Farmer Experience with Precision Agriculture in Denmark and the US Eastern Corn Belt

Two mail surveys were carried out in Denmark and the Eastern Corn Belt, USA in 2002. Questionnaires were sent to 580 farmers who had used precision agriculture (PA) and 198 responses were received. The surveys focused on the current status of use of PA in both countries, including: PA practices, equipment and software, Internet and e-mail use, information sources for PA, satisfaction level from service providers, data handling, interpretation, storage and ownership, value of data for decision making, changes in management practices, desired information and services, and the next planned step in the practice of PA. The survey results showed more similarities in practicing PA between the two countries than differences. Time requirement and high cost of data handling were cited as the main problems. Survey respondents found soil maps to be more valuable than yield maps in management decisions. About 80% of the respondents would like to store the PA data themselves. The majority of the respondents indicated that they have changed their management practices due to PA, but not substantially. Some 90 of the respondents used the Internet and e-mail for agricultural purposes, but only a small number for PA websites.     

International public opinion on the environment

This article analyzes public opinion data on environmental issues collected in two major surveys. The data reveal substantial concern about the environment in both developing and industrial countries along with perceptions that the quality of the environment has declined and will continue to decline. Developing country respondents rate their local and national environmental quality lower than do industrial country respondents, whereas both groups rate global environmental quality about the same. The data also reveal considerable willingness among the developing and industrial countries to accept responsibility for the world's environmental problems and recognition of the importance of governments in addressing local and national environmental issues and of strong international agencies in addressing transnational issues.     

AAAS in Mexico: Inter-American Goodwill but Little Press Coverage

This summer, in cooperation with the Mexican government's National Council of Science and Technology, the AAAS marked its 125th anniversary with a special meeting in Mexico City, the association's first in Latin America. For the occasion, News and Comment asked Edward Edelson, a science writer for the New York Daily News who has covered previous AAAS meetings, to review the Mexico City gathering from a reporter's point of view. A second article by Robert Gillette of the News and Comment staff will elaborate on the objectives of the meeting and on the difficulties of organizing a major international conference.     

Geophysicists in moscow: signs of easier relations

Science editor Philip H. Abelson attended the 15th general assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics in Moscow on 1 through 14 August. There he served as principal U.S. delegate to the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior. In preparing the following notes for publication, he checked his own impressions extensively against those of American scientists who participated in other sections of the meeting, and against the impressions of those who visited scientific institutions in the Moscow region.     

山东农村制度变迁的路径依赖分析

通过对山东农村制度变迁的困境分析．指出路径依赖是其重要的非正式制度影响因素,并从儒家文化、家族意识、计划经济为基础的制度遗产以及山东农村传统小商品经济的观念和制度的遗留方面加以分析,最后提出依靠经济、信息技术和加强非正式制度的交流来突破山东农村非正式制度路径依赖的思路。     

网络购物物流服务质量评价指标权重研究(二)

该文提出运用调查问卷法和层次分析法相结合的方法来进行网络购物物流服务质量评价指标相对权重的分析研究,在互联网发放了265份调查问卷,并回收有效问卷221份。然后,以调查问卷所得数据为基础,采用SPSS13.0软件和层次分析法,分别从发货卖家、网络购物消费者、既是发货卖家又是消费者,既不是发货卖家又不是网络购物消费者以及四者的整体角度进行了网络购物物流服务质量评价指标相对权重的分析,从而得出来自不同评价角度的网络购物物流服务质量评价指标权重结果。结果表明,除了既是发货卖家又是消费者的被调查者认为信息服务能力比时间性更为重要之外,基本上可以认为各网络购物物流服务质量评价指标的相对权重从高到低依次为送货服务水平,接单服务水平,正确安分履行订单能力,时间性,信息服务能力,价格。     

消费者对可追溯牛肉的支付意愿及其影响因素分析——基于北京市的实地调研

为了解消费者对可追溯牛肉的偏好情况,基于北京市实地调研的400份消费者问卷数据,利用假想价值评估法研究消费者对可追溯牛肉的支付意愿,重点关注的是依据计划行为理论并选用有序Logistic模型分析消费者对可追溯牛肉支付意愿的影响因素。研究发现:北京市消费者对可追溯牛肉的认知水平较低;但信息强化后,消费者对可追溯牛肉又表现出较高的认可程度,只有4.75%的受访者不愿意为可追溯牛肉支付额外价格;然而,只有20.00%的受访者愿意为每千克可追溯牛肉额外多支付至少20元,参考当前北京市可追溯牛肉的市场价格,消费者对可追溯牛肉的支付意愿还是偏低;风险感知障碍、辨别能力障碍、经济实力障碍、牛肉购买数量和年龄这些变量显著影响消费者对可追溯牛肉的支付意愿。根据本研究结论提出对策建议。     

优质米生产现状和开发利用概述

 优质稻米是国际贸易市场的一项重要产品,致力于开发商品优质米,努力实现商品大米优质化,既能满足消费者的需求,又是提高种粮经济效益的一条有效途径本文综述报道国内外优质米出口销售,品种选育,高产优质稻栽培措施,以及开发利用前景。     

全球化背景下加强我国农业国际科技合作工作的思考

当今经济全球化加速了农业科技全球化进程,国际农业科技合作已经成为世界各国应对全球农业发展重大挑战的重要途径和主要手段。文章分析了农业科技国际合作面临的新形势、新任务和新要求,阐述了我国农业科技发展水平和农业科技国际合作主要做法,在此基础上研究分析了我国农业国际合作存在的主要问题,并从完善机制、加强投入、平台建设等不同角度提出了政策建议,以期为我国开展农业国际科技合作提供参考和借鉴。     

Instrucions for Authors

<正>In 2009,Agriculturtal Science&Technology's full-texts have been included by international authority of the search tools AGRIS.AGRIS is the international information system for the agricultural sciences and technology.It was created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO)in 1974,to facilitate information exchange and to bring together world literature dealing with all aspects of agriculture.AGRIS is a cooperative system in which participating countries input references to     

Effects of Human Trafficking on Household Farm Labor Availability Among Arable Farming Households in Delta State,Nigeria

Trafficking in persons,especially women and girls has been on for long and is still going on.Persons in the female group constitute the mostly trafficked humans.This study was conducted to determine the effects of human trafficking on household farm labor needs available among farming households.Arable farming households involved in human trafficking were identified and purposively selected for this study with the aid of key informants in purposively selected communities.This led to the selection of 60 arable farming household heads in Delta North Agricultural zone,65 farming household heads in Delta Central Agricultural Zone,and 36 arable farming household heads in Delta south agricultural zone to give a total of 151 respondents.Data for the study were collected with the utilization of questionnaire and interview schedule.The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis with the application of frequency counts,percentages and means derived from 4-point likert-type scale.The hypothesis was tested using Tobit regression analysis.Human trafficking was found to be age and sex selective and the causes of human trafficking included both push and pull factors,such as high income in destination countries poverty,low risk profit,nature of trafficking in persons,ease in control and manipulation of vulnerable women and girls,low risk involved in working in destination countries,lacking of legitimate and fulfilling employment,sex selective migration policies,less access to information and peer pressure.Shortage of household farm labor was experienced by farming households in clearing and brushing of farm land,sowing,weeding,harvesting and processing/storage.Human trafficking was found to affect household labor availability in clearing/brushing of farm land,sowing,weeding,harvesting and processing/storage of farm produce.It is recommended that poverty alleviation programs should be specially organized for poor women,government and NGOs and international agencies should develop strategies to mitigate human trafficking.The government needs to collaborate with community based organizations and law enforcement agencies to create anti-trafficking committee in farming communities.Community education should be created for the farming communities to emphasize anti-human trafficking with the use of change agents;extension agents should integrate anti-trafficking messages in their interaction with farmers.     

Predicting youth participation in urban agriculture in Malaysia: insights from the theory of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation

This study examines factors associated with the decision of Malaysian youth to participate in a voluntary urban agriculture program. Urban agriculture has generated significant interest in developing countries to address concerns over food security, growing urbanization and employment. While an abundance of data shows attracting the participation of young people in traditional agriculture has become a challenge for many countries, few empirical studies have been conducted on youth motivation to participate in urban agriculture programs, particularly in non-Western settings. Drawing on the theories of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation, we surveyed 890 students from a public university in Malaysia about their intention to join a new urban agriculture program. Hierarchical regression findings indicated that the strongest predictor of participation was students’ attitude toward urban agriculture, followed by subjective norms, career motives and perceived barriers to participation. The findings from this study may provide useful information to the university program planners in Malaysia in identifying mechanisms for future students’ involvement in the program.     

Instrucions for Authors

<正>In 2009,Agriculturtal Science&Technology's full-texts have been included by international authority of the search tools AGRIS.AGRIS is the international information system for the agricultural sciences and technology.It was created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO)in 1974,to facilitate information exchange and to bring together world literature dealing with all aspects of agriculture.AGRIS is a cooperative system in which participating countries input references to the literature produced within their boundaries and,in return,draw on the information provided by the other participants.To     

中国大米国际竞争力研究 ——基于同印度、巴基斯坦、泰国和越南的比较分析

稻谷是中国主要的粮食生产作物,具有较强的创造经济效益的能力。从联合国粮农组织和世界贸易组织的相关数据上来看,中国大米产量与中国大米的出口量存在着明显的不对称。笔者从研究国际竞争力的显示性指标出发,选择了亚洲最大的5个大米出口国作为研究对象,运用了国际市场占有率、贸易竞争指数、显示性比较优势指数、进出口价格比4个指标对中国大米的国际竞争力作了实证分析。结果表明,中国大米与印度、巴基斯坦、泰国和越南4国相比,不具有国际竞争力优势。     

非正规借贷对我国农业产业发展的支持规模估算

在大力发展现代农业的背景下,发展中国家从事农业产业活动所获取的正规借贷严重匮乏,非正规借贷起着非常重要的作用。基于大样本调查数据,运用主体需求法,分析农业产业经营主体(农户、农村中小企业及组织)从事农业产业活动获取非正规借贷情况,探讨农业产业单位借贷资金的贡献度。结果表明,农业产业非正规借贷融资总量以及占其正规贷款规模比值逐年上升,2012年融资总量已达2万亿元以上,约为其正规贷款的71%,发展速度超过10%;农户非正规借贷量虽占绝大比重,但农业企业非正规贷款比重不断上升;农业产业单位借贷资金对农业产业发展的贡献度在逐年下滑,要想维持农业的稳定增长,农业信贷资金必须有一个更加快速的增加。为进一步提高融资水平,建议政府要规范农业产业非正规借贷发展,充分认识其重要性并采取引导与完善相结合的政策,大力增加以财政资金为拉动力量的信贷资金供给,在信贷资金支持主体方面适当向农村中小企业倾斜。     

Sovereign and property rights over plant genetic resources

The existence of sovereign rights over genetic resources is today well recognized in international law. However, the legal status of such resources in terms of property rights is still unclear. The consideration of this issue requires a clear distinction between physical and intangible property. Legislation in developed countries has extended patent protection to genetic resources, in addition to the protection of plant varieties via breeders' rights. The extension of protection and the implementation of the TRIPs Agreement may have important implications for breeding programs and trade in seeds. While intellectual property protection of genetic resources is rapidly advancing, considerable work is still to be done to ensure the compensation for the informal innovations made by local and indigenous communities.     

International research: its role in environmental biology

To determine the role of environmental factors in human health, studies on several population groups are essential, involving the most sophisticated techniques possible. The logistic and political problems associated with such studies, especially in developing countries, and the high cost of modern environmental biological investigations make it particularly desirable to avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of resources. For certain investigations an international research center would appear to have considerable advantages, provided that the organizational difficulties can be overcome. Not only can such an organization provide the human data necessary for calculating the balance between the benefits and harm of a given course of action but also it may stimulate the long-term routine laboratory studies so necessary as a basis for extrapolation from animals to man.     

新时期农村社区的非正式群体探讨——基于国家与社会的关系视角

在介绍非正式群体在农村社区结构中的作用的基础上,从国家与社会关系的视角探讨了农村社区的非正式群体,分析了农村非正式群体的时代特征,并以公共冲突治理为例,剖析了农村社区中非正式群体的功能。     

居民对文化林生态系统服务功能的认知与态度

文化林是按照文化传统和风俗习惯来保护和管理的森林,在保护生物多样性的同时也维持了生态系统服务功能.采用半结构式访谈法调查了文化林周边村民对文化林的生态系统服务功能的认知及保护意愿,结果表明:(1)村民认为文化林提供的最重要的服务功能为固碳释养、水源涵养及美学价值,并与最满意的服务功能间存在正相关关系.最期望提高的服务功能是文化功能,例如:生态旅游,美学价值.(2)相对周边其他森林村民对文化林的资源利用较小,主要是非林木产品,平均26.3％的被访村民在文化林中获得过收入,40.6％的被访者获得山野菜、竹子、中药材、薪柴等.但90.1％被访者从其他森林中得到薪柴等林产品,开展旅游村落的村民获得林产品比例相对较小,但管护意愿相对较低.(3)村民对文化林的保护积极性较高,70.4％的被访者愿意花时间来管护森林,距文化林越近、家庭收入越高,管护意愿越高.38.9％的被访者愿意支付费用来维持服务功能不变化,距文化林越近,管护意愿越低的被访者,支付意愿越高.(4)通过了解村民对文化林的态度和认知,对我国农村森林生态系统服务功能和天然林保护具有重要意义.建议大力宣传文化林的生态系统服务功能,尤其是文化功能,并寻找替代生计提高居民收入,雇佣当地男性村民看护森林,充分利用村民的传统知识加强共管力度,完善村规民约,在今后规划中尽量将村落沿着文化林布局,积极支持对文化林的保护和发展.