scholarly journals Sustainability of Four Agroecosystems in the State of Veracruz, Mexico

Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Carrión Delgado ◽  
Ofelia A. Valdés-Rodríguez ◽  
Felipe Gallardo-López

Objective: To evaluate the sustainability of four agroecosystems in the state ofVeracruz, Mexico: sugarcane, maize grain, orange and moringa.Design/Methodology/Approach: Producers that provided information about thecrops’ management were located. Semi-structured interviews were conducted toidentify critical points affecting sustainability, and the indicators were weighted usingthe bottom-up criterion and the PSR model.Results: The most sustainable crop was moringa, and the least sustainable wasmaize for grain. Conventional crops are characterized by being monocultureplantations and demanding large amounts of non-renewable external inputs thatundermine their sustainability. Lack of technical training for producers was identifiedas a critical point.Study Limitations/Implications: The results obtained are limited to the analysis offour production systems and their environmental, social and economic dimensions.Findings/Conclusions: Moringa is presented as an alternative crop with lowenvironmental impact that generates employment and strengthens social capital.

Author(s):  
Mohammad Sabzi Khoshnami ◽  
Fardin Alipour ◽  
Maliheh Arshi ◽  
Hassan Rafiey ◽  
Mohhamad Hossein Javadi

Community reintegration of ex-offenders is a main issue for reducing recidivism. This article aims to explain the process of reintegration into the community based on the experiences of people who have been convicted of violent crimes in Iran. A qualitative study based on grounded theory was conducted in 2020 in Tehran/Iran. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 participants. An institutional review board approved the study. Results indicate that the “worry trap” is the main challenge that those convicted of violent crimes face upon reentry into society. If these individuals are provided with governmental and non-governmental services and support, they can move toward “restoring their lost social capital.” The “redefinition of an independent identity” is a consequence of released individuals’ struggle to restore their lost social capital. Further research exploring the causality of social capital and improved outcomes after release from prison and reentry to community is needed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Jordan ◽  
Bulent Anil ◽  
Abdul Munasib

While a substantial amount of research has been devoted to showing what social capital does, research explaining social capital itself lags behind. The literature has a long tradition of examining the effect of social capital on local economic growth and development. In this paper we examine whether local economic development can explain the variation in social capital across various geographical clusters in the state of Georgia. We begin by devising a measurement tool, a Human Development Index (HDI), to measure community development. Our social capital measure includes associational memberships, voluntary activities, and philanthropy obtained from the Georgia Social Capital Survey. The findings show that even after accounting for various demographic and economic characteristics, the HDI explains the variation in a number of social capital levels (especially those measured by associational involvement) across various geographical clusters in the state of Georgia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089202062199967
Author(s):  
Josephine Marchant

Drawing on data from 116 survey responses by School Business Managers, and 7 semi-structured interviews with education professionals carried out between October 2017 and February 2018, this article reports on findings from a research project focussing on the opportunities and constraints for career progression into leadership roles for School Business Managers (SBMs) in the state sector in England. The article considers the differing roles and responsibilities of SBMs, how leadership is perceived in schools, the visibility of the SBM role, career aspirations of the SBMs who were surveyed, and the perceived constraints to progression to leadership roles. Analysis of the data was carried out using an inductive research approach using mixed methods. Snowballing was used to obtain a meaningful sample size for survey responses. Interviewees were chosen on the basis of judgement sampling. The sampling design for the survey and the interviews was one of non-probability. Findings suggest that leadership roles for SBMs do exist but that there are considerable constraints to these being achieved, not least the lack of appetite amongst SBMs to do so.


Author(s):  
Raffaello Furlan ◽  
Brian R. Sinclair

AbstractIn the past decade, Doha has witnessed fast-urban growth, an increased population rate, and an over-reliance on the automobile as the main mode of urban transportation. These factors caused social and environmental problems related to (1) the loss of a compact urban pattern, (2) an increased level of air pollution (3) high traffic congestions and (4) increasing landscape fragmentation. In consideration of such concerns, The State of Qatar invested large funds into the urban landscape development of Doha, as envisioned by Qatar National Vision 2030. As a result, in the past five years various parks and/or green areas, such MIA Park, a major public green space located around the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), were planned and developed within metropolitan Doha. The authors argue that this park is currently facing issues and challenges related to (1) accessibility to/from the neighboring districts, and (2) connectivity to/from the neighboring parks. Therefore, this research study aims at assessing the existing conditions of MIA Park, at considering the broader city context and, at recommending strategies for implementing MIA Park’s green network system. It approached the investigative challenge using a multi-pronged comprehensive methodology, that deployed focus groups, semi-structured interviews and a comprehensive network analysis based on graph theory. The findings, revealed through these hybrid research tactics, allowed the researchers to generate a framework to enhance accessibility and connectivity of MIA Park through a green network system, planned at inter-related neighborhood-scale and city-scale levels. While the research examines most notably a single case, it is advocated that the proposed framework represents not just an optional feature pertaining to the case in Doha, but a valuable reference for the sustainable master planning of future cities in the State of Qatar and across the GCC. The paper proffers numerous key contributions, including the critical exploration of manufactured landscapes in Doha Qatar and the delineation of broadly applicable environmental design strategies to improve the fabric and livability of cities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjing Zhu ◽  
Binsheng Luo ◽  
Ben La ◽  
Ruijie Chen ◽  
Fenggui Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Salar is a Turkic-speaking Islamic ethnic group in China living mainly in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County (Xunhua or Xunhua County), Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Salar people are skilled in horticulture and their homegarden (HG) management. They are regarded as the first people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to practice horticulture, especially manage their HGs, traditional farming systems, and supplementary food production systems. Traditional knowledge of Salar people associated with their HGs always contributes significantly to the local livelihood, food security, ornamental value, and biodiversity conservation. The cultivation of different plants in HGs for self-sufficiency has a long tradition in China’s rural areas, especially in some mountainous areas. However, Salar traditional HGs have not been described. The present paper aims to report the features of Salar HGs mostly based on agrobiodiversity and its ecosystem services. Methods The methods used in this work included semi-structured interviews and participatory observation. A total of 60 households in three townships, 9 villages were surveyed. There are 4–12 family members in each household, aged from 20 to 86 years old. The homestead size is between 200 and 1200 m2. Plant species cultivated in Salar HGs were identified according to Flora of China. Based on a comprehensive survey of Salar HGs and related to background data, we identified and characterized the most important services and functions provided by Salar HGs. Results According to primary production systems, there are 4 different types of Salar HGs, including ornamental focus, product focus, dual-purpose and multi-purpose. In total, 108 (excluding weeds and bonsai) plant species were recorded in Salar HGs, within 43 plant families. The most important and frequently used plants are Rosa chinensis, Armeniaca vulgar, Prunus salicina, and Ziziphus jujuba. About 4 to 32 plant species were recorded in each homegarden. We found that the Salar HGs, as a typical agroecosyste, prossess multiple servcices and functions that directly benefit households according to the field investigation. Conclusion This paper reveals the floristic diversity of Salar HGs. It presents useful information in the homegarden agroecosystem of Salar people, such as HG types and species diversity in Salar HGs. Ecosystem functions and services research suggested that the Salar HG agroecosystem provides agroecosystem services mainly related to supply and culture services. Salar HGs are important as food supplement resources, aesthetics symbol, and cultural spaces.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6121
Author(s):  
Naghmeh Taghavi

This study empirically investigates the involvement of actors in the process of energy-efficiency improvements in operations to align strategic sustainability goals across and within operations. The study analyzes development efforts stemming from actors’ decisions and actions that contribute to the process of energy efficiency improvements using semi-structured interviews and secondary information. Data is analyzed using thematic coding. The study deepens the understanding of how firms undertake the transition towards integrating strategic goals for energy efficiency into operations by strategizing for energy efficiency improvements through actors’ involvement. By exploring actors at both strategic and operational levels, and their decisions and actions, the study includes examples of different approaches, namely, top-down vs. bottom-up and inside-out vs. outside-in, thereby conceptualizing the process of energy-efficiency improvements in terms of a framework that outlines the entities of this process. The study further provides an integrative framework for the development efforts by different actors and presents propositions for incorporating energy-efficiency improvements in daily strategic and operational decisions and actions instead of regarding it as a separate or an add-on process.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christofer Berglund

After the Rose Revolution, President Saakashvili tried to move away from the exclusionary nationalism of the past, which had poisoned relations between Georgians and their Armenian and Azerbaijani compatriots. His government instead sought to foster an inclusionary nationalism, wherein belonging was contingent upon speaking the state language and all Georgian speakers, irrespective of origin, were to be equals. This article examines this nation-building project from a top-down and bottom-up lens. I first argue that state officials took rigorous steps to signal that Georgian-speaking minorities were part of the national fabric, but failed to abolish religious and historical barriers to their inclusion. I next utilize a large-scale, matched-guise experiment (n= 792) to explore if adolescent Georgians ostracize Georgian-speaking minorities or embrace them as their peers. I find that the upcoming generation of Georgians harbor attitudes in line with Saakashvili's language-centered nationalism, and that current Georgian nationalism therefore is more inclusionary than previous research, or Georgia's tumultuous past, would lead us to believe.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie McCall ◽  
Khaliid Scott ◽  
Urmi Bhatt

The COVID-19 pandemic will leave an enduring mark on North Carolina’s small business community. Using a phenomenological framework, we conducted a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews with small business owners about how they addressed the pandemic’s challenges. Four central themes emerged that illustrate the complexity and nuance of small business resiliency. Our data suggest that to survive and thrive, entrepreneurs had to: (1) be adaptable and willing to pivot, (2) have an entrepreneurial spirit, (3) leverage their social capital, and (4) have the knowledge and ability to apply for aid programs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 747
Author(s):  
Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos ◽  
José De Brito Lourenço Júnior ◽  
Antônio Cordeiro de Santana ◽  
Alfredo Kingo Oyama Homma ◽  
Cyntia Meireles Martins ◽  
...  

The state of Pará has the fifth largest cattle herd in Brazil at 20.3 million heads, and beef cattle breeding accounts for 44.32% of the agricultural production value. Using a recursive econometric model estimated by the generalized method of moments, we evaluated the effects of variables that define the supply and demand of slaughtered beef cattle from 1990 to 2015. The results showed that supply and demand were inelastic to prices. Increases in rural salary and calf prices negatively affected supply, and the response to rural credit applications occurred with a four-year lag due to the biological and technological characteristics of production systems. Deforestation tended to increase the supply of cattle and slaughterhouses appropriated the largest share of the economic surplus generated. There were productivity gains since the early 1990s, with the yield of slaughtered animals was 230.55 kg for cattle and 182.25 kg for cows, while currently, it is 276 and 202.5 kg, respectively. The creation of the Agriculture and Livestock Defense Agency of the State of Pará had a positive effect on the supply of cattle and the expansion of agroindustry structure, contributing to the supply of large markets with higher quality beef.


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