Improving agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in Latin America by maximising species and genetic diversity of the multipurpose legume Inga
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Geography
Abstract
Tropical forest soils in the Amazon and many other parts of Latin America are generally nutrient-poor and unsuited to long-term agricultural use. Land converted to agriculture by cutting and burning natural vegetation tends to remain productive for only a few years, necessitating continual advance of the agricultural frontier, with accompanying deforestation, and generating situations of food insecurity and poverty.
Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, which incorporate trees into crop and livestock systems, have been shown to make a dramatic impact on the maintenance and restoration of long-term productivity in agricultural landscapes, including degraded and abandoned land, and are well suited to use by poor rural smallholders. They can provide major benefits through enhanced livelihoods and food security, as well as to local economies.
Inga is a diverse genus of trees from the legume family, found across the humid tropics of Latin America. These fast-growing trees are able to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and fertilise the soil around them. They can be grown in poor, degraded soils, out-competing weeds and invasive species.
The value of native trees, including Inga, within agroforestry systems, where they are planted to provide a nurturing environment for crops, has been amply demonstrated by a number of projects, and is gaining momentum. However, this has been insufficiently explored. Most such systems have been developed around a limited genetic stock of a single species, Inga edulis, yet it performs best under a limited range of conditions and other Inga species are likely to provide equal if not greater benefits outside of this range, which would expand the geographic and ecological scope within which these systems can be applied.
Emerging techniques in genetics offer the potential for rapid identification of species and genotypes of Inga with similar ecological characteristics, thus facilitating fast-tracking of appropriate candidates into field trials and ultimately into more productive landscapes. The project will apply state-of-the-art genetic approaches to complete a thorough analysis of the genus, focusing primarily on species in the Brazilian Amazon, identifying the most suitable species for agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems. Critically, this selection of species will be done in consultation with stakeholders and smallholders, to ensure uptake and use of the selected species.
Targeted field collection of tissue specimens and seeds from these species will support ongoing genetic research, and will be used to establish early-stage field trials in Mato Grosso (southern Amazon), both in controlled contexts and in agroforest systems. These will be monitored to assess a range of characters including growth rate, biomass and tree form, all of which are important indicators of their suitability. Longer-term monitoring, using protocols developed by the project, will provide further indication of their potential value within these systems.
The project will be delivered in Brazil through collaborative partnerships between UK and Brazilian scientists. It aims to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of a methodological approach that can form the basis for improved agroforestry and silvopastoral systems across Latin America. In the course of the project, the team will build a network of scientists and practitioners within Brazil and across other Latin American countries, facilitating the development of further research in this field and communicating its findings to a range of academics, practitioners of agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems and the lay public, in both Latin America and the UK.
Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, which incorporate trees into crop and livestock systems, have been shown to make a dramatic impact on the maintenance and restoration of long-term productivity in agricultural landscapes, including degraded and abandoned land, and are well suited to use by poor rural smallholders. They can provide major benefits through enhanced livelihoods and food security, as well as to local economies.
Inga is a diverse genus of trees from the legume family, found across the humid tropics of Latin America. These fast-growing trees are able to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and fertilise the soil around them. They can be grown in poor, degraded soils, out-competing weeds and invasive species.
The value of native trees, including Inga, within agroforestry systems, where they are planted to provide a nurturing environment for crops, has been amply demonstrated by a number of projects, and is gaining momentum. However, this has been insufficiently explored. Most such systems have been developed around a limited genetic stock of a single species, Inga edulis, yet it performs best under a limited range of conditions and other Inga species are likely to provide equal if not greater benefits outside of this range, which would expand the geographic and ecological scope within which these systems can be applied.
Emerging techniques in genetics offer the potential for rapid identification of species and genotypes of Inga with similar ecological characteristics, thus facilitating fast-tracking of appropriate candidates into field trials and ultimately into more productive landscapes. The project will apply state-of-the-art genetic approaches to complete a thorough analysis of the genus, focusing primarily on species in the Brazilian Amazon, identifying the most suitable species for agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems. Critically, this selection of species will be done in consultation with stakeholders and smallholders, to ensure uptake and use of the selected species.
Targeted field collection of tissue specimens and seeds from these species will support ongoing genetic research, and will be used to establish early-stage field trials in Mato Grosso (southern Amazon), both in controlled contexts and in agroforest systems. These will be monitored to assess a range of characters including growth rate, biomass and tree form, all of which are important indicators of their suitability. Longer-term monitoring, using protocols developed by the project, will provide further indication of their potential value within these systems.
The project will be delivered in Brazil through collaborative partnerships between UK and Brazilian scientists. It aims to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of a methodological approach that can form the basis for improved agroforestry and silvopastoral systems across Latin America. In the course of the project, the team will build a network of scientists and practitioners within Brazil and across other Latin American countries, facilitating the development of further research in this field and communicating its findings to a range of academics, practitioners of agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems and the lay public, in both Latin America and the UK.
Technical Summary
Existing agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems (AF/SPS) in Latin America rely on few tree species that may be poorly adapted to specific edaphic environments and stakeholder needs. The proposed research will expand greatly the suite of tree species available for use in AF/SPS systems in moist tropical environments in Latin America, via a comprehensive research programme spanning from field trials to cutting-edge, next-generation sequencing approaches. We will focus on the hyperdiverse (~300 species) and ecologically dominant tree genus Inga (Leguminosae), for which we have already developed hybrid-capture protocols to efficiently sequence ~1400 genes, and for which field trials for AF/SPS have already been developed and implemented. In addition, the fact that Inga belongs to the economically important legume family allows us to leverage deep functional genetic, ecophysiological and agronomic knowledge to accomplish our key objectives.
We will increase our phylogenetic sampling of Inga (currently 135 species, mostly outside Brazil) to include multiple populations of all 93 Inga species present in the Brazilian Amazon. We will use this phylogenetic knowledge to determine which species are close relatives of the very few Inga species that are currently extensively used in AF/SPS systems. In consultation with stakeholders, we will implement field trials to determine which of these previously unused Inga species have the most desirable functional properties in terms of performance in AF/SPS systems. We will hold a workshop at the project's end, to diffuse this knowledge to key players in AF/SPS systems in Brazil, and elsewhere in Latin America, to expand the network and increase the efficiency of AF/SPS systems in Latin America. Lastly, we will leverage generated sequence data and existing transcriptomic data for 15 Inga species to determine which genetic loci underlie performance in field trials, which can improve future breeding improvement of Inga species.
We will increase our phylogenetic sampling of Inga (currently 135 species, mostly outside Brazil) to include multiple populations of all 93 Inga species present in the Brazilian Amazon. We will use this phylogenetic knowledge to determine which species are close relatives of the very few Inga species that are currently extensively used in AF/SPS systems. In consultation with stakeholders, we will implement field trials to determine which of these previously unused Inga species have the most desirable functional properties in terms of performance in AF/SPS systems. We will hold a workshop at the project's end, to diffuse this knowledge to key players in AF/SPS systems in Brazil, and elsewhere in Latin America, to expand the network and increase the efficiency of AF/SPS systems in Latin America. Lastly, we will leverage generated sequence data and existing transcriptomic data for 15 Inga species to determine which genetic loci underlie performance in field trials, which can improve future breeding improvement of Inga species.
Planned Impact
The principal short- to medium-term impact of this project will be establishment of the scientific framework and collaborative partnerships necessary for the development of agroforest and silvopastoral systems for crop and livestock production that will contribute to more sustainable and productive agricultural landscapes in the humid Neotropics. The project will leave a lasting legacy including: (i) increased awareness, knowledge and uptake among scientists, practitioners and policy-makers of Inga systems; (ii) greatly improved knowledge of appropriate species and varieties of Inga for application within this context, achieved through the application of advanced molecular techniques and field trials supporting site-appropriate selection and breeding; (iii) new partnerships, alliances and technical approaches for further research and development in the region; and (iv) enhanced capacity for applied genomic research in Brazil applicable to agroforestry development and improvement more broadly.
In the longer term, in addition to future research built on the foundations of the project, the ultimate beneficiaries of our work will be rural communities in lower-middle income countries in Latin America. Via the greater resilience of agroforest and silvopastoral systems in times of climatic change and population growth, these communities can benefit from reduced poverty, improved food security, and reduced pressure on natural vegetation and biodiversity through conversion to agriculture. The outcomes from the project will therefore directly support Brazil in delivery of its commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In the longer term, in addition to future research built on the foundations of the project, the ultimate beneficiaries of our work will be rural communities in lower-middle income countries in Latin America. Via the greater resilience of agroforest and silvopastoral systems in times of climatic change and population growth, these communities can benefit from reduced poverty, improved food security, and reduced pressure on natural vegetation and biodiversity through conversion to agriculture. The outcomes from the project will therefore directly support Brazil in delivery of its commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Lead Research Organisation)
- Medical Research Council (Co-funder)
- Economic and Social Research Council (Co-funder)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (Co-funder)
- Natural Environment Research Council (Co-funder)
- Mato Grosso State University (Collaboration)
- University of A Coruña (Collaboration)
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Project Partner)
- Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (Project Partner)
- National Institute of Amazonian Research (Project Partner)
Description | This project had an overall aim to build techniques and research partnerships spanning from genomics to social forestry, which can deliver more productive, sustainable agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in Brazil using native, nitrogen fixing Inga (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) tree species. The original specific objectives of the project were: (i) Apply next-generation, hybrid-capture sequencing techniques to identify close relatives of Inga species already utilised in agroforestry. We used a target capture bait set comprising 1320 loci, a combination of the Inga-specific set detailed in Nicholls et al. (2015) and the mimosoid set detailed in Koenen et al. (2020). These were used to generate hybrid-capture sequences for 480 accessions of Inga. These covered Brazilian Amazonian species as intended in the original proposal, but the use of herbarium specimens, which the hybrid capture technique facilitates by its capacity to sequence degraded DNA, means that we have been able to include more species. Generation of data was delayed by the covid pandemic causing lab closures in Exeter, and denial of a no-cost extension (March 2021) related to cuts to the UKRI ODA budget meant that data analysis has been slow because postdoc Rosalia Pineiro needed to move to a new position. However, our hyb-seq data have been analysed in a phylogenetic framework using both a concatenated maximum-likelihood and a multi-species coalescent species-tree approach. The raw reads for the new samples will be deposited at ENA, along with the previous Inga datasets (PRJEB8722, PRJNA683762). Our phylogeny now comprises 1009 accessions covering 253 Inga species, and paper manuscripts are in preparation examining relationships across the genus and the differences in genetic variation in cultivated versus non-cultivated species across Amazonia (see (ii) below. (ii) Develop molecular markers for interpreting genetic diversity within wild and cultivated populations of Inga species. We have adopted two marker sets to address the question of the genetic diversity in wild and cultivated populations. For local scale studies (i.e., comparison of adjacent wild and cultivated stands) the original intention in the proposal was to develop microsatellite markers. However, we decided that a RAD-seq approach would be more powerful and that there were considerable capacity building benefits to upgrade the lab of project partner Maristerra Lemes in Manaus to be able to carry our RAD-seq studies. DNA extraction for RAD-seq was completed in late 2021 in Lemes' Manaus lab, which was closed for much of 2020 and 2021 because of the covid pandemic. Denial of a no cost extension (March 2021) means funds earmarked for RAD-seq were lost; we are currently seeking funding needed for this work. Fortunately wider, Amazon-basin scale comparisons of genetic diversity in wild and cultivated species are possible because we have sequenced using target capture 96 geographically separate accessions of the cultivated species Inga edulis and 55 for I. feuellei, and we can compare these with multiple accessions of the non-used species I. thibaudiana (108 accessions), I. nobilis (95 accessions). These data have been analysed phylogenetically (see (i) above) to compare geographic structure in wild and cultivated species and we are running analyses using StarBEAST to compare patterns of intraspecific divergence. (iii) Sample 5 geographically paired wild and cultivated populations of the widely utilised species Inga edulis across the Brazilian Amazon and use the markers developed in (ii) to study their genetic diversity. We sampled 5 paired wild and cultivated populations in the Brazilian States of Amazonas (vicinity of Manaus), Pará (vicinity of Belém) and Mato Grosso (vicinity of Alta Floresta). Their genetic diversity was planned to be compared using RAD-seq but that work is currently stalled because of loss of funds (see (ii) above). (iv) Build a network to field-trial previously unused Inga species and more genetically diverse populations of species already used in AF/SPS. We field trialled seven Inga species with collaboration with our partners Instituto Ouro Verde (IOV) and State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT). These included species identified from our preliminary phylogenies as related to cultivated species (e.g., I. macrophylla, related to the cultivated I. feullei), plus others for which seed was available locally in Mato Grosso and that local people suggested had favourable characteristics for cultivation (e.g., I. huberi). We included the most widely cultivated Inga species, I. edulis, for comparison. We set up two trials of 1Ha on two sites with contrasting soil moisture (wet, dry) using a randomised block design in 2018. Measurements of growth and mortality over the subsequent three years show some startling results, with I. huberi greatly outperforming the widely used I. edulis in growth. The species also differed greatly in dry season mortality, which will be a critical factor to consider in their use in agroforestry systems given future hotter, drier climate predicted for southern Amazonia. These results are currently in preparation for publication and have already been applied in development of new silvopastoral systems systems being scaled-up in Mato Grosso by our partners Instituto Ouro Verde with a Global Challenges Research Fund Global Research Translation Award (GRTA) to the University of Exeter (see narrative impact section) |
Exploitation Route | These results have already been applied in development of new agroforestry and silvopastoral systems systems being scaled-up in Mato Grosso by our partners Instituto Ouro Verde with a Global Challenges Research Fund Global Research Translation Award (GRTA) to the University of Exeter (see narrative impact section for full details) |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
URL | https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/ingasystems/ |
Description | Deforestation in Amazonia is most severe in the "arc of deforestation" across the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Pará, driven mainly by intensive soybean and cattle farming. Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems offer more sustainable types of land use that slow this deforestation, benefit small farmers via increased food security and incomes, whilst simultaneously increasing biodiversity and carbon storage. In this project we employed a multi-disciplinary approach to develop improved native tree-based agroforestry/silvopastoral systems, and in newly funded projects that arose from it within the project timeframe, we have already been able to scale these systems and to investigate how to overcome social and gender bias in their successful implementation. Using next-generation DNA sequencing, plus local knowledge we identified relatives of cultivated species of the nitrogen-fixing legume genus Inga and tested their performance in a field trial to see which are best suited for planting in the highly seasonal forests of southern Amazonia. Our results show that species that have never or seldom been used in cultivation (e.g., I. huberi, I. macrophylla) outperform widely used species such as I. edulis in both growth rates and survival. Using some of the results from our field trials, with GCRF Global Research Translation Award funding won in 2019, we planted 20x c.3ha demonstration silvopastoral systems in four communities in northern Mato Grosso. These used a design of lines of mixed species of trees, separating areas of grazing. The trees were chosen to provide benefits (ecological and economic) at different stages of the life cycle of the silvopastoral systems. To encourage uptake we have developed simple printed guides plus an innovative mobile phone application, AmazonPasto. A key aspect of uptake is the ability of our partner Instituto Ouro Verde to offer small farmers microcredit. With University of Exeter GCRF Facilitation Fund support (2020) we were able to investigate the current roles, strengths, and barriers to developing women's social and economic autonomy and to increase the socio-economic impact of the agroforestry and silvopastoral income-generating initiatives. We focused on two women's agroforestry groups, working with "pequi" (the nutritious fruit of the tree Caryocar brasiliense) and the Female Fibre Artisans Network, who produce handicrafts from forest products. Our findings show how important it is to connect people with the forest at different levels, integrating various aspects of lifestyle with sustainable harvesting of trees, seeds and non-timber forest products. We have shown how interdisciplinary scientific approach can build better native tree-based agroforestry/silvopastoral systems, and our success is demonstrated by our projects being one of only six shortlisted nationally for Times Higher Education Awards Best UK STEM Project of the Year in 2020. Our projects have demonstrated that wider uptake of agroforestry/silvopastoral systems depends upon consultative dialogue with communities to create systems that take into account the objectives of individual farmers reinforced by innovative use of technology and provision of microcredit. Our projects will help ensure that the use of these systems continues to grow and thereby improve livelihoods and wellbeing for marginalised small farm communities in Amazonian Brazil. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | Acordos de Cooperação / COVID-19: "RESILIÊNCIA FRENTE À COVID-19: ADAPTAÇÕES PARA O FORTALECIMENTO DAAGRICULTURA FAMILIAR NA FRONTEIRA AGRÍCOLA AMAZÔNICA" |
Amount | R$ 275,898 (BRL) |
Organisation | São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Brazil |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 02/2024 |
Description | CNS2023-144710 Consolidación investigadora 2023 |
Amount | € 199,956 (EUR) |
Organisation | Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Spain |
Start | 03/2024 |
End | 03/2026 |
Description | ES-TAF-8666: Tropical Agrodiversity from Historical Collections of the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid. SYNTHESYS+, European Commission funded, for visiting natural history collections of Inga (€2813, 8 projects funded out of 31) |
Amount | € 2,813 (EUR) |
Funding ID | SYNTHESYS+ project ES-TAF-8666 |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 04/2021 |
End | 05/2021 |
Description | University of Exeter GCRF Facilitation Fund, "Investigating the contributions of women's agroforestry activities to renegotiating gender equality and food security in Brazil" |
Amount | £54,910 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Exeter |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2020 |
End | 07/2021 |
Description | University of Exeter GCRF Global Research Translation Award: Sustainable Solutions to Food Security Challenges |
Amount | £621,951 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/T015268/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2019 |
End | 03/2022 |
Description | MSc dissertation on comparative genomics of cultivated and wild Inga |
Organisation | University of A Coruña |
Country | Spain |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is an MSc dissertation on bioinformatics performed by Teresa Rodríguez Cortés, which is currently supervised at the University of A Coruna (Spain) by Rosalía Piñeiro |
Collaborator Contribution | This project is using genomic data (and whole reference genomes) to investigate the genetic consequences of selection for traits of agricultural interest. Genomic data from cultivated and wild Inga trees, cultivated for its sugary fruits, will be compared. Using bioinformatics protocols, we will investigate whether selection associated with agriculture has resulted in genetic consequences that may compromise the long-term viability of these crops, in particular the loss of genetic diversity and accumulation of deleterious mutations. |
Impact | A MSc dissertation will be released in July 2023 |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Studies on silvopastoral systems in South Amazonia |
Organisation | Mato Grosso State University |
Country | Brazil |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Supervising students in field work training and assisting in project experiment design and data analysis. In addition, I have co-authored papers on the subject. |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided infrastructure for field work and provided access to their database. |
Impact | There were five undergraduated students from the agronomy course that engaged in field work and research. Additionally, we have worked on three papers, being one accepted, one submitted, and one being prepared for submission. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | 8th International Legume conference, Pirenopolis, Brazil, invited presentation: "Inga as a model for the evolutionary radiation in tropical rain forest trees" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference talk, which brought many questions from the audience, especically from Brazilian scientists who wish to adopt some of the analytical approaches suggested |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Agroforestry workshop from EMBRAPA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Practitioners,students and other representatives of the third sector and environmental agencies from the region met in Sinop to discuss opportunities and pratice of agroforestry in the region. I made a lecture on sustainable indicators systems adapted to local socioecological systems. A network of practitioners and researchers has been created to increase the impact of agroforestry regionally. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | BBC news on the Inga project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I colaborated with an interview by e-mail, which was then part of an article published in the Science and Environment section of the BBC website. It generated interest of the general public and academics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50200142 |
Description | Challenges for susteanable livestock management in Amazonia: the use of native trees as a resilience and productivity strategy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Workshop mostly aimed at small holder farmers in Mato Grosso to explain the benefits of tree-based grazing systems |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Community workshop - nutritional alternatives for cattle |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Community workshop in Terra Nova do Norte community with local farming families to explain the benefits of tree-based products (leaves, fruits) for cattle |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Development of a manual for good practice for developing products from the fruit "pequi" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a workshop with 23 women participants held in the community of Terra Nova do Norte. This wmen's group has been, with support of our projects developing new products and markets for the fruit "pequi". The workshiop was about developing a manual to pass on best practice |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Florestas Online 2020 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | It was a virtual workshop allowing practitioners to know the main technological and scientific innovations from the forestry sector of Brazil. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://www.florestasonline.com.br/index.html |
Description | Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement, Twitter Conference 2021: Reimagining Forests and Livelihoods in Turbulent Times |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Based on the social media platform Twitter, a Twitter conference is an event where people can showcase their work to a broader audience. Presentations consist of a series of tweets (280 characters each). The event is free, and anyone with a twitter account can see your presentation! The FLARE Network Twitter Conference presentations will consist of five tweets in five minutes (one minute per post). Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with tweeted questions. Each presenter uses the hashtag #FLARETC20 and observers simply follow the hashtag to engage with conference presenters. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://www.forestlivelihoods.org/twitter-conference-2020/ |
Description | GIBE Seminar Series (Evolutionary Biology Research Group) "Evolución, biogeografía, delimitación de especies, domesticación y adaptación ecológica en árboles tropicales y europeos" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | One-hour talk about my research lines at the Department of Biology at the University o A Coruña (Spain) where I explained in detail my main research lines, including my research on Inga |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Global Landscapes Forum Biodiversity, Digital Conference: One World - One Health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | On 28-29 October, more than 5,000 people from 148 countries gathered online at the GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World - One Health to advocate for the importance of biodiversity in preventing future crises of global pandemics and climate change. Indigenous leaders, policy experts, heads of global organizations, youth and more came together in 50 sessions, plenaries, virtual tours, launches to exchange knowledge and inform decision-makers about the crucial interdependencies of all life on Earth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/biodiversity-2020/ |
Description | Herramientas Genómicas para el estudio de Árboles del Amazonas y la Selva Tropical Africana. Lecture at the M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation of Tropical areas, UIMP-CSIC, Spain |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Sixty students attended a guest lecture of the M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation of Tropical areas, a joint M.Sc. programme coordinated between the Universidad Internacional Melendez Pelayo (UIMP) and the Research Council of Spain (CSIC). The programme is especially directed towards university graduates in the fields of Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Pharmacy, Veterinary Studies, Agricultural, Agronomic or Forest Engineering, and other degrees related to the environment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://www.uimp.es/postgrado/estudios/fichaestudio.php?plan=P03O&any=2018-19&verasi=N&lan=en |
Description | Interview for the Christian Science Monitor (Canada) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I was interviewed by a journalist from the Christian Science Monitor, Canada, who visited us and some of the areas I have been working. The article is still being prepared. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2020/0310/The-secret-to-sustainably-farming-the-Amazon-The-mir... |
Description | Invited Presentation, International Legume Conference, Japan, "Inga: using a next-generation hybrid capture phylogenomics method in a case study of evolutionary radiation in tropical rain forest trees" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference presentation to a highly diverse international group of legume scientists. Raised awareness of the potential of legume tree species in agroforesty systems in developing countries |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Invited conference talk, Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Cartgena, Colombia "Continuous colonisation of the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forests of South America from Amazonia" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference talk with considerable discussion afterwards |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited conference talk, International Biogeography Society Meeting, Malaga, Spain, Jan 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Postdoc Rosalia Pineiro gave an invited talk "Tropical Tree Genomics: the African rainforest during the Ice Ages". This contained a section where she outlined the hybrid-capture sequencing element of our project as a means of identifying Inga species with potential in agroforestry. GIven the wide audience for this talk, this was a good way to raise awareness of our new project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited lecture, University of Exeter Global Challenges Symposium, "Addressing global challenges from the University of Exeter" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited lecture by Toby Pennington that shared experiences of best practice around global challenges related research. Broad themes related to building partnerships across different geographies and sectors, coupled with personal reflections on the GCRF agenda and what it has meant for your research (e.g., promoting interdisciplinarity and engagement with the humanities and social sciences). This stimulated diverse questions, especially around building sustainable partnerships and what constitutes effective capacity building in the global south. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited presentation, 8th International Legume conference, Pirenopolis, Brazil: "The potential of silvopastoral systems incorporating legume trees in the Brazilian Amazon's 'arc of deforestation'" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference talk that stimulated debate and questions. Being given in Brazil but to an international audience was a great venue to communicate the significance and impact of our work |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited seminar, Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardn: "Inga as a model for the evolutionary radiation in tropical rain forest trees" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited seminar in the graduate school at Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. The venue and format allowed extensive discussion. Students reported great interest in following some of the analytical approaches suggested |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited seminar, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: "Neotropical dry forests and savannas: diversity, biogeography and conservation" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited research seminar at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in which I was able to present outcomes from three NERC funded projects that have increased ecosystem monitoring and understanding of dry biomes in Latin America |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Invited seminar, Universidade do Estado do Mato Grosso, Alta Floresta, Brazil "Inga: a model for Amazonian evolution, ecology and agroforestry" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Toby Pennington gave a seminar about the biology and uses of the genus Inga to a general audience at the State University of Mato Grosso. Questions focused on the uses of Inga species in agroforestry systems. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited speaker. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Cartagena, Colombia. "The potential of silvopastoral systems in the Brazilian Amazon's 'arc of deforestation" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference talk. Resulted in invitations for further collaborative activity in this area |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited talk at Journées Annuelles du Centre d'Etudes de la Biodiversité Amazonienne - "The domestication history of the tropical tree Inga feuillei in South America". University of Cayenne, French Guiana |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was invited to the Annual meeting of the Centre of Studies on the Amazonian Biodiversity where all researchers working on projects related to the Amazon, with special focus in teams with French partners. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.franceguyane.fr/actualite/environnement/un-evenement-unique-dechanges-autour-de-la-scien... |
Description | Kew Outreach (Science): Improving agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in the Amazon |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Making the research project more available. The impacts are not known. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.kew.org/science/our-science/projects/amazon-agroforestry-silvopastoral |
Description | Meeting in University of Mato Grosso |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Mr. Pennington, Alexandre Olivval and I presented current research and extension activities carried out, which generated debate with students about the multipurpose legume Inga and agrosilvopastoral systems. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Newton-Paulet funded workshop "Integrating omic-based technologies for the valorization of Peruvian crop biodiversity", Universidad Catolica Santa Mari´a, Arequipa-Peru´ |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | A three-day workshop funded by the Newton Paulet Fund (Brithish Council) "Integrating omic-based technologies for the valorization of Peruvian crop biodiversity" that was held in Arequipa-Perú (Universidad Catolica Santa María) from September 10th to 12th 2019, led by Dr. Lena Gálvez. A group of 36 scientist -from Peru and the UK- evaluated the potential integrations of -omic tools to valorise the genetic resources of the large diversity of endemic crops in Peru. I contributed transferring my experience in developing genomic methods for assessing crop wild relative species. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://twitter.com/FondecytPeru/status/1183837150367944709?s=08 |
Description | Participation in the 4th World Congress on Agroforestry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Alexandre Olival and I participated in the 4th World Congress on Agroforestry, held in Montpellier, France. I presented a poster and wrote an abstract for the annals of the event, while Alexandre presented the work with silvipastoral systems in an oral presentation session. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://agroforestry2019.cirad.fr/ |
Description | Plenary speaker at the 9th International Biogeography Society Meeting, Málaga, Spain |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | In January last year I took part as a plenary speaker at the International Biogeography Meeting (IBS, https://www.xcdsystem.com/ibs/program/fzNIpeL/index.cfm?pgid=368). This is the most important international meeting in Biogeography and takes place every second year all over the world. The meeting has c.a. 500 participants but in the main symposia there are not concurrent sessions, which means that they accept 10 talks only. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.biogeography.org/event/spain2019/? |
Description | Population Genomics for Biogeography and Species Delimitation, Workshop Conservation Genetics in the Tropics, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | At the International Biogeography Meeting I met Jennifer Leonard, a principal investigator at the Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, expert in animal population genetics and modern DNA technology to sequence DNA from historical and archaeological collections. She invited me to take part, as an instructor, at the Tropical Conservation Course she organises at the facilities of the National Park, where researchers from all over the world get training on Tropical Research (http://consevol.org/consgentropicscourse.html). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://www.ebd.csic.es/en/biologia-de-la-conservacion |
Description | Population Genomics of Paleo- and Neotropical Trees. Plenary speaker at the 1st Annual Symposium of Botany in Spain, Sevilla, Spain |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Spanish Society of Botany (SEBOT) did not exist until only 6 months ago. It was created as a federation of five botanical associations in Spain and has c.a. 700 members. I was invited as one of the 8 main speakers to give a talk that is linked to a publication at a special issue of the open Access Journal Frontiers in Plant Sciences "Phylogenomic Approaches to Deal with Particularly Challenging Plant Lineages", which I signed as my first publication as a senior author (under minor revision). The symposium was a success, with 160 attendees (https://simposioanualbotanicaespanola.weebly.com/). After the success of the first Annual Symposium of the Spanish Society of Botany, I will become a member of the organising committee from 2021 onwards. Next year, it will be held at the Jardín Botánico de Madrid. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://simposioanualbotanicaespanola.weebly.com/ |
Description | Population genomics of Palaeo- and Neotropical trees: biogegraphy, species delimitation, and domestication |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I presented the main results of my research on tropical tree evolution, including Inga, as a guest of the Seminar Series of the Biology Department of the University of A Coruna, which take place on a monthly basis, and are advertise also outside the University. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Presentation in Kew Gardens, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Alexandre Olival and I presented research and extension activities and findings with and audience mainly represented by researchers, who engaged in a discussion about sustainable socioecological systems in the southern Amazon forest frontier, in the north of Mato Grosso, Brazil. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Presentation in the University of Exeter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I presented the first findings and the monitoring protocol used in the silvicultural trials of seven Inga species in Brazil for a group of students of the University of Exeter. Alexandre Olival presented the context in wich this study has been taken place, with especial emphasis on the Agroforestry Research Center, led by Instituto Ouro verde, in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso, Brazil. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Programa de Pesquisa em Resiliencia (Workshop) UFSCar: use of Inga in agroforestry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Wider knowledge of the use of Inga in agroforestry and silvopastoral projects among relevant scientists |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Rural extension workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I talked about the technical challenges to implement diverse estratified agrosilvopastoral systems in a meeting of extensionists debating local challenges of rural extension. It raised questions about family farming. This event was organized by Instituto Centro de Vida, a NGO from Alta floresta, MT, Brazil. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Seminar open to the general public during SYNTHESYS-funded visit to the herbarium of the Botanic Garden of Madrid in order to examine valuable Inga specimens from the Spanish Expeditions of the 18th Century in South America. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Seminar open to the general public during SYNTHESYS-funded visit to the herbarium of the Botanic Garden of Madrid in order to examine Inga specimens from the Spanish Expeditions of the 18th Century in South America. Seminar Title "Domesticación de árboles tropicales: el impacto de los pueblos precolombinos en el Amazonas" 8th June 2021 Rosalía Piñeiro |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://twitter.com/RJBOTANICO/status/1401827621458042887 |
Description | Silvopastoral system implementation amd management courses in communiuties in northern Mato Grosso State |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | These were four workshops held across four separate communities in northern Mato Grosso led by staff of Instituto Ouro verde. They build on our experiences in implementing and managing silvopastoral systems in our prior GRTA and BBSRC-GCRF projects. The goal was the explain the benefits of silvopastoral systems and how they can be planted and managed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk "The rainforest during the Ice Ages" at the III UK Plant Evolution Meeting, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The UK Plant Evolution Meeting is becoming one of the main meetings for plant researchers based in the UK. In 2019 it was organised by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London and involved four sessions. I presented a talk in session 3. SESSION 1: PLANT DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION SESSION 2: PLANT TRAITS INVOLVED IN ADAPTATION AND DOMESTICATION SESSION 3: EVOLUTIONARY DRIVERS OF PLANT DIVERSITY SESSION 4: RECENT APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING MACROEVOLUTION |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.kew.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/UKPEM-2019-PROGRAMME.pdf |
Description | Talk at Inga Symposium "Population genetics tools to study domestication and dispersal in Inga", Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh (RBGE) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Exciting multidisciplinary Inga discussion workshop led by Toby Pennington and Rowan Schley. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | UK-Brazil Frontiers of Science Symposium. Introductory Speaker: The Role of forests within mitigation strategies for climate change and supporting the global population |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Frontiers of Science meetings are all about cutting edge science and leaders of the future. They offer early-career researchers across the scientific disciplines the chance to interact and develop new collaborations, consider novel approaches to research and more. Frontiers of Science meetings provide an excellent opportunity for outstanding scientists to meet and forge new relationships with your counterparts in other countries and disciplines. They are designed to bring the scientific leaders of the future together not only to present or discuss your own work, but also to explore the big questions at the frontiers of other disciplines. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Website for project ("(Ingasystems"), also covering related funded projects that have arisen from our work |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Project website to disseminate background and results of this project and the related projects that have been funded as a result of it. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/ingasystems/ |
Description | Workshop: Science and Practice about fire in the Amazon |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | It was an interesting round table on the alternatives for tropical agriculture without the use of fire. I specifically talked about the agroforestry systems implemented by Intituto Ouro Verde in southern Amazon, and also about our trial on the Inga systems for nitrogen fixation and agroforestry diversification. It generated interests on the audience about the strategies used and the barries the projects had to overcome to be succesful. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |