178 research outputs found
Understanding the opportunities and constraints for low-income groups in the peri-urban interface: the contribution of livelihood frameworks
Participatory mapping for transformation: multiple visual representation of foodscapes and environment in informal settlements in Nairobi
Although branded as ‘obstructionists’ and major agents of ‘disease and filth’ by city authorities, food vendors remain the pivotal node in the local food system in most informal settlements; therefore, their interaction with the environment and infrastructure services, and challenges they face to keep the food safe to eat, requires further grounded exploration. Food vendors from informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, who are acting as mappers and change agents, are building multi-layered views of places through the deliberative process of knowledge coproduction by participatory sensing, which lead to opportunities and challenges to improve those places
Freedom of choice to migrate: adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh
Adaptation is an essential part of climate change policy. In areas where impacts are likely to be severe, migration is considered to be an adaptation option. In Bangladesh coastal areas migration due to climate change is contingent on people’s freedom of choice at individual and household level. Following Amartya Sen’s capability approach, we argue that there should be a line drawn between migrations by free choice versus forced migration. Sen’s capability approach focuses on the importance of people’s freedom of choice to act, and the ability to achieve what they consider valuable in their life. In this paper, we use an extensive empirical work engaging 22 focus groups discussions (8–12 individuals in each group) and 14 Key Informants Interviews in South-West Bangladesh to elicit how freedom of choice changes with the economic class and social status of an individual. Using these data we apply Sen’s capability approach to understand the role of the freedom of choice when considering migration as an adaptation option. We argue that the capability approach is essential in revealing a thin border between migration as a (planned) adaptation option and forced migration
Influence of vineyard inter-row management and clone on 'Sauvignon Blanc' performance in Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy)
The vineyard inter-row management affects grapevine vegetative and bunch health status, as well as yield and grape quality parameters. Several studies assessed that cover-cropped inter-row in place of soil tillage often reduced plant vigour and yield but positively contributed to vineyard ecosystem services and, to a lower extent, to grape quality. In 2013 and 2014, two inter-row management strategies, i.e. soil tillage and mowing of spontaneous cover crops, were compared in an organic vineyard in north-eastern Italy and cultivated with 'Sauvignon Blanc' (Vitis vinifera L.), clones R3 and 297. In particular, the effects of tillage and mowing treatments on grapevine vegetative and bunch health status, yield and grape quality were evaluated. The vegetative parameters were lower in the mowing treatment than in the tillage one and in clone R3 compared to 297. The incidence of Botrytis cinerea was higher in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one and in clone 297 compared to R3. A significant reduction of the yield and bunch weight was ascertained in the mowing treatment, and these parameters were higher for clone 297 compared to clone R3. Titratable acidity was significantly higher in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one and in clone 297 compared to R3. Moreover, hue of berry skin was qualitatively better in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one. In the pedo-climatic conditions of Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy), the management of the vineyard inter-row with spontaneous cover crops proved to be effective to manage grapevine vigour, reducing yield and improving quality of the grapes during maturation
Health Impacts of Catastrophic Climate Change: Expert Workshop. Avoid Dangerous Climate Change (AVOID)
Climate change is likely to have serious and significant impacts on human population health. The
mechanisms by which climate change may affect health are becoming better understood. Current
quantitative methods of estimating future health impacts rely on disease-specific models that
primarily describe relationships between mean values of weather variables and health outcomes
and do not address the impacts of extreme events or weather disasters. Extreme events have the
potential to disrupt community function, which is of concern for decision-makers. Estimating the
magnitude and extent of impacts from low probability high impact events is challenging because
there is often no analogue that can provide relevant evidence and that take into account the
complexity of factors determining future vulnerability and health impacts (the social determinants of
health)
The Transit Phase of Migration: Circulation of Malaria and Its Multidrug-Resistant Forms in Africa
In the third article in a six-part <I>PLoS Medicine</I> series on
Migration & Health, Cally Roper and Caroline Lynch use a case study of
migration and anti-malarial drug resistance in Uganda to discuss the specific
health risks and policy needs associated with the transit phase of
migration
Developing intermediate cities
Intermediate cities have experienced economic dynamism in recent years, but, with the focus firmly on large metropoles and sprawling megacities, the development potential of intermediate cities has stayed out of the limelight. This paper upholds the relevance and potential of intermediate cities, arguing that they can play as important a role – if not a more important one – than the large metropoles that, until now, have been the focus of attention. Intermediate cities hold considerable advantages, in particular for poverty reduction and as more efficient ecosystems to live and work. Untapping the potential of intermediate cities requires, however, more territorially balanced, place-sensitive strategies
Contemporary South African Urbanization Dynamics
Abstract The paper provides an overview of urbanization patterns and trends in the
current era in South Africa, focusing in particular on the key dynamics and driving
forces underlying migration and urbanization. It considers overall demographic trends
with regard to migration and urbanization, and points to some of the difficulties with
data, and with the analysis of trends and patterns. The paper explores the changing
rural context and dynamics, and some of the significant processes in this context:
large-scale displacement of black people off farms, the impact of land reform, and
conditions in the former homeland areas. Circular migration continues to be an
important way in which households in rural areas survive, but some are unable to
move, and are falling out of these networks. International migration—the consequence
of both conditions in the home country and the draw of the South African economy—
is another significant process fuelling mainly urban growth. The paper demonstrates
the importance of cities in terms of economic growth and employment, and thus their
attractiveness to migrants. Continuing migration to cities is of course a challenge fo
Cross-Location Analysis of the Impact of Household Socioeconomic Status on Participation in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in West Africa
This study explores the relation between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and periurban agriculture (UPA) in three West African cities. We used a structured questionnaire to survey 700 randomly selected households: 250 in Kano, Nigeria, 250 in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and 200 in Sikasso, Mali. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied on household asset variables to create an index of assets which was used as a proxy for household SES. The results showed no significant differences in households’ rate of participation in UPA across socioeconomic groups. Participation in UPA was rather significantly (P < 0.001) and positively related to household size. Interestingly, the analysis revealed that field crop cultivation and gardening were more common among households in the low and medium SES groups while those in the high SES group were more likely to keep livestock
Participatory mapping and food‐centred justice in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
Food vendors are pivotal in the local food system of most low‐income informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, despite being seen as an obstruction and as agents of disease and filth by city authorities. This paper explores the geography of these foodscapes – defined as public sites of food production and consumption – in selected low‐income settlements in Nairobi, focusing on the interaction of food vendors with their surrounding environment and infrastructure services. The research uses participatory geographic information system tools, including food mapping with mobile apps and high‐resolution community aerial views with balloon mapping, to capture and contextualise local knowledge. The community mappers collected data on 660 vendors from 18 villages in Kibera, Mathare, and Mukuru, and situated them on multi‐layered synoptic geographic overviews for each settlement. The resulting data on hazardous areas in relation to food spaces and infrastructure provision allowed local communities to prioritise areas for regular clean‐up activities and assisted advocacy to improve these places in cooperation with local authorities. These multiple visual representations of foodscapes make local food vendors, and the risks they face, visible for the first time. Reframing their “right to safe food and environment” from a social and environmental justice perspective allows local communities to put their experiences, knowledge, and challenges faced at the forefront of urban development planning, policy, and practice
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