Mary Cruz Sánchez Alcalde

En los espacios de la vida rural, donde la tierra se convierte en sustento y tradición, el traspatio emerge como un sistema productivo lleno de significado. Más allá de su aparente sencillez, representa una estrategia clave para la seguridad alimentaria, la diversificación de ingresos y la preservación de conocimientos que se trasmiten de generación a generación. “Diversidad productiva de traspatio y bienestar social en comunidades rurales” ofrece una mirada integral a estas prácticas, articulando fundamentos teóricos, evidencia empírica y propuestas de capacitación orientadas al desarrollo sostenible. A través de un enfoque multidisciplinario, se exploran las dinámicas sociales, económicas y ambientales que configuran el traspatio como un eje de resiliencia comunitaria. Este libro está dirigido a personas de comunidades comprometidas con el desarrollo rural, a académicos, a estudiantes y a aquellos interesadas en comprender y fortalecer las capacidades locales. En sus páginas, el lector encontrará no solo análisis rigurosos, sino también herramientas prácticas que contribuyen a impulsar modelos de producción más justos, inclusivos y sostenibles. Porque en cada traspatio hay más que producción: hay identidad, conocimiento y futuro.

Backyard activities (BAs) constitute a traditional rural food production strategy, although their sustainability-related outcomes remain underexplored in rural contexts. Our objective is to analyze how BAs in rural communities in the municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, represent a local strategy for producing healthy food through sustainable practices, focusing on the relationship between production processes and indicators associated with waste management, water use, and environmental impact. A stratified sampling approach was employed, and a structured survey was administered to 387 households practicing BAs in the region. Instrument consistency was verified using the Kuder–Richardson coefficient. Results show that BAs are relevant in the region: 89.15% of respondents have a family garden and 67.96% raise animals for domestic consumption, supporting an additional income. Chi-square tests revealed statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05) among the study variables, ranging from moderate to strong, with backyard animal husbandry practices standing out in relation to nutritional and health management in animal production, reaffirming that these are not isolated events but complementary activities. These findings indicate that BAs involve interconnected systems rather than isolated activities, reflecting an integrated household-level system with potential implications for resource management and environmental sustainability in rural contexts.

The sustainable training of higher education teachers at a Sinaloa university is analyzed, in its academic units in the north of the State. The objective was to identify areas of opportunity in such training, so that HEIs have information that allows them to empower teachers as agents of change in sustainable matters. The approach of the study was quantitative, descriptive-transversal, applying a Likert-type instrument through the Google Forms platform to 239 teachers from a universe of 488 that make up the study area in 7 academic units (see table 2). The instrument was subjected to internal consistency measurement using McDonald's Omega coefficient, yielding an adequate value of W=0.874. The findings show that there are challenges for the educational institution and the teachers themselves in aspects of training, better self-management and programs that strengthen sustainable training are required, so the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda can help improve the situation. Research is recommended that supports what this study postulates, as well as institutional and personal initiatives on leadership issues that promote the proper role of the actors involved.

Isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened daily tension, leading to stress and other illnesses. This research examined the impact of backyard activities on social and personal well-being, focusing on agricultural (gardens, vegetables, medicinal plants) and livestock activities (chickens, goats, sheep, cows). An exploratory study was conducted using a Likert-scale survey of 387 people, with 22 items covering economic growth, social well-being, and human development. The results showed that 50% of the respondents experienced pleasant emotions through sensory engagement with home gardens, leading to well-being, reduced anxiety and stress, better concentration, and improved family harmony. McDonald’s Omega (ω) value for item consistency was 0.964. Strong correlations were found between economic growth, social well-being, and human development with social and personal well-being, at 0.719, 0.819, and 0.812, respectively. These results are validated by an exploratory principal component factor analysis, which shows the correlation of the classes that integrate backyard activities on a principal axis. Backyard livestock activities had a lesser impact on personal and social well-being compared to agricultural activities, which were valued more for their economic and nutritional contributions. Thus, backyard activities, especially those involving home gardens, significantly enhance social and personal well-being alongside their economic and food benefits.

The northwest region of Mexico stands out as one of the areas with the greatest contribution to the national aquaculture industry, which has led its producers to reconsider the need to innovate in the processes of technological incorporation in sustainable ways. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the attitudinal and motivational context perceived in aquaculture companies in the region, related to the innovation, competitiveness and support programmes. By means of Likert scaling, it was possible to identify aspects of both domains that would facilitate the development of technological innovation within aquaculture. Such an escalation also showed the need to intensify efforts, with the participation of the state, public and private universities, as well as non-governmental organisations, to develop strategies and policies that facilitate the incorporation of innovative technologies. The research design is structured under a descriptive-explanatory approach, with a cross-sectional format, in which 108 surveys were applied. These surveys were designed using the Likert scale and validated with the McDonald’s Omega method, with ω = 0.773. Cronbach’s α and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were employed, showing a correlation between the items of the construct and its subcategories. The values of the covariance of the items obtained through the exploratory analysis show that 56% of the items have a correlation greater than 0.05. This indicates that there is a positive attitude and motivation towards the implementation of technological innovation in aquaculture in the study region, with participation from all three levels of government.

Upper secondary educational institutions have outstanding students in different areas of knowledge. Some of them show scientific skills, technological innovation, and others are considered high-performance athletes. They can enhance their abilities and face more demanding challenges by participating in academic and/or sporting events. The aim of this study was "to discuss the importance of the timely detection of outstanding students in upper secondary education academic units, as well as to analyse the factors that influence the achievement of their goals". The research was conducted at the Guasave Daytime High School of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS), in the municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. It was designed as a case study, with an exploratory-explanatory analysis. A total of 455 surveys were administered to students. The academic unit has 3898 students, the data were captured in Google Forms to describe the attitudinal profile of high school students, ways of learning, strengths, and weaknesses to develop scientific skills. Interest in participating in important academic and sporting events was considered as activities to identify outstanding students. The results show the importance of implementing strategies that allow teachers to detect outstanding students in a timely manner. The dissemination of extracurricular activities was considered because students have the potential to develop their scientific and sporting talents. However, these activities have little dissemination among students. It is concluded that the Academic Units should have a greater dissemination of extracurricular activities and have a programme to detect outstanding students. It is important to train and guide teachers so that they can identify and channel outstanding students and be able to enhance their abilities.