Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

The Dispute Over Seeds: Indigenous And Peasant Struggles For Food Sovereignty In Chiapas, Mexico., Carol Hernandez-Rodriguez

Student Research Symposium

This research project explores the implications of these developments for indigenous and peasant communities in Chiapas, Mexico, whose food sovereignty depends on the conservation and reproduction of native seeds.

The research project focuses on the following questions:

1. How do neoliberal policies in the agrarian system impact the food sovereignty of indigenous and peasant communities in the Global South?

2. How are indigenous and peasant communities in Chiapas contesting neoliberal policies and strengthening their food sovereignty?

Corporate Responsibility In Peace Building, Conflict Prevention And Development: The Role Of The Mining Sector In Ghana, Abdul Karim Issifu

Journal of Interdisciplinary Conflict Science

This article seeks to explore the role of the mining sector in peace building, conflict prevention and community development in Ghana. After thoroughly reviewing secondary data, including articles, books, journals, newspapers, etc., via critical document review and qualitative research approaches the research found that, there is no legal document on CSR in Ghana, yet mining companies in a free will, have executed CSR programs laying down for peace, security and development in the country. More so, this article provides a theoretical support for the Integrative theory of CSR on the basis that, the socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental needs of …

Female Farming Systems, Elizabeth Ransom, Wynne Wright, Carmen Bain

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Female farming systems draws attention to women's (re)productive roles in agriculture, with particular attention to questions of power, equity, and empowerment. Female farming systems as an organizing concept highlights what was a surprisingly neglected field of study until the 1970s and provides insights into the gendered nature of agriculture. In the past and the present the term “farmer” presumes a male identity. Globally, women have often been marginalized from farming by denying them access to the material resources needed for success such as land, labor, and capital. Due to a variety of reasons there is a feminization of agriculture underway, …

Monhegan: A Prescription For Resilience, Kenneth Paul Kiel Gross

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Monhegan, like many island communities, is threatened by the loss of population as its young adults migrate to the mainland. The purpose of this study is to develop a resilient population on Monhegan Island.

Knowing the problem is easy, as is asking the obvious question, “How do we get people to move to this area?” This is a problem that confronts not only Monhegan, but also other Maine islands and even Maine itself.

Several factors make Monhegan’s future uncertain. The first is the gradual shift from commercial fishing, the mainstay of its economy, as it becomes more reliant on tourism …

The Effect Of The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program On Participants’ Diet Quality: Does Supermarket Access Matter?, Rachel Ann Spencer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project assesses the effectiveness of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) within the context of supermarket access. EFNEP is a national community nutrition education program that strives to give participants the tools to live healthier lives. Analysis was performed on participants from 16 Arkansas counties that completed EFNEP during 2013 or 2014. The program outcome is measured in terms of the change in Healthy Eating Index (HEI) as calculated from 24-hour diet recalls at program entry and exit. Supermarket locations were obtained from the USDA Food Nutrition Service’s SNAP Retail Locator and represent the food environment near …

Nutritional Deficiencies During The Harvest Season According To Household Consumption And Level Of Nutritional Knowledge: A Case Study Of Northern Mozambique, Maggie Jo Hansen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mozambique is classified as a low income country, the lowest development classification defined by the World Bank. It is underdeveloped in food security, agricultural production, and nutritional status, and research shows its residents are not foreign to poverty and malnutrition. Low protein, starchy foods (maize, rice, wheat, cassava) comprise the majority of the Mozambican diet; these starchy foods are the most available for consumption. Although availability impacts diet, educational barriers may also threaten the knowledge of nutrition and perceptions of healthy foods. Illiteracy and lack of education are extreme challenges to disseminating nutritional education efforts in the rural Nampula region. …

Chesapeake Aquaculture, Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Then And Now: Ten Years Of Arkansas Women In Agriculture, Paige Morgan Acklie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States Agricultural Census show that between 2002 and 2012, the number of farm women operators in Arkansas grew 14 percent (from 19,856 to 22,637). These women operators have made up an increasingly larger percent of all farm operators in the state (from almost 29% to nearly 33%). There is little published information regarding how women’s roles, challenges and factors important to their success may have changed over time. While some surveys of farm women have been conducted, these surveys are generally insufficient because data exist only for one point in time.

This research uses the first, middle and …

Sowing Seeds Of Opportunity: The Convergence Of Agriculture And Acculturation For Refugees In Atlanta, Cameron Owens Dunlap

Symposium of Student Scholars

In 2015, there were 60 million people displaced by conflict and persecution. With refugees and asylees arriving en masse in foreign receiving countries, it is critical that host nations utilize methods of resettlement and integration that are both beneficial and sensitive to the needs of these vulnerable populations. This study documents an innovative win-win approach to community integration that benefits both hosts and refugees alike. Qualitative data was collected through more than 10 sessions of participant observation on community farms and more than 7 semi-structured interviews with program management and refugees to answer the question, what opportunities for these refugee …

The Effects Of Bargaining Power And Health Information On Biofortified Food Acceptance In Ghana, Chinonso E. Etumnu

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This paper investigates the effects of bargaining power and health information on consumer acceptance of biofortified orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) using data from a choice experiment conducted in Ghana. I find that intra-household bargaining power proxies of education, personal contribution to household income and amount of land owned as a group, has a negative effect on consumer acceptance of OFSP. Conversely, providing consumers with information about the nutritional benefits of OFSP exert a positive effect on their acceptance of the produce. Providing nutritional information thus appears to be more crucial in the successful introduction of OFSP and other biofortified foods.

Table Of Contents

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Characteristics And Practices Of Selected Alabama Small Livestock Producers: A Focus On Production And Processing, Jannette R. Bartlett, Mst Nusrat Jahan, David Nii O. Tackie, Akua Adu-Gyamfi, Francisca A. Quarcoo

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The study assessed the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers, emphasizing production and processing. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 121 small producers from South Central Alabama, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. The socioeconomic factors showed most were part-time farmers; middle-aged producers; producers with at most a two-year/technical degree or some college education, and producers with $40,000 or less annual household income. A majority practiced rotational grazing, fed a combination of forage (direct from pasture), hay and concentrate, and about half conducted soil tests regularly. Furthermore, many had goats with parasite problems that …

An Assessment Of Soil Erosion On Pemba Island Using The Universal Soil Loss Equation, Emily Gillispie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Healthy soil is necessary for maintaining agricultural productivity, which is the basis of the economy on Pemba Island, Tanzania. Soil erosion is a notable concern for subsidence-farming villages, as it reduces the agricultural potential of farmland through the loss of nutrients, organic matter, and depth of quality growing soil (Georhing, 2009). The island of Pemba is the perfect case study for soil erosion, as their economy is largely based in agriculture, and the combined hilly topography and monsoonal climate make it highly susceptible to soil erosion. Yet, Pemba’s main cash crops are clove and fruit trees, which have potential to …

Kila Wakati Ni Wakati Wa Chai: Mapping The Regional Commodity Chain Of Tea In The Village Of Sagara, Rebecca Gourlay

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tracing the commodity chain of tea from leaf to cup is a complex process that involves many actors at the production, distribution, processing and consumption levels. This study focuses on the regional tea commodity chain in the village of Sagara in the West Usambara Mountains of Tanzania in order to help explain the change in livelihood of tea as a cash crop. Semi-structured interviews with tea farmers were used to gain perspective on the nuances of the regional tea commodity chain at the production level. Several external actors, including Tanzania Smallholder Tea Development Agency (TSHTDA) and the Tea Research Institute …

The Future Of Agriculture In Cameroon In The Age Of Agricultural Biotechnology, Audrey Ball

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The President of the Republic declares that the development of Cameroon depends on agriculture, the economic sector which currently generates 23% of gross domestic product and employs 62% of the population. Today, national strategy to bring about agricultural progress includes the experimentation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which Cameroon intends to commercialize in 2019. This paper examines the obstacles impeding agriculture today, while uncovering the current stage of experimentation and debate around GMOs. The study also evaluates the inclusion of stakeholders in the debate around the future of agriculture. Research was conducted through interviews of government officials, civil society organizations, …

The Challenge Of Adverse Selection To Domestic Seafood Markets In Vietnam: Assessing Consumer Demand And Supply-Side Policy Options, Eliot Martin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Vietnamese seafood industry has grown rapidly over the past few decades, largely rallying behind huge foreign demand. Institutions surrounding the production and processing of seafood for export have supported efforts to implement reliable regulations and eco-label certifications in line with demand for safe, environmentally friendly, and otherwise high quality products. No comparable efforts exist in the domestic market. Adverse selection is identified as the core problem with the lack of higher end goods on the domestic market, resulting from asymmetric information between producers and consumers, as well as moral hazard between actors in the supply chain. This study finds …

Precision Agriculture And Big Farm Data: Producer Adoption And Opinions, Michael H. Castle, Bradley D. Lubben, Joe D. Luck

UCARE: Research Products

Using scarce resources to feed an ever-increasing world population in the climate of increasingly-volatile commodity prices has charged producers with the task of becoming more efficient. The answer to these problems may lie within technological advancements, through the usage of precision agriculture and the “big” data these technologies are capable of producing. These technologies are expected to have an enormous impact that could effectively allow farmers to produce more with less. As such, research regarding producer adoption and opinions of the technology are of great relevance. Furthermore, there is great debate over the data produced by these technologies; with the …

Local Flavors: A Look At Farm To Table In Samoa, Emily Gove

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With increased access to foreign markets, Samoa has become more dependent on food imports. Most of these products are packaged and preserved, and often lack nutritional benefits. Women in Business, a local organization, has developed a Farm to Table program to encourage buying local. The effectiveness of the program has not yet been determined, and this project seeks to gauge restaurant owners’ satisfaction with local food, as well as the challenges they face when buying local. Surveys were distributed to 53 restaurants in Apia, Samoa, at the consent of the restaurant managers, and eight surveys were conducted with various players …

Impacts Of Ecotourism In Costa Rica: A Sustainable Alternative To Conventional Tourism, Kimberly A. Kleszczynski

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This ethnographic project examines the economic and social influences of tourism, specifically ecotourism, on the local communities of Costa Rica. The proposed research seeks to investigate the effects of ecotourism on the environment and quality of life for residents in Costa Rica while demonstrating the importance of sustainable development in relation to the ecotourism sector. The primary purpose of this research is to view the impact of ecotourism on Costa Rican society, with a particular focus on culture, economics, the environment, and specifically from the perspectives of local Costa Rican residents. Ultimately this paper will define what ecotourism is and …

Food For Thought: Perceptions Of Food Access And Heathful Eating In The Masxha Community, Hannah Richason

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aims to begin to understand the perceptions of food access and healthful eating within the Masxha community, located in the Cato Manor Township. Food insecurity has recently been gaining attention as a problem in urban areas, however, there is still a lack of literature addressing specifically urban food insecurity.

Study data was collected through 10 interviews with participants in the Masxha community. Conversations focused on food habits, what participants consider healthy, food buying habits, food access, and potential solutions to food insecurity. Interviews intended to learn whether food insecurity is experienced among participants in Masxha, as well as …