Farmers’ markets – linking food consumption and the ecology of food production?

Urban and industrialised societies usually involve little connection between consumers and the resource base upon which the production of goods depends. Changing this situation could potentially enhance social and ecological sustainability. This study explored ecological aspects of the educational role of local food supply, with the aim of identifying signs of enhanced consumer understanding or awareness of the ecology of food production resulting from producer–consumer interaction. A series of qualitative interviews were carried out with customers at a farmers’ market in Stockholm. The results showed that the interviewees were mainly concerned with quality, price and taste, and not production conditions. In addition, a number of interviewees experienced a sense of trust when shopping at the market. We found few examples of contributions to ecological knowledge among customers at the market, but there were some examples of learning opportunities. The local food supplied by the market reminded customers of the seasonality of production. Stallholders also provided information on how to store, prepare and cook vegetables, which may encourage a change in diet that is preferable from an environmental standpoint.     

Networks and spatial segregation in the production of urban poverty in São Paulo

This article discusses the importance of social networks as survival strategies, testing the impact of segregation on the structure and organisation of personal networks of low-income individuals. It presents preliminary results of an ongoing study on personal networks of individuals living in situations of poverty in São Paulo. We analyse the characteristics of 89 personal networks of poor individuals living in three urban locations, characterised by different social contents and different contexts of segregation. The results indicate a considerable heterogeneity of networks (in terms of size, diversity of sociability spheres, among other dimensions) and a strong localism, which is commonly found in the three different urban contexts. At the same time, the analysis suggests a low impact of segregation and a more complex relationship between networks and space than previously described by the international literature.     

Byproduct production of minor metals: Threat or opportunity for the development of clean technologies? The PV sector as an illustration

Today, the fight against global warming and the coming hydrocarbon exhaustion involve a drastic increase of clean energies. These technologies resort to many minor metals which are byproduct of major metals. We will take the definition of Hagelüken and Mesker (2010, Complex Life Cycles of Precious and Special Metals. In: Edition Thomas E. Graedel, Ester van der Voet (Eds.), Strüngmann Forum Report, Linkages of Sustainability, MIT Press) to show precisely what minor metals are: “[they are] metals that have relatively low production or usage, which occur in low ore concentrations, are regarded as rare, or are not traded at major public exchanges”. We will analyze the byproduct status affecting almost each minor metal in order to determine if the link with the metal main product can involve a threat for clean technology development. This paper will also deal with the theory and implications of the relationship between the byproduct and the main-product and then check it with empirical data. Until now, byproduct metal production and its variations seem relatively independent from major metal production thanks to the non-saturation of potential supply. By 2050, photovoltaic solar development should not lead to the saturation of potential supply.     

How conservation and humanitarian groups respond to production of border security on the Arizona–Sonora border

US policies for securing the border with Mexico are driven by multiple political concerns, including the desire to control illegal trade and immigration in a way that conveys “border security” to a national audience. Highly visible border enforcement near urban centres and via the border fence has pushed migrants into far less visible and remote wilderness areas, driving both ecological degradation and a humanitarian crisis. This study employed ethnographic methods to explore how natural resource agency employees and humanitarian volunteers in Altar Valley Arizona perceived and responded to the production of border security. We found that both groups recognised human rights and environmental concerns, although they assigned different priorities and addressed them through conflicting means. As in other cases where consumers are separated from production practices, there was a general consensus among informants that it was important to raise the consciousness of the national audience about the negative externalities of producing border security.     

On-line production of ferrate with an electrochemical method and its potential application for wastewater treatment – A review

A number of studies on the oxidation of various organic/inorganic contaminants by ferrate(VI) were reported in the 1980s and 1990s. The exploration of the use of ferrate(VI) for water and wastewater treatment has been well addressed recently. However, challenges have existed for the implementation of ferrate(VI) technology in practice due to the instability of a ferrate solution or high production cost of solid ferrate products. The research has been carried out aiming at the generation and application of ferrate(VI) in situ. This paper thus reviews ferrate chemistry and its overall performance as a water treatment chemical, discusses the factors affecting the ferrate yield efficiency using the electrochemical method, and finally, summarises the work on the production and use of ferrate in situ which is currently under study.     

Case study: Honda of America Manufacturing,Inc.: Can lean production practices increase environmental performance?

This article covers the strategic, organizational, and operational decisions involved in one automobile manufacturer's efforts to balance its goals of productivity and high quality with the more elusive goal of environmental responsibility. The case material is based on the real-life experiences of Honda of America's two manufacturing plants in East Liberty and Marysville, Ohio. The case unfolds as the environmental manager in charge of the two plants faces the pending visit of her corporate boss from Tokyo, who has made it clear that environmental issues are of growing importance in Honda's overall direction. ISO 14000, the new environmental quality standards being adopted by some other manufacturers, serves as a focusing issue for the environmental manager's thinking, but this issue is really representative of a wider challenge facing the Ohio plants: balancing Honda's core mission of producing the best cars at the lowest cost possible, and being a responsible actor in the environmental arena. Complicating this challenge, the environmental manager has to negotiate another tension common in global manufacturing firms today: balancing the influence of Honda's corporate headquarters in Japan with the local and regional context at its American plant sites.     

A review on the production of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass through conventional and enzymatic route—a comparison

The scarcity of fossil fuels has urged the economically developed countries to find the resources for an alternative energy sources. In apprehension to this, biofuels, like bioethanol and biobutanol, produced from lignocellulosic biomass were considered as potential alternative. There are several methods for the pretreatment of biomass before it is being used as a feedstock for the production of fermentable sugars. However, one of the crucial concerns here is to enumerate an economic pretreatment scheme that can be implemented in large scale for the production of mostly exposed cellulosic part from biomass. This will ensure an effective hydrolysis of cellulose for the production of fermentable sugars and the production of biobutanol from these derived sugars. Moreover, the keynote understanding of an effective fermentation is the production of less inhibitory compounds like furfural, hydroxymethyl furfural during the hydrolysis of cellulose. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose was reported as the most efficient method is this aspect. Trichoderma sp. was found the mostly used resources for the enzyme called cellulase and Aspergillus sp. for hemicellulase enzymes. The most crucial part here is the isolation of proper enzyme that will increase the rate of hydrolysis. Moreover, selection of proper pretreatment process will be a key benefit to the production of fermentable sugars through enzymatic hydrolysis. Based on the biomass nature, the evaluated hot water pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with a provision of enzyme reusability (like encapsulated or enzyme separation with membrane) seems to be promising for enhanced biofuel-production.     

Critical review for the quantification of leachate production: Evaluation example for the “Oum Azza” public landfill in Rabat city,Morocco

The estimation of leachate quantities produced in landfills is necessary to dimension the treatment plants allowing to reduce the polluting load of these effluents and consequently avoid their negative impacts on the environment. Different leachate quantification methods were used in this study to assess the leachate volume produced at the Oum Azza landfill. The water balance method give comparable estimations of leachate production to the Ouled Berjal landfill ratio. The first method showed average values between 487 and 495 m³/day for 2015, 2018, and 2019, and at the same time, the second method gave values between 470 and 477 m³/day for the same years. In contrast, the World Bank ratio showed high values that vary between 2260 and 2295 m³/day for 2015, 2018, and 2019. The on-site data and the statistical analysis showed us that the World Bank ratio is not adapted for the estimation of the leachates produced in Oum Azza landfill, while the water balance and the ratio of Ouled Berjal landfill allowed to give comparable results to reality.     

Labelling ecofriendly products in india — an emerging option for environmental production

Summary The labelling of ecofriendly products has been introduced in a number of developed countries to assist in the protection of the environment. Recently, developing countries like India, have introduced the scheme. This paper examines the steps involved in establishing the Indian Ecomark. For the successful implementation of the scheme the effective coordination of a number of agencies is necessary. Consumers, as well as manufacturers, have to be educated in the longterm benefits of the scheme. Initiatives necessary for the successful implementation of Ecomark have been highlighted.Mr S. S. Arvind is a member of faculty at the Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology, at the Administrative Staff College of India. He is currently on secondment to the Centre for Technology Development, Clark University, 950, Main Street, Worcester MA 01610-1477, USA. Mr E.V. Muley is a scientist working for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003, India.     

Charcoal production in a UK moorland wildfire – How important is it?

Wildfires are a common feature of peatland environments, but the carbon balance of these wildfires is often not considered and the production of refractory black carbon in these wildfires could be an important addition to carbon accumulation and mitigate losses of biomass during the fire. This study investigates the biomass and carbon losses during a moorland wildfire. Changes in above-ground carbon stocks were calculated using a combination of field data, laboratory measurements and literature values. The results show that approximately 14% of the carbon in the original above-ground biomass remained on the site after the burn. Black carbon production was approximately 6 gC m(-2) which constituted 4.3% of the biomass lost. The survival of biomass and black carbon may help to mitigate the loss of carbon during the fire.     

Organic olive orchards on sloping land: More than a specialty niche production system?

Five organic Sloping and Mountainous Olive Plantation Production Systems (SMOPS) have been studied in four olive-producing areas in four European countries (Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal). Results indicate that these SMOPS provide ecological, economic and social benefits to the regions in which they are located, although most of these benefits are not strictly limited to the organic production systems. Erosion control and organic matter balance remain significant issues in four of the SMOPS and we suggest that subsidy support should be conditional on the implementation of additional soil and water conservation measures that should be provided with specific funding. Most of the SMOPS will remain dependent on a similar level of support in order for olive production to remain economically feasible. The lower profitability compared to non-organic olive production systems suggests that there is limited scope for expansion of organic olive production, although in the study areas where there is little such production, such as Western Crete (Greece) and Basilicata-Salerno (Italy) the scope remains great. The analysis of the reasons for the beneficial effects of olive cultivation in the areas studied indicates that in most cases soil management techniques adopted in or recommended for organic production systems could provide similar benefits in other production systems as well.     

The Spanish building crisis and its effect in the gypsum quarry production (1998–2012)

Gypsum is one of the most important mined mineral commodities of the world. As an industrial rock, it is primarily used by the construction industry. Therefore, the economics of the gypsum market can be correlated with parameters that have controlled the origin and development of the Spanish building bubble between years 1998 and 2006. The burst of this building bubble has been interpreted as the main triggering factor for Spain's current crisis.     

Soil chemical changes under irrigated mango production in the Central São Francisco River Valley,Brazil

Irrigated areas in Brazil's Central S?o Francisco River Valley have experienced declines in productivity, which may be a reflection of changes in soil chemical properties due to management. This study was conducted to compare the chemical composition of soil solutions and cation exchange complexes in a five-year-old grove of irrigated mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Tommy Atkins) with that of an adjacent clearing in the native caatinga vegetation. A detailed physiographic characterization of the area revealed a subsurface rock layer, which was more undulating than the current land surface, and identified the presence of a very saline and sodic (1045 microS cm(-1), sodium adsorption ratio [SAR] = 5.19) ground water table. While changes in concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K could be attributed to direct management inputs (fertilization and liming with dolomite), increases in Na suggested average annual capillary rise from the ground water table of 28 L m(-2). Accordingly, soil salinity levels appeared to be more dependent on surface elevation than the elevation of the rock layer or sediment thickness. The apparent influence of land surface curvature on water redistribution and the solution chemistry was more pronounced under irrigated mango production. In general, salinity levels had doubled in the mango grove and nearly tripled under the canopies, after only five years of irrigation. Though critical saline or sodic conditions were not encountered, the changes observed indicate a need for more adequate monitoring and management of water and salt inputs despite the excellent water quality of the S?o Francisco River.     

Scleropyrum pentandrum (Dennst.) mabb—oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production—engine performance and emission studies

A feasibility study on utilization of non edible oil of Scleropyrum pentandrum was carried out to see its potential as a new source for biodiesel production. Nonedible oil seeds of Scleropyrum pentandrum have oil content of 55–60%. Transesterification of freshly extracted oil in the presence of anhydrous sodium hydroxide at a concentration 1% (w/v oil) and methanol-oil ratio of 40% (v/v oil) yields 90.8% methyl esters under conventional heating. Month old oil requires sulfuric acid pretreatment (esterification) before transesterification. The transesterified oil has a density 889–893 kg/m³; kinematic viscosity of 4.21–5.7 mm²/s; cetane index 46.03; pour point of ?15°C and gross calorific value of 40.135 MJ/kg and oxidative stability of 2.35 hours. The properties are well within the Indian, European and American standard limits recommended for biodiesel except the oxidation stability, which can be improved by adding antioxidant additives. The engine performance studies of B10 and B20 blends of Scleropyrum pentandrum biodiesel (SP biodiesel) with statistical inference confirmed that it can be used as a fuel in CI engines without any engine modifications. The engine exhaust emission analysis showed that the emission of hydrocarbons can be minimized by at least 15–20%, CO emission by 15%, smoke opacity by 10–12% and moderately lesser CO₂ and NOx emissions.     

Use of Escherichia coli BOX-PCR fingerprints to identify sources of fecal contamination of water bodies in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Repetitive element sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) is one of the commonest methods used to identify sources of fecal contamination of water systems. In this work, BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (BOX-PCR) was used to discriminate Escherichia coli strains originating from different animals and water sources, and the suitability of the technique for bacterial source tracking (BST) was evaluated. A total of 214 strains from humans, 150 strains from animals, 55 strains from sewage and 77 strains from water bodies were analyzed by the BOX-PCR technique. When maximum similarity between the fingerprints was used, a correct classification rate of 84% was achieved for strains from human and animal sources. Furthermore, 95% of the strains found in sewage were classified as being from human sources by at least one of the four classification tools used. Classification of the strains found in water bodies in the State of S?o Paulo was based on the fingerprints obtained for human and animal sources. Most of the sampling sites appeared to be affected by mixed sources of fecal contamination. The use of BOX-PCR for BST could be especially valuable in developing countries, where simplicity and cost are important considerations.     

Determinants of Farmers’ Adoption of Improved Soil Conservation Technology in a Middle Mountain Watershed of Central Nepal

This study explores different socio-economic and institutional factors influencing the adoption of improved soil conservation technology (ISCT) on Bari land (Rainfed outward sloping terraces) in the Middle Mountain region of Central Nepal. Structured questionnaire survey and focus group discussion methods were applied to collect the necessary information from farm households. The logistic regression model predicted seven factors influencing the adoption of improved soil conservation technology in the study area including years of schooling of the household head, caste of the respondent, land holding size of the Bari land, cash crop vegetable farming, family member occupation in off farm sector, membership of the Conservation and Development Groups, and use of credit. The study showed that technology dissemination through multi-sectoral type community based local groups is a good option to enhance the adoption of improved soil conservation technology in the Middle Mountain farming systems in Nepal. Planners and policy makers should formulate appropriate policies and programs considering the farmers' interest, capacity, and limitation in promoting improved soil conservation technology for greater acceptance and adoption by the farmers.     

Impact of 20 Years of Land-Cover Change on the Hydrology of Streams in the Southeastern United States1

Cruise, James F., Charles A. Laymon, and Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, 2010. Impact of 20 Years of Land-Cover Change on the Hydrology of Streams in the Southeastern United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1159–1170. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00483.x Abstract: Land-cover changes for portions of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee were estimated for the years 1980, 1990, and 2000 using classified Landsat images, and associated with hydrologic indices for 12 watersheds in the region. Rainfall-adjusted mean annual streamflow, an ET proxy (precipitation minus runoff), frequency of inundation above thresholds, and duration of inundation were used to characterize the hydrologic response of the test basins over the two-decade study period. Results indicate that several of the watersheds had undergone significant (>20%) reductions in agricultural land cover with a coincident increase in forested land. Attempts to correlate the hydrologic results with the land-cover changes were only partially successful. Watersheds with the largest land conversion from agriculture to forest (20% or more) did show significant trends in hydrologic indices indicating decreasing streamflow; however, other basins evidenced ambiguous results. The net conclusions of the study are that land-cover effects on hydrologic variables may be nuanced and can sometimes be only indirectly evident, and that a rigorous and detailed land-cover classification effort along with a battery of statistical tests with the same objective may be necessary to uncover these effects.     

Some 2D–3D aspects of shielding of longitudinal sources of extremely low frequency magnetic fields

Typical sources of extremely low frequency magnetic fields include components of the power network and, as an extension, AC railway powering. The majority of these sources have longitudinal shapes. There is sometimes the need to reduce these fields in specific areas of interest. In this article, practical aspects are studied of shielding design when this type of source is involved. The focus is on design features not often treated in the shielding literature. One aspect relates to the differences between 2D and 3D simulations and experimental validation for a relatively long system of conductor and shield; as an example, the screening of the magnetic field of a railway system is presented. Another aspect relates to issues that arise when edge effects become relevant for actual systems. It is established that shielding factors are considerably improved when shielding of the edges is properly taken into account. The presence of gaps or loose contacts that are often responsible for low shielding efficiency is also studied. Experimental tests show that overlapping shields or the use of conductive patches significantly improves shielding efficiency. A last aspect is related to cost-effectiveness of shielding designs; in this case, numerical computations are used for benchmarking shielding properties for long busbars in secondary substations.     

“First Things First”: Application of Islamic Principles of Priority in the Ethical Assessment of Genetically Modified Foods

Advancement of modern agricultural biotechnology has brought various potential benefits to humankind, but at the same time ethical concerns regarding some applications such as genetically modified foods (GMF) have been raised among the public. Several questions are being posed; should they utilize such applications to improve quality of their life, or should they refrain in order to save themselves from any associated risk? What are the ethical principles that can be applied to assess these applications? By using GMF as a case study, this paper discusses possible answers to these questions from Islamic perspective. Such answers are based on the understanding of the Islamic concept of maslahah (benefit) and mafsadah (harm) as well as the Islamic principles of priority. There is no specific GMF that has been declared as unlawful by Muslim scholars thus far. Nevertheless, they generally state that any GMF that contains unlawful substance is prohibited in Islam. Such statement can be understood since Islam puts highest priority to preserve shari’ah (Islamic law) which prescribes the lawful and unlawful things in human life. Priorities have also been given to preserve human health and environment therefore any GMF that may inflict harm on both entities is also considered as unlawful.