10 research outputs found
Philosophy of sustainable development: understanding public health
No full textHealth has been a focal point in sustainable development policies. Seventeen new goals of sustainable development contribute directly or indirectly to people’s health. Particular emphasis should be laid on health, along with saving lives of poor people. This can be done by effectively creating healthier society for individuals around the world. Sustainable development goals perceive significance value—that is to concentrate on the needs of hindered groups, children, women, and the poorest of poor to attain sustainable development of human ambitions and to confirm a healthier life for all. This paper analyses the issues of public health and sustainable development from an ethical point of view. As ethics deals with what is good or bad, right or wrong, the paper examines the normative aspects of sustainable development with respect to public health
Ethnomedicinal use of plant roots: A case study of the Juang tribe of eastern India
No full text665-674The Juang, a tribal community in Odisha indulges in traditional health care on the basis of locally available resources. This age-old practice of using plant extracts such as roots and leaves to treat various ailments and diseases is associated with the community culture and wisdom. The study examines the use of plant extracts, particularly roots by Juangs for treatment of various communicable and non-communicable diseases. The data were collected through questionnaire-based field survey, interviews, focus group discussion (FGD) and observation method. The information on medicinal plants including their local, scientific and family names, method of medicine preparation, life form, dosage, applications and effects was collected. The study includes roots of 16 plant species belonging to 13 families that are used for the medicinal purpose. We observed that roots from various wild plant species are used for treatment of various diseases and disorders such as jaundice, hypertension, rheumatism, asthma, infertility, nocturnal emission, venereal diseases, etc. Indigenous application of roots with specific dosages is based on cultural norms and value of the community. This knowledge is transferred from one generation to the other through oral tradition under prevailing health culture. The continuity of this practice with great acumen is determined by various factors such as socioeconomic status, education, occupation and ecological adaptation. The relevance of inherited indigenous healing culture needs to be investigated in this area for developing an alternative approach to community health services and public health policy
Small and Marginal Farmers’ Participation in Potato Contract Farming in West Bengal, India
No full textThere are ongoing discourses on contract farming across the world. Contract farming is an issue of serious concern in India today, among farmers as well as policymakers. Such farming among small and marginal farmers, who are facing several problems in agriculture, requires special attention. Considering the large presence of small and marginal farmers and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay model of potato contract farming in the state of West Bengal, which is India’s second largest producer of potatoes, a study is imperative from the perspective of small and marginal farmers and their participation in potato contract farming. The present paper discusses the nature and extent of participation of small and marginal farmers in potato contract farming in the state. Although participation is qualitative and interpretative in nature, the study considers the attributes which are mainly quantitative or measurable. In order to understand the nature and extent of the participation of small and marginal farmers in contract farming, the study also focuses on the participation of other stakeholders such as vendors and non-marginal and small farmers, and a comparison of socioeconomic conditions between the contract and non-contract farmers is undertaken
Education, Occupation and Food Sufficiency : a study of forest dwelling communities in the jharkhand and odisha states of india
No full textThe researchers aim to consider three vital issues such as education, occupation, and access to food (food sufficiency) for analysis on the basis of household surveys conducted among 15 forest-dwelling communities in two eastern Indian states, namely, Jharkhand and Odisha. The sample size included 598 households that distributed across 21 villages including nine villages in the four districts of Jharkhand and 12 villages in four districts of Odisha. The total sample size included approximately 60% PVTGs and 40% non-PVTGs, such as other scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers, selected from the same village or from other adjoining villages for the survey. Data were collected from the selected household samples via the questionnaire survey method. In addition, the qualitative data were also collected through observation, informal interviews and interaction, and focused group interviews. We used descriptive statistics for the analysis and also used Spearman’s correlation test to examine the nature of the relationships between different ordered or ranked variables, such as occupation, education and food access (sufficiency). Furthermore, we used ANOVA to compare more than two groups and determine the relationships between the groups. It was found that approximately one-third of the total households, mainly landless or with few or meager landholdings, faced food deficits during some months of the year. The degradation of forest resources and lack of access to forestland and agricultural land are among the primary reasons for food insufficiency. Households with forest-based occupations as their primary source of livelihood accounted for a greater proportion of households with food insufficiency than those who were primarily engaged in agriculture and other occupations. While engagement in daily wages is an adaptive mechanism, food security schemes and other social protection measures are important livelihood support systems, mainly for landless households and forest dwellers. This study emphasizes quality education and better land access to improve the livelihood of forest-dwelling communities
Groundwater Quality Assessment Using Fuzzy-AHP in An Giang Province of Vietnam
No full textAlong with rapid population growth in Vietnam, there is an increasing dependence on groundwater for various activities. An Giang province is known to be one of the agricultural intensification areas of The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). This study aimed to evaluate the spatiotemporal variation of groundwater quality for a period of ten years from 2009 to 2018 in An Giang. The weighted groundwater quality index (GWQI) was developed based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) for assigning weighted parameters. The results show that that shallow wells in the Northeast and Southeast regions of An Giang were mostly categorized under "bad water" quality with high arsenic (As) concentration over the years partly due to huge amounts of sediment deposition in monsoon season. Overall, the reason for the poor groundwater quality in An Giang was the combined effect of both natural and human activities. On the other hand, we detected high values of GWQI links with high As concentration in areas where people extract more groundwater for irrigation. Temporal variation of GWQI suggested that groundwater quality at eight wells has improved from 2009 to 2018 in the wet season as compared to the dry season. The reason behind the improvement of groundwater quality during wet season was the decrease in river discharge, which causes less deposition of suspended solids near the flood plains. Moreover, the filling of unused wells can reduce the movement of pollutants from unused wells to groundwater aquifers. Although there was not sufficient evidence to show the relationship between As and sediment concentration, the temporal reduction trend in river discharge and suspended solids was detected in An Giang. The understanding of groundwater quality can help policymakers protect and manage limited water resources in the long-term
Ethnomedicinal use of plant roots: A case study of the Juang tribe of eastern India
Full text linkThe Juang, a tribal community in Odisha indulges in traditional health care on the basis of locally available resources. This age-old practice of using plant extracts such as roots and leaves to treat various ailments and diseases is associated with the community culture and wisdom. The study examines the use of plant extracts, particularly roots by Juangs for treatment of various communicable and non-communicable diseases. The data were collected through questionnaire-based field survey, interviews, focus group discussion (FGD) and observation method. The information on medicinal plants including their local, scientific and family names, method of medicine preparation, life form, dosage, applications and effects was collected. The study includes roots of 16 plant species belonging to 13 families that are used for the medicinal purpose. We observed that roots from various wild plant species are used for treatment of various diseases and disorders such as jaundice, hypertension, rheumatism, asthma, infertility, nocturnal emission, venereal diseases, etc. Indigenous application of roots with specific dosages is based on cultural norms and value of the community. This knowledge is transferred from one generation to the other through oral tradition under prevailing health culture. The continuity of this practice with great acumen is determined by various factors such as socioeconomic status, education, occupation and ecological adaptation. The relevance of inherited indigenous healing culture needs to be investigated in this area for developing an alternative approach to community health services and public health policy
