scholarly journals Do Amphibians and Cash Crops Compete for Scarce Water? A Spatial Correlation Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1822
Author(s):  
Daniel Moran ◽  
Milda Petersone ◽  
Francesca Verones
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Abstraction ◽  
Spatial Overlap ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
High Species Richness ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Export Crops

It has been argued that the trade of water intensive crops may be beneficial as it helps alleviate regional differences in water scarcity by effectively transporting moisture from humid regions to arid ones. However, the incentive to grow export crops can also intensify pressure on local water resources. Water abstraction for use in growing cash crops can affect rivers and wetlands with rich biodiversity reserves. In many macro-level environmental assessments, it is assumed that water use is a proxy for biodiversity pressure. Here we use correlation analysis to test the degree of spatial overlap between areas with high scarce-water consumption for cash crop production (i.e., crops where a majority is exported) and areas with high species richness or vulnerability of Red-Listed amphibians. We find that, globally, there is relatively little spatial overlap between areas where scarce water is used for export production and the habitat range of stressed amphibians.

REGIONAL FEATURES OF FOREIGN TRADE IN AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-316
Author(s):  
Ruslan MUDRAK
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Disposable Income ◽  
Regional Differentiation ◽  
Close Link

Introduction. The intensification of globalization processes that characterize the beginning of the new millennium has led to the emergence of supranational structures of regional and global scope. The deepening of Ukraine's integration into the international trading space causes new opportunities and threats. The relatively large size of the territory of Ukraine as a European state and its administrative structure causes a number of differences in the socio-economic development of its regions. Identifying regional differences in foreign trade in agri-food products and their causes is an urgent task of the study, given the leading role of the agro-industrial sector in Ukraine's foreign trade. The aim of the study is to identify regional differences of foreign trade in agri-food products and identify their causes. Results of work. The analysis results of foreign trade in agro-food products on the average for 2016-2018 by regions are given. It is determined that the four leading export regions are Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kyiv and Vinnytsia, as they account for about 47,9 %. The regions were evaluated according to the following indicators: the volume of regional exports, the volume of production of cereals and legumes, the production of sunflower seeds. According to the results of the analysis, each region was assigned a corresponding rank, on the basis of the values of which the correlation coefficients of the regions ranks were calculated. It is determined that there is a close link between the region's place in the national agri-food export ratings and the production of cereals and legumes; and there is a median link between the region's place in the national agri-food export and sunflower seed ratings. Imports of agro-food products by regions are considered, where Kiev region is the absolute leader, which together with Odessa, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions have 64.5 % of all corresponding imports. The analysis of agro-food products import by groups of goods is presented. The regions ranking by import volumes of agri-food products and disposable income per person has been done. The obtained coefficient of correlation of ranks testifies to the average degree of relation close to high. Conclusions. It is proved that the differences in the volumes of crop production mainly cereals, legumes and sunflower are the basis for regional differentiation of agricultural food exports, which testifies to the raw nature of exports, stagnation of livestock and unsatisfactory development of the domestic food industry. Differentiation of imports of agro-industrial products is caused by the difference in income of the population by regions. Keywords: agro-food products, export, import, balance, production, raw materials, processing, disposable income.

scholarly journals Export Crops and Civil Conflict

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1484-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Crost ◽  
Joseph H Felter
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Civil Conflict ◽  
World Market ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Agricultural Export ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Export Crops

Abstract Many experts see a move toward high-value export crops, such as fruits and vegetables, as an important opportunity for economic growth and poverty reduction, but little is known about the effects of export crops in fragile and conflict-affected countries. We exploit movements in world market prices combined with geographic variation in crop production to show that increases in the value of bananas, the country’s biggest export crop, caused an increase in conflict violence and insurgent-controlled territory in the Philippines. This effect was concentrated in provinces where bananas are produced in large plantations with areas greater than 25 hectares. Our results are consistent with a mechanism in which insurgents fund their operations by extorting large agricultural export firms.

scholarly journals Potential Impacts of Agriculture on Nepal Birds

Our Nature ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Inskipp ◽  
H.S. Baral
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
System Of Rice Intensification ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Effective Microorganisms ◽  
Cash Crops

This paper is a review of the potential impacts of agriculture on Nepal birds. It includes an overview of agriculture in Nepal and the changes that have taken place between the early 1950s and 2007. Agricultural development has been sluggish, and has failed to keep pace with population growth. In recent years the yields of major food crops in Nepal have been lower than other South Asian countries and Nepal is now dependent on food imports. Land holding size per family and field sizes have both decreased markedly during the period. If hill regions are considered independently, all cereal crops yields have stagnated in the last 30 years and gains in production that have been made, have been due to increases in area of cultivation, at the expense of natural habitats: forests, wetlands and grasslands. Crop productivity in the hills has declined due to land degradation. Of the 28% of Nepal land that is degraded, 10% is poorly managed sloping agriculture terraces. As yields and production of cereal crops have fallen, many farmers have shifted to growing cash crops, to meet the demands of the increasing urban population and encouraged by government agricultural policies. Cultivation area, production and yields of some cash crops have significantly increased since 1964/65. Nepal’s livestock population is one of the highest in Asia and nearly every rural household keeps domestic animals resulting in widespread and serious problems of livestock overgrazing. The importance of agricultural habitats for Nepal birds is reviewed: 21% of bird species recorded in Nepal utilizes agricultural habitats for foraging at some season. The many ecological benefits of birds to agriculture and the damage caused by birds to agriculture are described: the former far outweigh the latter. Changes in agricultural practices (including changes in crops and crop production, impacts of livestock overgrazing) are having major and far-reaching impacts on natural habitats - grasslands wetlands and forests and their bird species; these changes and impacts are detailed and analysed. The increasing use of pesticides in Nepal, which is especially high on vegetable cash crops, the serious impacts of pesticides on birds and the environment and alternatives to pesticides are reviewed. Fertilizer use in Nepal and the damaging impacts of fertilizer over-use on birds and the environment are also reviewed. Recommendations to improve farming methods for the benefit of the environment are given. These include government measures to promote organic agriculture; government measures to expand the System of Rice Intensification and to encourage further use of Effective Microorganisms, both of which have significant benefits for environment, birds and farmers; field surveys to monitor bird populations and bird distribution on agricultural lands, and outreach and awareness-raising for farmers to apply best practice for sustainable environmentally friendly farming.DOI: 10.3126/on.v8i1.4339

Intercropping Valuable Hardwood Tree Species and Agricultural Crops in Southern Ontario

1991 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Gordon ◽  
Peter A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
Hardwood Trees ◽  
Hardwood Tree ◽  
Equipment Size

Intercropping of hardwood trees with cash crops is an alternative to conventional agriculture and forestry practices that gives flexibility in goals and a potential for gradual changes in land use. Six intercropped plantings have been established in southern Ontario to investigate aspects of tree growth, crop production, and site relationships. This paper reports preliminary results from this research.Important considerations during establishment of an intercropped plantation include: equipment size, cropping methods, competition control and wildlife concerns. Plantings and spraying equipment have primary influence over plantation layout; and mice, groundhogs and deer can cause serious problems in some situations.

Non-negligible regional differences in the driving forces of crop-related water footprint and virtual water flows: a case study for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
La Zhuo ◽  
Pute Wu
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Bth Region

<p>Water scarcity is a significant risk for meeting increasing food demand around the world. The importance of identifying the driving forces behind water consumption in agriculture and relative virtual water (VW) flows has been widely reported in order to provide practical advice for sustainable agricultural water resource management. However, the regional differences in the driving forces behind either water consumption or VW flows were largely ignored. To fill the crucial gap, taking nine major crops grown in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region in China over 2000-2013 as the study case, we investigate the regional differences in socio-economic driving forces on both the estimated water footprint (WF) in crop production and relative inter-city VW flows for each crop per year. Results show that although there is little change in total WFs in crop production (~43.3 billion m<sup>3</sup>/y on annual average), the WF per unit mass of crop decreased and the crop structure in the total WFs changed greatly. The BTH region was a VW importer with net VW import of 11.7 billion m<sup>3</sup>/y by 2013. The per capita GDP was the main positive driver of both total WFs of crop production and relative VW flows. Whereas the economic productivity and consumption ability were inhibiting factors for the WFs and VW flows, respectively. The levels of total crop WFs in agricultural cities were more sensitive to the effects of the main driving factors. The intensity of driving factors behind the inter-regional crop-related VW flows was shown to be directly related to the regional role as an importer or exporter. The current analysis suggests to develop characteristic agriculture considering the local role and regional differences in terms of water consumption and relative inter-regional VW flows, aiming for a balance between water sustainability, food security and economic developments.</p>

Impact of changing cropping pattern on the regional agricultural water productivity

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. SUN ◽  
P. T. WU ◽  
Y. B. WANG ◽  
X. N. ZHAO
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYWater scarcity is a major constraint of agricultural production in arid and semi-arid areas. In the face of future water scarcity, one possible way the agricultural sector could be adapted is to change cropping patterns and make adjustments for available water resources for irrigation. The present paper analyses the temporal evolution of cropping pattern from 1960 to 2008 in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. The impact of changing cropping patterns on regional agricultural water productivity is evaluated from the water footprint (WF) perspective. Results show that the area under cash crops (e.g. sunflower and melon) has risen phenomenally over the study period because of increased economic returns pursued by farmers. Most of these cash crops have a smaller WF (high water productivity) than grain crops in HID. With the increase of area sown to cash crops, water productivity in HID increased substantially. Changing the cropping pattern has significant effects on regional crop water productivity: in this way, HID has increased the total crop production without increasing significantly the regional water consumption. The results of this case study indicate that regional agricultural water can be used effectively by properly planning crop areas and patterns under irrigation water limitations. However, there is a need to foster a cropping pattern that is multifunctional and sustainable, which can guarantee food security, enhance natural resource use and provide stable and high returns to farmers.

scholarly journals Local Experts as the Champions of Water Security in the Nepalese town of Dhulikhel

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-176
Author(s):  
Hemant Ojha ◽  
Eszter K Kovacs ◽  
Kamal Devkota ◽  
Kaustuv Raj Neupane ◽  
Ngamindra Dahal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Supply Management ◽  
Hybrid Knowledge ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Local Expert ◽  
Local Water

This commentary paper examines our local expert engagement methodology that we developed to understand water supply issues as well as to inform the direction of our action research conducted in Dhulikhel, a small town in Nepal. Through three years of field-based research at Dhulikhel, our inquiry uncovered a range of data ‘gaps’ and emergent as well as long-term conflicts around increasingly scarce water resources. To respond to this gap and contribute to inclusive water management, we developed and used a local expert engagement method, through which we were able to pool and mobilise a rich repertoire of hybrid knowledge from a range of local experts in Dhulikhel and others from nearby towns. The method of expert engagement was simultaneously linked to deliberations among local water stakeholders concerned with water supply management. Based on the lessons from this work, we argue that rich local expertise exists in water management and policy in Nepal, one that transcends the dichotomy between indigenous and scientific knowledge. We also show that as formal scientific knowledge becomes hybridised in different ways, this creates an important and actionable opportunity for advancing local science-policy processes to support water security agendas across the country.

scholarly journals Geomorfološka obilježja Danilskog polja kod Šibenika kao osnova historijsko-geografskog razvitka

Geoadria ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Damir Magaš ◽  
Ante Blaće
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Karst Area ◽  
Neolithic Culture ◽  
Late Middle Ages ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
Metal Age

Suitable agriculture zones in karst regions have extraordinary significance for the inhabitants’ existence. Danilsko polje, one of such zones, is situated in microregion of Šibenik-Rogoznica littoral, in Šibenik hinterland, Croatia. Danilsko polje is, morphologically, an oval shaped valley placed between two karst ridges, the extension of Trtar with Velika Glava (542 m) from north-northeast, and significantly lower Crno Brdo with Podi from southsouthwest in the area of Danilo Biranj and Danilo Gornje settlements. Due to high soil quality, the cultivation of polje is the process that has lasted for thousands of years. Polje is characterized by scarce water sources, which were, nevertheless, very important for the survival of population in the past.The Neolithic population, whose traces have been preserved in the remains of famous middle Neolithic culture on the Adriatic, so called Danilo culture (4500 BC - 3900 BC), had been the first farmers of Danilsko polje. Later settlers from Metal Age had fortified themselves at peak Gradina, so they could easily control the polje from their hill-fort. Roman conquerors founded their municipium Rider in the central part of Danilsko polje, and valorized its natural- geographical potentials. From numerous nations who passed through during the Great Migrations Croats were the only ones who settled down and continued to valorize polje and surrounding karst area for practising transhumance which they depended on since they were agricultural-cattle rising society. During High and Late Middle Ages, Danilsko polje was in possession of the Commune of Šibenik, well-known for cultivation of vineyards, olive trees and cereals. Long-lasting period of unstable geopolitical conditions began with Ottoman conquest and with formation of their strongholds in Skradin and Drniš. It was only after 20s of 18th century that the war turmoil ceased, and after that, to a certain extent, the colonization of deserted areas started as well in that of Danilsko polje. Ever since, practically until today, the main feature of Danilsko polje has been traditional crop production in various conditions of agrotechnical cultivation

scholarly journals Global malnutrition overlaps with pollinator-dependent micronutrient production

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1794) ◽  
pp. 20141799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer ◽  
Emily Dombeck ◽  
James Gerber ◽  
Katherine A. Knuth ◽  
Nathaniel D. Mueller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Central America ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiency ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
The World

Pollinators contribute around 10% of the economic value of crop production globally, but the contribution of these pollinators to human nutrition is potentially much higher. Crops vary in the degree to which they benefit from pollinators, and many of the most pollinator-dependent crops are also among the richest in micronutrients essential to human health. This study examines regional differences in the pollinator dependence of crop micronutrient content and reveals overlaps between this dependency and the severity of micronutrient deficiency in people around the world. As much as 50% of the production of plant-derived sources of vitamin A requires pollination throughout much of Southeast Asia, whereas other essential micronutrients such as iron and folate have lower dependencies, scattered throughout Africa, Asia and Central America. Micronutrient deficiencies are three times as likely to occur in areas of highest pollination dependence for vitamin A and iron, suggesting that disruptions in pollination could have serious implications for the accessibility of micronutrients for public health. These regions of high nutritional vulnerability are understudied in the pollination literature, and should be priority areas for research related to ecosystem services and human well-being.

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