Characteristics and Mechanism of Agricultural Transformation in Typical Rural Areas of Eastern China:A Case Study of Yucheng City,Shandong Province

Rural off-farm employment,rapid loss of agricultural land,and advanced technology popularization had led agricultural production in Chinese typical rural areas come at a critical transformation and upgrade stage.Based on sample survey data gathered from 401 households in Yucheng City,Shandong Province,this paper focuses on the characteristics and mechanism of agricultural transformation in typical rural areas of the eastern China.It was found that 74.3% of households surveyed kept at least one member engaging in off-farm employment,and 57.1% looked forward to expanding the operational scale of arable land,while just 13.7% had actually transferred their agricultural land.Since growing off-farm employment does not result in the collapse of traditional subsistence agriculture,therefore,agricultural production in Yucheng City is at an incomplete transformation phase from traditional small-holder farming to modern scale economy.It is caused by both macro environments and family characteristics,while urban-rural dual structure,imperfect rural development policy and agricultural technology popularization make peasant economy strengthen upon maintenance,and small-holder farming becomes peasant's natural response owing to pluriactivity,local off-farm employment,reverse elimination,etc.In order to achieve smooth agricultural transformation of typical rural areas in the eastern China,it needs to promote professional differentiation among peasants,under clear policies adopted by central government.Providing comprehensive services for agricultural production and improving production skills and knowledge of farmers who are still living in the countryside will effectively stimulate the process of agricultural transformation.

Cultivating New Agricultural Operators to Promote the Transformation and Upgrading of Traditional Agriculture——A Case Study of Nanchong City

In order to provide reference for cultivating new agricultural operators to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture,the main practices,achievements and problems of cultivating new agricultural operators to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture in Nanchong City,Sichuan Province were analyzed firstly,and then some measures were proposed.

Agricultural Development Mode Transformation and Government Functions in Guizhou Province

Based on the brief account of the connotation of transforming economic development pattern and government functions,the thesis will introduce the development status of agricultural economy in Guizhou Province:firstly,single agricultural industrial structure;secondly,large gap between urban and rural development;thirdly,low-level utilization of agricultural science and technology;fourthly,fierce contradiction between agricultural mode of production and ecological environment.Then it analyzes the basic requirements for government functions in transforming the development pattern of agricultural economy in Guizhou Province:the first one is the function to guide sustainable development and the structural adjustment of agricultural production;the second is the function to coordinate urban-rural development and equally supply basic public goods;the third is the function to input science and technology to serve agriculture;the fourth one is the dominant function to promote the harmonious development of man and nature as well as to reduce the number of peasants.In order to promote the transformation of agricultural development mode and maintain the sound and rapid economic development,some corresponding measures and suggestions are proposed from the perspective of government functions:firstly,promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure;secondly,the government should take the lead in providing rural public goods;thirdly,strengthening the skills training and technological education of rural labor force;fourthly,reducing the number of farmers and retaining the farmers.

Study on Management System for Agricultural Sci-tech Achievement Transformation Funding Project

Relying on the management system for agricultural sci-tech achievement transformation funding project in Zhejiang Province, on the basis of current situations and demand of agricultural sci-tech achievement transformation funding project management system, we present a B/S-structured and J2EE platform-based system which adopts MVC mode and integrates mainstream open-source frame technologies such as Spring, Struts2, ExtJs, TopLink and FreeMarker, etc. Practice has shown that this system provides an original model for management of sci-tech project application, and various projects can be expanded on this model. With the aid of this system, sci-tech project management personnel can be relieved from trivial manual works, so as to increase working efficiency and improve management level of sci-tech project management.

Transformation and Upgrading and Countermeasures of Agricultural Industry in Xixia County,Henan Province

[Objectives]Industrial prosperity is an important part of implementing rural revitalization strategy,and promoting the transformation and upgrading of the agricultural industry has strong practical significance for the development of high-quality agriculture and the construction of a modern agricultural industry system.[Methods]Based on the overview of agricultural production in Xixia County from 2012 to 2018,the status,advantages and main problems of the agricultural industry development in the county are sorted out.[Results]The fruit-medicine-fungus featured agriculture has begun to take shape,and the effect of industrial clusters and large-scale operations has begun to become prominent.The output of shiitake mushrooms,Chinese patent medicines and kiwifruit all shows a steady growth trend.Excellent varieties,brand building,and deep integration of the three industries are the key factors for the development of agricultural industrialization.[Conclusions]In the context of the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy,countermeasures and suggestions on the development of ecological green agriculture,high-quality agriculture,brand agriculture,and modern agricultural management system are put forward.

Irrigation Transformation Chinese agricultural experts share irrigation technologies with Burkina Faso farmers

Chinese agricultural experts share irrigation technologies with Burkina Faso farmers.

A review of rural transformation studies:Definition,measurement,and indicators

The paper reviews studies of rural transformation in three dimensions-definition,measurement,and indicators-and summarises the findings of rural transformation research.The scope of rural transformation includes four elements-productivity,rurality,inclusiveness,and sustainability.Current concepts of the dimensions of rural transformation and their associated indicators are insufficient for policy decision-making,as they lack objectivity,feasibility,accountability,comprehensiveness,and comparability.Future research to develop new measures to assess rural transformation in developing countries is valuable.Furthermore,there is potential to explore the topic in some directions:urbanisation strategy,public intervention(i.e.,institution,policy,and investment),gender inclusiveness,market creation,and international trade.

Rural transformation,income growth,and poverty reduction by region in China in the past four decades

China has experienced rapid rural transformation in the past four decades.Accompanying the rapid transformation is a significant rise in rural household income and a substantial fall in rural poverty.This paper examines the evolutions of and the relationships between rural transformation(high-value agriculture and rural non-farm employment)and its outcomes(per capita rural income and rural poverty incidence)using provincial-level data.The results show that 31 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities have undergone significant rural transformation,but the level and speed of rural transformation differed considerably.Moreover,an increased level of rural transformation is often associated with higher per capita rural income and reduced rural poverty incidence.Notably,a category of provincial rural transformation based on high-value agriculture and rural non-farm employment is also analyzed.We further discuss the likely impacts of institutions,policies,and investments(IPIs)on rural transformation and conclude with policy implications.

Developing strategy for rural transformation to alleviate poverty in Pakistan:Stylized facts from panel analysis

Sustainable income growth and poverty reduction remain critical challenges at the forefront of research in Pakistan,particularly in rural areas.To overcome these challenges,the role of rural transformation(RT)has emerged and gained importance in recent years.The present study is based on district-level data and covers the period from 1981 to 2019.The study attempts to quantify the role of rural transformation in boosting rural per capita income and alleviating rural poverty in the country.The study also aims to explore the impact of stages of rural transformation on rural per capita income and rural poverty alleviation.The empirical findings reveal that rural transformation(RT_(1)and RT_(2))is essential in enhancing rural per capita income and alleviating rural poverty.The role of the share of high-value crops(RT_(1))is more pronounced than the share of non-farm employment(RT_(2))in boosting rural per capita income and poverty alleviation.The trend of larger contribution of RT_(1)to enhance rural per capita income also continued at 2nd stage of rural transformation.In the case of poverty reduction,at 3rd stage of rural transformation,the role of RT_(2)is dominant.Our results indicate that districts at higher stages of rural transformation(both RT_(1)and RT_(2))tend to correlate positively with increased rural per capita income and reduced poverty rates,suggesting that progress in rural transformation is associated with improved economic conditions.However,it is important to note that this correlation does not necessarily imply a direct causal relationship between rural transformation and these economic outcomes;other factors may have influenced this relationship.In addition,the welfare impacts are more noticeable among the districts where a simultaneous shift from grain crops to cash crops and from farm employment to non-farm employment is observed.The study provides baseline information to learn experiences from fast-growing districts and to replicate the strategies in other districts,which boosts the RT process that may increase rural per capita income and enhance poverty reduction efforts.

Regional rural transformation and its association with household income and poverty incidence in Indonesia in the last two decades

Increasing rural household income and reducing poverty rank among Indonesia’s top development priorities.Promoting rural transformation is one strategic policy framework to achieve these goals.In the last three decades,agricultural production has shifted from low-value food crops to high-value commodities,such as horticulture,estate crops,and livestock.Previous studies have analyzed rural transformation in Indonesia at the national level,but information on the magnitudes of impact across regions remains scarce.This study aims to analyze the changes in rural transformation at a regional level in the past two decades.The research utilizes secondary data from Statistics Indonesia(BPS),covering 34 provinces from 2000 to 2020,analyzed using descriptive and panel data regression analyses.The results show an increasing trend in the share of high-value agriculture(RT_(1))and rural non-farm employment(RT_(2)).Both RT_(1)and RT_(2)are positively associated with the growth of rural household income and a lower poverty rate.However,the speed of structural transformation(ST),RT_(1),RT_(2),rural income growth,and poverty reduction vary across regions.This research implies that improving rural income and reducing poverty should be done by integrating policies,i.e.,promoting highvalue agriculture and expanding rural non-farm employment.Particular attention should also be given to provinces with slow growth in ST,RT_(1),RT_(2),and rural household income.

A breakthrough in cotton transformation technology

A new cotton transformation method was developed by Ge and colleagues at Institute of Cotton Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,and this work was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology(Ge et al.2023;https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.13427).This method is a milestone progress in the development of cotton transformation technologies,as it can be used to transform different genotypes and species of cotton such as Gossypium hirsutum,Gossypium barbadense,and Gossypium arboreum.This method is fast,user friendly,and the transformation efficiency is equivalent to or superior to other cotton transformation methods.

Science and Technology Backyard: A novel model for technology innovation and agriculture transformation towards sustainable intensification

Science and Technology Backyard(STB) is an integrated platform for technology innovation, knowledge transfer, people training and agricultural transformation towards sustainable intensification. STB professors, graduate students and extension workers lived and worked together with smallholder farmers in rural areas.

Nitrogen cycling and environmental impacts in upland agricultural soils in North China： A review

The upland agricultural soils in North China are distributed north of a line between the Kunlun Mountains, the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. They occur in arid, semi-arid and semi-humid regions and crop production often depends on rain-fed or irrigation to supplement rainfall. This paper summarizes the characteristics of gross nitrogen（N） transformation, the fate of N fertilizer and soil N as well as the N loss pathway, and makes suggestions for proper N management in the region. The soils of the region are characterized by strong N mineralization and nitrification, and weak immobilization and denitrification ability, which lead to the production and accumulation of nitrate in the soil profile. Large amounts of accumulated nitrate have been observed in the vadose-zone in soils due to excess N fertilization in the past three decades, and this nitrate is subject to occasional leaching which leads to groundwater nitrate contamination. Under farmer＇s conventional high N fertilization practice in the winter wheat-summer maize rotation system（N application rate was approximately 600 kg ha–1 yr–1）, crop N uptake, soil residual N, NH_3 volatilization, NO_3~– leaching, and denitrification loss accounted for around 27, 30, 23, 18 and 2% of the applied fertilizer N, respectively. NH_3 volatilization and NO_3~– leaching were the most important N loss pathways while soil residual N was an important fate of N fertilizer for replenishing soil N depletion from crop production. The upland agricultural soils in North China are a large source of N_2O and total emissions in this region make up a large proportion（approximately 54%） of Chinese cropland N_2O emissions. The “non-coupled strong ammonia oxidation” process is an important mechanism of N_2O production. Slowing down ammonia oxidation after ammonium-N fertilizer or urea application and avoiding transient high soil NH4＋ concentrations are key measures for reducing N_2O emissions in this region. Further N management should aim to minimize N losses from crop and livestock production, and increase the recycling of manure and straw back to cropland. We also recommend adoption of the 4 R（Right soure, Right rate, Right time, Right place） fertilization techniques to realize proper N fertilizer management, and improving application methods or modifying fertilizer types to reduce NH_3 volatilization, improving water management to reduce NO_3~– leaching, and controlling the strong ammonia oxidation process to abate N_2O emission. Future research should focus on the study of the trade-off effects among different N loss pathways under different N application methods or fertilizer products.

Promoting green transformation by ensuring food security while reducing the environmental footprint of food and farming with agriculture green development

Reconciling the challenges of producing adequate amounts of nutritious food for the increasing global population while limiting environmental damage that can result from operations of our food systems is an enormous challenge.In many parts of the world,agriculture is undergoing major transformations and this has been and still is particularly the case in China.

China's Rural Transformation and Policies:Past Experience and Future Directions

1.Introduction China’s rural areas have experienced a significant transformation in the past four decades.During the period 1978-2019,agricultural production increased at an average rate of 5.4%per year[1].Although China’s water availability per capita is only one fourth of the global average and the nation’s cultivated land is only9%of the global total,China’s increased agricultural production has largely met the food needs of one fifth of the world’s population[2].

Transformation mechanism of nutrient elements in the process of biochar preparation for returning biochar to soil

Returning biochar to soil is a heavily researched topic because biochar functions well for soil improvement. There is a significant loss of nutrients, which occurs during biochar preparation before biochar is returned to soil,thereby seriously undermining biochar's efficacy. Therefore, the transformation mechanisms of biochar p H,mass, nutrients and metals during pyrolysis under different atmospheres and temperatures were studied such that the best method for biochar preparation could be developed. Several conclusions can be reached:(1) a CO_2 atmosphere is better than a N_2 atmosphere for biochar preparation, although preparation in a CO_2 atmosphere is not a common practice for biochar producers;(2) 350 °C is the best temperature for biochar preparation because the amount of nutrient loss is notably low based on the premise of straw transferred into biochar; and(3) transforming mechanisms of pH, N, P and K are also involved in the biochar preparation process.

Strategic Agricultural Commodity Value Chains in Africa for Increased Food: The Regional Approach for Food Security

The challenge Africa faces the most is how to feed the 2.4 billion people in 2050. This will require a transformational agriculture. Africa doesn’t need subsistence agriculture, but rather agriculture linked to the market where market demand and the consuming habits are taken in consideration. Agriculture evolves in an environment where small holders are linked to markets (national and regional), where economies of complementarity and economies of scale are taken advantage of by producers and private sector. In short, Africa will need a paradigm shift to industrialise and commercialise its agriculture sector in order to increase food production, and income and to create jobs in and outside the sector. Africa needs agribusiness and agro-industries to domesticate the benefits of the sector, to create wealth in the sector and retain that wealth in the continent. Agricultural commodities regional value chains for increased food should be the target for Africa. The continent remains the region with the highest prevalence of under-nourishment. Since agriculture remains the mainstay of most African economies except the mineral producers, the sector deserves a close attention from leaders. It accounts for 65% of employment and 40% of Africa’s export earnings and accounts for 17% of the GDP. This shows how important the sector is. Agriculture needs to be seen as a conduit for farmers to get connected to markets, a conduit for revenue, for jobs and for transformation. Africa needs to come back on the international scene as food sufficient continent and even food exporter. This can be achieved only with a stable, productive agricultural resource base. Thus, achieving and sustaining food security and economic prosperity in Africa will require significant efforts to modernize the continent’s agriculture sector through injection of agribusiness and agro-industries and through the application of science and technology in agriculture. In essence, agriculture needs to be viewed as knowledge based entrepreneurial activity. Smart investments in agriculture will have multiplier effects for the whole economy and hence induce prosperity to other sectors. In recent years, a renewed focus on agriculture has been evident in policy and development agendas across the African continent. This paper outlines the status of agriculture, agribusiness and agro-industries in Africa, their role in the agenda of agricultural transformation and economic transformation and the focus on regional value chain to increase food production, transformation and trade. The paper adopts a new thinking in agriculture, which reflects a regional value chain approach. The author covers such issues as: need for agricultural transformation, the role of value chain in agricultural sector, the need for regional value chain for increased income and increased food, the role of markets and the common denominator of all, the regional integration to push forward the African agriculture agenda. Evidence shows that it is agricultural growth, through its leverage effects on the rest of the economy that typically enables poor countries, poor regions and ultimately poor households to take the first steps toward economic transformation. Therefore agricultural productivity, at the small holder’s level, has the potential to lift millions of Africa’s vulnerable out of poverty and provide sustainable jobs. Other factors, namely “the rapid urbanization” and “increased population growth”, are quoted to be of critical importance. Africa population is projected to double, attaining the 2.3 billion people mark over the next 40 years representing half of the globe’s total population. This could trigger competition for resources and can have devastating effects on natural resources if not rightly channelled.

Tendency and Control Strategy of Agricultural Environmental Pollution in China

Current situation of China＇s agricultural pollution was elaborated, and the causes of the pollution were analyzed. Moreover, China＇s agri- cultural pollution tendency in the next few years was predicted. In order to control agricultural pollution in China, we should construct a diet structure for health and ecological civilization and create an ecological food chain by establishing a new concept of diet.

Impact of Urban Land Transformation on Water Bodies in Srinagar City, India

Human actions rather than natural forces are the source of most contemporary changes in the state and flows of the biosphere. Understanding these actions and the social forces that drive them is crucial to understanding, modelling and predicting local, regional as well as global environmental change and also for managing and responding to such change. The present study investigates the patterns of urban land transformation in Srinagar City, which lies in fragile hill eco-system of Kashmir valley. The results points towards unplanned and haphazard urban expansion and transformation. These transformations have severely destroyed the water bodies both in terms of area as well as its quality.

The Poor Agricultural System in Africa, Who Is to Blame?

Although agriculture is the backbone of the African economy, it has faced considerable challenges in the past sixty years. Africa has moved from being a self-sufficiency continent before the 1960s, to net food importers, with a handful of countries facing severe food shortages from drought, desertification, climate change and wars. In this article, we use the case of Northern Ghana to explore some of the salient dynamics that have resulted in the current crisis in the African agricultural sector over time. Using historical and contemporary evidence gathered from Northern Ghana during several field trips from 2013 to 2015, we argue that practices adopted as a result of colonial influence in combination with socio-economic and biophysical factors and ineffective economic policies have contributed immensely to the poor state of agriculture in Africa. Note should be taken that most of these economic policies have origins from the Structural Adjustment Policies and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. We conclude that our agricultural systems can be improved if policies are inclusive, equitable and sustainable and also if there are synergies between international or government organisations implementing agricultural projects over time and space.