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Recent studies have shown that many marine ecosystems are experiencing an accelerating loss of population and biodiversity. It is apparent that there is a growing disparity between the available supply of fish and the desire of the growing world population to catch them. Although studies have begun to question the ecological sustainability of managed fishery systems, they often omit the corresponding effects on the economic sustainability of fishery industries. This is particularly important in rural coastal areas where the fishing industry is often a dominant employer. In this article, we analyze the interactions between economic and ecological dynamic systems using a multi-agent dynamic model of fishery management. Multiple agents (fishers) harvest multiple fish species and adapt the amount and allocation of their effort to their value functions, which are given as net profits of the fish harvest sold for a market price. This is largely unique in fishery models, since many econometric studies view fishers as represented by homogenous ‘average’ agents. We introduce and compare two different decision rules governing the behavior of fishers engaged in a competitive market. We demonstrate a situation where both behaviors lead to a decline of all fish stocks, as well as profits for most fishers. As an alternative, we introduce a cooperative approach in which fisheries jointly set sustainable limits for total harvest and effort that are then distributed to the fishers according to distribution rules. The simulation reveals that fish stocks and profits can stabilize at significantly higher levels in the cooperative case, leading to a continuous accumulation of capital for all fishers. This model demonstrates key aspects of overfishing conflicts that can be overcome through planned fishing quotas and cooperative market mechanisms. It also demonstrates a novel approach for simulating the dynamic behavior of heterogeneous fishers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Future electricity planning necessitates a thorough multi-faceted analysis of the available technologies in order to secure the energy supply for coming generations. To cope with worldwide concerns over sustainable development and meet the growing demands of electricity we assess the future potential technologies in Egypt through covering their technical, economic, environmental and social aspects. In this study we fill the gap of a lacking sustainability assessment of energy systems in Egypt where most of the studies focus mainly on the economic and technical aspects of planning future installation of power plants in Egypt. Furthermore, we include the stakeholder preferences of the indicators in the energy sector into our assessment. Moreover, we perform a sensitivity analysis through single dimension assessment scenarios of the technologies as well as a sustainable scenario with equal preferences of all dimensions of the sustainability. We employ two multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodologies: the analytical hierarchy process for weighing the assessment criteria, and the weighted sum method for generating a general integrated sustainability index for each technology. The study investigates seven technologies: coal, natural gas, wind, concentrated solar power, photovoltaics, biomass and nuclear. The results reveal a perfect matching between the ranking of the technologies by the stakeholders and the sustainable scenario showing the highest ranking for natural gas and the lowest for nuclear and coal. There is a strong potential for renewable energy technologies to invade the electricity market in Egypt where they achieve the second ranking after natural gas. The Monte-Carlo approach gives photovoltaics a higher ranking over concentrated solar power as compared to the sample data ranking. The study concludes the importance of a multi-dimensional evaluation of the technologies while considering the preferences of the stakeholders in order to achieve a reliable and sustainable future energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, declining soil fertility is the main biophysical constraint to improve crop yield and poses a potential threat to food security. This study aims to explore the elements that could influence the adoption of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices as well as their impact on maize yield. This study is based on a pseudo-panel collected by Ethiopia's central statistical agency (CSA) in collaboration with the World Bank. A Multinomial Endogenous Switching Regression model (MESR) was employed to achieve the specified objectives. The findings revealed that 15% of plots received no soil fertility-enhancing treatments, while 35% received a combination of inorganic fertilizer and manure to boost soil fertility. The average maize yield in the study was 3.44 tons per hectare, which was nearly equal to the average national yield in the prior year. Finally, maize yield was significantly influenced by soil fertility management measures, whether used alone or in combination of two or more soil fertility enhancing technologies. The extent of the impact, however, varies significantly depending on the inputs employed. Thus, using manure or compost alone had a moderate but significant impact on maize yield, but using inorganic fertilizer in combination with manure had the biggest impact. Therefore, policies that support the expansion of ISFM practices should be promoted. Farm households also receive technical assistance and training to better understand the use of ISFM practices, and policies that promote them should be expanded. • This study evaluated the elements influencing the adoption of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices. • Declining soil fertility is the main biophysical constraint to improve crop yield and food security. • Maize yield was significantly influenced by soil fertility management measures. • Using inorganic fertilizer in combination with manure had the biggest impact. • Using manure or compost had a moderate but significant impact on maize yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain insights on long-term social-ecological resilience, we examined adaptive responses of small-scale societies to dryland-related hazards in different regions and chronological periods, spanning from the mid-Holocene to the present. Based on evidence from Africa (Sahara and Sahel), Asia (south margin of the Thar desert), and Europe (South Spain), we discuss key traits and coping practices of small-scale societies that are potentially relevant for building resilience. The selected case studies illustrate four main coping mechanisms: mobility and migration, storage, commoning, and collective action driven by religious beliefs. Ultimately, the study of resilience in the context of drylands emphasizes the importance of adaptive traits and practices that are distinctive of small-scale societies: a strong social-ecological coupling, a solid body of traditional ecological knowledge, and a high degree of internal cohesion and self-organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable entrepreneurship is a strategy for development, growth, and prosperity that has received the attention of researchers, especially in the fields of economic development and rural businesses. The present study aims to identify the sustainable entrepreneurship indicators in Iranian rural businesses using the Fuzzy Delphi method. The results derived from three phases of the Delphi technique introduced 87 indicators for sustainable entrepreneurship. However, considering the threshold, just 69 indicators were approved by the experts. In the sociocultural dimension, scholars pay special attention to the promotion of social trust and social altruism and empathy among the local people. In the economic dimension, indicators such as utilization of facilities, cost management of products and services for business stability, and market management had higher averages. Finally, major indicators of the ethical dimension include financial business transparency, ethics in using biological resources, and managing human resources. In general, the obtained results highlight the importance of determining the stability of indicators in rural entrepreneurship and the necessity of managers' and politicians' attention toward this sector. • The present study aimed to identify the sustainable entrepreneurship indicators in rural businesses. • The results showed that in the sociocultural dimension, scholars pay special attention to the promotion of social trust. • In the economic dimension, products and services cost management for business stability had higher averages. • Major ethical indicators were financial transparency in business and ethics in the use of biological resources. • The study recommended the importance of determining the stability of indicators in rural entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]