There is a large discrepancy in wealth distribution in the PRC. In Essay

There is a large discrepancy in wealth distribution in the PRC. In fact it has amongst the most unequal levels of distribution o - Essay Example This paper examines the implication of wealth inequalities in the PRC, particularly regarding individual’s way of living, education, housing, transportation, employment, and human rights for a citizen in the PRC; in relation to that, the paper will address whether people who are deprived access to these things can even be considered citizens. The paper will also highlight the effect of sexual, racial, and class discriminations on the patterns of consumption in the PRC and the manner in which the different social groups in China define and promote popular culture in the consumption patterns. As already mentioned, wealth inequalities have a very profound impact on individual’s way of living; generally, the large disparities between the rich and the poor in the PRC results to social inequalities since they deprive the poor access to most of the very basic yet fundamental social opportunities and services in life. For instance, the huge gaps between the rich and the poor in the PRC implies that the poor have been deprived access to decent lives with since basic needs such as food and shelter will almost always remain an elusive dream beyond their reach. Poor households in the PRC cannot afford daily provision, leave alone healthy dietary, and nutrition and they have to struggle for bare survival to see another day; apart from that, poor housing or lack of housing altogether predisposes the poor to harsh environmental conditions, which further aggravate their already worse condition. Housing projects in the PRC have been monopolized by the affluent and well-educated group that has the financial flexibility to live in those rich neighborhoods (Doray Demers 297). This implies that those without financial flexibility cannot access decent housing in decent neighborhoods like around Beijing (Tomba 1). Additionally, the poor cannot afford quality medical and healthcare, and are more likely to suffer even from simplest of all common treatable diseases. Poor n eighborhoods in the PRC have a disparity of healthcare facilities, and the least that are available do not even offer quality healthcare services either; Lack of quality healthcare and housing coupled with poor nutrition inevitably results to despicable living conditions. Apart from that, wealth disparities also deprive the poor access to quality education since it leads to unequal access to educational opportunities; whereas the rich can afford quality education for their children, the poor lag behind simply because of limited educational opportunities and high cost of education. Uneven wealth distribution also implies that some areas of the PRC are more developed thus have more education facilities that offer quality education than others, which are underprivileged due to disparities in wealth distribution. The rich neighborhoods in the PRC have enough schools, which provide enough opportunities for children from socially affluent families to access to education, unlike poor neigh borhoods that lag behind in development, thus have few congested schools that offer low quality education. In this respect, the limited access to educatio

Multipurpose Legumes Classification Study

Multipurpose Legumes Classification Study Participatory evaluation of multipurpose legumes in integrated crop-livestock production systems in selected districts of Ethiopia and Kenya: Farmer’s preferences and decision making Chala Merera Erge (Assistant Professor) PhD Proposal Abstract In developing countries, the agricultural sector plays a central role in the economic and social life of the nation and is a cornerstone of the economy. Crop and livestock production is mainly influenced by low soil fertility and by low quality and quantity of feed resources, respectively. Multipurpose legumes are known to perform multiple functions like grain legumes provide food, feed and facilitate soil nutrient management; herbaceous and tree legumes can restore soil fertility and prevent land degradation while improving crop and livestock productivity on a more sustainable basis. Therefore, the adoption of such multipurpose legumes, which enhance agricultural productivity while conserving the natural resource base, might be instrumental for achieving income, food security and for reversing land degradation. The integration of legumes to cereal-based systems could provide services such as high quantity and quality fodder production, soil erosion prevention and soil fertility rest oration. In Ethiopia and Kenya, realizing the underexploited potential of multi-purpose legumes towards improved livelihoods and a better environment in crop-livestock systems has significant contribution to improve food and nutrition security, reduce poverty, and enhance the production environment of smallholder farmers and rural populations. Therefore, the objectives of this project are to develop a classification of legume types like food legumes, tree legumes, forage legumes, cover legumes through literature review, consultation with key informants and farm-level surveys; assess and identify contribution of each type of multipurpose legumes to farm family objectives (provision of food, forage, soil nitrogen, fuel and others) through farm-level surveys; understand farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions through focus group discussions (participatory rural appraisal/PRA tool) at community level and assess how different farmer typology demands alters the optimal choice of legume types through simple modelling approaches. INTRODUCTION Ethiopia has total human population of 96.5 million in 2014 (CSA, 2014). If Ethiopia follows its current rate of growth (3.02%), its population will double in the next 20 years and cross 300 million by 2050 (World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision). The agricultural sector plays a central role in the economic and social life of the nation and is a cornerstone of the economy (Alemayehu, 2008) and it accounts for 48.76% to GDP (World Fact Book, 2015). The contribution of livestock to the total GDP is limited because of many factors. One the major factor is the scarcity of feed resources both in quantity and quality (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2008). In Ethiopia highlands, crop and livestock production is mainly influenced by low soil fertility and by low quality and quantity of feed resources, respectively (Kruseman et al. 2002; Tangka et al. 2002). Feed shortages both in quality and quantity can be attributed to factors. On the other hand, escalating prices, access and price uncertainty, and unavailability at the crucial moment limit the use of inorganic fertilizers in improving soil fertility (Lakew et al., 2000; Ahmed et al., 2003). In developing countries, the use of forage legumes integrated with food crops and livestock is often advocated to minimise external inputs as well as to improve the productivity and sustainability of crop-livestock production (Humphreys 1994; Peters and Lascano, 2003). Over the past two decades several forages have been tested in different ecological zones, and considerable efforts have been made to test the adaptability of different species of pasture and forage crops under varying agro-ecological conditions. As a result, quite a number of useful forages have been selected for different zones. Improved pasture and forages have been grown and used in government ranches, state farms, farmers’ demonstration plots and dairy and fattening areas. Forage. Production of forage seed by contracting smallholders has shown potential as a way of improving seed supply (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2002; 2006). Menale (2011) reported that declining soil fertility and increasing soil erosion continue to limit crop yields in the Ethiopian highlands while poor quality and quantity of feed limit livestock production. Adoption of forage legumes has been proposed as a strategy that can help alleviate these problems. However, despite their proposed potential in dealing with these challenges, adoption of forage legumes by smallholder farmers is still limited. The adoption rate for improved forage crops has been very low and less sustainable. The area occupied by improved forage crops is insignificant and little contribution to the annual feed budget (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2002). Multipurpose legumes are known to perform multiple functions like grain legumes provide food, feed and facilitate soil nutrient management; herbaceous and tree legumes can restore soil fertility and prevent land degradation while improving crop and livestock productivity on a more sustainable basis. Therefore, the adoption of such multipurpose legumes, which enhance agricultural productivity while conserving the natural resource base, might be instrumental for achieving income, food security and for reversing land degradation. The integration of legumes to cereal-based systems could provide services such as high quantity and quality fodder production, soil erosion prevention and soil fertility restoration. Enhanced availability of livestock feed can reduce degradation of grazing lands. The demand for forage and the opportunities for diffusion of forage technology might be high where livestock response to improved feed technology and profitability from livestock enterprise is high. Mu ltipurpose legumes research throughout the developing world have shown the benefits of different kinds of legumes (Khalili et al., 1994; Humphreys 1994; Omiti 1995; Umunna et al., 1995; Peters et al., 2001; Mpairwe et al., 2003). Cultivation of forage is not widely adopted and commercial feed production is not developed (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2006; 2008) If farmers have to adopt a technology, they must be able to clearly see the benefits. Sometimes beneficial technologies are not adopted because the benefits cannot be clearly demonstrated or are long term. The major benefits of forage legumes include higher DM yields (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2008; Shehu and Akinola 1995;Mwangi 1999), biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) (Thomas and Sumberg 1995;Mwangi 1999), improved soil fertility and better animal performance due to the improved N supply in the diet (Alemayehu Mengistu, 2002; 2006 and Kariuki et al., 1998a). In developing countries, despite these multiple benefits of legumes, the adoption of legumes especially for feed and soil management is very poor (Saka et al., 1994; Thomas and Sumberg, 1995; Zewdu et al., 2000; Ahmed et al., 2003). Despite these and many other attempts to introduce shrubby and herbaceous legumes on smallholder farms, adoption has been low (Paterson et al., 1996a). Several attempts have been made to introduce herbaceous legumes on smallholder farms in Central Kenya (Wandera, 1995). The key challenges in forage development are as follows: First, forage has a low adoption rate in Ethiopia (Duncan, 2009). Second, apart from forage innovation, limits in institutional structures have also hindered forage innovation (Hall et al., 2007). Third, there is scarcity in the quantity and quality of animal fodder (Tadesse, 1998 and Yeshitila, 2008). Lastly, the rise in fodder price and inefficacy in the feed market is another set of problems (Gebremedhin et al., 2009). There is very good opportunity to produce best adapted improved multipurpose legumes to improve the crop – livestock productivity in Ethiopia and Kenya. To address the problem of inadequate food, feed and soil fertility, the need for improved multipurpose legumes multiplication and distribution are paramount. In Ethiopia and Kenya, realizing the underexploited potential of multi-purpose legumes towards improved livelihoods and a better environment in crop-livestock systems has significant contribution to improve food and nutrition security, reduce poverty, and enhance the production environment of smallholder farmers and rural populations through facilitation of the smart integration and use of multi-purpose legumes, providing food, protein, feed, fuel, and/or organic matter in crop-livestock systems. It has also a vital purpose to provide knowledge and tools to farmers and development partners facilitating farmers to make rational decisions for enhancing short and long-term contributions of multi-purpose legumes to farmer livelihoods including aspects of legume production, input supply systems, and markets. The objectives of this project are: To develop a classification of legume types like food legumes, tree legumes, forage legumes, cover legumes through literature review, consultation with key informants and farm-level surveys. To assess and identify contribution of each type of multipurpose legumes to farm family objectives (provision of food, forage, soil nitrogen, fuel and others) through farm-level surveys in Kenya and Ethiopia To understand farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions through focus group discussions (participatory rural appraisal/PRA tool) at community level. To assess how different farmer typology demands alters the optimal choice of legume types through simple modelling approaches. Material and methods The participatory evaluation of the multipurpose legumes will be conducted in different agro-ecology of the crop-livestock production systems of the project sites of Ethiopia and Kenya. The project members of the farmers will be purposively identified and oriented about the objectives of the project. Multi-stage, purposive or random sampling methods will be utilized during data collection through surveys, individual interview, consultation with key informants and focus group discussions using participatory rural appraisal/PRA tool based on the type of the data to be collected. Multipurpose legume types like food legumes, tree legumes, forage legumes, cover legumes will be identified and classified through detail literature review, consultation with key informants and farm-level surveys by using semi structured questionnaire. The contribution of each type of multipurpose legumes to farm family objectives (provision of food, forage, soil nitrogen, fuel and others) will be assessed and identified through detail farm-level surveys in Kenya and Ethiopia. Farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions will be understood through focus group discussions (participatory rural appraisal/PRA tool) at community level. The way different farmer typology demands alters the optimal choice of legume types will be assessed through simple modelling approaches in Kenya and Ethiopia. Respective stakeholders, through farmers group visit, field days, study tours and workshops will be conducted during monitoring and evaluation of the project at different phases. Finally, all data will be analyzed by using the appropriate statistical latest version of SPSS or STATA. The results will be communicated to the beneficiaries through publications, reports, workshops, formal and informal meetings. Work Plan Estimated Budget break dawn References Ahmed M.A.M, S. Ehui, and Y. Assefa. 2003. â€Å"Dairy development in Ethiopia.† Paper presented at the In Went, IFPRI, NEPAD, CTA conference â€Å"Successes in African Agriculture†, Pretoria, South Africa, December 1-3. Alemayehu Mengistu. 2006. Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles ETHIOPIA, FAO Alemayehu Mengistu. 2008. Feed resource base of Ethiopia: Status, Limitations, and Opportunities for integrated Development. Pp 24-32. Alemayehu, M. 2001. Forage and Seed Production. MoA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Alemayehu, M. 2002. Forage Production in Ethiopia: A case study with implications for livestock production. Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Humphreys, L.R. 1994. Tropical Forages: Their role in sustainable agriculture. Australia: The University of Queens land. Kariuki J.N., Boer H., Tamminga S., Gitau G.K., Gachuiri C.K. and Muia J.M. 1998a. Rumen degradation and intestinal digestion of protein in Napier grass and other Kenyan forages.Animal Feed Science and Technology(in press). Khalili, H., P. Varvikko, and S. Crosse. 1994. â€Å"The effects of forage type and level of Concentrate Supplementation on food intake, diet apparent digestibility and milk production of Crossbred Cows (Bos taurus Ãâ€" Bos indicus).† Animal Production 54: 183-189. Kruseman, G., R, G. Ruben, and G. Tesfay. 2002. Diversity and Development Domains in the Ethiopian Highlands. IFPRI-WUR project Policies for Sustainable Land Management in the Ethiopian Highlands. Working Paper 2002-04. Lakew D., M. Kassie, S. Benin, and J. Pender. 2000. Land degradation and strategies for Menale Kassie. 2011. Economic and Environmental Benefits of Forage Legume-Cereal Intercropping in the Mixed Farming System: A Case Study in West Gojam, Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: EDRI Mwangi D.M. 1999.Integration of herbaceous legumes into Napier grass fodder systems in Central Kenya: constraints and potential.PhD thesis, University of London, London, UK. Paterson R.T., Kiruiro E. and Arimi H.K. 1996a.The use of Calliandra calothyrsus for milk production.NARP (National Agro-forestry Research Project), Embu, Kenya. Peters, M., and E.C. Lascano. 2003. â€Å"Forage technology adoption: linking on-station research with participatory methods.† Tropical Grasslands 37: 197-203. Saka A.R., Haque I., Said A.N., Lupwayi N.Z. and El-Wakeel A. 1994.Forage legumes in crop–livestock systems of sub-Saharan Africa.Environmental Sciences Working Document 24. ILCA (International Livestock Centre for Africa), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 82 pp. Shehu Y. and Akinola J.O. 1995. The productivity of pure and mixed grass-legume pastures in the northern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria.Tropical Grasslands29:115–121. Tangka F.K., R.D. Emerson, and M.A. Jabbar. 2002. Food security effects of intensified dairying—Evidence from the Ethiopian highlands. Socio-economic and Policy Research Working Paper 44. Nairobi, Kenya: International Livestock Research Institute. Thomas, D., and E.J. Sumberg. 1995. â€Å"A review of the evaluation and use of tropical forage legumes in Sub-Saharan Africa.† Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 54: 151-163. Umunna, N.N., P.O. Osuji, H. Khalili, I.V. Nsahlai, and S. Crosse. 1995. â€Å"Comparative Feeding Value of Forage from Two Cereal Legume-based Cropping Systems for Beef Production from Crossbred (Bos taurus Ãâ€" Bos indicus) Steers and Subsequent performance of Underfed and Realimented Steers.† Animal Science 61: 35-42. Wandera J.L. 1995.Pasture/Fodder Research Program. National Agricultural Research Centre, KARI (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute), Kitale, Kenya. World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency 2015: Ethiopia Economy 2015 Yeshitila Admassu. 2008. Assessment of livestock feed resources utilization in alaba woreda, southern Ethiopia, Haramaya University, m.sc. Thesis

OZONE DEPLETION BY HUMAN’S ACTIONS Essay -- Essays Papers

OZONE DEPLETION BY HUMAN’S ACTIONS The ozone layer is a very important component in the atmosphere. Ozone is not the same as the oxygen humans breathe. There is very little of this gas in the atmosphere. First off, let’s begin with a definition of the ozone layer. Ozone is a hot, slightly bluish gas. It is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms, which are very similar to the molecule we are familiar with (O2), the molecule needed for human respiration. Despite the major smog problem, about 90 percent of Earth’s ozone are actually in the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere far above the Earth’s surface. It lies above the troposhere, the miles-thick lower layer where air is densest and where most weather occurs. So, it is evident that the ozone layer plays a vital role in what happens to the lives of humans. The presence of the ozone layer in our atmosphere is of vital importance to everything in the Earth. There are two types of ozone, "good ozone" and "bad ozone." Ozone in the stratosphere is referred to as being "good ozone," because it shields Earth from destructive ultraviolet radiation. The remaining 10 percent of the ozone, the "bad ozone," lie closely to the planet’s surface, in the troposhere, where at certain areas it is harmful to the public's health and welfare (Turekian 1). Even so, ozone is even more abundant in the stratosphere than in the troposphere (Walker2). It is important for everyone to know that ozone molecules overall are very rare in the Earth’s atmosphere. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun. That makes ozone an essential defense in protecting humans against the UV-B wavelengths, which can pose the greatest threats of biological damage. Further Website resea... ...e, 1998<o:p </o:p Thompson<o:p </o:p "Links"<o:p </o:p Thompson<o:p </o:p Turekian<o:p </o:p "Links"<o:p </o:p "Links"<o:p </o:p Turekian<o:p </o:p Lutgens<o:p </o:p "Links"<o:p </o:p "Links"</o:p WORKS CITED Links Between Global Warming and Ozone Depletion http://www.ozone.org/<o:p </o:p <o:p </o:p Lutgens, Frederick, and Edward Tarbuck. The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1979<o:p </o:p <o:p </o:p Thompson, Russell D. Atmospheric Processes and Systems New York: Routledge, 1998<o:p </o:p <o:p </o:p Turekian, Karl K. Global Environmental Change: Past, Present, and Future New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996<o:p </o:p <o:p </o:p Walker, James C.G. Evolution of the Atmosphere New York: Macmillan, 1977

K12 Education Program : A Solution or Problem to the Philippines

K-12 is the new Education Program in the Philippines that started last year, 2012. The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.In my point of view, I take a stand that K-12 will provide a better Education Program to the Philippines and for the young generation. Why did I think so? First of all, based on the studies provided by the Department of Education, there are more tendencies of a high school student that drops out or changes course in the middle of their tertiary education which causes more trouble for both the parents and their child (children) and the fact that they are just too young to pressure themselves on what they really want to become or what they want to be doing in the near future. Thus, concluding that giving them more time to prepare and to evaluate their skills will be more convenient and beneficial for both the parent and the child (children).Second, since two years has been added to the basic education here in the Philippines, it simply means that there are more curriculums that have been added or will be added to the curriculum. And hopingly, these curriculums will help the young generation to find or narrow their decisions in what course they would like to take in their tertiary education.Based on my research (through the help of technology), I have been able to figure out that the added two years will be the years when students will be able to choose subjects between three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engine ering, Mathematics (STEM).These tracks can encourage and aid students to pick courses (subjects) that will help the young generation to select the best courses that will compliment their talents, skills and abilities. Thus making their college life (tertiary education) easier and making it more enjoyable.But a solution also comes with a problem. The main problem is that even though there are already plans that are being implemented, there are also problems that remains unsolved or are still being unsolved. (i.e., the study curriculums for each grade (year), the lack of school facilities that comes in handy for subjects like biology, chemistry and physics, computer laboratories, books appropriate for each grade (year) and so much more).If the Philippines’ education systems before already lacked solutions to the problems stated above, then these problems will be on a much larger number. If there are already such problems like lack of books to public school, thus saying, more bo oks will be needed because of the K-12 implementation.To solve listed problems, the government must be able to conduct projects and calculate expenses accurately for them to be able to provide for the students’ needs. If they do so, the new education program will improve the lacked in the former education program. To cite an example, if the lack of rooms will be provided, it will produce greater result. Stating, if public schools are to be provided with more rooms, then it will be easier for the teachers to teach students with a maximum number of 40-50 students which leads to a more interactional and controlled environment that will help students focus on the subject matter.Therefore, if the government will just learn to manage and budget the Philippines’ monetary fund properly, then direct a large amount of money for the department of education, they could equate that money and divide equally to provide equal shares of solutions to problems. And to extend what the bud get could do more with a greater quantity and quality.

Benefits and Risks of Using the Internet Essay

What are the benefits and risks of using the Internet as a source of informationwhen writing assignments for Master’s programmes? Searching for information on the Internet is a methodology when writing essays for Master’s programmes. Obviously, both the advantages and disadvantages of this methodology can be found. The merits of using the Internet are obvious. It is very likely that MSc students are able to find more materials on the Internet quickly and conveniently. The huge amount of information is just a click away from the assignment writers. As for MSc students, they can search the e-library of their university and other data base from around the world. Furthermore, all of this work can be done at home within few minutes. Besides, the information on the Internet is always more vivid than that in books, because the forms of information are various. There are video materials, audio materials, image materials and so on. In these forms, it is more easily for students to understand the theoretical content of their programmes, because Master’s programmes are hard to understand. On the other hand, I would agree that there are drawbacks to using the Internet. Admittedly, because of convenience, the writers tend to rely on souce materials instead of creating by themselves. What’s worse, some writers even plagiarize other people achievements. In addition, some materials from the Internet may be inaccurate or even wrong, which might mislead MSc students. In sum, students are the beneficiaries of the Internet, although misusing the Internet as a source of information is harmful. Therefore, MSc students should use the Internet carefully in terms of finding source materials for assignment.