Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in rural southwest Virginia as a source of household sustenance and supplemental income. The trade in NTFPs from this region is centuries old and now helps supply growing worldwide demands. Although marketing is a vital part of optimizing the value of these products, it has been ignored in rural natural resource development. This research analyzes marketing systems for selected NTFPs in southwest Virginia by describing marketing chains, interpreting data on important marketing elements, and comparing results within and between different groups of NTFPs. Product categories selected for emphasis are crafts (grapevine wreaths, baskets, furniture, and birdhouses), medicinal and herbal products, specialty wood products (musical instruments), and edible forest products. This qualitative, exploratory study utilizes direct interviews with fifty market players at various levels in marketing chains. Results provide information on NTFP products, value addition, market outlets, pricing, promotion, distribution, and marketing chains. Hundreds of people are involved with the NTFP trade in southwest Virginia and marketing can help ameliorate negative effects of job scarcity. The greatest opportunity for local level marketing exists for market players of crafts and specialty wood products. Medicinal and herbal products are the only category which very little local value addition takes place within the region and as a result, market players have minimal control over marketing. Edible forest products are not marketed but are collected only for consumption in the household. Several opportunities for marketing include improving market access for crafts and specialty wood products, increasing production through cultivation for medicinal and herbal products, and developing capacity for edible product cultivation. / Master of Science

Scope and contents: An investigation into some arctic soils located on Southwest Devon Island. Some aspects of chemical weathering in the area are considered and detailed studies of patterned ground are undertaken. A terrain map was compiled to locate the major areas of soils and mineral and organic covers and to show this relationship to relief units. / No abstract provided. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The communal breeding system of the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani) was studied at two wildlife refuges in southwest Puerto Rico. Groups ranged in size from 2 to 9 adults, and communal clutches ranged in size from 11 to more than 25 eggs. Microsatellite DNA loci were isolated and used to examine the mating system and the extent of reproductive skew in individual groups. Loci were also screened in guira cuckoos (Guira guira) to examine the relationships suggested by Quinn et al. (1994). In the four focal smooth-billed ani groups, I found suggestions of monogamy, polygamy, and incidents of intraspecific brood parasitism. In all groups, incubated clutch size and microsatellite data indicate that subordinate females are gaining some reproductive success. At one nest, evidence suggested a decrease in the intensity of reproductive skew between successive nests. Although the data are limited, they suggest that alternative strategies to monogamy may be more prevalent than previously believed, and that reproductive skew may be affected by the availability of limiting resources within the breeding season. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

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Just and equitable responses to the disparate impacts of climate change on communities and individuals throughout the world are at the heart of the concept of climate justice. Commodification, in the context of my research, is the process of monetizing nature and livelihoods for the purpose of surplus accumulation and profit maximization. In this study, my aim was to contextualize the concepts of climate injustice, disaster capitalism, and the commodification of lives and livelihoods in the specific setting of disaster vulnerability in southwest coastal Bangladesh. By conducting a case study in Kamarkhola and Sutarkhali regions of southwest coastal Bangladesh, I utilized discourse analysis and content analysis of livelihood interviews, semi-structured interviews, and policy documents to demonstrate the conceptual interrelation among global climate change, climate injustice, disaster capitalism, and capitalist expansion in environmentally precarious areas. I argue that in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh, the vulnerability to disasters stems from a complex and multifaceted layer of social hierarchies and inequalities, entwined with factors such as class and power relations. I also argue that Inequalities in the political, economic, and social realms have a key role in imposing vulnerability on disadvantaged people living in ecologically vulnerable areas. The perpetuation of inequality is sustained by the expansion and accumulation of capital through the dispossession and exploitation of natural resources. The existing approaches to climate change adaptation in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh are deeply entrenched in neoliberal capitalism. The introduction of neoliberal economic policies, such as the privatization of state lands and the promotion of export-oriented aquaculture, created favorable conditions for capitalist expansion in environmentally vulnerable places through "accumulation by dispossession."

Virginia's temperate climate is suitable for several mosquito species capable of transmitting pathogens to humans. In southwest Virginia, La Crosse encephalitis and West Nile fever are most prominent. The objective of this research, which uses the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical framework, is to assess knowledge of mosquito-borne disease in southwest Virginia, as well as perceptions and practices of mosquito prevention. Given that several cases of La Crosse encephalitis have been reported in Wise and Tazewell counties, they were selected as study sites to conduct surveys. Five demographic and socioeconomic variables (gender, age, income, education level and length of time one has lived in the county) were used as predictor variables in logistic regression analyses. Gender, age, and length of residence time in the county were found to be statistically significant predictors of specific health-related behaviors. Within the framework of the HBM, barriers to removing standing water around the home and wearing insect repellent were highlighted. Knowledge of mosquito-borne diseases within the area was generally low, with only one individual correctly identifying La Crosse encephalitis as a threat in the region. Higher numbers (6%) were aware of West Nile virus, while 4% reported malaria in the region, demonstrating a disconnect between actual and perceived risk. These results can enhance existing public health programs by increasing knowledge, addressing public uncertainty about insect repellent safety, and addressing ways to make recommended practices more effective with the knowledge of how different aspects are perceived by varying groups within the community. / Master of Science

Agricultural production in Southwest Virginia is characterized by numerous small, geographically disperse farms dedicated to traditional practices of producing tobacco and cattle. Community leaders have expressed the desire to diversify the region's agricultural production base to include potentially more profitable commodities such as horticultural crops. In order for the small growers to penetrate the fresh horticultural market and compete with the larger production regions, they must organize themselves into a farmer cooperative that allows them to pool resources, reduce costs, and share risk. A successful cooperative will increase farm incomes for the region's producers. The co-op will strive to obtain a higher price for the commodities produced than that price which can be obtained by growers acting independently. The increase in farm incomes should offset forecasted decreases in agricultural incomes resulting from declines in the region's traditional production activities. Increased farm incomes for a large number of small growers should have a substantial impact on agricultural producers, marketers, and equipment suppliers and lead to economic development for the region as a whole. Several past horticultural cooperative efforts have been publicly financed and eventually failed for a wide variety of reasons. The methodology used in this research include surveying and interviewing marketing specialists, co-op managers, growers, extension agents, horticulturists, and other experts involved with both successful and failed cooperative efforts. The data gathered from these interviews has been used to identify key factors that have contributed to the success or failure of the other cooperative efforts. Based on the key factors identified from the research, a specific cooperative structure has been developed for the Southwest Virginia growers. This organizational structure incorporates into its legal documentation (bylaws, business plan, and marketing agreement) the critical factors that must be carried out by members, management, extension, and marketers in order to increase the probability for the cooperative's long-term survival and profitability. / Master of Science