Social cost–benefit analysis of Karnataka Watershed Development (KAWAD) project,Karnataka, India

This paper presents results of a social cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of afforestation and soil moisture treatment of common lands under an integrated watershed development programme in Karnataka State, India. The aim of the study was to find out if soil moisture conservation and afforestation measures were justified in terms of economic efficiency. The assessment was undertaken by calculating the economic internal rate of return (EIRR) for five village common lands in two watersheds, Uparhalla and Chinnahagari, in central Karnataka. Focused group discussions were organised, using a semi-structured questionnaire and various stakeholders, including project implementing agencies, self help groups and other community-based organisations. The attractiveness of the programme in both watersheds for landless and land owners was high in three out of five sampled villages, with an EIRR ranging from 19% to 91%, while two villages in Chinnahagari watershed had extremely low EIRR, reflecting poor management of soil moisture and afforestation interventions and lack of institutional cohesion to sustain investments made to develop common lands. Therefore, the CBA conducted in the KAWAD project, except for two villages, shows that the investment made to develop common lands should yield substantial economic returns in the long term under a business as usual scenario.     

Periodical monitoring with lichen, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaeophyscia hispidula</Emphasis> (Ach.) Moberg in Dehradun city,Uttarakhand, India

Nine heavy metals were estimated in lichen, Phaeophyscia hispidula (Ach.) Moberg, collected from 12 different sites of Dehradun, capital city, to analyze the air quality of Uttarakhand. Total metal concentration was the highest at Mohkampur Railway Crossing, Hardwar Road (42,505 μg g⁻¹). Dela Ram Chowk, located in the center of the city, also had higher metal concentration, 34,317 μg g⁻¹, with maximum concentration of Pb at 12,433 μg g⁻¹, while Nalapani forest area had minimum total metal concentration (1,873 μg g⁻¹) as well as minimum Pb level at 66.6 μg g⁻¹, indicating anthropogenic activity, mainly vehicular activity, responsible for the increase in metal concentration in the ambient environment. In comparison with the earlier years 2004 and 2006, air pollution as indicated by similar lichen shows a considerable increase in the total metal concentration (especially Pb) in the ambient air of Dehradun city, which may be attributed to exponential rise in the traffic activity in the last 5 years.     

Sowing the seeds of resilience: a case study of community-based Indigenous seed conservation from Andhra Pradesh,India

ABSTRACT

Despite increasing evidence of threats to Indigenous food systems, many Indigenous communities are innovating to enhance their resilience while conserving and promoting their traditional food systems, offering important lessons for rural development policy. This community-based case study explores one such Indigenous initiative: Sanjeevini, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Sanjeevini has been effective in designing and implementing creative strategies for seed sovereignty and biocultural conservation. Interviews with key persons associated with Sanjeevini (n?=?8) and participatory field-research in the Araku Valley region, including interviews with small scale farmers (n?=?30), revealed community development strategies emphasising a link between biological and cultural heritage in Indigenous food systems. These include hosting cultural seed festivals, establishing and maintaining community-based seed banks, and facilitating inter-community seed exchanges. Importantly, these strategies take place against a backdrop of community-organising that counteracts the dominant neo-liberal development agenda while resisting deforestation that threatens Indigenous livelihoods. Sanjeevini’s success demonstrates that through the adaptive assertion of self-determination, rural social change is possible. This paper highlights alternative, community-driven articulations of seed sovereignty while underscoring the significance of this community’s own vision in guiding rural innovation and offering promising working models for cultivating rural resilience.     

Sustainable development as a framework for developing country participation in international climate change policies

The paper presents a number of ideas on how climate change policy implementation in developing countries can be supported by alternative international cooperation mechanisms that are based on stakeholder interests and policy priorities including broader economic and social development issues. It includes a brief review of current development policies, technological research and promotion efforts, and climate change that demonstrates that mutual policy initiatives undertaken by governments and the private sector actually have major positive impacts on climate change without being initiated by this global policy concern. Furthermore a number of examples are given on how future development objectives in Brazil, China, and India jointly can support economic and social goals and global climate change concerns if these goals are taken into consideration and supported by international cooperative mechanisms. The paper proposes international cooperative mechanisms that can support the implementation of integrated development and climate change policies. The mechanisms include an international sustainable development (SD) and Climate Finance Mechanism (SDCFM), technology development and transition programmes, technology standards, and other measures.