Extension Strategies for Poverty Alleviation: Lessons from China and India

Abstract

This paper discusses the transition from a national focus on food security during the last half of the 20th century to an emerging strategy on helping small-scale farm households increase farm income to reduce rural poverty. The basic proposition is that if extension is going to help increase farm incomes and rural employment, then it must shift from being a ‘supply-driven’ to a more ‘market-driven’ extension system. This shift requires at least three major institutional changes. First, extension must give higher priority to high-value, labor-intensive crops/products where there is real demand in domestic and/or export markets. Second, small-scale producers must get organized into groups to achieve economies of scale and to become linked with the ‘value chains’ that supply these markets. Third, extension planning and decision-making must become decentralized to determine the most suitable crops and/or enterprises vis-à-vis the interests and resources of different farmer groups, in light of agro-ecological conditions and available markets for different products.     

The Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Human and Social Capital: A Case Study from Ghana

Abstract

Based on a case study of Ghanaian cocoa farmers who attended farmer field schools (FFS), this paper explores the impact of the FFS methodology on farmers’ technical knowledge, experimentation, knowledge diffusion, group formation and social skills as a way of assessing whether the relatively high costs associated with the method is justified. We carried out focus group discussions for exploratory purposes and a formal survey of 70 FFS graduates and 70 non-FFS farmers. The superior knowledge test scores of FFS graduates relative to non-FFS farmers demonstrates the effectiveness of the method for communicating complex knowledge and information to farmers in a way that allows them to understand it and retain it. An assessment of changes in farmers’ experimental capacity showed variable results. On the one hand, a significant proportion of FFS graduates applied some of the principles and practices learned to solve productivity problems with other crops, while others did not perceive any change in their experimentation behaviour. Significantly, an important skill farmers learned in the FFS was making observations on cocoa trees and the wider ecosystem as the basis for decision-making. The case study confirmed that FFS strengthened social cohesion among cocoa farmers and enhanced individual social skills by creating new networks for knowledge exchange and support, promoting group formation and improving farmers’ confidence and ability to work more effectively in groups. The paper concludes by recommending areas for improving FFS and highlights how strengthening human and social capital in cocoa growing communities can serve as a springboard for broader development activities.     

Achieving Business Success by Developing Clients and Community: Lessons from Leading Companies,Emerging Economies and a Nine Year Case Study

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence and recent revisions of conventional business doctrine indicate that companies that actively promote social performance and develop their clients' markets and skills as part of business strategy have a better chance of achieving sustainable profitability and growth than those that do not. This article discusses how landmark companies, emerging economies, and in particular a Latin American company sustained success over long periods of time by developing socially‐focused strategies. By applying the Megaplanning methodology to the development of clients and the social environment during a three‐year period, an Argentinean refinery developed its local and regional market, increased its revenues and market share and reduced turnover and costs generated by social conflict, outperforming its previous conventional, Macro‐focused business strategies.     

中国人的人情交往及其日常行动策略——以一则影视作品为例

人情作为一个本土概念,在日常人际交往中为每个人所熟知.它的产生有其独特的社会文化背景,其中农业社会的结构特征与儒家文化的熏陶教化共同发挥了重要的作用.人情交往反映了一种欠与报的交换关系,而其中关系、面子等因素又与人情有着千丝万缕的联系.通过对一节剧情的描述可以清晰地体现出这些特点,同时也能够反映出人情社会中的一些日常行动策略.     

A Case Study: An ACT Stress Management Group in a University Counseling Center

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) stress management group in a college counseling center setting. This study explored (a) the effectiveness of ACT in increasing participants’ ability to tolerate distress, which directly affects their ability to function in a stressful college setting; (b) the effectiveness of ACT in decreasing participants’ level of experiential avoidance, which directly affects their willingness to engage in their day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and social interactions; and (c) the impact of ACT treatment on anxiety symptoms traditionally targeted in cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions. The results of this initial investigation show promising support for the prediction that an ACT Stress Management Group would significantly reduce participants’ level of experiential avoidance and increase their ability to tolerate distress.     

强化国有企业资产负债约束的成效分析——以河北省国有企业为例

河北省是工业大省,高负债的行业较多,研究国有企业资产负债约束对推进结构性去杠杆意义重大。选取河北省各行业具有代表性的省属上市国企及市属非上市国企,依据财务报表数据,运用财务分析的方法,从国企负债水平与结构、负债效益与风险两个角度考察河北省国企资产负债约束成效,进而提出完善资产负债自我约束及强化资产负债监管约束两种主要方法解决国企高负债问题。     

Implementing Effective Internships: A Case Study of Work-Integrated Learning in a Chinese Undergraduate University

Chinese local undergraduate universities are in a process of transition into universities of applied sciences. Important aspects of this include strengthening cooperation between universities and industry, cultivating applied talent needed in industry, improving students’ employment rates, and promoting economic development. Internships are an important way to help students gain practical experience and deepen university-industry cooperation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the challenges of the existing internship process in an undergraduate university in China and give suggestions to improve internship quality. Qualitative data from 35 students and 12 administrators/faculty were collected at a local undergraduate university, H University (HU), in central China, which is currently undergoing the process of becoming a university of applied sciences. The findings of the study show issues with the university’s model, including communication between industry and university, internship evaluation, student guidance, and internship quality. Recommendations based on the literature are provided.     

Reconsidering the use of video clubs for student-teachers' learning during field placement: Lessons drawn from a longitudinal multiple case study

Although video clubs have been used to support (student) teachers' learning through reflection upon practice, less attention has been paid to their potential use for supporting changes in participants' practice over a period of time. Prior work has also largely treated (student) teachers as an undifferentiated whole that benefits in similar ways from video clubs. In this study, we problematize this assumption by drawing on three cases of student teachers to exemplify three different learning paths while participating in a video club during field placement. Reflecting on these findings, we discuss implications for differentiating the video-club approach to address different student teachers.     

Teaching and Learning Chinese through Immersion: A Case Study from the North American Context

With the promise of achieving bilingualism, biliteracy, and cultural pluralism, Chinese immersion programs for students from kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) in North America, especially the US, have been proliferating in the past two decades. Research on this rapidly growing population of non-native Chinese learners is also growing. This research synthesis focuses on 35 selected studies published in recent years on Chinese immersion in both Chinese and English language journals and books. The review found that researchers are exploring a wide range of issues with respect to language and literacy development in Chinese immersion programs, including academic achievement in English, language and literacy acquisition in Chinese, instructional strategies and classroom interaction, as well as learners’ language use and its sociolinguistic variations. These studies reflect a growing interest in and demand for learning more about the lesser-researched Chinese foreign language (CFL) learner population, and this review concludes with suggestions for future research on Chinese immersion based on its curricular features as well as specific considerations for conducting research with young, emergent bilingual and biliterate learners.     

中共在高校接管中自我形象的塑造——以对清华大学的接管为例

中共对高校接管既是新政权建立的必然要求,也是知识分子政策落实的结果。1948年底至1949年初,中共以高校师生为重心,通过严谨且细致的接管工作,树立了一个认真负责、廉洁高效、具有民主作风的政党形象,赢得了多数师生的支持与拥护。成功接管清华大学是中共对国统区文化教育机构接管的良好范例,为当下党的高校工作提供了经验。