EVALUATION OF EXISTING CLIMATE-CHANGE ADAPTATION PLANS FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN MEXICO: PROPOSITION OF A “SUSTAINABLE MAC-WATER FRAMEWORK” THAT CONSIDERS VULNERABILITY TO IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES

This paper presents a sustainable adaptive capacity framework for water management for municipalities, named Sustainable MAC-Water framework, after assessing the strengths and weaknesses of adaptive capacity in Mexico and its municipalities. It provides municipalities with an instrument to help them create sustainable adaptive capacity plans (Sustainable MAC plans) to prevent adverse impacts on water resources and related sectors. It is based on a study of policy instruments crafted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Government of Mexico, and literature on adaptive capacity, assessment, and planning. The Sustainable MAC-Water framework recommends the establishment of a Reactive Barriers Removal Plan (RBRP), support measures in reaction to the negative impacts of adaptive measure, and an Integrative Social-Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (iSSE) along with adaptation plans. It also requires transparent leadership and the incorporation of health dimensions. There five components are additional requisites to build strong and resilient adaptive capacity and forms Sustainable Adaptive Indicators

Use of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in poor and remote regions – a case study from Lake Alaotra, Madagascar

The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is one of the top ten most invasive aquatic plant species in the world. Due to its worldwide distribution, the plant has caused tremendous damage on ecosystems and human livelihoods alike. These negative impacts are especially problematic for developing countries such as Madagascar. Considering the weak economic situation of the country, using water hyacinth to generate economic profits remains the last option to manage the species. We investigated the use of water hyacinth at Lake Alaotra, the largest lake in the country. This lake and the surrounding area are of great ecological and economic relevance for Madagascar. However, the isolation of the region and poverty limit water hyacinth use only to alternatives suitable to the weak local infrastructure. The goal of this research is firstly to identify suitable water hyacinth use options according to the local conditions and to compare them with the locally used raw materials. The first part of this research identified drivers and barriers for using water hyacinth in the region according to the prevailing socioeconomic conditions. It identified especially the use of water hyacinth as raw material for fertilizers and handicrafts as suitable alternatives for Lake Alaotra. Within the second phase, water hyacinth handicrafts were produced and compared with the predominantly used traditional papyrus handicrafts regarding production path and related costs. It was found that assembling water hyacinth handicrafts was easier and faster and they could be sold at three times the sale prices of the traditional papyrus handicrafts. Within the last part, fertilizers based on water hyacinth (composts, green manure and ash) were locally produced and compared with the commonly used agricultural fertilizers NPK and cow dung. This was done by conducting a growth experiment with Chinese cabbage, a common fast-growing vegetable in the region. Additionally, the production and transportation costs of each type of fertilizer were also taken into account. The results showed high biomass gain of cabbage grown with water hyacinth composts which was also proved be cheaper than using NPK and cow dung. All in all, this research demonstrated the efficiency of water hyacinth use as compost and handicraft as a new source of income for the Alaotra region. However, the poverty and high vulnerability of the local population must be considered along the process for a successful implementation of water hyacinth use at Lake Alaotra. A participatory approach and by offering financial insurance to the farmers during the implementation phase could encourage them to test water hyacinth compost on their own fields. Due to the various external factors influencing the marketing of water hyacinth handicrafts, an intensive and sustained supervision should be provided to the craftswomen.Die Wasserhyazinthe (Eichhornia crassipes) gehört zu den zehn invasivsten Wasserpflanzenarten der Welt. Infolge ihrer weiten Verbreitung hat die Pflanze enorme ökologische, ökonomische und soziale Schäden verursacht. Diese negativen Auswirkungen sind besonders für Entwicklungsländer wie Madagaskar problematisch. In Anbetracht der schwachen wirtschaftlichen Situation des Landes stellt die Nutzung der Wasserhyazinthe zur Erzielung wirtschaftlicher Gewinne eine gute Alternative dar. In dieser Promotion wurde die Verwendung der Wasserhyazinthe als Rohstoff am Alaotra See, dem größten Süßwassersee Madagaskars, untersucht. Der See und das Umland sind für Madagaskar von großer ökologischer und ökonomischer Bedeutung. Die Isolation der Region und die vorherrschende Armut limitieren die Nutzung der Wasserhyazinthe jedoch nur auf solche Alternativen, die für die schwache lokale Infrastruktur geeignet sind. Ziel der Promotion war es zunächst geeignete Nutzungsmöglichkeiten für die Wasserhyazinthe entsprechend den lokalen Gegebenheiten zu identifizieren und diese mit den lokal verwendeten Rohstoffen zu vergleichen. Im ersten Teil der Studie wurden Treiber und Barrieren für die Verwendung entsprechend der, in der Region vorherrschenden sozioökonomischen Bedingungen identifiziert. Hierbei stellte sich insbesondere die Verwendung der Wasserhyazinthe als Rohstoff für Düngemittel und Flechtprodukte als geeignete Alternative heraus. In der zweiten Phase wurden Flechtprodukte aus der Wasserhyazinthe hergestellt und mit den traditionell hergestellten Flechtprodukten aus Papyrus hinsichtlich der Produktionswege und der damit verbundenen Kosten verglichen. Es zeigte sich, dass das Herstellen von Flechtprodukten aus der Wasserhyazinthe einfacher und schneller war und diese zum dreifachen Verkaufspreis (im Vergleich zu traditionellen Flechtprodukten) verkauft werden konnten. Im letzten Teil des Forschungsvorhabens wurden Düngemittel auf der Basis der Wasserhyazinthe vor Ort produziert und mit den gängigen Düngemitteln wie dem Mineraldünger NPK verglichen. Dazu wurde ein Wachstumsexperiment mit Chinakohl durchgeführt. Zusätzlich wurden die Produktions- und Transportkosten der hergestellten Düngemittel berücksichtigt. Die Verwendung von Wasserhyazinthenkompost stellte sich als effizienter und kostengünstiger heraus. Insgesamt zeigt die Promotion, dass die Nutzung der Wasserhyazinthe als Kompost und zur Herstellung von Flechtprodukten effizient und einfach ist und als neue Einkommensquelle für die Alaotra Region genutzt werden kann. Allerdings müssen für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung der Wasserhyazinthennutzung die Armut und schwache Infrastruktur berücksichtigt werden. Ein partizipatorischer Ansatz und eine intensive Betreuung sind vor Ort zur Umsetzung der Nutzung der Wasserhyazinth notwendig

Policy distortions in the segmented rice market:

"High production and export subsidies in developed countries and high protection in both developed and developing countries have distorted rice trade. This study estimates the impact of rice policy distortions on developing countries' rice production and trade potential. Because rice markets are highly segmented, major rice types are differentiated to estimate the impact of current and likely policy reforms. Analysis in long-grain, high-quality rice focuses on rice import and export markets in Latin America and shows that reduction of direct and implicit export subsidies in the US will benefit regional suppliers such as Argentina and Uruguay. Analysis of Indonesia's import market of ordinary long-grain rice, where protection is high, reveals that tariff hikes in this large importing country are in part a response to increased support from the exporting side. Level of domestic stocks also determines tariff movements. In the short/medium grain rice market, this study focuses on the highly supported and protected rice market in Japan and find that only aggressive rates of increase in import tariff-rate quota and reduction in production subsidies would have significant impact on import volume and price. Prices and trade would also be affected by a reduction of the high over-quota tariff." from Authors' Abstractexports, subsidies, Rice trade, Rice markets, tariffs, Imports,

An anthropological description of the Malagasy Lutheran Church's approaches to malagasy culture : the Asa Lakroa Vezo in context of mission

Master's thesis in Theology. VID Specialized University, School of Mission and Theology, May 2016MV 17 S

THE EXPORT MARKET FOR DIFFERENTIATED PROCESSED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: THE ROLE OF FACTOR PRICES AND FIXED COSTS

The theories of monopolistic competition and ¡°love for variety¡± contend that the differences in firms¡¯ prices and market shares arise from product differentiation, which is linked to firms¡¯ fixed costs. This paper reviews these theories and their implications for prices and market shares of firms from developing countries seeking to expand their exports of processed agricultural goods. The study proposes a model showing the role of the firms¡¯ costs as a source of product differentiation. Using econometric methods, the model estimates the firms¡¯ residual demand elasticities, which indicate the degree of product differentiation and market power. The model also determines the effects of the firms¡¯ own costs and competitors¡¯ costs on the residual demand and market shares. Case studies for cocoa products and roasted coffee in the U.S. import market are examined. Exporters to the U.S. include developing countries that produce the raw cocoa and coffee. The results show that high prices and large market shares are associated with high levels of product differentiation in these markets. Also, market shares increase with the level of fixed costs, which are measured by proxy as advertising expenditures. The implication for small firms in developing countries is that increasing the degree of product differentiation through increased investment in advertising or research and development could increase their market shares and their export revenues.International Relations/Trade,

Nutritious orange-fleshed-sweetpotato for Niassa, Mozambique

The key aim of the ‘Nutritious Orange-Fleshed-Sweetpotato for Niassa, Mozambique' project, which began in November 2012, is to improve vitamin A and energy intake for at least 20,000 rural households with women and young children using orange-fleshed sweetpotato focused, food-based approaches that ensure at least 20% of households growing OFSP earn 50 USD or more per year from OFSP sales, and increase average sweetpotato yields by 50% by mid-2016. It is implemented in 8 districts of Niassa province. This flyer sums up the specific objectives and strategies and achievements of the project from June 2014 to July 2015, and the plans for 2015-2016

Array processing for the localisation of noise sources in hot flows

International audienceThis paper investigates the problem of localizing a sound source in a heated flow using a microphone array. Applications are found in studies dealing with the identification of sound sources in hot turbulent jets, or with the sound radiation from installed turbofans. Two configurations have been investigated: a shear layer flow (wind-tunnel type) and a jet flow. In the present study acoustic data are generated using a simulation based on the Linearized Euler Equations. For heated flows, refraction by temperature gradients is superimposed with refraction by velocity gradients, and the objective of this study is to assess whether this effect is important and how it can be accounted for in different source localisation methods. For this purpose, a time-reversal-based imaging method has been compared with a beamforming-based method in which the time-delays are computed based on ray tracing. For the shear flow, the results show that for high subsonic Mach numbers and steep thermal gradients, the thermal stratification must be taken into account to ensure a satisfactory precision of localisation for both methods. However, including the gradients of velocity and temperature is less crucial for imaging sound sources in the jet flow. The results indicate also that the localisation error is lower with the beamforming and ray-tracing technique than with the time-reversal technique, the latter being more sensitive to the limited array aperture