Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Path To Building Resilience In Sri Lankan Rice Farms, Tarea Karunaratne

Student Theses 2015-Present

Rice cultivation in Sri Lanka roots back to its very first Kingdom in 161 B.C, and is still an incredibly populous industry to this day with an estimated 708,000 hectares of land being used for paddy cultivation. However, due to a changing global climate and an increase in natural disasters worldwide, Sri Lanka’s rice industry and the millions of people dependent on it have been greatly affected. This paper seeks to explore resilience building in a Sri Lankan context, taking into account the cultural and socio-economic factors that may influence how rice is farmed and who farms it, and to …

Food Deserts In Urban Areas, Regina Bellian

The Downtown Review

This paper illustrates the issue of food deserts faced by urban areas in three parts. Part one focuses on defining food deserts and what exactly the term denotes as well as who is affected by their present existence socially, physically, and economically. Part two presents research on some of the current policies and programs in place to address the issue of food deserts and discusses a few of the difficulties in implementing them. These approaches are then further analyzed for effectiveness in varying regions. Part three explores a handful of alternative methods to combat this urban issue in order to …

Student Nutrition Access Center: Impact Analysis 2019, Amanda M. Hagman, Hayden Hoopes, Nelda Ault-Dyslin

Publications

Introduction: Access to nutritional food items is crucial to student well-being, which in turn is crucial to student success. Student success emerges from “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student devotes to the academic experience” (Astin, 1984). Campus nutrition programs help students eliminate food security issues so that they can devote more energy to the academic experience. However, creating efficient and convenient nutrition programs requires that administrators understand the complexities of their implementation, their effect on specific student segments, and their effect on decisions to either persist at or leave an institution. This report explores the impact …

What Regional Economic Factors Drive Feedstock Cost For Cannabinoid Hemp Processors In The United States?, Tanner Mccarty

Journal of Agricultural Hemp Research

This study measures the importance of various regional economic and agronomic factors on a grower’s decision to cultivate cannabinoid (CBD) hemp flower in the United States, and its subsequent effect on CBD processor feedstock cost. I use real options analysis to recover the price of hemp flower required to trigger land use change from commodity crop production to hemp flower production across various scenarios endemic to different hemp producing regions. Results suggest the most important factors in determining the price required to trigger CBD floral hemp production are the expected yield of floral hemp and CBD concentrations within it. CBD …

Identifying The Suitable Areas For Establishment Of Agricultural Machinery Repair Center Using Gis In Rudsar, Maedeh Shoaei, Razieh Pourdarbani, Mir Sadegh Fazel Dolat-Abad

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

With the increase in mechanization, the need for the agricultural machinery repair centers is increasing. However, there are only a limited number of tractor repair centers in Rudsar. The existence of repair centers will increase the life of the equipment; on the other hand, the presence of machinery repairmen will lead to quick determination of the precision location of the failure and timely repair. The purpose of this study was to determine suitable locations for the establishment of machinery repair and helping to meet the needs of farmers in the Rudsar district. Therefore, spatial information was collected from various relevant …

Genetically Modified Organisms In The United States Crop Market, Toluwani V. Ogunbayode

Quest

Economic Analysis

Research in progress for ECON 2302: Principles of Microeconomics

Faculty Mentors: Millie D. Black, Ph.D., and Michael Latham, Ph.D.

The following paper represents research begun by students in Honors Principles of Microeconomics. The honors course introduced students to numerous economic models and methods of analysis. Students were asked to identify an economic issue or controversy related to topics studied in class and to provide a literature review relevant to their topic. Students were also asked to provide an economic analysis, discuss opposing viewpoints, present an economic evaluation of various policy options, and make a recommendation regarding the preferred …

Landings, Vol. 27, No. 12, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to

Maine’s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) started publication of Landings, a 24-page newsletter in January 2013 as the successor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) Newsletter. As of 2022, the MLCA published over 6,500 copies of …

Eco-News December 2019, Office Of Sustainability, University Of Southern Maine

Eco-News

In this issue:

• Annual Sustainability Fair
• Energy Upgrades Coming To Gorham
• Residential Food Waste Study
• Meet Our Specialty Coordinators

Cost Effectiveness Of Greenhouse Gas Reductions Through Afforestation Of Agricultural Land In The Arkansas Delta, Karli A. Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sequestration of atmospheric carbon in forested lands offsets carbon emissions from other industries. Conversion of private lands, particularly agricultural tracts in marginal areas, to forests can bolster carbon abatement. The United States government agencies administer some voluntary, incentive-based programs to encourage landowners to adopt production practices with positive environmental outcomes. This policy stream can be used to increase transition of marginal agricultural land to forests, thereby creating new carbon sinks. We analyze an eleven-county study area in the Arkansas Delta to determine feasibility for a subsidy focused on carbon abatement through afforestation. This study area is significant for two reasons: …

Reaching Zero Waste: Determining The Student Perspective On Campus Food Waste., Cassie Anne Parkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food waste is an ongoing problem in the complex global food system. College campuses are in a unique position to address food waste through reducing it in their own food systems and by encouraging students to develop behaviors to reduce and divert waste from landfills. In this thesis project I seek to understand how students consider food waste and their attitudes and ideas about reducing it. To this end, I observed student behaviors and waste in University of Louisville’s all-you-care-to-eat dining hall and weighed plate waste there. I conducted informational interviews with University and Aramark employees, along with semi-structured interviews …

Utilizing Multi-Criteria Analysis And Analytical Hierarchy Process To Facilitate Everglades Restoration Decision-Making, Chloe C. Vorseth

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) restoration is a complex undertaking, with a variety of potential outcomes and trade-offs impacting numerous stakeholders. This study utilizes a strategy for facilitating GEE restoration that is based in social science principles and informed by stakeholder opinion, ecologists, and biological modeling techniques. Information in this study was gathered through the use of an online survey involving stakeholder preferences for GEE restoration outcomes. Results revealed that sample stakeholders weighed the outcome of improving seasonal flow of water highest, followed by reducing polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee, then increasing water storage for human use, and lastly restoring the …

Empowering Rural Participation And Partnerships In Morocco’S Sustainable Development, Yossef Ben-Meir

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This essay explores the vast potential for participatory and sustainable human development in Morocco. Though Morocco is a country with many diverse resources, it remains burdened by severe levels of poverty and illiteracy, and now growing social discord. There have recently been increased public calls for participatory development programs designed and implemented by and for local people. The essay identifies six existing Moroccan Frameworks intended to initiate decentralized human development programs, and critically examines their efficacy. Ultimately, the purpose of the article is to suggest a new model to implement these Frameworks with maximum impact. The six Frameworks deal with …

An Investigation Of Agricultural Crisis Communications Via Social Media, Courtney Gibson, Erica Irlbeck, Courtney Meyers, Cindy Akers, Peggy Price

Journal of Applied Communications

How an agricultural organization handles the way the media reports a crisis can have an impact on the public’s perceptions of the organization, and sometimes the industry as a whole. The popularity of social media outlets as a venue for disseminating and gathering information and news makes the use of social media surrounding agricultural crises an important topic to investigate (Glynn, Huge, & Hoffman 2012; Hermida, 2010). A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the use of social media tools during an agricultural crisis. The participants – communications directors, social media managers, and individuals with a close connection to …

Landings, Vol. 27, No. 11, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to

Maine’s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) started publication of Landings, a 24-page newsletter in January 2013 as the successor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) Newsletter. As of 2022, the MLCA published over 6,500 copies of …

Food Insecurity Prevalence On College Campuses, The Stigma Associated With Food Pantries And The Best Practices Moving Forward, Olivia Neff

Student Research

Food insecurity among college students is three times higher than nationally representative households (Nazmi 2018: 8). Literature estimates between 12% and 59% of college students experience some sort of food insecurity (Cady 2014). Food insecurity is prevalent on all types of college campuses. However, there is limited data on food insecurity on college campuses and the stigmas behind food insecurity. This article discusses the prevalence of food insecurity on college campuses, the stereotypes which reproduce food insecurity, the stigma behind pantry usage and potential solutions. The article will highlight best practices for food pantries obtained through eight interviews with pantries …

Three Essays On Uncertainty In Social Dilemmas, Abdul Kidwai

Doctoral Dissertations

Social dilemmas are settings where the interest of the individual is at odds with those of society i.e. overharvesting in a fishery, not contributing to a public good. These dilemmas are widespread and take myriad forms with public goods and common-pool resources being the most prominent ones. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how individual behavior is impacted by the presence of uncertainty in public goods and common-pool resources. These dilemmas exhibit two types of uncertainty, strategic and environmental. Strategic uncertainty refers to uncertainty about the actions of other individuals facing the dilemma i.e. will other individuals contribute …

Essays On Nutrition And Cognitive Production In Developing Countries: Evidence From Ethiopia & Nepal, Mohammad Ali

Economics ETDs

This dissertation is comprised of five chapters. The first chapter provides an outline of the three separate research papers that are combined in this dissertation. It highlights the goals of each paper, discusses their importance to the field of economics, and outlines their contributions to the existing literature. The final chapter summarizes the main conclusions from the three research articles and points to how my future research trajectory is shaped by my dissertation research.

The second chapter explores the effect of current health (denoted by BMI for age scores) on cognitive test scores directly and indirectly, through time allocated to …

The United Nations Declaration On The Rights Of Peasants And Other People Working In Rural Areas, Marc Edelman, Priscilla Claeys

Publications and Research

In December 2018, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. UNDROP is the product of 17 years of struggle by La Via Campesina, other transnational agrarian movements and allies that included NGOs, states, UN mandate holders, and academics. It recognises the dignity of rural populations, their contributions to global food production, and their ‘special relationship’ to land, water and nature, as well as their vulnerabilities to eviction, hazardous working conditions and political repression. It reiterates rights protected in other instruments and sets new standards for individual and collective rights …

Investing In The New Blue Economy: The Changing Role Of International Development Organizations In Catalyzing Private Sector Investment In Support Of Regional Strategic Action Programmes For The Sustainable Development Of Coasts And Oceans, Ryan Whisnant, Veerle Vandeweerd

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Over the last 20 years, governments sharing common coastal and ocean ecosystems have developed and agreed on concrete regional action programs to stop and, in some cases, reverse a trend of deteriorating coastal and ocean resources. Implementation of these action programs requires significant investments by the public and private sectors alike, with the potential for substantial economic growth and enhanced social well-being. For this to happen, new institutional arrangements, technologies, and financial vehicles and asset classes are needed to mainstream innovative “blue economy” projects that have the potential to transition economies and communities to more sustainable development paths.

This paper …

Actual Versus Hypothetical Wta Stated Values For Recreational Fishing Licenses: Experimental Evidence Of Fish Tales, Scott Steinback, Kristy Wallmo, Sabrina Lovell, Eric Thunberg, John Foster

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

We compared hypothetical willingness to accept (WTA) values for Massachusetts saltwater recreational fishing licenses with WTA values obtained in an actual (simulated) marketplace. Using a dichotomous choice contingent valuation approach, our results align with past evidence that found WTA values elicited from hypothetical transactions overstate those derived from an actual marketplace. We also provide the first evidence about the effectiveness of an ex-post certainty adjustment technique in a WTA environment. While the adjustment technique has been found to eliminate hypothetical bias in willingness to pay (WTP) settings, we find that when applied in a WTA setting, the approach mitigates but …

Kc 4.2: “Principles Text” In Action In Outstanding And Ordinary Landscapes, Nora Mitchell Dr, Steve Brown Dr., Lionella Scazzosi Dr., Jane Lennon Dr., Brenda Barrett

ISCCL Scientific Symposia and Annual General Meetings // Symposiums scientifiques et assemblées générales annuelles de l'ISCCL // Simposios científicos yy las Asambleas Generales Anuales

In 2011, the ICOMOS-IFLA International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes (ISCCL)began a cultural project, the World Rural LandscapesInitiative, with the goal of a wide and systematic approach to cultural heritage for rural areas both outstanding and ordinary) that has not been sufficiently developed in the past. A first goal has been achieved: “Principles Concerning Rural Landscape as Heritage” was adopted as a doctrinal text by ICOMOS (Delhi 2017) and translated in English, French, Chinese, Spanish and Arabian (worldrurallandscapes.org).

This Knowledge Café will focus on methods and case studies to implement the main premises and contents …

“Got Water?” The Effects Of Globalized Agribusiness On Consumers’ Access To Water Sources, Lorena Garcia-Ramon

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This paper conceptually examines the consequences of globalized industrial agriculture on consumers’ access to clean water sources. It identifies the historical conditioners that allowed contemporary agribusiness corporations to gain the influence they currently hold over global water consumption, and it discusses the struggles that consumers face without access to clean water. The paper makes an original contribution by shifting the focus from the fact that vulnerable consumers do not have access to clean water to the reasons why they do not have access. It is suggested that water conservation strategies should not only be implemented at the consumer level, but …

Panel 3 Paper 3.1: Participatory Planning And Monitoring Of Protected Landscapes: A Case Study Of An Indigenous Rice Paddy Cultural Landscape In Taiwan, Kuang-Chung Lee

ISCCL Scientific Symposia and Annual General Meetings // Symposiums scientifiques et assemblées générales annuelles de l'ISCCL // Simposios científicos yy las Asambleas Generales Anuales

Landscapes can be regarded as ‘a culture–nature link.’ Many examples of ‘living’ landscapes in the world are rich in natural and cultural values and have proven sustainable over centuries because of their maintenance by local communities. Satoyama, a traditional socio-ecological production landscape, provides a functional linkage between paddy fields and the associated environment with many ecosystem services. The idea of landscape conservation and paddy field revitalization was introduced into Taiwan’s amended Cultural Heritage Preservation Act in 2005 as a new legal instrument entitled ‘Cultural Landscape.’ To help stakeholders from governmental authorities and local communities apply this new instrument, this action …

Community Forest In Liberia: The Interface Between Sustainable Charcoal Production And Deforestation, Amavie Clement

Capstone Collection

The available data establishes a direct correlation between charcoal production and forest degradation and deforestation in Liberia. Charcoal is the primary energy source for Liberians, especially in urban areas where the bulk of the population lives. It is expected to be the mainstay energy source for years to come because it is affordable, accessible, and convenient to use compared to other forms of energy (i.e. electricity and petroleum gas). However, the current model of charcoal production, based on indiscriminate felling of trees, poses a danger to the environment as it results in widespread forest degradation and deforestation. Therefore, any successful …

Panel 1 Paper 1.3: Le Paysage Rural Patrimonial, Outil Et Projet Au Service De La Lutte Contre Le Réchauffement Climatique, Régis Ambroise

ISCCL Scientific Symposia and Annual General Meetings // Symposiums scientifiques et assemblées générales annuelles de l'ISCCL // Simposios científicos yy las Asambleas Generales Anuales

Cette intervention fait référence au paragraphe de la résolution19GA 2017/30 du Conseil International des Monuments et des Sites indiquant que « la 19° Assemblée générale de l’ICOMOS… salue l’adoption de l’accord de Paris et encourage tous les membres de l’ICOMOS à renforcer leurs efforts pour appuyer sa mise en œuvre et identifier les réponses qui s’appuient sur le patrimoine ou les paysages culturels… ». Elle prend l’exemple de la façon dont les paysages de terrasses ont été abordés ces dernières années dans trois situations différentes : en France, dans le Guizhou en Chine et dans le Priorat en Espagne.

En …

Innovative Collaboration To Further Community Self-Determination, Matthew Currie, Amaha Sellassie

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

The built urban environment is the product of more than a century of policy decisions that have both intentionally discriminated and have had the effect of discriminating, against African Americas, immigrants, the work class, low income individuals and other undesirables. While more than fifty years have passed since the passage of civil rights legislation in the United States, individuals in today’s cities are living out our discriminatory legacy.

In Dayton, Ohio, a new movement has risen from the community to disrupt the legacy of de jure and de facto discrimination by the collaborative efforts of the impactive individuals, neighborhood leaders, …

Augmenting Marine Food Production Through Fisheries Management And Mariculture, S M. Sharifuzzaman, M I. Golder, M. Shahadat Hossain

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

There is new aspiration of sustainable exploitation of marine resources and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG 14) in recent years. In this context, this document delineates new scope of venturing into the blue economy relative to marine fisheries and mariculture. Potential interventions in marine fisheries include – (i) expansion of the commercial fishing area (beyond the 80 m depth) for harvesting high value fish species (such as tuna, lakkha), (ii) exploration for new fishing grounds and fisheries, (iii) value addition and reducing post-harvest losses, and (iv) assessment of fisheries stocks for estimation of potential yields and optimum sizes of …

Coming Stakes In The Ocean: Food Production, Shipping And Trade, Tourism, Ecosystem-Biodiversity, New Technologies And Climate Change Challenges In Bangladesh, Muhammad Abdur Rouf, Md. Moshiur Rahman, Sk Mustafizur Rahman, Md Nazmul Ahsan

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Blue economy is an emerging concept in all over the world where Bangladesh is not in exception. The blue economy of Bangladesh is subject to multiple interlinked activities. Among the major activities, food production, shipping and trade, tourism, ecosystem-biodiversity, new technologies and climate change challenges are the most promising sectors which are discussed in this chapter to project the present and future potential, constrains, ways to overcome in the context of the blue economy of Bangladesh following various published literatures. The review has revealed that Bangladesh has enormous resources which have great potential to uplift the existing economy, improving livelihoods, …

Ensuring Economic Viability And Sustainability Of Coffee Production, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Kaitlin Y. Cordes, James Rising, Perrine Toledano, Nicolas Maennling

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Coffee, the world’s favorite beverage, provides livelihoods for at least 60 million people across dozens of countries. Yet this beloved drink is experiencing a sustainability crisis. A sustained decline in world coffee prices has squeezed coffee producers, and thrown a tremendous number of producers below the global extreme poverty line. This report presents our research into sustainability within the coffee sector, including the results of our analytical and empirical modeling, and provides several recommendations.

Toward Effective Rural Community Development In Black Belt Counties: Conceptual And Methodological Issues, Andrew Zekeri

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are to (1) specify what “rural”, “community”, and “development” mean, and (2) what should be the essential steps to be taken to achieve an effective rural community development. Rural is a territorial concept, and it means an extent of dispersion of people in a local ecology. Community is a natural disposition among people who interact with one another on different matters that compromise a common life. Development is an organized intentional effort of local people to work together towards a shared goal. Community development is building the capacity of community residents to act effectively …