ABSTRACT
This project was originally envisaged as an 18-month development-oriented project based in Provinces 1 and 2 of the Nepal Terai. It aimed to build solidarity and teamwork around the drive for agri-mechanisation in each of these two provincial governments. Unfortunately, the short time frame paired with intensive efforts to establish new relationships and then the onset of COVID-19 meant that there was limited scope to deeply develop these new relationships and fully build the envisaged roadmap process and plans. Regardless of this, the project has made some essential steps in improving provincial agri-mechanisation planning and implementation, including: (1) substantial capacity developed though placement of engineering experts within the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), the Ministries of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives (MoLMAC), various cooperatives and agricultural knowledge centres;(2) new and deepened relationships with and between key stakeholders, and particularly between NARC and provincial government, as well as with and between various cooperatives;(3) development of the first quantification of the status of agri-mechanisation on the Nepal Terai - indicating that there is high potential for rapid mechanisation if some key constraints are addressed;(4) publication of the learnings for a review of mechanisation in India and Bangladesh, and what that means for Nepal's agri-mechanisation planning;(5) regional learnings and new collaborations with various stakeholders in Nepal and West Bengal;(6) a national symposium on agri-mechanisation on the Nepal Terai, with a large number of supported individuals attending and learning from the national Agrimechanisation Fair;(7) development of a "roadmap" process that can be used more widely with additional further development;and (8) technical guidance and relationship building to improve the scaling of government supported custom hire centres in Province 1.
ABSTRACT
The article analyzes the change in the quantitative composition of the agricultural machinery fleet of the most significant segments for agriculture - tractors and combine harvesters, as well as the reasons that served as a prerequisite for these changes. The implementation of state support programs for the reproduction of the material and technical basis of agricultural production is considered, namely: State Program for Agricultural Development and Regulation of Agricultural Markets, raw materials and food until 2025 and the Strategy for the Development of Agricultural Engineering in Russia until 2030, as well as changes related to the requirements imposed on Russian mechanical engineering organizations for the transportation of products and requirements for industrial products, presented for the purpose of its attribution to products produced in the territory of the Russian Federation and aimed at stimulating the production of components within the country. Until 2020, the equipment was recognized as produced in Russia, if a certain set of technological operations was performed domestically, starting from 2021, the manufacturer needs to score 30% of the maximum possible points. Taking into account the increase in the minimum threshold by 5%, the degree of localization by 2025 should be 80% of the maximum possible number, which currently seems to be a difficult-to-achieve task. Data of changes in the agricultural machinery market over the past 5 years is given, special attention was paid to the period of pandemic of new coronavirus infection of CoViD-19, paradoxical trends of sales growth in domestic and foreign markets, which occurred during this period, were revealed, an attempt to identify the reasons for the implementation of such a scenario was made. The assessment of the effectiveness of the procurement of new equipment as part of preferential subsidies in the regions of the Russian Federation was apprized.
ABSTRACT
Carbon capture is among the most sustainable strategies to limit carbon dioxide emissions, which account for a large share of human impact on climate change and ecosystem destruction. This growing threat calls for novel solutions to reduce emissions on an industrial level. Carbon capture by amorphous solids is among the most reasonable options as it requires less energy when compared to other techniques and has comparatively lower development and maintenance costs. In this respect, the method of carbon dioxide adsorption by solids can be used in the long-term and on an industrial scale. Furthermore, certain sorbents are reusable, which makes their use for carbon capture economically justified and acquisition of natural resources full and sustainable. Clay minerals, which are a universally available and versatile material, are amidst such sorbents. These materials are capable of interlayer and surface adsorption of carbon dioxide. In addition, their modification allows to improve carbon dioxide adsorption capabilities even more. The aim of the review is to discuss the prospective of the most widely available clay minerals in the Baltic States for large-scale carbon dioxide emission reduction and to suggest suitable approaches for clay modification to improve carbon dioxide adsorption capacity.