种粮大户扩大农地规模意愿存在盲目性吗?

种粮大户扩大农地经营规模出于什么样的动机?是否存在盲目性?这一问题的答案不仅关系到粮食安全问题,也关乎到农村土地流转和农业适度规模经营政策等重大问题。本文基于2015年1月和8月对安徽省种粮大户的两次实地调研数据,建立heckman两阶段模型和解释结构模型(ISM),检验种粮大户扩大农地规模意愿是否存在盲目性并探寻导致规模扩张意愿的因素及其作用机制。研究发现:种粮大户扩大规模意愿强烈,且在不同农户间扩张意愿差异显著;影响其扩大规模意愿及意愿强度的浅层次因素为农户借贷能力,其中,民间借贷途径、正规金融贷款经验对扩大规模意愿的正向影响作用显著;中层次因素为家庭资源禀赋,其中家庭资本禀赋不足对农户扩大规模意愿及强度产生显著正向的影响,家庭劳动力数量对农户扩大规模意愿强度有显著负向影响;深层次因素为同行态度、家人态度、政策激励等外部环境因素,其中,同行态度、家人态度、获得荣誉称号、获得物质奖励等因素对扩大规模意愿的正向影响作用显著。研究结果表明,种粮大户规模扩展意愿存在一定的盲目性,究其原因:一是种粮大户强烈的逐利动机和较强的风险偏好,农户几乎完全褪去生计生产者的身份,家庭资源不足使得农户依赖于借贷满足扩大生产意愿,表现出对债务风险的偏好;二是粮食生产规模化进程中同行、家人的主观规范及一味求快贪大的行业政策激励导向。鉴于此,应加强现代企业管理知识培训,提升种粮大户科学管理和科学决策水平;建立粮食生产适度规模风险监测预警机制;调整政策导向、行业导向和舆论导向以抑制种粮大户的盲目扩张行为。     

农作物种植结构与农民收入及其对环境影响的分析

农民增收问题是三农问题的重要环节。本文以湖南省张家界市慈利县零溪镇大庄村第五、八、十六组为研究对象,分析了自1980年实行土地包产到户以来农作物种植结构的变化及农民收入之间的关系,认为在本地以柑橘为主的单一类型农作物规模化经营最有利于降低农民劳动强度、提高农民收入,对环境既有正面影响也有负面影响,并对其带来的环境影响提出了思考和建议。     

Farmers as modern-day stewards and the rise of new rural citizenship in the battle over land use

A decade ago, scholars such as Michael Woods suggested that mobilisation in response to development in rural spaces was the result of a redefinition of relations between individuals, communities and the State. This remains true with the rural representing a contested site characterised by debates concerning food and fibre, water and energy security. With the recent deployment of new energy technologies in areas traditionally used for agricultural production, increased confrontation and resistance over land use has forged unlikely alliances between farmers, environmentalists and concerned others, ultimately leading to the rise of a new form of rural citizenship. In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) where resistance to burgeoning coal seam gas operations has become the customary response of many rural communities, environmentalists and concerned others are mobilising in support of farmers, who self-identify as modern-day stewards and are actively working to protect a resource hierarchy of water, land and soil against industries believed to be putting these at risk. Adopting a qualitative case-study approach, this paper examines how residents and supporters in the regional Shire of Narrabri in NSW have responded to what many see as competing land uses. We argue that values traditionally associated with stewardship and rurality are being revalorised by citizens to actively oppose the visions of the State, which seek to prioritise extractive development over other alternate futures. We contend that this rise in rural relations represents a significant shift in the notion of citizens as “inhabitants” and presents a new and enduring form of agency.     

Farmer models of socio-ecologic systems: Application of causal mapping across multiple locations

Modelling ecological or environmental problems has potential to provide understanding of the causes of such problems and to indicate how to better manage them. Özesmi and Özesmi (2004) showed that cognitive or causal mapping can be used to develop maps of socio-ecological systems but these maps were based on stakeholders concerned with one ecosystem. This article shows how maps from a number of different dairy farmers in different locations, but each considering his or her own farm, can be used in meta analysis to make maps that represent how farmers think their farm ecosystem works. It also shows that the combination of causal mapping with the additional technique of Q method provides a useful solution to the practical problem of selecting from a sufficiently broad range of factors with potential to use in a map. Causal mapping in single or multiple locations contributes to the goal of using peoples’ knowledge of ecosystems to improve our understanding of socio-ecological systems.     

Nonformal environmental education: a case study with farmers in a town of the South Minas Gerais state,Brazil

Brazil is a central place in the international agricultural markets and this fact has been demanding environmentally oriented agricultural practices by Brazilian farmers and professionals involved in the agricultural market chain. A concise and structured questionnaire was applied to obtain the environmental perception of a group of Brazilian farmers in a town of the south Minas Gerais state, using herbicides as the topic for a case study. A highly variable opinion about taking the environment into account when choosing the most appropriate herbicide was found. Anyway, efficacy has been indicated as the most important factor when choosing an herbicide, followed by the environment and price. The outcomes from the questionnaires, i.e. the insufficient conception and importance given to environment when choosing the herbicide, motivated the creation of a teaching-learning model for the nonformal environmental education using the concept of socio-ecological resilience. This routine puts in practice the resilience thinking currently invoked as a major tool to achieve the conservation of the socio-ecological system, as well as it is complimentary to the outcome-oriented optimization for conservation theory. For the case study about farmers and the use of herbicides, we conclude that a complex reasoning and, ultimately, pro-environmental actions can be improved after experiencing the recommended model for environmental education.     

"环境中女性角色确立系统模型"研究

女性在环境保护与自然资源的开发利用中具有积极的作用。但长期以来受传统观念桎梏。女性在环境保护中的作用受捌低估乃至忽视．从一定程度上导致了环境恶化．自然资源的配置失效。“环境中女性角色确立系统模型”的研究可有效解读女性角色与环境保护间的关系。并提出如何提高女性在环境保护中的作用。从而保障在一个性别平等的文明社会里人类可持续发展目标的实现。     

草原生态补奖政策对农牧民牲畜养殖规模的影响——基于生计分化的调节效应分析

实现对牲畜养殖规模的有效管控是草原生态补奖政策成败的关键。在农牧民生计分化日益加深的背景下,探讨草原生态补奖政策与生计分化对农牧民牲畜养殖规模的影响,对于完善草原生态补奖政策,实现草原生态保护与农牧民生计转换的有机结合具有重要的现实意义。本文阐释了草原生态补奖政策影响农牧民牲畜养殖规模的机理,并引入生计分化变量,基于实地调研获取的317份农牧交错区农牧民微观数据,运用最小二乘回归和分位数回归实证分析了草原生态补奖政策对农牧民牲畜养殖规模的影响以及生计分化在草原生态补奖政策影响农牧民牲畜养殖规模中的调节效应。研究结果表明:①补奖金额与牲畜养殖规模之间存在稳健的“倒U型”关系,表明补奖政策在短期内对牲畜数量的增加具有积极的促进作用,但随着补奖金额的增加,促进作用将逐渐减弱,最终趋于抑制。②根据非农牧收入占比和生计对牧业生产依赖程度的差异可将农牧民分为牧业为主型、农业为主型、均衡型、高兼型和深兼型五种类型农牧民。③农牧民生计分化对牲畜养殖规模的扩大具有抑制作用,且在草原生态补奖政策与牲畜养殖规模二者关系中具有调节作用。即在“倒U型”曲线的左侧,生计分化能够弱化草原生态补奖政策对牲畜养殖规模扩大的促进作用;在“倒U型”曲线的右侧,生计分化能够促使补奖金额对牲畜养殖规模的负向影响趋于放缓,有助于避免因补奖金额的增加引致牲畜养殖数量的锐减。根据以上结论,建议政府应进一步提高补奖标准以增强补奖弥补损失的有效性,重视发挥农牧民生计分化在牲畜养殖规模调控中的作用。     

Human serum paraoxonase gene polymorphisms and association with chronic symptoms of pesticide toxicity in Indian farmers

The association between PON1 (serum paraoxonase) genotype and symptoms of pesticide toxicity was examined in a total of 268 farm workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. Approximately 140 of the farm workers who did not report at least two of the symptoms of chronic toxicity, such as abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, fatigue, tremors of fingers, numbness, or limb weakness were categorized as controls. The remaining 128 farmers showed 2 or more of the above symptoms. All the farm workers were genotyped for polymorphisms of PON1 gene at amino acid positions 55 (exon 3) and 192 (exon 6). A decrease in the percentage of high-activity genotypes at both L55M and Q192R was observed in the farm workers reporting symptoms of pesticide toxicity. When combined genotype distribution at both exons was analyzed, a marked increase in the percentage of low-activity genotypes LLQQ, LMQQ, MMQQ, and MMQR was also observed in symptomatic farmers compared to controls. Age, working years, smoking, duration of exposure, and alcoholism were not statistically significant when compared to symptoms of chronic toxicity. Our findings suggest that L55M and Q192R gene polymorphisms influence the variable susceptibility of farmers to pesticide; and thus may be considered a useful biomarker of genetic susceptibility in assessing an individual's risk of pesticide exposures.     

Joint protected area management: a proposal for the management of Sanctuaries and National Parks in India

SUMMARY

With the aim of evaluating the biotic pressure on a protected area, Kuldiha Sanctuary in Orissa, India was taken as a case study. In the 19 villages lying within a 1 km radius of the Sanctuary, there are 9814 people with 19% literacy. Tribals constitute 73.3% of the population. Some 7507 head loaders collect firewood from the Sanctuary every day. In addition, 37 297 cattle enter the forest for grazing. Consequently alienating the people depending on the Sanctuary in the management and conservation of wild flora and fauna is not only futile but also detrimental to the socio-cultural-economic fabric of the ecosystem of the people. In this study, involvement of the local community in the protection and management of the Sanctuary and National Park is proposed and methods of implementation, funding and a legal framework are discussed.