Dynamic evolution of nutrient discharge under stormflow and baseflow conditions in a coastal agricultural watershed in Ishigaki Island,Okinawa, Japan

Excessive terrestrial nutrient loadings adversely impact coral reefs by primarily enhancing growth of macroalgae, potentially leading to a phase‐shift phenomenon. Hydrological processes and other spatial and temporal factors affecting nutrient discharge must be examined to be able to formulate effective measures for reducing nutrient export to adjacent reefs. During storm events and baseflow periods, water samples were obtained from the tropical Todoroki River, which drains an intensively agricultural watershed into Shiraho coral reef. In situ nutrient analyzers were deployed for 6 months to hourly measure dissolved nutrient (NO₃⁻‐N and PO₄³⁻‐P) concentrations. Total phosphorus (TP) and suspended solid concentration (TSS) were increased by higher rainfall intensity (r = 0·94, p < 0·01) and river discharge Q (r = 0·88, p < 0·01). In contrast, NO₃⁻‐N concentration tends to decrease drastically (e.g. from 3 to 1 mg l⁻¹) during flood events. When base flow starts to dominate afterwards, NO₃⁻‐N manifested an increasing trend, but decreases when baseflow discharge becomes low. This counter‐clockwise hysteresis for NO₃⁻‐N highlights the significant influence of groundwater discharge. N delivery can therefore be considered a persistent process compared to sediment and P discharge, which are highly episodic in nature. Based on GIS analysis, nutrient concentration along the Todoroki River was largely affected by the percentage of sugarcane/bare areas and bedrock type. The spatial distribution of N concentration in the river reflects the considerable influence of subsurface geology—higher N levels in limestone‐dominated areas. P concentrations were directly related to the total length of artificial drainage, which enhances sediment transport. The use of high‐resolution monitoring data coupled with GIS‐based spatial analysis therefore enabled the clarification of control factors and the difference in the spatio‐temporal discharge characteristics between N and P. Thus, although erosion‐reduction schemes would reduce P discharge, other approaches (e.g. minimize fertilizer) are needed to reduce N discharge. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Agricultural policy reforms and sustainable land management: a New Zealand case study

This paper examines the link between poverty and land management within the context of New Zealand's almost total removal of subsidies to agriculture since 1984. The impact of these policy changes is explored through the findings from a detailed study of sixteen farms in the North Island hill country. Stress is identified as a primary link between social damage and environmental degradation. This link reinforces the impact of other linkages expressed in reduced production, lower stocking rates, and reduced capital inputs. Deregulation is claimed to be good. This paper shows that in certain circumstances this is not so.     

Issues of Spatial and Temporal Variability in Climate Impact Studies

The accuracy of impact estimates relating climate change to regional-scale agricultural production is constrained by the temporal and spatial resolution of climate change projections. Several techniques have been used to compensate for these limitations in order to provide reasonable estimates of the impact of climate change on crop yield. One approach assumes that variability over time can substitute for spatial variability, thereby reducing the need to estimate the impacts at a spatially dense network of stations—an assumption that has not been generally tested. This study evaluates this assumption using methods similar to those employed in the climate impact literature. The findings suggest that current practices are generally defensible if the goal is to provide a range of possible crop responses to climate change. However, the results also show that the assumption is highly sensitive to specific interactions at the soil-plant-atmosphere interface and, consequently, does not hold under certain circumstances.     

湖北大别山区土地资源生产力估算

本文以湖北大别山区为例,提出了自然条件复杂,资料缺乏的山区土地资源第一性生产力的估算方法,并计算了湖北大别山区土地资源的生产力。即在土地资源带及类型(组合)区划分的基础上,以资源类型(组合)区为基本单元,通过典型地区抽样获取资料,运用多种数学模型测算,并经过综合判定,求得各类型(组合)区,资源带主要作物的第一性生产力。     

黄淮海平原气候变化及其对耕地生产潜力的影响

利用1991年和2000年黄淮海平原气象台站的历史观测资料,分析该地区气温、降水的变化趋势,并利用农业生态地带(AEZ)模型估算黄淮海平原各农业生态区的耕地生产潜力。通过分析气温、降水与耕地生产潜力的关系,评价气候变化对耕地生产潜力的影响。研究发现,黄淮海平原耕地生产潜力与降水量、气温呈显著正相关。对各农业生态区的回归分析表明,如果气温或降水量提高10%,耕地生产潜力将分别提高3.2%与0.3%。该研究对制订应对气候变化、保护耕地与提高耕地生产潜力方面的决策具有参考价值。     

The role and value of local knowledge in Jamaican agriculture: adaptation and change in small-scale farming

Local knowledge has played an active role in the lives of rural communities in virtually every part of the world. In Jamaica, traditional cropping systems based on local informal knowledge have been practiced since the days of slavery and play a vital role in meeting food security. Yet, some negative attitudes remain about the legitimacy and relevance of small-scale farmers' local and traditional knowledge. This paper discusses some conceptual and empirical issues related to the application of local knowledge among small-scale food farmers in central Jamaica. The paper argues that contextually speaking, local and traditional knowledge is valuable, adaptable and necessary in coping with risk and uncertainty in a changing world, while cautioning against a misguided notion of traditional knowledge as a panacea to all the ills of local agriculture.     

节水灌溉与农业面源污染控制研究--以新疆焉耆盆地为例

针对我国北方农业面源污染面积大、分布广、控制难的问题，通过分析新疆焉耆盆地水资源利用现状、潜水位动态、农田排水特征，认为大水漫灌不仅浪费水资源，造成肥料流失，降低产量，而且污染水体，导致土壤次生盐渍化；提出了推广节水灌溉、合理开发利用水资源、控制农业面源污染、综合治理环境的有效途径。     

我国中部地带农业现代化建设途径探讨

中部地带是我国农业的精华地带，目前，我国农业发展中面临的部分农产品结构性剩余严重，市场竞争力弱，农业劳动生产率和土地生产力低而不稳，农民收入增长放慢，农业持续发展的后劲不足等问题在中部地带表现更为典型，探索中部地带农业现代化建设的实施途径对于研究和解决当前我国农业发展面临的诸多问题都具有重要的作用。中部地带农业现代化途径主要是：整体规划，分类推进，极点突破；改革城乡户口隔离机制，加速农村城镇化；创新土地流转机制，培育规模经济的现代农业市场主体；创新科技机制，发挥高科技对农业的带动作用；拓宽农产品加工领域加大农产品市场建设力度。     

Land use changes in the environs of Moscow

This paper focuses on several aspects of land use change in Russia during the 1990s with a particular focus on the environs of Moscow. These aspects include modes of farming, recreation, ownership of land, and concentric zones of outwardly declining land use intensity that resemble Von Thunen's economic landscape. These zones are given special attention. In contrast to other land use aspects, the analysis of which indeed reveals a fair amount of change bringing the environs of Russian cities one step closer to their Western counterparts, concentric agricultural land use patterns with outwardly declining productivity suggest continuity rather than change.     

西部大开发中的农业结构调整思考

西部地区的农业发展直接影响到我国国民经济是否能够持续快速健康的发展，这是由于我国是农业大国，农业人口大约占全国人口比例的80％，而实现西部地区持续健康发展的关键在于对传统农业产业结构的调整，提高农业增长的结构变动效益，树立大农业观念，延长农业产业链，在联产承包责任制的基础上通过经营权的集中规模种植，达到实现农业结构调整生态化和产业一体化目标。西部地区在大开发战略实施中，如何将自身的发展环境劣势转变为优势，提出了农业结构调整模式的构想。