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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Trends in vegetation degradation in relation to land tenure, rainfall, and population changes in Peddie district, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Spatial and temporal variations in vegetation are examined in relation to land tenure, population increase, and rainfall variation in a part of Peddie district, Eastern Cape. Sequential aerial photographs between 1938 and 1988 are analyzed to determine trends in vegetation and population change in three different land-tenure units. The areal extent at each date of four distinct vegetation categories is determined using PC ARC/INFO GIS. Long-term annual rainfall trends for the area are analyzed and juxtaposed with vegetation changes. Extensive ground-truthing exercises are carried out to verify the present condition of vegetation condition in terms of cover and species composition. Differences in land-tenure systems are discerned as the dominant factor controlling variations in vegetation degradation. The study also reveals that neither population changes nor rainfall variations can explain the observed trends in vegetation degradation. Earlier injudicious land-use practices, sustained since the turn of the last century, may provide plausible explanations for the trends and present status of vegetation degradation in the area.

Environment↗

Resolution on land tenure, June 1988.

In June 1988, a Resolution on land tenure was adopted at the sixth plenum of the Communist Party Central Committee of Laos, also attended by the Government's Council of Ministers. The Resolution states that, although land still belongs to the Government, actions are to be taken to distribute lands and forests to each village and assign plots to individual families, rather than to cooperatives. Farmers are to be allowed to sell or use what they produce as they choose and can pass land on to their children or transfer it to other farmers by charging for their investments for improving the soil.

Agriculture↗

Resolution No. 598-87, Regulations for the Functioning of the Land Tenure Registry, 27 October 1987.

This Resolution sets forth Regulations for the Land Tenancy Registry of Cuba. It provides that the Registry is part of a scheme for exercising control over legal land tenure and has the following objectives: maintaining control of national land; determining the legal situation of holders of land; recognizing the number of legal holders of land; furnishing information on acquisition, exploitation, and buildings; issuing certificates; and analyzing and processing records in appeals. Further provisions of the Resolution lay down details about these functions.

Americas↗

Land tenure and child health in Rio Grande do Sul: the relationship between agricultural production, malnutrition and mortality.

"Four different approaches were applied to test the hypothesis that patterns of land tenure and agricultural production in Rio Grande do Sul [Brazil] are important infant mortality determinants. These studies have employed various data sources on distinct analytical levels.... The results...provide reliable evidence of there being a strong relationship between the degree of concentration of land tenure and agricultural production on the one hand, and malnutrition and infant mortality on the other."

Agriculture↗

Land tenure patterns and child health in southern Brazil: the relationship between agricultural production, malnutrition and child mortality.

The relationships between infant mortality, malnutrition, and land tenure patterns in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were investigated with data from demographic and agricultural censuses, vital statistics, and dietary surveys, complemented by a large nutritional survey in urban and rural areas. These studies employed a variety of analytical methods and revealed that young children in areas with large ranches, livestock-raising, and a high proportion of agricultural wage-earners presented a higher mortality and had a poorer nutritional status than children in areas with small properties, crop agriculture, and self-employed family workers. Children of landowners showed least malnutrition and the smaller risk of death compared to children of laborers, although the differential seems to have narrowed in recent years. The main conclusion is that land tenure patterns play a very important role in determining early mortality and malnutrition in this Brazilian state.

Adolescent↗

[Nutritional status and land tenure. A study in adults of the rural area of the northeastern Brazil].

The present study was carried out in the rural areas of four municipalities in the North-East of Brazil as part of a broader survey which covered a sample of families living in the area. A subsample of adults (453 women and 126 men) was obtained from individuals who attended the survey's post for clinical and anthropometric evaluation. According to land tenure, they were stratified into four categories: those with-without land (W.L.); small land owner (S.O.); medium land owners (M.O.); and large land owners (L.O.). Means for anthropometric variables (height, weight, middle arm circumference and skinfold thickness) were calculated for each stratum. The differences between groups were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Findings revealed that the larger the property, the greater the mean value for height; extreme values attained a difference of 7 and 6 cm in men and women, respectively. Mean weight increased as land ownership grew reaching a difference of 9 and 11 kg in men and women, respectively (p less than 0.01). Skinfold thickness and middle arm circumference showed significant differences between strata. To evaluate their present nutritional status, the adequacy of weight to height was obtained. In spite of the low proportion of individuals who exhibited less than 90%, adequate improvement was detected as land tenure increased. The study discusses the precariousness of criteria and patterns for the nutritional evaluation of adults, and suggests the existence of a relationship between nutritional status and land ownership.

Adolescent↗

[Nutritional status of children under 6, according to land tenure, in rural areas of the State of Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil].

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the distribution of protein-energy malnutrition, anemia and hypovitaminosis A in relation to accessibility and size of rural lands. About 689 families from the Agreste rural area (Pernambuco, North-East Brazil) were studied. A total of 1,257 children under 6 years of age were distributed in four groups according to the size of the land. The nutritional status was assessed according to the criteria of Gómez, Ariza-Macías and Seoane-Latham, modified by Batista Filho. In accordance with the Gómez' method, 55.1% of the children suffered from some degree of malnutrition. About 67.0% of the landless families suffered from malnutrition, in contrast to 25% of the landowners who had 50 or more than 50 hectares of land (p less than 0.01). Hemoglobin was determined in 976 children; 38.9% of them suffered from anemia. No significant differences were detected among the several groups of land tenants. Serum retinol levels were measured in 412 children and a high incidence of hypovitaminosis A was detected: 24% had serum retinol levels below 20 mcg/100 ml. No significant association was found in relation to the different land tenure groups. These data demonstrate a high prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition, anemia and hypovitaminosis A. A significant correlation between protein-energy malnutrition and the size of the land was also found, demonstrating that this region is one of the most affected by food and nutritional problems.

Anemia↗

Assessing the sustainability of agriculture: a case of Mae Chaem Catchment, northern Thailand.

Sustainability is not a new concept but rather a prominent concept at the present time. Researchers have categorized sustainability indicators into economic, social, and ecological aspects. Sustainability of agriculture in the context of development efforts has to meet production efficiency, resilience of ecosystems, appropriate technology, maintenance of the environment, cultural diversity, and satisfaction of the basic needs. The research objective of this study is to determine the critical indicators of agricultural sustainability in the Mae Chaem Catchment, northern Thailand. In assessing sustainability, the authors applied the sustainability indicator analysis developed by FAO. The results of the study show that food sufficiency in the Wat Chan subcatchment is the most sustainable aspect of agriculture. The least sustainable facets of agriculture in the Wat Chan subcatchment are land holding size, land tenure, and water shortage. While expansion of agricultural land in the watershed area is not legally permitted, a practice of agroforestry is recommended. Insecure land tenure may result in reduced incentives to improve land productivity. Thus, official recognition of land ownership is required. As the problem of water shortage is most critical in the lower reaches, increased participation in the allocation scheme by downstream villagers should be encouraged. Finally, the construction of a small-scale water storage in the lower part of the catchment to increase water supply should be considered.

Agriculture↗

[Land ownership and infant health in Rio Grande do Sul: relationship between agricultural production, malnutrition and mortality].

The relationships between infant and preschool age mortality, malnutrition, and land tenure patterns in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were investigated with data from demographic and agricultural censuses, vital statistics, and a nutritional survey in urban and rural areas. These studies employed a variety of analytical methods and revealed that young children in areas with large ranches, livestock raising, and high proportion of agricultural wage-earners presented a higher mortality and a greater prevalence of malnutrition than children in areas with small farms, crop agriculture, and self-employed family workers. Children of landowners showed better nutritional status and smaller risk of death compared to children of laborers, although the differential seems to have narrowed in recent years. The conclusion is that land tenure patterns play a very important role in determining mortality and malnutrition of children in this Brazilian State.

Agriculture↗

Long-term changes in Serengeti-Mara wildebeest and land cover: pastoralism, population, or policies?

Declines in habitat and wildlife in semiarid African savannas are widely reported and commonly attributed to agropastoral population growth, livestock impacts, and subsistence cultivation. However, extreme annual and shorter-term variability of rainfall, primary production, vegetation, and populations of grazers make directional trends and causal chains hard to establish in these ecosystems. Here two decades of changes in land cover and wildebeest in the Serengeti-Mara region of East Africa are analyzed in terms of potential drivers (rainfall, human and livestock population growth, socio-economic trends, land tenure, agricultural policies, and markets). The natural experiment research design controls for confounding variables, and our conceptual model and statistical approach integrate natural and social sciences data. The Kenyan part of the ecosystem shows rapid land-cover change and drastic decline for a wide range of wildlife species, but these changes are absent on the Tanzanian side. Temporal climate trends, human population density and growth rates, uptake of small-holder agriculture, and livestock population trends do not differ between the Kenyan and Tanzanian parts of the ecosystem and cannot account for observed changes. Differences in private versus state/communal land tenure, agricultural policy, and market conditions suggest, and spatial correlations confirm, that the major changes in land cover and dominant grazer species numbers are driven primarily by private landowners responding to market opportunities for mechanized agriculture, less by agropastoral population growth, cattle numbers, or small-holder land use.

Animals↗

Hydatid disease in New Zealand: an epidemiological study of transmission among Maoris.

An epidemiological study was designed to determine the factors placing the Maori people of New Zealand at an unusually high risk of infection with Echinococcus granulosus. Using stepwise multiple regression techniques, it was shown that the most important determinant of the incidence rate of human hydatid disease was the proportion of Maoris in the local population. It was found that the Maori system of land tenure, based on the Maori land laws led to the formation of many small fragmented properties under multiple ownership, decreasing the incentive of individual Maori farmers to improve their farming methods. In addition, long-standing behavioral patterns, such as an easy familiarity with working dogs and the feeding of dogs on raw offal, were practices that changed slowly, thus contributing to the maintenance of high E. granulosus prevalence in dogs owned by Maoris. Those cultural and behavioral factors, together with poor dog control, exposed all members of the rural Maori community to an increased risk of infection with E. granulosus, with the result that the incidence rate of hydatid disease for all age-groups and for both sexes was strikingly higher in Maoris than in non-Maoris.

Adolescent↗

The spatial pattern of international labour flows from and to Pakistan: a preliminary analysis.

"This paper attempts to identify the international labour flows of Pakistinis focussing on their geographical distribution. Based on a survey conducted by the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and the Population Census of 1981 the study suggests that less developed districts are characterised by low out-migration and high return-migration. In addition, structural characteristics (e.g., land tenure) may be important in explaining low mobility from some underdeveloped districts...."

Asia↗

Land degradation: a challenge to Ethiopia.

Land degradation is a great threat for the future and it requires great effort and resources to ameliorate. The major causes of land degradation in Ethiopia are the rapid population increase, severe soil loss, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production. Inappropriate land-use systems and land-tenure policies enhance desertification and loss of agrobiodiversity. Utilization of dung and crop residues for fuel and other uses disturbs the sustainability of land resources. The supply of inputs such as fertilizer, farm machinery and credits are very low. The balance between crop, livestock, and forest production is disturbed, and the farmer is forced to put more land into crop production. For environmentally and socially sustainable development, there is an urgent need to promote awareness and understanding of the interdependence of natural, socioeconomic, and political systems at local and national levels. Understanding the current status and causes of land degradation is very important. This paper reveals the important elements of land degradation in Ethiopia and suggests possible solutions that may help to ameliorate the situation.

Agriculture↗

Landscape and history: a multidisciplinary approach. Project Group Environmental History (P.G.E.H.).

Human societies have inhabited parts of the Central European country of Austria for thousands of years. The development process shopping the landscape by this long period of human impact remains poorly understood. The present study is an attempt to research landscape history on a local scale and compares an alpine, pre-alpine and midland-village area in Austria. We have developed an appropriate concept to describe the landscape ecology features of the study areas in several stages of the past from 1733 on. The landscape analysis is based on the interpretation of different kinds of historical data (e.g., documents, maps) going back to the pre-industrial epoch, which has--at least in terms of landscape ecology--hardly been accessible until now. An important aim of the study is to localize the historical information in the landscape. Individual plots can be traced back even to the early 14th century. Based on the quality of the available historical data, the historical landscape is analysed with regard to categories such as form and intensity of land use, distribution of nutrients and water as well as the pattern of landscape elements and their ecological functions. The comparison of present stages with former ones yields detailed knowledge on the dynamics and stability of landscape structure. This approach allows present-day land units to be identified as a result of long-term development going back to Medieval times. The primary aim of the study is to analyze factors that bring about change or resist it by creating stability. We therefore examine factors coupling landscape structure, agricultural production and population development. For this reason, we have studied the people and the evidence for their labor over a period of 400 years (1400-1800). Besides demographic data of the 18th and 19th century, historical registrar material has been collected; it enabled the land tenures to be reconstructed from the 15th to the 19th century. This type of data is a valuable source of information for investigating the socio-economic status of a local population or its farmsteads. The collected data reveal similarities in trends between time series of demography, land holding stability and landscape ecology features. A theoretical model shows how population, production and natural resources are connected in the investigated pre-modern communities.

Agriculture↗

Social inequality and children's growth in Guatemala.

This paper is an investigation of the effects of social inequality in Guatemala on children's health and nutritional status as measured by attained height. Guatemala remains a highly stratified and poor society. We examine the association of land distribution, land tenure, occupation, and other aspects of family social and economic status with children's height between the ages of three months and 36 months, using data from a cross-sectional survey. An important consequence of the poverty and poor living conditions of the majority of the Guatemalan population is substantial deficits in children's growth. Our results suggest that children's growth is affected by ethnicity, their father's occupation, land distribution in the area where they live, and maternal education. Substantial growth deficits are observed among children living at altitudes above 1500 metres; we hypothesize that this is because, in Guatemala, higher altitude is associated with land scarcity, poorer agricultural conditions, and greater remoteness from transport networks and other public services.

Adolescent↗

Socio-cultural determinants of child mortality in southern Peru: including some methodological considerations.

Among Amerindian children living at high altitude in the Andes in southern Peru, high child mortality rates have been reported in the literature, especially in the perinatal and neonatal period. We compared mortality rates in children calculated from retrospective survey data in 86 rural families from 2 Aymara and 3 Quechua peasant communities living at the same level of altitude (3825 m) in southern Peru. Relations between land tenure, socio-cultural factors and child mortality were studied, and methodological considerations in this field of interest are discussed. Checks on consistency of empirical data showed evidence for underreporting of neonatal female deaths with birth order 3 and more. Perinatal (124 vs 34 per 1000 births) and infant mortality (223 vs 111 per 1000 live births) was significantly higher in Aymara compared with Quechua children, but no difference was found after the first year of life. A short pregnancy interval was associated with an elevated perinatal and infant mortality rate, and a similar albeit insignificant association was found with increased maternal age. Amount of land owned and birth order were not related with child mortality. Although levels of maternal education are generally low in both cultures, a consistent decline in infant and child mortality was found with the amount of years mothers had attended school. However, the results suggest a U-shaped relationship between the amount of years of parental education and perinatal mortality in offspring. Late fetal and early neonatal mortality were particularly high in one Aymara community where mothers were found to have more years of education. Infanticide, a known phenomenon in the highlands of the Andes, is discussed in relation with the findings of the study. Although maternal and child health services are utilized by the majority of families in 4 of 5 study communities, 43 of 51 mothers under the age of 45 years reported that they delivered their last baby in the absence of traditional midwives or official medical supervision.

Adult↗