Journal Article

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3 Pillars of a Food Revolution
(2010) Lappé, Anna
"As marketers learn to fake climate-friendly food, how do we spot the real thing? Anna Lappé says it's a question of values."
Access to Natural Resources for Whom? Aquaculture in Nam Dinh, Vietnam
(2003) Kleinen, John
"This article deals with the rapid coastal development in three districts of a province in northern Vietnam, Nam Dinh, which is undergoing rapid social and economic changes. Against the backdrop of the effects of global climatic change and large infrastructural works in upstream parts of the Red River delta, the main interest of this article is the history of the imposition of property rights in an area which was long time dominated by state policies towards the use of coastal resources. In this article I will deal exclusively with aquaculture in three coastal districts of Nam Dinh and look at the important changes that occurred over time in this region. A major conflict between state agencies and individuals or groups about the property transfer of coastal mud fields is analysed in order to discuss communal and open access forms of property rights in an area plagued by over-exploitation and resource degradation. The case enables the author to comment upon Hardin's model of the 'tragedy of the commons' and the relevance for a specific Vietnamese geographical and historical case."
Accessing Nature: Agrarian Change, Forest Laws and their Impact on an Adivasi Economy in Colonial India
(2009) Das Gupta, Sanjukta
"This article discusses how changing access to nature impacted an adivasi people, the Hos of Singhbhum. Without romanticizing the pre-British past, it may be argued that for the Hos of the time there had been dependence both on the forest and on cultivation, which had ensured them a minimum livelihood. This paper explores how their access to nature gradually diminished under colonial rule through the twin governmental policies of expansion of the agrarian frontier and restriction of the forests to the indigenous population. This led to the sedentarisation of the adivasis, further contributing towards agrarian expansion in India. However, this article argues that the extension of cultivation did not, however, benefit the Hos. Instead, the nature of the increase in acreage in Singhbhum, led to new agricultural practices, which, together with the restrictive forest laws and lack of new irrigation facilities, led to an agrarian crisis in the region, forcing the Hos to leave their lands and seek their fortunes elsewhere."
Adaptive Analysis of Locally Complex Systems in a Globally Complex World
(1999) Lynam, Timothy
"Zambezi Valley agro-ecosystems are environmentally, economically, and institutionally variable. This variability means that it is not possible to measure everything necessary to develop a predictive understanding of them. In particular, because people and their environments are constantly changing, what was measured yesterday may change by tomorrow. "Here, I describe elements of the approach that I have developed to address this problem. Called DAAWN, for Detail as and When Needed, the approach advocates an iterative and multiscaled methodology in which we first capture as broad an understanding of the system as possible and then use awareness developed at this scale to identify where to focus subsequent, more detailed, investigations. Because we cannot hope to measure or monitor everything in these complex and adaptive agro-ecosystems, the approach requires us to make judicious use of all available knowledge about the agro-ecosystem. The DAAWN approach is rooted in systems theory, but is tempered by systems and problems where boundaries are not clearly defined, where nonlinearities are the norm, and where structural and functional change is the order of the day. "I describe a few of the most important data collection tools and methods that were developed to record the knowledge of local people and to observe, monitor, and measure changes in their resources. Of particular importance is the tool that I call a 'spidergram.' This tool, which I used extensively with village informants, symbolizes the DAAWN approach and was a major stimulus for its development. Simulation models provide another very important tool; here, I offer some examples of spatially explicit, multi-agent models. Some key findings of the research on Zambezi Valley agro-ecosystems are also briefly presented."
Agent-based Analysis of Agricultural Policies: an Illustration of the Agricultural Policy Simulator AgriPoliS, its Adaptation and Behavior
(2006) Happe, Kathrin; Kellerman, Konrad; Balmann, Alfons
"This paper combines agent-based modeling of structural change with agricultural policy analysis. Using the agent-based model AgriPoliS, we investigate the impact of a regime switch in agricultural policy on structural change under various framework conditions. Instead of first doing a sensitivity analysis to analyze the properties of our model and then examining the introduced policy in an isolated manner, we use a meta-modeling approach in combination with the statistical technique of Design of Experiments to systematically analyze the relationship between policy change and model assumptions regarding key determinants of structural change such as interest rates, managerial abilities, and technical change. As a result, we observe that the effects of policies are quite sensitive to the mentioned properties. We conclude that an isolated analysis of a policy regime switch would be of only minor value for policy advice given the ability of simulation models to examine various potential futures."
Agricultura en Amazonia: Crecimiento con Abundancia de Recursos Naturales en una Region Perifirica
(1990) Cunha, Aercio S.; Kyle, Steve C.
"This paper shows how lack of competitiveness for commercial agriculture in Amazonia makes difficult the attraction or retention of mobile factors (capital and labor) generating a state of continuous scarcity for these factors. It is also shown that policies attempting to regain equilibrium in factor proportions like capital subsidies or colonization programs are ineffective. Finally, it is shown that attempts to maximize the return on scarce factors lead to overutilization of natural resource and environmental degradation. Although global price incentives policies can help, technical progress is the important variable for the long run sustainability of agriculture in Amazonia."
Agricultural Abandonment, Suburban Growth, and Forest Expansion in Puerto Rico between 1991 and 2000
(2008) Pares-Ramos, Isabel K.; Gould, William A.; Aide, Mitchell
"The response of local economies to the globalization process can have a large effect on population and land-use dynamics. In countries with a high population density and relatively high levels of education, the globalization process has resulted in a shift in the local economy from agriculture to manufacturing, technology, and service sectors. This shift in the economy has impacted land-use dynamics by decreasing agricultural lands, increasing urban growth, and in some cases, increasing forest cover. This process of economic and forest transition has been well documented in Puerto Rico for the period 1950 to 1990, but some authors predicted that poor planning and continued urban growth would eliminate the gains in forest cover. To investigate the impacts of recent economic changes, we evaluated demographic and land-use changes for 880 barrios (i.e., neighborhoods), the smallest administrative unit, in Puerto Rico using government census data from 1990 and 2000 and land-cover classifications from 1991 and 2000. During this period, the population increased by 284 127 people (8.2%). Most of the growth was in the suburban barrios, whereas urban barrios lost population. This shift was reflected by the construction of more than 100 000 housing units in suburban barrios. Although urban sprawl is perceived as the major land-cover change, urban cover only increased from 10% to 11% between 1990 and 2000, whereas the increase in forest cover was much greater (28% to 40%). Grasslands and shrublands were the major sources of new urban and forest areas in 2000. Although these results are encouraging in terms of increasing forest cover, most of the new development has been concentrated in the coastal plains, which are the location of most of the remaining agricultural areas, a few protected areas, and threatened ecosystems (e.g., mangroves)."
Agricultural Indigenous and Farmers Traditional Knowledge: Rescue, Sistematization and Incorporation to the IEAS
(2006) Gomez Espinoza, Jose Antonio; González, Gerardo Gómez
"Under environmental breakdown context, and the low consideration that in indigenous and farmers communities, the Traditional Agricultural Knowledge (SAT) with low environmental impact are preserved under 'milpa' system and this production is almost the half of national production of this cereal, in this work is suggested to carry the SAT into of Agricultural Superior Institution (IEAS) curricula like a social and ecological pertinent answer of Agricultural Superior Education, this thesis is, a proposed conceptual framework for SAT study, the recovery, systematization, interpretation, identification of Sciences-SAT correspondences and instrumentation under context of apprenticeship education models; to carry them to the academic space under a study program."
Agricultural Information Systems and Communication Networks: The Case of Dairy Farmers in the Samsun Province of Turkey
(2008) Demiryurek, Kursat; Erdem, Huseyin; Ceyhan, Vedat; Atasever, Savas; Uysal, Osman
"Agricultural information systems and communication networks: the case of dairy farmers in the Samsun province of Turkey We recommend that more functional cooperation between public and private information sources in the system is needed to motivate conventional dairy farmers to convert into modern dairy farming system. Analysis of the agricultural information systems and communication network used by members and non-members of the Dairy Cattle Breeders' Association provided a framework to identify the strength and weaknesses of the current systems and led to recommendations to improve their performance. Structured interviews were used to collect data from a randomly selected forty-three members and sixty-five non-members of the Association. Tests of association (e.g., Correlation Coefficient and Kendall's tau) and tests of difference (Student's t test) were performed using SPSS. The main function of the information systems was the dissemination of dairy-farming-related information. Association membership functions as a means to keep more European pure-bred cows and provide financial incentives, rather than developing a modern dairy sector. The non-members of the Association mainly used their current knowledge and traditional practices. The lack of information support from the institutional sources resulted in the development of personal information sources to exchange information and diffuse technology among the farmers themselves. We recommend that more functional cooperation between public and private information sources in the system is needed to motivate conventional dairy farmers to convert into modern dairy farming system."
Agricultural Research Structure and Productivity in Bulgaria
(2021) Hrabrin, Bachev
"This paper gives insight on organization and efficiency of agricultural research in Bulgaria during the period after country’s accession to EU. The analysis is predominately based on the research carried out in the Agricultural Academy—the main institution responsible for the organization of agricultural research in the country. Our analysis has found out that some of the Academy institutes and stations manage significant land and other resources, but the material and technical endowments of the majority of them is outdated, while some have no “critical” mass of human, financial and material resources needed for carrying effective modern research. The number of researchers and experts employed in the Academy is constantly decreasing due to insufficient budget funding, regulatory constraints, restructuring and layoffs, lack of acceptable pay and working conditions, insufficiently qualified candidates in some areas, etc. Since country’s accession to the EU, there has been a significant reduction in the overall expenditure and budget subsidies for agrarian research institutes and centers. Despite multiple “reforms” of the agrarian research system, the country still does not have an effective structure for organization of R&D and public funding systems, coordination and evaluation of research, evaluation and stimulation of researchers and teams, and protection of intellectual agricultural property rights. The trends and problems in the development of agricultural research in universities and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences are similar to those in the Agricultural Academy. There is no aggregated information about the nature and volume of agricultural research conducted by the Bulgarian universities, institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and in the private sector which requires the collection of similar information in the future in order to improve analysis and management."
Agriculture Wrapped with Social Networks, Data Mining and Mobile Computing to Boost up Crop Productivity
(2010) Akkanini, Haritha; Junapudi, Vasavi
"'The backbone of Indian economy' –agriculture which is known for its multifunctional success in generating employment, livelihood, food, nutritional and ecological security is facing several problems in improving the crop productivity. As we had good expertise in the field of agriculture the crucial information is not reaching the farmer community in a timely manner. In this paper we made an effort to find a way out to bridge the gap in the broadcast of information so that timely decisions can be taken for a better farming. We are trying to propose a system which provides advisory services as a decision support to farmers on crop related issues using the mobile services. In addition to these, the effort is being made to familiarize this information through a social network where a human being is a resource to influence others instead of mass media. Initially the proposed system is designed to collect the climatic data and it will be passed to the mobiles of all farmers through messages. There is a coordinator for each region to provide suggestions periodically. At the end of cropping, the coordinator will collect the information like• Had the farmer utilized the climatic information• Type of soils• Type of seeds• Pesticides used• Yield information, etcwill be maintained in a database. Applying data mining techniques the results are analyzed. In each location identifying a person, who utilized the services and achieved the higher productivity. He will act as a motivator/educator to other farmers. Through him we will educate/motivate other farmers about to consider and follow the climate alert message information as valuable as mass media."
Agro-morphological qualitative characterization of Jesso-Balam rice (Oryza sativa L.) accessions in Bangladesh - (IJAAR)
(2016) Uddin Ahmed, Mir Sharf; Bashar, Md. Khairul; Wazuddin, Md.; Shamsuddin, AKM
Twenty-seven Jesso-Balam rice accessions of Bangladesh were studied for 21 qualitative agro-morphological characters at BRRI during T. Aman 2009 and T. Aman 2011 seasons. The presence and shape of penultimate leaf ligule showed no variations among the genotypes. Out of 19 characters, majority of the genotypes showed no anthocyanin color in leaf sheath (93%), medium intensity of anthocyanin color in basal leaf sheath (7%), green leaf blade (74%), strong surface pubescence of penultimate leaf blade (48%), no anthocyanin color in auricles and collar (93%), colorless ligule (93%), white color of stigma (93%), erect blade of flag leaf (52%), erect curvature of lateral tiller (100%), no anthocyanin color in nodes (93%), weak intensity of anthocyanin color in nodes (7%), weak intensity of anthocyanin color in internodes (67%), yellowish to straw anthocyanin color of lemma and palea (48%), medium intensity of anthocyanin color in lemma and palea (41%), yellowish/straw color of apiculus (93%), awnless (89%), awns at tip only (11%), yellowish white to straw color awns (100%) and intermediate type of leaf senescence (74%). On the other hand, the Jesso-Balam germplasm along with BR7, BR16, BRRI dhan50 and Nizersail were grouped into three major clusters according to the UPGMA clustering method based on Dice coefficient. Cluster III was the major group with maximum genotypes (26), while clusters I had two (JBPL9 and JBPL23) and cluster II had three genotypes (JBPL13, JBPL15 and JBPL16), respectively. The genetic distance ranged from 0.000 to 9.969. Three pairs of accessions (2465 and 2464), (2455 and 2454) and (2453 and 2478) in cluster III were found duplicates. Finally, the Jesso-Balam pure lines possessed exclusive variability and unique features which need safe conservation and sustainable use in future rice breeding programmes for issues like intellectual property rights.
Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples' Knowledge Versus Government Policy
(2014) Choocharoen, Chalathon; Neef, Andreas; Preechapanya, Pornchai
"Traditional agrosilvopastoral systems have been an important component of the farming systems and livelihoods of thousands of ethnic minority people in the uplands of Mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on a combination of qualitative and participatory inquiries in nine ethnic minority communities, this study emphasizes the complex articulation of local farmers knowledge which has been so far excluded from governmental development and conservation policies in the northern uplands of Thailand and Laos. Qualitative analysis of local knowledge systems is performed using the Agroecological Knowledge Toolkit (AKT5) software. Results show that ethnic minorities in the two countries perceive large ruminants to be a highly positive component of local forest agro-ecosystems due to their contribution to nutrient cycling, forest fire control, water retention, and leaf-litter dispersal. The knowledge and perceptions of agrosilvopastoral farmers are then contrasted with the remarkably different forestry policy frameworks of the two countries. We find that the knowledge and diversity of practices exercised by ethnic minority groups contrasts with the current simplified and negative image that government officials tend to construct of agrosilvopastoral systems. We conclude that local knowledge of forest-livestock systems can offer alternative or complementary explanations on ecological cause-and-effect relationships which may need further scientific investigation and validation."
Alley Farming in Thailand
(2010) Ogunlana, Elizabeth Adebola; Noomhorm, Athapol; Silakul, Teerapol
"Poverty alleviation and environmental preservation are very important issues to many governments. Alley farming is beneficial to the environment because it conserves soil and sustains yields over time. Specifically, alley farming reduces soil erosion, which is a major problem in Thailand. Alley farming was conducted on a farmer’s field at Khaokwan Thong, a village in Uthaithani Province, Northern Thailand. We did a two-by-two factorial with and without alley farming, and with and without fertilizer. From this study, we observed that the two species used, Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia auriculiformis, grow well in Thailand, and that alley farming is suitable for Thailand. Few Thai farmers have heard about alley farming. However, it is nevertheless useful to know that there is potential for alley farming in Thailand using the two species. These plants, based upon the diameter and height measurements provided, grew well."
Análisis de la Producción Agrícola Extensiva en Sinaloa: Alternativas para el Uso Sostenible del Agua
(2010) Norzagaray Campos, M.; García Gutiérrez, C.; Llanes Cárdenas, O.; Troyo Diéguez, E.; Muñoz Sevilla, P.
"Sinaloa has the highest percentage of agricultural land with irrigation systems in México, this activity is important by the economic contribution, but also there is environmental negative impact. Today the over-exploitation in the aquifers by percolation of pesticides and other remainders causes damages in the ecosystems, and to the human health. On the other hand, agriculture consumes 80% of the fresh water available in the region, by this reason Gulf of California land is consider as over-exploited region. Due to, is important provide conservation strategies to remedy future repercussions on the aquifers and to avoid contamination of fresh water by saline intrusion."
Analisis del Recurso Agua en el Marco de la Teoria Social del Riesgo: El Impacto de las Represas en el Litoral Agentino
(2008) Pagliettini, Liliana; Mirassou, Susana; Zabala, Stella Maris
"El objetivo del trabajo es analizar las características e implicaciones de los riesgos derivados de la difusión del cultivo de arroz con riego, en la cuenca del río Miriñay en Corrientes, centrada en la competencia por el recurso agua. Se identifican cuatro componentes desde la perspectiva del riesgo ambiental: a) la peligrosidad, dado que 5 subcuencas presentan la mayor probabilidad de déficit hídrico por la potencial demanda de agua para riego; b) la exposición se cuantificó en función de un análisis comparativo de los cambios en el uso del suelo en los 5 departamentos que abarca la cuenca, registrando un incremento del 62% la superficie sembrada con arroz, en un área heterogénea donde se identificaron 14 paisajes; c) para medir la vulnerabilidad se utilizaron los datos del censo 2002, identificando dos sistemas productivos agrícola-ganadero y ganadero; y, d) la incertidumbre. Las explotaciones agropecuarias relacionadas con los diferentes sistemas productivos presentan características estructurales y socioeconómicas diferentes, pudiendo destacarse una significativa concentración de los factores tierra, agua y capital. En el plano institucional destacan la ausencia de estudios hidrológicos que permitan conocer la oferta y la demanda de cada cuenca; la falta de capacitación técnica y gerencial, así como las limitaciones operativas del Estado dificultan la organización de los diferentes subsistemas que interactúan."
The Analysis and Estimation of Efficiency of Agroindustrial Formations of Holding Type of the Belgorod Region
(2012) Shedy, E.
"Socio-economic reforms carried out in the Russian Federation, led to the emergence of large agro-industrial associations - agricultural holdings, which differ in their structure, resource and investment potential, and able to make a significant contribution to solving the problem of food security, both individual regions and the country as a whole. The paper assesses the efficiency of agricultural holdings in the example of the Belgorod region and identify the prospects for their development."
Analysis of Profitability and Risk in New Agriculture Using Dynamic Non-Linear Programming Model
(2010) Sharma, Rakesh Kumar; Sankhayan, Prem Lall; Singh, Ranveer
"Cropping pattern in the Himalayan region of India has undergone a significant change in the recent past. Introduction of horticultural crops such as vegetables, fruits and flowers has led to more intensive agriculture. Such a change, resulting in higher incomes and improvements of the overall living conditions has, however, been accompanied with increased income risk. This emphasizes the need for proper analysis of the cropping pattern, at an appropriate scale, such as a micro watershed. This was achieved by constructing a dynamic non-linear programming model incorporating appropriate objective function, constraints and crop and livestock activity budgets along with risk component present in the gross returns. The model was then solved under alternate policy scenarios by using General Algebraic Modeling Systems (GAMS) for the next 20 years. The optimum cropping plans were then compared with each other and with the existing plan. Tomato and carnation are the preferred crops, if the sole objective is profit maximization. Optimum plan with risk consideration was also assessed by fixing the variance in gross returns at the current level. It reduced the area under tomato in rainy season by growing capsicum and beans. Similarly, peas replaced tomato in winter season and chrysanthemum replaced carnation. By comparing it with the existing plan, it can be inferred that the people are more concerned to risk than the profits. The profits and risks from floriculture are relatively very high as compared to other crops. By removing constraints in credit availability, irrigation facilities, transportation and market yards, large scale production of vegetables and flowers can help in raising the income level."
Analysis of Surface Soil Moisture Patterns in Agricultural Landscapes Using Empirical Orthogonal Functions
(2009) Korres, W.; Koyama, C. N.; Fiener, P.; Schneider, K.
"Soil moisture is one of the fundamental variables in hydrology, meteorology and agriculture. Nevertheless, its spatio-temporal patterns in agriculturally used landscapes affected by multiple natural (rainfall, soil, topography etc.) and agronomic (fertilisation, soil management etc.) factors are often not well known. The aim of this study is to determine the dominant factors governing the spatio-temporal patterns of surface soil moisture in a grassland and an arable land test site within the Rur catchment in Western Germany. Surface soil moisture (0–6 cm) has been measured in an approx. 50×50 m grid at 14 and 17 dates (May 2007 to November 2008) in both test sites. To analyse spatio-temporal patterns of surface soil moisture, an Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis was applied and the results were correlated with parameters derived from topography, soil, vegetation and land management to connect the pattern to related factors and processes. For the grassland test site, the analysis results in one significant spatial structure (first EOF), which explains about 57.5% of the spatial variability connected to soil properties and topography. The weight of the first spatial EOF is stronger on wet days. The highest temporal variability can be found in locations with a high percentage of soil organic carbon (SOC). For the arable land test site, the analysis yields two significant spatial structures, the first EOF, explaining 38.4% of the spatial variability, shows a highly significant correlation to soil properties, namely soil texture. The second EOF, explaining 28.3% of the spatial variability, is connected to differences in land management. The soil moisture in the arable land test site varies more during dry and wet periods on locations with low porosity."
Analysis of Water Footprints of Rainfed and Irrigated Crops in Sudan
(2011) Ahmed, Shamseddin Musa; Ribbe, Lars
"Water rather than land is the limiting factor for crop production in Sudan. This study attempts to use the water footprint (WFP) and virtual water concepts to account for crops water consumption under the Sudanese rainfed and irrigated conditions. The general average of the green WFP of sorghum and millet were found to be about 7700 and 10700 m3 ton-1, respectively. According to experimental results at three different climates, in-situ rainwater harvesting techniques could reduce the WFP of rainfed sorghum by 56% on the average. The blue component (surface water) shows the highest contribution to the total WFP of irrigated crops: 88% for cotton, 70% for sorghum, 68% for groundnut and 100% for wheat. However, the role of the green water (rainwater) is not marginal since it largely influences the operation and maintenance (silt clearance) of the gravity-fed irrigation system. Under normal conditions, the annual total virtual water demand of sorghum (the dominant food crop in Sudan) is found to be 15 km3, of which 91% is green water. During a wet year a surplus of 5 km3 of water can be saved. During a dry year, however, Sudan could experience a deficit of 2.3 km3 of water, necessitating the adoption of a wise food stocking-exporting policy."
Application of Vegetation Indices for Agricultural Crop Yield Prediction Using Neural Network Techniques
(2010) Panda, Sudhanshu Sekhar; Ames, Daniel P.; Panigrahi, Suranjan
"Spatial variability in a crop field creates a need for precision agriculture. Economical and rapid means of identifying spatial variability is obtained through the use of geotechnology (remotely sensed images of the crop field, image processing, GIS modeling approach, and GPS usage) and data mining techniques for model development. Higher-end image processing techniques are followed to establish more precision. The goal of this paper was to investigate the strength of key spectral vegetation indices for agricultural crop yield prediction using neural network techniques. Four widely used spectral indices were investigated in a study of irrigated corn crop yields in the Oakes Irrigation Test Area research site of North Dakota, USA. These indices were: (a) red and near-infrared (NIR) based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), (b) green and NIR based green vegetation index (GVI), (c) red and NIR based soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and (d) red and NIR based perpendicular vegetation index (PVI). These four indices were investigated for corn yield during 3 years (1998, 1999, and 2001) and for the pooled data of these 3 years. Initially, Back-propagation Neural Network (BPNN) models were developed, including 16 models (4 indices * 4 years including the data from the pooled years) to test for the efficiency determination of those four vegetation indices in corn crop yield prediction. The corn yield was best predicted using BPNN models that used the means and standard deviations of PVI grid images. In all three years, it provided higher prediction accuracies, coefficient of determination (r2), and lower standard error of prediction than the models involving GVI, NDVI, and SAVI image information. The GVI, NDVI, and SAVI models for all three years provided average testing prediction accuracies of 24.26% to 94.85%, 19.36% to 95.04%, and 19.24% to 95.04%, respectively while the PVI models for all three years provided average testing prediction accuracies of 83.50% to 96.04%. The PVI pool model provided better average testing prediction accuracy of 94% with respect to other vegetation models, for which it ranged from 89–93%. Similarly, the PVI pool model provided coefficient of determination (r2) value of 0.45 as compared to 0.31–0.37 for other index models. Log10 data transformation technique was used to enhance the prediction ability of the PVI models of years 1998, 1999, and 2001 as it was chosen as the preferred index. Another model (Transformed PVI (Pool)) was developed using the log10 transformed PVI image information to show its global application. The transformed PVI models provided average corn yield prediction accuracies of 90%, 97%, and 98% for years 1998, 1999, and 2001, respectively. The pool PVI transformed model provided as average testing accuracy of 93% along with r2 value of 0.72 and standard error of prediction of 0.05 t/ha."
Aquaculture in Jamaica
(2002) Aiken, K. A.; Morris, D.; Hanley, F. C.; Manning, R.
"Jamaica, with its overfished marine resources, has become a major tilapia producer in Latin America led by a small number of large farms practicing tilapia culture with considerable commercial success. Across the country, however, aquaculture is typically practiced by a large number of small-scale fish farmers who own less than 1.0 ha of land. Production is constrained by lack of credit, finite land space and suitable soil type, but larger existing aquaculturists are expanding further for overseas markets. Inspired by pioneering tilapia fish culture demonstration projects funded by the USAID and the government of Jamaica, fish culture production rose from a few hundred kg of Oreochromis niloticus in 1977, to about 5 000 t of processed fish mainly red hybrid tilapia, in 2000. Most of this quantity was exported to Europe and North America."
Aquaculture vis-a-vis Agriculture
(2000) Khan, S. A.; Lyla, P.; Veerappan, N.; Rajagopal, S.
"The effect of aquaculture, especially shrimp farming, on agriculture has caused heated debate among aquaculturists, agriculturists, and non-governmental organizations. As data on the negative impact of shrimp farming on adjacent rice fields are not available, a study was undertaken in rice fields skirting three shrimp farms: a semi-intensive farm; an extensive farm; and a semi-intensive farm with a buffer zone. The buffer zone was found to be helpful in preventing salinization of the adjacent agricultural fields and the Electrical Conductivity (EC) values (less than 1) reported were found to be harmless to the rice crop. Thus, aquaculture and agriculture can coexist in coastal areas if there are buffer zones in between."
Are Local People Conservationists? Analysis of Transition Dynamics from Agroforests to Monoculture Plantations in Indonesia
(2010) Feintrenie, Laurène; Schwarze, Stefan; Levang, Patrice
"Cash crops are developing in the once forested areas of Indonesia in parallel with market and economic improvements. Perennial crops such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber were first planted in estates by private or public companies. Local people then integrated these crops into their farming systems, often through the planting of agroforests, that is, intercropping the new cash crop with upland rice and food crops. The crop was generally mixed with fruit trees, timber, and other useful plants. A geographic specialization occurred, driven by biophysical constraints and market opportunities, with expansion of cocoa in Sulawesi, coffee in Lampung, and natural rubber in eastern Sumatra. However, during the past three decades, these agroforests have increasingly been converted into more productive monoculture plantations. A common trajectory can be observed in agricultural landscapes dominated by a perennial cash crop: from ladang to agroforests, and then to monoculture plantations. This process combines agricultural expansion at the expense of natural forests and specialization of the land cover at the expense of biodiversity and wildlife habitats. We determined the main drivers of agricultural expansion and intensification in three regions of Indonesia based on perception surveys and land use profitability analysis. When the national and international contexts clearly influence farmers’ decisions, local people appear very responsive to economic opportunities. They do not hesitate to change their livelihood system if it can increase their income. Their cultural or sentimental attachment to the forest is not sufficient to prevent forest conversion."
Asian Summer Monsoon and its Associated Rainfall Variability in Thailand
(2010) Limsakul, Atsamon; Limjirakan, Sangchan; Suttamanuswong, Boonchob
"The Asian monsoon is an important component of the Earth’s climate. Its associated rainfall variability is a crucial factor for Thailand’s socio-economic development, water resources and agricultural management. An analysis shows that the Thailand rainfall annual cycle is in phase with the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM). On the basis of the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, the dominant spatial-temporal interannual variability in summer monsoon rainfall (Jun.–Sep.) during 1975-2006 could be explained by the first two EOF modes, accounting for 34% of the total variance. The EOF1 was spatially dominated by strong positive signals in the central and east, whereas the EOF2 exhibited dipole variability. The coefficient time series of EOF1 significantly correlated positively with ISM index, but negatively with WNPSM index. The results suggest that summer monsoon rainfall in Thailand is higher (lower) than normal during the strengthening (weakening) of ISM. In contrast, rainfall in the north-east (central) is surplus (deficit) during the strengthening (weakening) of WNPSM. These findings imply that, on an interannual time scale, ISM and WNPSM exert their influence to a different extent on summer monsoon rainfall in Thailand. A clear picture of linking mechanisms and interactions with another climate mode in the Indo-Pacific sector needs to be understood. This knowledge is essential for effectively adapting to climate-related hazards and rainfall extremes and for better management of water resource and agriculture in Thailand, especially under current/future warming conditions."
Assessing Current and Potential Rainfed Maize Suitability Under Climate Change Scenarios in México
(2010) Monterroso Rivas, A. I.; Alvarez, C. Conde; Dorantes, G. Rosales; Gomez Diaz, J. D.; Garcia, C. Gay
"We conducted an assessment on the capacity to grow maize under rainfed conditions as well as under simulations of climate change scenarios in México. The selected method took into account the most limiting factor from different variables that maize requires to grow. These factors were compared, resulting in potential areas for maize distribution, classified in four different suitability levels: suitable, moderately suitable, limited suitability and not suitable. The emissions scenarios of climate change selected were A2 and B2 by 2050, including the GFDL-CM2.0, UKHADGEM1 and ECHAM5/MPI models. The results indicated that in base scenario, 63.1% of the national surface presents some degree of maize growing suitability. Specifically, 6.2% of the national surface indicated suitable conditions, while 25.1 and 31.6% had moderated and limited conditions, respectively. According to the climate change models, we were able to determine the full suitability level is also the most vulnerable one and as a consequence, this will also be the most aggravated one by decreasing its surface 3% according with UKHadley B2 and up to 4.3% in accordance with ECHAM5/MPI A2. This will make the limited suitability classification the one with the largest national territory, as much as 33.4%, according to ECHAM5/MPI A2 and up to 43.8% reflected by the GFDL-CM2.0 A2 model. The ECHAM5/MPI model indicates the most adverse conditions for maize growth, while GFDL model represents the less aggravating. All this clearly reflects that the natural conditions given for maize growing will become more restrictive, making it critical to implement environmental adapting measures."
Assessing Ghana’s Initiative of Increasing Domestic Rice Production through the Development of Rice Value Chain
(2015) Addison, Monica; Sarfo-Mensah, Paul; Edusah, S. E.
"This paper sought to contribute to the on-going discussion on improving rice production in Ghana. The objective of the study was to analyse the effect of rice value chain development initiative on domestic rice production in the Ahafo Ano North district of Ghana. Primary data for the study gathered through focus group discussions and key informant interviews was complemented by desk studies. The main finding was that the rice value chain was not formalized in the district, although informal types existed. The study also showed that domestic rice producers had achieved regular annual increases due to informal rice value chains. Nevertheless, there was lack of competitiveness of domestic rice vis-à-vis imported rice due to the poor quality of milling. Therefore, the study recommended: (i) adopting sector-wide value chain strategies that would enhance development of formal rice value chain and competitiveness of local rice industry; and (ii) investing in post-harvest product-quality infrastructure to ensure product quality."
Assessing the Impact of Integrated Natural Resource Management: Challenges and Experiences
(2002) Gottret, Maria Veronica; White, Douglas C.
"Assessing the impact of integrated natural resource management (INRM) research poses a challenge to scientists. The complexity of INRM interventions requires a more holistic approach to impact assessment, beyond the plot and farm levels and beyond traditional analysis of economic returns. Impact assessment for INRM combines the traditional 'what' and 'where' factors of economic and environmental priorities with newer 'who' and 'how' aspects of social actors and institutions. This paper presents an analytical framework and methodology for assessing the impact of INRM. A key feature of the proposed methodology is that it starts with a detailed planning process that develops a well-defined, shared, and holistic strategy to achieve development impact. This methodology, which is known as the 'paths of development impact' methodology, includes the mapping of research outputs, intermediate outcomes, and development impacts. A central challenge is to find a balance between the use of generalizable measures that facilitate cross-site comparison and slower participatory process methods that empower local stakeholders. Sufficient funding for impact assessment and distinct stakeholder interests are also challenges. Two hillside sites in Central America and one forest margin site in Peru serve as case studies."
Assessing the Quality of Agricultural Landscape Change with Multiple Dimensions
(2014) Pouta, Eija; Grammatikopoulou, Ioanna; Hurme, Timo; Soini, Katriina; Uusitalo, Marja
"Better recognition of public perceptions is called for in developing policies that affect landscape qualities, such as agri-environmental policies. The present study focused on the evaluation of typical agricultural landscapes in Finland. We utilized and operationalized the visual landscape quality scales introduced by Tveit et al. (2006) and further explored how these scales can be applied in citizen evaluation of agricultural landscapes. From landscape data collected via an Internet survey, we analysed whether and how the attributes of agricultural landscapes were linked to their evaluation. The results demonstrated that visual concepts such as openness, naturalness, species richness and the impression of being taken care of were significantly associated with six landscape attributes, i.e., grain, cattle, bales, farmhouses, buses and disturbances. A relationship between key landscape concepts and normative evaluation was found. The normative pleasantness of the landscape also significantly associated with individual landscape attributes and the socio-demographic characteristics of the perceivers."
Assessing the Sustainability of Different Small-Scale Livestock Production Systems in the Afar Region, Ethiopia
(2013) Atanga, Ngufor L.; Treydte, Anna C.; Birner, Regina
"Livestock production is a key income source in eastern Africa, and 80% of the total agricultural land is used for livestock herding. Hence, ecological and socio-economically sustainable rangeland management is crucial. Our study aimed at selecting operational economic, environmental and social sustainability indicators for three main pastoral (P), agro-pastoral (AP), and landless intensive (LI) small scale livestock production systems for use in sustainability assessment in Ethiopia. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through grey literature and semi-structured interviews, assessing livestock and feed resources, production technology, land tenure, financial and gender issues. Our results suggested that feed shortages (FS) are directly related to grazing pressure (G) and inversely related to grass recovery rates (R). According to our indicators, AP was the most sustainable while P and LI were only conditionally sustainable production systems. 93% of 82 interviewees claimed that private land ownership was the best land tenure incentive for efficient rangeland management. Farmers perceived Prosopis juliflora expansion, sporadic rainfall, and disease infestation as the most significant causes for decreasing livestock productivity. Landless intensive farmers had the highest equality in income distribution (Gini Index: GI = 0.4), followed by P and AP (each with a GI = 0.5). Neither educational background nor income seemed to determine grazing species conservation efforts. We claimed that sustainability indicators are valuable tools to highlight shortcomings and strengths of the three main livestock production systems and help with future livestock management in Ethiopia. Selecting suitable indicators, however, is crucial as data requirements and availability can vary across livestock systems."
Assessing the Sustainability of Small Farmer Natural Resource Management Systems. A Critical Analysis of the MESMIS Program (1995-2010)
(2012) Astier, Marta; García-Barrios, Luis; Galván-Miyoshi, Yankuic; González-Esquivel, Carlos E.; Masera, Omar
"Sustainability assessment oriented to improve current systems and practices is urgently needed, particularly in the context of small farmer natural resource management systems (NRMS). Unfortunately, social-ecological systems (SES) theory, sustainability evaluation frameworks, and assessment methods are still foreign not only to farmers but to many researchers, students, NGOs, policy makers/operators, and other interested groups. In this paper we examine the main achievements and challenges of the MESMIS Program (Spanish acronym for Indicator-based Sustainability Assessment Framework), a 15-year ongoing effort with impact in 60 case studies and 20 undergraduate and graduate programs mainly in Ibero-America that is attempting to cope with the stated challenges. The MESMIS experience shows that it is possible to conduct sustainability assessments in the context of small farmers through a long-term, participatory, interdisciplinary, and multi-institutional approach that integrates a solid theoretical background, a field-tested operational framework, learning tools specifically devised to facilitate the understanding of sustainability as a multidimensional and dynamic concept, and a growing set of case studies to apply to and get feedback from users. Specifically, through the dissemination of the MESMIS assessment framework in a large set of case studies in a contrasting set of social-ecological contexts, we have been able to: (a) characterize the NRMS, their subsystems, and their main interactions; (b) link attributes, i.e., general systemic properties, with sustainability indicators to assess critical socioeconomic and environmental aspects of the NRMS; (c) integrate indicators through multicriteria tools and to expose the multidimensional aspects of sustainability; (d) propose an initial multiscale assessment to articulate processes and actors at different spatial scales; (e) develop multimedia learning tools, i.e., Interactive-MESMIS, to help users understand dynamic concepts, trade-offs, and counter-intuitive behavior; and (f) promote participatory processes through role-playing games and agent-based simulation models. Key challenges are related to the need to conduct long-term longitudinal studies that fully capture system dynamic properties while at the same time actively involving relevant stakeholders through creative and lasting participative processes. We outline an improved assessment framework that should help move the program in this direction."
Balancing Ecosystem Services and Disservices: Smallholder Farmers’ Use and Management of Forest and Trees in an Agricultural Landscape in Southwestern Ethiopia
(2014) Ango, Tola Gemechu; Börjeson, Lowe; Senbeta, Feyera; Hylander, Kristoffer
"Farmers’ practices in the management of agricultural landscapes influence biodiversity with implications for livelihoods, ecosystem service provision, and biodiversity conservation. In this study, we examined how smallholding farmers in an agriculture-forest mosaic landscape in southwestern Ethiopia manage trees and forests with regard to a few selected ecosystem services and disservices that they highlighted as 'beneficial' or 'problematic.' Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from six villages, located both near and far from forest, using participatory field mapping and semistructured interviews, tree species inventory, focus group discussions, and observation. The study showed that farmers’ management practices, i.e., the planting of trees on field boundaries amid their removal from inside arable fields, preservation of trees in semimanaged forest coffee, maintenance of patches of shade coffee fields in the agricultural landscape, and establishment of woodlots with exotic trees result in a restructuring of the forest-agriculture mosaic. In addition, the strategies farmers employed to mitigate crop damage by wild mammals such as baboons and bush pigs, e.g., migration and allocation of migrants on lands along forests, have contributed to a reduction in forest and tree cover in the agricultural landscape. Because farmers’ management practices were overall geared toward mitigating the negative impact of disservices and to augment positive services, we conclude that it is important to operationalize ecosystem processes as both services and disservices in studies related to agricultural landscapes."
Barriers and Opportunities for Sustainable Food Systems in Northeastern Kansas
(2010) Peterson, Hikaru Hanawa; Selfa, Theresa; Jank, Rhonda
"Survey responses of producers and institutional buyers in northeastern Kansas (United States) were analyzed to understand barriers and opportunities for sustainable food systems in the region where their emergence has been limited. Producers and buyers identified barriers previously noted regarding mismatches of available quantities and prices. Producers’ enthusiasm to supply locally exceeded buyers’ interest to source locally. Transportation was identified as one of the major concerns by producers, and their responses to choice tasks revealed producers’ preferences to sell locally while pricing their products to secure sales revenue and to cover their logistics expenses at least partially."
Biodiversidad de Semillas Comunes e Inseparables de su Comunalidad
(2022) Castro-Colina, Libertad
"La diversidad de semillas, su comunalidad (campesinos) y sus prácticas locales (milpa y ejido) son comunes que pueden ser influidos por contextos no locales (ciencia y regulación). A través de un análisis basado en los ocho principios de diseño de instituciones comunes de Elinor Ostrom, este estudio concluyó que la ciencia con perspectivas agroecológicas apoya a la sabiduría milenaria de la milpa, mientras que la ciencia con un enfoque alineado a la Revolución Verde no. Además, la mayor parte de la legislación analizada es considerada como un obstáculo para la estabilidad del común."
Biodiversity, Urban Areas, and Agriculture: Locating Priority Ecoregions for Conservation
(2003) Ricketts, Taylor; Imhoff, Marc
"Urbanization and agriculture are two of the most important threats to biodiversity worldwide. The intensities of these land-use phenomena, however, as well as levels of biodiversity itself, differ widely among regions. Thus, there is a need to develop a quick but rigorous method of identifying where high levels of human threats and biodiversity coincide. These areas are clear priorities for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we combine distribution data for eight major plant and animal taxa (comprising over 20,000 species) with remotely sensed measures of urban and agricultural land use to assess conservation priorities among 76 terrestrial ecoregions in North America. We combine the species data into overall indices of richness and endemism. We then plot each of these indices against the percent cover of urban and agricultural land in each ecoregion, resulting in four separate comparisons. For each comparison, ecoregions that fall above the 66th quantile on both axes are identified as priorities for conservation. These analyses yield four 'priority sets' of 6-16 ecoregions (8-21% of the total number) where high levels of biodiversity and human land use coincide. These ecoregions tend to be concentrated in the southeastern United States, California, and, to a lesser extent, the Atlantic coast, southern Texas, and the U.S. Midwest. Importantly, several ecoregions are members of more than one priority set and two ecoregions are members of all four sets. Across all 76 ecoregions, urban cover is positively correlated with both species richness and endemism. Conservation efforts in densely populated areas therefore may be equally important (if not more so) as preserving remote parks in relatively pristine regions."
Bioenergy Sustainability at the Regional Scale
(2010) Dale, Virginia H.; Lowrance, Richard; Mulholland, Patrick; Robertson, G. Phillip
"The establishment of bioenergy crops will affect ecological processes and their interactions and thus has an influence on ecosystem services provided by the lands on which these crops are grown. The regional-scale effects of bioenergy choices on ecosystem services need special attention because they often have been neglected yet can affect the ecological, social, and economic aspects of sustainability. A regional-scale perspective provides the opportunity to maximize ecosystem services, particularly with regard to water quality and quantity issues, and also to consider other aspects of ecological, social, and economic sustainability. We give special attention to cellulosic feedstocks because of the opportunities they provide."
The Brazilian Pampa: A Fragile Biome
(2009) Roesch, Luiz Fernando Wurdig; Vieira, Frederico Costa Beber; Schünemann, Adriano Luis; Teixeira, Italo Filippi; Senna, Ana Julia Teixeira; Stefenon, Valdir Marcos
"Biodiversity is one of the most fundamental properties of Nature. It underpins the stability of ecosystems, provides vast bioresources for economic use, and has important cultural significance for many people. The Pampa biome, located in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, illustrates the direct and indirect interdependence of humans and biodiversity. The Brazilian Pampa lies within the South Temperate Zone where grasslands scattered with shrubs and trees are the dominant vegetation. The soil, originating from sedimentary rocks, often has an extremely sandy texture that makes them fragile—highly prone to water and wind erosion. Human activities have converted or degraded many areas of this biome. In this review we discuss our state-of-the-art knowledge of the diversity and the major biological features of this regions and the cultural factors that have shaped it. Our aim is to contribute toward a better understanding of the current status of this special biome and to describe how the interaction between human activities and environment affects the region, highlighting the fragility of the Brazilian Pampa."
A Breadbasket for Africa: Farming in the Guinea Savannah Zone
(2012) Morris, Michael; Binswanger, Hans; Byerlee, Derek; Staatz, John
"Over the past five decades, African agriculture has failed to meet the demands of a continent set to become the most populous region on earth by 2025. During that half century, two relatively backward and landlocked agricultural regions--the Cerrado region of Brazil and the northeast region of Thailand--have developed at a rapid pace and have become leading agricultural exporters. The success of these regions defied the many skeptics who had asserted that their challenging agroecological characteristics, remote locations, and high levels of poverty would prove impossible to overcome. Similar perceptions for many years also fueled pessimism about the prospects for African agriculture, although this may now be changing. During the past decade, strong agricultural growth has been recorded in several African countries, and recent increases in international prices of agricultural commodities have opened up new opportunities. Africa’s Guinea Savannah zone covers about 600 million hectares, of which about 400 million hectares could be used for crop agriculture. With sustainable and inclusive growth of commercial agriculture, this region has the potential to feed Africa and create a booming export business."
Cambodian Peasant's Contribution to Rural Development: Perspective from Kampong Thom Province
(2010) Diepart, J.C.
"The paper aims to identify the rationality of peasant communities and their contribution to rural development in Kampong Thom province. To do so, an interdisciplinary analytical framework addresses the dynamics of land use and land tenure, the strategies of labor force allocation as well as the determinants of land and labor agricultural productivities amongst peasant communities. It rests on details field surveys in two communes located in very distinct agro-ecological settings of Kampong Thom province. A land use change analysis based on time-series aerial photos is conducted with participatory inventories of natural resources. It shows that endogenous management of forest and fisheries resources generate significant incomes and, at the same time, contribute to maintaining biodiversity. The paper analyses how this contribution is challenged by the non-peasant actors involved in massive State land privatization. Aiming to full employment, peasant households enjoy a great flexibility in the way they allocate labor force, especially in line with the age of active labor and the fluctuation of labor opportunity costs. Principally due to an unequal land holding distribution, agricultural income is unfairly distributed but this inequality is actually balanced by the access to common-pool resources of crucial importance for the poorest and by the recourse to non farming activities, which is an important factor of socio-economic differentiation amongst households. The main economic indicators of rice production confirm that peasant households always try to maximize their income in step with the production factor they have in relatively less amount. A land market simulation stresses that, contrarily to theoretical assumptions, land access through sale (and purchase) does not result in a fairer land distribution. Nevertheless, land leases amongst peasant households seem more promising to ensure equitable access to land as they are embedded in collective security mechanisms activated by peasantry. The paper argues that peasant communities in the studied area constitute a solid basis for rural development as they offer a very good articulation between economic efficiency, social justice and environmental sustainability. Finally, recommendations are formulated to properly address peasant contribution to rural development in the new national agrarian policies."
Can Farming and Forestry Coexist in the Tropics?
(1980) Spears, John S.
"Five World Bank financed projects, from Malaysia, Colombia, Kenya, Indonesia and the Philippines, are examined from the point of view of how they answer human needs for the kind of sustainable forestry and farming that are harmonious with tropical forest ecosystems."
Can Properties of Labor-Exchange Networks Explain the Resilience of Swidden Agriculture?
(2010) Downey, Sean S.
"Despite the fact that swidden agriculture has been the subject of decades of research, questions remain about the extent to which it is constrained by demographic growth and if it can adapt to environmental limits. Here, social network analysis is used to analyze farmer labor-exchange networks within a chronosequence of five Q’eqchi’ Maya villages where swidden agriculture is used. Results suggest that changes in land-use patterns, network structure, reciprocity rates, and levels of network hierarchy may increase the resilience of these villages to changes in the forest’s agricultural productivity caused by ongoing agricultural activity. I analyze the suitability of subsistence- versus market-oriented agricultural labor for reciprocal labor exchange and develop a novel interpretation of labor reciprocity that highlights how unreciprocated exchanges, when they occur within the context of a network, may limit overexploitation of the forest. The variability observed in labor-exchange network structure across villages suggests that Q’eqchi’ swidden can maintain its identity under changing conditions. This important characteristic of resilient systems is explored by analyzing a village case study where a serious demographic exodus dramatically impacted their labor network. The resulting picture of Q’eqchi’ swidden agriculture is one of resilience rather than homeostasis. Reorganization of labor-exchange networks helps to maintain a village’s cohesion, and ultimately this limits pioneer settlements and may slow overall rates of deforestation."
The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?
(2011) Lynch, Derek H.; MacRae, Rod; Martin, Ralph C.
"About 130 studies were analyzed to compare farm-level energy use and global warming potential (GWP) of organic and conventional production sectors. Cross cutting issues such as tillage, compost, soil carbon sequestration and energy offsets were also reviewed. Finally, we contrasted E and GWP data from the wider food system. We concluded that the evidence strongly favours organic farming with respect to whole-farm energy use and energy efficiency both on a per hectare and per farm product basis, with the possible exception of poultry and fruit sectors. For GWP, evidence is insufficient except in a few sectors, with results per ha more consistently favouring organic farming than GWP per unit product. Tillage was consistently a negligible contributor to farm E use and additional tillage on organic farms does not appear to significantly deplete soil C. Energy offsets, biogas, energy crops and residues have a more limited role on organic farms compared to conventional ones, because of the nutrient and soil building uses of soil organic matter, and the high demand for organic foods in human markets. If farm E use represents 35% of total food chain E use, improvements shown of 20% or more in E efficiency through organic farm management would reduce food-chain E use by 7% or more. Among other food supply chain stages, wholesale/retail (including cooling and packaging) and processing often each contribute 30% or more to total food system E. Thus, additional improvements can be obtained with reduced processing, whole foods and food waste minimization."
Cash Income Diversification in Rural Small Holder Cassava Producing Households of Nigeria
(2008) Enete, A.A.; Achike, Anthonia I.
"The issue of poverty alleviation for the people of less developed nations of the world has currently assumed the status of a recurring decimal. This is particularly critical for sub-Saharan Africa, because, the region contains a growing share of the world’s absolute poor, with most of these found among rural farm households. High variability in crop yield and thus income variability arising from the vagaries of weather makes income diversification important for these households in order to improve their economic status. This paper, based on primary data collected as part of the Collaborative Study of Cassava in Africa, identified factors that drive cash income diversification decisions among rural farm households of Nigeria. Using Heckman’s two-stage model, it separates the first discrete decision of whether or not to engage in non-crop income activities from the continuous decision of how much non-crop income is needed by the household. While the level of formal education of the household head, good market access conditions and availability of initial liquidity stimulate the first decision to start non-crop income activities, only household characteristics (also including the level of formal education of the household head) drive the extent of non-crop cash income earned by the household. These observations further underscore the need for investing in people – education, and in infrastructure – improving market access, as potent tools for economic empowerment."
A Catalyst toward Sustainability? Exploring Social Learning and Social Differentiation Approaches with the Agricultural Poor
(2014) Shaw, Alison; Kristjanson, Patti
"Emerging sustainability challenges, such as food security, livelihood development and climate change, require innovative and experimental ways of linking science, policy and practice at all scales. This requires the development of processes that integrate diverse knowledge to generate adaptive development strategies into the future. Social learning is emerging as a promising way to make these linkages. If and how social learning approaches are being applied in practice among smallholder farming families--the bulk of the worlds food producers, requires specific attention. In this paper we use a case study approach to explore social learning among the agricultural poor. Five key evaluative factors: context assessment, inclusive design and management, facilitating learning, mobilizing knowledge and assessing outcomes, are used to analyze nine projects and programs in (or affiliated with) the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). We explore three main questions: (1) in what contexts and in what ways are socially differentiated and marginalized groups enrolled in the learning process? (2) what, if any, are the additional benefits to social learning when explicitly using strategies to include socially differentiated groups? and (3) what are the benefits and trade-offs of applying these approaches for development outcomes? The findings suggest that, in the agricultural development context, social learning projects that include socially differentiated groups and create conditions for substantive two-way learning enhance the relevance and legitimacy of knowledge and governance outcomes, increasing the potential for accelerating sustainable development outcomes."
The Causes of Land Degradation Along Spontaneously Expanding Agricultural Frontiers in the Third World
(1990) Southgate, Douglas
"The extent and consequences of deforestation and related environmental degradation in the developing world have become the subject of considerable debate and concern. There is disagreement about how rapidly tree-covered land near the equator is being cleared or otherwise disturbed. Likewise, tropical deforestation's impacts have proven difficult to identify and to evaluate. By contrast, the contribution small farmers make to deforestation is universally understood. Land clearing has been more rapid in Rondonia, for example, than anywhere else in the Brazilian Amazon and more than half the deforested land in that state is divided among small agricultural holdings (Browder 1988; Mahar 1989). Throughout the developing world, small farmers are primary agents of deforestation."
Certifying the Uncertifiable?
(2007) O'Riordan, Brian
"A recent joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and the Government of Brazil (through its Fisheries Secretariat) sought to open up a discussion on guidelines for aquaculture certification, with a particular focus on the Americas. This took the concrete form of an Expert Workshop on Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification, organized in Fortaleza, Brazil, from 31 July to 3 August 2007. "
Challenges for Crop Production Research in Improving Land Use, Productivity and Sustainability
(2013) Spiertz, Huub
"The demand for food, feed, and feedstocks for bioenergy and biofactory plants will increase proportionally due to population growth, prosperity, and bioeconomic growth. Securing food supply and meeting demand for biomass will involve many biological and agro-ecological aspects such as genetic plant improvement, sustainable land use, water-saving irrigation, and integrated nutrient management as well as control of pests, diseases and weeds. It will be necessary to raise biomass production and economic yield per unit of land--not only under optimum growing conditions, but even more under conditions constrained by climate, water availability, and soil quality. Most of the advanced agronomic research by national and international research institutes is dedicated to the major food crops: maize, rice, wheat, and potato. However, research on crops grown as feedstock, for bio-energy and industrial use under conditions with biophysical constraints, is lagging behind. Global and regional assessments of the potential for growing crops are mostly based on model and explorative studies under optimum conditions, or with either water or nitrogen deficiencies. More investments in combined experimental and modeling research are needed to develop and evaluate new crops and cropping systems under a wide range of agro-ecological conditions. An integral assessment of the biophysical production capacity and the impact on resource use, biodiversity and socio-economic factors should be carried out before launching large-scale crop production systems in marginal environments."
The Changing Effects of Agro-Climate on Cereal Crop Yields during the Green Revolution in India, 1972 to 2002
(2013) Tsusaka, Takuji W.; Otsuka, Keijiro
"Conventionally, agricultural technologies associated with the Asian Green Revolution (GR) have been regarded as a resource-demanding type of technologies which achieve higher crop yields by intensive use of inputs including water, but are therefore sensitive to harsh agro-ecological conditions such as droughts. This study uniquely explores the changes over time in the impacts of climatic conditions and irrigation on cereal crop yields in India during the 31-year period from 1972 to 2002. A district-level panel data set is assembled from several sources, and the yield equations for five major crops (wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, pearl millet) are estimated by combining two-way fixed effect and sample selection models. It is found that climate dependence of crop yields decreased over time, particularly at the later stage of the GR, indicating that GR technologies for these cereal crops have mitigated, rather than aggravated, the adverse effects of climatic conditions on crop yields. Moreover, it is also found that the adoption of irrigation leads not only to directly enhancing crop yields but also to alleviating the negative influences of temperature and rainfall. The results suggest that recent agricultural technologies developed in Asia can be conducive to overcoming harsh production environments in less-favored regions of the world, if proper institutions are in place."
Classification of Collaborative Management Methods
(2000) Blumenthal, Dana M.; Jannink, Jean-Luc
"Collaboration among multiple stakeholders can be crucial to the success of natural resource management. In recent years, a wide variety of methods have been developed to facilitate such collaboration. Because these methods are relatively new and come from different disciplines, little attention has been paid to drawing comparisons among them. Thus, it is very difficult for potential users to sort through the increasingly large literature regarding such methods. We suggest the use of a consistent framework for comparing collaborative management methods, and develop such a framework based on five criteria: participation, institutional analysis, simplification of the natural resource, spatial scale, and stages in the process of natural resource management. We then apply this framework to six of the more commonly cited methods: soft systems analysis, adaptive management, ecosystem management, agroecosystem analysis, rapid rural appraisal and participatory rural appraisal. Important differences among methods were found in prescriptions for stakeholder participation, institutional analysis, and simplification of complex natural resources. Despite such differences, the methods are surprisingly similar overall. All methods are applicable at the scale of a watershed. Most of the methods include techniques for understanding complex natural resources, but not complex social institutions, and most include monitoring and assessment as well as planning. Our comparisons suggest that, although much work has been done to improve collaborative management of natural resources, both in the development of collaborative methods and in related social science disciplines, the results have not been shared among disciplines. Further organization and classification of this work is therefore necessary to make it more accessible to both practitioners and students of collaborative management."
Collapse and Recovery in Sahelian Agro-pastoral Systems: Rethinking Trajectories of Change
(2012) Rasmussen, Laura Vang; Reenberg, Anette
"We discuss the adaptive cycle heuristic as a potential platform for describing the functioning and directions of change in Sahelian land use systems. Specifically, the aim is to go beyond the simplified narrative of a vicious circle of land degradation and land expansion prompted by population pressure and low rainfall and to develop conceptual means to account for system recovery and adaptation to exposures. We use a village study from northern Burkina Faso as an empirical point of departure. On the basis of information obtained from extensive interviews and surveys at the group and household level, the different phases of the adaptive cycle—exploitation (r), conservation (K), release (W) and reorganization (a)— are characterized by indicators of “potential” and “connectedness”. The main traits of an adaptive cycle trajectory are identified, yet deviations are also observed. It is, however, apparent that the traditional picture of a unidirectional process of land degradation and system collapse in Sahelian agro-pastoral systems is a simplification of more complex realities. The adaptive cycle heuristic provides insight into the possible importance of , for example, connectedness in terms of village groups. This may have implications for the policy discourse and may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of trajectories of change in Sahelian systems."
Common and Privatized: Conditions for Wise Management of Matsutake Mushrooms in Northwest Yunnan Province, China
(2009) Yang, Xuefei; Wilkes, Andreas; Yang, Yongping; Xu, Jianchu; Geslani, Cheryl S.; Yang, Xueqing; Gao, Feng; Yang, Jiankun; Robinson, Brian
"Since Hardin’s (1968) paper on the 'Tragedy of the Commons,' property rights of commonpool resources have been a central concern for natural resource management scholars. Matsutake, a common-pool resource, is an economically important mushroom in several locations around the world. Driven by growing international demand over the last few decades, matsutake management is a relatively new practice both for local communities and government agencies. In Northwest Yunnan, China, one of the most productive areas for matsutake globally, numerous local practices and systems have emerged in the last two to three decades. In this study, we investigate the differences between management systems in eight communities and the factors associated with them. The methods used for field research included key-informant interviews, household surveys, and questionnaires. Three main management patterns were identified through use of statistical clustering based on indicators such as physical environment, resource characteristics, tenure arrangements, regulations and implementation, harvesting behavior, income, and market regulation. It was found that private access—the principal characteristic of which is the exclusive use of resources—results in more income at lower labor cost per household than either of the other openaccess management patterns. Even though under the context of ongoing Second Forest Tenure Reform in China—in which collective forest privatization is the key task—application of private-access regimes is limited because of site conditions including physical, institutional, and market environments. Commonaccess management systems have advantages in terms of managing conflict and balancing equity needs. No matter the type of access right, the key issue for wise matsutake management is institutional. Locally rooted innovative strategies should be encouraged, and institutional capacity building should be carried out to support innovations in matsutake management."
Comparative Assessment of Soil Contamination by Lead and Heavy Metals in Riparian and Agricultural Areas (Southern Québec, Canada)
(2010) Saint-Laurent, Diane; Hähni, Marlies; St-Laurent, Julien; Baril, Francis
"Soils contaminated with hydrocarbons (C10–C50), PAHS, lead and other heavy metals were recently found in the banks of two major rivers in southern Québec. Alluvial soils are contaminated over a distance of 100 kilometers. Eight sampling sites, including some located in agriculture areas (farm woodlots) have been selected to compare air pollution (aerosol fallout and rainout) and river pollution values. The concentrations detected in soil profiles for As, Cd and Pb vary between 3.01 to 37.88 mg kg−1 (As), 0.11 to 0.81 mg kg−1 (Cd) 12.32 to 149.13 mg kg−1 (Pb). These metallic elements are considered highly toxic and can harm wildlife and human health at high levels. The maximum concentration of Pb (149.13 mg kg−1) in soils of the riparian zone is twelve times higher than the average Pb concentration found in a natural state evaluated at 15.3 mg kg−1 (SD 17.5). Pb concentrations in soils of agricultural areas (woodland control sites) range between 12 and 22 mg kg−1, and given that these values are recorded in surrounding cultivated land, the issue of the quality of agricultural products (crops and forage) to feed livestock or destined for human consumption must be further addressed in detail."
Comparative Study of Ecological Survey Techniques on Invertebrate
(2009) Nwokwu, G.N.; Sanderson, R.
"The objective of this study was to determine appropriate methodologies in different habitats in order to identify invertebrates using identification keys. The study was carried out in the Close House in the University of Newcastle Experimental Farm. The methods employed during the study were Pitfall trapping, Sweep netting, Blo-Vac and Beating trays. The skills of using the identification keys were developed in order to identify the groups of insects present in different habitats at least to the level of their order. Major invertebrate orders such as Hemiptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were identified and assessed using appropriate methods of survey, having undertaken a quantitative comparison of the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various methods used. Sampling techniques were taken in open and dense vegetations, trees and shrubs and the data collected were analysed using bar charts, Simpson’s biodiversity index and Shannon biodiversity index. The results showed that Blo- Vac method produced the highest number of species in both habitats followed by Sweep netting but beating tray method recorded the least number of species from trees and shrubs. There was a significant difference between Simpson biodiversity index and Shannon diversity but there was no significant difference between Simpson Evenness and Shannon Evenness."
Comparison of the Farming System and Carbon Sequestration between Conventional and Organic Rice Production in West Java, Indonesia
(2010) Komatsuzaki, Masakazu; Syuaib, M. Faiz
"Organic farming provides many benefits in Indonesia: it can improve soil quality, food quality and soil carbon sequestration. This study was designed to compare soil carbon sequestration levels between conventional and organic rice farming fields in west Java, Indonesia. The results from soil analysis indicate that organic farming leads to soil with significantly higher soil carbon storage capacity than conventional farming. Organic farming can also cut some farming costs, but it requires about twice as much labor. The sharecropping system of rice farming in Indonesia is highly exploitative of workers; therefore, research should be conducted to develop a fairer organic farming system that can enhance both local and global sustainability."
Comprometimento, Características da Cooperativa e Desempenho Financeiro: Uma Análise em Painel com as Cooperativas Agrícolas Paulistas
(2013) Cauê Serigati, Felippe; Furquim de Azevedo, Paulo
"A importância de um elevado nível de comprometimento entre os cooperados e sua cooperativa é consenso na literatura, o que vem impulsionando a pesquisa empírica sobre o tema. Este artigo insere-se nessa corrente e avalia empiricamente os condicionantes de um maior grau de comprometimento e sua influência sobre o desempenho financeiro de uma cooperativa. Duas são suas principais contribuições: diferentemente de parte relevante da literatura, que tem por foco características dos associados, neste trabalho investiga-se a relação entre as características das cooperativas e o nível de comprometimento, o que resulta em diferentes implicações de política; no artigo faz-se uso de dados em painel não balanceado sobre as cooperativas agrícolas paulistas, o PDICOOP, base de dados ainda pouco explorada e que permite maior representatividade e menor sujeição a problemas econométricos de viés de seleção. Os resultados são consistentes com hipóteses da literatura sobre custos e benefícios da ação coletiva, estando o comprometimento positivamente correlacionado com o tamanho da cooperativa (benefícios da ação coletiva) e negativamente correlacionado com o número de cooperados e seu grau de heterogeneidade -- proxies para os custos de coordenação. A relação entre comprometimento e desempenho financeiro é, contudo, inconclusiva, devido à falta de boas variáveis instrumentais para o controle de endogeneidade."
Computer-Aided Design Elements of Precision Farming Systems Based on the Principles Biologization, Resource and Environmental Safety
(2012) Plygun, S.; Lobkov, V.
"Development of practical methods of computer-aided design elements of precision farming systems on the basis of biological function, resource and environmental security for the producers of different specialization, ownership and financial security is the actual direction of development of modern agricultural science. Proposed development, which may serve as a basic programming model, allowing for expanded reproduction of soil fertility through the use of new ways to maximize the amount of phytomass in the agricultural lands, increase soil biological activity and reduce the costs of manufacturing nitrogen on yield formation of crops."
The Concept of Management Accounting as an Information System in the Management of Commercial Organization Profit
(2012) Kyshtymova, E.; Lytneva, N.
"In the conditions of reforming of the mechanism of management there is a problem of the qualitative, reliable information necessary for regulation of economic processes with a view of maximizing profit of the commercial organizations. One of the concept directions improvement of accounting system is development of management accounting which is directed on ensuring control of profitability of the current activity of the organization first of all regarding decrease in expenses, an assessment of efficiency of managing as a whole and in a cut of divisions of the organization, the analysis of profitability of separate sectors of activity and market segments."
Conflict Resolution Mechanisms Maintaining an Agricultural System. Early Modern Local Courts as an Arena for Solving Collective-Action Problems within Scandinavian Civil Law
(2016) Larsson, Jesper
"Rapid access to low-cost local arenas to resolve conflicts among appropriators is one of the principles that characterise robust common-pool resource (CPR) institutions. In spite of this insight, we have little knowledge about how such institutions solved collective-action problems in early modern Scandinavia, when CPRs were an important part of production. Arenas to resolve conflicts among appropriators range from informal meetings among users to formal court cases. This paper focuses on local courts, rather than laws and by-laws, within the Scandinavian legal origin and how these courts developed as arenas for CPR conflict resolution. Court rulings from Leksand Parish in central Sweden were the backbone for this study. The results indicate that access to a low-cost arena was more important to the peasants than rapid access to the courts. Successful conflict resolution could take years to accomplish and it was more important for the court to embed their decisions in people’s minds than to come to a quick resolution. Further, I demonstrate that the court laid the foundation for disputing parties to solve conflicts among themselves. Lay judges – peasants from the region – came to play an important role in conflict resolution. Thus, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the court played a central role in maintaining agricultural CPRs."
Conflicting Concepts: Contested Land Relations in North-Western Vietnam
(2004) Sikor, Thomas
"In villages of north-western Vietnam land allocation provided a window in which different conceptions of land relations came to light. Villagers resisted the implementation of key elements of the new land legislation, though the new law purported to extend peoples control. Their resistance manifested a fundamental disjuncture between the exclusive and territorial concept of land rights promoted in the new land law and peoples lived land relations. They refused to give up the substance of land relations that had proven useful before collectivisation, under collective agriculture and again in the initial years of decollectivisation. Peoples reactions highlight how post-socialist land reforms provoke their own forms of resistance. Villagers negotiate the reforms in conflicts over resources and authority as well as over the very concept of landed property. This article examines the nature of these conflicts, explores their linkages with socialist and post-socialist land legislation, and relates them to the larger literature on post-socialist property relations."
Conservation of Genetic Diversity in Culture Plants
(2010) Maxim, A.
"The most important international document relating to the conservation of biodiversity is one adopted by the UN in Rio de Janeiro (1992) that 'Convention on Biodiversity'. Based on this agreement, the EU has taken a series of measures to reduce genetic erosion in agriculture, which grew with the expansion of industrialized agriculture. Throughout its existence, mankind has used some 10,000 growing plant species. According to FAO statistics, today, 90% of food production is ensured by some 120 growing plant species. In addition to drastic reduction in specific diversity, the advent of industrialized agriculture has generated a process of strong genetic erosion. Old varieties and local varieties of crops have mostly been affected, in favour of 'modern' varieties. Landraces are characterized by high heterogenity. They have the advantage of being much better adapted to biotic and abiotic stress conditions (diseases, pests, drought, low in nutrients, etc.) and have excellent taste qualities, which can justify a higher price recovery than commercial varieties. Thanks to these features, these crops need small inputs, which correspond to the concept of sustainable development. Landraces are an invaluable genetic potential for obtaining new varieties of plants and are best suited for crop cultivation in ecological systems, becoming more common. Also, for long term food security in the context of global warming, rich genetic diversity will be require. 'In situ' and 'ex situ' conservation are the two major strategies used in the conservation of plant genetic resources. There is a fundamental difference between these two strategies: “ex situ” conservation involves sampling, transfer and storage of a particular species population away from the original location, while 'in situ' conservation (in their natural habitat) implies that the varieties of interest, management and monitoring their place of origin takes place in the community to which they belong. These two strategies should not be viewed as alternatives or in opposition, but a complementary approach is required. Obviously, only the on farm preservation, with traditional technologies, allows a sustainable management of the varieties, because these, in their natural habitat, can continue their evolutionary processes under the pressures of the environment, man, and technology. Romania, with an agricultural area of 14,722 millions Ha, still has a very rich diversity of conservation varieties in plants growing, but they risk losing if appropriate action is taken."

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