Traditional agriculture in transition: examining the impacts of agricultural modernization on smallholder farming in Ghana under the new Green Revolution

Following the renewed effort at achieving a new green revolution for Africa, emphasis has been placed on modernizing smallholder agriculture through the deployment of improved inputs especially mechanized technologies. In Ghana, the government has in the last decade emphasized the provision of subsidized mechanized ploughing services to farmers alongside a rapidly growing private sector tractor service market. While mechanized technology adoption rates have increased rapidly, the deployment of these technologies has been without critical analysis of the impacts on production patterns and local agrarian systems. This paper examines the distributional impacts of agriculture mechanization on cropping patterns and farm sizes of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, and semi-structured interviews with smallholder farmers (n=60). Specifically, comparative analysis of the field sizes and cropping patterns of participant farmers prior to and after the adoption of mechanized technologies was conducted. In-depth interviews were used to contextualize the experiences of smallholder farmers toward understanding how mechanization may be impacting traditional agriculture. Our findings reveal a mechanization paradox in which farm sizes are expanding, while cropping patterns are shifting away from traditional staple crops (pearl millet and sorghum bicolor) to market-oriented crops (maize, rice and groundnuts). This transition we argue, has adverse implications on the cultural dimension of food security, the organization of social life, and climate change adaptation. We recommend a retooling of the current agricultural policy focus to ensure context sensitivity for a more robust battle against food insecurity.     

基于压力响应关系法的湖泊营养物基准制定

湖泊富营养化与氮、磷及有机物含量过高密切相关,建立数字型营养物基准能够防止富营养化对水体指定用途造成影响.太湖流域是我国华东地区经济腹地,近年来流域内湖泊水质每况愈下,对其基准研究可为湖泊治理提供依据.详细介绍了压力响应关系法制定湖泊营养物基准的步骤,并将此方法运用到太湖流域营养物基准制定研究中.为满足大多数水体指定用途,研究中将该流域湖泊基本功能确定为娱乐、永生生物栖息地及饮用水,以此构建流域概念模型.选择压力变量为总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)和有机物,响应变量为叶绿素a(chl-a).用非参数分析法和线性回归法分别建立压力-响应模型,通过2种方法相互验证得到TN、TP和CODMn基准分别为0.593、0.067和4.092 mg/L.     

活性炭吸附和两级Fenton氧化组合工艺处理高盐对氨基苯酚生产废水

采用活性炭吸附和两级Fenton氧化组合工艺对高盐度对氨基苯酚生产废水进行了处理实验研究。结果表明,p H值对活性炭去除有机物的影响较小。当活性炭投加量为4 g/L时,TOC去除率61%。分级加药可以有效提高Fenton氧化对有机物的去除效率。在温度为25℃、p H为3、30%H2O2投加量为3%(V/V)、Fe2+/H2O2摩尔比为0.05时,两级Fenton氧化处理后,出水TOC降至150 mg/L以下。此外,Fenton氧化后形成氢氧化铁污泥颗粒粒径为4.5μm,经过聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)絮凝之后,污泥的粒径明显增加,过滤特性改善。PAM絮凝效果依赖于溶液的p H值,当p H超过10后会失去作用,故在使用过程中需要严格控制溶液的p H值。     

Dust Storms are an Indication of an Unhealthy Environment in East Asia

Dust storms frequently occur in Mongolia and in northern China. Each year there are 30 to 120 dusty days in source regions of Mongolia and 14–20 dusty days on the Korean Peninsula. Intense sand storms and associated dust falls produce environmental impacts in East Asia. This paper discusses the environmental degradation in Mongolia and the social, economic and atmospheric impacts of dust storms in the sink area. The impact of dust storms on environmental compartments as well as their direct and indirect consequences to basic resources like water and energy demand and supply is explained. Governments are encouraged to take appropriate action in specified regions. For monitoring dust storms there is a need for international cooperation to combat growing environmental and human security concerns.     

The Metallic Composition of Aerosols at Three Monitoring Sites in Korea During Winter 2002

In the present study, the distribution patterns of various metals were analyzed and compared using PM samples collected concurrently from three monitoring sites located in Korea (Seoul, Busan, and Jeju island) in December 2002. As these sites can represent metal pollution with different degrees of anthropogenic activities, their concentration levels were distinguished in a systematic manner in the order of Jeju, Busan, and Seoul. By comparing the present data sets with those measured previously from other locations in Korea and around the world, we attempted to diagnose the general status of elemental pollution on the Korean peninsula. Through an application of different statistical approaches, the major processes controlling elemental levels were assessed for each of the three study sites. The results indicated the importance of both crustal and anthropogenic sources in all sites with their relative roles varying significantly from each other. The results of the metal analysis data, when examined in relation to back trajectory analysis, confirmed that their concentration changes are affected quite sensitively with air mass movement patterns. The overall results of this study consistently indicated the contribution of a strong anthropogenic source area (e.g., China) to the observed metal concentration levels in the study area, but the strengths of such signals vary considerably across the Korean peninsula.     

公民对全球环境变化的响应——以上海、香港地区为例

工业革命以来，全球环境发生了前所未有的变化，将可能给地球系统带来灾难性后果，究其原因主要是由于人类活动造成的。人的行为深受意识的影响和制约,环境意识对于环境问题的产生和解决至关重要。本文选取上海、香港两个地区来分析公民对环境的关注度、公民的环保意识、环保行为以及公民对政府环境工作的看法和评价，研究公民对全球环境变化反应的区域差异，为政府制定相关环境保护政策提供理论依据。调查结果显示，上海、香港两地公民在很多环境闷题上具有共识。但是。在对手环境状况好转的期待值、参与环境保护活动的积极性、对人为因素主导力量的认识、环境保护与日常生活的切实关系、为环境保护的支付意愿、对于环境教育内容的认可度等方面存在着一定的差异。     

Assessment of the natural-cultural resources in Çanakkale for nature-based tourism

While the world is going into different tourism expectations, the tourism understanding in Turkey is defined as tourism in the sea-sand-sun triangle. However, it is possible to contribute to the income and local development of the indigenous people by developing nature-based tourism. Besides, with the sustainable use and preservation of the natural-cultural assets, the damage of the traditional tourism industry on the natural and cultural environment could be reduced. In this study, it is aimed to bring up the nature-based tourism concept in Çanakkale by evaluating the nature-based tourism industry in the general of Turkey and assessing the natural-cultural resources that Çanakkale comprehends. The most important areas that have a nature-based tourism potential in Çanakkale and the tourism activities that are most suitable for these areas have been determined.     

Migration,habitat use,and competition among mobile corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Gulf of Eilat,Red Sea

We examined the impact of seven species of mobile mushroom corals (Fungiidae) on the community structure of sheltered reef slopes in terms of their patterns of migration, habitat use and competition with other benthic organisms. On fringing reefs at Eilat, Red Sea, polyps detached at 1 to 6 cm length, and grew to 11–55 cm length. Attached mushroom corals were oriented vertically in reef cavities. Detached corals migrated downward on the reef slope and onto rubble or soft substratum at the reef base, at 29 to 71 cmyr^–1. Mobility decreased with corallum size and extent of undersurface ornamentation. In aquaria, small corals righted themselves and migrated up to 6 cm d^–1 by nocturnally inflating and pushing their tissues against the substratum. Autonomous coral behavior and storm-generated water motion appeared to account for most fungiid mobility at Eilat. Mushroom corals did not damage each other upon contact, even in multi-species aggregations, but unilaterally damaged non-fungiid scleractinian corals. Their dominance during contact interactions retards overgrowth by larger attached scleractinians, and mobility allows them to colonize soft substrata not accessible to most other reef corals.