Orientador: Filipe Pereira Giardini Bonfim / Banca: Vânia Christina Nascimento Porto / Banca: Nathalia de Souza Parreiras / Resumo: Os diferentes e inúmeros agroecossistemas do território nacional, onde as hortaliças são produzidas majoritariamente pelo sistema de cultivo convencional, têm-se modificado ao longo dos últimos anos, apresentando crescimento significativo de cultivos diferenciados com destaque para aqueles em ambiente protegido e sob sistema orgânico. O setor de hortaliças é um ramo do agronegócio em pleno crescimento e que movimenta em torno de 55 milhões de reais anualmente, em toda a sua cadeia, do campo ao varejo. Dentre os Estados da região Sudeste, São Paulo é o que possui o maior mercado de alimentos da América Latina, podendo-se inferir que o mesmo possa ocorrer com os orgânicos. Assim, objetivou-se neste estudo analisar a sustentabilidade de sistemas de produção de hortaliças em propriedades rurais de Botucatu e região, bem como caracterizar as unidades produtivas quanto aspectos econômicos, ecológicos e sociais. Os procedimentos metodológicos para elaboração da pesquisa durante todo o seu desenvolvimento até a sua concretização foi com base na pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo descritiva analítica, a qual possibilita a observação, o registro, a análise e correlaciona fatos ou fenômenos sem manipula-los. Para coleta de dados foi utilizado o método "bola de neve". O grupo amostral abrangido foi de 10 agricultores-produtores de hortaliças no município de Botucatu e região pela aplicação do formulário de manejo sustentável que consiste na classificação de quatro níveis distintos de sustenta... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The different and numerous agroecosystems of the national territory, where the vegetables are produced mainly by the system of conventional cultivation, have been modified during the last years, presenting significant growth of differentiated crops with highlight to those in protected environment and under organic system. The vegetable sector is a growing branch of agribusiness, which moves around 55 million reais annually, throughout its chain, from the field to the retail. Among the states of the Southeast, São Paulo has the largest food market in Latin America, and it can be inferred that the same may occur with organic foods. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the sustainability of vegetable production systems in rural properties of Botucatu and region, as well as to characterize the productive units as economic, ecological and social aspects. The methodological procedures for the elaboration of the research throughout its development until its implementation was based on the qualitative research, of the descriptive analytical type, which makes it possible to observe, record, analyze and correlate facts or phenomena without manipulating them. The "snowball" method was used for data collection. The sampled group consisted of 10 farmers-producers of vegetables in the city of Botucatu and region by the application of the sustainable management form that consists of 4 different levels of sustainability, being: a) from 0 to 20 unsustainable; b) 20 to 40 weak sustainability; c) 40 to 60 average sustainability and d) 60 to 80 strong sustainability. The data obtained showed that all the farmers visited are family-based and have a good diversity of plants in the field, which allows a good staggering of production and harvesting, facilitating the commercialization of the products presenting as a fundamental strategy for the permanence of work in the field. Another point that can be ... / Mestre

The concept of sustainable diets has received increasing attention as it is recognised that several global challenges, such as malnutrition and mitigating pressures on global land resources, might be tackled together through changes in diets. This thesis has used the UK as a case study to analyse the implications of achieving healthy and environmentally sustainable diets for future land use. This thesis shows the total agricultural footprint of UK's food supply has decreased slightly over the last decades due to a lower ruminant livestock product supply. However, the total cropland footprint and its associated greenhouse gas emissions have increased, and these impacts are increasingly displaced overseas. Land use efficiency of the food supply was evaluated by combining agricultural and nutritional data. While a focus on calories and protein reflects favourably on cereals and oil crops, assessing a wider range of nutrients shows that roots & tubers and vegetables are important to “feed the UK” efficiently. Reducing land use associated with UK's food supply is possible while still meeting dietary requirements and this generally also lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Discretionary foods, such as coffee, tea and wine, and animal products should be reduced for a lower impact, but trade-offs were also identified. Four insights relevant for the wider literature were identified: a) the complexity of international trade complicates the assessment of sustainability due to difficulties linking production and consumption, b) there are different types of agricultural land, each with their own opportunity costs, c) new metrics for agricultural yield are needed, moving from “tonnes per hectare” to “people fed per hectare”, and d) the trade-offs between different environmental indicators are important. With an uncertain policy environment and a lack of willing among the population to make significant changes in their diets, the future of UK land use and diets is unclear.

Throughout the world, both producers and consumers of food are critically analyzing and enacting changes away from the globalized, industrial paradigm associated with conventional practices in agriculture and food production/distribution/consumption and towards the localization of food networks. Contributing to growing resistance movements aimed at gaining greater food security and sovereignty, local food discourses are strengthened by a combination of political, socio-economic, ecological, and cultural reasoning. This critical ethnography examines how knowledge and meaning is constructed in the context of an alternative food discourse through the personal and shared experiences of six participants in rural Saskatchewan. Further, the study explores the factors that influence participants sense of personal and/or collective transformation. Data were collected over six months using the methods of participant interviews, a focus group, and observation. Data analysis used temporal sequencing of meaning-making factors or ingredients that were categorized to detail how the creation and affective use of knowledge in transformative learning occurred in the context of localizing food networks in rural Saskatchewan.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of agroecosystems. The framework developed within this study is systems-based with the dynamic linkages between the system components explicit. The primary objective of the study was to develop a computer model, the Sustainable Agroecosystem Model (SAM), that dynamically integrates the economic and ecological components of an agroecosystem. The model was used to assess the sustainability of agroecosystems, defined by ecodistrict boundaries, in the Brown soil zone of southwestern Saskatchewan. The SAM was comprised of three components: (1) a soils model that simulated soil and crop growth parameters; (2) an economic model that simulated land use and cropping decisions; and (3) a habitat model that calculated habitat and biodiversity parameters. These components were largely self-standing models comprised of important processes of the soil, economic and ecological sectors of the agroecosystem respectively. To simulate the co-evolutionary changes of the agroecosystem the component models were dynamically linked, based on a one year time step, through selected input and output parameters. The output of the component models reflect elements of the natural and man-made capital stock of the target agroecosystems and were used as sustainability indicators. The concept of strong sustainability was adopted in the analysis such that changes in these indicators signal changes in the relative sustainability of the system. The study focused on two types of simulations: (1) the relative sustainability of four ecodistricts was assessed using baseline simulations. This analysis highlighted the importance of biophysical constraints to the sustainability of an agroecosystem. These simulations indicated that the development of production technologies and policy initiatives, targeting agroecosystem sustainability, should explicitly consider the regional biophysical constraints faced by farms; and (2) the relative sustainability of a single ecodistrict subjected to economic (carbon credit and carbon tax policies) and environmental (climate change) perturbations was evaluated. These simulations highlighted the difficulty in identifying a single policy that leads to a sustainable agroecosystem. In general, policies that resulted in improvement in some components of the capital stock caused degradation of other components. The Identification of preferred policy, in terms of agroecosystem sustainability, requires a weighting of system effects based on societal preferences, ethical responsibilities, degradation thresholds and system co-evolution.

Throughout the world, both producers and consumers of food are critically analyzing and enacting changes away from the globalized, industrial paradigm associated with conventional practices in agriculture and food production/distribution/consumption and towards the localization of food networks. Contributing to growing resistance movements aimed at gaining greater food security and sovereignty, local food discourses are strengthened by a combination of political, socio-economic, ecological, and cultural reasoning. This critical ethnography examines how knowledge and meaning is constructed in the context of an alternative food discourse through the personal and shared experiences of six participants in rural Saskatchewan. Further, the study explores the factors that influence participants sense of personal and/or collective transformation. Data were collected over six months using the methods of participant interviews, a focus group, and observation. Data analysis used temporal sequencing of meaning-making factors or ingredients that were categorized to detail how the creation and affective use of knowledge in transformative learning occurred in the context of localizing food networks in rural Saskatchewan.

The transition from conventional to sustainable farming has been limited in Quebec by the absence of a comprehensive strategy, applicable at the farm level, to facilitate the transition process. This study summarizes the popular discussion pertaining to planning the farm transition, and the following six concepts that are useful to take into account when designing sustainable systems: vision, creativity, values, the efficiency - substitution - redesign spectrum, an holistic, systems perspective of the farm, and popular participation in the development process. Case studies of six farms in the early phase of transition are presented. Farm and farmer characteristics are detailed as well as the potential of each to influence the evolution of the farm. The outcomes of farm-level planning and activities in the first two transitional years are described. Particular attention is paid to the implications of creative visioning and approaches to problem solving, value adjustments, decision-making criteria, and the farmers' perceived restraining forces. A comprehensive, practical strategy designed to facilitate the farm transition process is constructed. This combines the current popular template for appropriate planning and the theoretical constructs of sustainable development, with insights gathered from the six case study farms. Finally, procedures for using the strategy are outlined, together with some requirements for its further development.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Murdoch University, 2003. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Science and Engineering. Bibliography: p. 433-481.

Thesis (M.App.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Science, Discipline of Soil and Land Systems, 2004. / "March, 2004" Bibliography: p. 112-136.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2005. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-223). Also available via the Internet.