Climatic and non-climatic factors driving the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District,Ghana

Smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District,Ghana,face multiple climatic and non-climatic issues.This study assessed the factors contributing to the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in this district by household surveys with 200 respondents and focus group discussions(FGDs)with 10 respondents.The Mann–Kendall trend test was used to assess mean annual rainfall and temperature trends from 2002 to 2022.The relative importance index(RII)value was used to rank the climatic and non-climatic factors perceived by respondents.The socioeconomic characteristics affecting smallholder farmers’perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were evaluated by the binary logistic regression model.Results showed that mean annual rainfall decreased(P>0.05)but mean annual temperature significantly increased(P<0.05)from 2002 to 2022 in the district.The key climatic factors perceived by smallholder farmers were extreme heat or increasing temperature(RII=0.498),erratic rainfall(RII=0.485),and increased windstorms(RII=0.475).The critical non-climatic factors were high cost of farm inputs(RII=0.485),high cost of healthcare(RII=0.435),and poor condition of roads to farms(RII=0.415).Smallholder farmers’perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were significantly affected by their socioeconomic characteristics(P<0.05).This study concluded that these factors negatively impact the livelihoods and well-being of smallholder farmers and socioeconomic characteristics influence their perceptions of these factors.Therefore,to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change,it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and context-specific approach that accounts for climatic and non-climatic factors.

Social and Environmental Impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations on Forests,Biodiversity,and Community Livelihoods in Liberia

Liberia holds 44.5% of the remaining portion of the Upper Guinean Rainforest in West Africa,which is home to critically endangered forest elephants and western chimpanzees.The forests are of vital importance for the livelihoods of millions of West Africans and provide key ecosystem services of local and global importance for food systems transformation and agroecology.Liberia’s efforts toward land reform through legislation and policies recognise communities’rights to own and manage their customary lands and resources.These include the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006,the Community Rights Law Concerning Forest Lands of 2009,and the Land Rights Act of 2018,and more.In May 2022,a program team from the Sustainable Development Institute(SDI)-Friends of the Earth Liberia researched the social and environmental impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations(MOPPs)in Liberia.Twenty-three(23)key informant interviews(KIIs)and 10 focus group discussions(FGDs)were conducted in seven communities in and around the MOPP.They included farmers,contract workers,MOPP staff,local authorities,women and youth leaders,the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)Inspector,the Civil Society Head,and the Gender Coordinator of Maryland County.The team cross-checked information with formal documents as much as possible and took photographs and global positioning system(GPS)locations of areas of deforestation,pollution,and conflict.The team also used observation to monitor environmental pollution,such as affluent into water bodies and planting oil palm in wetlands.The team used narrative analysis and geospatial landscape analysis to analyze the data.The research finds that land conflict and deforestation have several negative impacts on communities.MOPP has not respected land tenure rights or followed Free Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC)standards,including resettlement without reparation and destruction of farms and old towns without(sufficient)compensation or restitution.During MOPP land acquisition and clearance,communities experienced the loss of their farms and the identification of villages as“village de squatters”,leading to restricted access to farmland,heightened food insecurity,and reduced income from cash crops to support families.MOPP destroyed high conservation value areas and destroyed secondary forest regrowth,which affected important biodiversity areas.MOPP is one of the four large-scale industrial palm oil plantations in Liberia in Maryland County.It has a palm oil mill in a joint venture with Golden Veroleum Liberia(GVL).Its 2011 concession agreement includes 8,800 hectares for industrial palm oil plantations.

Impacts of livelihood assets on livelihood security in drought-prone Gamo lowlands of southwest Ethiopia

Livelihood assets are a matter of high concern for secured survival.Drought-prone Gamo lowland households have differential access to livelihood resources which indicates the varying capacity of resisting to shocks.The main objective of this study is to explore the impacts of livelihood assets on livelihood security in the drought-prone Gamo lowlands.Multistage sampling procedures were employed to select the study sites and sample respondents.Primary data of households’capital assets and livelihood security status were produced from 285 survey households,agricultural experts,key informants,focus group discussants,and field observation through transect walks.Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data,whereas discussions and annotations were employed for analyzing qualitative data.The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework is used with modifications to schematize the study conceptually.The findings indicated that the study households possessed combinations of livelihood resources differentially.Financial and natural capitals were found to be the most deficient and better-accessed capitals,respectively.The study also showed that lowland residents’access to assets has significant indications of livelihood security.Households’poor access to assets such as financial,information,and social capital demands raised attention of the concerned stakeholders and policy debates in the drought-prone rural setup.Hence,it has been concluded that the more assets are accessed,the stronger the capacity of the households to resist shocks,and better the livelihood security.Accordingly,enhancing people’s access to multiple livelihood assets is suggested to sustainably secure livelihoods.

Agrobiodiversity for Livelihood Security： A Case Study of Agroforestry Technologies in Mexico

The present article examines the livelihood benefits associated with agrobiodiversity in Veracruz, Mexico. Citrus-based agriculture is the principal economic activity in the agricultural sector of the state of Veracruz. It is practiced in mono-crop plantations by the majority of farmers, who are rendered vulnerable to price depreciation resulting from simultaneous harvest and over-supply of a single commodity. Some farmers have associated multiple crops in citrus farms （agroforestry techniques） as a strategy to improve their livelihoods. Farmers who increased agrobiodiversity in their farms have significantly improved their livelihoods compared to mono-crop plantation owners. The research shows that increased agro-biodiversity can be a strategy to improve the livelihoods of citrus producers in the state of Veracruz, with significant economic benefits depending on the crop combination： maize-citrus is the least economically profitable combination （providing 21% in terms of internal rate of return）, while pineapple-citrus, banana-citrus and vanilla-citrus give higher returns （41%, 44% and 221% respectively）. The citrus-vanilla crop combination also has the highest benefit-cost ratio, relative to citrus monocrop （1.91） as well as the highest net present value （MX$579,635.73）. The choice of crop ultimately depends on the farmer＇s priorities. The associated benefits can be classified in three ways which correspond to the tripartite goal of sustainable development： （i） ecological sustainability （through increased ecosystem resilience）, （ii） economic stability （through diversified, less risk-prone sources of income）, and （iii） social well-being （through lower）.

A Study on"Fengqiao Experience"from the Perspective of People's Livelihood

The"Fengqiao Experience"has risen from the"local experience"in the early days to the"national experience"now.Although it has gone through twists and turns,it is full of exuberant and strong vitality.Fengqiao Experience is the experience of grass-roots mass governance based on people's livelihood and other factors,so this paper studies the challenges faced by the application of"Fengqiao Experience"and the internal relationship between the experience and people's livelihood from the perspective of people's livelihood and summarizes the realization path of carrying forward the"Fengqiao Experience"from the perspective of people's livelihood.Strengthening the construction of grass-roots Party organizations,taking the mass line and implementing autonomy,rule by virtue and rule by law are the ways to carry forward the"Fengqiao Experience"in the new era,which has certain guiding significance for reality.

Sustainable livelihood security in Odisha, India: A district level analysis

Sustainable livelihood security(SLS) is an integrating framework that encompasses current concerns and policy requirements for ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. It carries particular importance for developing economies. This study intends to verify the relative status of SLS of the 30 districts in Odisha, which is a backward state in eastern India. In this study, a total of 22 relevant indicators relating to the three components of SLS—ecological security, social equity, and economic efficiency have been taken, based on various kinds of government reports. The principal component analysis(PCA) was used to ascertain the indicators and the importance of each of them to the corresponding component of SLS. The ecological security index(ESI), social equity index(SEI), economic efficiency index(EEI), and composite sustainable livelihood security index(CSLSI) of each district of Odisha were calculated through the min-max normalization technique. The results revealed that there are wide variations in SLS among the districts of Odisha. In this study, the districts are categorized into four levels based on the scores of ESI, SEI, EEI, and CSLSI as very low(<0.400), low(0.400–0.549), medium(0.550–0.700), and high(>0.700). According to the classification result of CSLSI, 2 districts are found to be in the very low category, 20 districts are under the low sustainability category, 8 districts are in the medium category, and none of the districts are found to be in the high sustainability category. The district of Sambalpur ranks the highest with a CSLSI score of 0.624. The bottom five districts are Gajapati, Bolangir, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri, having the CSLSI scores of 0.438, 0.435, 0.406, 0.391, and 0.344, respectively. The result of this study suggests that region-specific, systematic, and proactive approaches are desirable for balanced development in Odisha. Further, policy intervention is required to implement more inclusive tribal welfare policies.

Rural households' livelihoods diversification through termite utilization in depressed region of Zimbabwe

This study sought to examine the utility of termites to rural households in depressed regions of Bikita,Zimbabwe.Colonialism and its spread of European culture had viewed entomophagy with contempt resulting in reduced utilization and consumption of termites in most colonies.In our quest to understand how people in depressed regions utilized termites,both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were employed.Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to gather data during field work.Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used in recruiting respondents.Excel and content analysis were used in data presentation and analysis.Results revealed that dampwood and drywood termites are climatic indicators for the rural communal farmers,a low-cost technology in weather forecasting.Subterrain and mold builders provide manure,relish,and are medicinal in nature.They are traded for income generation,and as for the poor,harvesting,processing,storage,and marketing is cost effective.Though considered nostalgic foods,most respondents highlighted that selling termites complimented other off-farm livelihood activities.Termite consumption and utilization provide a sustainable way for livelihood diversification in depressed regions and has partly addressed problems of food insecurity.

社会保障赋能共同富裕的理论逻辑、实践探索及优化路径

共同富裕是中国式现代化的重要特征。社会保障制度作为保障和改善民生、增进人民福祉、维护社会公平的基本制度安排,始终发挥着经济运行“稳定器”、收入分配“调节器”和民生保障“安全网”的重要作用,是推动全民共享发展成果的有力工具。自改革开放以来,社会保障在促进经济稳定发展、实现社会公平正义和满足人民美好生活方面的一系列探索实践,为新时期赋能共同富裕目标实现提供了坚实基础。对标新时期共同富裕理念的新要求,我国现行社会保障体系的包容性、发展性和共享性尚显不足,未来应在科学把握并充分理解共同富裕理念的基础上,进一步锚定社会保障制度改革方向,继续探索社会保障赋能共同富裕的优化路径。

《乡村振兴促进法》是实现全体人民共同富裕的根本法

《乡村振兴促进法》是全面推进和实施乡村振兴,实现全体人民共同富裕目标的行动规范,共同富裕的本质特征是全体人民共享美好生活。中国式现代化是实现共同富裕的目标指引,农业强国建设是实现共同富裕的稳固根基,推进共同富裕成为诠释执政党治国理政奋斗历程的最佳注解。劳动创造幸福是实现共同富裕的内生动力,绿色生活是实现共同富裕的发展模式,医养结合是实现共同富裕的民生保障,在共同富裕中推进人的全面发展是最佳的人权表达。提升公共安全治理水平是实现共同富裕目标的重要遵循,扩大社会公众参与范围是实现共同富裕目标的基本路径,完善政府绩效评估方式是实现共同富裕目标的有效监督。

基于安全、市场、民生视角的我国自然资源经济形势分析

自然资源经济形势分析是国家宏观经济形势分析的重要支撑。组成“山水林田湖草沙生命共同体”的各门类自然资源之间的复杂联系必然要求自然资源经济形势分析要坚持系统性。在全面推进人与自然和谐共生的现代化进程中,自然资源最主要的工作就是为经济安全筑基础,为市场繁荣添活力,为民生大众谋福祉。基于安全、市场、民生三个视角,研究自然资源在供应风险、市场配置和应急保障之间的关系,选取能够及时更新并反映自然资源状况的基础指标及复合指标,构建自然资源经济形势分析指标体系。通过长期趋势分析结合短期形势研判,对2024年上半年自然资源经济形势进行了分析。通过分析可知,当前我国耕地保护形势态势较好,但耕地质量不高,格局分布不合理;矿产品生产较为平稳,重要矿产品对外依存度较高;房地产市场态势下行,民生保障存在结构性矛盾;地质灾害整体偏重,防灾减灾形势严峻等。为此,提出进一步优化耕地质量和分布格局、推动重要矿产增储上产、优化住宅用地供应结构、提升预报预警服务能力等对策建议。

我国民生保障水平测算及影响因素研究

坚持和完善统筹城乡的民生保障制度是党的十九届四中全会提出的十三项制度体系中的重要一项。民生保障发展水平及影响因素的剖析,是深入理解我国民生保障促进社会公平和共享发展成果功能的关键。构建民生保障水平测算指标体系,基于2013—2022年31个省份面板数据,以熵值-TOPSIS模型为基础,采用Kernel密度估计和空间计量互为补充的研究方法,从动态视角全面考察我国民生保障水平的发展态势,识别并揭示我国民生保障发展水平的时空演变特征、空间相关性及其主要影响因素。研究表明:①我国民生保障水平在研究期内整体呈现稳定上升的态势,但存在明显的地区差异;②2013—2022年我国民生保障水平存在显著的空间相关性,绝大部分省位于第一和第三象限,东部地区明显高于中西部;③从回归结果来看,本省的GDP、城镇化率、地方财政支出和产业结构会促进本省的民生保障水平发展,即GDP、城镇化率、地方财政支出和产业结构对民生保障水平发展存在正的直接效应;④从空间效应分解结果来看,空间经济地理矩阵和空间邻接矩阵下,都存在变量对本省的影响和对相邻省的影响不同,甚至有相反的情况出现。就各个变量来说,每一个变量对本省、对空间经济地理距离相近的省和邻接省、对全国整体的影响大小程度也有一定区别。

共同富裕视阈下长三角慈善一体化发展研究

共同富裕视阈下推进长三角慈善一体化发展是实现长三角区域民众均等享有社会发展福利、发挥长三角慈善事业建设示范效应以及在历史和现实双重作用下达成区域慈善共建共治共享的关键。聚焦长三角慈善一体化发展脉络,在共生理论指导下,蕴含一种包括慈善制度、慈善组织、慈善资源媒介和慈善活动四方面核心元素,从省市到区域延伸拓展的慈善生态系统营造思维。回归现实,共同富裕导向下新生成的区域慈善生态系统会对该区域民生保障产生有益补充效果,但亦面临慈善制度门户限制、慈善组织能力限制、慈善资源媒介拓展有限和慈善活动效果有限等较为棘手的限制性因素。因而,对应提出构建一体化慈善制度体系、统筹发展一体化慈善组织、注重一体化慈善资源媒介增量提质和推动一体化慈善活动革新发展四方面新发展路径,引导长三角慈善一体化发展突破限制性因素并在民生保障上不断取得新成效,直至达成长三角共同富裕目标。

Biological Diversity, Land Degradation and Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

The 1998 Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity asked national governments to demonstrate the importance of biological diversity in supporting rural communities. This paper introduces‘agrodiversity’as the primary way in which farmers use biological diversity and, more generally, the natural diversity of the environment for production, including their choice of crops, and management of land, water and biota as a whole. Promoting agrodiversity and understanding how it functions in tropical smallholder farming systems is the best way that importance may be shown. A win-win scenario is presented which links agrodiversity to land degradation control and sustainable rural livelihoods as evidenced by food security. It is argued that policies that encourage biological diversity in areas of land use will not only meet countries’ responsibilities under the Convention but will also address land degradation problems and support to rural livelihoods. The human significance of various types of biological diversity is shown. Sustainable rural livelihoods are presented in the new capital assets framework to demonstrate how rural households may use various components to control land degradation. To enable agrodiversity to be implemented practically, it has been codified into core elements of: biophysical diversity, the diversity of the natural environment that controls the resource base for food production; management diversity that embraces the practices (many of them indigenous) of farmers such as live hedges, soil amendments and ridge tillage techniques; agro-biodiversity which is the diversity of crop, plant and animal combinations; and organisational diversity, the way that farms are owned and operated, and the way that capital assets are allocated. Each element is then systematically related to show how agrodiversity controls land degradation and how it promotes food security. The example of the maize-Mucuna system in South America is cited as an evident demonstration of the value of agrodiversity to both soil conservation and to smallholder farmers’ livelihoods.

Climate Change Adaptation and Vulnerability: A Case of Rain Dependent Small-Holder Farmers in Selected Districts in Zambia

Food crop production by small-holder farmers in Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change, given high dependence on rainfall coupled with limited adaptive capacity. In Zambia, smallholder farmers contribute about 79% of national stable food requirements particularly maize. This paper attempted to establish levels of food security in each of the three agro-ecological zones of Zambia, and evaluated the current adaptive measures of rain dependent small-holder farmers against climate change risks. The challenges farmers are facing in adapting to the change risks were identified and livelihood vulnerability assessed. The findings indicate that rain dependent small-holder farmers in Zambia are highly vulnerable to weather related shocks which impact greatly on their food production;and that the levels of vulnerability vary across gender and per agro-ecological zone. After the evaluation of scenarios including staple food crop yields (maize), the authors conclude that most rain-fed small-holder farmers in Zambia (about 70%) are facing considerable hardships in adapting to the changing climate, which in turn, undermines their contribution to food security. While efforts by government have been made to assist farmers towards climate change adaptation, there still remains many challenges to achieve the desired outcomes. Most farmers (66%) are unable to afford certain alternatives, such as those of agro-forestry or conservation. Difficulties in accessing markets, poor road infrastructure, fluctuating market prices, high costs and late deliveries of farming in-puts were found to be among the major challenges that farmers are facing in Zambia. There are also no systematic early warning systems in place against natural hazards and disasters. This makes farming a difficult undertaking in Zambia.

Four Basic Dimensions and Contemporary Significance of Xi Jinping's Ecological Concept

Faced with increasingly severe ecological pollution and environmental degradation, Xi Jinping has put forward the scientific thoughts on ecological civilization construction and environmental protection. Xi Jinping's ecological concept is an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This has come into being under a particular historical background and a certain theoretical basis, and comprises four dimensions; ecological concepts of civilization, economy, security and livelihood. Xi Jinping's ecological concept is conducive not only to the construction of a harmonious socialist society and building a beautiful China, but also to the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and creating a community of shared future for mankind.

南方山区农户生计风险的成因·对策及机制构建

南方山区农户存在返贫风险,防止山区农户再次返贫的首要工作是解决农户的生计风险。针对南方山区农户存在的返贫风险,对部分山区进行了走访调研,发现风险的成因主要有农户依赖思想严重、劳动力流失严重、生计策略较落后、区位优势利用效率低下、山区乡村治理成本高且生产主体创新能力不足等。为此,提出以下对策增强农户内生发展能力,发挥好脱贫农户主体性,利用现代化信息技术,构建新集体经济发展模式,以新乡贤带动生态产业振兴。构建相应的目标机制、合作竞争机制、绩效激励机制、效果反馈机制、共享机制,守住山区农户返贫底线。

民生风险感知对婚育意愿的影响——基于CFPS2018的实证分析

在民生建设发展不充分不平衡的社会情境下,适龄人群的婚育意愿持续走低。在第二次人口转变理论和计划行为理论的分析框架下,基于CFPS2018数据,实证考察公众的民生风险感知对其初婚意愿和生育意愿的影响。研究发现:第一,民生风险感知推迟了未婚群体的预期初婚年龄,即民生风险感知对预期初婚年龄会产生“推迟效应”,乐群性在其中发挥了遮掩效应。第二,民生风险感知对适育个体的生育意愿产生了“抑制效应”,育儿抚养费负担感知是显著的中介路径。第三,民生风险感知对婚育期望的影响具有性别差异,男性表现为预期初婚年龄推迟,女性表现为生育意愿降低。随着人口结构的不断转变,未来适龄人群的婚育问题可能会进一步凸显。因此,应从化解社会民生问题的角度出发,加快实施更加积极的婚育支持措施,以保障和发展民生来应对不断降低的婚育意愿问题。

论新时代斗争精神的核心意涵、弘扬路径及内在逻辑

新时代重点在干部教育领域、社会民生领域及国家安全领域进行伟大斗争,其精神形态的核心意涵分别为以强党建设引领强国建设、满足人民美好生活需要、防范化解各类重大风险。砥砺弘扬新时代以强党建设引领强国建设这一斗争精神的关键主体,必须坚持淬炼思想与思想淬炼、政治建设与政治历练、问题导向与实践锻炼的辩证统一。涌现弘扬新时代满足人民美好生活需要这一斗争精神所需的道义力量,要全面深化改革,实现斗争合规律性与合人民性、合重点性与合总体性、合原则性与合机动性的辩证统一。规范弘扬新时代防范化解各类重大风险这一斗争精神的发力原则,要自觉运用科学思维,推动防范化解风险意识分别同创新思维、精准思维与法治思维实现辩证统一。缘于新时代伟大斗争发生在一个协调性与完备性辩证统一的总体领域中,故而其精神形态的三类意涵,共同架设了一个既各有侧重又关联密切的逻辑整体。

藏粮于地地勘队伍可有所为

“十四五”规划将粮食安全提高到战略层面,“藏粮于地”也被确立为保障粮食安全的重要举措。粮食生产根本在土地,本文从“藏粮于地”的视角出发,指出守住耕地存量、开拓耕地增量、保持耕地健康、提升耕地品质4条路径选项,分析国有地勘队伍的运行状态,提出国有地勘队伍在服务“藏粮于地”战略中具有可即时投入利用、服务可达性好、深度理解、技术方法相似相通4个适配点位,综合认为我国地勘队伍力量雄厚,在为国家夯实粮食安全产业基础,为保障国家粮食安全提供关键支撑等方面大有可为。

确保“中国人的饭碗任何时候都要牢牢端在自己手上”——新时代中国共产党粮食安全战略布局研究

党的十八大以来,中国共产党立足于新时代中国国情特点,根据国际国内形势的深刻变化,对中国粮食安全问题筹划了一系列既有历史继承性又有时代创新性的战略布局,为新时代实施国家粮食安全战略的推展提供了重要指引。中国共产党对新时代粮食安全的战略布局体现出鲜明的底线思维、超前思维和历史思维,科学回答了当前和今后中国人为什么以及如何端牢手中饭碗的问题,既为马克思主义政治经济学和民生观开辟了新境界,也为中国政治稳定与社会发展提供了可行方案,具有重大的理论意义与现实价值。