Environmental burdens of one ton baled abaca fiber, which is exported as Manila hemp, were determined using life cycle assessment with three phases: plantation establishment and fiber harvesting, fiber trading, and grading and baling of fiber. Abaca fiber was organically produced in Catanduanes. One hectare abaca plantation produced an average of 830 kg fiber with a total mean discarded biomass of 5.7 t. A barangay trader can purchased 712 kg of dry fiber per week while Grading and Baling Establishment (GBE) procured and processed 250 t mo-1. One ton of baled fiber required 1.6 ha plantation with 2,132 undamaged abaca hills that produced 1,052.6 kg dry abaca fiber. Harvesting produced about 80.2 t of discarded materials and weeds which used as mulch, however, estimated soil nutrient loss was 0.5 kg N and 0.1 kg P and 5.4 kg K. Trading and baling produced 52.6 kg fiber by-product used for furniture making; more than 5 kg of fiber dust and a total global warming potential of 47.7 kg CO2 equivalent. The following are recommended to improve farm productivity: a) use of organic fertilizer to replace the nutrient loss; b) improve stripping device to enhance fiber quality; and c) utilize farm waste for soil conservation. Local policy on abaca trading was recommended to increase farmer’s share. GBE must provide mechanism to improve environmental work condition and strictly enforce the use of ear plug to avoid hearing loss of workers.
The study was aimed to explore the role of cooperativism in dairy cattle farming in Getasan village, Semarang Regency, Central Java Province. Spearman Rank Correlation test was used to determine the relationship between cooperativism and the performance of dairy cattle farming. Based on the results of the Spearman Rank correlation test, feeds and feeding practices were significantly correlated with sharing of knowledge and information and sharing of resources. However, no significant relationship was found between participation in decision making and feeds and feeding practices. Meanwhile, there were significant relationships amog sharing of knowledge and information, sharing of resources, and participation in decision making and milk production in Getasan Village. The dairy health as performance indicator of dairy cattle farming, sharing of knowledge and information was the only significant factor. Sharing of resources and participation in decision making had no significant relationship with dairy health. As regards marketing, the test showed that sharing of knowledge and information, sharing of resources, and participation in decision making were significantly related factors. This study indicated that cooperativism may provide opportunities for farmers to access services, information and resources that will allow them to improve their capacities in these areas. This study also proposed some recommendations that the cooperatives should promote activities encouraging greater cooperation and mutual understanding among the members. Skills trainings and education for empowerment should be conducted to encourage participation in decision making.
Purpose
– This paper aims to determine and compare the vulnerability of selected indigenous communities in the Philippines using several integrated index development approaches. Better understanding on how negative impacts of climate change could be effectively reduced is the identification of appropriate vulnerability assessment approach that is applicable to the local and cultural contexts. Critical in the case of indigenous communities is the analyses of determinants of vulnerability by and with themselves.
Design/methodology/approach
– Using the survey data of combined 169 households, vulnerability scores of two adjacent Alangan Mangyan indigenous communities were quantified utilizing a set of 31 indicators that were systematically combined via the balanced-weighted (composite index) and unbalanced-weighted (principal component analysis) approaches.
Findings
– The computed vulnerability scores of the Alangan Mangyan communities using several approaches yielded varying results. In both study sites, the degree of vulnerability is differentiated even among households of indigenous communities of comparable socio-economic characteristics. The developed indices confirm that typhoons, level of education, literacy rate and monthly income were found to have direct effect on the Alangan Mangyan communities’ vulnerability.
Originality/value
– The study has successfully tested various methodological frameworks in implementing vulnerability assessment applicable in the context of indigenous communities in the Philippines. Results highlighted the need to simultaneously implement several vulnerability assessment approaches to allow comparison of results instead of solely basing climate change vulnerability-reduction programs to be implemented to a single assessment approach.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.