Research on the path of effective management of participation in joint-venture railway companies by China railway group

Purpose-Following the regional restructuring,the number of joint-venture railway companies in which the Group participates has significantly increased.This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by China Railway Group in managing participation in joint-venture railway companies.The study seeks to propose specific approaches to ensure the effective management of these companies,thereby maximizing the benefits of the regional restructuring and supporting the development of a strong transportation country and a modern infrastructure system.Design/methodology/approach-Based on the change in the shareholding relationship between China Railway Group and the joint-venture railway companies,and considering the current situation of the regional restructuring of these companies,as well as the insights from existing literature and typical case studies,this paper proposes some specific paths for effective management of joint-stock railway companies which China Railway Group participated in.Findings-The problems in participation management are the unclear dual leadership role of the party committee,the lack of discourse power,the lack of synergy between shareholders,the increasing risk of sustainable operation of the loss-making companies and the role of dispatched personnel is not fully played.Based on the theories,combined with the existing research and practical cases,the paper proposed specific approaches,such as perfecting top-level system design,maintaining the discourse power,carrying out differentiated management,arranging personnel rationally,arranging shareholders synergy,and innovating methods to provide references for China Railway Group’s subsequent management of joint venture railway companies.Originality/value-This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by China Railway Group in managing participation in joint-venture railway companies following the regional restructuring.The study offers novel insights and practical recommendations for addressing these challenges.The findings can serve as valuable references for China Railway Group’s subsequent management of joint-venture railway companies which participated in,as well as for other stateowned enterprises facing similar challenges in managing their joint ventures.

Participatory Technique Supporting Environmental Management: A Systematic and Bibliometric Review

The increasing need to manage natural resources sustainably, driven by population growth, requires the simultaneous use of Participatory Techniques (PT) and landscape planning for structured decision-making. We conducted a bibliometric and systematic review to provide an overview of PT usage, identifying evolution in scientific production. We considered the number of publications and citations, prominent journals, and highly cited articles on scientific papers published in the Web of Science database between 1993 and 2023. A total of 415 articles related to PT were identified. After content evaluation, 19 critical articles were selected that underpin the growing combined use of models and indices with PT, enhancing the robustness and credibility of decision-making processes.

Factors Impacting Benefits of Participatory Forest Management in Upper Imenti Forest, Meru County, Kenya

This study focused on identifying factors affecting the benefits of Participatory Forestry Management (PFM) income generating activities in Upper Imenti Forest and whether they are dependent on status of participation in forest management through membership of Community Forest Association (CFA) or not. Cross-sectional survey research design was applied for collecting quantitative data using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 384 households stratified on the basis of PFM participation status. Qualitative data was collected through focused group discussions using a checklist and key informant interviews using an interview schedule. Using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25, Binomial regression with Wald Chi-square was analyzed to identify factors perceived to be significantly influencing benefits for PFM participants and Pearson Chi-square to compare factors perceived to be affecting PFM and non-PFM participants. CFA members participation in PFM was significantly and positively affected by benefits of PFM income generating activities and forest products accessed in the forest. Benefits linked to Plantation Establishment for Livelihood Improvement System (PELIS) for CFA members were significantly reduced by enforcement of moratorium policy since February 2018, diseases and pests, poor PELIS guideline adherence and animal damage. Benefits related to state forest access for firewood by the CFA members were negatively influenced by the moratorium policy. Diseases and pests affected benefits associated with bee keeping significantly. Comparing factors under different PFM participation status, crop production was significantly affected by policy changes, pest and diseases, animal damage and PELIS guideline adherence for CFA members than for Non-CFA members. Policy changes also affected the CFA members significantly in firewood collection and access to fodder in the state forest than the Non-CFA members. Hence, sustainable community participation in Upper Imenti Forest management requires: increasing PFM benefits, addressing factors reducing benefits and enhancing active participation of CFA members in PFM related decision-making processes.

Study on Management Mode of Rural Tourist Spots Based on Community Participation——A Case Study of Agricultural Ecological Park

In accordance with the development mode of agricultural ecological park,the paper proposed close-ended management mode at the initial stage of operation and open-ended management mode at the middle and latter stage of operation,so as to provide reference for sustainable development of agricultural ecological garden.

Floristic Composition, Population Structure, and Recruitment Status of Plant Species: A Case Study of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration Practices in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya

The technique of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted as a cost-effective approach for restoring degraded arable dry lands. Its effectiveness has been observed in many countries across the globe, where it is a traditional practice, and is now being encouraged across the African continent. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of FMNR on floristic Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of woody Plant Species in the severely degraded Central Rift, Kenya. The study systematically assessed how FMNR influenced species composition, vegetation structure and regeneration status from two sample plots involved in FMNR practices. Transect lines and quadrats methods were utilized to collect data, specifically regarding the floristic composition, vegetation structure, and regeneration status of woody plant species. Quadrats and sub-quadrats of varying sizes (10 m by 10 m, 5 m by 5 m, and 1 m by 1 m) were nested along the transect lines for data collection. Furthermore, measurements of tree growth and development, including root collar diameter, diameter at breast height (D130) and heights within the study blocks, were taken. The data was then analyzed using R-software. Results showed a marked progressive increase in numbers of trees, saplings, seedlings, shrubs and herbs in all FMNR sites and reductions in all non-FMNR sites. The study advocates for widespread promotion of the FMNR practice both as an environmental conservation and restoration strategy.

Waste Management Systems among Smallholder Farmers in Masaka and Lyantonde Districts, Central Uganda

With diversity in farming systems, crop residues, animal wastes and management practices are often not well managed, and most of it is left on the soil surface. This practice is common, especially among smallholder farmers (SHFs). There is no updated record of commonly used waste management practices. Our study focused on smallholder farmers in two farming systems in Masaka and Lyantonde Districts respectively, and with the objective to determine smallholder waste management practices in relation to farm waste components. Using a sample survey, quantitative data were collected from 120 SHFs representing 10.1% of the total SHF population in the Masaka while 120 SHFs provided data and represented 17.4% of the total SHF population in Lyantonde. Our result revealed that for animal waste, Goat slurry 20.4%, dominated the rest in Lyantonde, while in Masaka Pig slurry 23.6%, was dominant. For crop waste in Lyantonde, Bean trashes 12.9%, dominated, while in Masaka Banana leaves and peelings 11.1%, were dominant. In Lyantonde, common waste management practices were: Surface deposition 41.2%, Burning 18.4% Composting 17.3%, Burying 9.4%, Removal 10.9% and Recycling 2.8%. In Masaka, common practices were: Surface deposition 40.9%, Burning 18.6% Composting 13.2%, Burrying 12.3%, Removal 6.2% and Recycling 8.8%. Factors affecting choice of waste management practices by SHFs were: Age, purpose of waste product, season, quantity of the wastes, waste management policy awareness, farmer’s commitment and economic status of the farmer. Greenhouse gas emission for identified waste management practices across the two Districts shall be determined in our next study.

Recommendations for Optimizing Internal Management Mechanism of Farmers' Specialized Cooperatives

Based on the survey of 38 farmers' specialized cooperatives in Hubei Province,this paper analyzed existing problems in internal management mechanism of cooperatives,including widespread problem of centralized control,imperfect supervision mechanism,lack of effective incentive mechanism,insufficient specialized personnel,and limited participation of cooperative members in management. It elaborated causes for these problems from the perspective of practice. Finally,it came up with recommendations for optimizing farmers' specialized cooperatives: building democratic decision making mechanism with coordination of cooperative members and able personnel,establishing supervision mechanism suitable for self demands,improving internal incentive mechanism,establishing talent introduction and cultivation mechanism in proper time,and strengthening internal member management of cooperatives.

Management Models and Development Strategies of the Farmers’ Professional Cooperatives in the Western Poor Counties and Regions of China: A Case Study of Long’an County,Guangxi

In the new era,an important task is how farmers’professional cooperatives to better adapt to new development environment and effectively solve the problems that"who will cultivate land"and"who does agriculture depend on"in the future.In this paper,model and development direction of farmers’professional cooperatives in Long’an County of Guangxi are analyzed and studied based on realistic development background of Guangxi.

An Investigation of the Factors Influencing Community Participation in Forest Management: A Case of Balaka District, Malawi

Forests are vital for the environment through the support which they provide to biodiversity. They also provide cultural, social and economic support to human welfare. Forest degradation is attributed to multiple land uses which include agriculture, human settlement, the use of trees as the main source of energy and other infrastructure development. The main objective of the study was to assess factors that influence community participation in forest management in Kangankundi village forest area in Balaka District, Southern Malawi. Simple random sampling was used to select 100 community members who were interviewed in the study. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 22. The results showed positive significant relationship between community awareness and community participation (p = 0.015), and also between economic benefits and community involvement (p = 0.003). Involvement was not affected by income-generating activity which showed that (p = 0.781) and level of education (p = 0.535). Community awareness and economic benefits appear to be the main factors influencing community participation. Firewood and bamboos were noted to be the most resource obtained from the forest and beekeeping was also the income-generating activity in the study which is being promoted. It is concluded that community participation is influenced by many factors. The study recommends that youth must be deliberately involved in forest management as opposed to the current participation which is dominated by elderly people.

An Analysis of the Public Participation in Environmental Management in the Era of＂Intemet＋＂

In recent years, the application of Intemet technology in the public participation in environmental management has been developing continuously in China. From the case of Maoming PX Incident and the case of Chai＇s ＂Under the Dome,＂ it can be seen that Internet technology has both advantages of promoting the public participation in environmental management and disadvantages of the lacks of normative guidance. Government departments should not only adapt to the ＂Internet＋＂ era and guide the public use of Internet technology in environment management, but also strengthen the construction of laws and regulations and the construction of institutional mechanisms to standardize concrete links of the public participation in environmental management through the Intemet and finally establish a system of the public participation in environmental management in the era of＂lnternet＋.＂

Stakeholders’ Participation in Agricultural Farmers’ Extension Services Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case of the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Programme in Uganda

The paper presents findings from a study carried out to assess the contribution of stakeholders’participation on the performance of the national agricultural farmers’extension services programme in Uganda known as Operation Wealth Creation(OWEC).Specifically,the study sought to establish how participatory planning,budgeting,monitoring and evaluation(M&E)respectively contributed to the performance of OWC in selected district in central Uganda.The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques and employed both questionnaires and interview guides on key participants in the programme.Findings of the study indicated positive relationships between stakeholders’participation and programme performance with participatory planning,budgeting and M&E all having positive significant effects on the performance of OWC programme.The study concluded that indeed stakeholders’participation contributed to improved performance of the OWC programme.The study recommends increased funding and M&E of the agricultural extension programmes for improved performance.

A Study on the Effectiveness of Chinese Farmers’Participation under the Background of Rural Rejuvenation

The strategy of Rural Revitalization is an important strategic measure to comprehensively promote rural modernization in the period of building a socialist modernization country with Chinese characteristics.In essence,a farmer’s political participation is,of course,to inevitably build a new socialist countryside,cultivate new socialist farmers and realize socialist rural modernization.This paper attempts to explore the promotion and efficient realization of farmers’political participation from three ways of improving the subject ability of political participation,first,to improve subject ability;second,to guarantee object conditions,third,and to create the proper environment.And this paper illustrates that the modernization of rural areas requires the modernization of farmers’ideology and political consciousness.The comprehensive promotion of the modernization of peasants’ideology and political consciousness is embodied in the practice of political participation.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Farmers' Participation in Forest Farmers Cooperatives Based on Empirical Research of Zhejiang Province

Based on field research data of farmers in Zhejiang Province, the authors analyzed factors influencing farmers' participation in forest farmers cooperatives (hereafter referred to as FFCs) by the binary logistic regression model. Results show that understanding of farmers about cooperatives has a great influence on their behavior of participation in FFCs. Besides, educational level of householders and existing member scale of cooperatives also have significant influence on farmers' behavior of participation in cooperatives. Therefore, it is required to strengthen propaganda of cooperatives, deepen their understanding of cooperatives; cultivate new high quality farmers to provide talents for development of cooperatives; establish incentive mechanism to encourage farmers to participate in cooperatives.

Constructing Public Participation Mechanism in Social Public Management＇ s New Normal

The construction and development of social public management's new normal depend on the scientific transformation of government functionalization orientation and highlighting the role of grassroots public's extensive illustrations on social issues and social conditions.Based on this situation,in the process of public participation mechanism construction,it is necessary to emphasize that the construction of joint elements should be carried out systematically and comprehensively,and to dig deep into the relations and functions of all elements.When the stability of public participation mechanism construction is fully guaranteed,it will extensively supervise and evaluate the development of government's social public management cause,help achieve the final goal of coordinating social development environment and social development elements,ensure that the intrinsic value of public participation mechanism can be thoroughly displayed.

Willingness of farmers to participate in food traceability systems:improving the level of food safety

In order to solve frequently emerging food safety problems and adapt to the developing trends in the international food safety field, the Chinese government is establishing and developing food traceability systems. Whether or not food traceability sys- tems can guarantee food safety is a problem well worth discussing. Hence, we constructed a theoretical model to explore the effect of incentives in a food traceability system in order to improve food safety levels. The following results were obtained： enhancing the ef- fectiveness of a food traceability system, increasing the payment to farmers who supply safe agricultural products and strengthening the penalty for unsafe food supply actions are necessary conditions to improve the level of food safety. How to encourage farmers to use food traceability systems is another problem explored in our investigation. Based on a field survey on the willingness of vegetable growers to participate using a vegetable traceability system in Beijing, the first city in China to develop such a system, we used a de- scriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model to investigate the factors which dominate the decision on the part of farmers to participate in a food safety system. The results indicate that i： younger farmers are more likely to get involved in a food traceability system than older farmers, ii： income from non-agricultural activities decreases the willingness of farmers to participate, iii： the high- er the cost-benefit ratio of growing vegetables, the more likely for farmers to engage in a food traceability system, iv： farmers with a great concern for food safety information have a high propensity to participate and v： increased penalties against unsafe food supply actions and high-risk expectation are adverse incentives. In contrast, high-price expectation is a positive incentive for farmers to par- ticipate, while agricultural training, government subsidies and being part of an industrial organization will significantly strengthen the confidence of farmers to participate in a food safety system.

Preference and adoption of Farmer Field School (FFS) Prosopis juliflora management practices: Experiences in Baringo District, Kenya

This research was carried out to evaluate the preference and adoption of harvesting, uprooting, stump burning, pruning and thinning practices for controlling the spread ofProsopisjuliflora （prosopis） within Marigat Division of the Baringo District, Kenya. A survey methodology was employed using a random sample of 25 Farmer Field School （FFS） members and 5 non=FFS members from each of the five locations of Marigat Division. In total, 100 FFS members and 25 non-FFS members participated in the study; addi- tional supplementary data were collected from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute （KEFRI）, a major facilitator and trainer of the identified FFS activities and practices in the study area since 2004. More than 80% of the local community never undertook any form of prosopis management practice; however, this changed after FFS training, indicating an acquisition and retention of knowledge which probably diffused to the non-FFS counterparts, through either formal or informal ways. Harvesting was the most preferred （100%） and stump burning the least preferred （46%） practice of managing the spread of prosopis. The success and preference of any prosopis management practice was attributed to wood and non-wood benefits derived from prosopis and growing of animal fodder and food crops on rehabilitated land. More than 80% of respondents attributed ineffectiveness of any prosopis management practice to coppicing and viable seed banks of the tree, while 50% highlighted a lack of consistency and integration in carrying out manage- ment practices. The reported negative attitude towards prosopis changed after training with none of the view to eradicate it. Labor intensity and frequent regeneration of seedlings were identified as the major challenges faced during the implementation of proso- pis management practices. In conclusion, the study shows that harvesting, uprooting, stump burning, pruning and thinning realized through consistent holistic integration contribute to containing the spread of prosopis trees in Baringo, Kenya.

Financial Management in New Types of Agricultural Businesses——A Case Study of Farmer's Cooperatives in Weixian County

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China( CPC),with the help of state policies,the new types of agricultural businesses have been flourishing. As one of the important forces of new types of agricultural businesses,the farmer's specialized cooperatives grow up rapidly in the development of the rural economy because of their characteristics which are consistent with the current rural economy. financial management is the core of the operation of farmer cooperatives,which directly affects the long-term sustainable development of cooperatives. Through the survey and analysis of the financial management of many farmers' cooperatives in Wei County,Hebei Province,this paper puts forward the deficiencies in the existing financial management of cooperatives. It also brings some reasonable suggestions to regulate and improve the financial management of cooperatives,in order to enhance the market competitiveness of farmers' cooperatives and realize better sustainable development of farmers' cooperatives.

Assessment of Farmer’s Practices on the Rubber Nursery Management Using Growing Medium and Varietal Selection in Mon State

Rubber is an economically important perennial crop in Myanmar for latex production. As the rubber plantation area increases yearly, the requirement of vigorous rubber seedlings for its establishment plays a central role. The success of rubber plantations depends on some farming practices such as using different compost or other materials in the potting soil-medium, varietal selection for stock and scion in the budding process, and fertilizer application methods. The objective of this study was to assess the farmer’s practices in the establishment of rubber nurseries in mostly rubber planted areas in Myanmar. The survey interviewed 60 respondents from three townships in Mon State, namely Mudon, Kyaikmaraw, and Thanbyuzayat. The response data were analyzed through the descriptive method. This survey exposed the potentially active operators (middle age of 30 - 60 years) in rubber nursery production. Local experienced farmers usually raised the budded seedlings with 15 cm × 23 cm polyethylene bag in all study regions. Most farmers selected multi-clonal seed for stock and BPM 24 for scion according to the local market demand and high latex yield. All survey areas used both organic and inorganic fertilizers for nutrient management. Compost is a chief component of growing medium in their nursery production. However, making compost and high demand of the compost were local constraints. Therefore, this survey suggested improving the proper composting method for rubber nursery establishment.

Participatory and integrated watershed management and community based organgzanon

In Iran, and in order to encourage local watershed management, community based organizations （CBO） like ＂cooperatives of watershed＂, ＂construction groups＂ and ＂watershed management groups＂ have been established to obtain resident＇s cooperation in activities eormeeted with protection, reclamation and exploitation of natural resources in the basins that lead to sustainability within watershed management. This study was done as a ease study to explore the role of Remeleh Group （RG） as a CBO in the management of the ＂Kharkheh＂ sub-basin. Participatory action and learning method was used. Participatory tools including natural resources mapping, flow diagram, transect walk, semi-structured interview and brainstorming were applied. Making the conclusion, it was found that the CBO of Remeleh Group cause： （1） Enhancement of social capital through encouraging cooperation and participatory practices, creating new communication among local residents and outsiders, reducing conflicts and promoting the solidarity among communities in the sub basin of Karldaeh; （2） Sustain livelihood and economic situation through agricultural intensification and livelihood diversification （gardening and agriculture together and reducing migration）; （3） Conservation of environmental and natural recourses via the implementation of watershed activities like vine, terracing, bunding and destocking, seedling, and check dams; （4） Empower local people through carrying out training on the watershed practices.

Factors Influencing Farmers' Willingness to Participate in the New Vocational Training

Probit model is applied to analyze some key factors influencing farmers' willingness to participate in the new vocational training for farmers based on 683 questionnaires from 8 districts in Chongqing. The results show that individual and family factors significantly affect farmers' participation will. These factors are age,family scale and years of education. Age is the most important factor,family scale is of secondary importance and years of education are the third one. Meanwhile,years of education positively affect farmers' participation willingness;there is a negative correlation among age,family scale and this willingness. Organizer,rural economic development level and training experience have no significant influence on this willingness.