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Cross-Shore Sediment Transport Processes On Natural Beaches And Their Relation To Sand Bar Migration Patterns, Ismael De Jesus Marino Tapia Jan 2003

Cross-Shore Sediment Transport Processes On Natural Beaches And Their Relation To Sand Bar Migration Patterns, Ismael De Jesus Marino Tapia

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

During the last two decadess everalf ield studiesh ave shown a clear pattern in the cross-shores ediment transport processes on beaches. Outside the surf zone, the stronger onshore velocities under unbroken (Stokes-type) wave crests, produce a dominant onshore sediment transport. Inside the surf zone, strong offshore-directed mean currents (undertow) drive sediments offshore. It is of great interest for the scientific community to verify further the consistency of this pattern under different morphodynamic conditions, understand the underlying physics and quantify/parameterise this behaviour in order to improve the understanding of cross-shore sediment transport and simplify the modelling of beach profile change. The …

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A Stochastic Frontier Approach To Total Factor Productivity Measurement In Bangladesh Crop Agriculture, 1961–1992, T Coelli, S Rahman, C Thirtle Jan 2003

A Stochastic Frontier Approach To Total Factor Productivity Measurement In Bangladesh Crop Agriculture, 1961–1992, T Coelli, S Rahman, C Thirtle

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This paper applies a stochastic production frontier model to measure total factor productivity growth, technical efficiency change and technological change in Bangladesh crop agriculture for the 31 observations from 1960/61 to 1991/92, using data for 16 regions. The results reveal that technical change followed a U‐shaped pattern, rising from the early 1970s, when the green revolution varieties were adopted, giving an overall rate of technical progress at 0.27 per cent per year. However, technical efficiency declined throughout, at an estimated annual rate of 0.47 per cent. The combined effect of slow technical progress, dominated by the fall in technical efficiency …

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High-Resolution Laboratory Lysimeter For Automated Sampling Of Tracers Through A 0.5m Soil Block, A Johnson, Tj Mathews, Gp Matthews, D Patel, Pj Vorsfold, Kn Andrew Jan 2003

High-Resolution Laboratory Lysimeter For Automated Sampling Of Tracers Through A 0.5m Soil Block, A Johnson, Tj Mathews, Gp Matthews, D Patel, Pj Vorsfold, Kn Andrew

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Characterisation Of Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity In The Sea Anemone Aiptasia Pallida And An Evaluation Of Responses To Environmental Stress, Clare Emma Morrall Jan 2003

Characterisation Of Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity In The Sea Anemone Aiptasia Pallida And An Evaluation Of Responses To Environmental Stress, Clare Emma Morrall

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Studies were undertaken to investigate the presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS; E.C. 1.14.13.39) activity in number of cnidarian species from shallow marine subtropical environments. Enzyme activity was assayed by measuring the conversion of 3H L-arginine to 3H L-citrulline (the citrulline assay). This assay was shown to be sufficiently sensitive for studies of this nature but was not optimised for use with cnidarian preparations. As a result, confidence in the accuracy of the generated assay results is limited. NOS activity was nevertheless demonstrated in the sea anemone A. pallida, in the zooxanthellae associated with A. pallida, Symbiodinium spp. and in …

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An Analysis Of The Role Of The Baltic States Ports In The Trans Siberian Railway Market, Anastasia Liliopoulou Jan 2003

An Analysis Of The Role Of The Baltic States Ports In The Trans Siberian Railway Market, Anastasia Liliopoulou

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Almost all the people involved in the shipping industry have come in touch from time to time with what is known as container transit. Some of these people may be working in one way or another in this field, whilst others may be familiar with the meaning and the importance of container transit. This research aims to examine the potential of the Baltic States' ports as transit gateways for the Trans Siberian container market. This work is divided in two parts, the theoretical and the practical. The first part of the study provides a theoretical presentation of the construct under …

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The Kinesfield : A Study Of Movement-Based Interactive And Choreographic Art, Gretchen Elizabeth Schiller Jan 2003

The Kinesfield : A Study Of Movement-Based Interactive And Choreographic Art, Gretchen Elizabeth Schiller

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Through the exploration of practice and theory, this thesis aims to elucidate the characteristics of movement-based interactive art and the kinesfield, a term developed during the course of the research to describe the publics' body-medium. Movement-based interactive art is based on choreographed movements of the body, media and specialized technologies which facilitate new forms of participatory movement experience. This emergent art form has initiated new methods of experiencing and presenting dance in the public domain. lt is argued that this leads to new artistic developments which may constitute a paradigm shift of the concept of the body-medium in the field …

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Political Dealignment In Britain : The Local Evidence 1959-1979, Paul James Lambe Jan 2003

Political Dealignment In Britain : The Local Evidence 1959-1979, Paul James Lambe

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis challenges the dominant view that municipal elections tell us practically nothing about the preferences and attitudes of the voter to local issues and events, that municipal elections are no more than national referendums. It suggests that the influence of socio-economic environment and political context and indeed structural factors have hitherto been underestimated. It argues that municipal politics and voting behaviour impact upon parliamentary electoral behaviour and outcomes and thereby the politics of place impinge upon the national electoral level. The thesis employs a multi-disciplinary approach that combines the qualitative research methods of the historian and the quantitative statistical …

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Influence Of Natural And Anthropogenic Disturbance On The Soft Bottom Macrobenthic Community Of The Campeche Bank, Mexico, Hector Abuid Hernandez-Arana Jan 2003

Influence Of Natural And Anthropogenic Disturbance On The Soft Bottom Macrobenthic Community Of The Campeche Bank, Mexico, Hector Abuid Hernandez-Arana

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The structure of macrobenthic communities was investigated in carbonate and transitional carbonate-terrigenous sediments of the Southern Gulf of Mexico (Campeche Bank). The aim was to assess the influence of natural disturbance represented by winter storms and river runoff and the putative influence of oil-related activities using a regional approach. At a scale of > 100 km community composition of benthic macroinfauna was characterised as distinct assemblages within the carbonate and transitional sedimentary provinces controlled by natural disturbance. The carbonate assemblage was numerous and diverse influenced by a heterogeneous substratum. Winter storms had a severe impact with mortality probably resulting from abrasion …

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Profit Efficiency Among Bangladeshi Rice Farmers, S Rahman Jan 2003

Profit Efficiency Among Bangladeshi Rice Farmers, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Production inefficiency is usually analyzed by its three components-technical, allocative, and scale efficiency. In this study, we provide a direct measure of production efficiency of the Bangladeshi rice farmers using a stochastic profit frontier and inefficiency effects model. The data, which are for 1996, include seven conventional inputs and several other background factors affecting production of modern or high yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice spread across 21 villages in three agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. The results show that there are high levels of inefficiency in modern rice cultivation. The mean level of profit efficiency is 77% suggesting that an estimated …

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Farm-Level Pesticide Use In Bangladesh: Determinants And Awareness, S Rahman Jan 2003

Farm-Level Pesticide Use In Bangladesh: Determinants And Awareness, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Farmers' awareness of beneficial and harmful effects of pesticides and factors determining use of pesticides were analyzed using survey data from 21 villages in three agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. Pesticide cost accounts for about 7.7% of the gross value of output in cotton, 3.6% in vegetables, 2.5% in potato, 1.8% in modern rice, 1.6% in spices and less than 1% in other cereal and non-cereal crops. About 77% of farmers (highest 94% in Comilla) used pesticides at least once (37% applied once and 31% applied twice, and the rest applied for 3-5 times) in a crop season. Cultivation of traditional …

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Environmental Impacts Of Modern Agricultural Technology Diffusion In Bangladesh: An Analysis Of Farmers' Perceptions And Their Determinants, S Rahman Jan 2003

Environmental Impacts Of Modern Agricultural Technology Diffusion In Bangladesh: An Analysis Of Farmers' Perceptions And Their Determinants, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Farmers' perception of the environmental impacts of modern agricultural technology diffusion and factors determining such awareness were examined using survey data from 21 villages in three agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. Results reveal that farmers are well aware of the adverse environmental impacts of modern agricultural technology, although their awareness remains confined within visible impacts such as soil fertility, fish catches, and health effects. Their perception of intangible impacts such as, toxicity in water and soils is weak. Level and duration of modern agricultural technology adoption directly influence awareness of its adverse effects. Education and extension contacts also play an important …

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The Influence Of Surfactants On The Sorption Of Phenanthrene In Natural Waters, Tracey Louise Jones-Hughes Jan 2002

The Influence Of Surfactants On The Sorption Of Phenanthrene In Natural Waters, Tracey Louise Jones-Hughes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely recognised as harmful, persistent organic pollutants, whilst surfactants are more easily degraded but their ubiquitous use both domestically and industrially ensures their presence in natural waters. Owing to both their hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties, surfactants are capable of both adsolubilisation and solubilisation of co-contaminants, hence, their presence in natural waters is considered extremely significant. The purpose of this research was to determine how surfactants and PAHs influence each other in estuaries where both are co-disposed. This study is the first to employ environmentally realistic concentrations of surfactants and to use natural particles in order …

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Chromosomal Variation In Nucella Lapillus (L.) And Other Muricid Gastropods, Philip Lionel Pascoe Jan 2002

Chromosomal Variation In Nucella Lapillus (L.) And Other Muricid Gastropods, Philip Lionel Pascoe

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The Robertsonian polymorphism (numerical change in the chromosome complement by centric fusion or fission) in the dog-whelk (Nucella lapillus, Mollusca: Gastropoda) has been known and studied sporadically for almost 50 years. However, the possible causes, consequences and proposed correlations of this phenomenon remain enigmatic. Nucella lapillus (2n = 26 to 36), has undergone a marked reduction in chromosome number from its ancestral form; most other muricid species have a diploid chromosome number in the range 2n = 60- 70. Correlations have been proposed between chromosome number (or karyotype) and habitat (wave exposure), and also directly or indirectly with allozymes, shell …

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Grazing Management And Plant Community Composition On Bodmin Moor, Gavin Stewart Jan 2002

Grazing Management And Plant Community Composition On Bodmin Moor, Gavin Stewart

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The research presented in this thesis was focused on aspects of the dynamic response of upland vegetation to grazing, to allow evaluation of the suitability of Countryside Stewardship (CS) management for the rehabilitation of dwarf-shrub cover in the upland landscape of Bodmin Moor. Initial chapters review the ecological character of Bodmin Moor, grazing management and vegetation in upland habitats, and succession in relation to grazing. Chapter Five provides the first extensive and detailed phytosociological investigation of the vegetation of Bodmin Moor-providing a baseline for further work. It also examines the spatial distribution of the plant communities in relation to environmental …

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Barriers To Sustainability Among Tourism-Related Businesses : Identification And Reduction, Jonathan Andrew Vernon Jan 2002

Barriers To Sustainability Among Tourism-Related Businesses : Identification And Reduction, Jonathan Andrew Vernon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The attainment of sustainable development has emerged as one of the main challenges facing society and the economy in the twenty-first century. In tourism, the English Tourism Council (2001 a, p. 11) recognise that sustainable tourism can no longer be regarded as an optional extra, but is fundamental to safeguarding the long-term competitiveness of the industry. To establish sustainable development as a primary strategic objective within the tourism industry represents a substantial challenge. Such a goal is problematic not least because the sector is so diverse and is based around a large number of small businesses which are not always …

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A Critical Analysis Of Gardens As A Resource For Tourism And Recreation In The Uk, Joanne Jane Connell Jan 2002

A Critical Analysis Of Gardens As A Resource For Tourism And Recreation In The Uk, Joanne Jane Connell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Garden visiting has become a popular leisure pursuit in recent years. Within a tourism and recreation context, scant research exists on the subject of gardens as recreational resources and the manner in which they are presented to and consumed by the public. This thesis explores the scope and nature of gardens as tourism and recreation resources in the UK. The thesis examines the conceptual foundations of the garden, in order to establish what reasons explain predisposition towards garden visiting, and why gardens provide a desirable environment in which people want to spend leisure time. The activity of garden visiting is …

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Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills Jan 2002

Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This research seeks to contribute towards the understanding of economic linkage within the rural context by exploring the relationship between rurally located small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their purchase of producer (business) services. In addition, the work considers other inter-rural and intra-rural differences, in both firm (SME) behaviour and firm characteristics. Whilst the subject of linkages has been explored by other researchers, the market town and SME focus of this thesis provides a more spatially contained framework than is often encountered within this type of research. By using four towns of similar size and structure contained within two noticeably …

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Performance Of Fisheries Sector Planning In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Kk Ahmed Jan 2002

Performance Of Fisheries Sector Planning In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Kk Ahmed

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The overall planning performance of the fisheries sector in Bangladesh over the past three decades was evaluated. Performance has been unsatisfactory largely due to contiguous overestimation of the planning targets and the existence of serious financial, technological, institutional and social constraints. Despite the remarkable growth in export earnings and a stable GDP contribution of 3.2–5.6%, budget allocations remained extremely low (0.7–1.4% of total outlay) in subsequent plan periods. Production from marine fisheries performed satisfactorily with slow growth in recent years, while inland fisheries with initial poor performance showed improvements from the mid-1980s owing to increased productivity in culture fisheries, particularly …

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Integrated Luminometer For The Determination Of Trace Metals In Seawater Using Fluorescence, Phosphorescence And Chemiluminescence Detection, Pj Worsfold, Ep Achterberg, Ar Bowie, V Cannizzaro, S Charles, Jm Costa, F Dubois, R Pereiro, Vicente B San, A Sanz-Medel, R Vandeloise, Donckt E Vander, P Wollast, S Yunus Jan 2002

Integrated Luminometer For The Determination Of Trace Metals In Seawater Using Fluorescence, Phosphorescence And Chemiluminescence Detection, Pj Worsfold, Ep Achterberg, Ar Bowie, V Cannizzaro, S Charles, Jm Costa, F Dubois, R Pereiro, Vicente B San, A Sanz-Medel, R Vandeloise, Donckt E Vander, P Wollast, S Yunus

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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The Development Of Party Systems And The Determinants Of Partisan Voting In English Local Government Elections 1973-1998, Lawrence Ware Jan 2002

The Development Of Party Systems And The Determinants Of Partisan Voting In English Local Government Elections 1973-1998, Lawrence Ware

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis takes a quantitative approach to the study of the development of party systems in English local government following its reorganisation in the early 1970s. Aggregate data, including local election results and census information, are used to identify the determinants of partisan support and the subsequent effects upon variations in local party systems. The study develops the first major classification of local party systems between 1973 and 1998, focussing principally upon factors accounting for variations in the evolution of such systems. This study provides the first clear evidence that the operation of local electoral systems contributes towards the production …

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The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford Jan 2002

The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the issue of cataloguing traditional earthen architecture. It proposes a methodology that will permit the systematic collection and analysis of objective and quantifiable data relating to historic earthen, or cob, buildings in a parish in mid Devon. The brief given for this project requhes a multi-disciplinary approach to be taken, one that considers the topographical surroundings and the historic context of the buildings as well as the architectural characteristics. A triangular concept is expounded, with the three elements providing a sound basis for the development of an holistic methodology for creating an earthen building inventory. To comply …

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Palaeoecology, Palaeoenvironmental Analysis And Their Application To Sequence Stratigraphy: Lower Cretaceous, Lusitanian Basin, Portugal, Gary Stefan Aillud Jan 2001

Palaeoecology, Palaeoenvironmental Analysis And Their Application To Sequence Stratigraphy: Lower Cretaceous, Lusitanian Basin, Portugal, Gary Stefan Aillud

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Palaeoecological data can provide key information on depositional environments. This may be critical to the interpretation of marine sedimentary cycles and the recognition of ancient cycles and sequences. Although many recent studies have attempted to combine palaeoecology and sequence stratigraphy, the sequence stratigraphic model is commonly used to provide a temporally constrained framework for the evaluation of ecological and evolutionary events. This study shows how palaeoecology can be used as a powerful tool in the development of sequence stratigraphic models. A palaeoecological study of three Lower Cretaceous successions (at Ericeira, Cascais, Cabo Espichel) from the southern part of the Lusitanian …

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European Union/South Africa Trade, Development And Co-Operation Agreement : Decision-Making, Participation And Perceived Economic Impacts, Roger John Levermore Jan 2001

European Union/South Africa Trade, Development And Co-Operation Agreement : Decision-Making, Participation And Perceived Economic Impacts, Roger John Levermore

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The European Union-South Africa Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (EU/SA TDCA), signed in October 1999, is viewed by some in South Africa as not only one of the most important trade and development agreements entered into by the 'new' South African goverrunent, but also a significant agreement for setting precedents for other bi-lateral trade and development pacts between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states. This thesis considers two major issues related to the EU/SA TDCA. First, it describes and evaluates the structures that supported the South African side of the TDCA decision-making process. Second, it discusses …

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The Development Of A Holistic Expert System For Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Antoni Bruce Moore Jan 2001

The Development Of A Holistic Expert System For Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Antoni Bruce Moore

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Coastal data and information comprise a massive and complex resource, which is vital to the practice of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), an increasingly important application. ICZM is just as complex, but uses the holistic paradigm to deal with the sophistication. The application domain and its resource require a tool of matching characteristics, which is facilitated by the current wide availability of high performance computing. An object-oriented expert system, COAMES, has been constructed to prove this concept. The application of expert systems to ICZM in particular has been flagged as a viable challenge and yet very few have taken it …

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Interagency Coordination And Collaboration In The Management Of Child Sexual Abuse: In Australian And England, Anne Margaret Lawrence Jan 2001

Interagency Coordination And Collaboration In The Management Of Child Sexual Abuse: In Australian And England, Anne Margaret Lawrence

Other Faculty of Health Theses

This thesis focuses on interagency coordination and collaboration in the management of child sexual abuse in Australia and in England. The impetus for the research arose from the experience of the author as manager and practitioner in the area of child sexual abuse, while working in these two countries. Problems regarding the management of interagency cooperation had become apparent in child protection practice and were also recognized in the literature. Personal experience, as well as a review of the literature, revealed that there was a need for the identification and validation of the key mechanisms and processes underlying effective interagency …

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The Synthesis Of Estuarine Bathymetry From Sparse Sounding Data, Janet Eirlys Burroughes Jan 2001

The Synthesis Of Estuarine Bathymetry From Sparse Sounding Data, Janet Eirlys Burroughes

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The two aims of the project involved: 1. Devising a system for prediction o f areas of bathymetric change within the Fal estuary 2. Formulating and evaluating a method for interpolating single beam acoustic bathymetry to avoid artefacts o f interpolation. In order to address these aims, sources of bathymetric data for the Fal estuary were identified as Truro Harbour Office, Cornwall County Council and the Environment Agency. The data collected from these sources included red wavelength Lidar, aerial photography and single beam acoustic bathymetry from a number of different years. These data were input into a Geographic Information System …

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Studies In Agricultural Technology In Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century England, Paul William Brassley Jan 2001

Studies In Agricultural Technology In Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century England, Paul William Brassley

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Four published papers and several parts of a book are presented herein, together with a previously unpublished short paper explaining the intellectual background against which they were written and summarising their findings on the development of agricultural teQmology in England in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This outlines the contribution of economic and sociological the^pries to the study of technical change, but makes the point that historical studies, although clearly influenced by these theories, tend to use a multifactorial approach which avoids privileging any single explanation. Nevertheless, several themes arising in all of this material are identified, especially the gap …

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The Decision To Undertake Vocational Higher Education In Shipping And Logistics In The Uk, John Dinwoodie Jan 2001

The Decision To Undertake Vocational Higher Education In Shipping And Logistics In The Uk, John Dinwoodie

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This work investigates the decision to study shipping and logistics at advanced levels in the UK. Documented evidence reports and analyses the perceptions of students on vocational courses in shipping, transport and logistics and investigates why they chose their particular fields of study. A range of instruments are presented to analyse how students perceived that they had arrived at their study decisions, including national surveys of undergraduates in maritime business, postgraduates in shipping and logistics and professionals contemplating updating short courses. Qualitative, quantitative and mapping methods are presented along with perceptions of relevant professional outcome roles and other factors. Exploratory …

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Women's Employment In Bangladesh Agriculture: Composition, Determinants And Scope, S Rahman Oct 2000

Women's Employment In Bangladesh Agriculture: Composition, Determinants And Scope, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Gender composition of labour use and factors determining demand and supply of female labour in crop production is examined using survey data from 14 villages in two agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. The share of women in labour use ranges between 11-18% in foodgrain (rice and wheat) and 14-48% in non-cereal (highest for vegetables) production. Incidence of female labour hire is very low and varies directly with land size classes while supply from family varies inversely. Cultivation of diverse crops (local and modern varieties of rice, jute, oilseeds and vegetables), education as well as women's ownership of land increases demand for …

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Pesticide Demand Among Hybrid Vegetable And Cereal Seed Producers In Bangladesh: A Simultaneous Equation Analysis, S Rahman, Mz Hossain Jun 2000

Pesticide Demand Among Hybrid Vegetable And Cereal Seed Producers In Bangladesh: A Simultaneous Equation Analysis, S Rahman, Mz Hossain

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Demand for pesticides, inorganic and organic fertilizers were jointly estimated using survey data from a randomly selected 81 BRAC ‘contract hybrid vegetables and cereal seed growers’ in northwestern Bangladesh applying a simultaneous equation framework. Pesticide cost accounts for 6.9% of the gross value of output in hybrid seeds of vegetables and 3.2% in cereals. About 87% of farmers used pesticides at least once with mean number of application of 4.4 times. Twenty-seven brands of pesticides were used including a substantial number of banned pesticides. Price elasticity of demand for pesticides, fertilizers and biofertilizers were estimated at –0.83, –0.21 and –1.13, …

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