Tag Archives: development

Module 5: Limits of Urbanization?

Posted on by
1

1. The case study I chose was on the Indian state of Gujarat from the source, World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (Link http://www.wbcsd.org/uiigujaratreport.aspx) This region is considered one of the most industrialized regions in India, as they will soon have more people living in cities than in villages for the first time ever in history (meaning that sustainable urban development plans must be quite flexible to accommodate the needs of cities). The Urban Infrastructure Initiative brought together seven companies from various sectors to collaborate with public officials on addressing key challenges faced by cities in Gujarat. The three goals were to come up with solutions regarding urban planning, energy efficiency and wastewater management. With the second highest per capital electrical consumption in India, Gujarat must design urban development plans that not only address present needs but also future expansions without compromising infrastructure capabilities. Also, the inadequate water/wastewater infrastructure can lead to many detrimental affects on the public and local landscape. Overall, the UII was beneficial in that it helped “officials understand how business could contribute to sustainability goals by identifying practical solutions.”

2.As there are no fully sustainable “eco cities” present, my second case study will focus on a much smaller scale. This site is an eco-village in India called Serene Eco-village that I found from a source entitled Global Ecovillage Network (http://ecovillage.org/en/serene-mission-survive). With more than a hundred eco-villages located internationally, I chose a site in India because it shows what sustainable development can look like, albeit on a smaller scale. Established in 2009, the village was developed with the purpose of integrating sustainable designs and technologies to support a vibrant communal atmosphere. Needs such as energy, food, waste management and shelter are all addressed through the multiple systems incorporated in building plans. Organic multi-tier farming, roof water harvesting with filtration tanks, bio-gas plants and other such features ensure that the community is making as little of an impact on the environment as possible to create an efficient “end user” way of living (meaning nothing is wasted if it can be reused for another purpose). Lastly, this way of living reminds humans to enjoy all the creative elements of nature.
3. I will use the city of Oceanside California as my third case. Though Oceanside is mostly developed, it wasn’t always so as the city previously used to be an unattractive rough area but now is quite a “touristy” area. The city had to enforce revised waste regulations, as trash was easy to find in the harbor and beach along with reducing crime rates in the city to promote safe and better living standards. Similar to the prior two cases, Oceanside faces the same three obstacles when expanding development. The order of priority however, shifts to urban development, water management (waste management isn’t a problem) with energy efficiency being last as the city/citizens do an excellent job of renovating energy consumption components.
There is a strong incentive to develop real estate in California so in Oceanside many neighborhoods and commercial spaces are being created on previously empty land. This overdevelopment has already been proven to be beyond the carrying capacity of nearby regions but with smarter management, designs and collective actions; this may at least negate our actions somewhat.

Module 5 – Fertility and Workforce

Posted on by
1

I reviewed “Fertility Control: China” that I found on Colby College website (http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/pop-chi.html). The population control policy was introduced as a tool for economic development of the country at the time. The study uses economic tools to see the relationship between government enforcement of population control policies and fertility outcomes. It allows the fertility rate to be affected by household preferences, and production technology (changes in agricultural output or income). From 1950’s to late 1980’s, there were three shocks; government, agricultural output, and preferences shocks. They concluded that significant unexpected changes in government leadership lead to both positive and negative impacts to fertility rate, but only short-term. The other two shocks (especially preference) lead to a long fertility cycles in China. Final results from the study suggest that population control isn’t sufficient to promote economic development or sustainability without permanent shifts in individual preferences.

The second case that I chose is about inclusion of women in workforce in South Asia. In my opinion, the IDRC is taking the necessary step to closen the gender gap in education and employment rate through the development of human resource. IDRC started the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) program in Pakistan, to examine the factors that keep women from attending training programs. Similarly in Northern Bangladesh, the program involves skills training and a stipend, followed by an internship at a garment factory. To date, more than 90% of graduates have found work. Furthermore, the Delhi-based Institute for Human Development (IHD) are working to report how the varying growth of employment in the manufacturing sector reflects wider economic constraints on women’s employment (why only 4.9% of working Nepali women are in manufacturing versus 25% in Sri Lanka).(http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/ArticleDetails.aspx?PublicationID=1411)

I’m interested in the connection between these two cases with one of my hometown in Singapore where it’s also known to have employed population policies to encourage its economic and social development. The policy is almost similar to China’s but it was too effective and backfired when they end up with a smaller workforce to sustain their economy, due to increasing development of Singapore. This was indicated by the fact that more women followed careers rather than starting a family. The fascinating connection between the three cases is how women plays an important role as a tool and indicator of countries development. The added value to women due to human development is among many countries’ way to make way for economic boom- more education for women leads to higher employment rate, making raising child an expensive utility, so population is controlled and consume less of the country’s resources. Examining these three different places allows us to observe the similarities and differences between various geographical aspects. It might be different in other places where probably the women are more socially oppressed, or we can also look at whether any ‘developed’ countries has a large female working class to prove the hypothesis. Time component is important too, like in the China study case where the policies changes throughout the decades significantly alters the nation’s population composition.

Good Agriculture in Indonesia and Drought in Ethiopia

Posted on by
1

 

In Lampung, Indonesia Agribusiness owner Great Giant Pineapple is working hard to meet he demands of a modern agricultural business model that meets environmental standards from governments and consumers alike. (http://wbcsdpublications.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IBCSD-GGP-Casestudy-Soil-Health-Management.pdf) The leader in pineapple exports had several areas of concern in keeping up with a business that required achieving high yield while reducing waste, complying with environmental regulations and customer requirements, and participating in global warming prevention by reducing green house gas emissions. They were able to meet their goals by practicing “Good Agricultural Practices.” The corporation has been quite successful in creating a sustainable development plan. They reduced waste by 100% by building a biogas plant that turns their previous waste product into a natural energy source. They also switched over to all organic fertilizers (cow manure) as a natural source of soil fertilization to comply with customers needs as well as the health of the soil. In a further effort to meet standards they switched the products they use to treat their crop and they now include bio fertilizer and organic fertilizer application, as well as organic pest controller, nutrient conservation, soil conditioner, plant rotation, and nutrient storage.

In Adigrat, Ethiopia, The Economist reports on the massive drought that the country is experiencing. (http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21693624-governments-achievements-appear-increasingly-precarious-edge). Although nowhere near the national emergency the country experienced in the 80’s, citizens are suffering on a large scale due to a lack of water. The drought has caused the loss of crops, as well as the deaths of hundreds of thousands of livestock animals. The government is doing their best to address the sustainability crisis and also to provide for those citizens who are too poor to afford the food that is available. The government created the Productive Safety Net Programme, which provides jobs for about 7million people who work on public-infrastructure projects in return for food or cash. In this way the government is able to provide for its citizens as well as invest in infrastructure development within its cities. In a further stage of development, as well as to address the crisis Ethiopia managed to accelerate the building of a new railway line—the country’s only one—to bring food supplies from Djibouti on the coast of the Horn of Africa.

I currently live in Southern California, where we too are experiencing a massive drought, just as in Ethiopia. Thankfully, El Nino is bringing California some much needed rain, as opposed to further drought. However, the scarcity of water still exists, thankfully we have the infrastructure to be sustainable for the moment, although the increasing drought threatens this ability. In connection to the same water crisis in California, I chose the Pineapple exporter’s Good agricultural practices, because the farmers of California are not held to this same high standard by the state government. The overuse of water by farmers is one of the reasons for the extremity of the drought in California. I think that the state government could learn from the policies of the Ethiopian government and the good practices of the Great Giant Pineapple company to be proactive in addressing the need for sustainable crops and sustainable water, especially in a crisis like a drought. The government can’t expect the daily citizen to turn around a drought, it will take a massive reform effort and new rules for everyone.

Fishing in Norway, Farming in Sri Lanka – Kyle Hoke

Posted on by
3

In Norway, there is a case examining how to control the problem of over fishing in the 200 mile offshore exclusive zone (http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/fish-nor.html). Norwegian diets consist mainly of fish, so the sustainable use of this food resource is necessary for the future. In the past they used a system called “Total Allowable Catch” or TAC to split the catches with Russia. This resulted into a race to fish up to the limit and was an unsustainable practice. The Norwegians attempted to develop a new system. Currently, there is a system called Individual Transferable Quota or ITQ for a specific species of cod. Although it has its issues, this system allowed individual vessels to collect fish up to the limit in the most efficient way for them. This system helps to protect the fish population, which relates to the idea of sustainable development discussed in the lecture. This system allows for the use of resources now, without jeopardizing the future.

 

In the lecture information, we discussed agricultural development and how that became the foundation for today’s developed societies. In Sri Lanka, the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, and other organizations have come together to teach farmers about best practices (http://www.farmingfirst.org/2010/12/training-farmers-in-best-practice-in-sri-lanka/). Pest infestations are a huge problem to Sri Lankan farmers, and many people have had issues with the pesticides being used improperly. Trainers have shown farmers the proper procedures when handling dangerous pesticides. This ranges from choosing the right products, to wearing the right equipment, and even reducing waste. As a result of these lessons about proper use of pesticides, farms have experienced healthier crops at higher outputs, and they are being sold for more money. One farmer reports his income has grown over 1 million rupees which is equal to about $14,500.

 

The case in Sri Lanka is almost the exact opposite to development where I am from. I am from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is in the northeast Pocono region of the state, and right on the border with New Jersey. There, farm land is not being promoted or helped, rather it is being turned in to retail centers. One family farm that has been in the region for almost a century was recently sold to develop an area of retail. This also relates to the Norway case, but instead of fish it is farm animals used for meat. There are no current projects to sustain, grow, or protect animals used for food. This has to do with the development of urban areas. Although my town is an hour and a half away from New York City, those in the five boroughs come to the Poconos to live, thinking it is “the country side.” However, with this increase in population comes the need for more land being used for economic development instead of agriculture.