Suchergebnisse

The relationship between humans & the environment is discussed in an introduction to the second of two special journal issues on the impact of societal processes on geography (see abstracts of related articles). Although the environment has dominated the human-nature relationship for most of history, it is argued that increased technological capability has allowed greater control over the environment, especially during the 20th century. The population explosion is a product of improved access to food & nutrition, mastering of life-threatening environmental aspects, & establishment of relatively stable governmental forms. However, population explosion has also created new problems, eg, urban poverty & environmental pollution, & it is argued that sustainable development is the primary goal of modern relationships between humans & the environment. Contributions are briefly discussed with an emphasis on three themes: (1) increased technological & economic power of transnational corporations, (2) reduced importance of the nation-state & emergence of regional economic unions, & (3) greater understanding of the human-environment relationship. 1 Photograph. T. Sevier

NIGERIA'S CURRENT STRATEGY OF POSITIONING NATIONAL SOCIAL REFORMS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF MOBILIZED POPULATIONS IN BOTH RURAL AND URBAN AREAS SHOULD HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, IF PROPERLY AND ASSIDUOUSLY PURSUED. A MOBILIZED POPULATION CAN ATTAIN THE THREE GOALS OF THE MOVEMENT (SOCIAL JUSTICE, SELF-RELIANCE, AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY) MORE RAPIDLY THAN ONE THAT IS NOT. THE PERTINENT QUESTIONS INCLUDE: HOW ARE POPULATIONS MOBILIZED? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHY IN SUCH AN EXERCISE? HOW IS SUCH MOBILIZATION ATTAINED WITHIN AN URBAN SETTING? WHAT ENDS SHOULD A MOBILIZED URBAN COMMUNITY BE EXPECTED TO SERVE?

Argues self and societal discipline has broken down as a direct result of the last civilian government. The current strategy of positioning social reforms in the context of mobilised populations may have a long-lasting impact if properly executed. Looks at the nature of organisation of urban community in the dynamic transformation between pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras and the purposes it served in each. (SJK)

This book is a collection of thirteen dialogues of the Farm House Dialogue, an ad hoc assembly of people who have insight and knowledge on a subject and who gather informally to discuss the subject and the issues over a week-end. The dialogues contained in this book cover essential elements of development in Nigeria: leadership, population, youth, women, labour, management, technology, communication, rural development, education, health, food and culture. (DÜI-Hff)

7 Emergent urbanizationTypology of colonial urbanization; Colonial impact on the traditional urban economy; Post-colonial urbanization and import-substituting industrialization; Emergent urban systems in underdeveloped countries; Patterns of urbanization; 8 Urban crisis of underdevelopment; Growth of the urban population; Urban unemployment and the growth of the informal sector; Environmental problems of cities in underdeveloped countries; Social alienation and urban management; 9 Urban system and national development; The conceptual basis of urban development

An experiment in poverty reduction began in 1998 in the city of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria (estimated 1999 population 163,000), where, without the remittances from relatives abroad, an estimated 90% of the population lived below the poverty line of $1.00 (U.S.) per person per day. Central to the experiment was whether poverty can be dramatically reduced through a city consultation process that seeks to mobilize the entire community along with its diaspora. With 7 years of experience, the Ijebu-Ode experiment has been successful in many ways. There is increasing evidence that poverty in the city has been reduced significantly through the microfinancing of existing and new productive activities and the estimated >8,000 jobs these activities have created. Training based on both sustainability science and technology and indigenous practitioner knowledge has been a critical factor in the establishment of cooperatives and the development of new enterprises in specialty crops, small animal, and fish production. Much of this success has been possible as a result of harnessing social capital, especially through the dynamic leadership of the traditional authorities of the city and by the provision of ample loanable funds through the National Poverty Eradication Program of the federal government. The city consultation process itself engendered a participatory focus to the experiment from the beginning and has encouraged sustainabaility. Yet long-term sustainability is still in question as the initial leadership needs replacement, and credit, the heart of the experiment, lacks sufficient collateral.

The concept of "institutional radicalization" or "the changing of institutions from their roots" is put forward as critical for understanding the manner in which civil societies in most African countries have been grappling with the challenges of development. Given the well embedded precapitalist social formation in most African countries, various institutions have been radicalized around such critical identities as age, gender, land, occupation, credit, community, and rituals of solidarity to promote development. However, until the state intervenes to legitimize these initiatives of civil societies, their full impact on the development process is bound to be moot. The enormous tasks entailed in such legitimization through identifying, registering, realigning, providing incentives, directing, and monitoring these radicalized institutions remain critical and imperative for African countries if they are to accelerate and deepen the extent of their integration into the global free market economy and democratic governance.