Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia最新文献

After a period of progressive abandonment of cultivation, the wine growers of the Etna initiated a process of renewal that allowed them to place high quality products on the market and to involve in wine tourism with the Etna Wine Route. In this context, the viticulture of the Etna is a model, which has become a strategic component of rural sustainable development and improvement of local tourism. In this study we implemented the Strategic Orientation Round (SOR) integrated in the SWOT analysis, a qualitative approach aimed to create awareness and promote action as prioritized by the stakeholders. We argue that the key requirement of the Etna Wine Route effective management for wine tourism development is the stakeholder involvement in generating ideas and developing products and services. In the case of EWR the major problems among the actors concern the distribution of commitments and the ability to focus on marketing strategies. Marketing alliance between the different elements of tourism could offer greater flexibility in choice, contributing to the development of the image of the area. The study shows that the SOR analysis is an effective tool to interpret the planning of tourism development of the EWR in a participatory way.

A total of 40 fish with average initial body weight 6.48±0.15 g and, were randomly stocked into eight glass aquaria. To illustrate the effect of four different levels (0.00; 0.50; 1.00 and 2.00%) of Alpinia meal as a feed additive on the performance, nutritional and physiological parameters of Nile tilapia fingerlings. Each diet was fed two randomly duplicate aquaria for 12 weeks where each aquarium was stocked with 10 fish. Fish in all treatments were daily fed the experimental diets at a level of 20, 15, 10, 5, 3 and 3% of the (BW) daily for the 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 week and fish fed 2 times daily in equal proportions. Feeding was performed for six consecutive days with no food being given on the seventh day when the fish were weighed.

Results showed that lower final body weight in Nile tilapia fish which fed on control diet compared to the different levels used. Results showed that fish fed on diet (2), containing 0.05% Alpinia meal a good increase in body weight and growth rates compared to other treatments, respectively. The rate of feed conversion, the utilization rate, productivity of the protein and efficient use of energy were the same, the fish fed on a diet (2) was the lowest one, the levels tend to a dropping with increased levels of Alpinia meal and the differences between treatments were significant. Also, data indicated that, there were no significant differences (P< 0.05) between all treatments in dry matter content, crude protein, ether extract, ash and energy content. For physiological parameters showed that no significant differences (P <0.05) in plasma total protein, plasma albumin and plasma total globulins of fish fed the experimental diets in comparison with the control diet.

The role of ethics, even in its absence, is essential in the economic discourse, despite its shifting through different theories. From the political Aristotelian tradition to the recent reflection about the concept of postmodern society – through the theory of maximizing the personal interest belonging to Utilitarianism– the moral questions and its dilemma, either accepted or rejected as non sense, have always indicated the directions to the human acts.

This paper is focused on consumption field seen as the favourite place where emerge all the contradictions of ethical human behaviour (in terms of choice, moral obligations, individual interests etc).

Firstly, the foundations of consumer's ethical responsibility is explored by addressing the changes from Modernity to Postmodernity and their alternative models of consumption.

It is argued that, paradoxically, the traces of “liquid society” with the fall of social structure, represent the beginning for developing a new kind of consumer defined as citizen who is able to embrace a sustainable and moral concept of consumption focused on collective well-being.

Secondly, after having defined the main features of ethical consumer, the paper addresses the role of ethics as the element which makes possible the communication between the two spheres of production and consumption. In this regard, following the dialectic between “rights” and “duties” articulated by Schrader, the responsibility of consumer is showed to be at the foundation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The main land use in the lower Pak Phanang river basin is intensive paddy production. It is also promoted as a commercial rice farming zone by the Royal Project. The objective of this study, hence, was to identify the appropriate sustainability indicators for assessing and monitoring this area under the ASEAN community. This evaluation comprised of the diagnosis of problems, the analysis of stakeholders and the description of Land Utilization Types (LUTs). This lead to the diagnostic criteria weighting, indicators of development and sustainability by the participatory approaches. The data were collected through literature reviews, structure-questionnaire, focus group discussion with local stakeholders and individual interviews using the techniques of Participatory Rapid Appraisal and conceptual content analysis. This resulted in the diagnostic criteria following the framework for evaluating sustainable land management, which are productivity, security, protection, viability, and acceptability. There are a number of indicators with 22 items. The sustainability indicators in this study can be applied and evaluated in intensive paddy production areas which may lead to a strategy plan and greater sustainability in the future.

Sustainable development is an important dimension for business incubators to improve tenant-businesses in the coffee value chain. This study focuses on business incubators addressing social and economic dimensions of sustainability in developing countries. Business incubators are perceived as important mechanisms for sustainable development as they involve relevant stakeholders and activities to interact each other. Prior research highlights the gap of theoretical explanation to understand business incubators linked to sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to provide a conceptual approach based on resource dependence theory to better understand strategies in interdependencies to address power imbalance issues of business incubators in developing countries. Strategies such as integration and coordination should be implemented in the incubator management to increase mutual dependencies and improve relationships to secure resources, thereby, providing quality services for tenants. Relationships with relevant partner organizations such as universities, business centers, and public research organizations represent opportunities for business incubators in boosting sustainable business development.

With the entrance into force of Directive (EU) 2015/412 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2015 amending Directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their territory the legislative framework and the perspective of agricultural land use related to the use of a given plant variety are drammatically changed.-

The new Directive not only opens the way for different solutions within the European Union but also seems to have filed the decades-long debate on coexistence. However on consider the two aspect of coexistence: as principle and set of measures.

Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. landra is scarcely known in our country as weed in crops.

Following morphological and anatomical observations and measurements on a population encountered in a rape seed crop was found that it has not formed particular characters to adapt to the specific environmental conditions of the area (Vlădeşti-Dambovita) and there were no changes due to the application of the herbicides.

Plants were propagated by seeds and they were not affected by the technologicale works applied on that land.

This paper presents the application of the combination of simulation model and multi-criteria decision models for evaluating investment in agricultural processing. The simulated alternatives are evaluated with multi-attribute decision tools expert system. The simulation system consists of deterministic production simulation models that enable different types of costs calculations for organic production and on farm food processing in the framework of supplementary activities. Simulation models were further evaluate by a qualitative multi-attribute decision modelling methodology using the software tool DEX-I and quantitative analytical hierarchical process (AHP). The simulation model was also evaluated by the standard financial analysis (i.e., cost benefit analysis). These results show that there was the difference before and after investment into specific processing equipment of three organic products with respect to positive financial values. The financial analysis reveals that after 10 years the farm had constant annual cash flow with an investment return at 9.43%. This showed that investments into organic farm was feasible financially. The integrated simulation model as the discount cash flow and multi-criteria decision analysis are the suitable methodological tool fordecision support system on organic farms. The system takes into consideration different independent criteria and enables ranking of farm business alternatives. The model is useful in minimizing risk and inappropriate decision in investment.

This study aimed to investigate antioxidative activities of various fractions of Abelmoschus manihot leaf extract. The fractions were separated based on polarity and the antioxidant activities of each of them were determined. The leaves were extracted using hexane, acetone and methanol serially. The extract was separated by column chromatography using ethyl acetate-methanol gradient elution as mobile phase and silica gel G-60 as the stationary phase, and resulted in five fractions. The antioxidative activities was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating, and singlet oxygen quenching. Results showed that the fourth fraction had the highest total phenolics and flavonoids content of 297.43±0.48 mg GAE/g extract and 117.31±0.38 mg quercetin quivalen/g extract, respectively, and showed the highest antioxidative activities.

Europe's annual soy and soy derivates consumption is rather high – around 40 million tons grain equivalent – and the European soybeans field production is very low – up to 0.5% of worldwide production.

In Europe, particularly in the European Union, soybean crop was neglected and forgotten; neglected by the policy makers and forgotten by farmers. Neglected and forgotten from both economic and agronomic perspectives.

Over the years, this situation deepened and deepened, today Europe is facing an enormous trade deficit in terms of soy grains, soya-meal and soya oil.

In the past three years we may observe the beginning of a changing paradigm for soybean cultivation. The soybean acreage is increasing, the farmers are reassessing more and more the soybeans in the field crops rotation and the governments started to introduce additional incentives to stimulate the development of soybean crop. This trend is noticeable particularly in Central and Eastern Europe/Danube Region, the most favorable area for soybeans in Europe.

Under these circumstances, the farmers’ need for information and know-how transfer become a critical factor for success.

One of the powerful tools for farmer information is the demonstration platform. The demo platform is the place where farmers can visit and discuss about various soybeans technological plots and different soybeans varieties and where the breeders can display their newly and old but improved genotypes. Definitively, the demo platform is the bond between breeding, technology and farming.