19366 research outputs found
Sort by
High spatial resolution modelling of spring frost risk in the Waipara wine region (New Zealand)
No full textThis paper describes an international study into the climate variability within the Waipara region of Canterbury, New Zealand and its importance to viticulture
Building + breaking : Eight conversations about spatial justice
No full textThe publication stems from a series of conversations with architects, academics, and activists about the role of architecture in social justice. Eight accessible chapters delve into topics such as being an activist in architecture, how architectural practice can include more diverse perspectives, how education shapes the architect’s image, and a women’s history of architectural practice in Jutland. The book continues to discuss how race, religion, and architecture are co-implicated, how architects can learn from queer spatial practices, develop caring relationships with the more-than-human, and finally, how minoritarian futurisms can illuminate more just and joyful architectural futures
Why landscape architects should embrace landscape performance evaluation—The “market” perspective of landscape development
No full textThis paper uses the lens of George Akerlof’s ‘market for lemons’ theory to explore why it is necessary for landscape architects to adopt landscape performance evaluation. This theory, which addresses the degradation of product quality due to information asymmetry and a lack of information, is applied to landscape architecture to highlight similar underlying challenges in the discipline and the industry. The lack of practices assessing the actual performance of built landscape projects prevents landscape architects from explicitly and persuasively communicating their true value to clients, resulting in a ‘market’ saturated with low-investment projects that focus on low-value aspects of landscape architects’ work – or ‘lemons’. Here we argue that implementing performance evaluation can mitigate these issues by providing empirical evidence of project benefits, thereby reducing information asymmetry and increasing the information available, and fostering a market for high-quality landscape projects – or ‘peaches’. We argue that by embracing performance evaluation, landscape architects can enhance the transparency of their projects’ performance and contribute to the disciplinary rigour. This shift is crucial for the profession’s growth and its ability to address contemporary environmental and socio-cultural challenges effectively
Elucidating the role of earthworms on the fate of fertilizer N with synthetic and organic fertilizer application
No full textEarthworms’ activities not only increase soil nitrogen (N) uptake by crops but also lead to N losses to environment. However, it remains unclear whether earthworms’ impact on the fate of fertilizer N differs based on the type of fertilizer application. Therefore, the present pot experiment examined the transformation and fate of two types of ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer (synthetic fertilizer urea and organic fertilizer compost applied at rate of 400 mg N/pot) with and without earthworms (Amynthas corticis) in a soil-lettuce system over three seasons of cultivation. Results showed that earthworms increased the fresh biomass of lettuce in all three seasons, regardless of the type of fertilizer used. However, the effect of earthworms on fertilizer N uptake varied depending on the type of fertilizer. With earthworms present, lettuce took up an additional 20.97 mg/pot of synthetic fertilizer N in the first season, which sharply decreased to 2.72 mg/pot and 4.63 mg/pot in the second and third seasons, respectively. In contrast, the uptake of organic fertilizer N by lettuce increased by 10.08–11.24 mg/pot throughout the entire experiment when earthworms were present. The presence of earthworms increased the percentage of synthetic fertilizer N lost to the environment by 0.8 %, due to increased N leaching, N₂O emission, NH₃ volatilization, etc. In contrast, earthworms decreased the percentage of organic fertilizer N lost to the environment by 1.9 %, primarily through reduced NH₃ volatilization, etc. This study underscores the pivotal role of earthworms in modulating fertilizer N dynamics, with organic fertilizer offering superior ecosystem services compared to synthetic fertilizer. Given that only one earthworm species was studied and nearly half of the organic fertilizer remained in the soil, future long-term experiments incorporating diverse earthworm species and changes in the soil's native N pool are essential to fully understand the role of earthworms in agro-ecosystem N cycling
Understanding supply chain resilience through social capital
No full textThis study aims to investigate network structure and the social capital it may nurture in building supply chain resilience. Specifically, this study explores how different dimensions of social capital facilitate the three major components of supply chain resilience: agility, adaptability, and alignment. A multiple case study approach has been adopted to investigate the role of network structure and social capital in facilitating supply chain resilience within food supply chains of two different South Asian regions. This context was selected as these regions are prone to regular natural disruptions, and these food supply chains also play a crucial role in the humanitarian relief process. Data suggests that social capital and the network structure play a key role in facilitating supply chain resilience against the vulnerabilities originating from natural disasters. This study provides the theoretical and practical insights that have been developed in social capital and network structure disciplines and their positive contribution to food supply chain resilience
Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade, huge study reveals (women in the science field too)
No full textPresentation given at AKC 2024 - Women's Scientists Forum
Limits to measurement: Rethinking the role of monitoring in environmental governance
No full textThe paper explores the role of measurement in securing sustainable and just environmental governance. Examining New Zealand's ambitious initiative to monitor and improve its freshwaters, I identify four ‘limits’ to realising the promise of measurement: scarce resources, ontological ambiguity, epistemological narrowing, and decision-making logics. Expounding these limits helps to identify the costs of, and alternatives to, current visions of science-driven environmental governance reform. By reckoning with these limits rather than ignoring them, a new modus operandi for environmental science can be composed that is both more practically ambitious and less vulnerable to failure
Marketing contracts and technical efficiency of citrus production
No full textPurpose - This study examines the impacts of marketing contracts (written contracts, verbal contracts and no contracts) on technical efficiency, taking citrus production in Jiangxi Province, China, as an example.
Design/methodology/approach - We first use a stochastic production frontier (SPF) model to calculate the technical efficiency scores of citrus production at the individual level. Then, we use a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model, which mitigates selection bias issues arising from observed and unobserved factors, to estimate the treatment effects of marketing contract choices on technical efficiency. Data used in this study were collected from a survey of citrus farmers conducted between October and November 2022 in Jiangxi Province, China.
Findings - The SPF model estimates show that the mean technical efficiency score of citrus production is 0.616, ranging between 0.021 and 0.894. The MESR model estimates reveal that the technical efficiency scores for written and oral contract users are 18.3 and 10.5% higher, respectively, compared to citrus farmers with no marketing contracts. Additionally, the average technical efficiency score for written contract users exceeds that of oral contract users by 2.5%. We also find that farmers with higher household incomes and less farming experience were more likely to use written contracts. At the same time, those endowed with better education, larger farm sizes and better production conditions were more likely to use verbal contracts.
Originality/value - Farmers seeking marketing contracts for product sales need to adjust their production behaviour in advance to meet the product attributes required by market buyers. However, little is known about whether marketing contract users are more efficient in farm production than non-users. This study provides the first attempt to investigate the associations between different types of marketing contracts and technical efficiency
Submissions, social media, and news reports: Public engagement for three Christchurch cycleway projects : A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning
No full textCycleways generate lively discussion, with responses to new proposals ranging from passionate opposition to support. How does this commentary influence the realisation of cycleways? What can these Christchurch cycleway projects tell us about public engagement processes? There are many platforms today to express an opinion: formal consultation processes, social media, even the local news. With a multi-case study approach, this research focuses on three cycleway projects in Christchurch. Qualitative research methods are used to identify key themes across the cases, including the challenges and limits of public engagement, and common concerns regarding cycleway infrastructure. This work highlights the evolving nature of public engagement and has implications for public consultation best practice
Dimensions of the resilient visitor and visitor system in conservation areas of New Zealand : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textNew Zealand’s conservation areas are dynamic biophysical environments subject to natural hazards and popular recreation areas for domestic and international visitors and tourists. The human and natural environments form a social-ecological system (SES). Many visitors are unaware of and unprepared for the conditions and natural hazards they encounter which can lead to issues of safety. The main objectives of this research are to investigate what it means for a tourist to be resilient to natural hazards in New Zealand’s conservation areas, what factors, attributes and characteristics influence resilience and what is the relationship between tourist resilience and destination resilience.
There is an extensive body of literature investigating the resilience of tourist destinations, communities, and organisations but tourists are less commonly the central focus, even though they represent the demand side of the tourism system. Of the research that does exist for tourists, much of it is focuses on tourists as individuals rather than tourists as part of a SES and it most frequently from a psychological resilience or hazard awareness and preparedness perspective.
This study used a mixed methodology to investigate the research questions. The vast majority of survey participants had medium to high levels of experience and skill in conservation-recreation environments. Results showed many visitors were aware of natural hazards and included them in their planning process. Dimensions of visitor resilience were found to be awareness, locus of responsibility for safety, preparedness, and adaptability. The vulnerability and resilience of destinations and tourists are interconnected. Destination stakeholders influence visitors via information provision and risk management decisions. Visitors influence destination resilience by the aforementioned dimensions and by sharing their experiences with others, on the track and back at home. A significant theoretical contribution was the inclusion of a visitor’s social-ecological system of origin as a key influence on recreationists’ dimensions of resilience.
A key implication for stakeholders and practitioners is to take a more nuanced perspective on visitors and their origin context in terms of past recreation experience, social circles, and perceptions of responsibility for safety