Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Technologies by Smallholder Farmers in the Shamva District of Zimbabwe: A Tobit application

Conventional agricultural practices such as the use of the moldboard plough are no longer sustainable due to their extensive soil degradation effects. As a panacea, several Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies have been promoted to improve soil structure and water conservation. However, adoption of these technologies has been resisted by smallholder farmers and identifying causes of the low adoption rates to facilitate intervention strategies remains a challenge to development practitioners. Using data from 100 farmers, this paper uses a Tobit application to assess the underlying factors important in determining farmers’ adoption of zero-tillage, crop rotation and contour ridging technologies. Empirical results suggest that adoption and use intensity of each of these technologies is affected by a set of distinct household factors. There is also evidence to show complementarities in adoption and use of these technologies, suggesting the need to tailor awareness and promotional strategies depending on the technology in question and socio-economic background of target farmers.Conservation Agriculture (CA), Conventional Farming (CF) technology, Tobit Model, Adoption, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management,

New Perspectives on Democratic Education for the 21st Century Classroom

Ignit

Cow-Share Agreements: Starting or Expanding a Cow Herd

Attractive feeder calf prices in recent years have sparked a renewed interest in cow-calf production from beef enthusiasts wanting to either enter the business or expand their current operation. An aging population of farmers with pasture acres offers a unique opportunity for the development of cow-share agreements between the two parties. These are important documents that may be crucial to expanding the nation’s cowherd in the near term and add to the long term sustainability of the beef industry

A history of literary study of the Bible

Dogmatic biblical exegesis had a near monopoly until well into the modern era. Similarly, in academic circles, biblical criticism has invariably meant historical-critical study of the Bible. Both dogmatic and historical interpreters have read the Bible primarily for information--either about religion or history. The Bible\u27s cognitive content has been primary. But now, in the latter part of the twentieth century, the intrinsic literary worth of the Bible is being widely noted; scholarly articles on the Bible regularly appear in standard literary journals; The current explosion of interest in this field may lead one to suspect \u27faddism.\u27 Nothing could be further from the truth. This dissertation traces the long and distinguished history of the literary approach to the Bible. From the very beginning, literary approaches have existed alongside more dominant ones. We may say that literary study of the Bible has been a discipline-in-waiting, watching for an opportunity to be born. By all appearances, it need wait no longer; Given the current critical climate, perhaps literary approaches would be more accurate, for there is as yet no consensus on method. Some observers have commented on the apparently chaotic condition of modern criticism. Yet what many perceive as chaos may be evidence of the fundamental vigor of a criticism that has for too long been suppressed by nonliterary paradigms; After circumscribing the limits of a \u27literary\u27 approach to the Bible, this historical survey shows how literary study of the Bible is as old as the biblical writings themselves. Later biblical writers freely appropriated and reworked earlier material. During the Middle Ages, rabbinic commentary and Christian allegorical exegesis picked up on literary elements of the biblical text. Based upon the Bible\u27s many rhetorical figures, Renaissance humanism elicited numerous defenses of biblical \u27poetry.\u27 The historical \u27difficulties\u27 highlighted by Enlightenment criticism were fundamentally literary problems. Nineteenth-century philological advances were a necessary prerequisite for contemporary literary study. Finally, the Romantic revolt inspired the \u27Bible as Literature\u27 movement, which has come to maturity in our generation

\u3ci\u3eLove for Emily\u3c/i\u3e

I have never actually met my cousin Emily, even though I have known her all of my life. We\u27ve talked on the phone often enough, and I keep up a lively correspondence with her

Public Perceptions of the Dioxin Crisis in Irish Pork

In early December 2008, a global recall of Irish pork was initiated as a result of a subset of the national pork output being contaminated with dioxin. In this study, members of a panel from an internet-based longitudinal monitor of public opinion on food and health, was used to assess public perceptions about the dioxin incident in late December. A larger proportion of respondents reported that that there was a 'very high' health risk from pork (8.6 %) than any other food of animal origin. The risk posed to human health from dioxins was considered to be relatively high compared to a broad range of potential food and non-food risks. The majority of respondents (70.5 %) accepted that the way in which the authorities managed the crisis was 'adequate' or 'very efficient'. These findings should be considered in light of the following facts: the European Food Safety Authority and the Irish authorities announced that there was no risk to human health from the dioxins in pork, there was extensive media attention about the dioxin incident, and the Irish Government had to introduce a 200 million euro compensation package for the Irish pork industry which was funded by the Irish taxpayer.food risk, dioxins, consumer risk perception