Agricultural Research For Development Research Articles

Resilience of innovation platforms within armed conflicts: the case of integrated agricultural research for development from North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo

The North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has sporadically, and more recently, been disrupted by ethenic wars. These wars have caused displacement of people and destruction of economic resources in the Province. Many development initiatives have been arrested and others completely derailed. The Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program moved into the Province in 2008 and established four innovation platforms (IPs) under Integrated Agricultural Research for Development concepts, in Masisi and Rutshuru districts. The objective of this study was to identify mechanisms and strategies used by IPs to continue operating in amidst of wars and limited partner support. It is clear that the IAR4D concepts are functional even in times of conflicts, and without interventions of partners. The involvement of local authorities in the activities of IPs helped to preserve the property of the latter. The various mechanisms that were put in place to ensure continuity of IP activities included regular meetings at the antennae (sub-IP) levels, adoption of perennial crops to fight crop-raiding, moving seed stocks storage into more secure environments, solidarity among members of the IP and establishment of a communication system for securing people and property among others. It is observed that the IAR4D concept is a practical framework and a model for development of agricultural research for impact and provides a means of resilience that strengthens the cohesion of the population even in situations of conflicts.Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program

Addressing gender in agricultural research for development in the face of a changing climate: where are we and where should we be going?

ABSTRACTAgricultural development efforts that do not address persistent gender gaps miss opportunities for greater impact. This synthesis reflects on key findings from integrated quantitative and qualitative analyses at the nexus of gender, agricultural development, and climate change. Linked farm household-, intrahousehold-, community-, and institutional-level data highlight significant and nuanced gender differences in adaptive capacity of individuals and communities to respond to climate change. The gender gap is also substantial in exposure to climate change and its impacts, and uptake of new practices that lower vulnerability. Women in agriculture will remain largely neglected by information and service providers unless their differing needs, access to, and control over resources are considered at policy and project design stage. Yet clear guidelines for addressing the needs of both men and women in different environments and agricultural systems are still lacking. Participatory ‘action research’ approaches with a focus on co-learning, and using innovative cell phone or social media-based approaches offer exciting new opportunities. Agricultural development decision-makers and project designers need to ‘design with gender in mind’. Equipping them with tools and knowledge of innovative gender-transformative practices and intervention options and creating accountability for serving women and men will be key.

Preliminary Research on the Wheat Pests and on Their Integrated Control during 2015-2016, at Agricultural Research-Development Station Turda

In Transylvania, the evolution of wheat insect pests is strongly influenced by the ecotehnological conditions, by climate change and current technology (Malschi, 2009 Malschi et al., 2015). The paper presents the dynamics and importance of the main pests of wheat (thrips, aphids, leafhoppers, wheat flies, cereals sunbugs, investigated under the integrated pest control system suitable of the area. During 2015-2016, the investigations were conducted at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, from the wheat no tillage cultural system with cereal rotation of three years and applying all zonal recommendations of technology and phytosanitary complex. The pest monitoring was performed based on the samples collected with entomological net, by decadal 100 sweep-net catches/sample. The study data shows the danger of the attack of abundant populations of wheat flies (Phorbia securis, Delia coarctata, Opomyza florum, Oscinella frit etc.; wheat fleas (Chaetocnema aridula) and cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopa); leafhoppers (Psammotettix alienus, Javesella pellucida, Macrosteles laevis); aphids (Sitobion avenae, Schizaphis graminum, Rhopalosiphum padi); thrips (Haplothrips tritici), sunbugs (Eurygaster maura, Aelia acuminata) etc., and the necessity of applying insecticide treatments on the vegetation.Since 2015, a stronger impact of global warming on the wheat pests structure (%) are found. This change began on the last ten years. The importance of cereal sunbugs is increasing, well as the importance of the wheat flies, aphids and leafhoppers, which requires professional study on the pest dynamics and adequate integrated control of wheat pests.

A new professionalism for agricultural research for development

ABSTRACTThere have been repeated calls for a ‘new professionalism’ for carrying out agricultural research for development since the 1990s. At the centre of these calls is a recognition that for agricultural research to support the capacities required to face global patterns of change and their implications on rural livelihoods, requires a more systemic, learning focused and reflexive practice that bridges epistemologies and methodologies. In this paper, we share learning from efforts to mainstream such an approach through a large, multi-partner CGIAR research program working in aquatic agricultural systems. We reflect on four years of implementing research in development (RinD), the program’s approach to the new professionalism. We highlight successes and challenges and describe the key characteristics that define the approach. We conclude it is possible to build a program on a broader approach that embraces multidisciplinarity and engages with stakeholders in social-ecological systems. Our experience also suggests caution is required to ensure there is the time, space and appropriate evaluation methodologies in place to appreciate outcomes different to those to which conventional agricultural research aspires.

Targeting resilience and profitability in African smallholder agriculture: Insights from ICRISAT-led research programs

We reviewed the strategy for Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) adopted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The objective was to examine ICRISAT’s research strategy related to the twin challenges of resilience and profitability in developing technologies aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the drylands of Africa. To do this, we examined the expected impact on resilience and profitability of its present program and the realized impact of ICRISAT’s previous research. We argue that the current CGIAR Research Programs led by ICRISAT envisage separate product lines for resilience and profitability, targeted at two groups, i.e., subsistence- and market-oriented smallholders. This approach, expected to make technology more appropriate for farmers’ needs, risks overlooking the interconnectedness of the two targets if they are too rigorously separated. Although our review of ICRISAT’s previous research program suggests that success stories have taken numerous forms—some increasing resilience, others profitability—our review also suggests that it is possible to develop win–win technologies that improve both targets. Finding ways to replicate win–win technologies will require that ICRISAT tests the resulting technologies and their implementation in specific contexts to improve and replace them as the research programs evolve.

Compositional dynamics of multilevel innovation platforms in agricultural research for development

Innovation platforms (IPs) form a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D) to facilitate stakeholder interaction, agenda setting, and collective action toward sustainable Agricultural development. In this article, we analyze multilevel stakeholder engagement in fulfilling seven key innovation system functions. Data are gathered from experiences with interlinked community and (sub)national IPs established under a global AR4D program aimed at stimulating sustainable agricultural development in Central Africa. Our findings show that all innovation systems functions required multilevel action, but that fulfillment of specific functions demands for strategic involvement of specific stakeholders at specific levels. We observed that a research- and dissemination-oriented sequence in the functions was prioritized in AR4D IPs and argue that such a sequence may be different in other types of (business) IPs. Our findings provide an incentive to think function oriented about compositional dynamics (stakeholder groups * levels) in innovation processes, rather than striving for equal stakeholder participation.

Holger L. Frohlich, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Karl Stahr, and Gerhard Clemens, eds. Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Southeast Asia: Innovations and Policies for Mountainous Areas. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer, 2013, x+490pp.

Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Southeast Asia: Innovations and for Mountainous Areas Holger L. Frohlich, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Karl Stahr, and Gerhard Clemens, eds. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer, 2013, x+490pp.There is no promising way of sustainably farming sloping land in a market-oriented economy. Farmers are usually required to offer competitive prices and quality of agricultural products in order to survive in the market. That forces them to increase agricultural production, which in turn leaves them no choice apart from sedentary agriculture and land use intensification. Changes in farming system and land use usually entail degradation of sloping land, because in arable land the outflows of soil, its nutritional content, and water exceed their inflows. Preventing or mitigating land degradation, along with keeping products competitive, is the central problem in agricultural development. Although the issue seems to be straightforward, several factors-from a range of ecological to cultural settings-are intricately tangled. This is likely to be one of the reasons why many agricultural development projects have not been as successful as expected. This volume is a result of the Uplands Program, which is an agricultural development project in northern Thailand and northern Vietnam to help solve the problem.The objectives of this volume as outlined in Chapter 1 are as follows: first, to investigate drivers, consequences, and challenges of change mainly in land use and agricultural intensification; second, to describe how technology-based innovation processes can address the challenges; and third, to describe how knowledge creation can support changes in policies and institutions. The volume is divided into four parts, an introduction followed by one part for each of the objectives: Part 1, Overview and Synthesis; Part 2, Environmental and Social Challenges; Part 3, Technology-Based Innovation Processes; and Part 4, Policies and Institutional Innovations.This project assumes that four drivers of change from traditional swidden cultivation to permanent field cultivation, mainly cash crops, are: economic development, policy change, introduction of new technologies, and population growth. As a result, as discussed in Part 2, mainly due to annual cash crop cultivation, soil erosion increases and pesticide-contaminated water runs off to the valley bottom (Chapters 3 and 4). In other words, sloping land is becoming a region where crops do not grow, and the watershed is getting to be contaminated by pesticide. To keep the soil environment usable as arable land, appropriate soil management is necessary. So, Karl Stahr et al. examine methodologies for making soil maps at a low cost (Chapter 2). Camille Saint-Macary et al. confirm that poverty is associated with land degradation since poor people have limited capital to invest in long-term soil conservation (Chapter 5). In Part 3, techniques of appropriate water use in sloping land cultivation (Chapter 6), effective cropping systems for soil conservation (Chapter 7), and profitability improvement in aquaculture carried out at the bottom of the valley (Chapter 8) are examined. The authors conclude that, technically speaking, there is potential to improve the farming system on sloping land in a way that is compatible with soil conservation and an increase in income. In Part 4, the authors examine and develop numerical models that may be helpful in predicting farmers' responses to a decline in soil fertility and/or conservation activities (Chapter 10). In development studies and agricultural development research, the participatory approach has been thought to be a better way to transfer scientific knowledge and techniques to farmers than the top-down approach. However, the participatory approach has not worked as well as expected, and it is now widely recognized that the approach is inappropriate in some cases. In Chapter 9 Andreas Neef et al. …

Promoting production and marketing of root crops in southern Africa in a changing climate using integrated agricultural research for development (iar4d) pathway

Climate change is expected to have adverse impacts on smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on rain-fed agriculture. In fact, climate change is expected to continue to pose a serious threat to agriculture in southern Africa as annual rainfall amounts are expected to decline and temperatures are expected to increase. Studies show that the impacts will depend on the extent of smallholder farmers’ adaptation in response to climate change and variability. However, despite numerous extension efforts and repeated past maize crop failures, smallholder farmers in southern Africa continue to show preference to maize over other drought resistant crops. The low rate of adoption of drought resistant crops in response to the changing climate has been blamed on the linear non-participatory manner in which agricultural research and development efforts are organised. The present study seeks to establish whether reorganising research and development in an integrated manner known as Integrated Agricultural Research for Development – (IAR4D) would contribute towards the adoption of drought resistant crops and also improve household incomes. The study used cross-sectional household survey data collected from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi to determine the local average treatment effect of adopting drought resistant crops (in this case root and tuber crops) on household income. A multistage sampling technique was used to sample 600 households from the three countries. The data was collected as part of an end-line survey in the proof of IAR4D concept from conventional, treatment and control sites in each of the three countries. Results from the analysis show that smallholders in IAR4D villages which produced and sold root and tuber crops had higher household incomes than farmers who did not produce and sell these crops. The results also show that smallholder farmers who participated in IAR4D activities adopted roots and tuber crops to militate against the effects of climate change and variability. The study concluded that IAR4D could effectively deal with institutional and technical issues that constrain smallholders from adapting to climate change and variability. Furthermore, climate change adaptation strategies could be easily promoted using an integrated agricultural research for development approach. Key words : Climate, adaptation, marketing, agriculture, innovations Roots and tubers, Southern Africa, IAR4D

Social network analysis of multi-stakeholder platforms in agricultural research for development: Opportunities and constraints for innovation and scaling

Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) are seen as a promising vehicle to achieve agricultural development impacts. By increasing collaboration, exchange of knowledge and influence mediation among farmers, researchers and other stakeholders, MSPs supposedly enhance their ‘capacity to innovate’ and contribute to the ‘scaling of innovations’. The objective of this paper is to explore the capacity to innovate and scaling potential of three MSPs in Burundi, Rwanda and the South Kivu province located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to do this, we apply Social Network Analysis and Exponential Random Graph Modelling (ERGM) to investigate the structural properties of the collaborative, knowledge exchange and influence networks of these MSPs and compared them against value propositions derived from the innovation network literature. Results demonstrate a number of mismatches between collaboration, knowledge exchange and influence networks for effective innovation and scaling processes in all three countries: NGOs and private sector are respectively over- and under-represented in the MSP networks. Linkages between local and higher levels are weak, and influential organisations (e.g., high-level government actors) are often not part of the MSP or are not actively linked to by other organisations. Organisations with a central position in the knowledge network are more sought out for collaboration. The scaling of innovations is primarily between the same type of organisations across different administrative levels, but not between different types of organisations. The results illustrate the potential of Social Network Analysis and ERGMs to identify the strengths and limitations of MSPs in terms of achieving development impacts.

New Paradigms to Help Solve the Global Aquaculture Disease Crisis.

The authors (GDS, KS) acknowledge funding administered by the British Council under the Newton Fund Researcher Links Programme, for a UK-Thailand bilateral workshop entitled Scientific, technological and social solutions for sustainable aquaculture in Thailand: a key player in global aquatic food supply, Bangkok, March 2016. Further funding support is acknowledged from the European Commission (EC) and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under contracts C6928 and FB002 (to GDS and DB); from the Royal Society under a University Research Fellowship (to BAPW); and to the Agricultural Research Development Agency (ARDA) and National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) (to KS, TWF, and OI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Responding to global change: A theory of change approach to making agricultural research for development outcome-based

Agricultural research for development has made important contributions to poverty reduction and food security over the last 40years. Nevertheless, it is likely that both the speed of global change and its impacts on natural and socio-economic systems are being under-estimated. Coupled with the moral imperative to justify the use of public resources for which there are multiple, competing claims, research for development needs to become more effective and efficient in terms of contributing towards longer-term development goals. Currently there is considerable debate about the ways in which this may be achieved. Here we describe an approach based on theory of change. This includes a monitoring, evaluation and learning system that combines indicators of progress in research along with indicators of change aimed at understanding the factors that enable or inhibit the behavioural changes that can bring about development impacts. Theory of change represents our best understanding of how engagement and learning can enable change as well as how progress towards outcomes might be measured. We describe the application of this approach and highlight some key lessons learned. Although robust evidence is currently lacking, a theory of change approach appears to have considerable potential to achieve impacts that balance the drive to generate new knowledge in agricultural research with the priorities and urgency of the users and beneficiaries of research results, helping to bridge the gap between knowledge generation and development outcomes.

Agricultural extension, research, and development for increased food security: the need for public-private sector partnerships in South Africa

The challenges of food security and agricultural development in South Africa cannot simply be solved by limiting extension and research development to the public sector. However, if shortcomings arise in the public sector while addressing extension, research and development, the potential involvement of the private sector is increased. The current lack of public and private partnerships (PPPs) in extension, research and development increase the difficulty of solving the food security challenges in South Africa. The current study investigated the role of extension and research as processes for the development for sustainable food security, and the need for developing PPP’s in South Africa. The study is based on a comprehensive theoretical review of available literature and government policies. Analysis of the data collected revealed that the improvement of agricultural production, with the goal of sustainable food security, in South Africa, might not be achieved without an effective agricultural extension service that is strongly linked to research. It was also found that public sector extension work is a necessity for the growth of the industry, but is limited by inadequate resources, bureaucratic work and the multidimensional work requirements. A need has been identified by the government to encourage the participation from the private sector in agricultural extension and research development. Keywords: Food security, development, extension, research, public-private partnerships

Agricultural research in the Global South: Steering research beyond impact promises

The impacts of agricultural research for development are long-term and very diverse – positive, unexpected, sometimes negative. To assess and understand these impacts, ImpresS, a participatory evaluation method that incorporates the viewpoints of actors on the ground, was tested on 13 research case studies conducted by CIRAD and its partners in different countries. The central conclusion is that research institutions and their funders need to change their practices if they wish to achieve long-term impacts at scale. For research, this means accepting to play multiple roles, collaborating with innovation and policy actors, fostering learning, and developing explicit hypothetical but plausible ex ante impact pathways. For sponsors and funders, it implies considering a wider range of impacts, planning action in the long term, fostering articulation between projects with similar goals, and supporting adaptive learning and management.

DO MATURE INNOVATION PLATFORMS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT? A META-ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES

SUMMARYInnovation Platforms (IPs) have become a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D). The IP promise is that integrating scientific and local knowledge results in innovations that can have impact at scale. Many studies have uncovered how IPs work in various countries, value chains and themes. The conclusion is clear: IPs generate enthusiasm and can bring together stakeholders to effectively address specific problems and achieve ‘local’ impact. However, few studies focus on ‘mature’ IPs and whether or not these achieve impact at a ‘higher’ scale: address systems trade-offs to guide decision making, focus on integration of multiple commodities, reach a large number of beneficiaries and learn from their failures. This study evaluates the impact of mature IPs in AR4D by analysing the success factors of eight case studies across three continents. Although we found pockets of IP success and impact, these were rarely achieved at scale. We therefore critically question the use of IPs as a technology dissemination and scaling mechanism in AR4D programs that aim to benefit the livelihoods of many farmers in developing countries. Nevertheless, we do find that IPs can fulfil an important role in AR4D. If the IP processes are truly demand-driven, participatory and based on collective investment and action, they have the ability to bring together committed stakeholders, and result in innovations that are technically sound, locally adapted, economically feasible for farmers, and socially, culturally and politically acceptable. Several of our cases show that if these IPs are firmly embedded in other public and private extension mechanisms and networks, they can allow the technologies or other types of innovations to scale out beyond the original IP scope, geographical focus or target audience. We see a need for more rigorous, accurate and continuous measurement of IP performance which can contribute to adaptive management of IPs, better understanding of ‘what works’ in terms of process design and facilitation, as well as to cost-benefit analysis of IPs as compared to other approaches that aim to contribute to agricultural development.

Studies Concerning the Quality of Felix Soybean Breed

Soy protein is the most inexpensive source of high-nutritional quality protein and therefore is the world’s predominant commercially available vegetable protein. In order to keep this levels of fat and proteins at higher standards studies need to be develop in order to highlight the factors affecting soybean quality. The aim of our research was to analyse the variations in soybean protein and fat content and thru this to highlight the optimum management of nutrients for achieving high quality soy products. The experimental field was placed in the Agricultural Research Development Turda (ARDS) in 2013. The biological material consists in a genotype of soybean created at ARDS Turda – Felix variety. The experimental plots were installed after the subdivided parcel method and were fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers in 4 different doses. In order to accomplish our goal we followed soy content in protein and fat under the influence of the inputs applied. Analysing the data recorded we observed a low influence of the experimental factors on soybean seeds content in fat substances. In the same time the protein content varies significantly under the influence of the technological inputs applied. The highest increases in protein content are achieved when organic fertilizer is applied. The results showed an interesting evolution of soybean chemical content under the influence of differentiated fertilization and also some interesting correlation between chemical content and some production indexes.

Mediating boundaries between knowledge and knowing

This article reflects critically on the use of a wiki as a data repository for knowledge transfer and as a mediating technical platform for social learning in the context of a multi-country programme of agricultural research for development. The wiki was designed to foster sustainable social learning and an emergent community of practice among biophysical and social researchers acting for the first time as co-researchers. Over time, the technologically mediated element of the learning system was judged to have failed. The article is based on an inquiry that asked ‘How can learning system design cultivate learning opportunities and respond to learning challenges in an online environment to support research for development practice?’ The article also considers the wider context and institutional setting in which the knowledge work took place.

Integrated agricultural research for development (IAR4D) from a theory of change perspective

It is now more than a decade since integrated agricultural research for development (IAR4D) was proposed as a “new approach” or “set of good practices” for organising research to address complex problems of agricultural development, food security and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.Since then, there have been efforts to investigate its impact in comparison to traditional research and development approaches. Although a growing number of publications are testifying to positive impacts of IAR4D and related agricultural research for development (AR4D) approaches, there has been limited explicit attention on its underpinning Theories of Change – the mechanisms or pathways by which it brings about impact. With the aim of contributing to a more robust grounding of the theory of change of IAR4D, this paper uses a comprehensive review of literature on IAR4D and related work experience of the authors in East and West Africa to critically engage with the implicit and explicit explanations and pathways for how and why IAR4D helps to achieve impact.This paper finds four emerging impact pathways focused on (1) market linkage, (2) social capital, (3) institutional change or (4) innovation capacity as critical mediating factors. Acknowledging articulation of each of these mediating pathways as encouraging progress, the article suggests putting these together in an integrated theory of change that also draws on established theories such as Multi-Level Perspective (Geels, 2005) and theory of adaptive change (Holling et al., 2002) to provide clear guidance and tools for designing and implementing effective AR4D interventions.

Assessing the impacts of cassava technology on poverty reduction in Africa

In Africa, there have been successes in cassava research in terms of the development of production technologies, particularly improved varieties with high yield potential. The study addresses the question of whether and to what extent adoption of improved cassava varieties has led to rural poverty reduction in four African countries, namely Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Data for the study come from a household survey conducted in the above-mentioned countries through a multinational-CGIAR support to agricultural research for development of strategic crops (SARD-SC) project in Africa. Given the observational nature of the data, a parametric approach (endogenous switching regression model) is applied. The results indicate that the model detects selectivity bias. Accounting for the bias, we find that adoption of cassava technology has resulted in an approximately 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate. Given an adoption rate of 34 per cent and a 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate, an estimated 24,309 households (equivalent to 194,469 individuals) have managed to move out of poverty in these four countries as a result of adoption of the technology. We also find that adoption of the technology has benefitted non-poor and female-headed households, relative to poor and male-headed households. The results present important evidence in favour of promoting cassava technology in a targeted fashion as part of an effective poverty reduction and sustained agricultural growth strategy in Africa. Considering the large realised and even more pronounced potential impacts of the adoption of cassava technology on poverty reduction, it is vital that regional and global development organisations should continue supporting the existing cassava improvement programme to sustain the technology development efforts in the continent.

효율적인 농림업 위성관측을 위한 탑재체 기술사양 분석

위성은 지난 반세기 동안 활동영역을 넓혀왔고, 향후에 추가 발사될 것으로 전망됨에 따라 위성 탑재체 개발에 대한 연구는 활발히 증가될 것으로 예측된다. 특히 지구관측 위성은 사용 목적과 수요에 따라 다양한 분야에서 활용되고 있으며 각 활용분야에 따른 적합한 탑재체 제원이 필요하다. 한반도의 경우 국토의 85%가 산림 및 농경지로 분포되어 있어 농림업 분야에서의 활용이 가장 활발할 것으로 예측할 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 향후 농림업분야에서 국내 지형을 효율적으로 관측하기 위한 위성 탑재체 기술을 분석하였다. 이를 위해 국내 사용자들이 농림업분야에 위성영상을 활용한 사례를 조사하여 관측 탑재체의 기술특성에 대해 분석하였다. 또한 국내외에서 농림업분야에 활용되고 있는 지구관측 위성 탑재체의 개발 현황과 향후 국내 지형을 효율적으로 관측하기 위한 기술사양을 분석하였다. 이를 바탕으로 관측폭 조정과 탑재체 관측 운용 형태에 따른 위성 모의 운용실험을 수행하였다. 본 연구 내용은 향후 농림업 위성이 개발에 앞서 기술적 참고 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. Over the past half century, satellites have continuously expanded their roles in remote sensing applications. As the number of satellites to be launched are expected to continuously increase in coming years, the research on satellite payloads will be in high demands. Earth Observation (EO) satellites are nowadays widely utilized for various purposes. Especially, Agriculture and forestry applications are considered as their major application areas. Since about 85% of domestic land cover is classified as forest or cropland areas, it would be reasonable to suggest that the demand for these satellites should be of high priority. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis is performed on the technical specifications of satellite payloads that may be applicable to agricultural applications. We attempted to build a solid database on payload specifications by collecting relevant information available from various related institutes and academic research works. A number of experts involved in national agricultural research and satellite development programs have been invited to investigate required payload design. Based on the current technology development status and future plan, multiple options for future satellite payload designs have been suggested bearing in mind that the results may be applicable to the future agriculture and forestry satellite payload design. The proposed payload specifications are analyzed in depth through satellite operation simulations under the mission of observing the national agriculture areas. The proposed design scheme and simulation results may be used as technical references to satellite payload design for future space missions.

Size-selective catch in tropical tuna purse seine fishery in the Eastern Indian Ocean: Assessment on new selectivity model for purse seine net

Authors would like to thank Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) for providing the fishing data. Kyushu Chuou Uoichi Co., Ltd., Kagoshima, Japan, is appreciated for supporting our fish measurement. This study is supported by a scholarship from the Agricultural Research Development Agency (ARDA), Thailand. Our sincere appreciation is extended to Dr. Shiela Villamor who kindly checked the English of this manuscript.