Linking Research and Policy: Assessing a Framework for Organic Agricultural Support in Ireland

This paper links social science research and agricultural policy through an analysis of support for organic agriculture and food. Globally, sales of organic food have experienced 20% annual increases for the past two decades, and represent the fastest growing segment of the grocery market. Although consumer interest has increased, farmers are not keeping up with demand. This is partly due to a lack of political support provided to farmers in their transition from conventional to organic production. Support policies vary by country and in some nations, such as the US, vary by state/province. There have been few attempts to document the types of support currently in place. This research draws on an existing Framework tool to investigate regionally specific and relevant policy support available to organic farmers in Ireland. This exploratory study develops a case study of Ireland within the framework of ten key categories of organic agricultural support: leadership, policy, research, technical support, financial support, marketing and promotion, education and information, consumer issues, inter-agency activities, and future developments. Data from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), and other governmental and semi-governmental agencies provide the basis for an assessment of support in each category. Assessments are based on the number of activities, availability of information to farmers, and attention from governmental personnel for each of the ten categories. This policy framework is a valuable tool for farmers, researchers, state agencies, and citizen groups seeking to document existing types of organic agricultural support and discover policy areas which deserve more attention

Alternative Agriculture Characteristics in Zimbabwe: Experts Views

Policy makers, Non-Governmental Organizations, and environmental experts advocate for alternative agriculture to revive the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe and address climate change and environmental degradation. However, alternative agriculture is underdeveloped and the concept lacks clarity within the country’s context thereby undermining its expansion. Using qualitative research design comprising of semistructured interviews with eight experts actively involved in alternative agriculture promotion in Zimbabwe, this study was conducted to identify key attributes of alternative agriculture and the associated activities in the country. Findings from the study revealed that consumer food perceptions and international agencies marginalized alternative agriculture. To counteract marginalization, advocates were actively developing local markets that never existed before. These findings provide vital information that may inform policy and assist further development of alternative agriculture in developing regions

Role of NGOs in Addressing Agricultural Challenges through Certified Organic Agriculture in Developing Regions: A Zimbabwe Case Study

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are promoting certified organic agriculture to improve livelihoods and revive Zimbabwe’s ailing agriculture sector. Certified organic agriculture has the potential to address these challenges by seeking lucrative export markets. A qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews and website textual content analysis was used to determine the role of NGOs promoting certified organic agriculture in Zimbabwe. Results indicate that the main role of NGOs was to promote community development with partnerships and advocacy as strategies used to educate and create awareness on certified organic agriculture importance. Lack of government support undermines expansion of certified organic agriculture in the country

Shifting Discourse on Climate and Sustainability: Key Characteristics of the Higher Education Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement

In the last decade, the fossil fuel divestment (FFD) movement has emerged as a key component of an international grassroots mobilization for climate justice. Using a text analysis of Facebook pages for 144 campaigns at higher education institutions (HEIs), this article presents an overview and analysis of the characteristics of the higher education (HE) FFD movement in the US. The results indicate that campaigns occur at a wide array of HEIs, concentrated on the east and west coasts. Primarily student led, campaigns set broad goals for divestment, while reinvestment is often a less clearly defined objective. Campaigns incorporate a mixture of environmental, social, and economic arguments into their messaging. Justice is a common theme, used often in a broad context rather than towards specific populations or communities impacted by climate change or other social issues. These insights contribute to the understanding of the HE FFD movement as ten years of campus organizing approaches. In particular, this study illustrates how the movement is pushing sustainability and climate action in HE and in broader society towards a greater focus on systemic change and social justice through campaigns’ hardline stance against fossil fuels and climate justice orientation

University Food Gardens: A Unifying Place for Higher Education Sustainability

This research describes the key characteristics of campus food gardens and investigates their contribution to overall campus sustainability. An email-survey of fifty-two campus garden managers in North America provided quantitative and qualitative data for this analysis. It was found that gardens are often student initiated and managed, but also bring together diverse stakeholders from the campus and community. These sites increase sustainability awareness as well as overall institutional sustainability. University food gardens provide formal education that overcomes many institutional barriers to interdisciplinary programs. Informal education also occurs at these sites through experiential learning which leads to greater environmental awareness among garden participants. Campus gardens increase sustainability of institutions by providing local organic food, sustainability education, campus biodiversity, and community-building. Overall, this research indicates that campus food gardens take root for the long-term with strong student participation and institutional support

Applying AASHE STARS to Examine Geography’s “Sense of Place” in Sustainability Education

Geography supports place-based inquiry for the learner, applying the old environmental adage of “think globally, act locally” to environmental problem solving. Many within and outside of the discipline of geography see it as a highly appropriate home for sustainability studies. Yet despite a history of human-environment education, place-based relevancy, and support from professional research or education organizations, studies show that geography does not always take a lead role in sustainability education. In the following, we revisit the contested histories of geography and sustainability education and show support for geography-led sustainability curriculum. The scope of this research is universities which have self-identified as leaders in campus sustainability, using the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) participation as an indicator. To best understand the current relationship of geography and sustainability studies in higher education, this study examines the role of geography in offering “Sustainability Focused” courses as reported by AASHE STARS institutions with geography programs. The results show that although geography departments are highly utilized when present at an institution, there is still much room for improvement both within geography departments and campus-wide. We then discuss the implication of these findings, both for the discipline of geography and for students of sustainability

Growing a Student Organic Garden within the Context of University Sustainability Initiatives

Abstract: Purpose- The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of a student organic garden at a large public university, as an example of student initiatives that promote both campus sustainability and student-focused sustainability education on campus. Design/ Methodology/ Approach- The authors conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis to document the evolution of the university’s Local Organic Gardening Initiative of Carbondale (LOGIC), which is the student initiated and operated organic garden. Findings- The student organic garden evolved in three stages, each of which had specific goals and accomplishments. Stage I (establishment): students in Geography courses took action to get the garden established; key components included funds from a sustainability scholarship and the student initiated campus Green Fund, dedicated undergraduate students, negotiating campus bureaucracy, and motivating broad support. Stage II (evolution): a high tunnel was added to the original garden, a graduate assistant position was filled to manage the garden, additional funds were secured, a Permaculture demonstration site was added, the volunteer base was established, and LOGIC began being included in campus and community events. Stage III (future) challenges include: consistent leadership, long-term funding, guarantee of land availability, student graduation/turnover, and increasing student involvement. Originality/ Value- This paper provides a longitudinal perspective on the evolution of student-led sustainability efforts which require progressive, inclusive action from multiple stakeholders across campus and in the community. Several replicable practices include student leadership in sustainability initiatives, actions for promoting local food in the university structure, and methods of negotiating complex institutional settings

Proposal for a Model State Watershed Management Act

During the Montana Constitutional Convention of 1889, John Wesley Powell, envisioning a landscape of watershed commonwealths, proposed that Montana adopt watersheds as the boundaries of its counties. The idea did not catch on. Over time, the power of local governments to regulate land use has grown immensely, but the misfit between their political boundaries and environmental policy problem sheds has persisted. As our understanding of ecosystem dynamics improves, however, natural resources management policy is gravitating, once again, to the watershed as an appropriate unit of governance. Many federal and state natural resource management initiatives have come on line in the past five years using watersheds as their primary focus. Yet, these new programs lack coherence and invest inadequate authority in watershed-based units of government. Representing perspectives from law, geography, economics, and anthropology, the authors propose the framework for a model state watershed management law. They conclude that the federal government is ill-equipped to take on the role of comprehensive watershed management czar as it has for pollution control and other environmental programs. Yet, local governments, even if organized around watershed boundaries, are unlikely to provide the platform for effective policy implementation. Rather, the authors propose a multi-tiered governance system linking state, regional, and local units of government through careful distribution of planning responsibilities and policy implementation authorities. Although for many states this framework would introduce a new layer of governance, its superior correspondence to the inescapable realities of ecosystem dynamics makes it worth serious consideration