Shocks and coffee : lessons from Nicaragua

Using household level panel data from Nicaragua, this paper explores the impact of the recent coffee crisis on rural households engaged in coffee production, and coffee labor work. Taking advantage of the panel structure of the data, a number of findings emerge: a) while overall growth between 1998, and 2001 was widespread in rural Nicaragua, coffee households saw large declines in various socioeconomic outcomes; b) among coffee households, it is small farm households that were affected the most, and not poor labor households as previously expected; c) even though coffee households used various risk management strategies to address the shock, it was pre shock, ex-ante strategies (like income diversification) that were the most effective in allowing coffee households insulate against the shock. By contrast, the coffee households that used ex-post coping instruments, did not manage to mitigate the adverse impact as well, with additional potential long run implications via extensive uses of harmful coping strategies (like increases in child labor); and, d) the coffee shock affected upward mobility, and downward poverty vulnerability of coffee households. Such findings seem to confirm the widespread impact of shocks on overall household behavior, and indicate the importance of incorporating risk management in the policy agenda of poverty reduction.Housing&Human Habitats,Regional Rural Development,Crops&Crop Management Systems,VN-Acb Mis -- IFC-00535908,Environmental Economics&Policies

Droplet size classification of air induction flat fan nozzles

Measurements were made of the droplet size for a series of air induction flat fan nozzles produced by Marian Mikołajczak Agro Technology (MMAT) and Coorstek. The MMAT nozzles, according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard sizes, are typical single jet (long body, 37 mm) with 025, 03, and 04 orifice sizes; (short body, 21 mm) with 02, 025, 03 and 04 orifice sizes; and twin jet (short body, 21 mm) with 03 and 04 orifice sizes. Ceramic air induction flat fan nozzles of the Albuz AVI series (Coorstek, France) with the orifice size 01, 02 and 03 were tested. The sprays were described using the following droplet size parameters: D, D , D, relative span (RS), spray volume (%) in size fractions < 100 μm and 100÷200 μm. The sprays were also classified according to American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) standard S572.1 (ASAE 2009)

The Eucharist in a time of change : an investigation into the Eucharist as practiced at The Church of the Ascension between 1975-2002.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.“The Eucharist i n a time o f change : an investigation into the Eucharist as practiced at ‘The Church of the Ascension ’ between 1975 and 2002 . ” by Andrew David Kruger The thesis set out to discover how the Eucharist developed at ‘The Church of the Ascension ’ between 1975 and 2002. This microcosm offers a partcularly interesting case study. This period was a t ime of great change – the Anglican Eucharistic liturgy underwent significant revision, South Africa moved from Apartheid to Democracy and the three rectors brought charismatic, evangelical and Anglo-Catholic worldviews to bear on the Church of the Ascension, during their respective terms of office. In order to document the development of the Eucharist , three primary sources were collected and analysed, First , data from the Service Register was captured and processed. Second, a synopsis of the Parish Council Minutes was created. Third, interviews with the three rectors – the first being charismat ic, the second evangelical and the third Anglo-Catholic – were conducted along with four lay parishioners . The three primary sources were analysed and several developments were observed. These developments included the following: chi ldren were admi t ted to Communion after Baptism, where before they were required to be Confirmed; the ordination of women became accepted and women presided at the Eucharist , where before they had not ; the lai ty became more involved in the leading the services; The at t i tude toward administering the sacrament became more liberal , as even those of other Faiths were welcomed. Surprisingly none of the laity interviewed showed any awareness that the Eucharist developed. The laity showed little ability to link the Eucharist to the context they inhabited. It is imperat ive for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to help the laity appropriate the deep truths of the Eucharist

Pesticide application technology in the 21st century

Since 1996, glyphosate has been the predominant herbicide used postemergence for weed control in corn, soybean and cotton in the United States. Because of that, glyphosate-resistant weeds have become increasingly more prevalent in glyphosate-resistant crops which have forced many growers to use other herbicides. Herbicide programs that relied primarily on glyphosate for weed control often used rates as low as 5 gallon/acre (GPA). The other herbicides being used in row crops often require a higher carrier volume according to the label when compared to glyphosate which can be burdensome to the applicator, requiring the transport of more water, more refills and more potential of mixing errors. Additionally, there is growing concern about off-target movement of pesticides and what can be done to mitigate pesticide drift. Both drift and efficacy can be affected by spray quality and application decisions such as nozzle selection, operating pressure and components of the spray solution

Comparison of water-sensitive paper, Kromekote and Mylar collectors for droplet deposition with a visible fluorescent dye solution

The study was conducted at the University of Nebraska Pesticide Application and Tech-nology Laboratory in North Platte, Nebraska in July 2015. Two application volume rates (100 and 200 l · ha−1) and three nozzle types (XR, AIXR, TTI) were selected at two flow rates (0.8 and 1.6 l · min−1) and at a single application speed of 7.7 km · h−1. Each collec-tor type [Mylar washed (MW), Mylar image analysis (MIA), water-sensitive paper (WSP), and Kromekote (KK)] was arranged in a randomized complete block design. Each nozzle treatment was replicated twice, providing six cards of each collector type for each nozzle treatment. A water + 0.4% v/v Rhodamine WT spray solution was applied, given the fluo-rescent and visible qualities of Rhodamine, which allows it to be applied over all the collec-tor types. MW had the highest coverage at 18.3% across nozzle type, followed by WSP at 18%, KK at 12% and lastly by MIA at 4%. MW resulted in a 58% increase in coverage, WSP in a 56% increase, and KK only an increase of 39% when the volume rate was doubled from 100 l · ha−1 to 200 l · ha−1 across nozzle type. MW coverage was similar to KK for half of the nozzles (XR 11002, XR 11004, AIXR 11002). Droplet number density fixed effects were all significant for nozzle type and collector type (p \u3c 0.001) as was the interaction of nozzle type and collector type (p \u3c 0.001). Results from this study suggest a strong correlation to data produced with WSP and MW collectors, as there was full agreement between both types except for the TTI 11004. Using both collector types in the same study would allow for a visual understanding of the distribution of the spray, while also giving an idea of the concentration of that distribution