Integrating culture and community into environmental policy: community tradition and farm size in conservation decision making

Community research by anthropologists and sociologists details the effects that centralization of decision making has on local communities. As governance and regulation move toward global scales, conservation policy has devolved to the local levels, creating tensions in resource management and protection. Centralization without local participation can place communities at risk by eroding the environmental knowledge and decision making capacity of local people. Environmental problems such as water quality impairments require perception, interpretation, and ability to act locally. Through a presentation of findings from farm communities in the Sugar Creek Watershed (Northeast Ohio, USA), this paper examines tradition, social scale, and land use among Anabaptist and other farm households, and refocuses on-farm conversation away from conventional individual metric-based studies and toward a systems approach. This new approach frames conservation behavior in a socio-cultural system that is influenced by tradition in on-farm decision making. Data from four subwatersheds are used to probe the effects of these variables on conservation adoption, explore the optimal farm size concept, and discus the roles of tradition and local and non-local knowledge in sustainability.     

Personality as power: Reconsidering tweeten's sector argument

In the Winter 1987 edition of AHV, Luther Tweeten characterized the farm sector as personality. In that article, Tweeten addressed the dark side of that personality as it has been manifested through recent farm protest. This is a rejoinder. Its intent is to look more deeply at the farm personality and, by so doing, reject dark personality traits as the sole basis for farm activisim and ideology. The article suggests that there are two distinct personalities, one directed toward power and leadership and another disaffected and tempered to follow any mythology. The conclusion is that social scientists must not only confront myths but also confront displays of power that use myths for political gain.     

发挥农业高校科技教育优势,发展农村教育

本指出农业高校发挥科技教育优势发展农村教育,目的在于提高农村劳动素质,提负起科地人国的已任,同时为推进农业高校全面实施教育改革此进创新机制。通过对教育对象、教学内容、教育模式、采取的相应对策的论述,探索农村教育的发展方向,逐渐形成以农业高校为龙头的农业教育体系。     

Does climatic crisis in Australia’s food bowl create a basis for change in agricultural gender relations?

An ongoing crisis in Australian agriculture resulting from climate crises including drought, decreasing irrigation water, more recent catastrophic flooding, and an uncertain policy environment is reshaping gender relations in the intimate sphere of the farm family. Drawing on research conducted in the Murray-Darling Basin area of Australia we ask the question: Does extreme hardship/climate crises change highly inequitable gender relations in agriculture? As farm income declines, Australian farm women are more likely to be working off farm for critical family income while men continue to work on farm often in circumstances of damaged landscapes, rising debt, and limited production. This paper examines the way gender relations are being renegotiated in a time of significant climate crisis. Our research suggests that climate crises have indeed led to changes in gender relations and that some changes are unexpected. Whereas one would logically assume that women’s enhanced economic contribution would increase their power in gender negotiations, we argue that this does not necessarily occur because their contribution is viewed as a farm survival strategy. Men are committed to prioritizing the farm and view women’s income generating work as critical to this purpose and yet, paradoxically, long for a return to traditional farm roles. We find that women are actively resisting traditional gender relations by reshaping a role for themselves beyond the farm—in the process moving physically and mentally away from a farm family ideology, questioning gender inequalities, and by extension their relationships.     

节水灌溉技术采用及其增产效应评估——以延津县318户胡萝卜种植户为例

为了加快节水灌溉技术推广和普及,采用内生转换回归模型分析农户节水灌溉技术采用行为,并评估节水灌溉技术的增产效应,结果表明,节水灌溉技术的增产效应十分显著,能够使农户每hm2胡萝卜产量增加约7 961kg,相当于单产水平的21%。户主受教育程度、家庭在外务工人数和技术采用经历对农户节水灌溉技术采用行为影响显著;生产规模大、参与产销合作的农户也会更倾向于采用节水灌溉技术。根据研究结论,本研究最后提出了4点政策建议:1)努力提升农户受教育程度;2)积极推进耕地适度规模经营;3)大力推广产销合作模式;4)加强节水灌溉技术推广力度。     

Economics of autonomous equipment for arable farms

By collecting more data at a higher resolution and by creating the capacity to implement detailed crop management, autonomous crop equipment has the potential to revolutionise precision agriculture (PA), but unless farmers find autonomous equipment profitable it is unlikely to be widely adopted. The objective of this study was to identify the potential economic implications of autonomous crop equipment for arable agriculture using a grain-oilseed farm in the United Kingdom as an example. The study is possible because the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) demonstration project at Harper Adams University has produced grain with autonomous equipment since 2017. That practical experience showed the technical feasibility of autonomous grain production and provides parameters for farm-level linear programming (LP) to estimate farm management opportunities when autonomous equipment is available. The study shows that arable crop production with autonomous equipment is technically and economically feasible, allowing medium size farms to approach minimum per unit production cost levels. The ability to achieve minimum production costs at relatively modest farm size means that the pressure to “get big or get out” will diminish. Costs of production that are internationally competitive will mean reduced need for government subsidies and greater independence for farmers. The ability of autonomous equipment to achieve minimum production costs even on small, irregularly shaped fields will improve environmental performance of crop agriculture by reducing pressure to remove hedges, fell infield trees and enlarge fields.

     

农户对农业面源污染治理技术的接受意愿及其影响因素分析——以江汉平原为例

农业面源污染越来越成为亟待解决的问题,面对各种治理的技术和政策,农户的选择以及接受意愿是解决农村农业面源污染的关键所在。利用江汉平原3个县级市136户农户的调查数据,建立二项Logistic回归模型,定量分析农户对面源污染治理技术接受意愿的因素。研究结果表明,农户的接受意愿受到诸多因素的共同作用和影响,其中对技术作用的认知、受教育程度、耕地面积的大小、环境保护意识、担任公共职务对农户的意愿影响较显著,参加培训、性别对农户接受意愿影响不显著。该研究对于面源污染治理以及其他新技术的推广有一些启示：应该进一步提高农村整体教育水平;加强技术的有效宣传力度。     

The impact of farm management on value of management information systems

The value of management information systems (MISs) arises from improved managerial decision making and, therefore, will vary from farm to farm. Insight into this variation will be of use not only to farmers who consider (new) MIS investments, but also to companies that design and market MISs. In this study, the impact of farm management on the value of sow-herd MISs is investigated. Within the same research population, farm management is assessed with two conceptually different classification approaches — the sociological ‘style of farming’ approach and the farm-economic ‘management level’ approach. Management levels of sow farmers turned out to be positively correlated with MIS value (r=0.35, P=0.02). Although farmers with high management levels tend to be better informed anyway than farmers with low management levels, they get more added value from MISs.     

Application of a web-based remote agro-ecological monitoring system for observing spatial distribution and dynamics of Bactrocera dorsalis in fruit orchards

Improving fruit farm profitability through integrated pest management (IPM) programs is always an important issue to modern agriculture systems. In order to enhance IPM programs against Bactrocera dorsalis, an automatic infield monitoring system is required to efficiently capture long-term and up-to-the-minute environmental fluctuations in a fruit farm. In this study, a remote agro-ecological monitoring system built upon wireless sensor networks has been developed to provide precision agriculture (PA) services with large-scale, long-distance, long-term, scalable, and real-time infield data collection capabilities. Historical data with spatial information is available through a web-based decision support program built upon a database. Pest population forecast results are also provided so that farmers and government officials would be able to accurately respond to infield variations. Compared with the previous version of the system, various useful functions have been added into the system, and its accuracy has been improved when measuring different parameters in the field. The system could provide a valuable framework for farmers and pest control officials to analyze the relations between population dynamics of the fruit fly and meteorological events. Based on the analysis, a better insect pest risk assessment and accurate decision-making strategy can be made as an aid to PA against B. dorsalis.     

Cultivating citizenship,equity, and social inclusion? Putting civic agriculture into practice through urban farming

Civic agriculture is an approach to agriculture and food production that—in contrast with the industrial food system—is embedded in local environmental, social, and economic contexts. Alongside proliferation of the alternative food projects that characterize civic agriculture, growing literature critiques how their implementation runs counter to the ideal of civic agriculture. This study assesses the relevance of three such critiques to urban farming, aiming to understand how different farming models balance civic and economic exchange, prioritize food justice, and create socially inclusive spaces. Using a case study approach that incorporated interviews, participant observation, and document review, I compare two urban farms in Baltimore, Maryland—a “community farm” that emphasizes community engagement, and a “commercial farm” that focuses on job creation. Findings reveal the community farm prioritizes civic participation and food access for low-income residents, and strives to create socially inclusive space. However, the farmers’ “outsider” status challenges community engagement efforts. The commercial farm focuses on financial sustainability rather than participatory processes or food equity, reflecting the use of food production as a means toward community development rather than propagation of a food citizenry. Both farms meet authentic needs that contribute to neighborhood improvement, though findings suggest a lack of interest by residents in obtaining urban farm food, raising concerns about its appeal and accessibility to diverse consumers. Though not equally participatory, equitable, or social inclusive, both farms exemplify projects physically and philosophically rooted in the local social context, necessary characteristics for promoting civic engagement with the food system.     

关于西部农产品品牌竞争力的思考

加入WTO后,中国农业,尤其是西部地区的农业面临着巨大的竞争压力,表现在西部农业竞争力不强。本文强调提升西部农业竞争力的核心是农产品品牌竞争力。针对西部农产品品牌竞争力弱的现状,提出增强西部农产品品牌竞争力的途径。     

Sustainability of irrigated farming systems in a Tunisian region: A recursive stochastic programming analysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of farm irrigation systems in the Cébalat district in northern Tunisia. It addressed the challenging topic of sustainable agriculture through a bio-economic approach linking a biophysical model to an economic optimisation model. A crop growth simulation model (CropSyst) was used to build a database to determine the relationships between agricultural practices, crop yields and environmental effects (salt accumulation in soil and leaching of nitrates) in a context of high climatic variability. The database was then fed into a recursive stochastic model set for a 10-year plan that allowed analysing the effects of cropping patterns on farm income, salt accumulation and nitrate leaching. We assumed that the long-term sustainability of soil productivity might be in conflict with farm profitability in the short-term. Assuming a discount rate of 10% (for the base scenario), the model closely reproduced the current system and allowed to predict the degradation of soil quality due to long-term salt accumulation. The results showed that there was more accumulation of salt in the soil for the base scenario than for the alternative scenario (discount rate of 0%). This result was induced by applying a higher quantity of water per hectare for the alternative as compared to a base scenario. The results also showed that nitrogen leaching is very low for the two discount rates and all climate scenarios. In conclusion, the results show that the difference in farm income between the alternative and base scenarios increases over time to attain 45% after 10 years.     

Doing masculinity: gendered challenges to replacing burley tobacco in central Kentucky

This paper offers a case study based on qualitative research in the burley tobacco region of central Kentucky, where farmers are urged to diversify away from tobacco production. ??Replacing?? tobacco is difficult for economic and material reasons, but also because raising tobacco is commensurate with a locally valued way of doing masculinity. The focus is on these two questions: How can the doing of work associated with tobacco production and marketing be understood as also doing a particular masculinity? What does an understanding of farm work as a simultaneous doing of gender illuminate about the challenges of diversification away from tobacco? Asking tobacco farmers to ??grow something else?? is also asking them to do gender differently, suggesting that the transition away from tobacco must be understood as a gendered transition. This research, focused primarily on male farmers who continue to raise tobacco, suggests the need for gendered research with women and men who have moved away from tobacco to other crops.     

A Bayesian network to predict the probability of organic farms’ exit from the sector: A case study from Marche, Italy

The maintenance of organic farming production schemes is a theme receiving a growing interest now that there are signs of a slowing in organic farming uptake in Italy. The present study develops a model based on a Bayesian network (BN) that is aimed at investigating the factors that affect the exit of a farm from the organic sector and to simulate the probability of maintaining an organic scheme for different farm types. The model is based on a database of organic farms, which has been integrated with qualitative information. Farm-type simulation and sensitivity analysis of most of the relevant variables have been carried out. Main results show that arable farm types are those with a higher probability to stay in the organic sector, while farmers’ age, Province the farm is situated in and farm size are the factors mostly influencing probability scores.     

Participatory research in integrated pest management: Lessons from the IPM CRSP

Integrated pest management has emerged as an important means of managing agricultural pests. Since the mid-1980s, the emphasis in IPM has shifted toward biologically-intensive and participatory research and extension approaches. Finding better means for solving pest problems is high on the agenda for most farmers, and farmers often have significant pest management knowledge and interest in IPM experimentation. This paper describes an approach to participatory IPM research that is being implemented by the IPM Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CSRP). The approach emphasizes on-farm research with an extrapolation domain beyond the single farm, and in some cases beyond the local region or country. It considers many factors beyond the farm and research station that influence the generation and adoption of IPM technologies and strategies. It emphasizes linkages among farmers, scientists, consumers, bankers, marketers/processors, and policy makers in IPM research priority setting, conduct, and evaluation. The interdisciplinary approach described in the paper is illustrated with a case study from the Philippines. Lessons and conclusions draw on its recent application in other sites as well.     

农艺农机结合是推进山西旱作节水农业现代化进程的突破口

通过分析山西农业机械化现状,指出了山西农业机械化存在的问题,并依据山西耕地类型和干旱气象特征,探讨了山西旱作节水农业对机械装备的需求特点。通过在研究、示范实践中将农艺与农机紧密结合的有益探索,明确了农艺农机结合是推进旱作节水农业现代化进程的突破口。     

Tracing the linkages of world views,information handling,and communications vehicles

The animal rights movement is a serious challenge to current agricultural practices. Agriculture's response, in part, depends on how successfully it can mobilize its natural constituency, farmers. However, theories of the mainstream press suggest that the mainstream press generally covers events, rarely reports or adopts the perspective of alternative movements, rarely includes mobilizing information, and suggests that routine social structures can, should, and will contain the movement. Hence, current theory indicates that the mainstream press does not act to mobilize the general public. However, very little research has examined how specialized presses, such as the farm press, respond to movements. The study reported here was based on an analysis of 406 articles from ten farm magazines. The findings suggest that the farm press acted more as an advocacy press than does the mainstream press. Collectively, the farm press articles included as many positions pieces and stories explaining animal rights as an issue as they did event stories. The articles reported, and countered, the positions of the animal rights movement; suggested that routine social structures might not contain the animal rights movement; called for agriculture to mobilize; and included specific recommendations concerning how agriculture should mobilize.Ann Reisner is an assistant professor of agricultural communications and a fellow at the Program for the Study of Cultural Values and Ethics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her primary interest area is agriculture, communications, and values and she has written numerous research articles in this area. She is also co-editor of this special issue on communications.     

基于FHSI影像融合技术的绿洲干旱区农田信息提取研究

新疆是我国耕地资源的重要储备基地之一,也是<全国土地开发整理规划>划定的重点土地开发整理区域.以新疆于田绿洲为例,探讨了基于快速傅立叶变换改进的HIS融合(FFT-HIS,简称FHSI)的农田信息提取方法,针对融合效果从主观和客观两方面与传统的HIS融合方法进行了比较分析,并在此基础上进行了农田信息的提取试验,结果表明,同传统的HIS融合方法相比,FHSI融合的信息量、纹理特征都明显增强,分类精度明显改善,特别是水田信息的提取效果非常显著,是监测干旱区耕地变化的有效手段.     

Insights into the effects of pulsed antimicrobials on the chicken resistome and microbiota from fecal metagenomes

Antimicrobial resistance has become a global problem that poses great threats to human health. Antimicrobials are widely used in broiler chicken production and consequently affect their gut microbiota and resistome. To better understand how continuous antimicrobial use in farm animals alters their microbial ecology, we used a metagenomic approach to investigate the effects of pulsed antimicrobial administration on the bacterial community, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and ARG bacterial hosts in the feces of broiler chickens. Chickens received three 5-day courses of individual or combined antimicrobials, including amoxicillin, chlortetracycline and florfenicol. The florfenicol administration significantly increased the abundance of mcr-1 gene accompanied by floR gene, while amoxicillin significantly increased the abundance of genes encoding the AcrAB-tolC multidrug efflux pump (marA, soxS, sdiA, rob, evgS and phoP). These three antimicrobials all led to an increase in Proteobacteria. The increase in ARG host, Escherichia, was mainly attributed to the β-lactam, chloramphenicol and tetracycline resistance genes harbored by Escherichia under the pulsed antimicrobial treatments. These results indicated that pulsed antimicrobial administration with amoxicillin, chlortetracycline, florfenicol or their combinations significantly increased the abundance of Proteobacteria and enhanced the abundance of particular ARGs. The ARG types were occupied by the multidrug resistance genes and had significant correlations with the total ARGs in the antimicrobial-treated groups. The results of this study provide comprehensive insight into pulsed antimicrobial-mediated alteration of chicken fecal microbiota and resistome.     

Farm management optimization using chance constrained programming method

This paper presents a stochastic optimization model to determine the optimal number of acres of hay a farm should harvest for their own horses’ consumption, as well as how much hay to purchase and sell to maximize the total profit of the farm. This research is motivated by horse farmers who must make yearly decisions concerning the management of feeding horses. These decisions are affected by the cost to grow their own hay, the cost to buy hay, the cost associated with selling hay, and the stochastic nature of crop yield due to different weather conditions. The uncertainty of weather conditions is included in the mathematical model by including random variables in the model constraints. Optimal policies are obtained for a real world case study provided by a Kentucky horse farmer by applying chance constrained programming method. A sensitivity analysis is performed to show the effectiveness of the approach.