On the relationship between feminism and farm women

Much international research haspointed out that farm women in a Westernagricultural context have not identified withthe ideas and politics of feminism. This issuehas troubled feminist scholars in the field,since much research has documented thesubordinate position of farm women. However,concerning the question of why farm women have notadopted feminism, assumptions ofprogress can be read: gender equality and emancipationof women will eventually take place once theagricultural sector has reached a higher stageof development; concerning universalism: thereexists a common women's identity and experienceof male oppression that forms the basis foridentity politics. The question may beidentified as a researcher question embeddedwithin the assumptions of the feminist researchcommunity, which struggles with establishing asubject-subject relationship between theresearcher and the researched. As such, it is thebasis for the production of partial, situatedknowledge and must be recognized as such.     

浅析提高养猪业经济效益的途径

养猪作为农民脱贫致富的一条有效途径,许多农户依靠养猪走上了富裕之路.近年来不少外出打工的农民相继返乡加入了养殖行业,但也有不少农民辛辛苦苦养了几年猪,养殖效益很差甚至亏损.最近笔者通过深入基层走访农户,对生猪养殖效益情况进行了调查及分析,并提出自己的一些看法和同仁探讨.     

农用地开发整理效果及后续问题研究

农用地开发整理所产生的经济、社会、环境效益使农民受益不少,主要表现在收入提高、生产条件改善和环保思想意识增强等方面。但要保持长期的效益,就必须加强农用地开发整理后续管理工作,特别是宣传、权属管理和全面监督机制的建立与实施。     

The relationship between farm size and fertilizer use efficiency: Evidence from China

Low fertilizer use efficiency is commonly found in China’s agriculture sector.  It is critical to understand the drivers of fertilizer use in order to increase fertilizer use efficiency (FUE).  The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between farm size and FUE based on farm-level data in China.  The results suggest a positive farm size–FUE relationship.  The estimated elasticities of farm size for rice, maize, wheat–maize, and rice–maize are similar, and the average elasticity of farm size is around 0.2.  Statistically, a 1% increase in farm size is associated with a 0.2% increase in FUE.  The positive effect of farm size on FUE is not due to the increase in yield, but the reduction in fertilizer use while keeping yield largely unchanged.  The findings suggest that promoting the expansion of farm size may increase FUE, and thus reduce environmental pollution caused by fertilizer overuse.     

The human capital dimension of collaboration among government,NGOs, and farm families: Comparative advantage,complications, and observations from an Indian case

Stronger collaboration between government organizations (GOs), NGOs, and rural people has long been advocated as a means of enhancing the responsiveness, efficiency, and accountability of GOs and NGOs. This paper reviews the arguments and evidence for specific types of collaboration for sustainable agricultural development, setting it into the context of Korten's (1980) concept of “learning process.” Taking recent examples from Udaipur District in India, it reviews the experiences and potential of collaboration, arguing that, while informal interaction increases and enriches the fabric of pluralist development, certain strategic decisions often require a degree of formality. These include decisions on the development of human resources — here both the users and providers of services. Moreover, human resource development (HRD) must be viewed in the context of the mandates, aspirations, and systems of accountability and rewards of the institutions concerned. These determine whether institutions develop and expand their own human resources or draw upon those of others by collaborating with them. Individuals engaged in these organizations can be more effectively induced to collaborate with others by combinations of flexibility and appropriate reward systems than they can be forced to do so by instructions or commands. Several conclusions follow: decisions to act together are unlikely to progress unless translated into concrete actions; authority to take local-level decisions in GOs needs strengthening if they are to provide the necessary flexibility; and, although collaboration should in principle be built on the comparative advantage of different types of organization, in practice, each will have to incorporate the skills of the other, at least to some level, if they are to communicate effectively. NGOs and GOs must also enhance their understanding of farmers' ability to make demands on external organizations. Edging towards collaboration is a delicate and painstaking process. Only if many of the above conditions are given due priority will early examples have something to offer to the numerous NGOs, GOs and international agencies wishing to learn from them.     

Spatial variation of technical efficiency of cereal production in China at the farm level

Rice, wheat and maize are the main staple food crops to ensure the food security in China with diversified climate condition, cropping system and environmental and socio-economic factors across provinces. Spatial variation of technical efficiency in farmers' field is helpful to understand the potential to improve farmers' yield given the inputs level and reduce the yield gap. The study is based on a large-scale farm household survey which covered 1 218 rice farmers, 3 566 wheat farmers and 2 111 maize farmers in the main producing areas. The results indicate that rice farmers are with very high technical efficiency level, nearly 0.9 on average, with little room to improve the efficiency of agricultural inputs. Similar results have been found in wheat and maize farmers' fields, although the technical efficiency levels are lower than that of rice farmers while still at a high level with obvious variation across regions. Farmers with higher yield level also achieve better technical efficiency in most locations. Both local environmental and socio-economic factors significantly affect farmers' technical efficiency. In the context of urbanization and economic development, improved and new agricultural technologies need to be prioritized and facilitated to improve cereal yield at farm level.     

Diversity in attitudes toward farming and patterns of work among farm women: A regional comparison

Attention to diversity in women's attitudes toward farming and in women's patterns of farm work activity expands our understanding of the linkage between agrarian structure, regional history, and the behavior and values of individual farm women. We combine several disciplinary and methodological approaches to reveal patterns in work and values in a Southern case and then verify the existence of similar patterns in the Midwest. Two divergent conceptions of women's relationship to farm and marital partnership were found in a Georgia study, the agrarian and the industrial, and we explore how they emerged in the context of the political and economic history of the South. We find these marital models are linked today to different patterns of farm work. We then extend the Georgia analysis to a statewide survey of Ohio farm women, where attitudinal diversity is not as marked, due to the stronger agrarian traditions of the Midwest and its distinct political economy. We find similar patterns, however, in Ohio farm women's work and affirm the validity of Carbert's categorization of Rosenfeld's survey items. Attention to diversity in the work patterns, values, and attitudes of farm women highlights that the term traditional is a misnomer when applied to Southern women and reinforces the value of multi-disciplinary approaches and regional comparisons.     

Understanding the farm data lifecycle: collection,use, and impact of farm data on U.S. commercial corn and soybean farms

Precision Agriculture - Enthusiasm regarding the “digital agriculture” revolution is widespread, yet objective research on how commercial farms actually use data and data services...     

(Bio)fueling farm policy: the biofuels boom and the 2008 farm bill

In the mid-2000s, rising gas prices, political instability, pollution, and fossil fuel depletion brought renewable domestic energy production onto the policy agenda. Biofuels, or fuels made from plant materials, came to be seen as America’s hope for energy security, environmental conservation, and rural economic revitalization. Yet even as the actual environmental, economic, and energy contributions of a biofuels boom remained debatable, support for biofuels swelled and became a prominent driver of not only US energy policy but of US farm policy as well. This paper asks why biofuels became such a powerful force in farm policy debates, and draws on policy windows theory and discourse analysis to analyze biofuels’ contributions to the passage of the 2008 farm bill. It finds that budgetary and political factors combined with a particular set of patriotic biofuels-oriented discourses to carry energy policy debates into farm policy. It also comments on the implications of biofuels policies for conservation and sustainable land use in 2008 and beyond.     

基于DEA方法的国有农场技术效率和规模收益测算研究

以黑龙江省农垦北安分局各农场为例,应用数据包络分析方法探讨国有农场的技术效率问题,进行技术效率和规模收益的测算,根据计算结果和投影分析找出非DEA有效的农场存在的问题,并提出改进措施及建议。     

Who is down on the farm? Social aspects of Australian agriculture in the 21st century

Globalization, international policymanipulations such as the US farm bill, andnational policy responses have received a greatdeal of media coverage in recent times. Theseinternational and national events are having amajor impact on agricultural production inAustralia. There is some suggestion that theyare, in fact, responsible for a downturn in thefortunes of agriculture. Yet, it is more likelythat these issues are acting to continue andexacerbate a trend towards reduced viabilityfor farm families evident in economic andsocial trends since at least the 1950s.Nevertheless, globalization and Australia's policy responses have left farm families morevulnerable in the global world. What then do weknow about their impact at farm gate level?Just who is doing the farming in Australia inthe 21st century and how are these peopleresponding to major world politics? This paperwill focus on the social aspects ofagricultural production in Australia notingsocial trends and drawing attention to thechanging social relations of agriculture. Thedominance of farm families, the role ofcorporate agriculture, ethnic diversity, theimportance of women, and the practice of farmtransfers will be canvassed in this paper.     

马尾松磷效率及相关性状的家系遗传和变异

该文利用9个生产力水平差异较大的马尾松无性系种子园自由授粉家系,布置3个磷水平的盆栽实验,研究其磷效率及其相关性状在家系间的遗传差异和所受的遗传控制.结果表明,马尾松不同家系的磷效率差异巨大,磷效率最高和最低的家系相差2倍左右.磷效率高的家系具有在低磷胁迫下苗高生长量大、干物质积累能力强、须侧根发达及对磷肥投入敏感性低等特点.磷素利用效率而非磷素吸收效率是造成马尾松磷效率和干物质家系差异的主要原因.低磷水平下干物质积累量、根体积、侧根数、侧根总长和须根总数等根系参数与家系磷效率密切相关,可较好地用来评价马尾松家系的磷效率特征.研究发现,与马尾松磷效率密切相关的一些性状的家系遗传力较高,受中度以上的遗传控制.     

藜麦活性成分研究进展

目的评价藜麦在四川省阿坝州的农艺和品质性状,为该地区藜麦种植提供理论依据。方法将引进的9份藜麦品种/系试种于阿坝州马尔康市,调查分析全生育期、株高、主穗长、千粒质量、单株产量、产量、病虫害及籽粒蛋白质、脂肪、抗性淀粉和总淀粉含量。结果参试藜麦表现出一定的多样性,各材料间的千粒质量、单株产量、产量、蛋白质含量、脂肪含量和抗性淀粉含量均有显著或极显著差异(P<0.05或P<0.01)。参试藜麦早熟品种全生育期约125 d,晚熟品种全生育期159 d;株高(149.6±12.2) cm,穗长(52.5±6.8) cm,千粒质量(3.11±0.46) g,单株产量(62.5±33.2) g,产量(1172.9±785.6) kg/hm²;籽粒蛋白质含量(15.6±1.3)%,脂肪含量(6.4±0.5)%,抗性淀粉含量(0.15±0.02)%,总淀粉含量(55.9±1.9)%。病虫害有潜叶蝇、斜纹夜蛾和叶斑病,发生轻微。试种材料中NX-1和CX-2综合表现最好,可进一步推广种植。结论藜麦可在马尔康及生态条件类似的地区种植,但要注意选择品种、播期和病虫害观测,进一步引进和筛选适宜品种并形成配套栽培措施是下一步研究的重点。     

水资源可持续开发利用与管理研究

针对水资源短缺的问题 ,深入剖析了水资源可持续开发利用的内涵、原则、水资源可持续开发利用中的主要平衡关系以及可持续开发利用的度量问题 ,提出了水资源可持续开发利用的模式和措施 ,并以关中地区为例 ,研究了关中地区水资源可持续开发利用的措施     

Affirmative action policies promote women and do not harm efficiency in the laboratory

Gender differences in choosing to enter competitions are one source of unequal labor market outcomes concerning wages and promotions. Given that studying the effects of policy interventions to support women is difficult with field data because of measurement problems and potential lack of control, we evaluated, in a set of controlled laboratory experiments, four interventions: quotas, where one of two winners of a competition must be female; two variants of preferential treatment, where a fixed increment is added to women's performance; and repetition of the competition, where a second competition takes place if no woman is among the winners. Compared with no intervention, all interventions encourage women to enter competitions more often, and performance is at least equally good, both during and after the competition.