Negotiating the boundary between state-led and farmer approaches to knowing nature: An analysis of UK agri-environment schemes

This paper explores the role of knowledge in the development of more environmentally sustainable farming systems in the UK and specifically seeks to reveal the porosity of the boundary between state-led and farmer approaches to knowing nature. Its empirical focus is two government sponsored ‘agri-environment schemes’—the Countryside Stewardship scheme and the Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme—which offer financial incentives to farmers and other land managers who agree to undertake environmentally beneficial practices. As a framework for analysis, the paper draws on the notion of ‘knowledge culture’, with agri-environment schemes represented as an emerging ‘policy knowledge culture’ that is seemingly distinct, in its approach to knowing nature, from pre-existing ‘agrarian knowledge cultures’. Data are derived from two large scale, countrywide surveys of agreement holders in the two agri-environment schemes. These reveal that alongside some resistance to the policy knowledge culture of AES, there is also negotiation and interchange taking place between knowledge cultures, and the policy knowledge culture is adapting to and accommodating aspects of the other. As such, the paper contests the findings of previous studies which assert that the codified knowledge of agri-environment schemes always wins out in the implementation of scheme agreements, with the subsequent marginalisation of other knowledge(s). In turn, it suggests that policy knowledge cultures can give voice to farmers’ ways of knowing nature with benefits both for them and nature itself. The paper concludes with some reflections on the extent of knowledge culture transformation and offers some policy recommendations.     

The hydrological significance of cloud forests in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

This paper discusses the hydrological significance of socio-economic practices such as agricultural land use change and forest extraction to communities adjacent to the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. Cloud forest hydrology differs from most environments because of the increased frequency of fog interception and fog precipitation. Fog precipitation occurs when intercepted cloud droplets coalesce on foliar and woody surfaces as fog filters through the canopy, and represents a significant proportion of the annual water inputs to cloud forests especially during the dry season. Interception data from this study showed that fog precipitation contributed greater than 7.4% of the hydrological inputs at 2550 m and less than 1% at 2100 m in the Sierra de las Minas. During the dry season fog precipitation contributed 19% of the hydrological inputs to the water budget of the cloud forest. Fog precipitation may be a significant hydrological input to the water resources of the local population. Socio-economic practices such as the conversion of cloud forest to agricultural land may decrease water resources for communities in Guatemala that demand greater quantities of water.     

Volcanic particle aggregation in explosive eruption columns. Part II: Numerical experiments

The goal of this paper is to determine the parameters that control the aggregation efficiency and the growth rate of volcanic particles within the eruption column. Numerical experiments are performed with the plume model ATHAM (Active Tracer High resolution Atmospheric Model). In this study we employ the parameterizations described in a companion paper (this issue). The presence of hydrometeors promotes the aggregation of ash particles, which strongly increases their fall velocities and thus their environmental impact. The tephra mass is about two orders of magnitude greater than that of hydrometeors during typical Plinian eruptions without interaction of external water. Ice is highly dominant in comparison to liquid water (> 99% by mass). This is caused by the fast column rise (> 100 m s^− 1 on average) to very cold altitudes. Most particles occur in the form of frozen aggregates with low ice content.The collection efficiency is governed by the availability of hydrometeors acting as adhesives at the particles’ surface in our study, and wet ash particles have a higher sticking capacity than icy ones. Therefore, aggregation is fastest during the eruption within the column when limited regions of liquid water exist and when particle concentrations are very high (of the order of 10⁵ cm^− 3). Increased humidity in the background atmosphere generally leads to enhanced ice formation, but shows only a weak influence on the aggregation process. First sensitivity studies showed, however, a significant increase of the liquid water fraction when considering salinity effects. The availability of water or ice at the particles' surfaces is also governed by the surface properties, the porosity and permeability of ash, which are not well established to date. Particle growth is significantly enhanced for greater differences in the sizes and fall velocities among particles, as gravitational capture becomes more efficient. Our experiments indicate a major influence of the erupted particle size distribution. First sensitivity studies show that electrostatic forces result in a significant enhancement of aggregated particles.The present exploratory study provides new insights into the sensitivity of the ash aggregation process to a number of key parameters. Our results indicate the need of further constraining particle composition, size, porosity, permeability, and surface properties at low temperatures by in situ observations in the laboratory and in the field. In addition further research on electrostatic aggregation would be desirable.     

河南省2005-06-21强对流天气分析

利用天气图和FY-2C的卫星云图及其反演产品,分析了2005年6月21日凌晨到上午河南省中部的雷雨大风和冰雹天气过程,结果表明:高空冷平流、地面辐合线和前期贮存的较高不稳定能量,为此次强对流天气过程提供了极为有利的不稳定能量和动力条件;在灾害性天气发生的前期,FY-2C卫星云图及其反演产品有很好的指示性,云顶亮温梯度大的区域是灾害性天气的易发区,对流性降水易发生在高层急流南侧的低层高湿区。     

Numerical simulations of the bi-level and branched structure of intracloud lightning flashes

Intracloud (IC) lightning is used to mean those lightning flashes which channels do not strike the ground. It is an important scientific problem to inves-tigate the IC flash features and the discharge physics.Measurements from the electric field change arrange-ment[1,2] and VHF radiation events[3,4] have provided ample evidence that IC flashes have branches with substantial horizontal extents. The VHF interferomet-662 Science in China: Series D Earth Sciences ric observations[5] also s…     

An Image Fusion Algorithm Based on Lifting Scheme

Taking the advantage of the lifting scheme＇s characters that can build wavelet translorms tor transforming from integer to integer and the quality of the reconstructing image＇is independent of the topology way adopted by the boundary, an image fusion algorithm based on lifting scheme is proposed. This paper discusses the fundamental theory of lifting scheme firstly and then after taking transform analysis according to a kind of images that need to be confused.     

Numerical Simulations of the Physical Process for Hailstone Growth

1. IntroductionTheoretical and experimental studies on the phys-ical processes of hail growth (Schumann, 1938; Lud-lan, 1958; List, 1963) showed that its growth rate andstructural characteristics depend on the heat and masstransfers; its dynamic characteristics determine hail-stone's movement and stay in clouds and damage doneto ground bodies, actually controlling the growth in-side clouds. As we know, the heat transfers affectsdirectly hailstone's wet growth, melting and evapo-ration. In the…     

Cellular modelling in fluvial geomorphology

This paper outlines the principles of cellular modelling in fluvial geomorphology and addresses issues of model formulation and validation in the context of numerical modelling more generally. In doing so it seeks to highlight the prospects for using cellular approaches to develop an improved understanding of both rivers and models. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

昆明下半年紫外辐射变化及与云的关系分析(Ⅱ)

依据2003年8月1日到2003年12月31日同步观测得到的地面紫外辐射资料,分析了紫外辐射和云量的关系,在实际天气条件下,紫外辐射变化没有我们所认为的那种有特别明显的规律。云对到达地面的紫外辐射可能有着十分复杂和重要的作用。     

Agribusiness and farmers in Mexico: the importance of contractual relations

In recent decades contract farming as a mechanism that integrates and subordinates agricultural production to export oriented agribusiness has expanded in Third World countries. In Mexico contract farming dominates the production of horticultural crops for processing and export. It is also used for barley and to grow some varieties of wheat for Cargill . The contract farming labour agreement represents an institution that links local and global processes where agribusiness is the key actor that integrates local farmers to national and world markets. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the implications of contract farming for productive relations by examining its impact upon farmers and firms. The study found that despite the disadvantages of contract farming for growers, and the disproportional risks born by producers, they enter into contract farming labour agreements because they lack alternatives for financing, technical assistance and access to markets. The experience of contract farming in Mexico and several Third World countries shows that its growth is related to the implementation of neo-liberal policies that are accompanied by the withdrawal of state support and regulation of agricultural production. In this context, contract farming represents a livelihood strategy for many Mexican growers.