A Re-examination of Causes of Deforestation and Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidences from Latin America, Africa and Asia

Previous cross-country regression analyses on the causes of deforestation seem to have misspecified the regression models, in which the causes at different levels are mixed, leading to flawed cause-effect relationship between the rate of deforestation and its explanatory variables. The paper focuses explicitly on underlying/policy-oriented causes of deforestation and then examines their relationship with rate of deforestation across 43 countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. An environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) relationship between rate of deforestation and income is also tested. Results across all regions and based on panel data technique show that forest and allied (non-forest) sector policies and population density increase deforestation, while forest products export promotion policies, export prices and technological progress decrease deforestation. The effects of per capita income, economic growth and agricultural production are found to be varying in different region. An inverted U-shaped EKC empirically fits for Latin America and Africa while a U-shaped EKC does the same for Asia.Africa; Asia; environmental Kuznets Curve; cross-country analysis; Latin America; underling/policy-oriented causes of deforestation; deforesta tion

Book reviews

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Construction and management of ethnicities in Southeast Asia : cultures, policies and development

Regional social sciences Summer university, "Tam Đáo Summer school week", Việt Nam, July 2011 ; [organized by École française d'Extrême-Orient ; Agence française de développement ; Institut de recherche pour le développement, et al.] ; [scientific editor, Stéphane Lagrée]GOODInternational audienceWelcome to the workshop on ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. We will start with introductions from the participants; this workshop is structured so as to promote the methodological and pedagogic dimension, and exchanges and discussions will be a priority all week. Presentation of the trainers and participants (see biographies of trainers and list of participants at the end of the chapter) How will these four and a half days of group work unfold? We will devote this first day to the ways in which ethnic groups are designated and named, and our approach will initially be theoretical and methodological: we will explain the constructivist and naturalist approaches. We will ask what an ethnic group is and how and why we make ethnic classifications. In the afternoon, we will turn towards case studies in Việt Nam and in Laos. Tuesday will be devoted to the relationship between the law and ethnic groups. We will start with the legal situation so as to be able to observe the relationship with what is visible in the field. Sociologists and anthropologists use the law very rarely as an instrument of knowledge; we will try to establish a relationship between law and anthropology. We will conclude this second day with case studies. Questions from applied anthropology and development anthropology will be studied on Wednesday morning, then we will together organize three working groups, one group per trainer with a specific theme. Friday morning will be devoted to presentations from each group; from these we will derive a synthesis for the public reporting session on Saturday

Guidelines to engage with marginalized ethnic minorities in agricultural research for development in the Greater Mekong

This document is an output of Humidtropics, a CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics. This document is designed to help researchers who want to engage with ethnic groups to ensure agricultural research for development (R4D) stops contributing to their further marginalization. It can be used by those wanting to design new projects that engage with ethnic minorities from the start or those already implementing projects and wanting to improve their current practice. Based on an analysis of internal and external factors that lead to marginalization of ethnic minority groups through agricultural R4D, the Guidelines are organized around three sets of challenges: (a) the agricultural R4D system as a whole; (b) for research teams; and (c) for agricultural R4D projects. The document identifies for each challenge strategies that can help prevent further marginalization according to different stages in the project cycle. The overall approach that these Guidelines recommend is transdisciplinary action research. The strategies are thus those that can help agricultural R4D researchers to carry out transdisciplinary action research that engages more effectively with marginalized ethnic minority groups in order to achieve more inclusive and equitable rural development from agriculture

A Re-examination of Causes of Deforestation and Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidences from Latin America, Africa and Asia

Previous cross-country regression analyses on the causes of deforestation seem to have misspecified the regression models, in which the causes at different levels are mixed, leading to flawed cause-effect relationship between the rate of deforestation and its explanatory variables. The paper focuses explicitly on underlying/policy-oriented causes of deforestation and then examines their relationship with rate of deforestation across 43 countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. An environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) relationship between rate of deforestation and income is also tested. Results across all regions and based on panel data technique show that forest and allied (non-forest) sector policies and population density increase deforestation, while forest products export promotion policies, export prices and technological progress decrease deforestation. The effects of per capita income, economic growth and agricultural production are found to be varying in different region. An inverted U-shaped EKC empirically fits for Latin America and Africa while a U-shaped EKC does the same for Asia

Extracting fuzzy rules under uncertainty and measuring definability using rough sets

Although computers have come a long way since their invention, they are basically able to handle only crisp values at the hardware level. Unfortunately, the world we live in consists of problems which fail to fall into this category, i.e., uncertainty is all too common. A problem is looked at which involves uncertainty. To be specific, attributes are dealt with which are fuzzy sets. Under this condition, knowledge is acquired by looking at examples. In each example, a condition as well as a decision is made available. Based on the examples given, two sets of rules are extracted, certain and possible. Furthermore, measures are constructed of how much these rules are believed in, and finally, the decisions are defined as a function of the terms used in the conditions

Debt and Deforestation: A Tenuous Link

This paper examines the hypothesis that heavy foreign debt causes high rates of tropical deforestation. Empirical evidence indicates that no universally valid link exists between debt and deforestation - in either direction. After a brief discussion of the debt and deforestation problems, the paper outlines two different frameworks for understanding the (possible) links between debt and deforestation. It then considers various statistical analyses of the linkage, and review some more detailed country studies. The debt crisis lead up to the widespread adoption of structural adjustment programmes during the 1980s, and the paper also addresses the environmental impacts of the adjustment process

Impact of public health lecture intervention on consumption behaviour towards indigenous staple carbohydrate foods

Background: The increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) experienced more in the developing countries can be attributed to changes in demography (rural to urban migration) and changes in pattern of food consumption. With the increasing incidences in diabetes globally, dietary restrictions and modifications in consumption behaviors still remains the bedrock in the prevention and management of the disease. Specific education to prevent or manage people’s lifestyle in order to combat NCDs such as diabetes are widely available, but assessment of knowledge about dietary fiber and its impact on staple foods consumption is largely unexplored. Methods: This study utilized nutritional education as an intervention strategy to bring about changes in consumers consumption behaviour, changing their perspective in consumption of root and tuber crops in relation to wheat in the study area. The intervention involved public health lecture on the nutrition values of staple carbohydrate root and tuber crop foods (cassava and yam) with focus on their dietary fibre content, relative to wheat. Results: The statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the dietary habits in urban and in rural areas. Intervention resulted in shift in consumption behavior towards indigenous staple carbohydrate food crops. The changes in behavior were more obvious in urban dwellers, especially in favour of cassava consumption. Conclusions: Education or information targeted to correct the consumption behaviour of specific group of individuals stands a chance in impacting and improving their food choices and dietary behaviours

ACE

This study examines the financial impacts of electricity subsidy on tubewell owners and water buyers, and proposes alternative subsidy policy options that could balance the efficiency and equity. The results suggest that the subsidy plays a key role in stabilising production by providing financial incentives to tubewell owners to stabilise extraction cost under the declining watertables. The removal of subsidy will have considerable financial implications on tubewell owners, as well as water buyers. Considering the equity concerns and possible social and political turmoil, in the short run the study proposes that subsidy on electricity may be reduced to 50% to avoid social unrest and political repercussions. However, in the long run, to achieve efficiency and sustainability, the study suggests: (i) adoption of more appropriate cropping patterns suitable with local climatic conditions; (ii) adoption of most suitable and highly efficient irrigation techniques and technology; (iii) improved long-term ground water security through groundwater recharge via construction of dams; and (iv) strengthening of water markets system and institutional infrastructure