Adoption and economic impact of improved wheat varieties in the developing world

2006 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. DIXON ◽  
L. NALLEY ◽  
P. KOSINA ◽  
R. LA ROVERE ◽  
J. HELLIN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Impact ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Improved Varieties ◽  
The Past ◽  
Genetically Improved

During the past century wheat breeders have produced a large number of genetically improved wheat lines and varieties. This activity has led to widespread adoption of improved varieties, a steady increase in average wheat yields during the past 4–5 decades and major contributions to food security and poverty reduction. The rate of generation and adoption of improved varieties, and therefore the time lag from varietal release to widespread use, varies across regions. The remarkable success of wheat improvement hinges on the decisions of millions of farmers to adopt, or replace older wheat varieties with superior material. The present paper summarizes studies on the determinants of adoption. Because adoption is a necessary but not sufficient condition for economic impact, the present paper synthesizes key assessments of impact from different farming systems in developing countries.

The changing role of agriculture in Dutch society

2009 ◽  
Vol 147 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. MEERBURG ◽  
H. KOREVAAR ◽  
D. K. HAUBENHOFER ◽  
M. BLOM-ZANDSTRA ◽  
H. VAN KEULEN
Keyword(s):  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Dutch Society ◽  
The Past ◽  
Alternative Farming

SUMMARYDutch agriculture has undergone significant changes in the past century, similar to many countries in the European Union. Due to economies of scale and in order to remain economically profitable, it became necessary for farmers to increase farm size, efficiency and external inputs, while minimizing labour use per hectare. The latter has resulted in fewer people working in the agricultural sector. Consequently, Dutch society gradually lost its connection to agricultural production. This divergence resulted in a poor image for the agricultural sector, because of environmental pollution, homogenization of the landscape, outbreaks of contagious animal diseases and reduced animal welfare. Although the general attitude towards agriculture seems to have improved slightly in recent years, there is still a long way to go in regaining this trust.In order to keep the Dutch countryside viable, farmers are considered indispensable. However, their methods of production should match the demands of society in terms of sustainability. This applies both to farming systems that are used in a monofunctional way (production only) and to multifunctional farming systems. For researchers involved in development of these farming systems, this requires new capabilities; contrary to the situation in the past, citizens and stakeholder groups now demand involvement in the design of farming systems. In the current paper, it is suggested that, besides traditional mainstream agriculture, other alternative farming systems should be developed and implemented. Hence, Dutch agricultural research should remain focused on the cutting edge of economy and society. Despite all efforts, not all of these newly developed systems will acquire a position within the agricultural spectrum. However, some of the successful ones may prove extremely valuable.

scholarly journals Economics of Wheat Breeding Strategies: Focusing on Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Vitale ◽  
Brian Adam ◽  
Pilja Vitale
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Breeding Strategies ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Past ◽  
Increase Protein Content ◽  
High Yielding Varieties

Wheat breeding continues to be an important component of agricultural innovations in the Great Plains region of the US. This paper reviews Oklahoma’s wheat breeding program over the past several decades with an emphasis on the economic aspects and planning of future breeding strategies. Over the past century, Oklahoma’s wheat yields have increased but the productivity gains have been offset in part due to increased yield variability. The shift to improved wheat varieties has resulted in increased susceptibility to plant disease and pest pressure. While a few varieties introduced over the past few decades have dominated the wheat seed market, recent trends indicate producers are adopting a more diverse range of wheat varieties. Producers’ concerns have expanded beyond demands for high yielding varieties to include more market oriented needs to increase protein content and test weight. This paper identifies several key policy instruments that Oklahoma stakeholders and policy makers should consider when planning future breeding strategies. A critical need is to assist Oklahoma producers in adapting to climate change by developing drought and heat resistant wheat varieties. Marketing new varieties would be improved and revenue increased if more innovative pricing structures were adopted to better align producers’ willingness to pay with seed development costs, which could then be re-invested in breeding. Research budgets, which have remained stagnant in real terms, will need to be increased to adequately address producers’ needs into the 21st century.

scholarly journals The Image of the Second World War as a Factor in the Formation of Contemporary European Identity

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (7) ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
Yuri Denisov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second World War ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
European Identity ◽  
Past Century ◽  
World War ◽  
Traumatic Memories ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Common ◽  
Second World

The image of the Second World War is one of the most significant images of the past for the European identity. The purpose of this study is to analyze its potential for the formation of the modern European identity as a supranational construct. The ambivalent nature of this phenomenon is revealed. The image WWII contains a sufficiently powerful unifying impulse. It is determined by the uniting role of the colossal tragedy, the common misfortune that befell Europe in the middle of the past century, its integrational significance for the joint efforts to build a single European community in order to prevent the recurrence of these events. Nowadays, this momentum is realized through the preservation of European memory, the institutionalization of anniversaries, the broadcast of the memory of the war in the process of intergenerational communication in the functioning of the institutions of education and cultural environment as a whole, the articulation of traumatic memories in the political discourse. At the same time the author demonstrated that, the image of WWII has a serious deconsolidating element for the common European identity. It is caused by contradictions in the European collective memory. The new technological revolution that has engulfed Europe, accompanied by a steady shift of communication practices into cyberspace and the emergence of the phenomenon of cyber-memory, changes the mechanisms of representation and reception of the war image. The Global Network facilitates a steady increase of both the means for the representation and visualization of the image of the past, making it more interactive, multimodal, multifaceted and simplified. The number of actors of memory politics, who take part in the formation of the European identity, or rather ‒ of an unlimited set of identities has been growing.

scholarly journals The Image of The Second World War as a Factor in the Formation of Contemporary European Identity

2020 ◽  
pp. 217-226
Author(s):  
Yuri Denisov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second World War ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
European Identity ◽  
Past Century ◽  
World War ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Common ◽  
The One ◽  
Second World

The image of the Second world war is one of the most significant images of the past for the European identity. The purpose of this study is to analyze its potential for the formation of the modern European identity as a supranational construct. The results of the study showed the ambivalent nature of this potential. On the one hand, the image of the Second world war retains a sufficiently powerful unifying impulse. It is determined by the uniting role of the colossal tragedy, the common misfortune that befell Europe in the middle of the past century, its integrational significance for the beginning of joint efforts to build a single European community in order to prevent the recurrence of these events. Today, this momentum is realized through the preservation of European memory, the institutionalization of anniversaries, the broadcast of the memory of the war in the process of intergenerational communication in the functioning of the institutions of education and cultural environment as a whole, the articulation of traumatic memories in the political discourse. On the other hand, the image of World War Two has a serious deconsolidating charge for the common European identity. It is caused by contradictions in the European collective memory, which are more and more clearly manifested in the conditions of modern political conjuncture. The new technological revolution that has engulfed Europe, accompanied by a steady shift of communication practices into cyberspace and the emergence of the phenomenon of cyber-memory, changes the mechanisms of representation and reception of the image of the Second World War. In the presence of the Global Network, we observe a steady increase of not only the arsenal of means for the representation and visualization of the image of the past, making it more interactive, multimodal, multifaceted and simplified, but also of the number of actors of memory politics, taking part in the formation of the European identity, or rather — an unlimited set of identities.

The zoonotic potential of bat-borne coronaviruses

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-381
Author(s):  
Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa ◽  
Sarah Guth ◽  
Angelo Andrianiaina ◽  
Santino Andry ◽  
Anecia Gentles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Material ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Novel Host ◽  
Horseshoe Bat ◽  
Human Infections

Seven zoonoses — human infections of animal origin — have emerged from the Coronaviridae family in the past century, including three viruses responsible for significant human mortality (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) in the past twenty years alone. These three viruses, in addition to two older CoV zoonoses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) are believed to be originally derived from wild bat reservoir species. We review the molecular biology of the bat-derived Alpha- and Betacoronavirus genera, highlighting features that contribute to their potential for cross-species emergence, including the use of well-conserved mammalian host cell machinery for cell entry and a unique capacity for adaptation to novel host environments after host switching. The adaptive capacity of coronaviruses largely results from their large genomes, which reduce the risk of deleterious mutational errors and facilitate range-expanding recombination events by offering heightened redundancy in essential genetic material. Large CoV genomes are made possible by the unique proofreading capacity encoded for their RNA-dependent polymerase. We find that bat-borne SARS-related coronaviruses in the subgenus Sarbecovirus, the source clade for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, present a particularly poignant pandemic threat, due to the extraordinary viral genetic diversity represented among several sympatric species of their horseshoe bat hosts. To date, Sarbecovirus surveillance has been almost entirely restricted to China. More vigorous field research efforts tracking the circulation of Sarbecoviruses specifically and Betacoronaviruses more generally is needed across a broader global range if we are to avoid future repeats of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PCSK9 inhibition for LDL lowering and beyond – implications for patients with peripheral artery disease

VASA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Gebauer ◽  
Holger Reinecke
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Ldl Receptor ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Pcsk9 Inhibitors ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction ◽  
Simultaneous Application ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pcsk9 Inhibition

Abstract. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been proven to be a causal factor of atherosclerosis and, along with other triggers like inflammation, the most frequent reason for peripheral arterial disease. Moreover, a linear correlation between LDL-C concentration and cardiovascular outcome in high-risk patients could be established during the past century. After the development of statins, numerous randomized trials have shown the superiority for LDL-C reduction and hence the decrease in cardiovascular outcomes including mortality. Over the past decades it became evident that more intense LDL-C lowering, by either the use of highly potent statin supplements or by additional cholesterol absorption inhibitor application, accounted for an even more profound cardiovascular risk reduction. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a serin protease with effect on the LDL receptor cycle leading to its degradation and therefore preventing continuing LDL-C clearance from the blood, is the target of a newly developed monoclonal antibody facilitating astounding LDL-C reduction far below to what has been set as target level by recent ESC/EAS guidelines in management of dyslipidaemias. Large randomized outcome trials including subjects with PAD so far have been able to prove significant and even more intense cardiovascular risk reduction via further LDL-C debasement on top of high-intensity statin medication. Another approach for LDL-C reduction is a silencing interfering RNA muting the translation of PCSK9 intracellularly. Moreover, PCSK9 concentrations are elevated in cells involved in plaque composition, so the potency of intracellular PCSK9 inhibition and therefore prevention or reversal of plaques may provide this mechanism of action on PCSK9 with additional beneficial effects on cells involved in plaque formation. Thus, simultaneous application of statins and PCSK9 inhibitors promise to reduce cardiovascular event burden by both LDL-C reduction and pleiotropic effects of both agents.

Archaeology in the Past Century

1901 ◽  
Vol 51 (1309supp) ◽  
pp. 20976-20977
Author(s):  
W. M. Flinders Petrje
Keyword(s):  
Past Century ◽  
The Past

Classifying the Past: Discriminant Analysis and its Application to Medieval Farming Systems

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Discriminant Analysis ◽  
Processing Time ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
The Past ◽  
Livestock Management

This paper discusses the need for nationally based analytical models of the medieval period. The use of cluster analysis as a method for classifying demesne farms, by the crops they grew and their livestock management, is explained. Successful implementation of cluster analysis requires both the existence of a large base sample, to permit isolation of specific groupings within the data, and access to considerable processing time. The paper concludes by demonstrating how discriminant analysis can provide an efficient and systematic way of classifying even a single manor within a national frame of reference.

Catholicism and Cosmopolitanism: the Confluence of Three Catholic Scholars and the Cosmopolitan Democrats on State Sovereignty and the Future of Global Governance

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-51
Author(s):  
Matthew Bagot
Keyword(s):  
Global Governance ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Jacques Maritain ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Future ◽  
Cosmopolitan Democracy ◽  
Catholic Tradition

One of the central questions in international relations today is how we should conceive of state sovereignty. The notion of sovereignty—’supreme authority within a territory’, as Daniel Philpott defines it—emerged after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 as a result of which the late medieval crisis of pluralism was settled. But recent changes in the international order, such as technological advances that have spurred globalization and the emerging norm of the Responsibility to Protect, have cast the notion of sovereignty into an unclear light. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the current debate regarding sovereignty by exploring two schools of thought on the matter: first, three Catholic scholars from the past century—Luigi Sturzo, Jacques Maritain, and John Courtney Murray, S.J.—taken as representative of Catholic tradition; second, a number of contemporary political theorists of cosmopolitan democracy. The paper argues that there is a confluence between the Catholic thinkers and the cosmopolitan democrats regarding their understanding of state sovereignty and that, taken together, the two schools have much to contribute not only to our current understanding of sovereignty, but also to the future of global governance.

Aftershocks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seva Gunitsky
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Regime Change ◽  
International System ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Great Powers ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sudden Rise ◽  
The World ◽  
National Borders

Over the past century, democracy spread around the world in turbulent bursts of change, sweeping across national borders in dramatic cascades of revolution and reform. This book offers a new global-oriented explanation for this wavelike spread and retreat—not only of democracy but also of its twentieth-century rivals, fascism, and communism. The book argues that waves of regime change are driven by the aftermath of cataclysmic disruptions to the international system. These hegemonic shocks, marked by the sudden rise and fall of great powers, have been essential and often-neglected drivers of domestic transformations. Though rare and fleeting, they not only repeatedly alter the global hierarchy of powerful states but also create unique and powerful opportunities for sweeping national reforms—by triggering military impositions, swiftly changing the incentives of domestic actors, or transforming the basis of political legitimacy itself. As a result, the evolution of modern regimes cannot be fully understood without examining the consequences of clashes between great powers, which repeatedly—and often unsuccessfully—sought to cajole, inspire, and intimidate other states into joining their camps.

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