ABSTRACT
The US military, intelligence, and diplomatic communities have overlooked a key vulnerability in their assessment of a potential military conflict between China and Taiwan- Taiwan's growing reliance on agricultural imports and its food stocks (except for rice) that could endure trade disruptions for only six months. This article assesses Taiwan's agricultural sector and its ability to feed the country's population if food imports and production are disrupted;identifies the food products that should be prioritized in resupply operations, based on Taiwan's nutritional needs and domestic food production;and outlines the required logistical assets. These findings underscore the urgency for US military planners to develop long-term logistical solutions for this complex strategic issue.
ABSTRACT
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is the cause of COVID-19. Almost 50% of infected people with the virus are asymptomatic. After the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is a significant reduction in symptomatic infection among vaccinated individuals. The possibility of viral transmission through blood products is unconfirmed yet. Case report: We report a successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in a patient with sickle cell anemia from an asymptomatic COVID-19-positive donor who underwent stem cell collection under general anesthesia. No complications were encountered during and after the procedure. The marrow was infused safely with good immune reconstitution in the recipient. Conclusion(s): The report suggests that an asymptomatic COVID-19 positive person might be an acceptable HSCT donor possibly due to existing milder variants of COVID-19.Copyright © 2023 Pediatric Hematology Oncology Chapter of Indian Academy of Pediatrics
ABSTRACT
PurposeAgriculture value chains (AVCs) have experienced unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lockdowns and stringent social distancing restrictions making buying and selling behaviours complex and uncertain. This study aims provide a theoretical framework describing the stakeholder behaviours that arise in severely disrupted value chains, which give rise to inter-organisational initiatives that impact industry sustainability.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach is adopted, in which uncertainty theory and relational governance theory and structured interviews with 15 AVC stakeholders underpin the initial conceptual model. The framework is empirically validated via partial least squares structural equation modelling using data from an online survey of 185 AVC stakeholders based in India.FindingsThe findings reveal that buyer and supplier uncertainty created by the COVID-19 lockdowns gives rise to behaviours that encourage stakeholders to engage in relational governance initiatives. Progressive farmers and other AVC stakeholders welcome this improved information sharing, which encourages self-reliance that positively impacts agricultural productivity and sustainability.Practical implicationsThe new framework offers farmers and other stakeholders in developing nations possibilities to sustain their AVCs even in dire circumstances. In India, this also requires an enabling ecosystem to enhance smallholders' marketing power and help them take advantage of recent agricultural reforms.Originality/valueResearch is scarce into the impact of buyer and seller behaviour during extreme supply chain disruptions. This study applies relational governance and uncertainty theories, leading to a proposed risk aversion theory.
ABSTRACT
Disease detection in plants is essential for food security and economic stability. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) are valuable tools for it. The purpose of this review is to gather several methods used by our peers recently, hoping to provide some knowledge and assistance for researchers and farmers so that they can employ these technologies more advantageously. The studies reviewed in this paper focused on Scab detection in Rosaceae family fruits. Feature extraction, segmentation, and classification methods for processing the UAV-obtained images and detecting the diseases are discussed briefly. The advantages and limitations of diverse kinds of UAVs and imaging sensors are also explained. The widely applied methods for image analysis are machine learning (ML)-based models, and the extensively used UAV platforms are rotary-wing UAVs. Recent technologies that cope with challenges related to disease detection using UAV imagery are also detailed in this paper. Some challenging issues such as higher costs, limited batteries and flying time, huge and complex data, low resolution, and noisy images, etc., still require future consideration. The prime significance of this paper is to promote automation and user-friendly technologies in Scab detection.
ABSTRACT
Digital microfluidic (DMF) has emerged as one of the most popular microfluidic platforms for sample-preparation in biochemical analysis and lab-on-a-chip applications. Operated with electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) mechanism, DMF conventionally requires an external power source to provide the actuation voltage, which limited its portability and broader applications in point-of-care testing (POCT) environment. Herein, a DMF device, self-powered by triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is presented. TENG possesses a number of unique characteristics, and is very attractive to be integrated with DMF. It only requires a simple configuration with low-cost fabrication that can improve the DMF portability, but it also provides high voltage, low current output characteristics that are consistent with the EWOD actuation requirements. Basic droplet manipulations, including transportation, split, merge, dispense, and even elongate to follow the electrode patterns of alphabets, on a DMF device powered with manually-rotated Disk-TENG are demonstrated for the first time. Further, droplets containing samples and reagents are transported and mixed on the programmed electrode patterns on the chip to conduct chemical reactions, including nucleic acid amplification and phenol red test, showing that Disk-TENG can serve as the power source for DMF chips in POCT applications. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
ABSTRACT
Agriculture has been India's main profession for centuries. According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, the need for edible grains will increase to 345 million tones in the next decade, however its role in India's GDP has recently declined. The current situation of farmers is disappointing as most of them live in severe poverty. They have to take loans to make ends meet and at times it becomes difficult to repay the loan. Our portal aims at providing crop seeds and fertilizers at cheap prices. The option of renting farming equipment would also be available. The cutting-edge technology which has been used over the past few years, has been lagging when it comes to farming. The main reason for this is both the disregard of these technologies and also the inaccessibility. Though farmers strive hard, even in this 21st century, they are bamboozled by third party retailers, which increases their poverty. In this covid pandemic, there was a huge demand for the agricultural products but it was difficult to get all the materials as well as information online. The solution to all the problems is Agro marketing which would make everything easy and secure. E-Farming provides a way for farmers to buy produce with only a basic knowledge of how to use the internet. This website is a centralized approach to guide farmers in all aspects and display current market prices of various products without brokers' cost. It will also include various government agricultural programs and access to new cultivation techniques. [2] The farmer will also be helped in the harvesting process by giving them a 6-day weather forecast and a schedule via SMS provided by the system. Along with this, they will be able to connect with agro health advisors to raise their queries regarding crop health and efficient farming techniques. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
This article revisits the three foundational principles of participatory mapping practice identified in good practices in participatory mapping. These include processes that strive for transparency, are unencumbered by time, and prioritize trust: the `Three T's'. Authors Kelly Panchyshyn and Jon Corbett analyze the relevance of these principles under the spectre of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This reflection is carried out within the context of Kelly's Master's research. Over the course of 2020, Kelly worked with staff and citizens of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation to map Indigenous and non-Indigenous plant harvest foodways within Lu Zil Man, an expansive stretch of land on the edge of Whitehorse, Yukon. In exploring both the barriers and opportunities created by conducting this project during a pandemic, the authors determine that the `Three T's' remain essential for conducting meaningful participatory mapping. However, they also argue that each T takes on new dimensions within contexts of isolation and social distancing, particularly for Northern and Indigenous communities.
ABSTRACT
I explored harvest productivity and economic efficiency of marine fisheries across European Union member states using comparative first and second‐stage data envelopment analyses, linear programming, and econometric models, based on a panel data set of technical, social, and economic data between 2008 and 2020 when the first implications of the global Covid‐19 outbreak began in the European Union. During the period, harvest productivity increased for 52 percent of the 21 member states between 2008 and 2020, with an average economic efficiency of 0.76. The economic efficiency and harvest productivity of European Union member states' fisheries fluctuated, with noticeable declines throughout the study period. Gross domestic product per capita, population size, and aquaculture production were related to performance metrics. The results are aimed to guide European Union fisheries managers to better understand how improvements in harvest productivity and economically efficient performance are achieved without constant reliance on subsidization, over‐allocation, and overexploitation. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
Recurrent natural disasters, the impact of economic turbulences, the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have heightened concerns about constructing resilient systems. Supply chain weaknesses have been demonstrated in the past, encouraging the creation of preventative capabilities to retain competitiveness and respond to changes in both macro and local contexts. Examining the multiple risks presented in the culture and marketing of shrimp, as well as the measures taken by shrimp farmers to overcome the disturbances (producers of the group's most valuable commodity), could provide insight into the current situation and aid in decision-making. Agility, distribution network structure, visibility relating producers to final consumers, communication between supply chain partners, sharing of benefits and uncertainties, global mapping and collaborative actions across supply chain partners were the drivers of supply chain resilience. Uncertainties associated with demand, supply, operational and environmental conditions were identified as supply chain vulnerability factors. The shrimp farmers maintain a balance between dependability measures and risks in the industry and continue the business, knowing that overcoming vulnerability could result in even higher susceptibilities. © 2023 Institute of Rural Management.
ABSTRACT
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is the cause of COVID-19 but almost 50% of infected people with the virus are asymptomatic (Sakurai et al., 2020 Aug 27) [1]. After the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, as per early reports from observational studies, there is a significant reduction in symptomatic infection among vaccinated individuals (Thompson et al., 2021 Apr 2) [2]. The possibility of viral transmission through blood products is unconfirmed yet (Sakurai et al., 2020 Aug 27) [1]. Case report We report a successful stem cell transplant case in a patient with Sickle cell anemia from an asymptomatic COVID-19-positive donor who underwent stem cell collection under general anesthesia. No complications were encountered during and after the procedure. The marrow was infused safely with good immune reconstitution in the recipient. Conclusion This report revealed that an asymptomatic PCR-positive person might be an acceptable HSCT donor due to existing milder variants of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
General metabolic activity rises with increasing temperature in farm produce, which commonly leads to post-harvest losses. In recent times, control of temperature has been used successfully to control deterioration and maintain viability of these farm produce. This study focused majorly on post-harvest losses which are a recurring issue in Nigeria's agricultural sector, especially in the heat of COVID-19 pandemic. It also focused on the driving factors and the proactive measures that were adopted to tackle the problem. Losses of agricultural produce can occur before, during, or after harvesting. Post-harvest losses focus on the latter and are of great concern to the agricultural sector. Preservation of these produce can be achieved using a regulated and temperature-controlled storage area. Rigid polyurethane (PU), commonly used for insulated chambers, has a very low thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.023W/m.K at 10°C with an average K-value of 1.14m2 k/W per inch, depending on the formulation density. Rigid PU exhibits very good dimensional stability between -180 °C and +140 °C, making it a suitable storage technology to forestall and reduce post-harvest losses of agricultural produce. Nigeria has experienced an unimaginable food loss since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening food security and precipitating massive importation. This has led to a surge in the country's post-harvest losses, currently estimated at $9billion (N3.4 trillion based on the current official exchange rate of N380) by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Post-harvest losses in Africa's most populous nation have been estimated to range between 5% and 20% for grains, 20% for fish and as high as between 50% and 60% for tubers, fruits and vegetables. Losses can be the result of reduction in quality and safety. In the absence of quality packaging and refrigeration systems for controlled temperature, farm produce deteriorate faster while the farmer waits to sell. Vitapur Nig. Ltd., a PU insulation company developed a PU-insulated chamber with a tricycle as its carrier to help forestall post-harvest losses. The designed regulated, PU-insulated chamber helps to preserve the quality of farm produce and the transportation problem is solved using the tricycle as the carrier. The study showed that the PU-insulated chamber, a composite that comprises majorly of rigid PU systems (Polyol and Isocyanate) and chromadek sheets as the facer can help reduce post-harvest losses by almost 27%, depending on the specific design used. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
Not only can agricultural science and research help bolster the nutritional value of staple crops, but it can also produce hardier varieties that can withstand pests and disease, meaning more produce surviving to harvest and providing additional income as a buffer. Since 2013, quality potato seed, improved crop management and value chain approaches have helped more than two million smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia. [...]making the right crops available for changing climates and cultural environments, and improving the availability of resilient, adapted varieties relies on protecting a back catalogue of genetic material to safeguard different features of different crops. The economic benefits of conservation are clear: gene banks like CIP’s contributed almost three-quarters of the $1 billion generated by the Victoria potato variety alone in Uganda between 1991 and 2016, which is just one indication of the potential economic value of conservation and utilisation of genetic materials.
ABSTRACT
Timely, accurate, and repeatable crop mapping is vital for food security. Rice is one of the important food crops. Efficient and timely rice mapping would provide critical support for rice yield and production prediction as well as food security. The development of remote sensing (RS) satellite monitoring technology provides an opportunity for agricultural modernization applications and has become an important method to extract rice. This paper evaluated how a semantic segmentation model U-net that used time series Landsat images and Cropland Data Layer (CDL) performed when applied to extractions of paddy rice in Arkansas. Classifiers were trained based on time series images from 2017–2019, then were transferred to corresponding images in 2020 to obtain resultant maps. The extraction outputs were compared to those produced by Random Forest (RF). The results showed that U-net outperformed RF in most scenarios. The best scenario was when the time resolution of the data composite was fourteen day. The band combination including red band, near-infrared band, and Swir-1 band showed notably better performance than the six widely used bands for extracting rice. This study found a relatively high overall accuracy of 0.92 for extracting rice with training samples including five years from 2015 to 2019. Finally, we generated dynamic maps of rice in 2020. Rice could be identified in the heading stage (two months before maturing) with an overall accuracy of 0.86 on July 23. Accuracy gradually increased with the date of the mapping date. On September 17, overall accuracy was 0.92. There was a significant linear relationship (slope = 0.9, r2 = 0.75) between the mapped areas on July 23 and those from the statistical reports. Dynamic mapping is not only essential to assist farms and governments for growth monitoring and production assessment in the growing season, but also to support mitigation and disaster response strategies in the different growth stages of rice.
ABSTRACT
Context: Food safety is essential for every human. It determines public health, nutrition, elimination of hunger, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. It is crucial for sustainable production, consumption, and international food trade. Ensuring food safety is the fundamental challenge of the 21st century. Food safety is often related to food defense and includes protection against intentional contamination with various chemical, biological, or other harmful substances. By introducing food protection tools and methods, any company reduces risk and creates an opportunity to generate more significant and reliable profits and improved production for society. One such method could be the CARVER+Shock. The method is an offensive targeting prioritization tool that has been adapted for use in the food sector. Objective: The article aims to present the experience of the first implementation of CARVER+Shock in a Polish primary production company, to improve the approach to food safety and food defense. Methods: The article is a case study. Descriptive analysis was performed to analyze legal acts and safety management standards in food defense. The authors used the CARVER+Shock expert method to estimate companies’ vulnerability. CARVER is an acronym for Criticality, Accessibility, Recoverability, Vulnerability, Effect, Recognizability. The visualization and risk analysis were made using business process management and business process modeling (VACD diagram) Results and conclusions: Primary production enterprise dealing with the cultivation and confectioning of the pre-treatment and sale of peeled onions for further processing purposes was examined. Five essential stages of the production process were assessed, and risks were assigned. Recognizability and criticality turned out to be the most crucial attribute of CARVER+Shock. Overall, the study showed that the company was not fully prepared for the threat posed by food terrorism. The organization did not have any procedures describing how to proceed during deliberate attacks. In addition, workers had low awareness of food defense throughout the food chain. Based on these conclusions, several detailed improvement actions were formulated. The results obtained from the pioneering application of the CARVER+Shock method for a Polish primary production company may constitute a benchmark for other sectors of the food industry, both domestically and abroad. Significance: The article describes the results of the first Polish attempts to use CARVER+Shock and business process management to improve the approach to food safety in a primary production enterprise.
ABSTRACT
By analyzing the implementation of national-level agricultural policy from a local perspective, this book shows that practice at the local level is influential on the substantiality of policy changes at the national level. [...]the author tries to ‘move beyond the dual picture of change and stability’ (p. 9) in Japan's agricultural policies and, more generally, institutions. According to the author, the way in which a local agricultural regime is organized is largely determined by its integration with village institutions, which point to ‘local social ties and (hamlet-based) norms and practices’ (p. 85). [...]this book brings social network analysis back into the study of Japanese politics. [...]this book leads us to reassess the iron triangle of Japanese agriculture, which has been used to describe the close political relationship among three actors – politicians, bureaucrats, and industry.
ABSTRACT
Aflatoxin, a type of mycotoxin, is mostly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. It is responsible for the loss of billions of dollars to the world economy, by contaminating different crops such as cotton, groundnut, maize, and chilies, and causing immense effects on the health of humans and animals. More than eighteen different types of aflatoxins have been reported to date, and among them, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 are the most prevalent and lethal. Early detection of fungal infection plays a key role in the control of aflatoxin contamination. Therefore, different methods, including culture, chromatographic techniques, and molecular assays, are used to determine aflatoxin contamination in crops and food products. Many countries have set a maximum limit of aflatoxin contamination (2–20 ppb) in their food and agriculture commodities for human or animal consumption, and the use of different methods to combat this menace is essential. Fungal infection mostly takes place during the pre- and post-harvest stage of crops, and most of the methods to control aflatoxin are employed for the latter phase. Studies have shown that if correct measures are adopted during the crop development phase, aflatoxin contamination can be reduced by a significant level. Currently, the use of bio-pesticides is the intervention employed in many countries, whereby atoxigenic strains competitively reduce the burden of toxigenic strains in the field, thereby helping to mitigate this problem. This updated review on aflatoxins sheds light on the sources of contamination, and the on occurrence, impact, detection techniques, and management strategies, with a special emphasis on bio-pesticides to control aflatoxins.
ABSTRACT
High incidence of drought and donor fatigue in Zimbabwe calls for more sustainable measures of ensuring food security. This study analyzed the impact of nutritional gardens in the two droughtprone districts of Mudzi and Mutoko. In line with attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted to be achieved by 2030, nutritional gardens were identified as a sustainable way to mitigate climate change and address the 'hidden hunger' challenge. Primary data was collected using a baseline framework adopting a triangulation methodology of questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) across 100 households and key informant stakeholders. Data for 48 households was usable. Results indicated that majority are low-income earners. There are high levels of deforestation and siltation, low water table and low harvest due to frequent droughts. Main crops are drought resistant crops such as millet, sorghum and legumes like groundnuts. Gardens present great potential for food and nutrition supplement and income from the sale of horticultural products. COVID-19 increased vulnerability of all stakeholders across the whole value-chain. The study recommends more drought-resistant varieties, horticultural products, solar powered boreholes and value-adding processes like peanut butter and yoghurt production to optimize local resources.
ABSTRACT
Women's contributions to rural fisheries in the Philippines are often overlooked and unrecognized. The "invisibility" of women is primarily a factor of prevailing traditional views on fishing as a male-occupied industry. Gaps in understanding the role of women in the sector may risk implementing interventions that poorly capture their needs as important players in the fisheries value chain. Developing holistic and integrated solutions becomes crucial as rural fishing communities are highly vulnerable to food and economic insecurity, aggravated by external crises and a rapidly changing climate. This study identifies and assesses the factors and motivations on the gender dynamics in the rural tuna fishing communities in the Lagonoy Gulf, Philippines. Focus-group discussions and key-informant interviews were conducted with 120 male and female respondents across six (6) of the 15 municipalities in the Lagonoy Gulf, tuna federation leaders, and female group savings association officers. Results of the study emphasize the traditional heteronormative structures that still influence household and community dynamics in Lagonoy Gulf. Women are active as ancillary workers, holding key responsibilities in marketing the harvest to local traders and markets and engaging in profit-saving activities. However, these roles are seen only as support and are not recognized to merit the participation of women in community decisionmaking. This perception also reflects disparities at the household level, where women are expected to assume household and childcare work. However, women recognize these functions as a source of empowerment, upholding their skill to handle multiple occupations to service their devotion to their family. They also highly regard their skill in financial custodianship, seeking means to address their family's financial problems. Lack of opportunities for women equally bears unhealthy expectations for men to remain the breadwinner despite struggles to reap economic benefits. Both men and women in Lagonoy Gulf echo the aspiration for women to earn to help address family poverty. This study emphasizes the need for institutional support to ensure genderbased strategies in the communities, including opening pathways for women to secure decent work and increasing their participation in local fisheries governance.
ABSTRACT
The concepts of smart agriculture, with the aim of highly automated industrial mass production leaning towards self-farming, can be scaled down to the level of small farms and homesteads, with the use of more affordable electronic components and open-source software. The backbone of smart agriculture, in both cases, is the Internet of Things (IoT). Single-board computers (SBCs) such as a Raspberry Pi, working under Linux or Windows IoT operating systems, make affordable platform for smart devices with modular architecture, suitable for automation of various tasks by using machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision (CV). Similarly, the Arduino microcontroller enables the building of nodes in the IoT network, capable of reading various physical values, wirelessly sending them to other computers for processing and furthermore, controlling electronic elements and machines in the physical world based on the received data. This review gives a limited overview of currently available technologies for smart automation of industrial agricultural production and of alternative, smaller-scale projects applicable in homesteads, based on Arduino and Raspberry Pi hardware, as well as a draft proposal of an integrated homestead automation system based on the IoT.