Search Results (402)

The urban trade in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) plays a key role in sustaining livelihoods in the Global South, while also suggesting potential pressure on resource supply systems. This study provides an integrated analysis of NTFP diversity, market structure, economic importance, and perceived drivers of resource decline in Kolwezi, a rapidly expanding mining city where such dynamics remain poorly documented. Data were collected through surveys conducted with 35 sellers across two major urban markets and 384 consumers from different neighbourhoods and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to examine patterns, associations, and socio-demographic influences. A total of 65 NTFP species were recorded, including 49 plant, 14 animal, and 2 fungal species, reflecting strong dependence on Miombo ecosystems. Medicinal (59.3%) and food uses dominate, with multifunctional species such as Bobgunnia madagascariensis (Desv.) J.H.Kirkbr. & Wiersama, Canarium schweinfurthii Engl., Terminalia mollis M.A.Lawson, Gardenia ternifolia subsp. jovis-tonantis (Welw.) Verdc., and Albizia antunesiana Harms, playing a central role in both household use and market supply. The trade is largely female-dominated (79.1%) and constitutes a major component of the informal urban economy, with monthly incomes ranging from USD 9 to 429.3, primarily driven by sales volume rather than unit price. However, the sector is constrained by structural and logistical limitations, including remoteness of supply areas, seasonality, and limited value addition. The perceived declining availability of high-use-value species, attributed by respondents to deforestation, mining expansion, and overexploitation, highlights perceived sustainability concerns. These pressures are perceived differently across socio-demographic groups, indicating heterogeneous understandings of environmental change. Overall, the results indicate a perceived mismatch between rising urban demand and declining resource availability, which may reflect an emerging socio-ecological imbalance between urban demand and perceived resource availability. Addressing these challenges requires integrated strategies that combine the domestication of priority species, the development of processing chains, improved infrastructure, and strengthened governance mechanisms. Such approaches are essential to reconcile livelihood support with the sustainable management of NTFPs in rapidly transforming urban landscapes. Full article

Small-scale fisheries constitute the backbone of coastal livelihoods in Indonesia, yet comprehensive socio-economic data remain limited for effective management. This study characterizes the operational and socioeconomic patterns of multi-gear artisanal fisheries in the Pangandaran coastal waters of West Java, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey of 136 fishers across 14 coastal communities was conducted using structured questionnaires covering socio-demographic characteristics, fishing operations, and catch composition. Complete economic data were available for 125 fishermen, while multivariate analyses used n = 105 due to listwise deletion of cases with missing predictor variables. Fishermen averaged 46.9 years of age with 25.8 ± 11.6 years of fishing experience. Mean monthly income was IDR 5.80 million (SD = 7.51, 95% CI: 4.47–7.13 million, approximately USD 387). Gillnet was the dominant fishing gear (73.5% of fishermen), followed by hook-and-line (14.7%). A total of 57 fish species were recorded, dominated by hairtail Trichiurus spp. (61.0% occurrence). Statistical analyses revealed weak relationships between conventional demographic and operational variables and income. Although crew number showed a statistically significant association with income (p = 0.039), its effect size was small, and the overall regression model was not significant, with very low explanatory power (R² = 0.038). These results indicate that income variability is largely driven by unmeasured and context-specific factors rather than observable fishing characteristics. These findings provide baseline socio-economic data essential for developing community-specific management interventions in Pangandaran waters. Full article

As rural residents face the dual challenges of transforming dietary structures and addressing nutritional health burdens, establishing a resilient food consumption system for rural households has become an urgent priority. Drawing on micro-level data from the China Land Economic Survey (CLES) for the period 2020–2022, this study employs two-way fixed effects models, an instrumental variable (IV) approach, and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) techniques to examine the impact of agricultural production diversity on household food expenditure and dietary diversity, as well as the underlying mechanisms. The results reveal that agricultural production diversity yields a significant and robust dual-dividend effect within household food consumption systems: it not only reduces per capital food expenditure but also enhances dietary diversity. Mechanism analysis indicates that diversified production increases food self-sufficiency, thereby reducing cash outflows for essential food items, while simultaneously improving dietary diversity through increased agricultural income and greater agricultural commercialization. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that these effects are more pronounced in villages lacking rural industrial support and among non-ageing households. These findings suggest that, in contexts where market mechanisms remain underdeveloped, the uncritical pursuit of absolute agricultural specialization may not align with the livelihood and nutritional needs of rural residents. From the perspective of fostering a healthy and resilient food system, China should adopt differentiated agricultural support policies, encourage rural households to maintain an appropriate degree of production diversity, and strengthen local agricultural market infrastructure. Full article

Agro-ecosystem approaches are increasingly promoted as integrated solutions for sustainable land use, climate mitigation, and food security, yet concerns remain that market-based instruments may systematically exclude resource-poor smallholder farmers. Using microdata from 8894 households participating in Kenya’s long-running International Small Group and Tree Planting Program, this study examines how institutional and organizational arrangements shape access to agricultural carbon markets and associated sustainable land management practices. We document a participation paradox: farmers in the lowest income quartile exhibit significantly higher adoption than the wealthiest quartile (92.4% vs. 86.3%), challenging conventional resource-based targeting assumptions. Three distinct agro-ecosystem participation pathways are inferred using a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) estimated over a feature set of organizational, financial-access, and farm/household characteristics (income, farm size, financial access, crop diversity, livestock holdings, education, organizational membership, and leadership position). A Mainstream pathway (60.2%) reflects resource-driven adoption; an Innovative pathway (32.4%) is associated with high participation among low-income farmers through organizational membership, leadership, and collective action; and a Constrained pathway (7.5%) captures persistent exclusion. Organizational membership is strongly associated with high-adoption pathways, universally present among Mainstream and Innovative farmers and absent among Constrained farmers; readers should note that membership is partly definitional in the clustering procedure, so this association reflects the pathway construction as well as empirical patterns. Leadership roles are associated with substantially increased access to non-monetary benefit streams (OR = 2.13), including training, seedlings, and community infrastructure. These alternative compensation mechanisms are spatially clustered and strongly associated with enrollment, suggesting localized institutional capacity effects. Importantly, the Innovative pathway is associated with superior agro-ecosystem outcomes, including higher tree densities and a greater uptake of conservation farming practices, suggesting possible complementarities between inclusion and ecological performance. Women are overrepresented within this pathway, highlighting the equity potential of organizational channels. Overall, the findings suggest that strengthening local organizational infrastructure can simultaneously enhance land-use sustainability, climate mitigation, and livelihood inclusion. Given the cross-sectional observational design, all findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects; the results offer actionable insights for designing agro-ecosystem programs that integrate governance, social equity, and ecological resilience in support of long-term food security. Full article

In this study, we explore how to balance the preservation of the original appearance of ancient villages with their development within the framework of World Heritage protection. We applied resilience theory and constructed a simple checklist, taking cultural ecosystem services into consideration, and selected the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Heritage Area in China for field investigation, as well as conducted in-depth interviews, the distribution of short questionnaires, and two rounds of Delphi surveys. This comprehensive approach enabled us to discover the key cultural ecosystem services that villagers rely on for their livelihoods. Then, we tracked how these services enhanced buffering capacity, helped people self-organize, and promoted adaptive learning. The results show that cultural ecosystem services constitute the core framework of the social–ecological resilience of the villages. The quantity and combination of the services directly determine the resilience score, and the resilience of villages within the heritage area shows significant spatial differentiation. High-resilience villages have diverse and mutually reinforcing cultural ecosystem services and local community rules, while low-resilience villages face service loss, weakened social connections, and single development options. Through this study, we aim to further enrich the cultural connotation of resilience theory, provide a practical assessment tool for practitioners of the method, and offer practical guidance and suggestions for transforming heritage protection from static protection to a dynamic, vibrant system that promotes vitality and resilience in practice. Full article

Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is a major staple crop in West Africa and plays a central role in regional food security, rural livelihoods, and cultural identity. Its wide ecological adaptation, diverse maturity periods, and in-ground storage capacity make yams critical to seasonal food availability and resilience of smallholder farming systems. Despite its importance, existing yam research has largely emphasized biophysical and agronomic dimensions, with limited integration of the socio-cultural and ecological factors that shape yam-based food systems. This review addresses this gap by synthesizing interdisciplinary knowledge on yam food ecology, focusing on how socio-cultural values, beliefs, behaviours, and interactions influence production, utilization, and sustainability of yam systems. We examine the roles of culture, politics, power relations, gender dynamics, and community organization in structuring yam production and consumption across the West African yam belt. The review further explores the long-standing human–yam relationship and the implications of eroding traditional knowledge for future food system resilience. By adopting a systems and ecological perspective that integrates life and social sciences, this review provides a framework to inform sustainable yam crop improvement, value chain development, and inclusive policy interventions, thereby supporting long-term food security and rural development in West Africa. Full article

Tree-based production systems embedded within Amazonian biocultural landscapes remain systematically undervalued in global climate, biodiversity, and development policy frameworks. This study assessed tree diversity, structural attributes, and carbon stocks across traditional cacao-based Amazonian agroforestry systems (Chakra), tree-rich silvopastoral systems, and old-growth forests in the Andean–Amazon transition zone of Ecuador. Based on 28 sampling plots (DBH ≥ 10 cm), old-growth forests stored the highest aboveground carbon stocks, while agroforestry and silvopastoral systems retained approximately 20–30% of forest carbon, equivalent to ~100–180 Mg CO₂-equivalent ha⁻¹—far exceeding values reported for monocultures or treeless pastures. A total of 151 tree species were recorded across all land-use systems, with forests harboring the highest richness (122 species), followed by agroforestry (35 species) and silvopastoral systems (28 species). Carbon storage was highly concentrated in a limited subset of multifunctional species: in agroforestry systems, eight species accounted for ~80% of total aboveground CO₂-equivalent stocks, whereas in silvopastoral systems only five species explained a similar proportion. Dominant taxa such as Cordia alliodora, Inga edulis, Jacaranda copaia, Piptocoma discolor, and Piptadenia pteroclada illustrate a process of biocultural species filtering, whereby trees providing food, timber, shade, and cultural value are selectively retained while sustaining significant carbon stocks. These findings demonstrate that tree-based productive systems function as biocultural productive landscapes that conserve carbon, biodiversity, and livelihoods beyond forest boundaries. We argue for their formal inclusion, particularly traditional silvopastoral systems, within climate finance mechanisms, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and biocultural heritage frameworks, alongside forest conservation strategies. Full article

The enclave villages of Lake Malawi National Park (LMNP) are human settlements within a World Natural Heritage landscape. While social heterogeneity has been widely discussed in social–ecological systems (SES) scholarship, ethnic diversity has often remained analytically implicit. This study makes ethnic diversity central to analysis by examining how it shapes livelihoods, resource use, and governance across enclave villages. Drawing on an integrated household survey, key informant interviews, and extended field observations, and informed by collaboration theory, the SES framework, and scholarship on social differentiation, the analysis shows that ethnic diversity facilitates exchanges of fishing techniques, farming skills, ecological knowledge, and market linkages, producing plural and seasonally adaptive livelihood portfolios. Households routinely combine fishing, agriculture, tourism, petty trade, and forest use, contributing to diversified resource use. However, pressures on fish stocks, forest resources, and agricultural land highlight the need for more inclusive co-management. Emerging community-based institutions and collaborative initiatives increasingly facilitate coordination, rule-making, and shared stewardship. Overall, the findings identify practical and conceptual entry points through which ethnic diversity, ecological knowledge, and adaptive livelihoods can jointly support more resilient and inclusive pathways for sustainability at the crossroads of resource-dependent livelihoods and conservation, offering insights for socially diverse human–nature landscapes. Full article

Urbanization has profoundly transformed people’s traditional ways of life and environments, influencing the subjective perceptions of well-being among local residents. At present, high-resolution quantification comparison of well-being from urban to rural areas remains limited. In this study, we focus on the typical rust belt area in Jilin Province, China, and construct an evaluation index system for human well-being (HWB). Using data collected from on-site questionnaire surveys of 1197 households, we systematically analyze spatial distributions and urban–rural differences in HWB. The results showed that (1) Changchun, as the core city, exhibits significantly higher HWB than nearby areas, likely due to the siphon effect; (2) urban residents have the highest levels of well-being, followed by urban fringe, township, and rural areas; and (3) the factors influencing spatial changes and urban-rural disparities in HWB are diverse, mainly associated with levels of income, employment, and livelihood security. Our findings reveal a strong interdependence between urban and rural well-being, highlighting the need for integrated governance and tailored policies to enhance the sustainability of livelihoods and well-being in rust belt regions. Full article

Moringa oleifera (Lam.) is a multipurpose agroforestry tree cultivated worldwide for its nutritional, medicinal, and economic value, and it is increasingly grown commercially in subtropical regions, including Nepal. While vegetative propagation is feasible, large-scale production relies predominantly on seeds, making efficient germination critical for seedling establishment, uniform growth, sustainable production, and preservation of genetic diversity. Seed pre-treatments are widely recognized as a simple and effective approach to enhance germination, early seedling vigor, and nursery performance. This study evaluated the effects of seven pre-sowing treatments under controlled nursery conditions to determine the most effective method for improving Moringa oleifera seedling production. A total of 2100 seeds were used, with 100 seeds per treatment and three replicates, arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Treatments included control (no pretreatment), normal water soaking (12 h and 24 h), alternating wetting (water) and drying cycles (12 h each), hot water soaking (60 °C for 5 min), cow urine soaking (1:2 of urine to water proportions for 12 h), and hydrochloric acid soaking (35% for 20 min). All pre-treatments were conducted at room temperature, and the seeds were subsequently sown in controlled nursery conditions. Seed germination was monitored twice daily for 30 days, and data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test to identify significant differences in germination performances. Results demonstrated that alternating wetting and drying produced the highest germination percentage (89%), shortest mean germination time (8.44 days), and strongest seedling vigor, outperforming all other treatments. Conversely, cow urine and acid treatments completely inhibited germination. This study recommends alternating wetting and drying as a simple, low-cost, and chemical-free pre-treatment to optimize Moringa oleifera seedling production in nurseries. These findings provide practical guidance for commercial and smallholder farmers, contributing to sustainable agroforestry, food security, and climate-resilient livelihoods in resource-limited habitats. Full article

This study examines how rural Indonesian women entrepreneurs navigate the gendered structures and institutional barriers that shape their entrepreneurial experiences. Grounded in the Gender and Development (GAD) framework, the research employs a qualitative, interpretive design and draws on 22 semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs from diverse regions and sectors. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns of constraint, agency, and transformation within women’s narratives. Findings reveal that patriarchal norms and time poverty continue to restrict women’s visibility and resource access. Nevertheless, they exercise negotiated agency through adaptive strategies such as front-stage/back-stage role division, emotional resilience, and collective peer support. Over time, these adaptive behaviors evolve into transformative practices, such as digital market-making, gender-conscious leadership, and intergenerational empowerment, that challenge structural inequalities from within. The study refines GAD theory by conceptualizing empowerment as cyclical and context-embedded, rather than linear or absolute. Policy implications emphasize reforms linking inclusion to transformation through childcare-linked training, collateral access, digital literacy, and institutional support for women’s networks. Overall, entrepreneurship emerges as both a livelihood strategy and a transformative social practice redefining gender relations in Indonesia. Full article

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is an important source of nutrition for humans, providing essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its cultivation is highly attractive to flower-visiting insects, which find abundant nectar and a moderate amount of pollen grains. This study aimed to characterize the taxonomic diversity and composition of flower-visiting insect communities in buckwheat crops across two sites in Chitwan district, Nepal and to assess whether temperature and relative humidity influence community structure. We further quantified the contribution of insect pollination to buckwheat yield by comparing pollinator-excluded plots (net-covered) with open-pollinated plots. In addition, we estimated the economic value of insect-mediated pollination and the nutritional contribution of buckwheat production on a per capita basis. Data were analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling, permutational multivariate analysis of variance, similarity percentage analysis, and (generalized) linear mixed-effects models. We found significant differences in flower-visiting insect community composition between the two study sites, independent of temperature and relative humidity, with twelve taxa contributing most to this dissimilarity. Open-pollinated plots exhibited higher buckwheat yields than pollinator-excluded plots, highlighting the importance of insect visitation for crop production. Despite the presence of managed Apis species, we recorded frequent visitation by flies and solitary bees, indicating that these taxa are likely important contributors to buckwheat pollination at local scales. Similarly, insect-mediated pollination significantly increased buckwheat production, and its absence would result in substantial economic losses of USD 2.6 million and reduced nutritional contributions, highlighting the vulnerability of buckwheat-based food security for the Nepalese communities due to pollinator decline. Full article

Ecuador is considered one of the South American countries with abundant bamboo resources due to its diversity and abundance. This species, considered a non-timber resource, contributes to multiple SDGs because of its environmental potential and provision of sustainable livelihoods. This study uses a life cycle assessment methodology to evaluate the social and ecological impacts of preserved bamboo in two key production regions in Ecuador. The findings show that bamboo conserved in various by-products and processing forms emits less than 0.5 kg of CO₂-Eq, with chemical inputs and transportation distances accounting for most of the environmental impacts. The assessment of the social implications of the actors in the bamboo chain is above average, translating into a “fair” evaluation, which tends to be more positive than negative. Thus, bamboo is seen as a source of livelihood for rural inhabitants, but it faces challenges such as poor agricultural incomes, informal employment, and limited access to basic services. Despite these obstacles, institutional support and the rise in the market for bamboo-based products provide opportunities to improve rural development, create green jobs, and strengthen climate resilience. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to enhance the role of bamboo in rural development. Full article

This paper investigates whether participation in Zambia’s social cash transfer programme (SCTP) improves household dietary diversity among ultra-poor rural households. While cash transfers are widely implemented across sub-Saharan Africa as social protection measures, empirical evidence regarding their impact on nutritional status remains mixed. This study focuses on dietary diversity, a proxy for nutrition quality, and uses data from the 2015 Rural Agricultural Livelihood Survey (RALS). The analysis employs propensity score matching to control for demographic differences between recipient and non-recipient households, followed by a regression analysis to examine the association between SCTP participation and dietary diversity scores. The findings reveal no statistically significant association between receiving social cash transfers and higher household dietary diversity. In contrast, positive predictors of dietary diversity included household remittances, own production of animal-source foods, and maize sales. Notably, households that relied on foraging exhibited significantly lower dietary diversity, suggesting foraging may be a coping strategy among food-insecure households. These results imply that while the SCTP may enhance household income stability, it does not necessarily translate into improved diet quality. This study contributes to the ongoing policy debate on the effectiveness of cash-based interventions in improving nutrition outcomes. It highlights the need to complement cash transfers with interventions that support food production and access, particularly in rural settings where market and infrastructure limitations persist. Full article