Preface

Welcome to the Proceedings of the2021 Fourth International Conference for Agricultural and Sustainability Sciences (ICASS2021). (ICASS2021), which was held during 4-5 October 2021, Babil, Iraq. There are many practices usually used by people working in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems. Farmers may use techniques to improve soil health, reduce water usage, and lower contamination levels on the field. Customers concerned with sustainability can look for foods that are produced by environmentally friendly techniques. researchers in sustainable agriculture usually combine biology, economics, engineering, chemistry, community improvement, Though, sustainable agriculture is more than a bunch of practices. The International Conference on ICASS2021 will be a paramount and valuable event for scientists, researchers. Hosted by College of Agriculture/University of Al-Qasim Green, The aim was intended to provide a technical conference and research studies on food, agriculture, environment, pollution, and how these techniques are effective on community development0 The Conference of AL-Qasim green university aimed to attract researchers, academicians, scientists, students together to share and present the latest research findings, and applications related to multiple regards of agriculture engineering, organic agriculture, agribusiness, animal nutrition, animal production, veterinary sciences, food science and technology, Environment, Soil Pollution food safety, and sovereignty, IT for Agriculture, renewable energy and other researches.

Independent Community Improvement to Manage Family Finances in Supporting OJK Programs

Financial control or management is quite important in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor. However, understanding related to family financial management is still quite low. The low level of community soft skills makes it less efficient in family management. This will have a negative impact on family management which will experience a deficit and make financial managers, in this case, housewives, often get into debt in several places. In addition, this service aims to support government programs through the Financial Services Authority (OJK) in family financial planning by providing assistance to housewives living in Unyur. The implementation method in the program uses training and mentoring on family financial management. The results of this dedication show that housewives are very enthusiastic about participating in the financial management training being held. So, housewives are able to manage household finances with programs launched by the government.

Impact of Community Social Development Projects on Community Improvement: Case of Ibule-Soro Community, Ondo State, Nigeria

Infrastructure is important to livability of any community, hence efforts have been made by the government and the communities to provide these infrastructures. This is because it is evident that only government cannot provide all the needed infrastructures, so there is need for collaborative efforts which is done by participation of the community in the implementation of the provision of infrastructure. The collaborative effort was adopted by the Community and Social Development Projects (CSDP), a World-Bank assisted project. This study was carried out in Ibule-Soro community, in Ifedore Local Government Area, Ondo State. In all, 400 buildings were identified in the community by the community leaders out of which 10% were selected, which gave a sample size of 40 for the questionnaire administration; discussion session was held with the leaders of the community. Concept of community development and CSDP was critiqued. Findings revealed that the community is not poor, as 65% of the respondents earned above N30,000 which is the minimum wage in Nigeria, this may be due majorly to the fact that 85% of the respondents are engaged in one or the other activity like government employment, private sector or self-employed. Also, 65% of the respondents submitted that the community heard about CSDP through the community leader. It took less than six months between when the community informed the office and when the office responded to the community. The projects implemented in the community are renovation of the block of six classrooms in the Jooro high school and extension of 31 electric poles in Ibule-Soro community. The projects have lots of positive impact on the community as it has enhanced increase in the number of students’ enrolment at Jooro high school and the electric poles extension has improved the electric voltage in the community. The use of the participatory approach to implementation of community projects was recommended for adoption in similar future projects.

Revitalizing Toronto's Inner Suburban Neighbourhoods: A Study Of The Markham And Lawrence Area Of Scarborough

This study investigates issues and challenges facing the inner suburban neighbourhood of arkham and Lawrence in Scarborough – Toronto’s east end. Like many other mature suburbs throughout North America, Markham-Lawrence has begun to see decline and deterioration that has resulted in lower quality of life and the flight of the middle class. Recognizing the importance of healthy, well-balanced communities for Toronto’s future, this case study aims to better understand challenges in the Markham-Lawrence area and proposes a series of recommendations for community improvement that are capable of expanding the life chances of impoverished residents, re-establishing a strong middle class, and spurring greater economic development.

Reviewing the effectiveness of heritage property tax relief programs in Ontario

This paper focuses on heritage conservation as it relates to, and intersects with, the realm of municipal finance. The thesis builds a case that municipal Heritage Property Tax Relief Programs (HPTRP’s) in Ontario, as they currently exist, do not work as they were designed. HPTRP’s are aimed at incentivizing heritage designation by offering a financial benefit to property owners, yet in their current configuration, result in additional costs that reduce their effectiveness. The ideal solution would be for the Province to review and redesign the program; however, this is unlikely. A practical solution, which is proposed in this paper, is for municipalities to create a Community Improvement Program (CIP) tool that off-sets some of the unforeseen costs associated with HPTRP’s. The two programs have a history of working synergistically at the local level – and together can accomplish what HPTRP’s were intended to achieve unilaterally.

Reviewing the effectiveness of heritage property tax relief programs in Ontario

This paper focuses on heritage conservation as it relates to, and intersects with, the realm of municipal finance. The thesis builds a case that municipal Heritage Property Tax Relief Programs (HPTRP’s) in Ontario, as they currently exist, do not work as they were designed. HPTRP’s are aimed at incentivizing heritage designation by offering a financial benefit to property owners, yet in their current configuration, result in additional costs that reduce their effectiveness. The ideal solution would be for the Province to review and redesign the program; however, this is unlikely. A practical solution, which is proposed in this paper, is for municipalities to create a Community Improvement Program (CIP) tool that off-sets some of the unforeseen costs associated with HPTRP’s. The two programs have a history of working synergistically at the local level – and together can accomplish what HPTRP’s were intended to achieve unilaterally.

Revitalizing Toronto's Inner Suburban Neighbourhoods: A Study Of The Markham And Lawrence Area Of Scarborough

This study investigates issues and challenges facing the inner suburban neighbourhood of arkham and Lawrence in Scarborough – Toronto’s east end. Like many other mature suburbs throughout North America, Markham-Lawrence has begun to see decline and deterioration that has resulted in lower quality of life and the flight of the middle class. Recognizing the importance of healthy, well-balanced communities for Toronto’s future, this case study aims to better understand challenges in the Markham-Lawrence area and proposes a series of recommendations for community improvement that are capable of expanding the life chances of impoverished residents, re-establishing a strong middle class, and spurring greater economic development.

The costs and risks of Brownfield redevelopment versus Greenfield development: a priveat sector perspective on the effectiveness of community incentive packages. A case study of Waterloo, Ontario

Traditionally, there has been minimal interest on behalf of developers, land owners as well as private sector stakeholders to redevelop brownfields (De Sousa, 2000). The fears of real or perceived contamination have made the redevelopment project too expensive and risky to develop profitably. Limited government funding and assistance to the private sector for brownfield redevelopment further complicates brownfield redevelopment. This research investigated Ontario’s Community Improvement Plans with brownfield provisions and how they quantitatively aid investor returns. Hypothetical scenarios for a multifamily residential development were generated for both hypothetical brownfield and greenfield sites where brownfield incentives could be implemented. The pro forma analysis revealed that a full exemption from regional development charges (RDC) had the greatest effect on investor returns (NPV and IRR) followed by the joint TIEG offered in the City of Waterloo. Greenfield development is the most financially feasible option with no added costs or risks from contamination.

The costs and risks of Brownfield redevelopment versus Greenfield development: a priveat sector perspective on the effectiveness of community incentive packages. A case study of Waterloo, Ontario

Traditionally, there has been minimal interest on behalf of developers, land owners as well as private sector stakeholders to redevelop brownfields (De Sousa, 2000). The fears of real or perceived contamination have made the redevelopment project too expensive and risky to develop profitably. Limited government funding and assistance to the private sector for brownfield redevelopment further complicates brownfield redevelopment. This research investigated Ontario’s Community Improvement Plans with brownfield provisions and how they quantitatively aid investor returns. Hypothetical scenarios for a multifamily residential development were generated for both hypothetical brownfield and greenfield sites where brownfield incentives could be implemented. The pro forma analysis revealed that a full exemption from regional development charges (RDC) had the greatest effect on investor returns (NPV and IRR) followed by the joint TIEG offered in the City of Waterloo. Greenfield development is the most financially feasible option with no added costs or risks from contamination.

Haugerudbekken: Community Improvement through Socially Engaged Art

Haugerudbekken is the collective title of a series of art projects where two local artists (the authors of this article) collaborate with pupils from local schools in Haugerud to create public art installations in the neighbourhood. Haugerudbekken may be considered a practical exploration guided by principles in the fields of socially engaged art (SEA), teaching artists (TA) and community artists (CA). The project is being undertaken within the broader context of a government run local improvement initiative in the Oslo suburbs of Haugerud and Trosterud. A growing demand for art entering a societal context (like urban development) calls for approaches emphasizing dialogue, communication and local affiliation. As this demand grows, so does the need for best-practice guidance for initiating artists as well as for policymakers and others inviting artists to contribute. Furthermore, our approach as independent artists working within a community setting might also benefit from clarification of theory and framework in this field. This article therefore aims to share knowledge gathered through our three years (and still ongoing) working on Haugerudbekken, pinpointing what we believe to be key success factors as well as challenges in our project. Findings are discussed in relation to existing theory and relevant practice in SEA, TA and CA informing existing guidelines as well as terminology.