Sattumaa vai suunnitelmaa? Metsäpolitiikan vaikutus pienmaanomistajien tiikin kasvatukseen Laosissa

This study analyses the impact of policy, legal and market conditions and specific incentives on smallholders’ interest and success in tree growing between 1990-2015 in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos, Lao PDR). A review of previous studies and policy papers established the framework for this study, with primary data then collected from smallholders through semi-structured interviews in four villages. The interview questions covered household socioeconomic features, land use, information on woodlots, extension, and perceptions on drivers and challenges of tree growing. The findings indicate that policy objectives of promoting smallholder tree growing are weak at the district and village levels, and the only significant incentive, namely land allocation, has become ineffectual due to land scarcity and preference for other income sources. Tree growers intend to mainly preserve their present plantation areas, although their interest to expand tree growing areas is weak, and one third of non-growers see tree growing as a potential livelihood diversification option. If the promotion of smallholder tree growing is to be improved, the land and forest policy and associated legislation requires thorough revision and simplification, extension services must be made available, and specific incentives developed to allow smallholders to access land and meet their specific needs.This study analyses the impact of policy, legal and market conditions and specific incentives on smallholders’ interest and success in tree growing between 1990-2015 in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos, Lao PDR). A review of previous studies and policy papers established the framework for this study, with primary data then collected from smallholders through semi-structured interviews in four villages. The interview questions covered household socioeconomic features, land use, information on woodlots, extension, and perceptions on drivers and challenges of tree growing. The findings indicate that policy objectives of promoting smallholder tree growing are weak at the district and village levels, and the only significant incentive, namely land allocation, has become ineffectual due to land scarcity and preference for other income sources. Tree growers intend to mainly preserve their present plantation areas, although their interest to expand tree growing areas is weak, and one third of non-growers see tree growing as a potential livelihood diversification option. If the promotion of smallholder tree growing is to be improved, the land and forest policy and associated legislation requires thorough revision and simplification, extension services must be made available, and specific incentives developed to allow smallholders to access land and meet their specific needs.Peer reviewe

Financial attractiveness of wood production in smallholder plantations of Central Vietnam in the context of developing carbon markets

In Vietnam, fast-growing Acacia hybrid dominates commercial smallholdings and is largely managed in short rotations for pulpwood. However, increasing demand for logwood implies growing Acacia hybrid in longer rotations. One way of encouraging smallholders to prolong the rotation would be payments for aboveground carbon storage. Thus, this study evaluated the financial attractiveness of shifting from pulpwood to logwood production, with and without hypothetical carbon payments of $5,$10 and $20 tCO(2)e ha(-1). The data were drawn from smallholder interviews, a plantation inventory and a market study. The growth models for a 5-year pulpwood regime and various logwood regimes used for financial modelling were developed in CO2FIX simulation software. With a financially optimal rotation length of 9-10 years, the study finds that growing Acacia hybrid for logwood is much more profitable than growing it for pulpwood. However, due to thinning in logwood regime, a financially optimal logwood regime stores only 15-16% more carbon than a 5-year pulpwood regime. Consequently, carbon payments at any of the three price levels would not shift the financially optimal rotation length. The study concluded that carbon payments alone are unlikely to be an effective means to encourage smallholders in central Vietnam to prolong the rotation.Peer reviewe

Miten lähi- ja luomuruoka erottuvat toisistaan ja muusta kotimaisesta ruoasta kuluttajan mielessä?

Lähituotannon käyttäminen elintarvikkeiden markkinointikeinona edellyttää nykyistä parempaa tietoa siitä, minkälainen motivaatiopohja kuluttajilla on lähiruoan käyttöön. Onko lähituotannolla kuluttajalle lisäarvoa luomu- ja kotimaiseen tuotantoon verrattuna? Kuluttajatutkimuskeskuksella, VTT Biotekniikalla ja MTT Taloustutkimuksella on käynnissä kolmivuotinen (2003 - 2005) yhteistyöhanke ”Kuluttajat, päättäjät ja lähi- ja luomuruoka - mahdollisuuksia pk-sektorille”. Tutkimuksessa tavoitteena on selvittää mm., miten kuluttajat ja kunnalliset päätöksentekijät määrittelevät ja mieltävät lähiruoan ja miten lähiruoka heidän mielessään asemoituu suhteessa luomu- ja muuhun kotimaiseen ruokaan.Tässä artikkelissa kuvataan kuluttajien mielikuvia koskevia tuloksia aineistosta, joka on kerätty koko Suomesta Internetkyselyllä vuonna 2004 (N=1 695). Tutkimuksen muut tulokset koskevat kuluttajien ja päättäjien määritelmiä lähiruoasta, lähi- ja luomuruoan tulevaisuusnäkymiä sekä kuntapäättäjien näkemyksiä lähi- ja luomuruoan käytön edellytyksistä ja vaikuttimista kunnissa. Vastaajien mielikuvissa suurin ero oli kotimaisen ja ulkomaisen ruoan välillä. Sen sijaan lähi-, luomu- ja muu kotimainen ruoka erosivat toisistaan vain vähän. Kuluttajat liittivät sekä kotimaiseen luomu-, lähi- että muuhun kotimaiseen ruokaan mielikuvia, jotka kuvastivat luottamusta ja uskoa hyvään laatuun. Kaikkien kotimaisten vaihtoehtojen uskottiin myös edistävän (omaa, perheen, tulevien sukupolvien tai eläinten) hyvinvointia. Lähi- ja luomuruokaan nämä mielikuvat liittyivät kuitenkin hieman vahvemmin kuin muuhun kotimaiseen ruokaan. Sen sijaan ilmaisu "ulkomainen ruoka" herätti selvästi kielteisempiä mielikuvia. Lähiruoka erottui muista ruokatyypeistä selkeästi vain kahdessa ominaisuudessa; oman kotiseudun yrittäjiä tukevana ja vaikeana tunnistaa kaupassa. Vaikka samoja uskomuksia liitettiin kaikkiin kotimaisiin vaihtoehtoihin, lähiruoka arvioitiin kuitenkin monessa suhteessa muuta kotimaista ruokaa "paremmaksi"; laadukkaammaksi, omaa, perheen tai eläinten hyvinvointia edistäväksi, luonnollisemmaksi, vähemmän teolliseksi, tuotannoltaan pienimuotoisemmaksi ja sen alkuperä helpommaksi jäljittää. Kotimaiseen verrattuna lähiruoan heikkouksia olivat heikon tunnistettavuuden lisäksi jossain määrin myös korkea hinta, huonompi saatavuus ja epätasaisempi laatu. Lähi- ja luomuruokaan suhtauduttiin hieman eri tavoin paikkakunnasta riippuen. Pääkaupunkiseudulla ja Etelä-Suomessa lähiruokaan liitettiin kielteisempiä mielikuvia kuin muualla Suomessa. Naiset ja ruoan luonnollisuutta arvostavat näkivät lähi- ja luomuruoalla muita enemmän myönteisiä ominaisuuksia. Muutoin taustatekijöillä oli vain vähän yhteyttä uskomuksiin

Consumer perceptions of healthy cereal products and production methods

Using a survey, this study investigated public perceptions relating to different healthy grain foods (bread, pasta and biscuits) and how these perceptions are influenced by gender, nationality, base product (staple vs. fun food), type of health claim (general vs. specific) and people's perceptions associated with different production methods. Two thousand and ninety-four (50.4% women, 49.5% men) members of the public from the UK, Italy, Finland and Germany completed the survey questionnaire. The participants were over 18 years of age and were solely or jointly responsible for the family's grocery shopping. Results confirmed that similar to other functional foods, there were gender and country differences in people's perceptions of benefits relating to functional grain products. Men perceived more benefit in products with specific health claims and women in products with general health claims. However, when it was personally relevant, men's levels of perceived benefit in products with general health claims were equally high as women's. Further, modification of staple foods was perceived as more beneficial than fun foods and people preferred processes such as fortification and traditional cross-breeding to others such as genetic modification. In addition, the differences in perceived benefits between foods with general and specific health claims were largest for staple foods than for hedonistic foods. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Site-specific chlorophyll reference conditions for lakes in Northern and Western Europe

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU Member States to assess the “ecological status” of surface waters. As a component of ecological status, many European countries are developing a classification scheme for chlorophyll concentrations as a measure of phytoplankton biomass. The chlorophyll classification must be based on the degree of divergence of a water body from an appropriate baseline, or ‘reference condition’. This paper describes the development of a series of regression models for predicting reference chlorophyll concentrations on a site-specific basis. For model development a large dataset of European lakes considered to be in reference condition, 466 lakes in total, was assembled. Data were included from 12 European countries, but lakes from Northern and Western Europe dominated and made up 92% of all reference lakes. Data have been collated on chlorophyll concentration, altitude, mean depth, alkalinity, humic type, surface area, and geographical region. Regression models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll concentrations from significant predictor ‘typology’ variables. Reference chlorophyll concentrations were found to vary along a number of environmental gradients. Concentrations increased with colour and alkalinity, and decreased with lake depth and altitude. Forward selection was used to identify independent explanatory variables in regression models for predicting site-specific reference chlorophyll concentrations. Depth was selected as an explanatory variable in all models. Alkalinity was included in models for low colour and humic lakes and altitude was included in models for low colour and very humic lakes. Uncertainty in the models was quite high and arises from errors in the data used to develop the models (including natural temporal and spatial variability in data) and also from additional explanatory variables not considered in the models, particularly nutrient concentrations, retention time and grazing. Despite these uncertainties, site-specific reference conditions are still recommended in preference to type-specific reference conditions, as they use the individual characteristics of a site known to influence phytoplankton biomass, rather than adopt standards set to generally represent a large population of lakes of a particular type. For this reason, site-specific reference conditions should result in reduced error in ecological status classifications, particularly for lakes close to typology boundaries