fair trade is a business model approach that pretends to enhance the access to progress opportunities for rural populations through an empowering framework that supports small producers’ organizations and encourages investment decisions that improve welfare and sustainable development in their own communities. The values and practices underlying fair-trading emphasize a greater sensitivity on the conditions of small growers. The model integrates good agricultural practices, environmental stewardship, organizational transparency, empowerment, participative democracy, economic incentives and technology transfer in an alternative trade framework with the specific purpose of improving the income of rural producers of agricultural goods in developing countries. The most distinctive mechanism fair trade models use to improve the income of these producers is the direct payment of a minimum sales price to the farmer, which is at least equal to the market price. In exchange for this price security, the farmer commits to environmentally sound and socially responsible production practices. The main objective of this document is to provide a model for a handbook for small producers and organizations in Colombia interested in fair trade certification schemes. The paper collects relevant information for producers and organizations starting from an introduction of the fair trade system and the different labeling alternatives available in the market. It also provides general information about the background of the rural population in Colombia, useful for other audiences like researchers, and project leaders. In addition to explaining how the world’s leading fair trade labeling organization works and the procedure to obtain a certificate from them, the paper suggests screening and organizational-fitness tests intended to help interested producers and organizations to identify the suitability of the system to their own needs and detect internal strengths and weaknesses in relation to the specific certification requirements. The core of the document is a detailed analysis and compilation of the relevant compliance criteria producers and organizations must meet in order to become certificate holders and retain the certificate successfully. The standards set by the labeling body chosen for this work are paired to the compliance requirements of the respective auditing organization, local legal demands and practical guidance for compliance. The analysis is based on fair trade certification case studies, literature review and interviews with fair trade certified producers and experienced certification consultants in Colombia. Relevant local legislation and further informative documents for applicants are included in the Annexes. Its productive and demographic structure makes of fair trade schemes a relevant model for Colombia, a net producer and exporter of agricultural products. Production and trade patterns in Colombia, in combination with relentless land ownership concentration and inequality call for the implementation of alternative strategies with the potential of improving income in the short term; and strengthening capacity building, enhancing negotiation power of small farmers’ organizations and developing their skills for agro-business management in the long term.

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No description available.

GlobalGAP (previously EurepGAP) is a voluntary business-to-business standard for food audit that has recently achieved the greatest acceptance worldwide (Campbell, Lawrence & Smith 2006) boasting implementation numbers of over 80,000 farms in 80 countries. Compliance with the standard is verified by means of the third party certification (TPC) audit, and is designed to (GlobalGAP 2008) assure European retailers that exporting producers have met their criteria for safe and sustainable agriculture (GlobalGAP 2007b). In 2004, cherry growers in the Southern Interior of British Columbia became the first GlobalGAP certified producers in Canada. This novelty afforded a unique opportunity to observe the introduction of the standard in an industrialized country with well-established regulations and where the capacity of producers to undertake the process was relatively high. A qualitative methodology was used in case studies of two communities to inductively study the implementation of ‘safe and sustainable agriculture’ certification and generate relevant research questions for deeper examination. Sensitizing concepts emerging from observations of the TPC audits (n = 20) evolved into two primary research objectives; 1) to understand the practical application and diffusion of a TPC standard and 2) to explore the efficacy of the TPC standard as a mechanism to promote sustainable agriculture within certain pre-existing contexts. Forty-four follow up interviews were conducted with growers that chose to certify (n = 24), those that did not (n = 14), and other key actors (n = 3). This thesis examines the research objectives over three chapters. The introduction provides the local and global context along with a review of GlobalGAP, agri-food governance and the role of private certification and retailer power. Chapter two presents the technological and sociological factors that influenced the stages of the diffusion of GlobalGAP TPC and compares these factors and outcomes to the technological and sociological components of sustainable agriculture. In the conclusion, policy strategies are offered to maximize the potential for this tool to promote sustainable agriculture along with suggestions for future research on the topic.

Japan is one of the world’s major importers of wood products. Most of the wood entering the country is destined to Japan’s house building industry. However, Japan has been an indifferent market regarding demand of wood products certified for sustainable forest management. Current pressures that may indicate a shift in market conditions include: the recent economic recovery, increasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the new government’s public purchasing policies (PPP) titled Timber Procurement Policies. In order to assess the market prospect (in the next 5 years) for wood products certified as coming from sustainable and/or legal sources a study was completed focusing on Japanese home builders. Data was collected through a self administered mail survey of residential builders in Japan. Results show that there is a low level of understanding, as well as willingness to adopt, forest management certification among Japanese builders. Consequently, current market demand for certified products is low and builders expect little change in consumers’ demand for wood materials certified for sustainable management as well as those certified for legality in the next five years. Builders considered the most important potential drivers for increased demand for certified and/or legal wood products to be rigorously implemented public purchasing policies, followed by increasing final consumers’ demand and the growth in CSR. Builders also estimated that the positive impact of PPPs would be rather modest but widespread. Finally, builders indicated that PPPs would favour demand for certain product categories, such as: domestic wood, softwoods, wood from plantation and to a lesser degree wood from temperate forests.

2003 m rugsėjo 11 d. Lietuvos Respublikos vyriausybė patvirtino „Nacionalinę darnaus vystymosi strategiją“, kurioje įsipareigojo teikti paramą atsinaujinantiems energijos šaltiniams, tarp jų ir hidroenergetikai. Žymaus elektros gamybos padidinimo iš atsinaujinančių energijos šaltinių siekia ir ES, priėmusi Elektros, pagamintos iš atsinaujinančių energijos šaltinių, skatinimo direktyvą (Directive on the promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sourses; RES, 2009/28/EB). Tačiau Bendrosios vandens politikos direktyvos (Water Framework Directive; WFD, 2000/60/EC) vykdymas reikalauja pasiekti gerą būklę visuose vandens telkiniuose 2015 metais, o tai tampa kliūtis naujų hidroelektrinių statymui bei visos hidroenergetikos vystimuisi. Geriausia galima išeitis – hidroelektrinių sertifikavimas. Hidrojėgainės, kurios atitiktų aplinkosauginius reikalavimus, gautų žaliosios elektros energijos žymą. Šis darbas skirtas įvertinti užsienyje esamų žaliųjų sertifikavimo sistemų pritaikomumą Lietuvos sąlygomis. / In September 2003 Lithuanian Government approved the “National Sustainable Development Strategy“ in which committed to provide support for alternative energy sources, including hydropower. Approving Directive on the promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources, EU is seeking significant increase in electricity produced from renewable sources. However Water Framework Directive requires achieving good status in all water bodies in 2015. This is an obstacle to constructions of new hydroelectric power plants ant to whole hydropower development. Hydropower certification is the best possible solution. Hydropower plants, that will meet environmental requirements, will receive green label. This work is intending to evaluate adaptability of existing foreign green certification systems in Lithuanian conditions.

Pasaulio globalizacijos procesas, Lietuvos švietimo integracija į Europos Sąjungos erdvę kelia naujus reikalavimus ir mokyklų vadovams. Šiandien reikalingi aukščiausios kvalifikacijos vadybos specialistai: Kompetentingi, turintys reikiamų žinių ir įgūdžių, nuolat tobulinantys savo kvalifikaciją bei vadybinius gebėjimus, galintys daryti įtaką kaitos procesams savo mokyklose. Nesusitariama kokių kompetencijų reikia ir reikės ateityje, kai kalbama apie švietimo įstaigų vadovų gebėjimų ir kompetencijų tobulinimo būdus. Suvokiant mokyklos vadovų atestacijos svarbą gerinant švietimo kokybę kyla probleminiai klausimai: Kokie motyvacijos tipai įtakoja plėsti kompetencijas? Kokias kompetencijas mokyklos vadovai norėtų tobulinti? Ir pats svarbiausias klausimas: Koks ryšys tarp motyvacijos tipų ir kompetencijų, pateiktų mokyklos vadovų atestacijos kriterijuose? Ieškant atsakymo į šiuos klausimus dėmesys krypsta į kompetencijos tobulinimo poreikį, motyvaciją, mokymosi motyvus, kvalifikacijos kėlimą skatinančius veiksnius. Tyrimo problema: Nesutariama kokių vadybinių kompetencijų reikia ir reikės, kai kalbame apie švietimo įstaigų vadovų mokymosi motyvaciją, kompetencijų tobulinimą atestacijos procese. Tyrimo objektas: Mokyklos vadovų motyvacijos ir kompetencijų tobulinimo sąsajos. Tyrimo tikslas: Atskleisti mokyklos vadovų motyvacijos ir kompetencijų tobulinimo sąsajas atestacijos procese. Tyrimo uždaviniai: •Apžvelgti šiuolaikinės mokyklos tobulinimo sampratą, vadybinės kaitos procese... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The process of world globalization, integration of the Lithuanian education into the space of the European Union set new requirements for school managers. Today the management specialists of top qualification are necessary today: competent persons, who have necessary knowledge and skills, who are continuously improving their qualification and managing skills, and who are able to influence shift’s processes in their schools. It is not agreed what competences are and will be needed in the future with regard to managers of educational institutions (PPRC, 2007). As the importance of certification of school managers is understood for the improvement of educational quality, the problematic questions arise: what types of motivation affect improvement of qualifications? What competences would the school managers like to improve? And the most important question: what is the connection between the types of motivation and competences provided in the certification criteria of school managers? When the answer to this question is being searched for, the attention is directed to the need for improvement of competences, its motivation, learning motives, and factors, which affect the rise of qualification. Problem of the research: it is not agreed what competences are and will be needed in the future with regard to the learning motivation of the managers of educational institutions, and improvement of competences in the certification process. Object of the research: links of improvement of... [to full text]

Tyrimo tikslas- ištirti ekologiškų maisto produktų vartojimą bei požiūrį į juos tarp Vilniaus miesto suaugusių gyventojų. Metodai. Tyrimo imtis- 514 Vilniaus miesto suaugusių gyventojų. Tyrimui naudotas anoniminės anketinės apklausos metodas. Anketos klausimai buvo apie pačius respondentus, jų požiūrį į ekologiškus maisto produktus, vartojimo ir nevartojimo priežastis, produktų prieinamumą, informacijos gavimą. Duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant statistinę SPSS 14.0 programą. Statistiškai reikšmingam skirtumui tarp grupių įvertinti naudojamas Mano – Vitnio rangų sumų kriterijus (U). Kokybinių požymių statistiniam ryšiui nustatyti naudojamas chi kvadratas (&#967;2) ir apskaičiuotas šio kriterijaus laisvės laipsnių skaičius (df). Duomenų skirtumas laikomas statistiškai reikšmingu, kai p < 0,05. Rezultatai. Ekologiškus maisto produktus vartoja 82,1 % respondentų, iš jų 88,2 % moterų ir 71,2 % vyrų. Moterys vartoja statistiškai reikšmingai dažniau (p= 0,000). Tarp amžiaus grupių ir vartojimo irgi nustatytas statistiškai reikšmingas ryšys (p= 0,009), 18-34 metų amžiaus respondentai vartoja dažniau. Statistiškai reikšmingai dažniau vartoja >1501 Lt ir <500 Lt gaunantys respondentai (p=0,012), taip pat turintys aukštąjį ir profesinį išsilavinimą (p=0,029). 97,5 % atsakiusiųjų pirktų ekologiškus maisto produktus, jei tik leistų galimybės. Priežastys, lemiančios ekologiškų maisto produktų vartojimą, yra šių produktų saugumas 27,3 %, sveikumas 90,0 %, skanumas 38,9 %. Nevartojimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the research- to investigate organic food consumption and approach to it among adults in Vilnius city. Methods. Research volume- 514 adults of Vilnius city. The method of anonymous questionnaire survey was applied for the research. Questionnaire contained questions of the respondents, they approach to organic food, reasons of consumption or not, accessibility of products, obtaining information. Data analysis was performed by using the program SPSS 14.0. Mann-Whitney rank sum criterion (U) was applied for analysis of statistically significant difference between the groups. The value chi square (&#967;2) was applied for evaluation of statistic relation of qualitative features. The data difference is statistically significant when p < 0,05. Results. Organic food are used by 82,1 % respondents, 88,2 % of them was women and 71,2 %- men. Women use statistically significantly more frequently (p= 0,000). There is statistically significant relation between age groups and consumption (p= 0,009), 18-34 years old of respondents use more frequently. Statistically significantly more frequently (p=0,012) use respondents, which earn >1501 Lt and <500 Lt money, also respondents, which have higher and vocational education (p=0,029). The reasons why people use organic food are: food safety (27,3 %), health (90,0 %), good taste (38,9 %). The non- used reasons are: too expensive (53,3 %), not good taste (5,4 %), short consumption time (21,7 %), don‘t knows which food is organic (28,3... [to full text]

Labor market projections indicate a shortage of health care workers across Canada and around the world. The shortage of healthcare workers is more acute in developing nations, which grapple with weak health systems unable to address high disease burdens. This situation is made worse by the movement of health personnel in search of a better standard of living, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in developed countries such as Canada - a process known as ‘brain drain’. Brain drain has been described as ‘a perverse subsidy’ by scholars and identified as disconcerting by the World Health Organization, which calls for the ethical recruitment of internationally educated health professionals. Significant research on the migration and recertification experiences of internationally trained physicians and nurses exists but very little has been written on internationally educated midwives (IEMs). This study uses a social equity framework and insights from Foucauldian and post-colonial feminist research to explore practices of assessment and bridging programs for IEMs; the factors that impede IEM recertification; and the ways Canadian midwifery stakeholders mitigate international migration (brain drain) and poor labor integration (brain waste) of IEMs. Data collection was primarily through key informant interviews and document analysis. The study data - gathered and analyzed in 2011/12 – is reflective of the situation of midwifery during that period. Findings from the study indicate several inequities in the recertification process of IEMs, primarily in the application process to assessment and bridging programs and in financial and geographical constraints. The study also suggests a lack of discernment by midwifery stakeholders between active and passive recruitment, and tacit support of the passive recruitment of IEMs. Questions are also raised regarding the inclusivity of the Canadian midwifery model of practice and illustrate that further research is needed.

Static program analysis is a core technology for both verifying and finding errors in programs but most static analyzers are complex pieces of software that are not without error. A Static analysis formalised as an abstract interpreter can be proved sound, however such proofs are significantly harder to do on the actual implementation of an analyser. To alleviate this problem we propose to generate Verification Conditions (VCs, formulae valid only if the results of the analyser are correct) and to discharge them using an Automated Theorem Prover (ATP). We generate formulae in Many-Sorted First-Order Logic (MSFOL), a logic that has been successfully used in deductive program verification. MSFOL is expressive enough to describe the results of complex analyses and to formalise the operational semantics of object-oriented languages. Using the same logic for both tasks allows us to prove the soundness of the VC generator using deductive verification tools. To ensure that VCs can be automatically discharged for complex analyses of the heap, we introduce a VC calculus that produces formulae belonging to a decidable fragment of MSFOL. Furthermore, to be able to certify different analyses with the same calculus, we describe a family of analyses with a parametric concretisation function and instrumentation of the semantics. To improve the reliability of ATPs, we also studied the result certification of Satisfiability Modulo Theory solvers, a family of ATPs dedicated to MSFOL. We propose a modular proof-system and a modular proof-verifier programmed and proved correct in Coq, that rely on exchangeable verifiers for each of the underlying theories.