Employment and development levels in rural areas of the Russian Federation

The development of agro-industrial complex is important for ensuring national food security and national health.The development of rural areas is subject to the development of agriculture and local infrastructure,as well as the availability of various services.This study selected 15 indicators in 2021 to analyze the employment and development levels in rural areas of 71 regions of the Russian Federation using the analytical grouping method.The results indicated that 20 regions(Group 1)had the highest percentage of rural population(33.10%).The percentage of population engaged in agriculture had the highest value(12.40%)in 31 regions(Group 2).Moreover,20 regions(Group 3)had the highest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget(11.80 USD/person).Increasing the investments in fixed assets carried out from the budget of the municipality can improve the employment level in rural areas.Then,we used cluster analysis to divide 14 regions of the Volga Federal District in the Russian Federation into 3 clusters.Cluster 1 covered Kirov Region and Republic of Mari El;Cluster 2 included Ulyanovsk Region,Saratov Region,Nizhny Novgorod Region,Perm Territory,Orenburg Region,Chuvash Region,and Republic of Mordovia;and Cluster 3 contained Republic of Tatarstan,Samara Region,Udmurtian Republic,Penza Region,and Republic of Bashkortostan.Results indicated that the 2 regions of Cluster 1 need to increase the availability of resources and natural gas and improve the investment attractiveness of rural areas.The 7 regions of Cluster 2 needed to develop infrastructure,public services,and agricultural production.We found the highest employment level in rural areas,the largest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget,the largest residential building area per 10,000 persons,and the largest individual residential building area in the 5 regions of Cluster 3.This study makes it possible to draw up a comprehensive regional development program and proves the need for the development of rural areas,which is especially important for the sustainable development of the Russian Federation.

Brand Construction of Characteristic Agricultural Products in Ethnic Regions under the Background of Rural Revitalization:A Case Study of Honeysuckle Industry of Mashan County

The brand construction of agricultural products is a necessary path for agricultural development and an effective way to enhance the added value and market competitiveness of agricultural products.How to do a good job in building agricultural product brands under the background of rural revitalization?This paper takes the honeysuckle industry in Mashan County,Nanning as a case study for comprehensive analysis,forming a driving force for the high-quality development of characteristic agricultural industries.

Research of Blockchain Technology in the Traceability of Characteristic Agricultural Products

With the increasingly prominent problem of food safety,the quality traceability of characteristic agricultural products has become a pressing issue.This study focuses on the application of blockchain technology in the traceability of characteristic agricultural products,aiming to explore its potential and practical value in improving the efficiency and transparency of the traceability system of agricultural products.Through the combination of case analysis and model construction,a blockchain-based traceability system for characteristic agricultural products was established.The results showed that the traceability system could effectively record the whole process information of agricultural products from production and processing to sales,and greatly improve the immutability and traceability of data.Lastly,this paper also points out that the use of blockchain technology can improve the market trust in characteristic agricultural products,provide consumers with authentic and reliable product information,and provide new technical means for the quality management of agricultural products.

Evolving patterns of agricultural production space in China:A network-based approach

The agricultural production space,as where and how much each agricultural product grows,plays a vital role in meeting the increasing and diverse food demands.Previous studies on agricultural production patterns have predominantly centered on individual or specific crop types,using methods such as remote sensing or statistical metrological analysis.In this study,we characterize the agricultural production space(APS)by bipartite network connecting agricultural products and provinces,to reveal the relatedness between diverse agricultural products and the spatiotemporal characteristic of provincial production capabilities in China.The results show that core products are cereal,pork,melon,and pome fruit;meanwhile the milk,grape,and fiber crop show an upward trend in centrality,which is in line with diet structure changes in China over the past decades.The little changes in community components and structures of agricultural products and provinces reveal that agricultural production patterns in China are relatively stable.Additionally,identified provincial communities closely resemble China's agricultural natural zones.Furthermore,the observed growth in production capabilities in North and Northeast China implies their potential focus areas for future agricultural production.Despite the superior production capa-bilities of southern provinces,recent years have witnessed a notable decline,warranting special attentions.The findings provide a comprehensive perspective for understanding the complex relationship of agricultural prod-ucts'relatedness,production capabilities and production patterns,which serve as a reference for the agricultural spatial optimization and agricultural sustainable development.

Assessment of rehabilitation strategies for lakes affected by anthropogenic and climatic changes: A case study of the Urmia Lake, Iran

Over the last three decades,more than half of the world's large lakes and wetlands have experienced significant shrinkage,primarily due to climate change and extensive water consumption for agriculture and other human needs.The desiccation of lakes leads to severe environmental,economic,and social repercussions.Urmia Lake,located in northwestern Iran and representing a vital natural ecosystem,has experienced a volume reduction of over 90.0%.Our research evaluated diverse water management strategies within the Urmia Lake basin and prospects of inter-basin water transfers.This study focused on strategies to safeguard the environmental water rights of the Urmia Lake by utilizing the modeling and simulating(MODSIM)model.The model simulated changes in the lake's water volume under various scenarios.These included diverting water from incoming rivers,cutting agricultural water use by 40.0%,releasing dam water in non-agricultural seasons,treated wastewater utilization,and inter-basin transfers.Analytical hierarchy process(AHP)was utilized to analyze the simulation results.Expert opinions with AHP analysis,acted as a multi-criteria decision-making tool to evaluate the simulation and determine the optimal water supply source priority for the Urmia Lake.Our findings underscore the critical importance of reducing agricultural water consumption as the foremost step in preserving the lake.Following this,inter-basin water transfers are suggested,with a detailed consideration of the inherent challenges and limitations faced by the source watersheds.It is imperative to conduct assessments on the impacts of these transfers on the downstream users and the potential environmental risks,advocating for a diplomatic and cooperative approach with adjacent country.This study also aims to forecast the volumes of water that can be transferred under different climatic conditions—drought,normal,and wet years—to inform strategic water management planning for the Urmia Lake.According to our projection,implementing the strategic scenarios outlined could significantly augment the lake's level and volume,potentially by 3.57×109–9.38×109 m3 over the coming 10 a and 3.57×109–10.70×109 m3 in the subsequent 15 a.

Analysis of the Impact of Off-farm Employment of Agricultural Labor on Grain Production in Shandong Province and Henan Province

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the impact of off-farm employment of agricultural labor on grain production. [Method] Impact of off-farm employment of agricultural labor on grain production was investigated based on path analysis by using data from 200 counties and cities in Shandong Province and Henan Province in 2000 and 2008. [Result] Off-farm employment of agricultural labor affects grain production through agricultural land use patterns, off-farm employment of agricultural labor has negative impacts on grain production through multiple cropping index and positive impacts through the proportion of grain planting area. The positive impacts were greater in 2008. [Conclusion] Prerequisite of the positive impacts of off-farm employment on grain production is the substitution of agricultural mechanization development and agricultural technology advancement for agricultural labor. Orderly land circulation and scale land use should be promoted to avoid the lack of agricultural labor due to off-farm employment.

Assessment of Climate for Agricultural Suitability and Optimal Allocation of Agricultural Production in the Guanzhong Region, Shaanxi Province

Based on spatial climatic data of agriculture and the experiment data, the models of agro-ecological assessment of climate for agricultural suitability in this study were developed using the fuzzy mathematical method. Three coefficients, in- cluding the resource coefficient （Cr）, the efficiency coefficient （Ce）, and the utility co- efficient （K）, were used in the models, which were calculated based on temperature, moisture, and sunshine duration data of Guanzhong region, Shaanxi Province. The results indicated that resource coefficient was higher in west of the region than that in east, and higher in south （especially in the Central Shaanxi Plain） than that in the Weibei plateau. The value of Cr changed from 6.5 to 9.2 from north to plain area. Spatial change of efficiency coefficient was obvious, lower in the northeast than in the central plain, and the value of Ce changed from 2.3 to 6.5 from the northeast to the central plain. As for utility coefficient, it was lower in northeastern part of the Weibei plateau and in southern mountain areas than that in the central plain, showing significant latitudinal zonality. Furthermore, the value of K increased from 0.35 to 0.78 from northeast to the central plain, and decreased from 0.78 to 0.53 from the central plain to southern mountain areas. These indicated that climate resource in the central plain region was more abundant and potential, compared with other regions. GuanZhong region was classified into three larger agricultural zones and three small independent zones, according to agro-ecological assessment. Light, heat and water resources should be made use of in an efficient way in spatial allo- cation of agricultural production. For example, water facilities should also be im- proved in Weibei plateau region where highly-qualified fruit should be enhanced and fruit processing industrial chain should be shaped. Large-scale production area of wheat should be increased in central irrigation region and more vegetable bases should be developed around large and medium-scale cities. Thanks for outstanding water conservation function, the three-dimensional agriculture including medicine and other sideline production should be developed in Qinling Mountains and the special- ized commercial agriculture should be accelerated in independent small zones, ac- cording to local conditions. In the research, different crop varieties were developed in corresponding regions as per current eco-climatic conditions.

Comparative Study on the Development Levels of Cold Chain Logistics for Agricultural Products between China and Developed Countries Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

By introducing the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）, a model is constructed to compare the logistics development level of cold chain for agricultural products between China and other developed countries such as United States, Japan and Euro- pean. The paper makes a comparative study on the development levels of agricultural cold chain logistics in China and developed countries from the aspects of the level of cold chain logistics facilities and equipments, the degree of cold chain logistics market-oriented and the capacity of cold chain logistics, then determines the problems of cold chain logistics in China. With the experiences learning from developed countries, some countermeasures are proposed to resolve those problems of cold chain logistics for agricultural products development combining with the national conditions in China.

Characteristics of B,Zn and Se in stream sediments of Tanzania and their agricultural applications:Based on 1∶1000000 geochemical survey

Tanzania is located in eastern Africa with a predominantly agricultural ecomomy,the potential for developing and utilizing cultivated land are promising,but scientific guidance is required.B,Zn and Se are essential micronutrients for plants and human body with crucial biological functions,in particular,Se is significant for human health and considered as“the king of anti-cancer”.As these elements required by human or plants are mainly absorbed from soil directly or indirectly,therefore,it is important to understand the contents and distributions of them in the soil of cultivated land for guiding agricultural production.In this work,low-density geochemical survey at the scale of 1∶1000000 was carried out in Tanzania,and the results show that the concentrations of B,Zn and Se in stream sediments are low and their distributions are heterogeneous.According to the distributions of geological units,the existing cultivated land resources can be divided into five regions in Tanzania.Compared with the national background values,the concentrations of B,Zn and Se are insufficient overall but enriched locally in these regions.In general,element concentrations in stream sediments and soil have a positive correlation because of their similar sources,which is essential in agriculture application.Based on the information provided by low-density geochemical data and maps,the Se-sufficient and Se-rich regions were delineated in Tanzania,where can be used to develop Se-rich industries.Finally,this paper believes that geochemical survey is a powerful tool for cultivated land evaluation,agriculture management and land development.

Analysis of the Identification of Local Agriculture Products in the Municipality of Aileu, Manufahi, and Ainaro That Have Potential for Export and Attract Foreign Investments in Agricultural Sector

The objective of this study is to identify and collect information on local agriculture products and identify local potential agriculture and livestock that can attract foreign investments. Used Stratified Random Sampling and data was collected from both primary and secondary data (both quantitative and qualitative data. The data analyzed used qualitative and quantitative analysis. The supply chain analysis was carried out to develop a description of the value chain to identify potential high-value market areas and current and potential products in the domestic and export markets. The results of the study revealed that most farmers in the research location grow different types of crops and livestock. In particular for Aileu and Ainaro where most of the areas are up-land, therefore, horticulture crops (mustard, cabbage, carrots, and tomato) and coffee are dominated in these areas. For Manufahi, some parts are lowland areas, where most crops grown are maize, cassava, and paddy rice. The study reveals that local potential agriculture products and livestock in the municipalities of Aileu, Ainaro, and Manufahi are vegetable, coffee, maize, and paddy rice, banana, shallot, tangerine, cabbage, carrot, cattle, mung-bean, and banana. To accelerate economic growth, in these municipalities, there is a need to modernize agricultural production, requiring markets for both inputs supply and for the sale of output products. Opportunities to increase the productivity of these products are feasible and this can be done through the use of high-variety seeds and better farm management, and the government and private sector can play an important role in improving productivity as this will have a further implication in improving food security.

Analysis on the Problems and Strategies of Marketing Channels of Agricultural Products : Taking Liujun Lotus Root as an Example

Marketing channels are an important part of the circulation of agricultural products.With the development of China s agricultural industry,the marketing channels of agricultural products are continuously innovated and optimized.Taking Liujun Lotus Root as an example,on the basis of studying the existing model of marketing channels of agricultural products,this paper analyzes the problems in the existing marketing channels of Liujun Lotus Root,and puts forward relevant strategies.

Is the feminization of labor harmful to agricultural production? The decision-making and production control perspective

Even today,academics continue to debate the effect of feminization of agricultural labor force on agricultural output.By considering the dimensions of participation in decision-making and production,this study divides the various agricultural production models into three types:(i)the traditional model of decisions made either jointly by men and women or by men alone while both genders participate in production,(ii)complete feminization of agricultural decision-making and the production labor force,and(iii)feminization of the agricultural production labor force only.This study investigates the effects of combining or separating decision-making and production in regard to agricultural development in the context of feminization of the agricultural labor force.Using follow-up data collected from 2004–2008 by the Ministry of Agriculture of China,we built a comprehensive panel data model to test our hypotheses.Our research shows that in comparison to traditional agricultural households and fully feminized agricultural labor forces,partially feminized production resulted in lower grain yield and technological advancement.The feminization of agricultural labor does not necessarily have a negative impact on agricultural output,especially since heavy manual labor is being increasingly replaced by agricultural machinery and outsourcing of tasks.The degree of feminization of the decision-making and production processes should be an important consideration when evaluating the purported negative effects of the feminization of agricultural labor.

Agricultural Land Suitability of Production Space in the Taihang Mountains, China

The contradiction between the shortage of land for agriculture due to rapid expansion of industrialization and urbanization and increasing population pressure is projected to impose great threats to future food security.Agricultural land suitability evaluation is an effective approach to improve the utilization of land resources for crop production and thus enhance the capacity of food provision.In this study, we evaluated the land suitability for agriculture of the production space in the Taihang Mountains by three steps: establishing indicator system, determining weights for indicators, and constructing a fuzzy matter-element model to assess the grades of suitability.Results showed that the land suitability had a significant linear correlation with potential crop yields, indicating our evaluation was effective to predict crop production.The spatial pattern of land suitability for crop production demonstrated that land with higher suitability was generally located in piedmont plains and basins, while land with lower suitability was mostly situated in mountainous areas.The area of highly, moderately, marginally suitable and unsuitable land for agriculture was 32.13%, 28.58%, 37.49% and 1.80% of the production space, respectively.However, the correlation degree analysis indicated that the requirements of these four suitability grades were currently not satisfied but could be potentially fulfilled.In terms of indicator weights, soil properties were much more important than topography and location conditions to influence the grades of suitability.Among all indicators, slope, soil organic matter, soil texture and soil depth were the most influential factors, so slope farming prevention and organic fertilization were most likely to improve land suitability for agriculture.Compared the outputs of our land suitability evaluation model with the distribution of the existing croplands, we found that about 66.52% of marginally suitable and 54.55% of unsuitable land for agriculture were currently used for croplands.Therefore, de-farming policy should be implemented in areas of these two suitability grades.In contrast, cropland expansion was encouraged in the land that was highly or moderately suitable for agriculture.Our evaluation of agricultural land suitability is beneficial for future land use planning and decision-making in the Taihang Mountains.

Changes in Land Use and Agricultural Production Structure Before and After the Implementation of Grain for Green Program in Western China–Taking Two Typical Counties as Examples

Soil erosion becomes a serious environmental problem in the world, especially in western China. An effective management practice called the Grain for Green Program(GGP), which was launched in 1999, aims to reduce soil and water loss and alleviate the ecological environment problem in western China. Two typical counties in western China, the Zhongxian(in Chongqing Municipality) and Ansai(in Shaanxi Province) were chosen to evaluate the dynamic changes of land use and agricultural production structure before and after the implementation of the Program in this paper. The results showed that the cultivated land area was reduced by 7.08% from 1989 to 2003. The cultivated land per person was decreased by 8.42% during 1999-2003. Moreover, the stability index of the secondary sector of the economy was increased from 0.91 in the period 1990-1999 to 0.94 in the following ten years. In addition, the stability index of tertiary economic sector increased from 0.88 to 0.92 in Zhongxian county. Meanwhile, the cultivated land area was reduced by 15.48% from 1990 to 1999. The soil erosion modulus was decreased by 33.33% from 1999 to 2006. Also, the stability index of secondary and tertiary economic sectors was 0.86 in the period 1998-2002. However, it decreased by 77% during 2002 to 2007 in Ansai County. These results imply that the Grain for Green Program had different impact on the two regions. Several effective strategies of soil and water conservation have been carried out to ameliorate the sustainable development of ecological environment and economy in these two counties of western China.

Study on the Climate Changes Characteristics in the Hilly Region of the Loess Plateau and Its Influence on Agricultural Production

[Objective] The aim was to study the climate changes characteristics in the hilly region of the loess plateau and its influence on agricultural production.[Method] Taking Yan’an City as an example,and by dint of temperature and precipitation in nine meteorological stations from 1957 to 2007 and accumulated anomaly curve,linear regression and relevant analysis,the climate changes characteristics in 51 years in Yan’an were expounded.The climate changes in the hilly region of the loess plateau were studied and its influences on agricultural production were concluded.[Result] The characteristics of climate changes in the hilly region were as follow:high temperature in winter and warm winter trend was clearly;the temperature in spring enhanced fast and the drought disaster was increasing worse;rainy days occurred now and then in autumn.The climate changes had different levels of influences on agricultural production in Yan’an City.Because of rising temperature in winter,facility agriculture was vigorously developed and the apple range expanded;in the meantime,because of rising temperature in spring,drought was worsen and sowing in spring can not proceed;constant rain in autumn damaged the quality of date.[Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for the regional agricultural production and agricultural structure adjustment.

Characterization and Classification of Agricultural Production Systems in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

The low level of agricultural productivity within the production systems in the insular region of Galapagos is caused by the lack of sustainable technologies accordingly to the insular conservation regime. As a consequence, producers face low productivity and economic losses, which result in low levels of incomes and hasten the change from agricultural to tourist activities. With consequent abandonment of productive lands, the presence of invasive species and pathogens has become a growing threat to the biodiversity of the Galapagos National Park. For this reason, it is necessary to generate and disseminate technologies adapted to the prevalent production systems in the islands. Primary data were collected through face-to-face surveys in a sample of 208 producers from 4 islands during the period from July to November 2018. Multivariate analyses (principal components and cluster) were applied to characterize and classify typical agricultural production systems. The results show three types of systems, differentiated mainly by the technology used in the management of agricultural production, that influence the yields of crops and of animal products such as beef and milk, which cannot satisfy the demand for food on the islands, which has created the dependence on imports to cover the production gap. The definition of the types of agricultural production systems can help in identifying sustainable production alternatives that integrate local social and environmental needs. This is one of the very few technical descriptions of farms on the islands and should be used by policymakers to plan interventions.

Comprehensive Evaluation on the Level of Agricultural Economic Development in Hubei Province Based on Principal Component Analysis

[Objectives]Hubei Province has a superior geographical location,and is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,with pleasant climate and abundant natural resources.It is an important province of population,agriculture and resources in China.[Methods]Based on the data of Statistical Yearbook of Hubei 2018,the agricultural economic indicators of the cities and prefectures in Hubei Province were analyzed with principal component analysis method by using SPSS19.0.[Results]The comprehensive scores and rankings of the agricultural economic development level of the 17 cities and prefectures in Hubei Province were obtained.They were divided into four agricultural development levels.[Conclusions]According to the analysis results,corresponding policy recommendations were put forward to promote the development of agricultural economy in Hubei Province.

Effect of water fluctuation on agricultural production in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

The biggest load of water resources for agricultural economy in the Huang-Huai Plainwill only arcount for 67.1 % of the forecasted irrigated area in 2010. The irrigated area and thequantity of water diverting from the Huanghe River was 2.2 million hm2 and 10.8 billion m3respectively in the lowe reaches of the river in the 1990s. The annual amount of yield increase forgrain is 6.3 billion kg calculated by converting and the annual benefit of yield-increase is 4.4 billionRMB yuan in the irrigated area of the region. The daily economic losses of industry and agricultureby absence of flow in the area in the 1990s is 44. 1 million RMB yuan. The annual water quantity willbe increased by 9.9 billion m3 after diverting water from the Huanghe River and 12.6 billion m3 afterdiverting water from the Changjiang River respectively in the plain in 2010.

Theoretical and Empirical Analysis on Influence Factors of Modern Agricultural Equipment Level in the Processof Agricultural Sustainable Development

To promote modem agricultural equipment level is one characteristic of constructing and developing modem agriculture in China. This paper makes up stepwise linear regression analysis model of influence factors of modem agricultural equipment level, and chooses rural labor, per capita income of rural residents, rural investment, proportion of people at secondary education level and at higher level in per hundred rural labor force and arable land area as independent variables, and total power of machine as induced variable. The major results show that the relativity of modem ag- ricultural equipment level, rural investment and education level of peasants is remarkable, and they are the major influence factors of modem agricultural equipment level. Raising investment level of rural infrastructure construction as well as and research and devel- opment and promotion of advanced and applicable modem agricultural equipment, improving quality and education level of peasants can accelerate the development of China＇s modern agricultural equipment effectively in the process of agricultural sustainable development.

Assessing the Vulnerability of Agricultural Production Activities in the Coastal Area of Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam by GIS Analysis Tools

Using Geography Information System (GIS) tools and remote sensing data in assessing the level of vulnerability of agricultural production activities in the coastal area has become more efficient in the recent years. This research has identified the sensitivity index (S) (including the traffic access index;the impact of residential areas;the impacts of industrial zones;the community dependence level), exposure index (E) (the sea level rises to 2100;the temperature change to 2100), the adaptable capacity index (AC) (slope;morphology), thereby synthesizing the vulnerability index (V). Based on the indexes to calculate vulnerability, the high to very high vulnerability area is 37,081.44 ha, accounting for 68.09%;the average vulnerability level is 15,286.49 ha, accounting for 28.07%;the low to very low vulnerability level with an area is 2087.82 ha, accounting for 3.84% of the total area. With a high and very high vulnerability accounting for 68.09%, there will be great influences on the lives of resident in the area, especially agricultural production.