237,534 research outputs found
Contending European agendas for agricultural innovation
Amid expectations for a European ‘transition to sustainable agriculture’, there are competing transitional processes. Given the widely acknowledged harm from agro-industrial systems, ‘unsustainable agriculture’ has divergent diagnoses and innovative solutions. This rivalry can be analysed as contending innovation agendas; the analysis here combines theoretical paradigms of agricultural innovation.
In an EU policy context of a Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE), there are divergent accounts of its key terms: biological resources, economy, relevant knowledge and knowledge-producers. Likewise, divergent accounts are found of innovation, intensification, resource efficiency, resilience, bio-energy, horizontal integration, etc. These divergent agendas are promoted by distinct stakeholder networks. The dominant agenda favours laboratory-based techno-scientific innovation as a source of ‘efficient’ inputs, which can use renewable resources more efficiently for competitive advantage in global value chains. By contrast, other agendas promote farmers’ knowledge of natural resources, especially via agro-ecological methods which can reduce energy inputs, increase productivity and add value through quality.
With those contending agendas, rival stakeholder networks seek to influence R&D priorities. From the standpoint of multifunctional agriculture, such contending agendas can play complementary roles in different rural spaces. Some agro-food practices may combine aspects of different paradigms. As a concept, Agricultural Knowledge Systems may provide a common space for interchanges between divergent agendas and their research priorities. However, these innovation agendas promote conflicting visions of the future
Public realm toolkit
This handbook provides information, guidance and an interactive toolkit to enable successful funding applications and the delivery of public realm projects
Public infrastructures, public consumption and welfare in a new open economy macro model
This paper focuses on the trade-off faced by governments in deciding the allocation of public expenditures between productivity-enhancing public infrastructures and utility-enhancing public consumption in a two-country model. The results show that a permanent increase in the domestic stock of public capital financed by a reduction in public consumption raises domestic welfare if the productivity of public capital is high and the weight of public consumption in private utility is low compared with private consumption. The effect on foreign welfare is negative in the short run, but positive in the long run. This implies that, if foreign authorities care not only about the present discounted value of welfare but also about welfare dynamics, a permanent domestic reallocation of public spending might result in a virtuous global technological cycle.public spending composition; welfare; imperfect competition; nominal rigidities
Adoption of soil organic carbon-enhancing practices: A case of two watershed sites in Ethiopia.
This study aimed at identifying the factors that determine
the decision to adopt and the intensity of adoption of
soil organic carbon (SOC)-enhancing practices using two
watershed sites in Ethiopia: Yiser (Amhara region) and
Azugashube (Southern region). The study used survey
data collected from 379 sample households drawn from
four Kebele/village administrations at each watershed
site. Multivariate and ordinary least squares regressions
were used to identify the factors that determine the
decision to adopt the SOC-enhancing practices and the
factors that determine the extent of adoption of these
practices, respectively. The study classified these various
practices into three classes: soil and water conservation,
agronomic, and agroforestry SOC-enhancing practices.
We find that the decision to adopt soil and water
conservation practices is negatively related to both the
decision to adopt agronomic and to adopt agroforestry
SOC-enhancing practices. On the contrary, we find
that the decision to adopt agronomic and agroforestry
practices is complementary. The study also identified
diverse agroecological, farming system, institutional, and
household characteristics that determine the decision to
adopt and the intensity of adoption of the three SOCenhancing
practices. Among the different variables, the
study found location as a strong determinant of the type
and intensity of adoption of the SOC practices
A Phone Learning Model for Enhancing Productivity of Visually Impaired Civil Servants
Phone-based learning in civil service is the use of voice technologies to deliver learning and capacity building training services to
government employees. The Internet revolution and advancement in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have given rise
to online and remote staff training for the purpose of enhancing workers productivity. The need for civil servants in Nigeria to develop
capacity that will enhance knowledge is a key requirement to having competitive advantage in the work place. Existing online learning
platforms (such as web-based learning, mobile learning, etc) did not consider the plight of the visually impaired. These platforms provide
graphical interfaces that require sight to access. The visually impaired civil servants require auditory access to functionalities that exist in
learning management system on the Internet. Thus a gap exist between the able-bodied and visually impaired civil servants on
accessibility to e-learning platform. The objective of this paper is to provide a personalized telephone learning model and a prototype
application that will enhance the productivity of the visually impaired workers in Government establishments in Nigeria. The model was
designed using Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram. The prototype application was implemented and evaluated. With the
proposed model and application, the visually and mobility impaired worker are able to participate in routine staff training and
consequently enhances their productivity just like their able-bodied counterparts. The prototype application also serves as an alternative
training platform for the able-bodied workers. Future research direction for this study will include biometric authentication of learners
accessing the applicatio
A Phone Learning Model for Enhancing Productivity of Visually Impaired Civil Servants
Phone-based learning in civil service is the use of voice technologies to deliver learning and capacity building training services to
government employees. The Internet revolution and advancement in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have given rise
to online and remote staff training for the purpose of enhancing workers productivity. The need for civil servants in Nigeria to develop
capacity that will enhance knowledge is a key requirement to having competitive advantage in the work place. Existing online learning
platforms (such as web-based learning, mobile learning, etc) did not consider the plight of the visually impaired. These platforms provide
graphical interfaces that require sight to access. The visually impaired civil servants require auditory access to functionalities that exist in
learning management system on the Internet. Thus a gap exist between the able-bodied and visually impaired civil servants on
accessibility to e-learning platform. The objective of this paper is to provide a personalized telephone learning model and a prototype
application that will enhance the productivity of the visually impaired workers in Government establishments in Nigeria. The model was
designed using Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram. The prototype application was implemented and evaluated. With the
proposed model and application, the visually and mobility impaired worker are able to participate in routine staff training and
consequently enhances their productivity just like their able-bodied counterparts. The prototype application also serves as an alternative
training platform for the able-bodied workers. Future research direction for this study will include biometric authentication of learners
accessing the applicatio
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