural resources (equity). The food dimension contributes the least to the sustainability scores of the attributes. In contrast, the water dimension presents the most significant contribution, expressing the importance of managing water and soil resources for the welfare of society and success in livestock production.