Logit models for identifying the factors that influence the uptake of new 'no-tillage' technologies by farmers in the rice-wheat and the cotton-wheat farming systems of Pakistan's Punjab

In the 'rice-wheat' and the 'cotton-wheat' farming systems of Pakistan's Punjab, late planting of wheat is a perennial problem due to often delayed harvesting of the previously planted and late maturing rice and cotton crops. This leaves very limited time for land preparation for 'on-time' planting of wheat. 'No-tillage' technologies that reduce the turn-round time for wheat cultivation after rice and cotton have been developed, but their uptake has not been as expected.-This paper attempts to determine the farm and farmer characteristics and other socio-economic factors that influence the adoption of 'no-tillage' technologies'. Logit models were developed for the analysis undertaken. In the 'cotton-wheat' system personal characteristics like education, tenancy status, attitude towards risk implied in the use of new technologies and contact with extension agents are the main factors that affect adoption. As regards the 'rice-wheat' system, resource endowments such as farm size, access to a 'no-tillage' drill, clayey soils and the area sown to the rice-wheat sequence along with tenancy and contact with extension agents were dominant in explaining adoption. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Normative, systemic and procedural aspects: a review of indicator‐based sustainability assessments in agriculture

Several methods for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems have been developed. These methods do not fully: (i) take into account the multi‐functionality of agriculture; (ii) include multidimensionality; (iii) utilize and implement the assessment knowledge; and (iv) identify conflicting goals and trade‐offs. This paper reviews seven recently developed multidisciplinary indicator‐based assessment methods with respect to their contribution to these shortcomings. All approaches include (1) normative aspects such as goal setting, (2) systemic aspects such as a specification of scale of analysis, (3) a reproducible structure of the approach. The approaches can be categorized into three typologies. The top‐down farm assessments focus on field or farm assessment. They have a clear procedure for measuring the indicators and assessing the sustainability of the system, which allows for benchmarking across farms. The degree of participation is low, potentially affecting the implementation of the results negatively. The top‐down regional assessment assesses the on‐farm and the regional effects. They include some participation to increase acceptance of the results. However, they miss the analysis of potential trade‐offs. The bottom‐up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary approaches focus on a regional scale. Stakeholders are included throughout the whole process assuring the acceptance of the results and increasing the probability of implementation of developed measures. As they include the interaction between the indicators in their system representation, they allow for performing a trade‐off analysis. The bottom‐up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary approaches seem to better overcome the four shortcomings mentioned above.

Contributing understanding of mitigation options for phosphorus and sediment to a review of the efficacy of contemporary agricultural stewardship measures

Experiences from the Mitigation Options for Phosphorus and Sediment (MOPS) projects, which aim to determine the effectiveness of measures to reduce pollutant loading from agricultural land to surface waters, have been used to contribute to the findings of a recent paper (Kay et al., 2009, Agricultural Systems, 99, 67–75), which reviewed the efficacy of contemporary agricultural stewardship measures for ameliorating the water pollution problems of key concern to the UK water industry. MOPS1 is a recently completed 3-year research project on three different soil types in the UK, which focused on mitigation options for winter cereals. MOPS1 demonstrated that tramlines can be the major pathway for sediment and nutrient transfer from arable hillslopes, and that although minimum tillage, crop residue incorporation, contour cultivation, and beetle banks also have potential to be cost-effective mitigation options, tramline management is the one of the most promising treatments for mitigating diffuse pollution losses, as it was able to reduce sediment and nutrient losses by 72–99% in four out of five site years trialled. Using information from the MOPS projects, this paper builds on the findings of Kay et al. to provide an updated picture of the evidence available and the immediate needs for research in this area.

Integrating augmented reality with home systems

Augmented Reality systems overlay computer generated information onto a user's natural senses. Where this additional information is visual, the information is overlaid on the user's natural visual field of view through a head mounted (or “head-up”) display device. Integrated Home Systems provides a network that links every electrical device in the home which provides to a user both control and data transparency across the network.

Contribution of N Species and P Fractions to Stream Water Quality in Agricultural Catchments

The contribution from agricultural catchments to stream nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations was assessed by evaluation of the chemical composition of these nutrients in agricultural runoff for both surface and subsurface flow pathways. A range of land uses (grazed and ungrazed grassland, cereals, roots) in intensive agricultural systems was studied at scales from hillslope plots (0.5m2) to large catchment (>300km2). By fractionating the total nutrient load it was possible to establish that most of the phosphorus was transported in the unreactive (particulate and organic) fraction via surface runoff. This was true regardless of the scale of measurement. The form of the nitrogen load varied with land use and grazing intensity. High loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (with >90% transported as NH4-N) were recorded in surface runoff from heavily grazed land. In subsurface flow from small (2km2) subcatchments and in larger (>300 km2) catchments, organic nitrogen was found to be an important secondary constituent of the total nitrogen load, comprising 40% of the total annual load.

Normative, systemic and procedural aspects: a review of indicator-based sustainability assessments in agriculture

Methods for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems do often not fully (i) take into account the multifunctionality of agriculture, (ii) include multidimensionality, (iii) utilize and implement the assessment knowledge and (iv) identify conflicting goals and trade-offs. This chapter reviews seven recently developed multidisciplinary indicator-based assessment methods with respect to their contribution to these shortcomings. All approaches include (1) normative aspects such as goal setting, (2) systemic aspects such as a specification of scale of analysis and (3) a reproducible structure of the approach. The approaches can be categorized into three typologies: first, top-down farm assessments, which focus on field or farm assessment; second, top-down regional assessments, which assess the on-farm and the regional effects; and third, bottom-up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary approaches, which focus on a regional scale. Our analysis shows that the bottom-up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary approaches seem to better overcome the four shortcomings mentioned above.

Positivism: one ring to rule them all? A tale of information systems research methodology

The tale of research methodology in information systems is told through the fantasy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The tale is intended to be at once a piece of light hearted fun in its placement of the struggles of research methodology as an epic story but, in the tradition of the court jester, attempts to provide a new perspective on Information Systems (IS) research methodology and our struggles with positivism in particular. Our tale is one of developing a greater maturity and confidence in IS methodology and introduces postmodern methodologies to Information Systems. Our tale, our pastiche, is itself postmodern.

Analysis of forest policy using multi-attribute value theory

Contents:
1. Role of multi-criteria decision making in natural resource management /​ Gamini Herath and Tony Prato
2. Analysis of forest policy using multi-attribute value theory /​ Jayanath Ananda and Gamini Herath
3. Comparing Riparian revegetation policy options using the analytic hierarchy process /​ M. E. Qureshi and S. R. Harrison
4. Managing environmental and health risks from a lead and zinc smelter : an application of deliberative multi-criteria evaluation /​ Wendy Proctor, Chris McQuade and Anne Dekker
5. Multiple attribute evaluation of management alternatives for the Missouri River System /​ Tony Prato
6. Multi-criteria decision analysis for integrated watershed management /​ Zeyuan Qiu
7. Fuzzy multiple attribute evaluation of agricultural systems /​ Leonie A. Marks and Elizabeth G. Dunn
8. Multi-criteria decision support for energy supply assessment /​ Bram Noble
9. Seaport development in Vietnam : evaluation using the analytic hierarchy process /​ Tran Phuong Dong and David M. Chapman
10. Valuing wetland aquatic resources using the analytic hierarchy process /​ Premachandra Wattage and Simon Mardle
11. Multiple attribute evaluation for national park management /​ Tony Prato
12. The future of MCDA in natural resource management : some generalizations /​ Gamini Herath and Tony Prato.

Integrated marketing communications measurement and evaluation

Marketing communications have historically been measured on a medium-by-medium basis. The new electronic communications systems are in danger of falling into the same trap. Yet consumers seem to use all these communications systems concurrently, simultaneously and one would assume, synergistically. If this is true, what are the challenges in measuring the impact and effect of these integrated communications systems? How should synergy between communications forms be considered and measured? For it is ultimately consumers, not managers, who integrate (marketing) communications. In response to these and other challenges, this article identifies five areas of integrated marketing communications (IMC) measurement worthy of future research. It then goes on to expand on each of the areas, noting some of the foundational work that has already taken place and signalling possible avenues for future research. In conclusion, it considers the theoretical implications of the research agenda and postulates how a broader view of theory could in fact assist scholars in tackling the research challenges as they currently stand.

A modelling framework for optimisation of commodity production by minimising the impact of climate change

The agricultural sector is vulnerable to the impact of climate change due to decreasing rainfall, increasing temperature, and the frequency of extreme weather events. A modelling framework was developed and applied to identify issues, problems and opportunities arising in regional agricultural systems as a consequence of climate change. This integrated framework blends together land suitability analysis, uncertainty analysis and an optimisation approach to establish optimal agricultural land-use patterns on a regional scale for current and possible future climate scenarios. The framework can also be used to identify (i) regions under threat of productivity decline, and (ii) alternative crops and their locations that can cope better with changing climate. The methods and contents of the framework are presented by means of a case study developed in the South West Region of Victoria, Australia. The results can be used to assess land suitability in support of optimised crop allocations across a local region, and to underpin the development of a regional adaptation policy framework designed to reduce the vulnerability of the agriculture sector to the impacts of climate change.

Carbon dioxide emissions after application of tillage systems for a dark red latosol in southern Brazil

Soil tillage may influence CO2 emissions in agricultural systems. Agricultural soils are managed in several ways in Brazil, ranging from no tillage to intensive land preparation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of common soil tillage treatments (disk harrow, reversible disk plow, rotary tiller and chisel plow tillage systems) on the intermediate CO2 emissions of a dark red latosol, located in southern Brazil. Different tillage systems produced significant differences in the CO2 emissions, and the results indicate that the chisel plow produced the highest soil carbon loss during the 15 days period after tillage treatments were performed. Emissions to the atmosphere increased as much as 74 g CO2 m(-2), at the end of a 2-week period, in the plot where the chisel plow treatment was applied, in comparison to the non-disturbed plot. The results indicate that the total increase on the intermediate term soil CO2 emissions due to tillage treatments in southern Brazil is comparable to that reported for the more humid and cooler regions. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V All rights reserved.

Flutuação populacional e infestação de mosca-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritidae) em função do sistema produtivo de goiaba

The knowledge about population fluctuation of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an important tool to be adopted in pest control. Thus, this research aimed to analyse the population fluctuation of adults of fruit flies and the infestation of larvae in fruits depending on the conventional and organic agricultural systems of guava production in the 2010/2011 harvest. For monitoring the adults of fruit flies, five yellow sticky traps were installed in each system. The infestation percentage and the calculation of the ratio number of larvae/number of fruits were determined at harvest by harvesting 10 mature fruits/plant, in ten plants, for each system. In organic system predominated Anastrepha spp., principally in the period when the fruits were ripening or ripe, represented by elevated infestation percentage, while the conventional system presented low population density of fruit flies, with reduced larvae infestation inside the fruits.

Guidelines for the integration of certifiable management systems in industrial companies

Organizations often operate in turbulent environments characterized by intense competitiveness, constant technological progress, new market requirements, and scarce natural resources. This scenario imposes the constant need for change in the operation and companies' management. The integration of certifiable management systems is an effective alternative in this sense. The objective of the present study is to propose guidelines for the integration of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) in industrial companies. These guidelines were developed based on a theoretical framework and on the results from fourteen case studies performed in Brazilian industrial companies. The proposed guidelines were divided into three phases: A) integration planning, b) integration development, and c) integration control and improvement.

Dinâmica dos atributos físicos e estoque de carbono de um latossolo em sistemas integrados de produção

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Comportamento ingestivo, desempenho e características de carcaça de cordeiros semi-confinados em sistema integrado de produção

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)