Explore the vast range of titles available.

Brazilian cities feature quite unequal neighborhoods. Middle-class neighborhoods have better infrastructure than those inhabited by low-income families. These inequalities are not limited to social and economic scopes; they also reach the environmental one. Tree cover in these neighborhoods is often correlated to residents’ socioeconomic status. Injustice in access to trees deprives Brazilians of their ecosystem services. Furthermore, the scarcity of tree cover in the poorest neighborhoods means less support for biodiversity. Thus, backyards can be planned to form vegetation patches capable of providing urban populations with access to green areas, as well as working as wildlife habitats.

Residential gardens are a principal component of urban green infrastructure throughout the world and their potential positive contributions to biodiversity are increasingly recognised. But the characteristics of gardens reflect the needs, values and interests of individual households. The present review summarises evidence from studies of garden biodiversity published in the scientific literature, describes major themes and identifies important knowledge gaps. A search of the Web of Science database identified 408 published articles on the biodiversity of residential gardens (1981–2022), with numbers increasing over time and a strong bias towards Europe (32.1%) and North America (23.8%). Plants and invertebrates were most frequently studied, and species diversity was often correlated with garden size and habitat complexity. Botanic composition and vegetation cover were often positively associated with the diversity and abundance of fauna. Non-native plants contributed substantially to garden plant diversity and evidence from some studies indicated benefits to other species linked to their functional attributes. Intensive management including frequent lawn mowing, fertiliser and pesticide application, and a more formal, ‘neater’ garden appearance were often associated with reduced biodiversity. However, results varied amongst studies, for example in relation to the impacts of mowing frequency on lawn diversity. There was a general paucity of experimental evidence on the impacts of different management regimes on garden biodiversity and few replicated experimental tests of recommended ‘wildlife-friendly practices’. Several studies identified the importance of connectivity amongst gardens and with other green infra-structure for species dispersal and ecosystem functioning. Emerging threats to garden biodiversity include their replacement by development, conversion to hard surfaces and declining plot sizes. Managing these challenges and maximising the biodiversity value of residential gardens requires greater engagement from policymakers and planners, and partnerships between public bodies and private households to co-ordinate local initiatives.

This text is part of a study whose final objective was to investigate the meanings attributed to backyards in narratives of different generations of families living in urban areas in the 21st century in the city of Salvador, Bahia. In this article, it is proposed the study of backyards as places of resistance and belongings, starting from the necessity that the subject has to build a context of affective life, associated to the place. We suggest the use of the terms \"topophilia\", \"affectivation\" and \"liminaridade\" as triad entities, which, when complemented, allow the understanding of the interrelations between place and family in the context of development.

Studies in Asia, Europe, Central America, South America, and a few studies in Mexico related to backyard production, report the type of crops and benefit of the harvest for the producer through individual efforts. These studies, however, leave a gap in how these producers integrate collaboratively to have their products reach their customers. The objective of this research was to describe the configuration of economic agents involved in backyard farming in the intermunicipal region of Misantla, Mexico. Data was collected by means of an interview with 96 families, using a snowball strategy to reach a total of 254 families. However, 27 of them reported not engaging in backyard activities. As a result, the study was carried out with 227 farm families through an in-person structured survey. Findings show that backyard farming and livestock production in 70% of the families in this region of study is mainly for their own consumption, whereas production surplus is typically used as an additional income. Those involved in this production are identified as seed and farming tool providers; backyard producers, and customers-consumers, all of which participate in 4 short-cycle supply chains with a fragile intermediation. These supply chains are the channel for fresh food to the food networks of local economies. These local food networks can help enhance food innocuity, traceability and commercial efficiency for backyard farmers.

Recommended techniques for planting root-bound, store-bought tomato plants vary considerably, leaving home gardeners at a loss for which technique to choose. Researchers investigated the impact of four transplanting methods on the yield of two tomato hybrids, the determinate ‘Bella Rosa’ and the indeterminate ‘Big Beef’. Field experiments were conducted at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas, NM, USA, in 2018 and 2019. Pruning treatments applied to transplanted root-bound seedlings immediately before planting included 1) “pop-n-drop,” seedlings planted with minimal root disturbance; 2) “scuffed,” the outer surface of the root ball was gently chafed, 3) “halved,” half of the root ball was completely severed diagonally; and 4) “washed,” the entire root ball was submerged in water and freed of soil. Response variables included above- and belowground tissue dry weight, stem diameter, and tomato yield. Yield data were collected separately for red fruit (harvested as they ripened) and green fruit (harvested before the first frost). The total fruit yields of ‘Big Beef’ and ‘Bella Rosa’ were not significantly affected by any of the tested root disturbance techniques, according to our findings. However, there was a significant increase in the end-of-season green fruit yield with the scuffed method for ‘Big Beef’ and with the pop-n-drop for ‘Bella Rosa’. Both scuffed plants and the cultivar Big Beef exhibited the largest root sizes. ‘Big Beef’ exhibited greater mortality compared with ‘Bella Rosa’.

1. Despite urbanization being a major driver of land-use change globally, there have been few attempts to quantify and map ecosystem service provision at a city-wide scale. One service that is an increasingly important feature of climate change mitigation policies, and with other potential benefits, is biological carbon storage. 2. We examine the quantities and spatial patterns of above-ground carbon stored in a typical British city, Leicester, by surveying vegetation across the entire urban area. We also consider how carbon density differs in domestic gardens, indicative of bottom-up management of private green spaces by householders, and public land, representing top-down landscape policies by local authorities. Finally, we compare a national ecosystem service map with the estimated quantity and distribution of above-ground carbon within our study city. 3. An estimated 231 521 tonnes of carbon is stored within the above-ground vegetation of Leicester, equating to 3.16 kg C m⁻² of urban area, with 97.3% of this carbon pool being associated with trees rather than herbaceous and woody vegetation. 4. Domestic gardens store just 0.76 kg C m⁻², which is not significantly different from herbaceous vegetation landcover (0.14 kg C m⁻²). The greatest above-ground carbon density is 28.86 kg C m⁻², which is associated with areas of tree cover on publicly owned/managed sites. 5. Current national estimates of this ecosystem service undervalue Leicester's contribution by an order of magnitude. 6. Synthesis and applications. The UK government has recently set a target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, from 1990 levels, by 2050. Local authorities are central to national efforts to cut carbon emissions, although the reductions required at city-wide scales are yet to be set. This has led to a need for reliable data to help establish and underpin realistic carbon emission targets and reduction trajectories, along with acceptable and robust policies for meeting these goals. Here, we illustrate the potential benefits of accounting for, mapping and appropriately managing aboveground vegetation carbon stores, even within a typical densely urbanized European city.

A 5-yr retrospective study was conducted to characterize the spectrum of diseases causing mortality in 1301 backyard chickens submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory in Davis, California. Infectious diseases were diagnosed in the majority (60.4%). Viral diseases comprised 50% of the infectious entities, followed by bacterial diseases with an incidence of 39%. Marek's disease in the viral group and Escherichia coli in the bacterial group were the most commonly diagnosed infectious diseases. Zoonotic agents including Aspergillus sp., Salmonella sp., Listeria sp., Mycobacterium sp., Candida sp., and Baylisascaris sp. were detected in 46 (3.5%) birds. Among noninfectious conditions, fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome and reproductive tract adenocarcinoma were the leading causes of mortality. This analysis provides an overview of backyard chicken diseases for practitioners and avian pathologists working with backyard poultry. In addition, this study illustrates that backyard chickens do not seem to pose a major risk to public health, although zoonoses do comprise a notable portion (5.9% of all infectious cases) of isolated agents. Reporte de Caso—Causas de mortalidad en aves de traspatio en el norte de California entre los años 2007 al 2011. Se llevó a cabo un estudio retrospectivo de 5 años para caracterizar el espectro de enfermedades que causaron mortalidad en 1301 aves de traspatio enviadas al Laboratorio de Salud Animal e Inocuidad de los Alimentos de California, en Davis. En su mayoría se diagnosticaron enfermedades infecciosas (60.4%). Las enfermedades virales comprendieron 50% de las entidades infecciosas, seguido por enfermedades bacterianas, con una incidencia de 39%. La enfermedad de Marek en el grupo viral y Escherichia coli en el grupo de las enfermedades bacterianas fueron las enfermedades infecciosas más comúnmente diagnosticadas. Agentes zoonóticos como Aspergillus sp., Salmonella sp., Listeria sp., Mycobacterium sp., Candida sp., y Baylisascaris sp. se detectaron en 46 (3.5%) de las aves. Entre las condiciones no infecciosas, el síndrome del hígado graso y hemorrágico y el adenocarcinoma del tracto reproductivo fueron las principales causas de mortalidad. Este análisis proporciona una visión general de las enfermedades de pollo de traspatio para los profesionales y los patólogos que trabajan con aves de traspatio. Además, este estudio pone de manifiesto que los pollos de traspatio no parecen plantear un riesgo para la salud pública, a pesar de que las enfermedades zoonóticas las zoonosis comprenden una parte notable (5.9% de todos los casos infecciosos) de los agentes aislados.

Commercial poultry rearing in Pakistan dates back to the 1960s. Meanwhile, backyard poultry setups have been providing meat and eggs for human consumption and supplementing the livelihood of farmers in many rural setups for ages. Different poultry rearing practices have varied approaches to feed supplementation, administration, biosafety practices, and flock size. All are important factors affecting disease spread and vulnerability. Recently, the Pakistani government announced the prime minister’s Backyard Poultry Initiative under the National Agricultural Emergency program to economically develop farmers, especially women. Widespread adoption of this scheme with little to no training of inexperienced farmers may lead to the emergence of zoonotic infections in the population. The focus of the current review is to examine the probable impact of the promotion of backyard poultry farming practices by the government on the spread of zoonotic illnesses, both in the farmers and consumer population.