scholarly journals The Adoption of Sustainable Management Practices by Mexican Coffee Producers

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Ubertino ◽  
Patrick Mundler ◽  
Lota D. Tamini
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Coffee Sector

<p>In order to maintain optimal growing conditions on coffee plots, producers in Mexico are encouraged to renovate their stock of coffee trees, use fertilizer, implement soil conservation measures and manage shade levels. The adoption of these sustainable management practices (SMPs) by smallholder coffee growers has become an important rural development objective, especially as a way to overcome low yields, poverty and land degradation. However, adoption rates for SMPs remain below expected levels, a situation that potentially threatens the long- term viability of the coffee sector in Mexico. To better understand the choices made by producers, a multivariate probit technique was used which modelled the adoption of possibly interrelated SMPs using data from a survey of 119 coffee producers. The analysis reveals that adoption of SMPs is related to the size of coffee holdings, the socio-economic characteristics of producers and the role of social capital, the latter being a key factor in the overall adoption process. Surprisingly, government subsidies to coffee growers were not tied to higher adoption rates, suggesting the need for policy reforms in order to better facilitate the uptake of new practices. The results indicate that efforts aimed at strengthening local institutions and organizing coffee growers into producer associations could increase the adoption of SMPs in smallholder coffee systems.</p>

scholarly journals Farm practices as they affect NH3 emissions from beef cattle

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Sheppard ◽  
S. Bittman
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
The West ◽  
Finishing Cattle ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data

Sheppard, S. C. and Bittman, S. 2012. Farm practices as they affect NH 3 emissions from beef cattle. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 92: 525–543. Beef cattle farms in Canada are very diverse, both in size and management. Because the total biomass of beef cattle in Canada is larger than any other livestock sector, beef also has the potential for the largest environmental impact. In this study we estimate NH3 emissions associated with beef cattle production across Canada using data on farm practices obtained from a detailed survey answered by 1380 beef farmers in 11 Ecoregions. The farms were various combinations of cow/calf, backgrounding and finishing operations. The proportion of animals on pasture varied markedly among Ecoregions, especially for cows and calves, and this markedly affected the estimated NH3 emissions. The crop components of feed also varied among Ecoregions, but the resulting crude protein concentrations were quite consistent for both backgrounding and finishing cattle. Manure was stored longer in the west than in the east, and fall spreading of manure was notably more common in the west, especially when spread on tilled land. The estimated NH3 emissions per animal were relatively consistent across Ecoregions for confinement production, but because the proportion of animals on pasture varied with Ecoregion, so did the overall estimated NH3 emissions per animal. Temperature is a key factor causing Ecoregion differences, although husbandry and manure management practices are also important. Hypothetical best management practices had little ability to reduce overall emission estimates, and could not be implemented without detailed cost/benefit analysis.

Mending Broken Hearts

2012 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen L. Idler ◽  
David A. Boulifard ◽  
Richard J. Contrada
Keyword(s):  
Medical Records ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Never Married ◽  
The Social ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Long Term Mortality

Marriage has long been linked to lower risk for adult mortality in population and clinical studies. In a regional sample of patients ( n = 569) undergoing cardiac surgery, we compared 5-year hazards of mortality for married persons with those of widowed, separated or divorced, and never married persons using data from medical records and psychosocial interviews. After adjusting for demographics and pre- and postsurgical health, unmarried persons had 1.90 times the hazard of mortality of married persons; the disaggregated widowed, never married, and divorced or separated groups had similar hazards, as did men and women. The adjusted hazard for immediate postsurgical mortality was 3.33; the adjusted hazard for long-term mortality was 1.71, and this was mediated by married persons’ lower smoking rates. The findings underscore the role of spouses (both male and female) in caregiving during health crises and the social control of health behaviors.

Limited Capacity of Railways for Coal Transportation in India: Evidence from ArcGIS-based Load Flow Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 001946622095310
Author(s):  
Rajesh Gupta ◽  
Ekaterina Kozyreva ◽  
Pavel Chistyakov ◽  
Petr Lavrinenko ◽  
Igor Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Load Flow ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Rail Network ◽  
Coal Transportation ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Flow Study

How much coal will India need to transport in future and is the rail network poised to handle that requirement are two important questions for the emerging economy. To find answers to these questions, this study creates a distribution model of coal freight traffic on Indian Railways, analyzing the sufficiency of infrastructure for future economic needs. Using data on spatial distribution of coal mines, coal traffic volumes and rail sectional capacities, this study creates sectional capacity maps as main visual tool for analysis. Sections with bottlenecks are identified for next ten years’ coal transport need of the country. The simulation done in this study finds 15% under-delivery for the 900mT coal demand in the country by 2030 due to transport bottlenecks. Based on this analysis, the article presents the conclusions on possible influence of existing conditions of coal transportation on India’s economy in the long-term period and also considers the role of dedicated freight.

scholarly journals Ecological, Cultural, and Geographical Implications of Brahea dulcis (Kunth) Mart. Insights for Sustainable Management in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cloe X. Pérez-Valladares ◽  
Ana I. Moreno-Calles ◽  
Alejandro Casas ◽  
Selene Rangel-Landa ◽  
José Blancas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Palm Species ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Palm Leaf

Palm plants provide important benefits for rural communities around the world. Of the 95 native palm species in Mexico, Brahea dulcis (Soyate palm) has been tagged as an important resource for many Mesoamerican ethnical groups. Scientific and empirical knowledge concerning Soyate is thematically fragmented and disassociated, meaning that sound sustainable management is far from established. Research of over 20 years has permitted us to document ecological, cultural and geographical outcomes of B. dulcis; thus, the present paper aims at compiling all knowledge on Soyate to eventually guide its long-term management. It was conducted in two stages: firstly, it comprised a thorough review of previous studies on the management of B. dulcis in Mexico; secondly, we integrated unpublished outcomes obtained from fieldwork, including participatory ground-truth validation and semi-structured interviews obtained from local ethnic groups. Five factors guided our compilation effort: (i) biological and ecological information, (ii) cultural importance, (iii) economic triggers, (iv) traditional management, and (v) ecological and ecogeographical implications of Soyate palm management. The present paper confirms that B. dulcis is an important cultural resource whose utilization can be traced back over 10,000 years. The leaves of Soyate are the most useful part of the palm and were profusely used in the past for thatching roofs and weaving domestic and agricultural objects. Currently, however, palm-leaf weaving is primarily oriented toward satisfying economic needs. We depicted ten management practices aimed at favoring palm availability. Most of these management practices have enhanced sustainable palm leaf harvesting; however, these practices harbor spatial trends that turn highly diverse habitats into Soyate-dominated spaces. To conclude, we propose a framework to describe sound and sustainable Soyate management in the light of the current long-term Soyate–human relationship. It is here acknowledged that Soyate has played and continues to play a critical socioeconomic and cultural role for many ethnical groups in Central Mexico. Nonetheless, emerging challenges concerning the sustainability of the whole socioecological system at a landscape level are yet to be overcome.

Comment on “Long-term decline of sugar maple following forest harvest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire”

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 861-862
Author(s):  
Scott W. Bailey ◽  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Hubbard Brook ◽  
Whole Tree

Cleavitt et al. (2018, Can. J. For. Res. 48(1): 23–31, doi: 10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233 ) report a lack of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) regeneration in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), Watershed 5 (W5), following whole-tree clearcut harvesting and purport that harvesting-induced soil calcium depletion contributed to regeneration failure of this species. In New England, clearcutting is a silvicultural strategy used to promote less tolerant species, especially birch (Betula spp.; Marquis (1969), Birch Symposium Proceedings, USDA Forest Service; Leak et al. (2014), doi: 10.2737/NRS-GTR-132 ), which is just the outcome that the authors report. While this study reports an impressive, long-term data set, given broad interest in sugar maple and sustainability of forest management practices, we feel that it is critical to more fully explore the role of nutrition on sugar maple dynamics, both prior to and during the experiment, and to more fully review the scientific record on the role of whole-tree clearcutting in nutrient-induced sugar maple dynamics.

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Agro-Forestry in Honey Production-A Case Study of Federal College of Forestry, Oyo State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1877-1880
Author(s):  
PJ Adekola ◽  
OD Ayeni ◽  
T Oluwalana ◽  
OA Majekodunmi ◽  
AR Aduloju ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Agro Forestry

The major concern globally is the need to ensure health, economy, large food production, sustainable management of the environment and the renewable natural resources. Such concern has advance measure part of which generate up to date information necessary for long term exploitation of this resources. But this information itself requires planning as well as machinery for its management in Nigeria. However agro-apiculture/agro-forestry is still nonexistence. This is attributable partly to lack of understanding, information and awareness regarding agro-apiculture practice in forest plantation. And therefore, to create this awareness and draw of authority concerned-Governments, policy maker, town planning and municipal authority to the need for the incorporation of apiculture into agro-forestry for sustainable management. This fact therefore, justifies the growing interest in the apiculture with agro forestry. This paper focuses on the potential role of agro forestry in honey production in federal college of forestry since 1999 to 2016 and its associated environmental problems are highlighted while the potential of agro forestry in honey production are stressed. Keywords: Honey production, Agro-forestry, Constraints and Endowment

scholarly journals Vietnam’s Development of Human Resources in Science and Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
M.A Kien ◽  
Tran Thi
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Government

In the knowledge-economy era, the quality of human resources has become a key factor in determining a nation's future. Many people agree that improving not only the skill level of individuals but also management practices and the entire human resources system is the prerequisite for the long-term competitiveness and prosperity of a country. Recently, the Government of Vietnam has issued the number of policies to develop human resources in S&T. Although, Vietnam's human resource in science and technology has increased markedly, both in quality and quantity, making a significant contribution to the development and prosperity of the country, but these policies have not brought the expected results.

The role of change agents in the adaptation and use of mobile money services in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Tuwei ◽  
Melissa Tully
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Mobile Money ◽  
The Social ◽  
Continuous Product

Kenya’s M-Pesa has arguably become the most recognizable symbol of mobile money globally. The success of M-Pesa can be partially attributed to Safaricom’s continuous product innovation. However, few studies have examined the role of M-Pesa employees (called agents) in the adaptation of M-Pesa. To address this gap, we explore the role of M-Pesa agents in Kenya’s mobile money ecosystem by using observations and interviews with agents in Western Kenya. Drawing on technology adaptation and using literature, we explore the role of M-Pesa agents as innovators and facilitators of mobile money services. Findings suggest that although Safaricom expects agents to follow certain protocols, agents revealed that they push back on these expectations by bending corporate procedures to align with the social, economic and cultural realities of their customers. As such, they play a key role in the innovation and adoption process, and arguably, have contributed to the long-term success of M-Pesa.

scholarly journals Humanitarian Assistance and Permanent Settlement of Asylum Seekers in Greece: The Role of Sympathy, Perceived Threat, and Perceived Contribution

2020 ◽  
pp. 019791832094982
Author(s):  
Elisavet Thravalou ◽  
Borja Martinovic ◽  
Maykel Verkuyten
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Threat Perceptions ◽  
Permanent Settlement ◽  
Using Data

During the recent inflow of asylum seekers from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe, the native population in Greek frontier islands largely offered humanitarian assistance to these immigrants, while support for their permanent settlement in the area was low. To explain this discrepancy, we investigated whether sympathy toward asylum seekers, perceptions of threat posed by asylum seekers, and asylum seekers’ perceived societal contributions relate differently to native Greeks’ self-reported provision of humanitarian assistance and to their support for asylum seekers’ permanent settlement in Greece. Using data from a representative sample of 1,220 Greek participants, we found that Greeks who showed more sympathy toward asylum seekers were more likely to report having offered humanitarian assistance. Further, participants who felt more sympathy and those who perceived higher asylum seekers’ contributions were more positive toward asylum seekers’ permanent settlement, whereas participants who perceived more threat from asylum seekers showed less support for their permanent settlement. We conclude that policies geared toward motivating people to provide humanitarian aid to asylum seekers should focus on generating sympathy, whereas policies geared toward increasing long-term acceptance of asylum seekers need to additionally consider lowering threat perceptions and highlighting asylum seekers’ contributions.

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