Academic literature on the topic 'Relations de production'

Simondon’s concept of the transindividual has become a central point of reference for contemporary critical philosophy and social philosophy. Despite its importance in the work of such writers as Étienne Balibar, Gilles Deleuze, Bernard Stiegler and Paolo Virno, Simondon’s works have not been translated into English, and thus no comprehensive study has appeared so far. Muriel Combes’s book presents not only a study of Simondon’s thought, but an examination of what it makes possible in terms of rethinking social relations.

Nowadays, life itself is one of the most active zones of capitalist production. Not only has biology been upgraded to Big Science, biological material and information are increasingly the subject of engineering, banking, reproduction, and exchange. The description and broad implications of the refiguring of life itself and its intrusion into economics and politics represent some of the most important issues on the academic agenda at the beginning of the twenty-first century (Pálsson 2007). Foucault's works on biopolitics (see, for instance, Foucault 1994) have obviously contributed critical insights with respect to the current refashioning of the human body, illuminating the political and governmental dimensions of these developments (Inda 2005; Rose 2006; Gottweis and Peterson 2008; Nowotny and Testa 2009; Lock and Nguyen 2009). Recently, a series of scholars have revisited the early writings of Marx, sometimes in combination with Foucauldian perspectives, in their attempt to make sense of the political economy of modern biotechnology, including the fragmenting of body parts and the labor process involved. One of the emerging themes in current discussions relates to the conception and role of labor in the reproduction of bodies and body parts. While Marx may not be an obvious source of innovative perspectives on the modern production of human biovalue, a somewhat unique industry that had not arrived in his time, his early works offer useful insights into contemporary developments.

The capitalist mode of production is one of the parameters adopted by Marx to extrapolate materialist conception and interpretation of human society. The capitalist mode of production has features of commodity production, a polarize wealth where ownership of the means of production is separated from the properless class and labour, has to sell his power to the capitalists in return for wages. The development of the capitalist mode of production was attributed to the accumulation, concentration and centralization of capital albeit invested and reinvested in form of finance capital exported to the third world nations through loan facilities. It is against this backdrop that two theories of the capitalist mode of production were developed. The first perspective argues that the capitalist mode of production was responsible for the economic growth and development of the third world nations through the establishment of industries from the finance capital which provides employment opportunities. While the second perspective argues that the capitalist mode of production was responsible for the underdevelopment of the third world nations through centre-periphery relations, inclined by unequal exchange relations in trade relations. Keywords: Capitalist mode of production, finance capital, centre-periphery relations, development and underdevelopment

Cette thèse porte sur des rapports animés entre les paysan.ne.s et leurs plantes dans les champs français. Pour certains, les plantes sont des êtres sensibles et intelligentes, pour d’autres, elles sont des êtres de travail, des êtres d’accompagnement, des êtres de jeu, des êtres de souffrance. Certain.e.s paysan.ne.s parlent à leurs plantes, d’autres tissent des relations d’amour, et se laissent instruire par leurs plantes sur les manières de les cultiver dans les champs. En décrivant ces rapports, la thèse montre que grâce aux relations sensibles que tissent ces paysan.ne.s avec leurs plantes, ils/elles les animent en laissant de côté les épistémologies naturalistes. En prenant ces propos au sérieux, littéralement, la thèse défend l’hypothèse selon laquelle, pour éviter que le monde agricole ne se transforme en véritable ruine, il ne faut plus chercher à « produire autrement », mais il faut rompre avec le paradigme de production pour ancrer les paysan.ne.s et leurs plantes dans des rapports co-évolutifs. En plongeant dans l’histoire de la modernité, c’est-à-dire en revisitant le conflit qui opposait le monde paysan d’un côté et le monde moderne de l’autre, avec l’arrivée des physiocrates parmi les instances intellectuelles et politiques françaises, cette thèse montre que le concept de production relève d’une approche universaliste et naturalisée qui s’est imposée sans aucun fondement empirique dans le monde agricole et dans le monde moderne plus largement
This thesis deals with animated relationships between peasants and their plants in French fields. For some, plants are sentient and intelligent beings, for others they are working beings, accompanying beings, game beings, suffering beings. Some peasants speak to their plants, others weave loving relationships, and let their plants teach them how to cultivate them in the fields. In describing these relationships, the thesis shows that, thanks to the sensitive relations that these peasants weave with their plants, they animate them by leaving naturalist epistemologies aside. By taking these words seriously, literally, the thesis defends the hypothesis that, in order to prevent the agricultural world from becoming ruins, we must no longer seek to "produce differently", but we must break with the paradigm of production to anchor peasants and their plants in co-evolutionary relationships. By plunging into the history of modernity, that is to say by revisiting the conflict between the peasant world on one side and the modern world on the other, with the arrival of the physiocrats among the French intellectual and policy-making bodies, this thesis shows that the concept of production is based on a universalist and naturalized approach that has been imposed without any empirical basis in the agricultural world and in the modern world more widely

Fluctuations are of great importance in systems of small length and energy scales. Measuring the pulling of single molecules or the stationary fiow of mesospheres dragged through a viscous media enables the direct analysis of work and entropy distributions. These probability distributions are the result of a large number of repetitions of the same experiment. Due to the small scale of these experiments, the outcome can vary significantly from one realization to the next. Strong theoretical predictions exist, collectively called Fluctuation Theorems, that restrict the shape of these distributions due to an underlying time reversal symmetry of the microscopic dynamics. Fluctuation Theorems are the strongest existing statements on the entropy production of systems that are out of equilibrium. Being the most important ingredient for the Fluctuation Theorems, the probability distribution of the entropy change is itself of great interest. Using numerically exact methods we characterize entropy distributions for various stochastic reaction-diffusion systems that present different properties in their underlying dynamics. We investigate these systems in their steady states and in cases where time dependent forces act on them. This study allows us to clarify the connection between the microscopic rules and the resulting entropy production. The present work also adds to the discussion of the steady state properties of stationary probabilities and discusses a non-equilibrium current amplitude that allows us to quantify the distance from equilibrium. The presented results are part of a greater endeavor to find common rules that will eventually lead to a general understanding of non-equilibrium systems.
Ph. D.

Els diferents treballs presentats en aquesta tesi han permès aprofundir en diversos aspectes relacionats amb el maneig de plantacions de cirerer per a fusta de qualitat en un context mediterrani, així com en uns altres més purament relacionats amb processos hidrològics, fisiològics o ecològics i amb la metodologia utilitzada per la mesura d'aquests. En el primer capítol es van testar els efectes que poden tenir sobre la producció de fusta el tipus de sòl (argilenc amb escàs percentatge d'elements gruixuts, enfront de sorrenc amb elevat percentatge d'elements gruixuts), el reg per degoteig (reg enfront de no reg) i el llaurat del sòl (llaurat mecànic enfront de vegetació espontània). Els resultats van mostrar que tant el tipus de sòl com el reg van tenir efectes significatius, mentre que el llaurat de sòl no va suposar increments notables en el increment en el volum de fusta. L'extrapolació dels resultats a tot el torn de plantació va permetre establir que, si la tendència observada es manté, el torn de plantació pot ser massa elevat per al sòl de tipus sorrenc, mentre que s'aconseguiria una reducció del voltant de deu anys al aplicar el reg, independentment del tipus de sòl. D'altra banda, la valoració econòmica i ecològica dels resultats del llaurat del sòl va permetre establir una forta reducció dels costos associats i una alta diversitat de la vegetació herbàcia acompanyant, amb els beneficis associats que aquesta última podria portar amb si. En el següent capítol es va estudiar la partició de la pluja amb un disseny experimental d'alta resolució espacial i temporal (que va permetre estudiar els processos a diferents escales), i amb un seguiment de l'estructura forestal i el clima com a possibles factors explicatius. Mentre que certes pluges d'escassa magnitud van provocar elevades intercepcions de pluja, els resultats a escala global (acumulat per a tot el període d'estudi) van indicar una baixa capacitat d'intercepció de la plantació, amb el que això pot suposar en matèria de reg. Des del punt de vista metodològic, es va posar de manifest que deu pluviòmetres per mesurar la trascolaciò són suficients per recollir la variabilitat espacial d'aquesta variable a l'escala global. En el tercer i quart capítol així com en l'annex, es va avaluar la transpiració i la seva relació amb variables ambientals (evapotranspiraciò i contingut hídric del perfil de sòl) i estructurals de la vegetació, d'una banda, i diversos aspectes metodològics relacionats amb l'us de sensors de flux de saba per estimar la transpiració, per una altra. Com a resultats més importants, es va posar de manifest el control estomàtic de la transpiració per a rangs concrets de contingut hídric del sòl, així com de la utilitat de les podes per millorar l'eficiència en l'ús de l'aigua a escala de plantació (capítol 3). En relació als aspectes metodològics, es va confirmar que alguns mètodes àmpliament utilitzats en altres espècies per estimar l'àrea conductora no van ser vàlids per a l'espècie estudiada. D'altra banda, es van establir els perfils radials i azimutals de la densitat de flux de saba (capítol 4) i es va comprovar que no considerar la variació que l'àrea conductora té al llarg del període vegetatiu pot suposar importants errors en l'estimació de la transpiració (annex). Finalment, en el capítol cinc, gràcies a l'us d'isòtops estables de l'aigua, es va arribar a la conclusió que, encara que les arrels fines dels arbres es van presentar al llarg del tot el perfil de sòl (0-100 cm), l'extracció principal d'aigua en l'època vegetativa es va produir fonamentalment de les capes superficials, unes vegades a 25 cm de profunditat i unes altres a menor profunditat. Aquest patró d'extracció d'aigua, juntament amb el similar observat per a la vegetació herbàcia acompanyant, va semblar indicar una competència per l'ús de l'aigua entre els arbres i les herbàcies. D'altra banda, els resultats en el sòl de pitjor qualitat agronòmica (el de tipus sorrenc indicat en el primer paràgraf d'aquest resum), amb taxes transpiratives molt baixes en les condicions de no reg, van indicar que la tècnica isotòpica podria ser no adequada en aquestes condicions, on la mescla de les aigües del xilema i floema invalidaria l'assumpció inicial de la relació directa entre l'aigua de xilema i l'aigua del sòl.
Los diferentes trabajos presentados en esta tesis han permitido profundizar en diversos aspectos relacionados con el manejo de plantaciones de cerezo para madera de calidad en un contexto mediterráneo, así como en otros más puramente relacionados con procesos hidrológicos, fisiológicos ó ecológicos y con la metodología utilizada para el monitoreo de éstos. En el primer capítulo se testaron los efectos que pueden tener sobre la producción de madera el tipo de suelo (arcilloso con escaso porcentaje de elementos gruesos frente a arenoso con porcentaje elevado de elementos gruesos), el riego por goteo (riego frente a no riego) y el laboreo del suelo (laboreo mecánico frente a vegetación espontánea). Los resultados mostraron que tanto el tipo de suelo como el riego tuvieron efectos significativos, mientras que el laboreo no supuso incrementos notables en el volumen maderable. La extrapolación de los resultados a todo el turno de plantación permitió establecer que, si la tendencia observada se mantiene, el turno de plantación puede ser demasiado elevado para el suelo de tipo arenoso con porcentaje elevado de elementos gruesos, mientras que se lograría una reducción de alrededor de diez años al aplicar el riego, independientemente del tipo de suelo. Por otra parte, la valoración económica y ecológica de los resultados del laboreo del suelo permitió establecer una fuerte reducción de los costes asociados y una alta diversidad de la vegetación herbácea acompañante, con los beneficios asociados que esta última puede traer consigo. En el segundo capítulo se estudió la partición de la lluvia con un diseño experimental de alta resolución espacial y temporal, además de un seguimiento de la estructura forestal y las variables meteorológicas como posibles factores explicativos de la variabilidad espacio-temporal. Mientras que ciertas lluvias de escasa magnitud provocaron elevadas pérdidas por interceptación, los resultados para todo el periodo de estudio indicaron una baja capacidad de interceptación de la plantación, con lo que ello puede implicar en materia de riego. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, se puso de manifiesto que diez pluviómetros son suficientes para recoger la variabilidad espacial de la trascolación a escala de parcela. En el tercer y cuarto capítulos, así como en el anejo, se evaluó la transpiración y su relación con las variables ambientales (evapotranspiración y contenido hídrico del perfil de suelo) y estructurales de la vegetación. Así mismo, se analizaron diversos aspectos metodológicos relacionados con el empleo de sensores de flujo de savia para estimar la transpiración. Como resultados más destacables se puso de manifiesto el control estomático de la transpiración para rangos concretos de contenido hídrico del suelo, así como de la utilidad de las podas para mejorar la eficiencia en el uso del agua a escala de plantación (capítulo 3). En lo que se refiere a los aspectos metodológicos, se confirmó que algunos métodos ampliamente utilizados en otras especies para estimar el área conductora, no fueron válidos para la especie estudiada. Por otro lado, se establecieron los perfiles radiales y azimutales de la densidad de flujo de savia (capítulo 4) y se comprobó que no considerar la variación a lo largo del período vegetativo del área conductora puede suponer importantes errores en la estimación de la transpiración (anejo). Por último, en el capítulo cinco, gracias al empleo de isótopos estables del agua, se llegó a la conclusión de que, aunque las raíces finas de los árboles se localizaron a lo largo del todo el perfil de suelo (0-100 cm), la extracción de agua durante el período vegetativo se produjo principalmente de las capas más superficiales, unas veces a 25 cm de profundidad y otras a menor profundidad. Este patrón de extracción de agua, junto con un patrón similar observado para la vegetación herbácea acompañante, pareció indicar una competencia por el uso del agua entre los árboles y las herbáceas. Finalmente, las tasas transpirativas tan bajas obtenidas en condiciones de no riego en los árboles situados en el suelo de peor calidad agronómica (el de tipo arenoso indicado en el primer párrafo de este resumen), indicaron que la técnica isotópica podría ser no adecuada en dichas condiciones, ya que una posible mezcla de las aguas del xilema y floema, en estas condiciones de estrés severo, invalidaría la asunción inicial del método de una relación directa entre el agua del xilema y el agua del suelo.
All different works presented in this thesis have allowed a further study of some of the main aspects related to the management of wild cherry tree plantations for timber production under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Moreover, key hydrological, physiological and ecological processes have been monitored and the methodology used for that purpose tested. Within the first chapter, the potential effects of soil type (clay-loam texture with negligible presence of gravels versus sandy-loam texture with high proportion of gravels), irrigation (drip irrigation versus rainfed conditions) and soil tillage (soil tillage versus spontaneous herbaceous plants leaved to grow) on timber volume were tested. Results showed that both soil type and irrigation had significant effects on the timber volume increase, whereas soil tillage did not. Extrapolation of these results to the future allowed setting that, if the observed tendency is maintained, the rotation length will be too high for the sandy soil, whereas a reduction of ten years in the rotation length will be obtained if irrigation is applied, regardless the soil type. On the other hand, the economic and ecological assessment of soil tillage results allowed establishing a strong reduction of the associated costs and high herbaceous vegetation diversity, with the potential related benefits the latter could imply. In the following chapter rainfall partitioning was studied by using an experimental design of high spatial and temporal resolution, together with the monitoring of forest structure and climate variables as potential driving factors. While certain rainfall events of low magnitude caused high interception losses, results at global scale (the accumulated value for the whole study period) indicated a low rainfall interception capacity for the plantation. From a methodological point of view, it was showed that ten tipping buckets were sufficient to collect the spatial variability of throughfall at the global scale. Within chapters three and four and in the annex, stand transpiration and its dependency with environmental (evapotranspiration and soil water content) and forest structural variables were assessed in one hand, and in the other, certain methodological aspects related to the use of sap flow sensors were evaluated. As for the most relevant results, the linear relationship between transpiration and soil water content, and the ability of branch pruning to improve the water use efficiency at stand scale, are highlighted (chapter 3). With regards to methodological aspects, it was confirmed that some methods widely used in other species to estimate the sapwood area were not suitable for the specie under study. In addition, radial and azimuthal profiles of the sap flux density were defined (chapter 4), and it was confirmed that the non consideration of the variation of the sapwood area along the vegetative period may cause relevant errors in the transpiration estimates (annex). Finally, in chapter five, thanks to the use of stable water isotopes, it could be concluded that, even though fine tree roots were observed all through the soil profile (0-100 cm), the root water extraction during the vegetative period was mainly obtained from soil superficial layers, sometimes from 25 cm depth, and some other times from more superficial depths. This water uptake pattern for wild cherry tree, together with that similar one observed in the spontaneous vegetation, is likely to be an indication of water use competence between trees and herbaceous plants. On the other hand, results from the lowest agronomic quality soil (that of sandy texture indicated in the first paragraph of this summary), with very low tree transpiration rates under rainfed conditions, seemed to indicate that water isotopes technique can be inadequate for such conditions, where the mixture of xylem and phloem waters may invalidate the assumption of a direct linkage between xylem and soil waters.

This study analyses the production of environmental news and focuses upon the neglected area of source-media relations. Through a combination of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and content analysis, the study explores relations between media practitioners and key news sources, such as environmental pressure groups, related interest groups, scientists and the Department of the Environment. It suggests that a major lacuna exists within the analysis of source-media relations. Researchers have, until recently, adopted a media-centric position and have rarely considered the perceptions of the sources themselves. This thesis, then, fills an important gap in the literature. It argues that through largely focusing upon the ways in which media make use of sources, the sociology of mass communications has ignored a fundamental aspect of news production. The hypothesis that environmental pressure groups are becoming increasingly adept in their approaches towards the media was supported by the research findings. Many of the campaigning pressure groups that were formed in the 1970s have become established news sources and key definers of the political agenda. During the late 1980s many environmental pressure groups experienced greater access to television and the press. This thesis highlights a number of weaknesses with the structuralist model of source-dependency which maintains that official sources such as government or the courts, co=and privileged access to the media by virtue of their representative status, institutional standing, or their claims to expert knowledge. It suggests that a new model of source-media relations needs to be developed. While official sources tend to gam greater access to the media than non-official sources such as pressure groups, the evidence suggests that this observation needs to be qualified in a number of respects. First, this study indicates that it fails to take into account inequalities of access among 'accredited sources'. Second, it neglects the role of the media as definers in the agenda-setting process. Third, the structuralist model fails to analyse the varying degrees with which media practitioners judge the claims of 'primary definers'. The study indicates that journalists and broadcasters tend to view Friends of the Earth as more credible than Greenpeace. Finally, this thesis indicates that evidence about patterns of source-dependence deduced from content analysis or journalistic evidence needs to be supplemented by interviews with the sources themselves.

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The objective of this research is to analyze the relationship between industrial production and demand for electric energy in the Cearà state. First, it analyzed the behavior of the series used in the study, verifying if they were stationary or integrated processes. Second, Cointegrating tests were utilized to verify of the long-run relationship among economic variables. Finally, through VAR estimation, it was possible to analyze the effect of the variation a long of the time of the industrial production on the others variables. The results obtained indicated that shocks in the industrial production make to increase the energy production, over all of the oil derivatives. The effect most significant occurred on the variable oil diesel. In relation to the electric energy, the results had little indicated a significant variation of this source to explain the increase of the industrial production. In virtue of Cearà industry to be more sensible the shocks in the oil derivatives that in the electric energy, seem to be more reasonable to the State to adopt politics that stimulate the expansion of offer of the first ones, in case that it has as pretension to stimulate its industrial growth.
Esse estudo tem como objetivo analisar a relaÃÃo entre produÃÃo industrial e demanda de energia no Estado do CearÃ. Para tanto buscou-se, a princÃpio, analisar o comportamento das sÃries utilizadas no estudo, verificando se eram estacionÃrias ou processos integrados. Em seguida, procedeu-se ao teste de co-integraÃÃo, cujo intuito era determinar se as sÃries apresentavam alguma tendÃncia comum ao longo do tempo. Por fim, atravÃs da estimaÃÃo de um VAR, procurou-se analisar o efeito da variaÃÃo ao longo do tempo da produÃÃo industrial sobre as demais variÃveis. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que choques na produÃÃo industrial fazem aumentar a produÃÃo de energia, sobretudo dos derivados de petrÃleo. O efeito mais significativo ocorreu sobre a variÃvel Ãleo diesel. Em relaÃÃo à energia elÃtrica, os resultados indicaram uma variaÃÃo pouco significante dessa fonte para explicar o aumento da produÃÃo industrial. Em virtude da indÃstria cearense ser mais sensÃvel a choques nos derivados de petrÃleo que na energia elÃtrica, parece ser mais razoÃvel ao Estado adotar polÃticas que incentivem a expansÃo da oferta dos primeiros, caso tenha como pretensÃo estimular seu crescimento industrial .

O homem como ser social faz uso de variados veículos de expressão e comunicação de suas idéias. Os objetos surgem como facilitadores de sua existência, inclusive como suportes das relações sociais. Dentro do vasto universo de objetos produzidos pela humanidade, destacamos os adornos pessoais - jóias, como aqueles aos quais inúmeros usos e significados são atribuídos. Na presente dissertação será traçado um panorama deste objeto na sociedade brasileira nos dias atuais. Objetiva-se localizar o designer dentro do setor de jóias e gemas nacional, compreendendo a sua relação com o setor produtivo e as oportunidades de formação especializada.
Man is a social being and, as such, makes use of various means to express and communicate his ideas. He uses objects to make his existence easier, inclusively in support of his social relations. Within the ample universe of objects created by humanity, we point out personal ornaments - jewels, to which sometimes different usages and meanings are attributed. In this paper we provide an overview of these objects in present-day Brazilian society. Our aim is to place the designer within the Brazilian gem and jewelry industry and describe his relation with the productive sector and the opportunities for specialization.

This study looks at the recent rise of the public relations profession and its influence on national news production in Britain. Simply put, has public relations undermined the notion of the fourth estate media in Britain and has it advantaged certain kinds of news source over others? The thesis breaks down into three parts. The first part documents the rise of public relations in Britain, its profile, and distribution amongst a range of institutions and organisations. The developing public relations and media industries are compared and the literature, on the relations between 'news sources', PR practitioners and journalists, is critically evaluated. The second part focuses on corporate public relations generally and, more specifically, on financial and City PR. Industry and fieldwork data are contrasted with radical and liberal accounts of media-corporate source relations. The findings suggest that corporate PR has had limited success in influencing mainstream news but been considerably more adept at managing specialist news sections. It is thus argued that PR has benefited the corporate sector, less by influencing journalists and the general public, and more by excluding them. This pattern is supported with a detailed case study involving Granada's take-over of Forte in 1995/96. The third part discusses 'resource-poor' and 'outsider' groups - more specifically, British trade unions. Fieldwork data is used to test radical and pluralist accounts of the coverage of such groups in the mass media. The findings argue that unions have found new ways to increase their media access using PR - and with rather more success than earlier studies suggested. The conclusion is borne out by a case study of the UCW's (Union of Communication Workers) successful PR campaign to halt Post Office privatisation in 1994. Finally, the separate findings of the thesis are used to develop a fuller description of how public relations affects media production and news source access.

Production planning in Manufacturing-to-Order environments producing complex items must manage the execution of fabrication and/or assembling activities. In case of activities executed by workers, the committed effort can vary over time. To model this behavior, the Variable Intensity formulation has been proposed in the literature. In addition, the activities to be scheduled often represent whole production phases made of distinct production operations. Hence, the utilization of simple finish-to-start precedence relations does not correctly represent the real production process. In such cases Generalized Precedence Relations are used to allow overlapping among activities. However, since in Variable Intensity formulations the percentage execution of the activities is no more univocally related to their time execution, Generalized Precedence Relations cannot completely describe the constraints among activities. In this paper two mathematical formulations of precedence relations based on processing execution are presented to model overlapping between activities. The formulations are applied to an industrial case of production of machining centers and compared in terms of computational efficiency.

This article is aimed at analysing the economic interrelation between actors in the tomato production chain in Uzbekistan and find ways to increase the smallholders’ income. We used a PROBIT model to determine the influence of exogenous and endogenous factors on the choice of a small trading partner. The customers that come to the smallholders’ house to purchase the product are regarded as an exogenous factor. More attention needs to be paid to increasing value-added in the food chain in Uzbekistan and improving economic relations between its actors. The factor obtained as an instrumental variable is assessed as having a positive and high impact on the choice of smallholder intermediate trade partner. In other words, an increase in the level of acquaintances of intermediaries with smallholders will increase economic cooperation by 1.2 times, an increase in family income from agriculture by 19% and an increase in smallholder activity in the mahalle by 15.7%. It is estimated that the increase in the number of respondents’ livestock per unit, foreign experience per year and the level of use of credits per unit will increase economic cooperation with direct consumers by 34.4, 13.4 and 28.5%, respectively. It also provides guidelines for tomato farmers to reduce transaction costs and risks and increase their profitability.

Quantitatively linking satellite observations of vegetation condition and climate data over time provides insight to climate influences on primary production, phenology (timing of growth), and sensitivity of vegetation to weather and longer-term patterns of weather referred to as climate. This in turn provides a basis for understanding potential climate impacts to vegetation—and the potential to anticipate cascading ecological effects—such as impacts to forage, habitat, fire potential, and erosion—as climate changes in the future. This report provides baseline information about vegetation production and condition over time at Canyonlands National Park (NP), as derived from satellite remote sensing. Its objective is to demonstrate methods of analysis, share findings, and document historic climate exposure and sensitivity of vegetation to weather and climate as a driver of vegetation change. This report represents a quantitative foundation of vegetation–climate relationships on an annual timestep. The methods can be modified to finer temporal resolution and other spatial scales if further analyses are needed to inform park planning and management. The knowledge provided in this report can inform vulnerability assessments for Climate Smart Conservation planning by park managers. Patterns of pivot points and responses can serve as a guide to anticipate what, where, when, and why vegetation change may occur. For this analysis, vegetation alliance groups were derived from vegetation-map polygons (Von Loh et al. 2007) by lumping vegetation types expected to respond similarly to climate. Relationships between vegetation production and phenology were evaluated for each alliance map unit larger than a satellite pixel (~300 × 300 m). We used a water-balance model to characterize the climate experienced by plants. Water balance translates temperature and precipitation into more biophysically relevant climate metrics, such as soil moisture and drought stress, that are often more strongly correlated with vegetation condition than temperature or precipitation are. By accounting for the interactions between temperature, precipitation, and site characteristics, water balance helps make regional climate assessments relevant to local scales. The results provide a foundation for interpreting weather and climate as a driver of changes in primary production over a 20-year period at the polygon and alliance-group scale. Additionally, they demonstrate how vegetation type and site characteristics, such as soil properties, slope, and aspect, interact with climate at local scales to determine trends in vegetation condition. This report quantitatively defines critical water needs of vegetation and identifies which alliance types, in which locations, may be most susceptible to climate-change impacts in the future. Finally, this report explains how findings can be used in the Climate Smart Conservation framework, with scenario planning, to help manage park resources through transitions imposed by climate change.

Climate determines the vegetation composition in parks and climate change will affect vegetation condition and composition in the future. This study, which examined changes in climate, water availability, and vegetation from 2000 to 2019 in Curecanti National Recreation Area (NRA) in Colorado, USA, evaluates vegetation sensitivity to weather and climate for the purpose of understanding climate-vegetation relationships that can be used to understand what vegetation types may change. Specifically, it evaluates where change is likely in the NRA, when change may happen and why change may occur. This information is needed to help avoid surprises and can be used to help plan for inevitable change. Satellite images were analyzed with climate data to quantify vegetation sensitivity to climate and drought tolerance. Historic trends in vegetation production and phenology were evaluated and analysis with climate data identified which aspects of climate were most important to annual production and phenology for different vegetation types. Additionally, trends in climate and climate drivers of vegetation phenology were also identified. Study results suggest that annual trends in vegetation production increased in 98% of the area analyzed in and near Curecanti NRA between 2000 and 2019, and decreased in the other 2%. Further, from 2000 to 2019, the growing season shortened by 0.6 to 8 days for six vegetation alliance groups (Mesic Sagebrush, Dry Sagebrush, Quaking Aspen, Mixed Montane Shrubland, Disturbed, and Blue Spruce), but lengthened by 2 to 17 days for the other 10 alliance groups that are found in Curecanti NRA. Finally, the information generated in this study was placed in the context of a climate adaptation planning framework to demonstrate how it can be used for long-range management and planning.

Climate determines the vegetation composition in parks and climate change will affect vegetation condition and composition in the future. This study evaluates vegetation sensitivity to weather and climate for the purpose of understanding climate-vegetation relationships that can be used to understand what vegetation types may change. Specifically, it evaluates where change is likely, when change may happen and why change may occur. This information is needed to help avoid surprises and can be used to help plan for inevitable change. Satellite images were analyzed with climate data to quantify vegetation sensitivity to climate and drought tolerance. Historic trends in vegetation production and phenology were evaluated and analysis with climate data identified which aspects of climate were most important to annual production and phenology for different vegetation types. Additionally, trends in climate and climate drivers of vegetation phenology were also identified. Finally, the information generated in this study was placed in the context of a climate adaptation planning framework to demonstrate how it can be used for long-range planning.

Quantitatively linking satellite observations of vegetation condition and climate data over time provides insight to climate influences on primary production, phenology (timing of growth), and sensitivity of vegetation to weather and longer-term patterns of weather referred to as climate. This in turn provides a basis for understanding potential climate impacts to vegetation—and the potential to anticipate cascading ecological effects, such as impacts to forage, habitat, fire potential, and erosion, as climate changes in the future. This report provides baseline information about vegetation production and condition over time at Capitol Reef National Park (NP), as derived from satellite remote sensing. Its objective is to demonstrate methods of analysis, share findings, and document historic climate exposure and sensitivity of vegetation to weather and climate as a driver of vegetation change. This report represents a quantitative foundation of vegetation–climate relationships on an annual timestep. The methods can be modified to finer temporal resolution and other spatial scales if further analyses are needed to inform park planning and management. The knowledge provided in this report can inform vulnerability assessments for Climate Smart Conservation planning by park managers. Patterns of pivot points and responses can serve as a guide to anticipate what, where, when, and why vegetation change may occur. For this analysis, vegetation alliance groups were derived from vegetation-map polygons (Von Loh et al. 2007) by lumping vegetation types expected to respond similarly to climate. Relationships between vegetation production and phenology were evaluated for each alliance map unit larger than a satellite pixel (~300 × 300 m). We used a water-balance model to characterize the climate experienced by plants. Water balance translates temperature and precipitation into more biophysically relevant climate metrics, such as soil moisture and drought stress, that are often more strongly correlated with vegetation condition than temperature or precipitation are. By accounting for the interactions between temperature, precipitation, and site characteristics, water balance helps make regional climate assessments relevant to local scales. The results provide a foundation for interpreting weather and climate as a driver of changes in primary production over a 20-year period at the polygon and alliance-group scale. Additionally, they demonstrate how vegetation type and site characteristics, such as soil properties, slope, and aspect, interact with climate at local scales to determine trends in vegetation condition. This report quantitatively defines critical water needs of vegetation and identifies which alliance types, in which locations, may be most susceptible to climate-change impacts in the future. Finally, this report explains how findings can be used in the Climate Smart Conservation framework, with scenario planning, to help manage park resources through transitions imposed by climate change.

India and Southeast Asia have been seeking more economic engagement in recent years. The ASEAN–India free trade agreement has resulted in a diversification of trade flows by partner country, but both regions have failed to increase their share substantially in each other’s overall trade volume. Service export may offer new opportunities, but India’s limited integration in regional production networks and the difference in the sectoral competitiveness of the two regions will make it difficult to elevate trade relations to a much higher level. India plays a minor FDI relationship with Southeast Asia that is limited to Singapore, and there are substantial barriers to diversification in that regard. India’s role in regional infrastructure development is minor compared to China or Japan. At the same time, the digital economy and the health industry may provide new opportunities for economic engagement between the two regions. Altogether, strategic cooperation is still to be translated into a breakthrough in the economic relations between India and the ASEAN region.

This paper looks at the challenges and shortcomings facing the sunflower sub-sector in Tanzania. It showcases the political economy of sunflower based on analyses of the performance of the sector over a 30-year period since the early 1990s, also studying the relations between the importers of edible oil, and the local actors of the sunflower value chain (farmers and processors). In addition, the authors discuss how disparities in accessing resources for production were established across gender, age, wealth status, which led to social differentiation. Following this, they examine how restrictions introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected activities and relations along the sunflower value chain.

Cocoa production has a long history in Ghana, originating in the late nineteenth century. Since then, cocoa production has seen significant changes. Originally, cocoa was cultivated in newly cleared forests in which many forest trees were preserved as shade trees. Cocoa is ideally suited to these conditions and produces high yields with minimum investment in labour and inputs. However, over time, as the forest conditions change, the cost of cultivating cocoa has increased and yields have declined. As long as new forest frontiers exist, farmers have continued to move into these areas, which have displaced older areas of cultivation, since the costs of production are significantly lower in the new frontiers. In recent years, however, new forest frontiers have declined and most cocoa farmers have been forced to rehabilitate and replant cocoa in open land. This study examines the rational of frontier development; changes in land relations, labour relations and use of technology; and the impact of these factors on different categories of farmers, including women and youth. This is developed through two comparative case studies drawn from the older cocoa frontier of the Eastern Region, and the more recent frontier of Western North Region.

This paper studies the empirical links among factor endowments, trade, and personal income distribution. The motivation is that many developing countries have implemented radical trade reforms in recent years. These reforms have changed relative prices, induced a reallocation of resources, and may have led to the introduction of new production techniques. These changes are quite complex and their final effect on income distribution is theoretically unclear. The author's aim is to present the stylized empirical facts on the relations between income distribution, factor endowments, and trade.

Since the turn of the century, agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa has been undergoing rapid transformation. Ghana is experiencing an agrarian revolution with increasing farmland sizes, increased mechanisation of production and external input usage, and high levels of commercialisation. In this paper we show the growth of farm sizes, the major drivers of increasing farm sizes, and emerging relations between different scales of farmers. The paper discusses the synergies and contradictions emerging from the processes of agricultural commercialisation in the context of rising farmland sizes and the implications for different social groups.