Bt cotton a genetically modified （GM） crop has provided higher yields and profits for the farmers in India since its introduction in 2002. The environmentalists across the globe have however expressed the concern on...Bt cotton a genetically modified （GM） crop has provided higher yields and profits for the farmers in India since its introduction in 2002. The environmentalists across the globe have however expressed the concern on the use of GM crops as they feel that they would cause environmental damage and they are not safe for human consumption. In the meantime, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee （the regulatory body for GM crops in India） evaluated the development process of Bt brinjal （eggplant） and has given its approval for commercial cultivation. This further aggravated the GM controversy; while the farmers are interested in cultivating Bt brinjal, the activists against GM crops have been protesting against the introduction of these hybrids stating that adequate tests have not been done to check on the safety of Bt brinjal. This controversy prompted the Minister of Environment of India Government to hold public consultations across India to access the views of the stakeholders. Based on the public consultations, the minister ＂put on hold the commercial introduction of Bt brinjal＂ on February 9, 2010. This paper analyses the view points of stakeholders collected at the public consultation held at Hyderabad on January 31, 2010. The analysis shows that the stakeholders develop different orientation based on the ＂stage of need hierarchy they are in＂ and the attributes they use to evaluate the outcome. The paper concludes that the views of the activist groups based on their limited understanding could get the introduction of Bt brinjal stalled as the companies failed in public communication and education. Policy implications are drawn for government consideration.展开更多
Soil health assessment is an important step toward understanding the potential effects of agricultural practices on crop yield, quality and human health. The objectives of this study were to select a minimum data set ...Soil health assessment is an important step toward understanding the potential effects of agricultural practices on crop yield, quality and human health. The objectives of this study were to select a minimum data set for soil health evaluation from the physical, chemical and biological properties and environmental pollution characteristics of agricultural soil and to develop a soil health diagnosis model for determining the soil health status under different planting patterns and soil types in Chongming Island of Shanghai, China. The results showed that the majority of the farmland soils in Chongming Island were in poor soil health condition, accounting for 48.9% of the survey samples, followed by the medium healthy soil, accounting for 32.2% of the survey samples and mainly distributed in the central and mid-eastern regions of the island. The indicators of pH, total organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and Cd exerted less influence on soil health, while the soil salinization and nitrate accumulation under a greenhouse cropping pattern and phosphate fertilizer shortage in the paddy field had limited the development of soil health. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes and Hg contributed less to soil health index (SHI) and showed no significant difference among paddy field, greenhouse and open-air vegetable/watermelon fields. The difference of the SHI of the three soil types was significant at P = 0.05. The paddy soil had the highest SHI values, followed by the gray alluvial soil, and the coastal saline soil was in a poor soil health condition, indicating a need to plant some salt-tolerant crops to effectively improve soil quality.展开更多
文摘Bt cotton a genetically modified （GM） crop has provided higher yields and profits for the farmers in India since its introduction in 2002. The environmentalists across the globe have however expressed the concern on the use of GM crops as they feel that they would cause environmental damage and they are not safe for human consumption. In the meantime, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee （the regulatory body for GM crops in India） evaluated the development process of Bt brinjal （eggplant） and has given its approval for commercial cultivation. This further aggravated the GM controversy; while the farmers are interested in cultivating Bt brinjal, the activists against GM crops have been protesting against the introduction of these hybrids stating that adequate tests have not been done to check on the safety of Bt brinjal. This controversy prompted the Minister of Environment of India Government to hold public consultations across India to access the views of the stakeholders. Based on the public consultations, the minister ＂put on hold the commercial introduction of Bt brinjal＂ on February 9, 2010. This paper analyses the view points of stakeholders collected at the public consultation held at Hyderabad on January 31, 2010. The analysis shows that the stakeholders develop different orientation based on the ＂stage of need hierarchy they are in＂ and the attributes they use to evaluate the outcome. The paper concludes that the views of the activist groups based on their limited understanding could get the introduction of Bt brinjal stalled as the companies failed in public communication and education. Policy implications are drawn for government consideration.
基金Supported by the Major National Science and Technology Project of Water Pollution Control and Treatment,China(No.2009ZX07317-006)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.40971259)the Shanghai Excellent Academic Leaders Plan,China(No.10XD1401600)
文摘Soil health assessment is an important step toward understanding the potential effects of agricultural practices on crop yield, quality and human health. The objectives of this study were to select a minimum data set for soil health evaluation from the physical, chemical and biological properties and environmental pollution characteristics of agricultural soil and to develop a soil health diagnosis model for determining the soil health status under different planting patterns and soil types in Chongming Island of Shanghai, China. The results showed that the majority of the farmland soils in Chongming Island were in poor soil health condition, accounting for 48.9% of the survey samples, followed by the medium healthy soil, accounting for 32.2% of the survey samples and mainly distributed in the central and mid-eastern regions of the island. The indicators of pH, total organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and Cd exerted less influence on soil health, while the soil salinization and nitrate accumulation under a greenhouse cropping pattern and phosphate fertilizer shortage in the paddy field had limited the development of soil health. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes and Hg contributed less to soil health index (SHI) and showed no significant difference among paddy field, greenhouse and open-air vegetable/watermelon fields. The difference of the SHI of the three soil types was significant at P = 0.05. The paddy soil had the highest SHI values, followed by the gray alluvial soil, and the coastal saline soil was in a poor soil health condition, indicating a need to plant some salt-tolerant crops to effectively improve soil quality.
