Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Agriculture Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Agriculture

Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank Dec 2014

Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plantbased diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more …


Management Regimes And Its Impact On The Wetland Fisheries Management In Assam, Ganesh Chandra Aug 2014

Management Regimes And Its Impact On The Wetland Fisheries Management In Assam, Ganesh Chandra

Ganesh Chandra

Assam is endowed with copious aquatic wealth in the form of beels, swamps, ponds and rivers. The floodplain wetlands (beels) extending over one lakh hectare, constitute the most important fishery resource of the state. The beels are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems owing to their characteristic interactions between land and water system. These wetlands are the common property resource and under different management regimes. These wetlands are under various management regimes, i.e., private management (individuals and groups), fishermen cooperative management, Community-based fisheries management (decentralized management, Government works as facilitator) and open access. Most of the unregistered beels …


Connecting Through Consilience: Ecology, Society, Culture And Technology, Ruth Mirams, Alexander Hayes Jul 2014

Connecting Through Consilience: Ecology, Society, Culture And Technology, Ruth Mirams, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

Amongst linguistic, cultural and geographic diversity, humanity is characterised by inquisitiveness, communication and a deep desire to connect with each other. Despite our advanced intelligence and technological capacity, we are creatures of nature - a species which occupies a habitat, depends on consumable resources and fragile in many ways. As a species, we currently face challenges including overpopulation, diminishing resources and habitat degradation. In essence, we are exhausting the resources we depend on. [1] Resource depletion, disruption, famine, growth and sustainability are all observable in other species and natural systems. Human societies and systems can be described through the same …


University Of Wyoming Wool Laboratory, 1907-2012, David Kruger Jun 2014

University Of Wyoming Wool Laboratory, 1907-2012, David Kruger

David Delbert Kruger

The University of Wyoming Wool Laboratory operated on campus from 1907-2012, in which time the sheep and wool industry experienced great change. For over a century, the faculty of the Wool Lab carefully cataloged research associated with sheep and wool, accumulating a collection of over 1,000 individual titles, 10,000 bound journal articles, correspondence, equipment manuals, and data notebooks, and a set of 872 preserved wool samples dating from 1837. This collection, now housed at the Emmett D. Chisum Special Collections Library at the University of Wyoming, is thought to be one of the most unique and complete collections of sheep …


Extension Programming In Support Of Public Policy For The Management Of Aquaculture In Common Water Bodies, Michael A. Rice Jun 2014

Extension Programming In Support Of Public Policy For The Management Of Aquaculture In Common Water Bodies, Michael A. Rice

Michael A Rice

Many countries of Asia, including Indonesia, have experienced the problem of hypoxic fish kills among fish in netpens and fish corrals in various publicly-held water bodies. Fish farming in enclosures in public water bodies attractive because of low overhead costs in comparison to farming the identical species in constructed ponds. But aerobic bacterial degradation of feed and fish feces in common waters can lead to oxygen depletion, thus causing fish kills. Mass-balance and ecological carrying capacity models and education through and extension programming can be used to inform policy makers as to the maximum biomass of farmed fish allowable before …


Quantifying The Changes In Landscape Configuration Using Open Source Gis. Case Study: Bistrita Subcarpathian Valley, Dan A. Chelaru, Ana M. Oiste, Florin C. Mihai Jun 2014

Quantifying The Changes In Landscape Configuration Using Open Source Gis. Case Study: Bistrita Subcarpathian Valley, Dan A. Chelaru, Ana M. Oiste, Florin C. Mihai

Florin C MIHAI

Gradually, the study of the landscape became a core topic of enviromental studies, due to its interdisciplinary research methods, integrating both natural and socio-economic data. The goal of the study is to quantify the structural evolution of Bistrita subcarpathian valley landscape, by using several GIS applications, having an important role in highlighting its functionality. The applications were realized for the extended area limit of Bistrita subcarpathian valley, which presents a complex landscape morphology, with features ranging from forested mountains to densely populated lowlands. The analysis was based on the two land cover maps resulted from the extraction of the spatial …


Retail Margins Study, David W. Stonesifer, George K. Criner May 2014

Retail Margins Study, David W. Stonesifer, George K. Criner

George K. Criner

Stonesifer, David W. with George K. Criner. "Retail Margins Study," May 22, 2014. Report submitted to the Maine Milk Commission, and posted on the Maine Milk Commission web site in October of 2014.


The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran May 2014

The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

Large-scale farm animal production facilities, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), release a significant amount of contaminants into the air and water. Adverse health effects related to exposure to these contaminants among CAFO workers have been welldocumented; however, less is known about their impact on the health of residents in nearby communities. Epidemiological research in this area suggests that neighboring residents are at increased risk of developing neurobehavioral symptoms and respiratory illnesses, including asthma. Additional research is needed to better understand community-scale exposures and health outcomes related to the management practices and emissions of CAFOs.


The Human/Animal Interface: Emergence And Resurgence Of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Michael Greger May 2014

The Human/Animal Interface: Emergence And Resurgence Of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Michael Greger

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

Emerging infectious diseases, most of which are considered zoonotic in origin, continue to exact a significant toll on society. The origins of major human infectious diseases are reviewed and the factors underlying disease emergence explored. Anthropogenic changes, largely in land use and agriculture, are implicated in the apparent increased frequency of emergence and reemergence of zoonoses in recent decades. Special emphasis is placed on the pathogen with likely the greatest zoonotic potential, influenzavirus A.


Youth Participation In Changing Food Systems: Toward Food Justice Youth Development, Krista Harper, Catherine Sands, Diego Angarita, Molly Totman Mar 2014

Youth Participation In Changing Food Systems: Toward Food Justice Youth Development, Krista Harper, Catherine Sands, Diego Angarita, Molly Totman

Krista M. Harper

We present results from a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project in which young people from Holyoke studied the school food system in order to make positive interventions in their school district. We used the Photovoice research method, placing cameras in the hands of youth so that they themselves could document and discuss their concerns and perspectives (Wang, et al., 1996). The research was designed to gain insight about the students’ knowledge of food, nutrition, and community food systems. The research also illuminated students’ impressions of public policy, active citizenship, and community building that have arisen out of food justice …


Youth Participation In Changing Food Systems: Toward Food Justice Youth Development, Krista Harper, Catherine Sands, Diego Angarita, Molly Totman Mar 2014

Youth Participation In Changing Food Systems: Toward Food Justice Youth Development, Krista Harper, Catherine Sands, Diego Angarita, Molly Totman

Catherine Sands

We present results from a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project in which young people from Holyoke studied the school food system in order to make positive interventions in their school district. We used the Photovoice research method, placing cameras in the hands of youth so that they themselves could document and discuss their concerns and perspectives (Wang, et al., 1996). The research was designed to gain insight about the students’ knowledge of food, nutrition, and community food systems. The research also illuminated students’ impressions of public policy, active citizenship, and community building that have arisen out of food justice …


Market Forces And Technological Substitutes Cause Fluctuations In The Value Of Bat Pest-Control Services For Cotton, Laura López-Hoffman, Ruscena Wiederholt, Chris Sansone, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Paul Cryan, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Joshua Goldstein, Kelsie Lasharr, John Loomis, Gary Mccracken, Rodrigo A. Medellín, Amy L. Russell, Darius Semens Feb 2014

Market Forces And Technological Substitutes Cause Fluctuations In The Value Of Bat Pest-Control Services For Cotton, Laura López-Hoffman, Ruscena Wiederholt, Chris Sansone, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Paul Cryan, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Joshua Goldstein, Kelsie Lasharr, John Loomis, Gary Mccracken, Rodrigo A. Medellín, Amy L. Russell, Darius Semens

Amy L. Russell

Critics of the market-based, ecosystem services approach to biodiversity conservation worry that volatile market conditions and technological substitutes will diminish the value of ecosystem services and obviate the "economic benefits" arguments for conservation. To explore the effects of market forces and substitutes on service values, we assessed how the value of the pest-control services provided by Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) to cotton production in the southwestern U.S. has changed over time. We calculated service values each year from 1990 through 2008 by estimating the value of avoided crop damage and the reduced social and private costs of insecticide …