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Innovation system approach to agricultural development: policy implications for agricultural extension delivery in Nigeria Texte intégral
2008
A., E. Agwu | M., U. Dimelu | M., C. Madukwe
A sustainable and dynamic approach to agricultural development has remained of great concern to the Nigerian government and a priority for discourse in the policy arena. However, past efforts have largely focused on public research and extension institutions as the sole source of innovation/knowledge required to trigger development in the agricultural sector. <br /><br />This paper argues that the emerging reforms and changes in knowledge structure of agriculture explicitly indicate that the traditional agricultural research and extension system alone cannot sufficiently address the challenges of the new trends. It is argued that innovation system approach offers a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to innovation and processes, incorporating emerging reforms and approaches for agricultural development. <br /><br />The paper begins by reviewing the concept of innovation system, it then moves on to examine its application to Nigerian agriculture. The authors concludes that the adoption of the innovation system approach has major policy implications for extension delivery in Nigeria, and that the comparative advantage of the approach should be explored.<br /><br />Key recommendations include: government and extension administrators should promote the adoption of an agricultural innovation system perspective in policy analysis among stakeholders<br /> policy makers should identify weak or missing components and linkages within the agricultural innovation systems and to take measures accordingly of innovations being promoted, while extension should build in such policy information into technology packages to the farmers policy makers and administrators should entrench linkage mandates into policies establishing the research extension systems and strategies for increasing private sector involvement in development government should encourage and promote farmers’ and private sector innovation by enacting favourable policies (patenting, reward system), while extension administrators should build capabilities through training to facilitate, analyse and promote farmer innovations
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]Simulation of an Agricultural Watershed Using an Improved Curve Number Method in SWAT Texte intégral
2008
Wang, X. | Shang, S. | Yang, W. | Melesse, A.M.
The USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number (CN) method has been the foundation of the hydrology algorithms in commonly used continuous simulation models, including the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). This expanded use of the SCS-CN method has proven successful for many applications. However, because the SCS-CN method was originally developed to determine design peak discharges of synthetic storm events under an average antecedent moisture condition, research is needed to address the controversy over the use of this method to represent continuous precipitation runoff processes. In addition, poor results obtained for some conditions indicate the necessity to improve the method to provide a more realistic and accurate representation of water flow amounts, paths, and source areas upon which erosion and water quality predictions depend. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: (1) propose a modified curve number (MCN) method, and (2) assess the MCN method relative to the existing SWAT method with an I (a) /S value either equal to 0.2 or 0.05. The equations that formulate the MCN method were coded into the SWAT 2005 framework. A SWAT model implementing the MCN method was evaluated along with the models implementing the existing SWAT method with I(a) /S values of 0.2 and 0.05. The evaluation was conducted in the 870 km 2 upper portion of the Forest River watershed located in northeastern North Dakota. The results revealed that the total streamflows predicted by the three models were comparable, as indicated by similar values for the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient. However, the MCN approach resulted in the most accurate prediction of the streamflow components (i.e., baseflow versus direct flow) as well as water yields. For the study area, the MCN method was judged to be superior to the existing commonly used curve number methods in terms of mimicking the precipitation runoff processes.
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]On diversity effects of alternative agricultural policy reforms in Finland: an agricultural sector modelling approach Texte intégral
2008
A. MIETTINEN | H. LEHTONEN | R. HIETALA-KOIVU
On diversity effects of alternative agricultural policy reforms in Finland: an agricultural sector modelling approach Texte intégral
2008
A. MIETTINEN | H. LEHTONEN | R. HIETALA-KOIVU
The European Union has decided to reform its agricultural policy and decouple Common Agricultural Policy support partially from production. The aim of this study is to predict the diversity effects of agricultural policy reforms in which direct aid payments are disconnected from production, and compare the outcomes with the effects of a policy in which Common Agricultural Policy support is coupled to production. The study employs a dynamic regional sector model of Finnish agriculture. The sector model predicts regional agricultural land use, numbers of livestock, stocking densities, pesticide application areas, and nutrient balances. Diversity of agricultural land use is measured by Shannons diversity index. The results indicate that if agricultural support is independent from production, the amount of fallow land will increase considerably in the future. This will decrease the diversity of agricultural land use at landscape level, but may not be harmful at species level since green fallow has some positive effects, especially on the densities and abundance of farmland birds. Instead, the decrease in bovine animals is likely to run down biological diversity, since it simplifies crop rotation and diminishes grazing.;
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]On diversity effects of alternative agricultural policy reforms in Finland: an agricultural sector modelling approach Texte intégral
2004 | 2008
Miettinen, Antti | Lehtonen, Heikki | Hietala-Koivu, Reija | Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus (MTT) / MTTL Taloustutkimus (MTTL) / Taloustutkimus (MTTL) MTTL | Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus (MTT) / MTTL Taloustutkimus (MTTL) / Taloustutkimus (MTTL) MTTL | Helsingin yliopisto
Euroopan unioni uudistaa yhteistä maatalouspolitiikkaansa. Valtaosa EU:n kokonaan rahoittamista maataloustuista irrotetaan tuotannosta ja maksetaan viljelijöille tulotukena. Tutkimuksessa ennustettiin maatalouden sektorimallin avulla kuinka CAP-tukien irrottaminen tuotannosta vaikuttaa maatalousmaan käyttöön, tuotannon intensiteettiin sekä maiseman ja lajien monimuotoisuuteen Suomessa. Tarkasteltavia skenaarioita oli kaksi: yhteisen maatalouspolitiikan uudistusehdotusten mukainen skenaario ja vapaakauppaskenaario. Politiikkavaihtoehtojen tuloksena saatuja ennusteita maatalousmaan käytöstä, maiseman monimuotoisuudesta, torjunta-aineilla käsitellystä peltoalasta, eläintiheyksistä ja ravinnetaseista vuonna 2015 verrattiin perusskenaarion ennusteisiin vastaavana ajankohtana. Perusskenaariossa oletettiin, että myös tulevaisuudessa jatketaan Agenda 2000:n mukaista politiikkaa, jossa CAP-tuet on sidottu tuotantoon. Yhteisen maatalouspolitiikan uudistusehdotusten mukainen CAP-tukien irrottaminen tuotannosta vähentää viljelymaiseman monimuotoisuutta useilla alueilla Suomessa ja johtaa lähes neljä kertaa suurempaan viherkesantojen pinta-alaan vuonna 2015 kuin Agenda 2000:n mukainen politiikka. Vapaakauppaskenaarion seurauksena pellonkäyttö muuttuu samansuuntaisesti, mutta voimakkaammin kuin CAP-uudistuksen perusteella. Maankäytön muutoksesta johtuvat vaikutukset maatalousluonnon monimuotoisuuteen eivät kuitenkaan todennäköisesti ole kokonaisuudessaan haitallisia, sillä viherkesantojen on todettu vaikuttavan myönteisesti etenkin peltolinnustoon. Sen sijaan kotieläintuotannon muutokset vaikuttavat todennäköisesti haitallisesti luonnon monimuotoisuuteen, sillä erityisesti nautakarjan määrä vähenee, mikäli viljelijän tuotantopäätös ei vaikuta tuen suuruuteen. Tällöin ravinneylijäämät pienenevät, mutta samalla karjasta luopuneiden tilojen viljelykierto yksipuolistuu, ja laiduntamisen hyödyt luonnon monimuotoisuudelle vähentyvät. | The European Union has decided to reform its agricultural policy and decouple Common Agricultural Policy support partially from production. The aim of this study is to predict the diversity effects of agricultural policy reforms in which direct aid payments are disconnected from production, and compare the outcomes with the effects of a policy in which Common Agricultural Policy support is coupled to production. The study employs a dynamic regional sector model of Finnish agriculture. The sector model predicts regional agricultural land use, numbers of livestock, stocking densities, pesticide application areas, and nutrient balances. Diversity of agricultural land use is measured by Shannon s diversity index. The results indicate that if agricultural support is independent from production, the amount of fallow land will increase considerably in the future. This will decrease the diversity of agricultural land use at landscape level, but may not be harmful at species level since green fallow has some positive effects, especially on the densities and abundance of farmland birds. Instead, the decrease in bovine animals is likely to run down biological diversity, since it simplifies crop rotation and diminishes grazing. | v | 2004 | ok | Maatalouspolitiikkauudistusten vaikutuksista pellonkäytön diversiteettiin
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]GIS analysis of change in an agricultural landscape in Central Finland Texte intégral
2008
R. RUUSKA | J. HELENIUS
Soils in an agricultural landscape of Jokioinen, south-western Finland Texte intégral
2008
M. YLI-HALLA | D. L. MOKMA
Eleven pedons in an agricultural landscape at elevations 80-130 m above sea level in Jokioinen, south-western Finland were investigated and classified according to Soil Taxonomy, the FAO-Unesco system (FAO), and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources system (WRB). The soils were related to geomorphology of the landscape which is characterized by clayey fields and forested bedrock high areas covered with glacial till. A Spodosol/Podzol was found in a coarse-sandy soil in an esker while the sandy loam in a bedrock high area soils did not have an E horizon. A man-made mollic epipedon was found in a cultivated soil which had a sandy plow layer while clayey plow layers were ochric epipedons. Cambic horizons, identified by structure and redox concentrations, were common in cultivated soils. In a heavy clay soil, small slickensides and wedge-shaped aggregates, i.e., vertic characteristics, were found. Histosols occurred in local topographic depressions irrespective of the absolute elevation. According to the three classification systems, the following catenas are recognized: Haplocryods - Dystro/Eutrocryepts -Haplocryolls - Cryaquepts - Cryosaprists (Soil Taxonomy), Podzols - Regosols - Cambisols - Histosols (FAO-Unesco), and Podzols - Cambisols - Phaeozems - Gleysols - Histosols (WRB).;
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]Nitrogen sources and exports in an agricultural watershed in Southeast China Texte intégral
2008
Chen, Nengwang | Hong, Huasheng | Zhang, Luoping | Cao, Wenzhi
The nitrogen (N) budget was developed for Jiulong River Watershed (JRW), an agricultural watershed in a warm and humid area of southeast China. Water quality monitoring, field surveys, modelling and GIS techniques were applied to estimate N flux of atmospheric deposition, mineralization, runoff, denitrification, and ammonia volatilization. Over the whole watershed, fertilizers, import of animal feeds, biotic fixation, mineralization and atmospheric deposition contributed 67.1%, 16.5%, 2.1%, 4.9% and 9.5%, respectively, of total N input (129.3 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). Runoff, sale of production, denitrification, and ammonia volatilization contributed 7.3%, 24.4%, 10.5% and 57.8% of total N output (72.9 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), respectively. The N budget for the JRW suggested that more than 50% of the N input was lost to the environment, and about 14% was discharged as riverine N, which indicated that agricultural and human activities in the watershed substantially impacted the estuary and coastal water quality, and so altered the N biogeochemistry process.
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]An Analysis of Agricultural Cooperatives' Market Share in Wholesale Market
2008
Kim, D.H. (Andong National University, Andong, Republic of Korea), E-mail: soiltop@naver.com
This study aims to analyze the market share of marketing business in agricultural cooperatives in compared with individual sellers, joint selling bodies and local assemblers. To identify the market share among major sales bodies, the study utilizes Markov probability model and multinomial logit model. According to analysis result, market share and selling loyalty of marketing business in agricultural cooperatives is highest to other selling sources. But the influence over pricing process of agricultural cooperatives is inefficient to exert power in agricultural wholesale market. Therefore, the success of marketing business in agricultural cooperatives depends on the organizational strength of farmers and the control over pricing establishment.
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]Behaviour and fate of organic pollutants in an agricultural ecosystem Texte intégral
2008
Sablayrolles, Caroline, C. | Montréjaud-Vignoles, Mireille | Chimie Agro-Industrielle (CAI) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Ecole nationale supérieure des ingénieurs en arts chimiques et technologiques (ENSIACET) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)
International audience
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]Response of N-cycling bacterial communities to an herbicide disturbance in an agricultural organic soil Texte intégral
2008
Crouzet, Olivier | Besse-Hoggan, Pascale, | Bonnemoy, Frédérique | Batisson, Isabelle | Bohatier, Jacques | Mallet, Christophe
