Linking perceived land and water resources degradation,scarcity and livelihood conflicts in southwestern Tanzania: implications for sustainable rural livelihood

In Africa, the land and water resources quality are key factors for sustainable development. The degradation of the quality of these resources leads to scarcities and conflicts, which together threaten the sustainability of rural livelihoods. This work investigated and analysed the livelihoods conflicts over the land and water resources and their scarcities, policies that contributed to the land and water scarcities and the livelihood conflicts and linkage of the conflicts to the resources scarcities and degradation. Implications of degradation of the resources, development policies and livelihoods conflicts on sustainable development are discussed. Literature study, visits and discussions, participatory assessments, observations and questionnaire survey were used tools to collect data. Interviews of the 266 households revealed that, those experiencing the land and water scarcities and conflicts over these resources are significantly (p < 0.001) higher than those not experiencing the scarcities and conflicts. Crop-livestock competition, over the land and water resources causes prominent conflicts. A significant, (p < 0.05) associations of livelihoods conflicts to water shortage and period of water shortage for crop and livestock production were found. Improved accessibility to soil and water management technologies, wildlife–livestock co-existence, recognition of needs and land rights for pastoralists are recommended to minimize scarcities and herders versus farmers’ conflicts.     

农牧交错区农户生计分化及其对耕地利用的影响——以宁夏盐池县为例

农户生计与耕地利用之间的关系已经成为理解人地关系的重要切入点。论文以宁夏盐池县为例,在可持续生计框架下,从农户生计资本和生产要素配置两个角度,探讨农户生计分化及其对耕地利用的影响。结果表明：1）盐池县兼业户与非农就业户合计占调查农户的58%,农户非农化现象普遍;2）劳动力越多、人均耕地越少的农户,其家庭非农收入占比越高,生计资本是农户生计分化的“推力”;3）务农机会成本越高的农户其生计分化程度越高,务农机会成本是农户生计分化的“拉力”;4）随着生计分化程度的增加,耕地利用的生产要素投入强度呈递减态势,但是兼业户的耕地利用效率高于纯农户和非农就业户。农牧交错区同时面临着生态保护、农牧业生产、脱贫攻坚等挑战,政策制定需充分考虑当地农户的生计特征与人地关系的演变规律,加强非农就业引导,鼓励农户土地流转,促进农户生计多样化,实现生态、经济、社会效益“共赢”发展。     

基于农牧民生计资本的干旱区草地适应性管理——以准噶尔北部的富蕴县为例

草地适应性管理是有效解决我国“三牧”（牧业、牧区和牧民）问题的重要路径。论文以准噶尔北部的富蕴县为例,采用系统（分层）抽样、参与性农户评估方法开展农牧户调查,建立生计资本量化指标体系及系统耦合协调度模型,测算农牧户生计资本及其耦合协调度。基于评估结果,提出干旱区草地适应性管理策略。研究表明：1）农牧民过度依赖天然草地放牧,普遍缺乏发展型生计,其生计资本水平低、生计转换能力弱、生计脆弱性高;2）农牧户间同质性较大,5项生计资本间属性分异明显,缺乏牧业合作经济组织,是研究区农牧户生计资本耦合协调度较低的主要原因;3）推进牧民生计多样化,转变牧业生产方式,发展牧区草产业,优化草地生产功能与生态功能的时空配置,有助于增强草地畜牧业人文-自然耦合系统的恢复力/弹性力。因此,加快培育新型职业牧民,加快发展现代草牧业,加快建设良好的农牧民组织,加强草地科学放牧管理,成为干旱区草地适应性管理的迫切任务。     

农地整治对农户生计策略的影响分析——基于PSM-DID方法的实证研究

论文先对农户生计策略类型进行细分,利用倾向得分匹配-双重差分方法（Propensity Score Matching-Difference in Differences,PSM-DID）排除其他混杂因素,探讨农地整治在生计资本差异下对农户生计策略的影响效用,并运用多种匹配方法和反事实检验法对估计结果进行稳健性检验。结果表明：1）农地整治的实施能够显著改变二兼型农户的生计策略,但并不能显著改变专业型或多兼型农户的生计策略;2）农地整治对传统兼业型、现代兼业型、非农兼业型农户生计策略有显著影响,传统兼业型、现代兼业型农户比重显著增加,而非农兼业型农户比重显著减少,说明农户能够通过调整自身生计策略适应农地整治带来的变化,农地整治促进了农户生计多样化;3）通过多种匹配方法及反事实法开展稳健性检验,证实论文主要估计结果是稳健的。建议针对不同类型农户家庭需求制定差别化的鼓励政策;充分利用当地产业特色,依托农地整治与现代农业政策,带动现代兼业型农户发展区域特色农业或休闲农业。     

“We are free when water is available”: gendered livelihood implications of sporadic water supply in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT

Water shortages may present different and diverse implications for gender subgroups particularly in low-income settings. Yet, little research has documented the gendered livelihood implications of water shortages in Ghana. Based on a cross-sectional mixed method research involving a survey of 250 household heads and complemented with a qualitative study of 86 participants, the paper examines the differential effects of sporadic water supply in Tatale-Sanguli District of Northern Ghana. Our findings suggest that the livelihood effects of sporadic water supply in Tatale-Sanguli area are gendered, with females being disproportionately affected as compared to males. These differential effects are often framed by both gender role differentiation and inequities in access to vital productive resources and critical assets such as bicycles, tricycles and motor bikes. These findings highlight not only the need for local government and non-governmental organisations to step up efforts in water provision, but also to recognise the gendered effects of water shortages in Tatale-Sanguli District. Key to policy is also to ensure that programmatic interventions during water shortages take account of the likely gendered effects and differentiated burdens.     

Human use and conservation planning in Alpine areas of Northwestern Yunnan,China

Alpine areas in northwestern Yunnan, China possess globally significant levels of biodiversity and are important locally for livelihood activities such as livestock grazing and medicinal plant collection. Because local land use has important impacts on alpine conditions and communities have significant capacity to manage alpine resources, we emphasized local collaboration during the initial stages of conservation planning. Our collaboration with local communities investigated how livelihood strategies affect the condition of alpine resources in northwestern Yunnan and how future conservation efforts can be compatible with local livelihoods. We sampled three livestock herding sites, each within a different alpine sub-region, using open-ended interviews and maximum variation sampling. According to interviewees, livestock grazing within the alpine zone currently does not appear to be negatively impacting the availability of forage. Medicinal plant collection, however, is showing unsustainable trends. Tourism is as yet a nascent industry, but is seen as having great potential by those interviewed. It is clear that with increases in population, access to regional markets, and tourism, northwestern Yunnan’s rich alpine resources will require careful management. In addition to the data collected, we found that the methodology used may be widely applicable to organizations with limited resources that wish to engage local communities during the formative stages of regional-level conservation planning.     

沂蒙山区农户生计变迁及其住宅形态的响应研究

以山东省沂水县3个村（核桃园、高桥、唐家庄子）为例,运用参与式农村评估法（PRA）、对比分析法,剖析沂蒙山区农户生计变迁与其住宅形态功能转型的关系,为农村居民点整治中的新村建设提供决策指导。研究结果表明：1）改革开放前,研究区农户以农业生计为主,修建“平房+庭院”形态住宅,利用庭院种植蔬菜;2）改革开放后,农户生计逐渐多样化和非农化。禽畜养殖成为农户重要的生计来源,农户在住宅内搭建猪圈养猪,在庭院内饲养家禽。高桥农户就地发展非农经济,修建两层楼房,将一层的空间用于非农经营;3）21世纪以来,农户生计进一步非农化和分化。核桃园农户以粮食种植和外出务工为主,将庭院硬化晾晒粮食,改造猪圈为储物间储存粮食和农机具;高桥农户为了扩大非农经营空间修（改）建三层楼房,将一二层用于非农经营;唐家庄子农户到县城非农就业,为改善居住环境修建两层楼房,住宅中用于生产的空间消失。可见：农村住宅形态和功能转型是与农户生计方式变迁相适应的,农村居民点整治中新村建设模式应充分考虑农户生计的实际需求。     

Managing natural resources with eco-friendly technologies for sustainable rural development: a case of Garhwal Himalaya

Traditional Central Himalaya societies face a range of socio-economic and environmental problems. The potential of science and technology has not yet been adequately and appropriately harnessed to overcome the development constraints posed by the fragile Himalayan environment. Thus there is a need for large-scale establishment of technology resource centers. The Garhwal Unit of GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development established rural technology demonstration and training centers in three different agroecological zones between 550 and 2200 m asl and in 13–15 locations, with suitable technologies based on appropriate use and management of locally available bio-resources that ensure people participation. About 35 on-site training courses were organised for about 2329 participants. The participants were given on-site demonstrations, training and technical know-how on various technologies, to enable farmers to better understand problems faced during implementation of new technologies for sustainable management of natural resources. An action research framework and training manuals were also developed in consideration of local socio-economic condition. The documentation and analysis of research (quantitative and qualitative) and data related to cost–benefit analysis of the technologies adopted by farmers generated through this study has created wider sharing of farmer training outputs, at farm level, amongst the scientific communities and with policy planners.     

Responding to security threats: livelihoods under protracted conflict in Sri Lanka

Populations affected by violent conflicts often withstand threats to their security as well as threats to their livelihoods. Their response to the former threats nontrivially affects their response to the latter threats, and vice versa. This paper examines the interplay between protection and livelihood strategies using a sample of households selected from the Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka. The fieldwork for this study was completed in 2008, producing evidence that the protection and livelihood strategies employed by households affected by the protracted conflict in Sri Lanka are interlaced. In addition, the research discovered that Muslim and Sinhalese households largely responded to the protracted conflict in ways that are unique to their ethnic group. Certain vulnerabilities that impinge on protection and certain opportunities that support livelihoods are shown to be ethnicised. Hence, the final livelihood outcome, which is defined narrowly here as the household's income, also appears to be ethnicised.     

The interaction between seaweed farming as an alternative occupation and fisher numbers in the central Philippines

Alternative occupations are frequently promoted as a means to reduce the number of people exploiting declining fisheries. However, there is little evidence that alternative occupations reduce fisher numbers. Seaweed farming is frequently promoted as a lucrative alternative occupation for artisanal fishers in Southeast Asia. We examined how the introduction of seaweed farming has affected village-level changes in the number of fishers on Danajon Bank, central Philippines, where unsustainable fishing has led to declining fishery yields. To determine how fisher numbers had changed since seaweed farming started, we interviewed the heads of household from 300 households in 10 villages to examine their perceptions of how fisher numbers had changed in their village and the reasons they associated with these changes. We then asked key informants (people with detailed knowledge of village members) to estimate fisher numbers in these villages before seaweed farming began and at the time of the survey. We compared the results of how fisher numbers had changed in each village with the wealth, education, seaweed farm sizes, and other attributes of households in these villages, which we collected through interviews, and with village-level factors such as distance to markets. We also asked people why they either continued to engage in or ceased fishing. In four villages, respondents thought seaweed farming and low fish catches had reduced fisher numbers, at least temporarily. In one of these villages, there was a recent return to fishing due to declines in the price of seaweed and increased theft of seaweed. In another four villages, fisher numbers increased as human population increased, despite the widespread uptake of seaweed farming. Seaweed farming failed for technical reasons in two other villages. Our results suggest seaweed farming has reduced fisher numbers in some villages, a result that may be correlated with socioeconomic status, but the heterogeneity of outcomes is consistent with suggestions that alternative occupations are not a substitute for more direct forms of resource management.