Local knowledge and farmer perceptions of bean diseases in the central African highlands

Central African highland farmers' perceptions of common bean disease were investigated using both phytopathology and anthropological techniques. Farmers rarely mentioned diseases as production constraints in formal questionnaires. More participatory research showed farmers often related disease symptoms to the effects of rain and soil depletion for fungal diseases, or to varietal traits for bean common mosaic virus. Rain or moisture is divided into numerous forms through which it can damage plants, both physically and through putrefaction. Most conditions associated with putrefaction appear to be linked to pathogens. Farmers have an understanding of plant health closely related to their concept of human health. In plants, this understanding is based on the prior state of plant health. Conceptually, local disease management strategies are based on prevention by managing the conditions that promote good plant health rather than by treating disease symptoms. Intervention strategies that build on local knowledge are encouraged.     

The resilience of long and short food chains: a case study of flooding in Queensland,Australia

This paper provides new insights into the food security performance of long and short food chains, through an analysis of the resilience of such chains during the severe weather events that occurred in the Australian State of Queensland in early 2011. Widespread flooding cut roads and highways, isolated towns, and resulted in the deaths of people and animals. Farmlands were inundated and there were food shortages in many towns. We found clear evidence that the supermarket-based (long) food chain delivery system experienced significant difficulties in supplying food to flood-affected towns. In contrast, more localized (short) food supply chains—which relied upon supply from growers in peri-urban areas and community-based food initiatives—remained largely intact, and provided food at a time when the supermarkets were limited in their ability to respond to consumer demand. However, on closer examination of food distribution during flooding in the regional city of Rockhampton and in the State capital, Brisbane, the demarcation of success between “long” and “short” food chains became blurred. Both types of food supply chains shared some key resilience characteristics in responding to crisis but diverged in other important ways. We argue that conceptualizing food chains in terms of key elements of resilience—scale, diversity, flexibility and cohesion—may be more fruitful than the short-long dichotomy alone. This approach is particularly useful when prioritizing food security as the basis for evaluating food system sustainability in a context of predicted increases in extreme weather events and future climate change.     

Food packing: A case study of dining out in Beijing

Food waste results in nutritional losses,ecological damage,and environmental pollution.This survey is conducted in Beijing and aims to determine whether food waste can be reduced by food packing when leftovers are produced at the dining table and to identify factors that affect food packing behavior and the use of leftovers.Based on statistical and econometric analyses of the relationship between leftovers packing and possible factors,this study finds that the age,educational level,employment status,farming experience,environmental protection consciousness,food saving advertisement,families with old members,and reasons for dining out significantly influence the food packing behavior of the consumers.Moreover,the dining environment plays an important role in leftovers packing.People with intimate relationships,such as families,friends,classmates,or colleagues,are more willing to take leftovers home.Business partners do the opposite.Finally,almost all packed leftovers(91.59%) are eaten by people and animals.Therefore,packing leftovers is an excellent approach to reduce food waste.     

Dating Caral, a preceramic site in the Supe Valley on the central coast of Peru

Radiocarbon dates from the site of Caral in the Supe Valley of Peru indicate that monumental corporate architecture, urban settlement, and irrigation agriculture began in the Americas by 4090 years before the present (2627 calibrated years B.C.) to 3640 years before the present (1977 calibrated years B.C.). Caral is located 23 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and contains a central zone of monumental, residential, and nonresidential architecture covering an area of 65 hectares. Caral is one of 18 large preceramic sites in the Supe Valley.     

Food provisioning strategies,food insecurity,and stress in an economically vulnerable community: the Northern Cheyenne case

Living in poverty is associated with high levels of protracted stress associated with health problems. Economic and food insecurity are particularly poignant aspects of poverty and condition the work of securing basic daily needs of families. Recent studies suggest that levels of stress increase as family food needs rise. This paper presents new findings which clarify the relationship of food provisioning to stress levels, by examining actual food provisioning strategies and food insecurity among the Northern Cheyenne Indians of southeastern Montana. Results clearly show that stress varies by types of food acquisition strategies. Contrary to our expectations, more complex strategies, including relatively unpredictable and cumbersome food provisioning activities, are not linked to higher stress levels in our analysis. Controlling for food security levels, households using a combination of local programs and informal subsistence sources are the least stressed, despite the demands of managing a large number of food sources. Households primarily using Food Stamps are the most likely to experience high levels of stress. Interviews with Food Stamp recipients show that potential sources of stress include inadequate allocations of Food Stamps, difficulty achieving and maintaining eligibility, challenges to complying with paperwork and appointment requirements, as well as personal obstacles and community barriers to making food stamps last. Analyses indicate that contradictions between local cultural norms for food provisioning and the realities of food insecurity in this context promote strategies emphasizing greater independence from federal food programs.     

城市商业用地地价空间分布模拟与分析--以呼和浩特市为例

为揭示城市商业用地地价的微观分布规律,基于区域化变量理论和地统计学,以呼和浩特市为例,采用半变异函数分析商业用地地价空间连续及变异特征,用普通克里格插值方法模拟商业用地地价空间分布,生成地价模拟图。结果表明:商业用地样点地价兼具空间自相关性和各向异性,但受区域整体趋势的影响明显强于小范围的变异性;商业用地地价分布整体具有连续性,局部具有突变性;等价线分布呈现圈层结构,但地价越高的区域面积越小;交通道路对商业用地地价分布有重要影响,城市扩展会带动扩展方向的区域商业用地地价升高;商业用地地价从市中心向外围呈指数递减。     

Federal regulation of local and sustainable food claims in Canada: a case study of Local Food Plus

Interest in purchasing local food from suppliers who follow sustainable practices is growing in Canada. Such suppliers wish to have their products recognized in the market so that price premiums might be received, and new markets developed. In response, the organization Local Food Plus (LFP) developed standards and a certification process to authenticate local and sustainable claims. LFP provides certification seals, and labeling provisions for qualifying producers and processors. However, given pre-existing national food labeling rules, it is not evident that existing regulations permit such claims. Using LFP as a case, this study examined whether current federal labeling rules might impede the marketing of local and sustainable claims. Key findings include that the use of the terms natural, sustainable, and local in panel language and on shelf-talkers could be contested; and that the absence of specific regulation of numerous pertinent terms means they can only be assessed against general fraud prevention regulations, resulting in case-by-case determinations of compliance. Sustainability food label approvals in Canada, based on these general provisions, have not always been favorable to sustainable producers and firms. Existing regulation of these potentially contested terms appears to be out of step with other policy-related developments at the federal level and / or conceptual developments in the field. Proposals are made for amending existing rules to better support local and sustainable claims.     

稻田资源社会价值评估——以苏州市为例

以苏州市稻田资源为研究对象,深入剖析了稻田资源的社会价值构成,运用替代法、影子价格法和机会成本法等方法,评估了稻田资源的社会稳定和保障等社会价值。结果表明,苏州市稻田资源单位面积社会价值量为413.97万元/hm2,是苏州市当年水浇地征用价格的13.8倍,社会价值总量为344.17×109元。其中,社会保障价值占主体地位,达66.04%,社会稳定价值占33.96%。在社会保障价值各分类价值中,养老保障价值所占比例最大,为84.60%,表明稻田资源对农民的养老保障功能具有非常重要的作用,基本生活保障价值和就业保障价值所占比例分别为5.44%和9.96%。稻田资源社会价值的研究,对完善土地征收补偿机制、建立稻田保护补偿机制和健全农村社会保障体系具有非常重要的实践价值。     

城市社区公园自生草本生态位及群落特征——以北京市西城区为例

城市化的快速推进导致生态环境遭受严重破坏,生物多样性急剧降低,城市公园对于保护和提升生物多样性具有关键意义。城市中的社区公园面积虽小,但数量最多,对于保护生物多样性具有巨大潜力。自生植物不仅是植物多样性的重要组成部分,而且能为动物提供必不可少的食源和栖息场所,其生态价值不容忽视。本文聚焦北京市西城区的社区公园,在比较分析自生草本的生态位宽度、重叠指数及植物多样性特征的基础上,探究自生草本的群落类型,以进一步明确高强度养护管理方式下小尺度城市绿地自生草本的群落特征。结果表明：(1)共记录到自生草本38种,隶属于22科36属。(2)荠菜、藜、龙葵、蒲公英等植物生态位宽度较宽;自生草本优势物种之间的生态位重叠指数(O_ik)介于0～0.62之间。(3)在植物多样性特征方面,月坛公园的Patrick指数和Shannon-Wiener指数最高,南礼士路公园的Pielou指数最高。(4)运用TWINSPAN分类法,将自生草本群落分为9个群落类型,Ⅴ藜+荠菜群落占比最高。最后,基于生态及景观价值提出社区公园自生草本的养护管理建议,为营造近自然、可持续的植物景观提供参考。     

Food safety risks,disruptive events and alternative beef production: a case study of agricultural transition in Alberta

A key focus for agri-food scholars today pertains to emerging “alternative food movements,” particularly their long-term viability, and their potential to induce transitions in our prevailing conventional global agri-food systems. One under-studied element in recent research on sustainability transitions more broadly is the role of disruptive events in the emergence or expansion of these movements. We present the findings of a case study of the effect of a sudden acute food safety crisis—bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease—on alternative beef production in the Province of Alberta, Canada. Employing the conceptual lens of Sustainability Transition Theory, we explore the perspectives of conventional and alternative beef producers, treating alternative beef production as a niche operating within the dominant regime of global industrial agri-business. Three key findings are presented here. First, food safety risks and disruptive events can emerge as a direct consequence of the socio-ecological contradictions embedded in industrial agriculture, representing an opportunity for expansion of agricultural niches. Second, certain features of socio-economic regimes can also contribute to niche emergence, such as an economic system that disenfranchises beef-producing families. Finally, our study highlights the high level of diversity among niche agents and the complex and nuanced nature of their support for the niche.     

Social networks and information access: Implications for agricultural extension in a rice farming community in northern Vietnam

Village communities are not homogeneous entities but a combination of complex networks of social relationships. Many factors such as ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, and power relations determine one’s access to information and resources. Development workers’ inadequate understanding of local social networks, norms, and power relations may further the interests of better-off farmers and marginalize the poor. This paper explores how social networks function as assets for individuals and households in the rural areas of developing countries and influence access to information and benefits from research and development. A case study of such networks in Phieng Lieng village, in the northern mountains of Vietnam, provides evidence for the need for the efficient delivery of extension services and research and development interventions at the micro level. Lan Anh Hoang is a social scientist with a special interest in social networks and gender and power relations in rural areas. She is currently working on her PhD at the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia (UK) on “Gender relations, household power hierarchies, and social norms in migration decision-making in rural Vietnam.” She was involved in the Mountain Agrarian Systems Program in Bac Kan Province from 1999 to 2002. Jean -Christophe Castella is a production systems agronomist from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD, France). Between 1998 and 2003, he coordinated a joint research program on “comprehensive study of land use changes in northern Vietnam uplands” in partnership with the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI, Hanoi, Vietnam) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, Philippines). Paul Novosad was involved with the Mountain Agrarian Systems program from January to July 2002. He helped to synthesize the results of field research and also was involved in analyzing data related to social networks. Since fall 2002 he studies Public Administration and International Development at the Kennedy School of Government in the United States (Cambridge, Massachusetts).     

农户视角下的农民合作组织益贫效果分析 ———以宁夏 YC 县为例

以英国国际发展署（DFID）提出的可持续生计分析框架为依据,通过探讨农民合作组织发展引起的贫困 地区农户生计资本的变化过程,考察农民合作组织对贫困地区农户益贫的效果。结果发现,受农民合作组织直接或 者间接的影响,五大生计资本存量有所提高,对农户的益贫效果主要体现在改善组织结构和管理制度的供需均衡、 降低农户生计脆弱性、促进农村地区内源式发展、探索可持续发展路径以及提高农民综合素质方面。     

城市土地利用变化对生态系统服务的影响——以淮北市为例

城市是一类以人类活动为中心的社会-经济-自然复合生态系统.城市的快速蔓延及强烈的人类活动显著地改变了城市的土地利用结构,进而严重影响了城市生态系统服务及人居环境.通过遥感、GIS技术及生态系统服务价值评估等方法,对淮北市1987年、2000年和2007年3个时期20a间的土地利用结构及生态系统服务价值的演变进行定量评价.研究结果表明:1987-2007年间淮北市生态用地空间结构和面积发生剧烈变化,生态用地占城市面积的比例由91.45％降低至71.86％.1987-2000年,农田面积大幅度下降,而林地和水体都呈不同程度的增加趋势,建设用地面积增长迅速.2000-2007年,农田面积有所增加,林地和水体面积却明显下降,建设用地总面积虽然没有明显变化,但其聚集度显著增加.20年间,城市生态服务功能的价值呈现先增加后减少的趋势,在2000年达31.32亿元.2000-2007年,以废物处理和水源涵养功能退化最为严重.可见,城市土地利用结构的变化与生态服务功能密切相关,此结果可为淮北市景观格局优化及土地合理调控和管理提供一定的科学依据.     

Exploring the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of farmers in global agrifood chains: findings from the coffee sector in Peru

Despite their recent proliferation in global agricultural commodity chains, little is known about the potential of intersectoral partnerships to improve the position of smallholder farmers and their organizations. This article explores the potential of partnerships by developing a conceptual approach based on the sustainable livelihoods and linking farmers to market perspectives, which is applied in an exploratory study to six partnerships in the coffee sector in Peru. It is concluded that partnerships stimulate the application of standards to receive market access and therefore emphasize human capital development of farmers to facilitate certification. By transferring knowledge to farmers, partnerships present a new source of technological change, which, in combination with certification, holds potential for improved environmental management and price premiums for producers. However, the emphasis on certification results in a comparatively narrow target group of farmers and is associated with high financial burdens for producer organizations. At the same time, other assets of producer organizations are often not strengthened sufficiently for them to operate successfully without further external support. This suggests that preparing producers for certification is prioritized over empowering organizations toward self-dependence.     

浙江义乌市城镇化对溪流底栖硅藻群落的影响

于2010年4月调查了浙江省义乌地区5个参照和9个城镇溪流样点的理化性状、底栖硅藻群落及所在流域土地利用。Spearman秩相关分析表明,流域城镇化强度指标——不透水地表面积比与电导率、总氮和磷酸盐等理化因子呈显著正相关,也与喜富营养型硅藻与耐污型硅藻比例呈显著正相关。非度量多维尺度分析(NMDS)与相似性检验(ANOSIM)分析表明,参照溪流与城镇溪流的底栖硅藻群落具有显著差异。参照溪流底栖硅藻平均密度(5.67×105cell.cm-2)低于城镇溪流(6.11×106cell.cm-2),并且参照溪流运动型、富营养型和耐污型硅藻比例也显著低于城镇溪流。城镇溪流优势种是Na-vicula minima(50.75%),参照溪流为Rhoicosphenia abbreviate(55.71%)。典范对应分析(CCA)表明,森林面积比、底质组成、二氧化硅、电导率、钙离子和镁离子是影响研究样点底栖硅藻群落的主要环境因子。研究结果证实,城镇化会显著改变城市溪流底栖硅藻群落结构,底栖硅藻可作为评价溪流生态质量的指示生物。     

北京市中心城社区公园使用时空差异及成因分析——基于58个公园的实证研究

社区公园的使用存在时间与空间差异。已有很多学者对社区公园的使用情况、使用影响因素进行研究,但目前多以社区公园内部影响因素为切入点,对影响社区公园使用的外部因素的研究仍然较少,而外部因素往往会产生较大影响。本文以北京市中心城58个社区公园为研究对象,以腾讯宜出行游客签到大数据为基础,使用核密度估算分析和地理探测器的研究方法,分析社区公园使用的时空分布特征及其外部因素(步行可达性、车行可达性、人口密度及商业办公设施)的影响程度。研究表明:1)社区公园使用存在明显的时间变化规律。2)社区公园使用的空间分布呈现向中心区与东北部聚集的趋势。3)在4个外部影响因素中,步行可达性与社区公园使用关联性最强,人口密度及商业办公设施对社区公园使用的影响同样不可忽视,车行可达性对社区公园使用的影响并不显著。根据研究结果,我们建议在社区公园的建设中协调与周边用地的关系,并完善步行体系的建设。      

乡村城镇化新模式:基于陈家店新型农村社区建设过程与动力机制的分析

在统筹工业化、城镇化和农业现代化的背景下,过去几年吉林省实施了新型农村社区建设,由此带来的乡村地区聚落,产业,土地等要素的变化对乡村发展和乡村城镇化进程具有重要意义。针对近年来吉林省新型农村社区的建设实际,通过陈家店村典型案例剖析,分析了新型农村社区的建设过程和动力机制。结果表明,陈家店村通过合村并居,发展农村合作社,土地流转与农业现代化三个过程实现了新型农村社区建设,陈家店村新型农村社区建设是自下而上模式的典型代表,以村委会为主要驱动力,通过整合村庄、土地、人口、产业等区域空间资源要素,积极带动村民就业转型,实现乡村振兴。陈家店村的新型农村社区建设实现了农业空间、社会空间、生态空间和居住空间的重组和优化,是介于城镇和乡村之间的城镇雏形。陈家店村在新型农村社区建设中还有待解决的问题:土地流转后农村剩余劳动力转移,农村居民对城市生活的适应能力,乡村邻里关系的保持以及城乡社会保障体系不均衡和城乡收入差距显著带来的一些列问题。     

基于LUCC追踪分析的生态系统服务价值时空变化研究

  目的  为了更好地揭示生态系统服务价值时空变化特征及趋势,加强对生态系统服务价值（ESV）空间变化描述。  方法  该研究以博斯腾湖流域为例,结合使用逐像元的追踪分析、趋势分析等方法,试探究土地利用/覆盖变化（LUCC）对生态系统服务价值的影响。  结果  （1）博斯腾湖流域主要的土地利用类型是荒漠,其次是草甸和裸地。研究期内,水田、荒漠、草甸、湿地、水域、旱地、建设用地面积增加;草原、灌木、裸地、针叶、阔叶、冰川积雪面积减少,2005—2010年综合土地利用动态度最大。（2）2000—2018年博斯腾湖流域未发生变化的土地即稳定型占流域总面积的60.43%,中等变化型、回归型和激烈变化型多分布于人类活动较强的绿洲地区。（3）2000—2018年博斯腾湖流域ESV总体上呈现波动增长趋势,流域ESV主要由草甸、水域和湿地构成,水域、旱地、草甸和草原是流域ESV变化的主要贡献因子和敏感因子,其中草原为负向贡献因子。（4）博斯腾湖流域ESV呈西北高、东南低,高值（博斯腾湖）点缀在低值区的空间分布特征。有明显增大与明显减少趋势的地区均分布于博斯腾湖周围湿地,流域北部大部分ESV呈轻度增加趋势,绿洲区轨迹等级和ESV变化趋势从城市至绿洲边缘呈:中等变化型（ESV轻度减少）— 渐变型（ESV轻度增加）— 中等变化型（ESV轻度减少）环状相间结构。  结论  该研究发现博斯腾湖流域南部土地利用轨迹等级、ESV变化趋势均高于北部的空间差异,并采用土地利用追踪分析与ESV趋势变化相结合的方式,揭示了绿洲城市的土地利用冲突现状及ESV时空变化,对博斯腾湖流域土地利用调控和生态环境保护提供参考。      

国家公园建设的社区参与现状

社区参与是实现国家公园生态保护与社区协调发展的重要途。为了解三江源国家公园建设中社区参与行为现状,给青海省的国家公园建设提供决策参考,以三江源国家公园体制试点区社区为对象,以社区牧户国家公园生态保护的认知及参与意愿调研为基础,分析了三江源国家公园社区参与的现状及问题。结果表明:1）受环保宣传和藏族生态文化的影响,三江源国家公园社区牧户的生态保护意识较高,生物多样性保护应该和文化多样性保护并重以体现国家公园完整性保护;2）三江源国家公园社区牧户的参与行为不完全符合理性经济人假设,更多的是受传统生态文化影响下的一种归属感和地方依恋感所致,也体现出社区参与利他性和互助性的特点;3)牧户的社区参与行为与保护意愿并不相匹配,折射出社区生态保护与社区发展的不协调;4）三江源国家公园社区参与度不高,多为象征性参与或假性参与。应该完善社区共管机制,构建政府、市场与全社会的多元化参与路径,实现三江源国家公园的可持续保护与发展。