having tight battles in both the 200 and 400 IM but ultimately touching 2nd in both Ledecky’s world record in the 800 free proves that age is seemingly just a number for her but it also makes the Rio 2016 swim that she beat out even more memorable Olympic medalist Apostolos Christou turned in a season-best effort of 52.51 to win the men’s 100m backstroke at the Acropolis Open October 23rd, 2024 Brazil, Latin America & Caribbean, International, News, Previews & Recaps The 2024 Chico Piscina Trophy wrapped up from Brazil over the weekend with the 3-day competition seeing multiple records biting the dust before all was said and done The São Paulo squad won the overall team trophy The club earned a total of 43 medals comprised of 18 golds Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC More from Retta RaceSee All Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates As the fire season reaches its peak in the Amazon region coffee producers located thousands of kilometers away are also living their own private hell Farms like Felipe Barretto Croce’s in Mococa jeopardizing the production of what is the world’s largest coffee exporter “We see that August and September are critical months at the end of the dry season — evapotranspiration It starts to get critical and we see a lot of fires a lot of wildfires in the region,” explains Croce is located in the countryside of São Paulo where 10 hectares (25 acres) of organic arabica coffee are becoming increasingly vulnerable to environmental changes largely accentuated by the loss of vegetation in the Amazon we’ve had days with more extreme weather We’re seeing a rain deficit in general This is probably due to a lot of deforestation around us in the Cerrado and the Amazon,” Croce says The data suggest that Brazil’s coffee production is likely to be the most severely affected of all the coffee-producing countries studied (Colombia with rainfall also expected to decrease by 10% by the middle of the century temperatures in all Brazilian coffee-producing municipalities have risen by an average of 1.2°C (2.16°F) during the flowering period With extreme weather becoming more frequent the time between climatic stresses in Brazilian coffee plantations is getting shorter which means that the plants don’t have a chance to fully recover The effects of a severe drought in 2020 and the worst frost in 27 years in 2021 are still being felt by the highly sensitive arabica species produces what he describes as the “Ferrari of coffee.” But he is horrified by the erratic behavior of his coffee trees There’s no logical sequence as there was,” says Cintra “We have moments when it was supposed to be dry And the plant doesn’t know how to react Cintra points out that this illogical sequence results in uneven ripening of the coffee which in turn not only reduces the quality and flavor of the beans but also makes the plantations more susceptible to disease “This climate change affects the health of the plant it’s a plant that has no defenses,” explains Cintra From the rugged mountains of Matas de Minas on the border of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo no two coffee-growing regions are the same This also means that farmers’ experiences and climatic impacts vary With an altitude of more than 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) at its highest point Afonso Donizete Lacerda’s coffee farm in Dores do Rio Preto has so far escaped some of the problems faced by coffee producers in other regions “We have a lot of water; we’re in a privileged region We get 1,600 millimeters [63 inches] of rain a year which is enough for the coffee plantations,” says Lacerda “We don’t need to irrigate anything January has been rainy and we think that’s what’s affecting the decrease in late flowering here,” he explains With more than 50% of the world’s land projected to become inhospitable to coffee due to climate change by the turn of the century as predicted in a 2022 study by the University of Zurich it may seem tempting to consider migrating coffee production in Brazil to higher altitudes or colder regions But agrometeorology expert Jurandir Zullo Junior from the Centre for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture at the State University of Campinas (Cepagri/Unicamp) warns of the risks of coffee plantations migrating to other “The main concern is that coffee production requires a structure It’s not a plant that you can easily move around like a grain crop which you can produce in 120 days or 90 days That’s why adapting to a perennial crop is very difficult,” explains Zullo Junior With 78% of all coffee in Brazil produced by small farms and adaptation in itself will not guarantee the survival of coffee plants throughout these diverse regions who has been researching the effects of climate on agriculture for almost 40 years coffee is a crop that is particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and rainfall: “The losses and reduction in production are very high because the plant has a well-defined limit of adaptation It’s an understory plant [shaded area below the forest canopy] it doesn’t tolerate very high or very low temperatures.” some farmers are concerned about the management of water resources demanding better licenses and control of the use of aquifers A study by the University of Campinas found that another adaptation technique which is the planting of larger trees between coffee plants to provide shade can reduce air temperature by 0.6°C (1.08°F) as well as reducing other stresses such as wind and increased humidity adaptation is something that needs investment Now research is turning to help find solutions that not only protect coffee plants from diseases and pests but also make them climate-resistant “Genetic improvement is about developing plants that are better adapted to temperature stresses This is probably the most appropriate technique at least 15 years,” explains Zullo Junior Agriculture is not only considered one of the sectors most vulnerable to the climate emergency but is also widely recognized as a big part of the solution due to its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Many family coffee producers in Brazil are well aware of this as for generations they have been striving to produce high-quality coffee in harmony with the delicate balance of their local biome This passion for protecting and restoring biodiversity through agroforestry is at the heart of Felipe Barretto Croce’s farm and this approach is producing positive results for production and the planet “I’m completely changing the way things have been managed in the past Today I’m planting with functional agroforestry in the middle of the coffee balanced and stable habitat for my coffee,” says Croce which also has more than 40% forest on its land such as afforestation and wind protection (which keeps moisture in the soil) to ensure not only the health of the coffee plantations but also the health of the soil and important pollinators Research carried out by the Federal University of Alfenas in Minas Gerais found an increase of 30% or more in productivity due to good natural pollination the research also concluded that in São Paulo 43% of municipalities were below the minimum legal reserve rate set by the Forest Code (20% of the property in all biomes except the Amazon) protection and regeneration of nature seems to be producing good results and has the potential to mitigate some of the climate impacts “With climate change and the destruction of biodiversity all around us it has never been more important to prepare for a complicated future,” concludes Croce DaMatta, F. M., & Ramalho, J. D. (2006). Impacts of drought and temperature stress on coffee physiology and production: A review. Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology, 18(1), 55-81. doi:10.1590/s1677-04202006000100006 Koh, I., Garrett, R., Janetos, A., & Mueller, N. D. (2020). Climate risks to Brazilian coffee production. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10), 104015. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aba471 Grüter, R., Trachsel, T., Laube, P., & Jaisli, I. (2022). Expected global suitability of coffee, cashew and avocado due to climate change. PLOS ONE, 17(1), e0261976. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261976 Bilen, C., El Chami, D., Mereu, V., Trabucco, A., Marras, S., & Spano, D. (2022). A systematic review on the impacts of climate change on coffee Agrosystems. Plants, 12(1), 102. doi:10.3390/plants12010102 Bunn, C., Läderach, P., Ovalle Rivera, O., & Kirschke, D. (2014). A bitter cup: Climate change profile of global production of arabica and robusta coffee. Climatic Change, 129(1-2), 89-101. doi:10.1007/s10584-014-1306-x Coltri, P. P., Pinto, H. S., Gonçalves, R. R., Zullo Junior, J., & Dubreuil, V. (2019). Low levels of shade and climate change adaptation of arabica coffee in southeastern Brazil. Heliyon, 5(2), e01263. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01263 Banner image: Coffee plantations in the Vertentes do Caparaó region of Espírito Santo This story was reported by Mongabay’s Brazil team and first published here on our Brazil site on Oct. 2, 2023. The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa, as protected areas become battlegrounds over history, human rights, and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss. Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins, and trying to forge a path forward […] This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A worker holds organic coffee beans produced at the Fortaleza Environmental Farm in Mococa about 300 kilometers northeast of Sao Paulo Agriculture helps drive Brazil's economy Agriculture is big business in Brazil; from sugar the country's farming sector has become a juggernaut on the world stage over the past 40 years And in parallel with the strength of agricultural goods the Brazilian farming sector's clout has also grown unlike the fate of its counterparts in the United States and European Union the country's farm lobby backs close to half of the lower house's deputies representing a level of support that is unlikely to change no matter who emerges victoriously in general elections in October With such power inside and outside of Congress the lobby is well-placed to dictate Brazil's domestic agricultural policies – and Diego Ramalho turns street skills into career in contemporary dance seven ballet dancers sway up and down while standing in a circle Diego Ramalho glides across the floor to the middle of the circle a move you might see made by a breakdancer “It’s quite a challenge for the company,” Ramalho said smiling “I feel quite lucky because I have the breakdance background though at first he was reluctant to give it a try Ramalho fell in love with the challenge of delivering a routine in front of an audience judging his performance the owner of a ballet school offered the group of b-boys the use of her studio for free if they agreed to choreograph a routine for one of her productions Ramalho was one of the few who accepted the offer and stuck with it he trained and entered routines in festivals “I think that year was the year that I realized that’s what I want to do for my life,” Ramalho said inside of the studio I felt like I had the whole world.” Watch Ramalho's move from boy to ballet dancer Wang liked Ramalho’s style and unorthodox entry into the artform which fit the organization’s focus on contemporary ballet as it attempts to push boundaries “I think a lot of choreographers come in here “They really ask him to improv and you can see his movement a lot on the ground and a really quick flip “They’re like ‘You have better stamina than us now I guess every breakdancer should do ballet,” he laughs Ramalho has been embraced by Ballet Edmonton where he’s found a home for dancers from diverse backgrounds like himself CBC Radio-Canada and More Inside collections) are given directly to F.T.P.F Fruit trees specifically harness oxygen to offset waste and can be a viable source of income through the sale of harvested fruit the Davines team heads to impoverished areas—the southwestern U.S. Mozambique—to plant fruit trees and help share their support with the communities at large Fruit Tree Planting Foundation executive director Cen Akin and Davines stylist and salon owner Chantal Girard with students of the the school in Mococa where a fruit-tree orchard was planted Slow Food Presidia technically and financially supports more than 10,000 small producers so that they can continue growing indigenous plants to support local agriculture And as part of the LifeGate Zero Impact Project the CO2 emissions generated by the production of each piece of Essential Haircare are offset by funding the creation and protection of forests in Madagascar Davines has incorporated one specific active ingredient from a Slow Food Presidium in each product And the packaging has been manufactured using food-grade plastic so that you can re-use them as containers or planters their products are also manufactured using only energy from renewable sources “By creating ‘beauty’ we want to encourage people to take care of themselves of the environment in which they live and work and of the things they love.” It goes on to explain "Our ideal of beauty works through practical and 'sustainable' efforts sustainability deals with the responsibility we owe to ourselves and the world in which we live and operate." They have clearly made a huge effort to do their part for the environment while still producing a product that we (I) can’t live without While we hold our breath for the new line to launch we're happy to indulge in the existing products If you need a New Year's resolution for 2015 New sustainable packaging of the best-sellers Love Shampoo NEWSLETTER Get V.F.’s daily roundup of essential stories delivered to your inbox. Aeroponic growing system creates a larger supply of seed potatoes for growers APTA / IAC View from above of seed potato planting in greenhousesAPTA / IAC These minitubers are grown in a type of dark box, in which the leaves are on top, outside the box, and the roots, where the seed potatoes grow, are inside it.  Between the exposed roots inside the box, there are nebulizers that release small drops of water with all the nutrients necessary for the plant to grow, at regular intervals. Along the sides of the box, made from PVC, there are sliding windows. “This way, it’s possible to harvest potatoes as if they were grapes,” says Purquerio. “While we were conducting the project, we received visits from students and professors from several universities, as well as owners of companies,” says Purquerio. These included the owners of CBA Sementes, located in Divinolândia (São Paulo State), the first company to use the APTA and IAC technology. The system is also being used by two other companies: one in Mucugê (Bahia State) and another in Tapira (Minas Gerais State). High productivity The most common system for seed potato production is by seeding other seed potatoes in vases or planters they are harvested to be planted in the field application of fertilizers and pest control Other techniques are aeroponics and hydroponics Aeroponics has received attention because productivity can reach 50 or more tubers per plant fertilizer use by 60% and insecticide use by up to 100% when compared to traditional planting directly in the soil or a seeder,” says Factor Most of the demand for seeds is met by material without phytosanitary approval from official government agencies or certification companies “This is because farmers and specialized companies in Brazil cannot meet the demand,” explains Factor 7.8 thousand tons of minitubers were imported for planting at a cost of approximately US$ 9.1 million.” “Our customers are potato growers looking for quality by using premium growing material,” notes Lucas Moreira “We are the first in Brazil to produce using aeroponics with no contact between the crop and the soil.” According to Moreira the company was founded using the technological base of IAC and APTA The aeroponic system does present some drawbacks however These include the high initial cost of implementation producers need to have a back-up generator for electricity production in the event the public electricity supply fails “Since this is a recent technique–the first studies date from the 1980s–and was only commercially introduced in Brazil in 2016 aeroponics still offers a wide-open field for development and improvement with more studies principally on the handling of the crop and plant nutrition,” adds Purquerio © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved. developed drug-induced hepatitis that led to liver failure The only survival alternative was a liver transplant – Photo: Alfredo Fernandes/AgecomNursing student Sara Maria Alves Casimiro She even received the extreme unction in the ICU of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Mococa And her problem had nothing to do with the new coronavirus Sara developed drug-induced hepatitis that led to liver failure Disillusioned by the professionals at the Santa Casa of Mococa she was hurriedly transferred to USP’s General Hospital of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto (HC-FMRP) she went to the top of the waiting list for the organ in the transplant queue “The patient arrived with the overall state considerably compromised She was no longer conscious and even needed machine support to breathe The worsening was so steep that we believed she would not have survived if an organ had not turned up for transplant at that moment” ensures professor Ajith Kumar Sankarankutty coordinator of the Transplant Program of the HC-FMRP and leader of the team that performed Sara’s transplant Besides all the precautions that a surgery of this size requires it was necessary to think about all the protocols and procedures to avoid COVID-19 the same precautions were adopted for any surgery with the reinforcement of the personal protective equipment (PPEs) for all the professionals involved in patient care” But it was also necessary to perform tests for COVID-19 both on the patient and the deceased donor The student was hospitalized at HC-FMRP for two months with 30 days being in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) the fear of being contaminated by the new coronavirus She was already discharged from physical therapy with a speech therapist in which she needed to exercise the deglutition muscles after so much time in the ICU without feeding orally The success of her transplant draws attention to procedures of this nature in the middle of the pandemic there was a drop in the number of organ donations Now the routine gradually returns to normal the situation of transplants is also returning to normal and he expects to perform this year from 45 to 50 liver transplants Listen in the player below to the interviews in full that Sara Maria Alves Casimiro and Ajith Kumar Sankarankutty gave Jornal da USP no Ar.