Aug 11

Sustainable Stoves

I’ve written a lot about climate change and how future development needs to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. It’s easy to talk about these things like there are simple solutions and unlimited funds to develop sustainable products. In reality, however, it’s an extremely difficult process to create a product that is the perfect intersection between functionality, efficiency, and environmental sustainable. But there is hope. In Pakistan and India, for example, there has been a focus on building houses in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. And now, Nepal and Afghanistan are jumping onboard with the challenge to create innovative and sustainable products as well.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and most of the country has no electricity. To cook, the vast majority of families use a stove that consists of an open fire on three bricks that are packed with mud. This takes place indoors – typically in a small one or two room home – and results in the entire house filling up with smoke.

This method of cooking is not only bad for the environment, as the stoves emit greenhouse gases and require large quantities of firewood, but is also a severe health hazard for those who are exposed to the smoke. It is a common cause of widespread respiratory problems, such as asthma and death by asphyxiation – or suffocation. In fact, a study in 2008 by Nepal’s Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) determined that indoor air pollution – largely by these cooking stoves – was the fourth biggest risk factor for the population, after only malnutrition, unprotected sex, and unsafe water. It was also reported that more than 80% of Nepal is exposed to this pollution and is at risk for suffering the dangerous consequences.

Fortunately, the nation is doing something about it. The government made the creation of improved cooking stoves (ICS) a priority in their plans to improve Nepal, and in 1999, more than $5 million was invested in designing, building, and implementing these stoves in homes across the country. Currently, almost 500,000 cooking stoves have been replaced by AEPC with new, innovative stoves that pose no health hazards and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even better, AEPC is focusing on implementing the stoves in a sustainable way. They train at least three people in each village to make and use the ICS – and two of them have to be women. In other words, AEPC’s overall strategy accomplishes three extremely important things: saving lives, saving the environment, and empowering women.

Nepal isn’t the only one making cooking more sustainable. Afghanistan, too, is working to create practical and sustainable cooking practices. One of their main focuses has been to introduce the utilization of solar energy into their stoves in order to keep costs down and improve the air quality. Like Nepal, the overwhelming majority of Afghans don’t have access to electricity – and even if they did, many couldn’t afford it. Solar energy is therefore an excellent option. One organization that has already been supplying Village Sun Ovens – which are solar energy stoves – in Afghanistan is the Temple Solar Project. Because of their practicality, efficiency, and low cost, solar energy stoves are quickly becoming more popular and in greater demand. Hopefully, Afghanistan and Nepal will continue to invest and work at creating the ideal solar energy stove, and will pave the road for the rest of the world to follow.

It’s important to acknowledge the difficulty of creating these stoves and other sustainable, environmentally friendly products. Nepal and Afghanistan should definitely be praised for their determination to not only improve the lives of their people, but help save the environment as well. It’s truly inspiring and encouraging for the entire global community that there really is a way to develop sustainable products that are inexpensive, efficient, and effective.

Rebecca Birnbaum is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focusing on nonviolent conflict resolution, nonprofit management, and sustainable development. She is a senior at the University of Michigan, where she studies Anthropology, Political Science, and Peace and Social Justice. To learn more about the SISGI Group, visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Aug 11

Voluntourism: the Good and the Bad

On Tuesday afternoon I gave a webinar presentation on voluntourism, or volunteer tourism, and though it is now available on the SISGI Group Institute for Social Change website, I thought I would give a quick summary of it for those of you who couldn’t attend (or didn’t know about it).  Voluntourism is the combination of traditional tourism and volunteer service, and though it is a relatively new industry, it has grown substantially in recent years.  Voluntourism can be very beneficial for everyone involved—volunteers, members of the destination community, the US as a whole—if it is done properly, but unfortunately many voluntourism programs are not properly managed and so do not leave sustainable impacts.

Voluntourism ideally benefits the destination community in several ways.  First of all, the aid projects volunteers contribute to—building schools and homes, digging wells, reading to children, etc—are ideally useful, necessary projects that will improve life in the destination community.  Hosting foreign volunteers contributes to cross-cultural understanding and reduces cultural prejudices as the volunteers and the locals interact and live together, even though the trips are usually only for a week or two.  But the economic impacts of voluntourism are perhaps the most important to the destination communities.  The destination community benefits from hosting the volunteers in locally owned hotels or homestays, from coordinating activities and transportation, and from the volunteers buying food and souvenirs.  Also, people who volunteer abroad are more likely to later donate money to their destination community, and so the destination communities continue to benefit economically even after the volunteers leave.

Unfortunately, when voluntourism companies are poorly managed, those benefits do not reach the destination communities.  Voluntourism is an industry, after all, and so many companies are focused more on their own bottom line than on the impact they have (or don’t have) on the community.  Take, for example, the fact that many companies focus on sending people to popular destinations rather than destinations that actually need volunteers.  It makes sense from a business perspective: if people want to go to, say, Malaysia, and are willing to pay to go there and volunteer, then of course voluntourism companies are going to come up with packages that take people to Malaysia and let them build something, even if it isn’t needed—or even wanted.  The problem with that logic is that you can’t simply pick a place on a map and assume that the people there will welcome volunteers—especially foreign volunteers.  Imagine if someone from Costa Rica visited New York and was shocked by the number of homeless people on the streets and decided to bring in more volunteers from Costa Rica to build and staff homeless shelters in the city.  New Yorkers would not be pleased.  A donation to existing homeless shelters would probably be more appreciated, and the same is true for many of the destination communities.  They would prefer a donation to volunteers.  So, if you’re planning a voluntourism trip—or just thinking about one—make sure that your destination actually needs and welcomes volunteer aid and that the project you will be working on will leave an impact.

Also, many voluntourism companies are based in the US (or other western countries) and so the money people pay to go on these trips does not stay in the destination.  Since the economic benefits from voluntourism are often more important than the aid Continue reading

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Aug 10

Using Canines to Fight Human Trafficking

Are dogs really man’s best friend?  As a dog owner of two, I would say so.  The unconditional love and excitement they share is hard to find elsewhere.  Every time I walk into my house from a bad day, I can always rely on their wagging tails and slobbery kisses to put a smile on my face.  Perhaps, this is why they are increasingly being used to aid victims of abuse not only in their recovery efforts, but also in providing them the strength and support to testify in court against those who have harmed them.  I came across a story yesterday that touched my heart and had me contemplating how the unique characteristics of dogs can reach a group of victims that are perhaps the most likely to walk away from testifying in court against their perpetrators—those I am speaking of are victims of human trafficking.

The first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York recently aided a young teenage girl in testifying against her father who raped and impregnated her.  The dog’s name is Rosie, a golden retriever therapy dog that has been trained to comfort people under stress.  Prosecutors and victims’ advocates are particularly in favor of these courtroom companions, noting that the comfort and support victims receive in giving their testimony can mean the difference between a conviction or acquittal, especially when trauma and threat come into play.  It was observed in the courtroom that Rosie would gently nudge the child witness when she would hesitate and provided “nuzzling solace” when emotions ran high.  By the end of the trial, the child witness’ psychologist stated that the girl was grateful to have had Rosie by her side above all other things during the process.  Her father was found guilty.  Other states are now exploring how they can incorporate similar programs into their courtrooms to aid vulnerable children and adults in testifying against defendants.

Not everyone supports the use of courtroom dogs.  The defense team in the aforementioned case is appealing the conviction.  They argue that Rosie provided an unfair advantage to prosecutors in the case, as the dog’s cuteness unconsciously persuaded jurors that the child witness was telling the truth.  The defense noted that Rosie is trained to provide comfort to anyone in stress, regardless of whether or not they are telling the truth; therefore, can provide jurors with a false impression when deciding on a verdict.  Further, they argued that there is no possible way to cross-examine a dog.  The judge in the case refuted these arguments, stating that Rosie’s presence did no more than provide an emotionally distressed child love and support.  However, it is presumed that the defense’s suggestions will be reviewed and taken into consideration as similar programs emerge.

Since the girl’s case ended, Rosie was brought in to help two young girls who witnessed their mother being murdered.  Similar scenarios have presented themselves across the nation where therapy and service dogs have aided witnesses in providing testimonies regarding sexual assault, theft, and so forth.  The vulnerable state that witnesses are in, combined with traumatic experiences and a fear of being retaliated against, lead me to believe that canine support in the courtroom is a good practice.

Victims of human trafficking are perhaps the least likely group of individuals to testify in court against their traffickers.  Victims of human trafficking are physically and psychologically broken.  They have endured threat, coercion, deception, abduction, and/or emotional, physical and sexual abuse.  They have been stripped of their voice and dignity, being forced to live and work in inhumane conditions against their will.  Every day is a constant battle for one’s life and despair runs deep.  As you could imagine, these conditions create a person who is scared, insecure, untrusting of others, and vulnerable to repeat abuse.

Human trafficking trials are often very long, often taking years while the victim remains in protective custody.  Victims are often forced to confront their traffickers and testify against them in court, reliving traumatizing experiences and potentially becoming re-traumatized.  Many human trafficking perpetrators are linked to larger criminal organizations and victims may receive threats against not only them, but their families as well.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and its following reauthorizations have made services and resources available to aid victims of trafficking rebuild their lives.  However, one downfall is that victims, particularly adults, are required to testify against their traffickers in order to receive benefits such as the T-visa that allows non-citizens to remain in the U.S. and not return to where they could become vulnerable to traffickers once again.  Many times, adult victims refuse to Continue reading

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Aug 10

Lebanon’s agricultural challenges

Facing climate change and modernization

Lebanon is a relatively resource rich country. It has no deserts, it has good arable land, it has four seasons and it is the most water-gifted country in the Arab world. But despite such natural attributes, Lebanon is a food import dependent country for 70% of its total food consumption. While this in itself is not a problem, as Lebanon only has 350,000 hectares of arable land-an insufficient amount to feed the country’s 4.4 million population- the agriculture sector’s revenues could still be significantly higher.

Approximately one third of the Republic is arable. The most fertile areas are located along the coastal strip and in the Bekaa valley. The Bekka valley is the country´s historical breadbasket and the hub of Lebanese agriculture. It is located between the main mountain chains of Lebanon: on the west, Mount Lebanon and on the east, facing Syria is the Anti- Lebanon (see map). The diversity of the Republic’s topography and climate enables cultivation of a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, industrial crops and cereals.

In spite of this agricultural capacity, Lebanon´s economy
relies mainly on the banking and financial sectors, and in the tourism industry. According to the CIA, agriculture represents 5.1% of total GDP. It is not a significant figure because in the recent “reconstruction” years (that started after the civil war ended in 1989) there has been little attention to the sector. The sector receives less than 1 percent of the state budget, and foreign direct investment in the sector was only 1.8 percent of the total. Instead, real estate, tourism and industry are getting the bulk of investment in the country despite agriculture’s importance as a major employer in rural areas. This lack of interest in agriculture is further leading to the increase in rural exodus and the migration to the cities.

As the government starts to realize the importance of the sector, it is also noticing one major difficulty that they will have for its development: climate change. In 2010, an un-seasonably warm winter and record high temperatures in the summer battered the sector. In the Bekaa valley temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius.  The high weather is also increasing rates of diseases and pests that degrade the cultivations (see a scientific report here). Furthermore, climate change is expected to deplete snow cover in Lebanon by 40 percent by 2040. The reduction in snow cover will impact rivers and lakes, changing natural cycles and consequently the agricultural sector.

After years of neglect, the Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on a strategy to improve the sector, in order to address the climate threats and improve the importance of the sector in Lebanon´s economy. It is mainly looking at how to modernize and industrialize in a large scale the agricultural sector. They are looking for Lebanon´s new green revolution. New seeds are being brought, more resistant to different climate conditions. Agribusiness and large investment are being promoted.

This modernization may be beneficial for some, but dangerous for others. There is no Continue reading

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Aug 09

Another Type of Refugee

As I was writing the blog series analyzing the current situation at Dadaab Refugee Camp, I started to think about the need for refugee camps and services in general. A refugee is a person who flees – or who has been displaced – from their home and seeks refuge elsewhere. Many refugees flee in fear of persecution, oppression, conflict, and violence. However, in today’s world there is an increasingly motivating factor that causes people to leave their homes and seek refuge: climate change and natural disasters.

It’s no secret that severe weather events have become much more extreme thanks to climate change. From floods in Pakistan, to droughts in the Horn of Africa, to hurricanes in New Orleans, natural disasters are a threat to the entire globe. In just one instant, homes and communities can be destroyed, and people are forced to relocate their families and completely start over. This is why it’s becoming increasingly important to establish an international policy to support and protect these so-called “environmental refugees.”

According to an article released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, more than 42 million people were displaced by a natural disaster in 2010 alone. Of the 42+ million, more than 90% of refugees relocated because of a climate-related disaster. Obviously, these are not small numbers.

António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, recognizes the importance of creating a global framework and international plan for protecting environmental refugees who are forced to leave their homes and cross national borders. Currently, these refugees are not protected because they’re don’t fit the refugee definition under the terms of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which protects the fleeing victims of persecution and violence. In fact, the United Nations Refugee Agency refused to even acknowledge the “environmental refugee” terminology because they were afraid it would cause too much confusion between those fleeing from violence and conflict and those fleeing from natural disasters. Because of this, Guterres proposed the creation of an new, global framework that established interim protection for environmental refugees and strengthened global capabilities to accommodate those who are forced to flee from their homes due to climate change and natural disasters. I can’t imagine that people who are forced to leave their homes and cross national borders be penalized for doing so. It’s important that they instead feel supported and welcome.

Of course, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. After the earthquake in Haiti, for example, more than one million people were displaced. How can a neighboring country account for this many people at once? And to complicate matters further, Haiti lies on an island (Hispaniola) that’s made up of just one other country: the Dominican Republic. Not only would it be extremely difficult for the DR to suddenly accommodate 1+ million people, but there are also existing political tensions between Haiti and the DR. There are no easy answers. Perhaps a portion of the refugees can receive assistance with transportation off of Hispaniola and onto a mainland. Obviously, it would take quite some time to transport, so maybe the DR could receive financial incentive to help temporarily accommodate Haitians who are waiting. Again, there are no easy answers, but there are possibilities to make the international community more supportive when these tragic events occur.

But as climate change continues to cause natural disasters to become more extreme and more common, there needs to be an additional focus on sustainable methods of refugee support that are independent of emergency aid – the international community needs to establish a model empowering refugees as they relocate while enabling them to rebuild their lives. I definitely think an international model of protection for refugees is important, but I don’t think it’s the only global initiative that needs to be established to support refugees fleeing from a natural disaster. If their entire community was destroyed, it’s extremely unlikely that refugees will have the funds and abilities to simply create their new lives in a foreign place. Perhaps there should be temporary environmental refugee-specific camps (as opposed to including environmental refugees in camps filled with refugees fleeing from violence and oppression) that offer specific services that help them recover and rebuild their lives. The refugee camps can’t just offer emergency aid and supplies – they must have those extra services. The more common these severe weather events become, the more useful – and necessary – these refugee camps will be.

Rebecca Birnbaum is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focusing on nonviolent conflict resolution, nonprofit management, and sustainable development. She is a senior at the University of Michigan, where she studies Anthropology, Political Science, and Peace and Social Justice. To learn more about the SISGI Group, visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Aug 09

El Sistema: Música para el cambio

El sistema es un programa de educación musical presente en Venezuela (y en algunos estados de los Estados Unidos) que ofrece a niños pobres la posibilidad de volverse músicos profesionales. El programa empezó en 1975, despés de que el economista y músico José Abreu dió una clase de música en un garage a 11 niños pobres de Venezuela. Abreu rápidamente se dió cuenta que las clases de música mantenían a muchos alumnos fuera de la violencia y de las drogas de los vecindarios pobres.

Despúes de notar el impacto positvo que las clases estaban teniendo en los niños, Abreu deció expandir el programa y abrir una escuela, para tratar de impactar la mayor cantidad de niños que pudiera. La escuela ahora enseña a 300,00 niños de Venezuela. Los niños aprenden a tocar instrumentos, como el violín, la flauta, la trompeta, y se vuelven parte de una orquesta. El programa está siendo financiado principalmente por el gobierno de Venezuela. La educación que ofrece es gratis y las escuelas se encuentran sobretodo en los vecindarios más pobres, para hacerla más accesible a esas familias.

El sistema ha sido exitoso en muchos sentidos. Antes que nada, el programa ha Continue reading

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Aug 08

Introducing the MIFFs

There’s a new kind of state (country states, not US states, just so we’re clear) emerging: MIFFs, Middle Income Failed-Fragile states.  These MIFFs are classified as middle-income states in the World Bank list of countries by income category, but they have highly unstable governments and a lot of conflict.  They are—or are close to being—failed states.  It used to be that failed states were small, poor, less powerful (in the global scheme of things) states, and it used to be that states stabilized before they became wealthy.  Apparently this is no longer the case. The MIFF countries are typically rich in resources, so they have money, but are highly unstable and underdeveloped.  A growing number of countries in the Middle East, West Africa, and South Asia are considered MIFFs.

Though the MIFFs are middle-income when income per person is measured, they contain a large portion of poor people.  17% of the world population that lives on less than $1 a day—the world’s poorest group of people—live in MIFFs, compared to the 10% who live in lower-income but more stable countries.  The MIFFs also hold 40% of the world’s conflict, evidence that their governments are highly unstable.  In the 1960s, however, only about 10% of conflicts took place in middle-income countries and in 2005 the MIFFs had less than 1% of the world’s poorest people.  Clearly, the MIFFs are growing rapidly as formerly poor countries become wealthier without any improvements in governance.

Why is this a big deal, you may be wondering?  Why does it matter that an increasing number of wealthier states have large pockets of poverty and conflict instead of the poorer states?  Well, these MIFFs pose several problems for the West.  For one, they often do not need financial or military aid, which means they cannot be influenced by Western governments.  Take Pakistan for example.  The US suspended $800 million in aid as a warning that the US was unhappy about the way Pakistan handled the Osama Bin Laden affair and wanted Pakistan to step up its fight against militants.  Pakistan, a MIFF, was not impressed.  The suspended aid was worth less than 1% of GDP, and so Pakistan had no reason to cooperate.  Since Pakistan is a major player in the fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants the US needs their cooperation, but if Pakistan doesn’t bat an eye at aid restrictions the US is going to have to find some new tactics.

The MIFFs also pose a problem for anyone who hopes to reduce world poverty.  As I mentioned earlier, the MIFFs have a large chunk of the world’s poorest, meaning that they need a lot of aid and development assistance.  Couple that with unstable, corrupt governments and overall wealth, however, and you can see why it might be difficult for aid to reach any of the impoverished populations.  The traditional way of giving aid, which is part of the UN millennium development goals, is going to have to change, since it has been designed to work in poor but stable countries like Tanzania.  And since these fragile but middle-income states are large states considered important to the many powerful developed nations, the effects of their struggles and conflicts will be felt on the global stage.  We are already seeing that with states like Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Tunisia, and the negative external effects of fragile, conflict-ridden states are becoming too large to ignore.

As the MIFF category grows, the Western world is going to have to re-think a lot of things.  Economic aid and humanitarian aid are going to have to be restructured to accommodate these states, as middle-income countries do not have the same development and financial needs as do low-income states.  And, importantly, economic development is no longer a sign of stability, which means we have to change the way we think about the world.

Michelle Bovée is a SISGI Group Program and Research Intern focused on international affairs, economic development, and responsible tourism. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org

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Aug 05

Is Polygamy a Form of Human Trafficking?

Warren Jeffs, a polygamist religious leader and head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was found guilty yesterday of child sexual assault charges stemming from a 2008 raid on his Yearn for Zion (YFZ) Ranch in Texas.  This was not his first stint with the law, as he was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list several years ago for suspicion of sexual misconduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct by arranging marriages between older men and young girls in his religious sect.  Given the evidence that was presented in court, his past run-ins with the law, as well as general knowledge about polygamy, I question whether this is simply a case of sexual misconduct.  Could polygamists such as Warren Jeffs be considered human trafficking perpetrators?  Could the women and children who have no choice in decisions over marriage and sex be considered human trafficking victims?

Human trafficking is sort of this three-fold phenomenon that the U.S. Department of State defines as:

1)      The process of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving of persons.

2)      Completing the process by means of threat, coercion, abduction, fraud, deceit, deception, or abuse of power.

3)      With outcomes that may include prostitution, pornography, violence/sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, or other forms of modern day slavery.

In order for a case to be considered that of human trafficking, it must meet at least one condition from each set of criteria.  For an adult to be considered a victim of trafficking, one of the employed means listed above must be met.  For a child, the means are not relevant to being considered a victim.  Given the events that occurred under the religious leadership of Warren Jeffs and assessing the benchmarks listed above, I would argue that his actions fall under the umbrella of human trafficking.

Warrens Jeffs, hailed a Prophet by his followers, used a process of recruiting underage girls for the purposes of “spiritual marriages” arranged for himself and other older men in his religious community.  In essence, these marriages most often involved that of child brides who were later forced to engage in sexual relations with their “husbands.”  Other marriages involved that of women to men, many times in the form of incest relationships such as that of cousins, siblings, or even parent-child.  Jeffs himself married many of the wives of his deceased father, including his own mother.  In the FLDS community, polygamy is a seen as a necessary means to achieve the highest level of salvation, but it is also a practice that is illegal in the United States.  Jeffs’ role in FLDS is that of ultimate power—a title and position of “President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator”.  This position deemed him as the only individual in the religious community who could arrange and perform marriages.  Therefore, he is the primary recruiter and transporter in marrying children off to adults, and receiver in taking female children as his wives without the consent of either child or parent.

Jeffs’ leadership position in FLDS is one of power and abuse.  He used his radical religious beliefs and leverage in the FLDS community to exploit women and children in marriage, sex and slavery.  This can be seen in the case of Elissa Wall, a 14 year old girl who was forced to marry her 19 year old male cousin, at the discretion of Jeffs.  She begged and pleaded with Jeffs’ father (who was the Prophet at the time) and Jeffs himself not to make her marry her cousin.  Jeffs did not listen to her desperate plea and coerced Wall into the union with her cousin telling them to “multiply and replenish the Earth.”  He was later convicted in court as an accomplice to rape.  Fraud, deceit and coercion can be seen in the evidence presented in his most recent trial for sexual assault.  Presented to the judge and jurors was a confiscated audio tape in which Jeffs was having sex with a 12 year old girl and telling her to “feel the spirit of God.”  Other tapes were presented as evidence that included Jeffs “training” young brides in how to sexually please their husbands.  In one, he was heard telling his 14 year old wife and another one of his child brides that “a good wife is trained for her husband and follows the spirit of peace.”  In another involving a training session of 12 young girls, Jeffs was heard telling them they were “honorable vessels, property of your husband’s kingdom and the Kingdom of God on Earth.”

The outcomes of Jeffs’ recruitment of child brides and his abuse of power in arranging forced marriages include sexual exploitation, involuntary servitude and a general life of modern day slavery.  As is the case with Elissa Wall, many minor girls were forced to marry older men, have sex, and reproduce.  Under this male-dominated, patriarchal society, women and young children were expected to cater to their husbands’ sexual needs and desires; hence, the training sessions Jeffs facilitated to prepare young girls for their role in their families and community.  In his current trial, DNA evidence was presented demonstrating that he impregnated a 15 year old child bride.  Elissa Wall wrote a book, Stolen Innocence, about her experiences growing up in FLDS.  The trauma Wall endured in addition to nonconsensual marriage and forced sexual relations, such as her physical and emotional hardships related to multiple pregnancies, is associated with the negative effects experienced by victims of human trafficking.

Warren Jeffs claims religious freedom in the practice of polygamy, but given the circumstances particularly as it relates to the essential “selling” of children to older men for sexual purposes, I beg to differ.  I would classify his case as that of human trafficking.  That is not to say that all cases of polygamy should be considered trafficking, but in my opinion this one does.  What are your opinions?

Cynthia Castaldo-Walsh is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focused on gender-based conflict, non-violence and peacebuilding for conflict transformation, and sustainability for conflict resolution.
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Aug 05

Fossils, Artifacts, and Higher Education

Today’s Museums are Delving into Academics, and Giving out Graduate Degrees.

Though museums have always been known to be educational havens, they have never been quite as educational as they are today.  As mentioned in a previous post, many undergraduate students have been looking to further their occupational prospects by pursuing higher education.  In an era where young people are finding it difficult to secure jobs, new and innovative education facilities in the form of museum degrees are opening up across the country.  These degrees are not the well-known curator or museum director degrees that can be earned in conventional universities, but are doctorate programs created by the museums themselves.

At the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Richard Gilder Graduate School has been attracting the attention of recent college graduates.  The doctorate program allows students to study comparative biology, and focuses on providing degrees in a more narrow scope of the biological sciences.  With only thirteen students currently taking part in the program, the museum supports its students in all their endeavors.  Students are given full tuition, a stipend, $2000 for research, and opportunities to study abroad.  At the end of their studies, graduates from the education program will boast a doctorate degree from the museum.  This is an honor within itself because the American Museum of Natural History is the first museum in the United States to give out an official doctorate in its own name.

A myriad of museums across the U.S. have started to dabble in higher education, and are using their resources in order to help students receive their graduate degrees.  The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has teamed up with the Illinois Institute of Technology, and students can now take courses at the museum.  Other museums have also partnered up with close by universities, and provide students the opportunity to work with state of the art equipment, knowledgeable curators, as well as ancient artifacts.  A range of museum courses, that vary year by year, can be incorporated into the syllabi of students, and are a genuine treat for graduates who are interested in museum/university programs.

Though museums have always been considered educational centers, they have become even more educational in the sense that they now provide courses, master’s programs, and PhDs.  The fact that museums did not offer such opportunities before, and the fact that many degrees given are for extremely narrow fields of studies is rather interesting.  It appears that as the job field becomes more competitive and bleak; museums are offering students an edge.  New degrees from places like the American Museum of Natural History are eye-catching on resumes, and have the ability to open up new career opportunities.  Furthermore, doctorate and master’s degrees from museums proves that higher education is evolving and transforming on an almost yearly basis.

It is interesting to see new degrees popping up all across the country in various fields of studies.  The saying that one learns something new every day is especially true in this regard since students are being recognized in these innovative fields.  However, whatever can be said about the difficult road of employment, the new doctorate and master’s museum programs should be applauded.  Educational facilities of all sorts should share their knowledge as well as resources, and aid young people on their quest to become prosperous intellectuals.  It is nice to see museums transform into places that are not just tourist spots and field trip locations.

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Aug 05

Sustainable Agriculture (Part II)

Our agricultural and food system have many inefficiencies. Damages to the environment and promotion of an unhealthy food system are both causes and consequences of bad agricultural practices. We’ve previously studied the dangers of the monocrops. They’re apparently threatening our long-term agricultural sustainability (to learn more see posts). A change is needed, but how can we reform our agricultural system in ways that are better for the environment as well as better for the consumer? There are many alternative forms of agriculture that could serve both of these objectives, but what we have to focus about is sustainability and  long-term food security.

Two questions are essential when you think about sustainable forms of agriculture- how do you bring food closer to the people (consumer) so that the consumer can have a say in what they eat? And how do you make it in a way that is friendly to the environment? In my opinion it’s all about creating a smart agricultural design that benefits the environment and people.

I’ve recently begun to read about permaculture. Permaculture is defined as sustainable land use design. The method was developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren  during the 1970s. It’s goal is to satisfy the agricultural necessities of humans based on ecological and biological principles. It’s based on patterns that occur in nature. Permaculture redesigns these patterns to maximize effectiveness, reduce energy waste and minimize work when we grow our food. To make the most out of nature, the ecological processes of plants, animals, their nutrient cycles, climatic factors and weather cycles are taken into consideration. It seems like an attractive alternative indeed.

Permaculture principles are designed to apply from dense urban settlements to individual homes, from farms to entire regions. The strategy and the circumstances change, but the basic philosophy is the same: to work with nature, not against it. All with the goal to create a cultivated ecology which is designed to grow more produce than what is generally found in nature. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that integrate the land with its inhabitants. Inhabitants’ needs are provided for using proven technologies for food, energy, shelter and infrastructure.

As good as permaculture sounds, it does have its difficulties. First of all, to work with nature, you first have to understand it. This means that permaculture (or the design of good agriculture) requires training and education. There needs to be a basic understanding of the natural sciences, specially of farming and gardening. So the objective of permaculture is also to train and educate people about natural cycles, but this may be costly and time consuming.  But my hope is that if individuals can access the education about permaculture, they could then design their own environments and build increasingly self sufficient human settlements. This could help reduce our reliance in the industrial agricultural sector that compromises our long-term food safety and that is higly ineffective (as discussed above).

And what is permaculture like? One popular example of permacultural practices is agroforestry.  Agroforestry is a type of agriculture that works with nature. Instead of clear-cutting the trees, agroforestry binds trees with crops. Agroforestry is an agricultural practice that takes place in the middle of the forest. You cultivate the crops in a way that you can take advantage of the trees that are around. For example, if a tree containg higher quantities of a chemical that a crop needs, cultivating the crop near that tree may be advantageous. Another advantage to agroforestry, is that it would require less water transportation. The humidity that is trapped in trees may be favorable to grow and maintain the crops. In recent years it has been getting more and more recognition as an alternative to industrial agriculture (see an article here).

Agroforestry is an example of how trees and crops can be mixed together to create positive outputs. But in permaculture, it is also possible to mix crop cultivation with livestock. By increasing livestock in an area, water scarcity is reduced and droughts are less harsh. This was proven by the Holistic Management Institute, where they could reduce the droughts in Eastern Africa (see post). Through research, the Institute designs and educates farmers to create sustainable land use.

It is clear that further investigation and research about alternative methods of cultivation are required. I think that on the long term the ones that will be most sustainable are the ones that work with nature, instead of against it. Permaculture is a good agriculture. Nature is the solution, not the problem. If we understand it, we can use it to our advantage.

Julia Naime is a research intern at the SISGI Group. She is a student at New York University majoring at Economics. Sustainable development and Environmental Policies are the focus of her research with the SISGI Group. She also researches on issues in International Development. To learn more about the SISGI Group, visit www.sisgigroup.org
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