Bostin Value

“Bostin Value” was a pilot scheme aiming to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in a deprived neighborhood in the borough of Dudley, England. Research identified the need to address both supply and demand to encourage the target audience (parents/carers of young children) to consume more fruit and vegetables along with their children. Bostin Value improved supply through commissioning a local greengrocer to sell fresh fruit and vegetables twice a week at a local primary school. Promotions were used to encourage sales, including a loyalty card system, money off vouchers, and recipe cards. To increase demand, educational sessions were run at the school to improve parent’s skills in cooking seasonal produce. Children at the school received tasting workshops to encourage them to try a variety of fruit and vegetables. Results saw the mean portions of fruit consumed weekly by parents significantly increase from 2.4 portions in April 2009 to 3.1 in July 2010. This was mirrored in children whose weekly portions increased from 2.6 to 3.7. The mean number of different fruits and vegetables tasted by children also increased significantly. </jats:p

Biophysical considerations in integrated catchment management : a modelling system for Northern Thailand

A trend in environmental modelling and policy making has been to move towards the use of integrated assessment methodologies as a means of balancing what are most usually multi-issue problems with multiple stakeholders. These methodologies are particularly relevant for the management of water resources given the interdisciplinary nature of water problems. This thesis presents a Biophysical Toolbox that integrates models for assessment of the outcomes of biophysical scenarios of water and land use options. Outcomes are measured in terms of environmental indicators that are outputs of the models. The Biophysical Toolbox is comprised of three modules - the CATCHCROP crop model, a hydrologic module based on the IHACRES rainfall-runoff model, and a modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) approach. The models were designed to have the following features: basic data requirements with which to drive the models; relatively low parameterisation requirements thus limiting problems with error accumulation; physically plausible, and easily transferred to other catchments. The aim with integrated models of this type is to be able to discriminate between, and be confident about, the relative changes in indicator outputs. The CATCHCROP crop model was applied to subcatchments of Mae Chaem in northern Thailand to identify: the impact of land management options (irrigation, fertilisation and bunding status) on model outputs; and the sensitivities of deep drainage, surface runoff, and crop yield estimates to the values of CATCHCROP model parameters. Model behaviour was shown to be plausible when the land management of the crop was varied. Results of a sensitivity analysis demonstrated the considerable non-linearity in the response of CATCHCROP outputs to parameter values, and identified which parameters most influenced the behaviour of the model. Two parameters were found to be substantially insensitive. Estimates of potential erosion were sensitive to the choice of equations describing the topographic and rainfall erosivity factors of the USLE. Despite this, the choice of equations should not affect the utility of the Biophysical Toolbox where direction and relative values of indicators between scenanos are important. Similar values of the erosion susceptibility term in the USLE were obtained for each land unit whether the procedure was applied on each land unit or on a more detailed grid-basis. Testing of the hydrologic model involved analysing: the performance of the regionalisation methodology in predicting discharge; changes in hydrologic response under forest cover changes; and sensitivities in the model outputs to changes in values of CATCHCROP model parameters. The regionalisation procedure generally overestimated annual discharge although is capable of capturing relative changes. As forest cover decreases, the proportion of streamflow in the quick flow component increased, annual and wet season discharge increased, and dry season discharge decreased. The relative quick and slow flow volume components were strongly sensitive to changes in forest cover. Six main parameters within the CATCHCROP model were identified as greatly impacting the calculation of quick and slow flow components. The Biophysical Toolbox was then used to examine deforestation, climate, and land management scenarios for the Mae Uam subcatchment of the Mae Chaem catchment, highlighting tradeoffs among indicators and raising questions about perceived impacts. The main results of the scenarios can be summarised as: deforestation scenarios do not greatly impact streamflow although increases in potential erosion are extreme; upland rice and vegetable crops are particularly susceptible to 'unacceptable' rates of erosion on steeply sloping lands; wet season crop yields are more dependant on plot fertility than on irrigation or bunding status. Sensitivity analysis of the whole toolbox was also performed. Despite potentially large impacts of CATCHCROP parameter changes on the re-calculation of the hydrology parameters, this did not translate into large differences in total seasonal discharge. Comprehensive testing of the Biophysical Toolbox illustrated the potential, and the plausible behaviour, of the toolbox for exploring aspects of land and water resource management in catchments in northern Thailand. Most useful to improve confidence in model performance would be further testing of the hydrologic module in instrumented catchments that have undergone significant forest cover changes over the period of hydrologic record

Developing Teacher Competencies for Problem-Based Learning Pedagogy and for Supporting Learning in Language-Minority Students

Teachers need to be able to design and implement problem-based learning (PBL) experiences to help students master the content and the processes in new mathematics and science education standards. Due to the changed population of learners within schools, it is also critically important that teachers in the elementary grades have the abilities to work effectively with English language learners (ELL). This article discusses the implementation of a major initiative by our teachers college to achieve both of these goals through Problem-Based Enhanced Language Learning (PBELL), which combines PBL, enhanced opportunities for language, and ELL methods. The implementation began with a small group of faculty members developing and piloting PBELL experiences, with coaching spread throughout the program. Our student-teachers are graduating with multiple opportunities to experience PBELL as learners and to design and implement PBELL experiences

Course-based Science Research Promotes Learning in Diverse Students at Diverse Institutions

Course-based research experiences (CREs) are powerful strategies for spreading learning and improving persistence for all students, both science majors and nonscience majors. Here we address the crucial components of CREs (context, discovery, ownership, iteration, communication, presentation) found across a broad range of such courses at a variety of academic institutions. We also address how the design of a CRE should vary according to the background of student participants; no single CRE format is perfect. We provide a framework for implementing CREs across multiple institutional types and several disciplines throughout the typical four years of undergraduate work, designed to a variety of student backgrounds. Our experiences implementing CREs also provide guidance on overcoming barriers to their implementation

Integrated Modelling for Understanding Watershed Development Impacts on Social and Biophysical Systems

The intention of watershed development (WD) programs in India is to improve the livelihoods of people and preserve the natural resource base, particularly in areas where water scarcity limits the development potential of rural communities. In practice, there are many complications to implementing WD programs in an effective and equitable way for all people within and between villages in a catchment. Our understanding of the potential implications of a program is often limited by the way in which we investigate the biophysical-social-economic system. Two common failings are (a) not properly considering the importance of the place, scope and scale of a problem and (b) using a disciplinary approach to make conclusions about the system as a whole. This paper discusses how we are addressing these issues as part of an integrated assessment project looking at WD in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The multi-disciplinary project team includes agronomists, economists, environmental modellers, groundwater and surface water hydrologists, and social scientists who together are aiming to develop a holistic understanding of the impacts of WD on biophysical, social and economic systems. Key to the project philosophy is the inclusion of government representatives, communities, and non-government organisations (NGOs) in developing the researchers\u27 understanding of the issues and complexities associated with WD and the critical questions that need addressing by the project. An integrated model is being developed that will incorporate crop production water use and hydrological (surface water and groundwater) models in addition to knowledge gained from extensive household surveys in villages in two case study catchments. The household surveys were developed based on discussions with NGOs working with the rural communities in Andhra Pradesh and are being used to examine economic and social outcomes (positive and negative) of WD for households. Measures of equity and resilience are being developed to measure differences in outcomes between villages (e.g. upstream, downstream) and within villages (e.g. income groups, gender, land ownership, etc)

An integrated approach to improving rural livelihoods: Examples from India and Bangladesh

This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (∼  1 km2) to the meso-scale (∼  100 km2), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a range of organisations in India and Bangladesh, including NGOs, universities, and government research organisations and departments. The projects were part funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and built on other projects that have been undertaken within the region. An element of each of these projects was to understand how the hydrological cycle could be managed sustainably to improve agricultural systems and livelihoods of marginal groups. As such, they evaluated appropriate technology that is generally not dependent on high-energy inputs (mechanisation). This includes assessing the availability of water, and identifying potential water resources that have not been developed; understanding current agricultural systems and investigating ways of improving water use efficiency; and understanding social dynamics of the affected communities including the potential opportunities and negative impacts of watershed development and agricultural development.he authors acknowledge funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research for projects: Water harvesting and better cropping systems for smallholders of the East India Plateau (LWR/2002/100), Impacts of meso-scale Watershed Development (WSD) in Andhra Pradesh (India) and their implications for designing and implementing improved WSD policies and programs (LWR/2006/072), and Promoting socially inclusive and sustainable agricultural intensification in West Bengal and Bangladesh (LWR/2014/072)

Enhancing Behavior Change Skills in Health Extension Workers in Ethiopia: Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Maternal and Infant Nutrition

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-06-08, pub-electronic 2021-06-10Publication status: PublishedMaternal and infant nutrition are problematic in areas of Ethiopia. Health extension workers (HEWs) work in Ethiopia’s primary health care system, increasing potential health service coverage, particularly for women and children, providing an opportunity for health improvement. Their roles include improving maternal and infant nutrition, disease prevention, and health education. Supporting HEWs’ practice with ‘non-clinical’ skills in behavior change and health communication can improve effectiveness. This intervention study adapted and delivered a UK-developed training intervention for Health Extension Workers (HEWs) working with the United Nations World Food Programme in Ethiopia. The intervention included communication and behavioral training adapted with local contextual information. Mixed methods evaluation focused on participants’ reaction to training, knowledge, behavior change, and skills use. Overall, 98 HEWs were trained. The intervention was positively received by HEWs. Pre-post evaluations of communication and behavior change skills found a positive impact on HEW skills, knowledge, and motivation to use skills (all p 0.001) to change women’s nutritional behavior, also demonstrated in role-play scenarios. The study offered substantial learning about intervention delivery. Appropriate cultural adaptation and careful consideration of assessment of psychological constructs are crucial for future delivery

Enhancing Behavior Change Skills in Health Extension Workers in Ethiopia: Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Maternal and Infant Nutrition

Maternal and infant nutrition are problematic in areas of Ethiopia. Health extension workers (HEWs) work in Ethiopia’s primary health care system, increasing potential health service coverage, particularly for women and children, providing an opportunity for health improvement. Their roles include improving maternal and infant nutrition, disease prevention, and health education. Supporting HEWs’ practice with ‘non-clinical’ skills in behavior change and health communication can improve effectiveness. This intervention study adapted and delivered a UK-developed training intervention for Health Extension Workers (HEWs) working with the United Nations World Food Programme in Ethiopia. The intervention included communication and behavioral training adapted with local contextual information. Mixed methods evaluation focused on participants’ reaction to training, knowledge, behavior change, and skills use. Overall, 98 HEWs were trained. The intervention was positively received by HEWs. Pre-post evaluations of communication and behavior change skills found a positive impact on HEW skills, knowledge, and motivation to use skills (all p < 0.001) to change women’s nutritional behavior, also demonstrated in role-play scenarios. The study offered substantial learning about intervention delivery. Appropriate cultural adaptation and careful consideration of assessment of psychological constructs are crucial for future delivery

Reflecting on integrated assessment in the Socially Inclusive Agricultural Intensification (SIAGI) project

Agricultural aide interventions are often intended to help small and marginal farmer households increase their agricultural production, and by doing so, better meet their household needs and improve their social and economic standing. However, intensifying their agricultural production requires them to have the capital assets (financial, human, natural, physical and social) and agency to access and use more agricultural inputs, develop and manage the necessary farm or community level infrastructure (e.g. for irrigation, or post-harvesting), and make informed crop and land management choices. Many small and marginalised farmers are lacking in both capital and agency, which constrains their capacity to engage in, and benefit from, agricultural intensification. In this paper, we reflect on our integration research in the 'Promoting Socially Inclusive and sustainable Agricultural Intensification in West Bengal and Bangladesh' (SIAGI) project, focusing on the learnings and outcomes of being socially inclusive in our modelling practices. The Ethical Community Engagement (ECE) ethos and practice to which the SIAGI project team has committed has shaped the content of the integrated assessment frameworks that we have developed as well as the process (Figure 1) we used to develop them. Social inclusion is both a core value of the SIAGI project and an outcome against which the impact of the project will be measured