Agroforestry: Opportunities and Challenges in Timor-Leste

Agro forestry is a land management system that integrates trees, agriculture crops, and animal farming in order to provide a diverse range of ecosystem services. Timor-Leste, the newest country and one of the least developed counties, has faced multidimensional challenges on land use management, including deforestation, land degradation, and poverty. The agroforestry system is recognized as one of the viable options for balancing the socio-economic needs and ecological functions of the lands in Timor-Leste. The system has been practiced traditionally by farmers in the country; however, the lack of knowledge and experience, limited institutional capacity, and lack of funding have impeded the wider implantation of the agroforestry system in Timor-Leste. The Strategic Development Plan of Timor-Leste has recommended sustainable agriculture and natural resources management in the rural areas of the country to generate income and create employment for the youths. The paper presents the initiatives, challenges, and opportunities of agroforestry application in Timor-Leste to support sustainable forest management and livelihood improvement. Learning from existing initiatives, capacity building, market access, and financial incentives could promote the agroforestry system in the country.

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CSA's SFM Program: Market access through sustainable forest management

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc791060-6 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 79 (6) ◽

pp. 1060-1066

Author(s):

Peter J Johnson ◽

Teresa M Borgiel

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Market Access ◽

Forest Products ◽

The United States ◽

National Standard ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Criteria And Indicators ◽

Chain Of Custody

A growing number of national and international buyers are now specifying "certified" forest products in their procurement policies. In response, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has worked with a diverse range of stakeholders interested in Sustainable Forest Management in Canada to develop CSA's Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Program. CSA's SFM Program consists of four distinct, yet inter-related components: CAN/CSA Z809, Canada's National Standard for Sustainable Forest Management; chain of custody for forest products; product marking with CSA International's SFM Mark; and, CSA International's Forest Products Group. When these components are combined they provide a comprehensive, credible, and affordable forest certification and product-marking program. The list of organizations accepting forest products certified through the CSA SFM Program is growing within Canada, the United States and abroad. Key words: Canadian Standards Association (CSA), forest certification, certified forest products, chain of custody, product marking, criteria and indicators.

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Service Provision Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Areas

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e494042008-001 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah L. Hastings ◽

Tracy J. Cohn ◽

E. Janie Pinterits

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Service Provision ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

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RURAL TOURISM IN INDIA CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language ◽

10.21922/srjhsel.v6i26.11917 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (26) ◽

Author(s):

Pankaj Sharma ◽

Ravi Parkash

Keyword(s):

Private Sector ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Economic Condition ◽

Rural Tourism ◽

Rural Location ◽

Different Types ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Political Background ◽

The Government

The paper analyze the role of rural tourism for the development of rural areas, The study analyzed how the different types of tourist product diversifications influence the development possibilities of studied rural areas in India. The government should sponsor private Sector to promote tourism in rural areas. For upgrading the rural tourism government requires to understand the rural location, demography, socio-culture, financial and political background of that area. How we can involve the rural citizens to improve their socio-economic condition. The objective of this paper is to present an update on rural tourism expansion and development in India. Rural tourism is rising in terms of number of visitors and the government of India should focus on it as an engine of growth

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Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass Energy Utilization through Gasification Technology for Sustainable Energy Production and Economic Development in Nigeria

Journal of Energy ◽

10.1155/2018/4860252 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gbeminiyi M. Sobamowo ◽

Sunday J. Ojolo

Keyword(s):

Economic Analysis ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Financial Incentives ◽

Capital Investment ◽

Biomass Gasification ◽

Biomass Energy ◽

Energy Utilization ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

Selling Price ◽

Gasification Technology

Nigeria has not been able to provide enough electric power to her about 200 million people. The last effort by the federal government to generate 6000 MW power by the end of 2009 failed. Even with the available less than 6000 MW of electricity generated in the country, only about 40% of the population have access to the electricity from the National Grid, out of which, urban centers have more than 80% accessibility while rural areas, which constitute about 70% of the total population, have less than 20% of accessibility to electricity. This paper addresses the possibility of meeting the energy demand in Nigeria through biomass gasification technology. The techno-economic analysis of biomass energy is demonstrated and the advantages of the biomass gasification technology are presented. Following the technical analysis, Nigeria is projected to have total potential of biomass of about 5.5 EJ in 2020 which has been forecast to increase to about 29.8 EJ by 2050. Based on a planned selling price of $0.727/kWh, the net present value of the project was found to be positive, the cost benefit ratio is greater than 1, and the payback period of the project is 10.14 years. These economic indicators established the economic viability of the project at the given cost. However, economic analysis shows a selling price of $0.727/kWh. Therefore, the capital investment cost, operation and maintenance cost, and fuel cost can be reduced through the development of the gasification system using local materials, purposeful and efficient plantation of biomass for the energy generation, giving out of financial incentives by the government to the investors, and locating the power plant very close to the source of feedstock generation.

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Characterization and Analysis of Household Solid Waste Composition to Identify the Optimal Waste Management Method: A Case Study in Hanoi City, Vietnam

Earth ◽

10.3390/earth2040062 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 1046-1058

Author(s):

Ngo Phuong ◽

Helmut Yabar ◽

Takeshi Mizunoya

Keyword(s):

Solid Waste ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Waste Generation ◽

Household Solid Waste ◽

Physical Composition ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Solid Waste Generation ◽

Management Method ◽

Lifestyle Patterns

A survey on household solid waste generation and physical composition was conducted in Hanoi City, the capital of Vietnam. The study sampled 110 households in specific areas with different population density and household scale. Household solid waste was classified into 13 main categories and 25 sub-categories. The results showed that average generation rate of waste in Hanoi City is 0.63 kg per person per day with a slightly higher rate in rural areas than urban ones. The largest proportion was food and garden waste at 78.9% followed by plastic and paper. Plastic waste was segregated into plastic and nylon, and nylon was double that of plastics in household solid waste. Compared to previous studies, this study found a higher portion of organic matter in the waste characterization that could be attributed to the changes in lifestyle patterns associated with COVID-19. This situation provides challenges and opportunities for introducing biomass technology to recover energy.

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Transforming African Education Systems in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Using ICTs: Challenges and Opportunities

Education Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/6946809 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Alcardo Alex Barakabitze ◽

Anangisye William-Andey Lazaro ◽

Neterindwa Ainea ◽

Michael Hamza Mkwizu ◽

Hellen Maziku ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Skills Training ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Education Systems ◽

Science Technology ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Living Labs ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

And Mathematics

This paper presents the role of ICTs in transforming Africa’s Education Systems (AES) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects/courses. The paper highlights on a positive shift across Africa in using ICT to improve the quality of teaching and learning through activities such as intensive ICT skills training to teachers, increase in ICT equipments and applications in schools, and emergence of living labs (LLs) and innovation spaces/centres (InnoSpace). We first provide some of the challenges of integrating ICTs in education followed by a description of key past and current ICT initiatives supporting the adoption of ICTs in schools using a number of case studies in sub-Saharan Africa. We further present various ICT-based models for education, as a transformational approach towards integrating ICTs in AES. Moreover, we provide various ICT platforms deployed for education service delivery in disadvantaged African society (e.g., rural areas) including LLs and InnoSpace across the continent. Finally, we highlight our main findings and observations in terms of opportunities and future ICT for education research directions in Africa. Our aim is to provide some guidelines and ensure that Africa uniformly meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, particularly using ICTs.

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A Review of the Role of Forests and Agroforestry Systems in the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11080860 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 860

Author(s):

Antonio Santoro ◽

Martina Venturi ◽

Remo Bertani ◽

Mauro Agnoletti

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Agroforestry Systems ◽

Main Role ◽

Traditional Management ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Management Techniques ◽

Traditional Agroforestry

Traditional agroforestry systems have received increasing attention in recent decades for their multifunctional role and as a sustainable development model for rural areas. At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme in 2002 with the aim of identifying agricultural systems of global importance; preserving landscapes, agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge; applying the dynamic conservation principles while promoting sustainable development. The aim of the research is to carry out a review of the inscription dossiers of all the 59 sites already included in the GIAHS programme, in order to analyze the role of forests and agroforestry systems. Moreover, the main traditional management techniques have been identified and briefly described, as traditional forest-related knowledge is particularly important for sustainable forest management. Forests and agroforestry systems have been found to be important or crucial in about half of the sites. The main role assigned to forests and agroforestry systems in GIAHS proposals is related to the production of timber, fuelwood and by-products for the local communities according to sustainable and traditional management techniques. Among these, they also play important roles in hydrogeological protection, water regulation and biodiversity maintenance, representing examples both of human adaptation to different environments and of resilient systems that could help to face global challenges such as hydrogeological risk and climate change. The review of the GIAHS inscription dossiers also highlighted the lack of a uniform approach in dealing with forest issues, especially for what concern the description of management plans and the relation with protected areas or forest planning instruments.

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Determinants of Farming Households’ Credit Accessibility in Rural Areas of Vietnam: A Case Study in Haiphong City, Vietnam

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12114357 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 4357

Author(s):

Ta Linh ◽

Dang Anh Tuan ◽

Phan Thu Trang ◽

Hoang Trung Lai ◽

Do Quynh Anh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Market Access ◽

Emerging Market ◽

National Income ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Informal Markets ◽

Informal Credit ◽

Credit Access

The role of agricultural sectors in the economic development of a country is undeniable, especially in developing and least-developed ones, ensuring food supply, increasing national income, export earnings and poverty reduction. Vietnam is known as an emerging market, depending directly on agriculture-related activities for their livelihood, in which the issue of rural credit access still remains a confounding problem. The paper focuses on identifying the determinants of credit access in rural areas of Vietnam using Haiphong city as a case study, including formal and informal credit. The paper uses data collected from a survey of 180 rural households in a district of Haiphong city. The probit and linear regression models are applied to investigate the factors that determine household credit accessibility, i.e., the household’s decision to borrow and borrowing amounts. Results of this analysis reveal the different significant determinants of formal and informal credit market access. Group membership and connection are found to have significantly strong impacts on formal credit accessibility while informal credit access is strongly influenced by agriculture income and dependency ratio. The implications of these findings for enhancing formal credit accessibility and decreasing the dependence on informal markets are discussed.

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Opportunity and Challenge of Organic Certification System in Nepal

Journal of Agriculture and Environment ◽

10.3126/aej.v10i0.2139 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 144-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Basanta Rana Bhat

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Market Access ◽

Early Stage ◽

Third Party ◽

Organic Certification ◽

Local Resources ◽

Regional Collaboration ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Agriculture And Environment ◽

Quality Of Products

The demand for organic certification is gradually increasing in Nepal although it is in early stage. Organic certification is a written assurance given by an independent third party about the production methodology and quality of products to confirm special requirements. Certification brings opportunities for protection of local resources, better market access, improvement of worker and consumer health, and eventually enhancement of living conditions of rural communities. The demanding nature of regulatory requirements makes it difficult as well as expensive for local certification initiatives in developing markets to establish themselves to offer export certification. Certification cost, limited awareness of group certification, small and medium-sized farms and inadequate understanding of how organic certification works are some of the constraints for organic certification. Certification Alliance (Cert All), a regional collaboration in certification representing national and international organic certification bodies, addresses the aforementioned challenges. The alliance has recognized the value of collaborating instead of competing. Organic Certification Nepal (OCN), a part of Cert All, offers an internationally accredited inspection and certification service to local operators at a reasonable cost. This paper highlights certification process followed by OCN and potential challenges and opportunities it will likely face.Key words: Organic Agriculture; Standards; Inspection; Certification; HarmonizationThe Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:10, Jun.2009 Page: 144-149

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The Challenges and Opportunities to Formulate and Integrate an Effective ICT Policy at Mountainous Rural Schools of Gilgit-Baltistan

Information ◽

10.3390/info11110522 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 522

Author(s):

Sabit Rahim ◽

Tehmina Bibi ◽

Sadruddin Bahadur Qutoshi ◽

Shehla Gul ◽

Yasmeen Gul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Information And Communications Technology ◽

School Level ◽

Research Approach ◽

Policy Document ◽

Learning Practices ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Gilgit Baltistan ◽

Ict Policy

The study, through the lens of school principals’ views, investigates the challenges and opportunities to formulate an information and communications technology (ICT) policy in order to integrate it in teaching and learning practices at the schools of mountainous rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). This quantitative research approach focuses on three different educational systems (Regional, National, and International), as a source of data collection, which operate in GB, Pakistan. To collect the required data, questionnaires with principals and policy document reviews were used. Applying SPSS, the data were analyzed. The results show that both groups (male and female) strongly agree to formulate a policy on ICT in order to integrate it in teaching and learning to improve at the school level. The results also show that the school heads face a number of challenges (e.g., lack of infrastructure, finance, Internet, technical staff, time, awareness, and training facilities, etc.) in the formulation of ICT policy and its integration in teaching and learning. The results revealed that the majority of the schools have an absence of ICT policy instead of having competent principals in those schools. Therefore, the research recommends that the school level ICT policy should be developed and integrated in teaching and learning practices to create an environment of powerful learning at schools, in order to fulfill the needs and demands of the 21st century education.

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