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.     

情感诉求对交通安全广告效果的影响

为检验交通公益广告中情感诉求变化对广告效果的影响,采用试验法操作广告情感诉求类型,使用眼动技术和Go/no-go联想测验(GNAT),通过比较不同效价和唤醒度的情感诉求广告对受众的注意力和内隐态度的影响,评估交通安全广告情感诉求类型的说服效果。研究发现:被试对低唤醒广告文字区的眼动注视时间和注视点个数显著长于/多于对高唤醒广告文字区的注视时间和注视点个数;被试观看高唤醒消极的广告后,正确驾驶行为的积极态度显著下降,而低唤醒消极/高唤醒积极/低唤醒积极的公益广告对于被试的内隐态度的改变没有显著差异。结果表明,高唤醒度积极广告能够提升受众的注意力,而高唤醒度消极广告则会损害受众对正确驾驶行为的内隐态度。     

ARSENIC CONSUMPTION AND HEALTH RISK PERCEPTIONS IN A RURAL WESTERN U.S. AREA1

ABSTRACT: Churchill County, Nevada, has approximately 23,000 residents, among whom an estimated 13,500 relied on private wells for water supply in 2002. This study examined exposure to arsenic in water supplies among residents with private domestic wells and factors related to householder choice to consume tap water. It compared opinions and concerns about water quality with consumption habits and observed concentrations from tap water samples. The results from 351 households indicated that a majority (75 percent) of respondents consumed tap water and that a minority (38 percent) applied treatment. Approximately 66 percent of those who consumed tap water were exposed to concentrations of arsenic that exceeded 10 ppb. Water consumption was related to application of treatment. Among 98 respondents who were not at all concerned about the health effects of aqueous arsenic, 59 (60 percent) reported consuming tap water with concentrations of arsenic exceeding 10 ppb. Conversely, among 86 respondents who were highly concerned about arsenic, 33 (37 percent) consumed tap water with concentrations of arsenic exceeding 10 ppb. Results from a national sampling effort showed that 620 of 5,304 private wells sampled (11.7 percent) had arsenic concentrations above 10 ppb. The paradox of awareness of arsenic in water supplies coupled with consumption of aqueous arsenic in concentrations greater than 10 ppb may be common in other parts of the nation. Enhanced educational efforts, especially related to tap water sampling and explanations of efficacy of available treatment, may be useful means of reducing exposure through private water supplies.     

清洁生产运行机制探讨

文章分析了清洁生产的运行机制，认为清洁生产方案的实施受企业、政府、公众、市场和社会环境等五个方面的影响与制约。在此基础上，从我国国情实际出发，讨论了我国在实施清洁生产方案所面临的问题，并从企业、政府、公众、市场和社会等方面给出了相应的对策建议。     

Barriers Beyond the Partners: Bureaucratic and Political Constraints to Implementing Joint Forest Management in Tamil Nadu,India

Whereas past research has treated co-management of common pool resources as if villagers and project implementing authorities were the only relevant actors, numerous external factors beyond the control of these two partners create barriers to successful co-management. This paper draws on discussions with Forest Department officials to examine the influence of these forces on the outcomes of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in Tamil Nadu, India. An empirical inquiry into the operational aspects of JFM indicates the important roles of political parties, powerful people, and other state institutions and functionaries as well as the flow of foreign funding. Further, the strong demand by local people for socio-economic development interventions as opposed to improvement of degraded forests belittles the role of the Forest Department relative to other departments. Numerous other conditioning factors and relationships are explored. The authors call for reforms in public governance to allow better participation of all the actors involved for this participatory management approach to succeed and sustain.     

长江流域水生态环境安全主要问题、形势与对策

为进一步深化长江流域水生态环境保护的系统性、整体性科学认识,围绕长江水生态环境安全的主要问题及形势进行了剖析,提出了进一步加强长江流域水生态环境安全保障的对策建议.研究表明:在水环境质量方面,磷污染成为制约水质改善的主要影响因素,农业源排放量占比高,但工业源入河对水体的影响更直接,水库群运行带来的水沙条件变化对磷污染沿程演变有明显影响;在水生态健康方面,长江水生生物资源衰退、湖库富营养化格局发生改变、湿地生态功能退化问题突出;在水环境风险方面,化工围江、航运污染风险引起广泛关注.当前长江流域面临着源头区水资源战略储备减少、区域经济发展与生态环境保护双重压力仍较大、水环境质量仍存问题隐患、水生态系统退化态势未得到根本遏制等复杂且严峻的形势,未来长江水生态环境安全保障仍有诸多挑战.建议统筹长江全流域“一盘棋”,推进区域绿色协调发展,强化磷污染点面源综合管控,着力提升水生态健康水平,同时加快水环境风险隐患排查整治,强化科技创新有效供给.      

环境保护的两种重要手段-政府决策与公众参与

综述了目前我国环境保护的两种重要手段-政府决策和公众参与的现状及必要性,将政府决策与公众参与结合起来,以推动我国环保事业的进一步发展.     

加强高校干部队伍群众监督实践的探讨

加强干部队伍监督管理是高校组织工作的一个重要方面,群众监督将发挥其无法替代的作用。本文对高校干部队伍监督管理的目标、内容、重点,以及在高校干部管理中的特点及难点作了分析,对完善领导干部监督机制,特别是对其中的群众监督的实践进行了深入思考和探索。     

从影视拍摄破坏环境看我国环评制度的不足

影视剧组被指景区环境事件凸显我国相关法律制度尤其是环境影响评价制度的缺失。文章在考察国外和我国环评制度的演变，分析我国影视拍摄活动破坏环境所折射出的环评法缺失的基础上，指出完善环评制度应纳入法规、政策环评，补充对社会人文活动的环评，明确法律责任，以及确立真实有效的公众参与制度及建立环境公益诉讼。     

西藏食物保障度分析及对策

食物保障是西藏社会性经济可持续发展重要问题之一。分析表明，西藏食物保障度及目标因食物种类而异。尽管粮食总产及单产均持续增长，但结构性短缺问题难以解决，粮食保障不应过分强调自给率目标；肉类中羊肉自给，但猪肉基本依靠内地；蔬菜保障存在生产不稳定问题，如何提高生产的稳定性是问题的关键。对居民营养摄入量及结构的分析表明，城乡居民食物消费结构及来源结构有较大差异，城镇居民食物消费与内地差异不大，而乡村居民的食物消费呈现极显著的本地化特征；分析还表明，城乡居民生活支出中有一半以上用于食物，表明收入和生活水平还不高，特别要关注低收入居民的食物问题。为此，粮食不应继续作为食物保障的重点，重点应在鲜活食物的保障；建立包括开放食物流通系统和开放食物生产系统在内的开放的食物保障系统；改善交通运输条件、增进食物空间可达性，包括增进食物生产资料空间可达性和改善畜产品外销通径；增强储备意识和能力：保障贫困人口食物供给：广辟食物来源。