Economic diversification and second‐tier political conflict: Assessing bitumen political ecologies in southwest Nigeria

Since its emergence as a research field in the 1980s, political ecology has provided a useful tool to explicate violent environments, notably as hallmarks of natural resource‐dependent economies. Practitioners regularly address what might be called ‘charismatic’ natural resources such as oil and other precious minerals to describe contestation over access and control of natural resources. Yet, where this focus exists, the political ecology of less economically valuable or ‘noncharismatic’ resources is thereby obscured. Thus, Nigeria's dependency on oil production has generated much scholarly attention with its unstable political economy described as a rentier state. In contrast, this paper draws on extensive field experience and knowledge about the country to assess in a preliminary manner some of the dimensions and ramifications of a less well known second‐tier natural resource commodity that is gaining attention as part of a possible national economic diversification strategy. Using the case of bitumen, a viscous hydrocarbon mainly used in road surfacing and roofing work, I assess the trajectory of this relatively overlooked resource, thereby opening a window onto the political ecology of a noncharismatic resource. In contrast to the ubiquitous violence in the oil‐based Niger Delta, I suggest that bitumen political ecologies, while also provoking political conflict and debate, nonetheless seem to being marked by new power dynamics that might augur a less violence prone path in terms of Nigeria's political economy of natural resource production.     

Contests and struggle: Cotton farmers and COTTCO in Rushinga district,Zimbabwe, 1999–2006

The paper examines the relations between farmers and The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (COTTCO) in Rushinga district of Zimbabwe. Based on interviews with farmers and secondary data, it examines the practice of side marketing of contracted seed cotton. While a large body of literature has discussed the social and economic effects of contract farming on farmers, there are less critical studies on side marketing of crops by farmers in unstable economic and political environment such as Zimbabwe. The paper demonstrates that farmers taking advantage of the macroeconomic environment in Zimbabwe violated contracts by selling seed cotton to other buyers. In the process, farmers renegotiated the meaning of the contract and appealed to market rationality embedded in the neo-liberal ideology. For these farmers, side marketing was part of a survival strategy, albeit in imperfect markets and a difficult economic environment. Nonetheless, side marketing of seed cotton strained relations between farmers and COTTCO. The paper shows the tensions in contracts that require regulation by the state and the neo-liberal ideology that promote free markets and argue against strong regulation.     

Theoretical issues in the ‘food desert’ debate and ways forward

Food is essential to life—yet the spatial and economic configuration of the conventional food system does not meet nutritional needs and exacerbates issues of food insecurity. Relevant options for policy change have been explored in light of evaluations of geographic disparities in food access, but the dominant ‘food desert’ discourse often focuses uncritically on insufficient conceptions of access. Understanding the complexity of food deserts is important for moving into meaningful policy action. We present a theoretical position to inspire future empirical research. The ecological model recognizes both endogenous and built environment factors in shaping health. Interventions in the food environment, however, often concentrate exclusively on structural determinants of health (e.g. retail-based initiatives). Yet retail-based interventions are difficult to implement due to governance systems which limit the ability of government bodies to influence private retail development. As well, recognizing the complexity of debates over the influence of structure and agency, we apply structuration theory to food deserts. Behavioral economics further informs both structural and behavioral determinants of health. This approach sidesteps the issue of victim-blaming, as all consumers are viewed as ‘predictably irrational’ in decision-making. In combining these theories, we challenge methodological and theoretical assumptions by showing the complexity of food desert interventions. Policy recommendations focus on behavioral determinants of health and the opportunities for empowerment through local food systems. These recommendations recognize the limits of translating research into policy and in devising effective food based interventions, and are sensitive to social, economic, and political constraints uncovered throughout the paper.     

Reservoir characterization and formation evaluation of a “Royal onshore field”, Southern Niger Delta using geophysical well log data

The reservoir properties of three wells in Royal Field, Niger Delta basin was characterized using fundamental formula. The distributions and thicknesses of sand bodies were determined within each of the wells in the field using geophysical modeling software. The quantitative and qualitative analyses were done for the three exploration wells with the depth ranges of 4000-9700m for Royal well 1, 1000-8805m for Royal well 2, and 4000-8000m for Royal well 3. Each well has identified sand units. Royal well 1 and Royal well 2 have 5 sand units (A, B, C, D, E) each, with respective thicknesses 422m, 110m, 92m, 142m and 350m for well 1, and 82m, 65m, 214m, 362m, and 192m for well 2. Royal well 3 has 4 sand units (A, B, C, D), with respective thicknesses 135m, 80m, 269m and 229m. Petrophysical evaluations were made from well logs. The average porosity values obtained for Royal wells 1, 2, and 3 are 0.24, 0.18 and 0.22 respectively while the corresponding average permeability values are 2789mD, 1292mD, 1643mD. Porosity values obtained from porosity logs and density log (RHOB) using porosity formula are found to be within the range of 0.07- 0.45, while their permeabilities range from 164 to 8453 milli Darcy. The water saturation obtained for each reservoir unit in combination with the resistivity index were used to prove the presence of hydrocarbon in these sands. Royal well 2 having its sand A, 80% hydrocarbon saturated and 82m thickness is the most prolific. The results clearly indicate that the application of this technique is very effective for the interpretation of reservoir properties.     

Petrogenesis of basalt–trachyte lavas from Olmoti Crater, Tanzania

Olmoti Crater is part of the Plio-Pleistocene Ngorongoro Volcanic Highland (NVH) in northern Tanzania to the south of Gregory Rift. The Gregory Rift is part of the eastern branch of the East African Rift System (EARS) that stretches some 4000 km from the Read Sea and Gulf of Aden in the north to the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Here, we (1) characterize the chemistry and mineral compositions of lavas from Olmoti Crater, (2) determine the age and duration of Olmoti volcanic activity through ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of Olmoti Crater wall lavas and (3) determine the genesis of Olmoti lavas and the relationship to other NVH and EARS volcanics and (4) their correlation with volcanics in the Olduvai and Laetoli stratigraphic sequences.Olmoti lavas collected from the lower part of the exposed crater wall section (OLS) range from basalt to trachyandesite whereas the upper part of the section (OUS) is trachytic. Petrography and major and trace element data reflect a very low degree partial melt origin for the Olmoti lavas, presumably of peridotite, followed by extensive fractionation. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data overlap whereas Nd and Pb isotope data are distinct between OLS and OUS samples. Interpretation of the isotope data suggests mixing of enriched mantle (EM I) with high-μ-like reservoirs, consistent with the model of Bell and Blenkinsop [Bell, K., Blenkinsop, J., 1987. Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of East African carbonatites: implications for mantle heterogeneity. Geology 5, 99–102] for East African carbonatite lavas. The isotope ratios are within the range of values defined by Oceanic Island Basalt (OIB) globally and moderate normalized Tb/Yb ratios (2.3–1.6) in these lavas suggest melting in the lithospheric mantle consistent with other studies in the region.⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental-heating analyses of matrix and anorthoclase separates from Olmoti OLS and OUS lavas indicate that volcanic activity was short in duration, lasting 200 kyr from 2.01 ± 0.03 Ma to 1.80 ± 0.01 Ma. The age of Olmoti activity overlaps with ages reported for Ngorongoro Caldera, implying contemporaneous activity of multiple NVH volcanic centers during part of the eruption interval.Olmoti is considered the source for the bulk of interbedded volcanics and volcaniclastic deposits that comprise much of the upper Bed I section of nearby Olduvai Gorge, and part of the Laetoli sequence, both known for their well preserved fossils and archaeological remains. Age and chemical data reported here are compatible with those derived from tephra and lava interbedded in Bed I at Olduvai Gorge and from the Olpiro Beds at Laetoli.     

To Move or not to Move: Community Members’ Reaction to Surface Mining Activities in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Abstract

Despite the impact of mining-induced environmental change on community livability, we know little about how disparities in knowledge of health risks associated with mining influence residents’ response, especially in an already environmentally stressed context. Guided by theoretical insights from solastalgia, we examined residents’ decision to relocate due to increasing gold mining activities in the fragile Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana. Fitting complementary log-log regression models to cross-sectional data from the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana, we found that residents with limited knowledge of potential health impacts of mining and those who believe mining activities were not meeting environmental standards were more likely to consider relocating. Given the centrality of land in community health and wellbeing in the UWR, Ghana’s mining guidelines should promote local participation in the regulation of mining activities and guarantee the rights of indigenes to livable native lands.