From farm accountancy data to environmental indicators: Assessing the environmental performance of Spanish agriculture at a regional level.

Understanding the environmental impacts of current agricultural practices is a starting point for transitioning towards sustainable agriculture, which is a goal to be achieved by the European Union. This study aims to provide a set of environmental impact indicators with which to assess and compare the environmental performance of a broad group of agricultural reference holdings at the Spanish NUTS 2 level. A life cycle assessment approach based on statistical data on farm accountancy is applied. The unit of analysis is a reference holding on which a specific crop is grown in a NUTS 2 and follows a specific management system (open-field irrigated, open-field rainfed, or greenhouse). The system boundaries are set at the farm gate, and the impact results are expressed per 1 € of net value added. For most reference holdings, the EF scores per net value added are similar regardless of their EF scores per kg commodity, suggesting a correspondence between the use of resources and the economic results. The environmental footprint is clustered into four groups. The first one accounts for 78 % of the sample and represents the holdings with the lowest impact (between 9.7·10-5 and 2.88·10-3 EF score·NVAfc-1); the second cluster groups seven reference holdings (3 herbaceous and 4 Mediterranean perennial crops) with an environmental footprint of between 3.04·10-3 and 9.01·10-3 EF score·NVAfc-1; the third group comprises four irrigated herbaceous crops holdings with the highest impact (between 1.37·10-2 and 2.13·10-2 EF score·NVAfc-1); and the last group corresponds to the holdings with economic losses (mostly herbaceous and two Mediterranean perennial crops). This research highlights the challenge of improving the competitiveness and profitability of Spanish farming. In this way, agricultural practices that generate environmental impacts without achieving their economic goals would be avoided.

Dataset to monitor regionalised environmental impacts of the main agricultural products in Spain.

Estimating the average environmental impacts of a representative crop in a specific region is a helpful starting point from which to propose improvements in the agricultural sector. However, data collection from official representative sources is complex, and often they require subsequent treatment to be transformed into meaningful inventory data. This article shows a comprehensive dataset for obtaining inventory data and developing an environmental life cycle impact assessment of representative agricultural production corresponding to reference holdings at a regional level (NUTS 2) in Spain. The dataset comprises Excel files with the data compiled from secondary sources to be used in the assessment and the R code scripts to transform the data into relevant inventory data to estimate the environmental impacts of the reference holdings. This dataset is a reliable tool for researchers and other potential users to be used as a secondary information source for further studies. It can also be used to estimate the environmental impacts of the farming activity of agri-food products in other regions or countries by collecting similar data for the specific region and adjusting the R code.

An approach to regionalise the life cycle inventories of Spanish agriculture: Monitoring the environmental impacts of orange and tomato crops.

Agricultural life cycle assessment (LCA) at the sub-national regional level may be a valuable input for the decision-makers. Obtaining representative and sufficient data to develop life cycle inventories (LCIs) at that level is a relevant challenge. This study aims to contribute to the development of LCIs representative Spanish crops based on economic and operational information available in official sources to assess the average environmental impacts of these crops in the main producing regions. A comprehensive approach is proposed considering both the temporal variability and uncertainty of input data by using different methods (e.g. linear programming, weighted averages, Monte Carlo simulation, forecasted irrigation, etc.) to estimate the inventory data of reference holdings. From these inventories, the environmental assessment of those reference holdings is carried out. Two case studies are developed, on orange and tomato crops in the main producing regions, where climate change (CC), freshwater scarcity (WS), human toxicity non-cancer (HTnc), and freshwater ecotoxicity (ET) are evaluated. The environmental scores obtained differ significantly from region to region. The highest environmental scores of orange reference holdings correspond to Comunidad Valenciana for CC (1.94·10-1 kg CO2 eq.) HTnc (4.16·10-11 CTUh) and ET (7.45·10-3 CTUe), and to Andalucia in WS (17.4 m3 world eq.). As to greenhouse tomatoes, the highest scores correspond to Comunidad Valenciana in the four categories analysed (CC = 3.18 kg CO2 eq., HTnc = 3.6·10-9 CTUh, ET = 1.5 CTUe and WS = 13.3 m3 world eq.). The environmental scores estimated in this study are consistent with the literature, showing that the approach is useful to obtain a representative description of the environmental profile of crops from official statistical data and other information sources. Widening the data gathered in ECREA-FADN, and also that from other data sources used, would increase the quality of the environmental impact estimation.

Assessing the environmental impact of Spanish vineyards in Utiel-Requena PDO: The influence of farm management and on-field emission modelling.

Environmental studies into wine from different protected designations of origin (PDO) highlight farming and packaging stages as those contributing the most to the total environmental impacts of this product. However, farming impact, not only depends on the agricultural practices but also on data quality and modelling complexity. By using the life cycle assessment methodology, a twofold goal is aimed. Firstly, to analyse the environmental profile of the most widespread viticultural practices in the Utiel-Requena PDO (Spain). The second aim is to evaluate the differences between the environmental impacts estimated by means of modelling approaches using generic information (Baseline modelling) versus those using site-specific information (Alternative modelling). As regards the agricultural practices and grape cultivars, eight systems were defined and assessed per kg of grape at the farm gate. The differences between farming systems and modelling approaches were statistically assessed. The results show that, regardless of the grape cultivar, organic systems are more environmentally friendly than the conventional ones (on average, the greatest differences occur in the ionizing radiation, marine eutrophication and land use, being the values for organic vineyards 1678%, 648% and 171% lower than those of the conventional ones, respectively), the results for the Bobal cultivar being better than those for the Tempranillo because of the higher yield (differences in yield around 1.500 kg ha-1). The use of site-specific modelling approaches guarantees the precision of the analysis; however, for some impact categories, namely climate change, fine particulate matter formation, marine eutrophication and terrestrial acidification, the possibility of using general methodologies is open; in this way, the modelling efforts can be minimised, and the results would be consistent with those of more specific methodologies. The results also underline the need for a consensus within LCA practitioners on which methodologies to use in order to estimate on-field emissions taking into account both complexity reduction and accuracy improvement.

Caracterización epidemiológica y clínica de pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados con sarampión

El sarampión en una enfermedad prevenible por vacuna cuya eficacia es de aproximadamente 95 %. La recomendación es vacunar al año de edad y entre 4 y 6 años. El resurgimiento ocurre en zonas con baja cobertura vacunal. Objetivo: Describir las características epidemiológicas y clínicas de pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados con sarampión. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal, prospectivo y descriptivo incluyendo pacientes ingresados al Hospital de Niños "J.M. de los Ríos" (Caracas, Venezuela) en el primer cuatrimestre 2018 con evidencia clínica de sarampión. Se registraron datos epidemiológicos, manifestaciones clínicas y evolución. Resultados: Se incluyeron 46 pacientes. Los lactantes fueron los más afectados: mayores 41,3 % (n=19) y menores 30,4 % (n=14). El 56,5 % (n=26) procedía del municipio Libertador (Distrito Capital). El 94,7 % (n=18) de los pacientes mayores de un año no tenía vacuna y 65,2 % (n=30) desconocía la fuente de infección. El 93,5 % (n=43) recibió un promedio de seis meses de lactancia materna; 69,6 % (n=32) tenía nutrición normal. El 100 % tuvo evolución clínica dermatológica y respiratoria típica. La diarrea ocurrió en 47,8 % (n=22) y las manchas de Koplik en 23,9 % (n=11). Las complicaciones se presentaron en 87 % (n=40); la más frecuente fue neumonía 80,4 % (n=37). No hubo casos de encefalitis. Cuatro pacientes (8,7 %) requirieron cuidados intensivos, tres de los cuales fallecieron (6,5 %). El diagnóstico se realizó de forma clínica-serológica en 24 % (n=11) Conclusiones: El 94,7 % de pacientes mayores de un año no tenía vacuna. El 72 % fueron lactantes. El 69,6 % tenía estado nutricional normal. El 80,4 % presentó neumonía. La mortalidad ocurrió en el 6,5 %.

Measles in a disease preventable by vaccine whose efficacy is approximately 95 %. The recommendation is to vaccinate at one year of age and between 4 and 6 years. The resurgence occurs in areas with low vaccination coverage. Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients hospitalized with measles. Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective and descriptive study was performed, including patients admitted to Children's Hospital "J.M. de los Ríos" (Caracas, Venezuela) in the first four-month period of 2018 with clinical evidence of measles. Epidemiological data, clinical manifestations and evolution were recorded. Results: 46 patients were included. Infants were the most affected: greater 41.3 % (n = 19) and lower 30.4 % (n = 14). 56.5 % (n = 26) came from the Libertador municipality (Capital District). 94.7 % (n = 18) of patients older than one year did not have a vaccine and 65.2 % (n = 30) did not know the source of infection. 93.5 % (n = 43) received an average of six months of breastfeeding; 69.6 % (n = 32) had normal nutrition. 100 % had typical dermatological and respiratory clinical evolution. Diarrhea occurred in 47.8 % (n = 22) and Koplik's spots in 23.9 % (n = 11). Complications occurred in 87 % (n = 40); the most frequent was 80.4 % pneumonia (n = 37). There were no cases of encephalitis. Four patients (8.7 %) required intensive care, three of whom died (6.5 %). The diagnosis was made clinically-serologically in 24 % (n = 11) Conclusions: 94.7 % of patients older than a year I did not have a vaccine. 72 % were infants. 69.6 % had normal nutritional status. 80.4 % had pneumonia. Mortality occurred in 6.5 %.

Consenso sarampión

Se trata de un Consenso acerca del Sarampión que lleva por objeto presentar una actualización con relación a los aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos y terapéuticos de la patología.

It is a consensus about measles in which it is presented an actualization in regards of epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of the pathology.