scholarly journals Before the Bulldozer Hits the Ground: Measuring Farmland Loss in Ontario

Author(s):  
Sara Epp and James Newlands

Rural Ontario is in a constant state of change, as economic, environmental and political pressures impact the viability and resilience of many rural communities. Agricultural areas, in particular, are often negatively impacted by such changes, as this land may be more valuable for development purposes. Farmland is often redesignated to residential, commercial or aggregate land uses, among others, significantly impacting the viability of the agricultural industry. The future sustainability of agriculture in Ontario is dependent upon a stable land base and precise understanding of the availability of farmland. To date, accurate data regarding the amount of farmland being converted to non-farm land uses is not available as existing methods have significant limitations regarding data accuracy, consistency and timing. This research seeks to evaluate the current state of Ontario's farmland in terms of the land available and policies regarding land conservation. In order to ensure that farmland is available, it is necessary to measure the existing land base and determine the quantity of land being lost to development. This study has developed a new methodology for measuring the amount of farmland converted to non-farm land uses through official plan amendments and has been applied to nine regions and counties in southern Ontario. This presentation and poster will detail this new methodology and provide an analysis of the data collected to date. Recommendations regarding policy development, challenges associated with data collection and future research will also be presented.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-389
Author(s):  
SOKFA FRANCIS JOHN ◽  

Technological innovation is at the heart of human evolution and progress. It is a catalyst for human well-being and socio-economic development. The rapid advancement the world is currently witnessing in this regard also birth concerns and ambiguities around the tension between benefits of today’s innovations and technologies and their actual and potential harm or risks. This paper outlines some key challenges to the global governance of emerging technologies to maximise benefits while preventing harm. The paper also identified some gaps in technology governance in Africa, their implications, and some key issues that need to be considered in closing these gaps. It argues that African governments, the corporate sector, academic institutions and other stakeholders need to begin to engage the current state of innovations and technologies and their possible futures and implications for the continent more critically and innovatively. This will require approaches informed by current needs and future thinking, are in sync with global trends, and prioritise Africa’s interests and needs. The current decolonisation debates in Africa should specifically inform such approaches. That will address the emerging patterns of coloniality observed in the current technological landscape and prevent the future occurrence of such practices. Additionally, considering rural African populations and their importance to the continent’s sustainable development, approaches to technological governance should also aim to centralise rather than marginalise rural communities. The paper concludes by highlighting some key areas of future research, such as investigating ways to achieve inclusive, just and equitable technological governance.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Sidwell ◽  
Michael Perry

The purpose of this article was to examine the current state of self-leadership training. The authors analyzed all published, publicly available studies (in English) pertaining to self-leadership training methods, offering a current state of self-leadership training, and implications for future research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAOLO RIGUZZI

AbstractThis essay evaluates the political economy of Mexico during the Porfirian period (1876–1911), with the aim of discussing advances in scholarship and presenting an outline of the elements for a future research agenda. To this end, the essay examines the current state of knowledge on four crucial aspects of the Mexican economy: growth and its dimensions; the state, finance and economic strategies; the construction and functioning of the internal market; and the international economic relations of Mexico during the first period of globalisation. In particular, it assesses the arguments that link features of Porfirian economic organisation with the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802098556
Author(s):  
Logan Knight ◽  
Yitong Xin ◽  
Cecilia Mengo

Resilience is critical among survivors of trafficking as they are mostly vulnerable populations who face multiple adversities before, during, and after trafficking. However, resilience in survivors of trafficking is understudied. This scoping review aims to clarify the current state of knowledge, focusing on definitions of resilience, how resilience has been studied, and factors associated with resilience among survivors. Five databases were searched using key words related to trafficking and resilience. Studies were included if they were published in English between 2000 and 2019 and focused on resilience with the study design including at least one of these four features: (a) use of standardized measures of resilience, (b) qualitative descriptions of resilience, (c) participants were survivors or professionals serving survivors, and (d) data sources such as case files or program manuals directly pertained to survivors. Eighteen studies were identified. Findings indicated that resilience was primarily described as emergent from interactions between the survivor and the environment. Resilience in trafficking appeared largely similar to resilience in other kinds of victimization. Nonetheless, trafficking survivors also may display resilience in alternative ways such as refusing treatment. Positive interpersonal relationships were the most commonly mentioned resilience factor. In addition, current research lacks studies featuring longitudinal designs, interventions, participatory methods, types of trafficking other than sexual trafficking, and demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and national origin. Future research needs to establish definitions and measures of resilience that are culturally and contextually relevant to survivors and build knowledge necessary for designing and evaluating resilience-enhancing interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 969-978
Author(s):  
Taya L. Farugia ◽  
Carla Cuni-Lopez ◽  
Anthony R. White

Australia often experiences natural disasters and extreme weather conditions such as: flooding, sandstorms, heatwaves, and bushfires (also known as wildfires or forest fires). The proportion of the Australian population aged 65 years and over is increasing, alongside the severity and frequency of extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. Extreme heat can affect the entire population but particularly at the extremes of life, and patients with morbidities. Frequently identified as a vulnerable demographic in natural disasters, there is limited research on older adults and their capacity to deal with extreme heat and bushfires. There is a considerable amount of literature that suggests a significant association between mental disorders such as dementia, and increased vulnerability to extreme heat. The prevalence rate for dementia is estimated at 30%by age 85 years, but there has been limited research on the effects extreme heat and bushfires have on individuals living with dementia. This review explores the differential diagnosis of dementia, the Australian climate, and the potential impact Australia’s extreme heat and bushfires have on individuals from vulnerable communities including low socioeconomic status Indigenous and Non-Indigenous populations living with dementia, in both metropolitan and rural communities. Furthermore, we investigate possible prevention strategies and provide suggestions for future research on the topic of Australian bushfires and heatwaves and their impact on people living with dementia. This paper includes recommendations to ensure rural communities have access to appropriate support services, medical treatment, awareness, and information surrounding dementia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Kordes ◽  
Hans H. Bock ◽  
Doreen Reichert ◽  
Petra May ◽  
Dieter Häussinger

Abstract This review article summarizes 20 years of our research on hepatic stellate cells within the framework of two collaborative research centers CRC575 and CRC974 at the Heinrich Heine University. Over this period, stellate cells were identified for the first time as mesenchymal stem cells of the liver, and important functions of these cells in the context of liver regeneration were discovered. Furthermore, it was determined that the space of Disse – bounded by the sinusoidal endothelium and hepatocytes – functions as a stem cell niche for stellate cells. Essential elements of this niche that control the maintenance of hepatic stellate cells have been identified alongside their impairment with age. This article aims to highlight previous studies on stellate cells and critically examine and identify open questions and future research directions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 215336872098889
Author(s):  
Lynn A. Addington

A punitive legacy of the responses to school shootings in the United States is the expansion of exclusionary discipline. Black girls have disproportionately experienced this form of punishment as compared to white girls and non-Black girls of color. A small, but growing, body of research has examined the patterns and causes of this disparity. Current studies have made suggestions for possible solutions to address this disparity, but these recommendations are not readily accessible in a single location. A catalogue of these ideas could provide a useful foundation for policy development and evaluation. The present research note seeks to generate this resource by conducting a systematic review to identify and categorize recommendations aimed at reducing the discipline disparity experienced by Black girls. Based on this review, four categories emerged that center around: (1) culturally competent school programs, (2) enhanced teacher training, (3) spaces at school for empowering Black girls, and (4) trauma-informed student policies. This research note discusses these categories of recommendations using an intersectional framework and concludes with a summary of next steps to guide future research and policy work to address the disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline against Black girls.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5433
Author(s):  
Rui Alexandre Castanho ◽  
José Manuel Naranjo Gómez ◽  
Gualter Couto ◽  
Pedro Pimentel ◽  
Áurea Sousa ◽  
...  

The remarkable richness and singularity of the Azorean Region (located 38° North) and its landscapes require a sharp, well-defined, and comprehensive planning policy. Bearing in mind the significance of this issue in the enlightenment of sustainability, planning strategies should be based and supported by different studies and thematic domains to understand the problem thoroughly. Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems), the present article enables us to identify the dynamics and patterns of the evolution of the Land-Use Changes in the Azores Region from 1990 to 2018. In aggregate, the Azores islands showed growth in artificial surfaces and forest and seminatural land-uses by essentially decreasing agricultural areas—most resulting from the economic and social development strategy pursued by several Azorean governments. Moreover, this study permits us to reinforce that the Azores Archipelago’s land-uses has undergone multiple changes—marked by increasing and decreasing periods. In fact, some of these reducing dynamics are disturbing. They require closer monitorization by regional government actors to give protection, preservation, and conservation to these incomparable ultra-peripheral landscapes, environments, ecosystems, and the region as a whole.


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