Traditional Land-Use Systems and Patterns of Forest Fragmentation in the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico

The influence of slash-and-burn agriculture and tree extraction on the spatial and temporal pattern of forest fragmentation in two municipalities in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico was analyzed. The data series were derived from two subsets of satellite images taken in 1974 and 1996. The analysis was based on area, edge, shape, core area, and neighbor indices. During the 22 years, the dense forest decreased by 8.9%/yr in Huistán and by 8.6%/yr in Chanal, while open/disturbed forest, secondary vegetation, and developed area increased in both municipalities. The total number of fragments increased by 1.4%/yr and 2.3%/yr in Huistán and Chanal, respectively. Dense forest showed the highest increase in the number of fragments (6%/yr in Huistán and 12%/yr in Chanal), while edge length, core area, and number of dense forest core areas decreased. The larger fragments of dense forest present in 1974 were divided into smaller fragments in 1996; at the same time, they experienced a process of degradation toward open/disturbed forest and secondary vegetation. Two different fragmentation patterns could be distinguished based on agricultural or forestry activities. Forest fragmentation did not occur as a continuous process; the pattern and degree of fragmentation were functions of land tenure, environmental conditions, and productive activities. The prevalence of rather poor soil conditions, small-holdings, growing human population densities, increasing poverty, and the absence of alternative economic options will maintain a high rate of deforestation and forest fragmentation in the studied region.     

Decision-making for fire use among farmers in savannas: an exploratory study in the Distrito Federal, central Brazil

Today, fire in the Braziliancerrado(savanna) is predominantly caused by farmers. They use fire during the dry season to promote fresh grass regrowth in pastures for their cattle and to clear areas of planting ready for cultivation in the wet season. This study researched fire use by farmers in thecerradoof the Distrito Federal, central Brazil, in order to investigate what influences their fire management decision-making. The results show that the two main factors limiting the choice of feasible options for farmers to meet their objectives are income and time. However, perceptions also play a major role in the decision-making process, and for many farmers this alone determines whether fire is used. Various fire practices involved with timing, frequency and size, as well as precautions taken before and during the burn, and the factors influencing these decisions are presented. This study shows that it is vital to understand factors determining fire use if effective fire management plans and policies are to be developed.1998 Academic Press     

Assessing of Environmental Quality in Six Areas in India,Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Environmental quality for environmental health has been examined visually by describing general conditions and drinking water supply, sanitation and solid waste treatment conditions and practices in six South-East Asian villages with a dense population. The environmental review was supplemented by discussions with local people and political and administrative decision makers. Some drinking water analyses were done in order to show the water quality to the local people. The quality of the general conditions and the conditions and practices of drinking water supply, excreta disposal and solid waste treatment practices have been graded with the grading system presented below. The grading could be done in 1 or 2 days in each area by two persons, of which one was an environmental scientist and the other a social scientist, who also knew the local culture and worked as a translator.     

江苏省农村土地征用与收益分配研究

本文立足江苏省的土地征用和土地收益分配现实，指出目前存在“圈地”现象严重、征地补偿过低、失地农民未来生活无保障等问题。从政府、制度、城市建设三个层面探讨了问题产生的根源，并提出了提高土地补偿标准、建立失地农民保障体系、广开就业门路、健全法律体系等改革措施。     

Land management in rural Burkina Faso: the role of socio‐cultural and institutional factors

Farmers in the Sahel have been acknowledged for reclaiming degraded lands and improving food security by ingeniously modifying traditional agroforestry, water, and soil management practices. Despite the advantages offered by this range of farming techniques, their adoption rate is influenced by several factors. Using multivariate probit models and a correlation coefficient, this article examines the factors influencing the adoption of five land management practices based on 220 household and 40 farm surveys in four adjacent rural communities in southern Burkina Faso. The model results indicate that household labor force, education of household head, land tenure security, livestock holding, and membership in farmers’ groups influence the adoption of zaï practice, composting, improved fallow, stone bunds, and live hedges. However, two of the surveyed factors ‐ number of farms and visit by agricultural extension staff during the 12 months prior to the survey ‐ were not significant. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between different land management practices, e.g., the decision to practice zaï is significantly linked to that of live hedges and composting. Zaï practice and stone bunds are considered labor intensive, which explains their significant correlations with household labor force at the 1% and 5% levels of significance, respectively.     

Mercury exposure through diet in pregnant women and women of childbearing age

The study examined the stage of clean-up of the Port Lavaca bay sites in Texas, which were polluted during the early 1990's by effluent containing mercury (Hg) from a chloralkali plant. In addition to Hg intoxication through environmental contaminations, human exposure through dietary fish and other seafoods occurred. Bacteria converts inorganic Hg to alkyl organic compounds and subsequently the metal crosses the blood brain barrier thus exerting adverse effects on the fetal developing nervous system. In order to conduct a survey of dietary Hg exposure, blood was collected from pregnant women and those of childbearing age at routine clinic visits at each of three centers in South Texas cities (Galveston, Texas City, Port Lavaca/Victoria, TX). A questionnaire sought dietary and lifestyle information including consumption, sources of fish and other seafoods. A significant number of subjects (119 out of 175, 68%) ate fish caught locally. The blood Hg concentrations (µg?L^?1) range varied with the location of the study centers: City of Galveston 2.6–62; Texas City 2.8–111.8; and the Port Lavaca areas 3.02–126.7. The concentrations of blood Hg was directly proportional to the number of fish meals consumed for each species considered. Mean blood Hg concentrations for no fish meals per week were: Port Lavaca 4.5 (N?=?3), Galveston 4.3 (N?=?3), Texas City 3.5 (N?=?10). For >3 fish meals per week, the mean blood Hg concentrations were: Port Lavaca, 48.0 (N?=?53), Galveston 29.1 (N?=?35), Texas City, 36.1 (N?=?31). Data show that residues of Hg were still present in 1994 despite the clean-up efforts.     

基于农户意愿的矿区耕地损害补偿测度研究——以庞庄、垞城、柳新煤矿开采为例

矿产资源的开发利用,在支撑社会经济发展的同时却带来区域资源生态环境的破坏,尤其是矿区农户承担着较大的外部成本。论文以矿区耕地损害为研究对象,在调查农户认知和接受补偿意愿的基础上,通过构建计量模型,测算基于农户意愿下的补偿额度。结果表明:①调查结果显示,69.19%的农户因煤矿开采失去一部分耕地,49.19%的农户表示耕地质量降低,95.14%的农户认为居住环境遭到破坏,93.51%的农户认为采矿破坏了耕种文化传承;②实证结果表明,庞庄、垞城、柳新煤矿周边农户每年接受最低补偿分别为34 780.80、36 506.85和35 397.60元/hm²,其中经济损害受偿意愿分别为12 731.10、18 982.80、11 230.95元/(hm²·a),社会保障损害受偿意愿分别为11 782.35、10 777.95、12 765.00元/(hm²·a),生态损害受偿意愿分别为7 277.10、4 282.35、7 306.05元/(hm²·a),文化传承损害受偿意愿分别为2 990.25、2 463.75和4 095.6元/(hm²·a);③对比分析发现,当前政策下矿区耕地损害补偿额度一般在9 458.70~15 764.40元/(hm²·a)之间,明显低于基于农户意愿下的补偿额度,并且56.76%的农户表示不接受一次性补偿。以上结果能够为矿区生态补偿和政策创新提供决策依据和定量参考。     

Assessment of land degradation and its impact on crop production in the Dry Zone of Myanmar

Land degradation in terms of soil degradation is a major environmental issue posing threat to sustainable livelihood in the semi-arid region of Central Myanmar. However, the studies on soil degradation status and its impacts in this region are very scanty. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of land degradation on crop production both in terms of area and yield in the Dry Zone of Myanmar. Remote sensing and geographic information system-based modelling was utilized to assess and map soil erosion rates. Household survey was conducted to understand the causes of land degradation and its impacts on crop productivity and livelihoods. It has been found out that the current rate of soil erosion ranged from 0 to 114 t ha^–1 yr^–1, and that the average rate of soil erosion increased from 14.2 to 54.6 t ha^–1 yr^–1 over a period from 2000 to 2012. The major types of land degradation were physical and chemical soil degradation. Farmers identified topographic condition, soil types, improper crop management practices and climatic factors as the main causes of soil erosion. The observed crop yields of monsoon rice, groundnut, sesame and cotton in the highly degraded area were 3–12 times lower compared with the yields of these crops grown in less degraded area. Livelihoods of the farmers in the high-degraded area were affected by crop yield reduction, increased cultivation cost and increased uncultivable land area. The impact of land degradation on crop production was dependent on the severity of degradation. This suggests that advanced conservation measures are immediately required and the supportive policy strategies need to be implemented to educate farmers and to strengthen extension services for sustainable land management in the Dry Zone of Myanmar.     

Working Life of Women With Disabilities—A Review

The aim of this study was to present the situation of women with disabilities on the labour market. Women with disabilities suffer from social and professional discrimination. They are discriminated because of their gender and disability. The Q1 Labour Force Participation Study (2013) showed that, in Poland, labour force participation for men and women with disabilities was 29.4% and 14.7%, respectively, while the unemployment rate was 16.1% for men and 17.2% for women. Quarterly information on employment, unemployment and economic inactivity was gathered from a Labour Force Survey in the first quarter of 2013; data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy were also included. The participants of the survey were 15 years old or older; they were members of a sample household. The methodology was based on definitions recommended by the International Labour Office and Eurostat. It is important that women with disabilities are substantially less professionally active, while the unemployment rate for them is only slightly higher.     

Older rural women living with drought

ABSTRACT

Women’s experiences of drought are often made invisible particularly in terms of their long-term effects. Drought differs from other “natural disasters” in that droughts are, by definition, experienced over an extended time. This means those experiencing drought do so as they age, with elderly cohorts particularly vulnerable. As such, there is a need to better understand the longitudinal needs and experiences of women living with drought. This study investigates the experiences of drought for 15 Australian women aged over 70, over a period of 12 years. Longitudinal qualitative free-text comments written by the oldest cohort of women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health were subject to a thematic analysis. Findings indicate that experiences of drought have a relationship to women’s ability to age in ways they may have hoped. Themes of Work and Physical activity, Connection to place, and, Service access were prominent in women’s comments. These results demonstrate that place is an important aspect in the experience of ageing, that work and physical activity often intensify during drought for elderly people who might otherwise be expecting to retire, and that drought presents particular challenges for older women in terms of access to services. This study highlights the complex interactions of living and ageing in drought for Australian women.