Sustainable agricultural attitudes and behaviors: a gender analysis of Iranian farmers

The purpose of this paper is to compare the attitudes of male and female rice growers towards environmental sustainability and identify the constructs that will influence their attitudes and behaviors. A survey methodology with systematic sampling techniques was used to select 181 households in four villages’ of Kazeroon, Iran. Results indicated that women farmers’ attitudes were more positive toward sustainability. A model was developed to explain farmers’ attitudes and behavior toward environmental sustainability. Finally, the determinants of sustainable agriculture attitudes and behavior are discussed. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Assessing land-use/water-quality relationships across contrasting geologic areas in New Jersey

In all, 13 stream water-quality parameters, including specific conductance (SC), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), three nutrients, and six major ions were compared between the northern bedrock and southern coastal plain regions of New Jersey, USA and related to watershed-disturbance gradients characterized by the percentage of urban land, impervious surface (IS), agriculture, and altered land (sum of urban land and agriculture) in the watersheds. SC, DO, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride concentrations were greater in the north. DOC was higher and pH was lower in the south. Nutrient, potassium, and sulfate concentrations did not differ between regions. Regional water-quality differences are attributed to geologic setting and land use. Except for DO in southern streams, all water-quality parameters were related to urban land, agriculture, or both. Significant correlations between urban land and IS and water-quality variables were similar in both regions with differences in unitless correlation coefficients ranging from 0.00 to 0.06. Compared to urban land and agriculture, relationships between most water-quality variables and altered land were stronger in the south. The extent of urban and agricultural lands in the watersheds did not differ by region. Altered land was correlated with urban land in both regions and with agriculture only in the south. Although focused on New Jersey, this study has broader implications for watershed planning.     

基于 LCA 的市域尺度稻田系统温室气体排放评估方法及实证：以台州市为例

开展稻田温室气体排放量化评估，明确稻田温室气体（greenhouse gases，GHGs）排放的构成、分布及其变化趋势，是推进农业绿色可持续发展的重要前提。基于生命周期评价法（life cycle assessment，LCA），筛选集成稻田CO₂、CH₄、N₂O排放评估模型，提出市域尺度稻田GHGs排放核算框架，并量化分析2001—2017年台州市不同类型水稻GHGs排放的构成、分布及其变化趋势。结果表明：（1）水稻单位面积碳足迹呈现上升趋势，单位产量碳足迹呈下降趋势；单季稻单位面积碳足迹最高（8467 kg∙hm⁻²，以CO₂计，余同），连作晚稻单位产量碳足迹最高（1.28 kg∙kg⁻¹）。（2）2001—2017年台州市水稻田GHGs排放总量呈下降趋势，从1110.52 Gg（以CO₂计，余同）降至557.23 Gg；2017年水稻GHGs排放主要集中于温岭市（131.39 Gg）、临海市（121.64 Gg），玉环市排放量最低（9.37 Gg），早稻和连作晚稻GHGs排放主要集中在温岭市，单季稻GHGs排放集中于临海市。（3）在农资投入碳足迹构成中化肥占比最大（50.46%），单位面积碳足迹结构中CH₄占比最大（75.26%）。通过展开在市域尺度上水稻GHGs排放的核算过程，旨在为农田系统的碳排放提供更加精细化的计算方式，并为寻找更有效的碳减排路径及农田系统的可持续发展提供科学支撑。     

Quantitative modeling of freshwater stress in the nine water basins of Tanzania

Freshwater scarcity is a global issue of environmental concern that threatens agricultural production and human health. In this study, we established freshwater stress indices (WSIs) for the nine water basins of Tanzania by using the quantity of freshwater available and various water uses. The relationship between water availability and different water uses, including environmental water requirements, was analyzed, with uncertainty and sensitivity analysis performed by a Monte Carlo simulation technique. Extreme WSI values close to 1.00 were obtained in the Rufiji, Pangani, and Wami-ruvu basins, Internal drainage, and Lake Rukwa, while low and moderate WSI values ranging from 0.03 to 0.84 were found in Lake Victoria and the Ruvuma, Tanganyika, and Nyasa basins. This study adds further knowledge on the level of freshwater scarcity, relationships between water availability and different water uses, and suggests policy options to reduce freshwater scarcity at the basin level for sustainable water supply.     

The Comparative Approach on Outdoor Leisure Behavior of Urban Elderly People: A Case Study in Beijing

Abstract

With the income increase of elderly people in Beijing and the improvement of leisure facilities since 2000, the quality of elderly people leisure life in Beijing has obviously increased compared to ten years ago. According to the investigation and comparative analysis on more than 900 elderly people, who usually exercise in public parks in Beijing City, we have found out several new features of elderly people’s outdoor recreation in Beijing: the increase of the leisure time, the expansion of leisure space, the individuation of interest and the diversification of consumption. The leisure life quality evaluation index system of urban elderly people can be built based on these analyses. In order to accommodate the development tendency of elderly people’s demand for leisure diversification, we should strengthen the organization and management of elderly people’s leisure activity in urban construction, and pay more attention to function complementation between communities and parks.     

It is Always Dry Here: Examining Perceptions about Drought and Climate Change in the Southern High Plains

ABSTRACT

Drought is defined, experienced, and communicated about in multiple ways. This case study examines individual definitions of drought (timing, impacts, and severity) and attitudes about climate change. Household surveys (n?=?120) were conducted in Cimarron County, Oklahoma and Union County, New Mexico using a stratified random sampling method to select farmers, ranchers, and town residents. Information about drought is primarily communicated between neighbors, friends, and family, as well as media and local governing agencies. Residents perceive the recent drought to be the worst drought on record, regardless of previous drought experiences. Residents reported widespread drought-related impacts on agriculture, environment, and society. Most residents see drought as cyclical and driven by natural causes, rather than human causes. We recommend adaptive drought communication engage more fully with identity, place, and history. Climate information should be presented in a relevant manner to diverse agricultural stakeholders with differing attitudes about climate change, management, and climate information.     

Local Environmental Investments and Sustainable Development: The evaluation of environmental projects in Scotland supported by the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund

In the UK for the period 1994-99, a broad range of environmental projects were given financial support through the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund under the Objective 1 and Objective 5b programmes. This paper is concerned with the ex-post evaluation of these projects set within a Sustainable Development framework. The aim was to identify project types or characteristics that offered the greatest return on investment. A classification of six broad project types was adopted. The evaluation revealed that there were significant differences between individual projects with respect to the type and scale, and temporal and social distribution of the benefits they delivered. In particular, as well as delivering environmental and economic benefits, many projects made a significant contribution to the development of human and social capital. The paper concludes that it is possible to improve the basis for future project selection in order to maximise the returns on environmental investments in the context of sustainable development.     

Managing Indirect Environmental Impact within Local Authorities' Standardized Environmental Management Systems

Abstract

Many local authorities use standardized environmental management systems (EMSs) to improve their environmental management. These authorities often find it difficult to manage environmental impact caused by their exercise of authority i.e. indirect environmental impact (IEI) within their EMSs. Since this is connected to their core activities, it is important to understand how IEI could be more efficiently managed with respect to EMS work. The purpose for this paper is to study if and how IEI could be managed within the framework of EMS. In this study we have identified two different approaches to managing IEI. Because managing IEI is complex, it is often ignored when initiating EMSs or managed by explicitly avoid mentioning the concept. Managing IEI is seen as a matter of maturity within the organization. The paper concludes with a discussion regarding a developed definition of IEI and how management of IEI could be facilitated.     

武陵山片区农旅融合脱贫效率评价及组态因素分析

运用DEA和fsQCA方法测度了武陵山片区37个县(市、区)2015—2020年农旅融合脱贫效率,分析了影响该片区脱贫效率的多重因素及其组合效应。结果表明:①武陵山片区农旅融合脱贫效率总体处于中等水平,存在低效率状况和明显的地区差异。②农业发展水平和旅游发展水平对脱贫效率的影响最为显著,两者在高脱贫效率的组态中同时发挥核心作用,而在非高脱贫效率的组态中没有一次同时发挥核心作用。③交通建设水平和政府支持水平对脱贫效率的影响较为显著,而居民参与水平和资本投入水平未发挥核心作用。     

Response of Bird Populations to Farmland Set-Aside Programs

Abstract:  The role of agricultural landscapes in biodiversity conservation has been largely ignored despite their potential role in conserving declining species. Within agricultural landscapes, set-aside programs may offer the most promising conservation opportunities due to the large area involved in these programs. I explored the relationship between set-aside effect size—on the basis of data from field studies of birds in cropland and set-aside fields—and population changes following establishment of these fields. Species whose abundance was most strongly influenced by the establishment of set-aside lands also tended to show positive changes in population trends following broad-scale implementation of the set-aside program. This relationship was strongest for grassland obligate birds, a group of birds experiencing broad-scale population declines throughout North America. There is now increasing evidence that set-aside lands within the United States are providing population-level benefits to grassland birds. Nevertheless, there are also increasing concerns about the stability of these set-aside lands in the face of increased demand for crops and rising commodity prices. If set-aside area within the United States is allowed to decline, additional declines of birds and perhaps other taxa within agricultural landscapes seem likely.