Stagnating liquid biofuel developments in Russia: Present status and future perspectives

It is widely acknowledged that Russia possesses enormous biomass resources (Hoogwijk et al., 2005). Its vast areas devoted to agricultural production and plentiful timber resources suggest good prospects for the development of liquid biofuel production. However, no significant advances in this direction have been reported till now. None of the numerous investment projects announced at the heydays of biofuel excitement in Russia (2006-2008) are at the moment commercially operating. There are no specialised plants for the production of bioethanol and biodiesel in Russia. Little is known of the reasons for this discrepancy between biofuel potential and actual development. In investigating this discrepancy, this article analyses national developments and investigates local dynamics through a case-study in the Omsk region. It is found that the reasons for this discrepancy are not related to technological incapabilities, but are to be found in the low policy and institutional priority given to non-fossil fuel exploitation and lack of market opportunities. Sprouts of second generation liquid biofuel technologies can be identified within the state system, but it remains to be seen how strong and how long these will be supported by the Russian stat

Pesticide distribution and use in vegetable production in the Red River Delta of Vietnam

For a long time pesticides attracted interest from the Vietnamese governments and farmers for their positive effects in protecting crop yield losses resulting from pests and other plant diseases. Recently, the negative effects of pesticides on human health, natural food chains and the environment are increasingly being taken into account by both state and non-state actors. Striking a balance between positive and negative effects is complicated as, most likely, pesticides will continue to maintain their vital role in an agriculture-based country such as Vietnam. However, recently a shift can be noticed in farmers' selection and application of pesticides, initiated mainly by farmers themselves and to a lesser extent also by other actors such as the government, pesticide companies and distributors. This article provides an empirical insight into this shift, based on the results from research in four provinces in the Red River Delta. Possible implications for policies toward greening pesticide handling practices in vegetable production are drawn, such as removing inexpensive pesticides (often associated with high toxicity) from the market, giving technical training on pesticide selection and use to farmers, and reconsidering the role different actors can play in future safe vegetable production program

Emerging market for sustainable food in Bangkok

More and more food is traded all over the world, changing the general pattern of food production and consumption dramatically. This transformation includes increasing consumer demand for safe and environmentally friendly produced food. Food is no longer produced only by farmers in the vicinity where consumers can easily observe how they produce their food. Nowadays, food can be produced in Asia and presented on a supermarket’s shelf in Europe, this unknown origin makes consumers more concerned about the safety of their food. Food scandals such as mad cow disease, bird flu, and GMOs make consumers concerned, uncertain and worried about their food. In response to these concerns, modern retailers in many countries improve their sustainable development policy and actively increase the provision of sustainable food. As a newly industrialized country in Southeast Asia, Thailand can be expected to witness a similar increasing domestic demand for sustainable food products, particularly in its urban areas. The general patterns of global change affect Thailand as well, but the specific processes of change differ due to specific conditions of urban Thailand. This paper analyzes the process of change towards sustainable food provision in Bangkok by investigating how consumers and the system of provision interact in retail outlets

Governance and non-state actors in municipal solid waste management

A study of governance and urban waste must examine not only the formal structures of government but also the informal structures created by the society, such as community-based institutions, associations, and organizations; their relationships; and the relationship between the formal and informal structures for collection, transportation, and disposal of waste. It is evident that municipalities in developing countries and particularly so in East Africa, typically lack the financial resources and skills needed to cope with the crisis of solid waste management. This raises the important issue of how to deliver quality service in the face of the financial and skill constraints of the public sector. Comparing governance arrangements that incorporate non-state actors in three urban authorities Kisumu (Kenya); Jinja (Uganda) and Mwanza (Tanzania) in East Africa, allowed this study to describe and appraise performance of these non-state actors in solid waste management at the municipal level with an aim of recommending policy options. Issues addressed are legitimacy and influence on decision-making; relations and alliances and the payment systems. Theoretical arguments of neo-developmental states verses network states in governance, guided the discussion. Household surveys; interviews and document analysis were the method used to gather data, SPSS-PASWStatistics_17.0 is used to make analysis of the quantitative data while coding is helpful in handling the qualitative data. The study concluded that a mixed modern approach in governance is needed to achieve sustainability. This would bring together the best features of central system of governance and the decentralized system to obtain an optimum mix

Food Retailers as Key Actors

All kinds of food products are easily accessible throughout the year in the outlets of global retailing firms. Nowadays, as most people shop for food in supermarkets, the retail sector is also assuming a dominant role in sustainable food consumption. Can they fulfill this role and how can they realize it

Sanitation under challenge: contributions from the social sciences

This paper reviews the contribution the social sciences can make to the challenge of providing access to sustainable sanitation services and infrastructures for billions of people, in both the over- and underdeveloped parts of the world. The paper reviews and discusses three particular social scientific topics relevant for the sanitation challenge: the nature of socio-technical change, the issue of multilevel governance, and the role of the citizen-consumer. It is argued that sanitation is as much a social as it is a technical issue, and that the role of social scientific knowledge needs to be strengthened and given more attention in this context. The key contribution from the social sciences is to be found in its capacity to help widen the narrow, technical definitions of sanitation by including actors and their needs and belief systems, and by highlighting the alternative socio-technical tools and governance arrangements that are instrumental in moving beyond some of the dead-end roads of traditional water engineering and sanitation provisio

Exploiting epigenetics for the treatment of inborn errors of metabolism

Gene therapy is currently considered as the optimal treatment for inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), as it aims to permanently compensate for the primary genetic defect. However, emerging gene editing approaches such as CRISPR-Cas9, in which the DNA of the host organism is edited at a precise location, may have outperforming therapeutic potential. Gene editing strategies aim to correct the actual genetic mutation, while circumventing issues associated with conventional compensation gene therapy. Such strategies can also be repurposed to normalize gene expression changes that occur secondary to the genetic defect. Moreover, besides the genetic causes of IEMs, it is increasingly recognized that their clinical phenotypes are associated with epigenetic changes. Because epigenetic alterations are principally reversible, this may offer new opportunities for treatment of IEM patients. Here, we present an overview of the promises of epigenetics in eventually treating IEMs. We discuss the concepts of gene and epigenetic editing, and the advantages and disadvantages of current and upcoming gene-based therapies for treatment of IEMs.</p