Production of freshwater giant prawn using over-wintered juveniles for enhancement of farm income and reduction of rural poverty in Bangladesh

Freshwater giant prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii fry produced during late season can not withstand low temperature thus the prawn culture programme during winter is hampered. To overcome this problem, late season (August-September) prawn juveniles (0.9-6.8 g) were stocked at a density of 1.43 to 3.57/square meter in 350-476 square-meter ponds in Pabna and Mymensingh districts during October 2000 and cultured till May 2001. Monthly average water temperature during the winter months (December-February) varied from 16 to 22 °C and gradually increased to 32 °C in May. The prawn fry showed fast growth rate and attained an average weight of 60-70 g within eight months including three winter months. Growth compensation was observed during summer months. Survival rate was 60-79%. After extrapolation of the present growth rate more than 1,600 kg/ha production can be achieved in better-managed ponds. Extrapolated cost of production was Tk. 268,000 and 200,000 Tk./ha in two best ponds, sale value was Tk. 644,9146 [sic] and 528,466 and gross profit was Tk. 376,000-410,000, suggesting a higher economic feasibility of farming freshwater prawn with over-wintered juveniles.

Rural women's access to credit

To enhance the role of rural women in development, NGOs have assisted in the establishment of credit programs.

An idealized rural coastal zone management integrating land and water use

Various countries have formulated special integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) strategies which seek to both manage development and conserve natural resources and integrate and coordinate the relevant people sectors and their functions and roles within the bounds of this rich realm. Concerns that may be addressed by ICZM include: 1) Natural resources degradation; 2) Pollution; 3) Land use conflicts; and, 4) Destruction of life and property by natural hazards. Some prevalent sources of environmental impacts (livelihoods) are listed, together with some recommendations to the concerns which they may raise in relation to coastal zone management: agriculture; aquaculture; fisheries; forestry; human settlements; tourism; and, transport industry.

The value of cooperatives in rural electrification

The electricity sectors of many developing countries underwent substantial reforms during the 1980s and 1990s, driven by global agendas of privatization and liberalization. However, rural electrification offered little by way of market incentives for profit-seeking private companies and was often neglected. As a consequence, delivery models for rural electrification need to change. This paper will review the experiences of various rural electrification delivery models that have been established in developing countries, including concessionary models, dealership approaches and the strengthening of small and medium-sized energy businesses. It will use examples from the USA, Bangladesh and Nepal, together with a detailed case study of a Nepali rural electric cooperative, to explore the role that local cooperatives can play in extending electricity access. It is shown that although there is no magic bullet solution to deliver rural electrification, if offered appropriate financial and institutional support, socially orientated cooperative businesses can be a willing, efficient and effective means of extending and managing rural electricity services. It is expected that this paper will be of particular value to policy-makers, donors, project planners and implementers currently working in the field of rural electrification. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Low-carbon off-grid electrification for rural areas in the United Kingdom: Lessons from the developing world

Low-carbon off-grid electrification for rural areas is becoming increasingly popular in the United Kingdom. However, many developing countries have been electrifying their rural areas in this way for decades. Case study fieldwork in Nepal and findings from United Kingdom based research will be used to examine how developed nations can learn from the experience of developing countries with regard to the institutional environment and delivery approach adopted in renewable energy off-grid rural electrification. A clearer institutional framework and more direct external assistance during project development are advised. External coordinators should also engage the community in a mobilization process a priori to help alleviate internal conflicts of interest that could later impede a project. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Community-led resettlement: From a flood affected slum to a new society in Pune, India

This paper describes the resettlement process of a community devastated by annual floods, to newly constructed housing in Pune, India. The relocation from Kamgar Putala slum to a housing society at Hadapsar was organized by a community-led NGO partnership in 2004. The housing development was coordinated by the local NGO Shelter Associates with significant community participation. The housing has been revisited in 2010 to evaluate the sustainability of the resettlement project’s delivery model via stakeholder perception. The process of organizing for resettlement after natural disaster is described along with the implementation and evaluation of the new housing nearly six years after initial occupation. The strong partnership approach overcame a series of political and financial hurdles at various stages of the relocation project. The story of resettling Kamgar Putala is detailed alongside an outline of the current political climate for an alternative slum-upgrading policy in India and Pune. The advantages of an empowered community supported by an influential local NGO demonstrate a commendable team effort which has tackled the threat of floods. The paper highlights the merits of a community-led partnership approach to housing development for achieving sustainable urban development as well as the alleviation of poverty in a developing context.

Low-carbon off-grid electrification for rural areas: Lessons from the developing world

Low-carbon off-grid electrification for rural areas is becoming increasingly popular in developed nations such as the United Kingdom. However, many developing countries have been electrifying their rural areas in this way for decades. Case study fieldwork in Nepal and findings from UK-based research will be used to examine how developed nations can learn from the experience of developing countries with regards the institutional environment and delivery approach adopted in renewable energy off-grid rural electrification. A clearer institutional framework and more direct external assistance during project development are advised. External coordinators should also engage the community in a mobilization process a priori to help alleviate internal conflicts of interest that could later impede a project. ©2010 IEEE.

Community-led resettlement: From a flood-affected slum to a new society in Pune, India

This paper describes the resettlement process of a community devastated by annual floods, to newly constructed housing in Pune, India. The relocation from Kamgar Putala slum to a housing society at Hadapsar was organized by a community-led NGO partnership in 2004. The housing development was coordinated by the local NGO Shelter Associates with significant community participation. The housing has been revisited in 2010 to evaluate the sustainability of the resettlement project's delivery model via stakeholder perception. The process of organizing for resettlement after natural disaster is described along with the implementation and evaluation of the new housing nearly six years after initial occupation. The strong partnership approach overcame a series of political and financial hurdles at various stages of the relocation project. The story of resettling Kamgar Putala is detailed alongside an outline of the current political climate for an alternative slum-upgrading policy in India and Pune. The advantages of an empowered community supported by an influential local NGO demonstrate a commendable team effort which has tackled the threat of floods. The paper highlights the merits of a community-led partnership approach to housing development for achieving sustainable urban development as well as the alleviation of poverty in a developing context. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

Award Winner in the Young Investigator Category, 2014 Society for Biomaterials Annual Meeting and Exposition, Denver, Colorado, April 16-19, 2014: Periodically perforated core-shell collagen biomaterials balance cell infiltration, bioactivity, and mechanical properties.

Orthopedic tissue engineering requires biomaterials with robust mechanics as well as adequate porosity and permeability to support cell motility, proliferation, and new extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. While collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) scaffolds have been developed for a range of tissue engineering applications, they exhibit poor mechanical properties. Building on previous work in our lab that described composite CG biomaterials containing a porous scaffold core and nonporous CG membrane shell inspired by mechanically efficient core-shell composites in nature, this study explores an approach to improve cellular infiltration and metabolic health within these core-shell composites. We use indentation analyses to demonstrate that CG membranes, while less permeable than porous CG scaffolds, show similar permeability to dense materials such as small intestine submucosa (SIS). We also describe a simple method to fabricate CG membranes with organized arrays of microscale perforations. We demonstrate that perforated membranes support improved tenocyte migration into CG scaffolds, and that migration is enhanced by platelet-derived growth factor BB-mediated chemotaxis. CG core-shell composites fabricated with perforated membranes display scaffold-membrane integration with significantly improved tensile properties compared to scaffolds without membrane shells. Finally, we show that perforated membrane-scaffold composites support sustained tenocyte metabolic activity as well as improved cell infiltration and reduced expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α compared to composites with nonperforated membranes. These results will guide the design of improved biomaterials for tendon repair that are mechanically competent while also supporting infiltration of exogenous cells and other extrinsic mediators of wound healing.