The source of sustainable growth in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has some concerns for the "middle income trap" stemming from her perceived weakening export competitiveness, intensifying competition in attracting FDI inflow; and apparent lack of innovation capabilities. Quantitative analyses on the impact of recent FTAs suggest only large firms benefit from FTAs suggesting the need for improving utilization by smaller firms. Continuing attraction of potential MNCs backed by human capital development is necessary. In pursuing its development goals, Costa Rica should be mindful of its reputation as an environmentally friendly place.

Social development benefits of hydroelectricity CDM projects in Brazil

In recent years, the concept of sustainable development has become increasingly recognized and important. Within organizations, sustainable development is often portrayed as a balancing act, and requires a combination of three elements to be considered: economy, environment, and society. Traditionally, organizational management research has been focused on economical and environmental fronts. However, social aspects are also important for organizations, especially those in emerging and developing countries. The goal of this paper is to investigate the potential of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to deliver social benefits in Brazil?s hydroelectricity sector. The investigation involved the assessment of 46 registered hydro CDM projects under the Kyoto Protocol in terms of their potential impact on the envisaged social development goals. Two case studies were also examined. Results indicate that organizations managing hydroelectric initiatives in Brazil can provide the pathway towards achieving a number of important social benefits. Successful projects were found to have good community involvement and were managed by both cooperative ventures and money making corporations. The research also identified several challenges that are hindering hydro CDM projects from delivering more social benefits, and enabled a number of recommendations to be extracted for the organizations facing these challenges.

Business, development and inclusive supply chains. Exploring pathways for the sustainable incorporation of the poor as suppliers in agrifood supply chains

El panorama global está cambiando, y esto influye sobre la forma en la que entendemos y tratamos de alcanzar un desarrollo humano sostenible. El crecimiento de la población conlleva una mayor presión sobre los recursos, pero también supone una mayor cantidad de mano de obra y de talento; la concentración en áreas urbanas está cambiando las dinámicas sociales y desafiando los canales de comercialización tradicionales, pero también genera nuevos mercados y fomenta la innovación; los cambios en la economía global están reduciendo los tradicionales desequilibrios de poder entre los países occidentales y el resto del mundo; y las crecientes interconexiones crean nuevos riesgos pero también oportunidades para lanzar iniciativas de alcance global. Todas estas tendencias nos están obligando a repensar qué es el desarrollo humano y de qué manera deberíamos afrontar el reto de la pobreza. Es comúnmente aceptado que la globalización implica interdependencia y que, para conseguir un desarrollo humano sostenible, la colaboración entre actores de distintos ámbitos es necesaria. Se observa una creciente convergencia de temas, intereses y soluciones en torno al desarrollo sostenible, incluso en diferentes países y sectores, lo que está facilitando la colaboración estratégica entre empresas, gobiernos y sociedad civil. Existen pocas duda a día de hoy sobre el papel fundamental que las empresas deben desempeñar en la transición mundial hacia la sostenibilidad ambiental y la erradicación de la pobreza. Las empresas están evolucionando desde un enfoque tradicional centrado en la maximización de beneficios económicos hacia un enfoque holístico que integra la sostenibilidad y la responsabilidad social como parte del núcleo de negocio de las compañías. En el ámbito medioambiental, muchas empresas ya han comenzado a actuar y tratan de reducir sus emisiones, sus desechos y su consumo de energía. Sin embargo la contribución de las empresas a la reducción de la pobreza no está tan clara. Actualmente en torno a 1,2 miles de millones de personas viven en situación de extrema pobreza. La mayoría de estas personas aún vive en zonas rurales donde la mayor parte de la población activa trabaja en el sector agrícola. Por lo tanto, mejorar las oportunidades y reducir los riesgos de los productores más vulnerables en el sector de la agricultura puede ser un motor de desarrollo rural y reducción de la pobreza, especialmente en países de bajo nivel de desarrollo cuyas economías están fundamentalmente basadas en la agricultura. Algunas empresas comienzan a incluir a los pobres en sus operaciones como consumidores, proveedores y emprendedores. Esta tesis se centra en las potenciales oportunidades relacionadas con la incorporación sostenible de los pobres como proveedores de productos y/o de mano de obra. La colaboración entre empresas y productores vulnerables de países en desarrollo es un tema relativamente nuevo y todavía poco estudiado. La pregunta que guía esta tesis es: “¿Cómo pueden las empresas facilitar la inclusión sostenible en cadenas de suministro de productores vulnerables de los países menos desarrollados?”. Para responder a la pregunta anterior, la autora ha aplicado una metodología de casos de estudio. Esta metodología se considera apropiada porque la investigación sobre cadenas de suministro inclusivas es todavía escasa y porque es necesario entender en profundidad un fenómeno de la vida real, y para ello es fundamental conocer su contexto. En primer lugar, se realiza una revisión de literatura para identificar las proposiciones y los constructos teóricos que guiarán la posterior recogida de datos. La revisión de literatura se divide en dos partes: una más general que explora la dimensión social de la sostenibilidad en cadenas de suministro, y una más específica que se centra en la incorporación de los pobres como proveedores en cadenas de suministro. A lo largo de la última década, ha habido un crecimiento exponencial de los estudios académicos sobre la sostenibilidad de las cadenas de suministro, pero la mayoría de los esfuerzos se han dirigido hacia la dimensión medioambiental de la sostenibilidad. Por lo tanto la revisión de literatura, que se presenta en la Sección 3.1 (página 35) y que profundiza en la sostenibilidad social de las cadenas de suministro, puede considerarse una contribución en sí misma. Esta revisión de literatura revela que la investigación sobre aspectos sociales en cadenas de suministro está cobrando impulso en distintas áreas de conocimiento, principalmente en los ámbitos de investigación sobre “gestión de cadenas de suministro”, “responsabilidad social corporativa” y “estudios del desarrollo”. La investigación existente sobre sostenibilidad social de cadenas de suministro se centra en tres temas: aclarar la definición de sostenibilidad social; analizar la implementación de estrategias de sostenibilidad social en cadenas de suministro; y estudiar el apoyo de las em presas líderes a proveedores vulnerables para facilitar su transición hacia la sostenibilidad. Un marco conceptual que resume los principales hallazgos de esta primera parte de la revisión de literatura es planteado en la Figura 7 (página 48). No obstante, en el área de investigación que está emergiendo en torno a la sostenibilidad social de las cadenas de suministro, los estudios relacionados con la reducción de la pobreza son aún escasos. Además se aprecia una falta de contribuciones desde y sobre los países menos desarrollados, así como una clara tendencia a reflejar la visión de las empresas líderes de las cadenas de suministro, olvidando la perspectiva de los proveedores. La segunda parte de la revisión de literatura presentada en la Sección 3.2 (página 51) profundiza en tres líneas de investigación que exploran, desde distintas perspectivas, la inclusión de los pobres en cadenas de suministro. Estas líneas son “Global Value Chains” (GVC), “Base of the Pyramid” (BoP) y “Sustainable Supply Chain Management” (SSCM). La investigación en GVC analiza las cadenas de suministro desde la perspectiva de la globalización económica y el comercio internacional, poniendo especial énfasis en las implicaciones para los países en desarrollo y las comunidades vulnerables. GVC caracteriza las cadenas de suministro según la forma en la que son gobernadas, las oportunidades de mejora que existen para los productores que forman parte de la cadena y el grado de inclusión o exclusión de las comunidades más pobres y vulnerables. La investigación en BoP explora las relaciones comerciales entre empresas y comunidades pobres. La premisa fundamental del concepto BoP es la posibilidad de combinar la generación de beneficios con la reducción de la pobreza. La propuesta original es que mediante la venta de productos y servicios a las comunidades pobres de países en desarrollo, la pobreza puede ser reducida al tiempo que las empresas incrementan sus beneficios, especialmente las grandes empresas multinacionales. Esta idea ha ido evolucionando y, a día de hoy, los investigadores BoP consideran la incorporación de los pobres no sólo como consumidores sino también como empleados, proveedores y co-creadores. La investigación en SSCM ha estado fundamentalmente orientada al estudio de la dimensión medioambiental de la sostenibilidad de cadenas de suministro. Sin embargo, la creciente externalización de la producción a países en desarrollo y las demandas de los grupos de interés para que las empresas aborden todos los aspectos de la sostenibilidad han llevado a los académicos de SSCM a reconocer la importancia de integrar asuntos relacionados con la reducción de la pobreza en sus investigaciones. Algunos estudios comienzan a apuntar los principales retos a los que se enfrentan las empresas para colaborar con productores vulnerables en sus cadenas de suministro. Estos retos son: falta de comunicación, altos costes de transacción y el incremento de la complejidad de las operaciones. Las contribuciones de estas tres líneas de investigación son complementarias para el estudio de las cadenas de suministro inclusivas. Sin embargo, raramente han sido consideradas conjuntamente, ya que pertenecen a ámbitos de conocimiento distintos. Esta tesis integra las aportaciones de GVC, BoP y SSCM en un marco conceptual para la creación y gestión de cadenas de suministro inclusivas. Este marco conceptual para cadenas de suministro inclusivas queda representado en la Figura 9 (página 68). El marco conceptual refleja las motivaciones que llevan a las empresas a colaborar con productores vulnerables, los retos a los que se enfrentan al hacerlo, y los caminos o estrategias que están siguiendo para construir y operar cadenas de suministro inclusivas de manera que sean beneficiosas tanto para la empresa como para los productores vulnerables. A fin de validar y refinar el marco conceptual propuesto, tres casos de estudio se llevan a cabo. Las cadenas de suministro analizadas por los casos de estudio pertenecen al sector agrícola y sus principales proveedores se encuentran en países de África subsahariana. Múltiples métodos de recolección de datos y triangulación son utilizados para mejorar la fiabilidad de los datos. La autora desarrolló trabajos de campo en Senegal, Etiopía y Tanzania. Estos viajes permitieron enriquecer el proceso de recogida de información mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas y conversaciones informales con los principales actores de la cadena de suministro y mediante la observación directa de los procesos y las interacciones entre productores vulnerables y empresas. El Caso de estudio A (Sección 5.1 en página 96) es un caso de estudio único. Analiza la cadena de suministro local de verduras en Senegal. La organización focal es Manobi, una empresa senegalesa que provee servicios de bajo coste a emprendedores locales del sector agrícola. El Caso de estudio A proporciona un interesante análisis del funcionamiento de una cadena de suministro local en un país en desarrollo y muestra como la provisión de servicios profesionales puede mejorar el desempeño de productores vulnerables. El Caso de estudio B (Sección 5.2 en página 122) es un caso de estudio único. Analiza la cadena de suministro global de flor cortada con origen en Etiopía. La organización focal es EHPEA, la Asociación Etíope de Productores y Exportadores Hortícolas, cuya misión es promover y salvaguardar la posición competitiva del sector agrícola etíope en el mercado global. El Caso de estudio B ayuda a comprender mejor la perspectiva de los proveedores respecto a los requerimiento de sostenibilidad del mercado global. También muestra cómo la inclusión de los productores en el proceso de desarrollo de un estándar privado facilita su implementación posterior. El Caso de estudio C (Sección 5.3 en página 143) es un caso de estudio múltiple. Analiza la cadena de suministro global de café especial con origen en Tanzania. Las organizaciones focales son comerciantes que conectan de manera directa a pequeños agricultores de café en países en desarrollo con empresas tostadoras de café en países desarrollados. El Caso de estudio C muestra cómo un pequeño agricultor puede proveer un producto “premium” al mercado global, y participar en un segmento diferenciado del mercado a través de una cadena de suministro transparente y eficiente. Las aportaciones empíricas de los casos de estudio ayudan a validar y mejorar el marco conceptual sobre cadenas de suministro inclusivas (ver discusión en el Capítulo 6 en página 170). El resultado es la propuesta de una nueva versión del marco conceptual representado en la Figura 40 (página 195). Los casos de estudio también proporcionan interesantes aportaciones en relación a la gestión de cadenas de suministro inclusivas y muestran las perspectivas de distintos actores implicados. Esta tesis arroja luz sobre el papel de las empresas en la creación y la gestión de cadenas de suministro inclusivas llevando a cabo una revisión de literatura multidisciplinar y analizando tres casos de estudio en países africanos. Como resultado, esta tesis presenta una serie de contribuciones empíricas y teóricas al ámbito de investigación emergente en torno a las cadenas de suministro inclusivas (Capítulo 7). Esta tesis también pretende ser útil a profesionales que deseen facilitar la incorporación de los pobres como proveedores en condiciones justas y beneficiosas. ABSTRACT The global outlook is changing, and this is influencing the way we understand and try to achieve sustainable human development. Population growth entails increasing pressure over resources, but it also provides greater workforce and talent; concentration in urban areas is changing social dynamics and challenging traditional marketing channels, but also creating news markets and driving innovation; the global economy shift is rebalancing the traditional power imbalance between Western countries and the rest of the world, making new opportunities to arise; and interconnections and global interdependence create new risks but also opportunities for launching initiatives with a global reach. All these trends are impelling us to rethink what development is and in which way poverty alleviation should be approached. It is generally agreed that globalization implies interdependence and, in order to achieve sustainable human development, collaboration of all actors is needed. A convergence of issues, interests and solutions related to sustainable development is being observed across countries and sectors, encouraging strategic collaboration among companies, governments and civil society. There is little doubt nowadays about the crucial role of the private sector in the world’s path towards environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation. Businesses are evolving from a “business as usual” stance to a more sustainable and responsible approach. In the environmental arena, many companies have already “walk the talk”, implementing environmental management systems and trying to reduce emissions and energy consumption. However, regarding poverty alleviation, their contribution is less clear. There are around 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty. Most of this people still live in rural areas where the agricultural sector employs a big part of the active population. Therefore, improving opportunities and reducing risks for vulnerable producers in the agri-food sector can be a primary engine of rural development and poverty alleviation, particularly in the poor, agriculture-based economies of least developed countries. Some companies are beginning to include the poor into their operations as consumers, suppliers and entrepreneurs. This thesis focuses specifically on the potential opportunities related to the sustainable incorporation of the poor as suppliers of products and/or labor. Business collaboration with vulnerable producers in developing countries is a relatively new trend and it is still understudied. The overall question guiding this thesis is: “How can businesses facilitate the sustainable inclusion of vulnerable producers from least developed countries into supply chains?”. In order to answer the research question, the author has applied a case study research strategy. This methodology is considered appropriate because research about inclusive supply chains is still at an early stage, and because there is a need to understand a real-life phenomenon in depth, but such understanding encompasses important contextual conditions. First, a literature review is conducted, in order to identify the research propositions and theoretical constructs that will guide the data collection. The literature review is divided in two parts: a more general one that explores the social dimension of sustainability of supply chains, and a more specific one that focuses on the incorporation of the poor as suppliers in supply chains. During the last decade, there has been an exponential growth of studies in the field of supply chain sustainability, but research efforts have traditionally been directed towards the analysis of the environmental dimension. Therefore, the literature review presented in Section 3.1 (page 35) that delves into social sustainability of supply chains can be considered a contribution in itself. This literature review reveals that the investigation of social issues in supply chains is gaining momentum and comes from different academic disciplines, namely Supply Chain Management, Corporate Social Responsibility and Development Studies. Existing research about social sustainability of supply chains focuses on three issues: clarify the definition of social sustainability; analyze the implementation of social sustainability strategies in supply chains; and study lead companies’ support to vulnerable suppliers in their transition towards sustainability. A conceptual framework that outlines the main findings that emerge from this first part of literature review is proposed in Figure 7 (page 48). Nevertheless, in this nascent field of social sustainability of supply chains, studies related to poverty alleviation are still scarce. Moreover, a lack of contributions from and about least developed countries has been observed, as well as a tendency to reflect on the lead firms’ standpoint, neglecting the suppliers’ perspective. The second part of the literature review (Section 3.2 in page 51) delves into three research streams that are exploring the inclusion of the poor into supply chains from different viewpoints. These research streams are Global Value Chains (GVC), Base of the Pyramid (BoP) and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). GVC research discusses the dynamics of economic globalization and international trade, putting special emphasis in the implications for developing countries and vulnerable communities. GVC characterizes supply chains by the way they are governed, the upgrading opportunities that exist for producers in the chain and the degree of inclusion or exclusion of impoverished communities. BoP research explores trading relationships between businesses and impoverished communities. The core premise of the BoP concept is the possibility to combine profits with poverty alleviation. The original BoP proposition is that by marketing innovative products and services to poor communities in developing countries, poverty would be reduced and companies would increase their benefits, especially multinational companies. This idea has evolved to consider the incorporation of the poor to business activities not only as consumers, but also as employees, entrepreneurs and co-creators. The SSCM school of thought has mainly focused on studying the environmental dimension of supply chain sustainability, neglecting the consideration of the social perspective. However, in recent years, increasing outsourcing of production to developing countries and stakeholders’ demands for a more holistic approach to business sustainability have led SSCM scholars to acknowledge the importance of integrating poverty concerns in this field’s research agenda. Some SSCM studies identify the main operational challenges for companies which engage with vulnerable suppliers in their supply chains: missing communication, higher transactional and operational costs and increased complexity. Contributions from these three research streams are complementary for the study of inclusive supply chains. However, they have been rarely considered together, since they belong to different research areas. This thesis seeks to play a dovetailing role in this scenario by proposing a conceptual framework for creating and operating inclusive supply chains that builds on contributions from GVC, SSCM and BoP research. This framework for inclusive supply chains is depicted in Figure 9 (page 68), and explains the motivations that drive businesses to collaborate with vulnerable suppliers, the chal lenges they face in doing so, and the pathways they are following in order to build and operate inclusive supply chains profitably for both buying companies and vulnerable suppliers. In order to validate and refine the proposed framework, three case studies are carried out. The supply chains analyzed by the case studies belong to the agri-food sector and source from Sub-Saharan African countries. Multiple data collection methods and triangulation are used in order to improve reliability of findings. The author carried out field work in Senegal, Ethiopia and Tanzania. These travels enriched the data collection process, providing semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with the main actors in the supply chains, as well as direct observation of processes and interactions among companies and vulnerable suppliers. Case study A (Section 5.1 in page 96) is a single case study. It analyzes a local supply chain in Senegal providing vegetables to the local market. The focal organization is Manobi, a Senegalese inclusive business which provides affordable ICT services to local entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector. Case study A provides interesting insights into the dynamics of local supply chains and how professional services can help to improve their performance. Case study B (Section 5.2 in page 122) is a single case study. It analyzes a global supply chain with origin in Ethiopia providing cut flowers to the global commodity market. The focal organization is EHPEA, Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association, whose mission is to promote and safeguard the competitive position of the Ethiopian horticulture sector within the global market. Case study B helps to better understand the suppliers’ perspective regarding global market sustainability requirements and shows how the inclusion of suppliers in the process of development of a private standard has a positive impact in its implementation. Case study C (Section 5.3 in page 143) is a multiple case study. It analyzes a global supply chain with origin in Tanzania providing coffee to the global niche market of specialty coffee. The focal organizations are traders who are directly connecting smallholder coffee farmers in developing countries to coffee roasters in developed countries. Case study C shows how smallholder farmers can supply a premium product and be incorporated in a differentiated market segment through a transparent and efficient supply chain. The empirical findings from the case studies help to validate and refine the conceptual framework (see discussion in Chapter 6). The proposal of a new version of the conceptual framework is depicted in Figure 40 (page 195). The case studies also provide interesting insights related to the management of inclusive supply chains and show the perspectives of the different actors involved. This thesis sheds some light on the role of businesses in the creation and operation of inclusive supply chains by carrying out a cross-disciplinary literature review and analyzing three case studies in African countries. In doing so, this thesis presents a series of theoretical and empirical contributions to the emerging academic field of inclusive supply chains (Chapter 7). This thesis also intends to be useful to practitioners willing to improve the incorporation of the poor as suppliers in fair and profitable conditions.

Development of Multisector Alliances (MSAs): Organization and Leadership. ACES Working Papers, 2012

The research team reviewed numerous several multi- sectoral entities and identified nine GGNs that became the subject of our case studies. The research team conducted semi-structured interviews with executives and staff from each of these GNNs and prepared a profile, including a description of the unique evolution of the organization, goals and objectives, organizational structure and governance arrangements for each GGN. The following list provides an overview of the nine GGNs profiled: 1. Every Woman Every Child is an unprecedented global effort that mobilizes and amplifies action by governments, multilaterals, the private sector, research centers, academia and civil society to address life-threatening health challenges facing women and children globally. 2. HERproject catalyzes global partnerships and local Networks to improve female workers’ general and reproductive health in eight emerging economies. 3. R4 Rural Resilience Initiative is a cutting-edge, strategic, large-scale partnership between the public and private sectors to innovate and develop better tools to help the world’s most vulnerable people build resilient livelihoods. 4. Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative is a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organizations that aims to improve transparency and accountability in the extractives sector. 5. Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases works with international partners at the highest level of government, business and society to break down the logistical and financial barriers to delivering existing treatments for the seven most common neglected tropical diseases. 6. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is an alliance that supports public-private partnerships to increase access to the missing nutrients in diets necessary for people, communities and economies to be stronger and healthier. 7. Inter-Agency Network For Education in Emergencies is a global Network of individuals and representatives from NGOs, United Nations and donor agencies, governments, academic institutions, schools and affected populations working to ensure all persons have the right to a quality and safe education in emergencies and post- crisis recovery. 8. mHealth Alliance works with diverse partners to advance mobile-based or mobile-enhanced solutions that deliver health through research, advocacy, support for the development of interoperable solutions and sustainable deployment models. 9. The Rainforest Alliance is a global non-profit that focuses on environmental conservation and sustainable development and works through collaborative partnerships with various stakeholders.

Sovereignty, Political Economy, and Economic Development in Native American Nations

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-05

A way forward for land-use planning to achieve policy goals by using spatial modelling scenarios

This paper investigates how demographic (socioeconomic) and land-use (physical and environmental) data can be integrated within a decision support framework to formulate and evaluate land-use planning scenarios. A case-study approach is undertaken with land-use planning scenarios for a rapidly growing coastal area in Australia, the Shire of Hervey Bay. The town and surrounding area require careful planning of the future urban growth between competing land uses. Three potential urban growth scenarios are put forth to address this issue. Scenario A ('continued growth') is based on existing socioeconomic trends. Scenario B ('maximising rates base') is derived using optimisation modelling of land-valuation data. Scenario C ('sustainable development') is derived using a number of social, economic, and environmental factors and assigning weightings of importance to each factor using a multiple criteria analysis approach. The land-use planning scenarios are presented through the use of maps and tables within a geographical information system, which delineate future possible land-use allocations up until 2021. The planning scenarios are evaluated by using a goal-achievement matrix approach. The matrix is constructed with a number of criteria derived from key policy objectives outlined in the regional growth management framework and town planning schemes. The authors of this paper examine the final efficiency scores calculated for each of the three planning scenarios and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three land-use modelling approaches used to formulate the final scenarios.

Village appraisals. A tool for sustainable community development in rural areas in the UK?

This paper evaluates the contribution that village appraisals can make to sustainable development in local communities in rural areas. Based upon an evaluation of the JIGSO initiative, it both outlines the strengths of this approach and argues for the necessity of proper community infrastructure if most benefit is to be gained from it.

A micro industry with closed energy and water cycles for sustainable rural development

Sustainable development requires combining economic viability with energy and environment conservation and ensuring social benefits. It is conceptualized that for designing a micro industry for sustainable rural industrialization, all these aspects should be integrated right up front. The concept includes; (a) utilization of local produce for value addition in a cluster of villages and enhancing income of the target population; (b) use of renewable energy and total utilization of energy generated by co and trigeneration (combining electric power production with heat utilization for heating and cooling); (c) conservation of water and complete recycling of effluents; (d) total utilization of all wastes for achieving closure towards a zero waste system. Enhanced economic viability and sustainability is achieved by integration of appropriate technologies into the industrial complex. To prove the concept, a model Micro Industrial Complex (MIC) has been set up in a semi arid desert region in Rajasthan, India at village Malunga in Jodhpur district. A biomass powered boiler and steam turbine system is used to generate 100-200 KVA of electric power and high energy steam for heating and cooling processes downstream. The unique feature of the equipment is a 100-150 kW back-pressure steam turbine, utilizing 3-4 tph (tonnes per hour) steam, developed by M/s IB Turbo. The biomass boiler raises steam at about 20 barg 3 tph, which is passed through a turbine to yield about 150 kW of electrical power. The steam let out at a back pressure of 1-3 barg has high exergy and this is passed on as thermal energy (about 2 MW), for use in various applications depending on the local produce and resources. The biomass fuel requirement for the boiler is 0.5-0.75 tph depending on its calorific value. In the current model, the electricity produced is used for running an oil expeller to extract castor oil and the castor cake is used as fuel in the boiler. The steam is used in a Multi Effect Distillation (MED) unit for drinking water production and in a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM) for cooling, for banana ripening application. Additional steam is available for extraction of herbs such as mint and processing local vegetables. In this paper, we discuss the financial and economic viability of the system and show how the energy, water and materials are completely recycled and how the benefits are directed to the weaker sections of the community.

Going beyond the rhetoric: system-wide changes in universities for sustainable societies

In October 2008, the 5th Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities (EMSU) international conference was held in Barcelona, Spain. It dealt with the need to rethink how our higher educational institutions are facing sustainability. This special issue has been primarily derived from contributions to that conference. This issue builds upon related academic international publications, which have analysed how to use the critical position of universities to accelerate their pace of working to help to make the transition to truly SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES! This issue focus is on the ‘softer’ issues, such as changes in values, attitudes, motivations, as well as in curricula, societal interactions and assessments of the impacts of research. Insights derived from the interplay of the ‘softer’ issues with the ‘harder’ issues are empowering academic leaders to effectively use leverage points to make changes in operations, courses, curricula, and research. Those changes are being designed to help their students and faculty build resilient and sustainable societies within the context of climate change, the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The overall systems approach presented by Stephens and Graham provides a structured framework to systematize change for sustainability in higher education, by stressing on the one hand the need for “learning to learn” and on the other hand by integrating leadership and cultural aspects. The “niche” level they propose for innovative interactions between practitioners such as EMSU is exemplary developed by all of the other documents in this special issue. To highlight some of the key elements of the articles in this issue, there are proposals for new educational methods based in sustainability science, a set of inspirational criteria for SD research activities, new course ranking and assessment methods and results of psychological studies that provide evidence that participatory approaches are the most effective way to change values within university members in order to facilitate the development and sharing of new sustainability norms.

Sustainable rural development through alternative economic networks: Redefining relations in the commodity chain for export vegetables in western Guatemala

The current research considers the capacity of a local organic food system for producer and consumer empowerment and sustainable development outcomes in western Guatemala. Many have argued that the forging of local agricultural networks linking farmers, consumers, and supporting institutions is an effective tool for challenging the negative economic, environmental, and sociopolitical impacts associated with industrial models of global food production. But does this work in the context of agrarian development in the developing world? Despite the fact that there is extensive literature concerning local food system formation in the global north, there remains a paucity of research covering how the principles of local food systems are being integrated into agricultural development projects in developing countries. My work critically examines claims to agricultural sustainability and actor empowerment in a local organic food system built around non-traditional agricultural crops in western Guatemala. Employing a mixed methods research design involving twenty months of participant observation, in-depth interviewing, surveying, and a self-administered questionnaire, the project evaluates the sustainability of this NGO-led development initiative and local food movement along several dimensions. Focusing on the unique economic and social networks of actors and institutions at each stage of the commodity chain, this research shows how the growth of an alternative food system continues to be shaped by context specific processes, politics, and structures of conventional food systems. Further, it shows how the specifics of context also produce new relationships of cooperation and power in the development process. Results indicate that structures surrounding agrarian development in the Guatemalan context give rise to a hybrid form of development that at the same time contests and reinforces conventional models of food production and consumption. Therefore, participation entails a host of compromises and tradeoffs that result in mixed successes and setbacks, as actors attempt to refashion conventional commodity chains through local food system formation.^

An exploration of the impact of the Green-Schools programme on the development of sustainable behaviours in the home

Concern for the sustainability of our planet is widespread. The ever-increasing economic activity and large scale industralisation our consumer society requires has increased concerns among academics, politicians, and consumers alike on natural resource depletion, waste management, dangers of toxic chemicals, and climate change. Human consumption is causing major issues for the space we inhabit. Much work has been done over the past four decades to remedy human impact on our environment at corporate, policy and consumer level. But concerns on our ability to progress the sustainability agenda remain. Consumer behaviour plays a pivotal role in sustainable development. In light of this, we need to explore and understand the ways in which consumption occurs in consumers lives, with an aim to changing behaviours that do not support the natural environment. Questions on how to change consumer behaviour dominate much of the literature on sustainable consumption, but substantial behaviour change among individuals has not occurred as predicted. Some focus has shifted to look at upstream interventions, such as education. The Green-Schools Programme (known internationally as Eco-Schools) is one such intervention. The aim of this thesis was to explore consumption in the context of the Green-Schools Programme. The main research question asks: in the context of the Green-Schools, how are sustainable behaviour practices developed in the home? The findings presented in this thesis show that sustainable behaviour has developed in the home from both internal and external factors, the Green-Schools effect being one such factor; the programme does influence behaviour in the home context to some degree. One of the main findings of this research indicates that schoolchildren are imparting ‘positive pester power’ on household behaviour practices and the majority of households are passively practicing sustainable consumption. These findings contribute to knowledge on sustainable consumption in the home context.