The Australian Wool Crisis: Farm Adjustment Pressures and Strategies

Farm adjustment has resulted from the present crisis of production within the Australian agricultural sector. Farm adjustment pressures of the wool growers of the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales are outlined. The primary management strategies adopted by the wool producers are identified. Three farm adjustment strategies were noted; extensification, diversification and expansion. Choice of farm strategy was dependent on the characteristics of both the individual farm and farmer.     

Labour Market Adjustment in the Time of Krismon: Changes in Employment Structure in Indonesia, 1997–98

This study examines the labour market outcomes of the recent economic crisis ( krismon ) in Indonesia, focusing on the change of employment structure between 1997 and 1998. Indonesia's labour market has been extremely flexible in adjusting itself during the crisis. Labour has moved from "modern" economic sectors to agricultural and "informal" sectors, reflecting the strategy of poor households to cope with the hardship. While the impact of the economic crisis on the majority of male workers has been severe, female labourers have become increasingly involved in several jobs to enable the survival of their families.     

Land use/cover changes in the war-ravaged Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka, 1984–early 2004

Temporal and spatial information on land use/cover is a prerequisite for effective planning decisions in the context of social and economic development. Satellite remote sensing data have become increasingly important in the study of land use/cover changes. This paper uses multitemporal satellite data to measure and spatially characterize land use/cover changes in the Jaffna Peninsula, northern Sri Lanka over the two decades from 1984 to early 2004 in terms of potential drivers. Over this period, the Jaffna Peninsula has been impacted severely by armed conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A postclassification method is used to compare land use/cover classes from satellite images using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze the spatial pattern of land use/cover changes over the study period. Results indicate that the land use/cover pattern has been very dynamic since early the 1980s, showing a remarkable decrease in agricultural land use and concomitant increase in non-agricultural land uses. The ethnic conflict and its consequences, particularly large-scale population migrations, have been the main driving forces for such land use/cover changes in the Jaffna Peninsula. The results of this study are not only important in aiding efforts to reconstruct this area after decades of physical and socioeconomic devastation, but should also prompt similarly urgent studies in other inaccessible war-torn areas of the world.     

Climate states and variability of Arctic ice and water dynamics during 1946–1997

Recently observed changes in the Arctic have highlighted the need for a better understanding of Arctic dynamics. This research addresses that need and is also motivated by the recent finding of two regimes of Arctic ice - ocean wind-driven circulation. In this paper, we demonstrate that during 1946-1997 the Arctic environmental parameters have oscillated with a period of 10-15 years. Our results reveal significant differences among atmosphere, ice, and ocean processes during the anticyclonic and cyclonic regimes in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas. The oscillating behaviour of the Arctic Ocean we call the Arctic Ocean Oscillation (AOO). Based on existing data and results of numerical experiments, we conclude that during the anticyclonic circulation regime the prevailing processes lead to increases in atmospheric pressure, in ice concentration and ice thickness, river runoff, and surface water salinity - as well as to decreases in air temperature, wind speed, number of storms, precipitation, permafrost temperatures, coastal sea level, and surface water temperature. During the cyclonic circulation regime the prevailing processes lead to increased air and water temperatures, wind speed, number of storms,open water periods, and to decreases in ice thickness and ice concentration, river runoff, atmospheric pressure, and water salinity. The two-climate regime theory may help answer questions related to observed decadal variability of the Arctic Ocean and to reconcile the different conclusions among scientists who have analysed Arctic data obtained during different climate states.     

Estimating monthly surface winds for Scania, southern Sweden, using geostrophic wind (1899–1997)

Wind direction conditions during the 20th century in Scania, southern Sweden, are investigated using an estimated series of monthly wind vector components (east–west u component and north–south v component). The series is developed from a regression relationship between pairwise (1973 to 1997) monthly averages of 10–m surface wind from Scania and a monthly geostrophic wind, based on mean sea level (MSL) pressure data from the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The wind conditions during the 20th century are dominated by winds from southwesterly and westerly directions, particularly during summer and autumn. From the 1980s onwards, increased frequencies of westerly winds are evident in spring and summer; however, similarly large frequencies of westerly winds are also found during the early part of the 20th century. Analysis of the estimated wind series indicates large variation in wind direction during the investigated time period, particularly during 1930 to 1960 when large increases of easterly winds are evident in spring. Increased frequencies of easterly winds were also found in other months during this period but not to the same extent as during the spring season. Thus, the presence of periods with quite different wind characteristics suggests that the overall atmospheric circulation has experienced some shifts in this region during the 20th century.     

"They Changed the Rules": Farm Family Responses to Agricultural Deregulation in Southland, New Zealand

Agricultural deregulation in the mid-1980s altered the economic and political climate in which farm families in New Zealand operate. The results of a survey of sheep/beef farmers in Southland shows that the main response to the new conditions and the rural downturn was to 'self exploit'. Impacts varied, depending on farm finances at the start of the downturn. Farming practices and farmers' attitudes changed… but only partly because of deregulation.     

Status,Potentials and Development Strategies of Agricultural Heritage Systems in Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang province is one of China’s smallest provinces in terms of land area, but one of the most active economically. It was also the first to conserve agricultural heritage systems and achieve great results in this area. An analysis and evaluation of the status and problems of agricultural heritage systems in Zhejiang province can serve as a useful example for other places to develop agricultural heritage systems protection. Based on nearly a decade of practice in conserving agricultural heritage systems in Zhejiang province, this thesis analyzes the significance, status and problems, evaluates the potential in terms of traditional agricultural products, special cash trees and fruit trees, tea cultures, marine resource utilization, water-land resources use and eco-agricultural models, and gives targeted development advice. Studies have shown that heritage conservation nurtures traditional agriculture and promotes its sustainable development, fosters the passing on of farming culture and cultural prosperity in rural areas, helps to develop the value of agricultural heritage systems and increase farmers’ income, has value in protecting the ecological environment of rural areas and promoting the construction of the countryside. Meanwhile, the development potential of agricultural heritage systems in Zhejiang province is great because of the excellent quality of traditional agricultural products, a variety of special cash trees and fruit trees, an extensive tea culture, unique utilization of maritime resources, rich experience in water-land resources utilization, and various forms of eco-agriculture. This research provides certain references to help Zhejiang province to protect and pass on its agricultural heritage systems, to promote agricultural sustainability and to expand agricultural functions.     

黄河流域农业生产现状及其结构调整

2003年黄河流域耕地面积占全国的12.4%，粮食总产占全国的7.7%，棉花总产占全国的3.4%，苹果总产占全国的40.6%。尽管粮棉产量占全国的比重不大，然而，黄河流域的农业仍是我国重要的生态屏障，是国家生态安全和区域食品安全的保证。本流域农业生产中存在的问题主要为生产水平低、农业结构单一、社会需求与资源环境之间的矛盾突出等。根据农业生产的现状与存在问题、结构调整的原则和比较优势分析，该流域农业结构调整的关键是强化特色农业的发展，即大力发展特色种植业、草食畜牧业、优质果业和特色生物医药产业。据预测，由于特色农业的发展，2000～2020年本流域农林牧渔业总产值年增长率将为3.9%，农业产值所占比重将下降11.0个百分点，牧业产值所占比重将上升12.1个百分点。     

Response and recovery of the Eel River, California, and its tributaries to floods in 1955, 1964, and 1997

Northwestern California is prone to regional, high magnitude winter rainstorms, which repeatedly produce catastrophic floods in the basins of the northern Coast Ranges. Major floods on the Eel River in 1955 and 1964 resulted in substantial geomorphic changes to the channel, adjacent terraces, and tributaries. This study evaluated the changes and the effects of a moderate flood in 1997 through field observations and examination of aerial photographs that spanned from 1954 to 1996. The purpose was to document the nature and magnitude of geomorphic responses to these three floods and assess the rates and controls on the recovery of the Eel River and its tributaries. Channel widening from extensive bank erosion was the dominant geomorphic change along the lower Eel River during major floods. As a result of the 1964 flood, the largest amount of widening was 195 m and represented an 80% change in channel width. Channel narrowing characterized the periods after the 1955 and 1964 floods. More than 30 years after the 1964 flood, however, the river had not returned to pre-flood width, which suggests that channel recovery required decades to complete. A long recovery time is unusual given that the Eel River is located in an area with a “superhumid” climate and has an exceptionally high sediment yield. This long recovery time may reflect highly seasonal precipitation and runoff, which are concentrated in 3–5 months each winter. In contrast to the main stem of the Eel River, the dominant effects of floods on the tributaries of the Eel River were rapid aggradation of channel bed and valley floor followed by immediate downcutting. Dendrogeomorphic data, aerial photographs, and field observations indicate that thick wedges of gravel, derived largely from hillslope failures in upper reaches of the tributaries, are deposited at and immediately upstream of the mouths of tributaries as the stage of the Eel River exceeded that of the tributaries during major floods. In the waning stages of the flood, the tributaries cut through the gravel at a rate equal to the lowering of the Eel and generated unpaired terraces and nickpoints. The complete process of deposition and incision can occur within a few days of peak discharge. Although reworking of some sediment on the valley floor may continue for years after large floods, channel morphology in the tributaries appears to be a product of infrequent, high magnitude events. The morphology of the tributary channel also appears to be greatly influenced by the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting in headwater areas of small basins.     

传统农区生态修复中的经济补偿探讨——以日本佐渡岛为例

当前,生态修复和生态补偿的相关理论在发达国家较为盛行,也有许多值得借鉴的模式。本文以日本为研究对象,重点研究了在推行生态修复和生态补偿过程中的经验教训。基于长时间在日本佐渡岛上的实地调研和深度访谈,从微观的视角分析在各级政府积极推进朱鹮生息环境修复的背景下,以农户为主体的区域居民的意识和行为,揭示了区域环境整治和农户农业经营之间的矛盾。通过深入比较传统农业经营和环境友好型农业经营在经济效益上的差异,阐明了农户反对朱鹮野化放飞和生态修复的必然性。从而提出为了尽快扭转发展中国家区域间、群体间生态效益及相关经济效益分配不公平的局面,利用经济、社会政策以及法律手段,寻求切合区域实际、各具特色的生态补偿方式的重要性。     

Ethnic change and diversity in England, 1981–2001

The paper compares ethnic change and diversity across two recent decades using common group and area definitions. Ethnic minority groups are shown to be growing rapidly at 41 per cent between 1981 and 1991 and 39 per cent between 1991 and 2001. Some groups have grown swiftly (Black Africans, Bangladeshis), while others have seen moderate expansion (Indians, Other Asians). The White population has hardly grown and the White British population has probably declined. Black and Ethnic Minority (BEM) populations remain concentrated in metropolitan areas in 2001 as in 1991 and 1981. Whereas between 1981 and 1991, BEM groups were concentrating into metropolitan areas, between 1991 and 2001 deconcentration began for most groups. The London region stands out as highly dominant, housing more than 50 per cent of BEM populations as a whole in 1991 and 2001. However, between 1991 and 2001, BEM groups grew outside their core areas. The consequence of BEM population growth and spread has been a dramatic increase in ethnic diversity in all regions.