Smog in the City

SMOG IN THE CITY

By Anton Antonio

November 12, 2015

Dr. Consuelo dL. Habito, Program Chairperson of the Master in Environment and Natural Resources Management program of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies of the University of the Philippines Open University, posted these pictures on her Facebook wall last November 6, 2015 captioned “Smog in the City”.  A closer look at the photos will reveal a very visible thick layer of gray matter in the atmosphere that seems to blanket the entire city.  In the same post, there was an interesting exchange of comments between Dr. Conie (who really is my idol) and me that revolved around (1) the need to review our second hand and “surplus” motor vehicle importation policies, (2) the need to encourage and establish a sustainable public mass transport system that would cover Metro Manila, and (3) the ill effects of air pollution. 

Dr. Conie really chose a very good descriptive caption for her Facebook post: “Smog in the City”.  Smog is a kind of air pollution, originally named for the mixture of smoke and fog in the air.  Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area and is caused by a mixture of smoke and sulphur dioxide.  Metro Manila air pollution, however, is not caused by the burning of coal but is largely the result of a mixture of solid particles, gases and chemicals in the air. 

Motor vehicle emissions, dust and other chemical and particles in air account for air pollution in the Metropolitan Manila area.  “There are over 70,000 synthetic chemicals in commercial use and application at present.  A majority of these chemicals have harmful effects to humans.  Examples of pollutants are particulate materials, lead, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, VOC and sulphur oxide.  Pollutants have ACUTE EFFECTS on organisms, including human organisms, which can immediately be observed upon exposure.  The acute effects of pollutants largely depend on (a) the properties of the chemical pollutant; (b) the concentration of the chemical pollutant; and, (c) the length of time of exposure.  The response to chemical pollutants could range from skin rashes, to nausea or even death.  On the other hand, some effects are hardly noticed even if exposure is on a day-to-day basis and for a longer period of time.  These are called the CHRONIC EFFECTS of chemical pollutants.  A combination of chemical pollutants can also create what is commonly referred to as the SYNERGISTIC EFFECT.  Synergistic effect occurs when chemical pollutants interact with each other or react to other substances.  The effect of these chemical pollutants in synergy, also called a bioaccumulation process, is very hard to detect.” (Antonio, 2015)

Dr. Conie’s photos are a testament to the fact that there is a big air pollution problem in most highly urbanized cities in the country… and a sense of urgency needs to be institutionalized to mitigate this problem’s impact.  Whenever you see a thick gray film of air in the horizon, be worried shitless… we have smog in the city.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “Effects of Pollutants”. Retrieved on November 12, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/05/effects-of-pollutants.html

Classification of Agroforestry System

CLASSIFICATION OF AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

By Anton Antonio

November 11, 2015

The international entity that sets the criteria for agroforestry systems is the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).  The World Agroforestry Centre, also known as the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) before 2002, is an international institute headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and founded in 1978.  The Centre specializes in the sustainable management, protection and regulation of tropical rainforest and natural reserves.  It is one of 15 agricultural research centres which make up the global network known as CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research).  The Centre conducts research in agroforestry, in partnership with national agricultural research systems with a view to developing more sustainable and productive land use.  The focus of its research is countries/regions in the developing world, particularly in the tropics of Central and South America, Southeast Asia and parts of central Africa.  The Centre also organizes group training courses on agroforestry information management for the library and information personnel of collaborating institutions.  In 2002, the Centre acquired the World Agroforestry Centre brand name, although International Centre for Research in Agroforestry remains its legal name and it continues to use the acronym ICRAF.

Agroforestry systems can be classified based on the following criteria set by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF):

1. STRUCTURAL BASIS refers to the composition, vertical stratification and temporal arrangement of the different components.  (a)  The farmer manages three components: woody perennials, agricultural crops, and animals.  We can classify agroforestry systems depending on which of these components are present in the farm.  (b)  Spatial arrangement refers to the way the plant components of the system are arranged on the surface of an agroforestry farm.  Based on this criterion, an agroforestry system can either have a regular or irregular distribution.  It is regular when forest trees are grown/planted in association with farm crops, or scattered regularly among them.  It is irregular when trees are placed randomly alongside or around crops with which these are associated.  (c)  Temporal arrangement refers to how trees and crops are alternately grown over time in a given space and could either be temporary or permanent.  It is temporary when the agricultural component does not last the length of the forest rotation, and permanent when maintained during one or more rotations.
2. FUNCTIONAL BASIS refers to the major functions or roles of the system, mainly of the tree component.  The woody perennial forest component could either be productive, protective or both.
3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASIS refers to scales of production, level of technology, inputs, and management as the basis for classification.  Therefore classes are commercial, intermediate or subsistence.

These are the parameters by which the World Agroforestry Centre conducts the classification of agroforestry systems.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Villanueva, T. R., (2005). “Upland Ecosystem Management”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Criteria for an Agroforestry System

CRITERIA FOR AN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

By Anton Antonio

November 10, 2015

 “Agroforestry is a technical discipline whose main concern is to develop sustainable production systems.  It answers such questions as what crops/livestock combination to raise, or how soil and water can be conserved.  An agroforestry technology can be used not only by upland farmers but also by private individuals and corporations who want to develop upland areas.  Agroforestry is the primary technical support of social forestry since the main clientele of the latter are upland farmers.  This is because agroforestry is the most suitable farming technology for upland areas (Lasco, 1999).”

In an ideal agroforestry system the following criteria must be met:

PRODUCTIVITY – Agroforestry should increase production of desired commodities.  It should also increase productivity of the land.  Crops and technologies should therefore be properly combined to achieve optimum product-output mix and to improve the farmers’ income and living conditions.  To be productive, a system must yield high outputs, reduce inputs abd increase labor efficiency.

SUSTAINABILITY – Agroforestry systems should provide benefits through time without compromising the needs of future generations by conserving the productive potential of the resource base.  Fertility of the land can be maintained and conserved by employing soil and water conservation strategies.  Here again, consider the three components of sustainability… therefore, ecological, social, and economic.

ADAPTABILITY – This means acceptability.  To be acceptable it should be compatible to the culture of the farmers.  Sociocultural norms and traditions, beliefs and customs ahould be considered in introducing an agroforestry system.

Upland development programs and projects largely depend on certain criteria for them to be successful.  In agroforestry, productivity, sustainability and adaptability have the same function.  They are the success parameters and criteria for an agroforestry system.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCES:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “Agroforestry: Concepts and Definitions”. Retrieved on November 10, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/11/agroforestry-concepts-and-definitions.html

Villanueva, T. R., (2005). “Upland Ecosystem Management”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Roles of Agroforestry

ROLES OF AGROFORESTRY

By Anton Antonio

November 9, 2015

There are several definitions of agroforestry.  For our purpose, let us use the following definition: “Agroforestry is a technical discipline whose main concern is to develop sustainable production systems.  It answers such questions as what crops/livestock combination to raise, or how soil and water can be conserved.  An agroforestry technology can be used not only by upland farmers but also by private individuals and corporations who want to develop upland areas.  Agroforestry is the primary technical support of social forestry since the main clientele of the latter are upland farmers.  This is because agroforestry is the most suitable farming technology for upland areas (Lasco, 1999).”

From this definition of Lasco (1999), we could note that there are two basic roles of agroforestry which are protective and productive in nature.  If effectively applied, agroforestry is an effective tool for rehabilitating and managing degraded uplands and promoting rural development.  It has the potential to contribute to the conservation and amelioration of the upland natural resource base similar to the beneficial influences derived from forest ecosystems.  It can also bring about increased crop productivity, self sufficiency in basic necessities and over-all improvement in the socio-economic conditions of upland famers.  The realization of these potentials is based on two premises: the protective/ameliorative (ecological) and productive (socio-economic) roles of agroforestry.

ECOLOGICAL ROLES – This is based largely on the beneficial effects of trees on soil and the microenvironment.  It involves soil conservation and amelioration, water conservation, improvement of microclimate. And other benefits like aesthetics, food and shelter, resistance to pests and diseases (Lasco, 1999).

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ROLES – This includes long term benefits particularly in alleviating the socioeconomic conditions of subsistence farmers.  As the upland ecosystem is conserved and improved by appropriate agroforestry systems, it follows that productivity could also be sustained through time.  This in turn ensures the farmers’ self sufficiency in food, energy, fodder, and other basic services while providing extra income that could be used for other socioeconomic needs (Lasco, 1999).

Agroforestry, aside from its ecological and socio-economic roles is a discipline and an approach to land use that incorporates the complexities of sustainable natural resources management.  A successful agroforestry initiative will largely depend on a keen understanding of the roles of agroforestry.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “Agroforestry: Concepts and Definitions”. Retrieved on November 9, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/11/agroforestry-concepts-and-definitions.html

Villanueva, T. R., (2005). “Upland Ecosystem Management”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Characteristics of Agroforestry

CHARACTERISTICS OF AGROFORESTRY

By Anton Antonio

November 8, 2015

There are several definitions of agroforestry.  For our purpose, let us use the following definition: “Agroforestry is a technical discipline whose main concern is to develop sustainable production systems.  It answers such questions as what crops/livestock combination to raise, or how soil and water can be conserved.  An agroforestry technology can be used not only by upland farmers but also by private individuals and corporations who want to develop upland areas.  Agroforestry is the primary technical support of social forestry since the main clientele of the latter are upland farmers.  This is because agroforestry is the most suitable farming technology for upland areas (Lasco, 1999).”

From this definition of Lasco (1999), we could note the following characteristics of agroforestry:

1. It involves two or more species of plants, at least one of which is a woody perennial.
2. It always has two or more outputs.
3. Its cycle is always longer than one year.
4. The simplest agroforestry system is more complex ecologically and economically than a monocropping system.
5. Ecological and economic interactions exist between or among woody and non-woody components.

Agroforestry is more than a set of prescriptions and system.  It is a discipline and an approach to land use that incorporates the complexities of sustainable natural resources management.  A successful agroforestry initiative will largely depend on a keen understanding of the characteristics of agroforestry.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “Agroforestry: Concepts and Definitions”. Retrieved on November 8, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/11/agroforestry-concepts-and-definitions.html

Villanueva, T. R., (2005). “Upland Ecosystem Management”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Agroforestry: Concepts and Definitions

AGROFORESTRY: CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

By Anton Antonio

November 7, 2015

Agroforestry or agro-sylviculture is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland.  It combines agriculture and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land use systems.  There are other concepts and definitions of agroforestry, such as:

·         Agroforestry is a technical discipline whose main concern is to develop sustainable production systems.  It answers such questions as what crops/livestock combination to raise, or how soil and water can be conserved.  An agroforestry technology can be used not only by upland farmers but also by private individuals and corporations who want to develop upland areas.  Agroforestry is the primary technical support of social forestry since the main clientele of the latter are upland farmers.  This is because agroforestry is the most suitable farming technology for upland areas (Lasco, 1999).

·         Agroforestry is a sustainable land management system that increases the total yield of the land, combines the production of crops (including tree crops) and forest plants and/or animals simultaneously of sequentially on the same unit of land, and applies management practices that are compatible with the cultural practices of the local population (Bene, et. Al., 2977).

·         Agroforestry is a land use system that involves socially and ecologically acceptable integration of trees with agricultural crops and/or animals, simultaneously or sequentially, so as to get increased total productivity of plants and animals in a sustainable manner from a unit of farmlands, especially under conditions of low levels of technology inputs and marginal lands (Nair, 1993).

·         Agroforestry is a collective name for land use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, bamboos, palms, etc.) are deliberately used in the same land management unit as agricultural crops and/or animals, either in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence (Lundgren, 1982).

One of the feared impacts of climate change is food security.  The use of agroforestry concepts could definitely be a good tool and measure to increase agricultural productivity (both crops and livestock).  It is, therefore, important to study and understand agroforestry concepts and definitions.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Villanueva, T. R., (2005). “Upland Ecosystem Management”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Scientific Consensus on Climate Change

SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

By Anton Antonio

November 6, 2015

In a previous blog (titled: “Evidences of Climate Change”), the following evidences of climate change were mentioned:

1. Rising Temperatures;
2. Rising Sea Levels;
3. Melting Glaciers;
4. Melting Polar Caps;
5. Stronger Tropical Storms;
6. Stronger Hurricanes;
7. Hotter Heat Waves;
8. Widespread Droughts;
9. Uncontrolled Wildfires;
10. Frequent Flooding;
11. Mass Desertification; and,
12. Common Diseases.

From January 1991 to November 2012, there has been 13,950 peer-reviewed scientific articles, reports and studies on climate change with a total 33,690 authors.  Considering all these articles only 24 articles deny anthropogenic (meaning: man-made) climate change with a total or 34 authors… or a ratio of 1 in 1,000 believes that climate change is caused by human activities.  These articles largely attribute climate change to natural causes.  Considering, again, this disparity points to the scientific consensus that climate change is real and is primarily caused by man.

Climate Change Guide concluded the following from all of these articles, papers and reports: (1) In the scientific literature, global warming denial is clearly a visible minority; (2) The authors of the few rejecting papers tend to agree with, or even to cite, each other’s work; (3) Not including the authors themselves, only a handful of scientists cite the articles rejecting man-made climate change.  Those who do cite them do not themselves reject anthropogenic global warming; (4) The rejecting authors do not have an alternative theory to explain the observed warming that is taking place.  In fact, they do not even agree among themselves (no bandwagon here); and, (5) The vast majority of climate scientists accept the theory that mankind’s greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change.

With all these and many more effects of climate change in the background, it is hard to think that climate change is not a reality and is indeed occurring.  Without a shred of doubt, climate change is a global issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later in order to prolong our planet’s great biodiversity.  If we don’t, over 100 million people will perish by 2030 and millions of entire species will be wiped out by 2050.

These evidences of climate change should be enough to awaken peoples of the world to think of contributing to the effort to combat and mitigate climate change.  Every little action and initiative is important to humankind’s survival. This is what the environmental science community is trying to tell everyone.  This is also the scientific consensus on climate change.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C. (2015). “Climate Change is Real”. Retrieved on November 6, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/11/climate-change-is-real_4.html

Climate Change Guide, (2015). “Evidence of Climate Change”.  Retrieved on November 6, 2015 from http://www.climate-change-guide.com/evidence-of-climate-change.html