Fair Trade and Organic Initiatives in Asian Agriculture

Fair Trade and Organic Initiatives in Asian Agriculture
Author: Rie Makita
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2017-03-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317224523

In addition to constituting an evolving area of inquiry within the social sciences, agricultural certification, and particularly its Fair Trade and organic components, has emerged as a significant tool for promoting rural development in the global South. This book is unique for two reasons. First, in contrast to existing studies that have tended to examine Fair Trade and organic certification as independent systems, the studies presented in this book reveal their joint application within actual production settings, demonstrating the greater complexity entailed in these double certification systems through the generation of contradictions and tensions compared with single certification systems. Second, the authors, who are both Asian, reveal the realities of applying Fair Trade and organic certification systems within Asian agriculture. In doing so, they challenge the fact that most Fair Trade studies have been undertaken by Western scholars who have tended to focus on Latin American and African producers. Drawing on a wealth of grounded case studies conducted in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, this pioneering study on double certification makes a significant contribution to studies on Fair Trade and organic agriculture beyond Asia.

Everyday Sustainability

Everyday Sustainability
Author: Debarati Sen
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2017-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438467133

Illuminates the contradictions that emerge within conscious capitalism initiatives that are designed to empower women. Everyday Sustainability takes readers to ground zero of market-based sustainability initiatives—Darjeeling, India—where Fair Trade ostensibly promises gender justice to minority Nepali women engaged in organic tea production. These women tea farmers and plantation workers have distinct entrepreneurial strategies and everyday practices of social justice that at times dovetail with and at other times rub against the tenets of the emerging global morality market. The author questions why women beneficiaries of transnational justice-making projects remain skeptical about the potential for economic and social empowerment through Fair Trade while simultaneously seeking to use the movement to give voice to their situated demands for mobility, economic advancement, and community level social justice.

The Environmental Crunch in Africa

The Environmental Crunch in Africa
Author: Jon Abbink
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2018-05-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319771310

This book discusses the problems and challenges of environmental–ecological conditions in Africa, amidst the current craze of economic growth and ‘development’. Africa’s significant economic dynamics and growth trajectories are marked by neglect of the environment, reinforcing ecological crises. Unless environmental–ecological and population growth problems are addressed as an integral part of developmental strategies and growth models, the crises will accelerate and lead to huge costs in later years. Chapters examine multiple emerging tension points all across the continent, including the potential benefits and harm of growing urban-based ecotourism, the trajectory of labour-saving technologies and the problems facing agro-pastoralism. Although environmental management and sustainability features of African rural societies should not be idealized, functional 'traditional' economies, interests and management practices are often bypassed, seen by state elites as inefficient and inhibiting 'growth'. In many regions the seeds are now sown for lasting environmental crises that will affect local societies that have rarely been given opportunity to claim accountability from the state regimes and donors driving these changes.

The World of Organic Agriculture

The World of Organic Agriculture
Author: Minou Yussefi-Menzler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2010-09-23
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1136535233

The new edition of this annual publication (previously published solely by IFOAM and FiBL) documents recent developments in global organic agriculture. It includes contributions from representatives of the organic sector from throughout the world and provides comprehensive organic farming statistics that cover surface area under organic management, numbers of farms and specific information about commodities and land use in organic systems. The book also contains information on the global market of the burgeoning organic sector, the latest developments in organic certification, standards and regulations, and insights into current status and emerging trends for organic agriculture by continent from the worlds foremost experts. For this edition, all statistical data and regional review chapters have been thoroughly updated. Completely new chapters on organic agriculture in the Pacific, on the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture and on organic aquaculture have been added. Published with IFOAM and FiBL

Global Business in Local Culture

Global Business in Local Culture
Author: Philipp Aerni
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2018-12-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030037983

This book examines the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on local economies, and presents selected case studies of MNEs operating in low income countries. By balancing external social and environmental costs against its corresponding benefits, the book demonstrates that MNEs can have a positive net-impact on local development if they build up social capital by embedding themselves in local economies and engaging responsibly with local stakeholders. By doing so MNEs contribute to inclusive growth, a central pillar of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, the book challenges popular narratives in civil society and academia that frame foreign direct investment (FDI) merely as a threat to human rights and sustainable development. Moreover, it offers practical guidance for globally operating businesses seeking to establish progressive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies of their own.

The State of Environment in Asia

The State of Environment in Asia
Author: Japan Environemntal Council (JEC)
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2006-06-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 4431274030

This is the third volume in a respected series edited by the Japan Environmental Council. Part l covers the environmental impact of the military, trade, agriculture/food and the biodiversity of forests and rice paddies. Part 2 examines the problems unique to Northeast Asia, the Mekong region, and Inner Asia. In April 2005 this book was awarded the 6th Environment for Tomorrow Award by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun.

Environmental Geography of South Asia

Environmental Geography of South Asia
Author: R.B. Singh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2015-10-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 4431557415

This volume synthesizes critical environmental challenges of dynamic earth and human environment systems in South Asia emphasizing geographical dimensions. It deals with spaceborne monitoring, climate, ecohydrology, forests and biodiversity, land-use and land-cover change (LUCC), natural hazards, and disasters in order to contribute towards a sustainable future. The contributions range from traditional field techniques to the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems. The book integrates environmental attributes relating the past, present, and future of South Asia broadly based on biophysical and human dimensions in spatio-temporal perspectives. The monitoring of natural hazards and climate issues is considered a vital component in the context of environmental geography, especially in observation and understanding of climate and water-induced disasters. It is important to communicate the advances in geoscience techniques to increase the resilience of the vulnerable society of South Asia and to promote livelihood security. The sustainability of South Asia depends strongly on the earth environment, and thus the development of geo-environmental monitoring is critical for a better understanding of our living environment. The aim of the book is to present dynamic aspects of environmental geography to contribute to future earth initiatives in South Asia.

Economic Transformation for Poverty Reduction in Africa

Economic Transformation for Poverty Reduction in Africa
Author: Almas Heshmati
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2019-04-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1000007014

This book is an edited volume which contains empirical studies on determinants of poverty and its reduction in Africa. It looks at multidimensional measures of poverty, production and productivity-related factors, policies influencing poverty and random, hazardous but preventive factors influencing poverty levels and their reduction. The book argues that we need to account for different dimensions of poverty, when it is measured and classified, and for identifying the determinants of poverty and factors reducing poverty. The studies in the volume provide readers with a comprehensive picture of the state of poverty, its measurement, causal factors and efficient policies and practices in poverty reduction on the African continent as a whole and also in selected countries.

Inequality in Economics and Sociology

Inequality in Economics and Sociology
Author: Gilberto Antonelli
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317193156

Inequality remains one of the most intensely discussed topics on a global level. As well as figuring prominently in economics, it is possibly the most central topic of sociology. Despite this, there has been no book until now that unites approaches from economics and sociology. Organized thematically, this volume brings international scholars together to offer students and researchers a cutting-edge overview of the core topics of inequality research. Chapters cover: the theoretical traditions in economics and sociology; the global and national structures of inequality in the contemporary world; the main dimensions of inequality (including gender, race, caste, migration, education and poverty); and research methodology. In presenting this overview, Inequality in Economics and Sociology seeks to build a bridge between the disciplines and the approaches. This book offers an encompassing understanding of an increasingly fragmented and highly specialized field of research. It will be invaluable for students and researchers seeking a single repository on the current state of knowledge, current debates and relevant literature in this key area.

The Service Sector and Economic Development in Africa

The Service Sector and Economic Development in Africa
Author: Evelyn F. Wamboye
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317237846

The service sector accounts for a huge proportion of global employment, and is the biggest driver of gross domestic product in developing nations. Yet there has been little research uncovering its scope, potential and implications on sustained and inclusive economic growth. This is especially true for Africa, which has seen a strong growth trajectory in recent years. This book presents a new frontier of research, offering insightful perspectives on the 21st-century realities of the service sector and its effect on economic development in Africa. The analysis presented here will be of relevance to academics and policymakers with an interest in Africa’s role in the global economy.