Diss. Univ. Zürich, 2006.

Dissertation (Dr. nat. techn.) -- Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-167) and indexes of figures and tables.

Universit́e, Diss., 2004--Heidelberg.

Originally published as: Thesis (doctoral)--Wageningen Universiteit, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-201).

A study on gender roles in mangroves management was conducted in Trieu Phuoc and Trieu Do communes of Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province to gain a better understanding of gender roles in mangrove management. Research showed that local people are mainly dependent on fishing and aquaculture around the mangroves. Women have a good understanding about the role of mangroves and they are associated with mangroves not less than men, but so far their role has been overlooked. Mangrove management process seems to exclude women. This reduces the common management capacity of community. In addition, communities do not have a common regulation on the management and protection of mangrove forest resources and environment. A number of solutions are recommended such as strengthening the participation of civil society and women in mangrove forest management, developing a mangrove protection strategy and community-based regulations including gender. / Nghiên cứu về vai trò giới trong quản lý rừng ngập mặn (RNM) được thực hiện trên địa bàn 2 xã Triệu Phước và Triệu Độ của huyện Triệu Phong, tỉnh Quảng Trị nhằm có được sự hiểu biết hơn về vai trò giới trong quản lý RNM. Nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng người dân ở đây chủ yếu sống dựa vào việc đánh bắt và nuôi trồng thủy sản tại khu vực RNM. Phụ nữ có hiểu biết khá tốt về vai trò crò RNM và họ gắn liền với RNM không kém nam giới, nhưng cho đến nay vai trò của họ gần như không được nhìn nhận. Công tác quản lý RNM còn hạn chế nữ giới tham gia. Điều này làm giảm năng lực quản lý chung của cộng đồng. Ngoài ra các cộng đồng vẫn chưa có quy ước chung về quản lý, bảo vệ tài nguyên và môi trường RNM. Từ đó nghiên cứu đề xuất một số giải pháp như tăng cường sự tham gia của các tổ chức dân sự và phụ nữ trong quản lý RNM, xây dựng chiến lược bảo tổn RNM và các quy ước quản lý RNM dựa vào cộng đồng bao gồm giới.

Afrikanisches einheimisches Gemüse (AIVs) hat in letzter Zeit in ganz Afrika südlich der Sahara (SSA) aufgrund des zunehmenden Bewusstseins für deren Ernährung und gesundheitlichen Nutzen größere Anerkennung gefunden. Dieses wachsende Verbraucherbewusstsein hat zu einer erhöhten Nachfrage nach AIV-Verbrauch geführt, was wiederum zu einer verstärkten Produktion von AIV geführt hat. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher, das Ausmaß und die zugrunde liegenden Faktoren zu bewerten, die Einfluss auf die Einführung nachhaltiger Intensivierungsmethoden (SIPs) haben (Einsatz von verbesserten Bewässerungssystemen, integrierte Bodendüngung, organischer Dünger und AIV - Diversifizierung) (2) Die Übernahme von SIP in Bezug auf den Lebensunterhalt der Landwirte und (3) eine Bewertung der wirtschaftlichen Leistung und der ökologischen Ergebnisse von Bodendüngungsstrategien, um Bodenbewirtschaftungsstrategien zu empfehlen, die die Produktion, den Lebensunterhalt und den Klimaschutz optimieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Einsatz von organischem Dünger und die Diversifizierung der AIV in ländlichen und stadtnahen Produktionsgebieten weit verbreitet waren, wohingegen verbesserte Bewässerungssysteme und ein integriertes Bodenfruchtbarkeitsmanagement eher gering waren und in ländlichen Gebieten sogar erheblich niedriger waren als in Stadtrandgebieten. Darüber hinaus wurden Komplementaritäten und Substituierbarkeiten zwischen SIPs identifiziert, was darauf hindeutet, dass eine Änderung der Richtlinien, die sich auf ein einzelnes SIP auswirkt, Auswirkungen auf andere verwandte SIPs haben kann. Die Ergebnisse der Determinanten von SIP zeigen, dass die Marktintegration, das Haushaltseinkommen und die städtischen Gemüseproduktionsumgebungen die Haupttreiber der Akzeptanz waren. Darüber hinaus erhöht die Einführung von SIPs sowohl das Gesamteinkommen der Haushalte als auch die Ernte. Darüber hinaus optimiert die integrierte Strategie zur Bodenfruchtbarkeit die Wirtschafts- und Umweltleistung. Daher ist ein integriertes Bodenfruchtbarkeitsmanagement ein möglicher Weg, um die AIV-Produktion nachhaltig zu intensivieren. / African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have recently gained greater recognition across sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) because of increased awareness on their nutrition and health benefits. This rising consumer consciousness has caused an increase in demand for consumption of AIVs, which in turn has led to increased intensification of AIV production. The aim of this thesis was therefore, to evaluate the level and underlying factors influencing the adoption of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) (use of improved irrigation systems, integrated soil fertilisation, organic manure and AIV diversification), (2) examined the impacts of SIP adoption on farmers’ livelihoods, and (3) assessed economic performance and ecological outcomes of soil fertilisation strategies in order to recommend soil fertility management strategies which optimises production, livelihood and climate trade-offs. The results revealed that use of organic manure and AIV diversification were widely adopted across rural and peri-urban production areas while improved irrigation systems and integrated soil fertility management was rather low, and even significantly lower in rural areas than in peri-urban areas. Moreover, complementarities and substitutabilities between SIPs were also identified indicating that a change in policy affecting a single SIP might have a spill over effect on other related SIPs. The results of determinants of SIPs shows that market integration, household income and peri-urban vegetable production environments were the major drivers of adoption. In addition, adoption of SIPs significantly increases both total household and crop incomes. Furthermore, integrated soil fertility manage strategy optimises economic and environmental performance. Therefore, integrated soil fertility management is a potential pathway to sustainably intensify AIV production.

The agricultural sector of Andean countries like Peru and Bolivia perceives the consequences of climate change in increasing water stress due to melting glaciers and changing precipitation patterns. Therefore mainly subsistence agricultural systems are increasingly vulnerable. Traditional inhabitants of the tropical Andean region are aware of the recurrent diversity of climate related impacts and its consequences, thus livelihood strategies are based on principles of risk management. Andean farmers are nowadays applying traditional strategies in a combination of homegrown experimentation and scientific know-how to cope with and adapt to a changing climate. Understanding these adaptations has become one of the most important aspects of research into climate change impacts and vulnerability. It provides essential knowledge for developing and transferring strategies towards a sustainable management in agriculture and agroforestry systems. But there still is a lack of a comparative assessment, especially in regions with high impact of extreme climate conditions. The endogenously determined strategies, which are based on the experience of the farmers, are to be complemented by knowledge and experiences coming from outside farm-household systems and communities. In a collaborative way, this exogenous knowledge is to be placed at the disposal of local actors. The necessary network approach leads to a comprehensive involvement of local stakeholders. Therefore a participative network on climate change may work as a tool to bridge the gap between the global discourse on climate change and local action.

The agricultural sector of Andean countries like Peru and Bolivia perceives the consequences of climate change in increasing water stress due to melting glaciers and changing precipitation patterns. Therefore mainly subsistence agricultural systems are increasingly vulnerable. Traditional inhabitants of the tropical Andean region are aware of the recurrent diversity of climate related impacts and its consequences, thus livelihood strategies are based on principles of risk management. Andean farmers are nowadays applying traditional strategies in a combination of homegrown experimentation and scientific know-how to cope with and adapt to a changing climate. Understanding these adaptations has become one of the most important aspects of research into climate change impacts and vulnerability. It provides essential knowledge for developing and transferring strategies towards a sustainable management in agriculture and agroforestry systems. But there still is a lack of a comparative assessment, especially in regions with high impact of extreme climate conditions. The endogenously determined strategies, which are based on the experience of the farmers, are to be complemented by knowledge and experiences coming from outside farm-household systems and communities. In a collaborative way, this exogenous knowledge is to be placed at the disposal of local actors. The necessary network approach leads to a comprehensive involvement of local stakeholders. Therefore a participative network on climate change may work as a tool to bridge the gap between the global discourse on climate change and local action.

This paper examines the extent to which the economic gains derived from gum and resin commercialization impact rural livelihood improvement under different resource management regimes in the drylands of Ethiopia and Sudan. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 240 randomly selected small-scale producers in four regions with gradients of resource management regimes. The survey was supplemented by secondary data, group discussions and key informant interviews. In the four regions, gum and resin income contributes to 14%–23% of the small-scale producers’ household income. Absolute income was positively correlated with resource management regime and commercialization level. It was higher from cultivated resources on private lands, followed by regulated access to wild resources. In open-access resources, the producers’ income was the lowest, although accessed by the poor and women. However, dependence on gum and resin was higher in open-access resource areas. Households’ socioeconomic characteristics, resource access, production and marketing variables determining income from gum and resin were identified and their variation across the cases is discussed. Overall, gum and resin commercialization in the study areas play a potential poverty alleviation role as a source of regular income, a safety net, and a means of helping producers move out of poverty.

Ghana has experienced a remarkable degradation and depletion of its forest resources over the last 100 years. This process has undermined the socio-economic and socio-cultural importance of the forests for millions of rural people who depend on the resource to support their livelihood. Many rural households have over the past three decades developed strategies to minimize the effects of forest depletion on their livelihood. The establishment of smallholder forest plantation on agricultural land has emerged as an important form of land-use for households to diversify their sources of income and also improve their socio-economic well-being. The main objective of the study was to identify and analyze the endogenous and exogenous factors inducing farm household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation and to analyze its financial contribution to household’s income and livelihood strategies. The study involved a survey of 280 randomly selected farm households from five communities in the Offinso district in Ghana. The multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select as many as 165 households with farm forest plantation as well as 115 without farm forest plantation. A mixture of tools including semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, wealth ranking, forest inventory and market surveys were used to collect the required data. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that the age of the household head, the number of years of education of the household head, the amount of household labor, the size of household landholding, the ownership of permanent land, the availability of non-agricultural land and household’s participation in past forest plantation development projects are the most important endogenous factors influencing the farm household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation. On the other hand, exogenous factors such as the availability of market and buyers for farm forest products and farm household’s satisfaction with market prices for farm forest products positively influenced the household’s decision to establish farm forest plantation. Prohibitive rules and regulations relating to the harvesting of trees and transportation of timber from private lands and uncertainty in tree tenure as a result of ambiguous policy framework, however, negatively influenced the decision to establish smallholder forest plantation on their agricultural land. The results from household income portfolio analysis show that cash income from selling farm forest products contributed an average of $273.6 to total household’s income in one agricultural season. This amount accounted for 17.6% of total household’s income and represented the second most important source of income after agriculture. The profitability of different land-uses practiced by the households was analyzed using a conventional economic method (Net Present Value). The results from a comparative financial analysis show that the establishment of teak plantation on agricultural land inter-cropped with food crops is the most profitable form of land use for the households compared to pure teak plantation and maize-plantain cultivation. The results of the study underscore the potential contribution of smallholder farm forest plantation to increase the overall household’s income and thereby improve household’s well-being. / Ghana hat während der letzten 100 Jahre eine bemerkenswerte Degradation und Verminderung seines Waldvorkommens erlebt. Dieser Prozess hat die sozio-ökonomische und sozial-kulturelle Bedeutung des Waldes als Einkommensquelle zur Unterstützung des Lebensunterhalts für Millionen ländlicher Einwohner geschwächt. Während der letzen 30 Jahre haben viele Kleinbauern Haushalte Strategien entwickelt um den Effekt, den die Verminderung des Waldvorkommens auf ihren Lebensunterhalt hat, zu minimieren. Die Anlage kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Ackerland hat sich dabei als wichtige Form der Landnutzung erwiesen, da sie eine Einkommensquelle zusätzlich zu den vorhandenen bedeuten. Sie haben das Potential, die sozio-ökonomiche Situation der Bevölkerung zu verbessern. Ziel der Studie war die Identifizierung von internen und externen Faktoren, die bedeutend zur Entscheidung von Haushalten über die Errichtung kleinflächiger Forstplantagen beitragen. Desweiteren sollten der finanzielle Beitrag der Forstplantagen zum Einkommen und zu Strategien der Kleinbauern analysiert werden. Für die Sudie werden Datensätze von 280 zufällig ausgewählten landwirtschaftlichen Haushalten aus fünf Gemeinden im Offinso Distrikt in Ghana erfasst. Die mehrstufig aufgebaute zufällige Auswahltechnik wurde benutzt, um die 165 Haushalte mit Forstplantagen und 115 Haushalten ohne Forstplantagen für die Studie auszuwählen. Mehrere Instrumente, wurden genutzt um die benötigten Daten zu sammeln darunter vor allem semi-strukturierte Befragungen, fokusierte Gruppendiskussionen, Wohlstandsranking der Haushalte und eine Forstinventur. Ergebnisse einer logistischen Regressionsanalyse ergaben, dass das Alter des Haushaltsvorstands, die Anzahl der Ausbildungsjahre des Haushaltsvorstands, die Anzahl der im Haushalt vorhandenen Arbeitskräfte, die Größe des dem Haushalt zur Verfügung stehenden Ackerlandes, das Eigentum an Ackerland, verfügbare nicht-landwirtschaftlich nutzbare Flächen und die Teilnahme der Haushalte an Projekten zur Forstplantagenentwicklung die wichtigsten internen Faktoren für die Entscheidung der Kleinbauern zur Errichtung von kleinflächiger Forstpantagen darstellen. Andererseits beeinflussten externe Faktoren wie das Vorhandensein von Markt und Käufern für Produkte der Forstplantagen und die Zufriedenheit der Haushalte mit den gebotenen Marktpreisen für diese Produkte die Entscheidung der Kleinbauern zur Errichtung von Forstplantagen positiv. Demgegenüber beeinflussten Verbote und einschränkende Regelungen zur Ernte und zum Transport von Bäumen auf Privatland und die Unsicherheit bezüglich des Eigentums an den Bäumen als Ergebniss unklarer politischer Vorgaben die Entscheidung zur Errichtung von kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Ackerland negativ. Das Ergebniss der Analyse verschiedene Haushaltseinkommensquellen zeigt, dass das Jahreseinkommen der Haushalte mit Forstplantagen höher ist als das der Haushalte ohne Forstplantagen. Der Beitrag zum Jahreseinkommen aus dem Verkauf von Produkten der kleinflächiger Forstplantagen betrug im Durchschnitt 273,6 USD in einer landwirtschaftlichen Saison. Dies entsprach 17,6 % des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens und stellte somit die zweitwichtigste Einkommensquelle nach der Landwirtschaft dar. Die Rentabilität der verschiedenen Landnutzungsarten wurde mit der Kapitalwertmethode (Net Present Value) ermittelt. Diese vergleichende Analyse zeigte, dass kleinflächiger Forstplantagen auf Agrarland bei gleichzeitigem Anbau von Nahrungsmittel die profitabelste Art der Landnutzung für die Haushalte im Vergeich zu ausschließlichem Teakanbau und zum Anbau von Mais mit Kochbanane ist. Die Ergebnisse der Studie unterstreichen das Potential kleinflächiger Forstplantagen, einen Beitrag zur Steigerung des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens und zur Verbesserung des Lebensstandards der Haushalte leisten zu können.