scholarly journals Social Capital in Community Organizing for Land Protection and Food Security

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pornsiri Cheevapattananuwong ◽  
Claudia Baldwin ◽  
Athena Lathouras ◽  
Nnenna Ike

Since 2016, the Thai Government has pursued a twenty-year national economic growth policy, Thailand 4.0, promoting innovation and stimulating international investment through the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project. The EEC project involves significant land acquisition resulting in the need to relocate villagers with potential impact on food security in a major food production area. This research explored the concerns of a local farming community regarding the potential loss of their farmland and means of livelihood under the EEC project using a case study in Ban Pho District of Chachoengsao (CCS) province. It described their resulting action to protect their farmland using community organizing. Data was collected through documents, observation and semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders. The results demonstrate the role of social capital in community organizing. We contend that high social capital stock is a necessary precursor to create conditions for community members to take steps to defend and protect their interests. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of social capital in community organizing in cases involving natural resource management.

Author(s):  
Nondumiso Thabisile Mpanza ◽  
Mfaniseni Wiseman Mbatha

This paper censoriously assesses the role of women in improving access to food at the household level. The role of women is essential in the production of food as caretakers of household food security. However, their role is not well recognised, more especially in policymaking and resource allocation. This study was conducted through a qualitative approach with an exploratory research design. The participants were sampled with convenience sampling and interviewed with semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was employed as a tool for data analysis. The study adopted feminisation of poverty as a primary theory of this paper. Certain aspects of the study reveal that women have been struggling to access food from the diversity of retail vents that are obtainable in town because of low income and limitations of transport service. This is a constraint to women who depend on the off-farm sources of income because their household’s livelihood depends on purchasing food from retail vents. Those who rely on home gardens were experiencing low productivity and the unsustainability of their gardens. This has been caused by water scarcity and climate change. Therefore, women must be provided with training that seeks to develop their skills on how to make effective use of home gardens so that food security can be ensured.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-156
Author(s):  
Katalin Kovály

Owing to its geopolitical position, history of shifting borders, and multiethnic-multilingual population, Transcarpathia provides a convenient environment to study how ethnicity interplays with the economy. The present research aims to examine the role of formal and informal ethnic social capital in the life of Transcarpathian enterprises. The research is based on mainly semi-structured interviews conducted with foreign investors in Transcarpathia and with local Transcarpathian Hungarian entrepreneurs as well as with representatives of business organizations related to the given community. I also analyzed economic databases and statistical data. The results of the research imply that informal relationships are essential in the operation of enterprises, however, these relationships are not always organized on an ethnic basis. I argue that institutionalized relations have not played an important role in the case of foreign enterprises. However, among Transcarpathian Hungarian entrepreneurs, the role of formal ethnic relations has increased due to the financial support provided by Hungary.


Author(s):  
Christopher J. Paul ◽  
John E. Paul ◽  
Rosa S. Anderson

Food politics and economic forces may determine the macro conditions for food supply, but the local environment has the most substantial impact on population health. Food security is determined not only by the basic availability of food, but also by social, economic, and cultural factors influencing dietary behaviors. This paper investigates the role of social institutions, specifically social capital, in affecting food security by proposing a theoretical linkage between social capital and health behavior, and an illustrative case is provided. Social capital, defined as the value of the bonding, bridging, and linking relationships between people, is well demonstrated to be related to health. Many mechanisms link social capital to health, including shared access to food and nutritional behaviors. Further, social capital influences health through social status and race. This paper further investigates the links between minority status, food security, social capital, and health. The analysis draws on empirical work in North Carolina with community gardens, faith communities, the local food environment, and other social capital-related variables. By investigating the nature of local food security, particularly for minority populations, this analysis allows for better integration of local conditions with global food politics.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Debora Upegui-Hernàndez

AbstractThe World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) endorse social capital to solve poverty and inequality. Colombia proposes urban school reform (Escuelas Nuevas) to increase its social capital. Social capital is accepted by ‘indigenous researchers’ without considering its societal and political context. The psychology of Martín Baró and Freire' de-ideologises such social capital concepts. Interviews with individual teachers, community members, and focus groups of elementary school parents and students were analysed for the consequences of Escuelas Nuevas for social capital, and for peace-building and reconciliation of violent conflict. Social capital did not stand in place of social justice programmes. Using social capital to redirect efforts against social inequalities constitutes ‘structural violence’ perpetuating the colonisation of indigenous communities.


Agriekonomika ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-156
Author(s):  
Pawana Nur Indah ◽  
Indra Tjahaja Amir ◽  
Umar Khasan

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of urban farming community empowerment to improve food security (A case study of RT 02 and RT 03 Awikoen village, Gending-Gresik Urban Village). The method of analyzing data in this study uses Structural Equation Modeling Parial Least Square (SEM-PLS) using Smart PLS 3 application. The results of this study shows that the variable empowerment of urban farming community members had a real influence to improve food security in Gending urban village, Gresik Regency.


2021 ◽  
Vol 316 ◽  
pp. 02005
Author(s):  
Nurbaya Busthanul ◽  
Anwar Sulili ◽  
Sitti Bulkis ◽  
Tamzil Ibrahim ◽  
Yopie Lumoindong ◽  
...  

Social capital is one of the conditions that must be met in the development process. Weak social capital will reduce the spirit of mutual cooperation, exacerbate poverty, increase unemployment and crime and can hinder any efforts to improve social welfare. This research uses a combination method or better known as a mixed method, which is a combination of qualitative research and quantitative research. The results of the study illustrate that in the hallway garden community, the potential for social capital is relatively high as seen through the elements of social capital, trust, institutions and networks. This can be seen in the daily life of the community, such as mutual trust in the harmonious neighbors, kinship, helping nature, mutual help, social solidarity, being cooperative, and all of these appear in the collective behavior of the community in the form of urban farming activities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvio Carlo Ripamonti ◽  
Laura Galuppo ◽  
Sara Petrilli ◽  
Angelo Benozzo

The way in which managers perceive their organization's intellectual and social capital has an impact in shaping their choices and how they lead change. The aim of the study was to explore how the managers of a trade union framed the role of its intangible assets in a context of organizational change. A qualitative approach was used; 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the leaders of a trade union and then analyzed using the method of thematic analysis. Particular attention was paid to the metaphors the managers used to narrate change. The hypothesis underlying this approach is that metaphors are a meaningful resource in that they can convey how organization and its intangible assets are framed. In the results, three “root metaphors” are illustrated—the trade union seen either as a system of domination, an organism, or a culture—together with the consequences of each of these images for the perception and value attributed to the trade union's intangible assets. In conclusion, implications for changing management practices and for further research are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Ishimaru

In this ethnographic case study, Ann M. Ishimaru examines how a collaboration emerged and evolved between a low-income Latino parent organizing group and the leadership of a rapidly changing school district. Using civic capacity and community organizing theories, Ishimaru seeks to understand the role of parents, goals, strategies, and change processes that characterize a school district's collaboration with a community-based organization. Her findings suggest an emergent model of collaboration that engages parents as educational leaders, focuses on shared systemic goals, strategically builds capacity and relationships, and addresses educational change as political process. This emergent model stands in contrast to traditional partnerships between communities and school or district leadership that often reflect deficit conceptions of marginalized parents and families. By rewriting the rules of engagement, parents, families, and community members can contribute critical resources to enable districts and schools to educate all students more equitably.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIM E. REUTER ◽  
HALEY RANDELL ◽  
ABIGAIL R. WILLS ◽  
BRENT J. SEWALL

SUMMARYThe role of wild meat for subsistence or as a luxury good is debated. We investigated the role of wild meat in food security in Madagascar, where consumption is poorly understood in urban areas and at regional scales. Using semi-structured interviews (n = 1339 heads-of-households, 21 towns), we aimed to: (1) quantify the amount and purpose of, (2) understand the drivers of, and (3) examine changes in wild meat consumption. Few respondents preferred wild meat (8 ± 3%) but most had eaten it at least once in their lifetime (78 ± 7%). Consumption occurred across ethnic groups, in urban and rural settings. More food insecure areas reported higher rates of wild meat consumption in the 6–8 months prior to interviews. Consumption was best explained by individual preferences and taboos. Less than 1% of respondents had increased consumption during their lifetimes. Wild meat prices showed no change from 2005–2013. Most consumption involved wild pigs and smaller-sized animals, though they were consumed less in the years following the 2009 coup. These data illustrate the differences between urban and rural communities, the occasions in which wild meat is used a source of food security, and provide evidence that some taxa are not hunted sustainably in Madagascar.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussain Albin Shaikh ◽  
Sharon Purchase ◽  
Gregory Brush

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the development of social capital in an Arab business environment, and provide an in-depth description of the nature and role of three key Arabic business relationship characteristics (ehsan,et-mooneandwasta), their impact on each other and key influencing factors.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design was used, in which face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with innovation teams (22 team members) at six industrial small and medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, then analyzed (thematic coding) through NVivo.FindingsThe findings suggest thatwasta,ehsanandet-moonealign closely with the three social capital dimensions (structural, cognitive and relational); thus, developing these three relationship characteristics most likely results in developing social capital. The findings also expand the description of the three business relationship characteristics. Moreover,ehsan,et-mooneandwastaappear to influence each other, and are affected by other factors such as an individual’s age and position, and the duration of the relationship.Ehsanhas a positive influence on the development ofet-moone, while the existence ofet-mooneappears to be necessary for the establishment ofwasta-capital. A high level ofehsanmight influence the relationship betweenet-mooneandwasta-use and limit the negative usage ofwasta.Practical implicationsInternational managers can improve the level ofehsanin their organizational and business relationships through assigning incentives and playing the role of moral champion to encourageehsanbehavior. Managers aiming to increaseet-moonemay choose team members with a high level ofehsan, emphasizing the development of personal relationships, and providing opportunities for socialization both inside and outside the workplace. A high level ofehsanandet-moonewill assist managers to develop and usewasta.Originality/valueThis study makes a threefold contribution to the literature. First, it provides an expanded description of the three Arabic business relationship characteristics and how they align closely with the dimensions of social capital.Wastaaligns with the structural dimension andehsanaligns with the cognitive dimension, whileet-moonealigns closely with the relational dimension. Second, it suggests and shows how the three relationship characteristics might interact with each other.Ehsanappears to influenceet-moone, and also the relationship betweenet-mooneandwasta.Et-mooneappears to have a positive influence onwastause. Third, the findings also indicate that there might be other factors (e.g. age and position) that influence the interactions between the three business relationship characteristics.


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