Limited historic vegetation data (prior to the 1980s) are available for Namibia. Finding such historic data at Haribes prompted a follow-up survey of the vegetation. We present a classification of the recent data in this paper as a first step towards comparing the two data sets. Six new associations (three with two subassociations each) are formally described. The landscape at Haribes is dominated by a pan with surrounding hummock dunes.

The advance of the agricultural frontier, characterized by the conversion of natural ecosystems into cultivated areas, was intensified in the last decades. Most of the practices used to manage soils cause changes in the soil quality and soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. Studying the impact of different management systems is essential to choose the most adequate soil management practices.

After a previous description of pasture utilization in Sierra de Guara Natural Park, eight sheep farms were selected for a study of the relationships between farming systems and land use at the farm level. They were representative cases obtained from a previous typology based on criteria of technical management and pasture use. After a detailed description of the system, a SWOT analysis was carried out in order to identify the main factors involved in farm continuity and sustainability of land use.

There is significant policy interest in liquid biofuels with appealing prospects for energy security, farm security, poverty alleviation, and climate change. Large-scale commercial biofuel production could have far reaching implications for regional and global markets – particularly those related to energy and land use. As such, large-scale biofuels growth is likely to have significant impacts on global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper utilizes a CGE model with explicit biofuel, land, and energy markets.

Once the conditions that led to the creation of the Société Civile des Terres du Larzac (SCTL) have been introduced, the companion modelling approach used with this group of farmers is presented. The agent-based model co-constructed with a group of researchers and technicians is then described, as well as the way it was used to confront scenarios developed by the SCTL to envision management options of the forest massif, with scenarios developed by the farmers to improve the current functioning of their farms

We conducted a hearing investigation on self-support farming in Kosuge village, Kitatsuru District. Yamanashi Prefecture. In this paper, we described the overview of 'subsistence farming' in Motomura and the farming method and life styles of the villagers there in order to understand the problems of mountain villages. In the old days, the villagers here employed four types of farming methods : field-slash-and-burn-forest-meadow. Staple food in this village was taro and grains or coarse cereal gained through slash-and-burn farming. From 1782 to 1788, a great famine occurred.

This paper presents a futures study of international forest trends. The study, produced as part of the Swedish Future Forest program, focuses on global changes of importance for future Swedish forest use. It is based on previous international research, policy documents, and 24 interviews with selected key experts and/or actors related to the forest sector, and its findings will provide a basis for future research priorities.

Replaced with revised version of paper 06/26/09.