Hegemony, commodification, and the state: Mexico's shifting discourse on agricultural germplasm

In this work, we examine the debate over thecommodification of agricultural germplasm in Mexico using aneo-Marxist theoretical framework. Specifically, we examine Mexico's movement away from a ``Farmers' Rights' framework, whichtreats germplasm as a ``common good' towards the passage of theMexican Federal Law on Plant Varieties, which sees germplasm as acommodity. In order to understand this legal change, the recenthistory of this discourse in Mexico is examined. Usingtheoretical insights based in an analysis of this discourse, weexamine the ideological elements of this debate. It is arguedthat an international hegemonic bloc has arisen to address thisissue, superceding the bounds of any single state entity andfunctioning through the international bodies of free trade.Taking the Mexican state to be relatively autonomous fromcapital, we argue that the hegemonic bloc influenced the changein Mexican policy. We conclude with a discussion of the possibleeffects of this legal change in Mexico.     

Rural health care in Mexico?

A very large percentage of Mexico's population living in rural areas lacks resources for health care. Any new effort to provide such care must emphasize the health of the infant population because of the high percentage of infants in the country. Plans made at the national level have not been correlated with the conditions that exist in rural areas. For example, the majority of university programs are oriented toward urban medical practice, and the construction of more schools of medicine to solve the problem of doctors in rural areas is based on a mistaken premise. This problem has not been solved even in developed countries such as the United States where, as in Mexico, graduates in medicine migrate to the cities where optimal conditions are met for practicing the type of medicine for which they have been trained. Furthermore, it is both expensive and illogical to maintain urban doctors in rural areas where they cannot practice their profession for lack of resources; to do so is to deny the purpose of their education (27). Conventional schools of medicine, for reasons of investment and of structure, should teach only very selected groups of students who, on finishing their training, are fully capacitated to practice specialized medicine. A different system is required if we are to provide adequate health care in the rural communities. A system such as that described herein, adapted to the real need of rural communities, would avoid the necessity to create dysfunctional bureaucracies and would not destroy those institutions which have proved useful in the past. This study should be considered as one of the many pilot programs that should be initiated in order to determine the type of program that would best solve the problem of health care in rural Mexico. Other programs already being considered at the National Autonomous University of Mexico include the A36 plan of the Faculty of Medicine, now in operation; the work of C. Biro carried out in Netzahualcoyotl City (both focused on providing medical care to the urban poor); and the Open University program. Unless an efficient program designed to meet the needs of rural communities is quickly put into operation, Mexico will, in the near future, be facing the same problems now confronting Southeast Asia.     

Hydrogeologic Constraints on Yucatan's Development

The Republic of Mexico has an ambitious and effective national water program. The Secretaria de Recursos Hidraulicos (SRH), whose director has cabinet rank in the federal government, is one of the most professionally distinguished government agencies of its kind in the Americas. Resources for the Future, Inc., has been assisting the World Bank with a water planning study which the Bank is undertaking jointly with the Mexican government. The study is intended to provide guidelines for the development of government policies and projects designed to bring about the most efficient use of Mexico's water resources. However, to date, their study has not been directed toward the growing problems of the northern Yucatáan Peninsula which are discussed here. LeGrand (13) suggested that man has inherited a harsh environment in carbonate terranes. In the case of the northern Yucatán Peninsula, the physical environment creates a set of hydrogeologic constraints to future economic and social development. Planning for intermediate and long-range land use on the peninsula must be related directly to the limited and fragile groundwater source. Continued contamination will make future aquifer management a difficult challenge for federal, state, and territorial agencies. We conclude that any strategy for long-range land use in the study area should include establishment of a regional aquifermonitoring network for long-term measurements of key hydrogeologic parameters, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, water table elevations, and water quality. Information from this network would flow into a central facility for storage, interpretation, and analysis. At present the SRH is collecting some of these data. Expansion of the existing program to provide sound information for regional planning will greatly benefit present as well as future generations. If such a program is implemented, it will represent a model for regional planning in other tropical and subtropical karstic terrains.     

Olmec cave paintings: discovery from guerrero, Mexico

A cave in Guerrero, Mexico, investigated in 1968, contained previously unreported Olmec paintings. These paintings, some of the oldest known in Mesoamerica, are stylistically similar to Olmec art from the site of LaVenta, on Mexico's Gulf Coast, but contain several important glyphic motifs never previously known to have existed at this time level. The iconography of the paintings confirms several important hypotheses concerning basic concepts of Olmec religion; the cave itself was probably a shrine to water and fertility. Several pre-Hispanic textile fragments found in the cave are probably from a later culture period.     

Mexico's Program for Science and Technology, 1978 to 1982

In response to a request by President José López Portillo, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) worked out a program of scientific research and development in Mexico in keeping with the economic and social priorities of his administration-food production, energy, public health, and employment. Representatives from public, private, and academic sectors participated in preparing an inventory of needs for the development of human, economic, and physical resources. The program includes 2,489 projects in basic and applied sciences at a cost of $260 million to 1982 and 17,000 scholarships at a cost of $130 million.     

Anti-genetic engineering activism and scientized politics in the case of “contaminated” Mexican maize

The struggle over genetically-engineered (GE) maize in Mexico reveals a deep conflict over the criteria used in the governance of agri-food systems. Policy debate on the topic of GE maize has become “scientized,” granting experts a high level of political authority, and narrowing the regulatory domain to matters that can be adjudicated on the basis of scientific information or “managed” by environmental experts. While scientization would seem to narrow opportunities for public participation, this study finds that Mexican activists acting “in defense of maize” engage science in multiple ways, using and producing scientific knowledge as well as treating scientific discussions as a stage for launching complex social critiques. Drawing from research in science and technology studies, this article assesses the impacts and pitfalls of three tactics used by maize activists that respond to the scientization of biotechnology politics: (1) using scientific information as a resource; (2) participating in scientific research; and (3) reframing policy problems as broadly social, rather than as solely scientific or technical. The obstacles that maize activists have faced in carrying out each of these efforts indicate that despite diverse and sophisticated engagements between social movements and the scientific field, scientization remains a significant institutional barrier to democratizing agricultural governance.     

面向科研的高校图书馆学科服务发展研究

随着数字化的时代的到来,高校科研的分工变得更细,研究过程更复杂,知识传播与共享都通过网络进行,高校图书馆是提供科研信息的主要阵地,对科研所需的信息进行深度挖掘、整合知识。这样能够提高科研效率,满足科研人员的信息需求。     

基于Seminar模式的图书馆科研工作研究

作为一种互动性很强的教学模式,Seminar的启发性、参与性、实践性优势对图书馆科研工作具有积极的推动作用。将Seminar引入到图书馆,构建科研工作新模式,是一项积极的尝试和探索活动。图书馆seminar模式主要包括：规划制定、课题研究、专题研讨、课题完成等环节。     

高职高专院校产学研结合中“研”的定位

高职高专院校产学研结合中"研"的定位是:以应用技术研究和开发研究为主,加强科技成果转化,积极从事科学普及和科技服务。准确定位、把握方向、正确处理教学与科研的关系,发挥科研管理部门的积极性和创造性,是高职高专院校科研工作的关键。     

Neoliberal reform and sustainable forest management in Quintana Roo, Mexico: Rethinking the institutional framework of the Forestry Pilot Plan

The Forestry Pilot Plan set intomotion collectively-owned and managed forestry in overforty communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico and hasshown the promise of a forestry development model thatpromotes conservation by giving local people a genuinestake in sustainable resource management. Today, thelegacy of the PPF is under great pressure. Externally,neoliberal policy reform restructures agrarianproduction in ways that favor individual overcollective management of natural resources.Internally, organizational problems createinefficiencies within both forestry ejidos(cooperative agrarian communities) and theirintermediate level forestry civil societies. Peasants'capacity to defend their interests and dealeffectively with their production problems throughstrong representative organizations is beingundermined by new rules for economic associationwithin the ejidos and by the turning over of technicalservice financing to the market. Though organizationalinnovations within the ejidos hold positive potential,existing civil societies merit continued assistance askey actors promoting sustainable forestry. Studyingcommon property management regimes across multiplelevels and dimensions reveals that in Mexico, policyreform overlooks the crucial social resourcesrepresented by peasant organization, undermining thepossibility of sustainable forest management whileassigning the peasant most of the cost ofconservation. If conservation is indeed encouraged bythe genuine participation of those with a stake insustainable use of natural resources, national andinternational communities that value Mexico's tropicalforests should also invest in both social and economiccosts of conservation.     

我国现代农业发展趋势与生态农业建设

论述了我国现代农业的内涵、特征和发展趋势,讨论了生态农业规划和建设的关键性问题,指出现代农业应以生态文明为基础,以产业化、生态化和市场化为主导,以提高农业经营者的科技和生态环境意识为中心,在合理规划的基础上,注重效益型、生态农业建设。     

《西北植物学报》在植物学期刊中地位及学术影响力比较分析

依据2006年《中国期刊引证报告》和2002～2006年《中国科技期刊引证报告》统计数据,对我国9种植物学期刊的论文来源指标和被引指标以及被引频次和影响因子的年季动态变化进行比较分析。结果显示：9种植物学期刊中《西北植物学报》的载文信息量、论文产生的地区分布数和机构数量、论文的基金支持率均名列前茅,影响因子、学科影响因子、学科扩散指标、引用刊数和被引频次排序均居第2或第3位;2001～2005年《西北植物学报》的被引频次和影响因子分别提高了374%和201%,增长率最大。说明《西北植物学报》的整体水平得到快速提高,已逐步得到了国内外同行的关注与认可,在植物学研究领域具有重要的地位。     

农业科技信息传播效果的分析方法

对农业信息传播效果科学评价的方法做了简单的探讨,分析了农业信息传播与传播效果的实质内涵,列举了传播效果评价的主要方法,并重点讨论了理论分析法在传播效果评价中的应用。由于在传播学效果研究中,理论分析还处于刚刚起步阶段,因此,有待补充大量的实例,从而进行有效的科学分析,为农业科技信息的有效传播提供科学途径与理论支持。     

Construction and development of the Agricultural Science Data Center

Science data are very important resources for innovative research in all scientific disciplines.The Ministry of Science and Technology(MOST)of China has launched a comprehensive platform program for supporting scientific innovations and agricultural science database construction and sharing project is one of the activities under this program supported by MOST.This paper briefly described the achievements of theAgricultural Science Data Center Project.     

应用型人才实践动手能力的培养

从１９８７年开始，实行以科研为依托，教学、科研与生产相结合，从科研现场观察、生产实践活动、实验室测试、资料整理分析到论文撰写等环节上培养畜牧高级应用型人才，达到了既培养学生动手能力，又高水平地完成科研任务的目的，而且缓解了教学经费严重紧缺的局面，是目前条件下较为理想的实践教学方法。     

深化科研体制改革 营造良好的科技创新环境

文章针对由于科研管理、评价激励体系、资源配置、人才培育等体制机制不健全所导致的科研环境不优和科技创新能力不强的问题,提出了改革科研管理模式,简化科研项目程序;改革科研评价机制,增加成果转化的评价权重;稳定保障性经费投入,项目验收要注重业务考评;加强创新体系统筹协调,构建良好的用人机制等深化科研体制改革的政策性建议。     

走向成熟的中国植物生物学研究

近年来,中国大陆植物生物学的研究取得了举世瞩目的进展,这直接体现在过去15年间一些主要植物专业杂志和综合性学术刊物上发表论文的数量.中国植物学研究之所以能够取得如此辉煌的成就,一方面是得益于早期中国植物学研究所奠定的基础,另一方面则应归功于中国改革开放政策的实施.通过描述中国的一些代表性研究机构的发展历程,以及总结它们在水稻和拟南芥两大植物研究领域中所取得的突破,我们清晰地看到了中国植物学研究的光辉前景,但是挑战依然存在.     

科研项目管理与世界一流农业科研院所建设

文章总结了"十一五"以来中国农业科学院加强科研项目管理的主要做法,浅析了建设世界一流农业科研院所对科研项目管理的要求和现存问题,并提出了加强科研立项统筹布局、加强项目储备工作、积极争取更大规模的财政稳定支持、创新科研项目执行绩效评价制度等加强科研项目管理的对策建议。     

高等农林院校文科科研发展策略研究——以福建农林大学为例

高等农林院校在承担国家自然科学基金项目、省部级涉农科研项目等方面具有独特的学科和专业优势,但文科科研工作长期以来受到一定的制约,科研实力不强且校内竞争较大。从基金申报领域、基金限项要求、基金申请方式演变、基金管理者角色定位等方面对高等农林院校实现基金项目可持续发展问题进行分析,并提出相关建议,在确保其特色和优势发展的前提下,探索文科基金项目可持续发展的新途径。