Analysis on Opportunities and Threats for Agricultural Sustainable Development of Yunnan Province in the Context of the 13th Five-year Plan

The research studied opportunities and potential threats confronted by agricultural sustainable development, laying foundation for optimization of agricultural structure, transformation of agricultural development mode, and accomplishment of agricultural modernization. On basis of development target, development theory and route of the 13^th Five-year Plan, the research analysis the opportunities and potential threats of Yunnan agriculture and proposed policy suggestions on sustainable development of agriculture from the perspectives of ecological and competitive advantage, as well as sustainable development division in order to provide references for scientific formulation and decision-making of relevant regional planning.

Small ruminant value chain in Al-Ruwaished District,Jordan

This study aims to assess the small ruminant value chain in Al-Ruwaished District,Jordan,to identify the potential intervention areas that could improve the production efficiency and guarantee the sustainability of the small ruminant sector in this area.Sheep breeding is the source of livelihood for most of the people in Al-Ruwaished District,which is characterized by the large number of sheep and goats.We surveyed 5.0% of the small ruminant holders in the study area and conducted individual interviews and surveys with the potential actors in the value chain to undertake a small ruminant value chain analysis.From the survey,we found that the small ruminant value chain consists of five core functions,namely,input supply,production management,marketing,processing,and consumption.Despite the stable impression given by the large number of holdings in the small ruminant sector,the surveyed results show a clear fragility in the value chain of small ruminants in this area.The small ruminant production system is negatively impacted by climate change,especially continuous drought.In addition,the high prices of feed that the farmer cannot afford with clear and real absence of the governmental and non-governmental support activities also impact the development of the value chain.The results of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats(SWOT)analysis reveal that the major constraints faced by this value chain could be divided into external and internal threats.Specifically,the most prominent external threats are the nature of the desert land and continuous drought,while the major internal threats are the absence of appropriate infrastructure,shortage of inputs,and weakness in the production management and marketing.We proposed solutions to these challenges to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the sector,such as the formulation of emergency response plans to severe weather,qualifying farmers’skills,and establishment of agricultural cooperative societies.

Feasibility assessment of LID concept for stormwater management in China through SWOT analysis

The strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats SWOT analysis method is applied to assess the feasibility of traditional stormwater management and low impact development LID in China.The results show that traditional stormwater management has many disadvantages e.g.only stormwater collection and discharge or flooding peak-flow regulation is taken into consideration but lack of many important functions such as on-site infiltration non-point pollution control ecological treatment etc.Meanwhile as a new stormwater management concept the LID system has many advantages e.g.LID can not only control rainwater quantity but also effectively prevent non-point pollution. Moreover LID is easy for implementation and cost effective and operation and management can also be done easily.LID has attracted more and more attention from governmental authorities at different levels and the majority of practitioners. Therefore LID has bright prospects for wide applications in China.