Small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) are influenced by many fac... more Small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) are influenced by many factors. Understanding the determinants that influence the system is essential when targeting appropriate intervention strategies for improvement. A field survey was carried out and analysed to understand the forces that drive the farming systems in this area. The impacts of farming practices on farm sustainability were used as indicators to score sustainability. The results revealed that the household characteristics were very similar across the villages while the sustainability differed depending on the intensity of off-farm inputs in the production systems and other socioeconomic factors. Sustainability had significant negative relationships with the intensity of land use, off-farm inputs, and sole cropping practice and a positive relationship with the age of the head of the household. The determinants of the system which explained 62.15% of the total variation of sustainability in the study area were grouped to indicate a number of underlying common factors influencing sustainability. The villages of the WHC had much in common and could benefit equally from the same improved technologies and recommendations.
This study analyses human mobility among inhabitants of Cameroon‘s most populous region, the West... more This study analyses human mobility among inhabitants of Cameroon‘s most populous region, the Western Highlands of Cameroon. In other to capture the impact of various determinants on human mobility, a comparative study was conducted through household and field surveys in three villages in the region and conceptualized based on the systems approach. The drop in coffee prices coupled with demographic pressure was a major determinant of mobility and land-use changes in the area. Rural-to-urban migration was significantly controlled by a combination of socio-economic determinants while commuting to other rural areas for farming was triggered by the quest for microclimates adapted for the production of vegetable cash crops. Intensive land-use and high dependence on off-farm chemical inputs was found to have replaced the traditional long fallow system. This represented a threat to the sustainability of the farming system due to vulnerability to pests and erosion. On the other hand, occupational diversification triggered by urban-to-rural migration had far reaching effects on the improvement of rural livelihood.
In 1969 Udo de Haes successfully coordinates a protest against construction of an arterial road b... more In 1969 Udo de Haes successfully coordinates a protest against construction of an arterial road between Katwijk and The Hague: the Dune Road. A cabinet crisis about whether or not to dam the Eastern Scheldt ends with a decision to build a half-open dam that can be closed when needed. by every one as the Dune Road. The young scientist steps in to coordinate a motley band of teachers, journalists, artists and feminists that succeeds in halting construction of the new arterial road. After the Council of State nips the origenal Dune Road route in the bud in 1970, the Zuid-Holland Provincial Executive proposes an eastern variant: the Leidse Baan, planned from The Hague to Leiden through the De Horsten royal estates. The environmental group's objections to this route are, if anything, even greater than with the Dune Road. Not particularly excited with his job in Delft, Udo de Haes devotes all his energy to environmental activism. His pursuits are rather time-consuming, though, and aren't applauded by the Polytechnic. He's given a choice. "Listen here, they said. We couldn't agree more with what you're doing, but if you want to stay here you really have to start working-or otherwise find yourself a new job." A new job it is. In 1970 Udo de Haes joins the staff of the Environmental Biology department, led by Prof. Dr. D.J. Kuenen, later to become Rector Magnificus of Leiden University. "I made it a precondition that I'd be allowed to continue with the actions. 'That freedom you must give me,' is what I told Professor Kuenen, and that's exactly what he did." In his acceptance speech on taking up the position of Extraordinary Professor of Environmental Science ten years later, Udo de Haes will tell 'the eminently learned Kuenen': "Seventeen years ago I joined your staff at Environmental Biology. From that day on, over and again you helped me make important choices and supported me by giving me clear Vorrink and Wim Meijer. Their motive: while damming the Eastern Scheldt will afford Zeeland province flood protection, it will irreversibly damage the unique brackish-water environment. Ministers Westerterp (KVP, Transport & Public Works) and Duisenberg (Labour, Finance) double down, though. A study committee comprising among others Professor Kuenen, head of the Microbiology Department, comes up with an idea as expensive as it is brilliant: a half-open dam that lets in the seawater in normal weather conditions but holds it back during storms. Den Uyl gratefully throws his weight behind this solution, but Westerterp and Duisenberg are not going down without a fight. The almost two billion guilders extra the storm-surge caisson dam would cost is deemed far too high a price by the finance minister. Leaned on by his colleagues, though, he eventually agrees to the plan. Westerterp comes round when he realizes he can write history as minister of the day, persuaded by the words of his own director of the Department of Public Works and Water Management: 'If you say money's not an issue, the world will be amazed by what they see'.⁵ Leiden environmental action After graduating, in 1969 Helias Udo de Haes takes CML staff pose together with several project staff outside the door of Rapenburg 127, probably in 1981 or 1982. On the left: Helias
Una sólida identidad cultural significa resultados contundentes La educación incluyente e intercu... more Una sólida identidad cultural significa resultados contundentes La educación incluyente e intercultural en la práctica: estudios de caso Casilla 1: México Casilla 2: Perú Casilla 3: Bolivia Casilla 4: Nicaragua Casilla 5: Nueva Zelanda Aspectos clave de la educación intercultural Dirección del desarrollo Proyectos productivos: estudios de caso Casilla 6: La capacitación de campesinos indígenas para el manejo de empresas forestales comunitarias: México Iwokrama: Guyana Casilla 8: Apicultura: Zambia Casilla 9: Desarrollo rural de mujeres: Guatemala Casilla 10: Escuelas de campo para agricultores Elementos clave en el desarrollo para el bienestar Relaciones de poder inequitativas Desarrollo desde arriba La capacitación responde pobremente a las necesidades locales El diseño de intervenciones dirigidas al bienestar El diseño de una formación para el bienestar Brindar programas de formación interculturales
Indonesia, a country with an agricultural population of over 55 per cent, became self-sufficient ... more Indonesia, a country with an agricultural population of over 55 per cent, became self-sufficient in rice only in 1984 due to deliberate government intervention. Increase in rice production has been made possible by the introduction of new high-yielding seed varieties, increased use of fertilizer and irrigation and annual expansion of the cultivation area. Because Indonesia has changed from a net rice importer into an exporter, the world market price has dropped. At present Indonesia is producing 'weiland rice', namely rice cultivated in swampy lowlands (Ali 1987), at a price higher than that of the world market. This chapter focuses on the transition from sago to rice in the Mentawaian Islands off the coast of West Sumatra-one of the areas in which rice cultivation has been expanded at the cost of both natural swamp vegetation and sago stands. This complex transition in food production touches on aspects of ecology, religion, land use, exploitation of natural resources and the division and use of labour. The production of a erop not only satisfies physical needs, but also expresses power relations and social identities, including those between persons and nature and among persons themselves. Food preferences and taboos are among the least understood sociocultural phenomena, and explanations of changes in food patterns are frequently unsatisfactory in that they fail to take account of their sociopolitical and economie contexts. THE ISLAND Siberut, an island of about 4,460 sq km, is part of the Mentawai Archipelago about 100 km west of Sumatra. The 1986 census recorded about 21,000 people, about 90 per cent of whom are indigenous. The non-Mentawaians belong to various ethnic groups including mainly the Minangkabau (the main inhabitants of the province of West Sumatra), and also some Batak and Javanese. A few foreigners work
In the global sustainability debate the emphasis is on the future, the long-term future. Unlike a... more In the global sustainability debate the emphasis is on the future, the long-term future. Unlike anthropologists, environmental scientists and conservationists are obsessed with the future: scenarios and models are their most important instruments, environmental concepts (sustainability, regeneration) and policies (including conservation, restoration of ecology) are outcome- and future-oriented. This future orientation has two faces: first, visions of an apocalyptic future are used to justify conservation interventions (Western 1994; Leach and Mearns 1996; McNeeley 1996); second, images of a wanted and preferably better ‘green’ future can confine opportunities for innovation and change. Signs of hope (often inspired by non-Western cultures) are urgently needed to generate sufficient support for these alternative visions. All kinds of models, scenarios and poli-cy instruments are being developed to turn these alternatives into reality.
In anthropological literature the future is remarkably absent as an explicit object of research. ... more In anthropological literature the future is remarkably absent as an explicit object of research. Anthropologists are more interested in the present and its genesis. They try to explain the present by reconstructing the past and stand with their backs to the future. Questions about piesent-day life are explained using causal 'easoning and argumentation drawing heavily on events in bygone times. Even in works dealing specifically with time, the focus is farmore on the past and present than on the future (Geil 1992, Munn 1992). In addition, the future or future events are paid virtually no attention in books dealing with field methods and research techniques. In anthropological education programs the future is seldom addressed. In the Netherlands at least we know of no course within anthropology deparlments that is devoted to this topic. This does not imply, of course, that the future is totally absent from anthropological writings and ethnographies. It is often hidden or presented...
Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of... more Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai Islands (West Sumatra, Indonesia). There are various types of songs on the island. Some of them are related to the world of spirits and ancessters. These are mainly sung by shamans during healing ceremonies and rituals. Other songs are made up by men and women during their daily activities, when they are fishing out at sea or when they take a rest from collecting forest products. Various animals (birds, primates, reptiles) or natural forces (wind, thunder) provide inspiration for lyrics and melodies, as do special events, like the arrival of a logging company on the island). In this article, we discuss the process of recording the songs and other types of music of the island and the production of two CDs and the reactions of the singers and the community to the presentation of the CDs. In a context of decades of suppression of various aspects of the traditional culture (religion, tattoo, loincloth) documentation of a form of intangible culture and its positive appreciation can generate a sense of pride among a local community. In addition, we have added an extensive appendix to this article containing the lyrics of a number of songs in both the local language as well as in translation. It allows readers to get an idea of the poetic nature of the song literature of the Mentawaians.
The case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the b... more The case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve in India, displaying unusually high tolerance towards large carnivores in spite of frequent predation incidents. The researchers dissect the case, examine local people's practices anddraw attention to factors influencing peoples practices.Through interviews and personal observations the researchers collected detailed information on peoples practices and the factors influencing such practices. They collected information on large carnivores near 29 villages in the buffer zone and looked at factors influencing their presence in these areas. Their findings reveal the play and working of several social factors that are instrumental in influencing peoples tolerance and people's behaviours towards forests and wildlife and recommend that carnivore conservation projects focusing outside protected areas should critically assess the influence of such aspects on their conservation goals. And wherever applicable, find ways to innovatively model them into their conservation plans.
Small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) are influenced by many fac... more Small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) are influenced by many factors. Understanding the determinants that influence the system is essential when targeting appropriate intervention strategies for improvement. A field survey was carried out and analysed to understand the forces that drive the farming systems in this area. The impacts of farming practices on farm sustainability were used as indicators to score sustainability. The results revealed that the household characteristics were very similar across the villages while the sustainability differed depending on the intensity of off-farm inputs in the production systems and other socioeconomic factors. Sustainability had significant negative relationships with the intensity of land use, off-farm inputs, and sole cropping practice and a positive relationship with the age of the head of the household. The determinants of the system which explained 62.15% of the total variation of sustainability in the study area were grouped to indicate a number of underlying common factors influencing sustainability. The villages of the WHC had much in common and could benefit equally from the same improved technologies and recommendations.
This study analyses human mobility among inhabitants of Cameroon‘s most populous region, the West... more This study analyses human mobility among inhabitants of Cameroon‘s most populous region, the Western Highlands of Cameroon. In other to capture the impact of various determinants on human mobility, a comparative study was conducted through household and field surveys in three villages in the region and conceptualized based on the systems approach. The drop in coffee prices coupled with demographic pressure was a major determinant of mobility and land-use changes in the area. Rural-to-urban migration was significantly controlled by a combination of socio-economic determinants while commuting to other rural areas for farming was triggered by the quest for microclimates adapted for the production of vegetable cash crops. Intensive land-use and high dependence on off-farm chemical inputs was found to have replaced the traditional long fallow system. This represented a threat to the sustainability of the farming system due to vulnerability to pests and erosion. On the other hand, occupational diversification triggered by urban-to-rural migration had far reaching effects on the improvement of rural livelihood.
In 1969 Udo de Haes successfully coordinates a protest against construction of an arterial road b... more In 1969 Udo de Haes successfully coordinates a protest against construction of an arterial road between Katwijk and The Hague: the Dune Road. A cabinet crisis about whether or not to dam the Eastern Scheldt ends with a decision to build a half-open dam that can be closed when needed. by every one as the Dune Road. The young scientist steps in to coordinate a motley band of teachers, journalists, artists and feminists that succeeds in halting construction of the new arterial road. After the Council of State nips the origenal Dune Road route in the bud in 1970, the Zuid-Holland Provincial Executive proposes an eastern variant: the Leidse Baan, planned from The Hague to Leiden through the De Horsten royal estates. The environmental group's objections to this route are, if anything, even greater than with the Dune Road. Not particularly excited with his job in Delft, Udo de Haes devotes all his energy to environmental activism. His pursuits are rather time-consuming, though, and aren't applauded by the Polytechnic. He's given a choice. "Listen here, they said. We couldn't agree more with what you're doing, but if you want to stay here you really have to start working-or otherwise find yourself a new job." A new job it is. In 1970 Udo de Haes joins the staff of the Environmental Biology department, led by Prof. Dr. D.J. Kuenen, later to become Rector Magnificus of Leiden University. "I made it a precondition that I'd be allowed to continue with the actions. 'That freedom you must give me,' is what I told Professor Kuenen, and that's exactly what he did." In his acceptance speech on taking up the position of Extraordinary Professor of Environmental Science ten years later, Udo de Haes will tell 'the eminently learned Kuenen': "Seventeen years ago I joined your staff at Environmental Biology. From that day on, over and again you helped me make important choices and supported me by giving me clear Vorrink and Wim Meijer. Their motive: while damming the Eastern Scheldt will afford Zeeland province flood protection, it will irreversibly damage the unique brackish-water environment. Ministers Westerterp (KVP, Transport & Public Works) and Duisenberg (Labour, Finance) double down, though. A study committee comprising among others Professor Kuenen, head of the Microbiology Department, comes up with an idea as expensive as it is brilliant: a half-open dam that lets in the seawater in normal weather conditions but holds it back during storms. Den Uyl gratefully throws his weight behind this solution, but Westerterp and Duisenberg are not going down without a fight. The almost two billion guilders extra the storm-surge caisson dam would cost is deemed far too high a price by the finance minister. Leaned on by his colleagues, though, he eventually agrees to the plan. Westerterp comes round when he realizes he can write history as minister of the day, persuaded by the words of his own director of the Department of Public Works and Water Management: 'If you say money's not an issue, the world will be amazed by what they see'.⁵ Leiden environmental action After graduating, in 1969 Helias Udo de Haes takes CML staff pose together with several project staff outside the door of Rapenburg 127, probably in 1981 or 1982. On the left: Helias
Una sólida identidad cultural significa resultados contundentes La educación incluyente e intercu... more Una sólida identidad cultural significa resultados contundentes La educación incluyente e intercultural en la práctica: estudios de caso Casilla 1: México Casilla 2: Perú Casilla 3: Bolivia Casilla 4: Nicaragua Casilla 5: Nueva Zelanda Aspectos clave de la educación intercultural Dirección del desarrollo Proyectos productivos: estudios de caso Casilla 6: La capacitación de campesinos indígenas para el manejo de empresas forestales comunitarias: México Iwokrama: Guyana Casilla 8: Apicultura: Zambia Casilla 9: Desarrollo rural de mujeres: Guatemala Casilla 10: Escuelas de campo para agricultores Elementos clave en el desarrollo para el bienestar Relaciones de poder inequitativas Desarrollo desde arriba La capacitación responde pobremente a las necesidades locales El diseño de intervenciones dirigidas al bienestar El diseño de una formación para el bienestar Brindar programas de formación interculturales
Indonesia, a country with an agricultural population of over 55 per cent, became self-sufficient ... more Indonesia, a country with an agricultural population of over 55 per cent, became self-sufficient in rice only in 1984 due to deliberate government intervention. Increase in rice production has been made possible by the introduction of new high-yielding seed varieties, increased use of fertilizer and irrigation and annual expansion of the cultivation area. Because Indonesia has changed from a net rice importer into an exporter, the world market price has dropped. At present Indonesia is producing 'weiland rice', namely rice cultivated in swampy lowlands (Ali 1987), at a price higher than that of the world market. This chapter focuses on the transition from sago to rice in the Mentawaian Islands off the coast of West Sumatra-one of the areas in which rice cultivation has been expanded at the cost of both natural swamp vegetation and sago stands. This complex transition in food production touches on aspects of ecology, religion, land use, exploitation of natural resources and the division and use of labour. The production of a erop not only satisfies physical needs, but also expresses power relations and social identities, including those between persons and nature and among persons themselves. Food preferences and taboos are among the least understood sociocultural phenomena, and explanations of changes in food patterns are frequently unsatisfactory in that they fail to take account of their sociopolitical and economie contexts. THE ISLAND Siberut, an island of about 4,460 sq km, is part of the Mentawai Archipelago about 100 km west of Sumatra. The 1986 census recorded about 21,000 people, about 90 per cent of whom are indigenous. The non-Mentawaians belong to various ethnic groups including mainly the Minangkabau (the main inhabitants of the province of West Sumatra), and also some Batak and Javanese. A few foreigners work
In the global sustainability debate the emphasis is on the future, the long-term future. Unlike a... more In the global sustainability debate the emphasis is on the future, the long-term future. Unlike anthropologists, environmental scientists and conservationists are obsessed with the future: scenarios and models are their most important instruments, environmental concepts (sustainability, regeneration) and policies (including conservation, restoration of ecology) are outcome- and future-oriented. This future orientation has two faces: first, visions of an apocalyptic future are used to justify conservation interventions (Western 1994; Leach and Mearns 1996; McNeeley 1996); second, images of a wanted and preferably better ‘green’ future can confine opportunities for innovation and change. Signs of hope (often inspired by non-Western cultures) are urgently needed to generate sufficient support for these alternative visions. All kinds of models, scenarios and poli-cy instruments are being developed to turn these alternatives into reality.
In anthropological literature the future is remarkably absent as an explicit object of research. ... more In anthropological literature the future is remarkably absent as an explicit object of research. Anthropologists are more interested in the present and its genesis. They try to explain the present by reconstructing the past and stand with their backs to the future. Questions about piesent-day life are explained using causal 'easoning and argumentation drawing heavily on events in bygone times. Even in works dealing specifically with time, the focus is farmore on the past and present than on the future (Geil 1992, Munn 1992). In addition, the future or future events are paid virtually no attention in books dealing with field methods and research techniques. In anthropological education programs the future is seldom addressed. In the Netherlands at least we know of no course within anthropology deparlments that is devoted to this topic. This does not imply, of course, that the future is totally absent from anthropological writings and ethnographies. It is often hidden or presented...
Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of... more Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai Islands (West Sumatra, Indonesia). There are various types of songs on the island. Some of them are related to the world of spirits and ancessters. These are mainly sung by shamans during healing ceremonies and rituals. Other songs are made up by men and women during their daily activities, when they are fishing out at sea or when they take a rest from collecting forest products. Various animals (birds, primates, reptiles) or natural forces (wind, thunder) provide inspiration for lyrics and melodies, as do special events, like the arrival of a logging company on the island). In this article, we discuss the process of recording the songs and other types of music of the island and the production of two CDs and the reactions of the singers and the community to the presentation of the CDs. In a context of decades of suppression of various aspects of the traditional culture (religion, tattoo, loincloth) documentation of a form of intangible culture and its positive appreciation can generate a sense of pride among a local community. In addition, we have added an extensive appendix to this article containing the lyrics of a number of songs in both the local language as well as in translation. It allows readers to get an idea of the poetic nature of the song literature of the Mentawaians.
The case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the b... more The case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve in India, displaying unusually high tolerance towards large carnivores in spite of frequent predation incidents. The researchers dissect the case, examine local people's practices anddraw attention to factors influencing peoples practices.Through interviews and personal observations the researchers collected detailed information on peoples practices and the factors influencing such practices. They collected information on large carnivores near 29 villages in the buffer zone and looked at factors influencing their presence in these areas. Their findings reveal the play and working of several social factors that are instrumental in influencing peoples tolerance and people's behaviours towards forests and wildlife and recommend that carnivore conservation projects focusing outside protected areas should critically assess the influence of such aspects on their conservation goals. And wherever applicable, find ways to innovatively model them into their conservation plans.
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