Designing future dairy systems for New Zealand using reflexive interactive design

Globally, agricultural systems are facing unprecedented challenges. The problems are of systemic nature and will require transformational changes and systemic redesign. In this study, we investigated the redesign of dairy systems in New Zealand, due to their large economic, social and environmental influence nationally. We did not set the boundaries of the ‘dairy systems’ from the outset, letting this definition be part of the design process. We applied ‘Reflexive Interactive Design’ (RIO), an approach aimed at structurally addressing complex trade-offs and contributing, by process and design, to change towards sustainable development and integral sustainability (i.e. in all relevant dimensions of sustainability). A detailed system analysis was conducted, followed by two rounds of structured design focused on four main stakeholders (‘actors') identified as part of the RIO process: the farmers, the citizens, the consumers, and the dairy cows. Our study established design goals related to enhancing the wellbeing of humans and animals, enhancing environmental performance, economics and resilience of dairy systems and reconnecting dairy farming with the rest of society. The process took us beyond the boundaries of a dairy farm and identified the territorial level as the object of design, arriving at a design concept we have called the ‘Agro-ecological Park’. The name was chosen to convey an analogy with ‘Eco-industrial Parks’. Operating as a multifunctional network, the Park has the goal of delivering multiple benefits for its members, and multiple goods and services for the rest of society. The coordinated network articulates linkages between farmers and many other businesses and people in the territory. The individual dairy farm is redesigned to be a node in that network rather than operating as an isolated entity. That way, much of the weight for the increased complexity and multifunctionality now demanded of farming can be carried by the network instead of the individual farmer. These preliminary design ideas, and the reasoning behind them, should encourage new perspectives on the complex problems facing NZ dairy farming, and agriculture globally, in the upcoming decades.</p

The Occurrence of the A2 Mating-Type of Phytophthora-Infestans in the Netherlands - Significance and Consequences

Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, the causal agent of potato late blight, was first discovered in Europe in 1845. Until 1980, only Al mating type isolates were known to occur in Europe. The absence of A2 mating type isolates restrained the fungus from sexual reproduction. In the early 1980s, A2 mating type isolates were discovered in Europe. Presumably, a new introduction of P.infestans isolates originating from Mexico had taken place. In this paper, the significance of the presence of A1 and A2 mating type isolates in the Netherlands is reviewed. Now that both mating types are present, sexual reproduction can occur and its consequences for the control of potato late blight are discussed

Does solid-state 15N NMR spectroscopy detect all soil organic nitrogen?

The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.comVirtually all of the N detected by 15N cross polarization (CP) NMR spectra of four HF-treated soil clay fractions is amide N. However, the intensity of this 15N CP NMR signal (per unit N) is 27–57% lower than detected for a wheat protein, gliadin. There are two possible explanations – either the amide N in the soil clay fractions produces proportionately less NMR signal than does the amide N in gliadin, or part of the N in the soil clay fractions produces little or no NMR signal. The cross polarization dynamics of the gliadin amide resonance and amide resonances detected for the soil clay fractions are very similar and thus should produce similar amounts of signal, ruling out the first possibility. Therefore up to half or even more of the organic N in these soil clay fractions must be in a form that is insensitive to NMR detection. For a model compound (caffeine), non-protonated heterocyclic N produced less than 20% of the signal of an equivalent amount of amide N in gliadin. Results from several 13C NMR techniques provide further evidence that much of the undetected N in the soil clay fractions may be heterocyclic.Ronald J. Smernik and Jeffrey A. Baldoc