ECONOMIC AND WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF VARIABLE AND UNIFORM APPLICATION OF NITROGEN1

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates for achieving optimum crop yields often vary within a field due to spatial variability in soil moisture and nitrogen content and other crop growth factors. When there is substantial within-field variability in these factors, uniform application of N (UAN) may not be economically efficient in terms of maximizing net return because N is likely to be over-applied in some areas and under-applied in other areas of the field. In addition, over-application can adversely affect water quality. A sample of fields in a Midwestern agricultural watershed is used to test for statistically significant differences in N application rates, crop yields, surface and ground water quality and net returns between UAN and variable application of N (VAN) for four cropping systems. Profitability and water quality benefits of VAN are sensitive to the distribution of soil types within a field. Water quality effects and profitability of UAN and VAN vary with cropping systems. VAN is not uniformly superior to UAN in terms of increasing net returns and improving water quality for the farming systems and watershed evaluated in this study.     

生态农业园区废弃物资源化处理利用研究

本文介绍了蟹岛生态园区农业废气物及生活污水的资源化处理工艺方案 ,通过对沼气池和生活污水厌氧 -好氧 -生态塘处理系统进行综合设计 ,实现了节能环保和废弃物无害化综合处理利用。形成了种植业、养殖业、肥料加工、能源利用和休闲度假有机结合的生态农业经济 ,为实现农村经济可持续发展提供了一种新模式     

对HANNA C200离子分析仪测定氨氮精密度和准确度

HANNA C200离子分析仪测定水中的氨氮操作简便、快速、试剂用量小;经统计学处理,标准样品在中间浓度精密度、准确度较高;测定值更准确。     

Assessing the value of pastoral farming in the Alps using choice experiments: evidence for public policies and management

Alpine livestock farms consist of pastures, buildings, people and animals, and are a key element for the economy in the Alps. Pastures and huts are often owned by the local municipalities, who lease them to private tenants. However, this activity is often no longer profitable, and thus pastures and huts remain unused and abandoned. This research provides an economic estimate of pastoral farming using the choice experiment (CE) method, also assessing the willingness to pay (WTP) for pastoral farming functions. The study examines different scenarios of upland farm management in order to provide recommendations for public owners on how to better manage these assets. The case study is located in an alpine area in northern Italy. Our results show a higher WTP for the attributes related to the traditional Alpine agricultural economy, with an emphasis on grazing. Several policy implications regarding agricultural renewal and support for mountain livelihoods are highlighted in the conclusions.     

Impacts of farmer field schools on productivity of vegetable farming in Indonesia

This study assesses the impact of farmer field schools (FFS) on the productivity of vegetable farming in vegetable‐producing areas of East Java and Bali, Indonesia. The FFS have equipped over 3,000 vegetable farmers with integrated crop management knowledge applicable to chilies and tomatoes. The FFS are expected to enhance farmers’ capacity such that they can increase production. This study employs a difference‐in‐differences (DiD) method to overcome selection bias. A survey of 250 FFS‐graduated farmers and 250 non‐FFS farmers were purposively randomly selected from the overall community of farmers. Focus group discussion was used to support the survey. The results indicate that FFS were successful for enhancing farmers’ capability in vegetable farming. Farmers who participated in FFS have higher productivity than those who did not. Farmers also could adapt and adopt the knowledge gained from FFS as they underwent a process of learning by doing. The impacts of the increase in farmers’ capacity can be more evident if weaknesses during the FFS preparation and implementation can be overcome, to ensure more participation, flexibility to fit different conditions/needs and continuous learning.     

A double‐edged sword: Realities of artisanal and small‐scale mining for rural people in the Alaotra region of Madagascar

A growing number of people are entering the artisanal and small‐scale mining (ASM) sector worldwide. In Madagascar, millions of individuals depend on this informal activity. Through a case study in the Alaotra‐Mangoro region of Madagascar, our research aimed to understand the “bottom‐up” dynamics and ripple effects of the sector, by looking at the realities for rural communities where inhabitants are both directly and indirectly affected by ASM. We were interested in community members' and miners' perceptions of the socio‐economic and environmental impacts of ASM, and in identifying the factors attracting people living in one of the country's agricultural hubs to this activity. Our results show a wide diversity of push and pull factors leading people to enter the sector. Although many positive impacts of ASM exist for miners and communities within the vicinity of mines, most miner participants considered themselves worse off since starting to mine, highlighting the high risk and low probability of return of ASM. ASM's potential for local and national development will remain squandered if its negative impacts continue to go unmanaged. Accounting for local contexts and the ripple effects of ASM will be crucial in achieving safety and security for miners, and to tap into the benefits it may offer communities while minimising environmental damage.     

Effects of repeated pesticide exposure on the peripheral and central nervous systems

This study was designed to compare organic farmers (comparison group) and pesticide-using farmers (pesticide group) in terms of neurobehavioral performance and sensorimotor function. The subjects were recruited in October 2004 from Chungnam Province and the neighboring Jeolla Province in western South Korea. Psychological assessment was carried out using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Bender Gestalt test. Neuroselective sensory nerve conduction threshold was measured at both left and right middle fingers by using an electrodiagnostic device to determine current perception thresholds (CPTs). Three independent CPT measurements were obtained from each test site by using sinusoidal stimuli at three frequencies. CPT testing showed no difference between the two groups. No significant differences were found in the large myelinated (2000?Hz stimulation; cutaneous touch, pressure), small myelinated (250?Hz stimulation; mechanoreceptive, pressure, temperature, fast pain) and small unmyelinated (5?Hz stimulation; polymodal nociceptive, temperature, slow pain, postganglionic sympathetic) C-fibers. Furthermore, there was no difference found between the pesticide and comparison groups in psychological variables, including intelligence quotient, orientation, memory, calculation, similarities, visual sensitivity, and psychomotor speed. In conclusion, chronic pesticide exposure has no apparent effect on either the peripheral or central nervous system in Korean farmers.     

洱海北部2种典型种植制度下农田氮污染负荷研究

洱海北部区域农村面源污染是富营养化初期湖泊——洱海氮磷负荷的主要来源.以洱海北部2种典型种植制度下的农田为研究对象,采用现场调查与采样分析相结合的方法,定量分析氮的输入通量(农作物施肥、大气降水降尘、灌水和生物固氮)及输出通量(农田收获物和生物脱氮),并计算其对水环境产生的氮污染负荷净排放量(包括农田地表径流和地下渗透流).结果表明,在水稻-蚕豆种植制度下,农田为环境友好型,基本不向水环境排放氮负荷,净排放量为-30.73 kg·hm-2·a-1,主要氮输入通量为生物固氮(占43.3％),其次为有机肥(占35.O％),且输出通量主要为农作物吸收(占98.5％).在水稻-大蒜种植制度下,农田为环境污染型,净排放量为306.75 kg·hm-2·a-1,主要氮输入通量为肥料(占84.7％),其中化肥占62.1％,而输出通量中水环境排放占45.4％.水稻-大蒜种植制度亟需采取合理施肥和提高肥料利用率等农田污染防治对策.     

Facilitating resilient rural-to-urban sustainable agriculture and rural communities

ABSTRACT

This article contributes to efforts to validate a common set of parameters and principles of sustainable agriculture. Comparisons between alternative forms of sustainable agriculture and rural-to-urban community resilience are investigated. Conclusions are drawn between multiple sustainable/alternative agriculture systems and evaluated. A set of common baseline parameters and principles is proposed as a method of evolving a common structural framework for strengthening sustainability of agriculture and rural contexts. Concepts of rural-to-urban community sustainability are proposed, supporting sustainable agriculture contexts as rural and urban. In the twenty-first century, agriculture is becoming more diversified and less typified as a rural occupation. Urban agriculture is expanding as the need for fresh, affordable, accessible agriculture produce increases in urban areas. Evidence supports symbiotic relationships between sustainable agriculture and rural/urban communities, although some claim this relationship has not been clearly defined.

This article investigates sustainable agriculture from two perspectives. We ask ‘what are common parameters and principles of the various forms of sustainable agriculture,’ and ‘why urban-to-rural context.’ Organic agriculture parameters and principles are proposed as a conceptual framework toward establishing baseline parameters and principles for sustainable agriculture. Best management parameters of urban and rural sustainable agriculture in the United States and the United Kingdom are examined for their potential to develop a strengthening framework of parameters and principles of agriculture and rural-to-urban sustainability. These results are compared and evaluated for their effectiveness in redefining current sustainable agriculture practices, and their value in strengthening sustainable agriculture symbiosis with rural-to-urban community systems.     

水作和旱作对叶菜吸收镉的影响差异研究

采用盆栽试验,以适宜水旱2种模式栽培的空心菜（Ipomoea aquatica）为对象,研究了水作和旱作两种栽培模式对Cd污染土壤上空心菜吸收积累Cd的差异及其影响因素。结果表明,水作和旱作对空心菜生物量和Cd质量分数影响显著。水作条件下,空心菜地上部和根系生物量分别比旱作处理增加了16.3%和190.6%,而地上部和根系Cd质量分数则较旱作处理降低了52.2%和49.3%。水作和旱作对土壤pH和DTPA-Cd质量分数也有不同影响,其中种植空心菜的处理土壤pH较旱作处理增加了0.99个单位,土壤DTPA-Cd质量分数降低了40.0%,不种空心菜的处理土壤pH较旱作处理增加了1.48个单位,土壤DTPA-Cd质量分数降低了30.4%。逐步回归分析发现,空心菜地上部Cd质量分数受土壤DTPA-Cd质量分数和土壤pH影响最大。因此,在Cd污染土壤上,通过旱作改水作可降低空心菜可食部分Cd质量分数,是一种环境友好、价格低廉的土壤重金属污染的调控措施。