Analysis of Economic Benefits Brought by Industrialization of Natural Enemy Insects

In the field of biological control of agricultural and forestry pests,natural enemy insects play an important role,constituting the core of modern integrated pest management(IPM)strategy,providing solid support for the zero growth goal of chemical pesticide use,and helping the sustainable development of green agriculture.The rise of the natural enemy insect industry has become a key driver of the transformation of green agriculture,injecting vitality into the sustainability and ecological protection of agriculture.With the increasing concern about food safety,environmental protection and ecological balance all over the world,the application scope of natural enemy insects as biological control means is constantly expanding.Its unique ecological adaptability and environmentally friendly characteristics help to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides,ensure the safety of agricultural products and maintain ecological diversity.The purpose of this study is to analyze the current situation of natural enemy insect industry,evaluate its cost and benefit,emphasize its great significance in promoting the transformation of green agriculture,improving production efficiency and promoting ecological protection by drawing lessons from foreign successful experiences,and explore an efficient and sustainable new agricultural development model.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Paths out of poverty:International experience

The global community has committed,as the first priority of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.While the decline of global poverty continues,progress has slowed and remains uneven through different parts of the world.To ensure that no one is left behind in China and beyond,research will be critical to inform paths out of poverty.In this regard,it is valuable to take stock of international experiences and the various pathways out of poverty with a focus on agriculture.Africa's agricultural growth has been largely driven by land expansion and poverty reduction has been the slowest among all regions.South Asia agriculture has been led by diversification of smallholder agriculture and its poverty reduction impact has been large,but its future poverty reduction is limited by rural–urban migration and lack of formal jobs in urban centers.Social protection programs have been used by many Latin American countries as the region is more urbanized than any other developing regions.China's agricultural and economic success was driven by agriculture-led reforms and rural development.These changes brought significantly higher incomes among rural residents,which accounted for highest initial levels of poverty and hunger,and in increased availability of food at affordable prices.Investments in nutrition,health,education,clean water,and good sanitation also complemented progress.The foremost lesson is that smallholder-led agriculture growth in land scarce countries often have the largest impact on poverty reduction.Secondly,nonfarm employment and rural–urban migration must follow once agricultural productivity has reached a certain level.However,premature exiting from agriculture can do more harm.Thirdly,even before large scale poverty reduction through sectoral and regional development is exhausted,social safety nets must be established to cover those who have not benefited from growth and development.Productive social safety nets have proven to be cost-effective in many countries.Urban poverty should also be part of the protection scheme when large proportion of rural population moves to cities.

Green Transformation of Agricultural Production:Underlying Logic,Dilemma,and Viable Pathway

The green transformation of agntcultural production plays a crucial role in promoting the high-quality drwelopment of agriculure and achiering rural reritaliation.In order to create favornble cooditions for this to occur,it is essential to esablsh efetive connections,transformation,and mutual support betmeen capital endowment,external eovironment,and farmers'green concepes.ddionally.tha-ntrarting心apriolurml prodntin falitates srice-oriented sale operations,while the deep intgration of"Internet+"and agrioulture with the advancement of green agricaltural technology provides an inexbustible impetus for it.However,China's current green transformation of agricultural production continues to encounter challenges such as the depletion of a high quality labor force,obstades to building trust in the promotian ol ted hnology.and an underdeveloped geen agricultural products market.To address these callnges,it is imperative to promote embedded agricultural technology which can catalyee the groen contracting of agricultural production.Furthermore advocating for the consumption of green agricultural products will also be beneficial in overcoming these callengts.

China's agriculture green development: from concept to actions

China has initiated a green transformation plan in 2015, which was soon applied to agriculture, known as the agriculture green development(AGD)initiative, with the goals of achieving food security, high resource use efficiency, and an ecofriendly environment. To assess the agricultural transformation from 1997 to 2020, this paper proposes a national-scale indicator system consisting three dimensions(socioeconomic, food production and eco-environmental) and ten sub-dimensions to quantify the AGD score.This study showed that AGD score in China was at a moderate level during 1997–2010, scoring 40 out of 100. During this stage, decreased scores in the sub-dimensions of resource consumption, environmental quality, and environmental cost have offset the improvement in the socioeconomic dimension, resulting in fluctuated scores around 40. In the second stage(2011–2020), China's AGD score improved but still at moderate level, scoring an average of 46.3, with each dimension increasing by 5.3%–25.0%. These results indicate that China has made progress in the agricultural transformation, transitioning from conceptualization to actions through the implementation of various policies and projects. However, the study emphasizes the need for more effort to address the insufficient and unbalanced development, along with the growing eco-environmental challenges, especially the trade-offs among dimensions.

The emergence, development and regional differences of mixed farming of rice and millet in the upper and middle Huai River Valley, China

Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle Huai River Valley(HRV). According to the latest data, this agricultural mode appeared during the middle and late Peiligang Culture(7.8–7.0 ka BP) in the upper HRV, and then became a common subsistence economy in the end of the Neolithic(5.0–4.0 ka BP) in both the upper and middle HRV. However, it is still not clear how this mixed farming developed in the upper HRV after its occurrence, nor are the regional differences in the development of mixed farming between the upper and middle HRV during the Neolithic completely understood. In this paper, flotation and starch analyses were conducted on samples from eight archaeological sites in the upper and middle HRV. The results indicate that the mixed farming of rice and millet first appeared in the later phase of the middle Neolithic in the regions of the Peiligang Culture, then developed quite rapidly in the late Neolithic(6.8–5.0 ka BP), finally becoming the main subsistence economy at the end of the Neolithic in the upper HRV. However, there are obvious differences in the emergence and development of agriculture between the middle and upper HRV. Rice farming was the only agricultural system during the middle Neolithic, lasting until the end of the Neolithic, when mixed farming appeared in the middle HRV. Furthermore, although mixed farming appeared in both the upper and middle HRV during the end of the Neolithic, the roles of rice, foxtail millet and broomcorn millet in the subsistence economy were not the same. In general, millet was more widely cultivated than rice in the upper HRV, but rice occupied the same or a slightly more prominent position in the middle HRV at the end of the Neolithic. These results are significant for understanding the process of agricultural development and transformation, as well as human adaptation to climatic and cultural variability duringthe Neolithic.

Historical Transformation of China＇s Agriculture＂ Productivity Changes and Other Key Features

According to an analysis of sampled data from the National Bureau of Statistics for 70,000 peasant households, agricultural labor productivity has been increasing at a faster rate than land productivity since 2003. Labor productivity has, in fact, experienced long-term stagnation, The data also reveals the heterogenization of small farmers, farm machinery replacing manual labor as an agricultural input, the expansion of the scale of land management, the development of the rural land leasing market and the diversification of the agricultural management entities. Review of the historical transformation of agriculture helps to recognize the declining importance of agricultural land, the direction of agricultural technological changes, the path and the disposition of the changes to the agricultural system, and the adjustment of China＇s rural policies.

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.

Long-term changes in a small mammal community in a temperate zone meadow subject to seasonal floods and habitat transformation

We tested small mammal(SM)community response to the influence of seasonal floods and habitat transformation in a temporal zone meadow(west Lithuania).The habitat transitioned from a natural flooded meadow in 2008–2012 to a mowed and pastured area in 2020.SM were trapped in late summer to autumn using lines of 25 traps(145 in total),the number of trapping sessions being one or several per year.We tested the hypotheses that:(1)any reaction to the multiple disturbances is species-specific,that is,the relative abundance of SM species and their proportion in the community differs with respect to the flood magnitude and habitat transformation,and(2)at the guild level,disturbances favor habitat generalists,thereby changing the characteristics of SM community.The average relative density of SM was 20.25 individuals per 100 trap nights(range 7.56–40.67),with 4-year-long cyclical changes of density observed.In separate years,we recorded from 4 to 9 species;Shannon’s diversity index varied from 0.46 to 2.19,with expressed change of the dominant species.Habitat generalist species were favored,while habitat specialists were disadvantaged.As the meadow transformation progressed,unfavored states in the SM community prevailed,with excessive numbers of granivore and herbivore species present.Our study suggests that multiple disturbances may lead to an increase in relative abundance,species richness,and diversity within the SM assemblages.