NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences 
This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.
This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.Social science perspectives on the bio-economy
Publication date: Available online 29 April 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Liesbeth Dries, Jeroen Klomp, Johan van Ophem, Xueqin Zhu (Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences)
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - April 28, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Projections of long-term food security with R&D driven technical change—A CGE analysis
Publication date: Available online 25 April 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Z. Smeets Kristkova, M. Van Dijk, H. Van Meijl In this paper, the impact of public R&D investment on agricultural productivity and long-term food security via R&D driven endogenous technical change is analysed. The findings show that R&D growth rates at the level reached in 2000s, particularly those for China, would not be expected any longer. Concerning the impact of projected R&D investments on agricultural productivity, it is found that endogenous growth rates of land-au...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - April 25, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
The effect of milk quota abolishment on farm intensity: Shifts and stability
Publication date: Available online 9 April 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Anouschka Groeneveld, Jack Peerlings, Martha Bakker, Wim Heijman We investigate whether milk quota abolition in the Netherlands is likely to lead to a shift towards more intensive farms, and whether the legislation introduced by the Dutch government to prevent this from happening is likely to be effective. To this end, a mathematical programming model is developed and applied to ten Dutch dairy farms of varying size. The mathematical programming model allows us to calculate shadow prices, which we use to...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - April 11, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Sharing values or sharing costs? Understanding consumer participation in alternative food networks
Publication date: Available online 3 April 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Stefano Pascucci, Domenico Dentoni, Alessia Lombardi, Luigi Cembalo In this paper we investigate values and transaction conditions in consumer participation in alternative food networks (AFNs). We use and combine a collective action perspective with elements of ethical consumption (individual values) and transaction cost economics as a theoretical background to conceptualise this participation. Our research is motivated by the evidence that the role and interplay between values and transaction conditions...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - April 2, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Prices matter: Analysis of food and energy competition relative to land resources in the European Union
Publication date: Available online 29 March 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Justus Wesseler, Dušan Drabik We advance a conceptual framework to put the debate about food versus fuel in the European Union into perspective. We show that many of the problems identified for the food and bioenergy production in the European Union have been priced via several rules and regulations, including water use, fertilizer and pesticide use, and protection of habitats. Therefore, products produced at lower costs (including environmental costs) require fewer resources and can be considered more env...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 29, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Effects of climate variability and change on agricultural production: The case of small scale farmers in Kenya
Publication date: Available online 28 March 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Justus Ochieng, Lilian Kirimi, Mary Mathenge Agriculture is the mainstay of the Kenyan economy, contributing to food security and employment of rural households. Climate variability and change have adversely affected this sector and the situation is expected to worsen in the future. We estimate the effect of climate variability and change on revenue from all crops, maize and tea separately, using a household fixed effects estimator. We find that climate variability and change affects agricultural producti...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 28, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
How big is the bio-business? Notes on measuring the size of the Dutch bio-economy
Publication date: Available online 28 March 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Wim Heijman This paper focuses on the size of the Dutch bio-economy. With the help of consolidated input-output tables, the size of the bio-economy in terms of value added is estimated for the years 2008–2012. It appears that in the Netherlands, during the period indicated, its share in national production slowly rose from 6.7% in 2008–7.2% in 2012. (Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences)
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 28, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
A socioeconomic analysis of biocontrol in integrated pest management: A review of the effects of uncertainty, irreversibility and flexibility
Publication date: Available online 26 March 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Emmanuel. O. Benjamin, Justus. H.H. Wesseler European regulations on the sustainable use of pesticides aim to promote integrated pest management (IPM) strategy and the use of biological control agents. However, uncertainty over benefits and costs, irreversibility effects as well as flexibility in adoption of this technology needs to be considered. Economic evaluation of IPM using simple cost-benefit analysis may be inadequate. Therefore, the need to develop evaluation tools that takes the aforementioned con...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 26, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Switchgrass biomass partitioning and growth characteristics under different management practices
The objective of the study was to examine the response of switchgrass (cv. Alamo) to irrigation (2 levels: rainfed and irrigated with 250mm) and N-fertilization (4 levels: 0, 80, 160 and 240kgNha−1) under two different soil-climatic conditions for two growing seasons 2011 and 2012. The results demonstrated a significant effect (P<0.05) of irrigation, fertilization and their interaction on crop growth and biomass productivity. Biomass yield ranged from 14 to 27Mgha−1 for the calcareous, clay loam to clay, fertile soil (Velestino; Greece) and for the deep, calcareous sandy loam to loam, semi-fertile soil (Palamas;...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 24, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Consumer perception of bio-based products—An exploratory study in 5 European countries
This study explores people’s perceptions (i.e., positive and negative associations, mixed feelings) regarding the concept of ‘bio-based’ in general and specific bio-based products. This exploratory study is one of the first consumer studies in the field of bio-based research. Three focus group discussions were organized in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands (with 89 participants in total) in which projective techniques were applied. Results of these group discussions indicate that participants are unfamiliar with ‘bio-based’ as a concept. ‘Bio-based’ is most often associated with...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 24, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Evaluation of the Dutch implementation of the nitrates directive, the water framework directive and the national emission ceilings directive
We present an evaluation of these policies with respect to target achievement, effectiveness, costs and benefits. Implementation of the Nitrates Directive decreased nutrient surpluses and improved groundwater quality. However, the nitrate target of 50mg/l was still exceeded in groundwater in half of the sand region. Ecological quality of surface waters improved slightly, but this improvement was mainly due to measures for the WFD and not to reduced nutrient losses from agriculture. The NECD reduced emissions of ammonia effectively, but critical loads of nitrogen were still exceeded in the majority of ecosystems. Health ben...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - March 22, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Effect of nickel on growth and biochemical characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings
Publication date: Available online 18 January 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Kadiriye Uruç Parlak A hydroponic experiment was carried out under controlled conditions to investigate the impact of different levels of nickel (Ni) in the nutrient solution on growth and biochemical characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings, including membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO), proline accumulation and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The Ni levels investigated were 0, 25 and 50μg per litre. A statistically significant increase in LPO was recorded in the seedlings grown at concentrati...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - January 21, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Comparison of methods to determine antibacterial activity of honeys against Staphylococcus aureus
Publication date: Available online 13 January 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Sandra M. Osés, Ana Pascual-Maté, Daniel de la Fuente, Ana de Pablo, Miguel A. Fernández-Muiño, M Teresa Sancho Nowadays, researching potentially functional properties of honey such as antimicrobial activity is interesting due to the overwhelming problem of bacteria strains resistant to antibiotics, and the expected higher value for honey that consumers constantly demand. In this research, we compared three different methods (agar dilution, broth dilution, as well as agar well diffusion), to a...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - January 16, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Elicitation of preferences of Dutch broiler and pig farmers to support decision making on animal welfare
Publication date: Available online 4 January 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Éva Gocsik, Ivo A. van der Lans, Alfons G.J.M. Oude Lansink, Helmut W. Saatkamp Conjoint analysis was conducted to elicit Dutch broiler and fattening pig farmers’ preferences about different characteristics of production systems, with primary interest in farmers’ intrinsic motivation towards animal welfare (AW). A cluster analysis was carried out to identify distinct groups of farmers with homogeneous preferences. The results showed that farmers preferred conventional practices and had negative pr...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - January 12, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Sustainable use of natural resources for crop intensification and better livelihoods in the rainfed semi-arid tropics of Central India
This study thus found that soil test based fertilization and landform management are the twin technologies for sustainable crop intensification in black soils of Central Indian region. (Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences)
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - January 12, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research
