Water Conservancy Research Issues

Northwest A & F University Yangling, SHAANXI

“Producing enough healthy food in a challenging environment” - PhD Autumn 2017 Course aims and Timetable

Agronomy

Course aims This is to help prepare post-graduate students for research work in rural development and related fields, with a view to publishing research papers linked to their studies. For this, it is useful to understand the role of innovation in agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS). You should gain awareness of current problems regarding rural development and develop ability to frame a research proposal. You should develop your critical thinking (www.criticalthinking.org), by identifying main ideas and defending your point of view. What is the reason for research? European Union scientists are advocating that a distinction should be drawn between “science-driven” and “innovation-driven research”. Consider whether your research is it “descriptive”, “correlational” or “explanatory” (Research Methodology- summary) and develop technical writing and presentation skills in English. A future career prospect includes extension, teaching or research. Everyone should participate, during opportunities to both ask and answer technical questions relating to class activities. Please provide a passport photograph to allow the tutor to get to know you “Six types of local group or institution are directly relevant to the needs for a sustainable agriculture: community organisations; natural resource management groups; farmer research groups farmer to farmer extension groups; credit management groups; consumer groups. A move from a teaching to a learning style has profound implications for agricultural development institutions. The focus is less on what we learn and more on how we learn and with whom?” (Bawden, 1992). Learning objectives  Understand research methodology * (Quickly) Identify main ideas in technical writing * Work in groups;  Improve awareness of rural development problems and ability to frame a feasibility study and research proposal;  Improve proficiency in reading and summarizing research papers in English, for problem solving in rural development;  Express technical ideas, both through writing and speaking, in English; * Take responsibility for individual learning.

Useful references        

Agro-ecological farming systems in China. 2001. Li Wenhua. Vol. 26 Man and the biosphere series. UNESCO.

Agroecology in China. 2016. (eds) Luo Shiming & Stephen Gliessman. CRC Press. Stepping stones to sustainable agriculture in China. 2016. Wilkes, A & Zhang L-Y. IIED Paper. Urbanisation, rural transformations and food security: view from China. 2015. Holdaway, J. 2015. IIED. Regional differences of vulnerability of food security in China. Yin, P-H et al, J. Geogr. Sci. (2009) 19: 532-44 No. 1 doc. 2017. CPC Central Committee and State Council on Deepening Supply-Side Structural Reform in Agric. Improving your technical writing skills. 2010. Fenton * Writing for science and engineering. 2002. Silyn-Roberts Research methodology. 2011. Kumar * Guide to writing empirical papers, theses and dissertations. 2002. Garson

Timetable Week

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Dates 9-13th Oct 16-20th Oct 23rd – 27th Oct 30th Oct-3rd Nov 6-10th Nov 13-17th Nov 20 - 24th Nov th

27 Nov-1st Dec

4-8th Dec 11- 15th Dec 18- 22nd Dec 25th – 29th Dec 1st - 5th Jan 8th - 12th Jan 15th -19th Jan

“Discussion” topic Mike Vacher/ Nuffield Experience/ Mike Pollan Learning and problem solving “Bench-marking” R & D priorities Crop rotation & inter-crop c5/ Agroecol C1&2&9 Agri-sci Fair Poly-aqua c6 & Mixed afforest c7/ Agroecol C4 Agro-forestry c8/Agroecol C13&14 Medicinal crop inter-cropping c9/ Agroecol C7 Cash tree inter-crop c10/ Agroecol C8&10 Org Crop animal systems c11/ Agroecol C5&6 Integrated farming systems c12/ Agroecol C11 Mount eco- c13 semi-arid c15/ Agroecol C12&13 “Boundaries on problems, Interventions ” “Writing up research” (a) Exam

Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

“Activity” - Video & homework! Course outline Presentation skills

David Walston/Russell McKenzie Andrew Howard/ Tom Sewell

CP CP w1 CP CP w2

Robert Edwards/ Jonty Brunyee Simon Mattsson/ Nigel Corish

CP

Aled Rhys Jones/ Grains research Kirkegaard

CP w3 CP

Photosynthesis Wheat breeding/ Gabe Brown Group presentations – Pres 1b & 2b Group presentations – Pres 3b & 4b Group presentations – Pres 5b & 6b Group presentations – Pres 7b & 8b

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Assessment

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CP

CP CP w4 CP/Pres CP/Pres CP/Pres w5

1

Assessment activities Dates 16-20th Oct, 30st Oct - 3rd Nov, 27th Nov-1st Dec, 18th- 22nd Dec 9th Oct – 12th Jan 18th Dec-12th Jan 8th-12th Jan 15th -19th Jan

Assessment Individual writing exercises (4)

Marks 35

Individual Class participation (CP) points: Ask or answer questions Group “Power-point” presentation Group Report “Research Proposal” Individual open book exam mark

15 10 10 30

1 Individual practice in technical, summary and thesis outline writing Individuals should submit (a) your opinion on the value, or otherwise, of information in one advisory leaflet or technical report, to a Chinese farmer, in not more than 200 words (b) summary of two papers from the 3rd European Agroforestry Conference (2016), in not more than 300 words. They should also submit (c) a short literature review (Silyn-Roberts, Chapter. 4, Science Direct, Kumar, pp10-13) of not more than 500 words, which combines the ideas from at least three research papers that they are reading. Reports should identify arguments or main ideas from research reports and assess this information in terms of its soundness (believable), completeness and validity (appropriate to the given situation). Points of agreement and disagreement between authors are especially important. Try to identify ways of resolving contradictory points of view. Finally, (d) the headings of a thesis outline – individual research proposal (Garson, Chapter 3, Kumar, pp9 & pp13-18, Appendix 4) should be submitted, covering your own research work (300 words). Points will be awarded to individuals for challenging other peoples’ ideas and giving reasons to support their own point of view. Questions should not simply ask speakers to repeat what they have said. Some points may also be given for answering questions following the viewing of short film clips. All written work should be typed, with double spacing. Written material not presented on the specified date will not be corrected. It is expected that each student should summarise at least one paper, which has not been summarised by another student. Give your name(s), a title and date at the beginning and references at the end of any writing. Please give me digital copies of your own research topic papers and a digital copy of each written submission. Digital file names should be provided by group flash drive and identify your name, class number and assessment code (a to d). ie “Liu Z C12 a”. Evidence of copying will mean zero marks. Writing strategies (i) Clearly understand the requirement for writing and the needs of the likely reader (ii) Use “brainstorming” to think widely about the subject (iii) Narrow down the information collected (iv) Prepare a first draft quickly, so all necessary ideas are included. Use a topic sentence for each paragraph. (v) Edit the draft to improve clarity, brevity, grammar and spelling. Maintain consistent tense and avoid brackets. (vi) Refer to “process writing paper” and “paper submission” in Digital handout/1 Book readings/. 2 Group activities (eight groups of 4-8 people) 2.1 First Group Power-point (ppt) presentation Each group should prepare a PPT introducing a local food production strategy, in light of climate, nutritional indicators and health concerns, associated with an eco-county linked to integrated farming system defined by chapters in “Agro-ecological systems in China” edited by Li Wenhua and in “Agroecology in China”. 2016. (eds) Luo Shiming & Stephen Gliessman. Hopefully, a group member would have some familiarity with the area. (a) try identifying a local eco-county demonstration area for the selected eco-system (pp222) and the related challenges. (b) try identifying a local strategy by considering “Stepping stones to sustainable agriculture in China”, (c)

“Urbanisation, rural transformations and food security: view from China” & “No. 1 doc. 2017. CPC.” consider presentations from 2016.

2.2 The second “Power point” presentation Your selected topic should describe a research proposal. The presentation time limit is 20 minutes for the entire group. Ideally, the “Power point” presentation of your own group research proposal could be associated with the earlier literature reviews. Everyone should be active and will receive the same mark. These topics could be based on your own material or that in the digital material provided. Groups must submit a type written research proposal of at least 4 A4 size single-spaced pages. Each proposal should combine the ideas from at least three reports/research papers that have been examined. In making a “case for research support”, identify conflicting facts or beliefs, such as “Whilst the current design of wastewater treatment plant is internationally accepted, only 1/3 of those built in China are said to operate, due to “excessive running costs”. Give credentials for undertaking work, having made a clear statement of the required task, which establishes What? Why? Who? Where? When? and “To what extent? The proposal should define a strategy and indicate the missing information to be obtained. Detail what problem is to be solved as a result of the work and the budget. European researchers are encouraged to use a “logical framework” approach (Appendix 1) to summarise a project proposal. This usually identifies “milestones” or dates when a component part of the work will be completed. Use style of the following technology road map for proposal layout. Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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Technology Road Map

Make sure that the research proposal is SMART Simple – can be clearly stated; Measurable – can be checked to ensure success; Achievable – realistic and within someone’s capability; Reviewable – achievement can be regularly reassessed; Timely – capable of being achieved in the time available. Some of the following criteria are given for judging eligibility of applications for research support: quality of the research proposed and its contribution to addressing the key scientific and technological issues for achieving the objectives; originality, degree of innovation and progress beyond the state of the art, taking into account the level of risk associated with the project; adequacy of the chosen approach, methodology and work plan for achieving the scientific and technological objectives. Scientific (individual) research strategy - (Kumar – Research Methodology)

Deciding what

Formulating a research problem

Planning how

Concept of research design

Construct instrument for data collection

Select a sample

Actually doing

Write research proposal

Collect data

Process data

Write research report

“Innovation not only involves a technical or technological dimension. It also, and increasingly, involves strategy, marketing, organization, management and design. Farmers do not necessarily apply or develop ‘new’ technologies: their novelties emerge as the outcome of different ways of thinking and different ways of doing things and in recombining different pieces of knowledge in an innovative way. Innovation is both problem solving and opportunity taking as a response to internal and external drivers. Each innovation is characterized by a combination of technical, economic, organizational and social components. The development and application of technological or economic innovations often involves organizational innovations, breaking barriers, bringing actors and competences together and socially redefining the identities and roles of actors”. EU SCAR (2012), Agricultural knowledge and innovation systems in transition – a reflection paper, Brussels.

Appendix 1 Logical framework example Vision/Goal – what? Reduce the reliance of farmers and local authorities on high quality water supplies for irrigation. Specific objective – how? Reduce the level of high quality water use for irrigation by substituting treated wastewater Outputs - how judged? Output 1: Adoption of wastewater recycling practices by rural authorities (parks, gardens & horticulture). Output 2: Adoption of wastewater recycling practices by farmers (dairy wash water, dirty water and sewage for grassland and horticultural irrigation). Activities – how completed & when? 1.1 Identify the water quality and quantity requirements for sustainable land use by local authorities. Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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1.2 Identify associated human and environmental requirements of wastewater application. 1.3 Rank wastewater treatment and application technologies viz. a viz. requirements. 1.4 Rank means of monitoring adequacy of actual water quantity and quality standards following wastewater application. 2.1 Identify the water quality and quantity requirements for sustainable farm land use. 2.2 Identify associated human, stock and environmental requirements of wastewater application. 2.3 Rank wastewater treatment and application technologies viz. a viz. requirements. 2.4 Rank means of monitoring adequacy of water quantity and quality standards following wastewater application. Objectively verifiable indicators 1 Statistics for area of local authority land using wastewater in 5 years time and increase in area of farmland receiving wastewater for irrigation. 2 Areas of land using wastewater in Tayside and Berwickshire (Scotland) are identified from Water Services Reports. 3 Areas of farmland receiving wastewater are identified from SOAFD (Government) reports. 4 Circumstances defined in which crop water requirements can be exceeded (excluding overland flow). 5 Circumstances defined in which dissolved crop nutrients requirements can be exceeded. Maximum biochemical oxygen demand loadings and crop nutrient concentrations are defined. Practicality of winter use/storage is defined. 6 Epidemiology of wastewater parasites, diseases and viruses is defined in relation to the health of irrigation workers. Particular concerns include leptospirosis, diarrhoeal diseases and intestinal worms. 7 Consistency of recommended organic and nutrient loadings examined, range of costs and environmental impacts defined for wastewater treatment and associated irrigation application alternatives. Screening criteria identified and applied to treatment and irrigation alternatives. 8 Instrumentation identified to measure and model the retention time, survival and transmission rate through soil of enteroviruses and ascaris eggs. 9 Constraints arising from odour or gaseous emissions associated with wastewater application identified.

Appendix 2 Speaking & writing marking criteria No -------------Yes Did the speakers have a clear title and introduce themselves well? 1 2 3 4 5 No--------------- Yes Did the speakers connect well with the audience, through body language? 1 2 3 4 5 Interesting ------- Not Interesting Did the speaker create interest in the subject? 1 2 3 4 5 Was material presented in a logical/coherent sequence, with emphasis on important points? Useful -------------- Not useful Did the speaker provide a useful summary? 1 2 3 4 5 Well –---------------- not well Were the questions answered well? 1 2 3 4 5 Contains a short title, writer’s name and date. Has varied-length and not excessively long sentences. Is grammatically correct with few spelling errors Contains a short title, writer’s name and date. Has varied-length and not excessively long sentences. Is grammatically correct with few spelling errors Contains a short title, writer’s name and date Identifies contradictions, conflicts of opinion and knowledge gaps Identifies key reviews Contains a short title, writer’s name and date Has a logical nature

Marking criteria (writing 1-a) Uses active voice and keeps to the same tense. Includes reference to an advisory leaflet

No -------- Yes 2 3 4 5

1

Has no lists or headings Has a topic sentence.

Meets the word requirement Marking criteria (writing 2-b) Uses passive voice and keeps to the same tense. Shows good understanding and related detail Meets the word requirement Marking criteria (writing 3-c) Identifies how issues previously addressed Is in passive voice, has a logical nature and is not too long Has varied-length and not excessively long sentences. Marking criteria (writing 4-d) Contains only lists or headings Includes literature review


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Has no lists or incomplete references Has a topic sentence.

Identifies issues to be addressed Has an analysis which shows understanding Is grammatically correct with few spelling errors Includes research problem and questions Includes hypotheses 26/09/2017

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Includes expected methodology Content SMART & has milestones? Has technology road map? Includes log frame of object. & outputs

Includes relationships and models Includes expected data analysis Marking criteria (writing 5-e) Includes budget Well written Identifies credentials/ likely innovation Simply stated; Measurable Achievable Contains short title, writer’s name and date. Reviewable Timely

Appendix 3

Recent research issues

Social and economic challenges! .. Extension should be based on the province as a unit and divide it into different agro-ecological zones. Extension should be broadened to increase the scope of extension teams. Staff should cover all aspects of agricultural production, including planting and fisheries…….. help farmers solve real problems in production. …….farmers should be brought together to observe and learn from demonstrations of new methods and new species and enhancing agricultural technology advancement…….. …extension staff should not be allowed to sell products directly to farmers to make a profit.” .from Recommendations for China’s Agricultural Extension Reform Based on the Experience of Canada’s AMS. 2003. Cui X-M and Song H-M, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050051, P.R. –Extension should provide information and technical services for the entire process from pre-production through production and post-harvest…. [Improved global output and the subsequent fall in commodity prices has hit UK agriculture very hard, mainly because so little of the value beyond the farm gate is captured by farmers. In Sweden for example, farmer co-operatives earn 2.5 times more money beyond the farm gate as they do prior to it. In the UK, that figure is only 0.4…. “Priorities in sustainable agriculture” – Chris Pollock Sino-UK Sustainable Agric. Meeting] 2005.. …….Since the global financial crisis in 2008, a large number of migrants lost their job in urban centres, they had to go back to their rural home villages. These returnees have different employment status after return. Based on the data from a field survey conducted in 2011, we find that many migrants have given up their original agricultural work and entered non-agricultural employment, while many of them were unemployed. … this study puts forward some policy recommendations to ensure food supply by promoting full employment in rural China. 2012 Zhao Xi. Tropentag. Gottingen …....In the middle of the last decade China implemented a remarkable experimental study of improving accountability and incentives in the public extension system (23). In five regions the ‘Responsible agents’ experiment selected villages treatment and control villages at random. In the treatment villages it selected extension agents at random, trained them in a broader range of extension functions than just food grains, and made them responsible for extension in three villages. The extension agents were made accountable to farmers who rated their performance. High performing agents were paid an annual bonus of up to 4000 Yuan. … The Round table noted the following priorities for research: Research on the performance of extension reform and its impact in China, and comparatively across the sub-region is needed. FAO, WB, ADB, Planning Commissions, Private sector, should be approached for support. This should involve careful impact evaluation of alternative approaches tried. Round table Consultation on Agricultural Extension for Strengthening Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers’ Participation in Value Chains in Asia. March 15-16, 2012, Beijing. ..…. The outcomes of calorie availability suggest that China will be able to maintain a level of at least 3,000 kilocalories per day through 2010-2050. Climate change has relatively little effect on calorie availability within a pathway scenario. The authors conclude that Chinese agriculture is relatively resilient to climate change. Chinese food security will unlikely be compromised in the context of climate change. The major challenge to food security, however, will rise from increasing demand coupled with regional disparities in the adaptive capacity to climate change. Ye Liming et al. 2013. www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/discussionpaper2/2013-2 ……..China is facing a growing problem just feeding its people. According to China’s Land Resource News, while China saw an accumulative 33% increase in food production from 2003 to 2011, consumption grew even faster, seeing a 44% increase over the same period. Media warned that more than half of China’s regions cannot fully feed themselves …China now has 13 major crop-producing provinces, most of which, however, are struggling with poverty .. 2013 July 2 China Economic Weekly. Farming – alternative viewpoints “Bacteria make soil alkaline. Fungi make soil more acidic. If the soil is acidic, the NH4 released by bacteria will stay as NH4. If the soil is more alkaline, the NH4 turns to NO3. Weeds are cool with NO3. Old growth trees want all NH4”. So if you use an inorganic fertilizer or you put manure on your soil and you see a plant response. Your message that your brain ought to receive is “you don't have biology in your soil”! And you had better fix that. Put organisms back and you don't have this problem any more. There's the total pool. Because the bacteria and fungi make the acids, they make the enzymes to solubilize those nutrients from the crystalline structure of the rock, the sand, the silt, the clay. They pull those nutrients and hold them in their body. They don't leach. They will not be lost and then when they are eaten by protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms, spiders .. then they release those nutrients in plant available form. Elaine Ingham. All tillage tools destroy soil structure All tillage tools decrease soil infiltration All tillage tools reduce organic matter All tillage tools increase weeds. Continuous low-disturbance no-till in combination with diverse rotations and cover crops is A BIOLOGICAL ANSWER TO A BIOLOGICAL PROBLEM. Dwayne Beck


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Using the following five tenets of soil regeneration, you may be able to add an inch of topsoil in a five-year period: No-tillage. Plant diversity and rotation. Multi-species cover-cropping. Maintaining living roots in the soil year-round. Livestock integration and diversification. Gabe Brown

Appendix 4

Research Outline

1 Introduction Statement of the research problem Contextual background Theoretical relevance Policy relevance Research statement Research questions Definition of terms Literature review Hypotheses Hypotheses related to theories and models Operationalization of variables Preliminary evidence on relationships Evidence with use of control variables Consideration of alternative models Differentiation of planned research from existing literature 2 Materials and methods Methodology to be used Research design Population, sampling, and data acquisition Instrumentation, including assessment of validity and reliability Qualitative and/or statistical procedures 3 Results and discussion Results Scope of generalization, limitations, delimitations, and threats to validity Summary of findings, related to previous research/theory Implications for theory and/or practice Future research agenda 4 Conclusions References

Appendix 5

Model assessment – written examination Answer three questions

(a) What are the “Five Tenets of Soil Regeneration” in Gabe Brown's film of holistic regeneration? (Five Tenets of Soil Regeneration Using the following five tenets of soil regeneration, you may be able to add an inch of topsoil in a five-year period: No-tillage. Plant diversity and rotation. Multi-species cover-cropping. Maintaining living roots in the soil year-round. Livestock integration and diversification)

(b) Identify the classification of integrated farming systems at micro-, medium- and macro-scales. Then give details of the five elements of Zhangxi's optimized household ecosystem, in the case study for Shilihe village in Liaoning Province. A homestead garden in China consists of a number of tree and fruit species and provides both productive and protective functions. The eco-village is a special kind of ecological engineering, in which primary production, secondary production and cottage processing industries are integrated into a self regulating sustainable system at the village/township or agriculture/breeding farm level. In China, county is the most elementary unit in administration. It is relatively independent in policy making and administrative management. In general a county has a land area of 1,000-4,000 km2 with a population of 0.2-0.8 million. ...Eco-county construction is intended to enhance sustaibale development capacity of the county by establishing ecologically sound production systems and management mechanisms through ecological engineering, ecological planning and ecological management. The construction of an eco-county requires complicated systems engineering and is multi-disciplinary. The optimized household ecosystem is divided into a number of basic subsystems: plastic shed, biogas digester, pig sty and toilet, garden and residents. A plastic shed with an area of 136.5 m2 was built in front of the house. A biogas digester with a volume of 7.5 m3 is set underground in the west of the shed and a pig sty and toilet are constructed on the biogas digester. A 19.5 m2 pig pen and toilet was arranged above the biogas digester. The area of fields for the household is 220 m2 There are three person in the family...

(c) Identify the particular merits of the homestead garden ecosystem. Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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Multitude of crop species and animals on homesteads helps to satisfy the needs of farmers on subsistence economy. The mixed feature of home gardens leads to a substantial improvement in the physical and biological characteristics of the soil and environment. The immediacy of human involvement and the full use of human waste can reduce pollution in the environment. The convenient location of home gardens provides the possibility to effectively use family labour. Much work can be accomplished during the time free of field work. The old men and women can also participate without wasting time obtaining garden plots. The ratio between input and output is higher than that of conventional work in the field. A special micro-climate is created within homestead garden ecosystems.

Nuffield farming scholarships Vocabulary My name is Mike Vacher. I am the director of the Nuffield farming Scholarships Trust. That is a charity that sends people around the world to study what is dear to their heart that will make a difference to their career, to their businesses and British agriculture at large. We are looking for scholars who have the character, and potential to benefit from doing a period of independent study. The successful scholar hears of their award in October after some very searching interviews. They are awarded their scholarship at our annual conference, which always takes place each year. And then in the spring of the following year they embark on the scholarship programme proper, which involves a 2 day briefing in London, followed by an international conference lasting a week or 10 days, which may take place in any part of the world. In 2017, for example, we are going to Brazil and as soon as that international conference is finished they embark on a period of study travel. Eight weeks within an eighteen month period, after which they write a 10,000 word report and prepare a presentation for about 350 people at the annual conference. The scholarships are all funded by supporters from around the world of agriculture. And so we have farming charities; we have individuals. We have commercial organizations. We have show societies. Anyone who has a connection to agriculture is able to support us and they do, very generously. All of our studies are on-line and again you can find the link on our web-site to the library of electronic study reports. The Nuffield Farming Scholarship is an opportunity that you cannot afford to miss. It is a life changing experience. I guarantee it will change your life. I hope that it will change your business for the better. It will certainly influence your career for the rest of your life. A short period of time away from your business is often a very good thing, both for you and the business itself. It gives you time to think, to plan, to contemplate and to investigate new options. And that is really what a scholarship is about. Eight weeks study travel over a two year period is really not too much for anyone. Nuffield Australia National Conference 2016 Well we’re going to something a little bit better than that today, Joan. We’re going to show you all what we did for the six and a half weeks. We have got a range of videos that we took while we were travelling. We got stuck in a plane in Delhi in a sandstorm for about 5 hours. If you can imagine 7 farmers sitting on a plane together for 5 hours, on the Pakistani-India border, is not a whole lot of fun. But “I-movie” got us through it and I did a crash course on how to do little mini-movies. So we thought today, each us would introduce one of the countries and then show you a couple of minutes of the time spent there. Which ranged through farmers, processes, high commissions, as well as getting to indulge in some cultural experiences. Which I think – anytime you go to a country, to be able to meet the people, who rely on that country to live, gives you a much deeper and broader understanding of the country and the dynamics. So, introducing the group, we had CC from Brazil, GMO adoption, myself a salmon farmer from Taszi (Tasmania), Dan Steele who couldn’t be with us today. There’s an apology, he’s a conservation farmer from New Zealand. Fiona Hall, apples and cherries, Nathan organic horticulture, Victoria. We’ve got Matt, cotton grower from Queensland, James Terrier, asparagus in Australia, Victoria. So here’s what we travelled to around the world. And we started in our nation’s capital, Canberra and, as Tim Banks from Rababank said yesterday, it useful to look forward before you move – sorry backwards before you move forward. And we visited the national gallery, the War Museum, War Memorial sorry. As well as spending some time in parliament house and hearing from some trade policy makers, which laid down the foundation really well to then head off for Singapore. So, when we arrived in Singapore, it was hot and humid, and a bit of a change for all of us from the cold. It was something like minus 3 when we left Canberra. And 30 degrees and almost 100% humidity when we arrived in Singapore. In Singapore we met with Monsanto, Syngenta, A & Z and a private equity firm. And it was really interesting for us all, to gather information about how Singapore and the financial hub that it is for the Asian region and the Asian Pacific. Yes, there’s just a few photos. We also visited a vertical garden. It was called sky-greens. They are growing produce 7 m in the air. Over 95% of Singapore’s food is imported. So it was interesting to see food that is actually being grown there. The next stop was India. India is the country they say you can’t wait to leave but also the country you can’t wait to get back to. We’ve got just a short video …. In India, we travelled across the south of India into the Pun jab region in the north. We also spent time in the capital of New Delhi. And this is where we met with the Australian High Commission. The biggest challenges for farmers that we witnessed in India was the route to market, with road infrastructure making it almost impossible for farmers and traders and without adequate cold chain storage. It was easy to see that a majority of the food that Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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is wasted globally is wasted here in this country. We even saw first hand, a producer using insecticide spray on his fruit to extend the shelf life! Which high-lights the obvious issue for India – food safety. So our next stop was Doha, Qatar, and it was an incredible contrast to travel from India, where we heard that they are living on less than $1 per day to travel to Qatar, that brings $1 billion every 3 days from oil reserves. So Qatar has the highest GDP in the world but as the saying goes, money can buy anything everything. So, in that case, it means green pastures and steady rain to grow their own food. So they import a whooping 89% of their food and food security becomes the biggest issue to their population. Just an overview also of their .. so how hot is it here in the Qatari desert, What are we talking about 46? I was thinking 60 in the shade. … it’s bright isn’t it? Where did I put my “sunnies”? Do you still have them? You had them? What have you lost? What have you lost Fiona? Fiona did you loose these? How bright is it? So our next stop was Turkey. And we flew overnight from Doha to Istanbul. And then our first morning, we met Louis Chirnside, our guide and host for our time in Turkey. The first day we visited Gallipoli (site of fighting by Australian soldiers), which was a great experience for us all to see. And then we travelled and spent 3 nights I think in Bursa and we visited there. It’s a large tomato producing area of the world, to visit tomato growers and processors and as well as the wholesale market in Bursa. We then travelled around up to Istanbul, where we had a meeting with the Australian High Commission and several other meetings there as well. So another short video …………… they are growing our (?) fruit here! Next stop was France. We’d already been to France for our CDC (Commonwealth Development Corporation) conference. Then we returned to a part of France called Bretaigne, where we met up with some Nuffield Scholars, Guillane Baptiste and our main host in France was Oliver. We travelled around and looked at sites specific to their part of France, which were dairying, some sea-food and production of potatoes and other seed crops. It was a contentious part of France, where people were looking after, .. they were against production of GMO type crops. So we had to reserve ourselves a little bit, when we went into people’s houses for meetings. But other than that we really enjoyed this part of France. And we’ve given this short video to show our appreciation. So this is our last stop and on to the the USA. As much as we loved all of the other countries, we were, or I was, very excited to be getting to the USA. I personally couldn’t wait to find some beef and chicken, French fries and beers. As great as the other countries were, the boiled eggs, the boiled egg curries, the snails just weren’t “doing it for me”, apart from loosing weight. But with James Terry, our personal trainer, these burgers and beers were only a dream and the Nuffield adventure carried on. Washington, DC, was a fantastic place. And with a good grasp of agriculture in the USA and even on a world scale. We were able to visit embassies from around the world, and meet up with our fellow GFP (Global Focus Programme) groups. So Wyoming was our next stop and how excited we were to be putting on our “10 gallon” hats. Nathan was our cowboy for the trip, he was right at home in the state. Wyoming was a great experience for us all. We were able to visit my enterprises that were much different from our own. However, we gained a lot of knowledge ideas from these visits, as it was “outside the box” for most of us. We began the journey from Denver, Colorado, and picked up our fuel guzzling, slow and big heavy Ford van and headed off for the hills, for Laramie. Here we met our host, Ken Hamilton. Ken and his wife Kathy took the girls into their home for 2 nights and were exceptional in welcoming us to their estate. Wyoming was a fantastic journey and a great GFP visit. It provided much variety and many different operations, land types as well as conservation cropping and livestock. Wyoming was all about university research and ag., GM sugar beets, financial viability, GM sustainability, corn and loose wheat cattle and the work of the Wyoming Farm Bureau. We also learnt about wild game and fishing problems, met the governor of Wyoming, visited beef feed-lots, irrigation and hay operations. And from this whirl-wind journey, and many great visits to finish off the GFP, it was now the final leg. And we drove off into the Wyoming sunset, where we were bound for Denver, Colorado. In Denver, we would all say our goodbyes, after a 7 week long journey that no-one would ever believe to experience in their lives. During this time we shared much knowledge, jokes, and forged some great friendships, which would last a lifetime. Along the way, we had learnt more than we’d ever imagined. And it’s still difficult to believe what we’d seen, in that small amount of time. From this experience, many of us have gone on to experience new opportunities and made some great contacts. And this has been a great stepping stone in our own businesses. So, one behalf of our entire group, we’d like to thank Nuffield for the experience and in particular Jim Gelsch and we’d like to welcome Geri Dean to her new position. She seems to be doing a great job so far. And we sincerely thank all our GFP hosts and everyone that made it possible. Thank you Questions How does a farmer qualify for a Nuffield scholarship? What is required of the scholar at the end of the scholarship? What does the scholarship experience involve? Mike Pollan Soil solutions to climate problems Soil is a living miracle. In one hand full of soil, there are more organisms than there are humans on earth. And we are only beginning to understand this vast network of beings right beneath our feet. We rely on healthy soil for 95% of what we eat. Yet Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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we take it for granted. Thousands of years of ploughing, deforestation and erosion have left our soils in dire shape. And we are accelerating the loss of this essential resource. But there is a lot more to the story. When soil is damaged, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and this has had serious consequences for the climate. Too much carbon in the atmosphere is causing the earth to overheat. That excess carbon is also acidifying our oceans and threatening marine life. Meanwhile, there is not enough carbon where it once was, in the soil! In fact many of the world’s cultivated soils have lost more than 50% of their original carbon stocks. But actually there is some good news. We now know how to put carbon back in the soil where it belongs. Plants capture carbon dioxide in their leaves and pump the carbon down through their roots to feed hungry micro-organisms living in the soil. Now, what had been atmospheric carbon, a problem, becomes soil carbon, a solution. Practices like keeping soil covered with plants, increasing crop diversity, composting and carefully planned grazing are proven ways to put carbon back into the soil. Carbon rich soils act like giant sponges, absorbing water during floods and providing it to plants in times of drought. And adding carbon to soil makes the land much more productive. The government recognises this and is calling on countries to increase soil carbon by 0.4% each year. If every nation were able to reach this ambitious but achievable goal, we could store 75% of global annual greenhouse emissions, enough to make a real difference to our future planet’s well-being. Of course we still need to reduce our fossil fuel emissions but we don’t need to develop expensive or risky technologies. Instead what we need is a lot more photosynthesis. Climate change can be overwhelming, yet there is real hope. Healthy soil can be a major sink for carbon. But this fact hasn’t been well known, until now. Because now we know a soil solution is right beneath our feet. Get involved at “soilsolution.org” Questions Can soil be “damaged”?

What activities are said to promote recovery?

What national aims are suggested? Homework Week 3 Prepare account of advisory leaflet. Homework Week 4 Do English technical writing exercises 1 & 2. Read Kumar “Research methodology.pdf”pp1-6 If you have interest, read “Learning from the field”… it can be downloaded from … http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/408-6/ or https://idl-bnc.idrc.ca/dspace/handle/123456789/35364 Answering the following question should check your ability to identify main ideas What would you say best describes the contents of “Learning from the field”? It is: (a) a method of using farmers to teach students, who were brought up in towns and cities of China; (b) a process of understanding how decisions are made by and for Chinese rural people, which shape their lives and livelihoods; (c) a way of changing university teaching.


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From Uniformity to Diversity. 2016. IPES


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1 Using “the” Which do you think is correct? In the USA this arrangement is totally different. In USA this arrangement is totally different. The table shows number of people working in England in 1976.The table shows the number of people working in England in 1976. Rules for using “the”  With countries or places where the name refers to a group of states or islands: the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the USA  With superlatives: the highest, the longest, the best  With ordinal numbers: the third, the second, the first  In the phase: the same as  To refer to the only one in this particular area: the government, the police, the river  When there is only one in the world: the environment, the Internet, the sun. “the is not used  With a single country or place: China, England, America  To talk about something in general. The plural is used if we are talking about something in general; we use “the” to identify one specific example. Compare: People with reading difficulties often have problems with numbers The number eight is considered lucky in some countries Exercise Complete the following sentences by using the words in brackets. Decide whether or not to use the plural or whether to use “the”. The main advantage of is that it gives us access to the information from all over the world. (Internet) My father has fished in all over Australia. (river) Life in is very different from life in my country. (America) According to the graph, of people moving into the city each year has more than doubled. (number) The total figure for 1976 was as the figure for 1982. (same) Obesity is much more common in than in my country. (USA) The graph shows that increase occurred in 1999. (greatest) travels around at a speed of 3,700 kilometres per hour. (moon, earth) 2 Using singular or plural words Which do you think is correct? There are several problem with this idea. Many charity organisations provide a great deal of help.

There are several problems with this idea. Many charity organisation provides a great deal of help.

Rules: A plural noun must be combined with a plural verb. Example: In our country there are very few cars that use leaded petrol. (plural verb and plural noun) I like studying during the day but my friend prefers studying at night. (singular noun and singular verb Plural nouns are used with:  Plural verbs: are, were, have, do…: There are a lot of books on the table.  Numbers greater than one: 30 horses, 100 students  Many: It is annoying that so many buses drive past because they are full.  The number of: The number of buses on our roads has increased each year. * But note that we use plural noun but with a singular verb after “the number of”. Singular nouns are used with:  Singular verbs: is, was, has, does …: There is only one bedroom in the flat.  a/an or one: a car, one scholar Note that some nouns can look plural but are singular (news, mathematics) and some nouns have a different form in the plural (children, men, women, people). Exercise Underline the correct word in each sentence The childs / children are playing in the street. The number of men /man studying chemistry has decreased. There are a lot of persons /people in our discussion group. I enjoyed studying mathematics a lot; I found it /them very interesting. The news were /was very upsetting. How many classes /class do you have today? Martin Parkes, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, SHAANXI

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A person /people I really admire is my aunt. My father watch/ watches a lot of sport on TV. 3 Note that some nouns don’t have a plural form Which do you think is correct? I don’t have many time to correct my homework. I don’t have much time to correct my homework. When I did a search on my computer, I could only find a few informations about the topic. When I did a search on my computer, I could only find a little information about the topic. Some nouns in English are “uncountable”. This means they do not have a plural form. Some common uncountable nouns are: advice, advertising, food, furniture, garbage, information, knowledge, money, shopping, time, traffic, travel. Rules: With uncountable nouns, you must use:  The singular form: food, information, money  A little/ amount of / much / some: How much money do you have? The amount of traffic on the roads is increasing each year.  A singular verb: There was already a little furniture in the flat. When a noun is uncountable, you cannot use the following:  A plural form: advices, furnitures, garbages, informations, knowledges – wrong!  a/an: an advice, a garbage, a knowledge- wrong!  A few/ many/ number of: a few shopping, many traffic, the number of knowledge – wrong!  A number: three travels, four furniture - wrong!  A plural verb: There were a little furniture in the flat. Wrong! * If you want to add a number to an uncountable noun, you can use a piece of/ some/ a few pieces of/: a piece of advice, three pieces of furniture, a few pieces of garbage. Exercise 1 Correct the mistakes in these sentences; there may be more than one! My tutor was very helpful; he gave me one very good advice about how to study. I was surprised by the number of times it took us to reach the castle. You need a great deal of knowledges to become a doctor. The informations we were given by the tour guide were not helpful. When we visited the park, we were upset to see so may garbages left there. We arrived late because there were so many traffic on the road. I can’t wait to visit the market and do a few shopping. The furnitures in the hotel room were quite old but they were very comfortable. 2 Underline the correct word or phrases in the following sentences The garbage is / are collected every Tuesday. Advertising in the school newspaper is/ are a waste of time. A lot of food in restaurants is / are thrown away every day. Many idea / ideas for new products never reach the manufacturing stage. My sister gave me lots of advice / advices that was / were very useful. Over three hundred student / students signed the petition for a new study area. There are a lot of similarity / similarities between your country and mine. There is / are more women on my course than men. 3

Look at the following advertisement and fill in the gap in each question using one of the phases in the box. How many

How much

Is

Are

Is there

Are there Room for rent in shared house close to bus. Must help to pay bills (electricity, etc). For more details phone: 376 8900

…………………….. food included in the rent? …………………….. a lot of traffic in the area? …………………….. any other transport nearby? …………………….. does the electricity usually cost? …………………….. any pets in the house? …………………….. money will I need to pay each week? ……………………. people are living in the house? ……………………. a lot of furniture in the room? 4

Fill in the blanks using a word from the box. Make any changes necessary. Advice

bird

child

company

house


person

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The travel agency was hopeless; they didn’t even give us one useful ………… The number of new ……………….. being built in our area as doubled. Most large …………….. operate on a global scale nowadays. Many ……………. believe that globalisation has both advantages and disadvantages. Today, in my country, school-age ……………. do not exercise as much as in the past. The blades of the fan are made of ……………….. There are several kinds of ……………… in my home town but my favourite is the ferry. There has been an increase in the number of native …………. killed by cats this year. 5

Correct the 12 mistakes in the text below.

The globalisation has had an enormous impact on many parts of the world. Nowadays, even in some of most remote parts of the world, we can connect to internet and conduct business. However, they is advantage and disadvantage to this. One disadvantages, for example, is that the local culture and language can be affected. It can also mean that local businesses has to reduce their prices to compete with bigger overseas companies, However, there are advantages; for example, globalisation can bring more business to a small area, which is good for the local economy. It may also help to stop young person moving away from remote area. If a young person have the chance to run a business and be successful no matter where he or she lives, then perhaps more people will choose to stay in these smaller communities. It also means that news from around the world are available to everyone, and this can also reduce the feeling of isolation. Technical writing exercise 2 1 Using present simple tense Which do you think is correct? Nowadays, our bodies becoming “old” much later than 100 years ago. Nowadays, our bodies become “old” much later than 100 years ago. Children lost their freedom if they have too many responsibilities. Children lose their freedom if they have too many responsibilities. The present simple has the same form as the infinitive but adds an “s” or “es” for the third person singular; for example I work or he works. The present continuous tense is formed with the present tense of the verb “to be” and an infinitive “+ ing”, for example I am working or his is working. Rules for using present simple  To make general statements about our world: The earth moves around the sun.  To show a pattern or general truth: People work in order to meet their basic needs.  With adverbs of frequency, namely always, usually, sometimes, never: People who are too lazy to walk often use their cars instead.  With expressions such as nowadays, these days, today: Many students today do their research via computer rather than through books.  For verbs showing opinions or feelings, namely, believe, think, hope: I think that we should all do as much as we can to improve our environment. Rules for using present continuous  For an action happening now: I’m not wearing a hat as it isn’t cold.  For an action happening soon, though not immediately: He is teaching French and learning Chinese.  For explaining future plans: I’m going to my judo class tonight. Exercise Correct the mistakes in the following sentences. People should act according to what they are believing. In general, I think our government spent too much money on space travel Nowadays, many people in my country have sent their children to single-sex schools. These days, more and more people traveling to very distant places for their holidays. I am hoping it is not too late to save the environment. The female hen laying on average 5 or 6 eggs per week. Younger drivers is more likely to be involved in a car accident. Most doctors are agreeing that the only way to lose weight is b doing more exercise. 2

Writing large numbers


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Which do you think is correct? The government spent ten millions dollars on education last year. The government spent ten million dollars on education last year. There were thousands of people at the football match. There were a thousand of people at the football match. Rules     

When we talk about a specific large number, we do not add “s” to the number: There must have been at least three thousand students at the protest. We use the plural form of large numbers “+ of” to give an approximate idea of how many: There must have been thousands of students at the protest. We can use “a” instead of “one”. “One” is more formal: If I won a million dollars, I would probably take a year off and travel around the world. The president promised to increase the health budget by one million dollars. We use numerals for numbers that cannot be written in one or two words: More two million people attended last year, but: 2,001,967 people attended last year. We write fractions in words: According to the chart, in 2004 over half a million Ukrainians went to the cinema.

Exercises Underline the correct number in the sentences below. The skeleton had remained hidden for a thousands/ thousands of years. The chart shows that three hundreds/ three hundred whales were seen in 1990. Three and a half billion/ three and a half of a billion will watch the ceremony. I pay six hundred dollars/ six hundred dollar rent each month. Real estate in my city is very expensive; a small house can cost three quarter of a million/ three quarters of a million dollars. A million of/ Millions of dollars are spent on space exploration each year. By 2005, more than six hundred/ six hundreds of children were enrolled in the school. The company has sold one and a half billions/ one and a half billion computers so far. 3 It is/ There is Which do you think is correct? It is a lovely park near my house There is a lovely park near my house. There have very good restaurants and shops on board the ship. There are very good restaurants and shops on board the ship. Rules  We use “there” to say that something exists: There is an oak tree in my garden.  We use “there is” with a singular subject and “there are” with a plural subject. There are some great movies at the cinema.  We use “there is”/” “there are” to give new information. There is a present for you on the table.  We use “it is”/ “they are” to talk about something that has already been referred to. What is that you are carrying? It’s a present for my sister.  We do not use the verb “do” to form questions and negatives with “there is” or “there are”. Are here any clean glasses in the cupboard? There isn’t a map in the car.  “There” cannot be left out. There is a pan of soup and there are some bowls on the table. Exercise Correct the mistakes in the sentences below. In developed countries there is many possible solutions to this problem. There no clear trend in the data shown in graph 1. There is no electricity and are no factories in the area. Fortunately, they are still a lot of good people in the world. It is a very small village so there don’t have any large supermarkets. In the first chart, it is a large gap between the cost of living and salaries earned. In 1990 there was 3 million people working in this industry. How much work there is to do? Test 1 Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Examiner: Can you describe a typical morning at your house? Candidate: Well my father always …… (get up) first because he …….. (start) work at 7 o’clock. The traffic …………… (be) very bad in my city so he ……….. (have) to leave at 6 o’clock. Before he …….. (leave), he ………. (wake) my brother and me up. I …………… (get up) straight away but my brother ………. (prefer) to sleep as long as he can and he nearly always …………… (catch) the last bus to school. My mother ……… (make) our breakfast while I …………. (get dressed), then I …….(leave) for school at about 7.30.


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2 Match each amount (1-5) with its correct written equivalent (a-i). Read the words carefully. 1 $305,000 a thirty-five dollars b three and a half million dollars 2 $35 c three hundreds and five dollar d thirty five thousands dollars 3 $35,000 e three millions and five hundred thousands dollars f thirty five dollars 4 $3,500,000 g three hundred and five thousand dollars h thirty five thousand dollars 5 $305 i three hundred and five dollars 3 Find 12 mistakes in the essay below and correct them. In my country, agriculture are very important. Each year our farmers growing a wide range of crops and this helped to reduce the amount of food we need to import, which also reduced the price of fresh food in the shops. Life is sometimes difficult for farmers because their day begun very early and often they works until late at night. The weather also is making their working conditions very difficult at times. What is more, many farmers are feeling that they do not receive a fair price for their products. We are need to encourage farmers to stay in the industry. Nowadays, big supermarket chains taking a large amount of profits that should go to farmers. The government needed to address this situation and make sure that they protecting this vital industry. 4

Fill in the blanks in the text with numbers from the table. Three of your answers should contain a fraction. Number of tractors used in agriculture: top ten countries Rank Country Number Rank Country Number 1 United States 4,800,000 6 France 1,264,000 2 Japan 2,028,000 7 Germany 1,030,800 3 Italy 1,750,000 8 Turkey 905,000 4 India 1,525,000 9 Spain 885,000 5 Poland 1,306,700 10 China 755,073 The table shows the number of tractors being used by the top ten countries in the world. The United States has the greatest number of tractors, with almost …… five million. Japan has less than half of this amount, with just over ……………….. and Italy is ranked third, with a total of …………… India has just over ……….., while Poland, France and Germany each have over ……….. Of the bottom three countries on this list, Turkey has a little under ……………., Spain has less than ………………. and China has just over ……………….. …. tractors. 5 Fill in the flowing sentences with either it, they or there. ………. are several reasons why I wanted to talk to you. I have printed out the letters, ………… are on the desk ready for you to sign. On the street corner …………….. is an excellent new restaurant. …………. have a wonderful swimming pool in this hotel. We had a lovely holiday in Florence, …………. really is a beautiful city. …………. were several robberies in the area last week. Were your parents born here or did ….. move here from another country? Is ………………… going to be a meeting this week? See also - www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammer

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/grammar/english-grammar.html


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