Underdevelopment is a major problem facing many developing countries around the world. Market mechanisms have increasingly been employed in an attempt to overcome the problem of underdevelopment such as low growth and poverty; however the implementation of market centred policies has raised other problems such as institutional mechanisms and the quality of governance within the institutions designed to implement the market oriented policies. This thesis attempts to throw some light on these problems by investigating the case of liberalisation in the Kenyan coffee industry. The thesis concentrates on the question of the extent to which the liberalisation program sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Government of Kenya (GOK) has been effective in creating an efficiently functioning market within the coffee sector in particular and the Kenyan macro-economy in general. The research finds that on the whole the liberalisation program targeted at the coffee sector has failed to take into account the institutional conditions and the extent of state centred features like rent seeking and centralised decision makings powers within the coffee sector prior to implementing the liberalisation program. The resulting market arrangement has therefore adversely affected the program’s intended recipients, particularly at the level of cooperative institution where the interests of the small-scale farmers are represented. The thesis will elaborate more on this and relate its findings to the macro-economic view of Kenya. The conclusion shows that in order for the Kenyan economy to break free from the problems of underdevelopment and to generate sustainable rates of growth, more attention must be given to improving the quality of governance and to developing a credible set of institutions to support and execute market-friendly economic policies. Good quality governance represented by accountability, transparency, rule of law, stability and efficiency appears to be the missing ingredient in making Kenya a successful economy.

Masters of Science / Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health / Edgar Chambers IV / In today’s market, there is a growing demand for high-quality coffee with distinctive sensory characteristics. An example of such coffees is the cold brew which has become quite popular. Despite the increasing prevalence of cold drip/brewed coffee, little-published research exists on the factors that impact the sensory characteristics of cold brew coffee. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of a) degree of roasting, b) coffee to water ratio (C2WR) and c) brewing methods on cold brew coffee from d) Ugandan coffee beans. Four distinct coffee samples, sourced from different lowland and mountainous regions in Uganda, were roasted and tested using a factorial design that allowed comparison of all main factors (a-d) and their interactions. The samples were evaluated by a highly trained sensory panel based on 42 attributes from a previously published coffee lexicon. Results showed that all aspects studied (Ugandan variety, roast degree, C2WR, and brewing method) had an impact on most of the attributes. For example, Robusta coffees generally had a more bitter taste than Arabica coffees and the Dark roast samples generally were more bitter than the Medium roast coffees. In addition, coffee samples that were brewed using a higher coffee to water ratio (C2WR) generally were more bitter than the coffees that were brewed using a lower C2WR. However, although most of the main effects had a significant impact, their effects were mitigated by their interaction with other factors. For example, Medium roast Robusta that was slow-dripped with a high C2WR had a more bitter taste than the corresponding Arabica samples however when the Medium roast Robusta was steeped with a high C2WR it had a similar bitter intensity with the corresponding Arabica samples. Thus, although major impacts are critical, individual sample combinations must be considered when evaluating coffee samples for their impact on the sensory characteristics.

Through field surveys and laboratory experiments, this study assessed in part the impacts of host plant, natural enemies, and weather variables on coffee leafminer Leucoptera coffeella distribution and abundance at two elevations and two rainfall levels in coffee farms in Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, a checklist of Neotropical coffee leafminer parasitoids was assembled from field collections and literature review. Coffee leafminer field incidence was positively correlated with leaf nitrogen content and age, but in laboratory experiments coffee leafminers grew larger, developed faster, and had higher survivorship on leaves with moderate (2.9±0.01%) versus low (2.5±0.04%) or high (3.4±0.01%) nitrogen level, and on tough versus soft leaves. Ovipositional preference was not generally for leaves that maximized offspring performance. Coffee leafminer incidence was higher during the rainy versus dry season, and at low versus high elevation. Shade cover reduced ambient temperatures within coffee farms, but did not significantly affect coffee leafminer incidence. The coffee leafminer predator complex included 16 morphospecies, ~88% of them ants (Formicidae), and contributed >58% of real mortality. Predation rates were higher at high versus low elevation, and under high versus low rainfall. Predation was the main source of coffee leafminer mortality throughout the year, and was highest during the rainy season, when coffee leafminer incidence was highest. Neotropical coffee leafminer parasitoids included 23 species of Eulophidae and seven of Braconidae. In Chiapas, 22 larval parasitoid morphospecies were collected. Egg and pupal parasitoids were not recovered. Parasitism accounted for <10% of real mortality, and rates were 8-10-fold higher at low versus high elevation. Parasitism rates were not significantly influenced by temperature or rainfall. Coffee leafminer oviposited mostly during the night, and less under low versus high temperatures. Average monthly temperature minima, which occur during the night, were generally lower at high (~18 oC) versus low (~20 oC) elevation farms. The incidence and abundance of coffee leafminer may differ between elevations due to differences in temperature, because at high elevation lower temperatures likely reduced coffee leafminer oviposition, and may have increased its mortality rate as a consequence of longer development time and exposure to natural enemies.

Through field surveys and laboratory experiments, this study assessed in part the impacts of host plant, natural enemies, and weather variables on coffee leafminer Leucoptera coffeella distribution and abundance at two elevations and two rainfall levels in coffee farms in Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, a checklist of Neotropical coffee leafminer parasitoids was assembled from field collections and literature review. Coffee leafminer field incidence was positively correlated with leaf nitrogen content and age, but in laboratory experiments coffee leafminers grew larger, developed faster, and had higher survivorship on leaves with moderate (2.9±0.01%) versus low (2.5±0.04%) or high (3.4±0.01%) nitrogen level, and on tough versus soft leaves. Ovipositional preference was not generally for leaves that maximized offspring performance. Coffee leafminer incidence was higher during the rainy versus dry season, and at low versus high elevation. Shade cover reduced ambient temperatures within coffee farms, but did not significantly affect coffee leafminer incidence. The coffee leafminer predator complex included 16 morphospecies, ~88% of them ants (Formicidae), and contributed >58% of real mortality. Predation rates were higher at high versus low elevation, and under high versus low rainfall. Predation was the main source of coffee leafminer mortality throughout the year, and was highest during the rainy season, when coffee leafminer incidence was highest. Neotropical coffee leafminer parasitoids included 23 species of Eulophidae and seven of Braconidae. In Chiapas, 22 larval parasitoid morphospecies were collected. Egg and pupal parasitoids were not recovered. Parasitism accounted for <10% of real mortality, and rates were 8-10-fold higher at low versus high elevation. Parasitism rates were not significantly influenced by temperature or rainfall. Coffee leafminer oviposited mostly during the night, and less under low versus high temperatures. Average monthly temperature minima, which occur during the night, were generally lower at high (~18°C) versus low (~20°C) elevation farms. The incidence and abundance of coffee leafminer may differ between elevations due to differences in temperature, because at high elevation lower temperatures likely reduced coffee leafminer oviposition, and may have increased its mortality rate as a consequence of longer development time and exposure to natural enemies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thèse principale--Paris. / Bibliography: p. [29]-55.

Thesis (M.E.S.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Environmental Studies. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-144). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ59551.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main drivers of biodiversity loss, especially in the tropics, where the transformation of forested areas into agriculture is predicted to increase dramatically in the next five decades. Although several studies have elucidated the negative impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, recent work suggests that some agro-ecosystems, such as coffee plantations, are potential key environments for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study evaluated the role of different coffee production types (sun-exposed, semi-shade and shade in polycultures or monocultures) on the bird communities associated with these agro-ecosystems in the tropical Andes of Colombia. It used a guild-specific approach and nonparametric statistical methods to identify the influence of particular environmental, ecological and landscape variables on the bird community assemblage and to assess potential changes in the species composition among management type. The potential responses of avifauna to fragmentation were studied from three different perspectives: i) from a patch-level point of view, evaluating the effect of local habitat factors (e.g. canopy cover, type of crop and crop management type); ii) from a species point of view, evaluating the role of species ecological traits (e.g. feeding habitat); and iii) from a landscape point of view, evaluating the effect of landscape configuration variables (e.g. patch area and perimeter length). The results indicated that polyculture and shade coffee crops host the most diverse avian communities and that guild representativeness varied among different coffee crop types. The type of coffee production type and the habitat characteristics associated with them seemed to have the greatest influences on families such as flycatchers, hummingbirds and wrens. Finally, coffee plantations can potentially contribute to the maintenance of bird diversity in anthropogenic landscapes; however these benefits are strongly influenced by the type of crop management. The maintenance of traditional coffee production (shade polyculture coffee) is recommended, and should be economically and socially encouraged. / text

Thesis (M.S.) in Forestry--University of Maine, 2004. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-88).

Proefschrift--Leyden. / "Samenvatting": p. 84-88. "Stellingen" ([2] leaves) inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-83).