UEBERflow

In der Dissertation wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche globalen bildungspolitischen Maßnahmen erforderlich sind, um auch bislang exkludierten Menschen den Kompetenzerwerb zu ermöglichen, der benötigt wird, eine positive User Experience in benutzergenerierten, digitalen Lernumgebungen auszubilden, damit sie an der modernen Weltgesellschaft selbstbestimmt teilhaben können. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Castells ‘Netzwerkgesellschaft’ und Csikszentmihalys ‘Theorie der optimalen Erfahrung’ als analytische Grundlagen zur Einordnung der sozialen Netzwerk-Aktivitäten herangezogen. Dies ermöglichte es, unter Rückgriff auf aktuelle Lerntheorien, Kompetenzdebatten, ökonomische Analysen des Bildungssystems und User Experience-Forschungen, einige individuelle und gesamtgesellschaftliche Voraussetzungen abzuleiten, um in der Netzwerkgesellschaft konstruktiv überleben zu können. Mit Blick auf unterschiedliche sozio-kulturelle Bedingungen für persönlichen Flow im ‘space of flows’ liessen sich schließlich differenzierte Flow-Kriterien entwickeln, die als Grundlage für die Operationalisierung im Rahmen einer Real-Time Delphi (RTD)-Studie mit einem internationalen Expertinnen-Panel dienen konnten. Ziel war es, bildungspolitische Ansatzpunkte zu finden, den bislang Exkludierten bis zum Jahre 2020 erste Rahmenbedingungen zu bieten, damit sie potentiell teilhaben können an der Gestaltung der zukünftigen Netzwerkgesellschaft. Das Ergebnis der Expertinnen-Befragung wurde unter Rückgriff auf aktuelle Global und Educational Governance-Studien und das Einflusspotenzial der Zivilgesellschaft auf den Digital Divide reflektiert. Vor diesem Hintergrund konnten abschließend vier bildungspolitische Verlaufsszenarien entworfen werden, die es ermöglichen könnten, bis 2020 die Kluft zu den global Exkludierten wenigstens etwas zu schließen.

Effect of rural transportation system on agricultural productivity in Oyo State, Nigeria

Food farming in Oyo North, Nigeria is characterised by an increasing use of Intermediary Mode of Transportation (IMT) to ease inputs and outputs mobility and farm access. To assess the influence on food farmer’s productivity, a random sample of 230 respondents was selected and data collected on their socio-economic and farm specific characteristics. Descriptive statistics, Herfindhal Index and Technical Efficiency Approach were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that majority of food farmers were in their middle age with mean age of 50 years and most of them used one plot at a location between 5 and 10km to their village of residence. They acquired land by inheritance and practiced intensive crop diversification as risk management strategy. The transportation modes used in addition to walking include bicycle, motorcycle, and car with increasing trend in the use of motorcycle. The mean Technical Efficiency (TE) of food farmers was 0.82 with significant inefficiency effects. The inefficiency analysis indicates positive effect of distance, crop diversification and un-tarred type of road on farmer’s productivity, while poor level of education among farmers, use of bicycle; trekking and weekly working time negatively affect farmer’s efficiency. The negative effect of trekking and use of bicycle and the excess working time suggest the adoption of more IMT of motorized type to optimize farming time and increase farmer’s productivity.

Yield gap analysis and assessment of climate-induced yield trends of irrigated rice in selected provinces of the Philippines

This study describes a combined empirical/modeling approach to assess the possible impact of climate variability on rice production in the Philippines. We collated climate data of the last two decades (1985-2002) as well as yield statistics of six provinces of the Philippines, selected along a North-South gradient. Data from the climate information system of NASA were used as input parameters of the model ORYZA2000 to determine potential yields and, in the next steps, the yield gaps defined as the difference between potential and actual yields. Both simulated and actual yields of irrigated rice varied strongly between years. However, no climate-driven trends were apparent and the variability in actual yields showed no correlation with climatic parameters. The observed variation in simulated yields was attributable to seasonal variations in climate (dry/wet season) and to climatic differences between provinces and agro-ecological zones. The actual yield variation between provinces was not related to differences in the climatic yield potential but rather to soil and management factors. The resulting yield gap was largest in remote and infrastructurally disfavored provinces (low external input use) with a high production potential (high solar radiation and day-night temperature differences). In turn, the yield gap was lowest in central provinces with good market access but with a relatively low climatic yield potential. We conclude that neither long-term trends nor the variability of the climate can explain current rice yield trends and that agroecological, seasonal, and management effects are over-riding any possible climatic variations. On the other hand the lack of a climate-driven trend in the present situation may be superseded by ongoing climate change in the future.

Socio-economic characterization of integrated cropping systems in urban and peri-urban agriculture of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Faisalabad city is surrounded by agricultural lands, where farmers are growing vegetables, grain crops, and fodder for auto-consumption and local marketing. To study the socioeconomic impact and resource use in these urban and peri-urban agricultural production (UPA) systems, a baseline survey was conducted during 2009–2010. A total of 140 households were selected using a stratified sampling method and interviewed with a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that 96 % of the households rely on agriculture as their main occupation. Thirty percent of the households were owners of the land and the rest cultivated either rented or sharecropped land. Most of the families (70 %) were headed by a member with primary education, and only 10 % of the household head had a secondary school certificate. Irrigationwater was obtained from waste water (37 %), canals (27 %), and mixed alternative sources (36 %). A total of 35 species were cultivated in the UPA systems of which were 65% vegetables, 15% grain and fodder crops, and 5% medicinal plants. Fifty-nine percent of the households cultivated wheat, mostly for auto-consumption. The 51 % of the respondents grew cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) and gourds (Cucurbitaceae) in the winter and summer seasons, respectively. Group marketing was uncommon and most of the farmers sold their produce at the farm gate (45 %) and on local markets (43 %). Seeds and fertilizers were available from commission agents and dealers on a credit basis with the obligation to pay by harvested produce. A major problem reported by the UPA farmers of Faisalabad was the scarcity of high quality irrigation water, especially during the hot dry summer months, in addition to lacking adequate quantities of mineral fertilizers and other inputs during sowing time. Half of the respondents estimated their daily income to be less than 1.25 US$ and spent almost half of it on food. Monthly average household income and expenses were 334 and 237 US$, respectively.

Improvement of Food Security in Bangladesh through Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women

Empowerment is one possible approach to increase political, social and economic participation of a target group and thus decrease food insecurity among vulnerable people. The objective of this research was to evaluate a socio-economic empowerment project implemented for 8 years in rural northern Bangladesh by using secondary data from 2000 and primary data from 2009. Three hundred women were primarily selected out of all existing and active 121 women groups formed during 8 years project implementation. Standardized interviews were conducted to collect quantitative data. In addition an overall qualitative analysis included focus group discussions, the review of project summaries and discussions with implementing staff. Data was collected on socio-economic status, rice storages and food consumption. In addition knowledge was gained on current activities of the women groups. The empowerment concept implemented in this setting was successful to increase the participants’ political, social and economic engagement and visibility. Apart from that the utilization of skills for income generation led to an improvement of the socio-economic status and food insecurity became less common. Recommendations for future projects include the increase of female members among the NGO staff as well as the further follow-up and strengthening of political acceptance and visibility of the empowered participants to sustain the outcome of the project.

Improving cropping systems of semi-arid south-western Madagascar under multiple ecological and socio-economic constraints

Das Mahafaly Plateau im südwestlichen Madagaskar ist gekennzeichnet durch raue klimatische Bedingungen, vor allem regelmäßige Dürren und Trockenperioden, geringe Infrastruktur, steigende Unsicherheit, hohe Analphabetenrate und regelmäßige Zerstörung der Ernte durch Heuschreckenplagen. Da 97% der Bevölkerung von der Landwirtschaft abhängen, ist eine Steigerung der Produktivität von Anbausystemen die Grundlage für eine Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen und Ernährungssicherheit in der Mahafaly Region. Da wenig über die Produktivität von traditionellen extensiven und neu eingeführten Anbaumethoden in diesem Gebiet bekannt ist, waren die Zielsetzungen der vorliegenden Arbeit, die limitierenden Faktoren und vielversprechende alternative Anbaumethoden zu identifizieren und diese unter Feldbedingungen zu testen. Wir untersuchten die Auswirkungen von lokalem Viehmist und Holzkohle auf die Erträge von Maniok, der Hauptanbaufrucht der Region, sowie die Beiträge von weiteren Faktoren, die im Untersuchungsgebiet ertragslimitierend sind. Darüber hinaus wurde in der Küstenregion das Potenzial für bewässerten Gemüseanbau mit Mist und Holzkohle untersucht, um zu einer Diversifizierung von Einkommen und Ernährung beizutragen. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit war die Schätzung von Taubildung und deren Beitrag in der Jahreswasserbilanz durch Testen eines neu entworfenen Taumessgerätes. Maniok wurde über drei Jahre und in drei Versuchsfeldern in zwei Dörfern auf dem Plateau angebaut, mit applizierten Zeburindermistraten von 5 und 10 t ha-1, Holzkohleraten von 0,5 und 2 t ha-1 und Maniokpflanzdichten von 4500 Pflanzen ha-1. Maniokknollenerträge auf Kontrollflächen erreichten 1 bis 1,8 t Trockenmasse (TM) ha-1. Mist führte zu einer Knollenertragssteigerung um 30 - 40% nach drei Jahren in einem kontinuierlich bewirtschafteten Feld mit geringer Bodenfruchtbarkeit, hatte aber keinen Effekt auf den anderen Versuchsfeldern. Holzkohle hatte keinen Einfluss auf Erträge über den gesamten Testzeitraum, während die Infektion mit Cassava-Mosaikvirus zu Ertragseinbußen um bis zu 30% führte. Pflanzenbestände wurden felder-und jahresübergreifend um 4-54% des vollen Bestandes reduziert, was vermutlich auf das Auftreten von Trockenperioden und geringe Vitalität von Pflanzmaterial zurückzuführen ist. Karotten (Daucus carota L. var. Nantaise) und Zwiebeln (Allium cepa L. var. Red Créole) wurden über zwei Trockenzeiten mit lokal erhältlichem Saatgut angebaut. Wir testeten die Auswirkungen von lokalem Rindermist mit einer Rate von 40 t ha-1, Holzkohle mit einer Rate von 10 t ha-1, sowie Beschattung auf die Gemüseernteerträge. Lokale Bewässerungswasser hatte einen Salzgehalt von 7,65 mS cm-1. Karotten- und Zwiebelerträge über Behandlungen und Jahre erreichten 0,24 bis 2,56 t TM ha-1 beziehungsweise 0,30 bis 4,07 DM t ha-1. Mist und Holzkohle hatten keinen Einfluss auf die Erträge beider Kulturen. Beschattung verringerte Karottenerträge um 33% im ersten Jahr, während sich die Erträge im zweiten Jahr um 65% erhöhten. Zwiebelerträge wurden unter Beschattung um 148% und 208% im ersten und zweiten Jahr erhöht. Salines Bewässerungswasser sowie Qualität des lokal verfügbaren Saatgutes reduzierten die Keimungsraten deutlich. Taubildung im Küstendorf Efoetsy betrug 58,4 mm und repräsentierte damit 19% der Niederschlagsmenge innerhalb des gesamten Beobachtungszeitraum von 18 Monaten. Dies weist darauf hin, dass Tau in der Tat einen wichtigen Beitrag zur jährlichen Wasserbilanz darstellt. Tageshöchstwerte erreichten 0,48 mm. Die getestete Tauwaage-Vorrichtung war in der Lage, die nächtliche Taubildung auf der metallischen Kondensationsplatte zuverlässig zu bestimmen. Im abschließenden Kapitel werden die limitierenden Faktoren für eine nachhaltige Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft in der Untersuchungsregion diskutiert.

Identifying the factors governing attitude towards the e-Agriservice among dairy farmers in Maharashtra, India

Information and communication technology (ICT) projects have a great potential to revolutionise the information delivery system by bridging the gap between farmers and extension personnel. aAQUA (Almost All Questions Answered) portal was launched by the Developmental Informatics Laboratory (DIL) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India in 2003 as an information providing system to deliver technology options and tailored information for the problems and queries raised by Indian dairy farmers. To measure the effectiveness of this service the attitudinal dimensions of the users of aAQUA e-Agriservice were investigated using a 22 item scale. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 120 dairy farmers from which data were collected and subjected to factor analysis to identify the underlying constructs in this research. From the attitude items, four components were extracted and named as the pessimistic, utility, technical and efficacy perspective, which influenced the development of varied level of attitudinal inclination towards the e-Agriservice. These components explained 64.40 per cent of variation in the attitude of the users towards the aAQUA e-Agriservice. This study provides a framework for technically efficient service provision that might help to reduce the pessimistic attitude of target population to adopt e-Agriservice in their farming system. The results should also be helpful for researchers, academics, ICT based service providers and policy makers to consider these perspectives while planning and implementing ICT projects.

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.

Determinants of technical efficiency of freshwater prawn farming in southwestern Bangladesh

This paper estimates a translog stochastic production function to examine the determinants of technical efficiency of freshwater prawn farming in Bangladesh. Primary data has been collected using random sampling from 90 farmers of three villages in southwestern Bangladesh. Prawn farming displayed much variability in technical efficiency ranging from 9.50 to 99.94% with mean technical efficiency of 65%, which suggested a substantial 35% of potential output can be recovered by removing inefficiency. For a land scarce country like Bangladesh this gain could help increase income and ensure better livelihood for the farmers. Based on the translog production function specification, farmers could be made scale efficient by providing more input to produce more output. The results suggest that farmers’ education and non-farm income significantly improve efficiency whilst farmers’ training, farm distance from the water canal and involvement in fish farm associations reduces efficiency. Hence, the study proposes strategies such as less involvement in farming-related associations and raising the effective training facilities of the farmers as beneficial adjustments for reducing inefficiency. Moreover, the key policy implication of the analysis is that investment in primary education would greatly improve technical efficiency.

S??ndrome X Fr??gil : aspectos generales e intervenci??n socio-educativa

Actas de las I Jornadas Regionales sobre el S??ndrome de X Fr??gil celebradas en Cieza (Murcia) los d??as 18 y 19 de Mayo de 2001 cuyo objetivo fue el de proporcionar una mejor atenci??n educativa a los alumnos portadores del S??ndrome. La publicaci??n recoge las ponencias presentadas y cuenta con dos partes diferenciadas: una primera en la que se recoge una serie de aspectos generales gen??ticos, m??dicos, neurol??gicos y psicol??gicos y en la segunda las aportaciones que tienen que ver con la intervenci??n que se lleva a cabo con las personas de S??ndrome X Fr??gil y sus familias.

Guía de recursos educativos : programa de inserción socio-educativa.

La guía incluye un directorio de instituciones, organizaciones y asociaciones así como de todos aquellos centros colaboradores que se acogen a las subvenciones formando parte de la oferta formativa del Ayuntamiento

Socio-affective development in infants with Down' s Syndrome. 'Desarrollo socio-afectivo en ni??os con s??ndrome de Down'

El libro es el resultado de la compilaci??n de las colaboraciones de expertos internacionales reunidos en un Simposio Internacional sobre Psicolog??a y Psicobiolog??a Educativa e Integraci??n Social de las personas con S??ndrome de Down, organizado por Juan Perera (Asociaci??n S??ndrome de Down de Baleares. Universidad de las Islas Baleares) y Jean A. Rondal (Laboratorio de Psicoling????stica de la Universidad de Lieja, B??lgica), bajo los auspicios del Gobierno Balear y otras instituciones y organismos. La colaboraci??n de los autores murcianos (Candel, Carranza y P??rez L??pez) versa sobre el desarrollo socio-afectivo de los ni??os afectados por el S??ndrome y presenta los resultados de una investigaci??n longitudinal sobre el temperamento de los ni??os con s??ndrome Down. Los objetivos de la investigaci??n son: el estudio de los componentes temperamentales en el desarrollo de los ni??os con S??ndrome Down. La evaluaci??n del grado de estabilidad/inestabilidad de las diferencias temperamentales en los ni??os con S??ndrome Down y an lisis del grado de homogeneidad de los componentes temperamentales de estos ni??os como grupo y las diferencias con un grupo de control de ni??os no retrasados. Los resultados confirman la existencia de diferencias individuales en el temperamento de los ni??os con S??ndrome Down.

Actuaciones del Servicio Municipal de Absentismo Escolar : un modelo socio-educativo de prevención e intervención.

Como anexos figuran los distintos formularios normalizados (fichas) para la recogida de datos, cuestionarios y seguimiento

Repetidores del Ciclo Medio : trabajo experimental acerca de su perfil aptitudinal y variables socio-ambientales.

Determinar el peso de algunos factores que pudieran estar incidiendo en el fracaso escolar en el Ciclo Medio. 18 colegios públicos ubicados en zonas urbanas, semiurbanas y rurales de Asturias. 404 alumnos en total, divididos en dos grupos: experimental y de control. El grupo experimental lo formaron alumnos nacidos en el año 1972 que estuviesen repitiendo o hubiesen repetido algún curso en el Ciclo Medio y cursaran cuarto o quinto nivel. El grupo de control lo formaron alumnos nacidos en 1972 y que estaban en sexto nivel. Variables independientes: haber tenido o no Educación Preescolar, utilización de transporte, nivel cultural familiar, nivel socioeconómico, participación de los padres en las tareas escolares y expectativas familiares. Variables dependientes: inteligencia y velocidad y comprensión lectora. 2 cuestionarios elaborados 'ad hoc'. Test de inteligencia general G-2 de Cattell. Test de aptitudes TEA-1. Prueba de comprensión lectora de P. Pérez González. Prueba de cálculo. Cuestionario de adaptación P-5 de la escala EOS-5. Análisis de diferencias significativas entre los datos del grupo experimental y del grupo control utilizando el cálculo de la Chi-cuadrado y el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Los factores que más parecen incidir favorablemente en un buen rendimiento escolar son: expectativa de los padres, participación de éstos en las tareas escolares y el nivel cultural y socioeconómico de la familia. Los alumnos del grupo experimental pertenecían, en mayor numero que los del grupo de control, a familias de nivel cultural y socioeconómico bajo y sus padres muestran un nivel bajo de preocupación y colaboración con el quehacer educativos y pocas expectativas. Del estudio de personalidad se deduce que el grupo de control tiene siempre una mejor adaptación en los factores personal, familiar, social y escolar que el grupo experimental. Se constatan diferencias significativas a favor del grupo de control en los siguientes aspectos: inteligencia general, comprensión lectora y cálculo operativo. Propone como alternativa el facilitar una atención individualizada a los niños que, por sus características psicosociales, la necesitan de forma imperiosa puesto que si no, están abocados al fracaso escolar. Los factores extraescolares tienen un gran peso en el rendimiento académico y la mejora del mismo no es sólo problema de la escuela, sino que también es problema de cambio en las condiciones socioambientales y socioculturales que rodean al niño antes y durante el proceso educativo.