Adoption of precision farming tools: A context-related analysis

This paper deals with precision farming tools (PFTs), a way of farming which relies on specialized equipment, software and information technologies services, whose importance is underlined in recent documents of the European Union. Precision farming is an integrated and sustainable farm management system making use of modern technologies to increase farm’s profitability, by reducing environmental impact. In this paper we explore the complex mechanisms that affect PFT’s adoption by Italian farmers. More precisely, we try to analyse the context-related factors affecting adoption of PFTs in the Italian farms.Little research has been carried out in Italy on this topic, therefore our paper tries to fill a gap in literature. In order to investigate the process of technology adoption related to precision agriculture, a questionnaire was submitted to a sample of Italian farms. The questionnaire has been structured in order to apply the AKAP (Awareness, Knowledge, Adoption, Product) sequence. Our analysis underlines that context-related factors are fundamental dimensions to be explored in order to specify uptake of PFTs. Therefore, the paper has relevant policy implications, within the context of a new participatory approach to agricultural innovation characterized by bottom-up processes boosted by farmers, which has informed the recent policies of agricultural innovation at the EU level.     

Transition Belsize Veg Bag scheme: The role of ICTs in enabling new voices and community alliances around local food production and consumption

This paper explores an unusual community-supported agriculture pilot project in London, concentrating on the contribution of ICTs in its development and impact. The paper contextualises the project within wider waves of local food activism and reflects on the relevance of using ICTs to increase awareness and community participation in the production and consumption of locally-grown food. The results are also analysed in light of the author's parallel research on the use of ICT for agricultural development, or “e-agriculture”, in Kenya. The paper contributes to ongoing debates on ICTs and agricultural development, by highlighting community-building and the emergence of new voices and conversations as key roles played by ICTs, contributing to the development of more participatory, resilient and locally-centred food systems. The results of the pilot however also acknowledge the essential role played by activities in real life in building communal food growing practices, which can be enhanced but not substituted by online communities.     

Structural transformation or elite land capture? The growth of “emergent” farmers in Zambia

Over the last decade, Zambia has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of medium-scale “emergent farms” cultivating 5–20 ha of land. This study analyzes the factors underpinning this growth. We find that the growth of emergent farmers in Zambia is primarily attributable to land acquisition by salaried urbanites and by relatively privileged rural individuals. We found little evidence to support the hypothesis that the rise of emergent farmers primarily represents a process of successful accumulation by farmers who began farming with less than 5 ha of land, a situation faced by more than 95% of farming households. We argue that these outcomes are the result of Zambia’s land administration and agricultural spending policies. Rising concentration of landholdings in Zambia raises serious questions about the potential of current agricultural growth to act as a vehicle for broad based economic growth and poverty reduction.     

都市型观光农业发展趋势与对策研究--以北京海淀区观光农业发展为例

本文总结了都市型观光农业研究现状与我国的发展历程，分析了都市型观光农业的主要特征、功能及其发展趋势，并根据北京海淀区观光农业的管理经验，提出了加快发展都市型观光农业的具体对策。     

西方主要国家的农业补贴政策及借鉴

财政对农业给与有效补贴，是当今世界许多国家，尤其是发达国家和地区普遍采取的。旨在保护和发展农业的一项重要政策。本在分别考察发达国家、发展中国家财政对农业的补贴政策的基础上，总结了世界各国政府财政农业补贴政策对我国借鉴意义。     

绿色贸易壁垒与中国农业可持续发展问题研究

绿色贸易壁垒既是世界各国保护自然资源、改善生态环境的手段 ,同时又是一种新的贸易保护形式 ,对我国农业可持续发展带来的双向影响。我们一方面要运用WTO的有关规则 ,解决因绿色壁垒引起的贸易争端 ,同时 ,更重要的是要改善我国农业的生态环境 ,提高农产品的质量 ,这既是冲破绿色贸易壁垒的需要 ,也是实现我国农业可持续发展的必然选择。     

农业国内支持政策研究综述

农业的弱质性和多功能性为农业国内支持政策提供理论依据,各国普遍对农业实施农业国内支持政策。由于OECD成员国在基期国内支持水平很高以及WTO农业协议与新一轮WTO谈判的约束,国外普遍利用定量的方法研究农业支持的消减、农业谈判、欧盟扩大和农业补贴的效率等国内支持相关问题;国内有关农业国内支持的研究一般停留在定性方面,农业国内支持的定量研究尤其是优化研究很少。因此,研究如何不断提高我国农业国内支持水平,优化国内支持结构,建立合理的农业国内支持政策体系,具有一定的理论意义与实践价值。     

美国农业政策及其启示

美国农业之所以在短时间内得到迅猛发展 ,系其政府制定和执行的农业政策发挥了重大的作用。我国是个发展中的农业大国 ,在从国情出发的基础上研究和借鉴国外农业政策与经验 ,无疑对促进我国农业和整个国民经济的发展都具有重要意义     

都市休闲观光农业旅游的结构布局与开发模式研究——以杭州市为例

通过都市休闲观光农业旅游研究的回顾与考察,以旅游空间结构的相关理论为基础,以杭州市为例,从供给和需求取向角度论述了都市休闲观光农业旅游的空间结构布局和旅游圈层结构,进而阐述了当前都市休闲观光农业旅游开发模式的表现形态,得出了结论。     

提高中国农民组织化程度的政策选择

农民组织起来的目的在于拓展生产经营空间、组织有效营运、协调成员间的决策、行为和运作方式,谋求更大的组织化利益。目前,我国农民组织化主要有"企业+农户"、"政府+农户"、"农村合作经济组织+农户"和"农村专业批发市场+农户"四种组织模式可供选择,并且有各自的实现途径。