Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Nigeria has over 100 million people living below the US$1.90 poverty line. Most of these poor people are rural smallholder farmers. Agricultural interventions are ongoing to alleviate poverty and food insecurity amongst smallholder farmers in Nigeria, but these interventions have been less successful when compared to similar interventions implemented by developed countries. One such intervention in Nigeria is the Fadama III project. It is against this background that this study evaluated the development impact of the Fadama III project on the agricultural yield, food security, and income of smallholder farmers. The aim was to draw lessons from the evaluated project that would guide the design of future agricultural projects that are more effective. Using primary data from 300 farmers, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, probit regression, propensity score matching, and a quasi-experimental research design, this study found that the Fadama III project increases agricultural yield (rice yield), three dimensions of food security (food availability, food access, food utility), and some type of income (income from cassava production) of smallholder farmers in Ebonyi State. However, Fadama III does not significantly cause an increase in the food stability dimension of food security and other types of income like income from rice production. It also found that youth and female farmers are under-represented in Fadama III project. Also

This study investigates the possibilities of applying water generated from the atmosphere for agricultural processes, particularly hydroponic systems. A solar powered, off-grid greenhouse system is proposed as a theoretical solution to food production, in areas affected by water scarcity. Two experiments are conducted with the purpose of testing atmospheric water quality and how it performs in a hydroponic setting. The plausibility of powering said greenhouse system using solar energy is investigated, considering several available solar technologies. Ultimately, the footprint area required to install enough capacity to power the system is discussed, and the potential site of such a system is modelled and visualized. The experiments concluded that atmospheric water is likely suitable for hydroponic use. The study also found that the footprint area required for the greenhouse system probably can be considered reasonable for certain applications, but more research and advances within solar power technology would be beneficial / <p>2021-06-08</p>

Denna studie undersöker hur det är att vara lantbrukare i Sverige idag och vad som driver människorna till att arbeta inom jordbruksnäringen, vad de själva tänker om begreppet hållbarhet och hur de anser att ett hållbart jordbruk ska drivas, studien undersöker även hur lantbrukarna ser på framtiden för sin bransch och för sig själva. Syftet är att identifiera ”människan bakom bonden” och få en ökad förståelse för lantbruket som yrke, samt hur relationen till lantbrukarnas gårdar spelar in i deras definition av vad hållbarhet är. Utifrån syftet har fyra djupintervjuer utförts med lantbrukare i Västra Mälardalen och intervjumaterialet har analyserats utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Den globala livsmedelsproduktionen behöver i framtiden intensifieras för att möta den ökande befolkningsmängden. Sveriges åkerarealer är förhållandevis välbevarade jämfört med i många andra länder vilket kommer öka trycket på svensk livsmedelsproduktion. Problematiken är att möta den globala efterfrågan på svensk produktion och samtidigt göra det på ett hållbart sätt för att minimera negativ miljö- och klimatpåverkan.   Resultatet visar att lantbrukarna kan gårdarnas historia, i samtliga fall har gårdarna funnits i släkten, lantbrukarna har en god kännedom om sina marker. Det som driver dem att arbeta inom jordbruksnäringen är att arbetet är väldigt omväxlande och det är en frihet under ansvar samtidigt som det framgår att det stundvis kan vara ensamt och periodvis mycket arbete. Resultatet visar att ett hållbart jordbruk är viktigare än ett ekologiskt jordbruk och det finns en skepsis till ekologiskt hos konventionella lantbrukare. Det råder en allmän misstro till samhället där det offentliga och allmänheten ofta föredrar att handla importerade varor istället för att gynna de svenska lantbrukarna. / This study examine how it is to be a farmer in Sweden today and what that drives people to work with agriculture, what they think of sustainability as a concept and what they think of running sustainable farming, this study also examines what the farmers think about the future for agriculture as a whole and for their own business. The purpose is to identify the “human behind the farmer” and to gain an increased understanding for farming as a profession, and how the relation to the farmers landscape matters in their definition of sustainability. To reach the purpose have four in- depth interviews been made with farmers in Västra Mälardalen and the material has been analysed with qualitative content analysis. The global food production needs to increase in the future to meet the need of the increasing population. Swedish fields are relatively preserved compared to in many other countries which will increase the pressure on the Swedish food production. The problem is to meet the global demand on Swedish production and at the same time in a sustainable way to minimize negative environmental- and climate change. The result show that the farmers know their farms history, in al cases the farms have been in the family, the framers have good knowledge of their landscapes. What drives them to work with agriculture is the alternately work and the freedom with responsibility, at the same time the work is occasionally very intense and lonely. The result show that a sustainable agriculture is more important than an ecological agriculture and the conventional farmers have a scepticism for ecological. There is a general distrust for the community where the government and the public often prefer to buy imported food instead of supporting the Swedish farmers.

The Corporate Agriculture division dealing with the procurement and growing of potatoes for Farm Frites in all production locations worldwide is in need of a strategy to initiate sustainable development. The scope of the project is limited to the activities in Belgium, Egypt, the Netherlands and Poland. A strategy for sustainable agriculture is developed, with goals and key performance indicators, and the methodology that led to this strategy is described as well. The methodology consists of seven steps, with an initial zero-measurement step. The zero- measurements is to describe the current status of sustainable agriculture (0), then the business priorities are identified (1), followed by setting of goals and key performance indicators (2). This leads to a strategy proposal (3), the strategy is then adopted by the general management (4), and integrated in the farming business operations (5). The progress on the strategy is reported on (6), and if need be, regularly revised and updated (7). The developed strategy on sustainable agriculture consists of four main strategic goals; Health and safety of workers first; Ensuring a safe and sustainable potato product; Using of farm inputs in the most responsible way; Sharing of best sustainable farming practices. The level of sustainable agriculture in Belgium and the Netherlands is more or less the same, where progress is made, mostly following requirements from laws and regulations. There are sustainable agriculture initiatives where best practices are shared. Sustainable agriculture in Poland is most advanced in the Farm Frites organisation, where Farm Frites Poland is actively collaborating with farmers to become more sustainable. Sustainable agriculture in Egypt has still a lot to improve, where the first priorities should be to follow and implement some basic good agriculture practices. The strategy building methodology of seven steps with an initial zero-measurement has been proved effective, resulting in a description of the level of sustainable agriculture and a strategy to further increase the sustainability of agriculture in Belgium, Egypt, the Netherlands and Poland. However, only steps zero till three have been carried out, and the strategy is still to be adopted (step four).

Water is essential element for human survival but unstainable development practices and short term economic benefits are responsible for water scarcity in many areas around the world. Climate change is aggravating the risk with distribution and water availability. Agriculture is a sector highly dependent on water. The livelihood of a vast population in the world depends on not only agriculture, but also forestry, wetlands and fisheries and land use which, in turn, are strongly influenced by water based ecosystems that depend on monsoon rains. India is a global agricultural powerhouse. It is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices as well as the largest area under wheat, rice and cotton. But increasing water scarcity in India is affecting agricultural sector, hence affecting socio- economic conditions of poor Indian farmers. In some pockets of the country, attempts have been made during the last few decades to manage the scarce water resources more efficiently and govern them more wisely, so that agriculture as the main economic backbone of the local communities can be sustainably supported. Ralegan Siddhi is one such outstanding case where the rainwater harvested through local interventions has enabled sustainable development of the entire community. The village stands out as an oasis in the desert. The aim of the study is to understand how water has been governed in Ralegan Siddhi to enable sustainable agriculture and hence sustainable development of the community. Ultimately, the study is foreseen to help improve the farmers’ situation in water scarce areas in India and elsewhere by sharing this study report based on Ralegan Siddhi’s water governance practices with other researchers as well as concerned agencies and actors.

As multiple regions in the global south urbanize and transform, their social-environmental challenges also reshape. Climate change and ecological degradation intertwine with these processes in ways that have an uneven impact on people and firms with various degrees of vulnerability. In this dissertation, I look at such issues through the lens of sustainable development, with a regional emphasis on Mexico. Standard economic analyses of environmental policy focus on either reducing pollution externalities through mitigation or reducing the harms from exposure by encouraging adaptation. In practice, these issues are both critical, particularly when looking at the health effects of local air pollutants, which can be acute, and policymakers often pair information provision with short and long-run mitigation actions. In Chapter 1, I explore whether, in the context of the Mexico City air quality alert program, information policy is more effective when paired with mitigation. I find that the policy did not improve air quality or health outcomes until the mitigation component, which limited transport emissions, was introduced. I also use sensor-level traffic data, geo-tagged accident reports, and search data as a measure of awareness of the policy to unveil the mechanisms through which considerable short-run improvements in air quality and health are achieved after issuing an alert. I find that the alert reduces car usage even before the driving restrictions enter into place, suggesting that, due to an increased awareness of pollution, people reduce their trips. Chapter 2 studies the effects of regional exposure to extreme temperatures on credit delinquency rates for firms in Mexico. Our exposure variable is defined as the number of days in a quarter that minimum and maximum temperature are below 3°C and above 36°C, respectively, which correspond to the bottom 5 percent and top 5 percent of daily minimum and maximum temperature distribution in the country. We find that extreme temperatures increase delinquency. This effect is mostly driven by extreme heat, and it is concentrated on agricultural firms, but there is also an effect on non-agriculture firms. The impact on non-agricultural firms seems to be driven by general equilibrium effects in rural areas. Chapter 3, provides the first estimation of child penalties in the Mexican labor market. Using an event study approach and an instrumental variable as a robustness check, we estimate the impact of children on employment and wages, unpaid labor, and transitions between informal and formal sectors. We are the first to show that a child’s arrival significantly affects mothers’ paid and unpaid work, and it impacts members of the extended family unevenly, reinforcing traditional gender roles. While low- and middle-income women account for most of the effect of childbirth on wages, all mothers increase time spent on unpaid work.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第18696号 / 農博第2093号 / 新制||農||1029(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H27||N4890(農学部図書室) / 31629 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科農学専攻 / (主査)教授 稲村 達也, 教授 白岩 立彦, 教授 廣岡 博之 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. October 2014. / The study seeks to establish how sustainable agriculture can improve livelihoods and consequently alleviate poverty in Topiya community of Mpumalanga Province. The study also entails an investigation into whether the Topiya community is food insecure, and in this instance, how sustainable agriculture can be embraced smoothly to improve the food security status of the Topiya community. The study also seeks to unearth whether raising rural agricultural productivity is sufficient to improve livelihoods or a more robust and multi dimensional approach is needed to improve rural livelihoods in general. A research instrument (questionnaire) was designed and administered to 19 households. The data is analyzed by way of frequencies and percentages. The results yielded by this study demonstrated that Topiya Community is food insecure and a plethora of factors such as but not limited to lack of adequate arable land, lack of farm assets, lack understanding of the concept of sustainable agriculture contributes to this. The results also pointed to the fact that an intrinsic understanding of what sustainable agriculture entails is of paramount importance for the concept to be embraced and achieve the objectives of improving food security and consequently alleviating poverty.

Converting exotic forages to native warm-season grasses (NWSG) such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) offers a sustainable alternative because NWSG may yield comparative livestock gains with less fertilizer, as well as offer habitat for arthropods and declining grassland bird species such as Dickcissels (Spiza americana). In the Southeastern United States, the predominant forage species are exotics such as bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus), so NWSG conversion could substantially improve sustainability and wildlife habitat on private lands in the region. In 2011 and 2012, I studied response of Dickcissels and arthropods to forage origin, diversity, and grazing at the Mississippi State University Prairie Research Unit in Monroe Co., MS, USA. Four treatments were established among 12 pastures representing a gradient in management intensity, including a grazed bermudagrass and tall fescue mix (GMEP), grazed Indian grass monoculture (GINP), grazed mixed native pasture (GMNP), and a non-grazed mixed native pasture (NMNP). Grazed treatments were stocked with steers from May through August each year. I also evaluated the economic implications of each grazing system. In general, there was a positive response to native grasses among Dickcissels and arthropods and a negative effect from grazing. Dickcissel productivity (fledgling/ha) was highest in NMNP and lowest in GMEP, whereas productivity was intermediate and similar among grazed native pastures. This pattern was attributable to availability of suitable nest sites because nest survival and brood size did not vary by treatment. Several arthropod taxa responded positively to greater vegetation density in NMNP, but communities were largely similar among grazed pastures irrespective of forage origin or diversity, suggesting little short-term response to NWSG. In spite of unfavorable growing conditions due to drought, cattle grazing NWSG consistently outperformed conspecifics in GMEP, with 45–72% higher average daily gain. Partial budget analysis indicated that NWSG pastures yielded up to 36% marginal rates of return despite establishment costs. These results suggest NWSG conversion can benefit tall grass specialists such as Dickcissels while offering competitive alternatives to exotic forages, resulting in net benefits for both conservationists and producers.