Household-level preferences for mitigation of Prosopis juliflora invasion in the Afar region of Ethiopia: a contingent valuation

Prosopis juliflora, which is an alien tree species in Ethiopia, has invaded over 360,500 ha of land in the Afar region of the country and is threatening pastoral livelihoods. We conducted a contingent valuation study to assess rural households’ willingness to contribute in cash and labor to mitigate P. juliflora invasion in three districts of Afar. Results show that about 84% of the respondents prefer an intervention involving complete eradication of P. juliflora. The lower and upper bound median willingness to contribute to this intervention were 9.97 and 13.42 USD/household/year in cash and 30 and 43 days/household/year in labor. Off-farm income and P. juliflora invasion levels on pasturelands are among the factors affecting willingness to contribute to the mitigation of P. juliflora invasion. Incentives to local people and having a proper institutional setup that involves local culture and institutions are important for mobilizing people on a voluntary basis for mitigation of P. juliflora invasion.     

陕西安康移民搬迁农户的生计适应策略与适应力感知

从社会-生态系统适应性理论出发,借鉴脆弱性研究中的适应性理论来研究我国易地移民搬迁农户的适应策略和适应力,构建了移民搬迁农户的生计适应性分析框架,并以陕西安康移民搬迁工程为例,通过实地调查和访谈获取了安康搬迁农户的调查数据,分析了安康移民搬迁农户的生计适应策略、适应力感知及其影响因素。分析发现安康移民搬迁农户在搬迁之后采用了四种生计适应策略,即传统生计专业化型、非农专业化、补贴依赖型和多样化生计,这四种类型占全部搬迁农户样本的比例分别为:28.6%、34.3%、18.3%和18.8%。搬迁农户的适应力感知类型与搬迁类型、安置类型存在着统计上的显著差异。尤其是搬迁农户收入等级类型与适应力感知之间存在显著差异,越是高收入户,越表示收入增加,搬迁后"稳得住、能致富"的情况则越好;而贫困户搬迁之后的生计适应、生计安全状况令人担忧。此外,搬迁农户不同的生计适应策略与其适应力感知也存在着统计上的显著差异。总体上看,搬迁之后,非农专业化和传统生计专业化的农户收入减少的更少、表示收入增加的更多、适应力更好,而补贴依赖型、生计多样化型农户的适应状况要差一些。本文进一步采用MULTINOMINAL LOGISTICS回归模型分析了安康移民搬迁农户适应力感知的影响因素。结果显示,政府主导的移民安置方式、搬迁类型、搬迁农户所获得的扶贫项目数对搬迁农户生计适应情况并没有显著的影响,搬迁农户也没有随着搬迁时间的增加而提高其适应力;当地搬迁农户劳动力也存在一些闲置、土地林地需要进一步提高生产经营效率等。当地地方政府仍需要进一步完善移民搬迁方案和对移民搬迁农户的精准帮扶措施,发展后续产业,提高其适应力。     

Marine gold and atoll livelihoods: The rise and fall of the bêche‐de‐mer trade on Ontong Java,Solomon Islands

The rise and fall of the bêche‐de‐mer trade in Solomon Islands is an example of how small, remote island communities are influenced by drivers of change on both the national and international scales. This susceptibility leads to local economic collapses and changed livelihoods. This article focuses on small‐island livelihoods, socio‐economic responses to fluctuating markets and the instability caused by internal and external forces of change. Quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews and participant observation have been used to explore the development trajectories of Ontong Java, a Polynesian outlier in Solomon Islands, in the context of the bêche‐de‐mer trade over the past forty years. The main findings can be captured in four distinct periods that demonstrate the transformation of this atoll community from subsistence‐oriented strategies to specialization in marine resource extraction to economic collapse and return to subsistence. It is concluded that this atoll population has shown a remarkable ability to adjust and cope with processes of globalization.     

脱贫山区农户生计转型的低碳效应研究：以陇南山区为例

明确脱贫山区农户生计转型的低碳效应对实现乡村绿色发展、建设低碳乡村至关重要。基于陇南山区农户的入户调查数据，利用碳排放清单法分析了2014—2019年农户的生计转型路径及其低碳效应。结果表明：（1）陇南山区农户的生计策略分为传统农业主导型、经济作物主导型、务工主导型、经商主导型和综合型；2014—2019年有26.97%的农户生计策略发生了转型，最主要的转型方式是由综合型转向务工主导型；（2）因人均生活碳排放增加量高于人均生产碳排放减少量，陇南山区农户的人均家庭碳排放呈增加趋势；（3）农户生计转型路径中，由经济作物主导型转向传统农业主导型的人均家庭碳排放降幅最大，为41.45%，综合型转向传统农业主导型的增幅最大，达208.86%。     

Comparative assessment of vulnerability of smallholder livestock farmers to climate change in North-West Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study examined the vulnerability of smallholder livestock farmers in North-West Ghana to climate change using data obtained from 200 livestock farmers obtained through the administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) approach was used to examine the levels of vulnerability. The study compared the vulnerability between the Nandom district and the Lawra district. The empirical results revealed that livestock farmers are more vulnerable to climatic extremes in the Nandom district than the Lawra district. The study highlights the critical role of the government regarding education and construction of water resources, among others.     

农户参与生态补偿行为意愿影响因素分析

长期以来,资源无限、环境无价的观念根深蒂固地存在于人们的思维中,也渗透在社会和经济活动的体制和政策中.随着生态环境破坏的加剧和生态系统服务功能的研究,使人们更为深入地认识到生态环境的价值.而"生态补偿"是促进生态环境保护的一种经济手段,农户参与生态补偿的意愿既受到主观因素和非主观因素的影响,也受到理性和非理性因素的作用,是多因素综合影响的结果,其中内部因素即家庭生计资本.本文以黑河流域中游为例,选取300户随杌样本,分析了农户参与生态补偿的意愿与生计资本的关系研究,结果表明:自然资本对农户参与生态补偿的意愿形成星负面影响作用,人力资本、物质资本、金融资本和社会资本对农户参与生态补偿的意愿形成正面影响作用.这说明,农户在市场经济条件下正在变得越来越理性,他们参与生态补偿的核心在于最大化地获取经济利益,政府要一方面尽可能地降低农户实施生态补偿后的各种风险因素,另一方面,要尽可能地提高农户承担生态补偿风险的能力.     

生计资本对甘南高原农牧民生计活动的影响

甘南高原是典型的生态环境脆弱区,农牧民采取的不合理生计活动已成为该区生态环境退化的主要因素,目前亟需塑建可持续生计方式.本文采用参与性农户评估方法对甘南高原115户农牧民家庭进行了调查,基于农户调查资料,分析了甘南高原纯牧区、半农半牧区和农区农户的生计资本现状、生计活动特点.阐释了生计资本对生计活动的影响.研究结果表明:①纯牧区农户的生计资本总值最高、半农半牧区次之、农区最低.且纯牧区农户缺乏金融资本、半农半牧区农户缺乏物质资本、农区农户缺乏自然资本:②农区农户的生计活动多样化指数最高、半农半牧区次之、纯牧区最低,农区外出打工和从事非农活动的农户比例远高于半农半牧区和纯牧区;③农户的生计资本影响着生计活动的选择,自然资本缺乏迫使农户寻求其他谋生方式,但受教育程度低、物质资本与金融资本缺乏以及封闭而狭窄的亲缘与地缘关系限制了农户生计多样化.最后提出了提高农牧民生计资本存量、塑建可持续生计方式的政策建议.     

Agricultural productivity and environmental insecurity in the Usangu plain, Tanzania: policy implications for sustainability of agriculture

Sustainable agricultural development is a necessity for sustainable economic growth and social development in Africa. Sustainable agriculture largely depends on how effective natural and environmental resources are managed and utilized; it also depends on the security of continuous access to such resources. This research was aimed to look into trends in agricultural productivity, examine the persistence of the environmental insecurity, analyze the relationship between the two, and explore their links to the national development policies. The results are discussed in the context of relevance to national development policies and their implications on the sustainability of agriculture and rural livelihoods security. Literature survey, records collection from the stakeholders, village level participatory assessments (PAs), observations and questionnaire survey were tools used for data collection. The study shows significant (P < 0.01) declines in cereal crop yields, cattle milk yield and cattle calving rate, and increasing cattle mortality rate. Elements of environmental insecurity were found to account for decline in agricultural productivity; significant (P < 0.01) proportion (68%), of 266 households interviewed, reported land resources deterioration, declining soil fertility, and increasing drought frequencies as the causes of their low productivity. Declined fertilizer consumption and increasing variability in rainfall amount significantly (P < 0.01) accounted for 59% and 39%, respectively, of the variations observed in total annual production of rice and maize, which are major cereals in the study area. This study recommends measures to improve soil productivity such as improved fertilizer application and use of organic manures along with mineral fertilizers for maintaining soil productivity; education of farmers on sustainable use and management of land resources; and pro-poor rural policies in agricultural development and environmental governance. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Sustainable coasts? Perceptions of change and livelihood vulnerability in Nordland,Norway

ABSTRACT

Northern coastal regions are facing multiple challenges from accelerating global environmental and socioeconomic changes, such as ecosystem degradation, climate change, intensified resource extraction, land use change and declining populations. Based on interviews with 13 farmers, fishers and aquaculture employees from coastal Nordland, northern Norway, this study demonstrates how the local stakeholders’ perceptions of change and experiences of vulnerability are closely linked to their livelihood values and worldviews. What the informants consider a sustainable and meaningful way of coastal living does not coincide with national goals for sustainable, natural resource dependent development of the region. The article demonstrates the importance of attending to local values if policymakers and managers are to ensure successful local mobilisation, reduce vulnerability to ongoing and future processes of change, and ensure legitimacy and consistency in development goals of coastal zone management. Insights from this study are useful for local and regional decision makers with responsibility for natural resource policies and development efforts.     

基于链式中介效应的辱虐管理与安全绩效关系研究

为明晰辱虐管理、自我损耗和工作倦怠对安全绩效的作用机理,在文献研究和开放式访谈的基础上,建立四者关系的假设模型。采用辱虐管理量表、自我损耗量表、工作倦怠量表和安全绩效量表对389名员工进行调查,通过SPSS和AMOS进行相关分析和中介效应检验验证假设模型。结果表明,辱虐管理、自我损耗和工作倦怠两两之间均呈显著正相关,而辱虐管理、自我损耗和工作倦怠三者均与安全绩效呈显著负相关。辱虐管理不仅可以直接预测安全绩效,还可以通过3条路径间接影响安全绩效:通过自我损耗的独立中介作用;通过工作倦怠的独立中介作用;通过自我损耗和工作倦怠的链式中介作用。有效干预辱虐管理、自我损耗和工作倦怠,能提升安全绩效水平,减少人因失误。