规划失地农民就业转型机制的研究

明确规划失地农民概念,分析规划失地农民一旦失去土地可能面临的问题,提出规划失地农民就业转型机制:政府根据本地区经济发展的远景,以提高土地的利用率为前提,在本地区交通基础设施规划的基础上统筹规划本地区城乡,做到城镇、工业区域相对集中,便于社会公共服务投放,有效减少失地农民;通过改变农民的就业观以及提高其就业能力,增加企业的社会责任制度建设,增加失地农民的就业机会。     

农民参与的县域双层耕地质量评价研究

将农民经验与专家土地评价有机结合,以建立参考田块质量指标体系为主要研究手段,构建了农民参与的县域双层耕地质量评价体系,并在卧龙区进行了实证研究,结果表明:(1)农民参与的县域双层评价模式操作简便易行,结果准确可靠;(2)可以建立一套能够表达县域耕地质量的参考田块数据体系,并且易于保存、更新;(3)可以克服土地资料缺乏或图件、数据不全等的影响,并且有效补充完善了现有土地资料;(4)农民及基层土地管理人员参与评价,使得评价结果易于被接受和应用,有利于今后区域土地的可持续利用与管理。     

Investigation of farmers' willingness to pay for using recycled water for irrigation in Thessaly region, Greece

The objective of the present study was to investigate farmers' willingness to pay for using recycled water for irrigation purposes in Thessaly region, Greece. The method followed for the above analysis was the contingent valuation method which aims at eliciting individuals' preferences, in monetary terms, for changes in the quantity or quality of nonmarket environmental resources through personal interviewing. Our study was based on data collected from 107 questionnaires, which were answered by farmers in Thessaly region. The region is located in central eastern part of Greece and its main feature is that a relatively high percentage of its population is partly or fully employed in agriculture. Furthermore, Thessaly region suffers from a distinct water shortage in summer period, which is partly attributed to the increased agricultural activity. The group chosen for our study was random and the questionnaires were answered through personal interviews. The questionnaire was divided in 3 sessions. The first one dealt with personal data in order to investigate correlations between socioeconomic characteristics of interviewee and his or her willingness to use recycled water and to pay for it. The second session had as a goal to discover whether farmers are willing to use recycled water for irrigation purposes. Finally, the third session dealt with farmers' willingness to pay for treated wastewater. The data were statistically analyzed with the use of the multinomial logistic regression method. The main results show that Thessaly farmers are willing to pay for recycled water especially during drought spells in the region.     

Biological control of bruchids infesting cowpea by the introduction of Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) adults into farmers’ stores in West Africa

Biological control of bruchids infesting cowpea stores was achieved by introducing adults of an endemic parasitoid Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) into farmers’ storage systems in the guinean zone in Togo and the sudano-sahelian zone in Burkina Faso. In the guinean zone, introduction of 20 or 40 pairs of D. basalis adults at the beginning of storage and again 15 days later reduced the development of the bruchid populations after 5 months of storage. Consequently, weight losses from 25 kg batches of treated cowpea seeds were lower than 10% as compared with around 30% in controls. In the sudano-sahelian zone, an introduction of 40 pairs of D. basalis adults at the beginning of storage and again 15 days later was effective, also maintaining seed weight losses from 25 kg batches at less than 10%. These results illustrate that biological control of bruchids by the introduction of D. basalis adults into farmers’ cowpea storage systems is possible in the two climatic zones of Western Africa, and produces better cowpea seed quality. However, the introduction must take place right at the beginning of storage, and the number to be introduced must take into account the initial rate of seed infestation by the bruchids.     

Opening the black box of food quality in the short supply chain: Effects of conventions of quality on consumer choice

In recent years new forms of food distribution organisation, known as short supply chains, have gained ground. The local nature of such distribution has positive effects on the environment and on the local economy. Consumers appear to trust the short supply chain, and it has achieved considerable success. However, the short supply chain has credence characteristics which, by their very nature, cannot be identified through a system of certification. The question we address in this paper is whether it is possible to identify the constituent elements of the credence trait in relation to food quality in the short supply chain. Our hypothesis is that the latter are linked to a range of socially constructed food quality criteria. To develop a more inclusive vision of how such criteria are coordinated in food quality assessment by consumers, use has been made of convention theory. In accordance with convention theory, quality is identified, in a social context and informally, as one of the spheres in which economic activity is regulated by procedures which go beyond regulation by price. The aim of our study was to measure the effects of coordinated conventions of quality in the context of one type of short supply chain: farmers’ markets specialised in the sale of organic products. An ordered logit model was implemented. Our results allow credence characteristics to be classified within conventions of quality and could help support strategies aimed at spreading sustainable forms of food distribution and consumption. Future research might go to the direction of validating our results based on a single form of supply organisation. Moreover, additional efforts should be made understanding the effect of situational factors on socio-demographic variables such as gender. Finally, an attempt should be made to merge different theories to better understand the issue of consumer choice.     

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF SWIDDEN FARMERS AND CHALLENGES FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND USE: LESSONS FROM A WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN NORTHERN LAOS

In Laos, located in mainland Southeast Asia, shifting cultivation has been one of the important means of livelihood, in terms of food security as well as religious and cultural anchorage, for local communities in a number of areas, especially in upland areas in the country. In Pakbeng District, Oudomxay Province, northern Laos, due to the implementation of various land and forest management policies and a village relocation and consolidation program, local communities were restricted from access to the forests and faced a shortage of agricultural lands. After facing difficulties in securing sufficient lands, the local farmers used the forests in a destructive manner. The author of this article was engaged with the Community-based Watershed Management Project, as a program director of an environmental NGO and tackled challenges to achieve a land and forest management system suitable for land use by local communities. The NGO attempted to apply an alternative approach to incorporate swidden farmers’ land use system into official land and forest management institutions.     

现阶段农民不合理负担的成因及对策

分析了农民负担不合理的影响 ,阐述了导致农民负担过重的原因。从改革分配政策 ,提高思想认识 ,加强农业内部体制性调整等方面 ,提出了解决农民不合理负担问题的措施。     

对社会主义新农村建设的思考

党的十六届五中全会提出了建设社会主义新农村的新任务。建设社会主义新农村是我国经济发展的必然趋势,也是解决我国“三农”问题的重要途径。本文根据十六届五中全会提出的新农村建设的总体要求,就现时期进行新农村建设需要注意的几个问题进行了简要探讨。     

农民问题之我见

农民问题是当前社会主义现代化建设的重要问题,它的解决关系到社会稳定和方方面面的利益。本文认为,切实保护农民利益,提高农民的收入,并切实有效地减轻农民负担,是解决当前农民问题的根本出路。     

快速城市化背景下农业型战略性生态空间资源保护研究——以广州为例

城市区域化背景下,农业用地日益成为城市生态功能的主要载体,因而需要保护,但在城市建设用地快速扩张的同时,村庄内部"主动性城市化"成为生态农地保护的难点。研究在回顾广州城市生态保护历程的基础上,提出了"农业型战略性生态空间资源"的概念,并以广州市流溪河水源保护区为例提出了一系列策略:为保护水源和基本农田,划定城市增长与生态农地保护的边界;为缓解农村主动城市化的张力,划定一定的农村发展用地作为补偿,以实现生态农地保护的帕累托最优;通过农业生产组织方式和经营创新让农地经营者成为生态农地保护的主动力量。