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The main objective of this article was to describe and analyze the adoption of agricultural diversification mechanisms for farmers in the Rio das Contas River Basin, Bahia. Three indices of agricultural diversity were calculated: Margalef, Shannon and Herfindahl. In addition, the socioeconomic determinants of agricultural diversification were analyzed through a Tobit econometric model. The results show that the majority of farmers depend on the income obtained from agriculture and/or livestock, with little off-farm diversification. In addition, most farmers diversify on-farm. However, the calculated indices indicate that this diversification is still low. Finally, access to credit and technical assistance and the fact of living on the property influence positively crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last years, dietary environmental impact and sustainable diets have been responsible for worldwide concern, especially in developed countries. Brazil is among the world's largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and the country does not have any specific food consumption measures to achieve the promise made at COP21. The main objective of our paper is analyzing the contribution of the Brazilian diet in terms of carbon, water and ecological footprint. We collected data in the National Dietary Survey for food intake and life cycle assessment literature database to estimate the composition of the current diet in Brazil. We used independent t tests and ANOVA tests to understand the differences among sociodemographic and income characteristics related to Brazilian adults' diet. The environmental impact related to the Brazilian diet is very high, with beef consumption contributing to the largest share. Male household heads, with medium and low income, aged between 18 and 45 years old, with intermediate or less education level, who lives in rural areas in Midwest and Northeast regions were associated with higher environmental impact. Therefore, measures related to demand have great potential to reduce the environmental impact in Brazil. Image 1 • The environmental impact of the current Brazilian diet is very high. • Beef, Legumes and Rice are the largest responsible for the environmental impact. • Beef is associated with 68% of carbon footprint, and 41% of water footprint and ecological footprint. • Adults with higher income have lower daily food intake and environmental impact. • Lower food intake can drastically reduce the environmental impact of Brazilian diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the vulnerability to climate change of family farmers in the Rio Doce region, Minas Gerais. The theoretical background was based on the discussion about the negative impacts of climate change on family farming. Vulnerability was identified through its dimensions related to sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity, which were measured by representative indexes, based on socioeconomic and demographic data from 206 farmers in the region, and municipality climate variables. The results indicated that low pluriactivity and reduced access to irrigation mechanisms increased farmers' sensitivity. The low precipitation rates, in relation to the regional historical average, increased the exposure to climate change. The adaptive capacity can be attributed to the low access to rural credit and the absence of public irrigation projects. Therefore, high vulnerability were a consequence of high exposure and sensitivity rates, combined with low adaptive capacity. The results suggest that the region should receive attention in terms of public policies to reduce its vulnerability, enabling it to face more intense climate change scenarios in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]