The Role of Coffee in the Development of Southwest Ethiopia's Forests: Farmers' Strategies,Investor Speculation,and Certification Projects

This article examines the role of coffee in the agriculture of southwest Ethiopian highlands, a context characterized by recent huge private coffee estate developments, coffee certification projects and smallholdings. The analysis shows that smallholder farmers prioritize staple crops, and allocate land and labor to coffee only once food production objectives have been reached. It also underscores the diversity of the local peasantry, often treated as a homogeneous group in development projects designed to boost farmers' income through coffee production. Based on this analysis, the article evaluates the effects of recent coffee-oriented development policies: state forest concessions for coffee investment, and two coffee certification projects (UTZ-Certified and Fair-Trade/Organic). Because they omit the differentiated farmers' strategies, these certification initiatives fail to improve local populations' livelihoods and accelerate incipient socioeconomic inequalities. Moreover, when applied to big private plantations, they participate in farmers' dispossession from critical forest resources essential to households' food self-sufficiency.     

Responding to the coffee crisis: a pilot study of farmers' adaptations in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

This article explores the impacts of market shocks and institutional change on smallholder livelihoods, and the challenge of adaptation in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The rapid decline in coffee prices since the dissolution of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989 has had widespread and profound impacts across coffee-producing regions. The data collected in the three case studies of this project confirm the severity of the impact, particularly in the Mexican and Guatemalan communities. They also illustrate the importance of the historical relationship between farmers and public institutions in defining farmers' perception of risk, their awareness of the nature of the changes they face, and thus the flexibility of their responses to present and future uncertainty. The project's findings indicate that the existence and development of local networks among farmers, service providers and information sources may be critical for facilitating adaptation, particularly in the context of economic liberalization and globalized agriculture.     

From Chicago to L.A. and Back Again: A Chicago‐Inspired Quantitative Analysis of Income Distribution in Montreal*

In a recent issue of Urban Geography (2001) , a number of key players in the 1960s and 1970s school of quantitative urban geography (called Chicago II in this article) set out some of the approach's key methodological premises and assessed its influence in the wider arena of urban studies. At about the same time, the 1920s and 1930s Chicago School of urban sociology (called the Chicago School in this article) was being reassessed in France ( Huet 2000 ), and deconstructed in Los Angeles ( Dear 2001 ). In this article, we outline a selection of basic models of urban space proposed by the Chicago School and further elaborated by Chicago II. We then consider certain aspects of three important critiques: humanist/aesthetic, Marxist, and postmodern. We argue that none of these invalidates the Chicago II approach to the study of urban areas, and we demonstrate its resilience and usefulness by way of the empirical example of Montreal. Though the results are of interest in their own right, the principal purpose of the analysis is to illustrate the type of insight that a structured quantitative approach provides and the way this approach rests on a theoretical understanding of processes at work in cities. We conclude by arguing that the humanist and Marxist critiques shed important light upon the possibilities and limits of the Chicago II approach, but that the postmodern claim that the spatial development of urban areas is not structured by at least some general processes is inaccurate.     

城市生产方式转变、文化变迁与历史环境保护——对珠江三角洲历史环境保护的启示

首先分析20世纪晚期西方社会经济文化转变,带来折射人类社会文化特征的建成环境风格的转变,从而导致作为建成环境一部分的历史环境保护受到全面重视,保护内容和手段不断拓展。继而揭示了珠三角地区历史环境种类丰富、分区明显、涵盖面广的特点,及保护与经济发展不同步、保护体系单一的问题。并分析21世纪珠三角主要城市也出现后工业化趋势,而文化大省战略将进一步带来对多元文化和地方特色的重现,促使区域重新审视和重视历史环境保护问题。最后借鉴西方的经验,提出通过保护的跨学科、多部门融合,保护内容的多样性和保护主体的多元化,实现多元文化背景下珠三角历史环境保护。     

From the kitchen and the field: Gender and maize diversity in the Bajío region of Mexico

The conservation of crop genetic diversity in farmers' fields is important for future food security. Recent research on women and biodiversity has emphasized the importance of women's knowledge in plant domestication and biodiversity conservation. This paper presents a case study of the differences in women's and men's knowledge of maize landraces in four different environments in the Bajío region of Mexico. We argue that research on crop diversity and conservation needs to include both men and women farmers' knowledge. Gendered knowledge results from men and women in a household being responsible for different tasks and sometimes for farming separate plots. In addition, as economic pressures increasingly force men to work away from their communities for extended periods, women become the primary agricultural decision-makers.     

Farmer Identity in Multifunctional Landscapes: using a collective identity construct to explore the nature and impact of occupational identity

The use of multifunctionalism to conceptualise contemporary rural landscapes has focused attention on the increased extent and impact of non-farmers in traditionally agriculture-based rural communities. Typologies of rural landholders have been developed as part of that research effort. However, those typologies are not grounded in established theory, including collective identity theory that could provide an important foundation for the study of occupational identity. Indeed, most quantitative studies may be flawed in drawing on only one of the seven elements contributing to collective identity. This paper examines the efficacy of relying on self-declared occupational identity through the analysis of rural landholder survey data in an Australian region. Tests for expected relationships between self-declared identity of farmer/non-farmer and social and farming variables expected to be correlated with occupation, such as property size, profitability, hours worked on- and off-property, enterprise type and membership of farming-related local organisations found that the expected relationships existed. It seems that self-declared occupational identity is a valid and cost-effective way to explore occupational identity amongst rural landholders. Collective identity, however, is complex and it is unlikely that important research questions can be adequately explored without a more holistic approach to the study of farmer identity in multifunctional landscapes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential benefits of moving beyond self-declared occupation to include other elements in the collective identity construct.     

社会资本视角下历史文化名镇保护困境研究——基于苏州周庄、锦溪、黎里3镇调研

引入社会资本理论,从网络、信任和规范3个维度,建构社会资本与名镇保护间的一个分析框架,剖析保护背后的社会资本困境及其内在根源.基于对苏州周庄等3个名镇的实证研究发现:①社会资本主要通过其3个关键要素从组织基础、制度体系、精神动力对名镇保护沟通机制、约束机制与合作机制进行作用;②当前名镇社会资本呈现网络弱化、信任缺失、规...     

生态建设工程中利益主体间的博弈模型——以政府主导的退耕还林还草工程为例

在政府主导的生态建设工程中,各利益主体决策行为相互影响,策略相互依存。使用博弈论方法研究生态建设工程中利益主体间相互作用关系及结果是一条可行途径。以典型的生态建设工程——退耕还林还草工程为例,分别从静态和动态两方面,建立退耕还林还草博弈模型。模型表明:在中央政府参与的三方动态博弈中,中央政府应当在发展水平较低、生态环境脆弱地区安排下达较多的任务量,同时为保证项目工程顺利实施,应提高该地区的补助比例;在没有中央政府的监督考核机制、群众完成项目量不影响地方政府外部效应情况下,地方政府就会忽视群众利益;农牧民作为项目具体执行者,主要从政府补助比例、工程任务量及自身实际情况出发,考虑完成任务比例,而极少关注政府"信誉"问题。因此,在推进生态建设工程中,项目决策管理层应认识到地区间差异,实行有区别的项目政策,中央政府应在工程中起主导作用。     

Rescaling of Access and Property Relations in a Frontier Landscape: Insights from Jambi,Indonesia

The recent expansion of protected areas and oil palm plantations in Jambi (Sumatra), Indonesia, has been notably disruptive. This article investigates the scalar dimensions of land conflicts within a privately managed conservation area. We built on qualitative research focusing on struggles related to the formation of two informal settlements within the conservation area. Results indicate that, especially in the context of rapid rescaling (e.g., decentralization), new power constellations emerge, thereby altering preexisting property relations. We argue that competing scales of meaning and regulation are structuring the ability of actors to access land and, consequently, reflect tensions between structure and agency.     

Hydrological implications of land use and land cover change: Spatial analytical approach at regional scale in the closed basin of the Cuitzeo Lake,Michoacan, Mexico

A spatially distributed water balance model was used to assess the influence of regional land use and land cover change in a poorly gauged basin for the years 1975 and 2000. To carry out this study in the Cuitzeo Lake basin in Michoacan, Mexico, remote sensing and geographic information system tools were integrated in the water balance model. In addition, a transition matrix analysis was used to determine the dynamic change of categories of related hydrologic processes. The analysis of the water balance components, based on landforms and transition matrix, indicated a tendency of improvement in the regional hydrologic conditions in the basin. As a consequence of urban land use growth, however, plains and footslopes of the basin showed an increase of runoff values. In addition, in both years, the topographic lower sections of the basin exhibited a high demand for water from the increased urban land use, along with degradation of Cuitzeo Lake, particularly by pollution and reduction of water supply. The approach used here is suitable for understanding the change in quantity and spatial distribution of water available in poorly gauged basins.     

Communication,Partnerships, and the Role of Social Science: Conservation Delivery in a Brave New World

Abstract

The Saginaw Bay Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in Michigan is an innovative conservation effort organized to address water quality impairments involving a unique collaboration between conservation organizations, agronomists, universities, commodity groups, and agribusinesses. We track the evolution and adaptation of the Saginaw Bay RCPP, and the collaboration among the traditional and nontraditional conservation partners. Our reflections are organized around three key lessons: vertical and horizontal communication challenges; contextual and structural constraints; barriers that remain between private and public sector entities for this and alternative conservation-delivery models. Lessons from this evaluation will inform the design of future collaborative/multi-stakeholder watershed management efforts. We also demonstrate that rather than being used as an ad-hoc approach, social science evaluation was integrated into conservation planning and practice, hence increasing the salience and legitimacy of the conservation social science in collaborative watershed management.     

荒漠-草原生态交错区植物对温度变化的动态响应--以美国新墨西哥州Sevilleta生态交错区为例

美国新墨西哥州中部的Sevilleta荒漠-草原生态交错区是监测全球气候变化和人类活动对生物影响的重要区域之一。本文以Sevilleta荒漠-草原生态交错区为例,利用气象资料和物候观测数据,通过回归和相关分析,研究在当前全球气候变暖的条件下,温度变化对交错群落的影响。研究结果表明,最近10年（1989¹998）该区域的温度变化具有反向不对称性:夏秋季节最高气温升高很明显,冬春季节最低气温降低较明显,而年平均最高气温升高较明显,平均最低气温和平均气温变化不明显。本区荒漠/草原过渡群落的两种优势物种Bouteloua eripoda和Bouteloua gracili对温度的变化表现出不同的动态响应。第二优势种Bouteloua gracilis的盖度随着冬春最低气温的降低呈现明显的下降趋势。第一优势种Boutel-oua eripoda的盖度与冬春最低气温之间没有明显的相关性。温度的变化对群落的结构目前还没有产生明显的影响。     

中国道路网络的通达性评价与演化机理

现代交通方式产生之前,传统道路设施及道路运输是主要交通方式,成为各历史时期社会经济联系的主要途径,本文力图探究道路设施网络的长期演化规律。为此,本文以具有国家意义的“国道”为研究对象,以商周以来3500年为时间尺度,设计了道路网发育指标和可达性—最短距离模型;刻画了中国道路网的拓展和演化过程,总结各时期的发展特征、空间格局及模式,揭示演变规律;评价了道路网的结构特征、成熟水平与连通性,分析各时期的可达性格局及演变,识别可达性优势与劣势区域;考察了道路网演变与中国社会—经济系统的关系机制。研究发现,中国道路网遵循了“内陆扩张”模式尤其从内陆向边疆拓展,可达性形成明显的“核心—边缘”中心圈层格局,并同国防建设和国家集权、邮驿系统、贸易运输有紧密关系。     

Coming to Terms with “Integrated Coastal Management”: Problems of Meaning and Method in a New Arena of Resource Regulation

This paper traces the emergence of coastal management in the late twentieth century and assesses the social and spatial implications of the new Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) philosophy that guides national regulatory programs worldwide. A review of the epistemology of ICM reveals its link to the United Nations marine regulatory regime (the Law of the Sea) and the sustainable development paradigm embraced at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. I suggest that the resulting regulatory regime facilitates the opening of coastal zones worldwide to aggressive state and global capital investment. By promoting the overhaul of existing social and spatial organization in coastal zones and by asserting the primacy of resource access for modern economic interests, ICM may introduce more rather than less social conflict and ecological degradation. To illustrate this dynamic, I examine the case of coral reef management in general, and in the context of the Sri Lankan ICM program.     

From Microtoponyms to Landscape Using Semantics,Location, and Topography: The Case of Wald,Holz, Riet,and Moos in St. Gallen,Switzerland

To explore landscape properties using language, we analyzed the semantics and associated physical properties of four generic landscape terms through spatially located microtoponyms in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. We applied quantitative methods to physical and etymological data to understand how four common generic terms (Wald, Holz, Riet, and Moos) were used in microtoponyms in the canton. We observe that the meaningful elements associated with those generic terms characterize general properties of landscape independent of the feature type as well as specific properties linked to the feature. Moreover, using a toponym taxonomy, we compared co-occurrences of different terms (e.g., those associated with spatial relationships or vegetation) for the four generic terms. Holz, which we argue is more associated with land use than land cover, was markedly different in naming patterns from the other three generic terms, and we suggest that this was driven by a distinction between nature and culture. We conclude that the act of naming natural features is influenced not only by properties of the referent but also by broader scale landscape patterns and cognitive associations with landscape terms. Key Words: ethnophysiography, landscape, language, microtoponyms.     

The vulnerability evolution and simulation of social-ecological systems in a semi-arid area: A case study of Yulin City,China

Taking the semi-arid area of Yulin City as an example, this study improves the vulnerability assessment methods and techniques at the county scale using the VSD (Vulnerability Scoping Diagram) assessment framework, integrates the VSD framework and the SERV (Spatially Explicit Resilience-Vulnerability) model, and decomposes the system vulnerability into three dimensions, i.e., exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Firstly, with the full understanding of the background and exposure risk source of the research area, the vulnerability indexes were screened by the SERV model, and the index system was constructed to assess the characteristics of the local eco-environment. Secondly, with the aid of RS and GIS, this study measured the spatial differentiation and evolution of the social-ecological systems in Yulin City during 2000–2015 and explored intrinsic reasons for the spatial-temporal evolution of vulnerability. The results are as follows: (1) The spatial pattern of Yulin City’s SESs vulnerability is “high in northwest and southeast and low along the Great Wall”. Although the degree of system vulnerability decreased significantly during the study period and the system development trend improved, there is a sharp spatial difference between the system vulnerability and exposure risk. (2) The evolution of system vulnerability is influenced by the risk factors of exposure, and the regional vulnerability and the spatial heterogeneity of exposure risk are affected by the social sensitivity, economic adaptive capacity and other factors. Finally, according to the uncertainty of decision makers, the future scenarios of regional vulnerability are simulated under different decision risks by taking advantage of the OWA multi-criteria algorithm, and the vulnerability of the regional system under different development directions was predicted based on the decision makers' rational risk interval.     

都市边缘区空间管制效果的产权差异及其影响因素——基于基本农田保护区政策视角

在城市区域化下,基本农田保护区（农保）成为都市区生态保育的重要空间载体及划定城市增长边界依据。以广州市白云区为例,以镇和行政村为基本空间单元,研究了1997年以来基本农田保护区空间演变过程,并构建指标体系,建立不同产权主体农保转用的数理模型,揭示农保政策对不同主体管制的差异及其影响因素。研究发现：① 广州都市边缘区农保被大量转用,并以转为集体建设用地为主;② 农保政策对不同主体的空间管制效果差异较大,可分为管制有效型、集体转用失效型、国有转用失效型三种类型;③ 国有转用主要位于镇区周边,是城镇化所需代价,集体转用主要分布于靠近城市中心而远离镇区的村庄;④ 区位及村庄对非农经济收入的追求是农地集体转用的主要原因,而社会变迁因素影响并不显著。总之,基本农田制度对政府的管制有效,对集体则失效,说明了对基本农田的保护不仅需要划定刚性的物理边界,还需协调集体产权所有者的利益。     

Local- and watershed-scale controls on the spatial variability of natural levee deposits in a large fine-grained floodplain: Lower Pánuco Basin, Mexico

This study examines spatial variations in natural levee deposits within the lower reaches of a large coastal plain drainage system. The Pánuco basin (98,227 km²) drains east-central Mexico, and is an excellent setting to examine the influence of watershed and local controls on the morphology and sedimentology of natural levees. Although many fluvial systems in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain have been investigated, the rivers in the Mexican Gulf Coastal Plain have received comparatively little attention. Lateral and downstream characteristics of natural levee morphology and sediment texture are considered within the context of meandering river floodplain deposits. Data sources include total-stations surveying, sediment samples of surficial levee deposits, topographic maps (1:50,000), and aerial photographs (1:40,000). The slope of natural levees average 0.0049 m/m, whereas the texture (D₈₄) of levee deposits averages 0.12 mm. Natural levee characteristics vary due to local- and watershed-scale controls. The lateral reduction in levee height displays a curvilinear pattern that coincides with an abrupt change in sediment texture. The downstream pattern of natural levee texture exhibits the influence of local-scale perturbations superimposed upon a larger watershed-scale trend. Disruption to the fining trend, either by tributary inputs of sediment or reworking of Tertiary valley deposits, is retained for a limited distance. The influence of the channel planform geometry on levee morphology is examined by consideration of the radius of curvature (R_c) of meander bends, and is inversely related to natural levee width. This suggests that the planform geometry of river channels exerts a control on the dispersal of flood sediments, and is responsible for considerable local variability in the floodplain topography. The average width of natural levees increases with drainage area, from an average of 747 m in the Moctezuma to an average of 894 m in the Pánuco. However, in the lower reaches of the Pánuco valley the width of natural levees rapidly decreases, which is associated with fining of the suspended sediment load. Thus, the reduction in natural levee width signifies an abrupt change in the directionality of cause–effect relationships at the watershed-scale. Findings from this study elucidate linkages between meandering river channels and floodplains for a large lowland alluvial valley.