Pour une herméneutique du style

Au commencement était le style, et le style était monolithique, et le monolithe était style. Mais au commencement de quels commencements? L’Odyssée immémoriale d’Homère ou celle, postmémorielle, de Stanley Kubrick? L’odyssée qui nous fait traverser les eaux troubles du Léthé ou celle qui nous plonge dans la source solennelle du Styx? Le style descendant sur terre sous la forme d’un monolithe pour accélérer le développement de la parole chez les hommes singes ou celui, létal, remontant le fleuve héraclitéen afin de la ravir, tel le feu prométhéen, aux sages femmes? Premier postulat axiologique : la question du style est elle-même une question de style. Impossible de la soulever sans d’abord reconnaître qu’elle dépend de sa formulation dans l’avancement hasardeux d’une réponse. C’est pourtant ce à quoi je vais m’employer, avec ou sans style, dans les pages qui suivent. À défaut de répondre à la question « qu’est-ce que le style? » ou « qu’en est-il du style aujourd’hui? », je veux interroger le style comme opération herméneutique manœuvrant entre forme et sens. La question ainsi reformulée devient : que peut faire le style? [Introduction]

Packaging materials for shrimp, fish and fish products, their properties, selection and effect of different packaging materials on their shelf life

Packaging is important not only in extending the shellife of fish and fishery products but also improving their marketability. In the recent years, significant development have taken place in the packaging industry. During the past decade in India, there is almost a packaging revolution with the availability of variety packaging materials, thus generating better packaging consciousness in other producer/manufacturing industries. But unfortunately, such realisation is not forthcoming in the fisheries sector and packaging techniques for local and export trade continues to be on traditional lines with their inherent drawbacks and limitations. Better packaging ensures improved quality and presentation of the products and ensures higher returns to the producer. Among several packaging materials used in fishery industry, ISI specifications had been formulated only for corrugated fibre board boxes for export of seafoods and froglegs. This standard was formulated before containersiation came into existance in the export of marine products. Before containerisation, the standards were stringent in view of the rough handling, transportation and storage. Two of the common defects reported in the master cartons exported from India are low mechanical strength and tendency to get wet. They are weakened by the deposits of moisture caused by temperature fluctuations during loading, unloading and other handling stages. It is necessary to rectify the above defects in packaging aquatic products and hence in the present study extensive investigations are carried out to find out the reasons for the damage of master cartons, to evolve code of practice for the packaging oi frozen shrimp for exports, development of alternative style of packaging for the shipping container, development of suitable consumer packaging materials for fish soup powder, cured dried mackeral, fish pickles in oil and frozen shrimp. For the development of suitable packaging materials, it is absolutely essential to know the properties of packaging materials, effect of different packaging materials on theirshelf life and their suitability for food contact applications.

An evaluation of Primary health care system in Kerala

The thesis entitled An Evaluation of Primary Health Care System in Kerala. The present study is intended to examine the working of primary health care system and its impact on the health status of people. The hypothesis tested in the thesis includes, a. The changes in the health profile require reallocation of resources of primary health care system, b. Rate of utilization depends on the quality of services provided by primary health centers, and c. There is a significant decline in the operational efficiency of the primary health care system. The major elements of primary health care stated in the report of AlmaAta International Conference on Primary Health Care (WHO, 1994)” is studied on the basis of the classification of the elements in to three: Preventive, Promotive, and Curative measures. Preventive measures include Maternal and Child Health Care including family Planning. Provision of water and sanitation is reviewed under promotive measures. Curative measures are studied using the disease profile of the study area. Collection of primary data was done through a sample survey, using pre-tested interview schedule of households of the study area. Multi stage random sampling design was used for selecting the sample. The design of the present study is both descriptive and analytical in nature. As far as the analytical tools are concerned, growth index, percentages, ratios, rates, time series analysis, analysis of variance, chi square test, Z test were used for analyzing the data. Present study revealed that no one in these areas was covered under any type of health insurance. Conclusion states that considering the present changes in the health profile, traditional pattern of resource allocation should be altered to meet the urgent health care needs of the people. Preventive and promotive measures like health education for giving awareness among people to change health habits, diet pattern, life style etc. are to be developed. Proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease at the beginning of the stage itself may help to cure majority of disease. For that, Public health policy must ensure the primary health care as enunciated at Alma- Ata international Conference. At the same time Public health is not to be treated as the sole responsibility of the government. Active community participation is an essential means to attain the goals.

Role of Commission Agents in the Development of Traditional Marine Fisheries of Kerala with Special Reference to Financing

The study clearly brings out the role of commission agents in the traditional marine fisheries sector and thereby goes to set at rest the controversy regarding their role. The findings of the study has important implications for formulation of policies and development strategies related to the traditional marine fisheries sector. The study points out the need for a thorough review and reformulation of the policies and development strategies for efficiently achieving the development potential of the traditional marine fisheries sector and for improving the economic conditions of the fishermen. The study is based mostly on Alappuzha District of Kerala, covering all the 30 marine fishing villages, spread over the three coastal taluks, namely, Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha and Cherthala

"Profile of Industrial workers in Kerala - A Comparative Study of the Socioeconomic Profile of Workers in Traditional and Modern Industries

The objective of this study is to assess the changes that have been taking place in the socio-economic profile of organized industrial workers of Kerala in the context of the changes that have been taking place in the state's industrial structure. with this object in view, the study seeks to find out the similarities and differences in the profile of workers belonging to two Segments of factory sector industries in Kerala viz., modern and traditional segments. It also seeks to examine the factors leading to the differences in profile, if any, and their consequences. As noted earlier, the profile of workers may be influenced both by external societal factors and by internal factors like the difference in industrial structure and the technologies used. It is proposed to assess the relative importance of these two groups of factors. In drawing up the profile, we seek to find out whether the workers belonging to the organised sector of industry in Kerala particularly the more modern sector have begun to form a ‘select group‘ in the Kerala society and the total work force. Wherever possible, it is proposed to compare the profile of the Kerala workers with those of workers in other states of India. As an incidental objective, it is also proposed to find out to the extent possible, whether trends towards labour embourgeoisement and class shifting have begun to set in among the industrial workers of Kerala, particularly among the workers in the modern industries as a result of their relative affluence and their middle class socioeconomic background. besides, the study seeks to find out whether there is any difference in the class consciousness of workers belonging to these two segments of organized industry, arising from the differences in their economic status and social background.

Performance analysis of FIR digital filter design: RNS versus traditional

Residue Number System (RNS) based Finite Impulse Response (FIR) digital filters and traditional FIR filters. This research is motivated by the importance of an efficient filter implementation for digital signal processing. The comparison is done in terms of speed and area requirement for various filter specifications. RNS based FIR filters operate more than three times faster and consumes only about 60% of the area than traditional filter when number of filter taps is more than 32. The area for RNS filter is increasing at a lesser rate than that for traditional resulting in lower power consumption. RNS is a nonweighted number system without carry propogation between different residue digits.This enables simultaneous parallel processing on all the digits resulting in high speed addition and multiplication in the RNS domain

An Investigation into OccasionalWhite Spot Syndrome Virus Outbreak in Traditional Paddy CumPrawn Fields in India

A yearlong (September 2009–August 2010) study was undertaken to find out possible reasons for occasional occurrence of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) outbreak in the traditional prawn farms adjoining Cochin backwaters. Physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of water and sediment from feeder canal and four shrimp farms were monitored on a fortnightly basis. The physicochemical parameters showed variation during the two production cycles and between the farms studied. Dissolved oxygen (DO) content of water fromfeeder canal showed low oxygen levels (as low as 0.8mg/L) throughout the study period. There was no disease outbreak in the perennial ponds. Poor water exchange coupled with nutrient loading from adjacent houses resulted in phytoplankton bloom in shallow seasonal ponds which led to hypoxic conditions in early morning and supersaturation of DO in the afternoon besides considerably high alkaline pH. Ammonia levels were found to be very high in these ponds.WSSV outbreak was encountered twice during the study leading to mass mortalities in the seasonal ponds. The hypoxia and high ammonia content in water and abrupt fluctuations in temperature, salinity and pH might lead to considerable stress in the shrimps triggeringWSSV infection in these traditional ponds

Marketing of Library Services in an Academic Environment

Marketing of information services is now an important goal of librarians all over the ~orld t? attract mor~ users to the libr~ry. thereby promoting user satisfaction. Marketing IS considered ~s ~n Integr~1 part of libraries and information centres mainly due to the developments In information t.echnology, information explosion, and declining library budgets. Kotler defines marketing as the "analysis, planning, implementation and control o~ carefully formulated programs designed to bring about voluntary exchanges of values WIth target markets fo~ the ~~rpos~ of~chievingorganizational objectives". Organizations suc.h as museums, unrversittes, libraries, and charities need to market their causes and their products to gain. political and social support as well as economic support (Kotler, 1995). In the marketing world people are now migrating from the traditional Four P ~lodelto th~ S~VE mode! (Alt~ns~n, 2013). According to the SAVE model, marketing III an orgarusanon must grve pnonty to 'Solutions' instead of the features or functions of~he.'Product" Similarily it is to focus on 'Access', instead of ,Place'; 'Value' instead of Price" so that the benefits are more stressed, rather than production costs. Instead of :Proliloti.on', marketi~g has. to conc~ntrate on 'Educating' the customers, providing lJlfo~mahol~ about t~eJr specific req~lrements, instead of relying on advertising, public rel~tlons, direct selling etc. From a library point ofview, to ensure maximum utilization of library ~ervices there is an increasing need for definite marketing plans to exploit the techn.ologlcal dcvelop",len~s so ~s to entice the users. By anticipating their changing needs and ~y co.mmulllcatl~g WIth them it should be possible to devise strategies to present various library services and products in a perceptive style.

Emotional Intelligence As A Determinant Of Conflict Style Adoption Of Managers: A Theoretical Perspective

Successful management is dependent heavily on the manager’s ability to handle conflict effectively. The workforce has been increasingly becoming diversified vis-à-vis the gender, culture and ethnicity. The present work environment has in itself contributed to sowing seeds of conflict with greater diversity, hostility, complexity and newer business competencies in the work context.The classic study of Mintzberg’s Managerial roles approach (1973) also says that a manager has to spend sufficient time and energy in solving conflict as he has to take roles as a negotiator, and dispute handler. An understanding of the conflict and role that it plays in influencing employee behavior constructively or destructively is immense. Therefore conflict when left unmanaged can lead to diminished cohesiveness amongst employees, productivity and reduced organizational fitness. To manage conflict effective conflict resolution strategies that have constructive outcomes is called for. Conflict resolution style theorists opine that collaborative or integrative style, where there is high concern for task and people is considered to give positive individual and organizational outcomes, while the withdrawing /avoidance style and forcing / dominating style are considered to be ineffective in managing conflict. Though managers have typical preferences in the styles followed it need not necessarily be the typical response as it depends on the context, power relationships, emotions etc. The adoption of conflict styles of managers however is dependent on variables like gender orientation, cultural values, personality orientation, underlying relationships – public/private. The paper attempts to draw the importance of managing conflicts at workplace positively and the need for effective conflict resolution strategies. The conflict style adopted and the variables that affect the adoption of each style are discussed and possible interventions at the workplace are suggested

Investigation on phytochemical constituents and biological potential of some traditional medicinal plants

Plants and microorganisms provide the pharmaceutical industry with some of the most important sources of components for the research of new medications This thesis involves the study of three medicinal plants belonging to three different important families viz, Cyperus rotundus (Cyperaceae), Stereospermum colais (Bignoniaceae) as well as the well known medicinal plant Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae) as the third. The first chapter gives an overview of biologically active natural products with special reference to antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial molecules from terrestrial sources. Chapter 2 of the thesis deals with the isolation of phytochemical constituents of the medicinal plant Cyperus rotundus and its antioxidant and radical scavenging potential. Chapter 3 of the thesis describes the studies on the roots of Stereospermum colais, A Bignoniaceae plant belonging to the genus Stereospermum which is used extensively. Chapter 3 of the thesis describes the studies on the roots of Stereospermum colais, a Bignoniaceae plant belonging to the genus Stereospermum which is used extensively in Ayurveda. Chapter 4 describes the biological potential of rhizomes of Zingiber officinale. Ethyl acetate extract of ginger (EAG) possessed antioxidant activity as is evident from the results of various in vitro assays compared to other extracts .In conclusion, medicinal plants Cyperus rotundus and Stereospermum colais have been analysed for their phytochemical constituents. Also, the positive results obtained from biological activity studies such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity on the isolated compounds/extracts add on to the medicinal properties of these plants. Apart from that, ethyl acetate extract of Zingiber officinale (ginger) rhizomes has been shown to have very good biological potential including glucose lowering and adipocyte differentiation inhibitory effect.

Plant genetic diversity, irrigation and nutrient cycling in traditional mountain oases of northern Oman

Little is known about plant biodiversity, irrigation management and nutrient fluxes as criteria to assess the sustainability of traditional irrigation agriculture in eastern Arabia. Therefore interdisciplinary studies were conducted over 4 yrs on flood-irrigated fields dominated by wheat (Triticum spp.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in two mountain oases of northern Oman. In both oases wheat landraces consisted of varietal mixtures comprising T. aestivum and T. durum of which at least two botanical varieties were new to science. During irrigation cycles of 6-9 days on an alfalfa-planted soil, volumetric water contents ranged from 30-13%. For cropland, partial oasis balances (comprising inputs of manure, mineral fertilizers, N2-fixation and irrigation water, and outputs of harvested products) were similar for both oases, with per hectare annual surpluses of 131 kg N, 37 kg P and 84 kg K at Balad Seet and of 136 kg N, 16 kg P and 66 kg K at Maqta. Respective palm grove surpluses, in contrast were with 303 kg N, 38 kg P, and 173 kg K ha^-1 yr^-1 much higher at Balad Seet than with 84 kg N, 14 kg P and 91 kg K ha^-1 yr^-1 at Maqta. The results show that the sustainability of these irrigated landuse systems depends on a high quality of the irrigation water with low Na but high CaCO3, intensive recycling of manure and an elaborate terrace structure with a well tailored water management system that allows adequate drainage.

Von "weiblichen Vollmenschen" und Klassenkämpferinnen

Zusammenfassung zur Inaugural-Dissertation: Von „weiblichen Vollmenschen“ und Klassenkämpferinnen – Frauengeschichte und Frauenleitbilder in der proletarischen Frauenzeitschrift „Die Gleichheit“ (1891-1923). Die wissenschaftliche Bedeutung, die der SPD-Frauenzeitschrift „Die Gleichheit“ (1891-1923) als Quelle der Geschichte der Frauenbewegung zukommt, spiegelt sich weder in Darstellungen zur Geschichte der SPD noch in der Geschichtsschreibung der deutschen Frauenbewegung wider. Auch ist die „Gleichheit“, Presseorgan der organisierten proletarischen Frauenbewegung Deutschlands und der Sozialistischen Fraueninternationale, bisher kaum Gegenstand einer umfassenden publizistischen Analyse gewesen. Es galt daher, zumindest das Hauptblatt der „Gleichheit“, die an ihr beteiligten Personen, ihre Strukturen und ihr Selbstverständnis möglichst detailliert und anhand publizistischer Kriterien darzustellen. Wandlungen ihres Erscheinungsbildes, ihrer editorischen und personellen Strukturen oder ihres Seitenumfangs markieren entscheidende Wendepunkte der deutschen Politik während des deutschen Kaiserreichs und der Weimarer Republik. Ihr Niveau lag deutlich über dem einer allgemeinen Frauenzeitschrift, eines Mitteilungs- oder Unterhaltungsblattes. Ihr Ziel war es, sowohl politisches Schulungsblatt für die engagierten Genossinnen als auch Agitationsmittel für die indifferenten Proletarierinnen zu sein. Inwieweit sie mit dieser Zielsetzung erfolgreich war, kann jedoch selbst die große Zahl ihrer Abonnements (der Höchststand lag 1914 bei 124.000 Exemplaren) nicht validieren. Tatsächlich ließ gerade der von ihrer langjährigen Redakteurin Clara Zetkin (1857-1933) angestrebte hohe intellektuelle Anspruch die „Gleichheit“ jedoch nicht zu einem Medium der Massen werden. Im Mai 1917 entschied sich der SPD-Parteivorstand, der dem Burgfrieden abträglichen, konsequent sozialistischen und internationalistischen Haltung Zetkins keine öffentliche Plattform mehr zu geben und entließ sie aus der Redaktion. Die Leitung der „Gleichheit“, die auch bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt durchaus keine „One-Woman-Show“ war, oblag schließlich bis zu ihrem letztmaligen Erscheinen im September 1923 noch einigen weiteren Redakteurinnen und Redakteuren (Marie Juchacz (1879-1956), Heinrich Schulz (1872-1932), Clara Bohm-Schuch (1879-1936), Elli Radtke-Warmuth (?-?) und Mathilde Wurm (1874-1935)). Deren Tätigkeit für die „Gleichheit“ wurde jedoch bisher kaum wissenschaftlich reflektiert. Dies gilt auch für die ausgesprochen internationale Zusammensetzung oder die männlichen Mitglieder des MitarbeiterInnenstabes. Indem sie sich selbst in der Tradition und als Teil eines Netzwerkes deutscher Frauen­öffentlichkeit („Die Frauen-Zeitung“ (1849-1852), „Die Staatsbürgerin“ (1886) und „Die Arbeiterin“ (1890-1891)) sah und indem sie besonders mittels frauen­geschichtlicher und frauenbiographischer Inhalte das Selbstbewusstsein ihrer Leserinnen zu fördern versuchte, betrieb die „Gleichheit“ gezielt Frauengeschichtsschreibung. Zahlreiche Artikel porträtieren Frauen aus Geschichte und Gegenwart und stellen in ihrem elaborierten Stil „Typen“ bzw. „Vorbilder“ dar. Um die Frage beantworten zu können, welche Frauen der Geschichte und welche ihrer Charaktereigenschaften von der „Gleichheit“ als vorbildlich für Sozialdemokratinnen erachtet wurden, wurden die biographischen Artikel zu 173 Frauen nach Analyse ihrer Inhalte und ihres Duktus vier Frauenleitbildern zugeordnet. Die Kategorisierung der einzelnen Frauenleitbilder „weiblicher Vollmensch“, „sozialistische Mutter“, „sozialistische Ehefrau“ und „Klassenkämpferin“ lehnt sich wiederum an den von Zetkin bereits 1898 veröffentlichten Artikel „Nicht Haussklavin, nicht Mannweib, weiblicher Vollmensch” (Die Gleichheit, Jg. 08/ Nr. 02/ 19.11.1898/ S. 1.) an. Sämtliche frauenbiographischen Artikel appellieren an die „Gleichheit“-Leserinnen, die oft selbst gesetzten Grenzen ihrer Handlungs – und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten zu sprengen. Die sich daraus ableitenden Identifikationsangebote waren somit nicht auf dem Reissbrett ent­worfen, sondern basierten auf geschichtlicher Erfahrung und antizipierendem Bewusstsein. Diese Leitbilder versuchten, Realität und Utopie miteinander zu verbinden und konnten daher kaum frei von Widersprüchen sein. Wie die „Gleichheit“ selbst, so blieben auch ihre Ansätze politischer Frauen­bildung teilweise zwischen revolu­tionärem Umsturz und traditioneller Kontinuität gefangen. Indem sich die „Gleichheit“ historischer Vorbilder bediente, machte sie jedoch konkrete Ansprüche geltend: Sie forderte den weiblichen Anteil an Geschichte, an politischer Macht und am öffentlichen Bewusstsein.

Agri-environmental evaluation of traditional and alternative corn production systems in Chiapas, Mexico

This study evaluates the effects of environmental variables on traditional and alternative agroecosystems in three Ejidos (communal lands) in the Chiapas rainforest in Mexico. The tests occurred within two seasonal agricultural cycles. In spring-summer, experiments were performed with the traditional slash, fell and burn (S-F-B) system, no-burn systems and rotating systems with Mucuna deeringiana Bort., and in the autumn-winter agricultural cycle, three no-burn systems were compared to evaluate the effect of alternative sowing with corn (no-burn and topological modification of sowing). The results show a high floristic diversity in the study area (S_S = 4 - 23%), with no significant differences among the systems evaluated. In the first cycle, the analysis of the agronomical variables of the corn indicated better properties in the fallowing systems, with an average yield of 1950 kg ha^‑1, but there was variation related to the number of years left fallow. In the second cycle, the yields were positive for the alternative technology (average yield 3100 kg ha^‑1). The traditional S-F-B systems had reduced pests and increased organic matter and soil phosphorous content. These results are the consequence of fallow periods and adaptation to the environment; thus, this practice in the Chiapas rainforest constitutes an ethnocultural reality, which is unlikely to change in the near future if the agrosystems are managed based on historical principles.

Soil fertility and nutrient status of traditional Gayo coffee agroforestry systems in the Takengon region, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Little is known about the traditional coffee cultivation systems in Central Aceh, Indonesia, where coffee production is a major source of income for local Gayo people. Based on field observations and farmer interviews, 14 representative agroforestry coffee plantations of different age classes (60-70 years, 30-40 years, and 20 years) as well as seven adjacent grassland and native forest sites were selected for this study, and soil and coffee leaf samples collected for nutrient analysis. Significant differences in soil and coffee leaf parameters were found between former native forest and Sumatran pine (Pinus merkusii) forest as previous land cover indicating the importance of the land use history for today’s coffee cultivation. Soil pH as well as exchangeable Na and Ca concentrations were significantly lower on coffee plantations compared to grassland and forest sites. Soil C, N, plant available P, exchangeable K, and Mg concentrations showed no consistent differences between land use groups. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) concentrations of coffee leaves were in the sufficiency range, whereas zinc (Zn) contents were found to be consistently below the sufficiency threshold and significantly lower in coffee plantations of previous pine forest cover compared to those of previous native forest cover. While the results of this study provided insights into the nutrient status of coffee plantations in Central Aceh, the heterogeneity of site conditions, limited sampling size, and scarcity of reliable data about the land use history and initial soil conditions of sampled sites preclude more definitive conclusions about the sustainability of the studied systems.

Changes of traditional farming systems and their effects on land degradation and socio-economic conditions in the Inle Lake region, Myanmar

At many locations in Myanmar, ongoing changes in land use have negative environmental impacts and threaten natural ecosystems at local, regional and national scales. In particular, the watershed area of Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar is strongly affected by the environmental effects of deforestation and soil erosion caused by agricultural intensification and expansion of agricultural land, which are exacerbated by the increasing population pressure and the growing number of tourists. This thesis, therefore, focuses on land use changes in traditional farming systems and their effects on socio-economic and biophysical factors to improve our understanding of sustainable natural resource management of this wetland ecosystem. The main objectives of this research were to: (1) assess the noticeable land transformations in space and time, (2) identify the typical farming systems as well as the divergent livelihood strategies, and finally, (3) estimate soil erosion risk in the different agro-ecological zones surrounding the Inle Lake watershed area. GIS and remote sensing techniques allowed to identify the dynamic land use and land cover changes (LUCC) during the past 40 years based on historical Corona images (1968) and Landsat images (1989, 2000 and 2009). In this study, 12 land cover classes were identified and a supervised classification was used for the Landsat datasets, whereas a visual interpretation approach was conducted for the Corona images. Within the past 40 years, the main landscape transformation processes were deforestation (- 49%), urbanization (+ 203%), agricultural expansion (+ 34%) with a notably increase of floating gardens (+ 390%), land abandonment (+ 167%), and marshlands losses in wetland area (- 83%) and water bodies (- 16%). The main driving forces of LUCC appeared to be high population growth, urbanization and settlements, a lack of sustainable land use and environmental management policies, wide-spread rural poverty, an open market economy and changes in market prices and access. To identify the diverse livelihood strategies in the Inle Lake watershed area and the diversity of income generating activities, household surveys were conducted (total: 301 households) using a stratified random sampling design in three different agro-ecological zones: floating gardens (FG), lowland cultivation (LL) and upland cultivation (UP). A cluster and discriminant analysis revealed that livelihood strategies and socio-economic situations of local communities differed significantly in the different zones. For all three zones, different livelihood strategies were identified which differed mainly in the amount of on-farm and off-farm income, and the level of income diversification. The gross margin for each household from agricultural production in the floating garden, lowland and upland cultivation was US$ 2108, 892 and 619 ha-1 respectively. Among the typical farming systems in these zones, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plantation in the floating gardens yielded the highest net benefits, but caused negative environmental impacts given the overuse of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and spatial analysis within GIS were applied to estimate soil erosion risk in the different agricultural zones and for the main cropping systems of the study region. The results revealed that the average soil losses in year 1989, 2000 and 2009 amounted to 20, 10 and 26 t ha-1, respectively and barren land along the steep slopes had the highest soil erosion risk with 85% of the total soil losses in the study area. Yearly fluctuations were mainly caused by changes in the amount of annual precipitation and the dynamics of LUCC such as deforestation and agriculture extension with inappropriate land use and unsustainable cropping systems. Among the typical cropping systems, upland rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation had the highest rate of soil erosion (20 t ha-1yr-1) followed by sebesten (Cordia dichotoma) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) plantation in the UP zone. This study indicated that the hotspot region of soil erosion risk were upland mountain areas, especially in the western part of the Inle lake. Soil conservation practices are thus urgently needed to control soil erosion and lake sedimentation and to conserve the wetland ecosystem. Most farmers have not yet implemented soil conservation measures to reduce soil erosion impacts such as land degradation, sedimentation and water pollution in Inle Lake, which is partly due to the low economic development and poverty in the region. Key challenges of agriculture in the hilly landscapes can be summarized as follows: fostering the sustainable land use of farming systems for the maintenance of ecosystem services and functions while improving the social and economic well-being of the population, integrated natural resources management policies and increasing the diversification of income opportunities to reduce pressure on forest and natural resources.