Human Ecology Research Articles

Human ecology behind bars: Narrative change within the Czech prison system.

Human ecology behind bars: Narrative change within the Czech prison system.

Educational Needs for the Development of a Career Exploration Program for Human Ecology Majors for High School Students: A Survey Targeting Experts and High School Students

As human life and welfare become more valued in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, the role and mission of human ecology are expanding. Therefore, a career exploration and education program for high school students covering all the academic fields of human ecology may be necessary. To investigate what would be needed to develop such a program, a focus group interview (FGI) targeting experts within the same field and a survey targeting high school students were conducted. As a result of the FGI, a total of 3 categories and 7 subcategories were identified. The three categories included “human ecology and high school education,” “human ecology and career choices,” and “education program development and management in human ecology.” The results of the high schoolers’ survey showed that they had a moderate level of awareness about careers related to human ecology majors, but their interests and known information about human ecology programs in universities were low. Within the sub-content of each major, the contents with the highest educational needs were fashion product management, nutrition by disease, housing market analysis, personal financial management, and children’s rights and welfare. If a career exploration and education program is implemented in the future, the most preferred type is a mentoring program by professors, students, and graduates in the field of human ecology. In conclusion, it is necessary to develop and implement an integrative education program about human ecology majors based on the educational needs of high school students.

Application of multi-objective genetic algorithm for optimal combination of resources to achieve sustainable agriculture based on the water-energy-food nexus framework

Understanding the systemic approach and its potential for decision-making is important for resource management, especially in agriculture in which increasing food demands and environmental and social issues are the main challenges. Therefore, multiple-criteria decision-making methods have a vital role in the optimum combination of resources. Computational models are commonly used to assist resource management decision-making; however, while water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) are increasingly well modeled, the inclusion of social issues has lagged behind. This paper outlines a model based on a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) that conceptualizes and proceduralizes balancing the goals of sustainable agricultural development highlighting impacts and interactions between social variables and the WEFN index in agriculture. The model was developed using a bottom-up approach, informed through farmer interviews, and secondary data in the Miandarband plain, west Iran. The Compromise Programming (CP) method, which is widely used to solve MOGA models, was applied to optimization algorithms in three-dimensional spaces. The model represents field conditions and provides a tool for policymakers and sustainable resource management. The modeling framework applied to the study area for the comparison of WFEN, life cycle assessment (LCA), and social dimension in current and optimum cultivation patterns. The proposed optimal cultivation pattern in minimum CP will reduce water and energy consumption by 2.56 % and 12.71 % while reducing environmental impacts by 6.82 %, and it will improve the social status of farmers. Results suggest that changes in the basic elements of objective functions will lead to a balance between cultivation patterns that depends on policies and socio-economic conditions. Moreover, proposed cultivation patterns may be sustainable but their viability varies across the periods and also in different human ecologies. However, by analyzing the feedback of the model and interactions between different dimensions, this work highlights that policymakers can decide sustainable agriculture how should be occur by comparing different solutions.

Anthropogenic Influence on the Diurnal Temperature Range since 1901

Abstract The diurnal temperature range (DTR) as measured by the difference between daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperatures is of great importance to human health, ecology, and agriculture. The link of its long-term change to anthropogenic forcing is still unclear. This study shows evidence of human influence on long-term changes in DTR over the globe, five continents, and China during the past century (1901–2014). Using multiple observational datasets, we find a general decrease in the DTR over most of the global land since 1901, especially after the mid-1950s. Changes in DTR are due to different warming rates of Tmax and Tmin in response to external forcings. The climate models that participated in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) generally reproduce most of the changes in DTR, along with those in Tmax and Tmin. The models have underestimated the observed changes in DTR, however. A formal detection and attribution analysis shows that the anthropogenic forcing signal, including both greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions but dominated by the greenhouse gas emissions, is the main driver for these changes. The anthropogenic aerosol signal can be detected in Tmax and Tmin but not in DTR during the period of 1901–2014 over the globe and most continents. These indicate the observed decrease in DTR is not a simple response to anthropogenic aerosol emission. The natural signal is negligible in almost all the cases. Globally, anthropogenic influence is estimated to explain more than 90% of the observed changes in the three variables. In China, human influence is also clearly detected, although model simulated results on the regional scale have larger deviation. Significance Statement The diurnal temperature range (DTR) is of great importance in many areas. We compare multiple observational datasets with the simulations by climate models that participated in the latest phase (phase 6) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), finding evidence of human influence on long-term changes in DTR over the past century (1901–2014) and robust evidence for the period since the early 1950s. The decrease in DTR as seen in the observational dataset is caused by different warming rates of daily maximum and daily minimum temperature in response to anthropogenic forcing, including both greenhouse gases and aerosols.

Human Ecology and the Southern Iberian Neolithic: An Approach from Archaeobotany and Archaeozoology

ABSTRACT Archaeology has long incorporated the methods of the natural sciences and the theoretical principles of the overarching scientific framework. Most archaeologists acknowledge the importance of a systemic perspective in the study of the evolution of human behavior, with emphasis on the contexts in which individuals and populations lived and interacted. This article develops an ecological approach to the subsistence patterns and dynamics of the Neolithic populations in the westernmost regions of the Mediterranean. Methodologically, it implements a systematic quantitative exploration of the structure and evolution of the botanical and zoological taxa documented in a human settlement. Empirically, it begins with one of the most complete and relevant Neolithic archaeological sequences in the region, Dehesilla Cave, which has provided a dataset from high-resolution stratigraphy. The new results are then compared with the available archaeobotanical and archaeozoological records throughout the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

Antibody Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Rickettsia spp. in a Pediatric Cohort: SFGR Remains Underdiagnosed and Underreported in El Salvador.

Spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) are caused by a group of tick-borne pathogens that are increasing in incidence globally. These diseases are typically underreported and undiagnosed in low- and middle-income countries, and thus, have been classified as neglected bacterial pathogens. Countries with high poverty, low human development index score, and limited health infrastructure-like El Salvador in Central America-lack necessary surveillance for SFGR and other tick-borne pathogens. This paucity of baseline SFGR infection prevalence leaves vulnerable populations at risk of misdiagnosis. Further, tick-borne disease burdens in El Salvador are severely limited. To lay the foundation for tick-borne disease epidemiology in El Salvador, our team conducted two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) on banked human sera samples from a cohort of approximately 1000 pediatric participants from a high-risk vector-borne disease population. Eleven percent of all tested banked pediatric sera were positive for at least one ELISA assay at the time of enrollment: 10.7% were positive for only IgM antibodies (acute SFGR infection), and 2.5% were positive for IgG antibodies (a past SFGR infection). Older, male, children enrolled during the wet season, with a household history of infectious disease and higher maternal education level had higher odds of SFGR antibodies. Additionally, children from households with domestic poultry birds and previous knowledge of other vector-borne diseases had significantly reduced odds of SFGR antibodies. The large percentage of acute SFGR infections indicates that it continues to remain an underreported and undiagnosed issue in El Salvador and the Central American region. Much is still unknown regarding the complexity of the tick, animal host, and human host ecology transmission cycle of SFGR in El Salvador.

Human Health and Ecological Risks Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Automobile and Non-Erosive Sites in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Global concern is on the rise of ecological and human health risk associated with unregulated and unabated discharge of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) into the environment. This work investigated the concentration of PTEs, evaluated the sources and level of soil pollution and analyzed the level of ecological and human health risks. The study involves sample size (n =120) of one hundred and twenty soil samples collected from six spatial different areas of Ebonyi State. Determination of the concentration of the PTEs was executed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The degree of discrete distribution of the concentration of PTEs and relationship among them was achieved using descriptive statistical analysis and correlation coefficient. Automobile sites based on the result proved to have higher concentrations of PTEs in relation to nonerosive soils. The mean concentration of Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe and Cu were 689.48, 0.649, 694, 48.84, 6039.82 and 91.02 mg/kg respectively in automobile sites while in nonerosive soils, it was 8.33, 0.26, 2.82, 1.21, 11.99 and 4.36 mg/kg respectively. The overall ecological risk index and degree of contamination are 317.21 and 59.69 for automobile sites and 72.22 and 2.76 for non –erosive sites respectively. This indicates automobile sites to be of high degree of contamination and of high ecological risk. Evaluation of carcinogenic risk shows that Zn, Cu, Ni and Pb are of high cancer risks in the automobile sites for children and adults. Among all the studied PTEs, Zn and Pb poses significant health and ecological risks.

Aversio a Deo: l’origine della riflessione ecologica nel magistero papale da Leone XIII a Francesco

Sommario: 1. La perfezione del creato come epifania di Dio - 2. Lo sguardo laico e quello della Chiesa di fronte al disordine ecologico - 3. La creazione come atto di affidamento all’uomo - 4. Ineludibili implicazioni etico-giuridiche del munus di custodia. Dall’aversio alla conversio: rieducare alla responsabilità solidale - 5. Conclusioni.
 Aversio to Deo: the origin of ecological reflection in the papal magisterium from Leo XIII to Francis
 ABSTRACT: This study aims to retrace some fundamental stages of the Social Doctrine of the Church in relation to the emergence of sensitivity on the issues of the environmental question which translates into the magisterium of the Popes, from Leo XIII onwards, with the ecological question understood in a broader sense. The key point is represented by the identification of man's responsibility for his aversion to Deo and the custody mandate that was entrusted to him by the creator. The solution can be found in the recovery of respect for the natural order and solidarity between creatures in the frame of human ecology.

Corrigendum: Element content in human hair of residents from Simferopol city (Ekologiya cheloveka (Human Ecology). 2022;29(6). doi: 10.17816/humeco90984)

We found mistakes in the article "Element content in human hair of residents from Simferopol city" published in the "Ekologiya cheloveka (Human Ecology)" journal (volume 29, issue 6, doi: https://doi.org/10.17816/humeco90984) by E.V. Evstafieva and co-authors. Table 1 incorrectly indicates references in the column "Comparison range limits". The authors team and the editorial board of the journal are sure that the mistakes could not significantly affect the perception and interpretation of the published work by readers, and should not become the reason for retraction. The publisher made changes to the electronic version of the published article and re-published it on the journal's website instead of the version with errors. The authors team and the editorial board apologize to the readers for the mistakes made.

Being Human: Rethinking Adaptation and Resilience

Adaptability, resilience, andsustainability have become buzzwords that refer to notions about the properties of something, and an objective to be achieved and maintained, as well as human intentionality in processes of change. They are notions that were transferred between and beyond academic disciplines in the health and medical sciences, natural and physical sciences, and human and social sciences; and they are currently used in everyday language. How these notions are used regarding ecological hazards, financial risks, health threats, and social perils is influenced by numerous variables including individual and communal human factors. This article rethinks common interpretations of adaptability and resilience in the context of sustainability. It posits that human ecology provides a conceptual framework incorporating the diversity of their meanings and uses in a complex and heterogenous world. The article highlights that many contributions from authors in various disciplines have borrowed concepts and ideas from ecology, biology, and systems analysis but they have discounted the fundamental nature of being human, even when socio-ecological systems are studied. Then, the article explains the ingredients of an anthropo-logic, a core constituent of human ecology, which includes cultural and societal variables while recognizing individual and group differences. These variables can account for the diverse sometimes conflicting ways people perceive, understand, and respond to risks and threats to their lives and habitats. The article applies core principles of human ecology to comprehend contrasting responses to global change (including extreme weather events and repeated flooding in cities) in an increasingly polarized world.

Biosorption of Eriochrome Black T Using Exserohilum rostratum NMS1.5 Mycelia Biomass

The presence of eriochrome black T (EBT) dye in waste water causes a significant hazard to human health and ecology. In the current study, biosorption was employed to eliminate EBT from water. Thus, we utilized endophytic fungi strain Exserohilum rostratum NMS1.5 mycelia biomass as biosorbent agent. The process was carried out at room temperature by magnetic stirring. The results indicated that an increase in pH would decrease adsorption capacity and removal percentage. In addition, an increased EBT concentration would decrease the removal percentage and increase biosorption capacity. The equilibrium time indicated that after 300 min of mixing, the percentage removal and biosorption capacity were 80.5% and 100.61 mg/g, respectively. The biosorption isotherms and kinetics were compatible with the Freundlich model and the pseudo-second-order. This research indicates that E. rostratum NMS1.5 may be utilized as an environmentally friendly and affordable alternative biosorbent material for EBT removal.

Analysis of Geoecological Restoration in Mountainous Cities Affected by Geological Hazards with Interval Intuitive Fuzzy Information.

With the progress of the industrial revolution and the development of modern science and technology, China's urbanization process has been promoted. Urban and rural economic and social construction has greatly improved the local appearance and social structure. Human activities and natural ecology have affected the whole geological-ecological process, further aggravated the geological-ecological damage, and caused more serious geological disasters, especially in some places (especially in mountainous areas). In recent years, strong geological disasters have occurred in Wenchuan, Yushu, and Lushan regions of China, which not only seriously endanger the life safety and social life of the affected people, but also damage the geological-ecological structure and social functions of the region, especially in the geographically sensitive Alpine urban areas. It also produced many secondary disasters, such as landslides and land collapses. Mountainous cities and towns have special requirements for construction land, which is difficult to construct. Industrial land resources are in short supply, urban and rural comprehensive construction land is not active, and cultivated land area resources are tight. Compared with plain towns with superior geological conditions, mountain towns are more vulnerable to adverse geological environment such as geological ecology, landform, ecological vegetation, and hydrology. The geographical natural environment, as an organic whole that combines and interacts with the geomorphic natural environment, the biological-ecological environment, and the human social management environment, is the main reason that affects the development of mountain towns. Once the mountain geological ecology is destroyed, a series of geological disasters will often be induced, which will seriously restrict the healthy development of mountain towns. Scientific management of the geological environment plays an important role in the assessment of the geological environment restoration of mountain towns after disasters. Therefore, taking the most beautiful counties in China, Baoxing City, and Tianquan County as examples, on the basis of studying the complex geological-ecological theory of geological disasters, this paper further improves the traditional ecological footprint model in China, and using the interval direct fuzzy information constructs the metric index of ecological restoration scheme of mountain towns, and determines the evaluation index and optimal scheme of ecological restoration. From the aspects of landscape layout construction, disaster prevention and mitigation planning and improvement, and environmental restoration project, the future geoecological restoration and response strategy of Lushan County are pointed out, which provide guidance for the postdisaster geoecological safety layout construction.

The experience of the Republican Research Centre for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology in the implementation of the Union State measure to provide comprehensive medical care to the population affected by the Chernobyl disaster

The implementation of targeted medical care to the population of the Republic of Belarus and Russia affected by the Chernobyl disaster is carried out within the framework of national targeted programs, as part of the Union State event «Providing comprehensive medical care to certain categories of citizens of Belarus and Russia exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl disaster» based on medical centers in Russia and Belarus. The relevance of the Measure for the provision of certain types of specialized, including hightech, medical care to citizens of the Republic of Belarus exposed to radiation as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is based on the data on morbidity. The analysis of diseases showed an increase in morbidity rates for such nosological forms as chronic renal failure, secondary and tertiary hypoparathyroidism, diseases of the retina and vitreous body, immunodeficiency states, varicose veins of the lower extremities, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphomas in children. On the territory of the Republic of Belarus in 2016-2021, the provision of comprehensive medical care within the framework of the Measure was carried out at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology. In 2016-2021, on the base of the Republican Research Centre for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology 1607 citizens of the Republic of Belarus who suffered from the Chernobyl disaster received high-tech and specialized medical care (in 2016 – 238, in 2017 – 260, in 2018 – 264, in 2019 – 264, in 2020 – 278, in 2021 – 303). The main part of medical care was provided in the surgical applications: transplantation of the kidney and parathyroid glands, surgeries on the posterior segment of the eye, reconstructive surgeries of the pelvic floor in women, laser vein correction. The successful implementation of the Measure in 2016–2021 made it possible to work out the possibility of holding the Measure of the Union State for subsequent years, specifying the amount of funding and additional volumes of comprehensive medical care for citizens in need who were exposed to radiation due to the Chernobyl disaster.

Microbiome composition modulates secondary metabolism in a multispecies bacterial community

Bacterial secondary metabolites are a major source of antibiotics and other bioactive compounds. In microbial communities, these molecules can mediate interspecies interactions and responses to environmental change. Despite the importance of secondary metabolites in human health and microbial ecology, little is known about their roles and regulation in the context of multispecies communities. In a simplified model of the rhizosphere composed of Bacillus cereus, Flavobacterium johnsoniae, and Pseudomonas koreensis, we show that the dynamics of secondary metabolism depend on community species composition and interspecies interactions. Comparative metatranscriptomics and metametabolomics reveal that the abundance of transcripts of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and metabolomic molecular features differ between monocultures or dual cultures and a tripartite community. In both two- and three-member cocultures, P. koreensis modified expression of BGCs for zwittermicin, petrobactin, and other secondary metabolites in B. cereus and F. johnsoniae, whereas the BGC transcriptional response to the community in P. koreensis itself was minimal. Pairwise and tripartite cocultures with P. koreensis displayed unique molecular features that appear to be derivatives of lokisin, suggesting metabolic handoffs between species. Deleting the BGC for koreenceine, another P. koreensis metabolite, altered transcript and metabolite profiles across the community, including substantial up-regulation of the petrobactin and bacillibactin BGCs in B. cereus, suggesting that koreenceine represses siderophore production. Results from this model community show that bacterial BGC expression and chemical output depend on the identity and biosynthetic capacity of coculture partners, suggesting community composition and microbiome interactions may shape the regulation of secondary metabolism in nature.

Applying minimally invasive biomarkers of chronic stress across complex ecological contexts.

Chronic stress is both theoretically and methodologically challenging to operationalize through biomarkers. Yet minimally invasive, field-friendly biomarkers of chronic stress are valuable in research linking biology and culture, seeking to understand differential patterns of human development across ecological contexts, and exploring the evolution of human sociality. For human biologists, a central question in measurement and interpretation of biomarkers is how stress-responsive physiological systems are regulated across diverse human ecologies. This article aims to describe a conditional toolkit for human biologists interested in the study of chronic stress, highlighting a mix of longstanding and novel biomarkers, with special focus on hair/fingernail cortisol, latent herpesvirus antibodies, allostatic load indices, and serial/ambulatory data collection approaches. Future trends in chronic stress biomarker research, including epigenetic approaches, are briefly considered. This overview considers: (1) challenges in separating a distinctly psychosocial dimension of chronic stress from adversity more broadly; (2) essential characteristics of human ecology that shape interpretation; (3) retrospective vs. longitudinal sampling; (4) the role of age, developmental effects, and local biologies; (5) different timescales of chronicity; and (6) the role of culture.

Responses of sustainable development indicators to human activities and climate change in ecologically fragile areas of impoverished counties in China

AbstractBased on Landsat MSS/TM/OLI (1975–2018), MODIS NDVI (2000–2015), and DMSP/OLS (1992–2013) multitemporal remote sensing data, as well as annual average precipitation and temperature data from meteorological stations (1980–2018) and SRTM DEM data, this study extracted information on climate change, human activity, and eco‐environmental factors in the Zijin Mountain (ZJM) area of Shanxi Province, and then analyzed the spatiotemporal changes in ecological structure, landscape structure, and climate response. The results revealed that in the ZJM area some sustainable development indicators associated with human activity, ecology, climate, and landscape geography have changed. Specifically, over the 44‐year period from 1975 to 2018, the urban and rural construction land area increased by 4.29 times; in the 22‐year period from 1992 to 2013, the regional light index has increased by 26.9 times; in the past 32 years, that is, from 1987 to 2018, the average vegetation index of the entire basin increased by about 54.7%, the vegetation cover exhibited a gradual positive trend, and the land use types in the ZJM area were mainly converted from bare land to grassland or forest. Compared with 1987, the area of bare land decreased 32.5% by 2018, whereas the forest and grassland areas increased by 85.7% and 40.7%, respectively. In addition, over the 44‐year period from 1975 to 2018, the road density increased by 8.57 times. The area affected by human activities, comprised roads, urban and rural construction land, and their buffer areas, accounted for 64.87% of the total study area. As a result, the fragmentation index of landscape patches has increased by 6.81 times since 1987. We conclude that in the ZJM area, the ecosystem type has transformed from an indigenous mountainous grassland to mountainous arid agriculture, and from an isolated habitat to a fragmented habitat.

Hazard Identification of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Transportation and Storage in DKI Jakarta Province

LNG is an alternative fuel to replace diesel and gasoline. The use of LNG as a fuel has many advantages from various aspects. Besides having advantages, LNG also has disadvantages because it contains dangers in it. LNG is a volatile material that is easily flammable, which causes fires and explosions. Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is a systematic method used to measure the magnitude of the risk of a process and product that is a hazard to human health and ecology. By conducting an ERA, the risks and hazards of LNG are known. In carrying out the research, describing the LNG delivery system, identifying hazards in the event of LNG released from the carrier, making accident scenarios along with the outcome events that will occur, collecting data, calculating the frequency of accidents and their consequences, determining existing risks, and providing preventive actions, and mitigation. Hazard evaluation was determined using fault tree analysis (FTA) and event tree analysis (ETA). Based on identifying hazards to the storage and transportation of LNG, it is classified into category four and server (severe). Scenarios of releasing LNG into the environment in the process of transporting and storing LNG can be caused by several things, including external factors, failure in filling, and failure due to excess pressure so that it can cause fire pools/BLEVE events, cloud vapor explosions, flash fires, and cloud vapors. Based on the level of risk entered into, not tolerable action at the next opportunity.

MM-067 The Role of Some Cytokines in Plasma Cell Neoplasms in Gomel Region Residents

Plasma cell neoplasms (PCN) are monoclonal proliferations of plasma cells that produce a clonal paraprotein. Various cytokines are involved in the immune response and inflammatory processes in plasma cell neoplasms. To determine the levels of selected cytokines in the blood serum of patients with plasma cell neoplasms and to study their role in progression. The study was conducted from October 2018 to January 2022. Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology Gomel, Belarus Patients: 210 PCN patients (median monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), n=90; multiple melanoma (MM), n=101; solitary plasmacytoma (SP), n=19). The median MGUS age was 61.0 (54.0 and 67.0), MM-65.0 (58.0 and 70.0), SP-61.0 (54.0 and 68.0). Cytokines (IL1, IL2, IL6, IL8 and TNF-α) were determined. Studied cytokines are associated with the process activity in PCN. The levels of IL2 (p=0.001), IL6 (p=0.006) and TNF-α (p=0.006) with the progression of MM in comparison with MGUS and SP. An excess of IL8 levels was found in patients with MM with bone and kidney damage, in MGUS patients with progression (p = 0.014). An excess of the IL6 level (p=0.00001) was revealed in MM patients at the stages of ISSII and ISSIII and with high levels of LDH (p=0.0088), anemic syndrome (p=0.0064) and hypercalcemia (p=0.021). We have revealed a significant excess of the levels of IL1 (p=0.0036), IL2 (p=0.069) and TNF-α (p=0.043) in MM patients of a high-risk group (κ/λ <0.1 and >10), in comparison with the group with the absence of this criterion. A correlation was revealed in MM patients by levels of IL1 (p=0.02), IL6 (p=0.00001), IL8 (p=0.02) and TNF-α (p=0.004), IL6 (p=0.0004), IL8 (p=0.015) and TNF-α (0.006), in SP patients by IL6 level (p=0.05). The progression of diseases is characterized by an increase in the levels of various cytokines, depending on the signs of organ damage: in MM it was reflected by IL2, IL6, and TNF-α, in MGUS by IL1, and IL6, and in SP by IL1. When detecting lytic lesions and kidney damage, we have revealed a correlation with the level of IL8 and TNF-α.

Local Perception and Adoption to climate Change: A Review of Agricultural perspective

The main objectives of the research is to understand the perception of the local people on climate change and examine the impact of such change on agriculture and livestock management practices among the people. Moreover the research also attempted to analyze the present adaptive strategies of the local people which ultimately increase their adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of change. The framework of cognitive anthropology and human ecology helped to compare and analyze the difference in the perception about change in climatic variables and climate related risk and disasters, their impact on agriculture and livestock management practices and present coping and adaptive strategies followed by the people in their respective surroundings. Furthermore, the study also used the sustainable livelihood framework to assess the climate change impacts on agriculture and livestock systems of the studied communities. It attempts to understand the perception of the people on climate change through the change in the climate related parameters such as precipitation, temperature, and mist and dews and climate related extremes and disasters such as the long drought, heavy rainfall, landslide and soil erosion, windstorms and hailstorms.

Understanding the importance of farmer–NGO collaboration for sustainability and business strategy: Evidence from the coffee supply chain

AbstractDespite the attention to governance strategies based on international market intervention and product differentiation, research on how farmers and NGOs collaborate and share knowledge in production countries to help address sustainability challenges bottom‐up remains limited. Through evidence from the coffee supply chain, this article endorses a human ecology viewpoint and shows how farmer–NGO collaboration in domestic markets can help foster relevant environmental, social, and economic upgrades. More significantly, it provides evidence of the importance of farmer–NGO collaboration for business strategy and indicates how NGOs can help farmers to grow as independent business owners and build their own market channels locally. By conceptualizing a strategic framework of farmer–NGO collaboration to better overcome sustainability challenges bottom‐up and empower farmers as independent business owners, while also outlining the possible unintended consequences of such collaboration, this article finally contributes to the literature on the coffee supply chain and offers generalizable takeaways for NGO strategy.