Tree-based ecosystem services supply and multifunctionality of church forests and their agricultural matrix near Lake Tana,Ethiopia

Ecosystem services(ES)are the connection between nature and society,and are essential for the well-being of local communities that depend on them.In Ethiopia,church forests and the surrounding agricultural matrix supply numerous ES.However,the ES delivered by both land use types have not yet been assessed simultaneously.Here we surveyed both church forests and their agricultural matrices,aiming to quantify,compare and unravel the drivers underlying tree-based ES supply,density and multifunctionality.We found that almost all church forests and half of the agricultural matrices provided high ES densities.ES multifunctionality was higher in the agricultural matrices,suggesting that people deliberately conserve or plant multifunctional tree species.Furthermore,the supply of all categories of ES was positively correlated with church forest age(p-value<0.001)in the agricultural matrix,while the extent of church forest was positively correlated with the density of all categories ecosystem services score in the church forests(p-value<0.001).Our results can be used to prioritize conservation efforts at sites that provide high levels of ES supply,ES density and ES multifunctionality,and to prioritize restoration efforts at sites with low levels thereof.

Nonfarm employment, agricultural machinery service purchase and agricultural production efficiency:An empirical study based on China's major wheat-producing areas

Based on the cross-sectional data of the survey conducted in China's main wheat producing areas at the end of 2019,this paper uses the translog production function model to estimate agricultural technical efficiency,and studies the relationship between nonfarm employment,agricultural machinery service purchase and agricultural production efficiency.The results show that the household non-agricultural employment ratio and non-agricultural income have a significant positive impact on the purchase of agricultural machinery services.In addition to the effect of scale efficiency,non-agricultural employment does not have a significant impact on agricultural technical efficiency,and labor transfer does not have a significant negative impact on agricultural production.

Influence of varied drought types on soil conservation service within the framework of climate change:insights from the Jinghe River Basin,China

Severe soil erosion and drought are the two main factors affecting the ecological security of the Loess Plateau,China.Investigating the influence of drought on soil conservation service is of great importance to regional environmental protection and sustainable development.However,there is little research on the coupling relationship between them.In this study,focusing on the Jinghe River Basin,China as a case study,we conducted a quantitative evaluation on meteorological,hydrological,and agricultural droughts(represented by the Standardized Precipitation Index(SPI),Standardized Runoff Index(SRI),and Standardized Soil Moisture Index(SSMI),respectively)using the Variable Infiltration Capacity(VIC)model,and quantified the soil conservation service using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)in the historical period(2000-2019)and future period(2026-2060)under two Representative Concentration Pathways(RCPs)(RCP4.5 and RCP8.5).We further examined the influence of the three types of drought on soil conservation service at annual and seasonal scales.The NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections(NEX-GDDP)dataset was used to predict and model the hydrometeorological elements in the future period under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios.The results showed that in the historical period,annual-scale meteorological drought exhibited the highest intensity,while seasonal-scale drought was generally weakest in autumn and most severe in summer.Drought intensity of all three types of drought will increase over the next 40 years,with a greater increase under the RCP4.5 scenario than under the RCP8.5 scenario.Furthermore,the intra-annual variation in the drought intensity of the three types of drought becomes smaller under the two future scenarios relative to the historical period(2000-2019).Soil conservation service exhibits a distribution pattern characterized by high levels in the southwest and southeast and lower levels in the north,and this pattern has remained consistent both in the historical and future periods.Over the past 20 years,the intra-annual variation indicated peak soil conservation service in summer and lowest level in winter;the total soil conservation of the Jinghe River Basin displayed an upward trend,with the total soil conservation in 2019 being 1.14 times higher than that in 2000.The most substantial impact on soil conservation service arises from annual-scale meteorological drought,which remains consistent both in the historical and future periods.Additionally,at the seasonal scale,meteorological drought exerts the highest influence on soil conservation service in winter and autumn,particularly under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios.Compared to the historical period,the soil conservation service in the Jinghe River Basin will be significantly more affected by drought in the future period in terms of both the affected area and the magnitude of impact.This study conducted beneficial attempts to evaluate and predict the dynamic characteristics of watershed drought and soil conservation service,as well as the response of soil conservation service to different types of drought.Clarifying the interrelationship between the two is the foundation for achieving sustainable development in a relatively arid and severely eroded area such as the Jinghe River Basin.

Problems and Solutions of Chinese Agricultural Science and Technology Service System

Abstract Problems in agricultural science and technology service system were ana- lyzed, such as system problem, investment and worker quality, and based on this countermeasures were proposed, so as to promote the development of modern agri- culture and construction of new countryside.

Application Model of New Agricultural Hotline Sci-tech Information Service System in Beijing

To further promote information construction in rural areas and popularize agricultural information service,we introduced the content of new agricultural hotline sci-tech information service system construction,summed up application effect of the system,analyzed advantages and existing problems in the system development,and put forward countermeasures for its further development.

Exploration and Practice of Customized Agricultural Meteorological Service Based on Short Message Service

On the basis of the analysis of main problems existing in current agricultural meteorological service in China,for the purpose of exploring a solution to the "last kilometer" problem in rural meteorological service,this article designed four short message service products with the business brand name "meteorology for agricultural condition",including "weather prediction for farming season","weather forecast for farming","weather alert",and "meteorological hazards of agriculture".By taking advantage of telecom operators' market,these products have been spread to more than 1 million rural mobile phone users and widely welcomed.They also contributed enormously to disaster prevention and peasants' income growth,and achieved good social and economic benefits.

On Development of Agricultural Machinery Operating Service in Chongqing

Development of agricultural machinery operating service in Chongqing takes on rapid increase in number of service organizations,diversified service methods,improvement in service level,and constant service income. However,there are some problems,including unreasonable composition and small scale of service organization,imbalanced development of four service methods,low service level,and low operating income of agricultural machinery households. To accelerate development of agricultural machinery operating service in Chongqing,it is recommended to take following measures: adjusting subsidy for purchase and operation of agricultural machinery; improving fiscal and taxation and financial system; speeding up infrastructure construction,establishing agricultural machinery information network,and improving organizational form and methods of agricultural machinery operating service.

Evaluation and Optimization of the Logistics Service of Agricultural Products:an Empirical Analysis Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

This research,from the theories of management science,supply chain management and logistics engineering,on the basis of extensive investigations,and using the method of analytic hierarchy process(AHP),evaluates the present situation of logistics service of agricultural products.Taking Nanping City(Nanping)as a case,it explores the obstacles existing in current logistics service system and the factors limiting the development of agricultural product logistics service.Combining with the theory of modern logistics system,it reveals the problems in the logistics system and the causes,and then constructs the strategy of optimization for agricultural product logistics service in Nanping.The conclusion of the study can be references for the government to make scientific strategies for the development of the agricultural product logistics service and help logistics enterprises improve their service level.

Regional Differences in the Demand for Agricultural Socialized Service

With the gradual deepening of China's agricultural modernization,establishing a sound agricultural socialized service system is of great significance to improving the efficiency of resource use and achieving sustainable agricultural development. On the basis of the micro survey data on China's 12 provinces,we analyze the intensity of demand for agricultural socialized service in different regions as well as the main factors influencing farmers' demand willingness. The results show that there are regional differences in farmers' demand for agricultural socialized service,and among multiple factors affecting the demand willingness of agricultural socialized service,farmers' individual characteristics,household economic characteristics and farmers' social communication behavior have varying degrees of impact on farmers' choice of service.

Several Theoretical Issues on Agricultural Sci-tech Service and Management

In view of particularity and complexity of agricultural sci-tech service and management,this paper presents definition of basic concept of agricultural sci-tech service and management,sums up its basic characteristics,and discusses and analyzes its structural elements and functions. The agricultural sci-tech service and management plays an important role in speeding up rural construction and narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas. It ensures benign cycle of scientific and technological achievements and regional environment,and promotes development of agricultural industrialization.

Study on Agricultural Socialized Service System in Guangdong Province

This paper analyzed the current situation of the construction of agricultural socialized service system in Guangdong Province and summarizes five typical services,namely the public service," company + base + farmer "," company + research institute + base +farmer"," specialized cooperative + farmer",and " government + enterprise + farmer".In view of the existing problems in the construction of agricultural socialized service system in Guangdong Province,it came up with recommendations including making proper top level design,strengthening the construction efforts,actively cultivating service entities,improving the structure of information service system,and establishing and improving rural financial system.

Suitability Evaluation on the Information Service System of "Agricultural Science and Technology 110" in Sichuan Province, China

Method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is used to carry out suitability evaluation on the information service system of "Agricultural Science and Technology 110" in Sichuan Province, China. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and expert consultation method are used to determine the evaluation index system and index weight. Suitability effect of the information service system of "Agricultural Science and Technology 110" is taken as the target layer. The five indices at criterion layer are the organizational mode of agricultural information service, the support system of agricultural information resources, the agricultural information transfer system, the capital source of agricultural information service, and the support system of agricultural information service. And the index layer includes the talent team of agent service, the interaction between the subject and object, the accuracy of agricultural information, the convenience of agricultural information transfer, the adequacy of fund, the efficiency in the use of fund, the status of information infrastructure and so on. Evaluation result shows that the information service system of "Agricultural Science and Technology 110" in Sichuan Province is suitable for the rural economic development at present. The major factors restricting the information service system are the lack of continuity, the weak infrastructure of agricultural information infrastructure, and the relatively low education level of agricultural producers. Therefore, we should further explore and improve the operation mechanism of agricultural information service, expand the capital source of agricultural information service, strengthen the construction of agricultural infrastructure, and ensure the continuous operation of information service system.

Game Theory Based Decision Coordination Strategy of Agricultural Logistics Service Information System

Under the background of“Internet plus”rapid development,the agricultural logistics industry should apply information technology to every link of the agricultural product logistics industry chain.By making full use of the decision making module of the agricultural logistics information system,we can realize the full sharing of information and data resources,which makes the decision-making scheme of the agricultural logistics information system more optimized.In real economic society,the uncertainty and mismatch between the customer’s logistics service demand and the logistics service capability that the logistics service function provider can provide,that is,when the two information are asymmetric,how to use the third-party contract to coordinate the income and profit distribution of the two,to make the information system decision making more reasonable?This paper mainly studies the coordination scheme of agricultural logistics information system decision making under uncertain output and demand information by introducing the spot market.A joint coordination strategy based on revenue sharing and penalty feedback contracts proposes decentralized decision making based on game theory.Experiments show that the flexible ordering strategy proposed in this paper can reduce the logistics service supply chain’s uncertainty and significantly improve the logistics service supply chain’s overall income level through coordination contracts.

Digital Technology Promotes China-foreign Trade in Agricultural Services

“At present,the pace of agricultural and rural modernization construction is constantly accelerating,the trade of agricultural products has achieved new highs,and the international agricultural cooperation has achieved positive results.According to statistics,over the past five years,China’s agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery industry have attracted accumulated foreign capital and conducted foreign investment in amounts of USD 3.83 billion and USD 9.31 billion respectively.The foundation of agricultural service trade development has been consolidated constantly with broad prospects and huge potential”.

Thoughts on Participation of Supply and Marketing Cooperative System in Agricultural Social Service

Agricultural social service is an important field in the development of modern agriculture. At present,agricultural social service should be based on the extension of the agricultural industrial chain and value chain. The supply and marketing system has important opportunity to participate in social services. It should be based on deep reform of supply and marketing system,rural industrial poverty alleviation,sustainable agricultural ecological development,development of farmers' cooperative organizations,and increase of organization efficiency. It is recommended to undertake works in construction of platform of supply of agricultural products,commercialization of agricultural technology services,scale development of community-supported agriculture,and market based agricultural social capital. Through improving the team system of supply and marketing system,it is recommended to create platform-based flattening environment and create cooperative ecology in PPP mode to guarantee.

Thoughts on Science and Technology Service in Provincial Agricultural Research Institutes under the New Normal:Taking Changli Institute of Pomology of Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences as an Example

In the context of the new normal of high-quality agricultural development,it is necessary to accelerate the comprehensive connection of scientific and technological services of provincial agricultural research institutes and industries,and mobilize the enthusiasm of scientific and technological service personnel.Under the new normal,traditional service types are single,technology promotion and training are becoming narrower and narrower.This article analyzed the problems in scientific and technological services of provincial agricultural research institutes,including lack of comprehensive demonstration bases,not close cooperation between scientific and technological and the government and new business entities,and lack of incentive mechanism.Finally,it came up with some pertinent recommendations such as improving supporting mechanism construction,making classified evaluation,and changing the scientific and technological service concepts.

Thoughts on Science and Technology Service in Agricultural Research Institutes:Taking Institute of Plant Protection of Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences as an Example

Scientific and technological services are necessary for strengthening agriculture.Under the new situation,agricultural research institutes should give full play to their advantages,strive to innovate scientific and technological services methods,and improve scientific and technological service levels.Combined with the practice of science and technology work of Institute of Plant Protection of Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences,this paper made an in-depth analysis on the present situations and existing problems in the scientific and technological services of agricultural research institutes.Based on the analysis,it came up with recommendations including change ideological concepts,strengthening service awareness,adhering to people-oriented principle,enhancing the team building,improving mechanism construction,stimulating innovative vitality,exploring service methods,and enriching service connotation,so as to improve scientific and technological service works.

Stakeholders’ Participation in Agricultural Farmers’ Extension Services Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case of the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Programme in Uganda

The paper presents findings from a study carried out to assess the contribution of stakeholders’participation on the performance of the national agricultural farmers’extension services programme in Uganda known as Operation Wealth Creation(OWEC).Specifically,the study sought to establish how participatory planning,budgeting,monitoring and evaluation(M&E)respectively contributed to the performance of OWC in selected district in central Uganda.The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques and employed both questionnaires and interview guides on key participants in the programme.Findings of the study indicated positive relationships between stakeholders’participation and programme performance with participatory planning,budgeting and M&E all having positive significant effects on the performance of OWC programme.The study concluded that indeed stakeholders’participation contributed to improved performance of the OWC programme.The study recommends increased funding and M&E of the agricultural extension programmes for improved performance.

Intelligent Recommendation and Matching Method for Agricultural Knowledge Based on Context-Aware Models

The personalized recommendation of the cloud platform for agricultural knowledge and agricultural intelligent service is one of the core technologies for the development of smart agriculture.Revealing the implicit laws and dynamic characteristics of agricultural knowledge demand is a key problem to be solved urgently.In order to enhance the matching ability of knowledge recommendation and service in human-computer interaction of cloud platform,the mechanism of agricultural knowledge intelligent recommendation service integrated with context-aware model was analyzed.By combining context data acquisition,data analysis and matching,and personalized knowledge recommendation,a framework for agricultural knowledge recommendation service is constructed to improve the ability to extract multidimensional information features and predict sequence data.Using the cloud platform for agricultural knowledge and agricultural intelligent service,this research aims to deliver interesting video service content to users in order to solve key problems faced by farmers,including planting technology,disease control,expert advice,etc.Then the knowledge needs of different users can be met and user satisfaction can be improved.

Present Situation of Rural Regional Development and Agricultural Extension Policy

The formulation of agricultural extension policy and the development of rural regional economy present the relationship of mutual existence,mutual influence and mutual promotion.Therefore,it is necessary to study the agricultural extension policy according to the current situation of rural regional development.Agricultural technology extension system is an organization set up at county and township levels to provide farmers with scientific research achievements and practical technical services on planting,animal husbandry,fishery,forestry,agricultural machinery and water conservancy,and it is an important carrier for implementing the strategy of developing agriculture through science and technology.On the basis of expounding the value and significance of rural regional economic development,this paper analyzes the problems existing in China s rural regional development from the aspects of rural infrastructure and public services,rural labor force s cultural and scientific level,rural grass-roots extension system,etc.,and puts forward corresponding measures against the problems.This study has certain theoretical reference value for promoting the all-round development of China s rural economy and realizing the great strategy of rural revitalization in China.