Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Gerald J. Kauffman, Institute for Public Administration. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 326-369). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 22, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

This study seeks to benchmark financial efficiencies for vegetable food crop production and to demonstrate that local vegetable food crop growing is a viable option. The work identifies techniques for communities to increase sustainability on small land plots in Wales [UK]. Initial research shows limited availability of systematic data on harvest quantities and financial returns for small scale growing of vegetable food crops. When interviewed, 37 growers from an initial total of 40 were either reluctant to provide, or had failed to keep, written records of vegetable production, their costs and sales statistics. The information provided by the 37 for comprehensive personal interview questionnaires is mainly derived from memory. Organic registered growers are notionally required to keep precise production and other details by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Analysis of the memorised data showed in most instances that outputs generated were not sufficient to support inputs. This study highlights the difficulties of collecting and collating sufficient accurate data and systematic to establish reliable benchmarks for small agricultural enterprises. Data Envelopment Analysis software initially identifies efficient and inefficient producers from the data collected but a simpler more readily understandable analysis system is now used which identifies changes in input variables needed to gauge efficiency. This study is set against a theoretical examination of global economic events that combine to discourage localisation. The overall aim is to show that in a global production framework there are hidden, deferred and obscured costs that make those processes unsustainable. Study of the produce of smallholdings and allotments in Wales allows some tentative conclusions to be drawn about appropriate benchmarks for local vegetable food crop production. This study is more important however, for the light it sheds on the current quality of data available for analysing small scale agricultural production and the general difficulties of conducting a survey to collect robust data, the analysis of which has policy implications for production, consumption and lifestyle.

My project discusses the important philosophical role that interacting with nature (as opposed to having limited access to nature preserves and the like) plays in the life of an individual. As such I discuss the biological implications for experiences of real (as contrasted with simulated) nature and, in so doing, also discuss the connection of biology to philosophy. I go on to discuss the sociological and psychological ramifications of this interactive relationship through notions such as love and community and their ties to philosophy. I then close with a discussion of the necessity of artistic expression and how those endeavors can be manifested or realized in and through experience with natural environments.

The current study aimed at investigating the sustainability of KwaZakhele's Permaculture Project and was conducted in the Eastern Cape Province within the Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality at Ward 22 according to Municipal Ward demarcations. The researcher was motivated to carry out this study due to the fact that many food production projects in the NMMM are not sustainable and thus contribute to food insecurity and a high rate of unemployment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of permaculture projects in solving some of the food insecurity and unemployment issues in the NMMM. The KwaZakhele Permaculture Project (KPP) is a vegetable garden which produces different types of vegetables for marketing purposes and for household consumption. The KPP is supported financially by overseas-based organisations and have created ten direct work opportunities for KwaZakhele community. All the project members of the KPP are women. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study, with the emphasis of collecting primary data from the project participants as well as consulting secondary data from sources such as academic journals, books and government policy documents. The study reveals that permaculture design training and project monitoring are the most important developmental support permaculture projects need before and after implementation. The study also determined that the costs of establishing permaculture project can be higher or lower depending on the project size. Consultation and co-ordination fees account for a greater portion of the funding followed by permaculture infrastructure. The results of the study also indicate that permaculture design principles and ethics are seen as a strength for the sustainability of KPP.

Title supplied by cataloger. / M.S. Florida State College for Women 1914 / Includes bibliographical references

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