...For 87 years, Future Farmers of America, also referred to as FFA, has been a national youth organization within the agricultural education structure. The FFA organization prepares students for leadership, individual growth and career development. Today, there are more than 575,000 student members that are engaged in a wide variety of activities. Students can participate in Student Development, Chapter Development or Community Development which helps them accomplish goals at a local level. Accomplishing goals at the local level can lead to the possibility of many different FFA Degrees. Since 1920, Future Farmers of America has been helping prepare each new generation of farmers for the challenges of feeding a growing population, by providing agricultural education and career guidance to students across America (Freeholders support legislation recognizing future farmers of America 1). There are many different fields besides farming; a student can work in various areas of agriculture, such as raising, feeding and maintaining livestock. The national FFA emblem consists of five symbols that signify the history, goals and future of the organization. The ear of corn symbolizes...
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...Fairtrade and the impact on farmers’ lives Abstract Fairtrade is an organisation with the aim of improving the livelihoods of farmers from developing countries in order to support equality among people. The business is however often in the critique for procedures that are either not helpful for their farmers or even harm the market as a whole. This paper aims at analysing the Fairtrade standards as well as evidence from the literature with regard to the actual impact of the system. The results show that the standards set by Fairtrade are actually fair for their farmers, however a lack of transparency and traceability hinders their proper implementation. Furthermore, Fairtrade standards appear to have even negative effects on farmers that are not part of their organisation caused by rough price competitions as well as on the society as a whole since it hinders an autonomous development of the poor nations. Key Words: Fair Trade, Standards, Developing countries, Livelihood 1 1. Introduction The rising globalization has brought a lot of opportunities to developing countries since their agricultural products can now easily be purchased from all over the world. Due to poor economic, social and political conditions, their producers are however often underpaid and treated badly, while major corporations make the most profit out of it. While moral concerns about the origin of products are arising more and more within the last centuries in the western world, the...
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...Globalizations June 2008, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 259 –274 Are Sustainable Coffee Certifications Enough to Secure Farmer Livelihoods? The Millenium Development Goals and Nicaragua’s Fair Trade Cooperatives ´ ´ CHRISTOPHER M. BACONÃ , V. ERNESTO MENDEZÃÃ , MARIA ´ EUGENIA FLORES GOMEZÃÃÃ , DOUGLAS STUARTÃÃÃÃ , & SANDRO ´ ´ RAUL DIAZ FLORESÃÃÃÃÃ Ã University of California, Santa Cruz, USA University of Vermont, USA ÃÃÃ ´ Asociacion de Mujeres Contra La Violencia, Oyanka, Jalapa, Nicaragua ÃÃÃÃ Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua, Nicaragua ÃÃÃÃÃ ´ ´ CII-ASDENIC, Edificio Casa Estelı, Estelı, Nicaragua ÃÃ ABSTRACT In December 2001, green coffee commodity prices hit a 30-year low. This deepened the livelihood crisis for millions of coffee farmers and rural communities. The specialty coffee industry responded by scaling up several sustainable coffee certification programs, including Fair Trade. This study uses household- and community-level research conducted in Nicaragua from 2000 to 2006 to assess the response to the post-1999 coffee crisis. A participatory action research team surveyed 177 households selling into conventional and Fair Trade markets in 2006. In an effort to dialogue with specialty coffee industry and mainstream development agencies, results are framed within the context of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Findings suggest that households connected to Fair Trade cooperatives experienced several positive impacts...
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...Düsternbrooker Weg 120, 24105 Kiel, Germany Kiel Working Paper No. 1469 | December 2008 Title* Author Aslihan Arslan Abstract: Economic models of land allocation may lead to expectations for farmer response that “surprisingly" do not materialize, if market prices fail to reflect the value of farmers' product. “Shadow prices" rather than market prices explain resource allocation better for farmers who attach significant non-market values to their own crops. I extend the theoretical model in Arslan and Taylor (2008) to explain why the land allocation of such farmers may not respond to market signals even if transaction costs are not binding. I estimate the proportion of land subsistence maize farmers allocate to traditional versus modern maize varieties using nationally representative rural household data from Mexico – the center of diversity of maize. I conclude that shadow prices explain land allocation better than market prices and discuss the importance of non-market values in understanding both farmers' supply response and on-farm conservation of traditional crops with non-market values. Keywords: Land allocation, shadow prices, non-market values, traditional crops, on-farm conservation, Mexico JEL classification: O12, O13, Q12, Q39 Aslıhan Arslan Kiel Institute for the World Economy 24100 Kiel, Germany Telephone: (431) 881 4499 E-mail: aslihan.arslan@ifw-kiel.de * I thank to the Center on Rural Economies of the Americas and Pacific Rim (REAP) and Program for the Study...
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...Assignment 1.2: research Paper Industrialization after the Civil War Industrialization after the Civil War Introduction This paper discusses the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the economy, politics, and society. Also this paper will talk about five different groups affected by the Revolution. In addition, this paper reviews the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the average working American. The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to America as a whole; it seems as though no stone was left unturned. The Revolution affected everything in its path, including government, people, and way of life in general. Three Aspects of the Industrial Revolution Three aspects of the Industrial Revolution include society, the economy, and politics. The American economy began to change during the Industrial Revolution; this change was mainly due to the increase of productivity. Productivity increased by using the out work system. This system consisted of people completing jobs in their homes (Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution). Another way the economy changed was through the factory system. This system allowed a large scale of work to be completed in one location (Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution). Society was another aspect that changed through the Industrial Revolution. Society went through two major transitions during the revolution. One of the major changes was that many Americans left farming, and went to find jobs...
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...Amish Cultural Research Paper Amish Cultural Research Paper Imagine living in a society where the members socialize exclusively with each other and not with the outside world. The men of this society dress conservatively in dark colors sporting clean-shave until married when they switch to beards. The women, wearing only full skirts, wear their hair up in a bun and covered with a simple white cap or bonnet. The community, called an ordnung, decides how the community will be run from state to state. The culture itself keeps an arms distance from technology because they believe that it weakens the structure of the family. Planting and sowing of the fields is done by using horse drawn machinery and very rarely does the hum of anything fuel powered echo from the farms. Intermarriages are kept within the genetically isolated society to include first cousins and divorce is not tolerated. The Amish are a horticultural-based culture that consists of a society that is very conservative and strong on religion. The intent of this paper is to focus on the Amish culture, their primary mode of subsistence, and to identify three aspects of it impacted by this mode. History The Amish are a peace-loving, upright, religious group of people, settled happily in different parts of the United States and Canada. They disregard the modern way of life and are content to live their lives preparing for death and heavenly rewards by going without modern conveniences, such as electricity...
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...Food, Agriculture, and the Environment Discussion Paper 34 Agricultural Research and Poverty Reduction Peter Hazell and Lawrence Haddad International Food Policy Research Institute 2033 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 U.S.A. August 2001 INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP (TAC), CONSULTATIVE GROUP Copyright © 2001 International Food Policy Research Institute All rights reserved. Sections of this report may be reproduced without the express permission of but with acknowledgment to the International Food Policy Research Institute. ISBN 0-89629-639-3 Foreword v Acknowledgments vi 1. Introduction 1 2. The Nature and Extent of Poverty 3 3. How Agricultural Research Can Help the Poor 9 4. Targeting Agricultural Research to Benefit the Poor 18 5. Strategies for Pro-Poor Agricultural Research 26 6. The Role of Public Research and Extension Systems 35 References 37 Contents iii Tables 1. Trends in child malnutrition in developing countries, by region, 1970–95 6 2. Distribution of land types by region 6 3. Distribution of malnourished children by agroecological zone, 1990 7 4. Comparison of low- and middle-income countries 21 5. Priorities for agricultural research to reduce national poverty by type of adopting region 24 Figures 1. Number of people living on less than $1 a day, 1987 and 1998 4 2. Those living with HIV/AIDS and those newly infected: Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa...
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...as North America. During this period of piracy and expansion many settlements were established. It is the farmers of these settlements that we will examine. Vikings settled in Britain, Ireland, France, Iceland, and Greenland. In Iceland farms were isolated from one another and the farmer needed have the respect and support of his family and hired men in order to prosper. The farmer usually had not only his family but extended family, hired men, and slaves as well. All of these individuals lived in the longhouse. Originally the livestock lived in the longhouse also, but later outbuilding housed the more valuable animals. Framers in Iceland needed to grow and harvest a large amount of hay in order to feed the livestock throughout the winter. Farmers usually had two areas to grow hay. Most hay was grown on uncultivated land, but some was grown near the longhouse. The field by the longhouse was heavily fertilized with manure as they did not practice crop rotation. Rocks and sod made a fence around this field to keep out animals and humans. Hay was harvested with a scythe. Before winter the amount of hay harvested was compared to the amount of livestock. If the amount of hay was not sufficient for the number of animals, the weakest animals were slaughtered. So important was the growing of hay that there were laws concerning the height on the fences that protected the hay, and about hiring enough men to ensure that all the fields were properly tended. Icelandic farmers raised cattle...
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...type of research should Urs do? Urs has many different issues that she is facing in making this windmill decision. Urs must first conduct market research. Market research has a variety of purposes and a variety of data collection methods that can be utilized for each purpose. What Urs needs to understand is that no small business can succeed without understanding who the potential customers might be, how those products and services affect the customers, and the market in general. Competition is often fierce, and operating without conducting research may give competitors an advantage. There are two ways to do market research, primary and secondary research. ("Market Research," 2010) As a general rule, a thorough research of the secondary data should be undertaken prior to conducting primary research. Using information gleaned from secondary sources, the owner can uncover all kinds of demographic information, including detailed income data and spending patterns. The secondary information will provide a useful background and will identify key questions and issues that will need to be addressed by the primary research. Performing secondary market research means obtaining information from sources such as trade journals and magazines where published papers, directories and even market statistics can be found. Useful qualitative data can be found in trade association figures, government and industry forecasts, white papers as well as in research reports...
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... Response Paper 2 Henry Wallace- the forgotten progressive Throughout the Roosevelt presidential years much was made about the steps FDR took to bring the American people up and out of the stagnant depression that had gripped the Nation for 10 long years, from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) implemented in 1933, and leading to the Social Security Act (SSA)1935, and the Works Progress Administration ( WPA) 1933-1943. There were still more social programs instituted during that period, some of which are a cornerstone of compassionate government today. What has been lost in the near deification of the last great president Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the amount of credit the influential and dynamic vice-president, Henry Wallace deserves for effectively serving as the conscience of the executive branch. When I say ‘credit’, that is exactly what he deserves for his service during this time of hardship and war. Wallace was...
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...Assignment 1.2: Research Paper THE EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION AFTER THE CIVIL WAR Renee Whaley History 105: Contemporary U.S History Professor Michael Dixon February 7, 2016 The Effects of Industrialization after the Civil War Introduction This paper will focus on the industrialization period that followed the civil war and the effects it had on the society, economy, and politics. This paper will also touch on three different groups affected by this period known as the industrial age. Finally, this paper will look at the daily life of an average working American and how it was affected by the industrial age. Society, Economics, and Politics The Industrial Age (better known as the Industrial Revolution) had an affect on nearly every aspect of the American life. This included its society, its economy, and its politics. From the north down on through the south and eventually to the west, society changed through the Industrial Revolution. The north saw more of an ideal lifestyle. Factories and a surplus of jobs created more opportunities for people and as a result, many began to move towards the north in search for a better lifestyle. As population grew, housing became a problem. Companies would build housing close to factories so its employees could walk to work but poor building codes saw companies taking advantage of this. Plumbing became obsolete, the water system became polluted, and diseases would often sweep through the tenements. In the south, the...
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...Equal pay for illegal immigrants : Job is always the biggest reason why illegal immigrants took the risk crossing border to come to America. However, not every one of them is getting the equal pay as the U.S. citizens. Because illegal immigrants are lack of the document, such as ID card and social security number. Some employers would hire some of the illegal immigrant to work but pay them very cheap wages. A illegal immigrants name luna said that "We would go months without a paycheck. Most of the time they wouldn't pay us what they promised us. We had to keep going, we had nothing else we could do to earn money." Ameican is a country full of opportunity, the documentation should not be the block for them. We should given them a opportunity...
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...shows and exhibits in association with African Farmers Workshop and Expo other similar associations to meet potential customers. Direct exporting would not require a large investment and understand and test reaction of customers. Using a distributor would be a good start for Agrium Inc. to enter South African market and understand how the product is accepted and expand into other parts of Africa. As the demand for imported fertilizers is increasing due to the limited and high prices of locally produced fertilizers and also the lack of fertile soil appropriate for agriculture this as posses the right time to enter and capture the market and a distributor would be a faster and easier way to enter the market. The trade shows and exhibitions would provide a good platform to interact and build a relationship with potential distributors. Even getting touch with the South African embassy, or the Canadian embassy in South Africa could be helpful to decide on a distributor, also become a member of Fertilizer Association of Southern Africa (FERTASA), which brings farmers and compnies providing any agricultural products together providing a good platform to meet more potential clients. Agrium Inc. is a major Retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North America, South America and Australia and a wholesale producer and marketer of all three major agricultural nutrients and a supplier of specialty fertilizers in North America. Agrium U.S. Incorporated, a subsidiary company...
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...Research Proposal and Outline Research Proposal - Topic: Eradicating obesity in America. Research Question: What are the solutions to eradicating obesity in America, and who is to blame for this epidemic? Working Thesis: In order to combat the obesity epidemic, government needs to revise farm policies to favor production of healthier foods in abundance, and individual families need to re-establish the connection of the environment to the soil and food supply Research Plan - For research, I will be using the DeVry Library database - EBSCO host search. (http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.devry.edu/Community.aspx?custid=ns123107&authtype=ip&encid=22D731163C4635073776358632253E32385321E33513370331533583&ugt=62E771363C1635273736351632053E7228E361D36513679361E325E338133503&IsAdminMobile=N) I have used information from the following websites in my Position paper Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Food without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity available at iatp.org http://www.nffc.net/Learn/Fact%20Sheets/Obesity%20and%20Ag.pdf A Natural Solution to the Obesity Epidemic http://primaldocs.com/opinion/a-natural-solution-to-the-obesity-epidemic/ Other research sources will be added as the work progresses. Research outline 1. The introduction will explain the epidemic state of Obesity in America discussing the statistics of obesity among children, teenagers, and adults. I will further...
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...University Library on July 5, 2011 Volume 8(4): 339–366 Copyright © 2008 SAGE www.sagepublications.com DOI: 10.1177/1470593108096540 articles Marketing the hegemony of development: of pulp fictions and green deserts1 Steffen Böhm University of Essex, UK Vinícius Brei Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil Abstract. In this paper we analyze the role of marketing in the construction of what can be called the hegemony of development. Through an investigation of the marketing practices of the pulp and paper industry in South America and the resistances that are articulated by a range of civil society actors against the expansion of this industry, we problematize marketing as a political and contested discourse and practice. By using Laclau and Mouffe’s (1985, 2001) theoretical framework, which is centered on the concept of ‘hegemony’, we highlight the crucial role marketing plays in the social and cultural legitimation of the highly controversial development of the pulp and paper industry – regarded as one of the most polluting industries in the world – in South America. We build on...
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