Staying Alive: Sustainability in Philippine Upland Management Systems

Upland areas are an important but increasingly threatened Philippine ecosystem. Land use intensification, caused mainly by increasing population, has negatively impacted both the local and downstream environments. This study was conducted in three upland communities. Study goals were to describe existing systems, assess system sustainability, identify factors affecting management decision making, develop models of decision making, and identify systems that could serve as models for future development efforts. The study employed data collected from residents using informal interviews, observations, and a structured questionnaire, as well as information on agronomic, soil and climatic conditions. Three combinations of the agroecosystem analysis properties: productivity, stability, resilience, maintenance, equitability, autonomy, solidarity, diversity and adaptability, were used to assess system sustainability at the household and community levels. A decision tree framework was used to develop household management decision making models. The sustainability of all three communities was rated low to moderate, and the majority of the twenty example households had moderate sustainability levels. Two households were rated high while three were rated low. Differences in economic and biological productivity and in the magnitude of stress placed on the natural environment were the primary factors that differentiated between the sustainability ratings at both the community and household levels. Both household and community sustainability levels were determined by the dynamic interactions between management activities, soil and rainfall constraints to management activities, and the availability of markets and information. Decision tree models were developed for agricultural land management decisions in the three communities. The most important influences on decision making appeared to be land availability and type, labor availability, and market opportunities. Seven case studies described household management systems based primarily on perennial species and identified land, labor, markets, and an alternative source of livelihood as the primary contributing factors to the adoption of perennial-based systems. Study results indicated that the situation in these upland areas was relatively stable. Most management systems were moderately sustainable. Results from the decision making models indicated that the provision of infrastructure, market opportunities, and tenure security were most likely to facilitate adoption of more environmentally sustainable management strategies based on perennial species

Managing Hazardous Household Products

This is a guide to assessing risks of use, storage, and disposal of household chemicals, and to developing an action plan to reduce potential impacts of these materials

Mapping Your House and Yard to Identify Pollution Risks

Although intended primarily for schoolchildren, this guide can help increase homeowners' awareness of pollution risks

Pet Waste Management

Potential problems with the wastes of household pets, particularly dogs and cats, and suggestions for minimizing them, are described

Minimizing Pollution Risk from Nutrient Management

Assessing pollution risks from applications of organic and inorganic nutrient sources is described

Think Before You Dump It: Safe Disposal of Hazardous Products

Disposal practices for many wastes and agencies to contact for more information on waste disposal are listed

Rainwater Catchment Systems

Maintenance and pollution risks associated with good rainwater catchment system construction and management are briefly described

Indoor Air Quality

Sources of indoor air pollution and their levels of risk are discussed

Docent Manual Development for the Oahu Urban Garden Center

The staff at the University of Hawaii\u27s Urban Garden Center on Oahu had become overburdened with the recent opening of the Children\u27s Garden for tours. In the first 8 months, over 1,700 children participated in tours of the garden. To release pressure on the staff, volunteers need to be trained to lead the tours. A docent manual was developed for these volunteers (docents) as a training guide. It was developed with materials and ideas from the Urban Garden Center, US Forest Service publications, Ranger Rick\u27s Trees are Terrific!, and several other publications

Managing yield decline in sugarcane cropping systems

This paper summarises the results from ten years of yield decline research carried out by the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture in the Australian sugar industry. The research concludes that, although the ultimate expression of yield decline may be through adverse effects of pathogens on sugarcane root systems, yield decline is a complex issue caused by a number of factors being out of balance in the sugarcane cropping system. Soil degradation has been the result of the long-term sugarcane monoculture and how it has been practiced. Specific research has shown that the long-term monoculture, uncontrolled traffic from heavy machinery and excessive tillage along with practices that deplete organic matter all contribute to yield decline. It is argued that changes to the cropping system that will conserve organic matter, break the monoculture, control traffic and minimize tillage are the most appropriate ways to combat yield decline. The technology is now available to incorporate these changes into the cropping system and a more sustainable, profitable and environmentally responsible cropping system is proposed. The proposed system is not prescriptive and many acceptable variations will be just as suitable providing the basic principles of organic matter conservation, breaking the monoculture, controlling traffic and minimizing tillage are no compromised