Search

Summary: We use global value chain (GVC) theory to understand governance of Vietnam’s shrimp farming industry. We describe this GVC as buyer-driven with important food safety standards imposed by governments of importing countries and new certification systems promoted by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Governance relations are clear between governments in importing countries and Vietnam, and between importers and NGOs. Governance relations become more fragmented further down the chain where large numbers of small-scale producers and traders operate. This fragmentation may adversely affect access to the most lucrative markets and have the unanticipated effect of marginalizing small-scale farmers and traders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We examine the potential rural development impacts of a highly decentralized system of feedstock production, biorefining, and consumption of locally-produced lignocellulosic biofuels in Alabama, a heavily forested state in the southeastern United States. Primary data based on in-depth interviews and public presentations by experts were used to establish a realistic scenario for development of a lignocellulosic biofuels industry in Alabama. Based on these data, we applied an input–output model to illustrate economic impacts of establishing six biorefineries, each with an annual capacity of 189 dam3. We applied this same model to analyze the impact of one biorefinery of that size on a set of rural counties in west Alabama, a region characterized both by abundant timber resources and persistent rural poverty. Research findings reveal a high potential for economic development and job growth, especially in the logging sector and in rural regions of the state. The trajectory of this development and distribution of benefits from this incipient industry will depend on federal, state and local policies. We identify types of policies that would simultaneously encourage growth of this industry and ensure that those who live in areas where production and refining operations take place benefit from this development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 1980 the Indonesian government imposed a ban on trawling along the Malacca Straits and off the north coast of Java, the nation's two most important fishing grounds. The ban on trawling was extended nation-wide in 1981, effectively eliminating a highly productive type of fishing gear and the most important source of shrimp for the lucrativeinternational market. The political nature of this decision and factors contributing to what has proven to be effective enforcement are discussed. Data on the Malacca Straits and the north coast of Java areused to assess the consequences of the trawler ban on the demersal fisheries. Prior to the trawler ban, little or no growth occurred in numbers of fishers, numbers of small-scale demersal gear, or landings by small-scale demersal gear. After 1980, however, small-scale demersal fisheries experienced dramatic growth, generating significant new employment opportunities but raising anew serious resource managementproblems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]