Toward sustainable harvesting of Africa's largest medicinal plant export (Prunus africana): a case study in Tanzania

Global demand for treating prostate disorders with Prunus africana bark extract has made P. africana Africa's largest medicinal plant export. Unsustainable harvesting practices can lead to local extirpations of this multipurpose tree. Survey research targeting P. africana harvesters in a Tanzania forest reserve revealed that 78% of them used unsustainable harvesting practices. This research focused on establishing a socioeconomic profile of the harvesters, the profitability of their business operations, and identifying the factors that influence their selection of harvesting practices. Results indicate that harvesters have above-national-average education, double the average family size, and generate income exceeding government's minimum wages. Large family size and high earning potential imply increased future harvesting activity. Logistic regression results indicate that education and training level could predict the likelihood that a harvester would use unsustainable harvesting practices. Local- and district-level government organisations could implement a resource assessment as a basis to design and implement harvesting schedules and ensure that the harvesters receive appropriate training, regardless of their education level.     

泰州市稻田综合种养产业发展分析及建议

系统阐述了泰州市稻田综合种养产业的发展现状,包括分布区域、经营主体、种养模式等,统计了不同种养模式的应用面积、产量及收益,对稻田综合种养及常规稻麦种植两种模式下的经济效益进行了对比。结果表明,稻田综合种养模式能显著提高土地利用率,促进当地农业增效和农民增收。通过对稻田综合种养模式推广应用过程中的比较优势以及存在问题进行系统分析,提出了针对性的解决措施和建议。     

植物品种权许可实施合同选择分析

许可实施是植物品种权实施的主要模式之一，是将创新品种转化为利润的重要机制，能够激励植 物新品种研发创新，并促进新品种技术扩散。植物品种权许可实施不同于品种权转让，具有收入效应和竞 争效应，从微观角度可以提高知识资产的使用效率。但是植物品种权许可实施的收入效应和竞争效应受复 杂因素影响，由于信息不对称和不确定因素的存在，许可双方无法事先签订完美的许可合同。品种权人可 以通过许可合同价格条款和许可范围的选择，利用“入门费 分期提成/阶段性支付”的许可费用模式， 规避许可风险。     

川东北经济区城乡关联模式探索

结合川东北经济区特点,提出了“空间与功能网络化”模式,包括“空间网络化”和“功能网络化”两部分.具体实施中,提出了“双核”(南充和达州)增长极模式、“五带”(川东北经济区5大区域带)特色产业发展与城镇化并行模式.为了更好地实现城乡关联发展,总结了川东北经济区当具备的4大条件:合理的城镇体系、完善的交通设施、统一的制度框架、有效的政府调控.     

Income Distribution and Growth--Survey of Theories and Empirical in Modern Western Economics

Economic growth and income distribution are two of the major subjects in international economic studies. Perforce theory believes that inequality improve growth. Endogenous economic growth theory shows that inequality is harmful for growth. After summarizing western theory on growth and income distribution, this paper gives the detail survey of relationship between income distribution and growth, and the mechanism of the effect is discussed.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Winston Halapua, Living on the fringe: Melanesians of Fiji Patrick Fuery and Nick Mansfield, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory Keith Chambers and Anne Chambers, Unity of Heart. Culture and Change in a Polynesian Atoll Society Alice Aruhe’eta Pollard, Givers of Wisdom, Labourers without Gain: Essays on Women in Solomon Islands Prema–chandra Athukorala, Chris Manning and Piyasiri Wickramasekara, Growth, Employment and Migration in Southeast Asia: Structural Change in the Greater Mekong Countries Edvard Hviding and Tim Bayliss–Smith, Islands of Rainforest: Agroforestry, Logging and Eco–tourism in Solomon Islands     

Selection of wheat based on economic returns per unit area

This study aimed to investigate a cultivar selection criterion based on income ha⁻¹ in common wheat. Regional yield trials with 20 entries were planted in Diyarbakır, Hazro and Ceylanpınar in southeast Anatolia in the 2004/2005 growing season. A randomized complete block design with four replications was employed. Grain samples from each location were subjected to quality analyses, and then presented to randomly selected grain purchasers with the local commodity market for market price estimations. Entries 1, 9, 10, 7 and 6 were the top five ranking entries for grain yield, giving 5,320, 5,290, 5,280, 5,140 and 5,130 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. From the market price perspective, entries 17, 3, 7, 20 and 8 received the five highest marketing price offers with the values 239.0, 238.1, 237.1, 236.9 and 236.7 US$ tonne⁻¹, respectively. There was a US$ 10.94 tonne⁻¹ market price difference between entries with the highest and the lowest market price. The only quality analyses showing significant correlations with market price were Zeleny sedimentation value and hectolitre weights (kg hl⁻¹). From thev production income [= marketing price (US$ tonne⁻¹) × grain yield (kg ha⁻¹)] point of view, entries 9, 10, 1, 7 and 6 were ranked from 1st to 5th for production income ha⁻¹ with the values 1,241.0, 1,238.0, 1,219.9, 1,214.2 and 1,209.3 US$ ha⁻¹, respectively. All five high yielding entries were also high-income entries. A rank stability analysis further indicated that entry numbers 6, 7, 8, 4 and 1 stable for high production income ha⁻¹. A simulation study, based on allocation of additional premiums for high quality indicated that entries 9,1,10, 7, and 6 would be top ranking for high income ha⁻¹ if given an additional premium of as much as twice the standard deviations of market price for each entry (the highest premium limit; 20.24 US$ tonne⁻¹). The order for cultivar preference for high production income ha⁻¹ would change and would generate 1,321.94, 1,296.20, 1,281.11, 1,258.06 and 1,243.01 US$ ha⁻¹, respectively. It was concluded that the relatively quality conscious Şanlıurfa commodity market does not offer adequate premiums for the high quality grains. This results in farmer preference for high yielding lower quality cultivars. Even though quality cannot be neglected, and cultivar preference could change with additional premiums, breeders must give more attention to high production income ha⁻¹.     

The geography of the wages: Chinese cities 1989 and 1997

Improving national average income and reducing regional income inequality often serve as dual goals of economic development in a country. After over twenty years of economic reforms, China has been fairly successful in achieving the first goal, but failed in the second. This paper uses recent data with a sharper resolution to examine the variation of average wages across Chinese cities 1989–1997. Widening wage inequalities across cities are observed during the period. This research also seeks to explain the variation of wages between cities by factors such as agglomeration (density and city size), location advantages (distances from central cities and from the coastline), educational attainment, industrial structure and administrative hierarchy. Many of the factors are found to be important in explaining wage differences in Western countries but are yet to be tested in China. Some factors such as distance from the coast, industrial structure and administrative hierarchy are considered because of China’s unique social and economic systems.     

基于灰色系统理论的收益还原法在农用地估价中的应用

收益还原法是农用地估价中的常用方法，但是目前利用此法评估农用地地价时，采用实际纯收益代替预期纯收益而导致评估的地价不合理。该文系统地论证了利用灰色系统建模来预测农用地预期纯收益的可行性，并分析了整个建模过程。最后将模型应用到湖北省武穴市农用地估价中。结果表明，应用此模型预测的后验差比值为0.21，小误差频率为1，精度达到一级。利用预测得到的预期纯收益来评估农用地地价与传统方法相比更趋合理，具有实际的应用价值。     

农村教育对农民增收的作用分析

论述了我国农村教育的现状、重要性以及教育与经济收入的关系,并通过分析相关统计资料,说明了农民素质与农民人均纯收入密切相关,同时提出了加快农村人力资源开发,增加农村人力资本投资,提高农民的教育水平、科技素质及构建农村终身教育体系等农村教育发展的建议。