Community partnered projects: a case study of a collaborative effort to improve sanitation in a marginalized community in northwest Mexico

There is a growing recognition in developing countries that community participation in water and sanitation projects is a necessary strategy in sustainable development. The main advantage of following such an approach is that, if participation can encourage a sense of ownership of the projects, the benefits of the project are more likely to extend over the long term. The case study at hand focuses on the challenges faced in implementing a wastewater treatment system to solve an environmental and public health problem in a rural community, Rosario de Tesopaco, in northwest Mexico. Until recently, the community has been unable to implement an effective plan to treat the wastewater generated in the community. The problems faced by the community can be attributed to the political arrangement of water and sanitation decentralization in Mexico that occurred in the mid 1980’s, whereby communities were required to meet wastewater treatment standards, but were not given the technical and political guidance needed to achieve this goal. However, in this instance, cooperation between the authorities in Rosario de Tesopaco, the federal agency for social development, and an academic institution has led to the successful design and approval of a wastewater treatment project. This achievement can be attributed to the use of an effective collaborative strategy, tailoring the project to the needs and capacity of the local community, positioning the community as the leaders and owners of the project. A model for following this strategy for developing rural sanitation projects in Mexico is proposed. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Agricultural policies and the emergence of cotton as the dominant crop in northern Côte d'Ivoire: Historical overview and current outlook

In most of sub‐Saharan Africa, where the agricultural sector experiences dismal performance and is characterized by a gloomy picture, the cotton sub‐sector in Côte d’Ivoire is often mentioned as a “success story” given the spectacular rise in the quantity of cotton production and the profile of the crop within the farming system. What are the historical and political antecedents of the development of cotton and the factors responsible for the feat accomplished in the midst of general failures in the same continent? To what extent can cotton be regarded as a “success story” and, what lessons can be drawn for agricultural development strategies based on the Ivorian case study? This paper traces the historical and socio‐political background of cotton development in Côte d’Ivoire and identifies key policy and institutional interventions that have influenced the rise of cotton production and its emergence as the dominant crop in the farming systems of the country. Four stages in Ivorian cotton development are identified: planning, take off, crisis and the renaissance phases. The study demonstrates how a combination of good planning, technological advancement and appropriate policy and institutional conditions have contributed significantly to the rise of cotton production and its influence on the agricultural economy of northern Côte d’Ivoire. The study also highlights how the sustainability of agricultural development has been impacted by domestic and international policies and political events over which smallholder farm families have little control, and can at best only respond to. Important questions about cotton development in Côte d'Ivoire are raised that need to be answered before the program can be categorized conclusively as a success story. The study shows that there are no quick fixes to agricultural development in the sub‐region. Rather, good planning and putting the necessary building blocks in place are important prerequisites. It is recommended that agricultural development efforts in the continent take cognizance of the complexity of the sector and address the inter‐relationships that exist among the technical, policy, market and institutional factors that combine individually and collectively to influence African agriculture.     

Indicators of visual scale as predictors of landscape preference; a comparison between groups

Landscape change alters the visual scale of agricultural landscapes, as production units get larger and strips of taller vegetation are removed between smaller units. Visual scale, defined as the perceptual units reflecting the experience of landscape rooms, visibility and openness, is considered a key factor shaping landscape preference. The visual expression of landscapes affects people in many ways; aesthetic appreciation, health and well being. In order to understand how landscape changes alter the visual scale of landscapes, and hence its effect on human beings, it is important to establish efficient and practical ways of measuring visual scale and its relation to landscape preferences. This paper presents an empirical test of the ability to predict landscape preference of two photo-based indicators of visual scale; percentage open land in the view and size of landscape rooms. A preference survey was conducted with two groups of respondents; a student group from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) and a public group. The student group was chosen to represent future landscape professionals. Photos of landscapes varying in the expression of visual scale were shown to survey respondents, who were asked to give scores according to how much they liked the landscapes. Both indicators were found to be predictors of preference for the student group, but not for the public group. The results demonstrate that student preferences do not reflect the landscape preferences of the wider public. The different appreciation of visual scale in the landscape of future landscape professionals and the public implies that experts wanting to reflect preferences of the wider public should be cautious when evaluating the visual impact of landscape change.     

Housing growth,forests, and public lands in Northern Wisconsin from 1940 to 2000

Rural, forested areas throughout the United States are experiencing strong housing growth with potentially detrimental impacts on the environment. In this paper, we quantify housing growth in Northern Wisconsin over the last sixty years to determine if growth rates were higher near public lands, which may represent an important recreational amenity. We used data from the U.S. Census to produce decadal housing density estimates, “backcasts,” from 1940 to 2000 for northern Wisconsin to examine “rural sprawl” in northern Wisconsin and its relationship to forested areas and public lands. We integrated housing density estimates with the 1992/1993 National Land Cover Dataset to examine the relationship between rural sprawl and land cover, especially forests. Between 1940 and 2000, private land with <2 housing units/km² decreased from 47% to 21% of the total landscape. Most importantly, housing growth was concentrated along the boundaries of public lands. In 14 of the 19 counties that we studied, housing growth rates within 1 km of a public land boundary exceeded growth rates in the remainder of the county, and three of the five counties that did not exhibit this pattern, were the ones with the least amount of public land. Future growth can be expected in areas with abundant natural amenities, highlighting the critical need for additional research and effective natural resource management and regional planning to address these challenges.     

乡村工业的绿色转型及可持续发展研究——以南京市D村为例

绿色发展是乡村振兴的必由之路.通过对南京市D村的实地调查,发现政府主导的转型模式在推动村庄绿色发展的同时,存在村庄内生动力不足、内部利益分化以及产业市场竞争力较弱等风险,制约着村庄可持续发展.基于此提出,政府在开发与建设过程中要充分保障村民主体性的发挥,同时注重提高产业的市场竞争力.     

The Spatio-Temporal Dynamic Pattern of Rural Residential Land in China in the 1990s Using Landsat TM Images and GIS

Through interpreting Landsat TM images, this study analyzes the spatial distribution of rural settlements in China in 2000. It calculates rural residential land percentage for every 1-km² cell. The entire country is divided into 33 regions to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamic patterns of rural residential land during the 1990s. According to the remote sensing survey, the rural residential land increased by 7.88 × 10⁵ ha in the 1990s. The increment of rural residential land was 0.55 million ha in 1990–1995 and 0.23 million ha in 1995–2000. In 1990–1995, rural residential land increased dramatically in the eastern regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and North China Plain, accounting for 80.80% of the national growth; the expansion in the western regions was much more moderate. In 1995–2000, the expansion of rural residential land in eastern regions slowed, accounting for only 58.54% of the increase at the national level, whereas the expansion in the western regions accelerated. Rapid rural residential development resulted from increasing home construction and the limited control on rural land. The great regional disparity reflected the regional economic development and land-use policy change. Our finding shows that nearly 60% of the rural residential area came from cropland.     

人工湿地硝化与反硝化细菌分布研究

试验通过考察水生蔬菜型垂直潜流湿地中硝化细菌、反硝化细菌的数量和分布情况．得出在现工艺的人工湿地中,硝化菌和反硝化菌满足一定的分布规律。硝化细菌和反硝化细菌数量的不同分布特点使人工湿地中形成上、下分层的硝化与反硝化活性区域。     

水生蔬菜型人工湿地技术净化农村生活污水的试验研究

通过构筑4个不同类型的湿地,筛选出了适用于“厌氧-跌水充氧接触氧化-水生蔬菜型人工湿地”组合工艺中的最佳人工湿地形式进行了试验．试验结果表明处理效果最佳的湿地形式为茭白＋煤渣＋复合潜流。考虑到经济因素,实际应用时也可以采用空心菜替代茭白．也能满足处理效果要求．     

三级串联人工生态湿地对农村污水的处理效果

通过设置三级串联人工生态湿地,对农村生活污水的处理效果进行监测和研究。结果表明,三级串联人工生态湿地对农村生活污水效果较好,出水COD、SS、氨氮、TN、TP平均值分别为12mg／L、13mg／L、1．24mg／L、3．32mg／L、0．43mg／L,平均削减率分别为58．11％、57．13％、82．87％、65．77％、59．92％,出水水质达到《城市污水处理厂污染物排放标准》（GB18918－2002）的二级标准。     

常熟氟化学工业园水环境和生物样品中全氟化合物的分布

采用Oasis-WAX-SPE柱富集,高效液相色谱/电喷雾负离子源串联质谱(HPLC/negative ESI/MS/MS)对常熟氟化学工业园区地表河水样品和水生动物样品(乙腈萃取物)中的全氟及多氟化合物(PFASs)进行了测定,分别检测出8种和14种PFASs.园区河水中总PFASs浓度范围为91.0—9374.9 ng.L-1,为国内已有报道中最高;PFOA和PFPrA是河水样品中含量最高的两种PFASs,且在不同水样中均可占到总PFASs的73%以上,未检出PFOS;生物样品中总PFASs浓度范围为12.93—394.77 ng.g-1ww(湿重),PFOA、PFOS和PFPrA为主要PFASs;与园区所在城市的鱼类等样品相比较,采自氟化学工业园区的鱼类体内富集了更多的PFAS.研究结果表明,常熟氟化学工业园区地表水环境PFOA和PFPrA污染较重,为目前国内最高水平;在园区河水和生物体内检测出高浓度的PFPrA,说明氟化学工业园区内部分工厂可能已使用短链氟化物替代PFOA和PFOS,在今后的研究中对PFPrA等短链全氟化合物的监测应给予更多关注.