The dualistic nature of humans has been recognized for centuries. The intriguing question is the extent to which the human being with her/his display of concern for others can simultaneously act as an egoist, the latter being descriptive of the homo oeconomicus rendition of the human. Multiple utility theory suggests a way to approach research on such issues. A test case of water conserving technology adoption behavior by Florida growers is examined. Empirical evidence supports moving toward an expanded version of the mono-utility or I-utility model to include a We-utility.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is caused by dengue virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes; mean age of patients varies temporally and geographically. Variability in age of patients may be due to differences in transmission intensity or demographic structure. To compare these two hypotheses, the mean age of DHF patients from 90 districts in northern Thailand (1994–1996, 2002–2004) was regressed against (i) Aedes abundance or (ii) demographic variables (birthrate, average age) of the district. We also developed software to quantify direction and strength of geographical gradients of these variables. We found that, after adjusting for socioeconomics, climate, spatial autocorrelation, the mean age of patients was correlated only with Aedes abundance. The geographical gradient of mean age of patients originated from entomological, climate, and socioeconomic gradients. Vector abundance was a stronger determinant of mean age of patients than demographic variables, in northern Thailand.

Two main drivers of global trends in noncompliance of marine protected areas regulations are food and income security. Declines in fish stocks have resulted in greater concerns for food security, especially in developing and coastal areas, and calls for environmental conservation are growing. Planning of marine protected areas has traditionally been based on biological and ecological data, only recently focusing on the human communities that are significantly dependent on coastal resources. The hypothesis that marine resource use is determined by socioeconomic factors (such as food security and income) and livelihood options was tested in two communities on the island of Rodrigues (Western Indian Ocean). As livelihood development can be a response to fisher displacement by protected areas, willingness towards alternative livelihood options and the differences in this between fisher demographic groups were also examined. Using semi-structured interviews, 72 fishers were surveyed on topics such as fishery and marine protected area (MPA) regulation noncompliance, current livelihoods and willingness to consider alternative livelihoods. Fishers believed Rodrigues fisheries suffer from high levels of noncompliance, owing mainly to a lack of livelihood alternatives and depleted stocks. Rodriguan fishers had low mobility, both within the fishery (for example gear types used and target species) and in movement to occupations outside the fishery. The fishers were generally willing to consider alternate livelihoods. Age was significantly correlated with overall willingness to consider alternative work, while gender and village were found to have a significant relationship with types of work that an individual was willing to consider. Policy makers and marine resource managers need to identify drivers of noncompliant behaviour and examine livelihood preferences at different scales (individual, within and between communities) prior to users being affected by MPA created displacement to more effectively address marine conservation and food security goals. The findings offer new empirical evidence to strengthen support for arguments that could be made by policy makers to demand more balanced consideration of the effects of MPAs on socioeconomic factors along with environmental considerations in communities highly dependent on access to the marine areas that will be affected by MPAs.

Smallholder family poultry is affected by many technical factors including low bio-security, restriction to live bird markets, inadequate sources of inputs and services especially sources of technical information as well as by lack of genetically improved breeds. The free-range or scavenging system results in high chick mortality and intestinal worm infestation. The productivity and profitability of this sector, it is argued, is affected more by lack of knowledge among producers, marketers, extension service, researchers and government policy makers and a non-supportive educational system which looks down upon smallholdings and provides a negative incentive to their development.

Trammel net is the main fishing gear used by artisanal fishers in Majorca Island (NW Mediterranean), and is representative of Mediterranean small-scale fisheries using static gear. The use of static gears close to the coast, where seasonal variability and spatial heterogeneity are high, promotes the diversification of fishing practices or metiers. We analyze the seasonal dynamics of the nets used, target species (red and black scorpionfish, red mullet and cuttlefish) exploitation patterns and the socio-economic conditions under which this fishery takes place, based on General Fisheries Directorate daily sale records (2002–2006). Additional personal socioeconomic interviews allowed the characterization of the trammel net fishery, its fishing behaviour, cost structure and conflicts. Catch and effort data and market surveys are used to evaluate the level of exploitation of the target species and allowed describing Majorca trammel net fishery as an activity based on a sustainable resource. The main target species were found to be near their maximum sustainable yield both by means of a surplus production model (with parameters estimated by CEDA-Catch Effort Data Analysis, software) and an age structured assessment model based on yield-per-recruit analysis. Management actions currently debated by local administration and fishers focus on improving fishers' economic situation, rather than on protecting a threatened resource. One of the management actions proposed is a one day effort reduction, which was analyzed here with the help of a bioeconomic simulation model. A 15-year (2005–2020) simulation allows providing advice to local managers to focus on the commercialization aspects, in order to obtain a higher value to the fish production, rather than expecting to obtain higher profits only by a reduction of the offer.

Use of synthetic organic chemical pesticides introduced after World War II has resulted in a number of health, environmental, and socioeconomic problems discussed here. Both developed and developing countries have been affected. The problems in the developing countries of the tropics came about largely because of an error in transfer of technology. Pesticide technology developed by and for use in the developed countries was exported to countries with cultures and social structures that were not prepared to absorb this technology. Integrated pest management (IPM), an approach that reduces pest damage to tolerable levels through a variety of techniques, including natural enemies, genetically resistant crops, environmental modifications, and, when necessary and appropriate, chemical pesticides, represents an important trend toward rational management of crop pests in the developing countries. However, simply exporting IPM ‘packages’ from developed to developing countries would also be an error in transfer of technology. Each situation must be evaluated individually under actual farming conditions, and the IPM program must be tailored for the particular group of intended beneficiaries. Some of the interrelated social, attitudinal and institutional factors that should be evaluated are discussed.