Research Question: how are Lithuanian international long-haul truck drivers’ livelihoods constructed in terms of work, home, and everyday life? Research Problem and significance. The aim of this research is to look at work, home, and everyday life in the context of mobility and mobile livelihoods in Lithuanian international long-haul truckers. Portrayals of truckers in media and pop culture are often negative or sensationalized, including stories about truck accidents, smuggling, immoral behaviors, or problems with the law. This research is a response to such perceptions, motivated by the fact that there is no qualitative research on truck drivers in Lithuania. Research Tasks 1. Create a theoretical base for analyzing and interpreting mobile lives using various theoretical approaches on mobility, place, home, community, and boundaries. 2. Present and analyze empirical work from the field of Lithuanian long-haul truck drivers based on emic frameworks of ‘kasdienybė’ and ‘namai’. 3. Apply theoretical approach of mobile livelihoods along with emic frameworks of ‘kasdienybė’ and ‘namai’ from the Lithuanian case toward an analysis of Cameroon long-haul truck drivers’ work-lives. Methods. Fieldwork conducted with Lithuanian international long-haul truck drivers who spent 5-6 days or more on the road at a time, with just 2-4 days per month ‘at home’ (in Lithuania). Empirical section relies on two primary informants with whom I spent a total of 3 ½ weeks traveling. Research... [to full text] / Tyrimo klausimas. Ką reiškia namai, darbas bei kasdieniniai poreikiai Lietuvos tarptautinių tolimųjų reisų vairuotojams, „gyvenantiems ant ratų“ ? Tyrimo problema ir reikšmė. Šio tyrimo tikslas yra pažvelgti į Lietuvos tarptautinių tolimųjų reisų vairuotojų. kultūrą ir vietą mobilumo ir mobiliojo pragyvenimo kontekste. Lietuvos žiniasklaidoje tolimųjų reisų vairuotojai dažnai yra apibūdinami neigiamai arba hiperbolizuotai, įskaitant pasakojimus apie transportą, nelaimingus atsitikimus, kontrabandą, amoralų elgesį, ar problemas su įstatymu. Šis tyrimas yra atsakas į tokį suvokimą ir motyvuojama tuo, kad Lietuvoje nebuvo atlikta tolimųjų reisų vairuotojų gyvenimo kokybiško tyrimo. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Sukurti teorinį pagrindą, skirtą analizuoti ir interpretuoti mobilų gyvenimą, taikant įvairius teorinius požiūrius į mobilumą, vietą, namus, bendruomenę ir etninius skirtumus. 2. Pateikti ir išanalizuoti empirinį darbą apie Lietuvos tolimųjų reisų vairuotojus, remiantis eminiais terminais - "kasdienybė" ir "namai". 3. Pagal atliktą analizę, palyginti požiūrį į mobiliojo gyvenimo esmę kartu su eminiais terminais - "kasdienybė" ir "namai" – tarp Lietuvos ir Kamerūno tolimųjų reisų vairuotojų. Metodai. Taikytas duomenų rinkimas apie Lietuvos tolimųjų reisų vairuotojus, kurie vidutiniškai praleidžia 5-6 dienas ar daugiau kelyje, su 2-4 dienomis per mėnesį "namuose" (Lietuvoje). Empirinio skyriaus duomenys pagrįsti dviejų pagrindinių asmenų, su kuriais aš praleidau 3 ½... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

This thesis is an investigation of the impacts of extreme weather on the livelihoods of households in the hillside communities of the Jesus de Otoro Valley, Honduras. Extreme weather events can have profound negative impacts on livelihoods that rely heavily on natural resources, such as agriculture. The reliance of hillside households on agriculture and related activities for survival makes this population critically vulnerable to the negative impacts of extreme weather. This study found that the livelihood resources of this group that are most affected by extreme weather events are cash income and human health. Strong rains, drought and extreme temperatures have several direct impacts on household income, not only for hillside farmers themselves, but also for the merchants whose businesses have been developed to serve them. Extreme weather events also have multiple direct impacts on human health. Increased incidence of bacterial infections and communicable diseases are serious effects of strong rains, drought and temperature extremes. This study found a clear positive feedback link between decreased income and deterioration of health. Climate change studies predict that extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe. If these predictions are correct, hillside households will suffer potentially devastating impacts on their livelihoods. The coping strategies currently employed by hillside households in the face of extreme weather events are unlikely to provide the resources needed for households to survive under more severe and unstable weather conditions. / SSHRC, CIDA, Students for Development

In this research, I present critical facts about Land Tenure Systems and Poverty Reduction processes in Mafela Resettlement community. I focus mainly on the Post-Fast Track Land Reform (2004 – 2011) period and the interactive processes in this new resettlement area. The research - premised on the rights approach - sought to explore land tenure rights systems and poverty reduction mechanisms seen by the Mafela community to be improving their livelihoods / it also sought to find out if there is evidence linking tenure rights to poverty reduction and how land tenure rights governance systems affect their livelihoods. Suffice to say in both the animal kingdom and human world, territorial space and integrity, its demarcation as well as how resources are used within the space, given the area - calls for a - defined system of rights by the residents themselves. Whilst it is true that there is no one story about Zimbabwe’s land reform (Scoones et al 2011), the contribution of this research towards insights emanating from the newly resettled farmers adds another invaluable contribution in the realm of rural development issues.

<p>In this research, I present critical facts about Land Tenure Systems and Poverty Reduction processes in Mafela Resettlement community. I focus mainly on the Post-Fast Track Land Reform&nbsp / (2004 &ndash / 2011) period and the interactive processes in this new resettlement area. The research - premised on the rights approach - sought to explore land tenure rights systems and poverty&nbsp / reduction mechanisms seen by the Mafela community to be improving their livelihoods / it also sought to find out if there is evidence linking tenure rights to poverty reduction and how land tenure&nbsp / rights governance systems affect their livelihoods. Suffice to say in both the animal kingdom and human world, territorial space and integrity, its demarcation as well as how resources are used&nbsp / within the space, given the area - calls for a - defined&nbsp / system of rights by the residents themselves. Whilst it is true that there is no one story about Zimbabwe&rsquo / s land reform (Scoones et al 2011),&nbsp / the contribution of this research towards insights emanating from the newly resettled farmers adds another invaluable contribution in the realm of rural development issues. The oft rigidified&nbsp / perceptions about the land reform in Zimbabwe as having dismally failed draw contrasting findings from this research. The findings, themselves drawn mainly through interviews, seem to&nbsp / suggest that there are indeed improved livelihoods for resettled farmers more than what is generally believed from a distance. The perception that secure tenure rights (among other myths) determines livelihoods improvement also revealed otherwise with Mafela community. The resettlers&rsquo / dynamic socio-economic milieu presents opportunities and challenges which only the resettled farmers can solve if given adequate support and empowerment in terms of decision making processes. The power basis wielded by the war veterans and the culture of top-down&nbsp / decision making processes as lamented by the resettled farmers suggest that the evolution of resettlements is still far from over. This research therefore hopes to challenge its readers and other&nbsp / stakeholders to engage with issues and recommendations raised here in order for a rethink about land tenure rights and poverty reduction initiatives associated with the new resettlement areas&nbsp / in Zimbabwe in general.</p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

This thesis investigates marginalisation in small-scale fishing communities in Chilika Lagoon engaged in customary capture fisheries. However, the Lagoon has undergone tremendous changes in recent decades, impacting the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental life, and resulting in fishers’ disconnection and marginalisation. The study explores what marginalisation looks like from the fishers’ point of view, and attempts to explain the processes and drivers responsible for change in Chilika social-ecological system, and the implications of this change, with four areas for analysis: 1) historical and political background to the processes of change in Chilika Lagoon fisheries; 2) the challenges from external drivers to fishery commons and the need to understand commons as a process; 3) impacts of social-ecological change from a livelihood perspective, including how the fishers dealt with livelihood crisis through various strategies; 4) institutional processes and their implications for fishers’ marginalization. Using evidence collected through household- and village-level surveys, combined with various qualitative and participatory research methods over 28 months, the study shows that there are two major driving forces or drivers of marginalisation: (1) the role of aquaculture development in the loss of resource access rights and the decline of local institutions, and (2) the ecological displacement and livelihood loss brought about by the opening of a new “sea mouth” connecting the Lagoon and the Bay of Bengal. There exist a paradox of the official account and fishers’ own view of marginalisation. Chilika is a clear case in which government policies have encouraged de facto privatisation. The dynamic nature and fluctuations associated with commons development make it imperative to understand commons as a process that includes commonisation and decommonisation. Out-migration has emerged as a key livelihood strategy resulting in occupational displacement for one-third of the adult fishers, and such livelihood strategies have led to their disconnection and marginalisation. The fishers’ point of view presents a more complex, multidimensional concept of marginalisation, not simply as a state of being but as a process over time, impacting social and economic conditions, political standing, and environmental health.

In this research, I present critical facts about Land Tenure Systems and Poverty Reduction processes in Mafela Resettlement community. I focus mainly on the Post-Fast Track Land Reform (2004-2011) period and the interactive processes in this new resettlement area. The research - premised on the rights approach - sought to explore land tenure rights systems and poverty reduction mechanisms seen by the Mafela community to be improving their livelihoods; it also sought to find out if there is evidence linking tenure rights to poverty reduction and how land tenure rights governance systems affect their livelihoods. Suffice to say in both the animal kingdom and human world, territorial space and integrity, its demarcation as well as how resources are used within the space, given the area - calls for a - defined system of rights by the residents themselves. Whilst it is true that there is no one story about Zimbabwe's land reform (Scoones et al 2011), the contribution of this research towards insights emanating from the newly resettled farmers adds another invaluable contribution in the realm of rural development issues. / Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS)

Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The designation and enforcement of protected areas in southeast Brazil severely restricted livelihoods of rural inhabitants, who had limited options to adapt to new settings. Serious challenges emerged from deficiency in local capacity for the organization, management, and application of mitigation interventions. However, the Cananéia Oyster Producers’ Cooperative managed to overcome numerous challenges and was a finalist for the United Nations Development Programme’s 2002 Equator Prize for simultaneous poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. Qualitative research methods, including Rapid Rural Appraisal tools, were employed to examine the cooperative’s self-organization, cross-scale institutional linkages, and livelihood and conservation impact. Through various coordinated endevours such as the adoption of oyster rearing beds, depuration station, education, and designation of an extractive reserve, cooperative members have been able to improve their livelihoods while minimizing environmental impact. Lessons learned from the cooperative on simultaneous poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation are presented in the final chapter of this thesis.

This thesis investigates marginalisation in small-scale fishing communities in Chilika Lagoon engaged in customary capture fisheries. However, the Lagoon has undergone tremendous changes in recent decades, impacting the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental life, and resulting in fishers’ disconnection and marginalisation. The study explores what marginalisation looks like from the fishers’ point of view, and attempts to explain the processes and drivers responsible for change in Chilika social-ecological system, and the implications of this change, with four areas for analysis: 1) historical and political background to the processes of change in Chilika Lagoon fisheries; 2) the challenges from external drivers to fishery commons and the need to understand commons as a process; 3) impacts of social-ecological change from a livelihood perspective, including how the fishers dealt with livelihood crisis through various strategies; 4) institutional processes and their implications for fishers’ marginalization. Using evidence collected through household- and village-level surveys, combined with various qualitative and participatory research methods over 28 months, the study shows that there are two major driving forces or drivers of marginalisation: (1) the role of aquaculture development in the loss of resource access rights and the decline of local institutions, and (2) the ecological displacement and livelihood loss brought about by the opening of a new “sea mouth” connecting the Lagoon and the Bay of Bengal. There exist a paradox of the official account and fishers’ own view of marginalisation. Chilika is a clear case in which government policies have encouraged de facto privatisation. The dynamic nature and fluctuations associated with commons development make it imperative to understand commons as a process that includes commonisation and decommonisation. Out-migration has emerged as a key livelihood strategy resulting in occupational displacement for one-third of the adult fishers, and such livelihood strategies have led to their disconnection and marginalisation. The fishers’ point of view presents a more complex, multidimensional concept of marginalisation, not simply as a state of being but as a process over time, impacting social and economic conditions, political standing, and environmental health.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.