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The present study investigates the influence of rural-urban migration, construction sector share, and agriculture-irrigated land on environmental quality in urbanized Asian nations. For analysis, panel data from seven highly urbanized economies from 1996 to 2020 is utilized. The study employed an augmented mean group (AMG) estimator to find short and long-run results. The empirical discoveries depict that rural-urban migration increases energy demand in urbanized areas and significantly contributes to deteriorating environmental quality. The findings also reveal that the expansion of construction sectors is a significant source of high cement production, which also increases carbon emissions and environmental pollution by increasing the concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere. The findings also exposed the role of agriculture-irrigated land, contributing to carbon emissions in urbanized Asian economies. The study also investigated the impact of the square term of irrigated agricultural land on environmental deterioration, revealing that adding agricultural land will further intensify environmental degradation by increasing carbon emissions in the atmosphere. A policy framework to reduce environmental damage in Asian economies caused by rural-to-urban migration, the building industry, and irrigated agricultural land was recommended based on the study's findings., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Flooding events are determining a significant amount of damages, in terms of economic loss and also casualties in Asia and Pacific areas. Due to complexity and ferocity of severe flooding, predicting flood-prone areas is a difficult task. Thus, creating flood susceptibility maps at local level is though challenging but an inevitable task. In order to implement a flood management plan for the Balrampur district, an agricultural dominant landscape of India, and strengthen its resilience, flood susceptibility modeling and mapping are carried out. In the present study, three hybrid machine learning (ML) models, namely, fuzzy-ANN (artificial neural network), fuzzy-RBF (radial basis function), and fuzzy-SVM (support vector machine) with 12 topographic, hydrological, and other flood influencing factors were used to determine flood-susceptible zones. To ascertain the relationship between the occurrences and flood influencing factors, correlation attribute evaluation (CAE) and multicollinearity diagnostic tests were used. The predictive power of these models was validated and compared using a variety of statistical techniques, including Wilcoxon signed-rank, t-paired tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results show that fuzzy-RBF model outperformed other hybrid ML models for modeling flood susceptibility, followed by fuzzy-ANN and fuzzy-SVM. Overall, these models have shown promise in identifying flood-prone areas in the basin and other basins around the world. The outcomes of the work would benefit policymakers and government bodies to capture the flood-affected areas for necessary planning, action, and implementation., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

While climate change is having serious impacts on agriculture and may require ongoing adaptation, short-run threats to global food security are also crucial for developing countries. We use dynamic and asymmetric panel autoregressive distributed lag estimators to investigate how the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity vary depending upon the short run and long run in Asia over the period of 1980-2016. The results confirmed that there is a long-run relationship between agricultural productivity and climate change variables; however, only CO 2 emissions could be linked to agricultural productivity in the short run. Moreover, while the direction of this effect is positive for the short run, it turns into negative in the long run confirming that carbon fertilization in the atmosphere can to some extent have a positive effect on agricultural productivity., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Research-for-development (R4D), as a mode of foreign aid, is a practical way to support developing countries. However, few studies have assessed the scientific impacts of R4D projects. Here, we applied an integrated assessment approach to evaluate the scientific impact of research projects commissioned by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research's Fisheries Program in the Asia-Pacific region between 2000 and 2012. We use publication metrics and expert panel reviews to examine trends in scientific outputs among 73 fisheries and aquaculture research projects. Among projects, there was considerable variation in publication types and outputs (including academic papers, magazine articles, policy reports, books, and book chapters), and projects produced, on average, 10 publications at a funded-dollar cost of AU$41,000 per publication. Bilateral and multilateral projects tended to produce more refereed journal articles and citations per funded dollar than single-country projects, and publication outputs were poor for certain countries. With the exception of fisheries projects, larger (more highly funded) projects did not produce more journal articles per funded dollar than smaller projects. Project duration had no significant effect on the number of refereed publications, citation rates, or total citations per funded dollar across projects. Aquaculture projects had greater publication impact, per funded dollar than fisheries projects. Beyond the bibliometric measures, qualitative findings indicated that scientific impact was strongly influenced by motivations of project leaders and their institutions. We identified disparate impact performance among industries and countries. These findings could inform future overseas aid investments, policies and strategies. This study offers useful benchmarks for gauging scientific impacts of R4D programs and shows the value of using approaches that go beyond bibliometric measures.

This document is an editorial from the International Journal of Water Resources Development, discussing the importance of water resource management in agriculture for achieving food and water security in Asia. It highlights the role of agriculture in water usage and the challenges posed by climate change and increased demand. The editorial presents research papers on topics such as the impact of climate change on food security, the effects of weather variables on crop yields, the benefits of irrigation mechanization, and groundwater governance. It concludes by emphasizing the need for integrated measures, technological development, provision of irrigation facilities, and improved water governance for sustainable water management in agriculture. Additionally, the document includes a list of contact information for individuals affiliated with institutions such as the Asian Development Bank Institute and the University of Glasgow's School of Social & Environmental Sustainability. [Extracted from the article]

Under current population growth and demographic trends -- with food demand projected to increase by 60%-70% by 2050 -- another quantum leap in food production and disruptive change in agricultural and food systems are needed in Asia. Certainly, the Green Revolution and other technological advances enormously improved agricultural productivity on the region's farms. But to fully benefit from an infusion of advanced knowledge and high technologies, agricultural workforces need 'Industry 4.0' skills, but for now are falling short. This paper argues that investing in education and skills development to create a new breed of 'agropreneurs' in Asian developing countries is crucial.

Comments on an article about technology diffusion. Concept of technology diffusion; Political and economic relevance of technology; Perspective on Asian agricultural development.

Asia contains 58 % of the global population and approximately 39 % of the world's cropland, making evaluation of the spatiotemporal variability patterns in cropland fire critical for understanding the interplay between crop residue burning and human activity in Asia. Although agricultural expansion and intensification have contributed to an overall decline in vegetation fires worldwide since the late 1990s, burned area by cropland fires in Asia has expanded by more than 19 % over the past two decades. India accounts for about 32 % of cropland fires in Asia, and the burned area has increased by more than two-thirds since 2003, particularly increased around 80 % during the two major cereal harvest seasons of March-May and October-November. In comparison, cropland fires have increased by <6 % in China since 2003, and there has been a marked downward trend in burned area in June due to the intensive implementation of the nationwide bans on open-land crop straw burning. The expansion of agricultural harvests is primarily responsible for the rapid increase in cropland fires in Asia, notably in India, where agricultural intensification is occurring with population growth and economic development in recent years, and crop straw burning should be strictly controlled in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Describes the transformation of agrifood systems in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Context of traditional retail and wholesale system; Determinants of and patterns in the diffusion of supermarkets in the regions; Consequences of the evolution of procurement systems for agrifood business.

The domestication of vines started in Asia 11,000 years ago, although it was not until the 19th century that oenology was established as a scientific discipline thanks to the research of Louis Pasteur on the role of microorganisms in wine fermentation. At the present time, the progression in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies is helping to facilitate the identification of microbial dynamics during winemaking. These advancements have aided winemakers in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the role of microbiota in the fermentation process, which, in turn, is ultimately responsible for the delivery of provisioning (wine features and its production), regulating (such as carbon storage by vineyards, regulation of soil quality, and biocontrol of pests and diseases) or cultural (such as aesthetic values of vineyard landscapes, scholarly enjoyment of wine, and a sense of belonging in wine-growing regions) ecosystem services. To our knowledge, this is the first review of the state of knowledge on the role of microbiota in the delivery of ecosystem services in the wine sector, as well as the possibility of valuing them in monetary terms by operating logic chains, such as those suggested by the SEEA-EA framework. This paper concludes with a review of management practices that may enhance the value of microbiota ecosystem services and the role of smart farming in this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substantial known economic effect of changing in climate is upon on every sector especially on agriculture due to its sensitivity and size of the sector. Warming climate brings outstanding harm to agriculture in several nations because developed countries in low latitude already encounter the hot weather. This paper reviews numerous studies that evaluate the possible impact of warming climate to agriculture sector in Asia. There have been numerous studies examine how expected changes in climate are likely to effect on yield productivity in Asia. The findings in this paper is supported mainly from the fourth and fifth analysis report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), where the latest sixth assessment report is excluded out as it is currently preparing by the panel. There are two specific objectives is needed to review the possible impacts of changing climate on agricultural. Firstly, the paper will synthesize the likely impacts of climate change on China and India’s agricultural production especially for crops C3 and C4. Secondly, this paper also review the adaptive responses to change in climate that could potentially be made and promoted in the agricultural sector. Additionally, this paper discusses the overview of Asian agriculture and likely outcome if climates do warm by observing several scientific evidence on climate change. This paper done some projection by reviewing existing literatures which various research studies have been approaches to estimate the changes. The impact of climate change in agriculture sector in two countries is also describe. The countermeasure to be consider in response to warming climate will be the last section in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant protection drones are fast and efficient application machines that are characterised by high application efficiency and no damage to crops. They are particularly suitable for small areas of farmland and mountainous terrain in regions such as Asia and are currently the dominant insecticide application technology in China. The presence of wind is a prerequisite for the spread and dissemination of airborne diseases and it can directly influence the distance and height of ascent of pathogenic spores. This paper investigates the effect of downwash airflow generated by the flight altitude of a plant protection drone on the horizontal distribution, vertical distribution and ground distribution of powdery mildew spores in wheat. Monitoring the changing dynamics of airborne powdery mildew conidia using spore traps. The test results show that: the number of powdery mildew pathogenic spores is related to various factors such as weather, relative humidity and wind speed; the release of spores is greatly influenced by airflow disturbances but has little effect at the early stages of sporulation; the disease is caused by the accumulation process of pathogenic spores and in the control of powdery mildew in wheat, preventive spraying should be carried out within 2–3 days of the germination of pathogenic spores. The study lays the foundation for further in-depth research on the spread of powdery mildew spores and improved pest control, and provides a basis for scientific and rational spraying and control by agricultural drones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental conditions significantly affected development in the Asian tropics. This paper investigates the relationship between weather risk and agriculture in four regions with distinct climatological features. Using new data, we estimate the scale of crop output sensitivity to rainfall shocks across ecological zones. Output was sensitive to shocks in regions with low levels, concentrated spells and high volatility of rainfall. Canal irrigation protected some districts while unirrigated regions remained vulnerable. Regions with high rainfall levels and long seasons remained protected. Regions with large interruptions deterred investment and were underdeveloped while regions with small interruptions invited investment‐led growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many colonial scholars in the 20th century pointed out that agriculture was introduced in the continent from outside, basically Europe and Asia. They refused to accept that African ingenuity had a role to play in the development of agriculture. Premised on this line of thinking, many scholars who studied the Usangu Plains attributed the introduction and development of rice production in the plains to the Baluchi. Drawing from archival, oral and secondary written sources, and working within the framework of local agency and political economy theories, this paper argues that contrary to the popular notions that have attributed irrigated rice farming to the Baluchi community, the establishment of irrigated rice farming in the region was primarily an indigenous initiative of the Sangu. It further recognizes the role-played by the British colonial state in the expansion of irrigated rice farming which has seldom been accounted for by scholars who studied the area under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines how developing nations' agrarian economy fared in the 1980s in the wake of the world economic crisis. Discusses how the economic crisis affected agricultural development and whether the performance of the agrarian economy was responsible for the economic crisis. (JOW)

Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. is one of the worst agricultural weeds and invasive species in the world, being widely established in many countries. Despite its impact on agriculture and the growing awareness of authorities and consumers about the consequences of synthetic herbicides, alternative control methods for this weed have been poorly reviewed. A systematic review of the literature published over the last 50 years was used to assess the most studied control methods of C. dactylon (excluding synthetic herbicides) and to summarize the trends and knowledge gaps. The major findings are as follows: (1) the number of publications that studied alternative methods to synthetic chemical control in C. dactylon management has been increasing exponentially since 1972; (2) most of the studies were made under controlled conditions (57%) and lack observations under real production conditions; (3) most of the field experiments were carried out in Asia (42%), under temperate subtropical and arid climates; (4) the publication of articles studying allelopathy stands out significantly (50% of the papers found), with two species from the Poaceae family, rice (Oryza sativa L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), showing very high allelopathic inhibitory effects (often above 80%), especially under open field conditions; and (5) preventive soil tillage is the most studied treatment among indirect weed control treatments, and although there is a high risk of propagation, the results indicate that tillage can significantly contribute to control C. dactylon, when compared to no-tillage treatments. Further research is needed to optimize treatments and methods so that they can be applied by farmers under real production conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize understanding on farmers' perception on climate change. Farmers' perception of climate change is conceptualized as comprising of three dimensions—first, as farmers' "awareness"; second, "conceptual understanding"; and third, the "experience" of climate change. The review included 162 papers published during the period January 2000 to July 2019. The highest number of studies was conducted in Africa, followed by Asia. A large majority of farmers report being aware of climate change. However, only a few studies elicit the difference between climate variability and climate change from farmers. A negligible number of studies attempt to identify the role of agricultural activities in greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Furthermore, authors compare farmers' perception with meteorological evidence, which is more aligned in terms of change in "temperature" rather than "precipitation." The insights from the review provide guidance on conceptualization and operationalization of the variable "farmers' perception of climate change" for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural change is important in the overall development process. This paper seeks to examine how productivity growth in agriculture influences this process. In particular, technology in agriculture is divided into two types: labour using, land saving (biochemical) and labour saving, land using (mechanical). Some have argued that only labour saving (mechanical) technology promotes the shift of labour into manufacturing, not labour using (biochemical) technology. However, estimations utilizing data from 10 Asian nations indicate that both types of technologies promote structural change. Thus, investments in such technologies will promote structural change. Additional results indicate that labour productivity growth in services is complementary to structural change. In addition, openness to trade and foreign direct investment and diversification away from natural resource abundance as well as avoiding exchange rate overvaluation also promote structural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development may have distinct implications for the environment based on gender-differentiated employment in various sectors of the economy. This is the first major attempt to incorporate gender in environmental modeling using sector-wise female employment status and gender parity index. In this study, we investigate the environment-gender nexus through the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in 36 Asian countries for the period 1991–2017 by panel data estimations. We find in all estimations through panel FMOLS that (a) per capita GDP positively affects CO2 emissions and (b) per capita CO2 is affected by per capita GDP squared negatively, thus confirming EKC for panel Asian data with 971 observations. The estimations of the paper also confirm the EKC hypothesis through panel data models in which GDP and GDP squared variables. Our findings suggest male and female labor market participation impacts the environment differently, particularly in the agricultural sectors. We also find that an increased schooling ratio (gender parity index) negatively impacts environmental degradation. The findings of the present study are expected to give insights into policymakers for understanding the theoretical and statistical association between environmental quality and male/female labor force in agricultural and industrial sectors for 36 Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature on crop residue burning - a widespread practice in many regions in South Asia. Specifically, we examine evidence from studies highlighting the scale of the practice in South Asia, the environmental implications, the drivers of the practice and the remedies to the problem. The studies provide evidence that the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a hot-spot for atmospheric pollutants, with seasonal crop residue burning being a major contributor. The burning of crop residue is reported to degrade the soil, increase the risk of erosion, and increase the soil temperature, consequently decimating soil microorganisms. This subsequently impacts the monetary cost involved in recovering the soil fertility and the potential for further pollution through the increased use of fertilizer. The review shows that farmers' reasons for burning crop residues are mainly the high cost of incorporating, collecting, transporting, and processing crop residues in South Asia. Labour shortages, the marketability of the crop residue and the short time interval between harvest and next cropping seasons also influence farmers decision to burn crop residue. To address this problem, there is the need to encourage the use of agricultural machines capable of sowing crops in standing stubble, adopting in-situ practices and changing crop varieties to those with short duration. In addition, education and awareness are needed to change beliefs and perceptions on crop residue burning. Crucially, when promoting alternative sustainable uses of crop residue, the economic benefits should be prioritized, and support towards initial investments that accompany the adoption of alternative practices should be provided., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A historical review of the relationship between agricultural change and population growth in China is presented. "This paper will try to discuss four aspects of agricultural change that are related to population growth. They are: (1) expansion of agricultural frontier, (2) changes in cultivation methods and land use, (3) improvements in agricultural technology, and (4) irrigation and water-control. Each of these aspects [is] treated briefly with temporal and spatial perspectives...." The relevance of the Boserup theory that population pressure leads to agricultural development is considered in the Chinese context. It is found that some evidence supports the theory. (summary in CHI), (excerpt)

A small proportion of the thousands of pesticides on the market today are associated with a disproportionately high incidence of severe acute pesticide poisoning and suicide. Paraquat stands out as one of the most lethal pesticides in common use, frequently involved in fatal incidents due to suicides or accidental exposure. Even though paraquat has been banned in over 67 countries, it is still widely used in many others, particularly in Asia and Latin America. Based on a literature review and consultations, this paper identifies options for replacing paraquat and distils practical lessons from numerous successes around the world. Our aim is to support regulators, policymakers, agronomists and the supply chain sector with practical information related to phasing out paraquat. Production data consistently failed to show any negative effects of banning paraquat on agricultural productivity. A wide range of alternative approaches to weed management and crop defoliation are available, many of which do not rely on herbicides. Over 1.25 million farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) successfully produce a range of crops for private voluntary standards (PVS) in food and fiber supply chains which prohibit paraquat use. We conclude from the findings of this study that eliminating paraquat will save lives without reducing agricultural productivity. Less hazardous and more sustainable alternatives exist. To enhance successful adoption and uptake of these methods on a wide scale, farmers require training and support within an enabling policy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares present agriculture practices to permaculture farming techniques, presents a historical perspective of permaculture and where these techniques are being successfully practiced around the world. Inserts (vignettes) enumerate the principles of permaculture and the background of Bill Mollison who conceptualized this farming practice. (MCO)

Based on the calculation of the inclusive financial development level of 22 provinces and 4 municipalities in China from 2004 to 2017, this paper uses the Kernel density estimation method to further analyze the evolution of the inclusive financial index. Based on the above analysis, we make empirical analysis of the impact of China's inclusive financial inclusion development index on farmers' entrepreneurship using static panel and dynamic panel estimation method. The empirical conclusions show that there are certain differences in inclusive financial inclusion development level in various provinces in China. Improving the inclusion development level of inclusive finance can better promote farmers' entrepreneurship. Urbanization level, economic openness and regional economic development level have a significant positive effect on farmers' entrepreneurship, while farmers' income and education level have a significant negative effect on farmers' entrepreneurship. It is possible to promote farmers' entrepreneurship by improving the inclusive development level of inclusive finance, combining urbanization, increasing government investment in productive fixed assets, increasing economic openness and improving regional economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on a study on the quantitative effects of the liberalization of the agricultural sector in Northeast Asia based on a proposal by Stuart Harbinson, chairman of the agriculture negotiating committee of the World Trade Organization. Speculations on the difficulty in accommodating the uneven distribution of welfare gains between consumers and producers; Implications of simulation results for South Korea for welfare gains from liberalization; Limitations of the study.

Agriculture plays a key role in ensuring food and livelihood security in South Asia. However, this region is vulnerable to climate change which is likely to impact the livelihoods of millions of marginal and small holders. Agriculture is not only impacted by climate change but also one of the major contributor to global warming in South Asia. As compared to the traditional practices, Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices help mitigate the impact of climate change through a reduction in carbon emission and conservation of natural resources. In this article, a meta-analysis of the important studies was done for the impact of CA on carbon sequestration, water use, greenhouse gas emissions and cost and net returns. Carbon sequestration potential was found significantly higher in the CA practices (+16.30%) as compared to the conventional tillage. Inclusion of legumes, clay-rich soils, irrigation and presence of soil cover are the major drivers for higher carbon sequestration potential in the region. Additionally, a significant amount of water was also saved as CA practices led to relatively less consumption of water over the conventional tillage. Further, the adoption of CA based management practices resulted in a substantial reduction of CO 2 (-4.28%) and CH 4 (-25.67%) emissions both in aerobic and anaerobic soil conditions. However, the emission of NO2 and N2O-N gases were higher under the CA, +14.45 and + 5.20% respectively. Nevertheless, the emission of N 2 O-N was lesser in CA (-1.78%) under aerobic conditions whereas it is increased under anaerobic soil conditions (+12.15%). The adoption of CA practices resulted in higher returns and lower costs as compared to the conventional system. Although CA has significant environmental benefits, the study suggests judicious use of inorganic inputs under CA for managing the impact of climate change in South Asia. Therefore, CA is a sustainable agricultural practice that deserves outscaling in South Asia for mitigation and adaptation of climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Solar drying is one of the most efficient and cost-effective, renewable, and sustainable technologies to conserve agricultural products in Asian and sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This review paper presents the different types of solar dryers that are widely used in Africa and Asia. In addition, the pre-eminent effects of their use on product quality, as well as their economic, environmental, and social impacts, are highlighted. Since financial, external, and structural factors play a key role in the adoption and scaling of solar dryers, this paper also discusses the impact of these factors on the effectiveness of solar drying technologies in selected Asian and SSA countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Modern global cropland products have been widely used to assess the impact of land use and cover change (LUCC) on carbon budgets, climate change, terrestrial ecosystems, etc. However, each product has its own uncertainty, and inconsistencies exist among different products. Understanding the reliability of these datasets is essential for knowing the uncertainties that exist in the study of global change impact forced by cropland reclamation. In this paper, we propose a set of coincidence assessments to identify where reliable cropland distribution is by overlaying ten widely used global land cover/cropland datasets around 2000 AD. A quantitative assessment for different spatial units is also performed. We further discuss the spatial distribution characteristics of different coincidence degrees and explain the reasons. The results show that the high-coincidence proportion is only 40.5% around the world, and the moderate-coincidence and low-coincidence proportion is 18.4% and 41.1%, respectively. The coincidence degrees among different continents and countries have large discrepancies. The coincidence is relatively higher in Europe, South Asia and North America, while it is very poor in Latin America and Africa. The spatial distribution of high and moderate coincidence roughly corresponds to the regions with suitable agricultural conditions and intensive reclamation. In addition to the random factors such as the product's quality and the year it represented, the low coincidence is mainly caused by the inconsistent land cover classification systems and the recognition capability of cropland pixels with low fractions in different products., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including Asia's contribution to the evolution of agriculture, integrated development, and the alcohol de-addiction properties of the Korean resin tree (Hovenia dulcis).

After reviewing recent evidence from related disciplines arguing for an origin of the Austronesian peoples in northeastern China, this paper discusses the Proto-Austronesian and Old Chinese names of the millets, Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum. Partly based on linguistic data collected in Taiwan by the authors, proposed Proto-Austronesian cognate sets for millet terms are re-evaluated and the Proto-Austronesian sets are identified. The reasons for the earlier confusion among Old Chinese terms for the millets are explained: the Austronesian term for Panicum miliaceum and one of the Chinese terms for the same plant are shown to obey the sound correspondences between Proto-Austronesian and Chinese, earlier described, under a particular resolution of the phonological ambiguities in the OC reconstruction. Possession of the two kinds of millets (not just Setaria , as previously thought) places the pre-Austronesians in northeastern China, adjacent to the probable Sino-Tibetan homeland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How farmers perceive climate change is linked to whether they are responding and adapting to it. However, often this perception does not correspond with what actually happens. Based on a search of empirical studies carried out in Africa and Asia, this paper analyzes two factors that can influence farmers' perception regarding climate change: expected utility maximization and availability heuristic. While expected utility maximization refers to an expected change in farmers' well-being, the availability heuristic is a mental shortcut based on the memory of occurrence of events. Generally, empirical studies show that farmers' perceptions are aligning with meteorological records regarding an increase in temperature. However, while there are no significant variations in rainfall trends, farmers perceive a reduction in rainfall in the last few years. The recent increase in drought frequency and severity may cause this divergence, because it affects farmers' well-being, and extreme droughts have a central position in peoples' memory. In this context, our findings suggest that farmers' perceptions are influenced by economic and psychological issues. Policymakers, extension workers and developers of climate projects need to pay attention to farm and farmers' characteristics in order to develop mitigation and/or adaptation practices regarding climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its importance, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) has not been successful so far. Although negotiations about agricultural-sector trade liberalization have been built into the agenda of the DDA, the views of countries within the Cairns group are not easily reconciled with those of non–Cairns group countries. This paper examines the quantitative effects of liberalization of the agricultural sector in Northeast Asia based on the proposal of Stuart Harbinson, chairman of WTO's agriculture negotiating committee. The simulations undertaken here suggest that welfare gains from partial agricultural liberalization would be relatively modest in China (US$59 million), South Korea (US$687 million), and Japan (US$2.4 billion). However, the welfare distribution would be very uneven in South Korea and Japan. Most of the welfare losses would originate from impacts on rice farmers in these two countries, and losses would be politically difficult to accept. If rice were to be treated as a strategic product, the uneven welfare distribution would be considerably mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]