Correlates of women’s environmental behaviors: a study in Pawe Woreda,Northwest Ethiopia

Available cross-country, macro-level evidence regarding gender differences in environmental behaviors shows women are more environmentally concerned and responsive than men. However, while such macro-level evidence helps understand patterns of women’s environmental behaviors at a much broader level, it does not allow deeper insights into particular patterns at a single location or in much smaller areas. Tailor-made interventions needed to address livelihood and environmental strategies of poor rural women become meaningful if studies aim at revealing context specific, local variations in women’s environmental behaviors. In this context, there is only little research for Ethiopia regarding what influences women’s response to environmental problems. The objective of this research was to describe women’s response to environmental problems in Pawe Woreda and examine the demographic, socioeconomic, and institutional correlates of this response, with particular emphasis to forest resources. Data were primarily obtained from a sample of 363 households in a multi-stage sample survey and were analyzed mainly using a multivariate logistic regression model. We found that all except one of the demographic and socioeconomic variables included in the model were found to be statistically significant correlates of woman’s environmental response, but the institutional variable was not significantly associated with a woman’s environmental response. However, the qualitative result for additional institutional issues revealed the importance of land tenure. Many of the results are in line with the existing literature.     

Organochlorine contaminants in the hair of Iranian pregnant women

In the present study, the hair of pregnant women was sampled between November 2007 and January 2008 in Ahvaz and Noushahr cities and the countryside of Noushahr, Iran. They were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), α-, β-, and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers and seven polychlorinated (PCBs) congeners (IUPAC Nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180). Significant differences between the concentrations of investigated pollutants were found between the locations (p < 0.05). For HCHs, the γ-HCH isomer was measured at higher mean concentrations (6 ng g⁻¹ hair) compared to the β-HCH isomer (0.03 ng g⁻¹), which generally is the most prevalent HCH in biological matrices. Very high mean concentrations of p,p′-DDT in countryside of Noushahr (24 ng g⁻¹) combined with lower values (0.6) of ratio p,p′-DDE/p,p′-DDT in the hair samples suggest recent exposure to “fresh” DDT in this region. Significant differences in OCPs and PCBs were found between primiparous and multiparous mothers (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between levels of OCPs and PCBs in the hair of Iranian pregnant women and their age. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the organochlorine levels, including HCHs, between mothers who have eaten fish once a week and those who consumed fish more than once per week in Noushahr.     

Are consumers willing to pay for conservation agriculture? The case of white maize in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Throughout the low-income world, agricultural producers have a motivation to slash-and-burn rainforests as they cannot afford inorganic fertilizers. Farmers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who are predominantly women, are often forced to walk long distances to cultivate more productive lands, when fertility near their villages is reduced. On their way and while working away from home, women become targets for rape. Adopting conservation agriculture (CA) could help mitigate deforestation and potentially create a safer environment for women. Limited knowledge about the benefits of CA across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has hindered its adoption. Taking these impediments into account, we estimate if consumers in the DRC are willing to pay (WTP) a premium for CA, using maize flour as the medium. By means of a double-bounded dichotomous choice valuation method, 600 consumers in Bukavu, DRC, were surveyed about their willingness-to-pay for CA-produced maize. Our study finds that only those consumers who identify themselves as farmers are WTP a premium. This study indicates that if CA adoption is to spread in the DRC, it will likely need to happen via increased yields or reduced costs before the farm gate and not premiums after the farm gate.     

农村人居环境整治中的女性参与：实践形式与组织机制

如何有效激活农民主体性,激发人居环境整治中的群众参与是实现农村环境善治的重要议题。村庄调研发现,在当前国家资源向村庄密集输入的情况下,自上而下的单一环境供给方式既浪费资源,又难以满足居民诉求。动员村庄女性群体组织化参与是农村人居环境整治自下而上的群众动员和需求整合的有效方式。一方面,女性群体因其身份在村、关系在村,市场参与不足,成为村庄环境整治的潜在力量,与环境治理事务具有耦合性。另一方面,组织化参与为女性社会性身份的展演提供长效机制,利益吸纳成为激发女性参与的直接诱因。女性群体参与人居整治实践机制反映的是以农民为主体的农村环境治理需要抓住核心力量,对积极分子进行识别、激活和组织。     

妇女与环境保护

妇女与环境有着密切的关系，现代妇女越来越关注环境保护，但妇女整体的环保意识不强，提高妇女的环保意识，促使她们切实参与可持续发展战略，是当前环保工作的重要内容之一。     

Environmental health, development and economic empowerment of rural women in Nigeria

Sustainable development is a process that has social, cultural, economic and ecological dimensions. The necessity of improving the quality of life of rural women in terms of socio-economic aspects in developing countries like Nigeria is the aim of this study. The study was carried out in four villages of Tonkere district (Okeake, Abagboro, Elefon and Akiri), situated on expansive university land at Ile-Ife and typical of rural settings in Nigeria. Data were generated from group meetings, local government and individual interviews and surveys. In rural Nigeria, women’s essential contributions to overall environmental health, development and economy are negatively influenced by domestic tasks such as gathering of fuel woods and biomass for cooking. In reality, wood burning, kerosene stoves, and open fireplaces emit significant quantities of known health-damaging pollutants. The significant emissions of health-damaging pollutants per unit activity, combined with daily use in close proximity to rural human populations mean household biomass fuel use exposes total population to important pollutants resulting in ill-health and premature dead. Application of solar energy collectors and hosts of solar devices is an alternative energy sources in rural areas that could best improve women’s health, socially and economically, and positively add to ecological dimensions. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

妇女乳腺癌医院出院率与在含持久性有机污染物场地邮政区居住之间的关系

持久性有机污染物(persistent organic polutants,简称POPs)大多具有毒性,有的甚至致癌,但目前对POPs引起的健康风险仍知之甚少。本研究的假设是在含POPs场地邮政区居住妇女的乳腺癌风险增大。从纽约州计划与研究合作系统(SPARCS)等数据库中收集乳腺癌患者的信息及居住地危险废弃物暴露、经济收入和城市化等数据。以邮政区编码表征居住地,采用负二项回归方法,对纽约州30岁以上妇女乳腺癌医院出院率进行了模型分析,参数包括种族、年龄、污染暴露、经济收入和城市化率。结果显示,不同参数之间(如暴露与种族、暴露与收入、暴露与城市化)存在交互作用。对部分子群而言,与居住在不含危险废弃物场地邮政区的妇女相比,居住在含POPs场地邮政区的妇女乳腺癌出院率显著升高(率比(rate ratio,RR)1.10~1.34,P0.05)。这种关系在非裔妇女中强于白种妇女、在城市化高的地区强于农村地区。调整了混杂因素后,某些妇女人群乳腺癌出院率升高与在含POPs场地邮政区居住有显著的关系。     

An assessment of the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment in Europe

ABSTRACT

The agriculture sector is the principal source of income for around 20% of the EU-26 population, which live in predominantly rural regions that would be devastated without its contribution. Moreover, the combined agricultural and food sector forms an important part of the EU economy, accounting for 15 million jobs (8.3% of total employment) and 4.4% of GDP. The 12 million active farmers across Europe today, have an average farm size of about 15 ha, and are expected to meet the needs of 500 million Europeans. In addition, they are also expected to promote a sustainable and balanced development of their land, also in areas where production conditions are difficult. Yet, despite the relevance of the sector, the use of land for agriculture purposes is not very sustainable. Among other issues, there is a serious problem in respect of the abandonment of agricultural land. Based on the perceived need for research on this topic, the aim of this paper is to examine the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment, outlining its social, economic and environmental impacts, as well as the implications for territorial integration.     

农牧民响应政府主导生态建设工程的外部不经济性——以江西山江湖和青海三江源为例

选择两大典型的生态建设工程,使用参与式农村评估方法,从农牧民认知的角度,旨在查明可能诱发的外部不经济性,结果表明:①山江湖区农户参与行为的直接外部不经济性易于调整,而三江源区的则很难受控调节;②山江湖区农户参与行为的潜在外部性主要受外出转产参与或就地寻找新生计来源渠道所驱动,而三江源区虽然牧民畜群结构、成年母畜比例等也受草地退化的胁迫,但它们与草地退化间的关系内生性较强;③山江湖区农户对管理行为介入所诱发的大概率外部不经济性有更为清醒的认识且能科学定性评价,而三江源区牧民转产所导致的大概率外部不经济性则很可能促使移民选择返牧;④山江湖区农户参与行为调整带来的小概率外部不经济性体现为气候变化的驱动,具有不可抗拒性,而三江源区牧民行为调整所诱发的小概率外部不经济性则受外部经济或产业引进的影响,有一定的可调控性。研究有助于弄清两大生态建设工程中农牧民参与行为所诱发外部不经济性的可比性及适应性行为调整的可借鉴性。