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The food system is facing unprecedented pressure from environmental change exacerbated by the expansion of agri-food corporations that are consolidating their power in the global food chain. Although Africa missed the Green Revolution and the wave of supermarket expansion that hit the West and then spread to Asia and Latin America, this is unlikely to continue. With a large proportion of sub-Saharan African countries' GDP still heavily reliant on agriculture, global trends in agri-food business are having an increasing impact on African countries. South Africa, a leader in agribusiness on the continent, has a well-established agri-food sector that is facing increasing pressure from various social and environmental sources. This paper uses interview data with corporate executives from South African food businesses to explore how they are adapting to the dual pressures of environmental change and globalisation. It shows that companies now have to adapt to macro-trends both within and outside the formal food sector and how this in turn has repercussions for building sustainable farming systems—both small and large-scale. It concludes with the recognition that building a sustainable food system is a complex process involving a diversity of actors, however changes are already being seen. Businesses have strategically recognised the need to align the economic bottom line with social and environmental factors, but real sustainability will only happen when all stakeholders are included in food governance.

Despite its many advantages, the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean region remains relatively backward in economic and social terms and is rightly considered a potential source of social and political instability. Its average GDP per capita lags behind the global average and is increasing slowly due to weak economic policies, poor governance and rapid population growth. The region suffers from high unemployment (especially among women and youth), poor education, high levels of income inequality, gender discrimination, underdeveloped infrastructure, continuous trade protectionism, and a poor business climate. To overcome these development obstacles, MED countries should conduct comprehensive reforms of their economic, social and political systems with the aim of ensuring macroeconomic stability, increasing trade and investment openness, improving the business climate and governance system, and upgrading infrastructure and human capital. The main economic and political partners of the MED countries, especially the EU, can actively support this modernization agenda through liberalizing trade in some sensitive sectors (like agriculture and services), adopting a more flexible approach to MED labor migration, and cooperating in mitigating climate changes, improving educational outcomes, and promoting science and culture. This will require renewed initiatives with dedicated technical assistance and continued and enhanced financial assistance, particularly to improve infrastructure. There is also a lot of room for improvement in intra-MED cooperation but this requires resolving the protracted political conflicts in the region and taking bolder steps to remove trade and investment barriers.

In comparison to many Western European countries, in Romania the use of common pastures remains widespread and is strongly linked to the predominance of subsistence and semi-subsistence farming in much of the country. The majority of permanent pasture in the country is under state or community ownership, and these areas are of high natural and cultural, as well as economic importance for Romania. Whilst traditional governance systems of the commons are still partly intact, or at least within living memory here, new institutions are forming in response to substantial changes in agriculture and rural life that have been occurring, particularly since Romania's accession to the EU in 2007. We describe the changing role of common pastures for local communities in the case study region of Târnava Mare in Southern Transylvania, Romania. The number of active users here is decreasing, and those who have more animals are increasingly grazing their animals on long-term leased or private land, thus effectively no longer participating in the commons. This is encouraged by the current system of relatively low prices for agricultural products and EU agricultural support payments, which for smallholders and larger farmers alike are now a major factor in the financial viability of farming in Romania. The future of the commons in the study region will hinge on the success of the communities to self-organise and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the changing rural context of pastoral commons use. ; peerReviewed

"Splitting Atoms, Fracturing Landscapes: Policymaking, Environmental Science, and the Nuclear Complex, 1945-1960" examines the implications of an expansive nuclear culture in the postwar United States. This dissertation probes the intersection of Cold War policymaking, environmental science, and the nuclear complex--a shorthand way of discussing the sum set of all nuclear technologies in conjunction with the societal structures and ideologies necessary to implement such technology. Studying a unified nuclear complex corrects for the limitations associated with studying all nuclear technologies as separate entities, something that has created fractured understandings of how splitting the atom affected both natural and human systems. This dissertation shows how U.S. policymakers in the early Cold War interacted with the environment and sought to fulfill their charge to protect the United States and its people while still attempting to ensure future national prosperity. Thus the consideration of an holistic nuclear complex better explains how humans, policy, technology, and the environment intermingled during the Cold War and profoundly affected not only the natural world, but also the human relationship to it. Weather, agriculture, geology and other natural factors have too long been absent from histories of nuclear technologies, and thus we have missed what splitting the atom truly meant. Ultimately, "Splitting Atoms, Fracturing Landscapes" prompts us to employ a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between human societies, governmental mandates to protect citizens and lands, and the natural world.

Rabies, an acute progressive encephalitis, is an ancient zoonosis. Its distribution encompasses all continents, except Antarctica. Agents consist of at least 11 species orgenotypes of rhabdoviruses, in the Genus Lyssavirus. Susceptible natural hosts include all mammals. Primary reservoirs reside in the Orders Carnivora and Chiroptera. A plethora of variants, maintained by a diversity of abundant hosts, presents a challenge to a strict concept of true eradication. Globally, the domestic dog remains the most significant species for viral transmission, responsible for millions of suspect human exposures and tens of thousands of fatalities. As such, this single major target provides an ideal opportunity for focused intervention programmes in humane disease prevention and control, driven by laboratory-based surveillance and guided via modern epidemiological insights. Historically, substantial technical progress throughout the 20th century led to the development of safe, affordable and efficacious animal and human vaccines, resulting in declining disease burdens in selected developed and developing countries. Regional and local disease resurgence occurs, due in part to a combination of political and economic instability, environmental perturbations, and shifting government priorities. Society must recall that despite the recent recognition of other important emerging infectious diseases, none exceed the case fatality rate of rabies. Given the clear relevance of rabies in public health, agriculture, and conservation biology, substantive international progress must continue towards enhanced public awareness, human rabies prevention, wildlife rabies control, and canine rabies elimination, with renewed collaborative vigour.

This paper examines the potential impact of agricultural and trade policy reform on land-use across the EU focussing particularly on the issue of land abandonment. Using a novel combined application of the well established CAPRI and Dyna-CLUE models it estimates the extent of change across Europe under removal of Pillar 1 support payments and trade liberalisation. Overall, it is estimated that around 8 per cent less land will be farmed under these reforms than under the baseline situation. However, some regions, areas and farm types face more significant reductions. The reforms are particularly felt on livestock grazing farms situated in the more marginal areas of Europe, which also coincide with areas of high nature value. Therefore, farmland biodiversity is likely to be reduced in these areas. However, using a range of environmental indicators, relating to nutrient surpluses, GHG emissions, soil erosion and species abundance, an overall improvement in the environmental footprint of agriculture is likely. In addition, the economic efficiency of the agricultural sector will probably improve. The paper considers several possible options available to deal with any negative aspects of land abandonment. Following the FAO (2006), it is argued that untargeted, rather general agricultural policy measures which maintain land in production are likely to be an ineffective and inefficient way to address the perceived negative consequences of abandonment. A more holistic approach to rural development is required, tailored to the specific context within each area.

Problems of this study is "How can the Agricultural Sector Development in Sub Sintang of the year 2006-2010". The purpose of this study was to determine and analyze the sub-sectors be seen from the growth and contribution during 2006-2010 in Sintang, knowing the projected contribution of agriculture sector sub period of 10 (ten) years in Sintang and map the agricultural sub-sectors based on growth Sintang and its contribution. In this study the authors used descriptive and qualitative methods in which the data used are secondary data obtained from the Central Bureau of Statistics of West Kalimantan Province. In connection with this skripisi discussion, the authors use the LQ analysis, Shift Share, Projection, and the typology of the problems Klassen answer for this thesis. From these results we got the result that the agricultural sector has a major contribution from other sectors, while high growth sub-sector and sub ??sector contribution is plantation. Therefore, these two sectors and sub ??sectors are leading or are in Sintang basis and potential for development as the economy pengerak Sintang district, so as to compete with other districts and is expected to also be able to export out of the other provinces. With appropriate government policies and taking advantage sectors and sub ??sectors expected to memdorong owned economic growth so as to achieve a better Sintang district and advanced.

This paper focuses on how economic dynamics regarding global markets and international trade regulations affect food security, with a specific focus on agrobiodiversity, mainly by identifying major gaps in existing international reports. The question of how the concept of food security has evolved and how it has been addressed and analyzed at the international level by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will first be explained, followed by argument on how the lack of an internationally coordinated response to address the economic impacts on food insecurity has led to market disruptions and price volatility. This paper argues that global economic governance should focus on tackling these issues through international trade policies aimed at enhancing agrobiodiversity, which would in turn enhance food security, especially for those countries where people in demand of food is not particularly solvent. Issues that are clearly linked with food security, namely global governance, political economy, and agrobiodiversity, will be addressed here. Food security is also strongly linked with other thematic areas, including climate change, rural development, sustainable land use, aid effectiveness, and health. It is difficult to understand the international response to global food security as an isolated issue; we must see it as part of the larger picture of the global development framework, and analyze it along with other on-going international processes.

Front cover -- Series title -- Title page -- Imprint -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Abstract -- Content -- List of tables -- List of figures -- Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Definitions and concepts -- 3. Theoretical framework -- 3.1 New Economics of Labour Migration -- 3.2 Network theory -- 3.3 Human capital theory -- 4. State of research -- 4.1 Determinants of migration -- 4.2 Determinants of remittances -- 4.3 Socio-economic impact of migration and remittances in origin countries -- 4.3.1 Impact on poverty -- 4.3.2 Impact on education -- 4.3.3 Impact on health -- 4.3.4 Impact on business ownership -- 4.3.5 Impact on housing -- 4.3.6 Impact on agriculture -- 4.3.7 Impact on household expenditures -- 5. Research hypotheses and conceptual framework -- 5.1 Research hypotheses -- 5.2 Conceptual framework -- 6. Economic framework and migration in Nepal -- 6.1 Natural conditions -- 6.2 Population -- 6.3 Economic development -- 6.4 Foreign trade -- 6.5 Human development index and poverty -- 6.6 Education -- 6.7 Employment -- 6.8 Agricultural sector -- 6.9 Household income and expenditures -- 6.10 International migration and remittances -- 6.10.1 History of international migration in Nepal -- 6.10.2 Migration patterns -- 6.10.3 Remittances -- 6.11 Labour law and migration policy in Nepal -- 7. Research design and methodology -- 7.1 Study area -- 7.1.1 Selection of the study area -- 7.1.2 Location and physical environment -- 7.1.3 Demographic characteristics -- 7.1.4 Development indicators -- 7.2 Sampling unit -- 7.3 Sampling procedure and sample size -- 7.4 Data collection and processing -- 7.4.1 Primary data collection -- 7.4.2 Secondary data collection -- 7.4.3 Limitations and constraints faced during field survey -- 7.4.4 Data processing -- 7.5 Data analyses -- 7.5.1 Logistic regression -- 7.5.2 Multiple linear regression model

The agricultural matter has always played an important role in holding back the Euro-Mediterranean integration process due to the strong complementarity of the agricultures of the coastal countries which share excellent products including citrus fruits. The main goal of this paper is to understand the growth dynamics of the citriculture in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Through the application of the dynamic formulation of the Shift and Share Analysis it has been possible to analyse the trend of the amount of harvested citrus production, in physical and economic terms, in the last fifteen years, and above all which components, structural and competitive, have mainly influenced these performances. The results of the analysis highlight on the whole a positive trend of the citrus fruits sector in the Mediterranean coastal countries which, although characterized by an adequate productive structure, suffer in some cases from competitiveness limits. A clear dualism emerges among the coastal countries: on the one hand, the North-African and the Near-East countries –extra-EU members– show a dynamic and competitive citrus production mainly thanks to the implementation of effective government policies consistent with the aim to increase the competitiveness of the sector; on the other hand, other countries, mainly EU members, are significantly late in competitiveness, showing their inability to reorganize themselves in the direction shown by the demand trend and the agricultural policies.

Residue chopping from orchard pruning is becoming a common practice in conservation agriculture after the establishment of eco-conditionality policies in the European Union. This type of residue is used to protect the soil from erosion and improve the water balance and fertility of soils by improving the organic matter content. However, no studies have evaluated the influence of pruning residues and size on soil coverage. This study examines the effect of different treatments on pruning residue soil coverage in an olive orchard (cv. Picual). Treatments consisted of two quantities of pruning residues, specifically, high (2.04 kg m-2) and low (1.02 kg m-2), and two chopping speeds, low (2.4 km h-1) and high (3.2 km h-1). The different treatments were evaluated by image analysis and pixel counting to determine the soil cover percentage, size, number and distribution of the pruning residues after chopping. After chopping, the soil cover percentage was 39% higher in the high quantity pruning residue treatments but was not significantly influenced by the chopping speed. The size and number of lignified residues was quantified via pixel counting. In the high quantity pruning residue treatments, the number of large lignified residues (> 6 cm2) was higher, and the number of pruning residues smaller than 2 cm2 was lower, when compared with low quantity pruning residue treatments. The high chopping speed treatments produced more smaller-sized pruning residues.

Abstract. The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 had far reaching consequences for agriculture in Aceh province, Indonesia, and particularly in Aceh Barat district, 150 km from the seaquake epicentre. In this study, the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of soil and groundwater salinity and their impact on tree crops were monitored in Aceh Barat from 2006 to 2008. On 48 sampling points along ten transects, covering 40 km of coastline, soil and groundwater salinity were measured and related to mortality and yield depression of the locally most important tree crops. Given a yearly rainfall of over 3000 mm, initial groundwater salinity declined rapidly from over 10 to less than 2 mS cm−1 within two years. On the other hand, seasonal dynamics of the groundwater table in combination with intrusion of saline water into the groundwater body led to recurring elevated salinity, sufficient to affect crops. Tree mortality and yield depression in the flooded area varied considerably between tree species. Damage to coconut (65% trees damaged) was related to tsunami run-up height, while rubber (50% trees damaged) was mainly affected by groundwater salinity. Coconut yields (−35% in average) were constrained by groundwater Ca2+ and Mg2+, while rubber yields (−65% on average) were related to groundwater chloride, pH and soil sodium. These findings have implications on planting deep-rooted tree crops as growth will be constrained by ongoing oscillations of the groundwater table and salinity.

Abstract. This paper aims to assess the vulnerability at regional level, the model and the proposed indicators being explicitly intended for an essentially rural region, in this case–Tutova Hills (Eastern Romania). Five categories of variables were taken into account to define the vulnerability components: rural habitat, demographic features, agriculture, environmental quality and emergency situations. For each one, five variables were analyzed and ranked based on the level of determination or subordination. In order to ensure the flexibility of the model and to avoid the criteria duplication in assessing vulnerability, only a single indicator of each category was retained and included in analysis: total number of inhabitants, dependency ratio, weight of arable land on slope categories, weight of land under forestry and road accessibility of villages. The selected indicators were mathematically processed in order to maximize their relevance and to unitary express the results in the spread 0–1. Also, values of each indicator were grouped into four classes, corresponding to the level of vulnerability: low, medium, high and very high. A general index was obtained through the integration of vulnerability factors in an equation based on the geometric mean. Spatial analysis was based on features of the MicroImages TNTmips 7.3. software, which allow the vulnerability mapping. This approach argues and states that vulnerability assessment through indicator-based methods can be made only according to the level and scale of analysis and related to natural or human conditions of a region.

Abstract. As temperature extremes have a deep impact on environment, hydrology, agriculture, society and economy, the analysis of the mechanisms underlying their occurrence, including their relationships with the large-scale atmospheric circulation, is particularly pertinent and is discussed here for Europe and in the period 1961–2010 (50 yr). For this aim, a canonical correlation analysis, coupled with a principal component analysis (BPCCA), is applied between the monthly mean sea level pressure fields, defined within a large Euro-Atlantic sector, and the monthly occurrences of two temperature extreme indices (TN10p – cold nights and TX90p – warm days) in Europe. Each co-variability mode represents a large-scale forcing on the occurrence of temperature extremes. North Atlantic Oscillation-like patterns and strong anomalies in the atmospheric flow westwards of the British Isles are leading couplings between large-scale atmospheric circulation and winter, spring and autumn occurrences of both cold nights and warm days in Europe. Although summer couplings depict lower coherence between warm and cold events, important atmospheric anomalies are key driving mechanisms. For a better characterization of the extremes, the main features of the statistical distributions of the absolute minima (TNN) and maxima (TXX) are also examined for each season. Furthermore, statistically significant downward (upward) trends are detected in the cold night (warm day) occurrences over the period 1961–2010 throughout Europe, particularly in summer, which is in clear agreement with the overall warming.

In this article, we present the results of a study investigating the influence of vulnerability to climate change as a function of physical vulnerability, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity on climate change risk perception. In 2008/2009, we surveyed Nevada ranchers and farmers to assess their climate change‐related beliefs, and risk perceptions, political orientations, and socioeconomic characteristics. Ranchers' and farmers' sensitivity to climate change was measured through estimating the proportion of their household income originating from highly scarce water‐dependent agriculture to the total income. Adaptive capacity was measured as a combination of the Social Status Index and the Poverty Index. Utilizing water availability and use, and population distribution GIS databases; we assessed water resource vulnerability in Nevada by zip code as an indicator of physical vulnerability to climate change. We performed correlation tests and multiple regression analyses to examine the impact of vulnerability and its three distinct components on risk perception. We find that vulnerability is not a significant determinant of risk perception. Physical vulnerability alone also does not impact risk perception. Both sensitivity and adaptive capacity increase risk perception. While age is not a significant determinant of it, gender plays an important role in shaping risk perception. Yet, general beliefs such as political orientations and climate change‐specific beliefs such as believing in the anthropogenic causes of climate change and connecting the locally observed impacts (in this case drought) to climate change are the most prominent determinants of risk perception.