19366 research outputs found
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Co-opetition in the disaster recovery phase: The Christchurch rebuild case study
No full textCoordinating actors has been a significant research focus in disaster relief and emergency management disciplines. Most of this literature focuses on the response phase, while the longer-term recovery phase is less studied. During long-term recovery, the types of actors change from disaster relief not-for-profits to commercial entities, thus creating tensions between humanitarian and commercial values. This paper presents a model for the rebuild phase that encourages the simultaneous interplay of collaboration and competition, otherwise known as co-opetition. Following the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010/11, the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT) was created to coordinate rebuilding. Hence, this case study demonstrates a model deployed by SCIRT to incentivise co-opetition by blending humanitarian and commercial values
Innovation, wine tourism and sustainable winegrowing in cool climate regions: A longitudinal comparative analysis
No full textThis study examines wineries’ perceptions towards innovation within the context of wine tourism and sustainable winegrowing practices in New Zealand. In order to investigate and contextualise the current situation in New Zealand, the National Wineries’ Survey was revisited and extended to provide a longitudinal time series of data from the New Zealand wine industry. This data was also used to provide a comparison of the New Zealand perceptions of innovation with that of the Australian cool climate regions of Tasmania and Western Australia.
The findings indicated that there were substantial concerns with the perceived value provided by wine tourism and sustainable winegrowing practices. The issue of mandatory versus voluntary membership of sustainable winegrowing programmes was shown to be a key reason why New Zealand winegrowers exhibited animosity towards the Sustainable Winegrowers New Zealand [SWNZ] scheme. This difference in attitudes between the two countries was further highlighted through the examination of the voluntary sustainable winegrowing programmes which currently exist within Australia. In particular, the study highlighted the potentially contested nature of sustainability initiatives throughout different levels of organisational governance. While sustainability initiatives may be promoted at one level, other levels may have substantial misgivings as to the appropriateness of such innovations
Understanding mechanisms that agricultural producers apply in response to evolving social pressures
No full textGlobally, the agricultural sector is linked to negative environmental outcomes, such as water quality and biodiversity deterioration. Consequently, agriculture faces increasing scrutiny by external stakeholders, such as the public and the media. The increasing environmental concerns and public scrutiny present challenges for agricultural producers to maintain stakeholder support, particularly in light-touch regulation countries such as New Zealand (NZ), where governmental intervention is low and stakeholders are able to influence the overall perception of farming. The theoretical concept of ‘organisational legitimacy’ has previously been used to study evolving social pressures, and refers to the informal approval or acceptance that stakeholders, such as the public, scientists, policy-makers, and local communities, grant to an individual business or sector. To identify how an agricultural sector copes with stakeholder acceptance, our study focuses on identifying strategies NZ dairy farmers adopt to retain stakeholder approval. Twenty-six dairy farmers were interviewed about changes they had made over the last five years, the motivation behind that change, and how stakeholder perceptions played a role in their businesses. Interviewees applied a combination of immediate responses to negative environmental contributions, and long-term responses to anticipate or avoid further challenging events. The study contributes to literature by introducing a theoretical lens novel to the study of stakeholder pressure on agricultural practices: organisational legitimacy. Furthermore, the study provides insights regarding the influence of stakeholder perspectives on farmer behaviour in a light-touch policy environment
Omicron will only add to looming workforce shortages already faced by key New Zealand industries
No full textThe Omicron wave about to wash across New Zealand will exacerbate an already tightening labour market. High employment and ongoing border restrictions mean regional labour forces are nearing peak capacity – and the country is running out of time to find solutions.
With border restrictions in place for much of the past two years, the domestic labour market has been the main source of human capital – and will likely continue to be for some time.
Combined with an ageing workforce, this is causing labour market tightening in most industries. Some form of intervention will be required to find skilled workers to fill the gaps emerging in specialised jobs – especially as the economy grows and older workers retire
High throughput pH bioassay demonstrates pH adaptation of Rhizobium strains isolated from the nodules of Trifolium subterraneum and T. repens
No full textThe purpose of developing this high throughput assay was to determine whether there was evidence of pH adaptation in strains of rhizobia which nodulate subterranean clover (SC) and white clover (WC), and whether this was related to the pH of the soil of origin. pH is a first-order factor influencing the niche preferences of soil microorganisms and has been convincingly shown to be a key driver of soil bacterial communities. Naturalised strains of Rhizobium spp. that are pH-adapted may have the potential to better compete and/or persist in acidic or alkaline soils compared with introduced commercial strains. Three pilot studies were conducted to design the optimised bioassay. This bioassay tested the effect of pH-amended yeast mannitol broth (seven pH values from pH 4.5–9.0), across three time points, on the in vitro growth of 299 Rhizobium strains isolated from the nodules of SC and WC. The media pH where strains demonstrated fastest growth was related to the pH of the soil that strains were isolated from. However, the correlation between media pH and soil pH was strongly influenced by the growth of strains from alkaline soils (alkaline adaptation), especially in strains isolated from SC nodules
Surface runoff and losses of phosphorus from hydrophobic pastoral soils
No full textThe impact of soil water repellency (SWR) on soil phosphorus (P) mobility in surface water runoff remains contentious. Although SWR may cause a significant increase in surface runoff, especially in post-summer rainfall events, whether it contributes to background phosphorus losses remains unclear. Surface runoff and P concentrations in runoff were measured on hilly Allophanic pastoral soils with different water repellency levels using seven runoff collectors. Phosphorus fertilizer was broadcasted at 18 kg P ha−1 in the summer over dry soils. Runoff volumes and P concentrations were measured after each natural rain event prompting surface runoff. The highest runoff/rainfall ratios were observed at the early rainfall events following the dry summer and then decreased significantly by the end of autumn and winter. The post-summer surface runoff correlation with SWR had an R2 of 0.46, and hydrophobic soils had significantly higher runoff ratios than wettable soils. Measurements of the dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and total phosphorus (TP) in the surface runoff showed decreasing exponential trends, with the highest values recorded in the first runoff event following P fertilizer application, where over 90% of losses occurred (incidental losses). After the incidental loss phase, DRP concentrations were related to surface runoff ratio, soil P extractability by water, and SWR. Our data point to non-incidental TP loads being related to SWR (R2 = 0.53). The present results will improve the understanding of the SWR effect on surface runoff and will reconcile the controversy regarding its contribution to non-incidental P losses
Using nitrate stable isotopes to untangle the drivers of wet nitrogen deposition in New South Wales
No full textAnthropogenic nitrogen deposition, which stems from fossil fuel combustion, agricultural soils, and biomass burning, is assumed to be negligible in Australia due to its low population density and rainfall. Perhaps because of this assumption, neither the amount nor the source of nitrogen deposited via rainfall has been systematically quantified for the country. Here we present two years of daily measurements of rain in Sydney and Lismore. We measured both inorganic nitrogen (NO3- and NH4+) concentrations and the isotopic composition of NO3- (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-) to identify event, seasonal, and spatial differences in the origin of wet nitrogen deposition. The two sites have contrasting precipitation regimens (Lismore receives ~1,600 mm of rain, predominantly in the summer, while Sydney receives ~900 mm of rain sporadically over the year) and land-use (Lismore population: 40,000; Sydney population: 5 million). Despite lower rainfall in Sydney, N deposition was higher (~4 kg N ha-1 y-1, v 2 kg N ha-1 y-1 in Lismore). Although NO3- isotopes varied widely between events, consistent differences between the two sites emerged: Sydney δ15N-NO3- ranged from -10 to +10 ‰ and δ18O-NO3- from 50 to 70 ‰, while Lismore δ15N-NO3- ranged from -15 to +5 ‰ and δ18O-NO3- from 30 to 70 ‰. These findings suggest that Australian ecosystems are affected by local atmospheric nitrogen pollution, and highlights the need to re-examine the spatial and temporal drivers of nitrogen across the continent
Impacts of cooperative membership on banana yield and risk exposure: Insights from China
No full textThe yield-increasing effects of agricultural cooperative membership have been widely examined in the literature. However, so far, little is known about whether cooperative membership has the potential to reduce farmers’ exposure to production risk. We address this gap by estimating the impacts of cooperative membership on expected yield, yield variance (variability), and yield skewness (exposure to downside risk), using data collected from a survey of 626 banana farmers in China. We employ an endogenous switching regression model to address the selectivity bias issue. The empirical results show that cooperative membership increases banana yield by 3% and reduces the variance and downside risk exposure by 60% and 114%, respectively. The results are supported by robustness check estimates, using propensity score matching and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment models. Additional analysis reveals that the treatment effects of cooperative membership vary among members with different household and farm characteristics. Our findings suggest that agricultural cooperatives can be an effective institutional arrangement for reducing production risk and crop failure and point to the need for policies and programmes in developing cooperatives and increasing membership involvements of smallholder farmers
Biosynthesis and beneficial effects of microbial gibberellins on crops for sustainable agriculture
No full textSoil microbes promote plant growth through several mechanisms such as secretion of chemical compounds including plant growth hormones. Among the phytohormones, auxins, ethylene, cytokinins, abscisic acid and gibberellins are the best understood compounds. Gibberellins were first isolated in 1935 from the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi and are synthesized by several soil microbes. The effect of gibberellins on plant growth and development has been studied, as has the biosynthesis pathways, enzymes, genes and their regulation. This review revisits the history of gibberellin research highlighting microbial gibberellins and their effects on plant health with an emphasis on the early discoveries and current advances that can find vital applications in agricultural practices
Does ICTs-based farm advisory services improve farmers’ adaptation to climate change? Evidence from Pakistan
No full textIn the face of climate uncertainties, farmers need advice on adaptation measures to manage climate risk in an efficient and user-friendly way. This study takes the case of a major cropping zone of Punjab province, Pakistan, which is reported among the climate-susceptible regions, to explore farmers’ preferred ways of agricultural advisory and farmers’ climate change adaptation measures. We also analyze the interrelation between different advisory services (conventional and information and communication technology (ICT)-delivered) and their adaptation behaviours. We use multivariate and ordered probit models to analyze the cross-sectional data collected from four districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. The descriptive results show that farmers have used diverse sources of farm advisory for climate change adaptation, where television and mobile agro-advisory appear to be the most used sources. Farmers have adapted to climate change by planting trees, adopting climate-smart seeds, shuffling crop cultivation schedules, using better water management practices, and diversifying cultivated crops. The empirical results reveal that farmers’ socioeconomic attributes, particularly their farm and livestock herd sizes, access to irrigation water, and advisory access through face-to-face extension, television, and the internet, drive their adaptation choices and intensity. Our findings suggest that policymakers should consider improving these advisory services to expedite the adaptation of vulnerable rural communities