Sustainable Livelihood

Over the past two decades, there has been an expansion of media portrayals of Bolivian small-scale mining communities through documentary film and international journalism. Taken together, these representations tend to produce a homogenized image of mining communities, emphasizing violence, cultural difference, and social disorder as defining characteristics. This article argues that such representations operate through a power-laden representational logic that simultaneously hypervisibilizes artisanal miners while rendering large-scale industrial mining (LSM) and transnational capital invisible. Drawing on Makau Mutua's (2001) "Savages, Victims, and Saviours" framework, the article analyzes two internationally circulated documentaries, The Devil's Miner (2005) and Minerita (2013). It shows how male miners are depicted as culturally dangerous, women and children as passive victims, and mining-related harm as endogenous to artisanal practice rather than as the outcome of political-economic restructuring. This representational configuration forecloses structural explanations of violence and obscures the role of foreign-owned large-scale mining in reshaping extraction on the Cerro Rico. Situating these films within the historical transformation of Bolivia's mining sector, the article demonstrates that documentary representation does not merely reflect extractive realities but performs ideological work by preparing industrial mining to appear as the unspoken, rational solution to artisanal mining's perceived failures. In doing so, documentary film actively shapes the conditions under which extractive futures become thinkable.

This paper appraises the current status of water supply in Owerri City, Nigeria. Water is a basic human need and is next to oxygen in the order of importance to man. Effective water supply system is universally recognized as a basis for improving the overall health of the population. But given the massive rate of urbanization and rising urban population, the
problem of inadequate public water supply to the burgeoning urban residents in Nigeria has become chronic in recent years. The situation in Owerri is not different. Using the questionnaire, the required data were obtained from the residents of Owerri which were later subjected to analysis. The result reveals that shortage of manpower, lack of finance, general non-chalant attitude by the public, poor maintenance of equipment and pipes leading to intermittent supply, corruption and high proportion of non-revenue water, among others, are the major problems of water supply in Owerri. The study recommends the formulation of a comprehensive policy that will encourage and regulate the development and supply of water in both the urban and rural areas.

Incorporation into the modern labor market has changed the economic strategies of the Andean Indigenous peasantry. In many cases, women have taken over the management of family farms. Sometimes, this has led to a worsening of their living conditions. But in others, it seems to be related to processes of social empowerment and organizational strengthening. We analyze the conditions in which these different situations emerge, arguing that they are related to the revaluation of the peasant production model and the role played by the family farm in the economic strategy of the domestic unit.

Originally Published in CHRISTIAN TRENDS. Reprint in PCG Jubilee Souvenir.

This document examines the historical and contemporary significance of prioritizing the teaching ministry of the Word in Christian churches, cautioning against blanket generalizations while urging renewed emphasis. It traces the apostolic primacy of doctrine and discipleship (e.g., Acts 6:2), declines amid scholasticism, modernism, and secularism, Reformation recoveries, revivalist countermeasures, and modern abundances of media resources tempered by heresies and untrained leadership. Practical steps are proposed, including multi-generational mentoring (2 Tim. 2:2), seminary partnerships, Bible studies, and youth programs, to foster biblically literate congregations aligned with Christ’s mandate (John 21:17).

In cooperation with: • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), www.deza.admin.ch • World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Switzerland, www.wwf.ch • Remei AG, Switzerland, www.remei.ch, Maikaal bioRe (India) Ltd. • International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), India, www.iccoa.org Copies and free downloads of this volume and its Hindi translation are available from the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), 951 C, 15th Cross, 8th Main,

Cotton farmers in many developing countries are facing decreasing marginal returns due to stagnating yields and high input costs. Conversion to organic management could offer an alternative. In a two year comparative study in central India covering 170 cotton fields, organic farms achieved cotton yields that were on par with those in conventional farms, whereby nutrient inputs and input costs per crop unit were reduced by half. Due to 10 -20% lower total production costs and a 20% organic price premium, average gross margins from organic cotton fields were 30 -40% higher than in the conventional system. Although the crops grown in rotation with cotton were sold without premium, organic farms achieved 10-20% higher incomes from agriculture. In addition to these economic benefits, the organic farming system does not burden soil and groundwater with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. However, in this study only minor differences were detected in soil fertility parameters of organic and conventional fields. Altogether, the results suggest that conversion to organic farming can improve livelihoods of smallholders while protecting natural resources. Income loss due to reduced yields in initial years of transition, however, constitutes a major hurdle, especially for poorer farmers. It is thus important to support farmers in overcoming the obstacles of the conversion period.

"Peasant agriculture has been neglected as modern farming occupied its space in the production of basic foods. Exclusion of smallholders in LDCs is the outcome of declining prices for basic
foods now produced and marketed globally by developed countries.This is an effect of globalization: it responds to advances in information technologies, communications, and
biotechnology. Productivity gains in capital intensive agriculture have evolved since the Green Revolution to today’s knowledge technology in agriculture. As productivity in modern farming
depends on genetic improvement of crops, biodiversity is essential to maintain the pool of genes necessary for genetic engineering. Biodiversity is reduced because of the increasing space for
cash crops in smallholder agriculture in response to declining prices, thus threatening the sustainability of modern farming. This paper suggests the concept of multifunctionality to
compensate peasant farmers for biodiversity maintenance. It would be a mean of insertion of peasant agriculture into globalization. "

Seventy-three forest patches were assessed to determine the effects of human and natural impact on native forests along the Lower Tana River flood plains in Kenya between January and March 2001. Seventeen of these forests were within the Tana River Primate National Reserve (TRPNR) while 56 were outside the protected area. Cultivation and dyke construction had the most devastating human impact, which involved partial or complete forest clearing resulting in further fragmentation of forest patches [Suleman MA, Wahungu GM, Mouria PK, Karere GM, Oguge N, Moinde NN (2001) Tana River primate census and forest evaluation. A report to Kenya Wildlife Services]. Natural impacts were either die back or flooding, which appeared to cause progressive degradation of forest structure and biodiversity. Overall, forest area in the Lower Tana significantly reduced by 34.5% (P < 0.001) over a 21-year period. Forest loss was greater outside the reserve (38%) than inside (29.2%) reiterating the signif...

The Carpathian Mountains and the Danube Delta are key biodiversity and wilderness hotspots of Romania and, indeed, for Europe. Large areas of forests in the Carpathians and extended wetland areas are places where wildlife can find a refuge and where people longing for solitude and beauty can enjoy them. Where are these places and what should we do to keep them? The proposal launched in this paper comes with the intent to convince that it is not too late to maintain the Carpathians and, even if we can not maintain the entire mountain range in its present status, there are some key areas that are already protected to certain extent and can become the largest protected area of Europe.

Recently, there is an upsurge in the involvement of rural households in non-farm income generating activities. While several literatures have reported the role of non-farm income generating activities in improving livelihood of rural households, there seems to be very few studies on determinants of non-farm income. Hence, the study assessed the socioeconomic determinants of participation in non-farm income generating activities among households in Abia State Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of rural households, ascertained the factors motivating households' involvement in non-farm activities; and analyse the socioeconomic factors influencing non-farm income. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 160 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive (such as frequency, percentages and mean) and inferential (ordinary least square regression analysis) statistics. The study showed that majority of the respondents (71.25%) was married. The mean years in school and mean age of the respondents were approximately 41years and 11 years respectively. The foremost perceived factors motivating involvement in non-farm income generating activities were inadequate land to practice farming as a main occupation (2.93), higher income in non-farm activities (2.91), and less fatigue in non-farm activity relative to farming (2.71). Education (), household size (), membership to cooperatives (), and years of ** ** *** 0.376 0.205 0.277 experience () were the significant factors influencing non-farm income generating activities. The study ** 0.188 recommends the need for policies aimed at free and affordable education, encourage the formation of cooperatives to enhance non-farm income earning activities. Extension massages should integrate the promotion of diversification into non-farm income activities as an alternative and support to farming and basic infrastructure such as electricity, good access roads, portable drinking water, and health facilities should be provided.

Based on results and conclusions of this project and on discussions and experiences during the realization some recommendations can be derived for government, private sector and research to realize a successful introduction of Good Agricultural Practices in Indonesia. Recommendations for the government are among others to speed up the process of implementation of the official 'Si Sakti'-certification where Hortin-GAP will be a part of. Special attention is needed for the organization of the audits. The lack of information/communication regarding pesticide admission and labeling, which came up during the test, requires immediate attention of the government. Without that information there is no way food safety can be guaranteed in line with international standards. Recommendations for the private sector are to work on awareness of the problem. The supermarkets can stimulate increased food safety and product quality by incentives for certified growers and traders. An important element is the improvement of the whole chain performance. If Indonesian growers want to have access to markets with a higher price level (export, supermarkets) than introduction of a GAP must go hand in hand with improvement of product quality, presentation and handling. A recommendation for research is to work on risk assessment and prevention. A number of assumptions concerning food safety in Indonesia can not be determined or invalidated yet. From the experience of the Hortin-GAP test, refreshing of IPM knowledge is still needed. Farmer networks are an excellent way to improve the performance of farmers and increase knowledge transfer from researcher to farmers. A last recommendation for research is to develop integrated concepts in close relation with private sector. The private sector is not unwilling to improve food safety, but fears complicated systems with high costs. It is important to develop control measures for food safety in close relation with the private sector to secure practical applicability. The approach of this project with surveys, a field test and some workshops is a good example which caused enthusiasm in the private sector. Yes Agronomic improvements Hygiene (no pieces of plastic, glass, splinters, etc. mixed in the product) Yes No Shelf life or storage life No No Price Yes Yes Planting time adjustment Your company Quality of machinery/modernity No No Attention to environment (pollution) Yes No Attention to food safety Yes No Availability of registration/ documentation about the production process, traceability No No Flexibility (specific demands, availability of product, on-time delivery) Yes No Communication Yes No Reputation/name Yes No Which of the above mentioned demands or expectations will become more important and significant for your company in the next 5 years? Attention to food safety Attention to environment (pollution) Yes Yes Tighter selection on produce received Hygiene (no pieces of plastic, glass, splinters, etc. mixed in the product) Yes No Shelf life or storage life Yes No Price Yes No Your company Quality of machinery/modernity Yes No Attention to environment (pollution) Yes No Attention to food safety Yes No Availability of registration/ documentation about the production process, traceability No No Flexibility (specific demands, availability of product, on-time delivery) Yes No Communication Yes No Reputation/name Yes No Which of the above mentioned demands or expectations will become more important and significant for your company in the next 5 years? Attention to food safety Flexibility (specific demands, availability of product, on-time delivery)

Since 2018, the Mexican government has promoted agroecology
through its Producción para el Bienestar program. To understand
its impact on the agroecology transition, 136 farmers and 19
technicians were interviewed and non-participant observation
was carried out in 30 Farmer Field Schools. The disengagement
of these schools from traditional organizations, coupled with the
productivist emphasis reflected in bio-input production, limits the
integration of local knowledge and the development of autonomous
processes. Although innovative pedagogical approaches
and effective mobilizing discourses have been identified, these
do not always result in a structural critique of the food regime or
a genuine strengthening of local capacities.

Organic farming is widely promoted in East Africa as a pathway to improve smallholder livelihoods and environmental sustainability. This synthesis compares certified and non-certified organic systems across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, examining socioeconomic outcomes and adoption dynamics. Evidence shows that certification linked to reliable markets can reduce multidimensional poverty and raise net farm income and gross margins through price premiums and lower input costs. By contrast, "organic-by-default" subsistence farmers-who avoid synthetic inputs without market access or technical support-often remain in low-productivity traps. Food-security effects are mixed: diversified, whole-farm organic systems can support dietary diversity, but export-oriented specialization may create trade-offs if cash earnings fail to offset reduced food-crop production. Adoption intensity is highest among younger, better-educated, better-connected farmers with access to training, livestock (for manure), and assured buyers; key constraints include knowledge gaps, labor demands, and market uncertainty. Environmental co-benefits-such as enhanced soil biota and improved soil structurereinforce long-term resilience. Researcher conclude that organic farming can deliver meaningful socioeconomic gains when embedded in supportive ecosystems: farmer training and extension on agroecology, group or participatory certification, balanced whole-farm planning that safeguards food crops, facilitated market linkages, and policies that lower entry costs and reward ecosystem services.

Bangladesh is a lower-categorized middle-income country where traditional fishermen, here, Jaladas are at extreme risk of long-lasting poverty. Two Jaladas villages were study locations where an endeavor was carried out to identify major driving forces causative for promoting human capital in these communities, and socioeconomic transformations through this process. This study adopted a qualitative method, specifically, Focus Group Discussion (FGD). In addition, a 100-household survey was conducted by random sampling. The findings revealed that NGO-led interventions increase awareness, leadership, education, training and skill development, and access to health facilities. The quality of lives and livelihoods has improved through human capital development in one of the villages studied. Human capitals contribute in socioeconomic transformation especially, in the areas of employment, income, housing, drinking water, sanitation, fish marketing, self-help groups, social alliances and networking, claiming rights & entitlements, and bargaining power. Another study village was lagging behind due to inadequate attention from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), private sector, donor-funded NGOs, and other actors. This study critically analyzes the reasons for advancement and lagging behind between the two study villages through a human capital lens. This study urges to bring the disadvantaged Jaladas communities into the mainstreaming and sustainable development process.