Toward a Vibrant Peruvian Middle Class: Effects of the Peru-United States Free Trade Agreement on Labor Rights, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Populations

Past research confirms that trade and human rights are inextricably linked by trade\u27s effects on poverty, labor, women, indigenous populations, health, and the environment. We identified surprisingly direct linkages between these two vital policies in WTO agreements as well as that regional trade agreements add positive indirect contributions by to rules-based governance through their emphasis on transparency, accountability, and due process by governments, as well as timeliness, inclusive record keeping, and impartiality in the administrative decisional process. The present research examines a particular country and a single trade agreement, Peru and the trade agreement between Peru and the United States. Against the backdrop of Peru\u27s large informal economy and its past reliance on the capital-intensive mineral and metal industries, the paper examines the potential effects of diversification of exports from increased foreign investment and continued access to the U.S. textile and apparel market. We address the Agreement\u27s unique recognition of Peru\u27s biodiversity and its inevitable connection to Peru\u27s indigenous populations, in addition to the opportunities such recognition presents for cooperative efforts aimed at protecting the environment and preserving traditional knowledge while permitting research for lifesaving medicines. We look at the ability of the labor chapter of the Agreement to focus efforts of the Peruvian government to enforce fully its worker rights laws. We close with a look at infrastructural changes that Peru\u27s Government may best undertake to magnify the Agreement\u27s benefits. For example, efforts to strengthen the linkages between the knowledge centers and the potential knowledge users in the business community are necessary steps to take advantage of the new technologies so essential to solving the social and environmental challenges that Peru faces

Toward a Vibrant Peruvian Middle Class: Effects of the Peru-United States Free Trade Agreement on Labor Rights, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Populations

Past research confirms that trade and human rights are inextricably linked by trade\u27s effects on poverty, labor, women, indigenous populations, health, and the environment. We identified surprisingly direct linkages between these two vital policies in WTO agreements as well as that regional trade agreements add positive indirect contributions by to rules-based governance through their emphasis on transparency, accountability, and due process by governments, as well as timeliness, inclusive record keeping, and impartiality in the administrative decisional process. The present research examines a particular country and a single trade agreement, Peru and the trade agreement between Peru and the United States. Against the backdrop of Peru\u27s large informal economy and its past reliance on the capital-intensive mineral and metal industries, the paper examines the potential effects of diversification of exports from increased foreign investment and continued access to the U.S. textile and apparel market. We address the Agreement\u27s unique recognition of Peru\u27s biodiversity and its inevitable connection to Peru\u27s indigenous populations, in addition to the opportunities such recognition presents for cooperative efforts aimed at protecting the environment and preserving traditional knowledge while permitting research for lifesaving medicines. We look at the ability of the labor chapter of the Agreement to focus efforts of the Peruvian government to enforce fully its worker rights laws. We close with a look at infrastructural changes that Peru\u27s Government may best undertake to magnify the Agreement\u27s benefits. For example, efforts to strengthen the linkages between the knowledge centers and the potential knowledge users in the business community are necessary steps to take advantage of the new technologies so essential to solving the social and environmental challenges that Peru faces

Analizando múltiples respuestas en el hogar: Adopción de prácticas CSA

Las encuestas intra-hogar permiten reconocer las preferencias y percepciones individuales de los diferentes miembros del hogar; también sirven para analizar brechas de género, poderes de negociación y empoderamiento. Sin embargo, tener múltiples respuestas complica el análisis a nivel del hogar, por ejemplo, cuando se quiere estimar la productividad agrícola y las tasas de adopción. Esta infografía presenta cuatro formas de calcular tasas de adopción a nivel de hogar cuando se tienen dos respuestas

Guía metodológica para la recolección participativa de indicadores de género en agricultura.

Uno de los conceptos de género más usado por los proyectos de desarrollo rural en América Latina es el empoderamiento de la mujer, el cual es un concepto complejo con varias dimensiones, lo que hace de su medición un gran desafío. Si bien existen varias herramientas cualitativas relacionadas, se encontró que faltaba una que permitiera recolectar información específica que aportara a la contextualización de las barreras y limitantes inherentes a cada dominio de empoderamiento. Esta guía presenta actividades que permiten capturar información sobre los cinco dominios del empoderamiento medidos en el WEAI. Así mismo, las actividades fueron adaptadas de ejercicios participativos tradicionales para ser desarrolladas por parejas que conforman hogares, en vez de por hombres o mujeres de manera separada

Analyzing multiple household responses: Adoption of CSA practices

Intra-household surveys permit us to recognize the individual preferences and perceptions of different household members. They also allow us to analyze gender gaps, bargaining power and empowerment. However, having multiple responses complicates household level analysis such as estimating agricultural yields and adoption rates. This infographic presents four ways of calculating household level adoption rates using two responses per household

Increased Risk of Hypertension After Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Findings from a large prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: Whether a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increased risk of hypertension after the index pregnancy is not well established. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated the association between GDM and subsequent risk of hypertension after the index pregnancy among 25,305 women who reported at least one singleton pregnancy between 1991 and 2007 in the Nurses’ Health Study II. RESULTS: During 16 years of follow-up, GDM developed in 1,414 women (5.6%) and hypertension developed in 3,138. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model showed women with a history of GDM had a 26% increased risk of developing hypertension compared with those without a history of GDM (hazard ratio 1.26 [95% CI 1.11–1.43]; P = 0.0004). These results were independent of pregnancy hypertension or subsequent type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that women with GDM are at a significant increased risk of developing hypertension after the index pregnancy

The Impact of Dietary Folate Intake on Reproductive Function in Premenopausal Women: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Folic acid is recommended to reproductive-aged women to prevent birth defects, though little is known about the effects of dietary intake on other reproductive outcomes. Improved pregnancy rates have been documented after folic acid supplement use, suggesting a possible link with ovulation, however research is limited. Our objective was to evaluate the association between dietary folate intake, hormone levels, and sporadic anovulation in healthy, regularly menstruating women. Methodology/Principal Findings: The BioCycle study (2005–2007) prospectively followed 259 healthy women aged 18–44 years from the western New York region for up to 2 menstrual cycles. Total folate and specific sources of folate were assessed up to 4 times per cycle by 24-hour recall. Estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were measured in serum up to 8 times per cycle, timed using fertility monitors. Anovulation was defined as a cycle with peak progesterone concentration ≤5 ng/mL and no LH peak in the mid/late luteal phase. Higher intake of dietary folate (in dietary equivalents) across tertiles had a marginally significant association with greater luteal progesterone levels (P trend 0.08). Higher intake of synthetic folate was significantly associated with higher luteal progesterone levels (P trend 0.05). Specifically, women in the 3rd tertile of synthetic folate intake had, on average, 16.0% (95% CI, 0.5–33.8%) higher luteal progesterone levels compared to women in the 1st tertile. Moreover, consumption of synthetic folate was significantly and inversely associated with anovulation such that women in the 3rd tertile had a 64% (95% CI, 8–86%) decreased odds of anovulation compared to the women in the 1st tertile (P trend 0.03). Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest that a diet high in synthetic folate may be associated with increased progesterone levels and lower risk of sporadic anovulation. Further study of the effect of dietary folate and folic acid supplement use on reproductive health is warranted