scholarly journals Ecological, Cultural, and Geographical Implications of Brahea dulcis (Kunth) Mart. Insights for Sustainable Management in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cloe X. Pérez-Valladares ◽  
Ana I. Moreno-Calles ◽  
Alejandro Casas ◽  
Selene Rangel-Landa ◽  
José Blancas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Palm Species ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Palm Leaf

Palm plants provide important benefits for rural communities around the world. Of the 95 native palm species in Mexico, Brahea dulcis (Soyate palm) has been tagged as an important resource for many Mesoamerican ethnical groups. Scientific and empirical knowledge concerning Soyate is thematically fragmented and disassociated, meaning that sound sustainable management is far from established. Research of over 20 years has permitted us to document ecological, cultural and geographical outcomes of B. dulcis; thus, the present paper aims at compiling all knowledge on Soyate to eventually guide its long-term management. It was conducted in two stages: firstly, it comprised a thorough review of previous studies on the management of B. dulcis in Mexico; secondly, we integrated unpublished outcomes obtained from fieldwork, including participatory ground-truth validation and semi-structured interviews obtained from local ethnic groups. Five factors guided our compilation effort: (i) biological and ecological information, (ii) cultural importance, (iii) economic triggers, (iv) traditional management, and (v) ecological and ecogeographical implications of Soyate palm management. The present paper confirms that B. dulcis is an important cultural resource whose utilization can be traced back over 10,000 years. The leaves of Soyate are the most useful part of the palm and were profusely used in the past for thatching roofs and weaving domestic and agricultural objects. Currently, however, palm-leaf weaving is primarily oriented toward satisfying economic needs. We depicted ten management practices aimed at favoring palm availability. Most of these management practices have enhanced sustainable palm leaf harvesting; however, these practices harbor spatial trends that turn highly diverse habitats into Soyate-dominated spaces. To conclude, we propose a framework to describe sound and sustainable Soyate management in the light of the current long-term Soyate–human relationship. It is here acknowledged that Soyate has played and continues to play a critical socioeconomic and cultural role for many ethnical groups in Central Mexico. Nonetheless, emerging challenges concerning the sustainability of the whole socioecological system at a landscape level are yet to be overcome.

scholarly journals Where are they working? A case study of twenty Cuban-trained South African doctors

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Munirah Motala ◽  
Jacqueline Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Primary Care Level

Background: The year 2017 marked the 21st anniversary of the South African Cuban Medical Collaboration (SACMC) programme that offers disadvantaged South African (SA) students an opportunity for medical training in Cuba. Graduates are expected to return to practice at a primary care level in rural communities; however, little is known about the professional trajectories and career choices of graduates from the programme.Aim: This study explored the reasons why students enrolled in the programme, their professional and career choices as graduates and their career intentions.Setting: The study setting was the whole of SA although participants were primarily drawn from KwaZulu-Natal.Methods: An exploratory, qualitative case study used a purposive sampling strategy to gather data through semi-structured interviews from participants.Results: Graduates (N = 20) of the SACMC programme were all practicing in local SA settings. Participants preferred the SACMC programme as it offered them a full scholarship for medical training. Nineteen doctors had fulfilled their obligation to work in rural areas. Thirteen doctors are engaged in primary healthcare practice, either as private practice generalists or as public service medical officers. Three doctors had completed specialty training: one doctor was training towards specialisation, one doctor was employed at national government and two doctors were employed as medical managers. At the time of the study, 11 doctors were practicing in rural locations and 19 had indicated a long-term intention to work and live within South Africa.Conclusion: The participants of this study who graduated from the SACMC programme are fulfilling their obligations in rural communities. They all intend to contribute to the SA medical workforce in the long-term.

Identifying and Evaluating the Critical Success Factors for Academic Information Management and Evaluation Centers: The Case of Iran

Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdolreza Noroozi Chakoli ◽  
Laleh Samadi
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Academic Information

Abstract Identifying the factors affecting the success of academic information management and evaluation centers is one of the most important studies on how its results can increase the productivity of these centers. This research attempts to investigate the effect of five critical success factors for three centers of academic information management and evaluation in Iran as a developing country. These centers play a key role in the management and evaluation of theses, research projects, papers, and patents nationally. Semi-structured interviews, studies of literature, and providing questionnaires have been used to collect the material for the research. The research population was selected using purposive sampling and consists of managers and all the employees in the three centers who had at least a master’s degree. Their viewpoints were surveyed and the data was analyzed using ANOVA, Scheffe, and Pearson’s correlation test. The findings affirm that “management stability” makes it possible to perform long-term plans in these centers. However, “independency” acts as a factor to strike the balance between responsibilities and authorities, “manager’s speciality” improves the plans and performances in a specific and professional way, “information technology” reduces the expenses and facilitates the presentation of faster services, and finally “distance from authorities” influences the speed of reporting and providing facilities. The results show each of these five factors, not only independently but also together and as a whole, affects the success of these kinds of centers. Moreover, while confirming the correlation between these factors, it was revealed which of these factors has a greater impact on their success.

scholarly journals The Role of Internal Migration in Sustaining Rural Communities in Japan: The Case of Aso City in Kumamoto

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Antonia Miserka
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Demographic Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Permanent Settlement ◽  
Term Basis ◽  
New Residents

AbstractThe shrinking of Japan’s rural areas, caused partly by continuous out-migration of younger people to the major cities, is an amply discussed topic in Japanese society and popular media. Even though a certain trend of counter-urbanisation exists despite larger depopulation patterns, many of these migrants do not stay permanently and therefore cannot contribute to sustaining rural areas in the long term. Previous studies argue that considering each community’s characteristics is important in order to find possible ways to sustain rural areas and attract new residents. Therefore, this study focuses on the case of Aso City, aiming to clarify the criteria that makes migration to Aso City appealing or unappealing, and to identify the factors responsible for enabling (or complicating) the act of permanently settling there. In order to do so, the author conducted a survey in Aso City using semi-structured interviews. While the beauty of the natural surroundings, quality of life, and social connectedness are the main positive qualities of Aso City, its infrastructure, demographic development, and economic situation are assessed more negatively by its residents. Further, this study shows that the better a person’s local social connections upon arrival, the more likely they are to find a place to live and work, and stay on a long-term basis. In order to attract new residents to rural areas and support their permanent settlement, it is important to help them obtain the resources necessary for settling and assist their transition into the social structure of the community.

scholarly journals The Adoption of Sustainable Management Practices by Mexican Coffee Producers

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Ubertino ◽  
Patrick Mundler ◽  
Lota D. Tamini
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Coffee Sector

<p>In order to maintain optimal growing conditions on coffee plots, producers in Mexico are encouraged to renovate their stock of coffee trees, use fertilizer, implement soil conservation measures and manage shade levels. The adoption of these sustainable management practices (SMPs) by smallholder coffee growers has become an important rural development objective, especially as a way to overcome low yields, poverty and land degradation. However, adoption rates for SMPs remain below expected levels, a situation that potentially threatens the long- term viability of the coffee sector in Mexico. To better understand the choices made by producers, a multivariate probit technique was used which modelled the adoption of possibly interrelated SMPs using data from a survey of 119 coffee producers. The analysis reveals that adoption of SMPs is related to the size of coffee holdings, the socio-economic characteristics of producers and the role of social capital, the latter being a key factor in the overall adoption process. Surprisingly, government subsidies to coffee growers were not tied to higher adoption rates, suggesting the need for policy reforms in order to better facilitate the uptake of new practices. The results indicate that efforts aimed at strengthening local institutions and organizing coffee growers into producer associations could increase the adoption of SMPs in smallholder coffee systems.</p>

scholarly journals The Usefulness of Brief Telephonic Intervention After a Nuclear Crisis: Long-Term Community-Based Support for Fukushima Evacuees

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Naoko Horikoshi ◽  
Masaharu Maeda ◽  
Hajime Iwasa ◽  
Maho Momoi ◽  
Yuichi Oikawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Nuclear Crisis

ABSTRACT The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident in 2011 produced over 100000 evacuees. In order to deal with an increased need of mental health care, brief, transdiagnostic Telephonic Interventions (TI) have been provided for those at risk of different mental health problems identified based on results of the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey (MHLS). This study aimed to examine usefulness of TI with focusing on evacuees’ subjective estimation assessed in individual follow-up interviews. The sample comprised 484 persons who had been evacuated from 13 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture to 8 safer regions in and out of Fukushima. We conducted semi-structured interviews for participants receiving TI (intervention group) and those not receiving TI despite being identified as high risk (non-intervention group). The intervention group was older, had a higher proportion of self-reported mental illness, and higher unemployment compared with the non-intervention group. The satisfaction proportion of those who underwent TI was as high as 74.6%. Satisfaction was significantly associated with advance knowledge of TI availability (OR = 3.00, 95% CI: 1.59‐5.64), and advice on health-related practices (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.12‐4.13). Thus, TI is considered to be feasible and useful for public health management practices in major disasters.

scholarly journals A Field Day to the Long Term Agricultural Research Site

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Kistner
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Severe Problem

Soil erosion is quickly becoming a severe problem throughout the Midwest and the situation is predicted to worsen unless more sustainable management practices are adopted. Management practices like reduced tillage and cover crops are recommended to help present soil erosion, enhance soil quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

scholarly journals Contrasting human perceptions of and attitudes towards two threatened small carnivores, Lycalopex fulvipes and Leopardus guigna, in rural communities adjacent to protected areas in Chile

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 11566
Author(s):  
I. Sacristán ◽  
A. Cevidanes ◽  
F. Acuña ◽  
E. Aguilar ◽  
S. García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Human Perceptions ◽  
Leopardus Guigna ◽  
Induced Changes

The interaction between humans and small carnivores is a phenomenon especially frequent in rural fringes, as is the case of communities surrounding natural areas.  In Chile, two species of threatened carnivores, the Darwin’s Fox and the Guigna, have increased their contact with humans due to human-induced changes in their habitat. The objective of this study was to characterize the interactions of these species with humans by assessing human perceptions and attitudes toward them, and to assess livestock and poultry ownership and management practices in local communities to evaluate their possible roles in the phenomenon.  We conducted semi-structured interviews in rural communities adjacent to natural protected areas of two different regions in southern Chile.  We found that people have a more positive perception of Darwin’s Foxes than Guignas, but both species are considered damaging due to poultry attacks.  Livestock and poultry management was generally deficient. Improvements in animal management and education programs could lead to a significant decrease in negative interactions.  

scholarly journals Sustainable management of hill land

1993 ◽  
pp. 171-176
Author(s):  
A.D. Mackay ◽  
M.E. Wedderburn ◽  
M.G. Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Biophysical Indicators ◽  
The Impact

One of the major environmental issues currently facing New Zealand is that of the sustainability of pastoral farming on North Island hill country. To be sustainable, a system must be resource conserving, environmentally compatible, socially supportive and commer-cially competitive. The Resource Management Act defines sustainable management as managing the use, development and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and community to meet their needs without unduly compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Evidence shows that at present this is not so for some hill country, for reasons of on-site land degradation and soil loss, and off-site sediment loading. Socioeconomic sustainability is also in doubt through deterioration in rural infrastructure and social services and steadily decreasing average returns for produce. In the long term there is no conflict between environmental and economic sustainability. The major conflict arises in the short term when the environmental needs of the community can conflict severely with the economic survival of the individual land holder. Adoption of sustainable management will require a much greater understanding of the dynamic interaction between land resources and land use practices and improved matching of land uses with inherent soil and climatic properties. A quantitative understanding of the relationship between biophysical stability of our land resources and their productive capability is required. This paper attempts to: (i) examine how biophysical indicators could be used to quantify the impact of current land use on the productive capability of our hill land resource, and in so doing identify several critical issues facing hill country farmers, and (ii) discuss some of the possible solutions to what we see are currently unsustainable farming practices. It is our contention that the adoption of sustainable management practices will ensure the long-term viability of this sector of the pasture industry and not, as many suggest, its demise. Keywords: biophysical indicators, hill land, offsite effects, on-site effects, sustainability

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document