Socioeconomic Obstacles Research Articles

Reconciling economic development, nature conservation and local communities: strategies for biodiversity conservation in Xishuangbanna, China

The State Council of China has adopted Agenda 21for China and biodiversity conservation is one plank of its agenda for China's sustainable development. This paper offers a brief discussion of China's White Paper on Agenda 21 and examines, as a case study, the problem of sustaining biological diversity in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. This area is rated as one of ‘megadiversity’, and therefore, as one deserving a high priority for conservation purposes. After discussing the general socio-economic obstacles to biodiversity conservation in Xishuangbanna, the article outlines the types of strategies adopted in China for reducing pressures of local communities on biodiversity and nature conservation. China's preferred strategy for easing pressures on biodiversity conservation in nature reserves is to improve economic opportunities outside of the reserves and raise the income levels of people living in the neighbourhood of the reserves. This approach has been adopted in Xishuangbanna and there are plans to extend it. Community development projects such as agroforestry, joint ventures in tourism and so on are being encouraged. Mechanisms for selecting suitable community development projectse.g. using rapid rural appraisal (RRA), are considered. Without economic development at the local level, plans for biodiversity conservation are unlikely to succeed in China or for that matter elsewhere in the developing world.

Adolescent Health Care: Use, Costs and Problems of Access

Access to health care has become a hot topic of the 1990s for many national health professional organizations. Despite incredible advances in the technology of medical care, we remain challenged, if not overwhelmed, by socioeconomic obstacles to care for many of those in need. Adolescent medicine is based on the art of establishing and maintaining a provider-patient/family relationship that enables the science of health care to occur. Access to the provider is the critical first step. For many adolescents, this step seems insurmountable. "Access to the provider is the critical first step. For many adolescents, this step seems insurmountable." The authors of this monograph have compiled data from several national surveys as well as more limited samples to document utilization of health care by American adolescents and to examine many factors, especially economic, that may limit adolescents' access to care. They provide a wealth of information and analysis for policy

Networking in International Agricultural Research

Informal and structured collaboration is becoming increasingly common in international agricultural research. A network approach to research generally reduces costs, minimizes duplication, and boosts efficiency. Collaborative teams, sometimes involving hundreds of scientists in dozens of countries, have been formed to tackle numerous constraints to boosting food production. Networks have been established to test crop germplasm over a broad range of environments, explore ways of boosting the efficiency of fertilizer use, upgrade disease resistance in livestock, and identify socioeconomic obstacles to improved agricultural output. The benefits of networking are especially valuable to countries with limited funds and scientific manpower.