Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis discusses whether participation in two voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) has improved the capacity of coffee producers to upgrade, and the extent to which it has brought economic benefits and reduced their exposure to risk and vulnerability. These debates are addressed using the Global Value Chain (GVC) perspective, including recent contributions that integrate poverty considerations, to assess the implications for coffee growers of participating in the specialty coffee value chain. In this analysis, particular emphasis is given to differences according to farm size. The study focuses on the Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM programme and Fairtrade certification in Colombia, comparing the two treatment groups with a control sample of similar conventional producers. In addition to this, a comparison between two groups of AAA producers was carried out. The data comes from three rounds of surveys and two periods of field work. To assess differences over time and construct a robust counterfactual this thesis combines Propensity Score Matching (PSM) with the difference-in-difference (DID) analytic approach. VSS initiatives have been promoted as a way of improving the livelihoods of small producers, with extensive implementation in coffee production. The analysis shows that interventions to facilitate upgrading and support the involvement of producers in VSS do not produce consistent improvements over time for most of the indicators analysed. Therefore, the potential of VSS to generate significant improvements in livelihoods for certified producers, could take both a longer time and require greater institutional efforts to build capacities. This finding needs to be considered in light of strong institutional support for all coffee producers in Colombia, which could offset the impact of VSS support. In terms of livelihood-related variables, the analysis shows that participating producers became more dependent on coffee revenues (as there was no significant expansion of cash production), reduced their share of haired labour during the period of study and paid these workers less than the minimum wage. These trends are similar to those of the conventional producers, since the analysis did not find significant differences over time. The outcomes of the analysis by farm size draws a bleak picture for smallholders below one hectare. The main conclusion that can be drawn from the evidence is that the farm size constrained both the potential upgrading opportunities from VSS and their chances of gaining sustainable incomes. The political economy effects of these disappointing results, both for certified producers and producers thinking about certification, must be analysed carefully, as growers' expectations of improving their economic and social viability through the adoption VSS are lower than expected. As such, VSS initiatives cannot be the only strategy for helping very small coffee producers to overcome the structural restrictions and limitations they have faced for decades.

Thesis (D.Com.)(Agricultural Economics)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

This thesis contains a detailed study of the activities related to fishing from the Yorkshire coast. It further outlines the broader development of the English Fishing industry, together with the role of the State, whilst tracing its relationship and interaction with other areas of the economy and society during the years under review.In contrast to the trawling industry based on Hull and Grimsby, the Yorkshire coast communities were long established fishing stations. This thesis seeks to examine the way that the traditional activities of these communities altered, adapted and developed in response to the forces of rapid change that were then prevalent. It looks in particular, at changes in fishing and marketing practices and at alterations in the structure of ownership amongst the fishing fleet, whilst outlining the development of port and harbour facilities for the industry.An analysis of the causes behind the rapid spread of trawling along the North Seacoast- has been undertaken together with an assessment of the value of the Silver Pits to the first smack fishermen. The initial problems and benefits associated with the carriage of fish by rail have also been dealt with in some detail as has the later development of steam fishing.The work also charts the associated development of the Yorkshire coast herring fishery. It furthermore, seeks to explain the causes of decline which afflicted all sectors of the local industry from the 1880s onwards.In all areas of this thesis, the research work undertaken has utilised a wide variety of primary sources including records of both local and national organisations.

Water resource management is currently an issue of major significance at a global level both in terms of policy-making and academia. Small island states represent a special group, with Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, even more particular cases. Development, industrialisation, tourism and resource usage continue to intensify, placing considerable pressures on freshwater supply, demand and quality. This situation is accentuated by the uncertainties surrounding changes in global climatic conditions. Furthermore, water security is not an end in itself, but a means to other ends: health, industrial and agricultural production, for example. These sectors in turn introduce a range of social, economic and environmental issues and problems. This project aims to evaluate the current freshwater management practices in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados and propose various options for sustainable water resources management which may then improve water security. In Barbados, water resources are limited, as extractions from groundwater aquifers have reached the safe yield points. This is currently placing major constraints on a number of developmental proposals. Although in general, the water reserves in Trinidad and Tobago are abundant in relation to demand, wide regional disparities exist. Shortages are related to this uneven distribution but moreover, because of the inefficient operations of the national water authority. Through the rehabilitation and modernisation of the systems at the water authorities, coupled with the upgrading of the existing water legislation, tariff structure and the regulatory framework, water security in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados can be greatly improved.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 250-257).

Thesis (Ph.D.( Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

No description available.

The fisheries resources of Lake Victoria support the livelihoods to the lakeside rural communities and are vital to the economies of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, especially through fish exports. Management decisions to enable long-term sustainable exploitation of these fisheries require appropriate knowledge of the fishing effort and catch statistics, as these are pertinent for evaluating the fish stocks and future prospects of the fishery. Catch assessment programmes in the Ugandan part of the lake, which should provide this type of information, collapsed in the late 1980s. This study evaluated the current status of fishing effort and fish catches and their implications for the management of the fisheries in the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria. Historical trends in fishing effort and fish catches, total fishing effort in 1990 and 2000, and the current status of fish catch-effort, in the Ugandan part of the lake, were examined.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. May 2013 / The purpose of the study was to isolate and identify indigenous nematode species and use them as model organisms for studying the responses of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to soil desiccation, soil rehydration, and also to study their behaviour with regards to the infection and location of insect larvae, Galleria mellonella in an 18cm column filled with sterilised sandy loamy soil. Two unknown nematodes were isolated from soil samples collected in Walkerville, South of Johannesburg and their sequences were found to have high affinity to Steinernema australe (accession number FJ235125) and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora isolate 56-C (FJ217351) when aligned with existing sequences in the NCBI database. Furthermore, a polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the 16S rDNA region in order to identify bacterial symbiots of these EPNs. Symbiotic bacteria isolated from the Heterorhabditis spp had high affinity to Photorhabdus sp carborca (JF12345). Desiccation tolerance studies revealed that EPN5T and EPN3T were able to withstand desiccated conditions or continuous dehydration for 20 days. EPN5T caused 80% larval mortality after day 20 when the last row of Petri dishes was rehydrated. EPN3T caused only 60% larval mortality. All of the sandy controls gave 0% larval mortality by day 20. Comparative dose-response assays involved exposing G. mellonella insect larvae to different IJs concentrations (0, 5, 25, 100, 300 and 500 IJs/ml) were carried for both EPN5T and EPN3T. Larval mortality was recorded daily over a week. Insect mortality was high for both S. australe and H. bacteriphora, at 100IJs\ml, 300 IJs\ml and 500 IJs\ml. Mortality was observed within 48 to 96 hours and insects larvae showed signs of infection after 48hours. Significant differences were observed at EPN concentrations containing 5 IJs/ml and 25 IJs/ml. At these low IJ concentrations H. bacteriphora was able to kill 20% of the larvae by day 3 while S. australe displayed mortality only after day 4 and 5 for the two respective IJ concentrations. The significance of this observation was supported by the two-way Post-hoc analysis. Further studies were conducted to investigate the effect of soil humidity on EPNs behaviour in a column of soil. Results supported that humidity was crucial for EPNs locomotion or mobility and infection efficiency, as 100% mortality was observed in all columns by day 4. The study also investigated different IJ application concentrations in order to determine suitable field application doses. Even at the lowest IJ concentration of both EPNs 33.3% mortality was observed in each column. H. bacteriophora displayed increased mobility because high mortality percentage was obtained within 48hours in almost all three arenas of the column, proving that this species is an effective cruiser foraging deeper into the soil. S. australe was capable of cruising further down to 18cm searching for host as high mortality was observed even at the deeper or the bottom arena near the bottom of the soil column. Lastly field capacity was determined where the sandy loamy soil was saturated with water and allowed to drain so as to remove excess water from the 8 vertical columns for 48hours, resulting in a soil moisture content associated with the soil’s field capacity for water. Overall results of this study gave ideas for IJ formulation IJ storage and IJ application strategies of the identified EPNs which proved to have promising potential as biological control agents.