Commercial Agricultural Production Research Articles

An automated magnetic beads-based chemiluminescence immunoassay system for simultaneous quantification of multi-mycotoxins in agricultural products

The coexistence of multiple mycotoxins poses a significant risk to the safety of agricultural products. Hence, a novel and automated magnetic beads-based chemiluminescence immunoassay (MCLIA) system was developed for the simultaneous quantification of typical multi-mycotoxins, including zearalenone (ZEN), Ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). It comprises a compact chemiluminescence-based analyzer and a specially designed mycotoxin assay kit. Firstly, antimycotoxin monoclonal antibody (mAb) was coupled with alkaline phosphatase (AP), and the antigen of mycotoxin was then with biotin. After detailed optimization of this indirect competition immunoassay, all necessary reagents were preloaded and sealed into a specialized plastic reagent strip to prepare the assay kit. Secondly, a compact chemiluminescence-based analyzer was developed by programmatically integrating magnetic, thermal, and optical mechanisms. The MCLIA system facilitates the detection of mycotoxins in up to 8 samples simultaneously or various mycotoxins in different samples within 20 min, according to actual needs. The detection limits (LOD) for ZEN, OTA, DON, and AFB1 were 2.55, 0.64, 15.47, and 0.78 μg/kg, respectively, with the 50 % inhibition concentrations (IC50) in the ranges of 1.84−4.25, 0.95−1.69, 11.36−13.98, and 0.37−0.54 ng/mL. Parallel analysis of commercial agricultural products demonstrated a strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.9843–0.9962) with UPLC-HRMS, confirming the MCLIA system's reliability for the simultaneous quantitative detection of various mycotoxins. Offering advantages in detection sensitivity, dynamic range, and turnaround time, the compact MCLIA system facilitates automated and parallelized detection in the model of “sample-in to result-out”. It presents a versatile platform for the efficient immunodetection of other contaminants.

Environmental Behaviour of Synthesized and Commercial Agricultural Zinc Products: Leaching, Migration, and Availability in Soils

The aim of this paper is to examine the environmental effect of different chemical characteristics of Zinc (Zn) sources, assessing the transport, leaching and accumulation in the environment in sand, acidic (AS) and calcareous (CS) soils. Comparative short- and long-term studies applying ZnO sources [bulk, laboratory-synthesized and commercial nanoparticles (NP)], ZnSO4, complexed Zn (Zn-lignosulfonate) and chelated Zn (Zn-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetate, Zn-hydroxy-ethylenediamine-tetraacetate and Zn-ethylenediamine-tetraacetate) were carried out. For all treatments and media, the medium- and long-term dissolution kinetic model was fitted to a logistic function. The applied Zn in the form of ZnO was mainly retained at the upper half (0–7.5 cm) of the columns and in very available form (ranging 40–61% of added Zn in AS and 29–31% in CS). Leached Zn reached values below 6% in AS and 3% in CS. The use of chelated Zn in both soils and complexed Zn, and ZnSO4 in AS resulted in excessive leaching of Zn (around 70%). The amount of Zn available at the upper half of the column was less than 5%. In the CS, these fertilizers showed a higher aging than ZnO sources, negatively affecting its availability as a nutrient for crops. ZnO NP showed short- and medium-term dissolution kinetics that allow gradual nutrient release and high availability at the medium-term. These products provide an effective solution for plant nutrition while mitigating the environmental problems observed with more traditional sources related to leaching.Graphical

Accounting for the impact of tree size and soil spatial variability on leaching from orchards

Commercial agricultural production of orchards is based on water and fertilizer applications. Over-application and orchard spatial variability lead to water and nitrogen (N) losses through leaching and environmental damage. This work introduces a novel advanced method to quantify N and water leaching at the orchard scale by combining soil monitoring, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery to estimate tree size, leaf N and canopy content, and water flow and N transport models. Four neighboring commercial orange orchards were selected, and 48 representative trees were instrumented with suction cups and tensiometers at a depth of 90 cm. The physical properties of the soil profiles in the vicinity of each tree were determined. During 2019–2021, UAV structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry was used to classify the tree sizes into small, medium, and big categories. Soil porewater extraction and soil matric potential measurements were conducted every three weeks, while leaf N contents (LNC) were determined through bimonthly leaf tissue sampling. The LNC, N leaching, soil water state, and N use efficiency (NUE) (the ratio between the mass of plant N uptake and the mass of N applied per area) were strongly related to tree size classification. Results of the calibrated hydrological model illustrated that the 'big' trees exhibited minimal N leaching due to higher transpiration compared to the other tree size categories. An NUE map was established using the calibrated model and field measurements, demonstrating that soil spatial variability minimally affected N leaching compared to tree size distribution. The presented holistic approach can be used to identify N-leaching hotspots, improve orchard scale NUE estimates, and promote sustainable agricultural management practices.

Isolation of azole-resistant Aspergillus spp. from food products.

The prevalence of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus is increasing worldwide and is speculated to be related to the use of azole pesticides. Aspergillus spp., the causative agent of aspergillosis, could be brought into domestic dwellings through food. However, studies on azole-resistant Aspergillus spp. in food products are limited. Therefore, we aimed to isolate Aspergillus spp. from processed foods and commercial agricultural products and performed drug susceptibility tests for azoles. Among 692 food samples, we isolated 99 strains of Aspergillus spp. from 50 food samples, including vegetables (22.9%), citrus fruits (26.3%), cereals (25.5%), and processed foods (1.8%). The isolates belonged to 18 species across eight sections: Aspergillus, Candidi, Clavati, Flavi, Fumigati, Nidulantes, Nigri, and Terrei. The most frequently isolated section was Fumigati with 39 strains, followed by Nigri with 28 strains. Aspergillus fumigatus and A. welwitschiae were the predominant species. Ten A. fumigatus and four cryptic strains, four A. niger cryptic strains, two A. flavus, and four A. terreus strains exceeded epidemiological cutoff values for azoles. Aspergillus tubingensis, A. pseudoviridinutans, A. lentulus, A. terreus, and N. hiratsukae showed low susceptibility to multi-azoles. Foods containing agricultural products were found to be contaminated with Aspergillus spp., with 65.3% of isolates having minimal inhibitory concentrations below epidemiological cutoff values. Additionally, some samples harbored azole-resistant strains of Aspergillus spp. Our study serves as a basis for elucidating the relationship between food, environment, and clinically important Aspergillus spp.

Management of excessive soil H+ ion induced toxicities by application of organic seaweed amendment enhances photosynthesis and resource use efficiencies in rice (Oryza sativa)

Globally, soil acidification is a serious environmental issue that reduces commercial agricultural production. Rice is subjected to nutritional stress due to acidic soil, which is a major impediment to rice production. Since acid soil threatens rice plants with soil compaction, nutrient loss, and plant stress-induced oxidative cell damage that results in affecting the photosynthetic system, restricting the availability of water, and reducing overall plant growth and productivity. Since contemporary soil acidification management strategies provide mediocre results, the use of Sargassum wightii seaweed-based biostimulants (BS) and soil amendments is sought as an environmentally friendly alternative strategy, and therefore its potential isevaluated in this study. BS was able to mediate soil quality by improving soil pH and structure along with facilitating nitrogen phytoavailability. BS also increased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme system, superoxide dismutase ((48%), peroxidase (76.6%), and ascorbate peroxidase (63.5%), aggregating the monaldehyde-mediating accumulation of osmoprotective proline in roots, that was evident from rapid initiation of root hair growth in treated seedlings. BS was also able to physiologically modulate photosynthetic activities and chlorophyll production (24.31%) in leaves, maintaining the efficiency of plant water use by regulating the stomatal conductance (0.91 mol/m/s) and the transpiration rate (13.2 mM/m/s). The BS compounds were also successful in facilitating nitrogen uptake resulting in improved plant growth (59%), tiller-panicle number, and yield (52.57%), demonstrating a resourceful nitrogen use efficiency (71.96%) previously affected by stress induced by acid soil. Therefore, the study affirms the competent potential of S. wightii-based soil amendment to be applied not only to improve soil quality, but also to increase plant production and yield.

Precarious prospects? Exploring climate resilience of agricultural commercialization pathways in Tanzania and Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Smallholder agricultural commercialization is a central objective across Africa, one linked to poverty reduction, sectoral transformation and increasingly, climate resilience and adaptation. There is much attention given to the extent to which agricultural commercialization serves to reduce poverty, but less to the commercialization pathways that lead towards or away from that outcome. There are, likewise, many studies that project hugely adverse future impacts of climate change on commercial agricultural production, but surprisingly little empirical work on how climate impacts are affecting current agricultural commercialization prospects and pathways for smallholder farmers. This paper, therefore, offers an analysis of levels of climate vulnerability and resilience within existing commercialization pathways in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It embeds the account within an analysis of the underlying causes of uneven distributions of vulnerability and resilience. We find that while being able to practise commercially viable agriculture can contribute to resilience, it does not do so for the people who most need commercialization to reduce poverty. It is more common for farmers to face what we term an adaptation trap. We conclude by considering what these cases add to our understanding of climate-smart agriculture (CSA).

Modelling the exiting of South African producers from commercial agricultural production – an agent-based model

ABSTRACT This paper explores the prospects of commercial producers who would be willing to exit voluntarily in the near future to make land available in the market. In addition, it also considers what factors are restricting the acceleration of this rate of exit from a land-supply perspective with respect to barriers to exit. The prospect of structural change from such acceleration is also explored using three scenarios. An agent-based mathematical model is used to implement the three scenarios. This model is constructed from a dataset of 450 commercial producers across South Africa. The results suggest that a reasonable amount of arable land could be available for redistribution, with only modest structural change regarding animal production, despite drastic alterations in veld. These results provide some guidelines on how assistance for struggling producers can make land available for efficient producers, which could make the sector stronger. All potential exiting commercial producers have common reasons for doing so, which could be used to initiate a positively inclined, structured discussion on land supply.

Small farms in North Carolina, United States: Analyzing farm and operator characteristics in the pursuit of economic resilience and sustainability

AbstractEnsuring the sustainability of small farms relies on understanding farm economics, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect. In North Carolina, many small farms are confronted with financial challenges and the risk of collapse. This study examines the factors that influence farm profitability while considering the intersectionality of race and gender. The findings reveal significant disparities in farm and operator characteristics. Specifically, first‐generation and retiree farmers exhibit a lower likelihood of profitability. Conversely, factors positively associated with profitability include owning larger farm acreage, engaging in commercial agricultural production, utilizing paid family labor, practicing full‐time farming, and being a non‐White minority farmer. To foster the sustainability of small farms, it is imperative to implement policies that support full‐time farming and incentivize the use of paid family labor. These measures can contribute to bolstering profitability and safeguarding the economic viability of small farms.

Towards reducing chemical usage for weed control in agriculture using UAS imagery analysis and computer vision techniques

Currently, applying uniform distribution of chemical herbicide through a sprayer without considering the spatial distribution information of crops and weeds is the most common method of controlling weeds in commercial agricultural production system. This kind of weed management practice lead to excessive amounts of chemical herbicides being applied in a given field. The objective of this study was to perform site-specific weed control (SSWC) in a corn field by: (1) using a unmanned aerial system (UAS) to map the spatial distribution information of weeds in the field; (2) creating a prescription map based on the weed distribution map, and (3) spraying the field using the prescription map and a commercial size sprayer. In this study, we assumed that plants growing outside the corn rows are weeds and they need to be controlled. The first step in implementing such an approach is identifying the corn rows. For that, we are proposing a Crop Row Identification algorithm, a computer vision algorithm that identifies corn rows on UAS imagery. After being identified, the corn rows were then removed from the imagery and remaining vegetation fraction was classified as weeds. Based on that information, a grid-based weed prescription map was created and the weed control application was implemented through a commercial-size sprayer. The decision of spraying herbicides on a particular grid was based on the presence of weeds in that grid cell. All the grids that contained at least one weed were sprayed, while the grids free of weeds were not. Using our SSWC approach, we were able to save 26.2% of the acreage from being sprayed with herbicide compared to the current method. This study presents a full workflow from UAS image collection to field weed control implementation using a commercial size sprayer, and it shows that some level of savings can potentially be obtained even in a situation with high weed infestation, which might provide an opportunity to reduce chemical usage in corn production systems.

Why is farming important for rural livelihood security in the global south? COVID-19 and changing rural livelihoods in Nepal's mid-hills

Over the last three decades, Nepal has experienced a rapid transition in rural livelihoods, from largely subsistence farming to more diversified off-farm employment and remittances. Despite this, subsistence farming continues to be a central part of rural production. Why does farming persist in the face of other, more remunerative, off-farm employment options? In this article we argue that subsistence food production continues to be important for rural livelihood security by providing food needs from farming, thus helping households to cope with uncertainties in off-farm employment and international labor migration. Taking the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of a high level of livelihood stress, the paper provides insights and further explanations on the logic of maintaining subsistence food production as part of rural households' livelihood security. Drawing on in-depth qualitative study, complemented with a quantitative survey from eight villages in rural Nepal, we examine the impact of the pandemic on farming and off-farm activities and explore the reasons behind peoples' choice of livelihood strategies and how these vary between different social groups. We show that there was only limited impact of the dramatic disruptions caused by the global pandemic on subsistence farming, however it brought substantial challenges for emerging semi-commercial farming and off-farm incomes, including both local and migratory wage labor. During the pandemic, people increased their reliance on locally produced food, and subsistence farming served as a critical safety net. Our analysis underscores the continued importance of subsistence production amidst contemporary shifts toward off-farm employment among rural households. We also find a growing interest in semi-commercial farming among farmers with better access to land who seek state support to develop such production. This suggests that it is important for agricultural development policy to recognize and support subsistence farming alongside emerging commercial agriculture production as an integral foundation of future farming and rural livelihood security.

Highland Management in Rotation and Mono Cropping Systems of Li Sub-watershed, Lamphun Province

The objectives of this research are: 1) To compare the factors of land tenure, ecological aspects, economic conditions, perception of information and wisdom affecting the selection in highland rotation cropping and mono cropping. 2) To analyze and identify differences in land management between highland rotation cropping and mono cropping. And 3) to analyze and assess the link between the intensive highland rotation cropping and mono cropping with soil management and degradation. There were quantitative and qualitative data collections from farmer groups of both systems by using the tools as questionnaires and in-depth interviews with participant observation including exploring the research area plot. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical method in the form of frequency distribution, percentage and comparison table. The results showed the land tenure of the two highland cropping systems was not different. There were no documents and rights over the lands. Rotation cropping system focused on intensive commercial agricultural production, whereas mono cropping system focused on subsistence. Both systems used traditional wisdom. The characteristics of rotation cropping were separated rotation cropping with legumes and no legumes, so crops could be grown throughout the year and continuously. Therefore, the soil management was intensive and the soil was not time for resting. The characteristics of mono cropping system involved growing only one type of crop every other year and year after year. There was a one-year soil resting and the mono crops were replanted annually, so there was not the soil resting. There are differences in the use of chemical fertilizers and concentrated chemicals, as well as soil fertility. It could be concluded that both of cropping systems were not different and had moderate fertility The soil erosion in rotation cropping system was very low to moderate level, thus soil condition was sustainable. The soil erosion in mono cropping system was low to very severe level, thus soil condition was not sustainable.The policy and action recommendations, the government should support in terms of alternative agricultural policies and budgets for developing highland areas seriously and comprehensively in accordance with the sufficiency economy.

Current state and prospects of land circulation in Ukraine

The current state of agricultural land is considered destination in Ukraine after the official opening of land circulation and formed promising directions of its effective development. Generalization of factors influencing and developing land relations. The data of the State Service of Ukraine on geodesy, cartography and cadastre regarding the number of concluded deeds, as well as the area of land for which agreements were concluded by region were analyzed. The dynamics of changes in the average value of 1 ha of alienated land plots in the regions of Ukraine were monitored. The leading regions in terms of the number of alienated territories and the average cost of 1 hectare of land for commercial agricultural production were determined, and the main reasons for such variations were also clarified. Prospective ways have been formed improvement and development of market circulation of agricultural lands purposes that include: improving the integrity, accessibility and interoperability of data; optimization and improvement of assessment methods land as one of the most important steps of the State Property Fund of Ukraine; ensuring monitoring of the circulation of land plots and rights to them; magnification legal literacy and provision of legal support for citizens; adaptation and improvement of land legislation for the future functioning and development of land circulation during the period of martial law. After all, growth will depend on the efficiency of market circulation of land capacity of the population and territorial communities, as well as creation favorable conditions for the development of agrarian business in the countryside.

Влияние географических факторов на территориально-организационную структуру и хозяйственную деятельность Прорвинского (Астраханского) исправительно-трудового лагеря (1932–1950)

Introduction. Since vectors of natural resources, construction and infrastructure development across the vast Soviet territories (including that of the Kazakh SSR) were determined by geographical aspects of correctional labor camps’ territorial organization, it was the geographical factor that proved crucial to the shaping of camps system proper. So, an insight into experiences of the Prorva (Astrakhan) Correctional Labor Camp is of certain interest. Goals. The study aims at assessing impacts of geographical factors on the shaping and functioning of the mentioned labor camp’s territorial organizational structure and economic activity between 1932 and 1950. Materials and methods. The work explores documents housed by the State Archive of the Russian Federation, Archive of Internal Affairs Ministry Department in Astrakhan Oblast, outcomes of history and geography research expeditions to Mangystau and Atyrau Regions of Kazakhstan undertaken in July 2021, geographical maps. The study employs a variety of research methods, such as general scientific (analysis, synthesis, mathematical and descriptive techniques), geographical (analytical tools of cartography, comparative, physical and economic geography, expeditionary, system territorial, and factorial methods) and historical (retrospective, comparative, structural approaches) ones. Results. The paper presents a geographical analysis of six localities, reveals territorial organizational structure of the camp (the latter to have covered northern and northeastern parts of the Caspian coastline), provides an assessment of physical and geographical conditions of the camp’s economic arrangements. The latter had predetermined the availability of rich biological sea resources. However, in general, the physical and geographical components of natural environment were unfavorable (arid climate, infertile soil cover, sparse vegetation) for commercial agricultural production. The study of economic and geographical factors shows different economic potentials across localities of the camp. The economic geographical factors resulted in the shaping and functioning of a territorial organizational structure primarily aimed at efficient industrial fishing practices. Conclusions. The geographical factors proved of utmost importance and served a basis for the development of fisheries in the northern and northeastern parts of the Caspian Sea. In addition, efforts were made to initiate agricultural production and construction activities that still were to play a secondary economic role due to unfavorable conditions.

Влияние географических факторов на территориально-организационную структуру и хозяйственную деятельность Прорвинского (Астраханского) исправительно-трудового лагеря (1932–1950)

Introduction. Since vectors of natural resources, construction and infrastructure development across the vast Soviet territories (including that of the Kazakh SSR) were determined by geographical aspects of correctional labor camps’ territorial organization, it was the geographical factor that proved crucial to the shaping of camps system proper. So, an insight into experiences of the Prorva (Astrakhan) Correctional Labor Camp is of certain interest. Goals. The study aims at assessing impacts of geographical factors on the shaping and functioning of the mentioned labor camp’s territorial organizational structure and economic activity between 1932 and 1950. Materials and methods. The work explores documents housed by the State Archive of the Russian Federation, Archive of Internal Affairs Ministry Department in Astrakhan Oblast, outcomes of history and geography research expeditions to Mangystau and Atyrau Regions of Kazakhstan undertaken in July 2021, geographical maps. The study employs a variety of research methods, such as general scientific (analysis, synthesis, mathematical and descriptive techniques), geographical (analytical tools of cartography, comparative, physical and economic geography, expeditionary, system territorial, and factorial methods) and historical (retrospective, comparative, structural approaches) ones. Results. The paper presents a geographical analysis of six localities, reveals territorial organizational structure of the camp (the latter to have covered northern and northeastern parts of the Caspian coastline), provides an assessment of physical and geographical conditions of the camp’s economic arrangements. The latter had predetermined the availability of rich biological sea resources. However, in general, the physical and geographical components of natural environment were unfavorable (arid climate, infertile soil cover, sparse vegetation) for commercial agricultural production. The study of economic and geographical factors shows different economic potentials across localities of the camp. The economic geographical factors resulted in the shaping and functioning of a territorial organizational structure primarily aimed at efficient industrial fishing practices. Conclusions. The geographical factors proved of utmost importance and served a basis for the development of fisheries in the northern and northeastern parts of the Caspian Sea. In addition, efforts were made to initiate agricultural production and construction activities that still were to play a secondary economic role due to unfavorable conditions.

Investigating the effects of drought and lockdowns on smallholder and commercial agricultural production in KwaZulu-Natal using remotely sensed data

Not many efforts have been made so far to understand the effects of both the 2015–2016 drought and the 2020 lockdown measures on the agricultural production of smallholder vis-a-vis commercial farmers in Kwazulu-Natal. Google Earth Engine, and random forest algorithm, are used to generate a dataset that help to investigate this question. A regression is performed on double differenced data to investigate the effects of interest. A k-mean cluster analysis, is also used to determine whether the distribution patterns of crop production changed with drought and disruption of agricultural production input. Results show that: (1) droughts affected the agricultural production of both areas similarly. Crop cover declined in both areas for one season after droughts were broken. Then recovery was driven by greener, more productive crops rather than the expansion of crop area. (2) The response of both areas to the COVID-19 lockdown was also similar. Both smallholder and commercial areas' Normalised Difference Vegetation Index – a proxy for crop vitality – improved in response to regulations favourable to the sector and improved rainfall. No significant adjustments in crop cover were observed. Production therefore changed primarily at the intensive margin (improved productivity of existing croplands) rather than the extensive (changing the extent of land under cultivation). (3) Cluster analysis allows for a more granular view, showing that the positive impact of lockdowns on agriculture were concentrated in areas with high rainfall and close proximity to metropolitan markets. Both smallholder and commercial farmers therefore are reliant on market access together with favourable environmental conditions for improved production.

Automated real-time irrigation analytics inform diversity in regional irrigator behavior and water withdrawal and use characteristics

Effective agricultural water management requires accurate, continuous, and transparent accounting of water use in irrigated agroecosystems, especially in water-limited regions where moratoriums may be imposed. Advances in sensor technologies, networking, and data analytics can aid in fulfilling this task by automatically collecting, analyzing and reporting real-time data to infer irrigators’ practices and behaviors, crop water requirements, water applications and use. In this research, an automated irrigation water withdrawal and water use monitoring and data collection system was deployed to monitor actual irrigation dynamics for 31 commercial and large-scale agricultural production fields for three consecutive years. Production scale fields (representing a total of 1050 ha) included center pivot (P), gravity (surface/furrow) (G) and subsurface drip-irrigated (S) fields. On average, irrigation was initiated 40–70 days after planting (DAP) and terminated by 120–140 DAP. The proportion of irrigation systems operating simultaneously and peak water abstraction were highest (70–90 %) during July and August. Mean depth of water applied across all fields was 243, 264 and 284 mm in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Site-specific monitoring of precipitation, soil moisture, and evaporative demand and a soil-water balance model resulted in mean seasonal irrigation requirement estimates of 394, 242 and 184 mm, in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively; for maize; and 307, 163 and 219 mm in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, for soybean. Despite reduction of calculated mean irrigation requirement in 2014 and 2015 by 40–50 %, actual irrigation applications by producers did not change considerably and irrigation applied exceeded irrigation water requirements in 80 % of the fields, suggesting needs for irrigation water management technology implementation and associated educational programs in the region. Some fields showed irrigation applications exceeding the mean annual allocated (moratorium) irrigation depth (305 mm), implying that irrigation decisions are still largely driven by non-scientific and/or technical methods. While substantial farm-to-farm heterogeneity makes it challenging to robustly benchmarking regional water footprint and irrigator behavior, it also creates an opportunity for developing and implementing methodologies and strategies for real-time monitoring of farm-level irrigation dynamics. New advances in technologies with telemetry capabilities as well as internet of things (IoTs) can be leveraged to effectively create databases, track and compare water usage to better plan, allocate, distribute, monitor and manage limited water resources for enhancing agricultural productivity. These processes can also be used for education and demonstration for irrigation professionals to enhance adoption of such technologies. This research has the potential for technology and strategy transfer for advanced water management to other regions in the United States and globally.

The Unintended Side-Effects of a Major Development Strategy: Commercialization of Smallholder Production and Women Empowerment in Uganda

As many African countries promote commercial agricultural production, it is important to understand how this strategy influences the intra-household balance of power. Commercial crops are traditionally considered the domain of men, and women empowerment may suffer. We use a quasi-experimental design to address the relation between commercial production and women’s voice within the household in rural Uganda. We compare empowerment in households in an area targeted by a large program stimulating rice as a non-traditional cash crop with similar households elsewhere using double robust regression methods. We conclude that the commercialisation program had a significant negative effect on women empowerment in production and women’s control over income, while men’s empowerment in those domains increased. We find only weak effects for social empowerment. Based on these results, we recommend that policies and programs to stimulate commercial agricultural production among smallholder include a strong gender component.

As jy arm is, is jy fokol! – poverty, personalism, and development: farmworkers’ experiences of neoliberal South Africa

ABSTRACT Contemporary commercial agricultural production in the Western Cape bears the legacies of longstanding racialised paternalism. Attending to interpersonal interactions and expectations in this milieu, this paper interrogates the changing conceptions and experiences of poverty, personalism, and development among farmworkers in the neoliberal 2010s. Central to the analysis are two vignettes. The first captures interaction between an employer and an employee of a relatively progressive farming business, and the second presents the experiences of a woman farmworker with an empowerment project run by a non-governmental organisation. Both vignettes show how claims to develop or empower inadvertently affirm the disempowerment of those being developed or empowered, while the privileged status of those doing development remains unchallenged. The Afrikaans idiom of ‘as jy arm is, is jy fokol! [if you’re poor, you’re nothing]’ brings out the rawness of emotions, expressing a breach in promises of development, as a way out of poverty and powerlessness. Despite the nominal moral consensus over poverty reduction objectives and policies, the neoliberal economy of development in post-apartheid South Africa produces its own social and material inequalities. The burdens and humiliations resulting from changing character of inequalities manifest in interpersonal interactions, perpetuating feelings of worthlessness among the working poor.

ПРАВОВИЙ РЕЖИМ ЗЕМЕЛЬНИХ ДІЛЯНОК, СФОРМОВАНИХ У ПЕРІОД ДІЇ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The scientific paper is devoted to the study of the agricultural land plots legal regime formed from unallocated lands of state and communal property during martial law. The beginning of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine challenged in all spheres of life and required the implementation of immediate effective measures to counter on all fronts: military, social, informational, legal etc. Since the invasion, electronic registers containing any information that could harm Ukraine and its citizens, including the State Register of Immovable Property Rights and Encumbrances and the State Land Cadastre, have been closed, which in turn has made it impossible to conduct proceedings of agricultural activities under “prewar” legislation. Thematic justification of the research is based on the possibility of forming land plots as a qualitatively new object of civil rights, the features of which do not correspond to the doctrinably defined features of land plots. The purpose of the article is to analyze the effectiveness of the introduction of a special legal regime of land plots formed during the war in order to ensure food security. The author outlined the concept and characteristics of land plot and its registration systems, summarized and formulated the conditions and reasons for amending the Transitional Provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine, land fund, the subject of land formation, requirements for technical documentation on land management and features of the registration system regarding land plots. As a result of the study it was concluded that the legislator in the occupation of about 1/6 of Ukraine, lack of access to state registers, damage to agricultural land and the threat of disruption of sowing, provided the possibility of public authorities and local governments during martial law for ensuring food security of the state to form land plots under the simplified procedure from unallocated lands of state and communal property, information on which was not entered into the State Land Cadastre in order to lease them for commercial agricultural production.

Монеты, приписываемые к чекану Савмака и Савлака, как пример диалога культур в Северном Причерноморье в понтийский период

Our attention was drawn to the coins, whose obverse had an impression of Helios's head in profile or en face, while the reverse depicted the head of a bull, a pomegranate flower or a winged lightning, with a minted legend, the top line of which reads “BAH”, “ВАНЛ”, or “ВАІІЛЕ”, and the bottomline - “ZAY”. Despite centuries of research, the scholars still do not agree on their attribution. The fact is that the coins are are small, light and made of an alloy prone to corrosion. The scholars attribute them to the coinage of the Scythian Saumakos, mentioned in the Chersonesus decree in honor of Diophantus, or to the emission of Saulakos, a hypothetical king of Colchis, of whom nothing else is known. We argue that the coins under study were minted on behalf of Saumakos and use the iconographic material to substantiate our point of view. The images on the obverse and reverse of the coins were significant both for the Iranianspeaking nomads and for the population of the Hellenic policies of the Northern Black Sea region. The images of Helios on the obverse were seen as Mithra- Goitosuros, revered not only as the pan-Iranian god of the sun and sunlight, the guarantor of stability in the nomadic world, but also as a patron of the Mithridatids. The head of a bull and a pomegranate flower appeared on the coins as a sign of respect for the elite of Panticapaeum and the aristocracy of Scythian farmers, who organized commercial agricultural production, as well as for the population of Phanagoria. We believe that the winged lightning was a symbol of Verethragna, the formidable god of thunder and victory. As is can be seen, the Saumakos coins are a vivid example of the dialogue of cultures in the Northern Black Sea region and Taurica at the turn of 1st century BCE, which is reflected in the religious and cultural syncretism of local residents, both Hellenes and barbarians.