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Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox May 2022

Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

One of the most complex agricultural and natural resources challenges of our time is reconciling sustainable global food security and biodiversity conservation. Providing undergraduate students effective, learning experiences to develop technical and cultural competency prepares them to address this challenge and become global leaders in their disciplines. A three-year experiential research and extension project brought together 14 students and 10 faculty mentors to investigate smallholder farmers practicing conservation-compatible adjacent to the Vaca Forest Reserve in Belize. We used an agroecological approach to foster systems-level thinking and develop transdisciplinary skills of undergraduate students. Students completed applied individual research projects that explored …


Revisiting Participatory Rural Appraisal (Pra) Related Studies And Exploring Pra's Success Determinants: A Content Analysis, Raquel Garcia-Agustin Jan 2022

Revisiting Participatory Rural Appraisal (Pra) Related Studies And Exploring Pra's Success Determinants: A Content Analysis, Raquel Garcia-Agustin

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) has shown that participation in development programs in poor communities can be empowering not only for the community members but also for the development workers. However, not all PRAs have seen successes especially in fulfilling their mission to encourage real participation. Hence, it is imperative to understand whether PRA has led to adequate understanding of indigenous perspective to call for action and the interest PRA serves. This analysis aims to provide critical insights and reflections from the experiences of previously conducted PRAs. It further aims to reveal whether PRAs were used effectively and successfully according to …


Genetic Comparison Between Natural And Planted Populations Of Pinus Brutia And Cupressus Sempervirens In Syria, Batoul N. Al-Hawija, Viktoria Wagner, Isabell Hensen Jan 2014

Genetic Comparison Between Natural And Planted Populations Of Pinus Brutia And Cupressus Sempervirens In Syria, Batoul N. Al-Hawija, Viktoria Wagner, Isabell Hensen

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

There is wide consensus that ongoing deforestation contributes to global warming and poses a threat to species diversity. Less understood is whether the practice of creating plantations might also erode genetic diversity and undermine the genetic structure of tree populations. We tested these hypotheses in natural and planted populations of Pinus brutia Ten. subsp. brutia and Cupressus sempervirens L. var. horizontalis (Mill.), 2 important forestry species in the Mediterranean region. We used plant material from 3 different bioclimatic regions in Syria. Using RAPD markers, we evaluated the genetic diversity and structure of 12 populations of P. brutia (6 natural, 6 …


Influence Of Soil Chemical Properties On Relative Abundance Of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza In Forested Soils In Malaysia, Kian Huat Ong, John Keen Chubo, Jie Hung King, Chia Shing Lee, Dennis Shan An Su, Philip Sipen Jan 2012

Influence Of Soil Chemical Properties On Relative Abundance Of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza In Forested Soils In Malaysia, Kian Huat Ong, John Keen Chubo, Jie Hung King, Chia Shing Lee, Dennis Shan An Su, Philip Sipen

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The effect of soil chemical properties on the diversity and colonization of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) varies among ecosystems. This study was conducted to assess and compare the abundance of AM in a rehabilitated forest and a logged-over forest soil using the most probable number and spore number methods. Glomus (71.7%-82.1%) and Acaulospora (17.4%-19.5%) were found to be abundant in both sites, while Gigaspora was found only in the logged-over forest. The abundance of AM in the rehabilitated forest based on the spore count was significantly higher than in the logged-over forest by a 6-fold difference. Furthermore, root colonization in the …