Suchergebnisse

During a recent visit to my hometown and Australia's capital, Canberra, I couldn't help but notice the cavalcade of motorcades, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) flags and excitement in the air, as the leaders of ASEAN descended on Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue.The Summit was remarkable in many ways. It represented the strong relationship between ASEAN countries and Australia and shared values. At their closest points, Australia and ASEAN are just 90 miles apart. They share rich government, cultural and economic linkages.The Leaders' Vision Statement underscored the shared commitment for a rules-based regional order in the Indo-Pacific, underpinned by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This was a not-so-subtle response to many ASEAN members concerns with China's aggression in the South China Sea. It demonstrates the impressive trade ties between ASEAN and Australia, empowered by the Australia-New Zealand-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). Australia's two-way trade between Australia and ASEAN is larger in nominal terms than in its two-way trade with the United States. However, it also underscored a significant structural challenge in the economic relationship. Australian investment in ASEAN represents under 3% of total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in ASEAN. Canada, a similar sized economy but geographically far removed, has over double Australia's stock of FDI in ASEAN.Australia and ASEAN: A Partnership for the FutureThe Summit was an opportunity to take stock of the important and growing relationship between Australia and ASEAN and to set its course for the next 50 years. There were a series of tangible outcomes to address the structural barriers to the relationship and strengthen ties for years to come. Chief among them was the announcement of an AU$2b (US$1.32b) Southeast Asia Financing Facility to boost Australian investment in clean energy and infrastructure across ASEAN. There were also a series of defense, intelligence and regional governance announcements that will further enhance ASEAN-Australia's relationship and shape the Indo-Pacific's security and economic architecture.While it remains to be seen if Australia's investors, powered by the world's 5th largest pool of pension funds, will be incentivized enough to increase their investment footprint in the region, the Summit was remarkable not only for Australia and ASEAN but the evolution of America's greatest diplomatic strength, its alliances. The US' Hub and Spoke Alliance Model The US National Defense strategy calls the US network of alliances its "greatest global strategic advantage".In the Indo-Pacific, the US' alliance network developed as a 'hub and spoke' model whereby its security (and to a lesser extent, economic) relationships are underpinned by bilateral treaties connecting the spokes (treaty partners) to the hub (the United States). The US' six regional bi-lateral security alliances include Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand. The US also has regional Free Trade Agreements with Australia, Korea, Singapore, and a Trade Agreement with Japan. Conspicuously, the US does not participate in any Indo-Pacific multi-lateral security alliances (like it does with NATO in Europe) or multi-lateral free trade agreements (like it does with Mexico and Canada in North America), nor do its formal alliances include growing regional heavyweights such as India and Indonesia.The hub and spoke model developed following World War II, represents a time where the US was the uncontested regional economic and security hegemon. As the world economy has grown since the Second World War, so too have the economic and security capabilities of the countries of the Indo-Pacific, relative to the US. In an era of increased contestability and limited resources, there are increasing calls for the hub and spoke model to evolve to encourage greater multilateralism and for the hubs to increase ties with one and other. Indeed, the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy reinforces this sentiment, seeking to "modernized long-standing alliances and…[increase] collective capacity" to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.A Welcome EvolutionAs Washington focuses inward during an election year, the Australia-ASEAN Summit is a welcome milestone of the positive evolution of the hub and spoke alliance model. The Summit strengthens ties between hub and spoke partner, Australia and the Indo-Pacific's most important multilateral organization, ASEAN. It's an example of increasing collective capability in ways that the US cannot do bi-laterally. The outcomes at the Summit will advance the US' work to create a free and open Indo-Pacific without committing additional scarce US resources to the cause. Australia can operate in ways the US is currently unable to, including through multi-lateral trade agreements such as the the Australia-New Zealand-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This will help ensure US interests are advanced in the region even in fora which it does not participate.The Australia-ASEAN Summit is just one of many ways the US alliance system is evolving in the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, the Australia-Japan Security Agreement, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and The American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact are reflective of the evolution of the hub and spoke model to bring in additional partners such as India and strengthen ties between spoke countries.As the US hurdles towards one of its most contested elections in living memory that may fundamentally change the way it engages with the world, the evolution of the hub and spoke alliance model is not only most welcome, but also much needed.

In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "just and stable" peace, but maintained that a ceasefire to freeze the conflict with Russia at current lines remained unacceptable."I remind you that after 2014, there were attempts to freeze the war in Donbas. There were very influential guarantors of that process," Zelensky said. "But Putin is a predator who is not satisfied with frozen products." Despite a recent report from the New York Times suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been quietly signaling an openness to a ceasefire, Zelensky argued that he "embodies war.""We all know that he is the sole reason why various wars and conflicts persist, and why all attempts to restore peace have failed," the Ukrainian president said. "And he will not change."Instead, Zelensky remains committed to his vision of a 10-point peace formula, which calls for, among other stipulations, the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory and the prosecution of Russian officials for war crimes. "[T]hose demands are considered, by analysts and even politicians backing the proposal, to be unreachable given the current balance of forces on the battlefield," reported the New York Times on Tuesday. Kyiv continues to try to persuade the international community to sign onto its peace plan. According to Zelensky, representatives from over 80 countries and international institutions have met in a series of meetings since last summer to discuss the Ukrainian peace formula. This week, Switzerland agreed to host the next round of talks, which Zelensky said will include world leaders for the first time. Zelensky also said on Monday that it was important to him that representatives from China and the Global South be present at the summit. "We would very much like China to be involved in our [peace] formula, as well as in the summit," he said, according to Reuters. "But not everything depends on our wishes."Indeed, on Wednesday Politico reported that officials from Beijing had given Ukraine the cold shoulder at Davos."China's decision not to meet with Ukrainians appeared intentional and not the result of a scheduling problem," reads the report. "One senior U.S. official said Beijing rejected Kyiv's request for a meeting at some point during their mutual Swiss visits. Another senior U.S. official said China has refused any gatherings after Russia urged it to cease diplomatic encounters with Ukraine."A Ukrainian official told Politico that the characterization was not accurate and that the Ukrainian delegation had never requested a meeting with their Chinese counterparts. In other diplomatic news related to the war in Ukraine:— For the first time since Congress returned earlier this month, there appears to be some movement on President Joe Biden's national security supplemental package, which includes roughly $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Biden met with four congressional leaders — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) — to discuss the supplemental at the White House on Wednesday.Following the meeting, McConnell said he expected to hold a vote on the legislation next week, and Schumer added, "For the first time, I believe the odds are a little better than 50% that we can get something done. But certainly it's not a done deal yet." Following the meeting, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) led 17 GOP Senators in calling for a meeting next week to discuss the Republican conference's position on Ukraine aid. The trickier situation will likely be in the House, where Johnson said that he supports aid to Kyiv but members of his caucus "need the questions answered about the strategy, about the endgame and about the accountability for the precious treasure of the American people," before agreeing to another tranche of funding. — Ukraine and the United Kingdom announced both a new bilateral security agreement and that London would provide Kyiv with another $3 billion in military aid. "It's important that Russia sees that we are not moving away, that we will be with Ukraine, not just today, not just tomorrow, but for the long term," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said."Support for Ukraine has emerged as a central thrust of London's foreign policy since Britain left the European Union — and it has provided a means for successive Conservative prime ministers to divert attention from internal political strife," according to The Washington Post. "It has also provided a way for London to distinguish itself from European governments, some of whom have wavered in their military assistance to Ukraine, or, as in the cases of Hungary and Slovakia, rejected it outright."— During a meeting in Brussels this week, top NATO leadership is expected to make plans for the biggest military exercises in Europe since the Cold War, according to the Associated Press. In the face of Russian aggression, "the wargames are meant as a fresh show of strength from NATO and its commitment to defend all allied nations from attack," reports the AP.U.S. State Department News:During a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not receive any questions about the war in Ukraine.

Relevance of the research topic. Since competition and innovation are interrelated, at the current stage of development of the Ukrainian economy the problem of increasing the profitability and competitiveness of sunflower seed production based on the development of innovative processes in the industry remains highly relevant. Those producers of sunflower seeds, who were the first to apply innovations, have the opportunity to reduce the cost of manufactured products, which contributes to strengthening their position in a competitive environment and increasing their survival in the modern market. Formulation of the problem. The downturn of business activity, the domestic economy is experiencing, is usually accompanied by a decrease in the cost of developing innovations. However, an analysis of the activities of large firms, especially in oligopolistic markets, both high-tech and less technologically advanced, shows that for many of them the development of innovation retains its priority value even during periods of unfavorable economic conditions. This allows you to achieve strategic advantages, enter new markets and consolidate positions in the industry after the end of the crisis. Selection of unexplored parts of a common problem. The oil and fat complex represents a wide range of products, the use of new technologies, a high level of profitability and competitiveness, the attraction of foreign deposits, and an orientation towards the export of raw materials. Investment in the development of oil-producing enterprises, entrenched in the market, in fact creates additional natural barriers to their entry into the market, which leads to a change in the concentration and degree of competitiveness and provokes the emergence of new phenomena that require further research. Statement of the problem, the objectives of the study. The purpose of the study is to determine the theoretical aspects of innovation in the activities of agricultural enterprises of the oil and fat complex. The goal defines the following tasks: to consider the categories of enterprises, covers the oil and fat complex; provide a scheme for the extensive development of the industry; explore the basic conditions for the long-term development of the enterprise and consider a scheme for meeting prospective market needs; highlight the benefits of innovation; to substantiate the main trends and directions of development of innovation and investment activities of enterprises producing oil and fat products. Method or methodology of the study. The methodology of the study is to identify approaches to the definition of "innovation", to determine the totality of the methodological components of the appraisal apparatus and justify and highlight their advantages, given the logistics infrastructure of the oil and fat complex. The presentation of the main material (results). The categories of enterprises are considered, covers the oil and fat complex. The scheme of extensive development of the industry. A necessary condition for the long-term development of the enterprise has been described and a scheme for meeting prospective market needs has been considered. Highlighted the benefits of innovation, stimulate agricultural producers to introduce innovations. The logistics infrastructure of the oil and fat complex and the main trends and directions for the development of innovation and investment activities of manufacturing enterprises are presented. Domestic producers of oil and fat products should take into account the global development trends of the global oil and fat complex in the development of an innovation strategy plan, investing in new products, such as high-viscosity sunflower, rapeseed or soybean oil. The scope of the results. The results of the study can be used in the activities of agricultural enterprises producing oil and fat products, as well as in the work of firms representing the food industry. The presentation of the main material (results). The categories of enterprises are considered, covers the oil and fat complex. The scheme of extensive development of the industry. A necessary condition for the long-term development of the enterprise has been described and a scheme for meeting prospective market needs has been considered. Highlighted the benefits of innovation, stimulate agricultural producers to introduce innovations. The logistics infrastructure of the oil and fat complex and the main trends and directions for the development of innovation and investment activities of manufacturing enterprises are presented. Domestic producers of oil and fat products should take into account the global development trends of the global oil and fat complex in the development of an innovation strategy plan, investing in new products, such as high-viscosity sunflower, rapeseed or soybean oil. Conclusions according to the article. The consumption of "healthy" natural vegetable oils is increasing in the world, particularly in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. The current trends towards an increase in the volume and qualitative changes in the structure of consumption of edible vegetable oils and fats make it possible to predict the future shortage of them in both developed and developing countries. The constant growth of the global demand for edible vegetable oils creates the prerequisites for the activation of the search for new investment and innovative solutions by the subjects of this market. Domestic producers of oil and fat products should take into account the global development trends of the global oil and fat complex in the development of an innovation strategy plan, investing in new products, such as high-viscosity sunflower, rapeseed or soybean oil.

In nearly three years in office, President Donald J. Trump's war against immigrants and the foreign-born seems only to have intensified. Through a series of Executive Branch actions and policies rather than legislation, the Trump Administration has targeted immigrants and visitors from Muslim-majority countries, imposed quotas on and drastically reduced the independence of Immigration Court Judges, cut the number of refugees admitted by more than 80%, cancelled DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and stationed Immigration Customs and Enforcement ("ICE") agents at state courtrooms to arrest unauthorized immigrants, intimidating them from participating as witnesses and litigants. Although initially saying that only unauthorized immigrants convicted of serious crimes would be prioritized for deportation, the Trump Administration has implicitly given ICE officers carte blanche to arrest unauthorized immigrants anytime, anywhere, creating a climate of fear in immigrant communities. Particularly disturbing is the targeting of asylum-seekers, employing the criminal justice system and the illegal entry statute in the "zero tolerance policy." Under this policy, children, including toddlers, are seized and languish for months and years separate from their families, many of whom are seeking asylum. Directly contrary to federal statute and international law, another policy makes anyone who enters the country without inspection ineligible for asylum. Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump's second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"), ordered asylum applicants to await the lengthy processing of their claims in cartel-ruled border areas of Mexico, with no realistic safe shelter and deprived of all meaningful opportunity to exercise their statutorily-guaranteed right to access to counsel—a necessity, given today's convoluted asylum law. Trump's first Attorney General, Jefferson Sessions, largely disqualified as grounds for asylum even the most brutal and terroristic persecution of women and violence perpetrated by inescapable quasi-state gang actors. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") officers mislead asylum-seekers at the southern border, telling them they don't have the right to apply for asylum or saying yes, they may apply, but admitting only a minute fraction of those who present themselves for processing at ports of entry. President Trump's Administration refuses to grant parole or reasonable bond even to those asylum-seekers who establish a credible fear of persecution, frequently resulting in long-term detention, and forcing on detained asylum-seekers the Hobson's choice of lengthy incarceration in terrible conditions in the United States or the risks of persecution and death in their countries of origin. International law prohibits using the criminal justice system or prolonged administrative detention to deter and discourage bona fide asylum-seekers from asserting and proving their claims. We suggest two remedies: Federal courts should enforce article 31 of the 1951 Refugee Convention (1) by prohibiting criminal charges of unlawful entry against bona fide asylum-seekers until they complete the asylum application process and are denied asylum; and (2) by requiring parole or reasonable bond for asylum-seekers who pass fair credible fear interviews. The article argues that bona fide asylum-seekers should be kept in detention only for a short period, if at all, to determine whether they have a credible fear of persecution. Article 31 of the Refugee Convention, made binding on the United States through our accession to the 1967 Refugee Protocol, generally prohibits "impos[ing] penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees . . . where their life or freedom was threatened." "Penalties" clearly must include not only criminal prosecution and prison, but also prolonged immigration detention and the seizure of children from parents without good cause, for "deterrence" purposes. We argue also that customary international law and human rights treaties support the recommended remedies and stand squarely against the Trump Administration's policies. Federal courts may utilize customary international law directly or through the Charming Betsy canon. Not only do the Trump Administration's harsh immigration policies and practices violate international law and American values, but also foretell a government tending toward exclusion, racism, nationalism, parochialism, authoritarianism, and disregard of the rule of law. The parallels between the Trump Administration and Hungary's autocratic, essentially one-party, state, are chilling. See Patrick Kingsley, He Used to Call Victor Orban an Ally. Now He Calls Him a Symbol of Fascism, N.Y. Times (Mar. 15, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/world/europe/viktor-orban-hungary-ivanyi.html (on file with the Columbia Human Rights Law Review). Federal courts, however, have both the authority and the responsibility to enforce the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol as well as international human rights norms to protect asylum-seekers from criminal prosecution and from prolonged detention. The Framers of the United States Constitution and its key amendments envisioned that federal courts would apply treaties as the rule of decision to protect foreigners and would serve as a check upon an Executive that tramples on individual rights, particularly the rights of a vulnerable minority. Given the outlandish behavior of this Administration, federal courts must live up to that vision.

The Horizon 2020 project Towards Sustainable and Resilient EU Farming Systems (SURE-Farm) defines resilience as maintaining the essential functions of EU farming systems in the face of increasingly complex and volatile economic, social, ecological and institutional risks: Meuwissen (2018) suggests that resilience over time is achieved across the increasingly fundamental attributes of robustness, adaptability and transformability, representing system responses to short, medium and long-term external drivers, respectively. Maxwell (1986) also recognised that external drivers vary significantly in time and space and distinguished four different types of perturbations: noise, shocks, cycles and trends. Analysis of narratives (Rosenthal, 2004; Riessmann, 2008) can be used to enable researchers to gain indepth understanding of the rationale surrounding farmer decision making when faced with drivers of change (e.g. MacDonald et al., 2014), and how farmers manage critical decision points in their farming businesses. This understanding is crucial for developing the tools and policy measures needed to support the sustainability and resilience of European agriculture. We have used personal histories of family farms, and business histories of corporate farms, to identify phases in the separate production, demographic and policy adaptive cycles (and consequences of interactions between them) as they have impacted on the individuals concerned and their business enterprises. Biographical stories were collected from nine to ten narrators (early-, mid- and late-career), in each of five case studies chosen to represent a range of regions and farming systems in Europe. These included large scale family and corporate arable farms in Northeast Bulgaria (BG) and the East of England (UK); dairy farms in Flanders (BE); small-scale perennial crop (hazelnut) farms in central Italy (IT) and high value egg and broiler systems in Southern Sweden (SE). A single question was used to initiate the narrators' stories, without qualification beforehand, supported only with expressions of interest and encouragement in the first part of the interview, with subsequent exploratory questions devoted to clarifying the internal structure of the narrative. Narratives were transcribed and analysed to identify the drivers and responses to critical decision-making points in the stories. Comparisons across the five regional farming system cases have also been made to generate wider insights into how the narrators responded to different challenges. The drivers leading up to critical decision points in the narratives were grouped according to themes which followed a spectrum ranging from internal (those arising from within the farm system), to external (those acting on the farm system). Internal drivers included health, relationships, intergenerational change, retirement, redundancy. The more intermediate drivers included financial pressures, skills, labour, disasters, land issues, water. External drivers included supply chain factors, markets, technology, policy and regulation. Some drivers and responses were observed to relate to the farmer whilst others related to the farming system. Key findings from cross-narrative analysis distinguished inertia as the predominant response to system challenges, and that incremental changes (or creeping change, as we have termed it) in the system over a long-time frame rather than a definable critical decision point, is widely evident in the narratives. Climate change was not identified as being a driver and was only mentioned at all in two of the 45 narratives. Farmer identity ranged broadly across the narratives with the extremes being represented by those who farmed because it was their vocation, to those who perceived themselves first and foremost as business operators. To an extent, these identities reflected the degree of attachment to land, with the more vocational farmers having a strong attachment to their farmed land (particularly in the Flemish case) and the more business-minded (particularly in Northeast Bulgaria and the East of England) having less attachment. The long-term nature of the hazelnut crop in Central Italy meant that attachment to the land was strong, regardless of farmer identity. Family support, whether perceived as positive or negative by the narrator, was found to influence decision-making, and changing work/life balance expectations, particularly amongst early-career farmers with young families, was also influential. The narratives revealed different approaches to risk alleviation, both within and across case studies. In instances where land availability was not restricted (for example, Northeast Bulgaria, and to some extent, East Anglia), scale enlargement was predominant, but where land was restricted, diversification was the predominant response (for example, in the Flemish narratives). There were strong similarities and distinctive differences across the narrative contexts. Similarities included the dominance of internal drivers, intergenerational change as a major critical decision point, the perception of many external drivers as noise, and more frustration with policy drivers compared with weather events. There were few mentions of insurance by the narrators. The findings indicate that robustness is demonstrated in response to many drivers classified as cycles and shocks, whilst prolonged trends result primarily in adaptation. Transformations were relatively infrequent in the narratives and those identified were not radical in nature. The main policy related conclusions from the study suggest that farming systems are ill-equipped for a rapid move from direct payments to income insurance. They also appear to be unprepared for climate change. Long-term, coherent strategies required for dealing with intergenerational change were not apparent, confirming parallel literature that suggests that legal, social welfare and policy obstacles to farm succession need to be addressed.

Hace ya varias décadas que Latinoamérica salió del colonialismo "centroeuropeo", como lo llama Dussell; sin embargo, se mantiene una actitud de "colonialidad", entendida como un proceso amplio de control hegemónico de imposición de conocimientos, prácticas y formas culturales en todos los campos de la vida social, al tiempo que se desprecian y desdeñan los valores autóctonos, los conocimientos ancestrales y populares que Boaventura de Sousa Santos denomina con la metáfora de "las epistemologías del sur"; es decir, aquellas epistemologías de quienes no han tenido voz ni voto en las decisiones trascendentales de la vida social, económica, política y cultural, como los desposeídos, los marginados de la sociedad, campesinos, indígenas, afrodescendientes, homosexuales, entre otros. Los responsables de esta actitud colonialista, no solamente han sido los gobiernos que, mediante convenios y tratados bilaterales y multilaterales con las potencias hegemónicas, financian proyectos de diversa índole e imponen sus criterios e intereses en los distintos campos de la economía, la política y la educación. Pero también la misma educación ha tenido su responsabilidad en este proceso. El conocimiento impartido en las universidades es hegemónico y colonizador, que llega de Europa y Norteamérica. Por esta razón, la ciencia y el conocimiento que se producen en estas regiones, debe construirse para su validez, con las epistemologías y las metodologías de estas potencias; mientras que los conocimientos culturales, populares y ancestrales, se consideran obstáculos epistemológicos que no pueden convivir e interactuar con la epistemología de la ciencia clásica. Es por esto que la Universidad también tiene que "decolonizar" sus saberes para alcanzar un espacio transcultural que incluya todos aquellos conocimientos y cosmovisiones populares y tradicionales para que puedan ser tenidos como pares, en un diálogo de saberes dentro de los procesos de formación y aprendizaje. ; For several decades now Latin America came out of the "Central European" colonialism, as Dussell calls it; however, an attitude of "coloniality" is maintained, understood as an extensive process of hegemonic control of the imposition of knowledge, practices and cultural forms in all fields of social life, while despising and disregarding indigenous values, the ancestral and popular knowledge that Boaventura de Sousa Santos names with the metaphor of "the epistemologies of the south"; that is to say, those epistemologies of who have had no voice or vote in the transcendental decisions of social, economic, political and cultural life, such as those dispossessed, marginalized from society, peasants, indigenous, Afro-descendants, homosexuals, among others. The ones responsible for this colonialist attitude have not only been governments which, through bilateral and multilateral agreements and treaties with the hegemonic powers, finance projects of various kinds and impose their criteria and interests in the various fields of economy, politics and education. But also education itself has had responsibility in this process. The knowledge imparted in the universities is hegemonic and colonizing, that comes from Europe and North America. For this reason, the science and knowledge produced in these regions must be constructed for its validity, with the epistemologies and methodologies of these powers; while cultural, popular and ancestral knowledge, are considered epistemological obstacles that cannot coexist and interact with the epistemology of classical science. This is why the University also has to "decolonize" its knowledge to reach a transcultural space that includes all those popular and traditional knowledge and worldviews so they can be considered as equals, in a dialogue of knowledge within the processes of formation and learning. ; Há já varias décadas que Latino-américa saiu do colonialismo "centroeuropeio", como o chama Dussell; porém, se mantém uma atitude de "colonialidade", entendida como um processo amplo de controle hegemônica de imposição de conhecimentos, práticas e formas culturais em todos os âmbitos da vida social, ao mesmo tempo se despreza e desdenha os valores autóctones, os conhecimentos ancestrais e populares que Boaventura de Sousa Santos denomina com a metáfora de "as epistemologias do sul", aliás, epistemologias de aqueles que não têm tido voz nem voto nas decisões transcendentais da vida social, econômica, política e cultural, como os despojados, os marginalizados da sociedade, camponeses, indígenas, afrodescendentes, homossexuais. Os responsáveis dessa atitude colonialista, não somente tem sido os governos, que mediante convênios e tratados bilaterais e multilaterais com as potencias hegemônicas financiam projetos de diversa índole e impõem seus critérios e interesses nos diferentes campos da economia, a política e a educação. Mas também a mesma educação tem sido responsável neste processo. O conhecimento ensinado nas universidades é hegemônico e colonizador, que chega da Europa e Norte América. Por esta razão, a ciência e o conhecimento que se produz nestas regiões, deve se construir para sua validez, com as epistemologias e as metodologias de estas potencias; enquanto isso os conhecimentos culturais, populares e ancestrais se consideram obstáculos epistemológicos que não podem conviver e interagir com a epistemologia da ciência clássica. É por isso que a Universidade também deve "descolonizar" seus saberes para atingir um espaço transcultural que inclua todos aqueles conhecimentos e cosmovisões populares e tradicionais para que possam ser considerados pares, num diálogo de saberes dentro dos processos de formação e aprendizagem.

This research project provides a description of the climate of ideas between the end of World WarI and the beginning of World War II both in Europe and the United States, and its impact on our South American region. The study aims at unveiling the various key issues marking the discussion at the time, starting with those from the previous 1880-1920 period, already researched by other authors, focused on the core idea of civilizing crisis, the social issue, reform or revolution, the tension between capitalism and democracy and debates on how to keep peace. One of the main steps forward we made in 2015 was to introduce in the analysis new highly influential authors of the time as regards the interpretation of the crisis: Peter Sorokin and Karl Polanyi. We also introduced the ongoing trends recovering the political and economic thinking of that time (especially Harold Laski from the British Labor Party, through Jeremy Corsby), and Polanyi for the importance of Piketty in the new critical tradition and constant reference to his work. We broke down the period into three stages: 1st stage to 30 as the effective date of liberal peace by trade, 2nd overturned after the crisis of 30 to the reformulation in terms of utopian realism of Carr and then from 39 to focus on rethinking the structure European and global governance. We undertook a more profound analysis of Laski's democracy/capitalism tension and the palpable similarity between the crises developed in the region in the interbellum period and the current European crisis within the global context. We undertook a thorough review of Paretto, Mosca and Michels' study of the theory of elites. Their theoretical propositions related to the contradictions of modern democracy and their questions about the nature, legitimacy and stability of the political power and order, drove our attention to other authors such as Gustav Le Bon, Georges Sorel and Moisei Ostrogorski. We also made a detailed analysis of the cultural climate at the time, especially its artistic expressions in filmmaking, painting, etc. Finally, we began the study of other movements of central ideas of the time, such as the Frankfurt School and the Annales School, and carried outan analysis on the pacifist movements of the period and their correlation with Latin American traditions, especially in the case of the Nobel Peace Prize Award granted to Saavedra Lamas. ; El proyecto consiste en la descripción del clima de ideas entre el fin de la primera Guerra Mundial y los inicios de la segunda, tanto en Europa como en los EE. UU., y su impacto en nuestra región sudamericana. En este sentido, la investigación se propone descubrir las diferentes claves alrededor de las cuales se daban las discusiones, partiendo de las heredadas del período anterior (1880/1920). Otros autores, al estudiarlas, se han centrado en la idea central de crisis civilizatoria, la cuestión social, la reforma o revolución, la tensión entre capitalismo y democracia y los debates sobre cómo mantener la paz. El principal avance en 2015 fue la incorporación del análisis de nuevos autores de gran influencia en lo relativo a la época, en términos de interpretación de la crisis: Peter Sorokin y Karl Polanyi. Asimismo, hemos incluido la aparición actual de tendencias de recuperación del pensamiento político económico de esa época, particularmente Harold Laski en el Partido Laborista ingles (víaJeremy Corsby) y Polanyi, por la importancia de Piketty en la nueva tradición crítica y la permanente referencia a sus obras. Adicionalmente, avanzamos con la construcción de una periodización en tres etapas: la primera etapa hasta los treinta como aquella de la vigencia de la paz liberal por el comercio; la segunda, volcada tras la crisis de treinta, a la reformulación en términos del realismo utópico de Carry; luego, a partir del treinta y nueve, con un repensar la estructura de gobernanza global y europea. Logramos profundizar el análisis de la tensión democracia/capitalismo en Laski, y la obvia similitud entre las crisis desarrolladas en la región en el período entreguerras y la actual crisis europea en el contexto global. Examinamos detenidamente el estudio de la teoría de las elites en Paretto, Mosca y Michels. Sus proposiciones teóricas respecto de las contradicciones de la democracia moderna; sus preguntas acerca de la naturaleza, legitimidad y estabilidad del poder político y del orden político, nos han llevado a trabajar con otros autores como Gustav Le Bon, Georges Sorel y Moisei Ostrogorski. También nos adentramos en la descripción del clima cultural de la época, especialmente en sus expresiones artísticas en el cine, la pintura, etc. Por último, iniciamos el estudio de otros movimientos de ideas centrales en la época como fueron la escuela de Frankfurt y de los anales, y el análisis de los movimientos pacifistas en la época y su correlación con las tradiciones latinoamericanas, en especial en el caso de la distinción con el premio Nobel de la Paz a Saavedra Lamas.

Purpose: The improvement of an Air Traffic Management System should be continuous. It should correspond to the appearing requirements in the aviation sphere. The purpose of this article is to review the Pilot Common Project, possibility of its implementation into Ukrainian airspace and advices regarding its implementation. Also it is important to define the timescale of Pilot Common Project Air Traffic Management functionalities implementation into Ukrainian airspace. Methods: basing on the analyzed data from The World Bank of Data, FlightRadar24.com statistics we defined the average amount of air traffic crossing Europe and Ukraine on annual basis. Considering the received results we made the evaluation on the necessity of Pilot Common Project implementation into Ukrainian airspace. Results: Due to the changes of political situation on the territory of Ukraine the usage of flight routes over eastern part of Ukraine and Crimean Peninsula has been terminated, and the air traffic flows were distributed to bypass Ukraine. We have concluded that nowadays only three out of six Air Traffic Management functionalities will be the valuable improvement of Ukrainian Airspace. It is proposed to implement in Ukraine Initial Trajectory Information Sharing; Initial System Wide Information Management until 2025 year, while Airport Integration and Throughput have been advised to be established until 2024 year. Discussion: The "high wall" that has appeared from the North-Eastern part till the Southern part of Ukraine due to the political situation in the country created an obstacle for the transition air traffic, and decreased the number of daily flights through Ukrainian airspace. That brought an enormous loss of air navigation service fees and, as a result, lack of financing of aviation transportation system in Ukraine. Nowadays, the only motivation to continue improvement of Ukrainian Air Traffic Management System is just to be in line with European Union airspace and to provide the high-quality service at the end of the day. ; Мета: розвиток і вдосконалення системи організації повітряного руху повинні бути безперервними. Вона повинна відповідати вимогам у сфері авіаційних перевезень. Метою даної статті є розгляд пілотного спільного проекту, можливість його реалізації в українському повітряному просторі та поради щодо його реалізації. Також важливо визначити часові рамки реалізації функціональних можливостей пілотного спільного проекту в повітряному просторі України. Методи: на основі проаналізованих даних із The World Bank of Data, статистики FlightRadar24.com, ми визначили середню кількість повітряного руху, що перетинає Європу і Україну щорічно. З огляду на отримані результати, ми зробили оцінку про необхідність реалізації пілотного спільного проекту в повітряному просторі України. Результати: у зв'язку зі зміною політичної ситуації на території України, використання маршрутів польотів над східною частиною України та над Кримським півостровом було припинено і потоки повітряного руху були розподілені в обхід України. Ми зробили висновок, що в даний час тільки три з шести функціональних можливостей організації повітряного руху будуть цінним удосконаленням українського повітряного простору. Запропоновано запровадити в Україні Initial Trajectory Information Sharing та Initial System Wide Information Management до 2025 року, а Airport Integration and Throughput запропоновано бути встановленою до 2024 року. Обговорення: "Висока стіна", що розтяглася від північно-східної частини до південної частини України, створила перешкоду для транзитного повітряного руху, а також зменшила кількість щоденних рейсів через повітряний простір України. Це викликало величезну втрату зборів за аеронавігаційне обслуговування і, як наслідок, відсутність фінансування авіаційної транспортної системи в Україні. У даний момент єдиною мотивацією продовжити вдосконалення української системи організації повітряного руху є необхідність відповідати рівню розвитку повітряного простору Європейського Союзу, щоб мати можливість забезпечити високу якість обслуговування. ; Цель: развитие и совершенствование системы организации воздушного движения должны быть непрерывными. Она должна соответствовать требованиям в области авиационных перевозок. Целью данной статьи является рассмотрение пилотного совместного проекта, возможность его реализации в украинском воздушном пространстве и советы по его реализации. Также важно определить временные рамки реализации функциональных возможностей пилотного совместного проекта в воздушном пространстве Украины. Методы: на основе проанализированных данных с The World Bank of Data, статистики FlightRadar24.com, мы определили среднее количество воздушного движения, которое пересекает Европу и Украину ежегодно. Учитывая полученные результаты, мы провели оценку необходимости реализации пилотного совместного проекта в воздушном пространстве Украины. Результаты: в связи с изменением политической ситуации на территории Украины, использование маршрутов полетов над восточной частью Украины и над Крымским полуостровом было прекращено и потоки воздушного движения были распределены в обход Украины. Мы сделали вывод, что в настоящее время только три из шести функциональных возможностей организации воздушного движения будут ценным усовершенствованием украинского воздушного пространства. Предложено внедрить в Украине Initial Trajectory Information Sharing и Initial System Wide Information Management до 2025 года, а Airport Integration and Throughput предложено быть установлена до 2024 года. Обсуждение: "Высокая стена", которая растянулась от северо-восточной части до южной части Украины, создала препятствие для транзитного воздушного движения, а также уменьшила количество ежедневных рейсов через воздушное пространство Украины. Это вызвало огромные потери сборов за аэронавигационное обслуживание и, как следствие, отсутствие финансирования авиационной транспортной системы в Украине. В данный момент единственной мотивацией продолжить совершенствование украинской системы организации воздушного движения является необходимость соответствовать уровню развития воздушного пространства Европейского Союза, чтобы обеспечить высокое качество обслуживания.

The key milestones of the EU conditionality historical evolution, which it applies mainly in two areas of policy: aid and expansion, are researched. The conditionality of assistance relates to the EU relations with developing countries, and the conditionality of membership, which is used in the process of the Union's enlargement. In the process of European integration, the conditionality of membership evolved from the establishment of minimum requirements for applicant countries (criteria of democracy and European identity) in the 1950s to the development of an institutionalized system of requirements based on criteria groups in the 1990s. Important milestones in the development of conditionality were democratic revolutions in the middle of 1970s in the Southern Europe countries (Greece, Spain, Portugal) and the collapse of the communist regimes in 1989 – 1991 in the Central and Eastern European countries and the USSR. The capacity of conditionality (quantity and quality of requirements and criteria for their implementation) began to gradually increase and reached its peak with the adoption of the Copenhagen Accession Criteria in 1993, which were clarified and supplemented by decisions of the Madrid (1995) and Luxembourg (1997) EU summits. Post-communist countries faced a significant amount of conditionality, which is growing all the time and qualitatively changing. In the process of studying the evolution of the EU conditionality with regard to post-communist countries, post-soviet countries (Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) were marked as separate group which identifies European integration as a strategic foreign policy priority. The peculiarity of these countries is that they do not have a formal prospect of accession, but, on the contrary, have concluded Association Agreements with the EU, whose purpose is to maximally approach the Union by achieving political association and economic integration. In addition, all these countries are still in the zone of political and socio-economic turbulence caused by both internal and external factors. A key external factor is the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation, which aims to destabilize the situation in these countries and break their course towards European integration.The conditionality in the relations between the EU and Ukraine evolved from the framework agreement, which was not conditional, to the Association Agreement, the achievement of which is due to the implementation (first of all for Ukraine) of both political and economic requirements. It has been established that the EU conditionality regarding to Ukraine has varied according to its foreign policy course, as well as the nature and pace of domestic reforms. The EU conditionality can be a powerful stimulus for internal transformation in Ukraine, prompting the country's leadership to continue and intensify reforms. At the moment, the Association Agreement is a key document that will shape the nature of Ukraine – EU relations in the long-term prospective.The future of the EU conditionality, in particular its size, will depend on which scenario of further EU development will be chosen by its member states by 2025. ; Исследованы ключевые вехи исторической эволюции обусловленности ЕС от начала процесса европейской интеграции в 1950-х годах и до этапа расширения ЕС на посткоммунистическое пространство в 2000-х годах. Установлено, что ведущей тенденцией развития обусловленности ЕС в указанный период является неуклонный рост ее объема, то есть количества и качества требований и критериев их выполнения. Кратко охарактеризованы различия в применении обусловленности ЕС в отношении западноевропейских и посткоммунистических стран. Выяснено, что институциализация обусловленности ЕС и ее усиление относительно европейских посткоммунистических стран в 1990-х – 2000-х годах были вызваны необходимостью коренной трансформации их общественно-политического строя и экономической модели. В отдельную группу анализа выделены постсоветские страны, заключившие с ЕС соглашения об ассоциации, (Грузия, Молдова, Украина) и определены их особенности в контексте применения обусловленности. Отдельно рассмотрено развитие обусловленности в отношениях между ЕС и Украиной. Выявлено, что объем обусловленности ЕС относительно Украины менялся в зависимости от ее внешнеполитического курса, а также характера и темпа внутренних реформ. Сделано предположение, что будущее обусловленности ЕС, в частности ее объем, будет зависеть от того, какой сценарий дальнейшего развития ЕС до 2025 г. будет избран его государствами-членами. ; Досліджено ключові віхи історичної еволюції обумовленості ЄС від початку процесу європейської інтеграції в 1950-х рр. і до етапу розширення ЄС на посткомуністичний простір у 2000-х рр. Встановлено, що провідною тенденцією розвитку обумовленості ЄС у зазначений період є неухильне зростання її обсягу, тобто кількості та якості вимог і критеріїв їх виконання. Стисло охарактеризовано відмінності в застосуванні обумовленості ЄС щодо західноєвропейських і посткомуністичних країн. З'ясовано, що інституціалізація обумовленості ЄС та її посилення стосовно європейських посткомуністичних країн в 1990-х – 2000-х рр. були викликані необхідністю докорінної трансформації їх суспільно-політичного ладу та економічної моделі. В окрему групу аналізу виділено пострадянські країни, які уклали з ЄС угоди про асоціацію (Грузія, Молдова, Україна) та визначені їх особливості в контексті застосування обумовленості. Окремо розглянуто розвиток обумовленості у відносинах між ЄС та Україною. Виявлено, що обсяг обумовленості ЄС щодо України змінювався залежно від її зовнішньополітичного курсу, а також характеру і темпу внутрішніх реформ. Зроблено припущення, що майбутнє обумовленості ЄС, зокрема її обсяг, залежатиме від того, який сценарій подальшого розвитку ЄС до 2025 р. буде обрано його державами-членами.

In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden Fremd- und Selbstbilder im Feuilleton der deutschsprachigen Zeitungen aus der Steiermark (Marburger Zeitung und Grazer Tagblatt) und Krain (Laibacher Zeitung) von 1900 bis 1914 anhand eines heterogenen Korpus von literarischen und publizistischen Narrativen untersucht. Den Schwerpunkt der Dissertation bilden die Analyse der Fremd- und Selbstbilder, Untersuchung von Verfestigung und Verflüssigung von Auto- und Heterostereotypen, poetischer Verfremdungsprozesse und derer gesellschaftlichen Funktionen. Die für poetische Alterität charakteristischen Verfremdungsverfahren auf der Genre-(Groteske, Märchen und Sage) und Handlungsebene (universalistische Kulturthemen wie Tod, Krankheit und Wahnsinn) sind vorrangig in der Laibacher Zeitung zu beobachten, wobei sie zur Sensibilisierung der Leser für interkulturelle Erfahrung und Verschränkung vom Eigenen und Fremden sowie De-Konstruierung von Homogenität beitragen und die Texte eine Funktion der inoffizieller Geschichte und eines kritischen Korrektivs erfüllen. Die Verfremdungsverfahren der Allegorisierung und Ironisierung werden dagegen in der Marburger Zeitung und Grazer Tagblatt politisch-ideologisch instrumentalisiert. Anhand der Selbstbilder der Superiorität sowie der Abgrenzung gegenüber dem Anderen treten die Funktionen der kollektiven Identitätsstiftung, des kollektiven Gedächtnisses und der Gedächtnisorte, der Reduzierung der gesellschaftlichen Komplexität und der Konstruktion von Nationalismen auf. Unterschiede in der Inszenierung der Fremd- und Selbstbilder in den untersuchten Zeitungen können auf das Zeitungscredo und -programm der jeweiligen Zeitung, die nationale Zusammensetzung der Bevölkerung, die politisch-historischen (Krisen-)Ereignisse und nicht zuletzt auf die Homogenisierungstendenzen einer Gemeinschaft als Folge der Zuwanderung zurückgeführt werden. Die repräsentativen Beispiele der Selbst- und Fremdbilder in der Marburger Zeitung und Grazer Tagblatt laufen stets auf eine nationale Unterscheidung, d.h. in Anlehnung an Giesen auf primordiale Codes hinaus. Als Antwort auf die zunehmende Autonomisierung der slowenischen Kultur in dem 'deutschen Festungsdreieck' der Städte Celje, Ptuj und Maribor, die zum 'feindlichen Fremden' wurde, ist eine Abgrenzung ihr, aber auch anderssprachigen Bevölkerung der Donaumonarchie gegenüber zu beobachten. Die Tageszeitungen als Medien des kollektiven Gedächtnisses ermöglichten ihren Lesern in historischer und regionaler Thematik ein Erinnern an deutsche Tradition, Sitten und Rituale und stützten sich auf traditionelle Ordnungsmuster, die in der tagtäglichen Erfahrung mit Fremdheiten vermeintliche Sicherheit boten und eine kollektiv identitätsstiftende Rolle erfüllten. Die Repräsentationen von China, Süd-Afrika und den Nahen-Osten sind verankert in der dichotomisierenden Denkweise und dem Othering und werden mittels von Oppositionspaaren Okzident/Orient, Zivilisierte/Barbaren, Kultur/Natur usw. inszeniert, wobei die kulturelle Fremderfahrung, die vorerst in Reiseberichten thematisiert wird, zwischen den Polen Faszination und Bedrohung oszilliert. Während Marburger Zeitung die regionale kulturelle Heterogenität, die Zirkulation kultureller Transfers aber auch ausländische Literatur weitgehend ausblendet und zusammen mit Grazer Tagblatt auf einer Repräsentation der homogenen deutschsprachigen Kultur beharrt, die sich in dem multiethnischen Staat nicht zurechtfindet und deswegen einer Utopie von einem national homogenen Staat mittels einer groß- bzw. alldeutschen Lösung entgegensieht, lässt die Laibacher Zeitung – obwohl es der deutschsprachigen Kultur Vorrang gibt – einen 'dritten Raum' für seine inter- und intrakulturell differenzierte Leser entstehen, wodurch ihr ein großes Potential für die Förderung einer friedlichen und toleranten Kohabitation der unterschiedlichen Kulturen im transkulturellen mitteleuropäischen Kontaktraum innewohnte, in dem Kulturvermittlung als selbstverständlich galt. ; The thesis deals with cultural representations of Self and Other in German newspapers from Styria (Marburger Zeitung and Grazer Tagblatt) and Carniola (LaibacherZeitung) from 1900 to 1914, based on a heterogeneous corpus of literary and journalistic narratives. The thesis focuses on the construction in discourse of "self-images" and their contrasting "other-images", as well as the representational practice of stereotyping and the presence and forms of poetic alterity, such as specific genres (grotesque, fairy tale and legend) and on the plot-level on culturally universal topics such as death, disease and insanity, that are mainly observed in the LaibacherZeitung. This literature and its otherness play an important part in raising the awareness among readers of intercultural experience, in deconstructing the homogeneity of Self and Other, while also functioning as unofficial history, alternative worlds and as a corrective critique of society. The strategies of poetic alterity such as allegorisation and irony, which are characteristic of the discourse in Marburger Zeitung and Grazer Tagblatt, form part of the political and ideological instrumentalization of literature. The study emphasizes the differences in the mediatization of Selfness and Otherness in the three newspapers and their feuilletons, differences which arise from each newspaper's credo and program, as well from the historical context (specific political, cultural and ethnic features) of their locality and region. The representative examples of images of Self and Other in the Marburger Zeitung and Grazer Tagblatt tend towards national distinctiveness, in the sense that collective identification follows the primordial code, which according to Giesen, is the basis for the formation and consolidation of collective identity. In response to the increasing autonomy of Slovenian culture in the cities of Lower Styria, the Slovenian and other ethnicities of Habsburg Central Europe became, through strategies of distinction, constructed as the "hostile stranger". As the medium of collective memory, the newspapers used historical and regional issues to remind their readers of German traditions, customs and rituals, which were based on traditional patterns of symbolic order and offered security amidst the everyday experience with otherness and strangeness. The representations of "distant" cultures, such as Chinese, South African and those from the Middle East, are rooted in a dichotomizing mindset and in othering ; moreover, they are staged in rather rigid binary oppositions such as Occident/Orient, Civilization/Barbarism, Culture/Nature etc. The intercultural experience with the otherness discussed in travelogues, oscillates between the poles of fascination and threat. Marburger Zeitung refused to accommodate the heterogeneity of the particular locality, region and multiethnic state of the Habsburg Monarchy and mostly blocked the circulation of cultural elements, for instance by mainly excluding foreign literature from their feuilleton and persisting, along with Grazer Tagblatt, in projecting a homogeneous German culture in Lower Styria. This policy resulted in politically utopian projections of a nationally homogeneous state based on unification with the German Empire, in which case the poetic alterity and the procedures of literary transformation were instrumentalized by relations of power, such as politics. In contrast, the German-speaking periodical from Ljubljana – although it does project the preeminence of German culture – created a third space for its socially and culturally differentiated readers. This expanded its potential for promoting peaceful and tolerant intercultural communication among the different cultures in the transcultural Central European space ; cultural mediation along with overcoming and embracing the cultural, political, religious and national differences, as well as heterogeneity and plurality, constituted its main aspirations.

The Intensive Programme of study on "Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches" resulted from the recognition of the growing importance of agroforestry systems in the European context, in particular, silvopastoral systems in the south of Europe. The European roadmap towards low carbon economy within the 2050 horizon creates enormous challenges for the agriculture sector in terms of its modernization and reconversion for which agroforestry systems are essential technological and sustainable production solutions. At the global scale, challenges resulting from escalating demand for animal and forest products, effects of climate change, loss of natural capital and the search for sustainable development solutions strengthen the importance of agroforestry systems. Several international organizations, among which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the European Union (EU), have been promoting the development and implementation of these systems. Also, within the context of the United Nations, several conventions – biological diversity, climate change, soil conservation – force deep changes to be made in production systems, to which agroforestry systems are indispensable references. The intensive learning programme on "Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches" was funded by the European Comission through the ERASMUS program (2013-1-PT1-ERA10-16673- PBRAGANC01). The Intensive Programme took place in Bragança, Portugal, from March 30 to April 12, 2014, and was organized by the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança in collaboration with the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad da Extremadura, and Universidad de Oviedo, in Spain, and the Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro, in Italy. The objective of the programme was to share with first and second cycle students from Portugal, Spain and Italy knowledge about implementation and management of agroforestry systems, in particular silvopastoral systems, considering production, economic, environmental and socio-cultural aspects. The programme was an opportunity to discuss practical and theoretical issues iv related to agroforestry systems in different environmental backgrounds, particularly in Atlantic and Mediterrenean regions of the Iberian Peninsula. The programme made it also possible to the intervening institutions to establish cooperation partnerships within the scope of scientific research and knowledge transfer, with emphasis on the production of knowledge on silvopastoral systems materialized in this book. The content of this book corresponds to lectures taught in the programme by the researchers and professors subjected to a peer reviewing process; we would like therefore to acknowledge all authors, reviewers and institutions involved in the Intensive Programme and in this book by their collaboration and the ERASMUS Programme by the financial support provided that made it possible to organize this course on "Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches". ; A realização do curso intitulado Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches resultou do reconhecimento da importância crescente dos sistemas agroflorestais no contexto europeu e, particularmente, dos sistemas silvopastoris no do sul da Europa. O roteiro europeu para uma economia de baixo carbono no horizonte 2050 coloca ao sector agrícola enormes desafios de modernização e reconversão no qual os sistemas agroflorestais são incontornáveis enquanto soluções tecnológicas de produção sustentável. À escala global, os desafios resultantes das necessidades crescentes de alimentos de origem animal e de produtos florestais, os efeitos das alterações climáticas, a perda de capital natural e a procura de soluções de desenvolvimento sustentável reforçam a importância dos sistemas agroflorestais. Diversas organizações internacionais, entre as quais a Organização das Nações Unidas para a Alimentação e Agricultura (FAO), o World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) e a União Europeia (EU), têm promovido o desenvolvimento e implementação destes sistemas. Também no âmbito das Nações Unidas, diversas convenções - diversidade biológica, alterações climáticas e conservação do solo - obrigam a alterações profundas nos sistemas produtivos para as quais os sistemas agro-florestais serão uma referência obrigatória. O programa de aprendizagem intensivo sobre Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches, foi financiado pela Comissão Europeia através do programa ERASMUS (2013-1-PT1-ERA10-16673- PBRAGANC01). O curso decorreu entre 30 de março e 12 de abril de 2014 e foi organizado pelo Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, em colaboração com a Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad da Extremadura, e Universidad de Oviedo, em Espanha, e a Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro, em Itália. O objectivo do curso foi partilhar com alunos de 1º e 2º ciclo de Portugal, Espanha e Itália, conhecimento sobre implementação e gestão de sistemas agroflorestais, particularmente silvopastoris, considerando os aspectos produtivos, económicos, ambientais e socioculturais. O curso constituiu uma oportunidade de discussão de aspectos práticos e teóricos relativos aos sistemas silvopastoris em diferentes contextos ambientais, particularmente nas zonas Atlânticas e Mediterrânicas da Península Ibérica. Permitiu ainda às instituições envolvidas estabelecerem parcerias de cooperação no âmbito da investigação científica e transferência de conhecimento, destacando-se a produção de saber no âmbito dos sistemas silvopastoris consubstanciada neste livro. O conteúdo do livro corresponde às lições apresentadas no curso pelos investigadores e professores das instituições responsáveis pelas sessões teóricas; assim, gostaríamos de agradecer aos autores e instituições envolvidas pela sua colaboração e ao programa ERASMUS pelo suporte financeiro que possibilitou a realizou do curso sobre Management of agroforestry systems: ecological, social and economic approaches.

Numerosas instituciones a nivel mundial promueven la agricultura de conservación (AC) para conservar el suelo agrícola y, a su vez, ahorrar energía y reducir los costes de producción relacionados con el laboreo. A pesar de estos potenciales beneficios, la adopción de la AC en sistemas de cultivos herbáceos tanto a nivel europeo como español, ha sido limitada. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar, a escala comercial, los sistemas de AC en cultivos herbáceos en el Valle del Guadalquivir, identificando los limitantes a su adopción y recomendando posibles estrategias a desarrollar para mejorar aspectos agronómicos, socioeconómicos y energéticos. A través de un enfoque multidisciplinar, en esta tesis se ha realizado: i) revisión de las estadísticas oficiales de cultivos herbáceos en AC a nivel andaluz para estudiar el grado de adopción, tipos de rotaciones y duración media de estos sistemas; ii) realización de una encuesta a los agricultores de AC para caracterizar aspectos socioeconómicos, prácticas agronómicas y percepciones sobre la AC; iii) comparación agronómica, económica y energética de un sistema de mínimo laboreo y otro sistema de laboreo convencional mediante un estudio de caso; y iv) identificación de estrategias de mejora para la AC en la región por un grupo focal integrado por actores claves del sector. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los agricultores de AC aplican selectivamente los componentes de la AC en función de los diferentes contextos locales. Aunque la mayoría de los investigadores definen la AC como un sistema que combina mínima alteración del suelo, mantenimiento de al menos un 30% del suelo cubierto y rotación de cultivos, en la práctica, muchos agricultores y algunas organizaciones equiparan la AC con la siembra directa de cereales sin tener en cuenta la cobertura del suelo o la rotación de cultivos. Las estadísticas nacionales solo ofrecen información sobre la siembra directa, sin considerar la cobertura de residuos o la rotación de cultivos. La revisión de estas estadísticas detectó que solo un 13% de las parcelas monitorizadas no practicó ninguna labor de suelo durante al menos tres años consecutivos, y que las rotaciones más frecuentes en estas parcelas no labradas se basan en el monocultivo de cereales con barbechos. Los resultados de la encuesta confirmaron que los agricultores hacen siembra directa del cereal pero labran antes de sembrar otros cultivos. Según la encuesta, la rotación más común de secano es trigo en siembra directa seguido de girasol en mínimo laboreo (50% de las parcelas). Esta rotación, estudiada en detalle en el estudio de caso no mostró los beneficios atribuidos a la AC en los estudios experimentales: no se observó una mejora de la calidad del suelo e incluso se penalizó el rendimiento en el cultivo del girasol. A nivel económico tampoco supuso una reducción significativa de los costes de producción, y en términos energéticos presentó una eficiencia energética similar a los sistemas de laboreo convencional. Las labores de suelo practicadas bianualmente para el girasol, la venta de los. ; Conservation agriculture (CA), which is promoted worldwide to conserve soil, water and energy and to reduce production costs, has had limited success in Europe. The objectives of this study were to assess annual crop systems currently managed under CA in southern Spain, identify obstacles to CA adoption, and recommend strategies to overcome those obstacles. We employed the following methods: (i) examination of original government data used to monitor CA; (ii) survey of CA farmers to characterize their practices and perceptions; (iii) agronomic, economic and energy use comparison of minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT); and (iv) a stakeholder focus group to identify strategies for improving CA. Farmers selectively implemented some components of CA while disregarding others as a strategy to adapt to local conditions. Although most researchers define CA as a system that combines minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of crop residues, and crop rotation, in practice most farmers and organizations equated CA with direct seeding of cereals without considering residues or crop rotation. Official national statistics did not include all of these CA components either. Examination of government data revealed that only 13% of monitored plots were not tilled consecutively. The most common CA system (50% of farms) was direct seeded wheat rotated with tilled sunflower. This system (classified as MT) and CT were not significantly different with regard to wheat yield, soil quality, net return or energy use in either crop, which was likely due to similar residues management, recurrent soil disturbance in MT, and disuse of moldboards in CT. In wheat, fertilizers represented the largest energy input (68% TEI) in both systems followed by diesel consumption (12% and 19% in MT and CT, respectively). To overcome the most important identified problems in CA, we highlight the need for collaborative research with farmers and other stakeholders to develop appropriate drill technology for spring crops, identify non-cereal crops that are better adapted to CA than sunflower, improve residues management, increase energy efficiency through better fertilizer management, and promote CA among farmer groups excluded by socioeconomic barriers. Finally, international standards to guide data collection and statistical analyses on all components of CA will enable researchers and institutions to compare information and find solutions to common problems.

The importance of adaptive evolutionary conservation has been widely accepted. According to this concept, only a comprehensive evaluation pursued within both a temporal and a spatial perspective may enable to properly assess the potential conservation value of a given resource. This applies well to phylogeographic studies dealing with game birds subjected to intense and large-scale ex situ management. The present study attempted to gain useful genetic information to the adaptive conservation framework of two Palaearctic taxa deserving both evolutionary and conservation interest, namely the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) and the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) (Galliformes, Phasianidae). The former belongs to a group of five poorly known and secretive Asian species; the latter, claimed to be the most appreciated and economically relevant quarry species in southwestern Europe, suffers from extensive biotic homogenisation and hybridisation with the congeneric chukar partridge (A. chukar). Both taxa are threatened by hunting pressure and habitat loss over most of their distribution ranges. The evolutionary history of F. francolinus was investigated in relation to its inter- and intraspecific genetic kinship through the amplification and sequencing of the entire Control Region gene (ca. 1170 bp), a set of microsatellite DNA markers providing complementary-to-mitochondrial DNA information. Moreover, the phylogeography of the species was thoroughly updated in light of a molecular approach by genotyping both modern (n = 205) and ancient (n = 76: first half of the XIXth century-1967) birds at a highly variable 185-bp long fragment of the Control Region. Remarkably, the sampling of F. francolinus museum specimens allowed to get around the problems represented by remoteness and political unrest peculiar to most of the species' range as well as to elucidate the genetic affinity of some extinct populations once resident to the western Mediterranean. Special focus was given to Cyprus, this island representing the European stronghold of the entire genus. Specifically, the genetic make-up of birds (n = 59) hunted in the districts of Nicosia and Paphos was characterised. Captive francolins (n = 18) of unknown origin imported to a pet-centre in Nicosia were investigated as well. The phylogenetic reconstructions on the genus Francolinus concurrently supported the monophyly of each of the five species, whereas that of the entire group was suggested according to the proposal of a biogeographical model. The Indian sub-continent was evidenced as the ancestral area for the adaptive radiation of F. francolinus, thus producing weight for its westward adaptive radiation. Moreover, the molecular insight into the phylogeographic pattern of the species returned a poorly yet markedly sculptured genetic picture, the six morphological subspecies being arranged into three well-distinct mitochondrial DNA clusters. Nevertheless, the distribution of traditionally recognised subspecific taxa was revised as well, a more complex and intriguing scenario being disclosed along the Indus and Ganges river valleys in the Indian sub-continent. Molecular evidence for a likely human-mediated introduction of F. francolinus from Asia Minor to Cyprus was found, while the alleged introduction from Cyprus to Sicily was strongly suggested and the historically documented importation from the latter to Tuscany definitely proved. The mixed genetic origin of the extinct population inhabiting Sicily was disclosed as some of its representatives displayed an overt genetic affinity to conspecifics from southern Asia. The same affiliation emerged for an ancient black francolin from Spain, thus crediting the invoked introduction from Sicily into the latter. As far as Cyprus is concerned, the combined genetic systems disclosed the occurrence of genetically isolated wild district populations which should be treated as distinct Management Units. Moreover, the assignment of captive birds to alien Asian subspecies unveiled that genetic pollution may represent a further threat to the native F. francolinus population. On the other hand, the first genetic survey of the introduced A. rufa resident to the UK was carried out to assess whether it could represent a useful genomic backup for the nominate subspecies. Specifically, an East Anglian population (n = 58) was genotyped at both 1092 bp of the mitochondrial Cytochrome-b gene and a panel of microsatellite loci, four species-specific A. rufa x A. chukar Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers providing further insights into their degree of genetic integrity. Furthermore, English A. rufa museum specimens (n = 13: 1824-1915) were characterised at a 229-bp long fragment of the Cytochrome-b to know if and to what extent the genetic diversity had been shaped over time by ex situ management. The picture inferred by mitochondrial DNA pointed to the tight genetic affinity of both historical and modern East Anglian birds with A. r. rufa from the easternmost part of the species' range. Overall, an increase of diversity and decline of disparity over time within and among A. rufa populations emerged, respectively. Whereas no evidence of A. chukar mixed maternal ancestry was found in the ancient birds, introgression in modern ones was widespread, pointing to the irretrievable loss of the potentially high conservation value of this resource and precluding its possible employment for ex situ genetic conservation of A. r. rufa in its native range.

The use of nitrite (NaNO2) in the manufacture of salted (cured) meat products has a long tradition in the industry, dating back to the early twentieth century. Nitrite serves several technological purposes, primarily by the formation of a stable red colour in the meat and the inhibition of the growth of Clostridium botulinum. According to an assessment report by the European Food Safety Authority (The EFSA Journal, 14, p. 1-134, 2003) all evidence points to that it is the added amount of nitrite rather than the residual amount of nitrite in the product which exerts the antimicrobial effect. Nitrite also has a desirable anti-oxidant activity and contributes to the formation of pleasant flavours. A systematic literature review on the function and use of nitrite in meat leads to a tentative first conclusion that if the level of nitrite added to meat products is sufficient to protect against possible toxin formation from C. botulinum, then the other technological reasons for using nitrite can be accomplished within the range of 50-100 mg/kg added nitrite, as is recommended by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), see the reference above. A similar conclusion was earlier reached after a large number of experiments were conducted in Denmark in collaboration with the Danish meat manufacturing industry in 1981-1983. Wiltshire bacon and certain canned products largely for export were not investigated in this study, however. The adverse effects of nitrite can mainly be ascribed to the risk of forming nitrosamines from secondary amines and nitrite when curing meat products, in particular when they are heated to high temperatures, typically during frying. This issue is well described in the literature and is not pursued further, as it is not part of the assignment for the report. In the present report the existing EU legislation on the use of nitrite is reviewed and critically compared with Danish legislation. For heat sterilised products the EU limit of 100 mg/kg on added nitrite is identical to the level specified in Danish legislation. This is the only group of products where there is complete agreement between EU and Danish legislation with respect to the use of nitrite in meat. For bacon the EU limit of 175 mg/kg on residual nitrite is obviously higher than the DK limit of 150 mg/kg on added nitrite. The issue of limits for nitrite in bacon is important, because bacon is usually fried and is therefore a product prone to expose consumers to nitrosamines. For cured, raw ham ("spegeskinker") the EU limit for Rohschinken of 50 mg/kg on residual nitrite may be comparable to the DK limit of 150 mg/kg on added nitrite, considering that most of the added nitrite is decomposed during the curing process. However, a strictly quantitative conversion from added to residual amount of nitrite is not possible. For raw fermented sausages, the EU limit of 180 mg/kg on added nitrite for a number of specified Central European sausages is obviously higher than the DK limit of 100 mg/kg on added nitrite for fermented sausages. Arguments for maintaining this high level are lacking in the available literature, and on the basis of what can be deduced with respect to the manufacturing processes for these products, it is hard to conceive of substantial arguments for the high level of 180 mg/kg. For other heat-treated, but not sterilised meat products, the EU limit of 50 mg/kg on residual nitrite in the British speciality, jellied veal and brisket, is roughly comparable with a range of Danish products, where Danish legislation specifies from 60 to 150 mg/kg added nitrite. Denmark has specifically exempted the addition of nitrite in liver paste and meat balls, thus specifying a limit of 0 mg/kg for these particular, common products in Danish cuisine. A major reason for the discrepancies between the EU and DK legislation is that Directive 2006/52/EC in many cases specifies residual amounts, while Denmark specifies added amounts of nitrite. Denmark's position is in accordance with the recommendations by EFSA. However, it should be adduced that assessments of the added amount of nitrite are difficult to state for certain traditional curing processes, such as dry cured hams and traditional immersion curing of whole meat in a vat. The particularities of the production methods make such a quantification rather uncertain. Furthermore, some dry cured products from South Europe are made with nitrate, which slowly and only partly is converted to nitrite and further to NO during the curing process. The Danish limitations on the use of nitrate are identical to those of Directive 2006/52/EC. In conclusion, most of the Danish product categories comply with EFSA's recommended ingoing (added) nitrite level of 50-100 mg/kg. However, there is an issue regarding bacon and some unspecified products where Danish legislation allows 150 mg/kg. With regard to in particular dry cured products there is also an issue on how to specify limits on the use of nitrite in a meaningful way.

En las últimas décadas, el suelo urbano de las ciudades latinoamericanas ha venido experimentando expansiones aceleradas, debido al aumento del área construida principalmente en el sector residencial, llevando en muchos casos a disminuir la densidad poblacional en el territorio. Bogotá D.C. es una de las ciudades que experimenta este continuo crecimiento y expansión, llegando a ser considerada como una de las que más rápidamente desarrolla este fenómeno en Colombia y Sur América, alcanzando un incremento de 30 veces su tamaño en 50 años. El fenómeno de "dispersión" de la población y las bajas densidades en los desarrollos urbanos, causa ineficiencia en los sistemas de transporte público, ocasionando que los niveles de prestación de este servicio sean cada vez más críticos, con menor cobertura, y con niveles de calidad inadecuados, generando el círculo vicioso del transporte público. Particularmente, esta situación se observa en las zonas de alimentación del sistema de transporte masivo TransMilenio en la ciudad de Bogotá D.C., donde los porcentajes de ocupación de los buses varían entre 107% y 158%, brindando un nivel de confort bajo y la insatisfacción de los usuarios según las últimas encuestas realizadas. Lo anterior se presenta debido a la suma de limitaciones legales, presupuestales y técnicas y la ausencia de un seguimiento constante del comportamiento de la demanda y de mecanismos de adecuación de la oferta a dicho comportamiento. El presente documento se centra en el diseño conceptual de una estrategia dinámica y flexible para el ajuste de la operación de los servicios de rutas alimentadoras, que contemple la satisfacción del usuario en diferentes atributos de la operación, como son la disponibilidad, confiabilidad, comodidad y seguridad. Para desarrollar tal diseño conceptual, se revisó la teoría del ciclo de la calidad establecido para sistemas de transporte en Europa, cuyo enfoque permite identificar los tres agentes que interactúan en el sistema (Ente gestor, operador y usuario) y sus acciones, las cuales contribuyen a la percepción final de la calidad del servicio. Como producto final se propone un proceso de retroalimentación del comportamiento de la demanda con instrumentos como la encuesta de satisfacción al usuario, la gestión de quejas, reclamos y sugerencias, la encuesta a los conductores y estudios específicos de demanda-oferta, los cuales permiten establecer la línea base de demanda para el rediseño operacional de las rutas alimentadoras, todo en el marco de la teoría del ciclo de la calidad del transporte público utilizado en ciudades europeas. En el mismo marco, como estudio de caso se aplica el proceso de retroalimentación propuesto en la zona de alimentación Usme de TransMilenio, dando como resultado la comparación entre la operación actual y el diseño operacional que contempla la satisfacción del usuario en diferentes atributos del servicio. ; Abstract. In recent decades, urban land of Latin American cities have been experiencing accelerated expansion due to increased area built mainly in the residential sector, leading in the reduction of the population density in the country. Bogotá D.C. is one of the cities that experience this continued growth and expansion, becoming regarded as one of the most rapidly developing phenomenon in Colombia and South America, reaching an increase of 30 times its size in 50 years. The phenomenon of "dispersion" of the population and the low densities in urban development, cause inefficiency in the public transport systems, causing the levels of provision of this service are increasingly critical, with less coverage, and inadequate levels of quality, creating the vicious circle of public transport. In particular, this situation is observed in the foraging mass transit system TransMilenio in Bogotá D.C., where occupancy rates on feeder buses vary between 107% and 158%, providing a low comfort level and dissatisfaction users according to recent surveys. This occurs because the sum of constraints (legal, budget and technical) and the lack of a constantly monitoring of the behavior of the demand and the application of mechanisms of adaptation supply to such behavior. The present document focuses on the conceptual design of a dynamic and flexible strategy for adjusting the operation of services of feeder routes, by providing user satisfaction in different attributes of the operation, such as availability, reliability, comfort and safety. To develop such a conceptual design was revised cycle theory of quality established for transport systems in Europe, whose approach to identify the three agents interacting in the system (Manager, operator and user) and their actions, which contribute the final perception of the quality of service. The final product is proposed feedback process demand behavior with instruments such as the user satisfaction survey, complaints handling, complaints and suggestions, the survey drivers and specific studies of demand-supply, which let set baseline demand for redesigning operational feeder routes, particularly in the context of the theory of the cycle of the quality of public transport used in European cities. In the same context, as a study case applying the proposed feedback process in the feed zone Usme TransMilenio, resulting in a comparison between the current operation and operational design that provides user satisfaction in different service attributes. ; Maestría