Researching farmer behaviour in climate change adaptation and sustainable agriculture: lessons learned from five case studies

Understanding farmer behaviour is needed for local agricultural systems to produce food sustainably while facing multiple pressures. We synthesize existing literature to identify three fundamental questions that correspond to three distinct areas of knowledge necessary to understand farmer behaviour: 1) decision-making model; 2) cross-scale and cross-level pressures; and 3) temporal dynamics. We use this framework to compare five interdisciplinary case studies of agricultural systems in distinct geographical contexts across the globe. We find that these three areas of knowledge are important to understanding farmer behaviour, and can be used to guide the interdisciplinary design and interpretation of studies in the future. Most importantly, we find that these three areas need to be addressed simultaneously in order to understand farmer behaviour. We also identify three methodological challenges hindering this understanding: the suitability of theoretical frameworks, the trade-offs among methods and the limited timeframe of typical research projects. We propose that a triangulation research strategy that makes use of mixed methods, or collaborations between researchers across mixed disciplines, can be used to successfully address all three areas simultaneously and show how this has been achieved in the case studies. The framework facilitates interdisciplinary research on farmer behaviour by opening up spaces of structured dialogue on assumptions, research questions and methods employed in investigation

Acceso de sistema general de salud en Colombia para los hijos de crianza

Resumen El Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Colombia, brinda garantías para la protección de los afiliados y beneficiarios, con prestaciones económicas como lo son la pensión de vejes, invalidez, sobreviviente y sustitución pensional, también el servicio en salud con los riesgos laborales. En cuanto a los hijos de crianza se busca establecer cómo garantía el acceso a la cobertura en el derecho fundamental a la salud, ya que no está contemplado en el ordenamiento jurídico el derecho a la salud en los hijos de crianza como beneficiarios y es aquí donde se vulnera este derecho teniendo en cuenta que se trata de niños, niñas y adolescentes que tienen una protección especial y ampliando el concepto de familia, relacionado con el vínculo afectivo emocional, cultural, económico, y en su crecimiento, desarrollo físico y mental. Revisado en la jurisprudencia, y varias fuentes de investigación se logró identificar que los hijos de crianza solamente tienen acceso a la prestación económica que es la pensión de sobreviviente, pero el acceso a ser beneficiario en el sistema general de seguridad social y salud por los padres de crianza no se ha establecido, es por esto que es necesario ampliar el concepto de familia, para así lograr establecer garantías en los hijos de crianzauniversidad libre - facultad de derecho- especializacion en derecho laboral y seguridad socialAbstract The General Social Security System in Colombia provides guarantees for the protection of affiliates and beneficiaries, with economic benefits such as old-age, disability, survivor and pension substitution pensions, as well as health and occupational risk services. Regarding foster children, it seeks to establish how to guarantee access to coverage in the fundamental right to health, since the right to health in foster children as beneficiaries is not contemplated in the legal system and this is where This right is violated, taking into account that these are children and adolescents who have special protection and broadening the concept of family, related to the affective emotional, cultural, economic bond, and in their growth, physical and mental development. Reviewed in the jurisprudence, and various research sources, it was possible to identify that foster children only have access to the economic benefit that is the survivor's pension, but access to be a beneficiary in the general system of social security and health by the parents. of foster care has not been established, which is why it is necessary to broaden the concept of family, in order to establish guarantees in foster children

Co-producing a Research Agenda for Sustainable Palm Oil

The rise of palm oil as the world’s most consumed vegetable oil has coincided with exponential growth in palm oil research activity. Bibliometric analysis of research outputs reveals a distinct imbalance in the type of research being undertaken, notably a disproportionate focus on biofuel and engineering topics. Recognizing the expansion of oil palm agriculture across the tropics and the increasing awareness of environmental, social, and economic impacts, we seek to reorientate the existing research agenda toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions defined by the palm oil stakeholder community. Following consultation with 659 stakeholders from 38 countries, including palm oil growers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and researchers, the highest priority research questions were identified within 13 themes. The resulting 279 questions, including 26 ranked as top priority, reveal a diversity of environmental and social research challenges facing the industry, ranging from the ecological and ecosystem impacts of production, to the livelihoods of plantation workers and smallholder communities. Analysis of the knowledge type produced from these questions underscores a clear need for fundamental science programmes, and studies that involve the consultation of non-academic stakeholders to develop “transformative” solutions to the oil palm sector. Stakeholders were most aligned in their choice of priority questions across the themes of policy and certification related themes, and differed the most in environmental feedback, technology and smallholder related themes. Our recommendations include improved regional academic leadership and coordination, greater engagement with private and public stakeholders in Africa, and Central and South America, and enhanced collaborative efforts with researchers in the major consuming countries of India and China.The online survey and focus groups were funded by the Geran Kursi Endowmen MPOB-UKM Malaysia, and the Royal Geographical Society UK. The residential workshop was supported from by British Council and Academy Science Malaysia via the UK Newton Ungku-Omar Fund. ZD, JB, and MS are supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/K016407/1; http://lombok.nerc-hmtf.info/)

Land control dynamics and social-ecological transformations in upland Philippines

10.1080/03066150.2016.1257988The Journal of Peasant Studies444796-81