What is the Working Environment like on Organic Farms?

A good working environment is part of the fundamental values in organic farming. In Denmark the association of organic farmers state, that the aim of organic farming is "to give everyone involved in the organic production a high quality of living". But how do the organic farmers actually experience their own working situation? And what factors play a part in their daily physical as well as psychological working environment? These were the questions we set out to answer in a project at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Science

Present practice, on-going research and future potential for non-chemical pest management in fruit and berry production in Denmark

Workshop prensentation - Present practice, ongoing research and future potential for non-chemical pest management in fruit and berry production in Denmark. Chinese-Danish networking on systemic approaches to pest management without pesticides. Hand-out (Flowerstrips and beneficials in orchards

The sociology of entrenchment: a cystic fibrosis test for everyone?

In this article we introduce the notion of entrenchment to conceptualize the processes in which new technological options, through the interactions between a variety of actors, become viable and established practices in society, both satisfying and modifying needs and interests. The notion of entrenchment we use as a framework for an analysis of developments and debates in the field of cystic fibrosis testing and screening in Denmark. On the one hand, it appears that the development and introduction of cystic fibrosis (CF) screening to some extent is predetermined both by existing networks of human genome researchers, clinical geneticist, patients (organizations),funding organizations, and regulatory agencies, and by existing practices like that of prenatal diagnosis. On the other hand, in Denmark, the content and future of CF screening is shaped in ongoing processes or articulation of demand for screening and of its cultural and political acceptability, processes which also involve political decision-making and which (may) result in new networks and regimes. Yet, what appears to be an inherent and undecided part of the process of entrenchment of CF screening in Denmark, is how to allocate responsibilities and authority to decide what is acceptable and what not

Quality assessment of organic wheat

Bread making quality of wheat is mainly related to protein and gluten content of grain and flour

Functional agrobiodievrsity - a novel approach to optimize pest control in fruit production

Functional agrobiodiversity was implemented in organic apple orchards in Denmark, by perennial flower strips. Two techniques were tested with the purpose of enhancing natural enemies and reducing damage of the rosy apple aphid

The anatomy of soft approaches

This paper is an inquiry into the nature and characteristics of the so-called soft approaches. As point of departure, two classical references on soft approaches are critically discussed. Six well-known soft approaches are selected for further study and characterisation applying a multi-dimensional framework. In addition, the limitations of such a framework are discussed

Nature and Nature Values in Organic agriculture an analysis of contested consepts and values among different actors in organic farming

The relationship between agriculture and nature is a central issue in the current agricultural debate. Organic Farming has ambitions and a special potential in relation to nature. Consideration for nature is part of the guiding principals of organic farming and many organic farmers are committed to protecting natural qualities. However, the issue of nature, landscape, and land use is not straightforward. Nature is an ambiguous concept that involves multiple interests and actors reaching far beyond farmers. The Danish research project Nature Quality in Organic Farming has investigated the relationship between nature and organic farming. This article will focus on an expert workshop held in connection with the project that investigates the way different actors conceptualize nature. Farmers, scientists, and non-governmental organizations came together to discuss their experiences of nature and expectations of organic agriculture. From this interaction, it was clear that nature is a contested notion. Different understandings of nature exist within the three groups and there is disagreement as to whether emphasis should be given to biological qualities, production values, or experiential and aesthetic perspectives. This complexity provides a challenge to organic farming as well as to the implementation of nature considerations in general. It illustrates an underlying battle for the right to define nature and nature quality and essentially decide what organic farmers should work towards. We argue that successful implementation requires organic farmers to carefully consider what expectations they wish to meet. Optimally it is dependent on a dialog between stakeholder interest groups that allows for multivocality and pluralism

Contaminants in manure - a problem for organic farming?

This work addresses possible ways in which animal manure might become contaminated by undesirable elements and how such manure might pose a risk to the health of soil organisms, animals, plants and humans. Research has shown that the pathways of organic compounds such as veterinary medicines and pesticides may be unpredictable and that undesirable elements can be transferred to the food chain. The basic principles of organic farming, in this case specially related to the principles of health, ecology and care, imply that special attentionshould be given to precaution and responsibility. These are key concerns in the management of organic farming. Taking these principles seriously, would mean a more restrictive practice on the use of animal manure from conventional farming. Through identifying which compounds might be present, their environmental properties and their residue levels in manure and environment, the authorities will be able to establish restricted practice based on knowledge

“How are you feeling?” Assessing reporting bias in a subjective measure of health by quantile regression

In this paper we investigate reporting heterogeneity in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) when it is used to measure current health status in cardiovascular patients. We provide a new framework to identify reporting heterogeneity using quantile regressions. EQ-5D responses are used as a proxy to control for objective health. The objectiveness of this generic measure is supported by other measures of actual health. The data comes from a Norwegian, health-related quality of life study. We find substantial evidence of reporting bias in VAS related to gender and education. For some quantiles we observe reporting heterogeneity related to age and weight.Reporting bias; quantile regression; health measurement

Observation of Hybrid Soliton Vortex-Ring Structures in Bose-Einstein Condensates

We present the experimental discovery of compound structures comprising solitons and vortex rings in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We examine both their creation via soliton-vortex collisions and their subsequent development, which is largely governed by the dynamics of interacting vortex rings. A theoretical model in three-dimensional (3D) cylindrical symmetry is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; submitted to PR