Attributes of Farm Income Operating on Conservation Agriculture: TheMultivariate and ANN Analytics

2022 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
Cornea Saha ◽  
S. K. Acharya ◽  
Monirul Haque ◽  
Riti Chatterjee ◽  
Anwesha Mandal

Conservation agriculture (CA) is the combination of environmental management, modernand scientific agriculture, which employs farmers’ ability to utilize, innovate, and adapt tochanging situations, as well as their holistic acceptance of knowledge along with ensuringsustainability. Farm-level adoption of CA is related to reduced labour and agricultural inputs,more consistent yields, and increased soil nutrient exchange capacity. A good quality landyields good results to everyone, confers good health on the entire family, and causes growthof money, cattle, and grain. The present study depicts hard evidences by identifying markervariables impacting income augmentation through conservation agriculture. A score of 50farmers has been selected from two blocks of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, bynon-probability snowballing sampling techniques with a total of eighteen independentvariables along with income from major crop is used as the dependent variable through astructured interview schedule. A basket of multivariate analytical techniques has been appliedalong with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as well. The results depict that a blend ofdiversified farming and farming experiences in CA contributed immensely to scale up incomefrom conservation agriculture approaches.

Proteins are an integral part of molecular and cellular structure and function and are probably the most purified type of biological molecule. In order to elucidate the structure and function of any protein it is first necessary to purify it. Protein purification techniques have evolved over the past ten years with improvements in equipment control, automation, and separation materials, and the introduction of new techniques such as affinity membranes and expanded beds. These developments have reduced the workload involved in protein purification, but there is still a need to consider how unit operations linked together to form a purification strategy, which can be scaled up if necessary. The two Practical Approach books on protein purification have therefore been thoroughly updated and rewritten where necessary. The core of both books is the provision of detailed practical guidelines aimed particularly at laboratory scale purification. Information on scale-up considerations is given where appropriate. The books are not comprehensive but do cover the major laboratory techniques and common sources of protein. Protein Purification Techniques focuses on unit operations and analytical techniques. It starts with an overview of purification strategy and then covers initial extraction and clarification techniques. The rest of the book concentrates on different purification methods with the emphasis being on chromatography. The final chapter considers general scale-up considerations. Protein Purification Applications describes purification strategies from common sources: mammalian cell culture, microbial cell culture, milk, animal tissue, and plant tissue. It also includes chapters on purification of inclusion bodies, fusion proteins, and purification for crystallography. A purification strategy that can produce a highly pure single protein from a crude mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and cell debris to is a work of art to be admired. These books (available individually or as a set)are designed to give the laboratory worker the information needed to undertake the challenge of designing such a strategy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6365
Author(s):  
Alelgn Ewunetu ◽  
Belay Simane ◽  
Ermias Teferi ◽  
Benjamin F. F. Zaitchik

Sustainable land management (SLM) is a leading policy issue in Ethiopia. However, the adoption and continuous use of SLM technologies remain low. This study investigates the interrelationship of adopted SLM technologies and key factors of farmers’ decisions to use SLM technologies in the North Gojjam sub-basin of the Upper Blue Nile. The study was based on the investigation of cross-sectional data obtained from 414 randomly selected rural household heads, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics and Econometric models (i.e., Multivariate Probit and Poisson regression) were used to analyze quantitative data, while a content analysis method was used for qualitative data analysis. Results indicate that at least one type of SLM technology was implemented by 94% of farm households in the North Gojjam sub-basin. The most widely used technologies were chemical fertilizer, soil bund, and animal manure. Most of the adopted SLM technologies complement each other. Farm size, family size, male-headed household, local institutions, perception of soil erosion, livestock size, total income, and extension service increased the adoption probability of most SLM technologies. Plot fragmentation, household age, plot distance, off-farm income, market distance, and perception of good fertile soil discourage the adoption probability of most SLM technologies. To scale up SLM technologies against land degradation, it is important to consider households’ demographic characteristics, the capacity of farm households, and plot-level related factors relevant to the specific SLM technologies being promoted.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammal Abukari ◽  
Ziblim Abukari Imoro ◽  
Abubakari Zarouk Imoro ◽  
Abudu Ballu Duwiejuah

Conversion of agricultural wastes into eco-friendly and low cost biochar is not only a smart recycling strategy but a panacea to environmental pollution management. Agricultural wastes biochar can be an effective alternative technique for controlling contaminants due to its low cost, high-efficiency, simple to use, ecological sustainability and reliability in terms of public safety. Biochars have made substantial breakthroughs in reducing greenhouse gases emissions, reducing soil nutrient leaching, sequester atmospheric carbon into the soil, increasing agricultural productivity, and reducing bioavailability of environmental contaminants. Recent advances in the understanding of biochars warrant a proper scientific evaluation of the relationship between its properties and impact on soil properties, environmental pollutant remediation, plant growth, yield, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The main factors controlling biochar properties include the nature of feedstock, heat transfer rate, residence time and pyrolysis temperature. Biochar efficacy in pollutants management largely depends on its elemental composition, ion-exchange capacity, pore size distribution and surface area, which vary with the nature of feedstock, preparation conditions and procedures. The chapter explored the possibility of using biochar from agricultural wastes as a suitable alternative for the remediation of environmental pollutants, soil conditioning and the long-term biochar application in the environment.


Author(s):  
Douglas L. Rodenburg ◽  
Kamilla Alves ◽  
Wilmer H. Perera ◽  
Taylor Ramsaroop ◽  
Raquel Carvalho ◽  
...  

Weed Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Kudsk ◽  
Solvejg Kopp Mathiassen

AbstractThe glyphosate controversy before the renewal of the authorization of glyphosate in the European Union (EU) once again turned the spotlight on pesticide regulation in the EU. In the EU, pesticides are attracting more public attention than in other parts of the world, and many nongovernmental organizations specifically target pesticide regulation, trying to influence politicians and other decision makers. Following an overview of the EU pesticide legislation and the impact hitherto on EU agriculture, this paper outlines the glyphosate controversy and presents the outcome of desk studies conducted in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Sweden on the potential effects of a glyphosate ban on agricultural productivity and farm income. All studies concluded that the loss of income depends very much on farm type and cropping practice, but they all reached the conclusion that particularly no-tillage farming/conservation agriculture will be facing severe problems without glyphosate to control weeds and terminate cover crops. No-tillage/conservation agriculture is viewed as an effective strategy to prevent soil erosion and loss of nutrients, which could become larger problems without glyphosate. Other issues highlighted in the studies were the impact on resistance management, as glyphosate is largely seen as a “herbicide-resistance breaker.” Without glyphosate, fundamental changes in farming practices in the EU are required, and it is hard to imagine that they will come without a cost, at least in the short term.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Drake ◽  
Nail Lazrak ◽  
Meena Fernandes ◽  
Kim Chu ◽  
Samrat Singh ◽  
...  

The creation of Human Capital is dependent upon good health and education throughout the first 8,000 days of life, but there is currently under-investment in health and nutrition after the first 1,000 days. Working with governments and partners, the UN World Food Program is leading a global scale up of investment in school health, and has undertaken a strategic analysis to explore the scale and cost of meeting the needs of the most disadvantaged school age children and adolescents in low and middle-income countries globally. Of the 663 million school children enrolled in school, 328 million live where the current coverage of school meals is inadequate (<80%), of these, 251 million live in countries where there are significant nutrition deficits (>20% anemia and stunting), and of these an estimated 73 million children in 60 countries are also living in extreme poverty (<USD 1.97 per day). 62.7 million of these children are in Africa, and more than 66% live in low income countries, with a substantial minority in pockets of poverty in middle-income countries. The estimated overall financial requirement for school feeding is USD 4.7 billion, increasing to USD 5.8 billion annually if other essential school health interventions are included in the package. The DCP3 (Vol 8) school feeding edition and the global coverage numbers were launched in Tunis, 2018 by the WFP Executive Director, David Beasley. These estimates continue to inform the development of WFP's global strategy for school feeding.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 848-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Uwimana ◽  
I. Nhapi ◽  
U. G. Wali ◽  
Z. Hoko ◽  
J. Kashaigili

A study was carried out to characterize the sludge produced at Kadahokwa Water Treatment Plant (KWTP) in Butare to assess the effectiveness of the sludge treatment and potential impacts of sludge disposal on the environment. Parameters analyzed were chromium, nickel, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, aluminium, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The results showed that 450±244.5 tons (dry weight) of sludge are produced annually. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sludge were below the standard limits for land application set by different countries. The high concentrations of nickel (42.3±2.5 ppm), chromium (29.9±6.2 ppm), cadmium (1.1±0.3 ppm) and lead (31.6±3.7 ppm) in the dried sludge posed a pollution risk for the wetland. The CEC was 28.4–33.3 cmol (+)/kg and pH was 6.50–7.45. It was concluded that the KWTP sludge is a poor source of total carbon, a moderate source of nutrients (NPK), and an important source of micronutrients, making it generally suitable for reuse for crop production. The CEC showed that the sludge could improve soil nutrient and water holding capacity. The higher concentration of aluminium (280 ppm) in the sludge creates an opportunity for recycling.


Author(s):  
Atsushi Mukunoki ◽  
Tamotsu Chiba ◽  
Yasuhiro Suzuki ◽  
Kenji Yamaguchi ◽  
Tomofumi Sakuragi ◽  
...  

The authors describe progress in the development of low temperature vitrification with BiPbO2I (BPI) as a promising immobilization technique by which Iodine-129 is recovered by BiPbO2NO3 to form BPI, and then solidified into a lead-boron-zinc glass matrix (PbO-B2O3-ZnO) using a low temperature vitrification process. The microscopic structure of BPI glass was analyzed by various analytical techniques, such as XRD (X-ray diffraction), NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance analysis), and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), using several types of glass samples. The results obtained provide structural information on key elements in BPI glass and can be applied for modeling the structure of the BPI glass, simulated by molecular dynamics. The previous work suggested that the leaching behavior of iodine from BPI glass depended upon the chemical conditions of the solution. Further leaching tests using solutions under varying conditions were carried out in order to predict mechanisms of iodine leaching. Normalized elemental mass loss values of iodine in simulated seawater and bentonite pore water are almost the same as those of boron, showing that iodine dissolves congruently with BPI glass, whereas iodine dissolves incongruently in Ca(OH)2 solutions of pH 9 and 11. To demonstrate the feasibility of the BPI vitrification process, recovery tests of iodine from spent iodine filters were conducted and a prototype melting furnace was developed for scale-up tests of glass sample. It was found that more than 95% of iodine can be recovered from the spent iodine filter and that the prototype furnace can produce approximately 0.5 liters of homogeneous glass.


2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 639-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro Sousa-Souto ◽  
José H. Schoereder ◽  
Carlos Ernesto G. R. Schaefer ◽  
Washington L. Silva

Abstract:High-nutrient patches are important for regulating the structure and physiognomy of dystrophic habitats. Leaf-cutting ants create these rich patches in many neotropical habitats. Burning, however, could diminish or even annul the effects of ant nests on soil properties. To test this hypothesis, we compared the nutrient concentrations at various depths in soil samples near three nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta laevigata and three non-nest soils, located in 10-ha plots subjected to burning or with fire-protection within a Brazilian cerrado. Root density in ant-nest soil was greater than in non-nest soil in both unburned and burned plots. Besides, the concentration of Ca, Mg, K and P increased 2–50-fold in ant nests from the unburned area compared to non-nest soils. In contrast, nutrient concentrations and pH in burned ant nests were similar to or lower than non-nest soils, but the nests maintained higher values of organic matter and cation exchange capacity. The positive effect of leaf-cutting ant nests as high-nutrient patches may be strongly reduced in habitats with frequent burning. In this case, the negative effects of leaf-cutter herbivory on a plant community could surpass the benefits of local nutrient enrichment by their nests.Resumo: Sauveiros modificam as propriedades físicas e químicas do solo, alterando a estrutura e fisionomia local. Entretanto, queimadas podem reduzir os efeitos dos formigueiros nesses ambientes como, por exemplo, pela diminuição do forrageamento das formigas e, conseqüentemente, pela baixa incorporação de material orgânico ao solo. Este estudo testou o efeito do fogo sobre a concentração de nutrientes no solo de colônias de Atta laevigata em área de cerrado. A densidade de raízes foi maior nas colônias do que áreas controle, independentemente da presença do fogo. Na ausência de queimadas, as concentrações de nutrientes foram até 50 vezes superiores nos sauveiros. Contudo, queimadas reduzem a concentração de nutrientes e pH nas colônias. Possivelmente, essa baixa concentração seja atribuída à maior demanda pela vegetação remanescente, em resposta à perturbação provocada pelo fogo. Nesse caso, os efeitos negativos da herbivoria podem superar os benefícios causados por meio da disponibilização de nutrientes pelos sauveiros.


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