Transforming Agricultural Marketing in India: Linking Farmers to a National Gateway and E-Markets Current Scenario and a Way Forward, Research Report IDC-5

Agricultural marketing is mainly a state prerogative with the Central Government providing support under central sector schemes. Starting from the year 1951, various Five-Year Plans focused on the price support programs through Minimum Support Price (MSP), development of physical markets, on-farm and off-farm storage structures, facilities for standardization and grading, packaging and transportation. Agricultural marketing plays a pivotal role in promoting and sustaining agricultural production and productivity, leading to food security and inclusive growth of the country. A number of external and internal factors such as globalized markets and urbanization have enforced market reforms. Marketing system improvement needs to be an integral part of any policy and strategy devised for agricultural development. The current agricultural marketing system is the outcome of several years of Government support/ interventions. In India, a number of institutions have been established with a developmental mandate targeted towards one or more areas of agricultural marketing such as procurement, storage and warehousing, credit and cooperative marketing

OUT OF STEP? AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND AFGHAN LIVELIHOODS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Mid Term Evaluation of the Mine Action Programme in Afghanistan

Elements of both projects can be seen as very successful. Overall, the UNMAS project was more successful, whereas UNDP\u27s ANBP was seen as increasingly under-performing, and became less relevant, during this funding period. However, the work of ANBP\u27s Implementing Partners (IPs), and in particular the HALO Trust\u27s village level Weapons & Ammunition Disposal (WAD) programme, initially funded by ANBP, is seen as highly successful

As-Tsaqafah (Islamic socialization) in planning public spaces – Malaysian experience

Of late it is noticeable that public spaces have considerably become a significant element in urban fabric as it relates very much with the quality of life of community. A meaningful planning and design of public spaces is crucial as it encourages positive activities for communities to make it more active and lively. Public spaces like parks, pocket gardens, outdoor seating and eating areas, and pedestrian malls are among the trend of this contemporary era among city dwellers globally. Unfortunately, most of the current ideas of planning and designing the public spaces are simply focused to provide spaces for people to do their leisure without respect to Islamic human moral and behavior. Thus, this paper addresses the importance of incorporating the element of as-tsaqafah (Islamic socialization) in planning public spaces. The Islamic perspective is far different from the Western adaptation and modernity style in the social activities. The issues of the right of women, children, family law, security, privacy and gender relationship are seldom being considered and observed in planning public spaces. As such, this paper discusses this issue in the context of Malaysian experiences. Observation on the selected case study was undertaken and analysis indicates that the element of as-tsaqafah is not a priority in planning and design public spaces. It is hoped that this paper could promote some Islamic values and approaches in planning public spaces, taking into consideration the importance of as-tsaqafah values

Proposal of strategies for the implementation of the Spanish construction companies in India

[EN] The economic crisis that began in Spain in 2008 has led to the collapse of the construction sector. The large Spanish construction companies, which already had a wide dedication to the international market, have seen their only way out for survival was to increase turnover abroad. On the other hand, medium and small size construction companies have also seen the need to internationalize as the only solution to the crisis. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world now. According to industry estimates, the Indian construction industry was worth US $161.22 billion in FY2016-17. The Twelfth Five-year Plan envisions investment of approximately US$1 trillion in Indian infrastructure between 2012 and 2017. With the relentless pursuit of new markets of Spanish construction companies, this project is to make a study of the Indian market, studying their evolution, changes and policies that come taking these last years in construction, proposing strategies to minimize weaknesses and threats, and strategies maximize the strengths and opportunities in the sector.[CA] La crisi econòmica que va començar a Espanya en 2008 ha provocat l'afonament del sector de la construcció, tant d'edificació com d'obra civil. Les grans empreses constructores espanyoles, que ja comptaven amb una àmplia dedicació al mercat internacional, han vist que la seua única eixida per a la supervivència era incrementar la facturació en l'exterior. D'altra banda, també les empreses constructores de mitjà i xicoteta grandària, s'han vist en la necessitat d'internacionalitzar-se com a única eixida a la crisi. Índia és una de les economies de més ràpid creixement en el món hui en dia. Segons estimacions de la indústria, la indústria de la construcció indi vàlua US $161,22 bilions en FY2016-17. El dotzé Pla quinquennal preveu la inversió d'aproximadament US$ 1 trilió en infraestructura indi entre 2012 i 2017. Amb la incessant busca de nous mercats, en este projecte es planteja fer un estudi del mercat indi, estudiant la seua evolució, els canvis i les polítiques que vénen portant estos últims anys en construcció, proposant estratègies que minimitzen les debilitats i amenaces, i estratègies que maximitzen les fortaleses i oportunitats del sector.[ES] La crisis económica que comenzó en España en 2008 ha provocado el desplome del sector de la construcción, tanto de edificación como de obra civil. Las grandes empresas constructoras españolas, que ya contaban con una amplia dedicación al mercado internacional, han visto que su única salida para la supervivencia era incrementar la facturación en el exterior. Por otro lado, también las empresas constructoras de mediano y pequeño tamaño, se han visto en la necesidad de internacionalizarse como única salida a la crisis. India es una de las economías de más rápido crecimiento en el mundo hoy en día. Según estimaciones de la industria, la industria de la construcción indio valía US $161,22 billones en FY2016-17. El duodécimo Plan quinquenal prevé la inversión de aproximadamente US$ 1 trillón en infraestructura indio entre 2012 y 2017. Con la incesante búsqueda de nuevos mercados, en este proyecto se plantea hacer un estudio del mercado indio, estudiando su evolución, los cambios y las políticas que vienen llevando estos últimos años en construcción, proponiendo estrategias que minimicen las debilidades y amenazas, y estrategias que maximicen las fortalezas y oportunidades del sector.Khan, N. (2017). Proposal of strategies for the implementation of the Spanish construction companies in India. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/88720.Archivo delegad

Plastics Policy Playbook: Strategies for a Plastic-Free Ocean

Ocean plastic is an urgent, global challenge. If we fail to act, over 250 million tons of plastic will be circulating our ocean by 2025, with widespread environmental, social and economic implications. The quantity of plastic in the ocean is a symptom of a larger issue that is tied to our linear economic system to take, make and waste. We produce more than 350 million tons of plastic each year, and while many of these plastics offer meaningful benefits to society, an estimated 40% of plastic is used just once and discarded. Without action, the global production of plastic is expected to double in the next ten years. This level of production and consumption has resulted in solid waste management systems that are unable to effectively collect, recycle and dispose of the growing quantity of plastic. Its presence in the ocean is the result. The legacy of ocean plastic will likely exist for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and its long-term impact on our planet remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the more plastic that ends up in the ocean, the greater the negative impacts will be. The time to act is now

Constraints and potential to the development of rural non-farm activities in Armenia (Main report)

The report provides a coherent set of strategy measures and action programme for the diversification of activities in the rural areas of Armenia. The main findings of this report will complement the Government of Armenia’s (GoA) agriculture development strategy delineating the main lines of an action plan for the promotion of activity diversification in rural areas. It is expected that the reports will indicate priorities for the design of technical assistance projects dealing with the diversification of activities and rural development. The report is organised as follows. The first section provides background information on the RNFE in Armenia. The second section summarises recent agricultural sector and macroeconomic developments in Armenia as they relate to the RNFE. The third section describes the sampled communities socio-economic structure, agricultural sector and natural resource base. Section 4 outlines our regional/community level analysis of the pattern of non-farm rural employment and income generating activities (IGAs) diversification in a transition economy context. Section 5 of the report is based on our social survey and focus group activities which analyse the main determinants of participation in the non-farm economy. The findings from section 5 are then discussed and elaborated upon in Section 6 of the report where data are presented on the activities of “successful” rural non-farm diversifiers – non-farm enterprises – which is presented in the context of the rural economies of the surveyed marzes/ regions (Ararat, Gegharkounik and Syunik). Finally, the main findings of the report are placed in a national context and RNFE policy proposals and suggestions on strategic planning are advanced

Engineering linkages with the coal chain

"Industrial restructuring without parallel in recent British industrial history" is how the current Chairman of British Coal, Sir Robert Haslam, has described events in that industry. Since 1960 upwards of three quarters of a million jobs have gone in the deep coal mining industry alone. Numerous studies have analysed the underlying mechanisms behind the rapid decline of the nationalised coal industry, but hitherto little attention has been paid to the national linkage effects of that decline. This thesis is an attempt to analyse the consequences of industrial restructuring in coal mining on its UK engineering suppliers. In so doing, the thesis develops into much more than an empirical case study of industrial linkage and becomes a critical analysis of state capital-private capital relations. In particular, it focusses on the shifting boundaries of state ownership in the energy sector of the 'eighties. It considers what are the main processes involved and some of the consequences for those people and places most dependent on mining related jobs for their livelihoods

For generations to come: exploring local fisheries access and community viability in the Kodiak Archipelago

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016The sustainability of fisheries and fishing-dependent communities depends upon numerous political, cultural, economic, and ecological factors. My research explores a key threat to this sustainability in Alaska -- the graying of the commercial fishing fleet. As current fishermen approach retirement age and a decreasing number of young people obtain ownership level careers in Alaska's fisheries, succession impacts become an increasingly pressing issue. This research utilized a political ecology framework and mixed methods ethnography, including 70 semi-structured interviews and 609 student surveys, to study local fisheries access and community viability in the Kodiak Archipelago communities of Kodiak City, Old Harbor, and Ouzinkie. This research documents barriers that fishermen face at different stages in their careers and describes related implications. Findings indicate that opportunities for rural youth and fishermen are increasingly constrained by interrelated economic and cultural barriers that have created equity and sustainability concerns. Furthermore, research suggests that the privatization of fisheries access rights is a major catalyst of change that has amplified these barriers, generated social conflict, and resulted in a transformed paradigm of opportunity compared to decades past. Secondly, this research compares fishermen's identities and livelihood motivations to dominant framings in academic literature and policy realms. This comparison reveals that in-depth understandings of fishermen are not well explained by narrow economic assumptions and instead include broader social and cultural dimensions. Lastly, exploration of the entangled relationships between fisheries access and rural youth pathways demonstrates increasing pressures within coastal communities, such as globalization, outmigration, youth ambivalence, substance abuse, and overall constrained opportunities. Nonetheless, coastal communities are working towards increasing local resilience to external pressures through social network support and some youth are bucking demographic trends by moving into fishing livelihoods. Due to the suite of threats facing fishing people and communities, it is increasingly important to have a deeper understanding of natural resource management impacts and local dynamics within fishing communities in order to plan for sustainable coastal futures