The electricity consuming end-user profile has changed in latest years, due to development of new electrical devices with increased functionality and complexity. Also increasing number of electricity consuming equipment that is available to end-user, makes very hard to identify real electricity consumption of each device. The existing wall plug digital power meters are too expensive for long-term power metering of each consuming device. The article describes a different approach of power metering system that lowers the costs and price of needed metering equipment. A new concept of low-cost energy monitoring system with wireless communication is developed.

A study was undertaken to understand local knowledge and practices of communities in animal management as a step in designing and implementation of communitybased breeding programs for four local breeds (Afar, Bonga, Horro and Menz) in four sites in Ethiopia. Workshops were held with the project communities to learn their animal management practices, among others the selection of rams and ewes, ram sharing and grazing management. Breeding management skills were studied by conducting heritability and genetic correlation exercises. The most important animal traits for the different production systems were identified from a systems study. Phenotypic, production, and reproduction traits were used either in the form of drawings or verbal explanations. Pairwise combinations of the traits were presented to the communities to express their choices via voting. For evaluating heritability, the communities were asked which trait pair is relatively more heritable than the other. For the correlation exercise, the communities were asked to estimate the magnitude (high, low, and none) of relationship between the traits in each pair. The results indicate that farmers and pastoralists have good skills in sheep management. Although the mating system is generally uncontrolled, the farmers have a tradition of exchanging of rams. All farmers/pastoralists exercise ewe and ram selection based on phenotypic appearance and recalled pedigree. Their knowledge on heritability of traits and genetic correlations between traits more or less concurs with scientific evidence in literature. For example, qualitative traits (like colour) were judged highly heritable followed by production traits. Knowledge of correlations is used for indirect selection when the target traits are either impossible to assess on the live animal or are sexlimited. Indigenous knowledge and existing practices in the communities, developed through years of practical experience, provide an excellent basis for designing sheep breeding programs.

In this study wool characteristics of Libyan sheep in north-eastern Libya were investigated in a coastal region extended from El-Marj (32 25 N and 20 30 E) to Emsaad at the north-eastern border of the country (31 33N, 25 6 E). Twelve locations, one flock per flock were studied. Three sites have been sampled from each animal (Shoulder, mid-side and breech). Mean staple length and fiber diameter were 12.16cm and 38.43 µm respectively. In this study, staple length and fiber diameter didn’t significantly vary between locations studied. Sample site on the body of the animal significantly affect both staple length and fiber diameter, with breech position samples showed the shortest staple length and the thickest fiber diameter (P< 0.05). There was no difference between samples taken from mid-side or shoulder in all measured traits. Results of this study showed that Barbary sheep raised in the eastern part of the country characterized by a long staple and a large fiber diameter, and then confirmed the previous studies studies stated that this breed could be classed as a long carpet wool breed. Samples taken from mid-side position could be representative of Barbary sheep fleece

The early adoption of the legume Arachis pintoi was studied in the State of Caqueta, located in Colombia's Amazon region [date not given]. Data came from 174 farmers randomly surveyed in 1986 and 1997 within the area of influence of Nestle, a multinational milk-processing company. In addition, 52 farmers who had already adopted Arachis were surveyed separately to study their experiences, difficulties, and prospects with the legume. Results indicated that livestock activity is undergoing dynamic intensification. Since 1986, milk production per lactation has increased by 31%, cow fertility by 5%, herd size by 18%, and the area sown to improved pastures by 165%. Current adoption rate of Arachis is about 9.2%, with an estimated 3000 ha already planted. Two-thirds of farmers who had adopted Arachis said they would double, in the next year, the average area sown (9.6 ha/farm). Adopters tended to have larger farms and to have invested twice the capital than did non-adopters. The cost of seed for both grass and legume accounted for 40-52% of total establishment costs, making seed quality decisive in uaranteeing success. To promote Arachis, more information on the plant and its management in association with grasses must be disseminated. Mechanisms should also be sought to reduce establishment costs.

Icing notably increases the mass of a tree crown, causing damage to the tree. So far, a very limited number of studies have assessed the icing influence on coniferous trees, none of them in Latvia. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of tree parameters and recent thinning on the proportion of damaged trees and the type of damage in Scots pine stands. The study sites were located in the eastern part of Latvia, damaged in December 2012. In total, 98 pine dominated stands of different age were selected randomly. Eight (mean) plots per stand were established; in each plot, all trees larger than 2.1 cm were measured and the type of damage assessed. The above-ground biomass from 12 randomly selected stands (57 dominant trees) of different age was weighted with and without icing. The biomass of pine with icing exceeded that without 1.5 ± 0.27 times. The mean proportion of damaged trees in pine dominated stands was 26%; the proportion of broken trees peaked in the middle-aged stands (41 – 70 years old), but the largest proportion of pooled bent and uprooted trees was found in the young (11 – 20 years old) stands. The proportion of damaged dominant trees was affected by the slenderness coefficient – a higher proportion of such trees was found among more slender trees. The results suggest that the risk of icing damage could be reduced by silvicultural measures boosting individual tree stability.

The aim of the paper is the assessment of the changes in productivity expressed as the share of production costs in total output and its breakdown by major cost types of Latvian and Lithuanian farms over the period of the implementation of Rural Development Programme (RDP 2007 – 2013). The country’s agricultural productivity is determined by comparison of the total agricultural output value (in producer prices) and total inputs which include intermediate consumption expenditure, depreciation, labour costs and other external costs. The information for the analysis was sourced from the standardized Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data. The results show that productivity level is higher in Lithuanian farms, although the tendency is that the share of costs in production value is increasing in Lithuania, so the difference between two countries is reducing. The changes of productivity in both countries infer the relative growth in the productivity in crop farming both in Latvia and Lithuania respective to dairy farming, as well as the productivity of large farms respective to small and medium farms. The comparisons of major cost items reveal an especially high level of energy costs in Latvia, as well as a high and soaring level of depreciation in Lithuania, especially in dairy farms. In the future policy making, it is worthwhile to design the measures targeting the confinement of risks and negative trends identified in the study.

The scientific literature does not contain any single classification of management style. When dividing management styles into the classic and the new, the changes towards the nature of manager’s exposure to employees are taken into account. When analysing the structure of manager’s style, it is necessary to take into consideration the key factors: the conditions shaping management style, the opportunities for the manager to change and improve it purposefully. The efficiency of manager’s behaviour, together with the choice of management style, resulted in various objective and subjective factors. Objective factors include the factors which cannot (or very little) be affected by the environment. Subjective factors depend only on personal qualities which can be developed and improved. This article deals with objective and subjective factors shaping management style of a manager. The results of the empirical study on the structure of management styles of Kaunas district non-governmental organisations (hereinafter referred to as NGOs) have been presented, as well as the most significant advantages and disadvantages of objective and subjective factors shaping management style. Based on the data of the theoretical analysis and empirical study, improvement directions of the problematic factors of NGOs management styles have been identified and substantiated, taking into consideration the elimination of management style drawbacks.