scholarly journals Beyond feasibility—the role of motivation to implement measures to enhance resilience

Author(s):  
Luzian Messmer ◽  
Braida Thom ◽  
Pius Kruetli ◽  
Evans Dawoe ◽  
Kebebew Assefa ◽  
...  

AbstractMany regions around the world are experiencing an increase in climate-related shocks, such as drought. This poses serious threats to farming activities and has major implications for sustaining rural livelihoods and food security. Farmers’ ability to respond to and withstand the increasing incidence of drought events needs to be strengthened and their resilience enhanced. Implementation of measures to enhance resilience is determined by decisions of farmers and it is important to understand the reasons behind their behavior. We assessed the viability of measures to enhance resilience of farmers to drought, by developing a general framework that covers economic-technical and psychological-cognitive aspects, here summarized under the terms (1) motivation and (2) feasibility. The conceptual framework was applied to cocoa farmers in Ghana and tef farmers in Ethiopia by using questionnaire-based surveys. A portfolio of five specific measures to build resilience (i.e., irrigation, shade trees, fire belts, bookkeeping, mulching, early mature varieties, weather forecast, reduced tillage, improved harvesting) in each country was evaluated with a closed-ended questionnaire that covered the various aspects of motivation and feasibility whereby farmers were asked to (dis)agree on a 5-point Likert scale. The results show that if the motivation mean score is increased by 0.1 units, the probability of implementation increases by 16.9% in Ghana and by 7.7% in Ethiopia. If the feasibility mean score is increased by 0.1 units, the probability of implementation increases by 24.9% in Ghana and by 11.9% in Ethiopia. We can conclude that motivation and feasibility matter, and we improve our understanding of measure implementation if we include both feasibility and motivation into viability assessments.

foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kambali

The economic crisis that convolved the world economy a few years ago is the result of a series of government policies in the economic field. Starting from the Subprime Mortgage in America, the crisis eventually spreads across all sectors of the economy. As analysts say that the explosion of the current economic crisis is caused by the trend of low interest rates that are applied by the Fed. The trend of low interest rates will give rise to expectation of market to future economic situation. It is characterized by the overflow of capital expansion in all sectors, especially in property sector. Today, along with the growing mobility of capital from one country to another as part of unavoidable economic liberalization, mobility of capital, on the one hand, has spawned some of the imbalances in the life of a State. The powerlessness can not be separated from economic ideology and system on state role in the economy. Capitalism with its laissez faire brings the concept of state minimal role in the economy. In the empirical facts, it is broken by the crisis situation in 1930 and today's financial crisis. Socialism tends to carry the central role of the State in the economy through the centralistic planning system. The fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s brought the world to a choice whether reconstructing capitalism or socialism as Fukuyama and Gidden said. On the other hand, as the new system, the economic system of Islam brings the concept of the role of the State in the economy on the basis of universal values of Islam, such as justice in the economy which is reflected in the mechanism of the prohibition of riba (usury), just income distribution and redistribution of income through zakat and social security. This article is an exposure of the State's role in the economy which is studied through the perspective of today’s economic system. The systems are capitalism, socialism, and Islam. The article not only explores conceptual framework, but also also contains an empirical framework mapping and how the conceptual framework is operated. At the end, from the two mapping (conceptual and empirical), author draws a reflection of how the State should play a role in the economic field. Keywords: Capitalism, Socialism, Islam, Economic Role of State


2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Hughes

AbstractThis article provides a theoretical discussion of the genre of commentary writing. Rather than examining the role of commentary in a specific religion, it attempts to articulate a set of useful questions to begin the process of rethinking what this genre is and, in the process, help create a theoretical vocabulary and conceptual framework for an analysis of commentary from the history of religions. The article is divided into three parts. The first broadens the traditional concept of a "canon", ostensibly the raw data upon which the commentary imposes a taxonomy. The second argues that the human condition, what Heidegger calls the way in which we are thrown into the world, demands that we interpret it. Finally, it is suggested that commentary is fundamentally about location or space, thereby providing the classificatory schema that is necessary for contextualizing both past and present. The main goal of this article is to problematize the current discussion of commentary in a theoretical way.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Coral Michelin Basso ◽  
Carlos Franzato ◽  
Karine Freire ◽  
Gustavo Severo de Borba

 No contexto em que tudo que se ouve é crise, urgência e mudança, falar sobre as possibilidades de ação em prol de um futuro sustentável é uma necessidade. Estão surgindo, em diversos lugares no mundo, iniciativas com capacidade de propor uma visão de bem-estar renovada, calcada na sustentabilidade e no agir coletivo, conhecidas como organizações colabo­rativas. Tais empreendimentos promovem pequenas rupturas locais no modelo econômico vigente, ao mesmo tempo que criam casos promissores de inovação social. Ao observar as características das organizações colaborativas e as relações que estabelecem com o ecossistema onde estão inseridas, o presente estudo estabelece uma conexão comparativa entre essas organizações e os sistemas abertos, apresentando um conceito que amplia o entendimento acerca do funcionamento e das possibilidades de ação das organizações. O objetivo, com isso, é apontar as possibilidades do design – encarado aqui sob seu viés estratégico – em fomentar as atividades de inovação social das organizações colaborativas. Utilizando o framework conceitual do metadesign, são sugeridas duas contribuições para dar suporte à organização; para habilitar seus atores a serem co-criadores; e também para transformar o próprio designer, que se assume então o papel de articulador desse sistema com­plexo: o co-design e o seeding.ABSTRACT In a context where all you can hear is crisis, urgency and change, to speak about the possibilities of action towards a sustai­nable future is a necessity. Initiatives are emerging in several places around the world, that are able to propose a renewed vision of well being based on sustainability and collective action, known as collaborative organizations. Such projects promote small local ruptures on the current economic model, while creating promising cases of social innovation. By observing the characteristics of these collaborative organizations and the relations they establish with the ecosystem where they are inserted, the present study establishes a comparative connection between these organizations and open systems, presenting a concept that amplifies the understanding of the operation and possibilities of action of such organizations. With this, the goal is to point the possibilities of design – understood here under its strategic scope – to foster the actions of social innovation of these collaborative organizations. Using the conceptual framework of metadesign, two contributions are suggested to support the organization; to enable its actors to be co-creators; and to transform the designer himself, who then assumes the role of articulator of this complex system: co-design and seeding.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-35
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kambali

The economic crisis that convolved the world economy a few years ago is the result of a series of government policies in the economic field. Starting from the Subprime Mortgage in America, the crisis eventually spreads across all sectors of the economy. As analysts say that the explosion of the current economic crisis is caused by the trend of low interest rates that are applied by the Fed. The trend of low interest rates will give rise to expectation of market to future economic situation. It is characterized by the overflow of capital expansion in all sectors, especially in property sector. Today, along with the growing mobility of capital from one country to another as part of unavoidable economic liberalization, mobility of capital, on the one hand, has spawned some of the imbalances in the life of a State. The powerlessness can not be separated from economic ideology and system on state role in the economy. Capitalism with its laissez faire brings the concept of state minimal role in the economy. In the empirical facts, it is broken by the crisis situation in 1930 and today's financial crisis. Socialism tends to carry the central role of the State in the economy through the centralistic planning system. The fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s brought the world to a choice whether reconstructing capitalism or socialism as Fukuyama and Gidden said. On the other hand, as the new system, the economic system of Islam brings the concept of the role of the State in the economy on the basis of universal values ​​of Islam, such as justice in the economy which is reflected in the mechanism of the prohibition of riba (usury), just income distribution and redistribution of income through zakat and social security. This article is an exposure of the State's role in the economy which is studied through the perspective of today’s economic system. The systems are capitalism, socialism, and Islam. The article not only explores conceptual framework, but also also contains an empirical framework mapping and how the conceptual framework is operated. At the end, from the two mapping (conceptual and empirical), author draws a reflection of how the State should play a role in the economic field.


Author(s):  
Susan L. Rothwell

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a conceptual and practical perspective on instructional design problems that librarians face, from the perspective of design research. Librarians see increasing need to provide instruction to their users in new ways and on new topics as the world becomes digital and global in nature. The expanding instructional role of librarians requires instructional design skills. However, many librarians have little formal training on instructional design, leading to concerns and confusion about instructional design skills, problems and processes. This chapter discusses design, instructional design issues, concerns and problems (typical and specific to librarians), and explores a conceptual framework to support flexible instructional design based upon the concept of design as a discipline. Examples, recommendations and supporting resources are included.


Author(s):  
Susan L. Rothwell

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a conceptual and practical perspective on instructional design problems that librarians face, from the perspective of design research. Librarians see increasing need to provide instruction to their users in new ways and on new topics as the world becomes digital and global in nature. The expanding instructional role of librarians requires instructional design skills. However, many librarians have little formal training on instructional design, leading to concerns and confusion about instructional design skills, problems and processes. This chapter discusses design, instructional design issues, concerns and problems (typical and specific to librarians), and explores a conceptual framework to support flexible instructional design based upon the concept of design as a discipline. Examples, recommendations and supporting resources are included.


Author(s):  
Hussein Ali Abdulsater

This chapter explains the conceptual framework of Murtaḍā’s system by detailing his views of God and the natural world. It presents a discussion of the major epistemological tools needed to construct an understanding of being, such as his view on the role of reason, the method of investigation and the need for evidence. Following is a study of the basic ontological claims that govern both divine and natural realms; atoms and accidents, the constitutive units of the world, are studied both as independent entities and as the basis for casual relations that govern all existents. The last part concentrates on God’s attributes, with emphasis on Murtaḍā’s efforts to create a coherent system to satisfy various conceptual requirements while still preserving the integrity of earlier Shiʿi doctrines. The key is his classification of attributes into essential and accidental, informed by the Muʿtazilī ‘Theory of States’. The chapter is divided into four sub-headings: Epistemological Sketch; Ontological Sketch; God’s Attributes; Theoretical Model


Journalism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 146488492093313
Author(s):  
Jane B Singer

Although most research to date has focused on leading US fact-checkers, similar initiatives are gaining strength all over the world. This study draws on a globally disseminated questionnaire, plus interviews with fact-checkers on four continents, to examine their role and reach in relation to other journalistic enterprises, as well as the challenges they face. A conceptual framework of journalistic boundary-setting helps guide the exploration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 867-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Baryshnikova ◽  
Dorota Klimecka-Tatar ◽  
Olga Kiriliuk

AbstractTrade in agricultural products is one of the most dynamically developing segments of the global market. The feature of the contemporary stage of world food trade development is that the leading exporters are also the largest food importers, combining the benefits of the international division of labor with the development of domestic agricultural production. In the paper, the role of foreign trade in ensuring food security has been evaluated by comparing the global index of food security and the share of imported food in the domestic market. As a result, the countries of the world have been divided into 4 groups. The first two groups include countries that ensure their citizens a high level of food security through imports, as well as or through their own efficient agricultural production. The third and fourth groups include countries which are not agrarian developed. The problems of hunger and malnutrition in these countries can potentially be solved with the help of foreign trade and increased efforts of the international community.


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