Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Public Horticulture: Process And Design Of The Lincoln Botanical Garden, Brad Kindler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Beginning in 2012, the local non-profit, The Lincoln Botanical Garden, began organizing the conceptual design and creation of a glass conservatory within a botanical garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. These proposed urban enhancements seek to fill a gap in garden amenities in the city by providing year-round access to public horticulture programming and education.

This project, Public Horticulture: Process and Design of the Lincoln Botanical Garden, documents these efforts and makes design recommendations for a themed Glacial Erratic Garden that could be constructed within the botanical garden.

Advisors: Ellen Paparozzi and Sam Wortman

Technological Bottlenecks And Innovative Developments For Rubber Tree Breeding In China, Yongshuai Sun, Weimin Tian, Deli Zhai, Yongping Yang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Superior varieties of rubber trees are crucial elements in achieving stable production and supply of natural rubber. In China, rubber tree planting areas are situated at the northern edga of the world’s tropical zone and thus belong to non-traditional rubber tree planting areas with climatic conditions inferior to the traditional ones in Southeast Asia. The planted rubber trees are frequently damaged by low temperatures and diseases. Therefore, an urgent need in natural rubber production is to develop varieties with highyield potential and strong stress-tolerance. The scarcity of such varieties is mainly ascribed to the highly heterozygous genome, a long juvenile …

Nine-Step Approach Of Smart Agricultural Helps Grain Production Reduce Costs, Increase Yield And Efficiency, Shuqin Gao, Zhaomin Hu, Hongsheng Wang, Xiaobo Zhang, Yucheng Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Food security is a top priority in national governance. Since 1949, high-standard farmland construction, agricultural mechanization development, and agricultural technology promotion have all contributed to the grain production. To ensure grain security, China has drawn a “red line” of 1.8 billion mu (about 120 million hectares) as the official minimum of arable land. At the same time, increasing the investment of capital goods such as fertilizer and pesticides can no longer produce more food. Due to the extensive farming method in the past, the continuous increase in total grain output becomes difficult in the future. With the rapid development of …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Human Dimensions Of Woody Encroachment Management In Nebraska, Emily Rowen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is a social-ecological problem that will challenge conservation professionals and agricultural producers to adapt their management strategies. This research first examined WPE from the perspective of individual conservation professionals through an online survey. Conservation professionals’ attitudes about adaptation to vegetation transitions, such as WPE, were of interest because these attitudes are one measure of how prepared this group is to respond to WPE. Hypothesized predictors of adaptation attitude were tested through linear regression modeling. These predictors included ecological change, observation of WPE, or risk perception. It was found that risk perception was the strongest predictor of …

The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion In The Algarve: A Synthesis Of Public, Environmental Associations, And Government Perspectives And Response, Mandy Ausman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Avocado expansion has exponentially increased in the Algarve region of southern Portugal in recent years. The surge in expansion has provoked contention and discrepancy in the media regarding how and if avocado production can persist in the water-scarce region due to worsening drought conditions related to climate change coupled with the fruit’s significant water footprint. This paper aims to synthesize the arguments and response of the public, environmental associations, and government agencies to the expansion of avocado production in the water- scarce region of the Algarve, highlight the region’s current challenges of avocado expansion and water management regulation, and analyze …

Development And Issues Of Biotech Seed Industry In China, Peijuan Chi, Hualing Xie, Ping Zhao, Fang Chen, Ning Wu, Zhixi Tian, Weicai Yang, Yanping Yang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biotech seed industry is a strategic core industry. Biotechnology combined with digital technology has promoted the seed industry into an intelligent era, and the breeding paradigm has changed from “experimental selection” to “computational selection”. Biotech seed industry has become a research and development intensive industry, and the market is highly concentrated, which is controlled by large multinational enterprises. The scientific and technological output of China and the United States is in the first echelon, and the number of papers and authorized patents ranks among the top two in the world. From the perspective of core competitiveness, the United States is …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Industrialization Of Tall Wheatgrass For Construction Of “Coastal Grass Belt”, Hongwei Li, Qi Zheng, Jianlin Wang, Hongyong Sun, Kexin Zhang, Hongman Fang, Xuerong Xing, Weicai Yang, Xiaofeng Cao, Xiaojing Liu, Haichun Jing, Kang Chong, Zhensheng Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia elongata) is a perennial cool-season bunchgrass with high productivity and tolerance to salt and alkali, waterlogging, and drought. Since first introduced into China in 1950s, tall wheatgrass has long been used as a wild parent for distant hybridization with wheat (Triticum aestivum). During 1980s─1990s, a few tall wheatgrass varieties were introduced to China as forage grass, nonetheless, currently they are still not widely cultivated and no variety was certificated. In 2020, Zhensheng Li put forward a proposal to construct “Coastal Grass Belt” on saline and alkaline soils in the Circum-Bohai sea region, which provides an opportunity for …

Carbon Farming: A Preliminary Economic Analysis Of Carbon Credits For No-Till And Cover Crops, Drew Havens, Richard K. Perrin, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Cornhusker Economics

Summary Based on experimental data about the amount of carbon sequestered and estimated implementation costs, our preliminary results show that the average cost of sequestering carbon via no-till (about $22 per ton of CO₂e) appears to be much lower than the $51 per ton social value of sequestering that ton. In contrast, our preliminary results show that the average costs of sequestration via adoption of cover crops is much higher, about $60 per ton. Depending on how accurate soil carbon models are in predicting sequestration on individual fields to qualify them for enrollment, reimbursement costs for planting cover …

Enhancement Of Coastal Blue Carbon: Concepts, Techniques, And Future Suggestions, Guangxuan Han, Weimin Song, Yuan Li, Leilei Xiao, Mingliang Zhao, Xiaojing Chu, Baohua Xie

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The blue carbon function and carbon sequestration potential of coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass beds, have emerged as one of the long-term solutions to mitigate global climate change. However, the blue carbon sequestration technology has been neglected in most ecological protection and restoration projects of coastal ecosystems. Besides, in the process of project implementation and management, the dynamic monitoring and systematic evaluation of carbon sink are imperfect. This study proposes the concept of enhancement of coastal blue carbon, focusing on four key technologies of soil carbon emission reduction technology, plant carbon sequestration technology, soil microbial carbon …

Role Of Social Network On Technology Adoption: Application To Nebraska Producers In The Face Of Undesirable Vegetation Transitions, Sabrina Gulab, Holly K. Nesbitt, Simanti Banerjee, Theresa Floyd

Cornhusker Economics

Conclusion

Producers need to have access to information regarding new conservation practices and technologies to ensure land management in the face of ecological threats in general and vegetation transitions (VTs) in the context of our study. This study investigates the role of an individual producer's social network on the willingness to seek information about technologies and management practices and the likelihood of new technology adoption with special attention to risk attitudes and producer spillover effects. Our results provide evidence that network composition and information obtained through a producer's social network don't influence an individual's willingness to seek information about new …

Teaching Agroecology: Preparing Students For Navigating Uncharted Territory, Charles A. Francis, Steve Gliessman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agroecologists understand that farming and food systems are more complex than the aggregation of their components. This realization drives our choices of learning strategies and activities that will prepare students for complexity and uncertainty. Our quest for a just, sustainable, and nutritious food system adequate to equitably serve everyone on the planet today and into the future is an enormous challenge. An undertaking of this magnitude will be met only with major adjustments informed by thoughtful teaching and practicing problem solving skills through a new educational lens. The principles of agroecology help us focus this lens on the wicked problems …

Quantifying The Carbon Stored And Sequestered By The Trees On Pomona College’S Campus, Paola A. Giron-Carson

Scripps Senior Theses

We are experiencing a climate crisis that must be confronted with strategic mitigation. Pomona College contributes to the climate crisis through its emissions for which there is a baseline record. However there is no baseline record of the climate mitigation currently performed by the trees on Pomona’s campus through carbon storage. This study seeks to determine a current baseline quantity of carbon stored and sequestrated by Pomona’s trees as well as possible courses of climate mitigation for Pomona College to take. Initial information gathering was conducted through interviews with several stakeholders. This study was conducted using data collected prior to …

The Impact Of Policy Design On Willingness To Pay For Ecosystem Services From Prairie Strips, Karina Schoengold, Badri Khanal, Taro Mieno, Lisa Schulte Moore

Cornhusker Economics

Ecosystem services from farmland conservation are public good benefits. The value of these benefits is primarily measured using methods that determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for those benefits. Prairie strips, a farmland conservation practice, provide ecosystem services such as improved water quality, soil health, and biodiversity (Schulte et al., 2017). The state of Iowa is a major corn producer and contributes significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous to the Gulf of Mexico (Alexander et al., 2008). The development of conventional agricultural systems has also resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity, including a dominant land cover of tallgrass prairie. …

Quantifying Spatial Heterogeneity Of Wild Blueberries And Crop Water Stress Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Technologies, Kallol Barai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The wild blueberry is one of the major crops of Maine, with significant economic value and potential health benefits. Due to global climate change, drought impacts have been increasing significantly in recent years in the northeast region of the USA, causing significant economic losses in the agricultural sectors. It has been predicted to increase further in the future. Changing patterns of the elevated atmospheric temperatures, increased rainfall variabilities, and more frequent drought events have made the wild blueberry industry of Maine vulnerable, suggesting the adoption of novel approaches to mitigate the negative impacts of global climate changes. Also, wild blueberry …

Promote Deep Integration Of Innovation Chain And Industry Chain By Improving National Innovation Systems Of Crop Seed Industry, Ruimin Pei, Chao Zhang, Kaihua Chen, Xuemei Wei

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Under the new situation, expanding and strengthening the crop seed industry and ensuring food security have been elevated to the national strategic importance. It urgently needs to improve the crop seed national innovation system and promote the deep integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain. The crop seed industry in developed countries such as the United States has formed a relatively mature industrial innovation system dominated by enterprises; however, China's crop seed industry innovation system is large but weak, the seed industry innovation efficiency is low, and the innovation ecology of the innovation chain and the industrial chain integration …

Drivers And Barriers Of The Transition To Regenerative Agriculture Within The Eu’S Common Agricultural Policy Reform: Comparative Analysis With The Us Farm Bill, Samantha Gish

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the wake of multiple crises, such as climate change and international conflict, there is increased urgency to ensure a stable food system. Additionally, changing priorities of citizens have fostered the desire for sustainable production of food. One innovative method of food production is regenerative agriculture and in this practice the main goals are to increase system resilience, improve soil and sequester carbon. This is done through practices such as no tilling, cover and intercropping, and incorporation of livestock into crop fields. Although great in theory, these practices go against traditional agricultural practices and therefore the policy currently in place …

Disturbance Reduces Fungal White-Rot Litter Mat Cover In A Wet Subtropical Forest, D. Jean Lodge, Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Grizelle González, Mareli Sánchez-Julia, Sarah Stankavich

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Fungi that bind leaf litter into mats and produce white-rot via degradation of lignin and other aromatic compounds influence forest nutrient cycling and soil fertility. Extent of white-rot litter mats formed by basidiomycete fungi in Puerto Rico decreased in response to disturbances—a simulated hurricane treatment executed by canopy trimming and debris addition in 2014, a drought in 2015, a treefall, and two hurricanes 10 days apart in September 2017. Percent fungal litter mat cover ranged from 0.4% after Hurricanes Irma and Maria to a high of 53% in forest with undisturbed canopy prior to the 2017 hurricanes, with means mostly …

Wanderscaping: Stirring Agitated Reflections Into Our Home The Campus, K. Annie Bingham

Selected Undergraduate Works

Wanderscaping is a two part project completed over the 2021-2022 school year. The first portion, "Wanderscaping Our Home The Campus" meanders through the physical space of Sarah Lawrence College, as a landscape and an institution, while the second, "Stirring An Agitated Reflection" floats that knowledge in the psychic space of an interconnected host of guides, through books, conversations, and other media. As a whole this project is a process-oriented wrangling of freedom, connection, and their borders. It has culminated in practices of public participatory performance, photography, mapping, iconography, audio recording, and writing. Wanderscaping aims to share a space to dream …

Plant-Frugivore Interactions Across The Caribbean Islands: Modularity, Invader Complexes And The Importance Of Generalist Species, Maximilian G.R. Vollstädt, Mauro Galetti, Christopher N. Kaiser-Bunbury, Benno I. Simmons, Fernando Gonçalves, Alcides L. Morales-Pérez, Luis Navarro, Fabio L. Tarazona-Tubens, Spencer Schubert, Tomas Carlo, Jackeline Salazar, Michel Faife-Cabrera, Allan Strong, Hannah Madden, Adam Mitchell, Bo Dalsgaard

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Aim: Mutualistic interactions between plants and animals are fundamental for the maintenance of natural communities and the ecosystem services they provide. However, particularly in human‐dominated island ecosystems, introduced species may alter mutualistic interactions. Based on an extensive dataset of plant–frugivore interactions, we mapped and analysed a meta‐network across the Caribbean archipelago. Specifically, we searched for subcommunity structure (modularity) and identified the types of species facilitating the integration of introduced species in the Caribbean meta‐network.

Location: Caribbean archipelago (Lucayan archipelago, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles).

Methods: We reviewed published scientific literature, unpublished theses and other nonpeer‐reviewed sources to compile an extensive dataset …

Monitoring Environmental Policy Process: Indicators To Evaluate Performance, Stella Namanji, Charles A. Francis, Charles Ssekyewa, Geir Hofgaard Lieblein

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The complexity of environmental policy development was examined in relation to sustainability, holistic and systems-thinking perspectives. We studied potential application of systems principles of coordination, representation, collaboration, participation and teamwork to improve policy effectiveness at formulation, communication, implementation, and operationalisation of the environment policy in Uganda. The research unveiled the ineffectiveness of the Uganda National Environment Management Policy. We applied systems theory to develop a mechanism for monitoring effectiveness of environmental policies at national level, with the goal to identify key monitoring indicators. We used the soft systems methodology to identify occurring environmental problems causing forest loss. Results suggest that …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Land Use As A Predictor Of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) Presence On The Entebbe Coast Of Lake Victoria, Uganda, Zachary Hoffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lake Victoria is shared amongst Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda and has tremendous ecological, economical, and cultural significance. Within the lake system, there are several problems, including the proliferation of an invasive weed, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Therefore, this study aims to assess several factors that may correlate with water hyacinth proliferation. The specific objectives are (1) to identify possible correlations of water hyacinth density and land use around Entebbe, Uganda, and (2) to identify annual trends in water hyacinth coverage, to better inform policy and conservation efforts. Entebbe has a coastline of six land cover types: flooded vegetation, trees, grasses, …

The Virome Of Peony And The Population Structure Of Its Most Prominent Viruses, Cullen Shaffer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peony (Peonia lactiflora, Pall.) is a popular ornamental that has been cultivated for millennia. Due to its popularity, plant material is frequently moved across international borders allowing for the spread of viruses. The virome of several peony plants was investigated and four viruses; namely Amazon lily mild mottle virus (ALiMMV), Cycas necrotic stunt virus (CNSV), Gentian Kobu-sho associated virus (GKaV) and Lychnis mottle virus (LycMoV) were detected for the first time in the Western Hemisphere. Incidence ranged from a few plants for ALiMMV to near universal infection for CNSV. GKaV was found in individuals that were infected with Lemoine’s disease …

Relating Green Space Characteristics To Student Housing Habits, Joshua Randall

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Shifting Public Perception: Climate Change Means Living With Fire And Smoke, Robert Froembling

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law

The urgency to prepare for the climate crisis has never been greater. We are currently living in the sixth mass extinction and the effects are only going to accelerate. We will inherit more wildfires, larger wildfires, and more frequent wildfires.

This piece is not meant to stoke fear in its readers or be depressing, but to shift public perception on what our future holds by evaluating the laws and science presented to us. This piece will look at regional and federal regulations and assess the increased rate of forest fires and the grave public health concerns from stagnant smoke specifically …

Room To Grow: A Comparative Analysis Of Cannabis Regulation Models In Europe, Amanda H. Cronin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Debilitated by years of economic instability, the Spanish economy has not fully rebounded to its once strong place in the European market. And now, in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic, the nation will be searching for new sources of wealth. The lucrative market potential of controlled cannabis in medicinal and recreational settings is an attractive industry gaining popularity across Europe. This paper explores the various policy models and legal systems in Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands. Combining a variety of sources, I seek to ascertain the best plan for Spain. Ultimately, analysis shows that a multi-pronged approach is the …

Urban Food Sovereignty: Urgent Need For Agroecology And Systems Thinking In A Post-Covid-19 Future, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to challenges associated with our dominant industrial food system in the U.S. The general public now has more appreciation for farm workers and meatpacking employees, as well as those in grocery stores and in food transportation who are suddenly recognized as essential frontline workers. It apparently takes a crisis for us to focus clearly on the fragility of this system and the lives of people on whom we depend. In this commentary we discuss the definition of food sovereignty, how it manifests in urban areas, and how the COVID-19 pandemic can trigger viable …

Intercropping For Water Conservation: Environmental And Economic Implications Of A Sustainable Farming Practice In California's Central Valley, Sophie Baker

Scripps Senior Theses

California’s agricultural sector is the biggest water consumer in the state and faces intense pressure to reduce its overall water usage. Industrialized monoculture systems dominate the industry and often disregard long-term environmental and economic externalities for short-term profit maximization. To maintain longstanding food security and economic stability as well as protect the state’s water supply, it is critical that these systems transition to more sustainable and resilient production mechanisms. As an alternative to monoculture, intercropping affords greater potential to conserve water, protect soil quality, and increase crop yields, among other metrics of sustainability. However, there has been much controversy over …