In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2005-09-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:49:26Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_jj_me_rcla.pdf: 327762 bytes, checksum: 4408f438c3d1b238dba6489318d19450 (MD5) / Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da UNESP (FUNDUNESP) / Considerando que indivíduo e ambiente encontram-se dinamicamente relacionados e que o indivíduo encontra no ambiente situações também em movimento, o presente estudo propôs-se a analisar as estratégias locomotoras da ultrapassagem de obstáculo que se movimenta em diferentes velocidades. Participaram 10 adultos jovens, universitários. Com marcadores passivos fixados em referências anatômicas de interesse, cada participante percorreu andando uma passarela de 6 m de comprimento delimitada por um corredor de 0,50 m de largura e ultrapassou o obstáculo que cruzou perpendicularmente sua trajetória em três condições de velocidade. Os resultados revelaram que a velocidade do obstáculo desencadeou ajustes espaciais e temporais nos passos anteriores ao obstáculo. Na ultrapassagem, os resultados evidenciaram que, na velocidade baixa, os participantes aproximaram-se mais do obstáculo antes da ultrapassagem, aumentaram a margem de segurança sobre o obstáculo e a distância após a ultrapassagem, erraram menos e demoraram mais para ultrapassar o obstáculo. Entretanto, na velocidade alta, os participantes aumentaram ainda mais a margem de segurança sobre o obstáculo e afastaram-se mais após a ultrapassagem. Estes resultados indicam que ocorreram modificações no padrão de aproximação e ultrapassagem do obstáculo de acordo com a velocidade. / Considering that both individual and environment are dynamically related and that the individual find in the environment situations also in movement, the purpose of the present study was to analyze the locomotor strategies during crossing the obstacle, which moved in different speeds. Ten young adults, undergraduate students participated. Passive markers were attached in anatomical landmarks. Each participant walked on a pathway of 6m long and 0.5m wide and passed over an obstacle that perpendicularly (90º) crossed his/her trajectory under three velocity conditions. The results revealed that the obstacle velocity unchained spatial and temporal adjustments in all steps prior to the obstacle. During the crossing phase, the results revealed that in low speed the participants got closer to the obstacle before crossing, increased the safety margin over the obstacle, increased the foot placement after the obstacle, decreased the errors, and increased the time to pass over the obstacle. However, on the high velocity, the participants increased even more the safety margin over the obstacle and increased foot placement after the obstacle. These results showed that the obstacle velocity modulated the approach and crossing patterns.

Submitted by Rosangela Silva (rosangela.silva3@unioeste.br) on 2018-07-06T12:01:53Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Aline Viana.pdf: 2056531 bytes, checksum: 5edb7c5297a393f052e5b8bc319a1bcf (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-06T12:01:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Aline Viana.pdf: 2056531 bytes, checksum: 5edb7c5297a393f052e5b8bc319a1bcf (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-06 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / (Morphology and foliar anatomy of angiosperm species occurring in the sand fields of the Pampa biome). Part of the vegetation in the southwest of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is classified as sand fields, phytophysiognomy of the Pampa with sandy soils, susceptible to the natural process of sandstone, intensified by anthropic action. This process has contributed to a reduction in the biological diversity of the biome and is even more worrisome for species with restricted occurrence and/or the threat of extinction. The objective of this work was to characterize the leaf blade morphoanatomy of 20 angiosperm species of the sand fields, of which 8 are considered endangered, seeking to identify strategies that allow adaptation to the rural environment. To this end, individuals from different populations of each species were collected in sand-field regions of the Pampa biome. Leaf blades in frontal view were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy (LM), and transverse sections (TS) in LM. Microchemical tests were also performed in TS observed in LM. It was observed that, although they belong to distinct phylogenetic groups, many of the studied species share characteristics which can be interpreted as adaptive strategies, such as trichomes covering the entire leaf surface, stomata on both sides, compact mesophyll, druses, secretory channels, phenolic compounds, and mucilage. We conclude that these species, occurring in sand-field regions, have characteristics that confer adaptation to dry environments and/or water deficits. In this way, we emphasize the importance of the creation of conservation units in the sand-field region, aiming to preserve these species. / (Morfologia e anatomia foliar de espécies de angiospermas com ocorrência nos campos de areais do bioma pampa). Parte da vegetação do sudoeste do Rio Grande do Sul (RS) é classificada como campos de areais, fitofisionomia do Pampa que ocorre sobre solos arenosos, suscetíveis ao processo natural de arenização, intensificado pela ação antrópica. Esse processo tem contribuído para a redução da biodiversidade do bioma, sendo ainda mais preocupante para espécies com ocorrência restrita e/ou ameaçadas de extinção. Nesse contexto, esse trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a morfoanatomia da lâmina foliar de 20 espécies de angiospermas dos campos de areais do RS, das quais oito são consideradas ameaçadas de extinção, buscando identificar estratégias adaptativas ao ambiente campestre. Para isso, indivíduos de diferentes populações de cada espécie foram coletados nos municípios de Alegrete, Manoel Viana e São Francisco de Assis, RS. Lâminas foliares em vista frontal foram analisadas com microscópio eletrônico de varredura (MEV) e microscopia de luz (ML) e em secção transversal (ST) em ML, e testes microquímicos das ST. Foi possível observar que, apesar de pertencerem a grupos filogenéticos distintos, muitas das espécies estudadas compartilham características, que podem ser interpretadas como estratégias adaptativas, destacando-se: tricomas tectores cobrindo toda a superfície foliar, estômatos em ambas as faces, mesofilo compacto, drusas, canais secretores, compostos fenólicos e mucilagem. Concluímos que essas espécies com ocorrência aos campos de areais possuem características adaptativas ao ambiente seco e/ou para déficits de água. Dessa forma, ressaltamos a importância da criação de unidades de conservação na região dos campos arenosos, visando à preservação dessas espécies.

Extreme weather events have become a common occurrence and coastal communities are adversely affected by it. Studies have shown that the changing climate has increased the frequency and severity of storms, surging sea levels, and floods, as was seen with Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Typhoon Haiyan (2013). The need to be proactive in preparing for these events, as a means of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, is evident. This study focuses on the formal definition, measurement and simulation of coastal community preparedness and response to severe storm events. Preparedness and response requires resources, emergency plans, informed decision making and the ability to cope with unexpected events. A suite of preparedness indicators is developed using a three level hierarchical framework in the construction of a coastal community preparedness index to evaluate resources and plans. Informed decision making for emergency management personnel in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is evaluated through a table-top exercise using a five-phase approach. Lastly, decision making with risk is introduced with a storm decision making simulation model. This study is applied to the case of the breakwater failure in the coastal community of Little Anse, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Oceans are powered by active, metabolically diverse microorganisms, which are important in regulating biogeochemical cycles on Earth. Most of the ocean surface is often limited by nutrients, influencing bacterial growth and activities. Bacterial adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions involves extensive reprogramming, and redirection of bacterial metabolism and physiology. In this thesis, I investigated the molecular mechanisms of bacterial adaptation strategies to sustain their growth and survival, focusing on the regulation of gene and protein expression in heterotrophic marine bacteria. Comparative proteomics analyses of the growth and non-growth conditions, uncovered central adaptations that marine bacteria employ to allow them to change their metabolism to support exponential growth in response to nutrients and to readjust to stationary phase under nutrient limitation. Our results highlight that during nutrient rich conditions three distinct bacteria lineages have great similarities in their proteome. On the other hand, we observed pronounced differences in behavior between taxa during stationary phase. Analyses of the proteorhodopsin containing bacterium Vibrio sp. AND4 during starvation showed that significantly improved survival in the light compared to darkness. Notably, proteins involved in promoting cell vitality and survival had higher relative abundance under light. In contrast, cells in the dark need to degrade their endogenous resources to support their basic cellular demands under starvation. Thus, light strongly influences how PR-containing bacteria organize their molecular composition in response to starvation. Study of alternative energy generation metabolisms in the Alphaproteobacteria Phaeobacter sp. MED193 showed that the addition of thiosulfate enhanced the bacterial growth yields. Concomitantly, inorganic sulfur oxidation gene expression increased with thiosulfate compared to controls. Moreover, thiosulfate stimulated protein synthesis and anaplerotic CO2 fixation. These findings imply that this bacterium could use their lithotrophic potential to gain additional energy from sulfur oxidation for both improving their growth and survival. This thesis concludes that analyses in model organisms under defined growth conditions gives invaluable knowledge about the regulatory networks and physiological strategies that ensure the growth and survival of heterotrophic bacteria. This is critically important for interpreting bacterial responses to dynamic environmental changes. Moreover, these analyses are crucial for understanding genetic and proteomic responses in microbial communities or uncultivated organisms in terms of defining ecological niches of planktonic bacteria

While existing literature has made significant contributions on violence against human rights defenders (HRDs), there remains a gap in understanding local perceptions, leadership roles, responses to violence, and their impact on collective action for peacebuilding. This research investigates the role of HRDs in promoting territorial peace in post-conflict Colombia, addressing the question of which type of HRDs mobilization strategy increases the likelihood of territorial peace during the post-conflict. By implementing a structure focus comparison, the study analyzes two sub-regions, Northeastern of Antioquia, and Western Valle del Cauca – Buenaventura. The findings of the study support the hypothesis that the implementation of adaptive strategies by HRDs, such as approaches, adjustments, and avoidance, leads to increased levels of territorial peace, in terms of enhancing self-determination and consolidating organized protection measures. This is because as the theoretical argument suggested, adaptive strategies have facilitated HRDs' to address emerging territorial tensions and enhance their capacity for the establishment of internal and external mechanisms for peacebuilding. Moreover, these findings underscore the importance of coordinated implementation of adaptive strategies to effectively promote territorial peace. The study collected data by conducting interviews with HRDs and experts in Colombia and triangulating information from secondary data sources.

PhD (Agricultural Economics) / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / Climate change is a global phenomenon that has been of great concern and its tackle is of outmost importance for food security among other things. In response to climate change adaptation, the study intended to determine awareness of climate change, its critical determinants and impacts among farmers, particularly emerging farmers. The study also investigated socio-economic characteristics of farmers that play a vital role in selection of various adaptive strategies, furthermore, institutional factors that contributed in emerging farmers’ decision to either adapt or not to climate change were also investigated. The main aim of the study was to develop a model that could be used in future to enhance adaptation to climate change through various identified adaptive strategies in Limpopo province of South Africa. The study was conducted in five districts of Limpopo province, namely: Capricorn, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Vhembe and Waterberg. The study made use of structured questionnaire to collect data from 206 emerging farmers. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was employed to select participants of the study. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; version 25, 2017) was used to analyse the data; cross-tabulation, multinomial and binary logistic models were used for analysis. Preliminary descriptive statistics results from cross-tabulation indicated that farmers were aware of climate change; had noted various critical determinants of climate change and were aware of impacts of climate change during production seasons between 2014 and 2018. Using Multinomial Logit model, further analysis indicated that there are socio-economic characteristics that significantly influenced selection of various adaptive strategies among farmers. Variables that significantly influenced selection of various adaptive strategies were household size, farming experience, formal education, occupation, gender and monthly on-farm income. The study also discovered that institutional factors such as accessing different kinds of extension services, securing source of support and accessing climate change information such as weather forecast, positively and significantly influence farmers’ decision to adapt to climate change. Recommendations of the study were that there should be capacity building in a form of training programmes that promote climate change awareness as farmers need to be capacitated to enable them to take strategic decisions on a daily basis. Furthermore, it was also recommended that training of farmers should target illiterate farmers and farmer without off-farm occupation and specific needs of farmers should be taken into consideration when initiating adaptation initiatives as adaptation to climate change is best monitored at farm level. The study also recommended that various stakeholders such as community of practice, climatologists, and agro-meteorologists should provide various support to emerging farmers to improve farmers’ resilience towards climate change through adaptation. / NRF

<p>This dissertation is a policy driven ethnography of smallholder and alternative farmers in Indiana that centers food justice and utilizes interdisciplinary frameworks to analyze the adaptive strategies that farmers use to address the specific challenges they face. Through the implementation of adaptive strategies such as regenerative growing practices, the cultivation of community, stewardship of the land, and an emphasis on transparency, the smallholders I worked with over the course of this study negotiate complex agricultural spaces and build the resilience of their farmsteads and the communities they serve. Smallholder and alternative farmers in Indiana are reimagining the agricultural spaces they occupy and driving transformational change of dominant narratives and local food systems. Critiques of conventional agriculture and commodity production are not intended to reify binary perceptions of the agricultural paradigm, but rather to demonstrate that the critical role of smallholder and alternatives farmers should be valued as well. </p> <p> </p> <p>This research draws on four years of ethnographic research, archival sources, and close readings of policy measures and media reports to illuminate the historical context that has positioned smallholders in juxtaposition to large-scale conventional agriculture, and the critical role of smallholder farmers in driving food systems change while centering food justice and community resiliency. The driving research questions for the following essays follow: Why have small scale and alternative farmers chosen to farm (and farm differently)? What specific challenges do they face and how might these challenges be better addressed by existing support systems and new legislation? What can be learned from the alternative narratives and reimagined spaces smallholder farmers engage with? This work joins the growing body of research that challenges agricultural meta-narratives by presenting a counter-narrative of smallholder resilience and the <i>a priori</i> notion that posits agricultural technology as a panacea for everything from world hunger to economics to environmental concerns. </p>