Agricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in China

Open Access funded by China Agricultural UniversityOver the last three decades, China’s agriculture sector has been transformed from the traditional to modern practice through the effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Information processing and dissemination have played a critical role in this transformation process. Many studies in relation to agriculture information services have been conducted in China, but few of them have attempted to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of different information dissemination models and their applications. This paper aims to review and identify the ICT based information dissemination models in China and to share the knowledge and experience in applying emerging ICTs in disseminating agriculture information to farmers and farm communities to improve productivity and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The paper reviews and analyzes the development stages of China’s agricultural information dissemination systems and different mechanisms for agricultural information service development and operations. Seven ICT-based information dissemination models are identified and discussed. Success cases are presented. The findings provide a useful direction for researchers and practitioners in developing future ICT based information dissemination systems. It is hoped that this paper will also help other developing countries to learn from China’s experience and best practice in their endeavor of applying emerging ICTs in agriculture information dissemination and knowledge transfer

Strategic management of intellectual capital of the enterprise in the framework of informatization of the economy

In the course of the research, one has determined the scientific and theoretical approaches, related to the identification of the directions and tools needed to improve strategic management; one also provided the main directions of the intellectual capital formation and development within the enterprise, which include the state of the capital at the present stage and the requirements to it from the future knowledge economy: the introduction of human capital into the assets of the enterprise, the promotion of the creative activity of the employees of the enterprise by using factors of human and social capital activation, as well as the establishment of an accounting system and evaluation of intangible assets. We have highlighted a range of specific principles of the intellectual capital management at the enterprise: the establishment of a partnership between all participants of the production process within the enterprise, namely, its owners, managers, and employees; the determination of criteria for assessing the contribution of every employee into the final result of the enterprise activity; the arrangement of an integrated network of the workers’ mass participation to identify the potential reserves, improve the production efficiency, and the product quality; the development of measures upon the principles’ implementation; and the primary task orientation of management on the future competition. One formulated the scientific and methodological foundations regarding the development of measures, aimed to improve the management of the intellectual capital of an enterprise, which include a sequence, the procedure of determination, the justification, the evaluation of the appropriateness of particular measures, the involvement of a wide range of workers in their development via the methods of interrogation and questionin

LEVERAGING E-GOVERNMENT FOR CITY TRANSFORMATION: A CASE STUDY OF DIGITAL WUYI

Seeing the scarcity of successful e-government programs in developing countries while a high failure rate reported on the opposite, this study investigates the success of \u27Digital Wuyi\u27 program in China. This study exhibits its ten-year roadmap in which the e-government has been continuously upgraded at a municipal level, spanning from e-government infrastructure and platform development, community informatization with rural priority, e-commerce development for pillar industry, to Internet of Things development. Further, this study identifies the key success factors and reflects the corresponding practices that lead Wuyishan City to achieve the success in e-government development. We find that sustainable and dynamic strategic planning, mayor\u27s leadership with entrepreneurships spirits and action learning, public-private partnership and modular promotion contribute much to the success of this municipal e-government project in China. Implications of this study can be derived for the municipal government development in China and other developing countries

India and China: A Comparative Analysis of Mobile Phones in Agriculture

In 2010, China and India were named the first and second largest mobile phone markets in the world based on their number of subscribers. India and China have focused on extending their telecommunication services into rural areas for socio-economic benefits. Both countries liberalized and privatized the industry under different political regimes utilizing different strategies. The aim of this thesis is to examine the collaborative efforts of public and private agencies in India and the role they do in disseminating information to farmers through mobile phones when compared to the government agencies in China that have been created to share that information in order to determine which program is more effective. To answer this question, the thesis compares Indian and Chinese policies and programs enacted to encourage sales and use of mobile phones in the agricultural sector to increase efficiency and encourage growth. As free market principles and private for-profit corporations are generally more efficient than government agencies, this thesis hypothesizes that the policies and development initiatives taken by the Indian government are more successful in disseminating information than the government agency approach followed by China. In response to the above research question, the thesis reveals that while the mobile phone agricultural information service programs have been successful in their respective countries, the programs in India are more reliable and faster in disseminating information to farmers. This is determined because the number of subscribers in India's mobile phone agricultural information service programs grew 37.47% in 4 years, from 2008-2012, versus subscribers to China's agricultural information service programs that grew 21.1% from 2007-2010

A Preliminary Study of the Aggregation of Micro-Course Learning Resources for Senior Citizens in Grassroots Communities: From the Perspective of Learning Sciences

In order to effectively cope with the national strategy of population ageing, the relevant plans of the State Council in the 14th Five-Year Plan require the innovative development of education for the elderly, the integration of learning resources, and the narrowing of the “digital divide” between urban and rural areas. The capacity of grass-roots community resource construction is insufficient. Therefore, we should consider how to achieve high-quality convergence of learning resources for the elderly, so as to effectively revitalize the application ecology of learning resources in grass-roots communities, from the perspective of maximizing utilization, avoiding duplicate construction, and integrating optimization and intensive cost. This paper will analyze the current state of micro-course learning materials for the elderly in grassroots communities, as well as the issues that they face. Based on learning scientific theories, this paper believes that the aggregation of micro-course learning resources for the elderly in grassroots communities should be scientifically and effectively realized. Furthermore, when gathering, we should focus on the elderly in the community and accurately locate their characteristics; propose simplified practical standards for high-quality micro-courses to serve as a guide for the gathering of micro-courses in grass-roots communities; use introduction, transformation, self-build and exchange methods to achieve multi-source aggregation of micro-courses for the elderly. Moreover, we should investigate the practical path of the entire process of aggregation and implementation of micro-course resources for the elderly in grass-roots communities, systematize the management of micro-course resources, build a multi-dimensional resource service system, and form a digital learning community for the elderly from the standpoint of learning scientific theory. Empirical procedures that are repeatable and scalable

Environmental Information Disclosure in China : in the Era of Informatization and Big Data

The past decade has seen remarkable progress made in the field of environmental information disclosure in China. While the overall institutional changes and the motivation/willingness of the government to open up information are important conditions, China’s encounter with revolutionary Information and Communication Technological (ICT) advancement and rapidly emerging big data quickly changed China from an “information poor environment” to an “information complex environment.” While most previous studies centered on those drives/constraints that were recognized in established informational governance framework, recent advancement in ICTs and emerging big data posed new challenges, opportunities and research questions. When increasing information disclosure became a new game changer in environmental governance, China has had to cope with risks and pitfalls in a new technology-empowered information environment as well. This article updated previous studies on legislation/regulations/policies regarding environmental information disclosure in China and their implementation effectiveness, and paid special attention to China’s recent informatization progress and emerging big data. Information disclosure was treated as a process that includes data/information generation/collection, disclosure, functional pathways of communication, and direct/indirect impacts. Changes in environmental information disclosure should be understood in a broader context of overall changing environmental governance and informatization in China. It is important to understand ICTs and information disclosure as a double-edged sword. Normative, substantive, and instrumental benefits of disclosure as well as collection and reporting costs, the issue of targeted transparency, and the risk of unintended use should be strategically considered. Principles and guidelines need to be developed to avoid pitfalls while maximizing benefits.<br/

Policy Recommendations for Promoting the Development of Cross-Border E-Commerce between China and Central Asian Countries

As the core area of the entire Belt and Road, Central Asian countries’ prosperity has a direct bearing on the smooth implementation of the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The trade and economic relations between China and Central Asia are developing entirely within the worldwide economic globalization trends. In this research, we analysis the several problems that exist in the development of cross-border e-commerce between China and the Central Asian five countries at the first. And then we put forward four countermeasures for the Chinese government and enterprises investing abroad to promote the cross-border e-commerce transactions between China and the countries along the Belt and Road

Development and Usability Evaluation of a Nursing Graduate Information Management System (GSMIS) Based on User Experience

[Research Background] Recent years, the rapid development of information technology in colleges and universities and the continuous expansion of graduate students have not only increased the pressure of graduate student management in the School of Nursing of Fudan University, but also accelerated the pace of information technology construction in the college, and the School of Nursing urgently needs to use the existing good platform to realize the information technology of nursing graduate student management in combination with the actual situation of the college, so as to realize the communication between graduate student supervisors, graduate students and management, and also to build an objective and scientific clinical competence assessment system in line with It is also important to provide material for the construction of an objective and scientific clinical competence assessment and evaluation system that is in line with the postgraduate nursing education, which is important to achieve the cultivation goals and improve the quality of nursing graduate training. [Research Purpose] Based on the theory of user experience and the concept of "User-Centered Design", this project develops the information management system for graduate students in the School of Nursing by studying the actual needs of teachers and graduate students in the School of Nursing, which can be divided into the following contents: (1) Construction of the framework content of a Nursing GSMIS (2) Development and testing of a Nursing GSMIS (3) Usability evaluation of the a Nursing GSMIS [Research Methods] 1. Demand analysis of the Nursing GSMIS (1) Preliminary framework: Using target sampling method and maximum variation method, semi- structured interviews were conducted with both faculty and student users of the School of Nursing to build the preliminary framework of the system. (2) Final framework: Expert focus group interviews were used to revise and adjust the required content such as interface design, business functions and performance, and to determine the final framework of the system. 2. Development and testing of Nursing GSMIS The “Rapid Prototype Interaction” model was used to develop the system. After the prototype was developed, the Shanghai Institute of Comprehensive Application of Network Technology was contacted for professional system testing, and then the system was modified and adjusted until it met the research requirements. 3. Usability evaluation of Nursing GSMIS A mixed evaluation method of usability test, questionnaire and qualitative interview was used to conduct a more comprehensive and objective usability evaluation of the GSMIS successfully developed in the early stage. It was used to understand the users' feelings and experiences of the system, analyze the advantages and shortcomings of the system, and explore its actual usability.[Research Results] 1. Demand analysis of Nursing GSMIS (1) Preliminary framework of the system: The faculty and student users interviewed expressed that information management is an important step in the progress of the college and the nursing discipline, and expressed strong support and need for the construction of our information system. Based on the literature review and the needs of faculty and students, the framework was initially formulated as four modules: basic information of admission, cultivation process, research results, and clinical cases. (2)The final framework of Nursing GSMIS: It is built from modules and functions, performance, interface, text, color, etc.; Modules include: basic information module for admission, training process module, scientific research achievement module, clinical case library module, employment information module, graduation tracking module; functions include password setting and retrieval, user log-in, user management, data maintenance, custom query, audit and message notification; Performance can be summarized as follows: data structure is clear, complete, with real-time, expansion, operation and stability; Interface Design is friendly and beautiful, simple and easy to use; Layout should highlight the key points; text design is easy to recognize and read, color design reflects the connotation and characteristics of the college. The performance can be summarized as: clear data structure, complete, real-time, scalability, operability and stability; friendly and beautiful interface design, simple and easy to use, layout to highlight the key points; text design is easy to identify, easy to read, color design reflects the connotation and characteristics of the college. 2. Development and testing of Nursing GSMIS Based on the requirements, the engineers used the “Rapid Prototype Interaction Model” to develop the system. After the prototype was developed, the Shanghai Institute of Comprehensive Application of Network Technology was contacted for professional system testing, and then after many rounds of software discussions and corrections between the software engineers and researchers, the GSMIS finally had the registration and log-in page, the informed consent notification page, the information notification page and six main modules. 3. Usability evaluation of Nursing GSMIS (1) Usability Test: Based on the usability test theory, the target sampling method was used, and five graduate students users were selected to participate in the test is sufficient, and the results are as follows. 1) Quantitative results: The effectiveness was mostly at 100%, and the efficiency was 56.2min/s, 72.2min/s, 53min/s, 225.2min/s, 75.8min/s, 33min/s, and 5.5min/s; The overall score of the post-scene questionnaire (ASQ) was 1.24. The evaluation indexes all indicated that the users rated the system highly. 2) Qualitative results: The test subjects all easily completed and highly praised the system during the test, indicating that the operation was not difficult and satisfied the interaction needs of users. (2) SUS Questionnaire: A total of 40 users completed the SUS using the convenience sampling method and the maximum variance method, and the Mean±SD was 70.23±7.7. Among them, the mean score of the Usability sub-scale was 71.59±8.93 , and the mean score of the ease of Learning sub-scale was 64.77±7.53, with scores ranging from 60 to 70. (3) Qualitative interviews: Using target sampling method and maximum variation method, a total of 10 people were interviewed, including 5 students and 5 staff users, and the number of interviews was 3, with no repeated interviews or secondary interviews. The maximum interview time was 46 minutes, the minimum was 25 minutes, and the average was 35.5 minutes. The results can be summarized into three aspects: general evaluation, content and function evaluation, and shortcomings and improvement. This study combines qualitative and quantitative results, reflecting the good usability of the system, but there are also shortcomings and improvements. [Conclusion] This study used various research methods such as literature review, qualitative interview, and focus group interview to construct a system framework based on user experience, completed the development of the graduate student information management system in the School of Nursing, and used mixed methods such as out-of-sound thinking method, usability testing method, questionnaire survey method, and qualitative interview to evaluate the usability of the system, and the results showed that the system has high acceptance, ease of use, and usability

Geo-management in organic agriculture

Information about authors of the monograph Editors: Skrypchuk P., Doctor of Economics, professor, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, head of NGO «Green Initiatives Rivne», Ukraine, chapter 1.3., 2.1., 2.2., 5.1.; Jozef Zaťko, Dr.h.c. mult. JUDr., Honor. Prof. mult., Prezident ICOCRIM SlovakBureau,Riaditeľ Východoeurópskej agentúry pre rozvoj n.o., Prezident Európsky inštitút ďalšieho vzdelávania, Slovakia, chapter 1.2.; 1. Baldzhy M., Doctor of Economics, professor, Odesa National Economic University, Odesa, Ukraine, chapter 2.2; 2. Breus D., Ph.D. in Agriculture, assistant, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 2.3.; 3. Dudiak N., Ph.D. in Economics, associate professor, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 2.3.; 4. Grabovska T., PhD in Agriculture, associate professor, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, chapter 3.1.; 5. Khomiuk N., PhD in Economics, Doctoral Student of the Department of International Economic Relations and Project Management,Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University, Lutsk, Ukraine, chapter 5.2.; 6. Lavrov V., Doctor of Agriculture, professor, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, chapter 3.1.; 7. Novytska I., post-graduate student, Poltava National Technical University named after Yurii Kondratiuk, Poltava, Ukraine, chapter 3.3.; 8. Panasiuk Damian, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Warsaw,Poland, chapter 5.1.; 9. Pichura V., Doctor of Agriculture, associate professor, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 2.3.; 10. Potravka L., Doctor of Economics, associate professor, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 2.3.; 11. Rybak V., PhD in Agriculture, associate professor, Khmelnystkyi national university, Khmelnystkyi, Ukraine, chapter 2.1.; 12. Shcherbakova A., PhD in Economics, associate professor, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, co-founder of NGO "Green Initiatives Rivne», Ukraine, chapter 1.1.; 13. Shevchuk N., PhD in Agriculture, associate professor, Khmelnystkyi national university, Khmelnystkyi, Ukraine, chapter 6.3.; 14. Shpak G., Ph.D. in Economics, senior lecturer, Technical College of National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, chapter 6.1, 6.2.; 15. Skok S., Ph.D. in Agriculture, associate professor, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 5.3.; 16. Skrypchuk V., student, Matea Bela University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, chapter 1.2.; 17. Stroganov O., graduate student, Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine, chapter 2.3.; 18. Suduk O., PhD in Agriculture, associate professor, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, co-founder of NGO "Green Initiatives Rivne», Ukraine, chapter 4; 19. Ternowyi U. PhD in Agriculture, Skvyra Research Station of Organic Production of Institute of Agroecology and Nature Resources Use of National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Skvyra, Ukraine, chapter 3.1.; 20. TiutiunnykH., Ph.D. in Economics, Junior Research Fellow, Institute of Market Problems and Economic&EcologicalResearch of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Odesa, Ukraine, chapter 3.2.; 21. Trembitska O., PhD in Agriculture, associate professor, Zhytomyr National Agroecological University, Zhytomyr, Ukraine, chapter 6.3. 22. Trokhliuk T., Ph.D. in Economics, senior lecturer, Berezno Forestry College of National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, chapter 6.1.; 23. Zhukovskyi V., PhD in Technical sciences, senior lecturer, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, Ukraine, chapter 2.4

University Teachers and Students’ Digital Competence: A Case Study of Gansu Agricultural University in China

[ES] Vivir hoy en día en una sociedad del conocimiento permite ser capaces de conocer los cambios en la estructura de la sociedad, las vinculaciones entre países y la adquisición de conocimientos, así como el desarrollo y la penetración cada vez mayor de la tecnología en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. El brote del nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19) ha impulsado aún más la revolución en educación. El modelo educativo ha cambiado y con él llegan diversos retos. Se exige a los profesores y a los estudiantes que estén dotados de la competencia digital adecuada y de capacidad para utilizar con eficiencia diversas herramientas de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC), especialmente en educación superior. Además, la brecha de la competencia digital se amplía, no sólo entre los países desarrollados y los países en vías de desarrollo, sino también dentro de un mismo país, debido al desequilibrio del crecimiento económico, como la enorme brecha entre el este y el oeste de China. Es muy necesario mejorar la competencia digital para afrontar mejor los desafíos, reducir la brecha digital y adaptarse a esta sociedad del conocimiento, así como al nuevo entorno de aprendizaje. Los principales objetivos de esta tesis son: en primer lugar, presentar la definición de competencia digital en educación superior, indicar las dimensiones que se utilizan habitualmente para evaluar la competencia digital de los profesores y estudiantes universitarios, determinar el estado de la investigación en este campo e identificar las áreas de investigación futura mediante una revisión sistemática de la literatura y un estudio de mapeo. En segundo lugar, realizar un estudio empírico sobre los profesores y estudiantes universitarios de la Universidad Agrícola de Gansu, situada en el oeste de China. Para los profesores universitarios en activo, la atención se centró en la exploración de su competencia digital, el uso de las TIC por parte de los profesores y sus actitudes hacia el uso de las TIC en la educación. Con respecto a los estudiantes universitarios, especialmente los de primer y último curso, se hizo énfasis en la competencia digital de los estudiantes y sus actitudes hacia las TIC; y también se incluyó su disponibilidad de recursos tecnológicos, su potencial de competencia digital y la formación previa relacionada con las TIC y la competencia digital. Además, los factores que influyen en la competencia digital para determinar sus necesidades de desarrollo han sido examinados