Learning in agriculture: building social capital in island communities

Social capital helps communities respond positively to change. Research in agricultural businesses and into managing change through learning in communities has highlighted the importance of relationships between people and the formal and informal infrastructure of communities to the quality of outcomes experienced by communities, businesses and individuals. Communities can be geographic communities—the data drawn on in this paper are from an island community, for example—or communities-of-common-purpose, such as agricultural organisations. This paper reviews research into managing change through learning and social capital, presents a model of the simultaneous building and use of social capital and explores the ways in which learning as part of an agricultural community can be used to bring benefits to geographic communities such as islands. The model presented in this paper stems from studies of the informal learning process that builds resilient communities. It conceptualises the way in which social capital is used and built in interactions between individuals. There are two stages to the model. The first stage depicts social capital at the micro level of one-on-one interactions where it is built and used. The second stage of the model is about the interrelationship of micro-level social capital processes with the community and societal-level social capital resources.     

The social psychology of biodiversity conservation in agriculture

We investigate farmers’ intentions to apply biodiversity conservation practices from a psychological perspective, using an adapted version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), including group norms and putting emphasis on moral norms and self-identity. The study is based on a quantitative survey (n = 99) in Belgium, analysed using confirmatory factor analyses and path analysis. Results suggest that the impact of attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioural control on intentions is almost fully mediated through moral norms and self-identity. To have a sustained impact, change actions should strive to embed biodiversity conservation into the social norms and into the good farmer identity of the farming community. While acknowledging the explanatory nature of this study, the findings could suggest another view on how to induce behavioural change.     

Human-ecological dimensions of disaster resiliency in Thailand: social capital and aid delivery

This study focuses on the human-ecological dimension of disaster resilience after the 2004 tsunami. The paper examines how concepts of social capital and external aid delivery influence community performance in conservation of mangrove ecosystems. Experiences are reported through the words of local informants in six villages in Thailand. Findings indicate that social capital represents a potential for collective action, but design of aid programmes may prevent such action. Programmes that emphasised bottom-up aid delivery mobilised local social capital and directed it toward obtaining resources that fit local needs and capabilities. Alternatively, top-down aid programmes provided significant resources, but oppressed mobilisation of social capital. Implications are that disaster stricken communities should be treated as active participants, rather than the more common perspective that views them as vulnerable and in a state of helplessness.     

Citizenship, civicness and social capital in local agenda 21

Local Agenda 21s are now being widely produced throughout Britain. Whilst there is wide variation in the nature of such exercises, many are exceeding original expectations and opening up important new opportunities for community involvement in sustainable development. This paper argues that, if LA21s unlock the energies necessary to engage widespread participation in local quality of life issues, they can become an influential and enduring part of the governance of the local state. This raises a number of theoretical and practical issues relating to types of citizenship, social capital, appropriate participatory mechanisms, and the respective contributions of lay and technical expertise. Individual people who are pivotal to the dynamics of local sustainability strategies must themselves be sustained and supported throughout the process.     

People matter: The importance of social capital in the co-management of natural resources

Co‐management involves the shared administration of natural resources by two or more parties. This study examines the role of social capital in the process of developing co‐management in three river corridors in Canada. Qualitative analysis reveals that social capital acts as a catalyst helping groups to progress through the stages of the co‐management process. Forms of social capital (bridging and bonding) are identified that advance and/or inhibit the development of co‐management. The article reaffirms the need to expand the institutional basis for natural resource management and provides empirical evidence that social capital plays a fundamental role in developing co‐management. In conclusion, the article suggests that resource agencies need to recognize the value of social capital and the necessity for government representatives to be informed of and practiced in these skills, if they are to engage meaningfully with the civilian population.     

Citizenship and sustainability in dependent island communities: the case of the Huon Valley region in southern Tasmania

In Western democracies, rising levels of political alienation have prompted concerned political authorities to improve the quality of citizenship by such means as civic education. As well, the several international conventions underpinning the sustainable development discourse mandate participation to empower people in their own development. Active citizenship and the participation fundamental to it can be problematic for island communities with a history of economic and political dependence, since there exist a number of structural and agentic barriers to its practice and to the exercise of ecological responsibility through participation. Both the barriers to and the prospects for ecological sustainability are elaborated in this study of aspects of community, participation, citizenship and ecological literacy among the communities of the Huon Valley region of southern Tasmania.     

Citizenship and sustainability in dependent island communities: the case of the Huon Valley region in southern Tasmania

In Western democracies, rising levels of political alienation have prompted concerned political authorities to improve the quality of citizenship by such means as civic education. As well, the several international conventions underpinning the sustainable development discourse mandate participation to empower people in their own development. Active citizenship and the participation fundamental to it can be problematic for island communities with a history of economic and political dependence, since there exist a number of structural and agentic barriers to its practice and to the exercise of ecological responsibility through participation. Both the barriers to and the prospects for ecological sustainability are elaborated in this study of aspects of community, participation, citizenship and ecological literacy among the communities of the Huon Valley region of southern Tasmania.     

Managing invasive plants in a rural-amenity landscape: the role of social capital and Landcare

Rural-amenity migration is changing the social and ecological compositions of landscapes globally. The in-migration of new landholders is contributing to significant biophysical changes to rural landscapes, as well as the weakening of collective awareness, knowledge and skills needed to manage natural resources. This is leading to the proliferation of environmental harm. This paper focuses on invasive plants as one such harm, detailing how collective action is developed and challenged in a rural landscape undergoing increasing property turnover and diversifying management priorities. Focusing on the role of a Landcare group, located in southern New South Wales, Australia, I explore how social capital – with a particular focus on trust and social norms – is mobilised to recruit newly arrived residents and maintain commitment among landholders to manage invasive plants. This research provides insights into how policy can better steer management interventions, particularly how to develop and maintain collective action in diversifying rural landscapes.     

Transformation of rural communities: lessons from a local self-initiative for building resilience in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is vulnerable to negative impacts from climate change, where people’s livelihoods and their well-being are threatened, especially the viability of isolated communities. Realising the increasing risks from climate change on communities, government, in partnership with aid-donor partners, has invested millions of dollars in climate change projects, through mitigation and adaptation strategies. As a form of adaptation, the government invests in programmes aimed at increasing the adaptive capacity of the vulnerable communities through landscape and seascape projects across the rural communities. Focusing on the “transformation concept” as a long-term adaptation strategy and enlargement of climate engineering and ecological resilience concepts, the paper discusses why building resilience from transformation of rural communities, as well as from landscape and seascape projects, would benefit communities and relevant authorities. This paper describes the findings of a study on two rural villages, Keigold and Mondo, from Ranogha Islands, Western Province, in Solomon Islands, where 80% of households decided to relocate from their old village “Mondo” to their new home “Keigold” after an earthquake in 2007, as part of a self-initiative. The reallocation process can be seen as a case of pro-active community transformation that provides valuable lessons to other rural communities that may be forced to move due to impacts from natural catastrophes, including those explained by climate change risks. Lessons from this experience suggest that policy-makers and non-government organisations should consider and empower local transformation initiatives as a way to building long-term adaptation to climate change.     

"I'm Learning … How You Go about Stirring Things Up--in a Consultative Manner": social capital and action competence in two community catchment groups

The contributions of local community action groups to environmental care and restoration is usually justified and evaluated in terms of improvements to environmental quality. This article explores social benefits in the form of increases in social capital and action competence that also flow from their actions, benefits that may not only help restore degraded but also contribute to the stock of good will and skill in the community that may even prevent or minimise future environmental problems. This article documents the emergence of action competence and social capital in two community catchment groups in South-East Queensland. The findings suggest that social capital is enhanced through processes of community participation in the catchment consultation processes. The article concludes that the relationship between social capital and action competence is complementary, with social capital and action competence being mutually enhanced by the social learning that accrues from the process of community participation.     

Engaging communities in municipal sustainability planning: the use of communication strategies and social networks in Alberta

In this paper we examine and compare communication processes aimed at building social networks and increasing citizen engagement in two communities participating in a municipal sustainability planning (MSP) pilot programme in Alberta, Canada, initiated by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA). Data were gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews and documentary review. In soliciting citizen engagement, each community utilised a variety of communication methods, based on available resources and on-going evaluation of community responses. In both cases, citizens developed a shared vision of a preferred future for their community, aided by a reconfiguration of their internal and external social networks. In addition to drawing upon and strengthening bonding relationships within the community, bridging relationships with external actors and agencies promoted knowledge mobilisation that aided in planning and transitioning towards sustainability. Both communities faced challenges as well, which the authors discuss in relation to the sustainability of MSP planning.     

Environmental and social implications of waste in U.S. agriculture and food sectors

Because the agriculture/food sectors appear to be driven by short-term economic and political forces, cheap energy, and agricultural-chemical technologies, waste and environmental/social problems in the agricultural/food sectors are estimated to cost the nation at least $150 billion per year. Most of the waste and environmental/social problems can be eliminated through better resource management policies and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.Based on a paper entitled Waste in U.S. Agricultural and Food Sectors—Environmental and Social Costs presented at the Gross National Waste Product Forum, Washington, D.C.     

An island approach to industrial ecology: towards sustainability in the island context

Many fields of study have employed geophysical islands in experimental design with a great deal of success. An island is a closed and bounded system in many respects and presents a manageable unit of study. The island microcosm has been the basis for significant advances in areas such as evolutionary biology, ecosystem ecology and physical anthropology. The same properties that make islands so useful to scientists present island populations with pressing sustainability challenges of limited resource availability and natural carrying capacity. This paper discusses the characteristics of the island context to show the severity and immediacy of these challenges. Based on this discussion, it is apparent that new approaches are needed to address sustainable development on islands. Island systems and the study of industrial ecology, which examines industry embedded within the finite natural environment, have much to gain from one another in this respect. Several industrial ecology case studies, primarily drawn from research in Puerto Rico, are presented to illustrate the compatibility of islands as a study unit in this field. Industrial ecology presents new solutions to the challenges of sustainable island development, while well‐defined island systems offer a unique opportunity for the approach of industrial ecology.     

Public Participation and Local Environmental Planning: the collective action problem and the potential of social capital

Expanding the opportunities for public participation in environmental planning is not always the best option. Starting from an institutional public choice analysis of public participation in terms of the collective action problem, this paper emphasises the roots of participatory activities in the incentive structures facing potential participants. It then goes on to consider the strategies that may be adopted for encouraging greater public involvement and looks particularly to the social capital literature for suggestions of how institutional redesign may alter these incentive structures. The paper concludes by distinguishing three different modes of environmental planning, in terms of the rationale for participation, the severity of the collective action problem and the associated participatory strategy that can be adopted.     

Public Participation and Local Environmental Planning: The collective action problem and the potential of social capital

Expanding the opportunities for public participation in environmental planning is not always the best option. Starting from an institutional public choice analysis of public participation in terms of the collective action problem, this paper emphasises the roots of participatory activities in the incentive structures facing potential participants. It then goes on to consider the strategies that may be adopted for encouraging greater public involvement and looks particularly to the social capital literature for suggestions of how institutional redesign may alter these incentive structures. The paper concludes by distinguishing three different modes of environmental planning, in terms of the rationale for participation, the severity of the collective action problem and the associated participatory strategy that can be adopted.     

Looking beyond incentives: the role of champions in the social acceptance of residential solar energy in regional Australian communities

Research into renewable energy adoption is increasingly identifying that the successful implementation of renewable energy projects is influenced by a combination of market, community and socio-political acceptance of renewable energy technology. This research uses case studies in two regional Australian communities to examine the social acceptance of residential solar energy, in particular under the influence of financial incentives and social interactions. Fifty-five semi-structured interviews with members of the local community, industry and government were undertaken between May and October 2015. Respondents were asked about their perceptions and knowledge of solar energy and incentives to support its adoption, and their interactions with actors important in the diffusion process. Responses indicated that financial incentives motivated solar adoption; however, social interactions in the communities also contributed to decision-making. In one case study, a local “solar champion” built a private solar farm to demonstrate the technical feasibility of solar, assisted community members with physically installing their own systems and helped community members to maximise the financial benefits of their solar installations. This solar champion contributed to this community having an earlier and more rapid rate of small-scale solar adoption compared with the second case study community. The second case study community included two individuals interested in promoting solar energy; however, they were less integrated with the community’s process of adopting solar, resulting in community members experiencing substandard installations and consequent distrust of the solar industry. This research concludes that local context influences solar adoption through complex interactions among market, community and socio-political acceptance.     

Water and the potential for social instability: Livelihoods, migration and the building of society

In much of the Third World, access to secure water for irrigation, particularly groundwater, reduces vulnerability, stabilizes livelihoods,alleviates poverty and 'entitles' populations to education and other forms of capital accumulation. Water resource development can, as a result, be used as a key tool for addressing the social roots of instability. The reverse is also true — problems such as groundwater overdraft contribute to poverty and are often at the root of forced migration and the creation of underemployed and unstable displaced populations. Water is fundamental to regional as well as local security.
The benefits of water resource development and the risks associated with unsustainable use patterns are particularly critical in arid regions. Patterns of water use that are unsustainable can play a positive role in the transition of populations from nomadic or migratory to stable communities, where people have access to education and asset accumulation. The exit is, however, as important as the entry. In many regions, the majority of the population now need to make the transition from agriculture to non–agricultural livelihoods. Many people, particularly the wealthy, may already be doing this. Understanding and enabling transition represents one of the most important policy challenges for coming decades.
Using examples from India, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other countries, this article documents some of the connections between water and security and clarifies the importance of effective solutions to water problems and to social transition in arid regions.     

Multinational oil companies in Nigeria and corporate social responsibility in the HIV/AIDS response in host communities

ABSTRACT

We assess the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of multinational oil companies (MOCs) on HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nigeria’s oil-producing communities. One thousand, two hundred households were sampled across the rural communities of Niger Delta. Using logit model, the main result indicates that General Memorandum of Understandings (GMoUs) have not significantly impacted on factors behind the spread of HIV/AIDs in rural communities. This implies that the impact of the disease on MOCs business, employees and their families, contractors, business partners and the oil communities have not inclined downward. The findings suggest that CSR offers an opportunity for MOCs to help address HIV/AID prevalence through a business case for stakeholders’ health in the region. It calls for MOCs to improve GMoUs health intervention on sensitisation campaigns, funding testing and counselling centres, subsidising anti-retroviral drugs, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, rehabilitation of orphaned and vulnerable children and other cares for people living with AIDS.     

Local social capital and the acceptance of Protected Area policies: an empirical study of two Ramsar river delta ecosystems in northern Greece

Managing Protected Areas (PAs) is a challenging task, and globally many instruments have been utilised for this purpose. Existing research demonstrates that the effectiveness of these instruments is highly dependent on their social acceptability among local communities resident within PAs. Consequently, investigating local attitudes and perceptions of Protected Area (PA) policies has been emphasised in recent studies. Drawing on empirical work conducted in two National Parks including river delta ecosystems designated as Ramsar wetlands in northern Greece, this paper examines local residents' perceptions of three hypothesized policy options (regulatory, market-based and participatory) for Park management. The influence of social capital elements (social trust, institutional trust and social networks) on residents' perceptions is explored. The findings reveal a high degree of importance attached by resident communities to Park designation in both PAs, though residents' perceptions of the proposed management options varied. The regulatory option was regarded as the least restrictive, while the most restrictive was perceived to be the market-based option. However, greater benefits were identified by residents from the market-based option, while the fewest benefits were considered to arise from the proposed regulatory option. Furthermore, local residents' perceptions were significantly shaped by the proposed management and decision-making structure offered under each policy option. The influence of different social capital elements on residents' perceptions also varied in the study sample, with social trust and institutional trust positively correlated with the benefits that were perceived to arise from the different policy options. Moreover, when social capital was measured as an aggregate indicator at the level of the individual, it was positively correlated with perceived environmental benefits.