scholarly journals Community-Led Micro-Hydropower Development and Landcare: A Case Study of Networking Activities of Local Residents and Farmers in the Gokase Township (Japan)

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1033
Author(s):  
Tokihiko Fujimoto ◽  
Kazuki Kagohashi

This paper aims at clarifying the determinants that promote the community-based renewable energy development in Japan, with a special focus on micro and small hydropower. This paper analyzes a case study of the social enterprise that was established by the local residents and farmers in the Gokase Township, the purpose of which is to install and develop community-based renewable energy. To analyze the case study, we adopt the framework of the Landcare approach. The Landcare approach can be characterized by the following guiding principles: (1) a strong community initiative guided by local residents and primary producers; (2) a focus on local problems; (3) a holistic and integrated approach to tackling problems; (4) stress on community well-being; and (5) partnership and networking. There are similarities between the Gokase Research Institute of Renewable Energy (GRIRE) and Landcare in that they both focus on local issues that can be tackled by local citizens and take a holistic approach that includes not only hydropower development but also improvement in community well-being. This paper examines the fitness of each principle and reveals that all of them fit fairly well with the case of micro-hydropower development in Gokase. This implies that micro-hydropower development in Gokase can be qualitatively evaluated as sustainable from the perspective of Sustainable Development theory.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3349
Author(s):  
Zafar Alam ◽  
Yoshinobu Watanabe ◽  
Shazia Hanif ◽  
Tatsuro Sato ◽  
Tokihiko Fujimoto

Energy is the prerequisite for social and economic development of a community and country. In Japan, national government is promoting small hydropower (SHP) through a renewable energy policy by providing a high FIT price of 34 yen (=0.32 US$/kWh) on energy generated from an SHP of less than 200 kW. Until now, the energy generation was controlled by national government agencies, but now independent power generation businesses are growing at the local community level in rural Japan. For the future growth of SHP, it is necessary to make electricity generation at the local community level. Therefore, these local communities will install and manage their renewable electricity by themselves. It will help to make the community self-sustainable and independent from the national government, and at the same time, it will also lead them to achieve the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) target from community-based action. This paper aimed to discuss an SHP development business model in which local community will become the business owner of the SHP. It means “of the community, by the community and for the community”. The community identifies their renewable energy potential and needs, they borrow money from the financial organization or banks, install the power plant and do necessary maintenance and management by themselves. The revenue earned by selling electricity is used to repay the loan, and the rest is used for community development directly (such as local roads construction, agriculture land improvements, community hall maintenance, waterways maintenance, welfare, etc.). This paper also discussed a community-based 50 kW SHP installed in Miyazaki prefecture of Japan as a case study. This SHP is one of the best examples of a community ownership model (Community-based business model). A detailed explanation from planning to investment has been discussed. The local community is getting approximately 112,000 USD per year by selling the electricity, and 162-ton CO2 is estimated to decrease yearly, which will support the achievement of SDGs. Finally, installing this kind of SHP in remote areas will provide managerial skills to the local community directly, plant operation knowledge, and education to local students. Local communities learn the problem-solving skills, which lead them to solve the local problem on a community level by themselves.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Rhian Croke ◽  
Helen Dale ◽  
Ally Dunhill ◽  
Arwyn Roberts ◽  
Malvika Unnithan ◽  
...  

The global disconnect between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has been described as ‘a missed opportunity’. Since devolution, the Welsh Government has actively pursued a ‘sustainable development’ and a ‘children’s rights’ agenda. However, until recently, these separate agendas also did not contribute to each other, although they culminated in two radical and innovative pieces of legislation; the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure (2013) and the Well-being and Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). This article offers a case study that draws upon the SDGs and the CRC and considers how recent guidance to Welsh public bodies for implementation attempts to contribute to a more integrated approach. It suggests that successful integration requires recognition of the importance of including children in deliberative processes, using both formal mechanisms, such as local authority youth forums, pupil councils and a national youth parliament, and informal mechanisms, such as child-led research, that enable children to initiate and influence sustainable change.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110651
Author(s):  
Jiamin Dai ◽  
Joan C. Bartlett ◽  
Karyn Moffatt

Growing dementia-friendly library services are contributing to community-based dementia care. Emerging community programs in libraries and museums provide notable opportunities for promoting engagement and inclusivity, but these programs have yet to receive in-depth assessments and analyses to guide future research and practice. This paper presents a case study examining a social and storytelling program for people with dementia run by a Canadian public library. It investigates two research questions: How can public library programs contribute to community-based dementia care? And what are public libraries’ strengths and challenges in running programs for people with dementia? The study involves participant observations of the program and semi-structured interviews with people with dementia, caregivers, and program facilitators (librarians and Alzheimer Society coordinators). Through thematic analysis of fieldnotes and transcripts, the study reveals how this inclusive platform supports engagement, fosters relationships, helps caregivers, and reaches broader communities. This research further uncovers the librarians’ diversified roles as demonstrated through their collaboration with professionals, preparation and research, and facilitation of the sessions. This paper advances librarianship research on enriching community-based dementia care, including furthering inclusivity and engagement and extending accessible library services. By analyzing library programming for the dementia community and assessing its strengths and challenges, the paper highlights librarians’ awareness of the community’s evolving needs and their collaboration with other professionals. It offers practical insights on useful resources and emerging best practices that will hopefully inspire other initiatives in which information professionals can help improve the well-being of vulnerable populations.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 475
Author(s):  
Scott Sabin ◽  
Birori Dieudonne ◽  
John Mitchell ◽  
Jared White ◽  
Corey Chin ◽  
...  

Conflict and environmental degradation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are interrelated and complex. The authors conducted a case study of a community-based environmental restoration project in Eastern Congo and provide early results which suggest a link between community environmental action and multidimensional outcomes such as peace and reconciliation. The project examined in this study is based on a framework (Theory of Change) which networks communities through autonomous savings groups, churches, mosques, schools, and a community leadership network with the goal of catalyzing sustainable farming, reforestation, and community forest management. The primary project input was training, and the resulting voluntary community action included tree planting and the management of common forest areas. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate project results comparing two watersheds, and included a difference in differences analysis, participatory workshops, remote sensing analysis, and community activity reports. Positive change was observed in the treatment watershed in terms of ecosystem health and household economic condition. Results suggest a possible influence on peace conditions which, while fragile, offers hope for continued restorative action by communities. This study provides evidence that a community-based approach to environmental restoration may have a positive influence on multidimensional issues such as forests, watershed health, economic well-being, and peace.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharda Nandram ◽  
Nicole Koster

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the case of Buurtzorg Nederland as a good practice example of integrated care, focussing in particular on the organizational aspects of its innovation. As the field of integrated care is still in many ways in its infancy, it is hoped that lessons learned could help other agencies and other systems seeking to reform community-based care. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on a grounded approach, this case study is based on individual interviews with 38 respondents comprising staff, founder, co-founders, coaches, nurses, clients and a trainer and analysis of internal company reports. Findings – Based on the case study the authors suggest an integrated approach as the main explanation of the good practice at Buurtzorg rather than a focus on one single concept such as management structure, information and communication technology, community-based care or a patient focus. Next to the multi-level approach it furthermore shows a multi-dimensional approach as explanation for its success. In this perspective the primary process is the leading process but fully supported by the secondary process containing support facilities from a head office of the organization. Practical implications – Buurtzorg Nederland has been awarded with several prizes for its good management practice in integrated care and attention internationally is growing. Originality/value – This paper provides the first case study write-up of the Buurtzorg model for an international audience, based on extensive research to be published in an international book.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cameron ◽  
Dave Courchene ◽  
Sabina Ijaz ◽  
Ian Mauro

The Turtle Lodge International Centre for Indigenous Education and Wellness in Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba, is leading the way in exemplifying and cultivating sustainable self-determination. This is a holistic concept and process that recognizes the central role that land and culture play in self-determination, and the responsibility to pass these teachings on to future generations. This article links theory and practice in the emerging scholarship on sustainable self-determination and examines how Turtle Lodge embodies sustainable self-determination through traditional governance and laws, respectful and reciprocal relationships, cultivation of cultural revitalization and community well-being, and efforts to inspire earth guardianship. Turtle Lodge’s experience underscores the importance of understanding sustainable self-determination as a flexible, community-based process. This case study fits within recent calls in the literature for a shift from a rights-based to responsibility-based self-determination discourse and demonstrates some of the challenges and lessons learned that might support other communities pursuing similar actions.


Author(s):  
Rebecca J Gokiert ◽  
Noreen D Willows ◽  
Rebecca Georgis ◽  
Heather Stringer ◽  
* Alexander Research Committee

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a promising decolonizing approach to health and social sciences research with First Nation Peoples. In CBPR, the use of a community advisory committee can act as an anchoring site for trusting reciprocal relationships, collaborative decision-making, and co-learning and co-creation. Through a qualitative case study, this article illustrates the collective experiences of a well-established, multidisciplinary, and intersectoral committee that reviews, monitors, and guides multiple research projects in a First Nation community in Canada. Participants of the Alexander Research Committee (ARC) share examples of the value of fostering a high level of commitment to building both positive working relationships and learning spaces that ultimately result in research and policy impacts for their community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yuxi Liu ◽  
Thammasin Ingviya ◽  
Rassamee Sangthong ◽  
Chonghua Wan

We conducted a community-based survey to compare the subjective well-being (SWB) and quality of life (QoL) of 470 rural-to-urban migrant and 422 local older adults living in Dongguan, China. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the dose-response relationships of SWB, QoL, and individual and environmental factors. Results show that migrant (vs. local) residents had greater SWB and better QoL. Positive self-rated health, lack of chronic diseases, not being depressed, taking regular exercise, living close to recreation facilities, and having good social cohesion were positive determinants for SWB and QoL of both local and migrant respondents. Our results provide useful information for Chinese policy decision making to promote the health of older adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineeta Dutta Roy

Theoretical basis Poverty, business strategy and sustainable development. International development planning and poverty alleviation strategies have moved beyond centralised, top-down approaches and now emphasise decentralised, community-based approaches that incorporate actors from the community, government, non-governmental agencies and business. Collective action by Bottom of the Pyramid residents gives them greater control in self-managing environmental commons and addressing the problems of environmental degradation. Co-creation and engaging in deep dialogue with stakeholders offer significant potential for launching new businesses and generating mutual value. The case study rests on the tenets of corporate social responsibility. It serves as an example of corporate best practice towards ensuring environmental sustainability and community engagement for providing livelihood support and well-being. It illustrates the tool kit of building community-based adaptive capacities against climate change. Research methodology The field-based case study was prepared from inputs received from detailed interviews of company functionaries. Company documents are shared by the company and used with their permission. Secondary data accessed from newspapers, journal articles available online and information from the company website. Case overview/synopsis The case study is about the coming together of several important agencies working in the areas of forest and wildlife conservation, climate change adaptive planning for ecosystems and communities, social upliftment and corporate social responsibility in the Kanha Pench landscape of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The challenges are many. For one, the landscape is a rapidly degrading one, if interventions for its revival are not put in place soon enough, it may not only jeopardise the survival of its human inhabitants, which are already living here in poverty, but it will extinguish the chances of the long-term sustainability of the species of tigers living in the protected tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench. Complexity academic level The case study would be helpful for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying sustainability and corporate social responsibility.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document