The Mobile Street Food Service Practice in the Urban Economy of Kumba, Cameroon

The mobile food service practice is one of multiple survival strategies adopted by poor urban households in Cameroon to maintain and expand the base of subsistence incomes, especially in the current surge of economic crisis. Though a fast-growing informal sector enterprise, it is still at an artisanal stage in urban Cameroon, creating an urgent need for a supportive policy environment that could have measurable positive impacts on improving the productivity, welfare and income levels of the micro-entrepreneurs. This study looks at the mobile food service practice in Kumba, Cameroon, in terms of its basic characteristics, the locational factors influencing its socio-spatial distribution, the critical success factors (CSFs) determining customer choices, and its impacts on the local environmental resources and quality of urban life. The mobile food service practice creates employment, generates income, and acts as a food energy-support instrument to the urban poor and local economic activities operating in Kumba. The vendors, who are mostly women, can make incomes that are 405 per cent of the national minimum wage and, thus, contribute financially towards the education, health and survival of their families. The paper provides some recommendations on ways to improve the efficiency of this sector so as to achieve sustainable economic and social development and to enhance empowerment thereof.     

Virtual vegetables and adopted sheep: ethical relation, authenticity and Internet-mediated food production technologies

Associating ideas related to cultural geographies of 'quality' food production and consumption with recent discussion of Internet technologies, virtuality and simulation, this paper examines two newly constituted Internet enterprises offering customers 'virtual' experiences of food production, and 'quality' food products in which they have invested. The paper shows how these enterprises are associated with particular types of geographical and ethical relation, and a search for 'authentic', connected, relationships with food, farming, locality and 'nature'. These relationships are constituted in an assemblage of things held together by flows of food, products, money and electronic communication. The paper ends by suggesting a number of theoretical ideas that might usefully be explored in empirical research into Internet-mediated food production.     

合肥市耕地和粮食可持续发展研究

收集1980～1999年合肥市耕地、人口、粮食等资料，定量分析在城市化快速发展下耕地的数量、质量变化和耕地减少的形式以及人口、粮食的变化，并用回归法分析它们的变化趋势。研究认为，在2005，2010年合肥市食物保障能力分别为97％和95％，对粮食生产与其影响因素进行了灰色关联分析，提出提高粮食产量的对策和实现途径。     

南极考察站废弃物对贼鸥食性的影响

对南极乔治王岛菲尔德斯半岛贼鸥的食性生态进行观测与研究 ,结果表明 ,本区贼鸥的食物结构中 ,自然生态类食物百分组成 ,棕贼鸥 (C .s.lonnbergi)占 63.4% ,灰贼鸥 (C .maccormic ki)占 77.8%。同期 ,取自考察站的人类废弃物中垃圾食物的百分组成分别为 36.6%和 2 2 .3%。贼鸥食性对考察站废弃物有一定的依赖性 ,与本区环境质量下降 ,尤其考察站对废弃物的疏于管理有着直接的关系。由此表明 ,强化南极考察人员环境意识 ,建立封闭式废弃物管理系统 ,对保护南极环境有重要意义     

A FOOD GEOGRAPHY OF THE GREAT PLAINS

ABSTRACT. This article explores the regional identity of the Great Plains through its foodways using 744 responses from a mailed survey that asked participants to plan a representative menu for their locale. The strongest association is with beef—not surprising in an area known for cattle ranching. Other commonalities include potatoes, beans, and corn. Differentiation within the region is marked by preparation methods for beef as well as emphases on cornbread and peach cobbler in the south, rhubarb pie in the north, tortillas and sopapillas in the southwest, and pickles in two separate clusterings.     

Modelling the effects of temperature and food on individual growth and reproduction of Daphnia and their consequences on the population level

Individual based simulations of population dynamics require the availability of growth models with adequate complexity. For this purpose a simple-to-use model (non-linear multiple regression approach) is presented describing somatic growth and reproduction of Daphnia as a function of time, temperature and food quantity. The model showed a good agreement with published observations of somatic growth (r² = 0.954, n = 88) and egg production (r² = 0.898, n = 35). Temperature is the main determinant of initial somatic growth and food concentration is the main determinant of maximal body length and clutch size. An individual based simulation was used to demonstrate the simultaneous effects of food and temperature on the population level. Evidently, both temperature and food supply affected the population growth rate but at food concentrations above approximately 0.4 mg Cl⁻¹ Scenedesmus acutus temperature appeared as the main determinant of population growth.

Four simulation examples are given to show the wide applicability of the model: (1) analysis of the correlation between population birth rate and somatic growth rate, (2) contribution of egg development time and delayed somatic growth to temperature-effects on population growth, (3) comparison of population birth rate in simulations with constant vs. decreasing size at maturity with declining food concentrations and (4) costs of diel vertical migration. Due to its plausible behaviour over a broad range of temperature (2–20 °C) and food conditions (0.1–4 mg Cl⁻¹) the model can be used as a module for more detailed simulations of Daphnia population dynamics under realistic environmental conditions.     

发展中国家食物安全研究的新进展

本文回顾了七十年代以来食物安全概念的演变历史，特别是介绍了森(Sen)的食物权利理论在这个历史过程中的作用，评价了当前的主要研究热点，展望了将来的几个研究趋势。指出食物安全的概念不能也不应该以单一的观点、方法和尺度来定义，食物安全的研究必须要更紧密地与更广泛的人文安全和环境变化的内容联系在一起，才能更深入地进行下去。     

我国食物安全研究进展及展望

保障我国食物安全是我国一切建设发展的前提和基础。在我国农业基础资源日益紧缺以及加入WTO 的 国情下, 食物安全面临着新的机遇与挑战。本文回顾了食物安全概念的演变过程, 综述了我国在自然基础资源与食 物安全、食物安全现状及其评价、国际贸易和经济全球化对食物安全的影响以及食物安全预警和管理等方面的研 究进展, 并对未来我国食物安全研究进行了展望。研究表明: 今后我国食物安全研究应在以下方面需要加强: 在研 究内容上, 不仅重视食物数量保障, 更应注重食物质量安全、食物资源可持续利用和综合食物安全风险评价与预警 等方面; 在研究视角上, 不仅重视宏观食物安全研究, 更应重视微观食物安全; 在研究方法和手段上, 应当充分运用 现代科学技术, 如网络技术、空间模拟技术以及3S 技术等, 进一步加强综合食物安全的定量和动态研究。     

我国硫资源供需状况及需求预测

全球硫资源特征及国内硫资源供需现状表明,国内硫资源贫乏,硫资源生产与消费逐年增加,尤其磷肥生产对硫资源的需求越来越迫切,预计到2020~2025年磷肥用硫量将达到峰值1620万t左右,不包括出口磷肥耗硫量。因此,加强硫资源的综合利用、加大硫铁矿找矿及矿山设计是非常有必要的。     

旅游地传统饮食文化原真性感知对满意度与行为意向的影响——以宏村臭鳜鱼为例

在区分地方饮食与传统饮食概念的基础上,选择宏村传统饮食臭鳜鱼作为研究对象,通过对就餐环境、服务、食物3个原真性维度和满意度与行为意向2个维度,构建Amos结构方程模型,探究游客对传统饮食文化的原真性感知及其对旅游地就餐满意度和行为意向的影响。结果显示,3个维度的原真性均对满意度呈显著、直接、正向影响,对行为意向呈显著、间接、正向影响;其中,环境原真性对就餐满意度影响最大,其次为服务原真性,最后为食物原真性。研究认为,即使体验对象是与原真性关联紧密的传统饮食,大众游客仍更关注整体就餐环境和服务氛围,食物本身对满意度的影响最低。游客需求引发传统饮食文化舞台化重塑,并呈现“去传统化”与“去地方化”特征,旅游地饮食文化塑造对环境的关注大于食物,但当地居民更加关注食物本身的口味,主客关注差异和食物生产过程的游客需求导向引发当地居民对舞台化饮食的认同度降低。未来旅游地要充分考虑传统饮食的特殊性,重塑让游客与本地居民更加满意的饮食文化。