Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Nông Thôn Mới And Rural Development In The Mekong Delta: A Comparative Study Of Bàu Môn And Hòa Phụng C Hamlets, Alex Lintz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Vietnam’s Nông Thôn Mới or New Rural Development program is a relatively new target program introduced in 2010. As of yet there has been little research done on its effects on the economies in rural areas. This paper attempts to analyze the economic situation in the Bàu Môn and Hòa Phụng C hamlets with a particular emphasis placed on income and factors that affect income in terms of Vietnam’s Nông Thôn Mới or New Rural Development program. In order to assess the economic situation in the hamlets, a survey was administered to 25 participants in each hamlet and leaders from …

Exploring The Preservation Of Pastoralism And The Natural World In Western Mongolia , Josephine Brownell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At a time when Mongolia is experiencing the intense effects of land degradation, human activity, and climate change, it is crucial that a new land management framework is developed with conservation in mind. Pastoralism’s unique relationship with the land serves as a method of protecting the natural world for the future. This study focuses on a pastoral community in Western Mongolia while considering a main research question: Is a herder’s historically deep connection with the land enough to protect the modern pastoral lifestyle in Mongolia for years to come? In answering this question, a review of related previous studies on …

Microfinance Et Développement Au Cameroun : L’Efficacité De La Mc2 Dans La Communauté Agricole De Batoufam, Elisabeth Hansen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The agriculture sector in Cameroon remains underdeveloped, and many farmers continue to suffer a lack of means. Given the debate concerning the efficacy of microfinance as a solution,this study aimed to examine the efficacy of a microfinance institution, La Mutuelle Communautaire de Croissance (MC²) in Batoufam, a rural agricultural village in Cameroon. In recent years, MC²s have become very popular in Cameroon; however, there is not yet a thorough study on the efficacy of the MC² of Batoufam. Through interviewing farmers, the Chief of Batoufam, the employees of MC² and of the NGO Appropriate …

Improving Social Resilience In Response To Climate Change In Far North Queensland And Torres Strait, Katie Costantini

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Currently, most approaches to decision-making in response to climate change have been based on biophysical knowledge, even though climate change is an inherently social dilemma. Social resilience involves communities’ ability to mitigate and prepare for the effects of climate change and recover to an improved state. Professor Allan Dale and his colleagues at the Cairns Institute at James Cook University developed a framework for social resilience based on four attributes: (1) Economic Viability, (2) Community Knowledge, Aspirations, and Capacity, (3) Community Vitality, and (4) Governance. They are using this framework to evaluate and monitor Far North Queensland and Torres Strait …

Rough Hands: Family Conceptions Of Rural Morocco’S Agricultural Labor, A Case Study, Leah Kahler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Conceptions of success for people in any capitalist context are tangled with social hierarchies of work. The rural women of Morocco have been specifically singled out as the objects discourses about their domestic and agricultural work, agency, gender identity and role, and their use of private and public space ownership. This project will examine the justifications, conceptions, and satisfaction with rural-agricultural work in a small-scale family farm in Morocco’s Al Hoceima province. Using the case study approach, I will live with a family in Sidi Bouafif and work alongside the family for an eight-day fieldwork period. Through participant observation and …

Cultivating Rice In Import Dependent Cameroon: A Case Study Of The Successes And Challenges Facing Rice Farmers In Santchou, Cameroon, Kim Horwitz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cameroon is qualified as an import dependent country, meaning it relies on imported food to feed its population. Specifically, Cameroon imports over 80% of its rice consumption, spending 145 billion French CFA on rice imports yearly. But, Cameroon has sufficient untapped arable land and a large enough agriculturally centered population to produce adequate rice quantities to meet demand without relying on imports. This paper examines the challenges facing rice farmers in Cameroon in the context of import dependence and why local farmers cannot currently produce enough rice to meet local demand, focusing on the experience of the rice farming community …

Analyzing The Dynamics Of The Artisan Fishing Industry And Lapsset Port In Lamu, Kenya, Valerie Rodden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The LAPSSET project has the potential to severely impact the artisan fishing industry in Lamu. Through the provision of a perception focused survey and a few one on one interviews with artisan fishermen and key stakeholders in the industry, this study creates a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the fishing industry and the LAPSSET project. The fishermen of Lamu are most concerned about the lack of communication concerning the port’s activities and the blocking of fishing areas during port construction and operation. In general, there is a great sense of fear surrounding the port and the future of …

Refugee Self-Reliance In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, Erik Svedberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of the key tenets of Ugandan refugee policy is the Self-Reliance Strategy (SRS), a policy that expects refugees to economically support themselves by utilizing a given plot of land to develop a livelihood based on subsistence agriculture. Although many have hailed this policy as being progressive and beneficial for the refugees, others have pointed out the flaws and deficiencies in the policy and in its implementation. The research utilizes a case-study of Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda to assess the implementation and impacts of the SRS in Uganda. Semi-structured interviews with refugees, settlement officials, aid workers, and academics …

Sustainable Kangaroo Harvesting: Perceptions And Consumption Of Kangaroo Meat Among University Students In New South Wales, Elisabeth Grant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Kangaroos have been cherished as a source of meat for over 40,000 years by Aboriginal Australians and for many years by Europeans once they invaded the continent, but somewhere along the way kangaroos lost their status as an important resource and came to be regarded as a pest, and then a national icon which was considered taboo to hunt (Jackson et al., 2010; Mulvaney et al., 1999). It wasn't until the 1950's that a kangaroo meat industry began, and in the past few decades Australians have re-realized the great potential of kangaroo meat, and conservationists have begun promoting the sustainability …

Organic Agriculture In Bhutan: Barriers Going To 100%, Mark Mccrae-Hokenson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to provide an overview of organic agriculture in Bhutan. In an effort to promote sustainability and achieve the goals set by a Gross National Happiness inspired government, Bhutan has pledged to go 100% organic by 2020. This pledge is at odds with the country’s goal to increase self sufficiency and food security. I look at the barriers to going organic, the programs and initiatives in place to overcome or mitigate those barriers, and the path of least resistance in the future. I asked farmers, scholars, researchers, and members of the government for their opinions on the prospects …

Livelihood Strategies Of People In The Himalayan Region Of Nepal: A Study In The Villages Of Eastern Manang, Prashanta Chhetri

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a study on the changing livelihood strategies of people in Manang -a district that lies on the northern side of Annapurna Himals. I have focused my study on the villages in the eastern part of lower Manang. Primarily, my study has been done in these villages: Besisahar, Khotro, Nachai, Tachai, Tilche, Dharapani, Yak Kharka, Surki Khola and Bhimthang. As defined locally, these villages fall under the region of Nyishang and Gyasumdo in the Manang district. In this paper I talk about the shifts made by the people in their livestock keeping/raising from yaks to dzhopas to mules, depending …

La Coexistencia De Dos Agriculturas En Argentina Una Mirada A La Vida De Una Granja Familiar: ¿Cómo Sobrevivir Al Lado De Las Grandes Empresas?, Camille Sanchez De La Vega

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Desde los primeros años del siglo XX, el desarrollo de Argentina como país estaba coincidió con el desarrollo de la industria agrícola. Hoy, Argentina es famosa por su papel en el mercado global como exportadora de bienes naturales. No solamente es un país con uno de los niveles más altos de alimentos transgénicos, sino que tiene el título del mayor exportador de producción orgánica en América Latina. Con los dos tipos de agricultura —exitosos pero contradictorios— con un enfoque hacia la exportación, quería entender como esta coexistencia está reflejada en el mercado interno para los bienes naturales.

A través de …

Los Conocimientos, La Conciencia Y Consumo, Y Las Elecciones De Alimentos Organicos Y No Organicos, Falon Sweeney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: To what extent are the people of Valle de Azapa, in Arica, Chile familiar with what is an organic agricultural product?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to determine the level of knowledge of organic products of the people who reside in the Valle de Azapa, and to understand their preferences of cultivation and buying agricultural goods to determine the difference and the choice between organic and non-organic alimentation. The specific objectives of this study are to identify farms in the Valle de Azapa that plant and harvest organic produce; to find out the …