scholarly journals Trusting in the “Eye in the Sky”? Farmers’ and Auditors’ Perceptions of Drone Use in Environmental Auditing

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13208
Author(s):  
Xiaomeng Lucock ◽  
Victoria Westbrooke
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
High Quality Information ◽  
High Level ◽  
Environmental Audits ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Depth Interviews

Worldwide, the agricultural sector is under pressure to demonstrate environmental sustainability. In New Zealand, farm environment plans (FEPs) and their auditing were intended to guide farmers towards sustainable practices by meeting regulations. However, on-farm audits can be time consuming, costly, and stressful for farmers. Meanwhile, the advancement of drone technology has made it possible to incorporate such tools in environmental audits. By means of field observation and in-depth interviews with both farmers and auditors, this research investigated the processes and perceptions of incorporating drones in environmental audits. The aerial views provided additional, high-quality information for the audit. However, flying a drone is subject to weather conditions. Additionally, reductions in audit time were dependent on farm scale, topography, and the auditor’s knowledge of the farm and the farmer. Farmer-auditor relationships are critical for enabling the benefits of drone use within the FEP audit process. Such relationships require a high level of interaction-based trust between farmers and auditors. Further clarity around the use and ownership of drone images could enhance trust, enabling the benefits of drones in audits to be fully utilised, hence furthering the environmental management and compliance processes towards achieving their objectives of better environmental outcomes.

Off-Farm Employment and Outsourcing Production Effects on the Technical Efficiency of Farm Households’ Grain Production - A Case with the Data from Liaoning Province, China

2014 ◽  
Vol 472 ◽  
pp. 1074-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Yan Han ◽  
Di Chen ◽  
Wen Shi ◽  
Jie Lv
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Liaoning Province ◽  
Scale Efficiency ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Step Method ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
High Level ◽  
On Farm

This paper analyzed the effects of the off-farm employment and the outsourcing production pattern on the technical efficiency of grain production by the two-step method of DEA-Tobit, based on the data of grain production in the major areas of Liaoning province, in the year of 2011. It observed these findings that off-farm employment and income structure change did not have an effect on technical efficiency. Even then this is evidence that age makes a negative effect on farm technical efficiency but it is weakly. Farm scale and specialization have a positive effect on technical efficiency. And both large farm and small farms scale efficiency is on a high level. So a limited impact on farm technical efficiency comes from farm scale as well as a significant positive impact comes from farms production outsourcing.

scholarly journals Environmental sustainability and their factors in SMEs: A multiple case study of Spain and Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Villegas Pinuer ◽  
◽  
Leslier Valenzuela Fernández ◽  
Joan Llonch Andreu ◽  
Pilar López Belbeze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Environmental Practices ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
High Level ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Depth Interviews

Environmental Sustainability (ES) is a growing concern for society’s development while identifying companies’ need to define sustainability-based strategies. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have an essential role; generating more than 60% of employment in Europe and Latin America. Numerous research exists regarding large companies’ situation on environmental topics, yet little exists on SMEs at the practical and theoretical levels. Thus, determining the variables that affect the application of ES is very relevant. This study analyzes in-depth ES factors and drivers from the SMEs’ perspective, exploring the variables influencing their implementation in these companies. The methodology employed is in-depth interviews, applied to a sample of 17 SMEs in Spain and 25 SMEs in Chile. The main findings suggest that Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), Customer Orientation (CO), and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) influence ES adoption in both countries, showing similarities in the driving reasons behind them, but with certain differences in their implementation (affected by institutional context influences). Furthermore, the level of knowledge affects decision-making related to the development of high-level environmental practices.

scholarly journals Tariff Regulation on the base of Weather and Seasonal Changes in Transportation Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1331-1336
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Surface Damage ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Tax Regimes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cargo Transportation ◽  
Economic Imbalances ◽  
High Level

One of the most promising areas for the development of the domestic economy is the agricultural sector which is characterized by a high level of volatility due to a wide range of business risks including weather and seasonal changes. There are significant economic imbalances despite the active processes of automation of the agricultural sector as well as the desire of farmers to reduce the cost of production while simultaneously improving its quality. And it’s largely due to imperfect approaches to price formation. One of these problematic areas is the sphere of cargo transportation of agricultural products. Now the usual ways of supporting entrepreneurs in the form of preferential loans, special tax regimes, and aid grants are no longer fully able to create optimal conditions for agricultural producers. The reason of this is the complex, multi-faceted nature of production and financial and economic relations in the agricultural sector. Above-listed tools are able to harmonize the sphere of agriculture as an economic system, however, a number of issues require the development of effective organizational and economic measures in a rather tight range. So, it is advisable to review the pricing conditions for cargo transportation of agricultural products taking into account both the weather conditions and the factor of seasonality. The authors give reasons for the need to introduce a flexible approach to the application of trade surcharges (tariff schedule) in this area. The rationale for the feasibility of correcting prices for carriers’ services taking into account these factors is presented since the proposed measures reduce the surface damage of agricultural products during transportation. It leads to a longer period of sell-by-date and, that is why, obtaining additional income which more than compensates of the transportation costs increasing.

scholarly journals МОДЕЛЮВАННЯ ОПТИМАЛЬНИХ РІВНІВ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ В УМОВАХ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ

2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Марина В. Поленкова
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Variance Analysis ◽  
Average Level ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

The article seeks to explore major challenges in the agricultural sector development in Ukraine. Using multifactor statistical analysis of the key drivers of agribusiness operation and performance, based on a matrix of 25 selected agribusiness development indicators for enterprises specialized in crop raising and 16 selected development indicators for livestock enterprises, similar developmental trends across Ukrainian regions have been revealed. According to the results of the analysis, certain taxonomic groups (clusters) were identified that allowed to display similar regional conditions within each group along with specifying regions with crop and livestock farming within one cluster, represented by Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Rivne regions. For further research, agribusinesses were selected out of the above regions and their competitive positions were analyzed. A fuzzy-set method was used to identify the impact of sustainable development, in particular the level of economic, social and environmental sustainability of regions on the competitive position of agribusinesses. The input parameters are represented by economic, environmental and social sustainability indices, each of them is assigned specific characteristics and classified. In addition, using variance analysis, key reference indicators were calculated and the boundaries were set. The output data are determined by the level of agribusiness competitiveness in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Rivne regions (selected by the results of cluster analysis). According to the calculations results, linguistic evaluation was performed, based on variance analysis of terms. Modeling of the surface of the forecast values was carried out which revealed that the above the average level of agribusiness competitiveness is accompanied by a high level of economic sustainability, average level of environmental sustainability and the below average social stability level.

Statistical evaluation and forecasting of human resources support by specialists and workers of mass professions of agricultural organizations of the grainsheep-breeding zone of Stavropol region

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Alexey Gerasimov ◽  
Evgeny Gromov ◽  
Oksana Grigor'eva
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Stavropol Region ◽  
Breeding Zone ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Business Structures ◽  
Agroindustrial Complex ◽  
High Level

Improving the efficiency of agricultural production and the competitiveness of agricultural products is impossible without the creation of professional teams with a high level of productivity. The formation and development of the personnel potential of the agro-industrial complex comes to the fore in the light of ensuring the country’s food security and solving the problems of import substitution. The development of the industry relies more on the creation of a vertical education system, the development of rural territories, etc. Compilation of forecasts for the staffing of the agroindustrial complex will coordinate the efforts of educational institutions, business structures, and authorities in organizing the training and retraining of personnel for the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals Big data for climate action or climate action for big data?

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395172098203
Author(s):  
Maria I Espinoza ◽  
Melissa Aronczyk
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Intergovernmental Organizations ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Data Practices ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
User Data ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Depth Interviews

Under the banner of “data for good,” companies in the technology, finance, and retail sectors supply their proprietary datasets to development agencies, NGOs, and intergovernmental organizations to help solve an array of social problems. We focus on the activities and implications of the Data for Climate Action campaign, a set of public–private collaborations that wield user data to design innovative responses to the global climate crisis. Drawing on in-depth interviews, first-hand observations at “data for good” events, intergovernmental and international organizational reports, and media publicity, we evaluate the logic driving Data for Climate Action initiatives, examining the implications of applying commercial datasets and expertise to environmental problems. Despite the increasing adoption of Data for Climate Action paradigms in government and public sector efforts to address climate change, we argue Data for Climate Action is better seen as a strategy to legitimate extractive, profit-oriented data practices by companies than a means to achieve global goals for environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Challenges in Szekszárd Wine Region, Hungary

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Attila Buzási
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
The Future ◽  
Climate Vulnerability ◽  
High Level ◽  
Wine Region ◽  
Lock In

Wine producers face several challenges regarding climate change, which will affect this industry both in the present and the future. Vulnerability assessments are at the forefront of current climate research, therefore, the present paper has two main aims. First, to assess two components of climate vulnerability regarding the Szekszárd wine region, Hungary; second, to collect and analyze adaptation farming techniques in terms of environmental sustainability aspects. Exposure analyses revealed that the study area will face several challenges regarding intensive drought periods in the future. Sensitivity indicators show the climate-related characteristics of the most popular grapevines and their relatively high level of susceptibility regarding changing climatic patterns. Since both external and intrinsic factors of vulnerability show deteriorating trends, the development of adaptation actions is needed. Adaptation interventions often provide unsustainable solutions or entail maladaptation issues, therefore, an environmental-focused sustainability assessment of collected interventions was performed to avoid long-term negative path dependencies. The applied evaluation methodology pointed out that nature-based adaptation actions are preferred in comparison to using additional machines or resource-intensive solutions. This study can fill the scientific gap by analyzing this wine region for the first time, via performing an ex-ante lock-in analysis of available and widely used adaptation interventions in the viticulture sector.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability and Economic Growth in Greenland: Testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1228
Author(s):  
Javier Arnaut ◽  
Johanna Lidman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Kuznets Curve ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
High Level

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis assumes there is an inverted U-shape relationship between pollution and income per capita, implying an improvement in environmental quality when a growing economy reaches a high level of economic development. This study evaluated empirically the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve in Greenland for the period 1970–2018. Using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach, the results show evidence of a U-shaped EKC in Greenland instead of the hypothesized inverted U-shape. The findings indicate that Greenland had initially experienced a decoupling transition during an early development stage associated with structural conditions of a small subsistence economy. However, once the country began to expand its industry, the trend began to reverse, creating a positive and significant relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP per capita that is potentially detrimental to the Arctic natural environment.

Directions of Economic and Ecological Transformation of Enterprises of the Defence-industrial Complex of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
pp. 211-219
Author(s):  
Oleksii Hutsaliuk ◽  
◽  
Tatiana Obniavko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Military Equipment ◽  
Managerial Decisions ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Cumulative Deterioration ◽  
High Level

Since the beginning of the third millennium, ecological safety has become of paramount importance for Ukraine. The cumulative deterioration of the environment, fixed by the annual official reports on the ecological situation in the country, is fraught with irreparable consequences not only for the present generations, but also for descendants. The authors propose to consider the enterprises of the defence-industrial complex (DIC) of Ukraine as those that make a significant contribution to the development of the economy of the country, while not only not destroying the environment, but also contributing to sustainable development. The defence-industrial complex of Ukraine is the basis of the high-tech sector of the Ukrainian economy, which determines its key importance for the functioning and development of the entire national economy, in the current period of change of technological modes, as the enterprises of the Ukrainian defence-industrial complex have a high level of innovation. One of the key features of the domestic defence-industrial complex is that it has the potential to concentrate various types of resources to achieve breakthrough results not only in addressing the issues of creating the latest weapons and military equipment, but also for implementing large-scale projects of national economic importance. This potential for breakthrough development currently remains underutilized, requiring adjustments not only in industrial, but also in state economic policy as a whole. The current state of development of defence industry enterprises is characterized by insufficient economic and environmental sustainability and requires modernization based on global experience in the greening of the military-defence sphere and NATO environmental standards, which will have environmental and economic effects. The obstacles of economic and ecological transformation of enterprises of the defence-industrial complex of Ukraine were identified and a number of managerial decisions that can become drivers to accelerate the economic and ecological transformation of the defence-industrial complex of Ukraine were proposed.

IoT-based Precision Agriculture Platform: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1419-1421
Author(s):  
Rutvik Solanki
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Iot Platforms ◽  
High Level ◽  
New Applications ◽  
And Control ◽  
Use Of Internet ◽  
The Internet Of Things

Abstract: Technological advancements such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are helping to boost the global agricultural sector as it is expected to grow by around seventy percent in the next two decades. There are sensor-based systems in place to keep track of the plants and the surrounding environment. This technology allows farmers to watch and control farm operations from afar, but it has a few limitations. For farmers, these technologies are prohibitively expensive and demand a high level of technological competence. Besides, Climate change has a significant impact on crops because increased temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks, resulting in crop losses and potentially irreversible plant destruction. Because of recent advancements in IoT and Cloud Computing, new applications built on highly innovative and scalable service platforms are now being developed. The use of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions has enormous promise for improving the quality and safety of agricultural products. Precision farming's telemonitoring system relies heavily on Internet of Things (IoT) platforms; therefore, this article quickly reviews the most common IoT platforms used in precision agriculture, highlighting both their key benefits and drawbacks

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document