Thesis (M.Inst.Agric.(Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-148). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-168). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. (Environmental Science)) - Rhodes University, 2005.

'Terroir' is a concept that is used in France, and increasingly elsewhere, to evoke character and quality in food and drink in relation to the place it comes from. In this thesis, I investigate how terroir has attained its present-day economic value and cultural resonance; how it is subject to multiple forms of articulation across France; and how it is put to use as part of the philosophies and practices of environmentally sustainable modes of production. I use cultural and historical modes of enquiry and I draw upon interviews, participant observation, discourse and archive analysis carried out on fieldwork in three production chains in eastern France; being wine production in Burgundy, walnut production in the Isère valley, and Reblochon cheese production in the Alps. In the course of this thesis, I elucidate the cultural significance and epistemology of the concept, and make arguments that propositions for terroir consist of both specific geographical extent and historical density of explanation; that the rhetorical assembly of stories about terroir permits claims for continuity in production and tradition; and that the adoption of organic and biodynamic methods of farming troubles inherited understandings of what terroir is, through the intervention of the lively propensities of biotic actors. This is a story about food, farming and culture in France that I tell to critically examine the local, loyal and constant predicates of terroir, and to make an original contribution to our understanding of the cultural and historical background to the French and European systems of geographical protection in food and drink.

This PhD by Publication traces through 13 of my publications on economic incentives for forest management and conservation in tropical countries (with a regional bias towards Latin America), including several papers focused on participatory forest management or community-based conservation. The papers show how my thinking has evolved from a focus on market and nonmarket incentives, to an increasing emphasis on governance and regulatory incentives in explaining stakeholder behaviour to the forest resource, as well as the equity impacts. They reveal that positive incentives and win-win (environmental and poverty reduction) outcomes will only emerge when the underlying market, policy and institutional failures are tackled. Because of their public good values, the survival of tropical forests is contingent on the actions of the international community and governments. Sustainable forestry, therefore, depends on a combination of domestic governance progress to control illegal logging and the rent-seeking powers of vested interest groups, global governance regulations which create markets for environmental services, secure property rights for resident stakeholders and extra-sectoral policies that moderate land use opportunity costs. The current main hope for tropical forests is 'avoided deforestation' since this will need to tackle the forest governance problems and underlying multi-sectoral drivers of deforestation if it is to be successful. It represents a balanced market (payments for ecosystem services) and supply-side (improved governance) response to what is essentially a 'public goods' management problem, but will need to overcome some major political economy challenges.

Lack of knowledge about climate change poses a greater risk to human development in general. This study emerges from the premise that agriculture, and more specifically smallholder farmers, are the most affected by climate variability due to the type of assets they hold. Among other factors, climate change can directly and adversely impact the ability of smallholder farmers to sustain their livelihoods. Taking into consideration spatial differences across Ngqushwa Local Municipality, smallholder farmers in different areas have to understand the constraints they face that emanate from climate change. The study aimed to explore the knowledge that smallholder farmers in Ngqushwa local municipality have on climate change, strategies they utilise to cope and minimise the detrimental effects of climate change. The study also focused on climate change information sources namely, meteorological and Indigenous Knowledge (IK) that smallholder farmers have at their disposal for coping and adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, the study analyses comprehensiveness and usefulness of information that the resource-poor farmers possess. The findings of this study show that smallholder farmers in Ngqushwa local municipality access climate change information through televisions, newspapers and listening to the radio. Their knowledge of the behaviour of birds, moon, wind, and insects is also an important source of forecasting weather patterns. Recommendations from this study include the following: enhancing and widening the sources of climate change information, education encompassing the nature of climate change, networking of smallholder farmers, linking meteorological and indigenous knowledge and supplementing natural water supply.

xiii, 205 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / In this project I explore the commitment to "social sustainability" within sustainable agriculture. Using participant observations at a Northwest farmers' market, interviews with market consumers, and interviews as well as farm tours with sustainable farmers, I examine the construction and practice of sustainability in a particular setting. The environmental issues tied to conventional agriculture are numerous and well documented; however, "social sustainability"--the extent to which sustainable agriculture provides a food system that is accessible, inclusive, uses fair labor practices, and is economically sustainable--is often less emphasized and more ambiguously defined (despite the emphasis by scholars and practitioners of sustainable agriculture that the movement is good for social justice). My project, therefore, uses critical feminist theory to explore how the ideals of social sustainability are put into practice by consumers and farmers of sustainable food in a society where social injustices are often embedded on both a structural and individual level. Emphasizing fanners' markets as the most important social space in which the values of sustainable agriculture are constructed, I use a local case study of a Pacific Northwest farmers' market, the consumers who shop there, and the farmers who sell goods there to understand how the values of social sustainability are put into practice. After reviewing the relevant literature and outlining the methods I use, I first discuss farmers' participation in the market and sustainable agriculture more broadly, using interviews and observations at different local farms to analyze how farmers see their commitment to sustainable agriculture as tied to forms of privilege and oppressions. Next, I use participation observation at the market itself to analyze how the space mediates the demands of "social sustainability" in a farmers' market system that is ultimately entrenched within a capitalist economy. Finally, I examine consumers' perceptions of the market, why they shop there, why they think more people do not shop at the market, and their definitions of sustainability; their responses reveal the complex ways that consumers define and understand sustainable agriculture. / Committee in charge: Ellen Scott, Co-Chairperson, Sociology; Jocelyn Hollander, Co-Chairperson, Sociology; Yvonne Braun, Member, Sociology; Mary Wood, Outside Member, English

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004-03Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:20:59Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ramos_rf_me_fca.pdf: 518586 bytes, checksum: 8f206daefa13a06dd29f7a1981f354bc (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / A batata-doce (Ipomoea batatas) é a sexta hortaliça mais plantada no Brasil, e sua importância econômica e social é resultante da sua rusticidade, ampla adaptação climática e elevada capacidade de produção de energia em curto espaço de tempo. Para se avaliar distintas alternativas de sua produção a partir do uso de insumos de baixo custo, que não causem dependência econômica dos agricultores e que não agridam o meio ambiente, foi conduzido experimento cujos resultados possibilitaram informações quanto aos aspectos agronômicos, de pós-colheita, econômicos e energéticos. Neste contexto, a espécie foi submetida a tratamentos de adubação com nitrogênio(N), fósforo (P) e potássio(K) (1000 kg por ha de 4-14-8 - tratamento convencional) e compostos orgânico e biodinâmico, em doses que supriram 20, 30, 40, 50 e 60 kg/ha de N (tratamentos orgânicos e biodinâmicos). Foram avaliadas as características de produção (peso da parte aérea e de raízes), composição, análises econômica e energética comparativas entre os três sistemas de produção. O composto biodinâmico apresentou maiores teores de nutrientes em relação ao orgânico, mesmo tendo sido feito com os mesmos materiais. Não houve diferenças entre os três sistemas de cultivo para produção de parte aérea (folhas) e para produção de raízes, o tratamento que apresentou maior peso foi o biodinâmico 2 (30 kg de N por hectare) e os piores tratamentos foram os orgânicos 1, 2 e 5. O melhor valor nutricional, considerando-se o teor de amido foi proporcionado pelos tratamentos biodinâmicos. Após 30 dias de armazenamento, os melhores foram os orgânicos e biodinâmicos Nos aspectos econômico e energético, os sistemas orgânico e biodinâmico apresentaram maiores rentabilidades, melhores eficiências energéticas e maiores saldos de energia por área, e dependeram menos da energia industrial e mais da biológica. / The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is the sixtieth vegetable cultivated in Brazil and its social and economic importance is the result of its rusticity, further climatic adaptation and high capacity of producing energy in a short space of time. A field trial was carried out to evaluate alternative cropping systems using low inputs, with no economic dependence and not environment damage. This way, the specie was submitted to three fertilizations systems: conventional with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (1000kg/ha 4-14-8), organic and biodynamic utilizing organic and biodynamic composts with nitrogen levels of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 kg/ha. There were evaluated leaves and roots production, composition, economic and energy analyses among the three cropping systems. The biodynamic compost presented the better nutrients levels, although the original material was the same of the organic one. There weren't differences among the treatments about the leaves weight production. The higher weight roots production was obtained with the biodynamic 2 (30 kg of N/ ha) and the worst ones were organic 1, 2 and 5. The better nutritional value of starch was obtained under the biodynamic treatments and the organics and biodynamics after 30 days of storage. The organic and biodynamic systems should be preferred because of their social and environmental benefits. The organic and biodynamic systems presented higher economical rentabilities, better energetic efficiencies and higher energy rates, with less dependence on industrial energy and more on biological energy.