Quantitative Research Performing other Worlds: lessons from sustainable agriculture in the Philippines

For those interested in ethical research, quantitative methods are often dismissed as apolitical; as unreflective exercises in ‘mere counting’. If, however, in doing research, we bring into being the very worlds we purport to describe, the question begs: what kinds of worlds might quantitative methods bring into being? Is there space for a reflexive, quantitative research agenda? In this paper, I will discuss an action-based predominantly quantitative research project that aimed to investigate the diverse impacts of sustainable agriculture on small-scale farmers in the Philippines. The study, one of the largest ever undertaken on organic rice production, was consciously designed, not merely to describe, but to perform organic agriculture differently. While most quantitative, and indeed much qualitative, research ignores its performativity, this research was intended to enact a reality of sustainable agriculture as a viable and vital alternative to mainstream, capitalist agriculture.     

Patterns of Irrigated Agricultural Land Conversion in a Western U.S. Watershed: Implications for Landscape-Level Water Management and Land-Use Planning

In irrigated agricultural landscapes, land-use conversion may have landscape-level social, hydrological, and ecological effects. We used geographic information systems (GIS) and interviews to analyze development effects on irrigation in the Henry's Fork Watershed, Idaho. Farmers developed irrigation there in the 19th century, and incidental recharge from canal seepage and flood irrigation raised groundwater levels and expanded wetlands. Cohesive culture in agricultural communities sustained irrigation systems until amenity-driven demographic shifts beginning in the 1970s led to development approved by local governments with land-use planning but no water-management authority. Although only 5% of irrigated land has been converted, development has fragmented irrigated landscapes and made canal-system operation more difficult, potentially reducing groundwater levels, wetland extent, and return flows critical to downstream irrigators and fish and wildlife. We discuss future scenarios, highlighting the need for increased communication among local and state governments regarding land use and water management in irrigated landscapes across the West.     

浅谈如何做好为农服务类气象节目

文章通过分析农村受众对电视气象节目的心理需求,结合近几年内蒙古气象影视所开展的为农气象服务和自身工作体会,对如何利用影视平台做好为农气象服务进行探讨。     

Effects of corridor networks on plant species composition and diversity in an intensive agriculture landscape

The development of modern agriculture has resulted in much homogenization of the landscape consisting of large patches of farmland,so small remnant non-crop habitats especially linear corridors play an important role in the conservation of species and the maintenance of ecosystem functions.However,little attention has been paid to the effects of corridors structural characteristics on the plant species restricted to such habitats.In this study,we selected three types of corridors including ditch,hedgerow and road,and ana-lyzed their structural characteristics.The plant species presented in these corridors were investigated,and the species diversity,abun-dance and frequency were estimated.Moreover,spatial arrangements of corridors were classified into different types to discuss whether there were significant effects of corridor network on plant distribution.The results show that three types of corridors have different ef-fects on plant species composition and diversity.The one-one combined corridor networks and total network associated by three corri-dors have more complex structural features than each single type of corridor.However,there is no strong correlation between the corri-dor networks with their plant species.We suggest that carrying out a pointed vegetation survey at corridor intersections to further test the relationships between structural features of corridor and plants is necessary.     

东北地区农业现代化发展水平测度与时空演变分析

率先实现农业现代化是全面振兴、全方位振兴东北老工业基地的重大任务。根据中国农业现代化理论内涵和实践要求,从投入、产出、社会发展3个维度构建农业现代化评价指标体系,对2008年、2018年东北地区40个地级行政单元的农业现代化水平进行测度与阶段划分。结果表明：① 从空间格局看,东北地区农业现代化水平呈现出“沿东北-西南轴线地区较高,轴线东西两侧地区较低”的空间格局,三江平原、松嫩平原及环渤海地区为高值集聚区;② 从发展速度看,东北地区各地市农业现代化水平整体有所提高,北部地区发展速度整体大于南部;③ 从所处阶段看,2018年处在农业现代化“初步实现”的地市占比达86%,东北地区农业现代化水平总体处在由“初步实现”向“基本实现”的转变阶段;④ 农业现代化发展水平3个分维度指标在地理空间上也表现出一定的地域分异格局;⑤ 不同地区应针对发展优势及资源禀赋,走符合自身特点的农业现代化路径。     

Rhomboidal versus triangular spherical harmonic truncation: Some verification statistics

Abstract

In the construction of global primitive equation models, based on the spherical harmonic method, two forms of truncation are in general use. Theoretical considerations suggest the triangular truncation method is superior, but the easily coded rhomboidal truncation is more commonly used. A verification experiment employing the Canadian Operational Spectral Model has been performed to determine if the theoretical superiority of the triangular truncation can be realized in practice. It was found that at least in the restricted case of extra‐tropical forecasts of less than 48 h, that the two truncation methods produced forecasts of equivalent accuracy.     

An approach to catchment‐scale groundwater nitrate risk assessment from diffuse agricultural sources: a case study in the Upper Bann,Northern Ireland

DRASTIC has drawbacks in groundwater risk assessment that are important in guiding activities to prevention agricultural diffuse groundwater pollution. This paper presents an improved and GIS‐based D‐DRASTIC approach for groundwater nitrate risk assessment from diffuse agricultural sources based on DRASTIC. D‐DRASTIC considers the risk concept, nitrate loading, pollutant transport with runoff, depth to water, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of the vadose zone media, and the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. D‐DRASTIC was developed within an ArcGIS environment and applied to the Upper Bann Catchment, Northern Ireland as a case study. D‐DRASTIC shows that ‘very high’ and ‘high’ zones of groundwater nitrate risk occupy 5% and 11% of the case study area, respectively. When considering groundwater pollution sources and pathways, the results using D‐DRASTIC are helpful in guiding the activities of groundwater pollution prevention at the catchment scale in the context of better implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE RECLAMATION ON THE HYDROLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE SANJIANG PLAIN, CHINA

1 THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS The Sanjiang Plain is located in the northeast of Heilongjiang Province, China. Russia borders this region in the north and east. Its total area is 1.088×107ha. The area of plain occupies 61.21％of the total land area and that of hill and mountain amounts to 38.79％of the total land area. It is not only one of the most important regions with large area of fresh water wetlands and with varieties of rare migratory waterfowls, but a…     

异质性农户土地流转的决定性因素与政策建议

建立异质性农户土地流转行为的理论分析基础,利用Logistic回归分析方法和河南省调查数据,明确农户土地流转决策的影响因素。研究结果表明:农村信贷市场约束是纯农户、以农业收入为主的农户转入土地的需求不足的重要原因;规避就业风险和争夺土地租金是非农户和以非农业收入为主的农户转出土地的供给不足的主要原因;土地控制权偏好与生存预期造成中年、老年农户竭力排斥土地流转;农村土地流转不活跃的决定性因素是国家保护农业与有效管理兼业农户、非农户的责任缺位。     

青藏高原河谷地区历史时期耕地格局重建方法探讨——以河湟谷地为例

青藏高原受其特殊自然地理环境条件的限制,耕地主要分布在自然环境条件相对优越的河谷地区,人为因素对耕地分布范围的作用和影响极其微弱,尤其是在历史时期生产力水平较低的前提下,耕地的空间分布主要取决于土地的宜垦程度。本文将影响青藏高原河谷地区耕地分布的因子按其性质分为限制性因子和非限制性因子,并以此为基础排除了高原河谷地区不适宜耕作的地区,在适宜耕作的地区根据土地的宜垦程度,按"先优后劣"的原则将历史时期的耕地数据分配到空间上。选取青藏高原农业发展历史悠久的河谷地区之一河湟谷地作为实例,重建该区1726年耕地空间格局。将重建结果与已有的M模型重建结果进行对比分析,两者重建的耕地在空间分布上呈现出一致性,但重建结果在垦殖范围与垦殖强度上存在一定的差异;M模型的重建主要是以现代耕地分布格局为基础重建,忽略了现代耕地空间分布受现代农业技术的影响;而本文模型则是从低生产力水平前提下影响历史时期耕地分布的因子出发,重建结果更具合理性。