scholarly journals The price of development: The importance of preserving local agricultural lands

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rachelle Foss

Regardless of the fact that we have long been warned of the negative impact of industrial farming, rural communities are being wiped out as local producers, like Riverbend Gardens, are put at risk in favour of urban expansion. The industrial food production industry is unsustainable, leading to increased energy consumption and food costs because of the gross use of energy to transport food hundreds kilometres from where it is produced. Toxic chemicals used to combat swarms of pests that are nurtured by acres of single crop farming have lead to the increase of these substances in our environment. The growing disconnection between ourselves and how our food is produced, fostered by diminishing farm communities, allows us to continue as we always have, until our current system collapses. This will have a deleterious effect on our health and our environment. Many of the answers to the problems we face in our food production industry lies in support for our small, local food producers. Located within Edmonton city limits, sustainable, family run, Riverbend Gardens, is at risk of being wiped out if government and consumers do not recognize the importance of small producers and their part in solving the food industry’s failures.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Lunel Joseph ◽  
Raúl Marino Yaranga Cano ◽  
Marco Arizapana-Almonacid ◽  
Marcela Venelli Pyles ◽  
Flávia Freire de Siqueira ◽  
...  

Research Highlights: Families more dependent on crops as the main source of income of properties have a greater intention of restoring Polylepis forest areas. However, this intention reduces with the increase of family dependence on subsistence products supplied by Polylepis forests. Properties where the chances of restoration of Polylepis forests are greater are those where the educational and technical level is better. Objectives: We aimed to comprehend which socioeconomic factors of rural properties and families’ perception were determinant for the intention to restore Polylepis forests in the Central Andes region of Peru. Material and Methods: We collected data through visits and the application of questionnaires. We selected 13 rural communities in the Tulumayo River Basin. We randomly sampled 10 to 20 families in each community, depending on its size, totaling 200 families. We used generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to test which variables affect the intention to restore the forest. Results: When crops are the main source of income in the property, the families have more intention to restore Polylepis areas, on the other hand, when Polylepis forests are an important source of products for the family subsistence, the intention to restore forests reduces, indicating that higher technological status has a positive impact on restoration. The perception that Polylepis forests are important for the existence of water sources had a positive impact on the families’ intention to restore the areas. However, the perception that Polylepis forests are important for native flora persistence had a negative impact on the intention to restore their areas. Conclusions: Our results showed that investment in improving the productivity of the properties and in the education of their landowners should increase the success of eventual programs for restoration of Polylepis forests.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422110031
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Petre ◽  
David Haldane Lee

In 2011, “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government’s Effect on the American Diet” (WCUS) was exhibited at the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Afterward, it toured the country, visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) David J. Sencer Museum in Atlanta, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. The exhibition website states that WCUS was “made possible” by candy corporation Mars, Incorporated. WCUS featured over a 100 artifacts tracing “the Government’s effect on what Americans eat.” Divided into four thematic sections (Farm, Factory, Kitchen, and Table), WCUS moves from agrarianism, through industrial food production and into mess halls, cafeterias, and individual kitchens. Photos, documents, news clippings, and colorful propaganda posters portray the government as a benevolent supporter of agriculture, feeder of soldiers and children, and protector of consumer health and safety. Visitors are positioned as citizens in an ideological mélange of paternalism and patriotism. In this rhetorical walk-through of the exhibition, we consider the display of archival materials for purposes of positioning, in consideration of past and present issues of diet and governance. Making explicit unstated assumptions, we claim that, although propagandistic artifacts take on different meanings to those viewing them decades later as memorabilia, they maintain their ideological flavor.


Author(s):  
Kgomotso Lebelo ◽  
Ntsoaki Malebo ◽  
Mokgaotsa Jonas Mochane ◽  
Muthoni Masinde

Historically, chemicals exceeding maximum allowable exposure levels have been disastrous to underdeveloped countries. The global food industry is primarily affected by toxic chemical substances because of natural and anthropogenic factors. Food safety is therefore threatened due to contamination by chemicals throughout the various stages of food production. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the form of pesticides and other chemical substances such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have a widely documented negative impact due to their long-lasting effect on the environment. This present review focuses on the chemical contamination pathways along the various stages of food production until the food reaches the consumer. The contamination of food can stem from various sources such as the agricultural sector and pollution from industrialized regions through the air, water, and soil. Therefore, it is imperative to control the application of chemicals during food packaging, the application of pesticides, and antibiotics in the food industry to prevent undesired residues on foodstuffs. Ultimately, the protection of consumers from food-related chemical toxicity depends on stringent efforts from regulatory authorities both in developed and underdeveloped nations.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 639-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Curko Kera ◽  
David J. Marks ◽  
Olga G. Berwid ◽  
Amita Santra ◽  
Jeffrey M. Halperin

ABSTRACTObjective: Few studies have used a combination of objective and self-report measures to examine neuropsychological and behavioral functioning in parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined attention and inhibitory control in the parents of preschool children who were rated as “at risk” for developing ADHD as compared with parents of controls.Methods:Preschool children (N=53) were divided into at risk for ADHD and control groups based on parent and teacher ratings of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ADHD symptoms. One parent of each child was administered an identical pairs Continuous Performance Test (CPTIP), a Go/No-Go task, and the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale for Adults.Results: Parents of preschoolers at risk for ADHD showed a pattern of responding on measures of vigilance characterized by slower reaction times and increased commission errors as compared with parents of controls. There were no significant group differences on self-report measures on the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale for Adults.Conclusion: Parents of preschoolers at risk for ADHD appear to exhibit cognitive processing deficits that may not be evident using self-report measures. Further research is needed to more clearly identify the specific nature of these neuropsychological deficits and to determine whether they have a negative impact on their children.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110049
Author(s):  
Mashudu Tshikovhi ◽  
Roscoe Bertrum van Wyk

This study examines the impact of increasing climate variability on food production in South Africa, focusing on maize and wheat yields. A two-way fixed effects panel regression model was used to assess the climate variability impacts, analysing secondary data for the period 2000 to 2019 for nine provinces in South Africa. The study found that increasing climate variability has a negative impact on maize and wheat production in South Africa. Specifically, the results indicated a negative correlation between mean annual temperature with both maize and wheat yields. A decrease in precipitation affected maize yields negatively, while the impact on wheat yields was positive, although insignificant. This analysis, therefore, depicted that crop yields generally increase with more annual precipitation and decrease with higher temperatures. The study recommends that funding initiatives to educate farmers on increasing climate variability and its effects on farming activities in South Africa should be prioritised.


2001 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Berthold ◽  
Stefan Drews ◽  
Eric Thode

AbstractThis paper deals with the system of fiscal federalism (Finanzausgleich) in Germany and its effects on macroeconomic growth. The maze of both transfers from federal government to the states (vertikaler Finanzausgleich) and interregional transfers between the states (horizontaler Finanzausgleich) is revealed and how the growth rates of the GDP developed. Econometric analysis show the negative impact on growth. This is due to both vertical and horizontal redistribution because of the massive negative incentives of the system. States contributing to and even those obtaining from the current system could benefit from changes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe L. Parcell ◽  
Patrick Westhoff

This study summarizes research on farm-, local-, regional-, and macro-level economic effects of ethanol production. Given current production levels, the ethanol production industry annually employees approximately 3,500 workers, pays out nearly $132 million in worker salaries, generates over $110 million in local taxes, and takes in some $2 billion in government incentive payments. Projections for a 60 million gallon per year ethanol plant indicate an annual increase in corn usage of 21 million bushels, a one-time capitalization of $75 million, an increase in local corn prices of between $0.06/bushel and $0.12/bushel, a 54 direct and a 210 indirect jobs created, an increase in local tax revenues of $1.2 million, a decrease in federal commodity program outlays of $30 million, and an increase in ethanol production incentives (federal only) of around $30.5 million.


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