An indicator-based approach to assess village-level social and biophysical vulnerability of agriculture communities in Uttarakhand,India

With the growing recognition to myriad forms of current and future threats in the mountain agriculture systems,there is a pressing need to holistically understand the vulnerability of mountain agriculture communities.The study aims to assess the biophysical and social vulnerability of agriculture communities using an indicator-based approach for the state of Uttarakhand,India.A total of 14 indicators were used to capture biophysical vulnerability and 22 for social vulnerability profiles of15285 villages.Vulnerability analysis was done at village level with weights assigned to each indicator using Analytical Hierarchical Process(AHP).The results of the study highlight the presence of very high biophysical vulnerability(0.82 ± 0.10) and high social vulnerability(0.65 ± 0.15) within the state.Based on the results,it was found that incidences of high biophysical vulnerability coincide with presence of intensified agriculture land and absence of dense forest.Higher social vulnerability scores were found in villages with an absence of local institutions(like Self Helping Groups(SHGs)),negligible infrastructure facilities and higher occupational dependence on agriculture.A contrast was observed in the vulnerability scores of villages present in the three different altitudinal zones in the study area,indicating respective vulnerability generating conditions existing in these three zones.Biophysical vulnerability was recorded to be highest in the villages falling in the lower zone and lowest in the upper zone villages;whereas,social vulnerability was found to be highest in the middle zone villages and lowest in lower zone villages.Our study aids policy makers in identifying areas for intervention to expedite agriculture adaptation planning in the state.Additionally,the adaptation programmes in the region need to be more context-specific to accommodate the differential altitudinal vulnerability profiles.

Wine and Its Legality -A Survey to Know the Consumer Opinions on the Activities of Sicilian Wine Companies Operating on Lands Confiscated from the Mafia

The current guidelines of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy face the agricultural sector in the position of the backbone for the economic development of rural areas and regions with difficult economic differentiation. The EU Common Agricultural Policy defines agriculture as ＂multifunctional＂ and among the different roles and functions expected, there is also the ＂social function＂, defined as the ability that the farm has to generate services with respect to a population with risk of social exclusion. This paper investigated all the agricultural initiatives with social impacts that were carried in the lands confiscated from the organized crime （called mafia）, mainly in the South of Italy and especially in Sicily. Through an Italian law, these lands could be used with social purposes by a particular kind of associations which might exercise an agricultural activity with the aim to produce food products, sell them in the market and offer employment opportunities in the agricultural sector. In particular, in Sicily, the activity of the ＂Social Cooperative Placido Rizzotto-Libera Terra＂ and its winery ＂Cantina Centopassi＂ which received honors and awards tbr its production of wine obtained from the earliest harvests and for its social work in that territory were well known. This work, which was part of a much broader study on ＂wine and legality＂, aimed to know the opinion of Sicilian wine consumers and their knowledge about this topic with particular reference to the Cantina Centopassi.

SMALLHOLDER ADOPTION OF GREEN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES ON THE NORTH CHINA PLAIN: EVIDENCE FROM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BACKYARDS

Understanding the impact of agricultural socialized services on smallholder adoption of green production technologies and their mechanisms of action is of great importance for sustainability of farming systems.Currently,there were numerous related studies,but it is still unclear how to gradually achieve the diffusion of technological innovations on pilot sites to a regional level.To answer this question,this paper presents the pathways and mechanisms of green production technologies diffusion by comparing international typical service organizations or modes such as agricultural technology extension service centers(ATESC),farmer field schools(FFS),participatory technology innovation(PTI)and integrated colearning approach(ICLA),while taking Wangzhuang Science and Technology Backyard(WZ STB)in Quzhou,Hebei Province,China as an example.This research had three key outcomes.(1)The combination of collaborative,tree-shaped and jump-start diffusion modes promotes the diffusion of participatory technology innovation to different scales,such as farmers,villages and counties.(2)The three diffusion modes combine and expand the advantages of existing international modes.The collaborative diffusion mode not only provides full scope for the advantages of PTI,but also provides smallholders with service supply for the whole production period.The tree-shaped diffusion mode combines the advantages of FFS from point technology innovation to village diffusion,while achieving a full range of technical service support.The jump-start diffusion mode cannot only achieve large-scale technology diffusion like ATESC and ICLA,but also empower smallholders through adaptive technology innovation.(3)Trust is the key to promoting smallholder reliance on the science and technology provided by STB and to promote their adoption of green production technologies.Accordingly,the following policy recommendations were proposed:strengthen the combination of top-down and bottom-up technology innovation and diffusion models,establish an effective service communication platform and evaluation mechanism,and strengthen the linkage mechanism between socialized services providers and smallholders,which will provide a realistic basis for the national policy of targeted socialized services provision and promote smallholder adoption of green production technologies.

1Chinese human geography and its contributions

The aim of this paper is to sift through examples of outstanding contributions made by Chinese human geography in terms of social applications and explain the basic concepts and theoretical methods explored by human geography that are behind the applications of results with major social influence, so as to be able to summarize the main school that represents developments in contemporary Chinese human geography. Chinese human geography upholds the subject＇s designation as being integrated and interdisciplinary. Research focuses on interactions between the natural and human spheres of the Earth＇s surface, and it is guided by the understanding and effects of the processes of regional sustainable development at different spatial scales. Chinese human geography has innovatively established the following development paradigm： ＂To be guided by application requirements, refine key issues of the discipline in the course of solving major issues of human geography in national and regional development, and by solving those key issues, to enhance its ability to provide scientific and technological support to serve national and local needs while promoting its own development.＂ Results from early Chinese human geography studies on land use and agricultural zoning, recent research results on point-axis system models and T-shaped national spatial development patterns, and current research results on territorial function theory and major function oriented zones have all continued and strengthened the mainstream school of Chinese human geography and have avoided the global tendency for human geography to become rapidly human-oriented, while results have been applied at the highest level of decision-making management. Chinese human geography can provide lessons for developing countries and may play a leading role in the future development of global human geography.