Cooperative live stock field service manual.

"Livestock references": p. 183-184.

Agricultural science review.

Mode of access: Internet.

Compilation of statutes relating to soil conservation, marketing quotas and allotments, soil bank, Commodity Credit Corporation, price support, export and surplus removal, crop insurance, sugar payments and quotas, marketing agreements and orders, and related statutes.

Issued Jan. l, 1953- as U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Agriculture handbook, no. 49, 79, 113, 192, 242, 281, 317, etc.

Cooperative economic insect report.

Some issues have supplement: Cooperative economic insect report. Special report.

The Impact of a Group Health Cooperative HPV Vaccination Promotion Program on Initiation of the HPV Vaccine

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Enhancing student performance through cooperative learning in physical sciences

Students in a physical sciences course were introduced to cooperative learning at the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus. Groups of four to five students worked together in tutorial and practical sessions. Mid-term and practical examinations were abolished and 40% of total marks were allocated to the cooperative learning activities. A peer- and self-assessment system was successfully adapted to account for individual performance in cooperative learning group assignments. The results suggest that cooperative learning was very well received by students, and they expressed willingness to join cooperative learning groups in other courses. In addition, cooperative learning offered many benefits to students in terms of graduate attributes such as teamwork, communication, lifelong learning and problem-solving.

Participatory approach for the identification of dairy industry needs in the design of research, development and extension actions: Australian and Brazilian case studies

In both Australia and Brazil there are rapid changes occurring in the macroenvironment of the dairy industry. These changes are sometimes not noticed in the microenvironment of the farm, due to the labour-intensive nature of family farms, and the traditionally weak links between production and marketing. Trends in the external environment need to be discussed in a cooperative framework, to plan integrated actions for the dairy community as a whole and to demand actions from research, development and extension (R, D & E). This paper reviews the evolution of R, D & E in terms of paradigms and approaches, the present strategies used to identify dairy industry needs in Australia and Brazil, and presents a participatory strategy to design R, D & E actions for both countries. The strategy incorporates an integration of the opinions of key industry actors ( defined as members of the dairy and associated communities), especially farm suppliers ( input market), farmers, R, D & E people, milk processors and credit providers. The strategy also uses case studies with farm stays, purposive sampling, snowball interviewing techniques, semi-structured interviews, content analysis, focus group meetings, and feedback analysis, to refine the priorities for R, D & E actions in the region.

eBEST platform a KKV-klaszterek operatív és együttműködési folyamatainak támogatására (eBEST platform for supporting operational and cooperative processes of SME's clusters)

Az Európai Bizottság jelentése szerint a magyar kis- és középvállalkozások helyzete 2005 óta stagnál. Bár ezek a vállalkozások adják a magyar vállalkozások 99%-át, mégis a közbeszerzési, valamint a növekvő piacokhoz való hozzáférés terén számos akadállyal kerülnek szembe. Az eBEST projekten (Empowering Business Ecosystems of Small Service Enterprises to Face the Economic Crisis) belül kialakított platform olyan funkcionalitással bír, ami mindamellett, hogy lehetővé teszi a vállalkozások szervezett csoportokba, azaz ökoszisztémákba rendeződését, hozzá tud járulni a fogyasztói igények kielégítése érdekében létrejövő ellátási lánc, illetve egyedi folyamatok mentén fellépő információszerzési, kommunikációs vagy együttműködési akadályok lebontásához. ____ It is widely recognised that the most important factor for increasing the productivity of small companies is a deep adoption of computer-based applications and services. The FP7 SME eBEST project proposed a new operational environment specifically conceived for net worked small companies, supported by an advanced suite of ICT services, the eBEST platform. The paper aims at presenting the projects achievements that are validated by a number of company clusters of different EU countries and industry sectors. The general objectives of the eBEST project are attracting customers to work with the clustered companies, facilitating companies to collaborate with each other, and enabling associations to foster the devised innovation.

Woman begs in front of one of many benevolent associations

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Agricultural microcredit and technical efficiency: The case of smallholder rice farmers in Northern Ghana

In the current study, we compared technical efficiency of smallholder rice farmers with and without credit in northern Ghana using data from a farm household survey. We fitted a stochastic frontier production function to input and output data to measure technical efficiency. We addressed self-selection into credit participation using propensity score matching and found that the mean efficiency did not differ between credit users and non-users. Credit-participating households had an efficiency of 63.0 percent compared to 61.7 percent for non-participants. The results indicate significant inefficiencies in production and thus a high scope for improving farmers’ technical efficiency through better use of available resources at the current level of technology. Apart from labour and capital, all the conventional farm inputs had a significant effect on rice production. The determinants of efficiency included the respondent’s age, sex, educational status, distance to the nearest market, herd ownership, access to irrigation and specialisation in rice production. From a policy perspective, we recommend that the credit should be channelled to farmers who demonstrate the need for it and show the commitment to improve their production through external financing. Such a screening mechanism will ensure that the credit goes to the right farmers who need it to improve their technical efficiency.

Organización financiera-contable, con base a la Norma de Información Financiera para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES), en la Asociación Cooperativa de Producción Agroindustrial y Comercialización Ganadera de Cabañas de Responsabilidad Limitada (COPIGAC, DE R.L.), ubicada en el Municipio de Sensuntepeque, Departamento de Cabañas, a implementarse en el año 2015

Las asociaciones cooperativas han tenido mayor auge en nuestro país en los últimos años, siendo indispensables para el desarrollo de la economía nacional, en tal sentido el cooperativismo moderno ha diversificado las áreas de producción de las cooperativas, pasando de producir para el sector primario de la economía, al secundario y terciario; es decir, de la producción agrícola, al de agroindustria comercial hasta la prestación de servicios, con el fin último de satisfacer las diferentes necesidades de los usuarios del sistema cooperativo, sin perder de vista que desempeñan un papel importante en el ámbito social, convirtiéndose así en entidades de economía solidaria. En El Salvador, el departamento de Cabañas pertenece a una zona geográfica de gran importancia para el sector agroindustrial ya que de acuerdo al 4º Censo Agropecuario realizado por la Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos (DIGESTYC) 2007-2008, de los 9 municipios del departamento el 27.17% de cabezas de ganado bovino pertenecen al municipio de Sensuntepeque, volviéndose así un mercado propicio para COPIGAC dedicada a la producción agroindustrial y comercialización de concentrado para ganado bovino. El Instituto Salvadoreño de Fomento Cooperativo (INSAFOCOOP) ha generado legislación especial denominada Norma de Información Financiera Para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES), con la finalidad de normar la constitución, funcionamiento y administración del sector cooperativo y que obtengan certeza de reflejar en su información financiera contable el cumplimiento de los requerimientos que demanda el organismo que las fiscaliza, a la vez que adopta uniformidad en la presentación de los datos contables en relación con los demás sectores. Debido a la importancia de la Asociación Cooperativa de Producción Agroindustrial y Comercialización Ganadera en el municipio de Sensuntepeque, el propósito principal que busca la ejecución del presente trabajo de investigación es diseñar una ORGANIZACIÓN FINANCIERA CONTABLE que sirva como un instrumento para estructurar, ordenar, clasificar y resumir la información que se genere de sus actividades; a fin de establecer resultados confiables, que sirvan a la administración para la toma de decisiones. La Organización Financiera Contable es regida por leyes y reglamentos generales, especiales, mercantiles, tributarios, y de previsión y seguridad social las cuales son fundamentales para su diseño, está compuesta por el Control Interno y el Sistema Contable y de Costos con base a la Norma de Información Financiera Para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES). El documento final que contiene la Organización Financiera Contable fue elaborado utilizando metodología que permitió la recolección de información bibliográfica de elementos teóricos sobre el cooperativismo, contabilidad general, contabilidad de costos y el control interno, se utilizaron como instrumentos de recolección de datos, la entrevista, la observación directa a las actividades ejecutadas por la cooperativa y listas de cotejo, los cuales permitieron el análisis e interpretación de los resultados. Así mismo al analizar e interpretar los resultados obtenidos en la investigación se lograron determinar las conclusiones y recomendaciones con el propósito de brindar solución a la problemática resultante, posteriormente se diseñó un plan de intervención para elaborar la Organización Financiera Contable. Es necesario mencionar que debido a la importancia de las asociaciones cooperativas ante un mundo globalizado y competitivo, deben mantener la uniformidad en la presentación de la información financiera contable en comparación con otros sectores económicos, por ello es beneficioso para la cooperativa en estudio aplicar los lineamientos que establece la normativa de información financiera especial. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cooperative associations have had the greatest boom in our country in recent years, being indispensable for the development of the national economy, in this sense the modern cooperative has diversified production areas of cooperatives, from producing for the primary sector economy, secondary and tertiary; ie agricultural production, commercial agribusiness to provide services, with the ultimate aim to meet the different needs of users of the cooperative system, without losing sight of that play an important role in the social field, thus becoming in solidarity economy entities. In El Salvador Cabañas department belongs to a geographical area of great importance for the agribusiness sector since according to the 4th Census of Agriculture conducted by the Department of Statistics and Census (DIGESTYC) 2007-2008 of 9 municipalities in the department 27.17% of the heads of cattle belonging to the municipality of Sensuntepeque, thus becoming an enabling market for COPIGAC dedicated to the agroindustrial production and marketing of concentrate for cattle. The Salvadoran Institute for Cooperative Development (INSAFOCOOP) has created special legislation called Financial Reporting Standard for Cooperative Associations of El Salvador (NIFACES), in order to regulate the establishment, operation and administration of the cooperative sector and obtain certainty to reflect on their financial accounting information meeting the requirements demanded by the body that oversees, while adopting uniformity in the presentation of financial data relating to other sectors. Because of the importance of the Cooperative Production Association Agroindustrial and Marketing Livestock in the municipality of Sensuntepeque, the main purpose that seeks the implementation of this research is to design a STOCKHOLDERS financial organization that serves as an instrument to structure, order, classify and summarize the information generated by its activities; to establish reliable results that serve the administration for decision-making. Financial Organization Accounting is governed by laws and general, special, commercial, tax regulations, and welfare and social security which are fundamental to its design, it is made by the Internal Control and Accounting System and Cost based on the Standard Financial Information for Cooperative Associations of El Salvador (NIFACES). The final document containing the Financial Organization Accounting was developed using methodology that allowed the collection of bibliographic information theoretical elements on cooperativism, general accounting, cost accounting and internal control, were used as instruments of data collection, interview, direct observation of the activities carried out by the cooperative and checklists, which allowed the analysis and interpretation of results. Also to analyze and interpret the results of the investigation are able to determine the conclusions and recommendations in order to provide a solution to the resulting problem, then an intervention plan designed to develop the Financial Accounting Organization. It should be mentioned that because of the importance of cooperative associations in a globalized and competitive world, should maintain uniformity in the presentation of accounting and financial information compared with other economic sectors, it is beneficial for the cooperative study apply the guidelines which establishes special rules of financial information.

FERTILISER CREDIT AND AGROECOLOGICAL USE OF ORGANIC SOIL AMENDMENTS IN NORTHERN GHANA

Contemporary African agricultural policy embodies the African Green Revolution’s drive towards modernisation and commercialisation. Agroecologists have criticised this movement on ecological, social and political grounds. Northern Ghanaian fertiliser credit schemes provide a good example through which these critiques can be examined in a context where agricultural policy reflects the African Green Revolution’s ideals. This study aimed to determine the relationship of such credit schemes to farmers’ use of organic amendments, elucidate other factors related to organic amendment use, and comment on the relevance of this modernisation policy and its relationship to agroecology. A first research phase employed semi-structured key informant interviews. Qualitative data from these informed construction of a semi-structured questionnaire that was used in a survey of 205 farmers. Multistage sampling purposively identified five villages and selected farmers within who had joined government and donor-funded fertiliser credit schemes. The use of organic and inorganic amendments was compared to that of peers who had not taken part in such schemes. Quantitative data were used in binomial logistic regression, inferential and descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were content analysed. Credit group membership was associated with higher fertiliser application and yield, but had little influence on the extent of commercialisation. Farmers who applied organic amendments were 40% less likely to belong to a fertiliser credit scheme than not, indicating substitution between organic and inorganic fertilisers. Organic amendments were 40% more likely to be applied to compound farms than outfields and six times more likely to be applied by household heads than other household members. However, household heads also preferentially joined credit groups. This was part of an agroecological soil fertility management strategy. Household heads appreciated the soil moisture retention properties of organic amendments, and applied them to compound farms to reduce risk to their household food supply in a semi-arid environment. They simultaneously accessed fertiliser to enhance this household provisioning strategy. They appreciated the increased yields this achieved, yet complained that the repayment terms of credit schemes were unfair, fertiliser did not enhance yields in dry conditions and fertilisers were supplied late. Farmers’ use of credited fertiliser alongside their existing agroecological strategy is helpful to the extent that it raises yields, yet is problematic in that it conflicts with risk-reduction strategies based on organics. There is some potential for modernised and agroecological management paradigms to coexist. For fertiliser credit to play a role in this, schemes must use fairer repayment terms and involve a focus on simultaneous use of organic amendments.

Integrated soil fertility management in eastern and western Africa: The role of knowledge and innovation systems, its adoption and impact

The rise in population growth, as well as nutrient mining, has contributed to low agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A plethora of technologies to boost agricultural production have been developed but the dissemination of these agricultural innovations and subsequent uptake by smallholder farmers has remained a challenge. Scientists and philanthropists have adopted the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) paradigm as a means to promote sustainable intensification of African farming systems. This comparative study aimed: 1) To assess the efficacy of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) in East (Kenya) and West (Ghana) Africa in the communication and dissemination of ISFM (Study I); 2) To investigate how specifically soil quality, and more broadly socio-economic status and institutional factors, influence farmer adoption of ISFM (Study II); and 3) To assess the effect of ISFM on maize yield and total household income of smallholder farmers (Study III). To address these aims, a mixed methodology approach was employed for study I. AKIS actors were subjected to social network analysis methods and in-depth interviews. Structured questionnaires were administered to 285 farming households in Tamale and 300 households in Kakamega selected using a stratified random sampling approach. There was a positive relationship between complete ISFM awareness among farmers and weak knowledge ties to both formal and informal actors at both research locations. The Kakamega AKIS revealed a relationship between complete ISFM awareness among farmers and them having strong knowledge ties to formal actors implying that further integration of formal actors with farmers’ local knowledge is crucial for the agricultural development progress. The structured questionnaire was also utilized to answer the query pertaining to study II. Soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were drawn from 322 (Tamale, Ghana) and 459 (Kakamega, Kenya) maize plots and analysed non-destructively for various soil fertility indicators. Ordinal regression modeling was applied to assess the cumulative adoption of ISFM. According to model estimates, soil carbon seemed to preclude farmers from intensifying input use in Tamale, whereas in Kakamega it spurred complete adoption. This varied response by farmers to soil quality conditions is multifaceted. From the Tamale perspective, it is consistent with farmers’ tendency to judiciously allocate scarce resources. Viewed from the Kakamega perspective, it points to a need for farmers here to intensify agricultural production in order to foster food security. In Kakamega, farmers with more acidic soils were more likely to adopt ISFM. Other household and farm-level factors necessary for ISFM adoption included off-farm income, livestock ownership, farmer associations, and market inter-linkages. Finally, in study III a counterfactual model was used to calculate the difference in outcomes (yield and household income) of the treatment (ISFM adoption) in order to estimate causal effects of ISFM adoption. Adoption of ISFM contributed to a yield increase of 16% in both Tamale and Kakamega. The innovation affected total household income only in Tamale, where ISFM adopters had an income gain of 20%. This may be attributable to the different policy contexts under which the two sets of farmers operate. The main recommendations underscored the need to: (1) improve the functioning of AKIS, (2) enhance farmer access to hybrid maize seed and credit, (3) and conduct additional multi-locational studies as farmers operate under varying contexts.

Antioxidant And Antiproliferative Activities Of Methanolic Extract From A Neglected Agricultural Product: Corn Cobs.

Neglected agricultural products (NAPs) are defined as discarded material in agricultural production. Corn cobs are a major waste of agriculture maize. Here, a methanolic extract from corn cobs (MEC) was obtained. MEC contains phenolic compounds, protein, carbohydrates (1.4:0.001:0.001). We evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential of MEC. Furthermore, its antiproliferative property against tumor cells was assessed through MTT assays and proteins related to apoptosis in tumor cells were examined by western blot. MEC showed no hydroxyl radical scavenger capacity, but it showed antioxidant activity in Total Antioxidant Capacity and DPPH scavenger ability assays. MEC showed higher Reducing Power than ascorbic acid and exhibited high Superoxide Scavenging activity. In tumor cell culture, MEC increased catalase, metallothionein and superoxide dismutase expression in accordance with the antioxidant tests. In vivo antioxidant test, MEC restored SOD and CAT, decreased malondialdehyde activities and showed high Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity in animals treated with CCl4. Furthermore, MEC decreased HeLa cells viability by apoptosis due an increase of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase 3 active. Protein kinase C expression increased was also detected in treated tumor cells. Thus, our findings pointed out the biotechnological potential of corn cobs as a source of molecules with pharmacological activity.

Evolution Of The Deaths Registry System In Brazil: Associations With Changes In The Mortality Profile, Under-registration Of Death Counts, And Ill-defined Causes Of Death.

This paper examines the spatial pattern of ill-defined causes of death across Brazilian regions, and its relationship with the evolution of completeness of the deaths registry and changes in the mortality age profile. We make use of the Brazilian Health Informatics Department mortality database and population censuses from 1980 to 2010. We applied demographic methods to evaluate the quality of mortality data for 137 small areas and correct for under-registration of death counts when necessary. The second part of the analysis uses linear regression models to investigate the relationship between, on the one hand, changes in death counts coverage and age profile of mortality, and on the other, changes in the reporting of ill-defined causes of death. The completeness of death counts coverage increases from about 80% in 1980-1991 to over 95% in 2000-2010 at the same time the percentage of ill-defined causes of deaths reduced about 53% in the country. The analysis suggests that the government's efforts to improve data quality are proving successful, and they will allow for a better understanding of the dynamics of health and the mortality transition.