THE LACK OF SEA TO SUPPORT AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES IN IRELAND'S RURAL ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION SCHEME

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 101-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
JACKIE WHELAN ◽  
JOHN FRY
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Protection Scheme ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
High Level ◽  
Local Farm

Proposals specifically aimed at environmental benefits or enhancements are often exempt from environmental assessment, despite evidence that they can be counter-productive. This is true of agri-environmental schemes where local farm-scale actions are expected to generate large-area cumulative effects on water quality, biodiversity or landscape. Evidence suggests benefits of schemes have often been assumed rather than planned for, necessitating ex-post assessment to justify continuance. This paper argues the need for the Irish Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) to be assessed using SEA. REPS promoted a range of small-scale improvements in a bottom-up approach intended to reflect several high-level policy objectives primarily concerning environmental protection. The paper is based on analysis of "landscape protection" under the REPS from inception in 1994 until its phasing out period in 2015 when all participants will have completed their plans. The paper investigates how linking SEA to REPS had potential for harmonising with other policy objectives and therefore avoiding administrative duplication. Comparison with the Water Framework Directive suggests opportunities to connect different environmental procedures.

STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AS A TOOL TO CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH-LEVEL POLICY OBJECTIVES

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELSA JOÃO ◽  
ANNA MCLAUCHLAN
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Assessment Policy ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
High Level

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has often been identified as a key tool to contribute to sustainable development. This special issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management focuses on European SEA practice between 2003 and 2010 to critically evaluate SEA links to sustainable development and similar, difficult to define, high-level policy objectives: democratisation, good governance, agri-environmental objectives, and environmental justice. The papers centre upon the three main topics covered by the different research: SEA outcomes being directly related to policy goals; an analysis of the absence of SEA applied to "positive" policy objectives; and the realism of associating SEA with high-level policy objectives. In particular, this paper calls for greater critical engagement with this latter topic, identifying a need to examine why associations are made between SEA and policy goals.

scholarly journals Assessment of adoption potential for smallholder conservation agriculture in Pandamatenga vertisols of northern Botswana

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 001-010
Author(s):  
Kapweke Kandondi ◽  
Davis Samzala Marumo ◽  
Benedict Kayombo ◽  
Thembeka Mpuisang
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
High Level ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The adoption of conservation agriculture among small-scale farmers is still low despite the proven economic and environmental benefits of the technology. This study was conducted at Pandamatenga of Chobe District in northern Botswana. The main aim of the study was to determine the factors that influence the adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in the study area. A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of the socio- economic and demographic characteristics of the sampled smallholder rainfed farmers. The socio - economic characteristics of the smallholder rainfed farmers included land holding size (ha), labour availability, livestock possession, education level, and farming experience. Demographic characteristics considered in the study included smallholder rainfed farmers’ age, marital status, gender, and average number of family members in the household. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and the logistic regression model. The results have shown that gender and farm size had a significant influence on smallholder rainfed farmers’ decision to adopt CA technologies in Pandamatenga. Smallholder rainfed farmers had a positive perception and a high level of acceptance of CA technologies that were tried in their area.

scholarly journals Micro-Grid Design and Protection System under Several Fault Conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-880
Keyword(s):  
Fault Analysis ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Photovoltaic Module ◽  
Distributed Generator ◽  
Medium Voltage ◽  
Protection Scheme ◽  
Micro Grid ◽  
Design Protection

As distributed generators and renewable energies are now becoming the fastest growing technologies in the energy industries, the technical issues and environmental aspects are to studied and examined. The large number of small scale Micro grid components with their characteristics is a vital challenge for Micro grid modelling, operation, simulation and operation. Micro-grid gives clear, economic and environmental benefits for end users, utilities, and societies. However, their implementation faces lot of challenges, such as a protection of micro-grid. Micro-grid works in two modes, grid-connected and islanded mode that operates connected with medium voltage grid or islanded from the grid with controlled coordinate manner. The major goal of this thesis is to design protection for. First, the work is done to present the detailed description of the micro grid models and lines. Then the paper will discuss the distributed generator models that have been implemented in MATLAB/Simulink including photovoltaic module, fuel cell stack system with short term storage (Li-ion battery system). Then the fault analysis is done for the whole Micro-grid, whether the micro grid is working in fault condition or not. Then Micro grid protection is done for the grid connected modes and islanding modes of Micro grid. To design the protection system for the micro grid over current relay protection scheme is used.

(A review) Vegetation and biotopes of the National Park “Narochansky” with the Map of terrestrial vegetation (S. 1 : 60 000) and the Map of biotopes (S. 1 : 60 000)

2019 ◽  
pp. 68-72
Author(s):  
E. A. Volkova
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Vegetation Mapping ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Experimental Botany ◽  
High Level

A monograph “Vegetation and biotopes of the “Narochansky” National Park was published in Minsk, Belarus in 2017, edited by A. V. Pugachevsky (Grummo et al., 2017). It includes the Map of terrestrial vegetation (S. 1 : 60 000) and the Map of biotopes (S. 1 : 60 000). Some small-scale maps such as the Map of changes in forest cover of the “Narochansky” National Park for the period 1985–2016, the Map of forest loss in the “Narochansky” National Park for the period 1985–2016 and a series of inventory and analytical maps on the basin of the Naroch Lake are given. This monograph can be considered as a small regional Atlas with detailed explanatory texts to the maps. It presents the experience on vegetation mapping accumulated in the Laboratory of Geobotany and Vegetation mapping of the Institute of Experimental Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Despite some critical comments, mainly concerning the biotope map, this publication of Belarusian geobotanists deserves an approval. They received the full answers to the questions posed: “What do we protect?” and “What is a current state of the vegetation of the National Park and the main trends of its dynamics? Cartographic design is made at a high level; the maps have both scientific and practical importance in the planning of environmental and economic activities.

scholarly journals Simulating Agroforestry Adoption in Rural Indonesia: The Potential of Trees on Farms for Livelihoods and Environment

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
Beatrice Nöldeke ◽  
Etti Winter ◽  
Yves Laumonier ◽  
Trifosa Simamora
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenario ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Trees On Farms ◽  
Agroforestry Adoption ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

In recent years, agroforestry has gained increasing attention as an option to simultaneously alleviate poverty, provide ecological benefits, and mitigate climate change. The present study simulates small-scale farmers’ agroforestry adoption decisions to investigate the consequences for livelihoods and the environment over time. To explore the interdependencies between agroforestry adoption, livelihoods, and the environment, an agent-based model adjusted to a case study area in rural Indonesia was implemented. Thereby, the model compares different scenarios, including a climate change scenario. The agroforestry system under investigation consists of an illipe (Shorea stenoptera) rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) mix, which are both locally valued tree species. The simulations reveal that farmers who adopt agroforestry diversify their livelihood portfolio while increasing income. Additionally, the model predicts environmental benefits: enhanced biodiversity and higher carbon sequestration in the landscape. The benefits of agroforestry for livelihoods and nature gain particular importance in the climate change scenario. The results therefore provide policy-makers and practitioners with insights into the dynamic economic and environmental advantages of promoting agroforestry.

scholarly journals Strategic deployment of riparian buffers and windbreaks in Europe can co-deliver biomass and environmental benefits

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oskar Englund ◽  
Pål Börjesson ◽  
Blas Mola-Yudego ◽  
Göran Berndes ◽  
Ioannis Dimitriou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Riparian Buffers ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Nitrogen Emissions ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Eu Policies

AbstractWithin the scope of the new Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, in coherence with other EU policies, new incentives are developed for farmers to deploy practices that are beneficial for climate, water, soil, air, and biodiversity. Such practices include establishment of multifunctional biomass production systems, designed to reduce environmental impacts while providing biomass for food, feed, bioenergy, and other biobased products. Here, we model three scenarios of large-scale deployment for two such systems, riparian buffers and windbreaks, across over 81,000 landscapes in Europe, and quantify the corresponding areas, biomass output, and environmental benefits. The results show that these systems can effectively reduce nitrogen emissions to water and soil loss by wind erosion, while simultaneously providing substantial environmental co-benefits, having limited negative effects on current agricultural production. This kind of beneficial land-use change using strategic perennialization is important for meeting environmental objectives while advancing towards a sustainable bioeconomy.

The Economics of the Soy Kit as an Appropriate Household Technology for Food Entrepreneurs

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Chungmann Kim ◽  
Peter Goldsmith
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Feed The Future ◽  
High Level

Background: The ability for women to operate as food entrepreneurs presents opportunities to leverage at-home production technologies that not only support family nutrition but also generate income. To these ends, the Feed the Future Malawi Agriculture Diversification Activity recently launched a development project involving a new technology, the Soy Kit. The Activity, a USAID (United States Agency for International Development) funded effort, sought to improve nutrition utilizing an underutilized local and highly nutritious feedstuff, soybean, through a woman’s entrepreneurship scheme. Objective: The USAID funded effort provides the overarching research question, whether the Soy Kit is a sustainable technology for delivering nutrition and income through a women’s entrepreneurship scheme. If true, then development practitioners will have a valuable tool, and the associated evidence, to address the important crosscutting themes, of nutrition, poverty, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment. To answer this research question, the research team first evaluates the underlying production economics of the kit to measure profitability, return on investment, and operational performance. Second, the team qualitatively and quantitatively assesses the kit’s overall appropriateness as a technology for the developing world. Methods: The team follows the schema of Bower and Brown and utilizes descriptive statistics, and financial techniques to conduct an assessment of the economics and technical appropriateness of the Soy Kit technology. Results: The results show a high level of appropriateness across a number of metrics. For example, the payback period from cash flow is under 6 months and the annual return on capital is 163% when entrepreneurs utilize a domestically sourced kit valued at US$80. Conclusion: The technology matches well with the rhythm of household economy, in particular women’s labor availability and resource base. Businesses earn significant returns on capital thus appear to be sustainable without donor subsidy. At the same time, available capital to finance kit entrepreneurs appears to be scarce. More research needs to take place to address the credit access question, in order to make small-scale kit entrepreneur truly self-reliant; the effects on poverty reduction at the household and village level; and nutrition improvement among the consumers.

Protection Scheme for DC Microgrid Distribution System

2012 ◽  
Vol 614-615 ◽  
pp. 1661-1665
Author(s):  
Ling Hui Deng ◽  
Zhi Xin Wang ◽  
Jian Min Duan
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Power Flow ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Dc Microgrid ◽  
Protection Scheme ◽  
High Level ◽  
Bidirectional Power Flow ◽  
Efficiency And Reliability ◽  
Laboratory Prototype

The low voltage DC (LVDC) distribution system is a new concept and a promising technology to be used in the future smart distribution system having high level cost-efficiency and reliability. In this paper, a low-voltage (LV) DC microgrid protection system design is proposed. Usually, an LVDC microgrid must be connected to an ac grid through converters with bidirectional power flow and, therefore, a different protection scheme is needed. This paper describes practical protection solutions for the LVDC network and an LVDC system laboratory prototype is being experimentally tested by MATLAB/SIMULINK. The results show that it is possible to use available devices to protect such a system. But other problems may arise which needs further study.

Composition Quantification of Microelectronics Multilayer Thin Films by EDX: Toward Small Scale Analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Conard ◽  
Kai Arstila ◽  
Thomas Hantschel ◽  
Alexis Franquet ◽  
Wilfried Vandervorst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gate Dielectric ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Quantitative Composition ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Multilayer Thin Films ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Fast Analysis ◽  
Metal Gates ◽  
High K ◽  
High K Materials

AbstractIn order to continuously improve the performances of microelectronics devices through scaling, SiO2 is being replaced by high-k materials as gate dielectric; metal gates are replacing poly-Si. This leads to increasingly more complex stacks. For future generations, the replacement of Si as a substrate by Ge and/or III/V material is also considered. This also increases the demand on the metrology tools as a thorough characterization, including composition and thickness is thus needed. Many different techniques exist for composition analysis. They usually require however large area for the analysis, complex instrumentation and can be time consuming. EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) when coupled to Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has the potential to allow fast analysis on small scale areas.In this work, we evaluate the possibilities of EDS for thin film analysis based on an intercomparison of composition analysis with different techniques. We show that using proper modeling, high quality quantitative composition and thickness of multilayers can be achieved.

scholarly journals Energy Production from Biogas: Competitiveness and Support Instruments in Latvia

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
G. Klāvs ◽  
A. Kundziņa ◽  
I. Kudrenickis
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Gas Distribution ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Use of renewable energy sources (RES) might be one of the key factors for the triple win-win: improving energy supply security, promoting local economic development, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The authors ex-post evaluate the impact of two main support instruments applied in 2010-2014 – the investment support (IS) and the feed-in tariff (FIT) – on the economic viability of small scale (up to 2MWel) biogas unit. The results indicate that the electricity production cost in biogas utility roughly corresponds to the historical FIT regarding electricity production using RES. However, if in addition to the FIT the IS is provided, the analysis shows that the practice of combining both the above-mentioned instruments is not optimal because too high total support (overcompensation) is provided for a biogas utility developer. In a long-term perspective, the latter gives wrong signals for investments in new technologies and also creates unequal competition in the RES electricity market. To provide optimal biogas utilisation, it is necessary to consider several options. Both on-site production of electricity and upgrading to biomethane for use in a low pressure gas distribution network are simulated by the cost estimation model. The authors’ estimates show that upgrading for use in a gas distribution network should be particularly considered taking into account the already existing infrastructure and technologies. This option requires lower support compared to support for electricity production in small-scale biogas utilities.

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