This study was initiated to assess the biological, ecological and sociological aspects of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, fishery associated with the Pascagoula River Estuary in southern Mississippi. Household surveys were conducted in the cities of Moss Point and Pascagoula, Mississippi, September 2010 to September 2011, to identify, describe and classify subsistence fishing activities associated with the estuary. A stock assessment of blue crab was conducted to determine how biological and environmental variability affect the people engaged in this subsistence fishery. The study revealed two types of subsistence fishing occurring in the Moss Point/Pascagoula area. The first type involves fishing as a livelihood strategy based on economic dependence, and the second type involves fishing as a lifestyle choice based on economic independence. Both are based on customary and traditional patterns of local resource use and consumption and maintained by reciprocal kinship-based social networks. The blue crab fishery in the Pascagoula River Estuary was highly variable and exhibited strong seasonal and spatial patterns in distribution and abundance. Subsistence fishers in the region have developed strategies to cope with this biological and environmental variability. These region-specific strategies include but are not limited to: fishing using multiple gears simultaneously (rod and reel and crab nets), freezing fish, relying on other natural resources including agriculture and wildlife, and generalized reciprocity.

No / The human condition is composed of culturally mediated biology, and this inherently dual nature is key to our understanding of human/environment interaction. Human Ecology provides a fresh view on the interrelationship between cultural strategies and their biological outcomes. It combines for the first time an ecosystems approach with cultural anthropological, archaeological and evolutionary behavioural concepts. Taking resource use and food procurement behaviour as the starting point, the volume examines major subsistence modes, the circumstances and dynamics of large-scale subsistence change, the effect of social differentiation on resource use and the effects of subsistence behaviour on population development and regulation. It is complemented by a brief history on human ecological thought and a discussion of pertinent theoretical issues. Numerous examples from all time periods illustrate the topics and emphasise the universal nature of the interpretive framework.

Research concerning ‘basic needs' in the Human Rights literature has consistently found a positive and significant relationship between measures of wealth and basic needs provision. This study utilizes a relatively new measure of economic freedom to test hypotheses regarding general macro-economic policy decisions and basic needs outcomes. A pooled dataset of 138 countries over four years is examined using OLS panel regression controlling for both' year' and ‘country,' in a standard basic needs model. Consistent and systematic differences between economic freedom effects in OECD nations and non-OECD nations are revealed. The Economic Freedom Index has both theoretical and empirical advantages over previous measures of wealth and economic freedom, allowing human rights scholars to test specific economic policy decisions as they affect basic needs outcomes.

Ce travail interroge la constitution d’une métaphysique de la personne humaine dans la pensée de Thomas d’Aquin. Si on s’accorde généralement à reconnaître que la réflexion thomasienne sur la personne a eu une influence décisive sur la compréhension moderne de l’homme comme personne, on constate également que l’expression personne humaine n’est pas familière de l’Aquinate et ne fait l’objet d’aucun développement particulier dans son œuvre. En effet, l’approche métaphysique de la personne humaine dans le corpus thomasien est logée dans les textes théologiques dans lesquels Thomas, suivant une démarche analogique, définit la personne divine en conservant l’affinité avec l'homme. Ce travail de conceptualisation, à la charnière de la théologie et de l’anthropologie, s’inscrit dans le sillage de la thématique chrétienne de l’homme image de Dieu. Dans le monde latin, les diverses composantes de cette riche tradition se rassemblent à la fin du VIe siècle autour de la figure de Boèce. Au détours des analogies sur les mystères de la Trinité et du Christ, Thomas est conduit à repenser la métaphysique de la substance et de la subsistence, héritage de la traduction de la notion grecque d'hypostase effectué par Boèce. Au bout du compte, ces analogies n’aboutissent pas seulement à une métaphysique de la personne subsistant dans la nature humaine, elles fondent ultimement une véritable métaphysique de la personne humaine en définissant une manière humaine de subsister. / This work examines the formation of a metaphysics of the human person in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. On one side it is generally agreed that the Thomistic thought on the person had a decisive influence on the modern understanding of man as a person, on the other side the term human person is not familiar of Aquinas and not subject to any particular development in his work. Indeed, the metaphysical approach of the human person in the Thomistic corpus is found in the theological texts in which Thomas defines the divine person maintening the affinity with man. This work of conceptualization deals with the Christian theme of man image of God using the analogy. In the Latin world, the various components of this rich tradition come together in the late sixth century around the figure of Boethius. From analogies on the mysteries of the Trinity and of Christ, Thomas is led to rethink the metaphysics of substance and subsistence inherited from the translation of the Greek notion of hypostasis made by Boethius. Ultimately, these analogies do not lead only to a metaphysics of the person subsisting in human nature, they found a true metaphysics of the human person by defining a human subsisting way.

Thesis (M. A. (Sociology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The study explored Mutoko community members’ perceptions of climate change and its impact on subsistence farming. Mutoko is a rural community situated in the eastern part of Zimbabwe. Focus group discussions were conducted to explore perceptions of climate change and its impacts on subsistence farming. The study findings show that the primary source of food is subsistence farming. The main crop grown in Mutoko is maize, followed by ground nuts (peanuts), and indigenous vegetables. Maize, ground nuts, sunflowers (for seed), sorghum and millet are grown for household consumption. The study reports community members’ perceptions and views of changes in the local natural environment. The changes are increased temperature and scarcity of rain. Observable impacts of these changes are decreased crop yields in times of drought. The findings are supported by observation that Zimbabwe lies in a semi-arid region with limited and unreliable rainfall patterns and temperature variations. Rainfall exhibits considerable spatial and temporal variability. Generally, the impact of climate change on subsistence farming was the major concern among the participants. Though the study was not aimed at documenting adaptation measures taken to lessen the negative impacts of increased temperature and rainfall scarcity on crop production, the study shows that adaptive measures have been developed and used to adapt and cope with climate change. Community members are adapting to the impacts of increased temperature and scarcity of rain through their culturally informed mechanisms. The mechanisms include change of crops, use of manure to improve soil structure and mulching. It is concluded that the impact of climate change on subsistence farming is real and is negatively affecting food security in the study area. Farmers gave different views on the following; knowledge about climate variations, changes in environmental conditions, changes in temperature patterns and changes in rainfall patterns. / Centre of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (CIKS) and National Research Foundation (NRF)

The purpose of this thesis will be to explore conceptions of waste in Nepal’s rural village of Simigaau to understand what constitutes waste and in what ways it is critical to the community’s physical and cultural survival. Due to the contribution of many aspects of daily life in the creation of “waste” in Simigaau –what it is and what it means – I hope to use a whole systems approach to understand the multitude of factors that affect how villagers view waste and whether its value can provide insight into a local way of life. Moreover, I aim to explore whether a community’s waste – seen and unseen – provide insight into a local way of life and if so, how this insight may be applied to both Nepal at large and connotations of “waste” in the West.

A introdução da agricultura tem sido reconhecida como uma das mais importantes mudanças no modo de vida da humanidade. Indicadores osteológicos e dentais são utilizados pela arqueologia para avaliar mudanças no padrão subsistencial associado com alterações na organização social. No entanto, a multiplicidade de meio-ambientes e a grande variabilidade dos processos culturais, tornam a reconstrução de subsistência um assunto complexo. Assim, ainda não é clara a caracterização dos perfis paleopatológicos dentários de populações com estratégias mistas de obtenção de recursos alimentares. Neste trabalho avaliam-se, desde uma perspectiva comparativa, mudanças e continuidades de indicadores paleopatológicos orais (cárie dental, doença periodontal e padrões de desgaste dental) de quatro populações assentadas no litoral dos Andes Centrais. Três das populações pertencem ao Período Formativo (2500-1 a.C), durante o qual se acredita ter ocorrido o início da agricultura e a complexificação social. A quarta população assume o papel de grupo controle, uma vez que pertence ao Período de Desenvolvimentos Regionais Tardios (PDRT,1000-1440 d.C), caracterizado pelo auge do desenvolvimento agrícola e uma organização social hierarquizada. Estes quatro grupos prestam-se bem a testes de hipótese sobre qual o impacto que mudanças alimentares causam na dentição, pois a subsistência do primeiro e do último deles é bem conhecida. Assim, o grupo mais antigo constitui-se de pescadores-horticultores, enquanto o último é formado por agricultores plenos. Os demais grupos apresentam subsistência intermediária. Testam-se seis hipóteses, que, com o aumento do desenvolvimento agrícola acarretariam em: 1) um incremento na freqüência e prevalência de cárie e AMTL; 2) um aumento na velocidade de desenvolvimento das lesões de cárie; 3) uma mudança na localização de cáries (de oclusais para extra-oclusais); 4) um incremento na prevalência e gravidade da doença periodontal; 5) uma diminuição do desgaste dental e 6) a presença de hábitos de mascar coca e consumir chicha no período mais tardio. Como não há diferenças significativas entre as freqüências de lesões cariosas e AMTL entre os grupos, rejeita-se a hipótese 1. Por outro lado, a profundidade da cárie aumenta, assim como se verifica uma mudança de cáries oclusais para extra-oclusais. Entretanto, hipóteses 2 e 3 só podem ser corroboradas levando-se em consideração o desgaste dental. A hipótese 4 foi parcialmente confirmada e finalmente, as hipóteses 5 e 6 foram totalmente confirmadas. Dentre os indicadores estudados, as cáries de dentina e as extra-oclusais são os que refletem de maneira mais confiável a cariogenicidade. Os modelos paleopatológicos inferidos para cada grupo acusam diferenças significativas entre os períodos iniciais (com dietas em trânsito à agricultura) e os dois mais tardios (com dietas predominantemente compostas de vegetais cultivados). Os resultados obtidos são discutidos do ponto de vista biológico e sociocultural, com apoio em dados arqueológicos, etnohistóricos e etnográficos. As diferenças são atribuídas principalmente à mudanças na tecnologia de preparo de alimentos e à introdução de novos produtos e hábitos. / Agriculture has been recognized as one of the most important factors that changed human life style. Osteological and dental markers have been used to evaluate subsistence shifts, paleodiets, technological development and social organization. However, the main problem that persists in reconstructing subsistence in ancient populations is the multiplicity of environments and the great variability of cultural processes. Consequently, the characterization of the dental paleopathological profiles of populations with mixed diet needs further investigation. This thesis aims at comparing the oral pathology among four pre-Columbian groups with different degrees of agricultural and socio-cultural development, but comparable ecological conditions who lived at the coastal desert of Peru. Three of the groups belong to the Formative period (2500-1 BC.), a critical time for understanding the development of agriculture and social complexity, while the fourth group is assigned to the Late Regional Development period (1000-1470 AD), when agriculture had its apogee and society was highly stratified. These groups represent a unique possibility to test hypotheses on the impact of dietary changes on the dentition, since the subsistence pattern of the earliest and latest periods are well known. Accordingly, the first were fisher-horticulturalists, whereas the last one subsisted on a well established irrigation agriculture. The remaining groups presented intermediate paleodietary profiles. Six hypotheses were tested, according to which an increase in agricultural development would lead to: 1) an increment of the frequency and prevalence of carious lesions and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL); 2) an increase in the caries depth; 3) a shift from occlusal to extra-occlusal caries; 4) an increase in the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease; 5) a decrease in dental wear, and, finally 6) the presence of coca chewing and chicha drinking habits in the most recent period. As there are no significant differences between the caries and AMTL frequencies among the groups, hypothesis 1 is rejected. On the other hand, caries depth increases, and there is a shift from occlusal to extra-occlusal caries. Hypotheses 2 and 3, thus, are corroborated, but only if considering dental wear. Finally, hypotheses 4 is partially confirmed, and hypotheses 5 and 6 are completely confirmed. Among the markers studied, dentin and extra-occlusal caries best reflect cariogenicity. The paleopathological profiles inferred for each group show considerable differences between the two initial periods (with incipient agriculture) and the two later periods (with diets based on domesticated plants). The differences seen are attributed mainly to shifts in preparation techniques and the introduction of new, more cariogenic foodstuffs and habits. The results obtained are discussed in the light of biological, sociocultural, archaeological and ethnographic evidences.

This thesis examines innovation structures and processes in rural poultry industry in Tanzania. In 2005, FAO categorised the rural poultry production system in Tanzania under the lowest sector IV with very minimal biosecurity measures and with no commercial orientation. By 2012, a DFID-funded Research into Use (RIU) programme transformed the industry to Sector III which represents a significant commercial orientation and relatively higher bio-security measures. This thesis explains how RIU achieved that. This analysis is presented from three perspectives. First, the path dependence framework is used to present the observed dominance of the traditional poultry production system as a 'lock-in'. The study makes it clear that before RIU, mental frames, resource allocations and how dominant powers behaved reinforced low innovation tendencies. Second, using the agricultural innovation system (AIS) framework and the concepts of 'organisational thinness' and 'fragmentation' (also from path dependency theory), it explains that by making rural producers feel self-sufficient in inputs and knowledge, practices in the traditional system disconnect producers from engaging with other actors. Third, the concepts of 'innovation broker' and of 'exogenous shock' are used to present RIU as an external force or facilitator which instigated a transformation process. RIU facilitated a large number of rural producers to produce for the market, and which was sufficient enough to create a significant demand for inputs and services. This demand triggered new investment and re-organisation in the supply chains. Then, RIU supported actors to solve capacity problems that emerged from the shock. RIU is therefore presented as a flexible 'innovation broker' who played different roles and allocated resources based on circumstances on the ground. The thesis makes several contributions. It presents a case of how a public action can promote innovation in industries dominated by subsistence producers by playing the role of an innovation broker to support a significant number of producers to change routines and interact with other actors. It also shows that rural growth can be achieved through linking rural enterprises with those in the urban instead of supporting rural actors in isolation. It basically makes it clear that African agriculture needs re-organization, so that technological changes can follow as a consequence.

Inuit constructions of gender in the pre-colonial period were centered around a gendered division of subsistence tasks. It is through this division of labor which gender roles, gendered socialization and spousal roles were formed. However, during the colonial period Inuit subsistence and the role it plays in Inuit society was rapidly and drastically changed. By analyzing the work of three different Arctic ethnographers documenting Inuit subsistence in different time periods and national contexts, this thesis will analyze how political, economic and environmental change in the Arctic has altered Inuit subsistence practices from European contact through the contemporary era. By analyzing how subsistence has changed overtime, this paper will assess the contemporary Inuit food system and the current crisis of food insecurity in Inuit communities. This analysis will be used to understand the social impacts of an evolving Inuit food system and how the emerging mixed wage and subsistence economy has constructed a new gendered division of labor in which Inuit women act as the primary providers of financial capital while men maintain access to natural resources through traditional subsistence pursuits.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Agriculture)) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2008 / A large number of emerging farmers in South Africa is involved in subsistence agriculture as a result of poor resource endowment or due to other constraints. Relatively few agricultural products from emerging farmers reach the formal agricultural market. Livestock production is common among emerging farmers and a large proportion of the national livestock is in the hands of the rural poor. Horticultural crops are generally perishable and require immediate disposal, thus implying that the farmers who produce horticultural crops do so with intention to sell their products. Most studies tend to group farmers regardless of their line of production. Only few studies have attempted to investigate the socioeconomic characteristics of farmers, differentiating the commodities that they produce. The objective of this study is to identify and compare the socioeconomic characteristics that determine the farm income of the emerging livestock farmers and horticultural farmers in South Africa. Such an analysis would allow more targeted policy responses for different groups of emerging farmers. The data used in this study consisted of 202 livestock farmers and 126 horticultural farmers selected through quota sample covering all nine provinces in South Africa. The data were collected by the Development Bank of Southern Africa in 2005. Descriptive Analysis and Discriminant Analysis are applied to determine the factors that matter the most in determining incomes of livestock and horticultural farmers. Farm iv income is used as the dependent variable, and fourteen independent variables were identified. The factors that matter the most in determining livestock farmers’ income are, namely access to finance, farm size, age of the household head, membership to farmer organizations and government support. The factors that matter most in determining horticultural farmer’s income are namely farm size, age of the household head, land type (land ownership), and extension services. The results of this study showed that access to land and age of the household head matter the most to both livestock and horticultural farmers. The study found that poor access to land is one of the major constraints facing emerging farmers in South Africa. Land is also one of the factors that may determine the amount of credit the emerging farmers can obtain and, if farmers produce on communal land, it becomes harder to obtain credit. Memberships to farmer’s organisations, government support and access to finance are characteristics that matter the most to livestock and do not seem to matter that much to horticultural farmers. Farmer organisations often lobby for collective provision of appropriate and needed services for their membership. The services that are often lobbied for are services such as extension, marketing and provision of training to empower women and young people so as to enable them to participate fully in farming activities. The results of this study show that there are differences in socio-economic characteristics that matter the most in determining farm income for livestock and horticulture farmers. v Horticulture farmers should be given much support to improve access to get enough land and training while in livestock farming assistance focus should be on access to finance and support services. vi