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The problem of snares

Vernon Reynolds

in The Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation

Of the 49 non-infant chimpanzees in the community, 16 have injuries resulting from being caught in snares. The background to snaring is described: local hunters set snares in the forest to catch ... More

Of the 49 non-infant chimpanzees in the community, 16 have injuries resulting from being caught in snares. The background to snaring is described: local hunters set snares in the forest to catch duikers and pigs. Chimpanzees are not eaten but get caught in snares, and in most cases, lose the use of a hand or a foot in consequence. Two cases of death from snares are reported. Besides forest snares, traps and spears are used in farmers’s fields and in local sugarcane plantations. A snare removal project has been run by the Budongo Forest Project since 1995, coupled with an education project in local villages to explain the rationale for removing snares. A live-trap project aimed at reducing the number of snares and traps set is described.Less

The Kasokwa Forest chimpanzees: a breakdown of trust

Vernon Reynolds

in The Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation

To the south of the main block of the Budongo Forest is a forest outlier which follows the course of the Kasokwa river, running between sugarcane fields. In this outlier lives a community of 15 ... More

To the south of the main block of the Budongo Forest is a forest outlier which follows the course of the Kasokwa river, running between sugarcane fields. In this outlier lives a community of 15 chimpanzees, which used to move between the main Budongo block and their riverine home. Today, owing to population pressure, the trees between Kasokwa and the main forest have been cut down and replaced by farmers’ fields and houses. The chimpanzees are thus isolated, prompting them to raid the surrounding sugarcane fields when their forest food supply runs short. This has led to a ‘war’ between them and the local population, with losses on both sides. The chimpanzees have killed a human baby and injured a number of children, while the human population has retaliated by killing chimpanzees.Less

The future of Budongo's chimpanzees and of the chimpanzees of Uganda as a whole

Vernon Reynolds

in The Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation

Illegal pit-sawing, snaring, and population pressure are the main threats facing the chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest today. Population pressure is linked to the growth of agribusiness, in ... More

Illegal pit-sawing, snaring, and population pressure are the main threats facing the chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest today. Population pressure is linked to the growth of agribusiness, in particular, the sugarcane industry. The forest has a Management Plan drawn up by the National Forest Authority, but there is a lack of enforcement of laws and a general lack of policing of the forest due to understaffing. A great deal more money and effort must be put into wildlife conservation if the survival of the Budongo chimpanzees is to be achieved. A five-year national action plan for chimpanzee conservation was published by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in 2003. This embodies a bold vision and it remains to be seen whether this vision can be realized in the face of ever increasing pressures on the Budongo chimpanzees.Less

Takin’ It to the Courts: Legal Services, the UFW, and the Battle for the Worst Jobs in the World

Cindy Hahamovitch

in No Man's Land: Jamaican Guestworkers in America and the Global History of Deportable Labor

This chapter details the conflict between domestic workers and guestworkers as the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), with the Florida Rural Legal Services, became involved in a struggle for “the ... More

This chapter details the conflict between domestic workers and guestworkers as the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), with the Florida Rural Legal Services, became involved in a struggle for “the worst jobs in the world.” Florida Rural was working to transform every aspect of farmworkers' lives. Its lawyers sued to gain access to labor camps, to integrate those camps, to get workers transported in buses rather than flatbed trucks, to get any Florida county to set up a Food Stamp program, to get farmworkers paid what they were owed, and to enforce local sanitation and housing ordinances. And although Florida Rural took all sorts of cases—including straight forward divorce and landlord–tenant cases—a great deal of their time would be spent suing on behalf of Caribbean guestworkers who alleged exploitation by sugarcane companies and to prove that domestic workers had been unfairly deprived of those same miserable jobs.Less

From Everglades to Sugar Bowl and Back Again?

in Raising Cane in the 'Glades: The Global Sugar Trade and the Transformation of Florida

This chapter focuses on the political struggles over the ecological “restoration” of the Everglades, describing the criticisms leveled against the sugar industry for the negative environmental impact ... More

This chapter focuses on the political struggles over the ecological “restoration” of the Everglades, describing the criticisms leveled against the sugar industry for the negative environmental impact of cane cultivation, and the politics and economics of plantation production in south Florida. It discusses how the activities of sugarcane producers affect the downstream ecology, and addresses the “sugar question,” which refers to the intense international debates on the political economy of global sugar production and trade. The sugar question can be understood as a series of international and domestic political disputes and compromises over the use of various instruments employed to control global trade in the commodity. These instruments include bounties, tariffs, duties, and quotas. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less

Ethanol: A Renewable Energy Type

Paul F. Meier

in The Changing Energy Mix: A Systematic Comparison of Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy

This chapter examines the use of biomass to make ethanol, or bioethanol, as a transportation fuel. Biomass is defined as any organic material that can be used as a fuel. However, in the United States ... More

This chapter examines the use of biomass to make ethanol, or bioethanol, as a transportation fuel. Biomass is defined as any organic material that can be used as a fuel. However, in the United States and Brazil, the two countries that dominate the bioethanol market, most ethanol is produced from corn grain (United States) or sugarcane (Brazil). There has also been research and some commercial trials using cellulosic material, such as corn stover, switchgrass, and sugarcane bagasse, to produce ethanol, but the approach is hindered by high capital and operating costs. In the United States, more than 35% of the total corn production goes towards ethanol production and ethanol makes up about 10% of the gasoline market. Since 2007, the gallons of ethanol produced has more than doubled, and much of this growth has been driven by federal subsidies and mandates.Less

The Landscape Legacies of Sugar and Rum: An Historical-Ecological Perspective from Betty’s Hope

Suzanna M. Pratt, E. Christian Wells, and Anthony R. Tricarico

in An Archaeology and History of a Caribbean Sugar Plantation on Antigua

The environmental legacies of sugarcane cultivation at Betty’s Hope were created over a period of three hundred years and involved massive transformations to the landscape. In this chapter, ... More

The environmental legacies of sugarcane cultivation at Betty’s Hope were created over a period of three hundred years and involved massive transformations to the landscape. In this chapter, erosion/productivity simulation is used to generate a baseline model of change over time and then historical records and geoarchaeological analysis of soils are used to evaluate the model. It is concluded that contemporary soil degradation at Betty’s Hope is a mosaic of effects including long-term sugarcane monocropping as well as the recent cessation of agriculture, which caused rapid destabilization of already vulnerable landscapes. Using an historical ecology framework, this research demonstrates the importance of long-term perspectives for understanding soil health.Less

The Zona da Mata Aflame: Political Upheaval, Strikes, and Fire

Thomas D. Rogers

in The Deepest Wounds: A Labor and Environmental History of Sugar in Northeast Brazil

This chapter examines variability across the cane zone and explores a key theme of many discourses from the period: fire. After describing its material realities and the process of its ... More

This chapter examines variability across the cane zone and explores a key theme of many discourses from the period: fire. After describing its material realities and the process of its politicization, the chapter describes how fire emerged from the period with a new use in the cane zone. It also discusses the zona da mata, which, despite its powerful regionwide association with sugarcane, is not homogeneous. Climate, topography, trends in land use, and patterns of landholding varied over time, with a discernible split between the northern and southern parts of the region. Development and the expansion of cane cultivation in the second half of the twentieth century brought a “homogenization in the landscape, and the small differences [between regions] became less perceptible.”Less

Nothing but Commercial Feudalism: California's Hawaiian Empire

Jessica B. Teisch

in Engineering Nature: Water, Development, and the Global Spread of American Environmental Expertise

This chapter focuses on the case of Hawaii. Like California, Australia, and South Africa, the case of Hawaii shows how technical and capitalist growth guided infrastructural development in the late ... More

This chapter focuses on the case of Hawaii. Like California, Australia, and South Africa, the case of Hawaii shows how technical and capitalist growth guided infrastructural development in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Pulling Hawaii into a global economy via American imperialism meant growing sugarcane on an unprecedented scale; developing sophisticated irrigation, transportation, and marketing systems; hiring cheap, foreign labor; and dealing with the native Hawaiian question. Also as in California, Australia, and South Africa, Californians facilitated Hawaii's entry into a global economy, but certain incongruities arose. California businessman Claus Spreckels's sugar empire, for example, inextricably tied California's industrial growth to Hawaii's political and economic future and to the islands' destiny: the creation of a poor, urban class of Hawaiians.Less

Sugar in Iberia

William D. Phillips

in Tropical Babylons: Sugar and the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1680

For thousands of years, the Iberian Peninsula has supported fields of sugarcane, and sugar became a marginal product in the Mediterranean. This chapter surveys sugar in Iberia, including the Islamic ... More

For thousands of years, the Iberian Peninsula has supported fields of sugarcane, and sugar became a marginal product in the Mediterranean. This chapter surveys sugar in Iberia, including the Islamic and Christian origins of the industry and its subsequent development. It discusses Iberia's role as a sugar producer, and traces the geographical distribution of sugar production and aspects of its internal organization.Less

A Commonwealth within Itself: The Early Brazilian Sugar Industry, 1550–1670

Stuart B. Schwartz

in Tropical Babylons: Sugar and the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1680

This chapter discusses the introduction of sugarcane and the beginnings of the sugar industry in Brazil from 1550–1670. It begins with an overview of the Brazilian sugar economy and the expansion of ... More

This chapter discusses the introduction of sugarcane and the beginnings of the sugar industry in Brazil from 1550–1670. It begins with an overview of the Brazilian sugar economy and the expansion of the industry in the Atlantic market. This is followed by a brief overview of the Dutch experience with sugar production during their occupation of the Brazilian Northeast (1630–54). The chapter also examines the extensive use of sharecropping and other forms of contract, the transition from indigenous labor force to African slaves, and increased sugar shipping from Brazil during the period of the industry's rapid growth.Less

Maharashtra and the Politics of Selective Rural Development

Sunila S. Kale

in Electrifying India: Regional Political Economies of Development

This chapter analyzes the politics of electrification in Maharashtra, which provides the strongest example of how a politicized peasantry wielded the instruments of democratic institutions and an ... More

This chapter analyzes the politics of electrification in Maharashtra, which provides the strongest example of how a politicized peasantry wielded the instruments of democratic institutions and an expanding state sector to channel resources to the countryside, although farmers in just a handful of districts cornered most of the gains. Even before independence, agrarian elites organized in the Maratha caste cluster began to command a large measure of influence in the nationalist movement. After independence, subsidized electricity along with support for cooperative farming and credit institutions bound the political order in Maharashtra to an emerging class of farmers and agro-industrialists, known as the “sugar barons.” In the period of market reforms, the government considered utility privatization an unattractive policy option. In its place, it adopted policies that were nominally market friendly but continued to protect the interests of powerful rural actors, for example, through the promotion of a bagasse industry.Less

Securing Sugar, Draining the 'Glades

in Raising Cane in the 'Glades: The Global Sugar Trade and the Transformation of Florida

This chapter explains an apparent economic contradiction: the transformation of the Everglades into an agro-industrial complex for sugarcane at great ecological and monetary cost during a period of ... More

This chapter explains an apparent economic contradiction: the transformation of the Everglades into an agro-industrial complex for sugarcane at great ecological and monetary cost during a period of oversupply depressed prices in the global sugar market. It begins by discussing the impact of World War I on U.S. sugar politics. The prospect of sugar shortages and the need to share the Cuban crop with allies provided Florida boosters with a powerful discourse in their struggle to construct a Florida sugar bowl; politically and economically interested parties developed a nationalistic and moral-geographic discourse concerning the transformation of the Everglades for sugar production. In the postwar period, under markedly different political-economic conditions for the global sugar market, protectionist policies sparked development, bringing long-promoted ideas about Florida's agro-industrial potential to fruition. The chapter demonstrates how, once established, the “Nation's Sugar Bowl” in Florida became a locus of power in the political struggles over domestic and international sugar policy.Less

The Cold War Heats up the Nation's Sugar Bowl

in Raising Cane in the 'Glades: The Global Sugar Trade and the Transformation of Florida

In the context of the Cold War, the 1959 Cuban Revolution produced a profound historical shift in the economic geography of U.S. sugar sourcing. This chapter concentrates on the years immediately ... More

In the context of the Cold War, the 1959 Cuban Revolution produced a profound historical shift in the economic geography of U.S. sugar sourcing. This chapter concentrates on the years immediately preceding and following the revolution. Prior to the revolution, Cuba was both Florida's principal rival and its production model. When, in 1960, President Eisenhower suspended the Cuban quota, a scramble to increase allotments ensued among producing regions, both domestic and foreign. Florida emerged as one of the significant “winners” in the fight to secure a larger share of the U.S. market. The chapter shows why that was so, how the industry was able to expand five-fold within five years, and how the relationship between the Florida and Cuban sugar industries was transformed. The explosive growth of south Florida sugarcane production, historically unprecedented in U.S. agro-industry, made the region the single most powerful player in the competition over quotas during the Cold War.Less

The Ofensiva Revolucionaria and the Zafra De Los Diez Millones: Inducing Popular Euphoria, Fraying Fidelismo

Lillian Guerra

in Visions of Power in Cuba: Revolution, Redemption, and Resistance, 1959-1971

This chapter discusses Fidel Castro's economic reforms called “La Ofensiva Revolucionaria.” These reforms are aimed at rectifying the ideological backsliding among loyal citizens that Fidel blamed ... More

This chapter discusses Fidel Castro's economic reforms called “La Ofensiva Revolucionaria.” These reforms are aimed at rectifying the ideological backsliding among loyal citizens that Fidel blamed for Cuba's long-standing economic stagnation. It also examines the Zafra de los Diez Millones, the 10-Million-Ton Harvest of 1969–70, the government's attempt to revive popular euphoria by mass mobilizations to cut sugarcane and produce a record harvest to defeat underdevelopment.Less

Depictions of the Horrific “Unseen”: Cuban Creole Religious Practices

Rafael Ocasio

in Afro-Cuban Costumbrismo: From Plantations to the Slums

This chapter explores the complex development of Black religious beliefs in both rural settings and in urban all-Black institutions. Costumbrista documentation of these beliefs shows clearly that ... More

This chapter explores the complex development of Black religious beliefs in both rural settings and in urban all-Black institutions. Costumbrista documentation of these beliefs shows clearly that slaves and freed Blacks selected elements of their religious practices to make public, as they paraded in costumes designed specifically for Catholic holidays. The first section, “Iconic Representations in Rural Religious Practices: Biografía de un cimarrón,” examines rare, first-hand, testimonial accounts by runaway slave Esteban Montejo, who spoke about various African religious practices performed secretly on a nineteenth-century Cuban sugarcane plantation.Section two, “For Everyone's Pleasure to View: Urban Black Religious Parades,” traces the Costumbristas’ incorporation of icons of Black religious systems into their narratives. Unable to gain physical access to Black ceremonies, Costumbristas sought knowledge of Creole religions in public parades in the cities. Although their articles exhibited overwhelmingly negative and biased views, their portraits of these culturally inspired parades could not ignore the allure of Black exoticism. These public spectacles long struggled to gain acceptance as viable manifestations of an emerging Cuban national Black culture.Less

Florida Sugar, Oranges, and Tomatoes

Philip Martin

in Importing Poverty?: Immigration and the Changing Face of Rural America

This chapter considers the role of immigrant workers in harvesting Florida's sugarcane, oranges, and tomatoes. It discusses how urbanization, freezes and trade slowed sugar harvest mechanization and ... More

This chapter considers the role of immigrant workers in harvesting Florida's sugarcane, oranges, and tomatoes. It discusses how urbanization, freezes and trade slowed sugar harvest mechanization and how these factors, including wages, determine how rapidly the orange harvest is mechanized.Less

Industry Growth and Labor Unrest—1898 to 1929

C. Allan Jones and Robert V. Osgood

in From King Cane to the Last Sugar Mill: Agricultural Technology and the Making of Hawaii's Premier Crop

The period after annexation saw rapid industry growth. HC&S’s Puʻunēnē factory was the largest and most modern in the world, and in 1908 East Maui Irrigation was formed to deliver water to the ... More

The period after annexation saw rapid industry growth. HC&S’s Puʻunēnē factory was the largest and most modern in the world, and in 1908 East Maui Irrigation was formed to deliver water to the plantation. By 1912 the industry could boast 53 sugar plantations. Improvements included widespread use of large steam plows, chemical weed control, fertilizers, and steam railways. The industry led the world in the use of biological control of insect pests. The success demonstrated by hybridizing sugarcane species and identifying superior varieties dramatically increased sugar yield per acre and total sugar production. Extensive efforts were made to reforest Hawai`i’s watersheds which were damaged primarily by unrestricted cattle grazing. After World War I gasoline and diesel tractors began to replace steam plows. Irrigation ditch systems were renovated and sealed to minimize leakage, and “Maui-type” wells tapped the fresh water aquifers under the islands. Factories installed more powerful mills, more efficient systems to clarify and concentrate juice, and improved centrifuges to separate sugar crystals from molasses. By the early twentieth century Hawaii was among the most technically advanced sugar industries in the world. But Japanese labor unrest caused the HSPA to recruit Filipino immigrants, and plantations began to employ contractors for field operations.Less