Yes / Wood farming is one of the strategies of agricultural development programs to reform unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Poplar is one of the known species for wood farming in the country. This species is fast-growing and has numerous Colognes has the ability to adapt to different climatic conditions. Fast growth, good economic returns and traditional agricultural knowledge, favorable habitat to agriculture are advantages of poplar for agricultural development. However, the result of previous studies indicates existing barriers to the development of plantation and its development need strategic planning. What seem essential today are strategies to overcome these obstacles. Accordingly, this present study with a holistic view trying to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of poplar farming. And the most appropriate strategies for the development of poplar farming in Urmia have offered. This research was a Field study and conducted using questionnaires. In this study, strategies were defined using SWOT analysis and the strategies were prioritized using analysis network process. The results showed the history of poplar farming in this region is the most important benefit to development and the many uses for poplar wood is the next priority. Increasingly replacement of poplar farming with alternative cultures is one of the main weaknesses of poplar farming development in this region. After that long return of profitability in poplar farming is the second priority. The most important opportunities for the development were the development of credit specialists to support of poplar farming and the most important threat was lack of annual financing of farmers. Also the results of strategic prioritization showed, Modern irrigation methods to reduce water consumption and planning to teach correct principles of technical planting, farming and harvesting are considered as the most important strategies.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Food and Business Economics." Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-127).

Slakthusområdet, a historically significant slaughterhouse district in Stockholm, stands as a testament to the dynamic nature of urban landscapes, characterized by the relentless tide of rapid urban change. Over the years, this district has undergone multiple transformations, mirroring the shifting needs and aspirations of the city. Currently, Slakthusområdet finds itself on the cusp of yet another metamorphosis, as a proposal takes shape to rejuvenate the area into a vibrant hub that seamlessly integrates housing, workplaces, commerce, services, and green spaces.Traditionally, Slakthusområdet served as a focal point for the slaughter and meat packaging industry, bearing witness to the relentless rhythm of production. However, the winds of change blow through the district once again, igniting a collective imagination that envisions its potential to become a sustainable and culturally diverse urban food production system. This transformative project seeks to explore new frontiers in food production, harnessing the possibilities offered by emerging technologies and innovative practices.Among the innovative modes of food production to be integrated into the fabric of Slakthusområdet are insect farming, vertical farming, and lab-based food production. By embracing these cutting-edge approaches, the project aims to revolutionize the way food is grown, cultivated, and distributed within the urban context. The district's existing buildings, with their deep-rooted historical significance, will be preserved and thoughtfully integrated with new construction, forming a dynamic juxtaposition of the old and the new. This fusion of heritage and modernity will serve as a powerful metaphor, embodying the district's journey of transformation and adaptation.Drawing inspiration from Slakthusområdet's rich history, the project seeks to unlock its hidden potential by interweaving food production with other essential elements of urban life. Housing, cultural organizations, and public spaces will converge harmoniously, creating a tapestry of activity and fostering a sense of community. By embracing a holistic approach to urban planning, the project aspires to create a new identity for Slakthusområdet that transcends the boundaries of a traditional urban district. By blending the realms of food production, sustainable living, and cultural vibrancy, Slakthusområdet can become a beacon of inspiration and a model for resilient, inclusive urban environments. The integration of emerging food production methods within an urban fabric is a novel endeavor with the potential to reshape our cities, fostering self-sufficiency, reducing environmental impacts, and promoting social cohesion.In conclusion, the proposed redevelopment of Slakthusområdet signifies a pivotal moment in the district's storied history. By embracing a vision that interweaves sustainable food production, housing, cultural organizations, and public spaces, the project strives to carve a new path forward. Through this transformation, Slakthusområdet can emerge as a shining example of urban regeneration, one that transcends its historical legacy and embraces the challenges and opportunities of the future. As the project sets in motion, its impact on urban design and planning practices will reverberate far beyond the boundaries of Stockholm, inspiring the cities of tomorrow to cultivate resilience, foster inclusivity, and nurture sustainable urban ecosystems.

No description available.

There is growing evidence that the way that the world produces and consumes food needs to change. There is growing public awareness of serious environmental threats (e.g. global warming, loss of biodiversity and pollution) as well as social concerns (e.g. poverty, inequality and food security). It is necessary for global agriculture to rethink its approach to food production and to find new ways of producing food that can meet the demands of the growing world population and at the same time reduce the environmental degradation caused by farming. So called green revolution technologies, resulting in high intensity, high input agriculture are damaging the very resources on which agriculture depends; soil and water. Research reveals current conventional practices to be unsustainable. There is a growing recognition, arising from the creation of new knowledge and the development of deeper understanding, that this change is necessary and urgent. Organic (or ecological) farming has emerged as a more beneficial way of producing food from a social and environmental perspective. Demand for, and production of, organic food grew steadily in the second half of the twentieth century and has increased dramatically in the twenty first century. This can largely be ascribed to social learning processes. This growth is not yet reflected in South African agriculture. Given the advantages of organic agriculture, it is necessary to consider how to accelerate its expansion. Understanding the social learning processes of organic farmers and using learning histories are useful tools to create a better understanding of how this can be achieved. The objective of this dissertation is to make use of four social learning frameworks to enhance the understanding of the social learning dynamic of organic farmers by: • Using existing baseline data from a survey of the organic farming sector to draw out the learning histories. • Developing an understanding of four social learning frameworks. • Combining the learning histories and the understanding of social learning frameworks to form a deeper understanding of the social learning dynamics in the South African organic agricultural sector. A literature review of the organic sector and of four learning frameworks (profound change, conversion of knowledge, deeper learning, and the pedagogy of adult social learning) is used to develop an understanding of the essence of organic agriculture and how people learn. Information from a survey of organic farmers in South Africa, is used to impregnate the learning frameworks in order to develop an understanding of how organic farmers in South Africa are learning Open-ended questions from the survey are analysed and interpreted based on the understanding of learning frameworks. Selected statements that reflect social learning are highlighted, incorporated into the learning frameworks and discussed to better understand how organic farmers are learning. The analysis indicates that a high proportion of organic farmers are social learners. The four frameworks demonstrate that many organic farmers see their role as more than just providers of food. They also see themselves as custodians of the land with a deep concern for the environment. Fewer organic farmers demonstrate an understanding of social issues. Those that did showed a clear understanding of the need to integrate social considerations into food production. Networking and sharing of learning are important methods of knowledge creation among organic farmers as a result of the limited research and support for organic farmers in South Africa. Recommendations to accelerate and understand the learning by organic farmers and consumers are provided. Future research is suggested in order to investigate how to assist organic and conventional farmers to better understand learning, identify how learning can be enhanced or retarded, and actively engage in learning that facilitates knowledge creation. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Commercial farming of mud crab Scylla serrata is a significant industry throughout South East Asia. The limited scientific knowledge of mud crab nutritional requirements and digestive processes, however, is recognised as a major constraint to the future growth of this industry. To better understand the mechanisms of digestion in the mud crab we have analysed the diversity of digestive enzymes from the hepatopancreas. Significant protease, amylase,cellulase and xylanase activities were detected in soluble extracts from this organ. Temperature profiles for all enzymes were basically similar with optimal activities observed at 500C. Examination of pH tolerance revealed optimal activities for protease and amylase at pH 7.0 while optimal activities for cellulase and xylanase were observed at pH 5.5. Under optimum conditions,protease and amylase activities were approximately two orders of magnitude greater than those seen for either cellulase or xylanase. Interestingly, hepatopancreatic extracts were able to liberate glucose from either starch or carboxymethyl (CM)-cellulose suggesting that a range of carbohydrates may be utilised as energy sources. The effects of dietary carbohydrates on feed digestibility, digestive enzyme levels and growth were also studied by inclusion of additional starch or CM-cellulose at the expense of casein in formulated diets. It was shown that amylase, cellulase and xylanase activities in extracts from the hepatopancreas were highest in mud crabs fed diets containing 47% carbohydrate. Based on the findings, we suggest that the ability of the mud crab to modulate digestive enzyme activities may represent a mechanism to maximise access to essential nutrients when the dietary profile changes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate risk management strategies and decision support tools that might be useful to dryland farmers in southwest Queensland to improve their decision making. This topic was chosen because there has been little previous work done to examine the sources of risk faced by farmers in that area, the practical risk management strategies employed by these farmers, or their interests in and attitudes towards risk management. This study adopted an action-learning approach to present farmers with opportunities to use various tools that might help to manage the range of risks affecting their farm management. The study was designed to test farmers’ interests in existing tools, or the potential for developing new tools, to assist dryland farmers in southwest Queensland improve their risk management. The thesis is presented in three parts including an introduction to the study and an extensive review of the relevant literature on decision making and risk management (Part I), an overview of the area in southwest Queensland where this study was focused and the various research methods used in this study (Part II). Part III comprises four chapters reporting results and presents the conclusions from the study. The thesis also reviews the advantages and disadvantages mentioned in the literature about decision support systems (DSS) in Australian agriculture and examines some programming and simulation models that can be applied to risk management in agriculture. The research methods used in this study included a literature review, interviews, focus group discussions, an ‘expert’ survey, training workshops for farmers, and evaluation techniques. The observations and reflections from the preliminary inquiries identified soil moisture management and crop choice as the critical issues concerning dryland farmers in southwest Queensland when dealing with crop production risks. Those discussions suggested possibilities for developing a decision support tool to help farmers in the study area assess their planting options. In developing the options for a decision support tool for planting decisions, a series of workshops was conducted with farmers in the study area, while some observations of farmers who attended similar workshops in adjacent areas are also reported. These workshops provided the opportunity for participants to experience some existing risk management and decision support tools. They were also designed to collect inputs to develop an appropriate decision support tool for crop planting decisions. A ‘Key to dryland planting decisions’ for farmers in southwest Queensland was developed and the personal experiences and lessons that the author has learnt through the course of this research are reported. The thesis enhances the understanding of farmers’ attitudes to risk, contemporary risk management strategies, and decision supports tools used in agriculture. This research has contributed to knowledge in the following ways. It has presented a methodological framework for doing research of this type. This study has identified the different sources of risk faced by dryland farmers in southwest Queensland and the practical risk management strategies they employ. The research has introduced those farmers to some existing risk management and decision support tools. The research has contributed more specifically to improving their management decisions by developing a decision support tool that could help dryland farmers in southwest Queensland make better informed and more appropriate planting decisions in the very uncertain and risky conditions with which they have to cope.

The impact of Automatic Section Control (ASC) as a tool of Precision Agricultural Technology as considered in the more efficient application of inputs to produce the four major crops, corn, soybean, HRSW, and canola in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole Region. Reduction in machinery overlap in the sample 105 fields was calculated by simulating the routing paths of a 60-feet wide planter with 24 sections controlled and a 120-feet wide boom sprayer with individual nozzle control. The dollar and percentage seed and chemical costs that a farm can save by reducing overlapping area were calculated. Impact of field parameters on net savings were estimated by developing and estimating an econometric model. Results show that ASC can save substantial cost in the sample fields while field shape had the highest significant impact on net cost savings. / North Dakota State University. Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics

There is a remarkable growth in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Developing Countries (DCs). Telecommunication is one of the areas where ICT is recording an ongoing rapid change. Mobile phones are becoming pervasive in daily scenario; and among the beneficiaries of this are farmers. Farmers are using mobile phones in executing their farming business and daily life. At the same time, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are also showing a result in developed part of our world. WSNs potential in sensing various environmental condition, their affordability and applicability motivated conducting of this master thesis. Therefore, the objective of conducting this master thesis is to investigate and identify how the use of mobile phones in conjunction with WSN enable farmers in Ethiopia monitor and control their farm field. We use firsthand qualitative data we gathered during our field work in Ethiopia to design our proposed prototype. Functional requirements and system design guideless are obtained from observation we make and interviews we carry out on irrigation based farmers around town of Meki in region of Oromia. We use our prototype to demonstrate and evaluate how irrigation based farmers benefit from existence of such system.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries