Livelihood In/Securities, Vulnerability and Resilience to Global Change in the Caribbean Agriculture Sector

In this working paper I draw attention to the varying ways underlying forces of economic globalization and global environmental change have been threatening the livelihood security of farmers throughout the Caribbean. The paper also sheds light on some of the local-scale implications of these wider changes, and highlights the fact that the impacts are likely to produce uneven vulnerability outcomes mediated largely around differences in the social and economic landscapes in which individual farmers operate. While the paper draws strongly on the growing body of regional analyses of vulnerability and resilience, I also seek to move the discourse beyond the usual binary and mutually exclusive representations of these two concepts. Instead, I argue that farmers in the Caribbean are neither fully vulnerable nor fully resilient to these global forces. And in fact, their resilience may at times create the very conditions that engender new forms of vulnerability. The paper therefore calls for a critical rethinking (and even decentering) of these two dominant frameworks, if we are to arrive at a better understanding of the root causes and overarching forces shaping regional farmers’ insecurities to global change

La vulnérabilité aux ouragans dans le bassin caribéen

Bohle J. La vulnérabilité aux ouragans dans le bassin caribéen. In: Cruse R, Rhiney K, eds. Caribbean Atlas. 2014

Le rôle des médias dans la consommation d'un événement et la perception d'un lieu: Haïti et le séisme de 2010 vus par les jeunes allemands

Bohle J. Le rôle des médias dans la consommation d'un événement et la perception d'un lieu: Haïti et le séisme de 2010 vus par les jeunes allemands. In: Cruse R, Rhiney K, eds. Caribbean Atlas. 2014

Jamaica: assessing the impact of climate change on cocoa and tomato

This policy brief explores the consequences of climate change on cocoa and tomato production in Jamaica. The report describes work carried out by CIAT in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), which used climate predictions and crop suitability models to assess the likely impact of climate change on crops grown in Jamaica. Results from the study indicate that there will be a reduction in the area of land suitable for growing tomato (and several other annual crops), as the region’s climate gets progressively warmer. The largest reductions in suitability are expected in low-lying areas, particularly along Jamaica’s southern coast. However, in the case of cocoa, the impacts are less significant, suggesting its cultivation could be expanded as a response strategy to the projected changes in climate. Additionally, it was found that the higher areas of the island would gradually gain suitability for both tomato and cocoa over time. Key policy recommendations are provided

A Numerical Tool for Evaluating and Optimizing Multijunction PV Systems

Solar energy is one of the most abundant sources of clean renewable energy and is also an important source of electrical energy. Solar energy has the potential of meeting all of the world\u27s energy needs, and has seen substantial growth and development in recent years. Solar cells can convert sunlight directly into electrical energy, and the solar industry has made a great deal of progress in making them less costly and more efficient. The conversion efficiency of solar cells, however, is one of the main factors that limits the solar industry from competing with fossil fuels. Once the efficiency of solar cells is improved, solar energy will have a greater impact on the worlds energy consumption, and hence more clean energy will be consumed

A Convergence of Surrealism and Realism: Why Spirituality, Folklore, and the Supernatural Saturate the Work of Toni Morrison

This paper will analyze how Toni Morrison blends surrealistic elements into the recognized realism of her text by crafting various paradoxes within her work. Using three of Morrison’s books: Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved, I will examine how each book ties a specific surrealistic component, as well as an equally relevant realistic element that will aid in the construct of a figurative bridge between the cultural past and present for African Americans. Moreover, I will discuss how the use of the surreal in Morrison’s work represents a dive into African traditions. Formed as a direct result of slavery, she aims to subvert the past and present “cultural imprisonment” of African Americans by linking the surreal traditions of the past with the real events of the present

Strategies to Retain High School Athletic Coaches

This is a review of literature aims to find what factors impact retention for high school sport coaches and what strategies can help increase retention. Coaches at the high school level are leaving the profession for a variety of reason that include job satisfaction, relationships with students and staff along with lacking support from administrators. The selection of literature utilized for this review was found using keywords: retention, coaches, and high school. Other articles were found through viewing selected studies references that are relevant to coaching and retention. Gathering data from the studies allowed findings that are relevant to impacting change. Results were able to identify that factors hurting retention for high school coaches are job satisfaction, lack of support, and personal commitment. Support strategies have been mentioned and data shows that it has opportunities to be effective with proper programming and support from other coaches and staff. It is hoped that this review of literature shines light on strategies that can improve retention in coaches for high school sports. In addition, providing this knowledge and recommendation athletic directors, coaches and aspiring coaches.SUNY BrockportKinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical EducationMSEd in Physical EducationKinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education Synthesis Project