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Zusammenfassung Der Wandel zu einer „bio-basierten“ Wirtschaft, wie er in nationalen und internationalen Biookonomie-Strategien propagiert wird, kann nur mit tiefgreifenden Veranderungen landwirtschaftlicher Systeme zur Steigerung der Agrarproduktion einhergehen. Besonders in Landern des Globalen Sudens gingen solche Prozesse jedoch meist mit unbeabsichtigten – oder in Kauf genommenen – negativen Konsequenzen wie Umweltdegradation oder die Verscharfung gesellschaftlicher Ungleichheiten einher. Dennoch finden die Kenntnisse uber die Risiken bisheriger landwirtschaftlicher Interventionen kaum in politischen Biookonomie-Strategien Berucksichtigung, die auf wirtschaftlich-technische Losungen einer „nachhaltigen“ Intensivierung durch agrartechnologische Innovationen auf der einen, und eine Ausweitung von Produktionsflachen auf der anderen Seite setzen. Wie diese Produktionssteigerungen okologisch und sozial nachhaltig gestaltet werden sollen, bleibt unklar, und bisherige Erfahrungen mit derartigen Interventionen lassen eher das Gegenteil befurchten. Anhand von zwei historischen Beispielen – der Grunen Revolution im Punjab Pakistans und der Neulandkampagne in Kasachstan – skizziert der Beitrag die vielschichtigen sozialen und okologischen Folgen bisheriger, grosangelegter landwirtschaftlicher Interventionen zur Produktionssteigerung und geht der Frage nach, inwiefern diese Erfahrungen (besser) in Biookonomie-Strategien Berucksichtigung finden (konnen). Kritische Reflektion sollte dabei vor allem die Rolle institutioneller Pfadabhangigkeiten in der Gestaltung aktueller und zukunftiger Entwicklungen erfahren. Wie bisherige Erfahrungen im Landwirtschaftssektor deutlich machen, mussen Biookonomie-Strategien ihren geforderten systemischen Ansatz ernst nehmen – was impliziert, dass technologie- und produktivitatsorientierte Ziele stets sozialen und okologischen Zielen untergeordnet werden mussen. Schlagworter: Landwirtschaft, Biookonomie-Strategien, Produktionssteigerung, Grune Revolution, Neulandkampagne, Pakistan, Kasachstan ----- Overcoming Path Dependencies in the Bioeconomy? Agricultural Intensification Processes from a Social-Ecological Perspective Abstract The “transformation” to a bio-based economy as propagated in international and national bioeconomy strategies implies profound changes in agricultural systems to increase production. In countries of the Global South, however, such processes have usually been accompanied by unintended – or deliberately accepted – negative consequences, such as environmental degradation or a widening of social inequalities. Yet, existing knowledge about the risks of agricultural interventions is hardly considered in bioeconomy strategies, which, on the one hand, focus on economic and technical approaches to “sustainable” intensification through agro-technological innovations, and, on the other hand, an expansion of production areas. These strategies lack any plausible ideas on how production increases can be made ecologically and socially sustainable, and previous experience with agrarian interventions give reasons for concern. Using two historical examples – the Green Revolution in the Punjab of Pakistan and the Virgin Lands Campaign in Kazakhstan – this article outlines the complex social and ecological consequences of large-scale agricultural interventions to increase production and examines the extent to which these experiences can (and should) be taken into account in bioeconomy strategies. In this context, the role of institutional path-dependencies in shaping present and future developments should be critically reflected on. As past experience in the agricultural sector has shown, bioeconomy strategies must take their claimed “systemic” approach seriously, which implies that technology and productivity-oriented goals must always be subordinated to social and ecological goals. Keywords: agriculture, bioeconomy strategies, intensification, extensification, green revolution, virgin lands campaign, Pakistan, Kazakhstan ----- Bibliographie: Alff, Henryk/Spies, Michael: Pfadabhangigkeiten in der Biookonomie uberwinden? Landwirtschaftliche Intensivierungsprozesse aus sozial-okologischer Perspektive, PERIPHERIE – Politik • Okonomie • Kultur, 3+4-2020, S. 334-359. https://doi.org/10.3224/peripherie.v40i3-4.06

This article draws on observations by local farmers to analyse changes in climate and their effects on mountain farming in the Karakoram of northern Pakistan, where little scientific knowledge abou...

This article investigates the emergence of female education and its social impacts in a remote and male-dominated mountain community through a case study of Nagar District in northern Pakistan. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 24 women from different educational backgrounds and 15 selected male informants, the study reveals a notable increase in educational opportunities for girls and young women within a relatively short time span, and shows how these changes have affected local perceptions of women's social roles. While there are mixed opinions about the usefulness of education for girls—some find that educated women are better housewives and mothers, while others highlight career opportunities for women—female education has clearly contributed to an increase in self-determination of women. Young women now marry later and have fewer children, parents give their daughters more freedom, and education has contributed to an increase in female mobility and to a more confident and visible role of women in community life. While other aspects of social change also play critical roles, this study shows that female education is one important element in the development of a more equitable society in mountains and elsewhere.

We report the results on factors for self-protective behavior against weather extremes such as extreme heat events, drought, and heavy precipitation. Our research draws on the Model of Private Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change (MPPACC). We developed a survey instrument incorporating the main aspects of the MPPACC and other factors from related research work that are assumed to explain why some people show self-protective behavior while others do not. The interview survey was conducted with a non-random sample of 210 respondents from three Philippine cities, namely Baguio, Dagupan, and Tuguegarao. The results reveal the importance of adaptation appraisal, including the perceived feasibility of self-protective measures, the perceived adaptation knowledge, and, with limitations, the perception of actions taken by neighbors or friends. We also show that perceptions of past weather trends are closely linked to risk perception but are only partly corroborated by weather station data. Implications for fostering self-protective behavior are making use of time windows right after an extreme weather event and focusing on enhancing adaptation appraisal.

This article examines the emergence of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons from a critical perspective, including how and to what degree efforts to alter states’ framing of nuclear ...

The reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of&mdash, and attitude towards&mdash, the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concern raised by farmers was the shading of crops by shelterbelts, resulting in a decrease of yield. In addition, small field sizes and potential conflicts with neighbors were key concerns. Furthermore, rules set by local self-government bodies were inconsistent with the legislative framework, posing significant restrictions to the adoption of sustainable land use practices.

Schlusselworter: Klimaanpassung, Klimadiskurse, Risikowahrnehmung, gemeindebasierte Projekte, Hochwasser, Jakarta ----- Climate Change Adaptation as Discourse: Contrasting Perspectives on Flood Issues in Jakarta, Indonesia. Abstract Based on a case study of flood-affected neighbourhoods in Jakarta, this article discusses the impact of the ‘adaptation discourse’ on local climate change and disaster risk reduction projects in the global South. Currently, climate change policies are dominated by a very narrow understanding of adaptation that neglects not only the underlying causes of vulnerability, but also the fact that from a local perspective climate change may be just one among many factors that people have to deal with. The case study shows how the adaptation paradigm is manifested in community-based projects, where humanitarian organisations tend to limit their focus to narrowly-defined activities of flood risk reduction that (a) overlook the well-functioning self-help structures that already exist and (b) neglect that for local people fl ooding often constitutes a rather minor issue when compared to other livelihood problems. This indicates that either more effort is needed to promote alternative conceptualizations of adaptation or that the idea of adaption itself needs to be questioned with attention refocused on vulnerability reduction. Keywords: Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Discourses, Risk Perception, Community-Based Projects, Flood, Jakarta ----- Bibliographie: Spies, Michael: Klimaanpassung als Diskurs. Ungleiche Perspektiven zur Hochwasserproblematik in Jakarta, Indonesien, PERIPHERIE, 3-2014, S. 404-426. https://doi.org/10.3224/peripherie.v34i136.22472

This article presents the Event Data on Conflict and Security (EDACS) dataset, discusses the inherent problems of georeferenced conflict data, and shows how these challenges are met within EDACS. B...

We consider the sectoral composition of a country's GDP, i.e. the partitioning into agrarian, industrial, and service sectors. Exploring a simple system of differential equations we characterize the transfer of GDP shares between the sectors in the course of economic development. The model fits for the majority of countries providing 4 country-specific parameters. Relating the agrarian with the industrial sector, a data collapse over all countries and all years supports the applicability of our approach. Depending on the parameter ranges, country development exhibits different transfer properties. Most countries follow 3 of 8 characteristic paths. The types are not random but show distinct geographic and development patterns., 7 pages, 4 figures