Agricultural Research Activities Research Articles

Importance of soil fertility for climate-resilient cropping systems: The farmer's perspective

Healthy and productive agricultural soils are the basis for global food security as they are a prerequisite for yield-stable cropping systems under climate change. Despite the expansion of agricultural research activities in this area through field experiments, lab analyses, and modelling frameworks, current empirical insights from farming practice on a more national scale are still rare. For this reason, the agronomic importance of soil fertility for farming practice was the focus of this nationwide empirical study conducted in Germany (winter/spring 2022) with a total sample size of 585. The views and needs of 370 farmers and 215 agricultural institutionalists were evaluated, i.a., regarding the importance of soil fertility and related soil properties, as well as preferred agronomic management strategies and needs for the promotion of soil fertility. The results showed that most farmers and institutionalists consider soil fertility to be very important. Moreover, it was emphasized that the importance of this factor will increase in the future due to changing climatic conditions (e.g., heat/drought stress) and the need for more sustainable land use including the protection of biodiversity. The main motivations for agronomic investments in greater soil fertility were improving the climate resilience and yield stability of cropping systems. In this context, the top soil properties of interest were ranked by the respondents as follows: (1) water storage capacity, (2) rootability, (3) biological activity, and (4) water infiltration rate. To promote soil fertility, farmers mainly considered catch cropping, diversified crop rotations with a positive humus balance, and year-round ground plant cover/mulch as the most useful agronomic measures. In terms of methods for the assessment of soil fertility, soil structure analyses, biological indicators, yield/biomass production, soil nutrient analyses, and field methods were most important, whereas sensor systems and apps/digital tools were of minor importance. For the future improvement of soil fertility promotion in farming practice, simple indicators and reference values for assessing soil fertility as well as 'workshops, field days, and field schools' for training aspects were suggested by the participants. Overall, there were few differences between the perceptions of farmers and agricultural institutionalists. Both groups pointed out the need for improved communication between politics, science, and practice such that agriculture can respond more quickly to changing climatic conditions in the future.

PRESERVATION OF ROTTERDAM FORT POST BONGAYA AGREEMENT IN MAKASSAR

The purpose of this study was to clear analyze the existence of Fort Rotterdam and its preservation after the Bongaya agreement in Makassar. This study uses the steps in writing history, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation and becomes a historiographical work with the literature study method. The results of this study indicate that First, Ujung Pandang Fortress have built by the Kingdom of Gowa to defend the greatness and dignity of the Gowa kingdom from colonial threats. This fort is one of the guard forts of the main fortress of Somba Opu, which is the center of the Kingdom of Gowa. After the Gowa kingdom lost the Makassar war and confirmed by the Bongaya Agreement on 18 November 1667, the Ujung Pandang fort fell into the hands of the VOC (Netherlands Indies Trade Association) and changed its name to Fort Rotterdam and as a spice-trading center from east to west. Second, the preservation of the fort after the Bongaya Agreement, namely during the Japanese occupation. The fort have used as a center for language and agricultural research activities, after that in 1973 after independence the fort changed its function as the National Institute of Antiquities and Heritage, which is currently known as the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center and Museum La Galigo.

What is technology adoption? Exploring the agricultural research value chain for smallholder farmers in Lao PDR

A common and driving assumption in agricultural research is that the introduction of research trials, new practices and innovative technologies will result in technology adoption, and will subsequently generate benefits for farmers and other stakeholders. In Lao PDR, the potential benefits of introduced technologies have not been fully realised by beneficiaries. We report on an analysis of a survey of 735 smallholder farmers in Southern Lao PDR who were questioned about factors that influenced their decisions to adopt new technologies. In this study, we have constructed measures or states of adoption which identify key elements of an adoption decision-making nexus. Analysis was conducted to statistically group explanatory factors of adoption. The key explanatory factors represented attributes of the farmer, the factors considered when undertaking production decisions and elements of the agricultural value chain that present as opportunities or constraints. We describe the combination of farmer’s personal attributes, perceptions of the value chain, and the introduction of new technologies by external actors as an “agricultural research value chain”, where agricultural research activities intervene to derive greater benefits for local farmers. A generalised linear model, via Poisson (multiple) regression analysis on the identified explanatory factors, was applied to explore how they influence adoption measures and we found several significant relationships.

Investment on wheat research and its effect: A case of Nepal

Abstract. Although the agriculture sector markedly contributes to the Nepalese economy, very little is known about the government’s investments in agricultural research activities and how these investments have impacted the sector. In this study, we picked a case of wheat crop as it is the third largest crop of Nepal in terms of total annual production. We took government’s annual wheat research investments of Nepal from Fiscal year 2005 to 2016 to analyze the effects of investment on wheat research based on the availability of data. We used compound growth rate, averages, trend line, and bar diagram to present the data and interpret the results. Results revealed that the share of operational budget was lower than supposed to be allocated for the development of wheat research. The pace of increment of wheat production and productivity were observed due to improved wheat investment and technologies. Result shows the negligible spillover effect from neighboring countries in wheat production. Even though the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) has fulfilled source seed target by producing a surplus, private sectors should involve proactively in coordination with NARC to meet the projected demand of wheat seed in national seed vision. The huge gap was observed between yield potential and average national productivity. To achieve greater impact of wheat research in Nepal, it is necessary to bridge the gap by awareness program, making the availability of improved seed with an improved package of practices.

European Agricultural Science Funding: Examining Trends and Prospects

SummaryProper evaluation of the impact of agricultural research requires data on how much has been spent to achieve its desired effects on productivity, efficiency and environmental quality. However, official statistics on aggregate volumes of research expenditure, at both European and national levels, are intermittently available and most data collected for private research are not fully compatible with data for public research. This study in 20 European countries in 2014 defines the different concepts at international level, and assesses coverage across countries, using secondary data and key informant interviews. Coverage is unequal by country and type of measure, the lowest coverage being for agriculture as a socioeconomic objective. We depict recent trends in public agricultural research, which differ by country. We then formulate three policy options and recommendations for their implementation to improve the monitoring of agricultural research investment in Europe: 1) make compulsory in the EU statistical system the collection of statistics on agricultural research expenditure using the same metrics for all sectors of performance; 2) develop a specific survey in the Commission to obtain data directly from research organisations; 3) prepare annual reviews of agricultural research expenditures at Member State level, including both quantitative and qualitative information on agricultural research activities.

PENERAPAN ARSITEKTUR EKOLOGI DALAM PERANCANGAN PUSAT PENELITIAN AGRIKULTUR DI KABUPATEN SRAGEN

<p class="Abstract"><em>Indonesia is known as an agricultural country, which means Indonesia has high rate of agricultural production. However, Indonesia has not fully fulfilled its own food needs, seeing by the high number of food imports to Indonesia. Therefore, the government's agricultural development program is established which includes the development of science and technology (IPTEK) in agriculture. The application of Ecological Architecture theory is considered appropriate because it involves all related elements in the design of human, building and nature. This research is aimed to determine the design of research centre building which is able to facilitate the research activities in accordance with the standard of research space based on the principle of Ecological Architecture theory. The method used is data collection based on literature study, observation and comparation to the design object and application of Ecological Architecture theory, which is then applied as design strategies on the design object, starting from site selection, site analysis, as well as façade analysis. From the analysis that has been done then generated a research centre design that can support the sustainability of agricultural research activities based on the application of Ecological Architecture theory.</em></p>

From working collections to the World Germplasm Project: agricultural modernization and genetic conservation at the Rockefeller Foundation

This paper charts the history of the Rockefeller Foundation’s participation in the collection and long-term preservation of genetic diversity in crop plants from the 1940s through the 1970s. In the decades following the launch of its agricultural program in Mexico in 1943, the Rockefeller Foundation figured prominently in the creation of world collections of key economic crops. Through the efforts of its administrators and staff, the foundation subsequently parlayed this experience into a leadership role in international efforts to conserve so-called plant genetic resources. Previous accounts of the Rockefeller Foundation’s interventions in international agricultural development have focused on the outcomes prioritized by foundation staff and administrators as they launched assistance programs and especially their characterization of the peoples and “problems” they encountered abroad. This paper highlights instead how foundation administrators and staff responded to a newly emergent international agricultural concern—the loss of crop genetic diversity. Charting the foundation’s responses to this concern, which developed only after agricultural modernization had begun and was understood to be produced by the successes of the foundation’s own agricultural assistance programs, allows for greater interrogation of how the foundation understood and projected its central position in international agricultural research activities by the 1970s.

Nisarg Nirman: the social farming venture from India

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy. Study level/applicability The case is designed for business students at the undergraduate or MBA levels in courses that deal with social entrepreneurship. The case describes the future growth potential of the exotic vegetable/fruit market in emerging economy India and lends itself for use in Rural Management courses as well. Case overview Nisarg Nirman Agro Products Private Limited (hereafter referred as NNPL), a social farming venture, was started by Anjali Churi in the year 1997 in India. Churi, an agriculturist at heart, was always interested in experimenting and conducting research on new crops. What started as a small research experiment soon prospered to become a commercial venture producing and selling exotic vegetables to the Indian business customers, such as the five-/four-star hotels, premier clubs, hypermarkets, etc. NNPL was one among the pioneers to start the cultivation of exotic vegetables in the country. Their indigenous produce was of high quality. Their business customers were benefitted by the freshness of their products as well as competitive pricing as compared to their earlier imports. In her journey to commercial prosperity, she adopted co-operative farming, thus providing employment and livelihood opportunities to Indian farmers. Over the period, NNPL was invited to provide agriculture consulting to some of the other countries, such as Maldives, Thailand and Israel. In 2014, the company boasted of an indigenous produce of 95 different varieties of exotic vegetables and fruits, with 34 clients across the country, revenues to the tune of INR40 million and touching lives of more than 600 farmers across the country. The Indian exotic vegetables market had a promising future. Churi desired to expand her venture but in a manner that could systematically impact and generate employment opportunities for the rural Indians. She was at crossroads to deciding what could be such a venture, agro-processing or agro-tourism? Any such expansions required substantial investments for agricultural research activities. The case is structured to achieve the following pedagogical objectives: a social entrepreneur's ability to identify and exploit the market opportunity for growing own venture as well as generating a larger social impact; understand the industry's change trajectory and its impact on the venture; understand the importance of such business models of cooperative farming in populous emerging economies such as India where 70 per cent of the population resides in rural India. Expected learning outcomes The case that maps the growth/challenges of a social farming venture and allows students to: understand that small social venture also has the ability to generate a larger social impact; evaluate the venture's strategic positioning and scope in a competitive environment; and evaluate the need and potential of business models as cooperative farming to generate employment at the base of the pyramid in populous emerging economy as India. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Agricultural Research in a Centrally Planned Economy: The Case of Rapeseed Research in the People's Republic of China (PRC)

AbstractRapeseed has played an important role in the agriculture of the PRC for millennia as a source of edible oil, industrial products, organic fertilizer and, recently, animal feed. For the last 46 years, the PRC has experienced several dramatic shifts in the political and social environment for rapeseed research. This paper examines the scientific and technical literature on rapeseed since 1949 and identifies the relationship between agricultural research activities and major political and economic transitions in China. The analysis of the rapeseed literature shows: (1) how vulnerable agricultural research in the PRC has been to fluctuations in the political and economic environment, and (2) how the foci of rapeseed research shifted from the pre-reform to the post-reform era. This paper concludes with: (1) some observations about the differences in the role of agricultural research in a socialist and capitalist country, (2) implications about the relationship between political and economic reforms, and agricultural research.

NIOSH-Supported Agricultural Research Activities

NIOSH-Supported Agricultural Research Activities

AGRIN Package and Its Utilization Using Micro CDS/ISIS Software

ABSTRACT This article traces the development of AGRIS and CARIS systems developed by the FAO's Library and Documentation Systems Division in the sharing of agricultural research and current agriculture research activities and describes the AGRIN package, highlighting its benefits for developing countries. The potential problems for developing countries in producing printed outputs are discussed. Ways to create additional print formats for viewing of records online or for the generation of the printed outputs are presented. The methodology presented has been used to create CA-GRINDEX: abstracts of agriculture literature of the Caribbean.

Privatization and the roles of public and private institutions in agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa

Privatization has become a popular panacea for solving the organizational problems of LDC governments. This paper considers the role of the private sector in agricultural research, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The first section provides a brief background by stating the main arguments for market failure in the allocation of resources to research, followed by the reasoning behind the reaction against public intervention. The arguments for intervention are then applied to the different areas of agricultural research activity to show that the level of public intervention should depend on the type of research. We suggest that there are several criteria for defining public and private activities and that there are few research activities that can be easily classified as purely public or purely private. This implies that the appropriate split between public and private research has several dimensions and that efficient institutional arrangements will be specific to particular activities. The evidence suggests that there are sound economic arguments for changing the domains of the public and private sectors, which should not be static. Both economic development and technical innovations, such as biotechnology, will move the boundary in favour of increased private activity, but the public and private contributions should be viewed as complementary investments rather than substitutes.

Assigning priorities to agricultural research: A critical evaluation of the use of programmes by product-line and production systems

The employment of the production system approach as a basis for selecting research priorities and allocating human and financial resources to agricultural research activities has been proposed by several research institutions in Latin America. The primary purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the logic of this proposition and its implicit criticism of the assignment of research priorities on a product-line basis. In general, the product-line approach represents a tested and effective approach for certain types of agriculture, especially monocultures. The production systems approach seems best suited for situations where the characteristics of the production unit, the quantity and quality of available resources and adverse ecological conditions constitute primary limitations to the adoption of new technologies. It appears that the path to maximum benefit does not lie in the selection of one approach over the other as mutually exclusive alternatives, but rather in their complementary use within the national and international research infrastructure.

A history of the ARC's support of veterinary research

The Agricultural Research Council on its creation in 1931 inherited, as it were, a substantial research service in the form of established institutes, many of long standing. The earliest identified research priorities were all related to animal disease at a time when the then four veterinary schools were ill-housed with minimal staff and with little or no research capability. The ARC's rôle was then essentially advisory. Although it established its first institute in 1937 against considerable opposition, it did not become financially independent, in England and Wales at least, until 1956. In the meantime, a reluctance on the part of certain universities to take advantage of opportunities to expand agricultural research activities did much to steer the Council's policy towards investing in its own institutes rather than by attempting to support research on any considerable scale in university departments. As a result of this policy, the universities in general and the veterinary schools in particular have fared much less well in comparison with the scientific disciplines supported by the other Research Councils. On the other hand, many aspects of agricultural research, which at one time were restricted to the universities and colleges, have progressed most notably in the institutes directly financed or grant-aided by the ARC. This applies especially to plant breeding and to animal health.

Economics of Agricultural Research Activity

Economics of Agricultural Research Activity

Economics of Agricultural Research Activity

Economics of Agricultural Research Activity

The “Green Revolution” in Recent Development Experience

HE TERM is now familiar to everyone with more than a passing interest in economic development. The Mexican wheat varieties and the IRRI rice varieties were accorded miracle status by the media as they were rapidly adopted in a number of Asian and African countries after 1965. Their initial promise sparked food self-sufficiency drives in several countries. By 1970 the adoption of these improved, high yielding varieties was credited with providing a realistic basis for sustained productivity gains in LDC agriculture. That promise has turned out to be short-lived, however. The optimism that existed three years ago has all but vanished. The adoption of high yielding varieties has fallen short of expectations, and the abnormally poor weather of the past two years has produced serious food shortages throughout the world. The green revolution episode has been subject to numerous evaluations (Willet [8], Barker [1]). Most prior evaluations have made comparative assessments of production and resource utilization between high yielding rice or wheat varietal technology and local or native varietal technology. Dozens of studies have reported very significant cost advantages for the high yielding varietal technology. These studies, however, are all quite local in nature, and in almost all cases, are based on farm data from regions of early adoption of the high yielding varieties. They cannot be used to assess the relative advantage of high yielding varieties over the entire rice or wheat producing regions of the countries where they have been adopted. This paper develops a methodology for assessing the relative advantage of the high yielding varieties in large producing regions and reports estimates of their contribution to aggregate production in Asia and North Africa. A simple specification based on the supposition that real productivity gains in the region were exclusively associated with the adoption of high yielding varieties is first developed. It is rejected in favor of a somewhat richer specification which explicitly considers the contribution of indigenous or national agricultural research activities to productivity gains.