This paper examines the role that land rights play in the decision to either cultivate or lease a given plot. Using data from 2,874 farming households collected in 1997 in rural Thailand, we find that in villages adjacent to forest reserves, where the is a risk of expropriation, plots that are leased are more likely to be titled than those that are self cultivated. In other areas, however, land...

Fecal contamination of surface waters is a critical water quality concern with serious human health implications. Many states use Escherichia coli as an indicator organism for fecal contamination and apply watershed models to develop and support bacterial Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs); however, model applicability is greatly restricted due to the sparse availability of E. coli data for vali...

Much of the agricultural land in the Central Hills area of the Sichuan Basin is at risk from soil erosion by water. An investigation of rates and patterns of soil erosion on agricultural land near Yanting was undertaken using the caesium-137 technique. Erosion of the upper parts of sloping fields was found to be severe, with rates of the order of 20 to 50 t ha" year". However, infield depositio...

BACKGROUND Changes in agricultural practices-notably changes in crop varieties, application of fertilizer and manure, rotation and tillage practices-influence how much and at what rate carbon is stored in, or released from, soils. Quantification of the impacts of land use on carbon stocks in sub-Saharan Africa is challenging because of the spatial heterogeneity of soil, climate, management cond...

This review summarises the knowledge about the ecology, breeding and management of hybrid aspen (Populus wettsteinii Hämet-Ahti P. tremula L. P. tremuloides Michx.). The review is restricted mainly to Northern Europe, where hybrid aspen has been most intensively studied and cultivated and where it has proved to be one of the fastest-growing hardwoods, suitable for the production of pulpand ener...

Aromatic plants are plants that possess aromatic compounds, most of which are essential oils which are volatile in room temperature. They have traditionally been used as raw materials for extraction of essential oils (which, in turn, are used in the flavor and fragrance industries), as well as the sources of spices, herbs, and other natural products such as traditional medicines, pharmaceutical...