Evaluation of the Effects of Implementing Degraded Grassland Ecosystem Restoration Technology: A Case Study on Technology for Returning Grazing Land to Grassland

Restoring degraded grassland ecosystems is of great significance for the sustainable development of grassland ecological service functions and the sustainable and healthy development of regional economies and societies. Returning grazing land to grassland technology (RGLGT) is an important strategic technology for restoring degraded grassland ecosystems and achieving the sustainable development of the society and economy of pastoral areas in China. Researching the comprehensive evaluation system of the effects of RGLGT has an important significance for evaluating and adjusting national ecological policy. Based on collecting sample surveys from 221 farmers in 16 villages of 4 towns of Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 2017, a model for evaluating the effects of implementing RGLGT was developed. The model included the characteristics of the technology, the ecological and social benefits of the technology, and the sustainability and economic benefits of the technology, it was used to complete a comprehensive effects evaluation of implementing RGLGT in Yanchi County that was based on use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results showed that the comprehensive effect of implementing RGLGT is good overall and had a score of 0.5946. In terms of specific effects ranked from high to low, these were the ecological and social benefits of the technology, the economic benefits, the sustainability and the characteristics themselves. The implementation of RGLGT has resulted in good ecological and social benefits and economic benefits, but sustainability and characteristics of the technology are weak.     

Assessing the utility of 210Pb geochronology for estimating sediment accumulation rates on river floodplains in Fiji

Low‐energy gamma ray spectroscopy has been employed to estimate floodplain sedimentation rates using measurements of ²¹⁰Pb in floodplain alluvium. The utility of the technique is assessed through the analysis of excess (unsupported) ²¹⁰Pb profiles in three sediment cores taken from the floodplain of the Labasa River on Vanua Levu in northern Fiji. A low‐energy germanium spectrometer (LEGe) was used for the nondestructive determination of excess ²¹⁰Pb in a region cultivated intensively with sugarcane. Measured average historical (c. 25 years) vertical accretion rates are between 2.2 and 4.4 cm yr^?1. The findings are broadly comparable with published sedimentation rates from analyses of radionuclide profiles elsewhere in the tropical South Pacific Islands, but the rates are higher than those measured previously at the same Labasa River sites using ¹³⁷Cs profiles. Accelerated soil erosion owing to cane burning and land tillage seems to be largely responsible for sediment production, although flood‐related effects such as channel accretion by coarse bedload and the emplacement of large organic debris also influence floodplain sedimentation. However, application of the ²¹⁰Pb technique in Fiji (and perhaps neighbouring island countries) is found to have serious drawbacks compared to the more robust ¹³⁷Cs method, owing principally to the low ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in the sandy alluvial sediment tested.     

OpenStreetMap and Food Security: A Case Study in the City of Philadelphia

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an online public access database that allows for the collaborative collection of local geographic information. We employ this mapping technology to discuss a new social theory of poverty that moves away from income poverty to an economy that directly produces individuals' basic needs. Focusing on urban farming in Philadelphia as an example, we use OSM to support the argument that money, land, labor, and capital do not limit food production in the city. OSM is a type of “commons” that allows community members to depict features of interest to them that might otherwise be underrepresented in official or commercially produced maps such as Google Maps. Using the concept of facilitated volunteered geographic information (VGI) we developed an open framework for combining residents' local knowledge of food resources with expert guidance in data input. We believe this helps overcome problems with ad hoc data submission efforts to which collaborative online projects are susceptible. The program for “tagging” food resources in OSM was deployed in a public “map-a-thon” event we organized in Philadelphia, bringing together technical experts and food enthusiasts. To share the results, we present the Philly Fresh Food Map as an interactive online Web map that can be used and updated by the public.     

Remnants of the Waikato: Native forest survival in a production landscape

Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of conservation of native biodiversity on privately owned farmland in New Zealand. Based on surveys of Waikato dairy farmers as exemplars of intensive agricultural practice, it examines factors that influence the survival of native forest on land with potential for commercial production. Results suggest that a significant proportion of Waikato dairy farmers regard native forest favourably, although the proportion of farmers who actively conserve their forest is small. Factors that assist the persistence of native forest on dairy farms include personal characteristics of the farmer, past accidents of history which have left forest remnants in place, and physical characteristics of the farm such as topography. While the conservation of native biodiversity within this intensively farmed landscape is strongly influenced by political economy pressures that encourage production, non‐utilitarian motives such as aesthetic enjoyment and family heritage can serve to counter the production ethic.     

中国水资源平行定价系统和统一定价系统的比较评估:基于取消灌溉补贴的模拟研究（英文）

中国水资源定价改革对农业生产有重要影响,而中国农业生产具有很大的节水潜力。本研究将取消灌溉补贴作为模拟背景,将中国水资源平行定价系统和统一定价系统分别引入可计算一般均衡(CGE)模型进行模拟实验及比较评估。结果显示,与平行定价系统相比,统一定价系统将促进农业进口增加,减少农业产出损失,且更有利于促进水资源节约利用,同时城乡居民也可以实现收入增长和食物消费需求增加,而增加的食物消费主要来源于进口。然而,取消灌溉补贴作为一项政策建议需考虑如何降低乃至抵消其对农业产出的负面影响。此外,为进一步改善节水政策实施效果,特别是在统一定价系统下,提高农业劳动力流动性和水资源需求弹性需要得到更多关注。     

龙须菜在鱼藻混养系统中的生态功能

近年来，随着海水养殖产业的迅速发展，养殖规模的不断扩大，养殖区的自身污染问题也日益显露，以人工投饵和网箱养殖方式为主的浅海鱼类养殖，残饵和鱼体的代谢产物往往导致水体的富营养化和底质的有机污染，既影响周围环境，又不利于鱼类的生长和健康，长远意义上还会制约整个鱼类养殖业的持续发展。怎样减轻海水养殖造成的自身污染和对生态环境的破坏，已成为人们日益关注的问题，国内外学者已提出多种解决这一问题的途径，其中一条重要途径是通过优化养殖结构，实施综合养殖，发展生态养殖技术(杨圣云等，1996；杨红生，2000；阎希柱等，2000)。目前国际上，主要的综合养殖方式包括鱼藻混养、鱼贝混养、鱼类与底栖沉积食性动物混养等。近年来的研究又发现，在富含营养盐的鱼类养殖水体中养殖大型海藻，不仅能显著降低养殖废水中的溶解营养盐，而且能提高海藻的产量(Troell，1999)，鱼藻的相互作用重新激起了人们的兴趣，但大型海藻与鱼类混养的基础理论和关键技术还刚刚起步，养殖容量和养殖配比等方面尚亟待研究。 江蓠属龙须菜(Gracilaria lemaneiformis)是一种大型红藻，具有适温范围较广(12-23℃)、生长快、适应环境能力强和经济价值高等优点，是改善生态环境、提高经济效益的理想品种。本项研究利用室内海水养殖系统，将龙须菜和我国北方海域的代表性养殖鱼类——黑鲪(Sebastodes fuscescens)进行混养，设计不同的养殖密度，测定若干水环境和生物因子指标，旨在查明江蓠在鱼类养殖系统中的生态效应，初步寻求合理的养殖配比，为今后大规模运用大型海藻改善养殖区环境提供科学依据。     

喀斯特山区不同复种指数条件下的土壤质量变化——以普定县猫洞小流域为例

选择贵州中部喀斯特山区普定县猫洞小流域地区,通过长期受不同生产行为影响的区域（低复种旱作区、高复种旱作区、高复种复合农作区）的土壤采样分析,结果表明:喀斯特山区小流域土壤在长期不同生产行为影响下,从低复种指数旱作区、高复种指数旱作区到高复种指数复合农作区,土壤容重、粘粒含量减小,而土壤有机质、腐殖酸含量、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾、土壤呼吸强度、脲酶、磷酸酶、蛋白酶活性含量依次增大,土壤全钾含量和过氧化氢酶活性却依次减小。聚类分析结果进一步表明:高复种复合农作区土壤保肥、保水、供肥等状况最好;而低复种旱作区土壤质量和供肥、保肥、保水等性状最差。上述结果说明,农户的不同生产行为对土壤质量有一定的影响。      

Agroecological measures and circular economy strategies to ensure sufficient nitrogen for sustainable farming

Sustainable food systems face trade-offs between demands of low environmental pressures per unit area and requirements of increasing production. Organic farming has lower yields than conventional agriculture and requires the introduction of nitrogen (N) fixing legumes in crop rotations. Here we perform an integrated assessment of the feasibility of future food systems in terms of land and N availability and the potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results show that switching to 100% organic farming without additional measures results in N deficiency. Dietary change towards a reduced share of animal products can aggravate N limitations, which can be overcome through the implementation of a combination of agroecological, circular economy and decarbonization strategies. These measures help to recycle and transfer N from grassland. A vegan diet from fully decarbonized conventional production performs similarly as the optimized organic scenario. Sustainable food systems hence require measures beyond the agricultural sector.     

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: ITS STATUS QUO AND TREND IN CHINA

I.IntroduchonTl1eacademic,scientificandpolicymaldngcommunitieshavefocusedconsiderableattentionontheconcePtofsustainabledeve1opmentSustainabledevelopmwtisdefinedas'developlnentthatllleetstheneedsofthepresatfwithoLifcon1prol1hsingti1eabilityoffLifuregenerationstomeetthoseofthefLlture'[26]Alnonghun1anneeds,themostessentialforthepresoforthefuturearefoodandfibre,theproduCtsofagnculture.Atthesan1etime,agriculturehascausedwidespreadenvironlllentalchange,whichhasafeedbacktoitssustainability.Itisnot…     

江汉平原乡村农户就业变迁及其影响因素研究

当代乡村就业变迁是透视乡村人地关系变化的重要视角。论文基于湖北省京山市乡村常住农户抽样调查和实地访谈数据,沿循类型—空间—模式的逻辑主线,通过变化率指数、就业转移矩阵揭示案例地区农户就业变迁特征;同时运用无序多分类Logistic回归模型进行影响因素分析。研究表明：① 2007—2017年乡村农户就业类型已由纯农就业主体演变为兼业就业主导,非农就业增加显著;② 农户就业区位距离衰减特征弱化,村域作为农户就业转移的出发源与回流汇地位突出;③ 村域纯农就业仍是乡村农户就业的主流模式,但就业方式多元化成为农户就业新趋势;④ 农户就业模式选择是农户就业需求、地方就业供给、环境就业媒介多因素综合作用的结果。研究结果能够为中国农区人地关系变化及乡村振兴战略实施提供科学信息。