Community Based Organization

Host plant resistance (HPR) is a vital component of modern agricultural entomology, offering a long-term solution for managing insect pests while minimizing environmental and economic costs. Analysis of HPR, beginning with its underlying mechanisms antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance and progressing through the morphological, biochemical, and molecular traits that influence pest resistance. The inheritance of resistance, whether monogenic or polygenic, and its genetic manipulation through conventional and molecular breeding, plays a crucial role in delivering stable pest control. Case studies across cotton, rice, maize, tomato, brinjal, and wheat demonstrated how well-bred resistant cultivars have significantly reduced pest infestations, improved yields, and decreased pesticide dependence. Yet, challenges such as resistance breakdown due to pest adaptation, limited genetic diversity in commercial cultivars, and regulatory hurdles for biotech crops remain significant. Climate variability and shifting pest dynamics further complicate the durability of resistance traits. The future of HPR lies in integrating resistance into diversified Integrated Pest Management (IPM) frameworks, embracing multi-omics technologies, and deploying real-time resistance monitoring using molecular diagnostics. Participatory breeding and farmer-led varietal selection will ensure that resistance traits align with local preferences and environmental conditions. Regulatory harmonization, public engagement, and investment in biosafety infrastructure are necessary to accelerate the deployment of transgenic and genomeedited crops. As pest pressure intensifies under changing climate and global trade conditions, resilient, science-based HPR strategies will be essential to secure global food systems.

Circular economy (CE) has become a popular concept worldwide in pursuing sustainable, green, environmentally friendly, and closed-loop production processes in many sectors, including waste management. It has been proposed that CE has the potential to solve not just environmental concerns but also social and economic problems by providing economic opportunities for marginalised groups. One such group is those involved in informal waste management systems in the Global South, where growing waste volumes and limited management are causing pollution and health issues as well as constraining inclusive circular development. In Indonesia, the waste volume is estimated to increase by 82% by 2030 due to the expansion of the consuming middle class, leading to escalating demand for consumer products and Indonesia struggling with waste management. Waste pickers are at the front line in collecting recyclable waste in Indonesia, and have a significant role in reducing waste in landfills yet are subjected to deplorable and unhealthy labour conditions for low incomes. A circular economy, apart from providing eco-friendly economic growth, can be directed to empower vulnerable groups and enhance economic inclusion. Reflecting on the case of Bali, Indonesia, using literature review, document study and interviews, we suggest that establishing cooperative organisations of informal waste pickers can be a positive strategy for enhancing inclusive circular economy in waste management. Through cooperatives, waste pickers have better opportunities as an integral part of waste management by providing reliable waste collection and transportation from the sources to temporary and final disposal areas, sustaining their vital role in waste sorting and recycling. It is recommended to develop a followup proposal to substantiate findings to elaborate and assess potential solutions for the future to ensure waste management in Bali becomes more circular and inclusive.

Background: Agrochemicals can play a significant role in enhancing post-harvest crop productivity and protection. But over the years, there's growing concern about the inaccurate use of pesticides in agriculture. Objective: To assess knowledge of farmers about pest management, perceptions of the kind and frequencies as well as severity of pests and disease, sources of information, awareness of farmers and safety measures followed during pesticide application. Methods: A random survey was conducted employing a standard structured questionnaire among 100 farmers in Wheat, Mustard and Paddy cultivating areas across the ten villages of Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Results: Most ordinarily used pesticides applied by the farmers on different crops were Malathion, Cypermethrin and Chlorpyriphos. It was also observed during the survey that most of the farmers stored the pesticide bottles at safe places and the remaining in unsafe areas with no safety measures. It was found that no farmer was familiar even with Government Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC)'s roles and guidelines about the use of labeled and unlabelled pesticide application. However, most of the farmers were mainly dependent by the recommendation of pesticide dealers.

The catalytic potential of community-based organizations to promote health, prevent disease, and address racial, ethnic, and socio-economic disparities in local communities is well recognized. However, many CBOs, particularly, small-to medium-size organizations, lack the capacity to plan, implement, and evaluate their successes. Moreover, little assistance has been provided to enhance their capacity and the effectiveness of technical assistance to enhance capacity is likewise limited. A unique private-academic partnership is described that simultaneously conducted program evaluation and addressed the capacity needs of 24 CBOs funded by the Pfizer Foundation Southern HIV/AIDS Prevention Initiative. Assessments of key program staff members at 12 and 18 months after the initial cross-site program assessment survey indicated a significant improvement in the CBOs' knowledge, skills, and abilities and a substantial reduction in their technical assistance needs for HIV/AIDS prevention. Full participation of CBOs in technical assistance and a concurrent empowerment evaluation framework were necessary to enhance prevention capacity.

Sustainable crop production faces escalating challenges from pest resistance, environmental degradation, climate change, and growing food safety concerns, highlighting the urgent need for alternatives to chemical-intensive pest control. Non-chemical pest management (NCPM) has emerged as a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, grounded in ecological principles that regulate pest populations while conserving environmental quality. This book chapter presents a comprehensive synthesis of NCPM concepts, principles, and practices, integrating cultural, mechanical, physical, biological, botanical, genetic, and biotechnological approaches to maintain pests below economic injury levels rather than pursuing eradication. Key strategies discussed include sanitation, crop rotation, intercropping, habitat manipulation, optimized planting time, mechanical exclusion and trapping, physical manipulation of temperature and moisture, biological control (classical, augmentative, and conservation), the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), biopesticides (microbial, botanical, and viral), and host plant resistance, including transgenic and genome-based interventions. By reducing dependence on synthetic pesticides, these approaches mitigate resistance development, enhance biodiversity, support ecosystem resilience, and promote the production of safe, residue-free food. Overall, this chapter underscores the critical role of NCPM within an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework as a long-term, economically viable, and environmentally responsible pathway for sustainable agricultural systems.

Financial inclusion remains a significant challenge for many immigrant and minority communities in the United States. Millions of households continue to experience barriers to affordable banking services, credit access, homeownership, and small-business financing due to income disparities, language barriers, limited credit histories, discrimination, and lack of trust in traditional financial institutions. These barriers contribute to persistent wealth gaps and reduced economic mobility. Cooperative banking institutions, including credit unions, are uniquely positioned to address these challenges because of their member-owned structure, community orientation, and commitment to service rather than shareholder profit maximization. This article argues that cooperative banking serves as an important mechanism for improving financial inclusion among immigrant and minority populations. The article further contends that executive leadership expertise in community development, cultural competency, financial education, and risk governance represents a nationally significant capability that contributes to broader U.S. priorities related to equity, economic resilience, and long-term growth.

Background We report on the challenges of obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) coverage for a community-based participatory research (CBPR) environmental justice project, which involved reporting biomonitoring and household exposure results to participants, and included lay participation in research. Methods We draw on our experiences guiding a multi-partner CBPR project through university and state Institutional Review Board reviews, and other CBPR colleagues' written accounts and conference presentations and discussions. We also interviewed academics involved in CBPR to learn of their challenges with Institutional Review Boards. Results We found that Institutional Review Boards are generally unfamiliar with CBPR, reluctant to oversee community partners, and resistant to ongoing researcher-participant interaction. Institutional Review Boards sometimes unintentionally violate the very principles of beneficence and justice which they are supposed to uphold. For example, som...

Objective: To design a Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) instrument for HIV-infected people in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods: The self-administered questionnaire was developed by an Italian network including researchers, physicians, people living with HIV, national institutions and community-based organizations (CBO) through several steps: (1) review of existing HRQoL literature and questionnaires for HIV-infected people; (2) selection of relevant domains measuring HRQoL in HIV-infected people, and identification of new domains related to new aspects of HRQoL concerning HAART-treated individuals; (3) conduction of two pre-test analyses in independent groups of Italian HIV-positive people (n @ 100) distributed throughout the country. The objectives of the first pre-test were to verify the usefulness of the questionnaire, to construct a form easily understandable by everyone, to define the domains and their significance; the second pre-test aimed at evaluating and reshaping the questionnaire based on a statistical analysis of the outcomes of first pre-test; (4) validation analysis. A large cohort of people with HIV infection was recruited for the last step. Results: The internal consistence reliability (Cronbach's a) was ‡0.70 for all domains. Most domains had Cronbach's coefficient >0.80. All domains demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. The final version of ISSQoL includes two sections: HRQoL Core Evaluation Form (9 domains) and Additional Important Areas for HRQoL (6 domains). The ISSQoL was administered together with two additional forms: a Daily Impact of Symptoms Form and a Demographic Information Form. The Additional Important Areas for HRQoL include social support, interaction with medical staff, treatment impact, body changes, life planning, and motherhood/fatherhood. Conclusion: The data reported in the present paper provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the ISSQoL questionnaire for the measurement of HRQoL in HIV-infected people. The direct involvement of HIV-positive people in all the phases of the project was a key aspect of our work.

This article examines the feasibility of using local administrative data sources for enhancing and supplementing federally collected survey data to describe housing in Arlington County, Virginia. Using real estate assessment data and the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2009 to 2013, we compare housing estimates for six characteristics: number of housing units, type of housing unit, year built, number of bedrooms, housing value, and real estate taxes paid. The findings show that housing administrative data can be repurposed to enhance and supplement the ACS, but limitations exist. We then discuss the challenges of repurposing housing administrative data for research.

Introduction: Community-based organizations (CBOs) are important equity-promoting delivery channels for evidence-based interventions (EBIs). However, CBO practitioners often cannot access needed support to build EBI skills. Additionally, the capacity-building literature is hindered by inconsistent definitions, limited use of validated measures, and an emphasis on the perspectives of EBI developers versus implementers. To address these gaps, we explored commonalities and differences between CBO practitioners and academics in conceptualizing and prioritizing core EBI skills. Methods: We utilized Group Concept Mapping, a mixed-methods approach connecting qualitative data (e.g., regarding the range of critical EBI skills) and quantitative data (e.g., sorting and ranking data regarding unique skills) to create conceptual maps integrating perspectives from diverse participants. A total of 34 practitioners and 30 academics working with cancer inequities participated in the study. Results: ...