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How agroecology can empower women farmers: a study of a transition to natural farming in Himachal Pradesh, India
Get PDFThis research provides new evidence, derived from the experiences of women in rural Himachal
Pradesh in north India, that agroecology has the potential, under certain conditions, to facilitate
women's empowerment within their communities. In 2018, the State of Himachal Pradesh in
north India launched an initiative to convert all farmers to natural farming, an agroecological
approach. The approach sought to address multiple challenges for rural livelihoods, such as
high input costs, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. This study used this
transition programme as a case study to qualitatively explore women's perspectives on the
advantages and challenges of transitioning to natural farming. Data was collected iteratively
from thirty-five villages across five districts in Himachal Pradesh between November 2021 and
December 2023. To understand the context, challenges, crops cultivated, and mechanisms
employed to engage with farmers and scale out practices, 210 farmers were interviewed,
focusing on marginal women farmers. The use of life story interviews, semi-structured
interviews, and ethnography enabled a nuanced understanding of their lives, constraints, and
how the natural farming transition affected their lives at home and in the community.
The case study illustrates how an intentional equity focus on agroecology efforts has the
potential to empower women. The research identified mechanisms that create new
opportunities for decision-making, income-generating roles, and spaces for community
learning, leading to higher levels of autonomy. Training in villages, participation in natural
farming groups and networks, visits to conferences and model farms, and leadership roles
offered new pathways to women farmers to gain confidence and capabilities. Furthermore,
the areas where the mechanisms were inadequate for an empowerment approach were
identified. These included the need to build communication agents' capacities in using a
farmer-centred approach and participatory methods to foster a culture of enquiry and
innovation. In addition, greater support for farmer seed systems is required to facilitate access
to Indigenous seeds. The findings represent a valuable empirical case study and make a novel
contribution in an emerging area of research that is currently underexplored but essential to
delivering agroecology-based empowerment pathways in agriculture for marginal farmers
AMOC variability in climate models and its dependence on the mean state
Get PDFUnderstanding internal variability of the climate system is critical when isolating internal and anthropogenically forced signals. Here, we investigate the modes of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) variability using perturbation experiments with the Institut Pierre‐Simon Laplace's (IPSL) coupled model and compare them to Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) pre‐industrial control simulations. We identify two characteristic modes of variability—decadal‐to‐multidecadal (DMDvar) and centennial (CENvar). The former is driven largely by temperature anomalies in the subpolar North Atlantic, while the latter is driven by salinity in the western subpolar North Atlantic. The amplitude of each mode scales linearly with the mean AMOC strength in the IPSL experiments. The DMDvar amplitude correlates well with the AMOC mean strength across CMIP6 models, while the CENvar mode does not. These findings suggest that the strength of DMDvar depends robustly on the North Atlantic mean state, while the CENvar mode may be model‐dependent
All the lonely people: an integrated review and research agenda on work and loneliness
Get PDFDecades of studies spanning multiple disciplines have provided insight into the critical role of loneliness in work contexts. In spite of this extensive research, a comprehensive review of loneliness and work remains absent. To address this gap, we conducted a multidisciplinary review of relevant theory and research and identified 213 articles reporting on 233 empirical studies from management, organizational psychology, sociology, medicine, and other domains to uncover why people feel lonely, how different features of work can contribute to feelings of loneliness, and the implications of employee loneliness for organizational settings. This enabled a critical examination of the distinct conceptualizations and operationalizations of loneliness that have been advanced and the theories underpinning this scholarship. We developed a comprehensive conceptual model that integrates cognitive discrepancy theory, the affect theory of social exchange, and evolutionary theory. This model elucidates the core antecedents, mediators, outcomes, moderators, and interventions forming the nomological network of work related loneliness, including cross-level influences within teams and among leaders. Our review also identifies a number of promising areas for future inquiry to improve our understanding and measurement of loneliness, the process of experiencing and managing loneliness in the workplace, and potential interventions to reduce it. Finally, we provide tangible guidance for organizations and practitioners on how to address and mitigate employee loneliness. Ultimately, our review underscores the complex nature of loneliness and work and establishes a foundation for advancing both scholarly discourse and organizational practices in this critical domain
Interaction between genetic risk score and dietary carbohydrate intake on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels: findings from the study of obesity, nutrition, genes and social factors (SONGS)
Get PDFCardiometabolic traits are complex interrelated traits that result from a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. This study aimed to assess the interaction between genetic variants and dietary macronutrient intake on cardiometabolic traits [body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting serum glucose, fasting serum insulin, and glycated haemoglobin]
New approaches to women-centred food policy and practice in prison: a toolkit for women's prisons
Get PDF“I think that we should, but I don’t think that we can”: what school staff think about adventurous play at schools in England
Get PDFAdventurous play is increasingly recognised as important for children’s health and development. Schools act as gatekeepers for children’s opportunities for regular, outdoor, adventurous play during breaktimes (recess). In this study, we interviewed 13 school staff working in England to find out what they thought about adventurous play happening during breaktimes in schools. Our aim was to describe the core barriers and facilitators of adventurous play in English schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of school staff across a range of school roles. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were developed: Risk, Valuing and supporting play, Resources and School policy and practices. We also noted that culture existed as an important backdrop to all of these themes. Findings are discussed in relation to school and societal level change that is needed for all children to have opportunities to engage in adventurous play in school, overcoming inequalities in access outside of school
Ecological responses of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot to Holocene climate change: insights from the Lagoa Canto Grande pollen record, Espirito Santo, coastal Brazil
No full textThis study presents the modern pollen signature and Holocene vegetation and climate history of the evergreen forest and associated ecosystems in the Bahia Coastal Forest ecoregion of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. Artificial pollen traps provided the modern pollen signature of the evergreen forest, which is marked by Urticaceae/Moraceae, Simarouba, Crepidospermum/Protium, Sloanea, Sapotaceae and Diploon, and presence of rare forest tree pollen types. The pollen signature of the wooded mussununga, an associated ecosystem, is characterized by Byrsonima, Doliocarpus, Lundia and Araliaceae. Fossil pollen from Lagoa Canto Grande shows that the early to middle Holocene (11,154-7731 cal a BP) vegetation was characterized by regional dominance of semi-deciduous forest, under a less humid and cooler climate than today, as well as coastal vegetation on sandy soils (restinga), mangrove and patches of alluvial forests. Relative sea-level rise during the middle Holocene caused regional changes in distribution of alluvial forests, restingas and mangroves. A change to warmer and more humid climatic conditions during the middle to late Holocene (7731-434 cal a BP) led to forest community changes, with the establishment of the modern evergreen forest
Dual learning dynamics: career options for agri‐food students in Kazakhstan
Get PDFThe successful implementation of the German‐originated dual learning system in various national settings inspired
Kazakhstan to introduce this approach to address the shortage of specialists. The self‐employed status of professionals in the agri‐food industry raises concerns about the intentions of young individuals to remain in the industry. This study aims to identify factors influencing the intentions of students and graduates to remain with the same employer in the agri‐food industry, change employers in the same industry or leave the industry altogether. The study evaluated 651 learners undertaking dual learning (hence dual) and 217 learners undertaking traditional education (hence non‐dual). Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model provided the theoretical framework for designing satisfaction dimensions potentially influencing
the career intentions of students and graduates. Multinomial Logistic Regression was used to examine the career intentions of both dual and non‐dual groups. The dual learners demonstrated a stronger association between tested factors (satisfaction and motivation) and intention to remain with the company/industry than the non‐dual learners. Despite positive outcomes in retaining skilled professionals, concerns remain regarding the career intentions of young people in the agri‐food industry.
Stakeholders should provide career development opportunities and incentives to attract and retain young individuals within the agri‐food sector
Drivers of farmers' contract compliance behavior: evidence from a case study of Dangote tomato processing plant in Northern Nigeria
Get PDFContract farming is a viable strategy agribusinesses rely on to strengthen coordination across actors in the value chain.
However, low contract compliance remains a significant setback to agribusinesses' contract performance in low‐ and middle‐income country context. This study aims to identify what drives smallholder farmers' contract compliance behavior in northern Nigeria. Qualitative information was collected through focus group discussions to enrich the design of the survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 300 randomly selected farmers contracted by the Dangote Tomato Processing Plant in four regions of northern Nigeria. Novel transaction‐level data of tomato sales covering one season were collected in addition to socioeconomic information of the sampled farmers. Probit model results show that open fresh market tomato prices and payment
delays negatively affect farmers' compliance behavior while education level, bonuses, land ownership, and resource‐provision correlated positively with compliance. The study suggests that contract compliance could improve if contracting firms devise a reliable and timely payment plan (e.g., digital payment), continuing input and service provisions (e.g., improved seeds, ex�tension services), and incentives (e.g., loyalty rewards, bonuses) in the contrac