Some reasons for non-conversion of horticultural producers in Wales

A questionnaire survey of about 2500 farmers who had contacted OCIS in Wales since 1996 was used to find out why more horticultural producers were not converting to organic production. Of 272 respondents, 43 had a horticultural enterprise on their farm and 26 identified horticulture as one of their main enterprises. Twelve of these converted, but the main reasons given by the remainder for not converting were the cost of certification and the low level of OFS payments. The OFS provides only limited support for horticulture enterprises as payments are based on area, and many holdings are small and may even be ineligible for payment. No concerns were expressed about the market

Meeting the information challenge: exploring partnerships with Africa

Africa suffers from the disadvantages of marginality within the global technical system and a legacy of externally driven infrastructure. Developments in information and communication technologies now offer the chance to redress these but the technologies require skills and capacities which are scarce. The technologies themselves can be used to leverage existing resources so that the necessary skills can be developed. However this process needs to take account of African priorities and requirements if the current inequitable situation is not to be reproduced in a new global infrastructure. The key to this is a balance between external partnership and internal collaboration. The African diaspora offers a means of moderating such relationships

Organic Centre Wales Factsheet 1: Information on organic conversion for farmers in Wales

This factsheet is aimed at producers that are interested in finding out more about converting to organic farming. It sets out the steps that be taken, such as contacting the Organic Centre Wales helpline and registering for Organic Conversion Information Service that will help you to explore the technical implications of conversion. The factsheet contains further information on organic conversion for farmers in Wales

Method of making pressure tight seal for super alloy

A procedure for forming a pressure tight seal along two edges of super alloy sheets is presented. The procedure consists of flame spraying a powdered aluminum-nickel composition on the joint. The use of frozen carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide gas to maintain a low temperature environment during the flame spraying is described

Thriving as an international student: personal responses and the trajectories they create

During a study investigating their experiences on a British university campus, relatively successful long stay international students critically reflect on their experiences of cross-cultural interactions and how these have shaped not just their current behaviour but also their longer term attitudes and aims, or in Wenger's term their trajectories. A tentative taxonomy of trajectories is described and its pedagogical relevance discussed in terms of ways that this understanding can inform staff interventions to enhance intercultural learning, not only of international students but of home students and staff also, and lead to further critical reflection by all participants on their own cultural influences