Research examined how partnerships of state and civil society could function to manage commercially valuable non-wood forest products in Community Forests in Cameroon. Results indicate an effective governance arrangement should include the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Community...

Smallholders in many tropical highlands cause serious environmental damage. The Cameron Highlands of Malaysia offer an excellent opportunity for studying how farmers interact with environment, changing markets, infrastructure development, indigenous peoples, and tourism, and how these shape...

The certified organic cotton supply chain is compared to the conventional cotton supply chain in Mali. The most important differences between the two supply chains are highlighted in this study. Switching to organic production may offer a range of potential advantages to cotton farmers,...

Economic systems at all levels rely for their success on the value of services flowing from the stock of total assets which comprise five types of capital: natural, social, human, physical and financial. Sustainable systems accumulate stocks of these five assets, so increasing the capital base...

Agriculture has long served as the 'handmaiden' to the industrial sector in many developing countries including those in the Caribbean region. Technological change, competition and globalisation are driving a restructuring of agro-business Research and Development (R&D) processes and strategies....

This paper addresses rural development and farm level action in Finland by posing the following main questions: What is the pioneering potential of small-scale entrepreneurship in enhancing rural sustainability? What are the specialisations feasible for such entrepreneurship in the present...

As the debate about the meaning of sustainable development matures, the links between environmental and social sustainability are becoming clearer. Environmental degradation frequently leads to social instability and vice-versa. Recent studies of past civilizations show a disturbing and...

The diversity of practices and dynamism in traditional mountain production systems of south Asia has been the focus of recent studies. This paper attempts to describe the diversity and dynamism of social and agricultural practices in a traditional mountain production system. The paper is based...

Human resources are central to economic development and can be increased in value and productivity by investment in human beings, for example in their education and health. But for a considerable period in the past, economists stressed the importance of the accumulation of man-made physical...

Rural tourism is often considered an economic alternative for rural areas facing decreasing profits and requiring a second or third economic footing. However, like other tourism activities, rural tourism results in a full range of environmental impacts. In particular, accommodation generates...